scholarly journals Teaching Power Construction in EFL Classes through Tweets: A Discourse Analytic Based Study

Author(s):  
Dr. Mamona Yasmin Khan ◽  
Syeda Aeliya Raza ◽  
Farhana Yasmin

Communicative approaches and methods are still found to be inadequate in addressing the pedagogical issues of EFL learners. In developing countries, there is a dire need for EFL teachers to make the students understand and deconstruct ideologies embedded in the English language. The study sets out to define and explore the ways and dimensions of Critical Discourse Analysis that will assist EFL teachers to reveal and teach power constructions embedded in language. This study focuses on The Ideological Square Model of CDA proposed by Van Dijk (2000). Following a mixed-method approach, twenty tweets of Donald Trump are selected through random sampling dated from 27th May to 5th October 2020. The analysis reveals that Trump’s tweets expose polarization, use of pronouns (54% in-group pronouns, and 46% Out-group pronoun) emphasize positive In-Group representation. These ways expose the stances of extreme power use, criticism, and discriminatory attitude towards Out-Group and reveal that the centralizations of all authorities are entitled to In-Group that holds the status quo. The research implies that EFL learners will be better able to aware of ideological constructions of language by the CDA in teaching. This study can be expanded by adopting CDA as a teaching tool in EFL classes, which can be used to expose and deconstruct many other ideologies like, Feminism, Racism, and Marxism etc. that are rooted in language.

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 215-228
Author(s):  
Doniazad Sultan Alshraideh

This study aims at analyzing the English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ and teachers’ perception toward the use of online videos in EFL classes. The current study used a mixed method to answer the question of the study which is: What is the perception of EFL learners and teachers toward the use of online videos in EFL classes? It includes both quantitative and qualitative techniques, namely a questionnaire and an interview. To get the required data and to answer the question of the study, the researcher collected information by distributing a relevant questionnaire among 120 EFL Saudi female students who are studying English in their preparatory year “Unified Scientific Track” at Taibah University. Their ages range between 18 to 21 years old. The questionnaire of the study consists of 10 items. For the first nine items, Likert Scale is used to let the respondents range the statements on a five- point scale. The tenth item asks the respondents to rate the usefulness of the online video regarding language skills and other aspects. The researcher also conducted an interview with six EFL teachers who teach English language skills in the English Language Centre (ELC) at Taibah University. The responses of the participants showed that the use of online videos is an effective technique and has a positive influence in EFL classes.


2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 56-72
Author(s):  
Rozhgar Jalal Khidhir ◽  
Hussein Ali Wali

The current study is an experimental digital game-based (DGBL) endeavor which tackles potential educational issues beyond the frequent use of games, language learning potentials in particular. It has used a mixed method approach, i.e., quantitative and qualitative. The study aims at exploring the practical effects of videogame play, Trace Effect, on improving the players’ linguistic competence. It is hypothesized that (playing videogame cannot create any difference of performance between groups of subject matters for improving English language learning. The study has concluded the followings; overall inferential statistics confirmed that playing videogame can effectively get into the improvement process of teaching English as a foreign language to the university students. On the other hand, playing the videogame, Trace Effects, has formed the solely major cause of improvement and learning in the following domains, creating friendly fascinating atmosphere, upgrading technological skills, increasing motivation towards learning, making use of homework as a form of external extensive activity, forming semi-independent learning, and practicing and virtual reality of the second/foreign language’s culture.


2021 ◽  
pp. 329-342
Author(s):  
Shadma Iffat Rahmatullah

The speculation, that the Saudi EFL learners with less exposure to the target language exhibit more mother tongue influence on their second language speaking, is apparent. The phonetic similarity of two languages helps EFL learners to grasp the lexical accent with the accurate articulation of the words from the second language. However, the difference in sound patterns in various languages prompts the learners to mispronounce the words more frequently. This critical study endeavors to evaluate the influential aspects of the mother tongue on the EFL learners’ second language (L2) discourse. This research is carried out through a qualitative method for critical discourse analysis to answer the main question; what significant errors students make that reflect their mother tongue influence? For a comparative study, the participants are the Saudi undergraduates from multidimensional sections of female colleges in King Khalid University and the non-native English-speaking teachers from five different nations, who also manifest the influence of their mother tongue on English language speaking. Their recorded presentations and conversations were analyzed to identify the interference of their mother tongue on their English language performance. The language patterns of both students and the teachers eventually affect their English language efficiency. The significant outcome of this study reveals the possibility of the pros and cons of the mother tongue on L2 learning. The data also revealed that the inability of faculty members to produce the flawless accent of the English language has a significant effect on Saudi learners’ oral performance.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shadma Iffat Rahmatullah

The speculation, that the Saudi EFL learners with less exposure to the target language exhibit more mother tongue influence on their second language speaking, is apparent. The phonetic similarity of two languages helps EFL learners to grasp the lexical accent with the accurate articulation of the words from the second language. However, the difference in sound patterns in various languages prompts the learners to mispronounce the words more frequently. This critical study endeavors to evaluate the influential aspects of the mother tongue on the EFL learners’ second language (L2) discourse. This research is carried out through a qualitative method for critical discourse analysis to answer the main question; what significant errors students make that reflect their mother tongue influence? For a comparative study, the participants are the Saudi undergraduates from multidimensional sections of female colleges in King Khalid University and the non-native English-speaking teachers from five different nations, who also manifest the influence of their mother tongue on English language speaking. Their recorded presentations and conversations were analyzed to identify the interference of their mother tongue on their English language performance. The language patterns of both students and the teachers eventually affect their English language efficiency. The significant outcome of this study reveals the possibility of the pros and cons of the mother tongue on L2 learning. The data also revealed that the inability of faculty members to produce the flawless accent of the English language has a significant effect on Saudi learners’ oral performance.


This study deals with the utilization of Persuasive and Rhetorical Strategies used by Prime Minister Imran Khan in his address to the nation on 17th March 2020. This address was made in the background of the Covid-19 pandemic. Aristotle’s concept of persuasive components namely ethos, pathos, and logos was followed to examine the utilization of these devices. Furthermore, rhetorical devices like rhetorical questions, inclusiveness, and exclusiveness were also analyzed. A Mixed-Method approach was used to analyze the data. Quantitative data were obtained by using Corpus software AntConc, 3.5.8 (windows) 2019. Concordances were taken through this software, related to different devices and techniques. These numerical data were elaborated qualitatively. On the basis of the findings of the study, it can be said that PM Imran Khan practiced these techniques effectively and extensively.


2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 63
Author(s):  
Atalah Mohammad Al-Rubaat ◽  
Hammad Ali Alshammari

This study explores the pronunciation difficulties experienced by Saudi EFL learners at Jouf University (JU) in the north of Saudi Arabia. To achieve this purpose, two main instruments were implemented: an experiment of pronunciation sensitivity response and two interview formats. The sample of this study was selected randomly and consisted of (n=20) students studying English major in their sixth level at JU, and (n=10) English language instructors from the same institution. A mixed-method approach was employed to find out the phonetic and phonological difficulties that participants encountered during the implementation of the experiment of pronunciation sensitivity response, and to interpret participant's responses to the interview formats. The findings revealed that EFL learners experienced six phonetic and phonological problematic patterns related to mispronunciation of: initial consonant cluster, final consonant cluster, multi-syllabic words, unfamiliar sounds, vowels, and voiced or voiceless phonemes. It was also found that EFL learners and instructors had different views regarding these phonetic and phonological issues. The limited time for practice, the lack of authentic materials and tasks, and the need for immersion classes, and effective instruction and learning were all found to be responsible about the phonetic and phonological problems EFL learners encountered and at the same time they were found to be the motives for overcoming these issues. It is believed that the implications and recommendations included in this study would improve the performance of Saudi EFL speaking abilities once they are incorporated effectively in their English learning settings.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Doniazad Sultan Alshraideh

This study aims at analyzing the English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ and teachers’ perception toward the use of online videos in EFL classes. The current study used a mixed method to answer the question of the study which is: What is the perception of EFL learners and teachers toward the use of online videos in EFL classes? It includes both quantitative and qualitative techniques, namely a questionnaire and an interview. To get the required data and to answer the question of the study, the researcher collected information by distributing a relevant questionnaire among 120 EFL Saudi female students who are studying English in their preparatory year “Unified Scientific Track” at Taibah University. Their ages range between 18 to 21 years old. The questionnaire of the study consists of 10 items. For the first nine items, Likert Scale is used to let the respondents range the statements on a five- point scale. The tenth item asks the respondents to rate the usefulness of the online video regarding language skills and other aspects. The researcher also conducted an interview with six EFL teachers who teach English language skills in the English Language Centre (ELC) at Taibah University. The responses of the participants showed that the use of online videos is an effective technique and has a positive influence in EFL classes.


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yating Yu ◽  
Mark Nartey

Although the Chinese media’s construction of unmarried citizens as ‘leftover’ has incited much controversy, little research attention has been given to the ways ‘leftover men’ are represented in discourse. To fill this gap, this study performs a critical discourse analysis of 65 English language news reports in Chinese media to investigate the predominant gendered discourses underlying representations of leftover men and the discursive strategies used to construct their identities. The findings show that the media perpetuate a myth of ‘protest masculinity’ by suggesting that poor, single men may become a threat to social harmony due to the shortage of marriageable women in China. Leftover men are represented as poor men, troublemakers and victims via discursive processes that include referential, predicational and aggregation strategies as well as metaphor. This study sheds light on the issues and concerns of a marginalised group whose predicament has not been given much attention in the literature.


2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmad Nazari

This paper is an attempt to analyse one of the documents which may affect the classroom activities of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers, namely teachers' guides. It also explores the context at which the document is aimed and critiques how EFL teachers are advised to teach as well as how EFL is taught. As such, the paper stands where critical discourse analysis and language policy come together in the study of language policies in education. The teachers' guide chosen and the analysis carried out here are not necessarily concerned with their representativeness and typicality but with the opportunity they provide to the researchers and teachers to learn about such language policy documents and how language and language teaching objectives are represented in them. The issues raised in this paper will have relevance to the EFL teachers' guides and EFL education in other contexts, as these issues are likely to be true of other EFL milieux.


2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 94
Author(s):  
Aziza M. Ali ◽  
Abu Bakar Razali

Being able to read well is important for English language learners. Through the process of reading, the learner becomes an active participant in producing an interaction with the writer of the text through predicting, analyzing, summarizing and using other types of reading strategies. However, building such a connection between the reader and the written information of the text is complex and for English as a second language (ESL) and English as a foreign language (EFL) students, it can be quite difficult for them to apply different types of reading strategies. This article provides a review of literature on 27 studies on the teaching of reading strategies (particularly cognitive and metacognitive reading strategies) for ESL/EFL learners, which reveals that ESL/EFL teachers need to keep updating their teaching methods to meet the ESL/EFL students’ needs, particularly in the use of correct reading strategies. The authors also highlight some of the main issues that prevent ESL/EFL students from improving and developing their reading comprehension. Furthermore, the authors discuss and conclude the article by suggesting to ESL/EFL teachers some teaching strategies to be applied in the reading lesson to improve the ESL/EFL students’ use of reading strategies.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document