Nominalization Versus Clause Usage in CALL Technology-Mediated Acquisition of EFL Learners' Writing Skills

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 72-86
Author(s):  
Duc Huu Pham
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Writing Skills ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
English Writing ◽  
Level Information ◽  
Writing Tests ◽  
Computerized Writing

To help EFL learners realize the use of nominals and clauses in practicing productive skills of academic writing in English writing tests, experiments have been exploited using the tasks similar to those of internet-based test of English as a foreign language to determine the nominal and clause level information during sentence and paragraph processing. Subjects were placed in two groups (the treatment group and the control group) and comprised English intermediate level students at a university in Vietnam performing compositions that were of lexical and clausal congruence but the congruence with discourse context was manipulated. The results indicated that lexical and clausal processing and discourse congruence have an effect on each other and influence writing skills. The study was undertaken as a basis for improving the technology-linguistics combined intake of learners' knowledge in order to accelerate the acquisition of foreign languages and will benefit future research related to computerized writing and assessment of writing.

scholarly journals The Role of Peer- and Self-Assessment in Developing Saudi EFL Learners’ English Writing Skills

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 85
Author(s):  
Manal Obaid Alshammari
Keyword(s):  
Treatment Group ◽  
Writing Skills ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Word Choice ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
English Writing ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Group A ◽  
Group B

<p>The current study focuses on the importance of integrating peer- and self-assessment in<br />teaching English as a second/foreign language in Saudi Arabia. It pays special attention to the<br />mechanisms by which Saudi EFL learners can improve their English writing skills if they<br />engage in peer- and self-assessment regularly. To this end, the researcher administered a<br />writing composition task to measure the participants’ ability to express themselves in good<br />English, focusing on the coherence, cohesion, word choice, spelling, punctuation, and layout<br />of their essays. The researcher utilised the experimental two-groups design of a pre-test and a<br />post-test, in order to evaluate the participants’ performance prior to the application of the<br />treatment (i.e. peer- and self-assessment) and after it. For the purpose of the study, the<br />participants were divided into two groups: students in group A (i.e. the treatment group)<br />engaged in peer- and self-assessment regularly throughout the term, whilst students in group<br />B (i.e. the control group) did not. The results of group A on the pre-test and post-test were<br />compared to those of group B to determine whether the treatment had any impact on their<br />performance. The results reveal that group A outperformed their group B counterparts on the<br />post-test. The statistical analysis demonstrates that the difference between the results of the<br />two groups was statistically significant, suggesting that the treatment contributed positively to<br />the performance of the treatment group. Finally, the study concludes with recommendations<br />for further research.</p>

scholarly journals The Impact of Virtual Writing Tutor on Writing Skills and Attitudes of Omani College Students

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 101
Author(s):  
Amal Aamir Al Badi ◽  
Mohamed El Tahir Osman ◽  
Abdo, M. Al-Mekhlafi
Keyword(s):  
Academic Writing ◽  
Writing Skills ◽  
Attitude Scale ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Total N ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Writing Tutor ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Experimental Group

The present study aimed to examine the impact of Virtual Writing Tutor (VWT) software on the academic writing skills of Year 1 Omani EFL students in the College of Applied Science, (CAS)-Sohar and their attitudes towards using VWT software to enhance their academic writing skills. The sample consisted of 35 students in the control group and 35 in the experimental group (Total N= 70) who were enrolled in the English for Academic Purposes (ENAP1002) course at CAS-Sohar. The data collection tools included pre-test and post-test for the two groups, and attitude scale for the experimental group. The findings of the study showed a positive large effect size (Cohen’s d = 0.88) of VWT on writing skills. In addition, Year 1 students in the experimental group enjoyed using the VWT software and found it beneficial and helpful in checking the accuracy of their essays including spelling, punctuation, grammar and vocabulary. In light of the research findings, implications and recommendations for future research were outlined.

scholarly journals A Narrative Inquiry of English Graduate Students’ Experiences in Writing for Publication

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 2281-2292
Author(s):  
Pradhita Ramadhani ◽  
Endang Fauziati ◽  
Suparno Suparno
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Narrative Inquiry ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
English Education ◽  
Writing Skills ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Writing For Publication ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Education Major

Academic writing in higher education mainly focuses on writing for publication. The success of writing for publication depends on the learners’ ability to access, understand the relevant references, evaluate, and synthesise the ideas, opinions, and sentences to make their academic pattern. Viewed from prior studies, it seems that many EFL learners have faced various problems in writing their academic papers, specifically writing for publication. To respond to this issue, this narrative inquiry aims to investigate (1) how learners acquire their knowledge in writing for publication, (2) the difficulties they face in writing for publication, and (3) how they face those difficulties. This present study intended to dig up the experiences of two graduate students of English Education major in writing for publication. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect the data. Then, the data were analyzed using thematic analysis. This study shows that the participants acquired knowledge and experiences from various sources that were useful for writing their academic papers. Surprisingly, the various difficulties they faced motivated them to learn more and improve their writing skills for publication. Pedagogical and future research implications are further discussed.

scholarly journals An Attempt at Promoting Undergraduate Sudanese EFL Students’ Performance in Academic Writing Skills

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ammar Mohammed Ahmed Mudawy
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Writing Skills ◽  
Extensive Reading ◽  
Reading And Writing ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
Holy Quran ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
University Level

The study aims at suggesting effective methods and techniques that could improve English as a foreign language EFL students’ performance in writing skills. The researcher uses the descriptive, analytical method. Four tools were adopted pretest, post-test, supporting program, and a questionnaire for teachers for collecting data. Twenty-five students in Holy Quran University, Sudan, were chosen purposively, and thirty EFL teachers at a university level were randomly selected as a sample for the study. Ninty percent of the teachers agree on the suggested program and techniques. The findings of the study indicate that: using varied techniques and activities in pre-writing stage promotes students’ performances in writing, integration of reading and writing skills in the classroom improves students’ writing skills, as well as encouraging extensive reading outside the classroom promotes students’ performance in writing skills. Accordingly, the researcher recommends that: teachers should focus on the prewriting stage through different activities as well as reading and writing should be used in an integrated way in-class writing to guide the writing process.

scholarly journals Enjoying Learning Writing through Facebook Group

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 115
Author(s):  
Zulfadli Abdul Aziz ◽  
Husnul Khatimah
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Writing Skills ◽  
Situational Interest ◽  
Individual Interest ◽  
English Writing ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Interactive Feedback ◽  
Group 1

This research showed many English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students in Aceh struggle in learning English writing as they had a lack of interest in it. This descriptive qualitative study aimed to find out in what ways Facebook Group might facilitate the enjoyment of the students in learning this skill. The data were collected using interviews and was analyzed through thematic analysis. The interview was done one by one at a time. Ten students from UIN Ar-Raniry were purposely chosen for the interviews in this research. The research findings show that there are four themes found that caused the participants enjoyment of the learning writing in the group: (1) it provides unlimited timing; (2) it facilitates the participants’ freedom and creativity; (3) it provides the interactive feedback; and (4) it helps them in brainstorming the ideas. These four themes directly enhance the students’ situational interest in learning writing that related to an environmental factor, but it results in the development of their individual interest. This research suggests that the teacher should combine the learning process in the classroom with the Facebook group media to fasten the enhancement of the learners’ writing skills. For the learners, it is suggested that they should utilize their social media such as Facebook group not only as their communication media but also for developing their learning in writing.

scholarly journals The Long-term Effects of Instruction on EFL Learners' Use of Complaining Formulas

10.29007/5xsb ◽  
2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alicia Martínez-Flor ◽  
Esther Usó-Juan
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Positive Role ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Foreign Language Learners ◽  
Over Time

Studies analysing the positive role of pragmatic instruction in formal settings have increased over the last decades. Within this area of interventional pragmatics, some studies have particularly examined whether the effectiveness of the instruction implemented is sustained over time. In order to shed more light on the long-term effects of instruction, this research investigates English as a Foreign Language learners’ use of complaining formulas not only after immediately receiving instruction, but also two months later. Results show that learners keep using a variety of appropriate complaining formulas two months after having participated in the instructional period. These findings are discussed and directions for future research suggested.

scholarly journals Effect of Paper and E-Dictionaries on Iranian EFL Learners' Reading Comprehension

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 199
Author(s):  
Shiva Grami ◽  
Mahmood Hashemian
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Analysis Of Covariance ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Foreign Language Learners ◽  
Paired Samples ◽  
Treatment Design

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of paper and e-dictionaries on Iranian intermediate learners' reading comprehension. To this end, 90 female English Foreign language learners were randomly selected and assigned into 2 experimental groups (e-dictionaries and paper dictionaries groups) and 1 control group. All the groups took a pretest using no dictionaries. After 2 weeks of treatment design for the experimental groups, all the 3 groups took part in the posttest. The experimental groups did their task with their relevant dictionaries, whereas the control group did their task without using any kind of dictionary. Data were analyzed through analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and paired samples t test. Results showed that the participants’ reading comprehension improved from the pretest to the posttest in both experimental groups. Results also indicated that the learners in the e-dictionaries group outperformed those in the paper dictionaries group. The outcome of study reveals that e-dictionaries could improve students’ reading comprehension by motivating them, shortening the time of searching words and reading a text, and increasing the number of look ups. 

The Role of Input in Second Language Acquisition

2000 ◽  
Vol 129-130 ◽  
pp. 225-274
Author(s):  
Ali Işik
Keyword(s):  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Writing Skills ◽  
Placement Test ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Control Groups ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Reading And Writing ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
And Control ◽  
Grammatical Structures

The present study investigates the combined effects of different amounts of comprehension-based and form-focused instruction on skill-based proficiency and knowledge of grammatical structures of beginner-level efl students. Specifically, the study addresses the following research questions : 1) Does a basically comprehension-based program of instruction supported by form-focused instruction help beginner-level efl learners improve/develop their listening, reading and writing abilities more than a basically form- focused program of instruction? 2) Does a basically form-focused program of instruction help beginner-level efl learners improve their knowledge of grammatical structures more than a basically comprehension-based program of instruction? One experimental and one control group, each containing 20 lycee prep level Turkish efl students, participated in the study. The subjects in the experimental and control groups were randomly selected from among lycee prep classes in two different schools. The experimental group enrolled in a program of comprehension-based instruction supported by form- focused instruction; whereas, the control group enrolled in a basically form-focused program of instruction. Both the experimental and control groups had 29 hours of efl instruction per week for 36 weeks. Different instruments were used to see the effects of these two different types of instruction on their reading, listening, writing skills and knowledge of grammatical structures. At the end of the fourth month, both groups were given the listening, reading and writing components of the Key English Test (ket) and the grammar component of the Oxford Placement Test. At the end of the eighth month, they were given the Preliminary English Test (pet) and another version of the grammar component of the Oxford Placement Test. The results indicated that the program of comprehension-based efl instruction supported by form-focused instruction was more effective than a basically form-focused program of instruction in helping beginner-level students develop their listening, reading, and writing skills as well as their knowledge of grammatical structures.

Linking or delinking of ideas?

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Noelia Navarro Gil ◽  
Helena Roquet Pugès
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Initial Position ◽  
American University ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Learner Corpus ◽  
Native Speakers Of English ◽  
Argumentative Texts ◽  
Linguistic Backgrounds

Abstract This paper explores the use of adversative Linking Adverbials (LAs) in the academic writing of advanced English Foreign Language (EFL) learners with different linguistic backgrounds. The learner corpus used in this study consists of 50 argumentative texts, which are contrasted with a native corpus: the American university students’ corpus (LOCNESS). Liu’s (2008) comprehensive list of adversative LAs has been used for the analysis. Findings reveal that both non-native (NNS) and native speakers of English (NS) use similar types of adversative LAs, but NNS place them regularly in sentence- and sometimes in paragraph- initial position, which often results in punctuation issues and misuse. A total of 9 LAs were found to be overused (e.g., nevertheless) and underused (e.g., actually) by NNS. The analysis performed according to L1 has yielded unexpected results in terms of preference, frequency, and placement of adversative LAs. The so-called ‘teaching effect’ is considered one of the main factors influencing the learners’ choices.

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