An Empirical Study of ESL Learners’ Decoding Skills at Master Level in District Muzaffargarh

This article analyses the factors influencing the process of input-intake conversion and focuses on the effect of “reduced forms” on English as a Second Language (ESL) learners’ listening comprehension. The Input Hypothesis, the Noticing Hypothesis, the input-intake relationship, and the factors influencing the input-intake relationship are critically reviewed and analyzed. The empirical study of Brown and Hilferty [1] is reviewed and discussed to show reduced forms’ influence on ESL learners’ listening comprehension. The results prove that integrating reduced forms into ESL lessons is both necessary and meaningful for improving students’ listening comprehension ability.

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Exploring the Effectiveness of Audacity Readers’ Theatre in Increasing Reading Motivation and Fluency Among Lower Primary ESL Learners

International Journal of English Language Studies ◽

10.32996/ijels.2021.3.2.13 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 3 (2) ◽

pp. 120-130

Author(s):

Hemalatha Devarajoo ◽

Hamidah Yamat

Keyword(s):

Thematic Analysis ◽

Structured Interview ◽

Decoding Skills ◽

Written Information ◽

Motivation Level ◽

Readers Theatre ◽

Main Instrument ◽

Esl Learners ◽

Low Motivation

Being constantly motivated and capable to read fluently is one of the crucial aspects that should be acquired by an individual. This receptive skill is necessary in order to be able to decode written information and symbols of a language. The inability to read fluently imposes great threats to individuals as it may affect decoding skills and literacy. Low motivation and dysfluency in reading are regarded as the most blatant issues faced by learners in reading. This case study aimed to explore the effectiveness of Audacity Readers’ Theatre in increasing Year 2 pupils’ motivation and fluency in reading. The three Year 2 pupils were purposively selected due to their inability to read fluently and lack of motivation in reading. The main instrument used was the observation checklist where the lessons were observed and recorded by two observers. The pupils were interviewed to find out how Audacity Readers’ Theatre motivated and helped them to read more fluently. The researcher wrote journals after the lessons to keep a record on pupils’ behaviour and improvement throughout the lessons. Thus, the data from the semi structured interview and journal were used to triangulate the data from the observation checklist. The data which was analysed using thematic analysis illuminated on how Audacity Readers’ Theatre aided the pupils in heightening their motivation level and reading more fluently. The findings of the study revealed the necessity of incorporating Audacity Readers’ Theatre in the primary ESL classrooms to remedy problems of low motivation and dysfluency in reading.

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The role of phonemic awareness in second language reading

Second language Research ◽

10.1191/026765898676398460 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 14 (2) ◽

pp. 194-215 ◽

Cited By ~ 37

Author(s):

Keiko Koda

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

Phonemic Awareness ◽

Phonological Processing ◽

Text Comprehension ◽

First Language ◽

Second Language Reading ◽

Decoding Skills ◽

L2 Processing ◽

Esl Learners

This study investigates the effects of disparate L1 (first language) alphabetic experience on L2 (second language) phonemic awareness and decoding among ESL (English as a Second Language) readers with alphabetic and nonalphabetic L1 orthographic backgrounds. It was hypothesized that amount of L1 alphabetic experience is causally related to the development of L2 phonemic awareness and decoding skills. The specific objectives were threefold: to compare varying aspects of phonemic awareness among Chinese and Korean ESL learners; to explore the relationship between L2 phonemic awareness and decoding skills;and to examine the extent to which L2 text comprehension is facilitated by phonemic awareness and decoding skills. Data demonstrated that the two groups differed neither in their phonemic awareness nor in decoding;phonemic awareness was differentially related to decoding performance between the groups; and strong interconnections existed between reading comprehension, decoding and phonemic awareness among Korean participants, but no such direct relationships occurred among Chinese. Viewed collectively, these findings seem to suggest that, while differential L1 orthographic experience is not directly associated with L2 phonemic awareness, variations in prior processing experience may engender the use of diverse phonological processing procedures and, thus, account for qualitative differences in L2 processing behaviours.

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