scholarly journals The Effect of Using Web-Cam Chat on the Undergraduate EFL Students’ Pragmatic Competence

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 350
Author(s):  
Ahmad Mousa Bataineh ◽  
Nadhim Obaid Hussein
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Computer Mediated Communication ◽  
Pragmatic Competence ◽  
Control Group ◽  
College Level ◽  
Mediated Communication ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Pragmatic Aspects

<p>This study aimed to investigate the effect of using web-cam chat on developing of the pragmatic aspects of language by college-level English as foreign language (EFL) learners in Jordan. A quantitative approach was applied to determine first, whether the use of web-cam chats had a positive effect on EFL learners’ pragmatic competence. Second, the effect of presenting pragmatic through two delivery systems face-to-face, in-class activities and computer-mediated communication (CMC) via web-cam chats i.e. Facebook and Skype was investigated in this study. The sample of the study consisted of thirty-two undergraduate students who made up two intact classes in a "Conversation Skills course, which call Penguin Functional English by Peter Watcyn-J0nes .Code N 1302109” at AL al-Bayt University in Jordan, during the second semester of the academic year 2013/2014. The students were interviewed in order to know their actual levels in the pragmatic aspects of English before starting the experiment. The sample  was divided into two groups; the control group (15 students) was taught the course content using the regular communicative method through which students received instructor-led lessons from the textbook, while group two, the experimental (17 students) was taught using web-cam chat. After conducting the activities, a post test was administered. Scores were tabulated and prepared for statistical analysis. The results showed that web-cam chat had a positive impact on the EFL learners’ pragmatic competence. Learners who studied via web-cam chat performed better on the pragmatic aspects of English post-test than those who did not. The findings also indicated that technology can be a valuable tool for delivering pragmatic instruction. Moreover, the findings of the study revealed that students acquired the speaking and listening skills in web-cam chat more efficiently and effectively than in the regular communicative method.</p>

scholarly journals Improving Spanish-speaking students’ pragmatic competence through SCMC: a proposal

2020 ◽  
pp. 52-56
Author(s):  
Sofia Di Sarno García
Keyword(s):  
Computer Mediated Communication ◽  
Pragmatic Competence ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Intercultural Communicative Competence ◽  
Mediated Communication ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Spanish Speaking ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Post Test ◽  
English Speaking

Due to the scarcity of studies analysing Spanish-speaking students’ acquisition of pragmatic competence in English, this paper focuses on the preliminary stage of a longitudinal study on the impact that Synchronous Computer-Mediated Communication (SCMC) has on the use of apologies and the acquisition of intercultural communicative competence. In other words, this paper presents the type of explicit instruction that students from Spain need in order to improve their ability to express apologies, and how interaction with English-speaking students through Skype will help them to acquire the strategies that L1 speakers use in everyday conversations. Spanish-speaking students will complete a pre- and post-test questionnaire to measure their level of pragmatic knowledge before and after the interaction with English-speaking students. Additionally, a control group will carry out the task via face-to-face interaction. It is envisaged that after the telecollaborative exchanges, Spanish students in the experimental group will experience greater improvement in the performance of apologies than those in the control group and, subsequently, in their pragmatic competence.

scholarly journals The Effect of Using Web-Cam Chat on the Undergraduate EFL Learners᾽ Socio-Cultural Competence

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 242
Author(s):  
Ahmad Mousa Bataineh ◽  
Ahmed I. Al-Abdali
Keyword(s):  
Computer Mediated Communication ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Mediated Communication ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
English As Foreign Language ◽  
Foreign Language Learners ◽  
Conversational Skills ◽  
Academic Year ◽  
Experimental Group ◽  
Year 2013

<p>This study aimed at investigating the use of web-cam chat as one of the most effective tools of<br />Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC), and measuring its effect on the sociocultural<br />competence of the English as foreign language learners. The sample of the study consisted of<br />38 undergraduate EFL learners who registered for a Conversational Skills Course at Al-alBayt<br />University during the academic year 2013-2014. However, the chosen sample of the study was<br />of two groups: Group one consisted of (20) students, which was chosen as an experimental<br />group, and group two consisted of (18) students, which was assigned as a control group. Data<br />were collected within 8 weeks and statistical analysis was prepared (T-test, one-way analysis of<br />variance, and Scheffe). To assess the effect of using web-cam chat on EFL learners<br />sociocultural competence, students in both groups sat for a written and an oral test at the<br />beginning of the second semester of the academic year 2013-2014 so as to determine their<br />actual sociocultural knowledge before starting the experiment. After 8 weeks, the same test<br />was administered as a posttest. The results of the study indicated that the experimental group<br />performed better that the control group in the sociocultural aspects of language due to the new<br />method of teaching that is Web-cam chat. The results of the study showed that the experimental<br />group acquired some sociocultural aspects rather than the others. Additionally, the findings of<br />the study revealed that the experimental group students have developed their language skills.<br />This might be due to the effect of web-cam chat through which the experimental groups'<br />students interacted a lot with native speakers of English. Accordingly, a set of<br />recommendations were provided at the end of this study.</p>

A Qualitative Study of the Perceptions of Iranian EFL Learners’ Attitudes towards CMC Tools Usefulness

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (8) ◽  
pp. 682
Author(s):  
Sanam Mehri ◽  
Siros Izadpanah
Keyword(s):  
Student Perceptions ◽  
English Language ◽  
Computer Mediated Communication ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Mediated Communication ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Before And After ◽  
E Mail ◽  
Experimental Group

This project examined the perceptions of Iranian EFL learners’ attitudes towards online computer-mediated communication tools usefulness. Few researches have been done to evaluate student perceptions of the helpfulness of CMC tools in online learning. In this regard, based on convenient sampling method, 60 English Language Teaching students (B.A) of Zanjan Azad University were selected. The students attended in two classes that were held by two different instructors. To homogenize the participants, PET was administered. Those participants whose scores was ±1 above and below the standard deviation were selected as the statistical sample (n= 60). Then, the selected participants were randomly assigned to one experimental (n= 30) and one control group (n= 30).The Community of Inquiry (CoI) questionnaire was distributed among the participants in groups before the treatment. During the study, the experimental group was taught using e-mail and telegram chat. In the control group, the learners were taught through traditional way of teaching. At the end of the treatment, the CoI questionnaire was re-administered among the learners in the both groups. Responses before and after the treatment revealed that the perceptions’ of the learners in the experimental group were significantly influenced as a result of instructing by e-mail and telegram.

Extent of Using Fiction Short Stories in Teaching English and their Effect on Primary Stage Students' Communicative Competence

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 54
Author(s):  
Awatif Abu Al-Sha'r
Keyword(s):  
Short Stories ◽  
Private School ◽  
Communicative Competence ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Sixth Grade ◽  
School Level ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Primary Stage ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Post Test

This paper attempted to trace the effectiveness of teaching fiction short stories on EFL learners' communicative competence in English at the primary stage at school level. More specifically, this study aimed to determine whether teaching fiction stories has any effect on EFL sixth grade learners' communicative competence or not. It also tried to investigate if language productive skills (speaking and writing) are improved due to discussing the elements of fiction stories orally or in writing. Furthermore, the study tended to identify which elements of fiction stories (character, setting, plot, conflict or theme) the learners focused on more in their communicative sessions as a result of reading fiction stories. The sample of the study consisted of 54 EFL learners at a private school in the primary stage who were already divided into two sections A and B (27 learners in each); and were assigned as control (A) and experimental (B) groups. A pre-post test was administered for both groups to test their communicative competency of oral and written skills. The findings revealed that using discussion sessions and activities about fiction stories has a positive impact on the learners' communicative competence. Participants who attended the communicative sessions performed better on certain elements of fiction stories than those in the control group. It was recommended that teaching fiction stories should be included in the curriculum for all stages at schools.

scholarly journals THE EFFECT OF BRAINSTORMING ON EFL READING COMPREHENSION

2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tran Thi Ngoc Yen
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Treatment Group ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Post Test

This study investigates the effect of brainstorming techniques on EFL learners’ reading comprehension. The experiment in this study involved a treatment group and a control group, both of which were following an English course at a language centre in Vietnam. The treatment group were trained in brainstorming techniques during reading lessons whereas the control group were not. Comparisons between the two groups’ average scores on pre-test and post-test and their comprehension improvement during the course showed that the treatment group outperformed the control group and thus confirmed that brainstorming has a positive impact on EFL reading comprehension.

scholarly journals The Effect of Computer-mediated Communication Tools in Online Setting on Iranian EFL Learners’ Teaching, Social and Cognitive Existence

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 978 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanam Mehri ◽  
Siros Izadpanah
Keyword(s):  
Computer Mediated Communication ◽  
Online Communication ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Mediated Communication ◽  
Communication Tools ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Computer Mediated ◽  
Online Setting ◽  
Online Communication Tools ◽  
Experimental Group

This study was conducted to explore the effect of computer-mediated communication tools in online setting on Iranian EFL learners’ teaching, social and cognitive existence. The population of the study included 60 English Language Teaching students (B.A) of Zanjan Islamic Azad University using convenient sampling method. Experimental group included half of the participants (n=30) and other half of the participants (n=30) was assigned to control group. As a pretest, participants were asked to fill in the Community of Inquiry (CoI) questionnaire in both experimental and control groups. The learners in the experimental group were taught through electronic mail and chat and the assignments and homework were sent to the learners by E-mail. The teachers asked the learners to answer the questions and send the fulfilled assignments in the telegram group. The learners in the control group were taught conventionally. After the treatment, the questionnaire was re-administered among the learners in the both groups as posttest. The learners who received synchronous online communication tools, compared to the respondents who received no treatment, gained higher mean scores on social, teaching and cognitive presence. The findings of the present study can have implications for ESL/EFL contexts from several aspects.

scholarly journals The Usefulness of Pictorial Aids in Developing Female Iranian Intermediate EFL Learners’ Speaking Proficiency

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 38
Author(s):  
Shahram Afraz ◽  
Leila Taghizade ◽  
Ali Taghinezhad
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Main Concern ◽  
Visual Aids ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Speaking Proficiency ◽  
Intermediate Learners ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Experimental Group

Speaking is a crucial form of communication in language learning settings. Through speaking skill, ESL/EFL language learners can communicate and convey information. Pictorial aids have been deployed as efficacious mediatory tools in teaching various disciplines such as language teaching. Still, to the best of the researchers’ knowledge, a direct look at the impacts of pictorial aids on EFL intermediate learners’ speaking proficiency has been less addressed. Thus, the main concern of the present study was to investigate the role of pictorial aids in creating a favorable ground for teaching speaking and how it may affect learners’ speaking proficiency. To this end, 40 intermediate EFL learners were selected out of 70 from a private English language institute in Shiraz, Iran. The homogeneity of their proficiency level was established via the administration of Oxford Proficiency Test. Then they were randomly divided into two control and experimental groups. Three instruments were used to answer the research questions: Pre-test and post-test interviews, classroom observation, and a questionnaire. Subsequently, the participants were randomly assigned to an experimental (n=20) and a control (n=20) group. During 6 sessions, the experimental group received treatment while using pictorial aids. By contrast, the control group followed their routine instruction at the institution through traditional method, i.e. the tasks of Top notch 2. Then by the end of the study, an interview was held as a post test in order to monitor any effect the treatment might have on increasing speaking proficiency of the participants under the investigation. The results gained from a post-test were analyzed via t-test indicated that visual aids had a positive impact on the intermediate learners’ speaking proficiency in which experimental group outperformed control group. 

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