scholarly journals Storytelling strategy to improve coherence in writing skills development

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (3.1) ◽  
pp. 123-142
Author(s):  
Noemi Mercedes Remache Carrillo ◽  
Viviana Vanessa Yánez Valle ◽  
Mariela Germania Pilco Labre

This research had as its main purpose to determine how the Storytelling strategy improves coherence in writing skills. To appraise the efficacy of this strategy, a writing pre-test and a post-test were applied to the sixth level students of the Cambridge Language Center extension of the Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo during the September 2018 - February 2019 academic period. Those exams focused on the writing part from Cambridge PET (Preliminary English Test). A guide for the teacher was designed which was used during the classroom intervention. That guide was mainly based on the three stages of the writing process: prewriting, writing itself, and review through the use of use the following techniques:  narrative, visual history, problem / solution, dialogue; and, hero and enemy. The analysis and interpretation of the obtained data which came from the pre and the post-tests before and after the intervention was performed. Once the application of the proposal was accomplished, the data obtained from the pre-test and the post-test was processed by using the T-student mathematical test with the statistical software SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences). The results demonstrated that the application of the Storytelling strategy generated high interest and improvement in the students’ production of written texts. Therefore, the Storytelling strategy contributes with the enhancement of students' written production. Finally, it was concluded that students improved coherence in their written texts through the Storytelling strategy. Consequently, it is recommended that English teachers apply this proposal with the Storytelling strategy in their educational work to improve the development of students in their English language learning process.

Author(s):  
Atif Obaid M Alsuhaymi

The present study aims to research the influences of games through Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) compared to Teacher-Centered Instruction (TCI) on teenagers' achievement in English language education in Saudi Arabia. Two groups of students tested, before and after instruction, so to determine success of the application of pedagogies. The full sample consisted of 22 teenagers, divided randomly, into two equal groups. The first group was the control (TDI) group, which used a school textbook. The second group was the experimental group (CALL), which given a CALL application, based on the game ‘Kahoot.’ Two types of tests were conducted, a pre-test and a post-test, at each of two periods for each group. The pre-test administered before instruction, and the post-test taken after the instructional period. Findings indicate that both groups increased their proficiencies with English object pronouns. However, performance on the post-test by the experimental (CALL) group significantly exceeded that of the control (TCI) group.


2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 245-254
Author(s):  
Dinan Anshary ◽  
Yadi Mulyadi ◽  
Yuliarti Mutiarsih

 Today there are so many learning strategies to support teaching and learning activities. One of the learning strategies that can be applied in writing skills is Task Based Language Learning. This research aims to measure the level of student mastery of descriptive text writing skills before and after the use of Task Based Language Learning strategies; measure the effectiveness of the implementation of Task Based Language Learning, and; obtain information about the implementation of Task Based Language Learning. The method used in this research was a pre-experimental. Meanwhile, the research design was one group pre-test and post-test design. The research findings explained that the use of Task Based Language Learning can improve students’s descriptive text writing skills. This is proven by an increase in the average value obtained by students. The average score in the pre-test was 60.8 while the post-test average score increased by 74.88. Then based on the overall questionnaire data analysis, the application of this learning strategy contributed positively to the learning of descriptive French writing skills.


ReCALL ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 86-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurence Vincent-Durroux ◽  
Cécile Poussard ◽  
Jean-Marc Lavaur ◽  
Xavier Aparicio

AbstractFrench learners at university meet difficulties in the comprehension of oral English. Being in a formal context of language learning, they need to develop language awareness to compensate for insufficient exposure to the English language.To meet the students’ needs, data was collected in order to pinpoint the main errors made by French learners in listening tasks. The errors were then analyzed and put into perspective with the system of oral English; a connection clearly appeared between the errors and what is barely heard or cannot be heard in reference to written English, hinting at what could cause poor oral comprehension. Three areas of knowledge appeared to be missing in the students’ background: the links between morpho-syntax and phonology, the mastery of phonological data found in dictionaries and the possible recourse to strategies in order to compensate for what has not been heard properly. These issues were addressed in an on-line program designed for non-beginners of English at university.This paper deals with the assessment of the progress made by users of the program in a formal learning situation. Two groups of learners were considered: students whose major is English, and students for whom the study of English is optional. Two series of tests were implemented, before and after the use of the program. The tests focused on the ability of learners to read IPA transcription, to count syllables in oral English, and to pronounce auxiliaries and prepositions in different contexts.The results to be discussed establish that the two groups of learners significantly improved their knowledge of oral English. Of particular interest is the fact that, even if the two groups had significantly different knowledge of oral English before using the program, with non-specialists of English having poorer knowledge, the two groups obtain similar results on the post-test, showing greater progress on the part of the non-specialists. All learners appear to improve dramatically their knowledge of IPA and their ability to use it.The progress measured by the tests was corroborated by other modes of assessment: a survey on the students’ judgment as regards the usefulness of the program, and individual interviews focusing on what the students recall from the content of the program. In the latter, the students used relevant meta-linguistic and meta-cognitive expressions, showing their ability for further progress in developing listening abilities in English as a Second Language (ESL).


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (3.1) ◽  
pp. 143-163
Author(s):  
Noemi Mercedes Remache Carrillo ◽  
Mariela Germania Pilco Labre ◽  
Viviana Vanessa Yanez Valle

This study aimed to determine the influence of cooperative learning in reading comprehension of high school students at Unidad Educativa “Riobamba” during 2017-2018 school period. For the assessment of the validity and effectiveness of this research, a pre-test and a post-test were applied based on the Cambridge PET (Preliminary English Test) exam, reading section. That exam was composed of two parts: the first was carried out through a cooperative work in pairs and the second part, taking into consideration the cooperative work in groups of four students. A didactic guide for the teacher was designed and applied in the classroom. After that, the analysis of data was made before and after applying the intervention. The teacher's guide was designed to put cooperative learning strategies such as jig-saw, think-pair-share, and reciprocal questioning into action. Three stages of reading were used namely before reading, during reading, and after reading. After the implementation of the proposal, the data analysis was performed using the T-student mathematical test. It is concluded that the students improved their reading comprehension through cooperative work in pairs and in groups as well. It was recommended that teachers practice cooperative learning in the classroom to improve students' reading comprehension in order to optimize their development in English language learning.


2013 ◽  
Vol 17 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 70-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashok Sapkota

Writing is a form of an art and integral part of language learning. The present study concerns with development of writing skills through peer and teacher correction technique. As an action research in nature, the research aimed to test the progress of the students while writing an essay. After the analysis of data collected through test items, it was seen improvement in students writing in post test than in pre-test. The students (Ss1-Ss10) were found using the words in an increased order and grammatically correct sentences in their writing in each test made and committed less grammatical errors in post test than in pre and progress test. Regarding mechanics of writing, their writing was found systematic in case of punctuation, proper use of paragraphs, in coherence and cohesion in writing. The peer correction and teacher correction technique was found productive in teaching writing through action research as a whole. Journal of NELTA, Vol. 17 No. 1-2, December 2012, Page 70-82 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/nelta.v17i1-2.8094


Author(s):  
Jafar Asgari Arani

Digital media has been used to enhance language learning for decades. Since the aim of language learning is to develop communicative proficiency, using communication devices and channels that already exist in the classroom is a sensible way of exploiting opportunities for language practice. The ‘anywhere, anytime’ accessibility to educational contents that mobile SMSs, sometimes freely, offer users, means that mobile learning can extend the opportunities for study outside of the classroom. Given the importance of writing, especially for academic purposes in university, the study set a dual goal: firstly, to analyze the outcome of applying supplementary SMS activity to teach English syntax necessary to paraphrase sentences and secondly, to clarify the medical students' ideas about it. A quasi-experimental, pre-test and post-test, research design was utilized to investigate the hypotheses of this study. Two groups (each 40-second year students of medicine) were randomly assigned to be the experimental and the conventional group. Both groups were taught the same syllabus materials designed for English for Medical Purposes (EMP) II course in a 17-week semester in Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Iran. The former received the SMS –based supplementary contents in a scheduled pattern of delivery two times a week to strengthen their learning while the latter only was taught in a face to face setting. An open questionnaire was used to examine students feedback towards their attitudes. The validity of the questionnaire was examined by giving to a number of professors of English language. The data were also collected and analyzed through an Attitude/ Motivation questionnaire consisting of 12 Likert-scale items, pretest& posttest, paired-samples t-tests, and one way ANOWA. The pretest and posttest data paired t-test likert-scale items analyzed results showed that differences between the experimental and control groups were statistically significant. It was found that the effect of practicing SMS on the students' English syntax learning was positive. According to the findings, students receiving the supplementary English syntax SMSs noticeably improved their sentence paraphrasing performance and acquired higher grades during the post-test than those in conventional group. Qualitative data from interviews and questionnaires indicate that students hold positive attitudes towards receiving paraphrase syntactic points via SMS. Majority of students in this pilot project considered the educational program offered to be efficient, useful and beneficial. The data gathered revealed mobile syntactic supplementary SMSs can be integrated into EMP II course to enable students to develop better English sentence paraphrasing skills. Mobile SMS; Sentence Paraphrasing; Educational Tool; English for Medical Purposes


2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 208
Author(s):  
Tunku Mohani Tunku Mohtar ◽  
Charanjit Kaur Swaran Singh ◽  
Napisah Kepol ◽  
Ahmad Zainuri Loap Ahmad ◽  
Sasigaran Moneyam

The present study investigated the beliefs and efficacy of a teacher teaching English to students who were weak at the language. The objective of the study was mainly to investigate the beliefs and efficacy of the ESL teacher for teaching writing to weak learners. The research was a case study of the English Language teacher teaching Form Three class of students whose English proficiency was very low. An interview was conducted with the teacher to further probe the instructional strategies applied to enhance her beliefs and efficacy in her own capabilities to make learning happen in her classroom. Observations were made to investigate the teacher’s efficacy in teaching and the performance of the students specifically for writing. Results show the teacher’s beliefs of her students’ capabilities and their language needs helped shape the teacher’s instructional strategies. The teacher’s efficacy enabled her to decide to undertake the task of teaching writing to her students because she was confident in her ability. The teacher provided clues to the students to facilitate their learning. This kind of feedback from the teacher indirectly motivated them to learn. The teacher’s beliefs and efficacy contributed to her teaching practice and the instructional strategies that she used in turn enhanced her beliefs and efficacy. The study implicates that teacher’s beliefs and efficacy can assist the weak learners in improving their writing skills and also facilitate language learning.


2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 145
Author(s):  
Liju Xu

The purpose of this paper is to explore the effectiveness of vocabulary enhancement activities on vocabulary learning in an ESP course. In designing the activities, technical terms on journal entries were chosen for the acquisition of language necessary for the successful implementation of accounting major’s professional tasks. The desirable difficulty approach and the four strands principle,focused input, meaning-focused output, language-focused learning and fluency development, were guidelines in combining subject matter and English language learning. To test the result of the activities, the Vocabulary Knowledge Scale was employed to measure students’ knowledge of 50 vocabulary items. Subjects of the ESP course in discussion comprised 200 accounting juniors in Guangdong University of Foreign Studies in China. Half of them in Group A read the texts and did matching exercises and translation exercises. The other half in Group B read the texts and practiced journal entry activity, targeting at accounting concepts and terminologies. The results revealed that Group B gained better results than Group A at a post-test. After the test a reflection on the vocabulary activities was gathered among the participants of Group B. The feedback further proved that the students did benefit from the enhancement activities on selected technical terms.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdulelah Alkhateeb

This study investigates the transfer relationship between first language (L1) (Arabic) proficiency and second language (L2) (English) performance in writing skills of a Saudi bilingual graduate student. Several studies have discussed the transfer issues in language learning, yet a few of them focus on the transfer relationships between Arabic and English language writing skills. Regardless of the huge linguistic distinction between the English language and Arabic language, it is presumed that Arabic and English writing skills positively, negatively, and neutrally transferred in a dynamic relationship. The researcher has conducted observations and interviews with Fatimah, the participant of this study, and analyzed her texts in both languages to illustrate how dynamic relationships between L1 and L2 in the composition skills is and what the effects of language transfer in the composition skills between L1 and L2 are. The data were collected and analyzed in January 2018. The results demonstrate effects of L2 on L1 as the following; first, a reverse or backward transfer implemented in three ways; positive, negative, and neutral transfer. Second, they indicate that there is a dynamic relationship between second language performance and first language proficiency in composition particularly. It is hoped that this knowledge will assist students in being aware of the effects of L2 on L1 specifically in composition and taking the advantages to accelerate the rate of language learning. It is recommended for future research to conduct studies in bilingual writings to investigate how L1 could be a resource and advocate of language development.


2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 265-271
Author(s):  
Evi Mahsunah

This study explores the changing students’ habit update status in social media into update chapter to increase their achievement in English. It is a learning strategy in English language teaching and learning using social media technology. The aim is to motivate students more active to read their literature and then share and discuss their reading in social media. The students not only have to update their chapter in reading, but also have to give comment or respond to their friends update. So, this strategy makes the students discuss their lesson more than usual. This study uses questioner and documentation technic to collect the data. Based on the data, it is known that students are already using social media for purposes that include the social and the educational. Update chapter make them using this technology in class/after class. Social media brings learning outside the classroom autonomous, independent, motivational and fun. Therefore, the students‘achievement in English language teaching and learning also increases significant.


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