scholarly journals Tapping into the Educational Potential of Facebook: Encouraging Out-of-Class Peer Collaboration in Foreign Language Learning

2015 ◽  
pp. 176-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ward Peeters
Keyword(s):  
Social Network ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Social Network Sites ◽  
Online Communication ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Peer Collaboration ◽  
First Year ◽  
Communicative Context ◽  
Educational Potential

Due to their social framework and often informal character, social network sites such as Facebook are believed to promote out-of-class learning by encouraging learners to participate in online peer collaboration. Yet, the evidence remains inconclusive when it comes to the effectiveness and students’ appreciation of collaborating via social network sites, which indicates the need for further research. The first part of the present paper discusses the ‘out-of-class’ use of a closed Facebook group by analysing the online communication behaviour of 119 first-year foreign language English majors at the University of Antwerp (Belgium) participating in a writing course. The assessed data (more than 4,000 Facebook posts and a post-questionnaire) suggest that the socio-communicative context of a Facebook group motivates students to learn collaboratively beyond the physical classroom walls. The remaining part of this paper investigates which conclusions can be drawn from this for increasing the effectiveness of independent self-access modules and study programmes blending self-access and classroom learning. Here, results hint at the fact that students attach particular importance to social network sites as support networks for sharing positive and critical learning experiences and language learning tips.

scholarly journals EXPLORING LANGUAGE INPUT OF THE READING TEXTS IN NORTHSTAR TEXTBOOKS FOR FIRST-YEAR ENGLISH-MAJOR STUDENTS AT UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES, HUE UNIVERSITY

2020 ◽  
Vol 129 (6B) ◽  
Author(s):  
Phuong Ngoc Quynh Tran
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Difficulty Level ◽  
First Year ◽  
Text Input ◽  
Language Difficulty ◽  
English Major ◽  
Language Input ◽  
Reading Texts

There are many studies on English Language Teaching materials evaluation, but very few investigate the language input of reading materials though text input is considered a primary factor for successful foreign language learning. This research explored the language input of reading texts in a book series used in teaching reading for first-year English-major students at a foreign language university in central Vietnam. It aimed at investigating text topics, genres, length, language difficulty level and students’ as well as teachers’ perceptions of the studied texts in an attempt to facilitate students’ reading comprehension. Thirty-two reading texts were studied using a descriptive analytical approach. Individual and focus group interviews were implemented with 15 students and 7 lecturers. The findings showed the textbooks incorporated a wide variety of topics which are interesting and familiar to students. Article was the most popular text genre. The text length and language difficulty level proved to be appropriate to students’ levels. The lecturers’ and students’ perceptions of the texts also supported the textbook analysis findings. These findings implicated the selected textbooks should be kept in the curriculum but need further adaptation. Besides, some suggestions were made to help ELT lecturers modify the text input effectively.

scholarly journals An Investigation into the Benefits of the Intercultural Approach to EFL Learning and Teaching: A Case Study of Taif University, KSA

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amir H. Abdalla
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Language Education ◽  
First Year ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Potential Benefits ◽  
Preparatory Year ◽  
Study Participants

The purpose of this study is to investigate the potential benefits of using the intercultural approach to teaching English as a foreign language in the preparatory –year programme (male branch), Taif University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The intercultural approach is considered a viable means of foreign language education that seeks to address issues of culture in foreign language learning and teaching and how best to address them. Hence, this study intends to explore the attitudes of first year EFL Taif university students to the potential benefits of the intercultural approach to EFL. A sample of 200 EFL students participated in the study. Participants’ views on the topic of the study are collected via a questionnaire the researcher designed and administered to the participants. In addition, the views of 50 EFL instructors teaching in the preparatory programme were gathered by a questionnaire regarding the topic researched. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the collected data.

The specifics of foreign language distance learning

2020 ◽  
pp. 72-78
Author(s):  
N. A. Drutsko ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Online Communication ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Stressful Environment ◽  
Online Mode ◽  
Physical Isolation ◽  
University Classrooms ◽  
Absolute Advantage

The internationality of the communicative community and the incessant process of modernization require from railway specialists the skill of freely interacting with native speakers of another language. Knowledge of a foreign language at a time when many types of activities have switched to remote functioning is an absolute advantage. This is both the opportunity to obtain relevant knowledge from foreign language sources, and the freedom to communicate and exchange experience with colleagues, regardless of which language they are native speakers. Learning online increases the responsibility of the future railway specialist for the result of mastering a foreign language, conscientiousness in organizing his own educational activities, and independence in completing assignments. The importance of learning a foreign language for railway students during a pandemic remains extremely high. With an eye on quarantine measures, we note that the inability of live communication with people is compensated by online communication channels. The greater number of tools future specialists possess, the more successful they are in coping with the current problems. A foreign language (especially English as a working language of business communication) is one of these tools. The quarantine did not prevent railway specialists from contacting their foreign colleagues, actively sharing their experience, thus being able to cope with a stressful environment in a much better way. Those specialists who switched to online mode and had to communicate with clients using communication tools also noted tangible advantages in knowing a foreign language. In case of forced physical isolation, USURT teachers use productive forms and methods, making foreign language learning no less interesting than in university classrooms. In this article, the author provides a comparative analysis of the capabilities of various online platforms and makes arguments in favor of choosing the Blackboard digital platform. Particular attention is paid to the organization of remote control over training and the forms of influence on the motivational sphere of students.

scholarly journals Mobile Applications in Mastering Mining Engineers' Competences

2018 ◽  
Vol 41 ◽  
pp. 04041
Author(s):  
Roman Islamov ◽  
Oksana Greenwald ◽  
Nina Tunyova
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Mobile Applications ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Language Competence ◽  
Educational Potential

Being one of the leading coal mining regions in the world, Kuzbass (Russia) demands from its regional higher educational institutions to master a range of competences of the graduates, namely mining engineers. Foreign language competence is considered to be among the key ones. The article reveals the concept of the competence, its relevance for mining engineers. We also analyze existing mobile applications from the point of view of their educational potential and present the results of the experiment conducted to assess effectiveness of mobile applications in mastering foreign language competence of mining engineering undergraduates. Our methods included interviews with students, classroom observations and surveys of students. The results suggest that integrating mobile applications in educational process is likely to have a positive impact on foreign language competence and increase students’ motivation and satisfaction with foreign language learning.

Metacognitive awareness in foreign language learning through Facebook

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 174-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ward Peeters
Keyword(s):  
Social Network ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Metacognitive Awareness ◽  
Learning Goals ◽  
First Year ◽  
Learning Tasks ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Working Together ◽  
Set Up

While over the past decade social network sites have enabled both learners and teachers to set up various forms of online collaborative learning environments, there is an ongoing discussion on how collaboration through these social media platforms can be situated with regard to the development of metacognitive awareness (Li, Pow & Cheung, 2015). This paper presents a study on the development of learners’ metacognitive awareness of first-year English majors collaborating in a closed Facebook group. The theoretical framework for the development of metacognition, proposed by Gunawardena et al. (2009), was used to analyse the students’ metacognitive strategies when working together online. The study shows that students utilise the social network site to complete given learning tasks, and extend their use of the forum by setting new learning goals and socialising with their peers. The students show that, through peer collaboration, they are able to evaluate and plan their learning process online.

scholarly journals The ‘unforgettable’ experience of foreign language anxiety

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 120-128
Author(s):  
Morana Drakulić
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Language Anxiety ◽  
Foreign Language Anxiety ◽  
First Year ◽  
Learning Context ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
First Year University

Foreign language anxiety (FLA) has long been recognized as a factor that hinders the process of foreign language learning at all levels. Among numerous FLA sources identified in the literature, language classroom seems to be of particular interest and significance, especially in the formal language learning context, where the course and the teacher are often the only representatives of language. The main purpose of the study is to determine the presence and potential sources of foreign language anxiety among first year university students and to explore how high anxiety levels shape and affect students’ foreign language learning experience. In the study both the questionnaire and the interviews were used as the data collection methods. Thematic analysis of the interviews and descriptive statistics suggest that most anxiety-provoking situations stem from the language classroom itself.

scholarly journals University Students' Beliefs and Attitudes Regarding Foreign Language Learning in France

2006 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathalie Piquemal ◽  
Robert Renaud
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
University Students ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
First Year ◽  
Internal Factors ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Personal Attitude ◽  
Language Classes ◽  
Beliefs And Attitudes

This study is based on a survey of 1,305 university students enrolled in English and other foreign-language classes across year levels in four major universities in France. It explores the factors that promote or hinder multilingualism, with special attention to the following questions: What are the beliefs and attitudes of students enrolled in various postsecondary institutions across France toward learning a foreign language? How do these beliefs and attitudes change as students progress from beginning first-year students to upper years? The results suggest that the reasons first-year students typically have for studying a foreign language have more to do with internal factors (e.g., personal attitude) than with external factoars (e.g., social value). Moreover, this trend becomes more pronounced with upper-year students whose motivation to learn a foreign language compared with that of first-year students is influenced less by perceived societal beliefs and more by intrinsic reasons.

scholarly journals Addressing Cross-Linguistic Influence and Related Cultural Factors Using Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL)

2011 ◽  
pp. 582-598
Author(s):  
Danièle Allard ◽  
Jacqueline Bourdeau ◽  
Riichiro Mizoguchi
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Cultural Factors ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
First Year ◽  
Computer Assisted Language Learning ◽  
Ontological Engineering ◽  
Learning Scenarios ◽  
First Year University

The goal of this research, a work in progress, is to address areas in second/foreign language acquisition prone to cross-linguistic influence, and to examine related cultural factors. More specifically, the authors aim to identify such areas, map available knowledge in this respect using ontological engineering methodology, and devise appropriate teaching strategies and learning scenarios to help overcome cross-linguistic influence with the help of computer-assisted language learning systems. The authors have been working mainly with Japanese-speaking students of English and first-year university English-speaking students of French. In this chapter, the authors describe culture in relation to foreign language learning, cross-linguistic influence, their cultural framework as well as ontological engineering methodology. They demonstrate their work with examples of the use of modals by Japanese students/speakers of English. They further provide an illustration of ontological modeling in addition to a basic simulation of how a CALL system based on an ontology could potentially work.

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