scholarly journals From the Curtain to the Façade: Enhancing ESL/EFL Learners’ Communicative Competence through an Interactive Digital Drama

2012 ◽  
Vol VI (2) ◽  
pp. 61-75
Author(s):  
Ivan Lombardi
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
Human Factor ◽  
Communicative Competence ◽  
Teaching English ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Technological Tool ◽  
One Act ◽  
Meaningful Role

Façade is a one-act interactive digital drama about a marital crisis. The player is asked to play the role of a friend of the couple, and to try to cope with the situation by using his or her interaction skills. In this paper, I argue that Façade may be a valuable tool for teaching English as a second/foreign language, especially for the development of communicative competence. In order show how Façade may be used effectively, I (i) highlight the features of the tool that can play a meaningful role in language teaching; (ii) give examples of drama techniques that best exploit Façade; (iii) trace the techniques back to a methodology of reference; (iv) stress the primary importance of the human factor, the learners and teacher, over the technological tool. I then linger on the role of the teacher in activities that involve Façade, as well as other digital media. My proposal is presented under the metaphor of the edurector.

scholarly journals On the Role of Phraseological Units in Teaching English as a Foreign Language to Adult Learners

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (2 (20)) ◽  
pp. 56-63
Author(s):  
Minoo Khamesian
Keyword(s):  
Adult Learners ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Present Article ◽  
English Learners ◽  
Communicative Competence ◽  
Common Belief ◽  
Teaching English ◽  
Global Village ◽  
Advanced Learners

One of the challenges of learning English for Iranian learners is “native-like” production of speech rarely achieved by even the most advanced learners. Unfortunately, it is common belief among Iranian English learners that knowledge of individual lexical items is the key to communicative competence. But alas! The outcome has shown this is counterproductive. As an anglicist teaching ESP in general and EAP in particular in my country, I feel responsible for shedding light on this issue inasmuch as I experience the lapse in my everyday professional work. It should be noted that in this Global Village, in which English is considered the Lingua Franca of science and technology, focusing on phraseological units as a sub-branch of lexical proficiency seems to be of paramount importance to avoid misunderstanding and miscommunication. The present article makes an effort to highlight the role of contextual usages of these units in TEFL to help the learners reach the desired native-like production of English speech.

Machine Translation for EFL

Relay Journal ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 228-235
Author(s):  
Paul J. Moore ◽  
Phil Murphy ◽  
Luann Pascucci ◽  
Scott Sustenance
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Machine Translation ◽  
English Language ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Technical Developments ◽  
English Language Institute ◽  
Changing Role

This paper reports on an ongoing study into the affordances of free online machine translation for students learning English as a foreign language (EFL) at the tertiary level in Japan. The researchers are currently collecting data from a questionnaire, task performance, and interviews with 10-15 EFL learners in an English Language Institute in a university in Japan. The paper provides some background on the changing role of translation in language learning theory and pedagogy, before focusing literature related to technical developments in machine translation technology, and its application to foreign language learning. An overview of the research methodology is provided, along with some insights into potential findings. Findings will be presented in subsequent publications.

THE ROLE OF PRODUCTIVE WORD-FORMATION MODELS IN COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Диана Григорьевна Акубекова
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Communicative Competence ◽  
Word Formation ◽  
Language Classes

В статье освещается проблема использования продуктивных словообразовательных моделей на занятиях иностранного языка. The article presents the problem of using productive word-formation models in foreign language classes.

scholarly journals The Long-term Effects of Instruction on EFL Learners' Use of Complaining Formulas

10.29007/5xsb ◽  
2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alicia Martínez-Flor ◽  
Esther Usó-Juan
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Positive Role ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Foreign Language Learners ◽  
Over Time

Studies analysing the positive role of pragmatic instruction in formal settings have increased over the last decades. Within this area of interventional pragmatics, some studies have particularly examined whether the effectiveness of the instruction implemented is sustained over time. In order to shed more light on the long-term effects of instruction, this research investigates English as a Foreign Language learners’ use of complaining formulas not only after immediately receiving instruction, but also two months later. Results show that learners keep using a variety of appropriate complaining formulas two months after having participated in the instructional period. These findings are discussed and directions for future research suggested.

scholarly journals Formation of paremiological competence using mobile applications in a foreign language lesson in elementary school

2021 ◽  
Vol 113 ◽  
pp. 00058
Author(s):  
M.A. Kulkova ◽  
A.I. Giniatullina ◽  
N.V. Konopleva
Keyword(s):  
Elementary School ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Mobile Applications ◽  
Mobile Application ◽  
Communicative Competence ◽  
Teaching English ◽  
Initial Stage ◽  
Flexible Adaptation ◽  
The Individual

This article is devoted to the study of the conditions for the formation of paremiological competence in a foreign language lesson using mobile applications. Their usage allows to improve the quality of the process of learning foreign language thanks to the elements of interactivity. Mobile applications provide the ability of flexible adaptation of educational content to the individual needs of the teacher. Using the mobile application called ‘Quizlet’ is one of the most effective ways to form the paremiological component of communicative competence in schoolchildren at the initial stage of education. The success of using this mobile application in teaching English vocabulary is confirmed by the results of the pedagogical experiment.

scholarly journals A Text-Driven, Task-Based Approach to the Design of Materials for Teaching Intercultural Communicative Competence

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 47
Author(s):  
John Harper
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
English Language ◽  
Communicative Competence ◽  
Large Body ◽  
Guangdong Province ◽  
Materials Design ◽  
Teacher Preparedness ◽  
Intercultural Communicative Competence ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Materials Used

<p>Although a large body of research points to the need of providing English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners with intercultural communicative competence (ICC), questions remain as to exactly how ICC should be incorporated into the EFL curriculum. These questions arise in part due to issues of already-packed curricula which seem not to leave time for the teaching of ICC and in part due to issues of teacher preparedness. Additionally, questions arise concerning which culture should be taught. Taking into account materials used in the English Language Center (ELC) of Shantou University (Guangdong Province, China), this paper argues that a text-driven, task-based method of materials design allows for the inclusion of ICC across the EFL curriculum. It also argues that such a method lends itself to the teaching of ICC through a consideration of a variety of cultures.</p>

scholarly journals Exploring the Unknown: The Autonomy of Saudi EFL Learners

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 222 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fakieh Alrabai
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Learner Autonomy ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
T Test ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Saudi Students ◽  
Standardized Achievement Tests

This study addresses a new area of research in Saudi Arabia. Using a sample of 630 Saudi students, it investigates learners’ level of autonomy and its relationship to academic achievement in English as a foreign language (EFL). Learners’ level of autonomy was measured by a survey, whereas their achievement was evaluated using standardized achievement tests. The data were analyzed using descriptive analyses and a t-test. The findings revealed that learners were non-autonomous, with a mean autonomy score of 2.35 out of 5; and also low language achievers (M = 66 out of 100). Gender had a significant effect on autonomy and achievement. These findings emphasize the vast lack of awareness of the vital role of learner autonomy in the Saudi EFL setting. The study suggests that Saudi learners and teachers alike require increased awareness of the importance of the concept of autonomy and that practical means to promote Saudi EFL learner autonomy should be sought and practiced.

scholarly journals News from the pragmatics classroom: Contrasting the inductive and the deductive approach in the teaching of pragmatic competence

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 529-561
Author(s):  
Karen Glaser
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Pragmatic Competence ◽  
Guided Discovery ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Research Gap ◽  
Pragmatic Skills

Abstract While the role of pragmatic skills in a foreign or second language has been receiving increased attention both from a research and a language teaching perspective, there is still a lamentable scarcity of systematic empirical studies into the effectiveness of instructional methods in the teaching of pragmatics. Addressing this research gap, this article reports about a quasi-experimental study into possible differences between an explicit-inductive and an explicit-deductive instructional approach in the teaching of pragmatic skills in English as a Foreign Language (EFL), more specifically the teaching of offer refusals to 49 advanced adult EFL learners in Germany. The instruction consisted of three 90-minute lessons, which were spread out over the duration of a 15-week academic semester and designed according to the deductive principle and the inductive principle, respectively. While the deductive group was provided with metapragmatic rules directly at the beginning of the instruction, the inductive group only encountered such rules after engaging in language use and guided discovery. Production data was elicited by means of DCTs and role play in a pretest-posttest format. Effectiveness of instruction was operationalized by means of two indicators: Indicator 1 measured the increased usage of the strategies taught in class, while indicator 2 measured the approximation to a native speaker target. The results indicate that the gains in the inductive group surpassed those in the deductive group, suggesting that when situated within the explicit framework, inductive instruction is more effective in the teaching of pragmatic skills.

The Role of Intercultural Approach in Teaching Foreign Languages at the University

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 65-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Л. Иванова ◽  
L. Ivanova ◽  
Е. Лукомская ◽  
E. Lukomskaya
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Communicative Competence ◽  
Foreign Languages ◽  
Modern World ◽  
Mutual Understanding ◽  
Modern Language ◽  
Cultural Approach ◽  
The University ◽  
Different Cultures

The article deals with a new trend in foreign language teaching based on the cross-cultural approach. The challenge for teachers today is to develop students common, communicative and language competences which are essential conditions for the realization of such a task of modern language policy as the establishment of mutual understanding between different cultures. The components of communicative competence are established. The development of communicative competence is considered to be an obligatory condition for mutual understanding between nations in modern world.

Toward a Modified Structural Syllabus

1982 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Albert Valdman
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Communicative Competence ◽  
Target Language ◽  
General Context ◽  
Teaching Materials ◽  
Rhetorical Devices ◽  
Functional Orientation ◽  
Linguistic Means

This paper argues for an integration of the notion of communicative competence in the elaboration of syllabuses and the preparation of teaching materials for beginning and intermediate generalforeign languagecourses. A distinction is made between such courses and the teaching of English as a medium of wider communication on an international basis. In FL instruction, as opposed to the teaching of a MWC, metalinguistic, epilinguistic, or cultural objectives may be more highly valued than the use of language for daily communication. In addition, the general context of FL instruction precludes the authentic use of the target language in the classroom, a prerequisite for the attainment of communicative competence. The integration of the notion of communive competence in FL instruction, including the inclusion of notions and functions, involves the grafting of these last mentioned considerations onto a structural-situational-functional base. That base would be modified by moving in five directions: (1) adopting a functional orientation, i.e., providing learners with linguistic means to express notions and functions rather than the teaching of structures for their own sake; (2) focus on semantic notions; (3) cyclical progression; (4) aiming for discursive authenticity by identifying rhetorical devices) providing stylistic manoeuver by the recognition of the role of variants.

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