scholarly journals Critical Thinking as a Nourishing Interface to EFL Context in Higher Education

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Elcin Petek
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Learning Potential ◽  
Research Implementation ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Efl Context ◽  
Integrated Practice

As one of the renowned learning and innovation skills of 21st century, critical thinking (hereafter CT) has been studied in various fields of education. Contrary to expectations, the emphasis on the mutual link between CT and language learning in tertiary education is newly flourishing. That being the case, the awareness of English as a Foreign Language (hereafter EFL) learners regarding this close connection and how it affects their perceived language learning potential should be inquired and increased. Drawing on such need, this paper reports on the investigation of an action research implementation and its effects on the perceptions of EFL learners over a ten week period of CT integrated practice. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of the data collected through two CT tasks, open-ended questionnaires, and semi-structured interviews based on learners’ logs revealed an unequivocal influence on the perspectives of EFL learners towards CT and language learning. The implementation also helped the learners improve their thinking and language skills.

The Use of Models as Written Corrective Feedback in English as a Foreign Language (EFL)Writing

2017 ◽  
Vol 37 ◽  
pp. 110-127 ◽  
Author(s):  
María del Pilar García Mayo ◽  
Udane Loidi Labandibar
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Corrective Feedback ◽  
Negative Attitude ◽  
Learning Potential ◽  
Feedback Processing ◽  
Efl Writing ◽  
Efl Context ◽  
Written Corrective Feedback ◽  
Writing Task

ABSTRACTThe language learning potential of writing has been an underresearched topic in the English as a foreign language (EFL) context. The present study investigates what Basque-Spanish EFL teenage learners (n = 60) notice when writing a composition in response to visual stimuli in a three-stage writing task including output, comparison, and delayed revision. The present study also explores how this noticing and feedback processing affects their subsequent revisions. The findings revealed that participants noticed mainly lexical problems, although they also paid attention to content features. Moreover, more proficient learners and guided learners noticed more features. A qualitative analysis of the results indicated that, overall, learners had a negative attitude toward writing and modeling, but those with more positive beliefs incorporated more items in subsequent revisions. A number of implications for research and pedagogy will be discussed.

scholarly journals Using Science Fiction Films to Advance Critical Literacies for EFL Students in China

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Shuyuan Liu
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Science Fiction ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Curriculum Design ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Critical Literacies ◽  
Science Fiction Films

As a unique literary genre, science fiction can serve as a motivating text to develop students’ critical analytical skills and to promote critical thinking about new technology and its societal controversies under proper guidance. In the field of English as Foreign Language (EFL) learning, using science fiction films in the classroom affords EFL learners new language-learning experiences. This paper explains how films, as a multimodal resource in EFL classes, can enrich students’ multiliteracies—specifically how the science fiction genre can develop students’ critical literacies under careful meaning-making curriculum design. A preliminary study, taking 30 students in a foreign language high school in China, is reported in this paper. Findings reveal that carefully selected science fiction films such as I am Legend and Blade Runner can serve as pivotal sources for developing EFL learners’ literacy under the multiliteracies pedagogy. Such films can also connect students with Western ideology to reinforce their identity as participants in globalization. This study further suggests that key points in successful design of the course in an EFL classroom include posing critical questions to promote critical thinking and actively analyzing multimodal texts to uncover underlying meanings in source material.

The Effect of Second Life as a Virtual Language Learning Environment on Speaking Anxiety

2019 ◽  
pp. 115-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Serhat Güzel ◽  
Selami Aydin
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Study ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Speaking Anxiety ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Related Literature ◽  
Efl Context ◽  
Before And After

There is a lack of research on the effects of Second Life (SL) as a virtual language-learning environment on speaking anxiety among English as a foreign language (EFL) learners, whereas related literature is insufficient in terms of providing insight about Turkish EFL context. Therefore, this experimental study aims to examine the effects of the use of SL on speaking anxiety. In the chapter, a background questionnaire and an anxiety scale were administered to 44 EFL learners assigned to the control and experimental groups before and after speaking activities performed in traditional and SL settings. Findings suggest that there is no significant correlation between speaking activities that take place in traditional settings and SL environment concerning the levels of speaking anxiety. It is recommended that the extent to use SL should be moderated during speaking practice because SL does not offer a flawless solution to speaking anxiety.

scholarly journals Promoting Critical Literacy in the EFL Context: Implementing a Project to Young Learners

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isaak Papadopoulos ◽  
Dr. Eleni Griva
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Critical Literacy ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Structured Interviews

In response to the continually growing demands of this era, the society needs active members who are able to cooperate with each other and show a critical stance in what they read, see, touch, smell or come across. Thus, modern language education should aim at developing critical readers and writers. As a result, the critical literacy programs in which students are turned into active participants of their learning process and accept something after they have already remarked it, are more than necessary in the education of the 21st century. This paper outlines the rational for and the purpose of designing and implementing a thematic pilot project aiming at developing students’ critical literacy in an EFL (English as a foreign language) classroom. This pilot project was implemented to 20 Greek-speaking students of the 5th primary school class (aged 11 years old) who had been learning English for 4 four years. It was initiated with the purpose to provide insights into developing students’ critical literacy skills as well as their four language skills in the foreign language. The project was carried out in 25 two hour sessions focused on the thematic area of the “Sports”. This topic was selected because of the nature of the sports and their popularity among the teenagers. Moreover, sports are a ‘controversial’ subject/concept that students can express different opinions and examine it from different perspectives. Special emphasis was placed on the creation of an environment promoting critical thinking and critical stance. Moreover, an attempt was made for a pleasant and creative foreign language learning environment to be developed, where students actually could enhance personal and interpersonal skills. In order to estimate the feasibility of this project, we used three basic tools a) a pre- and a post- test about the language assessment, b) journals kept by the teacher/researcher throughout the intervention and c) structured interviews conducted by the researcher with students individually to record the students’ different perspectives based on a text. The findings showed a significant improvement of the students’ language skills in EFL, as well as their critical thinking and ability to examine a text from different perspectives.

scholarly journals The Implementation of Critical Thinking in a Saudi EFL Context: Challenges and Opportunities

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Budor Saeed Al Zahrani ◽  
Tariq Elyas
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Educational Background ◽  
Efl Context ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Efl Classrooms ◽  
Language Context

The aim of this paper is to explore the challenges to, and benefits of, fostering of critical thinking (CT) in the Saudi EFL (English as a foreign language) context.  In the next section, the concept of CT will be clarified.  In the following two sections, possible challenges or barriers to CT, whether religious or pedagogical, in the Saudi context are analyzed and refuted.  After discussing the religious and the educational background of this issue, practices for promoting CT inside EFL classrooms are described.  Finally, the benefits of incorporating CT strategies into language learning are outlined.

scholarly journals Love and enjoyment in context: Four case studies of adolescent EFL learners

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liana Maria Pavelescu ◽  
Bojana Petrić
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
English Language ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Adolescent Students

This study explores the foreign language learning emotions of four EFL adolescent students in Romania and the ways in which their emotions emerge in their sociocultural context. Multiple qualitative methods were employed over a school semester, including a written task, semi-structured interviews with the learners and their teachers, lesson observations and English-related events outside the classroom. It was found that, while all four participants reported experiencing positive emotions in language learning, a distinction was identified in the intensity and stability of their emotions. Two participants expressed a strong and stable emotion of love towards English, while the other two participants experienced enjoyment in their English language learning without an intense emotional attachment to English. Unlike enjoyment, love was found to be the driving force in the learning process, creating effective coping mechanisms when there was a lack of enjoyment in certain classroom situations and motivating learners to invest greater effort into language learning in and out of the classroom. The findings thus revealed that, unlike enjoyment, love broadened cognition and maintained engagement in learning. The study emphasizes the role of strong, enduring positive emotions in teenage students’ language learning process.

On the Consideration of Environmental Factors and Social Milieu Effective in Iranian EFL Learners

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 60
Author(s):  
Gholam Reza Parvizi ◽  
Jafar Mashayekh ◽  
Yasser Saremi
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Efl Context ◽  
Foreign Language Learners

It has been known that teaching and learning a language in an ESL context is by far easier than teaching and learning it in an EFL context and that learning a language must take place in a social context. Foreign language milieus are those in which students do not have enough opportunities for communication in the target language beyond their classroom settings whereas in second language contexts, the target language is readily available out there (Brown, 2001). Given the important role that language learning resources could potentially play in EFL contexts, in the present study an attempt is made to shed light on the environmental factors and resources which Iranian language learners rely on and to explore the possible resources which exist around them and of which not all of them are necessarily aware. To this end, a group of students studying in Iran Language Institute in Shiraz was chosen. The data of the study were gathered through a questionnaire and a semi-structured interview. The findings suggested that they rely on very few resources outside the classroom setting. In addition, it was revealed that in an EFL context, such as Iran, there is a range of resources which foreign language learners could rely on and which could present them with opportunities in all four language skills. 

Tertiary English-majored Students’ Perceptions toward the Role of Pronunciation in English Language Learning and their Practicing Strategies

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 264-279
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
English Language Learning ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
The University

Accurate pronunciation has a vital role in English language learning as it can help learners to avoid misunderstanding in communication. However, EFL learners in many contexts, especially at the University of Phan Thiet, still encounter many difficulties in pronouncing English correctly. Therefore, this study endeavors to explore English-majored students’ perceptions towards the role of pronunciation in English language learning and examine their pronunciation practicing strategies (PPS). It involved 155 English-majored students at the University of Phan Thiet who answered closed-ended questionnaires and 18 English-majored students who participated in semi-structured interviews. The findings revealed that students strongly believed in the important role of pronunciation in English language learning; however, they sometimes employed PPS for their pronunciation improvement. Furthermore, the results showed that participants tended to use naturalistic practicing strategies and formal practicing strategies with sounds, but they overlooked strategies such as asking for help and cooperating with peers. Such findings could contribute further to the understanding of how students perceive the role of pronunciation and their PPS use in the research’s context and other similar ones. Received 10th June 2019; Revised 12th March 2020; Accepted 12th April 2020

THE ADVANTAGES OF PROMOTING LEARNERS’ AUTONOMY IN EFL CONTEXT

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hapsari Dwi Kartika
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Learner Autonomy ◽  
Language Learner ◽  
Autonomous Learning ◽  
English Teaching ◽  
Efl Context ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Students Success

This paper explains why learner autonomy is taken into account in language learning where English is a foreign language for the learners particularly in Indonesia. The definition of learner autonomy and its advantages to language learner in EFL contexts will be described within this paper. Many scholars from psychological education and English teaching and learning had proved that language learning can be improved by certain strategy. They revealed the correlation between the autonomous learning with students’ success in learning with different aspect. The definition of autonomy is similar to many different words such as self-regulated and self-determined. Finally, the writer suggests how teacher can promote the autonomous learning atmosphere in the classroom.Keywords: strategy, promoting autonomy, EFL context, Indonesia

Machine Translation for EFL

Relay Journal ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 228-235
Author(s):  
Paul J. Moore ◽  
Phil Murphy ◽  
Luann Pascucci ◽  
Scott Sustenance
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Machine Translation ◽  
English Language ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Technical Developments ◽  
English Language Institute ◽  
Changing Role

This paper reports on an ongoing study into the affordances of free online machine translation for students learning English as a foreign language (EFL) at the tertiary level in Japan. The researchers are currently collecting data from a questionnaire, task performance, and interviews with 10-15 EFL learners in an English Language Institute in a university in Japan. The paper provides some background on the changing role of translation in language learning theory and pedagogy, before focusing literature related to technical developments in machine translation technology, and its application to foreign language learning. An overview of the research methodology is provided, along with some insights into potential findings. Findings will be presented in subsequent publications.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document