scholarly journals Smartphones as a Tool for Expediting English Vocabulary Learning: Teachers’ Perceptions of Benefits and Drawbacks‏

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 123-132
Author(s):  
Rami A. Sa'di ◽  
Talha A. Sharadgah ◽  
Maha Yaseen
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Vocabulary Learning ◽  
Teaching Experience ◽  
Great Majority ◽  
Ease Of Use ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Moderate Number ◽  
Item Questionnaire ◽  
Efl Students

This study surveyed teachers’ perceptions of the efficiency of utilizing smartphones as a tool for helping EFL students ameliorate their English vocabulary learning. A 27-item questionnaire was administered to 120 teachers working at various state and private secondary schools in Saudi Arabia. Findings revealed that the great majority of teachers (84%) considered smartphones an effective tool for teaching vocabulary. The current study also showed that teaching experience had statistically significant effects on teachers’ perceptions in favour of teachers with a moderate number of years of experience (more than 5 and less than 10 years). However, there were no statistically significant differences on teachers’ perceptions yielded by the gender variable. Furthermore, the current study showed that ease of use, the ability to engage students anywhere and anytime, learning through game applications, and offering a great deal of exposure to foreign language received the highest rate of agreement. Additionally, teachers believed that several drawbacks might impact the integration of smartphones into the classroom, including low quality of existing apps, lack of training on smartphones for academic purposes and the disruption and distraction they cause.

Teachers’ perceptions of effective strategies for developing intercultural competence

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 333-358
Author(s):  
Xiaoping Gao
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Teacher Perceptions ◽  
Intercultural Competence ◽  
Professional Training ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Teaching Experience ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Effective Strategies ◽  
Factors Influencing

Abstract How to effectively integrate culture into second language teaching has long been of concern in foreign language education. Despite advances in theory and practice for intercultural language teaching, there has been little research to investigate factors influencing teachers’ pedagogical beliefs and perceptions. This study addresses this gap by examining teachers’ perceptions of effective strategies that foster students’ intercultural competence in the teaching of Chinese as a foreign language and factors influencing their beliefs. Twenty-nine school and university teachers in Australia completed a survey and a focus group interview. Quantitative analyses revealed that teachers’ perceptions of the effectiveness of the strategies varied despite an overall positive attitude towards the teaching of culture. Their beliefs were significantly influenced by their years of teaching experience, educational setting, and native language, but not by gender, age group and educational backgrounds. Qualitative analyses attribute the inconsistency in teacher perceptions to teachers’ disparate conceptualisations of culture, teaching experiences, and educational contexts associated with different curricular and pedagogical requirements and learner characteristics. The findings reinforce the necessity for providing teachers with professional training, along with pedagogical guidance and resources in order to facilitate their intercultural language teaching practices.

scholarly journals English goes digital: Framing pre-service teachers’ perceptions of a learning management system in their EFL studies

ExELL ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-67
Author(s):  
Oleksandr Kapranov
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Management System ◽  
Empirical Investigation ◽  
Learning Management System ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Framing Analysis ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Learning Management ◽  
Reflective Essay

AbstractThis article introduces and discusses an empirical investigation that aimed to establish how pre-service teachers of English (hereinafter “participants”) framed their perceptions of Canvas, a learning management system (LMS), in their studies of English as a Foreign Language (EFL). In the present study, the participants and their respective controls (i.e., non-teacher EFL students) were requested to write a short reflective essay associated with the use of the LMS in their EFL course. All participants and the control group used Canvas as their LMS. The corpus of the participants’ and controls’ reflective essays was analysed qualitatively by means of framing analysis. The results of the qualitative framing analysis revealed that whilst there were similarities in the participants’ and controls’ framing, the corpus of the participants’ essays involved instances of framing that were specific to the participants’ perceptions of Canvas. These findings and their linguo-didactic implications were further presented in the article.

The impact of computer-assisted language learning on Iranian EFL students’ vocabulary learning

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 210-217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ali Rahimi ◽  
Samira Mouri
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Vocabulary Learning ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Computer Assisted Language Learning ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Experimental Group

This study aimed to explore the impact of computer-assisted language learning on Iranian EFL students’ vocabulary learning. Participants of the study were 76 students – 29 males and 47 females – learning English as a foreign language in Parto, Sadr, Poyesh and Andishe Institutes in Ahvaz who were selected after taking the Nelson English Language Test as a proficiency test. They were randomly divided into two groups. One group was taken as control and the other as experimental group. Both groups participated in the teacher-made test of vocabulary, Vocabulary Levels Test (VLT), and Word-Associates Test (WAT) as pre-test. During class sessions the control group was taught the vocabulary, in the conventional way, through the printed textbook while the experimental group taught by the software version of the same book. Three ANCOVAs were run to compare the performance of experimental and control groups after the treatment period. The results of the ANCOVAs revealed that using vocabulary learning software was more effective than using printed book on vocabulary learning, vocabulary breadth, and vocabulary depth of the participants. The results of the present study could help EFL course book designers, foreign language institutes, educational planners, material developers, teachers, and learners to provide a better context for EFL learning. Keywords: computer-assisted instruction, computer-assisted language learning, information communication technology, vocabulary breadth, vocabulary teaching software.  

scholarly journals Raising Student Consciousness About Machine Translation

2021 ◽  
Vol 2020 (1) ◽  
pp. 386
Author(s):  
Tim Newfields ◽  
Ivan Botev
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Machine Translation ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Consciousness Raising ◽  
Learning Framework ◽  
Language Classes ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Speed Up ◽  
Translation Services

With the rise of virtual assistants and the proliferation of digital translation software, such as Google Translate and Weblio that speed up the translator’s work, it is time to question what role, if any, machine translation services should have in foreign language classes. In this paper, the authors describe some activities designed to raise awareness about the use and misuse of machine translation within a task-based learning framework. Inspired by Sharwood-Smith’s 1981 notion of “consciousness-raising”, we outline three activities highlighting the benefits and problems of machine translation. An analysis of two translation exercises by 86 tertiary students in Japan indicated how many felt uncertain of the quality of their translations. Moreover, semi-structured interviews with six respondents following these activities underscored how students felt ambivalent about their translations. We conclude the paper with a discussion of some resources for EFL students seeking to improve their translation skills. デジタル翻訳ソフトの普及に伴い、外国語の授業で機械翻訳サービスが、もしあるとしたらどのような役割を担うべきかを問う時期にきている。本稿では、タスクベース学習の枠組みの中で、機械翻訳の使用と誤用についての認識を高めるためにデザインされたいくつかの活動について説明する。 本稿では、機械翻訳の利点と欠点を強調する三つのアクティビティーを概説する。日本の高等教育機関で学ぶ86人の学生によるふたつの翻訳演習の分析から、多くの学生が自らの翻訳の質に不安を感じていることがわかった。、さらに、これらのアクティビティーの後に実施した6人の学部生への半構造化面接から、多くの学生が翻訳の質を判断するのに苦労していることが明らかになった。締めくくりとして、翻訳スキルの向上を目指すEFLの学生向けのリソースについて考察した。

scholarly journals EFL Students’ Perception of Distance Learning Practice in a Vocabulary Class

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-85
Author(s):  
Ribeh Najib Muhammad
Keyword(s):  
Distance Learning ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
English Education ◽  
Analysis Method ◽  
Education Department ◽  
Internet Connectivity ◽  
First Semester ◽  
Efl Teaching ◽  
Efl Students

The perception of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students toward the significance of distance learning practice in EFL teaching at university is essential to provide suggestions for enhancing distance learning practice in the context of EFL teaching. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate students’ perception towards distance learning practice at University of Muhammadiyah Gresik, especially in Words in Contexts class as the main course for learning vocabularies. Therefore, this study explored several aspects that needed in the implementation of distance learning practice. The subjects of this study were 34 first semester students of English education department who had applied distance learning practice. Questionnaire was used as research instrument to collect data from the respondents who had been selected. In addition, interview was also conducted to confirm the result of questionnaire. After the data were collected, they were analyzed using quantitative and qualitative analysis method. The finding indicated that students had average perception towards the implementation of distance learning practice, since distance learning practice provided advantages for their learning process. However, there were setbacks and problems such as students’ participation, internet connectivity, and material clarity that needed to be solved in order to improve the quality of distance learning practice.

scholarly journals Providing Comprehension Clues in L1 to Japanese EFL Summary Writers: Do they help?

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 12
Author(s):  
Makiko Kato
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Explicit Instruction ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Source Text ◽  
The Third ◽  
Current Topic ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Japanese Learners

The present paper reports part of a larger project investigating the effectiveness of explicit instruction of writing a summary to Japanese learners learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL). Given that the process of producing a written summary involves both understanding the source text and producing its gist succinctly, the present study examined if helping learners to understand the text would help them to improve the quality of the summary they produce. A total of 25 Japanese high school EFL students who took part in the study were divided into three groups. The first group (n = 8) and the second group (n = 9) were experimental groups, where the first group was given L1 translation, and the second group was provided the L1 glossary. The third group (n = 8) was served as a control group, who did not have any support material. To examine the longitudinal nature of the effect of writing a summary with L1 clues, they were asked to write a summary once a week for five weeks, using different texts each time. The summaries were assessed by three different raters. The results showed that three groups were different in the quality of the summaries they produced. Overall, the summaries of the students who were given L1 glossary improved more compared with the other two groups. The paper concludes with several suggestions for EFL teachers teaching summary and for the researcher who is interested in the current topic.

scholarly journals CALL-Enhanced L2 Vocabulary Learning: Using Spaced Exposure through CALL to Enhance L2 Vocabulary Retention

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Fidel Çakmak ◽  
Ehsan Namaziandost ◽  
Tribhuwan Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Vocabulary Learning ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Vocabulary Test ◽  
Vocabulary Retention ◽  
English As Foreign Language ◽  
Software Program ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Learning Software ◽  
L2 Vocabulary

CALL- and MALL-enhanced learning applications have dominated the field of second language (L2) learning recently. This study aims to investigate the effect of applying a CALL-enhanced L2 vocabulary learning software program on the L2 vocabulary development of English as Foreign Language (EFL) students. 76 preintermediate EFL students registered at a foreign language school were chosen from a total of 156 students after running an Oxford Quick Placement Test (OQPT). The participants were randomly assigned to two groups: the experimental group (EG = 38) and the control group (CG = 38). A vocabulary test as pretest was administered to all the participants before the treatment. During the treatment, the EG learners were requested to utilize a computer-enhanced flashcard software program on their laptops, mobile phones, or other mobile devices at their discretion. By using the program, they could access and utilize a variety of flashcards on many subject matters such as languages, geography, math, and science as well as construct their own flashcards for multiple practices. The CG, on the other hand, was taught through traditional teaching without any CALL tools available. At the termination of the intervention, the vocabulary test was employed as a posttest to both groups to assess the learners’ vocabulary enhancement. The EG outperformed the CG. Findings have led to the reasonable interpretation that L2 vocabulary learning was more productive when the CALL-enhanced flashcard program was utilized for the learning processes.

scholarly journals English as Foreign Language Student Teachers’ Perceptions of the Use of Moodle in a Foundations of Education Course

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wajeha Thabit Al-Ani
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
College Of Education ◽  
English As Foreign Language ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Foundations Of Education ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Technical Issues ◽  
Computer Labs

In order to design an effective e-learning environment, the present study investigated English as Foreign Language (EFL) students’ perceptions of the use of Moodle as a course management system in a Foundations of Education (FOE) course at the College of Education. The study also aimed at exploring statistically significant differences between student teachers’ perceptions that can be attributed to gender, residence, year in the program, computer skills, and GPA variables. Data were collected from a sample of 60 students using a questionnaire. Findings showed that using Moodle increases students’ participation in learning, exchanging ideas and knowledge (μ = 4.37). Over half the total number of students preferred to use chat rooms and forums in computer labs to formal lecture rooms. Findings also showed that there are statistically significant differences between student responses related to year in the program in favor of students in their third and fourth year. With regard to obstacles facing students, the findings showed that most of these obstacles revolve around technical issues and frequent computer errors. Based on these findings, several recommendations were made.  

scholarly journals Article Review on The Impact of Blended Learning on Students’ Vocabulary Enhancement.

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 3331-3336
Author(s):  
Sisay Ayalew
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Blended Learning ◽  
Vocabulary Learning ◽  
Learning Approach ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Learning Conditions ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Central Argument ◽  
Full Face ◽  
The Impact

This critique examines three studies about the impact of blended learning on students’ vocabulary enhancement. The name of the author of the first article is Sezen Tosun. The article is entitled as “The effects of blended learning on EFL students’ vocabulary enhancement”. It was published by Elsevier Ltd-Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 199 (2015) 641 – 647. The second article is “Enhancement of Students' Vocabulary Learning through a Blended Learning Approach”. The authors of this article are Dinara G. Vasbieva, Irina I. Klimova, Elena L. Agibalova, Natalya V. Karzhanova and Jana Bírová. The article accessed on IEJME-Mathematics Education on look academic publishers (open access), VOL. 11, NO. 5, 1195-1203 in 2016. The last article is a study about “A Blended Learning Approach to Enhance College Students’ Vocabulary Learning”. It is written by Djiwandono, and released on 2013, Vol. 10, No. 2, pp. 210–220 from Electronic Journal of Foreign Language Teaching. The credentials of the authors are not specifically stated in the articles except Vasbieva et al.  The central argument of the articles was to investigate the effects of the blended learning approach to teach and learn English vocabulary. Therefore, this critique was designed to produce a systematic review of studies contrasting vocabulary learning outcomes for either blended learning conditions or with those of full face-to-face classroom instruction.

scholarly journals TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS ON USING FIRST LANGUAGE IN NORTHERN CYPRUS EFL CLASSROOMS

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 11-41
Author(s):  
Gülsen Burat ◽  
Çise Çavuşoğlu
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
First Language ◽  
Teaching Experience ◽  
Level Of Education ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Northern Cyprus ◽  
Years Of Teaching Experience ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
Efl Classrooms

The use of the first language (L1) in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classes has been a controversial topic in the field. There are several approaches towards using L1 in EFL classrooms; While some teachers claim that L1 should not be used, others think that it has an important role in facilitating EFL learning. The present study aimed at investigating EFL teachers’ perceptions about using L1 and the cases in which they do so in the context of state schools in northern Cyprus. In addition, possible differences in their perceptions and practices based on age, gender, first language, level of education, place of graduation, faculty of graduation, years of teaching experience and grade level taught were analyzed. In total, 170 EFL teachers participated in the study, where a researcher-made questionnaire was employed to collect data about their perceptions. Data were analyzed quantitatively through descriptive statistics and parametric inferential tests were also run to identify possible differences based on the given categories. The results showed that the majority of the teachers had a neutral approach towards using L1 in EFL classrooms; they preferred to use L1 when there was a need. The results also revealed that while there is no difference in their perceptions regarding using L1 in the classroom based on gender, several differences were identified in terms of years of teaching experience, year group taught, level of education, school of graduation and first language. Keywords: use of first language, L1, English as a foreign language, teachers’ perceptions, mother tongue use in EFL  

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