scholarly journals Adolescent ELLs Improve Their Academic English while Learning about the UN Online

Languages ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 9
Author(s):  
Miriam Eisenstein Ebsworth ◽  
Chencen Cai ◽  
Lauren McCoy
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
English Language Learners ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
Instructional Materials ◽  
Public High School ◽  
Academic English ◽  
Action Research Project ◽  
Design Data

This action research project aimed at evaluating and revising Actionthroughwords (ATW), an online course on language learning through content for high school English language learners. Our multifaceted purpose is to help English language learners in an English language arts class to enhance their academic English language and literacy, while learning online about the work of the UN for health and peace worldwide. A teacher and nineteen students in a public high school bilingual program acted as learner-consultants, with a shift of learners’ roles to one of authority and engagement. Using a mixed design, data came from questionnaires, classroom observation, and interviews with the teacher and eight of her students. All participants responded affirmatively to the ATW site and expressed appreciation not only for the content but also for focused activities to enhance vocabulary development and grammatical awareness. Results showed students’ view of the UN was somewhat positive to begin with and became more positive over time. Participants recommended revision of ATW to make content more accessible through scaffolding and first language support and to offer additional games and videos appropriate for teenagers’ interests and modes of learning. Differentiated instructional materials and strategies integrated with the school curriculum were also suggested for future implementation of the course.

scholarly journals Enhancing English Language Learners’ Conversation Abilities via CA-informed Sitcom Lessons

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 121
Author(s):  
Abdulloh Waedaoh ◽  
Kemtong Sinwongsuwat
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
English Language Learners ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Role Play ◽  
Public High School ◽  
School Students ◽  
Leave Taking

The study investigated the effectiveness of Conversation Analysis (CA)-informed sitcom lessons in enhancing conversation abilities of Thai learners of English. The participants included 42 high school students enrolled in an English for Communication course at a public high school in Southern Thailand. Through 15-week sitcom lessons, they were taught how to construct conversation sequences to accomplish such sequential actions as greeting and leave-taking, dis/agreement, new announcement, compliment, invitation, and request, as well as to collaboratively analyze conversations from the sitcoms and role-play them at the end of each lesson. Before and after the series of lessons, the participants were engaged in role-play conversations that were videotaped for subsequent assessment of their conversation abilities. The findings from both comparative statistical and close single-case analyses revealed significant improvements in all the aspects assessed especially regarding grammar and appropriacy. Therefore, it is recommended that EFL teachers should apply CA principles to teaching English conversation, integrating conversations from authentic materials such as sitcoms to strengthen English language learners’ conversation abilities.

Negative Evidence in Language Classroom Activities

2003 ◽  
Vol 141-142 ◽  
pp. 301-344 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teresa Pica ◽  
Gay N. Washburn
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
Matter Content ◽  
Negative Evidence ◽  
Academic English ◽  
Classroom Activities ◽  
Sentence Construction ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
Subject Matter Content

This study sought to identify and describe how negative evidence was made available and accessible in responses to learners during two classroom activities: a teacher-led discussion, which emphasized communication of subject matter content, and a teacher-led sentence construction exercise, which focused on application of grammatical rules. Data came from adult, pre-academic English language learners during six discussions of American film and literature, and six sets of sentence construction exercises. Findings revealed little availability of negative evidence in the discussions, as students' fluent, multi-error contributions drew responses that were primarily back-channels and continuation moves. Greater availability and accessibility of negative evidence were found in the sentence construction exercises, as students were given feedback following their completion of individual sentences. Results from the study suggested several pedagogical implications and applications.

Impact of Repeatedly Failing a High School Exit Exam: Voices of English Language Learners

2016 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 463-483 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louis J. Kruger ◽  
Chieh Li ◽  
Edward Kimble ◽  
Rachel Ruah ◽  
Diana Stoianov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
English Language Learners ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
Exit Exam ◽  
High School Exit Exam ◽  
High School Exit

scholarly journals A Study of Language Anxiety among English Language Learners in Saudi Arabia

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Badia Muntazer Hakim
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Language Anxiety ◽  
Self Awareness

Classroom anxiety is a recurrent phenomenon for language learners. There are various factors that cause language anxiety, the most common of which include learners’ excessive self-consciousness and self-awareness concerning their oral reproduction and performance and their peculiar, and quite often misplaced and mistaken, views and beliefs regarding different approaches. Other potential reasons for this problem could include the fear, and the consequent deterrence occasioned thereof, of encountering difficulties in language learning, specifically learners’ individual problems regarding the culture of the target language and the varying social statuses of speakers. The most important fear is, perhaps, the deterrent fear of causing damage to one’s self-identity. Therefore, while needing to paying special attention to language learners’ anxiety reactions, language teachers have a crucial role in helping their students achieve the expected performance goals in the target language. Another factor that could potentially lead to language anxiety is simply the poor command of the target language. This problem could be attributed to linguistic barriers and obstacles language learners encounter in learning and using the target language. In the current study, using a qualitative, semi-structured interview and the focus-group discussion technique, the researcher aims to investigate the factors that contribute to language anxiety among Arab language learners. It focuses on learners both within the classroom setting and without, i.e. in the social context, and recommends a number of approaches to manage and overcome this problem.

scholarly journals How far can they go? : English language learners' math course taking in high school and school practices

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Jeong Mi Moon
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
English Language Learners ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
Student Choice ◽  
Marginalized Students ◽  
School Practices ◽  
Prior Achievement ◽  
High Level

Over the last three decades in the U.S., schools have endeavored to provide more equitable access to rigorous courses, especially for racially or socioeconomically marginalized students, and increased those students' participation in higher level courses. Despite such improvement, the gaps in high level courses enrollment among racially or socioeconomically different student groups still remain with those marginalized students underrepresented in the high level courses. The present study focused on another marginalized group of students, English language learners (ELLs) and sought to identify school practices that may improve ELLs' access to advanced math courses in high school. Using the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009, the present study examined three key school practices in association with ELLs' taking advanced math: i) student choice-based math placement policies, ii) math encouraging programs for underrepresented studentudy found that only math PLCs had a statistically significant association with the probability of taking advanced math courses, net of prior achievement and other student- and school-level factors. The math PLCs examined here represented a collaboration among math teachers to learn effective teaching methods and discuss their teaching/learning belief for students including ELLs or under-performing students. It found no differential effects of school practices and ELLs' taking advanced math courses, the main focus of this study. However, the findings indicate that ELLs can also benefit from high quality math PLCs as much as other students. The key finding of the present study suggests the possible area that school leadership and educators should develop to improve students' access to advanced math courses net of their prior achievement. Particularly for ELLs, the finding suggests that training content area teachers may help ELLs more readily access academicarformance. Most importantly, considering taking advanced math in high school is a critical issue for ELLs in regard to their participation in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) workforce in the future, there should be more research that explicitly investigates school policies and practices that may facilitate ELLs' access to higher level courses in high school. keywords: English language learners, High School Longitudinal Study of 2009, math professional learning communities, student choice, advanaced math

scholarly journals INVESTIGATING EXPERIENCED AND NOVICE ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS` PERCEPTIONS of MOST USEFUL VOCABULARY LEARNING STRATEGIES (VLS)

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 288-295
Author(s):  
Elnaz Zariholhosseini ◽  
Ehsan Namaziandost ◽  
Mehdi Nasri
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
Vocabulary Learning ◽  
New Words ◽  
Novice Learners ◽  
Vocabulary Learning Strategies ◽  
Personal Use

Purpose of the study: This article report’s findings from a study on the differences and similarities between experienced and novice English language learners with regards to their personal use of VLS. Methodology: Closed questionnaire and semi-structure interviews were applied to collect the data. The questionnaire was distributed among 60 (30 experienced learners and 30 novice learners). In addition, 20 learners (10 experienced learners and 10 novice learners) were asked to answer the questions in the interview. Therefore, descriptive statistics, U Mann Whitney test, and independent-sample t-test were run to compare and analyzed the data. Main Findings: The finding showed that there were significant differences between experienced and novice learners’ thoughts towards vocabulary learning strategies and experienced learners used vocabulary learning strategies while learning new words in English language learning. Applications of this study: If the learners are taught how to use each strategy correctly, their understanding of the language can naturally be improved. Moreover, VLS is beneficial throughout the process of vocabulary learning which makes learners more independent and allows teachers to focus on other things as well. Novelty/Originality of this study: To the best of researchers’ knowledge, no study has been done on investigating Iranian experienced and novice English language learners` perceptions towards most useful vocabulary learning strategies (VLS).

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