scholarly journals Contact-induced Phonological Change of the Phoneme /s/ in the Speech of EFL Learners and Teachers in Algeria: A Case Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
pp. 136-143
Author(s):  
Ali Berrabah ◽  
Ammar Benabed
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Critical Examination ◽  
Practical Reasons ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
English As Foreign Language ◽  
Efl Classrooms ◽  
Phonological Change ◽  
University Lecturers ◽  
The Given

This paper investigates the phenomenon of contact-induced phonological change of the phoneme /s/ in the speech of EFL learners and teachers at the secondary schools and even Higher Education in Algeria. It is perceived that the letter ‘s’ is recurrently pronounced /z/ whenever it is positioned between two vowel sounds and that the double –ss- between two vowels is simply uttered /s/ in many words. This fact is attributed to the overgeneralization of French phonological rules however this is not the case in English. Such phonological aspects have become prominent symptoms within English as Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms prior to French overuse within Algeria’s speech repertoire due to historical and practical reasons. This study seems as a departure from the meeting point of looking at such phenomenon in teachers and/or learners’ natural conversations in EFL classrooms to a critical examination of its uses in numerous English terms. To attain this, Labov’s “observer’s paradox” (1972) was considered to overcome problems while collecting spontaneous speech data. Two different strategies were employed, structured and unstructured observations, throughout thirteen years. A total random sample of 257 respondents had been included, 204 of whom are secondary school pupils and university students, and the remaining are secondary school (trainee) teachers and university lecturers. The first group was intentionally asked to derive either nouns or adjectives from a range of words containing phoneme /s/, classify some words in a table according to the final ‘-d’ pronunciation or give the opposites –especially using the prefix ‘dis_’ – to certain words keeping the same root as well pronounce them at the end. The second group was recorded. Outstandingly, the study concludes that 98% of our informants mispronounce the given words. At last, some recommendations have been suggested to alleviate the problem.

scholarly journals Determination of secondary school students' ability of making transitions between representations related to the

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. 607-624
Author(s):  
Ebru Ezberci ◽  
Mehmet Altan Kurnaz ◽  
Nezihe Gökçen Bayri
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Secondary School Students ◽  
Measurement Tool ◽  
School Students ◽  
Graphic Representations ◽  
Working Groups ◽  
The Given ◽  
Academic Year

The aim of this study was to reveal secondary school students' ability of making transitions between text, picture, table and graphic representations related to the electricity. The research is a case study of the qualitative research methods. The working groups of the study were totally 100 students, including 50 from each of 6th, 7th and 8th students, studying at a secondary school in the 2012-2013 academic year. To determine the students' status of transitions in representations, a measurement tool relating to the subject of electricity was developed by researches. The measurement consists open-ended questions which questioned transitions representations (text, images, tables and graphics) with each other. Document analysis method was used in data analysis. In this context, determining specific criteria, established codes in accordance with the given answers by the students and the questions was evaluated in certain dimensions. Consequently, students were found to be inadequate to present transitions in representations in electricity. When the results are evaluated, it was suggested that during the teaching of electricity topic, teaching practices to draw attention to transition between different representations and in measurement-assessment processes, the questions reflecting the transition between different representations should be given; regulation the assessment questions in textbooks in this direction is recommended.

scholarly journals Difficulties Encountered by EFL Students in Learning Pronunciation: A Case Study of Sudanese Higher Secondary Schools

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 75
Author(s):  
Zahir Adam Daff-Alla Ahmed
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Secondary Schools ◽  
Analytical Approach ◽  
Secondary School Students ◽  
School Students ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
High Level ◽  
Teaching Pronunciation

This study aims at investigating the problems which have been encountered by higher secondary schools students when they try to learn English pronunciation. The problem of this study is that most of the higher secondary school students in Sudan produced incorrect pronunciation for many of English words. So this study is attempted to deal with problem to find the most suitable solutions for it. The participants are Sudanese students of higher secondary schools especially at Shikan locality in Northern Kordofan State. The researcher uses the descriptive analytical approach because it is suitable for such studies. The data of this study is collected by means of recording test and questionnaire. The findings showed that the problems of pronunciation are the result of many teaching difficulties, and the strategies of teaching pronunciation are helpful in producing correct speech pronunciation. Finally the researcher recommends that: Sudanese EFL learners, who are specialized in ELT, should obtain a high level of intelligibility, and the language laboratory should exist in all the higher secondary schools to practice phonetic exercises. 

scholarly journals SPEAKING ANXIETY IN EFL CLASSROOM: CATEGORIES AND FACTORS

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Suciati Suciati
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
English Education ◽  
Specific Situation ◽  
Speaking Anxiety ◽  
English As Foreign Language ◽  
Performance Factors ◽  
Efl Classrooms ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Academic Year

English is as foreign language for Indonesian students. Hence, they often find the anxiety in learning speaking. This study investigated the categories and factors of students’ anxiety in English as Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms. This is a case study. It was conducted at IAIN Kudus, especially in speaking classes of the second semester students, English Education Department (EED) in the academic year of 2018/2019. For obtaining the data, the researcher used observation of the class interaction and interview. Based on the analysis, there were two results. The speaking anxiety categories found in EFL classrooms are trait, state, and specific-situation anxiety. And, factors that cause the speaking anxiety are cognitive, affective, and performance factors.

scholarly journals The importance of using games in EFL classrooms

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emine Gozcu ◽  
Cagda Kıvanc Caganaga
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Second Language Learning ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
High Learning ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Efl Classrooms

This paper aims to find out how games are important and effective when used in EFL classrooms. Two different kinds of qualitative research methods are used to gather the data. These are semi-structured interviews and observation. Multi-method triangulation is used throughout in this study. Kopinak (1999) defines multi-method triangulation as “gathering information pertaining to the same phenomenon through more than one method, primarily in order to determine if there is a convergence and hence, increased validity in research findings” (Kopinak, 1999: 171). Kopinak (1999) states that more detailed and multi-layered information about the fact under study would be provided from using more instruments. It is a case study in which 2 undergraduate students are taught English by using the game called ‘Twister’ which is adapted for teaching. The study sample consisted of people who are between 20-25 years old and live in Lefke. It was determined from the data that games should be employed in second language learning classrooms in terms of providing an atmosphere for EFL learners in which there are fun, motivation and high learning performance.Key words: games, Twister, vocabulary, EFL classrooms

scholarly journals THE IMPLEMENTATION OF JUST A MINUTE (JAM) TECHNIQUE TO SCAFFOLD STUDENTS’ SPEAKING FLUENCY: A CASE STUDY

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Alan Jaelani ◽  
Imanda Rizkatria Utami
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Positive Perception ◽  
Case Study Method ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Given ◽  
Research Show ◽  
Hotel Accommodation

<p>Fluency happens to be the main obstacle for EFL learners in mastering speaking. There are many ways to scaffold students’ speaking fluency; one of them is <em>Just a Minute</em> (JAM). JAM is an impromptu speech activity where the speaker is supposed to express their ideas on the given topic, within the duration of a minute, without hesitation and repetition. The purposes of this research are to describe the implementation of JAM, the impact of using JAM, and the students’ perception towards the use of JAM. Case study method was used in conducting the research. The qualitative data was obtained from observation, rubric, questionnaire, and interview. The participants of the research are nine students of XII Hotel Accommodation in SMKN 3 Bogor. The results of the research show that JAM can be well-implemented in English formal classroom, JAM has given positive impact in scaffolding students’ speaking fluency, and JAM has gained students’ positive perception towards its use. This study suggests the English teachers to try adapting JAM as a mean to help their students scaffold the speaking fluency.</p>

scholarly journals Exploring motivational orientations of English as foreign language (EFL) learners: A case study in Indonesia

2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ag. Bambang Setiyadi ◽  
◽  
Mahpul ◽  
B. Anggit Wicaksono ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Motivational Orientations ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
English As Foreign Language

scholarly journals The Effects of Shyness and Lack of Confidence as Psychological Barriers on EFL Learners' Speaking Skills: A Case Study of South Punjab

2020 ◽  
Vol V (II) ◽  
pp. 109-119
Author(s):  
Muhammad Ahsan ◽  
Tahira Asgher ◽  
Zahoor Hussain
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Method ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Time Span ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
The Public ◽  
Psychological Barriers ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
Speaking Skill ◽  
The Given

This work investigated the effects of shyness and lack of confidence as psychological barriers on EFL learner' speaking skill, particularly at the public sector colleges, universities and the sub-campuses of these universities located in the South Punjab, Pakistan. This project was scheduled to use a mixed-method type. Majority of the students indicated that there is an insignificant and negative relationship between the variables of shyness, lack of confidence and speaking English achievements. Since, as the shyness and lack of confidence increases, the speaking achievement decreases and as the shyness and lack of confidence decreases the speaking achievement increases. Findings from the explored work indicate that EFL teachers firstly, cultivate proper teaching circumstances by providing pupils adequate interval to prepare themselves for a conversational activity, develop a mind map to generate ideas, and offer learners plentiful time span to accomplish the given task well in the class.

INVESTIGATING ENGLISH DEPARTMENT STUDENTS’ FOREIGN LANGUAGE SPEAKING ANXIETY: A CASE STUDY IN UNIVERSITAS AIRLANGGA, INDONESIA

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 22
Author(s):  
Dyas Intan Rachmawati ◽  
Jurianto Jurianto
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Significant Negative Correlation ◽  
English Department ◽  
Common Phenomenon ◽  
Speaking Anxiety ◽  
Pearson Product Moment Correlation ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Achievement Score ◽  
Anxiety Levels

Anxiety during a speaking performance is a common phenomenon experienced by any EFL learners, including students majoring in English. Focusing on the issue, this study investigates the correlation between students’ foreign language speaking anxiety and speaking achievement. Moreover, this study also observes the levels and the sources of the speaking anxiety among the English Department’s fifth-semester students of Universitas Airlangga. This study used the Foreign Language Speaking Anxiety Scale (FLSAS) by Öztürk and Gurbuz (2014). The FLSAS questionnaire was distributed to 114 students in order to explore the correlation between speaking anxiety and speaking achievement, the speaking anxiety levels, and the speaking anxiety sources. The data collected through questionnaire were analyzed with SPSS 25.0. Pearson Product Moment Correlation isused to determine the correlation, while descriptive statistic alanalys is isused to investigate the levels and the sources for speaking anxiety. Horwitz, Horwitzand Cope’s(1986) theory and Horwitz and Young (1991) about the source and the levels of foreign language speaking anxiety are also used in this study. This study found that there is a significant negative correlation between speaking anxiety levels and speaking achievement. This means the higher the speaking anxiety they experience, the lower the achievement score they get. Most of the students have moderate levels of speaking anxiety, which is mainly due to the fear of negative evaluation.This study indicates that although the EFL learners are often exposed to English, they still experience speaking anxiety. These findings suggest that the lecturers should be more aware of students’ anxiety and use strategies that might encourage the students to speak more confidently.

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