scholarly journals Peer Feedback in Translation Training: A Quasi-Experiment in an Advanced Chinese–English Translation Course

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhong Lin ◽  
Xinyu Song ◽  
Jingwen Guo ◽  
Feng Wang

Although research on peer feedback in second language teaching and learning has been developed from various perspectives over the past three decades, less is known about feedback in translation settings. This study reports the results of a quasi-experiment with advanced second language learners in a Chinese–English translation course. It examines how effective peer feedback is in improving the quality of translations. The following data were collected from 30 students: their initial translation drafts, the drafts with the feedback of their peers, and the final corrected translations. The whole process was facilitated by computer assistance and under anonymity. It was found that most students drew on direct or indirect corrective feedback while few students drew on metalinguistic corrective feedback. Text genres were also proved to impact the types and counts of peer feedback. An analysis of the accuracy rate of corrections after peer feedback showed that it had a positive impact on translation quality. The findings shed light on the applicability of peer feedback in other pedagogical activities.

2011 ◽  
Vol 31 ◽  
pp. 120-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martha Bigelow ◽  
Patsy Vinogradov

Some second language (L2) learners are unique in that they bring low print literacy and limited formal schooling to the language learning enterprise. A range of personal, economic, historical, and political circumstances bring them to highly literate, industrialized societies where print literacy becomes not only desirable but necessary to earn a living and participate in a range of everyday activities. This article is a review of current research related to this population of learners for the purpose of informing educators about their particular teaching and learning needs. While the emphasis is on scholarship focused on adult L2 emergent readers, attention is also given to related research with bi- and multilingual children and monolingual adults who are not print literate. Finally, sociopolitical and historical issues are touched upon with regard to broader policy matters that may have contributed to or perpetuate low print literacy.


2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 181-209
Author(s):  
Laia Canals ◽  
Gisela Granena ◽  
Yucel Yilmaz ◽  
Aleksandra Malicka

Online language courses that rely on asynchronous teacher-learner communication face a practical problem when it comes to the provision of immediate corrective feedback by the teacher in oral interaction tasks. In this learning context, learners can still communicate synchronously and record their interaction without the teacher being present, but feedback by the teacher will be delayed in time. Research indicates that the effectiveness of feedback decreases as the time between the error and the correction increases and that immediate feedback is more effective (Arroyo & Yilmaz, 2018; Shintani & Aubrey, 2016). In this exploratory study conducted at an online university, we implemented a novel type of feedback we referred to as delayed immediate corrective feedback (DICF) and analyzed second language learners’ and teachers’ perceptions regarding its effectiveness and usefulness. Our goal was to assess the feasibility of implementing this type of feedback in our context and, ultimately, in other contexts where communication between teachers and learners takes place asynchronously. DICF was provided by teachers orally via screencast video. Learners and teachers’ perceptions were collected via two separate questionnaires. The results showed that teachers and learners responded positively to DICF and several potential benefits were identified. Les cours de langue en ligne qui s’appuient sur la communication asynchrone enseignant-apprenant rencontrent un problème pratique quand vient le temps de fournir de la rétroaction corrective immédiate par l’enseignant lors des tâches d’interaction orale. Dans ce contexte d’apprentissage, les apprenants peuvent toujours communiquer de manière synchrone et enregistrer leur interaction sans que l’enseignant soit présent, mais la rétroaction de l’enseignant sera décalée dans le temps. La recherche indique que l’efficacité de la rétroaction diminue au fur et à mesure que le temps entre l’erreur et la correction augmente, et que la rétroaction immédiate est plus efficace (Arroyo & Yilmaz, 2018; Shintani & Aubrey, 2016). Dans cette étude exploratoire menée auprès d’une université en ligne, nous avons mis en place une nouvelle forme de rétroaction, que nous avons appelée rétroaction corrective immédiate retardée (RCIR), et nous avons analysé les perceptions des apprenants de langue seconde et des enseignants quant à son utilité et à son efficacité. Notre objectif était d’évaluer la faisabilité de mettre en place ce type de rétroaction dans notre contexte, et par extension, dans d’autres contextes où la communication entre apprenants et enseignants se passe de manière asynchrone. La RCIR a été fournie oralement par des enseignants à l’aide de vidéos d’écrans. Les perceptions des apprenants et des enseignants ont été recueillies dans deux questionnaires distincts. Les résultats ont montré qu’apprenants et enseignants ont réagi à la RCIR de manière positive et plusieurs avantages potentiels ont été identifiés.


1990 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 429-448 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patsy M. Lightbown ◽  
Nina Spada

The developing oral English of approximately 100 second language learners (four intact classes) was examined in this study. The learners were native speakers of French (aged 10–12 years) who had received a 5-month intensive ESL course in either grade 5 or grade 6 in elementary schools in Quebec. A large corpus of classroom observation data was also analyzed.Substantial between-class differences were found in the accuracy with which students used such English structures as progressive -ing and adjective–noun order in noun phrases. There was some evidence that these differences (which were not correlated with performance on listening comprehension tests) were due to differences in teachers' form-focused instruction. These findings are discussed in terms of current competing views of the role of form-focused instruction in second language learning.


2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (10) ◽  
pp. 907
Author(s):  
Yanmei Lu

Chinese resultative construction was the hotspot of grammar researches and also the difficult point of second language teaching and learning. From the aspects of syntax, semantics and pragmatics, this paper analyzed the ontology researches of Chinese resultative construction, reviewed the research results of second language learners’ acquisition of Chinese resultative construction and also provided some references and directions of related researches.


2021 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
pp. 130-158
Author(s):  
Parra Carlos ◽  
Geriguis-Mina Nanci

In reference to cultural patterns in collectivistic societies, teaching and learning are greatly influenced by the teachers’ collectivistic or individualistic cultural orientation (Kaur & Noman, 2015). However, in dealing with both audiences and their teaching platforms, a chasm appears between methodologies and their applications since collectivistic societies are reluctant to accept methodologies perceived as mere Western innovations. In other words, a seemingly pedagogical incongruence arises where direct individualistic Western influence is perceived as unsuitable to a collectivistic mindset. One must keep in mind that family members in collectivist societies, who view themselves as part of a group rather than independent individuals, seem to feel more interdependent and mutually responsible for each other. In addition to Vygotski’s assertion that children’s cognitive development is enriched through social interaction with more skilled individuals (1978), Bandura (1982) emphasizes that the degree to which learners believe in their own self-efficacy influences their functioning cognitively, motivationally, emotionally, and their decision making process. Also, self-efficacy is perceived to accelerate the process of adapting to a new environment while learners adopt new cultural practices and consent to norms and expectations. In our exploration, second-language learners (SLLs) from collectivistic societies advance academically—English as a second language included—within the frame of sociocultural theory, since they seem to be motivated by their culturally-induced sense of obligation to honor their parents and other group members. These SLLs are positively influenced by their prior experiences with the group’s perceptions and expectations of their capability to learn an additional language (Bandura & Schunk, 1981; Schunk, 1991). Our research seems to indicate that this outcome is significantly affected by the self-efficacy and self-reliance produced by prior successes in challenging tasks that may have been mandated by the SLL’s elders. In addition, SLLs also seem to succeed in accomplishing more challenging goals as they observe their families’ values and traditions even when they are in a society that enforces individualistic values.


2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nurul Farhani Binti Che Ghani

The purpose of this paper was to examine second language learners’ attitudes towards English Medium Instruction (EMI) courses at University of Selangor (UNISEL) in Malaysia affectively, behaviorally and cognitively. This study also investigated students’ learning anxiety and students’ learning achievement towards EMI courses. This study employed ABC Model of Attitudes (1998) as guidelines to investigate learners’ attitudes towards EMI courses. 100-degree students form Faculty of Science and Information Technology (FSIT) participated in the study by completing a questionnaire of English Medium Instruction courses. A quantitative method was employed to analyze the collected data, performing statistical procedures of descriptive statistic and Pearson correlation using SPSS. The major findings of the study were as follows: (1) most participants demonstrated positive attitudes towards English medium Instruction courses affectively, behaviorally and cognitively, (2) there was no significant relationship between students’ learning anxiety and students’ learning achievement towards EMI courses. It was due to the ways lecturers delivering EMI courses to the students. This situation happened when the way their lecturers conducted the lesson in English medium setting might help the students reduce their learning anxiety of the lesson. In other words, the level of their anxiousness in learning EMI courses depends on how their lecturers deliver the subject during teaching and learning process. Finally, some pedagogical implications that would help tap the students’ attitudes and achievement were demonstrated.Keywords: English Medium Instruction, attitudes, learning anxiety, learning achievement


2012 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 895
Author(s):  
C. H. Bothma ◽  
M. C. Cant ◽  
M. N. Du Toit

This study attempted to determine whether simplifying the linguistic complexity of a written summative assessment instrument would improve the examination results of second-language learners; the academic literature suggests that linguistic complexity impacts negatively on the performance of second-language learners. The module chosen for the study was the capstone module of the marketing department at the University of South Africa, an open and distance learning institution. A 2007 examination paper was modified in an attempt to make it linguistically simpler and was used again in 2009. The results of first-language learners were compared with those of second language learners, who represent a significant component of the universitys student population, across the two periods in question. The results were analysed using an independent two-sample t-test. The findings do not support the premise that simplifying the linguistic complexity of an assessment instrument would have a positive impact on the examination performance of second-language learners. The article highlights a number of issues and questions that require further research.


2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. p56
Author(s):  
Ameen Akeem ◽  
Noor Zainab Bt. Abdul Rasak

Pronunciation is an important aspect of English learning. It is however one of the most abandoned or half taught. This is usually due to perceived difficulty in its teaching and learning. Hence, unfavorable attitudes set in, especially in English as a second language situation. In most cases, due to poor technique and methodology employed by the teachers of English, the students are not encouraged to learn pronunciation like other aspects of the subject. This attitude goes a very long way in determining their communicative competence as poor pronunciation could lead a breakdown in communication. It is thus the responsibility of the teachers to help the students learn. This paper thus advocates and presents some motivational strategies that could be employed by the teachers of English to improve the learners’ attitude to learning pronunciation in English as a second language classroom.


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