scholarly journals Learner Involvement at Arabian Gulf University Self-Access Centre

2011 ◽  
pp. 68-77
Author(s):  
Diane Malcolm
Keyword(s):  
Student Participation ◽  
Arabian Gulf ◽  
Autonomous Learning ◽  
Institutional Setting ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
First Year ◽  
English Learning ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Perceived Needs ◽  
Learning English

The English Unit self-access centre (SAC) at Arabian Gulf University, Bahrain, has been an important part of our English for medical purposes programme for first year students for over 12 years. During that time, efforts have been made to involve these students in contributing to the SAC in order to augment their experience of learning English, personalize the facility and increase their responsibility for out-of-class English learning within the institutional setting. This article describes an initiative to elicit student contributions to the SAC, as well as evaluating how successful it was in achieving these aims. The article concludes with a recommendation to those directing similar small scale self-access centres to encourage student participation and involvement in all aspects of their running, without imposing pre-selected ideas and practices for autonomous learning that may not accord with the perceived needs and wishes of the SAC users themselves.

scholarly journals Autonomous English Language Learning Beyond the Classroom: Indonesian Tertiary Students’ Practices and Constraints

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (10) ◽  
pp. 194-213
Author(s):  
Daflizar Daflizar
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Autonomous Learning ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
First Year ◽  
English Language Learning ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
English Major ◽  
Attention To Students

. In response to the interest in learner autonomy in recent years, educational research has been increasingly paying attention to students’ out-of-class autonomous learning activities. This study aims to (1) describe the extent to which Indonesian tertiary students engaged in autonomous English language learning outside the class, (2) explore their perceived constraints in practicing autonomous learning, and (3) examine whether there are any significant differences in the autonomous learning activities between female and male students and between the English major students and non-English major students. Employing the explanatory mixed-method design, a total of 402 first-year students completed a questionnaire, and 30 of whom were interviewed. The questionnaire data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and non-parametric tests, and the interview data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The results showed that the students did engage in several out-of-class English learning activities, however many of the activities were more receptive than productive. The interviews echoed the questionnaire results, and the students claimed that they were not autonomous in their learning due to several constraints. The results also revealed that there is no significant difference in the level of practice of autonomous out-of-class activities based on gender but a significant difference was found concerning majors of study. Practical implications for the Indonesian context are put forward.

A Correlational Study Investigating Students’ Activities in STAD Model and Their Interest in Learning English

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Albiansyah ◽  
Endah Hardiyanti
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Null Hypothesis ◽  
First Year ◽  
Correlational Study ◽  
Learning Material ◽  
English Learning ◽  
Level Of Significance ◽  
Learning English

The study attempts to know the significant correlation between students’ Activities in STAD Model and their interest in learning English. This study was a correlational study designed to determine whether and how a set of variables had related to each other. The participants were 50 students in the first year of high school. The instruments used in this study were observation sheet and questionnaire. Observation sheet is used to find out the category of students’ activities in STAD model and give a questionnaire consisting of seven items to the students. SPSS was used to analyze the data. The score of product-moment by using SPSS, Rxy is (0,410): it showed there was a significant correlation between students’ activities in STAD model and their interest in learning English. Referring to the product-moment table, it shows that the correlation is “enough” because 0,401 placed between 0,400 – 0,599. In addition, the null hypothesis was rejected because r table is lower than r observation whether at 5% (0,279) or at 1 % (0,361) level of significance, meaning that there was a significant correlation between students’ activities in STAD model and their interest in learning English. So, it can be concluded that activities in STAD model can influence students’ interest because, in STAD model, students can learn the English learning material better.

scholarly journals Fostering students’ autonomy in learning English in nonlinguistic university

2020 ◽  
Vol 75 ◽  
pp. 03007
Author(s):  
Oksana Pershukova ◽  
Nina Nikolska ◽  
Oksana Vasiukovych
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Learner Autonomy ◽  
Autonomous Learning ◽  
Control Group ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Autonomy Development ◽  
Special Approach ◽  
And Control

The study aims to find out whether it is possible to foster students’ learner autonomy in the context of ESP language learning in non-linguistic universities by using a special approach. The experiment was carried out at National Aviation University in Ukraine with two groups of first-year students of electronics (experimental and control) in 2018-2019. Testings to determine students’ level of communicative competence in English and surveys to identify students’ level of learner autonomy development were conducted in September and May of the same year of education. The control group did not receive any special training, while in the experimental group were created special learning conditions. With the purpose to prepare students to accept responsibility for their learning, they were given the opportunities to choose educational materials; to set goals of their learning; to reflect the process and evaluate the results of learning, etc. Modern technologies were widely used as well as scaffolding (if necessary). According to the results of the experiment, it was stated that only a part of the most active students used the created conditions and gained experience in autonomous learning. The conclusion was made about creating such an environment. It is a challenge that is appropriate to realize to give an autonomous learning experience to aspiring students.

scholarly journals Empathy as Related to Motivations for Medicine in a Sample of First-Year Medical Students

2013 ◽  
Vol 112 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuel Gonçalves-Pereira ◽  
José Loureiro ◽  
Bruno Trancas ◽  
Ana Papoila ◽  
José Miguel Caldas-de-Almeida
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Strong Relationship ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
First Year ◽  
Clinical Settings ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Clear Cut ◽  
Physician Empathy ◽  
First Year Medical Students ◽  
Person Orientation

Professionalism and empathy are crucial in clinical settings. An association would be expected between empathic attitudes and altruistic motivations for a medical education. However, data is scarce in first-year students, and a previous small-scale study did not fully confirm the hypothesis that personoriented motives would have a strong relationship to empathy. The present study tested this association in a larger sample. 202 first-year medical students ( M age = 19.0 yr., SD = 2.7; 67.3% women) were assessed cross-sectionally, using the Vaglum and colleagues' indexes on motives for choosing medicine (security/status, person-orientation, and interest in the natural sciences) and the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy for students. There was a weak association between empathy and person-orientation, but the evidence regarding links between empathy and the three motivation scores was low overall. In this Portuguese sample there was not a clear-cut association between empathy and motivations for medical school.

scholarly journals Adapting to transnational education: students’ experiences at an American university in the UAE

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zsuzsanna Mikecz Munday
Keyword(s):  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Single Point ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Adjustment Process ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Content Type ◽  
American University ◽  
Freshmen Students ◽  
The University

Purpose Despite the increasing number of transnational universities around the world, little attention has been paid to students who attend foreign universities in their own countries and their adjustment to the new learning environment. This study aims to examine some of the adaptations freshmen students have to undergo while studying at an American university in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Design/methodology/approach This study is conducted at an American university in the UAE and involved 152 freshmen students, investigating their challenges to adapting to the university academically and socially. The target respondents were first-year students, typically 18–19 years old men and women of various majors and nationalities who completed high school in the country. Questionnaires were emailed to students; a total of 184 surveys were completed (with prior permission), but only 152 of those fitted the criteria and were used in the study. Findings Findings indicate that although these students study at home, by attending a foreign university many of them rely heavily on the support of peers, especially co-nationals. They require similar academic and emotional support from teachers as many first-year students at university do. Research limitations/implications The findings have limitations as data were collected at a single point in time through surveys. Being a single researcher, the study did not opt for breadth to answer the research questions but aimed to find out freshmen students’ challenges in adapting to the university. Despite the limitations of the study, several issues were raised that can be investigated in future studies. Originality/value The study provided insights into the challenges first-year students face at a transnational university in the UAE. It identifies the support that could be provided by the university to facilitate students’ successful adjustment process to the educational and socio-cultural environment of the university. Although this was small-scale research and cannot be generalized to a larger population, the findings could be transferable to other, similar settings in transnational universities in the region. Findings might be compared and contrasted to other, related cases, as the structural aspects could be noticed in similar cases or situations.

scholarly journals English Program Service Quality and Student Satisfaction at a Southern Chinese University

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 32
Author(s):  
Wenyu Guan
Keyword(s):  
Service Quality ◽  
Student Satisfaction ◽  
Classroom Environment ◽  
School Level ◽  
First Year ◽  
English Learning ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Southern Chinese ◽  
English Program

This research paper explores the relationship between perceived service quality of a college English program and student satisfaction in a public university in Southern China. An action priority matrix was developed to aid administrators, at the departmental and school level, allocate limited resources to identified areas of priority. A convenience sample of 2954 first-year students from 18 departments volunteered to take a survey on attitudes related to aspects of the English program in the first semester, including views on the physical learning environment, institution, faculty, course content, and interaction/communication. Using the importance-performance analysis (IPA) technique, this study found that classroom environment was considered the most important for the English program, while instruction methods such as individual and group presentation were the least important. For service quality, the best performance was connected to instructors, while the most negative relates to social opportunities, grading, and instruction methods. This study also found that first-year students prioritized CET4 test-taking skills and knowledge in the classroom. Chinese developed Apps for English learning were considered ineffective platforms for English learning. Evidence shows that female students placed greater importance on classroom environment and facilities, while males emphasized more on learning technologies.

scholarly journals A Socio-Cultural Analysis of Learning English in Unassisted and Assisted Peer Groups at University in Vietnam

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Pham Hoai Huong Le
Keyword(s):  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Video Recording ◽  
Peer Groups ◽  
Cultural Analysis ◽  
Mediation Process ◽  
First Year ◽  
Text Book ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Senior Student ◽  
Learning English

<p>The fieldwork for this study was carried out in Vietnam over a period of three months with a class of 45 first-year university students who were learning English as a foreign language. The conceptual framework was sociocultural theory as developed by Vygotsky and his followers. The focus was on small groups of peers as they practised speaking English. The processes involved in learning and using English were explored by studying what occurred within two kinds of groups. In one kind there were five first-year students. In the second there were four first-year students and one fourth-year student. These are referred to as unassisted and assisted peer groups. Over the three months of the study all students in the class had an opportunity to work in an unassisted and an assisted group. Data were collected each week by audio- and video-recording an unassisted and an unassisted group discussing the same topic. The processes within each of the groups were compared on the basis of the social interaction and the use of classroom artifacts including the text book which supplied the topics for discussion. First-year students were interviewed following the classroom observations and they kept journals. Students reported their experiences of being assisted and unassisted and what they believed they had learnt from each. Information was also collected on support for learning the English language in the broader Vietnamese environment. The results showed that the discourse pattern of the unassisted groups was unpredictable whereas in the assisted groups the senior student conducted a series of dyadic interactions with each student in turn. In both kinds of groups, students discussed the assigned topics but the assisted groups spoke almost entirely in English while the unassisted groups used more Vietnamese. Analysis of the incidence of Vietnamese showed the kind of situations which produced it. There were differences in the management of the tasks, and unassisted students had more trouble getting started. Observations showed that the unassisted students often teased others and laughed more often. The experience of speaking English amongst peers produced both stress and enjoyment irrespective of the type of group. Students from both groups reported that they had learned new words associated with the discussions of the topics set by the textbook. The textbook was a major factor in guiding participation and structuring the continuity of the discourse. Unassisted students worked directly with the textbook whereas the senior student mediated the questions from the textbook. The textbook came from a foreign culture and the study illustrated how students used their knowledge of Vietnamese culture in giving responses to the questions in the text. The study showed a complex mediation process consisting of interconnected layers. Mediation occurred both through the oral language of the discussions and through the written language in the textbook and on the blackboard, through the classroom teacher's instructions, by peers in both types of groups, and between the senior student and peers. On the basis of the research findings recommendations are made for teaching practice in EFL classrooms.</p>

scholarly journals B. Ed. First Year Students’ Motives for Learning English

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 55-71
Author(s):  
Lok Raj Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Research Study ◽  
Survey Design ◽  
First Year ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Job Opportunities ◽  
Academic Year ◽  
Learning English

This research article attempts to evaluate B.Ed. first year students’ major motives for learning English A cross-sectional survey design was adopted to accomplish the research study. The twelve questions as a data collection tool were administered to the students across three campuses of Makawanpur District, Nepal in the Academic Year 2019-2020. The study showed that a large number of the students learnt English to have good job opportunities in the country, whereas the smallest number of students  learnt it to be tourist guides. The chi-square tests showed that there was statistically significant association between sex and the motives for learning it, whereas there was no statistically significant association between campuses and motives for learning it. The findings of the research study indicated that students learnt English for fulfilling differing purposes in their life. Their attitude towards learning English was found to be dissimilar.

scholarly journals Students’ Obstacles on Autonomous English Learning

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andi Dian Rahmawan
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
English Education ◽  
Autonomous Learning ◽  
English Learning ◽  
Data Source ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Basic Need ◽  
Learning English ◽  
Descriptive Qualitative

This study attempts to give teachers a perspective regarding what problems students face during the process of learning English material by employing the Autonomous Learning. The researcher used Pragmatics as the subject of learning to observe the process of Autonomous Learning during one semester. This is a descriptive qualitative research in which 7 students of English Education of PGRI University were employed as the subjects of this study. Those students are the most active ones in class. After they conducted a series of learning process autonomously, they were expected to fill the questionnaire as the data source to reveal the basic need of the students that they are expecting from the teachers. Then the data would be explained descriptively. It is expected that the teachers are going to have some new perspectives regarding the autonomous learning, which is related to the students’ problems. What they want the teachers to do and what the teachers should provide are two fundamental considerations. This study reveals that the autonomous learning does not mean that the students learn the material fully autonomously. Bigger than that, the students still need the presence of the teachers as the agent of autonomous learning.

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