scholarly journals Examining the Learnability of English Relative Clauses: Evidence from Kuwaiti EFL Learners

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdullah M. Alotaibi
Keyword(s):  
Relative Clauses ◽  
English Proficiency ◽  
Relative Pronoun ◽  
Advanced Learners ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Resumptive Pronouns ◽  
Indirect Object ◽  
Proficiency Level ◽  
Intermediate Learners ◽  
Types Of Error

<p>This study aims to test the extent to which 120 Kuwaiti EFL learners are aware of the structure of relative clauses in English through measuring their ability to produce this structure. It also checks whether the English proficiency level of the participants plays a role in their answers on the test. For this purpose, a sentence combination task was used to measure the participants’ ability to produce correct relative clauses in English. This test was selected in order to examine the types of error made by the participants pertinent to relative clauses in English. The results reveal that Kuwaiti EFL learners may not be fully aware of the formation rules of relative clauses in English (total mean=60.4%). The t-test shows that the English proficiency level affected the participants' answers on the test. Specifically, there were statistically significant differences between the answers of the advanced (76.3%) and intermediate learners (44.4%). The number of errors made by the advanced learners was less than that made by the intermediate learners. Regarding the types of error made by the participants, the most noticeable ones were: deletion of the relative pronoun, wrong relative pronoun, repetitive use of resumptive pronouns, passivisation of the relative clause and problems with the indirect object and genitive relative clauses. The researcher analysed the participants' erroneous answers and provided potential reasons to account for them. Finally, the study concludes with some pedagogical implications and recommendations for further research.</p>

scholarly journals On the Acquisition of the Prenominal Adjective Order by Kuwaiti EFL Learners

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Maye A. Alotaibi ◽  
Abdullah M. Alotaibi
Keyword(s):  
Negative Transfer ◽  
English Proficiency ◽  
First Language ◽  
Advanced Learners ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
English Grammar ◽  
Proficiency Level ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Intermediate Learners ◽  
Types Of Error

This study aims to test the extent to which 80 Kuwaiti EFL learners are aware of prenominal adjective ordering system in English, particularly how it affects Kuwaiti EFL learners’ grasp on English grammar. In addition, it checks whether the English proficiency level of the participants plays a role in their answers on the test. Therefore, a prenominal adjective ordering test was used to measure the participants’ ability to produce the correct order of prenominal adjectives in English. This research instrument was chosen on the basis of the researchers’ belief that this type of test leads to uncovering the causes beyond the correct/wrong answers provided by the participants on the test. Following data analysis, the results reveal that Kuwaiti EFL learners may not be fully aware of the prenominal adjective ordering system in English (total mean=48.75%). The t-test shows that the English proficiency level of the participants plays a crucial role in the production of prenominal adjectives in English. In particular, there is a statistically significant difference between the answers of the advanced (65%) and intermediate learners (32.5%). The number of correct answers provided by the advanced learners is higher than that provided by the intermediate learners. Regarding the types of error made by the participants, it has been argued that the most noticeable ones are due to first language (L1) negative transfer. Finally, the study concludes with some pedagogical implications and recommendations for further research.

scholarly journals The Comprehension of English Relative Clauses by Arabic-Speaking EFL Learners

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 192
Author(s):  
Sofia Sabahat Khan ◽  
Lubaba Abdul-Salam Al-Namer
Keyword(s):  
Relative Clauses ◽  
English Proficiency ◽  
Syntactic Structure ◽  
Choice Test ◽  
Relative Pronoun ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Proficiency Level ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Arabic Speaking ◽  
English Relative Clauses

This study investigates the extent to which 50 Arabic-speaking EFL learners comprehend English relative clauses (RCs). It also aims to test which relative pronoun among the seven pronouns we are investigating is the easiest to comprehend and which is the most problematic. Furthermore, it aims to measure whether the English proficiency level of the participants affects their performance on the test. Therefore, a multiple-choice test was administered in order to examine their comprehension of this complex syntactic structure.  The participants were asked to choose the correct answer out of four choices. The results demonstrate that Arabic-speaking EFL learners may not be fully aware of English relative clauses (total percentage= 48.5%). The t-test shows that the English proficiency level affected the participants’ performance on the test. Consequently, there is a significant difference between the answers of the advanced learners (ALs) (61.3%) and those of the intermediate learners (ILs) (35.6%). Moreover, the results reveal that the easiest relative pronoun to comprehend is the pronoun when, and the most difficult one is the pronoun whom. This study accounts for these difficulties and concludes with pedagogical implications and recommendations for further research. 

scholarly journals On the Acquisition of Derivational Suffixes by Kuwaiti EFL Learners

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (17) ◽  
pp. 223
Author(s):  
Maye A. Alotaibi ◽  
Abdullah M. Alotaibi
Keyword(s):  
English Proficiency ◽  
First Language ◽  
Choice Test ◽  
Production Test ◽  
Advanced Learners ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Proficiency Level ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Comprehension Skills ◽  
L1 Influence

This study aims to test the extent to which 90 Kuwaiti EFL learners are aware of the correct use of derivational suffixes in English. It also identifies the mains reasons of the errors that Kuwaiti EFL learners may make. In addition, it investigates whether the English proficiency level of the participants plays a role in their answers on the test. To this end, the participants were tested twice in this study; a multiple-choice test was used to check their comprehension skills, whereas a fill-in the blank test was used to measure their ability to produce the correct derivational suffixes in English. Following data analysis, the results reveal that Kuwaiti EFL learners are fairly aware of the correct use of English derivational suffixes to a certain degree; the total mean on both tests (comprehension = 70% and production = 56%) is 63%. The participants obtained higher percentage of correct answers on the comprehension test (mean= 70%) compared to the production test (mean = 56%). Additionally, the t-test shows that the participants’ English proficiency level plays a central role in their comprehension and production of these suffixes. The performance of the Advanced Learners (ALs) (comprehension = 77% and production = 62%) is better than that of the Intermediate Learners (ILs) (comprehension = 64% and production = 48%) on the tests. In particular, there is a statistically significant difference between the answers of ALs and ILs on both tests. Regarding the types of error made by the participants, I argued that the most noticeable ones are due to: (1) the modification that non-neutral derivational suffixes cause when they are attached to the word (stems/roots); and (2) first language (L1) influence. Finally, the study concludes with some recommendations for further research.

scholarly journals The Use of Inflectional Morphemes by Kuwaiti EFL Learners

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 32
Author(s):  
Abdullah M. Alotaibi
Keyword(s):  
Negative Transfer ◽  
English Proficiency ◽  
First Language ◽  
Choice Test ◽  
Multiple Choice Test ◽  
Advanced Learners ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Proficiency Level ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Inflectional Morphemes

<p>This research paper aims to test the extent to which 100 Kuwaiti EFL learners are aware of the correct use of inflectional morphemes in English. It also explores the main causes of the errors that Kuwaiti EFL learners may make. Additionally, it checks whether the English proficiency level of the participants plays a role in their answers on the test. To this end, a multiple-choice test was used to measure the participants’ ability to use the correct inflectional morphemesin English. Following data analysis, the results reveal that Kuwaiti EFL learners are aware of the correct use of the inflectional morphemes in English to a certain degree (total mean=65.5%). Additionally, the t-test shows that the participants’ English proficiency level plays a central role in their comprehension of these morphemes. In particular, there is a statistically significant difference between the answers of the advanced learners (ALs) (73.5%) and intermediate learners (ILs) (57.5%). The number of correct answers provided by ALs is higher than that provided by ILs. Regarding the types of errors made by the participants, it has been argued that the most noticeable ones are due to first language (L1) negative transfer and the irregularity of some types of inflectional morphemes in English. Finally, the study concludes with some pedagogical implications and recommendations for further research.</p>

scholarly journals The Comprehension of Synonyms by Saudi EFL Learners: Acquisition and Pedagogical Implications

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 58
Author(s):  
Majed Alanazi
Keyword(s):  
English Proficiency ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Multiple Choice ◽  
Choice Test ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Multiple Choice Test ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Advanced Learners ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Proficiency Level

This study investigates 40 Saudi EFL learners’ receptive knowledge of synonyms in English. It also tests whether the participants’ English proficiency level plays a role in their comprehension of English synonyms. To achieve this, the researcher designed a multiple-choice test to measure Saudi EFL learners’ ability to recognise the correct English synonym in contextualised sentences. In order to test whether the English proficiency level of the participants plays a role in their comprehension of English synonyms, the participants were divided on the basis of their scores on the Oxford Placement Test into two groups: 20 Advanced Learners (ALs) and 20 Intermediate Learners (ILs). Twenty native speakers of English (NSs) acted as the control group. The native speakers’ answers on the multiple-choice test were considered as the accurate answers. The answers provided by the ALs and ILs were compared to those provided by the NSs to determine whether the answers of the former approximate those of the latter. A Chi-square test was employed to determine whether the differences between the three groups, ALs, ILs and NSs on the multiple-choice test were statistically significant. The results reveal that the answers supplied by the ILs differed statistically from those of NSs on all items on the multiple-choice test, whereas those provided by the ALs differed significantly from those of the NSs on eight items. The results also show that participants’ English proficiency level may not have played a role in their ability to recognise the correct synonym on all items on the test. The researcher argued that the main sources of error were interference habits from the participants’ first language (L1), lack of awareness of the semantic differences between the synonyms in English and lack of familiarity with English collocations. The study concluded with some pedagogical implications for ESL/EFL teachers in the context of teaching English synonyms to L2 students. 

scholarly journals On the Production of Synonyms by Arabic-Speaking EFL Learners

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Majed Alanazi
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
English Proficiency ◽  
Placement Test ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Advanced Learners ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Proficiency Level ◽  
Chi Square Test ◽  
Arabic Speaking ◽  
Lack Of Knowledge

This study examines the productive knowledge of synonyms in English by 40 Saudi EFL learners. It also tests whether the participants’ English proficiency level plays a role in their production of English synonyms. To this end, the researcher designed a translation test to measure Saudi EFL learners’ ability to produce the correct synonym in contextualised English sentences. In order to test whether the English proficiency level of the participants influenced their production of English synonyms, the participants were divided, on the basis of their scores on the Oxford Placement Test, into two groups: 20 Advanced Learners (ALs) and 20 Intermediate Learners (ILs). The answers of the two groups on the translation test, i.e., the ALs and ILs were compared to check whether their English proficiency level played a role on their answers. A Chi-square test was employed to determine whether the differences between the ALs and ILs on the test were statistically significant. The results show that the number of correct answers provided by ALs was higher than that provided by ILs, suggesting that their English proficiency level may have played a role in their answers. The study suggested that the main sources of error were L1 interference, lack of focus on the acquisition of vocabulary in schools in Saudi Arabia, lack of knowledge of some English lexical items, lack of awareness of the different nuances of meaning between the synonyms in English and lack of knowledge with English collocations. Finally, the study concludes with some recommendations for further research. 

Advanced and intermediate EFL learners’ perceptions and practices of autonomous learning

2017 ◽  
Vol 168 (1) ◽  
pp. 70-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sakineh Jafari ◽  
Saeed Ketabi ◽  
Mansoor Tavakoli
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Statistical Analysis ◽  
Educational Experiences ◽  
Autonomous Learning ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
Educational Materials ◽  
Advanced Learners ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Intermediate Learners ◽  
Learning Language

Abstract This study examined Persian intermediate and advanced EFL learners’ perceptions regarding (a) their own and their teachers’ responsibility in learning language autonomously; (b) their decision making ability in learning language autonomously; and (c) their autonomous learning activities inside and outside the classroom. To this end, a questionnaire designed by Chan, Spratt, and Humphrey (2002) was distributed among 67 intermediate and 65 advanced EFL learners. Statistical analysis of students’ answers showed that overall, advanced learners tended to assume more responsibility for their own learning, to perceive themselves to be highly capable of autonomous learning, and to practice more autonomous learning activities compared to the intermediate learners. In addition, data collected through the interviews with some of the participants suggested that learners’ perceptions were greatly affected by their previous educational experiences. Since intermediate learners were not largely engaged in making decisions related to educational materials and activities used in their classrooms, they considered themselves as less responsible for and consequently less capable of choosing learning materials and activities. The findings of the study, along with the pedagogical implications, are discussed.

scholarly journals Is there a Relationship between Shyness and English Proficiency Level of Bilingual and Monolingual EFL Learners

2014 ◽  
Vol 33 ◽  
pp. 50-62
Author(s):  
Hamedreza Kohzadi ◽  
Fatemeh Aziz Mohammadi ◽  
Fatemeh Samadi
Keyword(s):  
English Proficiency ◽  
Bilingual Students ◽  
Language Competence ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Linguistic Resources ◽  
Proficiency Level ◽  
The One ◽  
Complex Phenomena ◽  
Age Range

It would be mention that bilingualism can be defined in different ways. For example, Maleki (2011) asserted that individual level includes consecutive or simultaneous learning which involves the content of achievement, ability, language competence and proficiency. However, social level contains complex phenomena of minority and migrants and focuses some matters like domain and diglossia. These are useful in interpreting the various ways that linguistic resources are organized in multilingual communities. In these communities, there are some phenomena like transfer, borrowing, code switching and interference. The current study seeks to examine the effects of the role of shyness in English proficiency level of Bilingual EFL Learners in Komijan (in the province of Markazi) and Monolingual EFL learners in Arak (in the province of Markazi). The number of subjects were 98 and all of them were male. The age range of learners was 12 to 15. Thus, Revised Cheek and Buss Shyness Scale (RCBS) was used to measure the shyness level of both bilingual and monolingual learners. Results of the One-way ANOVA indicated that different level of shyness was not significant among bilingual and monolingual learners. It also indicated that bilingual students outperformed monolingual students in General English Proficiency.

scholarly journals A Descriptive Study of Life Syllabus in Assessing Proficiency Level and Collocational Categories of Iranian EFL Learners

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 354
Author(s):  
Mustapha Hajebi
Keyword(s):  
Language Learners ◽  
Descriptive Study ◽  
Advanced Learners ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Proficiency Level ◽  
Compelling Reason ◽  
Advanced Proficiency

This research is done to prove the effect of life syllabus in assessing proficiency level and collocational categories of Iranian EFL learners. To this end, four hundred and twenty EFL learners from Yazd and Shiraz universities were selected. They were in intermediate and advanced proficiency groups. The participants were assigned into three groups of one hundred and forty learners and took each of the tests separately. The result appeared to manifest that learners’ perception improve by advanced learners who received life syllabus instructions. It also yielded compelling reason to argue that advanced participants based on life syllabus performed more efficiently compared to their intermediate peers and indicated more collocational competence. The study suggested important implications for language learners, EFL instructors and materials developers.

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