scholarly journals Affective Variables from the Applied Linguistics Perspective: A Study of the Saudi Undergraduate Students Majoring in English Language

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 70
Author(s):  
Khaled Elkotb Mahmoud Elshahawy
Keyword(s):  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
English Language ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Influential Factors ◽  
Willingness To Communicate ◽  
English Language Acquisition ◽  
Self Confidence ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Affective Variables

The present study aimed at indicating the effect of the affective variables (motivation, attitude, self-confidence and willingness to communicate) on the acquisition and learning of English language among the students of Languages and Translation Departments in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The study participants were 40 students (20 males and 20 females) from the students specialized in English language. The study used three instruments: The semi-structured interview, affective variables questionnaire (AVQ) and English language proficiency observation checklist (ELPOC). The study adopted the quasi-experimental design mixed with the qualitative interpretation. The study employed the correlational analysis and the simple liner regression to indicate the relationship between the independent and dependant variables. The findings of the study showed that there is a positive significant relationship between the affective variables (motivation, attitude, self-confidence and willingness to communicate) and the process of English language acquisition as a second language. The study also demonstrated that the most influential factors in the learners' English language acquisition process is their willingness to communicate. Recommendations and suggestions based on the study results were directed to the L2 (EFL/ESL) instructors and all the specialists in English language acquisition and learning.

scholarly journals Impact of TV Shows on English Language Acquisition

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 2414-2416
Keyword(s):  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Tamil Nadu ◽  
English Language ◽  
English Language Acquisition ◽  
Television Shows ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
Tv Shows ◽  
The Impact

The present study deals with the impact of TV shows and sitcoms in one’s English language proficiency. The objective of this study is to find out the different types of English TV shows that people enjoy watching and how they have had an impact on their English language. The researcher has tried to look for the various ways in which people think that their communication has improved. A survey was conducted among the undergraduate students belonging to a technical institution in Vellore district, Tamil Nadu. Based on the results of the survey, findings and conclusions have been arrived at. The survey results show that the television shows have a remarkable impact on one’s language acquisition.

scholarly journals Effects of affective variables and willingness to communicate on students’ English-speaking performance in Thailand

2022 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-61
Author(s):  
Budi Waluyo ◽  
Rahmah Bakoko
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Willingness To Communicate ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
Self Confidence ◽  
Thai Students ◽  
Affective Variables ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Speaking Performance ◽  
Positive Correlations

Recently, Willingness to Communicate (WTC) has been explored and proposed to be one of the key concepts for identifying when one decides to initiate communication in the target language. The attention, nonetheless, has been concentrated on how WTC interacts with other learners’ variables. This study, on the other hand, intends to offer empirical evidence on the direct roles of affective variables (self-confidence, anxiety, motivation, and grit) and WTC variables (WTC inside the classroom, WTC outside the classroom, and WTC in a digital setting) in Thai students’ English-speaking performance. The data were obtained from 35 undergraduate students (17.1% males; 82.9% females) using a survey questionnaire. Then, a speaking test was taken from an English Communication Skills course and was analysed using correlation and hierarchical regression. The results disclosed positive correlations among self-confidence, motivation, grit, WTC in a digital setting, WTC inside the classroom, WTC outside the classroom, and speaking performance, and negative correlations among self-confidence, anxiety, and grit. However, motivation was the only significant predictor of speaking performance. The findings offer some implications for English teachers in improving students’ English-speaking performance. 

scholarly journals Cognitive Implications of Usage-Based Approach

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Raghad Fahmi Aajami
Keyword(s):  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
First Language ◽  
Academic Education ◽  
English Language Acquisition ◽  
Self Confidence ◽  
Learning Tasks ◽  
Linguistic Approach

Tremendous efforts have been exerted to understand first language acquisition to facilitate second language learning. The problem lies in the difficulty of mastering English language and adapting a theory that helps in overcoming the difficulties facing students. This study aims to apply Thomasello's theory of language mastery through usage. It assumes that adults can learn faster than children and can learn the language separately, and far from academic education. Tomasello (2003) studied the stages of language acquisition for children, and developed his theory accordingly. Some studies, such as: (Ghalebi and Sadighi, 2015, Arvidsson, 2019; Munoz, 2019; Verspoor and Hong, 2013) used this theory when examining language acquisition. Thus, the present study implies adopting Tomasello's approach represented by his usage-based theory when examining Iraqi adults’ English language acquisition. The participants, who were (20) in number, were asked to watch series and show what they learn through re-enacting scenes. The Data were collected qualitatively through observations, focus group discussion, peer review, and interviews. Results have shown that:  a remarkable progress in the participants' performance, the participants' responses to using English through increasing their language stock, the ability to use language during the development of their linguistic repertoire increased their self-confidence to participate in conversations they were trying to avoid. As a result, the experiment achieved its objectives by finding that use-based theory is a cognitive linguistic approach that can facilitate the learning tasks.

scholarly journals Perceptions of Willingness to Communicate Orally in English among Iranian PhD Students

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 31
Author(s):  
Uranus Saadat ◽  
Jayakaran Mukundan
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Values ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Extrinsic Motivation ◽  
English Language ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Oral Communication ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Willingness To Communicate ◽  
Self Confidence

Willingness to Communicate (WTC) in second Language (L2) has received substantial consideration in modern language research and instruction. This study intends to investigate how oral L2 WTC of a group of EFL Iranian PhD students in a public university in Malaysia has changed during their stay in this country and what factors have resulted in their willingness to communicate. A qualitative case study method was implemented to obtain information from 8 participants through semi-structured interview as the main method, followed by focus group discussion and solicited journal diaries of the participants. The analyses of data derived from the first research question yielded five major themes: lack of exposure to L2 oral communication, cultural values, low L2 self-confidence, L2 extrinsic motivation, and enabling behaviors. Analysis of the second research question revealed six major themes as: raised awareness, cultural background, personality, exposure to L2 oral communication, extrinsic L2 motivation, and increased L2 self-confidence. The findings of the study concluded that rare exposure to English oral communication in Iran resulted in having little practice of English language in authentic settings that led to low L2 WTC among the respondents of the study before coming to Malaysia. Besides, the respondents suffered from lack of L2 WTC upon arrival to Malaysia. However, by understanding their deficiencies and importance of L2 oral communication, they gradually changed their attitude toward L2 oral communication and tried to improve it. This study also provides theoretical and practical implications for designing teaching methods to maximize language learners’ L2 WTC in the classroom that leads to their L2 oral communication improvement.

scholarly journals Mobile Learning for English Language Acquisition: Taxonomy, Challenges, and Recommendations

IEEE Access ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 19033-19047 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monther M. Elaish ◽  
Liyana Shuib ◽  
Norjihan Abdul Ghani ◽  
Elaheh Yadegaridehkordi ◽  
Musaab Alaa
Keyword(s):  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Mobile Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
English Language Acquisition

scholarly journals The Return to English in a Non-English Speaking Country: Russian Immigrants and Native Israelis in Israel

2009 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Lang ◽  
Erez Siniver
Keyword(s):  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Cross Section ◽  
Host Country ◽  
English Language ◽  
English Language Acquisition ◽  
Highly Educated ◽  
Russian Immigrants ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Low Levels

Abstract Using a unique sample of Russian immigrants and native Israelis, we examine the return to English knowledge. Panel and cross-section estimates of the return to English are substantial for highly educated immigrants and natives. Hebrew and English language acquisition contribute to immigrant/native earnings convergence, but most convergence is explained by other factors. While immigrants with low levels of education do not benefit from knowing English, native Israelis may. Conditional on occupation, English and Hebrew acquisition are largely orthogonal. Therefore earlier work on the importance of knowledge of the host-country language (Hebrew) is not significantly biased by unmeasured English knowledge.

Female Saudi International Students Daily Practices on Social Media in Australia

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (12) ◽  
pp. 39-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanan MOHAMMED ALSHEHAB
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
International Students ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Social Life ◽  
English Language ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Digital Identity ◽  
English Language Acquisition

The effect of Social Media (SM) technology on human life in the 21St century cannot be denied; the use of SM platforms can be seen in various fields, such as education, medicine, politics, social life, communication methods, and daily life. The research aimed to investigate SM’s impact on Female Saudi International Students’ (FSIS) English language learning and creation of identities. This study utilized a qualitative method to obtain in-depth knowledge of FSIS’ practices on SM and the effects on their learning and identity. The semi-structured interview was used to collect the data from eight FSIS. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Three main themes were generated: FSIS’ daily practices, FSIS’ digital identity, and FSIS’languages on SM. The findings show that FSIS is active on SM, having accounts on different SM platforms. They communicate with people from Saudi Arabia and of different nationalities. Also, the findings assert that FSIS has a strong digital identity on SM. Moreover, the findings emphasized that using SM helps some of the FSIS to improve their English language proficiency. They use SM as a learning tool for English language acquisition. The limitations and the implications of the study are stated in the Conclusion. For further research, suggestions are made to investigate more phenomena regarding Saudis’ using of SM.

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