scholarly journals Mind the gap: Academic vocabulary knowledge as a predictor of English grades

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimberly Marie Skjelde ◽  
Averil Coxhead
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Secondary Students ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Academic English ◽  
Academic Vocabulary ◽  
School Students ◽  
Academic Texts ◽  
Course Grades ◽  
Upper Secondary ◽  
Mastery Level

Knowledge of academic English vocabulary is necessary for Norwegian speaking upper secondary students for the completion of their English course and to qualify for university studies. General academic vocabulary occurs in academic texts across disciplines (for example, furthermore, research). The focus of this article is meaning-recognition knowledge of written academic English vocabulary and associations with English course grades. The academic sections from versions one and two of the Vocabulary Levels Test (VLT) (Nation, 1990; Schmitt et al., 2001) were administered to 134 Norwegian-speaking students aged 15 - 17. Participants were first-year upper secondary school students taking the final obligatory English course provided in the Norwegian educational context. On average, learners had high levels of meaning-recognition knowledge (80.93%). However, 58.21% failed to reach minimum mastery levels of 52/60 for the test, and results varied considerably (SD = 8.31). A Spearman correlation revealed significant associations between VLT scores and English course grades. Compared to students who did not reach a mastery level, the odds of receiving a higher English grade were nine times greater for students with a maximum of two mistakes on the academic section of the VLT, and four times greater for students who reached the minimum mastery level. Findings indicate a need for these learners to attain a greater understanding of academic vocabulary in English and suggest the need for a principled focus on academic vocabulary acquisition. Keywords: academic vocabulary; academic achievement; vocabulary testing; second language learning; mastery levels «Mind the gap» - Akademisk ordforråd som prediktor for karakterer i engelsk SammendragKunnskap om akademiske ord er nødvendig for at norske elever i videregående skole skal kunne gjennomføre engelskfaget og for at de skal kunne kvalifisere seg til høyere utdanning. Akademiske ord omfatter ord som forekommer i vitenskapelige tekster fra ulike akademiske disipliner (for eksempel dessuten, forskning). Fokuset i denne artikkelen er forholdet mellom elevers kunnskap om skriftlige akademiske ord og karakterene deres i engelsk. 134 norsktalende elever på Vg1 studiespesialiserende mellom 15 og 17 år tok Nations (1990) VLT, den akademiske delen fra versjon en og to av Schmitt et al. (2001) reviderte test. Resultatene viser at elevene i gjennomsnitt hadde en høy VLT- poengsum (80.93%), men 58.21% ikke klarte å oppnå den laveste anbefalte poengsummen på 52/60 og det var en høy grad av variasjon i resultatene (SD = 8.31). En Spearman-korrelasjon viste signifikante forbindelser mellom resultatene fra VLT og elevenes engelskkarakterer. Sannsynligheten for å ha en høyere engelskkarakter var ni ganger større for elever med maksimum to feil på VLT- testen og fire ganger større for de som oppnådde minimumskravet på 52/60. Funnene indikerer at disse elevene har behov for å utvikle en bedre forståelse av akademiske ord, og de antyder dermed også et behov for fokus på utvikling av akademisk ordforråd i engelskundervisningen. Nøkkelord: akademisk ordforråd, testing av vokabular, engelsk som andrespråk, språkundervisning

scholarly journals Identifying Learners’ Difficulties in ESL Reading Comprehension

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aixa Hafsha
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Secondary Students ◽  
Secondary School Students ◽  
School Students ◽  
English As Second Language ◽  
Esl Reading ◽  
Upper Secondary ◽  
Esl Learners

Reading is one of the fundamental skills in language learning and all English as Second Language (ESL) learners need to acquire it in order to master a language. However, statistics show that Malaysians are not reading enough especially the school students who are labeled as reluctant readers. This is deeply reflected in their reading comprehension which is one of the tested components in the SPM examination. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the learners’ difficulties in ESL reading comprehension. Thus, a survey was conducted among 80 upper secondary students in Johor. Questionnaires were used in the survey and given out to the respondents involved. The data obtained from the survey were analysed using SPSS. There were five categories of reading comprehension difficulties among the upper secondary school students. Based on the analysis, it was found that most of the students have agreed that the main difficulty faced by them in ESL reading comprehension is related to the reading process. Finally, the implications of these findings on ESL reading comprehension difficulties were discussed from the aspects of what the teachers could do in their teaching practices to address this issue and provide ways to solve them.

scholarly journals Receptive academic vocabulary knowledge and extramural English involvement – is there a correlation?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcus Warnby
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Students ◽  
Incidental Learning ◽  
Demographic Factors ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Academic Vocabulary ◽  
Upper Secondary ◽  
First Languages ◽  
Parental Educational Level ◽  
English Instruction

Abstract Extramural English (EE) exposure has been shown to correlate with general vocabulary knowledge. It remains uncertain, however, how academic vocabulary knowledge correlates with EE and can be explained by EE factors and demographic factors. Therefore, an academic vocabulary test, a background questionnaire, and a survey on current EE involvement were administered to 817 Swedish upper-secondary students in university-preparatory study programmes. A linear model revealed little explanation from demographic factors (age, gender, number of first languages, length of English instruction, and parental educational level) whereas EE factors (reading, listening & viewing without textual support, viewing with Swedish subtitles) accounted for 26% of the variation. Since extensive EE involvement may support the incidental learning of academic lexis, the paper suggests pre-tertiary instructional principles being guided by extramural as well as intramural incidental learning opportunities.

Learning English for Technical Purposes

2011 ◽  
pp. 169-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Dragemark
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
School Students ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
Online Tutoring ◽  
Upper Secondary ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Learning Development ◽  
Learning English

This chapter presents some research findings in the area of self assessment,obtained from the European Leonardo Project: Learning English forTechnical Purposes (LENTEC), carried out 2001–2003. In this project,upper-secondary vocational students solved problem-based learning casesin a virtual environment. The project aimed at stimulating upper-secondaryvocational school students from six different European countries to improvetheir English-language skills. It also aimed at helping foreign-languageteachers to develop their skills in online tutoring. A validation study wasundertaken and the results underscored that students need time andpractice to assess their own results. According to students and teachers, amajority of the students became more aware of their own language-learning development. The teachers in the project developed a new teacherrole where some of the responsibility for assessment moved from them to thestudents themselves. This not only motivated the students but also gave themadded time for actual language learning.

Academic Vocabulary Learning in First Through Third Grade in Low-Income Schools: Effects of Automated Supplemental Instruction

2017 ◽  
Vol 60 (11) ◽  
pp. 3237-3258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Howard Goldstein ◽  
Robyn A. Ziolkowski ◽  
Kathryn E. Bojczyk ◽  
Ana Marty ◽  
Naomi Schneider ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Hierarchical Linear Modeling ◽  
Word Learning ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Vocabulary Instruction ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Academic Vocabulary ◽  
High Poverty ◽  
High Poverty Schools ◽  
Linear Modeling

PurposeThis study investigated cumulative effects of language learning, specifically whether prior vocabulary knowledge or special education status moderated the effects of academic vocabulary instruction in high-poverty schools.MethodEffects of a supplemental intervention targeting academic vocabulary in first through third grades were evaluated with 241 students (6–9 years old) from low-income families, 48% of whom were retained for the 3-year study duration. Students were randomly assigned to vocabulary instruction or comparison groups.ResultsCurriculum-based measures of word recognition, receptive identification, expressive labeling, and decontextualized definitions showed large effects for multiple levels of word learning. Hierarchical linear modeling revealed that students with higher initial Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test–Fourth Edition scores (Dunn & Dunn, 2007) demonstrated greater word learning, whereas students with special needs demonstrated less growth in vocabulary.ConclusionThis model of vocabulary instruction can be applied efficiently in high-poverty schools through an automated, easily implemented adjunct to reading instruction in the early grades and holds promise for reducing gaps in vocabulary development.

scholarly journals PENGEMBANGAN BAHAN BELAJAR KOSAKATA BAHASA INDONESIA BERBASIS PENDIDIKAN NILAI-NILAI PANCASILA DI FACEBOOK

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 115
Author(s):  
Yani Paryono
Keyword(s):  
High School Students ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Secondary Students ◽  
Vocabulary Learning ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Learning Material ◽  
School Students ◽  
Learning Materials ◽  
D Model ◽  
Bahasa Indonesia

Good Indonesian language learning materials are not only taken from textbooks but they can also be taken from various sources such as newspaper, outdoor media, nature, television, and social media. The research entitled ‘The Development of Indonesian Language Vocabulary Learning Materials Based on the Education of Pancasila Values on Facebook’ aims at producing Indonesian learning materials based on the education of Pancasila values. The problem discussed in this article is that there hasn’t been any Indonesian vocabulary learning material based on the education of Pancasila values developed by teachers and published on Facebook. The method used in this research is a Four-D Model consisting of some stages, such as: defining, planning, developing, and presenting on a seminar. This research involves an expert of Indonesian language education, six Indonesian language teachers, and twenty Senior High School students. Indonesian language learning materials on Facebook can be used to instill the values of Pancasila. The development of these learning materials is based on the principles of relevance, consistency, sufficiency properness of content, language, presentation, and graph. It has been proven through this research that the Indonesian subject learning achievement of Senior Secondary students through the use of facebook containing Pancasila values as learning content is higher compared to those students using different learning materials. AbstrakBahan belajar bahasa Indonesia yang baik tidak harus bersumber pada buku-buku pelajaran saja, tetapi dapat juga memanfaatkan berbagai sumber, seperti: media cetak koran, media luar ruang, alam sekitar, televisi, dan media sosial. Penelitian dengan judul Pengembangan Bahan Belajar Kosakata Bahasa Indonesia Berbasis Pendidikan Nilai-Nilai Pancasila di Facebook bertujuan untuk menghasilkan bahan belajar bahasa Indonesia berbasis pendidikan nilai-nilai Pancasila yang dapat diakses melalui facebook. Masalah yang dibahas di dalam artikel ini adalah belum adanya materi pelajaran kosakata bahasa Indonesia berbasis pendidikan nilai-nilai Pancasila yang dikembangkan guru dan di-publish di facebook. Metode penelitian yang digunakan adalah Four-D Model yang meliputi tahap pendefinisian, perancangan, pengembangan,dan tahap pendiseminasian. Penelitian ini melibatkan seorang ahli pendidikan bahasa Indonesia, 6 guru bahasa Indonesia, dan 20 siswa SMA. Bahan belajar bahasa Indonesia yang disajikan di media sosial facebook dapat dimanfaatkan untuk menanamkan nilai-nilai Pancasila. Bahan belajar bahasa Indonesia ini dikembangkan dengan memperhatikan prinsip relevansi, konsistensi, ketercukupan, kelayakan isi, kebahasaan, penyajian, dan kegrafikaan. Hasil belajar bahasa Indonesia siswa SMA melalui bahan belajar yang menggunakan kosakata bahasa Indonesia berbasis nilainilai Pancasila di media sosial facebook terbukti lebih tinggi dan lebih baik dibandingkan hasil belajar siswa yang menggunakan bahan belajar yang tidak sama.

scholarly journals Interference of First Language in Secondary School Students

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (6S3) ◽  
pp. 675-681
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Secondary Students ◽  
First Language ◽  
Writing Skills ◽  
Writing Strategies ◽  
L2 Acquisition ◽  
School Students ◽  
Essay Writing ◽  
Upper Secondary ◽  
Support Students

First language (L1) interference is inevitable in second language (L2) acquisition. The research was carried out to investigate types of students writing approach that relates to first language interference among upper secondary students and the level of first language interference in L2 written essays among lower secondary students in Malaysia. The participants in this research were 50 students currently studying Form Four in a state-funded school, Akademi Menara Gading, Pahang. The data was collected using the Student L1 Interference Tendency Questionnaire [SLITQ], and analysis of students’ essay writing samples. After triangulating the data, the result indicated that most students positive they have under-differentiation in their essay writing, and analysis of the student's written essays showed that there is less evidence of L1 interference. In conclusion, teachers and schools should acknowledge L1 interference in students’ writing skill and promote a variety of writing strategies to support students existing writing skills.

scholarly journals VOCABULARY SIZE AT FOUR STAGES OF LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina Daskalovska
Keyword(s):  
Language Development ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Communicative Competence ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Word Knowledge ◽  
Vocabulary Size ◽  
School Students ◽  
Authentic Texts ◽  
The Difference

One of the main aims of language learning is developing communicative competence, or the ability to communicate effectively in everyday situations. In order to achieve that, besides grammar knowledge, learners need to acquire enough vocabulary knowledge that would enable them to use the language outside the classroom, which requires acquiring significant receptive and productive word knowledge in order to be able to participate in various communicative situations. Research shows that the most frequent 2000 words comprise about 85% of the words in any text regardless of the topic, and that learners need to know at least 3000 word families in order to be able to use the language successfully and to be able to read authentic texts with understanding. However, experience shows that acquiring a large vocabulary is one of the biggest obstacles that language learners face in the process of language acquisition. Nevertheless, since vocabulary knowledge is the key component of the overall communicative competence, is it necessary to invest time and effort to learn the most frequent words in the language. The aim of this study is to determine the vocabulary size of language learners at four stages of language development. In addition, the study attempts to determine the difference between receptive and productive knowledge of vocabulary, as well as the difference between knowledge of words seen in isolation and in context. The participants were four groups of learners, of whom three groups comprised elementary and secondary school students and one group were university students. The results showed that during the first five years of learning the vocabulary knowledge increases at a greater rate, that learners have better receptive than productive knowledge of words, and that seeing words in context helps learners demonstrate greater receptive and productive vocabulary knowledge. <p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0725/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

scholarly journals THE SKILLS OF WRITING ANSWERS TO KBAT LITERARY TEXTS USING THE METHOD OF DRILLING QUESTIONS FOR UPPER SECONDARY STUDENTS IN MAAHAD KAWALAN

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (44) ◽  
pp. 95-110
Author(s):  
Mohd Shafie Mohamad ◽  
Rozita Radhiah Said ◽  
Azhar Md. Sabil ◽  
Mohd Mursyid Arshad
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Students ◽  
Intermediate Level ◽  
Literary Texts ◽  
School Students ◽  
Cohesive Devices ◽  
Upper Secondary ◽  
Drilling Method ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Post Test

The Bahasa Melayu question paper is divided into two papers ( Paper 1 and Paper 2), with both papers require written essay responses. The literature section is the part of the questions that students are required to answer in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) exam. There are 13 marks awarded for 4 questions, two of them are questions in the form of KBAT. The aim of this study was to improve secondary school students' skills in writing KBAT answers using drill method. In addition, the researchers compared students' responses to four parts of the questions in the literature section of Bahasa Melayu Paper 2 (1103/2) before and after the drilling method. This study used a qualitative approach in the form of a case study (document analysis). In data collection, 5 classes in Maahad Control were subjected to pre-test and post-test. The study revealed that the pre-test scores of 10 students randomly taken from 5 classes, 3 of them were at the weak level and 7 students were at intermediate level. However, after 6 drilling sessions, the researcher found that the performance of the students improved in the post-test. 2 students reached an intermediate level and 8 students reached a good level in answering literature questions. This proves that students trained with drill method mastered the techniques of answer writing due to the influence of answer discussion which highlights the key words in each question. Meanwhile, teachers still need to guide students on punctuation and the use of appropriate cohesive devices in each part of the answer.

scholarly journals PENGEMBANGAN BAHAN BELAJAR KOSAKATA BAHASA INDONESIA BERBASIS PENDIDIKAN NILAI-NILAI PANCASILA DI FACEBOOK

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 13
Author(s):  
Yani Paryono
Keyword(s):  
High School Students ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Secondary Students ◽  
Vocabulary Learning ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Learning Material ◽  
School Students ◽  
Learning Materials ◽  
D Model ◽  
Bahasa Indonesia

Good Indonesian language learning materials are not only taken from textbooks but they can also be taken from various sources such as newspaper, outdoor media, nature, television, and social media. The research entitled ‘The Development of Indonesian Language Vocabulary Learning Materials Based on the Education of Pancasila Values on Facebook’ aims at producing Indonesian learning materials based on the education of Pancasila values. The problem discussed in this article is that there hasn’t been any Indonesian vocabulary learning material based on the education of Pancasila values developed by teachers and published on Facebook. The method used in this research is a Four-D Model consisting of some stages, such as: defining, planning, developing, and presenting on a seminar. This research involves an expert of Indonesian language education, six Indonesian language teachers, and twenty Senior High School students. Indonesian language learning materials on Facebook can be used to instill the values of Pancasila. The development of these learning materials is based on the principles of relevance, consistency, sufficiency properness of content, language, presentation, and graph. It has been proven through this research that the Indonesian subject learning achievement of Senior Secondary students through the use of facebook containing Pancasila values as learning content is higher compared to those students using different learning materials. AbstrakBahan belajar bahasa Indonesia yang baik tidak harus bersumber pada buku-buku pelajaran saja, tetapi dapat juga memanfaatkan berbagai sumber, seperti: media cetak koran, media luar ruang, alam sekitar, televisi, dan media sosial. Penelitian dengan judul Pengembangan Bahan Belajar Kosakata Bahasa Indonesia Berbasis Pendidikan Nilai-Nilai Pancasila di Facebook bertujuan untuk menghasilkan bahan belajar bahasa Indonesia berbasis pendidikan nilai-nilai Pancasila yang dapat diakses melalui facebook. Masalah yang dibahas di dalam artikel ini adalah belum adanya materi pelajaran kosakata bahasa Indonesia berbasis pendidikan nilai-nilai Pancasila yang dikembangkan guru dan di-publish di facebook. Metode penelitian yang digunakan adalah Four-D Model yang meliputi tahap pendefinisian, perancangan, pengembangan,dan tahap pendiseminasian. Penelitian ini melibatkan seorang ahli pendidikan bahasa Indonesia, 6 guru bahasa Indonesia, dan 20 siswa SMA. Bahan belajar bahasa Indonesia yang disajikan di media sosial facebook dapat dimanfaatkan untuk menanamkan nilai-nila Pancasila. Bahan belajar bahasa Indonesia ini dikembangkan dengan memperhatikan prinsip relevansi, konsistensi, ketercukupan, kelayakan isi, kebahasaan, penyajian, dan kegrafikaan. Hasil belajar bahasa Indonesia siswa SMA melalui bahan belajar yang menggunakan kosakata bahasa Indonesia berbasis nilainilai Pancasila di media sosial facebook terbukti lebih tinggi dan lebih baik dibandingkan hasil belajar siswa yang menggunakan bahan belajar yang tidak sama.

scholarly journals L2 English derivational knowledge: Which affixes are learners more likely to recognise?

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 225-248
Author(s):  
Dmitri Leontjev
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Upper Secondary ◽  
Level I ◽  
Segmentation Task ◽  
Upper Secondary Schools ◽  
Different Levels

Knowledge of derivational morphology is considered an important aspect of vocabulary knowledge both in L1 (mother tongue) and L2 (second or foreign language) English language learning. However, it is still not clear whether different derivational affixes vary in their (learning) difficulty. The present study examines whether Bauer and Nation’s (1993) teaching order of L2 English affixes can account for the difficulty learners have with recognising the affixes. The participants in the study were L1 Estonian and Russian learners of English at upper-secondary schools in Estonia (n = 62). Their performance was measured on a word segmentation task. There were significant differences in the number of affixes the learners were able to successfully recognise at different levels, as classified by Bauer and Nation (1993). By and large, with the exception of no significant difference between Level 5 and Level 6 affixes, the higher the affix level was, the less likely the learners were to recognise the affixes at this level. I argue that these results can support the order proposed by Bauer and Nation. The implications of the finding for teaching and further research are also discussed.

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