scholarly journals The Relationship between Learning Vocabulary via Mobile (Mobile-Assisted Language Learning) and Iranian EFL Learners’ Social Anxiety and Loneliness

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 775-800

The present study has investigated the relationship between learning English vocabulary via mobile phone and the learners’ social anxiety and loneliness. The participants of the study were thirty-two intermediate English as foreign language (EFL) learners studying English at the University of Zanjan, Zanjan, Iran. Sixty American English idioms were chosen and became available in a Telegram channel, during a six-week period of treatment to provide the participants with Mobile-Assisted Language Learning (MALL). A researcher-designed achievement test was administered to assess the learners’ vocabulary learning via mobile phone. Interaction Anxiousness Scale (IAS) (Leary 1983) and UCLA Loneliness Scale version 3 (ULS) (Russell 1996) were used to estimate the learners’ social anxiety and loneliness, respectively. The results showed no significant correlation between the variables; thus, it can be concluded that MALL not only frees the learners from the restrictions of time and place, but also minimizes the possible intervention of some socially and emotionally affective variables, such as social anxiety and loneliness in the process of language learning. Keywords: Learning Vocabulary, Mobile-assisted Language Learning, Social Anxiety, Loneliness

2014 ◽  
pp. 235-245
Author(s):  
Afshin Mohammadi

The roles that self-access centers play in language learners’ development of autonomy considerably vary in accordance with the institutional features attributed to their structure and the services they offer. As part of a larger study which assessed 100 learners’ readiness for autonomy, this paper reports on the status quo of two facilities at the humanities faculty of an Iranian university, based on English-as-Foreign-Language (EFL) learners’ views and practices. Seven undergraduate EFL learners from various years of study were asked to describe the ways in which they exploit self-access services for language learning purposes and express their opinions vis-à-vis their functionality through semi-structured interviews. Findings reveal that most learners preferred not to attend the computer center, principally because, the Internet, as the most widely acknowledged service, had become available in other places around the university, such as in the dormitory. The reasons for this reluctance are highlighted, along with a presentation of some suggestions for upgrading learners’ participation in self-access language learning in similar contexts.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 103-120
Author(s):  
Huzairin Huzairin ◽  
Gede Eka Putrawan ◽  
Bambang Riadi

A considerable number of studies on mobile-assisted language learning have been conducted, but less attention has been paid to online informal learning of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) performed using smartphones among undergraduate EFL learners in Indonesia. Thus, this study was specifically aimed at investigating EFL learners’ most frequently-performed EFL learning activities through smartphones, the predominant online language use, and the relationship between EFL learners’ predominant online language use and their perceived EFL proficiency. The study adopted a quantitative approach. The findings reveal that the participants still more frequently access content and information from their smartphones for receptive rather than interactive/productive online activities. Indonesian, which is the participants’ first language, is still predominantly used for their online activities. The mean score of the perceived EFL proficiency of those who frequently perform online activities in English is statistically and significantly higher than those performing online activities in Indonesian. Overall, the mean score of the perceived EFL proficiency of those performing online activities in English is higher than those in Indonesian, although the difference is not statistically significant. Finally, the study’s implications with suggestions for future research are discussed.


Accurate pronunciation has a vital role in English language learning as it can help learners to avoid misunderstanding in communication. However, EFL learners in many contexts, especially at the University of Phan Thiet, still encounter many difficulties in pronouncing English correctly. Therefore, this study endeavors to explore English-majored students’ perceptions towards the role of pronunciation in English language learning and examine their pronunciation practicing strategies (PPS). It involved 155 English-majored students at the University of Phan Thiet who answered closed-ended questionnaires and 18 English-majored students who participated in semi-structured interviews. The findings revealed that students strongly believed in the important role of pronunciation in English language learning; however, they sometimes employed PPS for their pronunciation improvement. Furthermore, the results showed that participants tended to use naturalistic practicing strategies and formal practicing strategies with sounds, but they overlooked strategies such as asking for help and cooperating with peers. Such findings could contribute further to the understanding of how students perceive the role of pronunciation and their PPS use in the research’s context and other similar ones. Received 10th June 2019; Revised 12th March 2020; Accepted 12th April 2020


2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (40) ◽  
pp. 631-654
Author(s):  
Khaldoon Waleed Husam Al-Mofti

For Iraqi EFL learners who are studying English pronunciation in a traditional instruction method often requires more effort and hard work. Thus, using new methods of teaching such as the flipped classroom model (FCM) is necessary to facilitate learning and improve performance. Hence, this study reports on explanatory research that investigates the effect of using the FCM in the teaching of English pronunciation for Iraqi EFL learners at the university level. The study implemented mixed research methods for data collection in a quasi-experimental analysis. Therefore, two tests were conducted on the assigned groups to measure the effect of the FCM before and after the intervention. Besides, a questionnaire and interviews were used on the experiment group students to collect data about their perceptions of the FCM. The study length (lasted)  was 15 weeks and is comprised of 60 students from the department of English, College of Arts at the University of Anbar. The students were divided into two groups, experimental, and control with 30 students in each group. The findings revealed that there was a significant statistical difference between the two groups in favour of the experimental group with better performance, indicating that the FCM has considerably assisted the Iraqi EFL learners to improve their English pronunciation. Moreover, the students expressed their positive feedback and satisfaction on the use of the FCM in their responses to the questionnaire and the interviews. As such, the current study recommends further research to study the effect of applying the FCM in areas and disciplines other than language learning.


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.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 148-155
Author(s):  
Rukmana Fachrul Islam

The present study was undertaken based on an assumption that there is no full guarantee that the university-level students from English department could be easily successful in writing activities. This might be as a result of differences in individuals’ characteristics contributing to language learning process, and even better it has something to do with the so-called “Intelligence”. While some relevant studies concerned about the relationship between the students’ Multiple Intelligence profile and their ability in language learning, the current findings contradicted the findings that of researches. In relation with writing skill, some show a significant correlation, some found only partial correlation, and some illustrated insignificant correlation between the observed variables. To have a clearer picture as to this arguable issue, the present study’s aim was about to look into the relationship between multiple intelligences as a whole part and linguistic intelligence as a part of multiple intelligences, and writing performance of English department students in a state university. This study employed mix method and the instruments applied were MI Inventory, a writing scale adopted from IELTS writing task 2, and interview. A small number of students, 27 students, actively participated in this study, and the findings indicated that insignificant correlation existed between students’ writing performance and their MI profile as a whole part or as independent intelligence, namely linguistic intelligence.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 116-125
Author(s):  
Shofiyatul Hasanah ◽  
Parahita Pradipta

Covid-19 pandemic situation has forced EFL teachers and students to create innovation in online classroom activities. Through a case study at one of private universities in Indonesia, this research aim at exploring the implementation of mobile phone used in learning process in low tech Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL). The data were collected from observation, in-depth interview, and document review. The findings reveal that mobile phone has an imperative role in concocting student to be full-fledge community, stimulating the feeling of perception, unexceptional mindfulness and teaching of socio-political and social classification. Further, mobile phone and its supporting materials in students’ tools rely upon whether there is appropriate security to keep the device, stockpiling of internet data package, wellsprings of electric supply, gracefully of each provider signal, availability to flexibility access in various areas, especially mountainous to remote area. Regarding the challenges, the students experienced multi-layer intricacies: (a) learning facilities including absence of speed data transfer capacity, (b) students’ awareness and proficiency in English, and (c) techno pedagogical insight over lecturers. This study implies that enhancement on the student capacity at low tech level of learning through mobile phone provide meaningful learning assistance, particularly in term of efficiency during classroom activities


Author(s):  
Mania Nosratinia ◽  
Faranak Amiri Hossaini

The thrust of the present study was to systematically investigate the relationship between EFL learners' Self-Efficacy (SE), Critical Thinking (CT), and their Autonomy (AU). To this end, 196 male and female EFL learners, within the age range of 20 to 30 (Mage= 25) were selected based on convenience sampling strategy. They were asked to fill in three questionnaires, namely Sherer, Maddux, Mercadante, Prentice-Dunn, Jacobs, and Rogers' SE Scale (1982), Honey's CT questionnaire (2000), and Zhang and Li's Learner AU questionnaire (2004). Since the assumptions of normality of distribution were violated for the scores of AU and SE, in order to find out the relationships among the variables, the non-parametric Spearman Rank Order Coefficient of Correlation was conducted. The results revealed that there was a significant and positive correlation between AU and CT, AU and SE, and CT and SE. Furthermore, a regression analysis revealed that SE has the largest β coefficient (β = 0.519, t = 7.65, p = 0.0005). This is to say that SE makes the strongest statistically significant unique contribution to explaining AU. CT turned out to be the second significant predictor of AU scores (β = 0.186, t = 2.75, p = 0.007). The study concludes with a discussion on the obtained results followed by presenting some implications for EFL teachers, learners, and syllabus designers.  


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