scholarly journals INDEFATIGABLE WILLINGNESS TO ACCOMPLISH OBJECTIVES: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EFL LEARNERS’ MOTIVATION AND AUTONOMY

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 422
Author(s):  
Fatemeh Khonamri ◽  
Khazar Molana ◽  
Marzie Danaei ◽  
Mohammad Kazemian

The common widespread interest in the socio-cultural aspect of language learning among applied linguists has made ESL researchers draw attention to learners' motivation and autonomy in the European and Asian educational circles. The rationale of this study is to pinpoint the relationship between EFL learners’ motivation and autonomy. To gather relevant data, motivation and autonomy questionnaires were distributed among 100 EFL learners, who were chosen through Quick Placement Test (QPT), and were put them into B2, C1, and C2 levels of linguistic proficiency based on Common European Framework Rubric (CEFR) model. To fulfill the objectives of this study, both descriptive and inferential statistics were utilized in the process of data analysis. Regarding the statistical analysis, learners’ motivation significantly correlated with their autonomy. Additionally, it was found that there was a significant positive correlation between autonomy and intrinsic motivation, while the correlation between autonomy and extrinsic motivation was significant but negative. This study can shine a light on language teaching in general and in particular on the relationship between EFL learners' motivation and autonomy.

Author(s):  
Somayyeh Shabani ◽  
Iman Alipoor

Gardener’s (1985) socio-cultural model shows that culture is among the variables that can affect learning languages. In addition, a series of studies were prompted by Dörnyie (2005) to gauge the effect of motivation on language learning. This correlational study endeavored to find out any possible interaction between these variables, i.e., cultural identity, intrinsic motivation, and pronunciation knowledge of Iranian EFL learners at intermediate level. To this end, 9 items from Mathews’ Cultural Identity Questionnaire (2007) (as cited in Bazrafshan, 2015) along with intrinsic/extrinsic motivation questionnaire developed by Noels, Pelletier, Clement, and Vallerand (2000) were given to the 49 intermediate Iranian EFL learners who were selected among 74 learners studying at Mahan Language Institute in Birjand. The participants’ pronunciation knowledge was also measured through an interview. The results of the data analysis through Pearson correlation revealed that cultural identity shows no relationship with pronunciation knowledge of the participants, whereas more intrinsically motivated language learners gained higher scores on the pronunciation test. Pedagogical implications are discussed. 


Author(s):  
Brian J. Galli

The purpose of this study is to examine the risks of using statistical tools in a project basis. A systematic search of certain academic databases has been conducted for this study. Statistical tools could be used in a project, and they should be properly planned and designed. Statistical tools include major activities, such as collecting and analyzing data, providing meaningful interpretation, and reporting findings. When dealing with statistical tools, there are several risks that may exist and impact the project either positively or negatively. This study covers a brief outline of the risk management, statistical tools, and the relationship between the two concepts. Finally, a discussion of the common type of risks that are initiated by using statistical analysis tools are provided, which could be planned, identified, and analyzed in the early stages of the project.


Author(s):  
Mania Nosratinia ◽  
Faranak Amiri Hossaini

The thrust of the present study was to systematically investigate the relationship between EFL learners' Self-Efficacy (SE), Critical Thinking (CT), and their Autonomy (AU). To this end, 196 male and female EFL learners, within the age range of 20 to 30 (Mage= 25) were selected based on convenience sampling strategy. They were asked to fill in three questionnaires, namely Sherer, Maddux, Mercadante, Prentice-Dunn, Jacobs, and Rogers' SE Scale (1982), Honey's CT questionnaire (2000), and Zhang and Li's Learner AU questionnaire (2004). Since the assumptions of normality of distribution were violated for the scores of AU and SE, in order to find out the relationships among the variables, the non-parametric Spearman Rank Order Coefficient of Correlation was conducted. The results revealed that there was a significant and positive correlation between AU and CT, AU and SE, and CT and SE. Furthermore, a regression analysis revealed that SE has the largest β coefficient (β = 0.519, t = 7.65, p = 0.0005). This is to say that SE makes the strongest statistically significant unique contribution to explaining AU. CT turned out to be the second significant predictor of AU scores (β = 0.186, t = 2.75, p = 0.007). The study concludes with a discussion on the obtained results followed by presenting some implications for EFL teachers, learners, and syllabus designers.  


2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ardi Nugroho

<p>One of the problems that EFL learners, more specifically Indonesian learners of English, often face deals with collocation. A possible reason for why learners often make inaccurate collocations is the influence of the learners’ L1 or mother tongue. Another likely reason for the learners’ inability to produce native-like collocations is their lack of vocabulary knowledge. So how exactly does one measure learners’ vocabulary knowledge? One way of doing it is by looking at their vocabulary size and depth as well as their receptive and productive vocabulary. From this, the writer has become interested in exploring the relationship between learners’ vocabulary and collocational knowledge, as well as the learners’ L1 influence on their collocation recognition and production. The source of data for the current research is students from the second and fourth semesters of the English Language and Culture department at Bunda Mulia University. In order to measure these variables, the following tools are used: the Vocabulary Size Test (Nation and Beglar, 2007), the Words Associate Test (Read, 1998) and an adapted version of Gyllstad’s (2007) receptive and Nikonzika’s (2012) productive collocation tests. Each of the variables is analyzed using the Pearson product-moment correlation. The findings show that there is a significant positive correlation between the students’ vocabulary knowledge and English lexical collocational knowledge. It is also found that the students’ L1 directly influences their recognition and production of English lexical collocations.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Keywords: </strong> vocabulary size and depth, receptive and productive collocation</p>


Author(s):  
Elias Bensalem

The current study was motivated by recent interest in the effect of positive and negative emotions in the context of foreign language learning resulting from the rise of the positive psychology movement (Dewaele & MacIntyre, 2016; MacIntyre & Mercer, 2014). It examines the construct of foreign language enjoyment (FLE) and its relationship with foreign language classroom anxiety (FLCA) among a group of 487 English as a foreign language (EFL) students (340 females, 147 males) enrolled in public universities in Saudi Arabia. A measure of FLE based on Likert scale ratings of ten items (Dewaele & MacIntyre, 2014), and a measure of FLCA based on eight items extracted from the FLCAS (Horwitz et al., 1986) were used. Male and female students had the same levels of FLE and FLCA. Correlation analysis showed that the relationship between students’ FLE and FLCA was significantly negative. Qualitative analysis of the participants’ learning experiences revealed the causes of FLCA and FLE among Saudi EFL learners.


2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (11) ◽  
pp. 1075
Author(s):  
Rashideh Zoghi

Many factors including the learners’ individual personality factors and their sociocultural backgrounds, attitudes to learning the new language, intelligence quotient, and personal learning styles and preferences are involved in the process of second/foreign language learning. The present study attempted to examine the relationship between learners’ linguistic intelligence and their visual, audio, and kinaesthetic (VAK) preferences by formulating three null hypotheses. In order to test the hypotheses, a total number of 100 Iranian female high school-level EFL learners in Tabriz were selected through cluster sampling. The participants took a linguistic intelligence test and responded to a VAK preference questionnaire to obtain data about their linguistic intelligence and VAK preferences. The statistical analysis of the obtained data led to the rejection of all three null hypotheses indicating a significant relationship between the learners’ linguistic intelligence and their VAK preferences. The relationship between linguistic intelligence and auditory preferences turned out to be negative and reverse. These results indicated that in order to increase teaching efficiency, the language educators should try to prepare and use instructional materials suiting the learners’ visual, auditory, and kinaesthetic preferences, indicating the need for individualized language instruction. The findings have implications for curriculum developers and syllabus designers as well as educational policy makers.


2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lida Mohammadnejad

One of the most problematic areas for foreign language learning is collocation. Iranian EFL learners mostly complain about being unable to talk voluntarily in class since they are not able to produce collocations and new vocabularies because they have of feeling anxious. This study aimed at investigating the effect of reading short stories on learning English collocations among pre-intermediate EFL Learners. The study had an experimental design and the sample of the study consisted of 54 students chosen from the results of a placement test to determine the pre-intermediate level students in Simin Language Institute in Sari. They were placed into 2 groups of experimental and control. Data of the study were collected through a collocation test used as pretest and posttest. The teacher assessed the effect of reading short stories on learning English collocations among pre intermediate EFL learners. The collected data were analyzed through statistical methods by SPSS software version 21. Results showed that the experimental group outperformed the control group on the measure. This indicated that reading short stories had a statistical significant effect on EFL learners’ collocation learning. Results had implications for teachers, learners and material developers. 


Author(s):  
F. Sigmund Topor

Informed by psycholinguistics, an aspect of the theory of Communicative Competence, this chapter explores the predictive utility of a Sentence Repetition (Placement) Test (SRPT) for L1 Japanese English learners. A bivariate correlational analysis shows a positive correlation (r = .643) between scores on the listening segment of the TOEIC and those on a Sentence Repetition Placement Test. Data for the Sentence Repetition Placement Test was generated from university students and working professionals in Tokyo, Japan (N = 35; 25 men and 10 women). A valid Sentence Repetition Placement Test may provide the solution to ESL/EFL placement in Japan. Future research on Sentence Repetition Placement Test for ESL/EFL should address the relationship between the espoused ESL/EFL Communicative Competence objectives and policies to achieve those objectives. Within the current global environment, internal adjustments are clearly necessary to cope with external communicative demands.


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