A Constructivist Approach to Game-Based Language Learning

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
James York ◽  
Jonathan William deHaan
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Communication Skills ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Experimental Methodology ◽  
Constructivist Approach ◽  
Action Research Project ◽  
Communicative Skills ◽  
Japanese University ◽  
Board Games ◽  
Second Year

This article provides information on an action research project in a low-level EFL setting in Japan. The project aims were to 1) foster spoken communication skills and 2) help students engage with their own learning. The project investigated the applicability of board games as a mediating tool for authentic communication as part of a wider TBLT approach to language development. Quantitative and qualitative data was collected from 115 first and second year Japanese university students via a questionnaire at the end of a seven-week course using the experimental methodology. Responses to the questionnaire indicated that the framework was perceived to be valuable in both fostering communicative skills and improving student engagement. Methodological improvements were also suggested. Implications applicable to teachers working in similar contexts are discussed, as well as possible improvements for future implementations.

Promoting Spoken Interaction and Student Engagement With Board Games in a Language Teaching Context

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-26
Author(s):  
James York
Keyword(s):  
Student Engagement ◽  
Communication Skills ◽  
Action Research Project ◽  
Communicative Skills ◽  
Japanese University ◽  
Class Time ◽  
Board Games ◽  
Teaching Context ◽  
Teacher Observations ◽  
Spoken Interaction

This article provides information on an action research project in a low-level EFL setting in Japan. The project aims were to 1) foster spoken communication skills and 2) help students engage with their own learning. The project investigated the applicability of board games as a mediating tool for authentic communication as part of a wider TBLT approach to language development. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from 115 first- and second-year Japanese university students via teacher observations, informal discussions during class time, and a questionnaire at the end of a seven-week intervention. Responses to the questionnaire indicated that the framework was perceived to be valuable in both fostering communicative skills and improving student engagement. Methodological improvements were also suggested. Implications applicable to teachers working in similar contexts are discussed, as well as possible improvements for future implementations.

scholarly journals Deconstructing the Bully and Victim Dichotomy

2010 ◽  
Vol IV (2) ◽  
pp. 22-43
Author(s):  
Eucharia Donnery
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Personal Development ◽  
English Education ◽  
Communicative Competence ◽  
University Student ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Process Drama ◽  
Communicative Skills ◽  
Japanese University ◽  
Test Taking

Although steps have been taken to address the issue of ijime or bullying, it remains is a serious social problem within the Japanese educational system. The main focus of this pilot study was to ascertain how beneficial process drama could be in developing oral communicative skills in the target language of English as well as to build social awareness through the deconstruction of the bully and victim dichotomy. Process drama in language acquisition is unique in its aim to fuse language learning and personal development. The average Japanese university student has had six years of compulsory English education, with an emphasis on grammar-translation and accuracy. This means that, while the average student excels at translation and test-taking, s/he has had little experience with communicative English and has no sense of ownership of the language. Because of this lack of oral communicative skills, process drama is an ideal means to build the bridge to communicative competence. This paper is part of a larger tri-semester process drama project and the data accumulated from all three will be used as evidence in a final PhD dissertation. Although steps have been taken to address the issue of ijime or bullying, it remains is a serious social problem within the Japanese educational system. The main focus of this pilot study was to ascertain how beneficial process drama could be in developing oral communicative skills in the target language of English as well as to build social awareness through the deconstruction of the bully and victim dichotomy. Process drama in language acquisition is unique in its aim to fuse language learning and personal development. The average Japanese university student has had six years of compulsory English education, with an emphasis on grammar-translation and accuracy. This means that, while the average student excels at translation and test-taking, s/he has had little experience with communicative English and has no sense of ownership of the language. Because of this lack of oral communicative skills, process drama is an ideal means to build the bridge to communicative competence. This paper is part of a larger tri-semester process drama project and the data accumulated from all three will be used as evidence in a final PhD dissertation.

scholarly journals Pre-Service EFL Teachers’ Perception of Using Facebook Group for Learning

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 104
Author(s):  
Asri Purnamasari
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Interpersonal Communication ◽  
Mixed Methods Research ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
English Education ◽  
First Year ◽  
Education Department ◽  
Learning Platform ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
Second Year

The current development of ICT has been revolutionizing education. The revolution has now overflown learning beyond the four walls boundary of the classroom. By using ICT, students today can learn anytime and anywhere. This study aimed to explore pre-service EFL teachers' perception of the use of Facebook Group (FBG) in learning. Employed a mixed methods research designed, quantitative and qualitative data were collected from 56 (29 first-year and 27 second-year) students of the English Education Department of Universitas Kristen Indonesia Jakarta using a questionnaire and interview. The finding revealed that the majority of the participants had positive perception towards using FBG as a learning platform. However, since their experience in the informal language learning environment through FBG was new, their view towards the use of FBG for interpretative communication activates was lower than for interpersonal communication.

scholarly journals Non-English Majored Students’ Use of English Vocabulary Learning Strategies with Technology-Enhanced Language Learning Tools

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 455
Author(s):  
Tham My Duong ◽  
Thao Quoc Tran ◽  
Thao Thanh Pham Nguyen
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
English Language ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Vocabulary Learning ◽  
Knowledge Retention ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
First Year ◽  
Vocabulary Learning Strategies ◽  
Second Year

Abstract: Technology has become an integral part in language education in general and English language teaching and learning in specific. Accordingly, the use of technology enhanced language learning (TELL) tools in English language learning has become common as they can improve the knowledge retention and increase engagement. The study aims at unravelling the employment of TELL tool based English vocabulary learning strategies (VLS) among non-English majored students at Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HUTECH). The participants were a cohort of 240 first-year and second-year students answering the questionnaires and 20 students in responding the semi-structured interview questions. The SPSS was utilized to process the qualitative data in terms of descriptive statistics and T-Test, while the content analysis approach was employed for qualitative data analysis. The results showed that the participants employed the TELL tool based English VLS at a high level. Additionally, it is noticeable that second-year students utilized the TELL tool based English VLS more often than their first-year students.   Keywords: English vocabulary, strategies, TELL tools.

Perfecting Communication Skills of the Students

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Dr. Neeta Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Communication Skills ◽  
Oral Communication ◽  
Effective Communication ◽  
Major Elements ◽  
Communication Process ◽  
Listening Skills ◽  
Student Centered ◽  
Effective Use ◽  
Listening And Speaking

Abstract Communication is a process of sharing information through speech, writing, gestures or symbols between two or more people. The focus of the present paper is oral communication and the language under consideration is English. The teacher should adopt a student centered approach. The learners should be encouraged to do things in the class which result in developing their communication skills. The trainer has to focus on both the linguistic and paralinguistic features of the communication process while enhancing learners’ communication skills. These features involve the effective use of words, forming grammatically intelligible sentences and an appropriate use of voice and intonation. The teacher should encourage and train his students to use positive body language while listening and speaking. In order to hone the communication skills of the learners, it is very important to make the learners comfortable with the language they have to communicate in. Shedding their inhibitions is also one of the pivotal areas of concerns. This paper explores different techniques that could be useful while training students in communication skills. Communication is a process of sharing information through speech, writing, gestures or symbols between two or more people. The focus of the present paper is oral communication and the language under consideration is English. The major elements of a communication process are sender, receiver, message and feedback. Effective communication is a two way process. It involves both expressive (speaking) skills and receptive (listening) skills. It entails receiver’s understanding of the message sent by the sender and his feedback to the sender. Listening plays a very important role in the language learning process. It is the most primary of the four basic skills of any language i.e. Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing. Listening paves way for speaking. One can never be a good speaker if one is not a good listener. An effective communicator is first a good listener and then a good speaker. According to Tickoo ( 2003 ), ‘Good listening skills not only lay the foundations of good speech, but they grow best through effective communication’.

IMPROVING STUDENT’S VOCABULARY ACHIEVEMENT THROUGH “MAKE A MATCH METHOD”

2013 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ade Iriyani And Sortha Silitonga
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Quantitative Data ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
English Teacher ◽  
Match Method ◽  
Class Viii ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Second Year ◽  
Teacher Use ◽  
Vocabulary Achievement

The objective of the study is to find out if the students’ vocabulary achievement improved through Make a Match Method. The research of this study was conducted by using action research. The subjects of this study were the second year students of MTs Swasta Al-Badar Tanjungbalai class VIII consisted of 31 students. The research was conducted in two cycles and every cycle consisted of three meetings. Quantitative and qualitative instruments were used to gather the data. Quantitative data was taken from the students’ score in vocabulary mastery, while qualitative data was taken from diary notes, observation sheets and questionnaire sheets. Based on the data, the students’ scores got improvement in every cycle. In test I, the mean of the students’ score was 59 while test II, the mean of the students’ score was 70.5 and in test III the mean of the students’ score was 77.3. It was found that the teaching vocabulary through Make a Match Method improve the students’ vocabulary Achievement. It is suggested that English teacher use Make a Match Method as one of alternatives method in teaching vocabulary.

A Sociocultural Approach to Learner Autonomy in the Language Classroom

Relay Journal ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 17-26
Author(s):  
Tetsushi Ohara
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Interpersonal Relationships ◽  
Sociocultural Theory ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Learner Autonomy ◽  
The Social ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
Sociocultural Approach ◽  
Mediational Means ◽  
Social Views

Approaches to understanding learner autonomy in language learning often contain dichotomous views: those that emphasize individual attributes and those that emphasize social influence. In order to articulate our understanding of learner autonomy, it is necessary to find approaches, which view a dialectic unity between the individualistic views and the social views. Sociocultural theory based on the concept of mediation is an approach, which has potential to offer a unique way to analyze learner autonomy. While using sociocultural theory as the main theoretical framework, this article attempts to understand how students take charge of their learning in the language classroom. Qualitative data indicate that interpersonal relationships between students work as mediational means for students to engage in their learning in the classroom. From this finding, it is argued that by understanding mediational means that students employ and are appropriate in the classroom, we are better able to track the students’ ability to take charge of their own learning.

Reflection on Learner-Led Study Abroad Events in a SAC from Three Perspectives: A Learner, an Administrative Staff Member, and an Advisor

Relay Journal ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 66-79
Author(s):  
Mizuki Shibata ◽  
Chihiro Hayashi ◽  
Yuri Imamura
Keyword(s):  
Study Abroad ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Support System ◽  
Staff Member ◽  
Administrative Staff ◽  
Multiple Reflections ◽  
Learning Space ◽  
Japanese University ◽  
Staff Members

This paper reports on a case study of learner-led study-abroad events in the language learning space at a Japanese University. We present multiple reflections on the events from different perspectives: the event organizer (student), an administrative staff member, and a learning advisor working at the center. We also introduce the support system that a group of administrative staff members and learning advisors are in charge of helping learners to hold their events. Moreover, throughout our reflections, several factors that made the learner-led study-abroad events sustainable and successful are demonstrated.

Analyzing trends in the aural decoding errors of Japanese EFL learners

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kriss Lange ◽  
Joshua Matthews
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Mixed Methods Study ◽  
First Year ◽  
Formulaic Language ◽  
Decoding Skills ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Japanese University ◽  
Syntactic Knowledge ◽  
L2 Listening

Abstract Japanese EFL learners’ difficulty with accurately decoding connected English speech motivated this mixed methods study. The aural decoding capacities of 63 first-year Japanese university students, with low to intermediate level English proficiency, were first measured with a battery of paused transcription tests (PTT). The transcriptions were clusters of three-words that each possessed attributes typical of co-articulated speech. In addition, after each test, a subgroup of 10 participants individually listened to the same PTT and recounted introspective self-observations of their perceived difficulties with the aural decoding tasks in their L1. These quantitative and qualitative data were used to identify four trends in decoding errors which were categorized as follows: limited collocation familiarity, syntactic knowledge constraints, difficulties utilizing co-text, and L1 phonological influence. This study investigates some of the difficulties associated with aural decoding, highlights the challenges of identifying the origins of decoding errors and suggests that more focus is needed on developing decoding skills as well as knowledge of formulaic language in L2 listening education.

scholarly journals Evaluation of a communication skills course for second-year medical students

1988 ◽  
Vol 63 (5) ◽  
pp. 372-8
Author(s):  
D J Monahan ◽  
P L Grover ◽  
R E Kavey ◽  
J L Greenwald ◽  
E C Jacobsen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Communication Skills ◽  
Second Year
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