scholarly journals Field Dependent vs. Field Independent EFL Learners’ Perceptions of Their Instructors’ Teaching Methods in English Language Classes

2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (S1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Reza Kafipour ◽  
Nooreen Noordin
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Effective Teacher ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Embedded Figures Test ◽  
Field Independent ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Field Dependent ◽  
Efl Teaching

Teachers are the core component of teaching and learning a second or foreign language; therefore, they should know what the learners consider as the most effective teachers’ characteristics which may enhance their learning. Accordingly, the main aim of the present study was to compare field dependent and field independent Iranian learners in terms of their perceptions about effective language teaching. Fifty intermediate Iranian learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) participated in this study and three instruments were utilized to collect the data. The first instrument was Oxford Placement Test (OPT, 2001) to test the homogeneity of the EFL learners. The second instrument was Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT) to classify field dependent learners from field independent ones and the third instrument was an effective EFL teaching questionnaire to record the participants’ perceptions of effective EFL teaching. The obtained results revealed that field dependent and field independent learners had different expectations in class. That is, for field dependent learners, confidence and open-mindedness in class were important characteristics of an effective teacher while for field independent learners, teachers’ knowledge and proficiency were important. Indeed, there was no significant difference between the perceptions of field dependent participants and the field independent EFL learners about the overall characteristics of an effective teacher. Knowing EFL learners’ cognitive styles can open new insights in the second language (L2) domain and lead to more influential teaching.

scholarly journals Effects of Bilingualism on Reading Fluency: An Analysis of Pausing Patterns of Iranian Learners of English as a Third Language

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Zahra Banitalebi ◽  
Ali Akbar Jabbari ◽  
Shouket Ahmad Tilwani ◽  
Mohammad Hasan Razmi
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Reading Fluency ◽  
English Language ◽  
Oral Proficiency ◽  
Bilingual Learners ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Third Language ◽  
English Reading ◽  
Significant Difference

Fluency is one of the most important components of oral proficiency, which can be affected by a number of variables including frequency, duration, and place of pause phenomena. The present study aimed at investigating the effect of bilingualism on learning a foreign language from the angle of fluency and pausing patterns by comparing the pausing patterns of monolingual (Persian speakers) and bilingual (Iranian Turkish speakers; L1: Turkish and L2: Persian) EFL learners. To this end, a sample of 40 male and female advanced EFL learners were selected from Yazd University and several English-language institutes. An English reading passage test was used to measure students’ fluency in terms of their pausing patterns in prepared mode of speech. As learners started to read the passage, their speeches were recorded. The collected data were analyzed by Praat software. The statistical analyses revealed a significant difference between monolingual and bilingual learners in the frequency, duration, and placement of the pauses they had produced while they were reading the English passage. The results showed that bilingual learners outperformed monolingual participants, suggesting the superiority of bilinguals in their pausing patterns. The implications are discussed.

scholarly journals Exploring the Causes of English Language Speaking Anxiety among Postgraduate Students of University of Balochistan, Pakistan

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 99 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nazeer Ahmed ◽  
Zahid Hussain Pathan ◽  
Faria Saeed Khan
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Official Language ◽  
Speaking Anxiety ◽  
Postgraduate Students ◽  
Statistical Significant Difference ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The World

English language enjoys its glory as an official language of Pakistan and it is used widely as a medium of instructions across educational institutes. Since anxiety retards the learning process, therefore it has been widely researched in the world and seems under researched in Pakistani context. Thus, the prime aim of this research is to explore the factors that cause English language speaking anxiety among Postgraduate Students of University of Balochistan (UoB), Pakistan. This study also aimed at determining the statistical significant difference if any across gender. The quantitative research design was employed in which a questionnaire comprising of eighteen items was adapted from the study by Horwitz et al. (1986). Both descriptive and inferential statistics were performed in the SPSS (version, 21). The findings revealed that UOB students were experiencing anxiety due to myriad factors in EFL classroom. The findings of the t-test revealed no statistical significant difference across gender. This paper has implications on both teaching and learning of English as a foreign language in Pakistani context.

scholarly journals Problems of Teaching and Learning English as a Foreign Language in South Yemen: A Case Study of Lahj Governorate

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 485-492
Author(s):  
Sabri Thabit Saleh Ahmed ◽  
Bushra Thabit Ahmed Qasem
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Teaching Aids ◽  
Proficiency Level ◽  
Efl Teaching ◽  
Learning English ◽  
Language Teaching And Learning

The task of teaching and learning English as a foreign language is not an easy task as there are many factors that may contribute positively or negatively to its success. In the context of this study, most school-leavers have very poor English, especially when looking at their oral skills. This indicates that there are some problems that EFL learning and teaching encounter, and then such problems are reflected in students’ proficiency level. This study, therefore, explored the problems encountering EFL teaching and learning in Lahj primary and secondary schools to identify such problems and suggest some solutions that may help in improving English language teaching and learning in the concerned schools. Data were collected from 32 EFL senior teachers and supervisors of Lahj governorate. Findings showed that large classes, lack of teaching aids, teachers’ low proficiency in English, teachers’ limited experience with communicative language teaching, late beginning of learning English, lack of focus on oral communicative English, use of mother tongue in classroom, students’ low motivation and interference between English and Arabic are considered as major problems encountering English language teaching and learning in the concerned South Yemeni schools and contribute negatively to students’ proficiency level. The study has provided some recommendations that may help in improving EFL teaching and learning in the concerned schools and in Yemeni schools generally.

scholarly journals The Role of Web-based Language Teaching on Vocabulary Retention of Adult Pre-intermediate EFL Learners

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 372 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mustapha Hajebi ◽  
SeddiQ Taheri ◽  
Farhad Fahandezh ◽  
Hosain Salari
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Language Class ◽  
Significant Difference

This research is done to prove the effect of web-based language learning on the vocabulary improvement of the subjects of the study and to seek the attitudes of the learners on the use of web-based approach in the language class. In order to ensure the homogeneity of the students, a modified Michigan test (version1997) was presented and students were divided into one experimental group (n1=33) who learned their course vocabularies making use of free vocabulary learning sites of IELTS English language learning site every day for 8 weeks and one control group (n2=33) who received ordinary classroom instructions each session. The result appeared to manifest that learners’ perception improve by incorporating web based instruction in language learning classroom. It also indicated a significant difference between experimental and control group with regard to their vocabulary knowledge. WBL instruction enhanced EFL learners' vocabulary knowledge. The findings of this study may offer some implications for language teaching and learning. To begin with, these findings can be beneficial for language learning curriculum designers to present tasks that enrich both the language of the students and their motivation to apply on-line web sites for autonomous learning of language.

scholarly journals The Influence of CLL on EFL Learners’ Speaking Skill

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 48-56
Author(s):  
Muhammad Ilyas
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Speaking Skill ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The University

Some students in the university got some difficulties to express their ideas, especially expressing in foreign language such as English. How to start comunication and interaction sometime need someone to stimulate. The phenomenon often encountered in various levels of education even to the students college. The students tended to be very subjective towards topics, their peer or even partner. In the teaching and learning process, the teacher not only transfer the information to the students but also facilitate the students, stimulate to learn English and provide the technique suitable with the students’ need. Teaching English language might be carried out through several techniques, one of them was CLL (Community Language Learning). In this technique, students were treated as clients who could express their problems to the counselor as well as in the community. In addition, the teacher played the role of translator to help students express themselves using English. This means that learners had enough opportunities to speak without worrying about their limitations in using English. The results showed that CLL helped students to express ideas systematically. The ideas were organized well, understandable, and standardized. In addition, CLL improved the result of students’ score in speaking skill. The mean score increased from 54.74 in pre-test to 72.86 in post-test. It means that CLL gave good influence on students’ speaking skill.

scholarly journals USING GOOGLE SEARCH FOR ENGLISH GRAMMAR LEARNING

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 318-339
Author(s):  
Mona Tavakoli
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
The Body ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
English Grammar ◽  
Grammar Learning ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Google Search ◽  
The Impact

Background/Purpose: Second/foreign language learners face problems in different areas such as correct word usage, grammatical accuracy, and pronunciation fluency. This paper responds to one of these problems by investigating the impact of strategic Google Search on Iranian English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ grammar learning.   Methodology: Sixty Iranian intermediate EFL learners from a private English language institute in Isfahan, Iran were selected and randomly divided into two groups. To find which areas of grammar are most problematic among the participants, a multiple-choice grammar pretest which was validated by five English experts was given to them. Then 10 questions that most participants answered wrongly were selected as the most challenging ones. During 10 class sessions, the participants were taught how to select the correct choice through Google Search. In fact, each participant in the class had a laptop connected to the internet. The researcher taught them how to search on Google strategically and the participants found out that in Google sites there are some sentences which are grammatically wrong and they should not trust them. They learned how to search strategically for the correct choices. At the end of the sessions they answered a posttest containing different questions but in the same grammatical areas. The pretest and posttest both were conducted while the participants were connected to internet sites.   Findings: Data analysis was done through running t-test using SPSS software and statistically significant difference was revealed. The findings showed that those participants who were taught how to strategically use Google Search performed better in the posttest. Therefore, the results revealed that correct Google Search had improved the Iranian intermediate EFL learners’ grammar knowledge.    Contributions: This study has several implications for both language learners and teachers regarding the use of Google platform for English grammar learning. In addition, it contributes to the body of knowledge that strategic Google Search does not only improve the Iranian EFL learners’ English grammar but also make them less dependent on teachers thus promoting autonomous learning.   Keywords: Google search, EFL learners, grammar learning, intermediate EFL learners, Iran, web-based instruction.   Cite as: Tavakoli, M. (2021). Using Google search for English grammar learning. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 6(2), 318-339. http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol6iss2pp318-339

scholarly journals Does Flipped Classroom Model Affect EFL Learners’ Anxiety in English Speaking Performance?

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (01) ◽  
pp. 94
Author(s):  
Mohamad Yahya Abdullah ◽  
Supyan Hussin ◽  
Kemboja Ismail
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Learning Styles ◽  
Mixed Methods Research ◽  
Flipped Classroom ◽  
English Language ◽  
Teaching Method ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Speaking Performance

Learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) face various challenges which impede their efforts to achieve English proficiency, especially in speaking performance. In response, this study sets out to use the Flipped Classroom Model (FCM) as a teaching method to investigate the effective-ness of the FCM on EFL learners’ anxiety in English speaking performance. A mixed-methods research design was utilized whereby 27 Omani under-graduate students majoring in English as a foreign language at Buraimi Uni-versity College (BUC), Sultanate of Oman were selected purposively as the subjects of the study. The collected data involved the Anxiety in English Speaking Performance Questionnaire (AESPQ) that was distributed in three stages: pre, midway and post the implementation of FCM. Another set of da-ta was elicited in the focus group interviews and students’ reflective jour-nals. Findings indicated that after twelve weeks of using FCM, a considera-ble improvement occurred on EFL learners’ anxiety in English speaking per-formance across time. The results of the One-way ANOVA showed that there were significant differences among the EFL learners’ levels of anxiety in speaking English, F (₂, ₅₂) = 111.492, P<0.001, η2= 0.811), and MANOVA results revealed that there was a significant difference between the four di-mensions of AESPQ over time (Wilks Lambda =0.017, F= 134.718, 2=0.983). FCM was found to be appropriate to all the students in this study since it satisfied their needs and suited their learning styles. Essentially, the findings reported in this research would contribute to advancing English language teaching, not only in instructional design but also in promoting EFL instructors to be more interested in using FCM.

scholarly journals English Language MOOCs in China: Learners’ Perspective

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 13
Author(s):  
Yan Ding ◽  
Hui-zhong Shen
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Curriculum Design ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Future Design ◽  
Context Specific

<p>In the wake of rapid development of Language MOOCs (LMOOCs), numerous studies have proposed principles and guidelines to inform curriculum design. Very few of them have, however, reported on learners’ views. This study aims to contribute to this line of research by bringing in a learners’ perspective. It is based on a content analysis of 3,510 learner reviews on 41 English LMOOCs offered by a national MOOC provider in China. It focuses on Chinese EFL learners’ views of LMOOCs.  The results indicate that their views pertain mainly to seven categories: (1) content design of course videos, (2) presentation design of course videos, (3) MOOC program instructors, (4) assessments and assignments, (5) course settings, (6) forum discussions, and (7) technological environment, of which the first three are of the most importance to the learners. It is argued that Chinese EFL learners’ perception of English LMOOCs might be rooted in their engagement pattern with the courses, their perceptions of the role of teachers, the design of existing English LMOOCs, and a preference for the traditional way of foreign language teaching and learning they are acquainted with before engaging with the LMOOCs. The context-specific evidence could be used as an empirical base to guide future design of LMOOCs for foreign language learning in China.</p>

Embedded-Figures Test Performance and Self-Concept of Elementary School Children

1984 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-62
Author(s):  
Gary W. Guyot ◽  
Louis Fairchild ◽  
Brad Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Test Performance ◽  
Elementary School Children ◽  
The Self ◽  
Self Concept ◽  
Embedded Figures Test ◽  
Field Independent ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Field Dependent ◽  
Embedded Figures ◽  
The Relationship

This study investigated the relationship between Embedded Figures Test and Piers-Harris Self-concept scores for 160 boys and 169 girls in Grades 4 through 6. Field-independent girls had significantly higher self-concept scores than field-dependent girls. However, there was no significant difference between the self-concept scores of the field-independent and field-dependent boys.

scholarly journals USING ENGLISH MOVIES AND TV PROGRAMS FOR DEVELOPING LISTENING SKILLS OF EFL LEARNERS

2019 ◽  
Vol 70 (2) ◽  
pp. 227 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rastislav Metruk
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Listening Skills ◽  
Literature Study ◽  
Listening Test ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Preliminary Study ◽  
Post Hoc

The skill of listening has always been regarded as one of the primary skills in foreign language teaching. The article attempts to investigate the effects of employing ICT, namely extensive viewing of movies and TV programs, on listening skills of EFL (English as a foreign language) learners. A total of 18 students of Teaching English Language and Literature study program were targeted for this preliminary study. Based on the data acquired by a questionnaire, they were divided into three groups: those who watch movies and TV programs in the original in English on a daily basis 1 hour a day, 2 hours a day, and 3 and more hours a day. Afterwards, all the participants took a listening test, and the obtained data were subsequently analyzed using the Friedman ANOVA non-parametric statistical test and a post-hoc test. The preliminary results illustrate that despite the fact that some differences in the mean scores were observed, no statistically significant difference was detected in the listening test scores between the three groups (p = 0.31). In a similar way, the post-hoc test yielded the same results (p = 0.68; p = 0.22; p = 0.22). Thus, the amount of daily exposure to watching English movies and TV programs in the original did not seem to occupy a substantial role in relation to listening skills of EFL learners. It is vital that further research, on a larger sample of respondents, be conducted, also due to the fact that the exploration of this field of English language teaching and learning is still in its infancy. Extensive listening (extensive viewing) represents a useful and popular way of improving listening skills, which requires attention of teachers and students, and this preliminary study explores whether higher exposure to viewing movies and TV programs results in better listening skills of EFL learners.

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