scholarly journals Female EFL Learners' Needs of an Advanced Communication Course in an Arab University

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 87
Author(s):  
Mona Nagour ◽  
Nadia Shukri
Keyword(s):  
Communication Skills ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Reading Skills ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Vocabulary Learning ◽  
Female Undergraduate ◽  
Communication Course ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Listening And Speaking ◽  
Speaking Skills

This needs analysis is conducted to examine the EFL communication skills needs of female EFL undergraduate students at a female Arab university located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia from their own perspectives.  The significance of this study is to help the administrators and educators at this university to identify and accommodate the students’ current needs and lacks which are required for the advanced course, i.e. English 102 (ENGL 102). The participants were 52 female undergraduate students from diverse majors enrolled in English 101 (ENGL 101) course. A questionnaire adapted from (Gravatt, Richards, & Lewis, 1997) was used to examine what the students believe they need and lack in an EFL communication skills. The questionnaire findings showed that some of the needs of EFL learners match with their weaknesses in listening and speaking skills. The results have also showed that in spite of the main focus of ENGL 102, which is to enhance the listening and speaking skills, students have expressed that they need more writing and reading skills practice implementations besides listening and speaking. This illustrates that the four-language skills reading, writing, speaking and listening are central and need to be integrated in the teachers’ pedagogies Nevertheless, when comparing the result of the questionnaire and the objectives of ENGL 102, it has been found that there is no discrepancy between them.  Finally, the students prefer more practice, activities and vocabulary learning to improve their listening and speaking skills.

scholarly journals MODERN VIEWS ON TEACHING LANGUAGE THROUGH LITERATURE

2019 ◽  
pp. 138-145
Keyword(s):  
Language Learners ◽  
Communication Skills ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Current Paper ◽  
Teaching Language ◽  
Basic Language ◽  
Language And Communication ◽  
Literature Class ◽  
Listening And Speaking ◽  
Speaking Skills

The current paper aims at emphasizing the use of literature as a popular technique for teaching both basic language skills (i.e. reading, writing, listening and speaking) and supporting the potential values of literature in enhancing language and communication skills for the language learners in our times. The research is in its quest for the issues on how to effectively teach communication skills in a literature class as well as how to develop students’ inspirations in studying literature. Moreover, the work studies specific features of the use of different techniques and activities to develop speaking skills by using literature texts at practical English lessons.

Mobile-assisted vocabulary learning: Investigating receptive and productive vocabulary knowledge of Chinese EFL learners

ReCALL ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Yan Li ◽  
Christoph A. Hafner
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Vocabulary Learning ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Mobile Technologies ◽  
Word Knowledge ◽  
Mobile Platforms ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Learning Group ◽  
Chinese University ◽  
L2 Vocabulary

Abstract Considerable research has been conducted on the advancement of mobile technologies to facilitate vocabulary learning and acquisition in a second language (L2). However, whether mobile platforms lead to a comprehensive mastery of both receptive and productive vocabulary knowledge has seldom been addressed in previous literature. This study investigated English vocabulary learning from engagement with mobile-based word cards and paper word cards in the context of the Chinese university classroom. A total of 85 undergraduate students were recruited to take part in the study. The students were divided into two groups, a mobile learning group and a paper-based learning group, and tested on two word knowledge components: receptive knowledge of the form–meaning connection and productive knowledge of collocations. Both the digital and non-digital word cards enhanced L2 vocabulary learning, and the results showed that the mobile application (app) promoted greater gains than physical word cards.

scholarly journals Metode Dan Strategi Pengajaran Membaca pada Pembelajaran Bahasa Arab Bagi Pemula

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 92
Author(s):  
Sitti Aisyah Chalik
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Reading Skills ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Writing Skills ◽  
Learning Objectives ◽  
Basic Skill ◽  
Listening Skills ◽  
Speaking Skills

This paper discusses the methods and strategies of reading in Arabic lessons. As is well known that language skills include four aspects,  namely  speaking skills, writing skills, reading skills, and listening skills. At the beginner level, reading is a basic skill that must be mastered by everyone who wants to    learn Arabic as a foreign language and as is well known that Arabic is a Foreign Language for non-Arabs. Teaching Arabic which is a foreign language requires various methods and strategies appropriate so that learning objectives can be achieved effectively and efficiently.

scholarly journals Constructivism and ICTs to Improve Language Skills

LETRAS ◽  
2008 ◽  
pp. 167-176
Author(s):  
Sonia Rodríguez Salazar
Keyword(s):  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Communication Skills ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Oral Communication ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Speaking Skills

Se examina la experiencia de los estudiantes y los profesores de dos grupos de un curso de Elocución con el uso de las Tecnologías de la Información y la Comunicación (TICs), para mejorar sus habilidades de expresión oral en inglés. Se presenta el diseño del curso y la metodología en la cual se fundamentó, así como las apreciaciones de los trabajos de estos a lumnos a la hora de mejorar las habilidades comunicativas orales por medio del enfoque constructivista. Se incluyen recomendaciones para poner en práctica esta metodología.A description is provided here of the experience of the students and teachers of two Elocution courses in which Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) were used to improve oral communication skills in English. Reference is made to the design of the course and the methodology it is based on, together with some insights of the assignments that students did to improve their English speaking skills through the constructivism approach. Recommendations are also provided for others interested in using this type of methodology.

scholarly journals Vocabulary Learning Strategies and their Relation to Vocabulary Size in Saudi Female Undergraduate EFL Learners

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (6) ◽  
pp. 218-223
Author(s):  
Ghada Alahmad
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Vocabulary Learning ◽  
Cognitive Strategies ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Female Undergraduate ◽  
Vocabulary Size ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Vocabulary Learning Strategies

It is generally agreed in the field of Foreign Language Learning (FLL) that Vocabulary Learning Strategies (VLSs) are a subcategory of the more general Language Learning Strategies (LLSs). Research into LLSs began based on the belief that language aptitude was not the only determinant factor of language achievement, and that the learners’ own learning effort and the way they approach language learning also played a major role. The purpose of this study is to investigate VLS use of Saudi female undergraduate EFL learners in each stage of the Vocabulary Learning Process (VLP) and its relation to their vocabulary size. The study population consisted of female students enrolled in the final year of the undergraduate English language program in an English department in a Saudi university. Forty-one students participated in this study, and two data collection instruments were used. The first instrument was a frequency of use questionnaire designed based on the learning process-oriented taxonomy of VLSs. The second was a Vocabulary Size Test. The analyses show that the participants used 17 strategies with a high frequency in all the stages of the VLP except for Stages Four and Six. The analyses also show that the most frequently used strategies were mainly cognitive strategies (nine strategies) and metacognitive strategies (five strategies). In terms of the relationship between the use of VLSs and vocabulary size, two strategies were found to be positively correlated with the participants’ vocabulary size. Interestingly, other strategies that are known to be effective in vocabulary learning were found to have a negative correlation with the participants’ vocabulary size.

scholarly journals Simultaneous versus Consecutive Movie Narration: An Attempt at Boosting L2 Oral Communication Skills

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 31
Author(s):  
Sepideh Tahami ◽  
Gholam Reza Parvizi
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Analysis ◽  
Communication Skills ◽  
Oral Communication ◽  
Foreign Languages ◽  
Group Activities ◽  
Pair Group ◽  
Exam Preparation ◽  
The World ◽  
Listening And Speaking ◽  
Speaking Skills

Fluency in one of the most significant components of oral communication, and in the communication era, when it is essential for almost everyone to master speaking skills in foreign languages, especially English, this component needs to be put in the spotlight. Diverse steps have been taken in the world of SLA to promote learners' fluency in L2, yet there is still much to do in this arena. The present study aims at probing the effectiveness of simultaneous movie narrations as a new fluency-booster strategy. To this end, 66 students of IELTS speaking preparation classes in an institute in Tehran, Iran were selected and put into 2 groups of 33 (each group distributed in 3 classes). The homogeneity of the sample was checked by a mock IETLS test obtained from Cambridge IELTS 10 (Cambridge Local Examinations syndicate ( 2015) and through a MANOVA. The treatments contained 24 hours of training and practice on IELTS speaking strategies, offered to them in 16 sessions of 90 minutes. The first half of each session was allocated to teaching and practice on the institute’s main course book – Focusing on IELTS - Listening and Speaking Skills (Thurlow & O'Sullivan, 2011). In the second 45 minutes, learners of both groups were exposed to the same 10-minute movie extracts, and practiced their narration and speaking skills in pair-group activities. Learners of the consecutive narration group narrated the movie plot and actions with delay (consecutively) whereas those of the simultaneous narration group narrated them simultaneously as the movie was being played. The results of the statistical analysis of the posttest highlighted that simultaneous narration group learners outperformed those of the consecutive narration group in terms of oral communication skills. The findings of this study have pedagogical implications for English teachers, teacher trainers, exam preparation teachers and simultaneous interpreters’ trainer.

scholarly journals Synchronizing the Primary Language Skills for Effective Communication

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 281-285
Author(s):  
Queen Ugochi Njemanze ◽  
Mark chitulu Ononiwu
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Effective Communication ◽  
Primary Language ◽  
Major Focus ◽  
Reading And Writing ◽  
Communication Program ◽  
Comprehensive Knowledge ◽  
Listening And Speaking ◽  
Speaking Skills

The primary language skills; listening and speaking skills are interrelated and unique language activities embedded in communication.The basic need for humans to engage in communication involves having a comprehensive knowledge and command of the language skills; listeneing, speaking, reading and writing. The processes of listening and speaking form the major focus of attention in this research. It require the individuals involved to speak eloquently and listen attentively. It makes them think critically, react confidently and respond appropriately to a communication programme. This paper therfore aims at highlighting listening and speaking skills as language skills that promote proficiency in English language communicaiton. Thus study discovered that the combinations of these skills consolidates the meaning in syllabications, stress and intonation in a communication program and as well reduce the complexities of effective communication.

scholarly journals A Comparative Study of Vocabulary Learning Strategies Employed by Iranian Undergraduate and Postgraduate EFL Learners with a Focus on Motivation

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdullah Sarani ◽  
Habib Shirzaei
Keyword(s):  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Major Part ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Vocabulary Learning ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Reading And Writing ◽  
Vocabulary Learning Strategies ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Efl Teachers

Vocabulary is viewed as a major part of language proficiency as it allows learners to use four language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The present study was carried out to compare Iranian undergraduate and postgraduate EFL learners’ use of vocabulary learning strategies. After that the study tried to see if there was any difference between highly-motivated and low-motivated learners with regard to vocabulary use. Finally, it aimed at investigating the differences between the Iranian EFL male and female learners’ use of vocabulary learning strategies. A group of 150 Iranian undergraduate and postgraduate EFL learners (75 males and 75 females) both at BA and MA levels from Zahedan universities were selected randomly. The participants’ ages ranged between18 to 42. The data were obtained through two questionnaires: Taxonomy of Vocabulary Learning Strategies developed by Schmitt (1997) and Gardner’s (1985) Attitude/ Motivation Test Battery (AMTB). The findings of the study showed that there was a significant difference between undergraduate and postgraduate EFL learners’ use of vocabulary learning strategies. Also, there was a difference between highly-motivated learners and low-motivated learners’ use of vocabulary learning strategies. Moreover, the results showed that the interaction between the learners’ gender and motivation was significant. The results are theoretically and pedagogically significant for EFL teachers and applied linguists

The Self-Reported Confidence and Proficiency Levels in Communication Skills: A Comparison of Senior Capstone Students and Undergraduate Students in a Technical Communication Course

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Parker ◽  
Kathryn Marcynuk ◽  
Vanier Scholar
Keyword(s):  
Communication Skills ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
Communication Course ◽  
Proficiency Levels ◽  
Personal Skills ◽  
Two Phases ◽  
Work Done ◽  
Capstone Design Courses

One study of American college students foundthat students generally rate such attributes as publicspeaking and writing (along with academic ability ingeneral) as above average [6]. So we wanted to see if ourengineering students felt the same. To do so, weconducted our study over two phases and over multipleyears. The second phase grew out of an earlier one, phaseone, conducted between the winter term, 2013 and thewinter term, 2016. In the first phase, we administered asurvey that asked 2nd year technical communicationstudents to self-report on their levels of proficiency andconfidence in their communication skills – writing,speaking, teamwork and personal skills development (orlifelong learning) [2][5]. In all, 370 students completed thesurvey.This survey, administered at the beginning andtoward the end of the course, asked 20 questions relatedto communication tasks that we routinely ask them to doas part of the course, such as writing documents of >5pages or <5 pages, or giving a speech to groups of >20or <20 people. The survey, which took about 10 minutesto complete, was completely anonymous so that studentscould not be matched to grades nor could we determinewhy a student responded in a particular way. This earlierstudy found that students felt they had a moderate level ofconfidence in their communication skills, but they alsobelieved that the expected level of proficiency in theirsenior year would be substantially higher than theircurrent levels; that is, whereas they believed these currentlevels were, on average, 3 on the CDIO scale of 5, theybelieved the expected proficiency levels would be 4.5 onaverage.We were then curious to see how students in thesenior (capstone) design courses would respond to thesame survey. Once again, the survey was anonymous andcould not be matched to a particular student. Our goal insurveying capstone students was to see whether they stillfelt at least moderately confident in their communicationskills (for the most part, they do) and whether they nowfeel more proficient in communicating the informationthat supports the engineering work done in the course.Our expectation was that this cohort of senior capstonestudents would feel more proficient and confident thantheir younger selves

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