The Effect of Learning-oriented Assessment on Learning Pronunciation among Iranian EFL Learners

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 63
Author(s):  
Leila Ashegh Navaie
Keyword(s):  
Language Learners ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Oral Communication ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Conventional Curriculum ◽  
Language Classes ◽  
Language Proficiency Test ◽  
The City

Oral communication is one of the main reasons language learners attend language classes. As pronunciation is among the most significant aspects of oral communication, this study attempted to see how learning-oriented assessment (LOA) could affect pronunciation learning of Iranian EFL learners. To this end, 64 language learners in a private language institute in the city of Amol, Iran, were given NELSON language proficiency test as homogeny test. A total of 40 learners were selected and assigned to two groups. Both groups were given a researcher-made pronunciation test at the beginning and two pronunciation tests (immediate and delayed tests) at the end of the treatment. The control group participants followed the conventional curriculum of the language center and the experimental group learners went through LOA treatment. The findings of the study revealed that LOA can positively affect pronunciation learning of Iranian EFL learners. In addition, it was observed that LOA has a significant effect on the participants’ retention of pronunciation knowledge. This study can have pedagogical implications for language teachers and teacher trainers.

scholarly journals The Effect of Reflective Reading on Reading Comprehension of Iranian EFL Learners

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
pp. 267
Author(s):  
Nava Nourdad ◽  
Rasoul Asghari
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Study Groups ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Survival Skill ◽  
Comprehension Ability ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Reading Comprehension Ability

Reading comprehension as a survival skill in EFL context is included in almost all language proficiency and achievement tests. However, it seems that traditional approaches to reading comprehension instruction have not been successful at satisfying the learners’ need. Considering the advantages of reflective reading, it appeared as a probable solution to reading problem of EFL learners. Therefore, this experimental study aimed at investigating the effect of reflective reading on reading comprehension of Iranian EFL learners. To this end 49 male and female participants were selected through convenient sampling and were randomly assigned to two control and experimental groups. An English proficiency test was given to the sample to make sure about the homogeneity of the participants and equality of proficiency levels of the two groups. Later reading comprehension ability of the study groups was measured. As the ten-session treatment began the experimental group experienced reflective reading, while the control group followed conventional method of reading and answering comprehension check questions. After the treatment period, the groups’ reading comprehension ability was assessed once more. Independent samples t-tests were run to analyze the gathered data. It was found that reflective reading has positive effect on reading comprehension of Iranian EFL learners. Pedagogical implications of this finding for language teachers, learners, material developers, policy makers and researchers are discussed. 

scholarly journals The Impact of Writing Self-Assessment and Peer Assessment on Iranian EFL Learners’ Autonomy and Metacognitive Awareness

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Maryam Ebrahimi ◽  
Siros Izadpanah ◽  
Ehsan Namaziandost
Keyword(s):  
Language Learners ◽  
Peer Assessment ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Metacognitive Awareness ◽  
Placement Test ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Metacognitive Awareness Inventory

One of the most significant current discussions in writing is self-assessment and peer assessment. This study aimed to investigate the impact of writing self-assessment and peer assessment on autonomy and metacognitive awareness of Iranian EFL learners. One hundred and twenty participants were selected using convenience sampling. Four instruments were used in this test: (1) Nelson placement test; (2) Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (MAI); (3) Zhang and Li’s autonomy questionnaire; and (4) rubric. A quasiexperimental design was used in this study. They were divided into two experimental groups, self-assessment (N = 40) and peer assessment (N = 40), and one control group (N = 40). Collected data were tested and compared using covariance analysis (ANCOVA). Results from the tests indicated that both self-assessment and peer assessment are effective ways to improve autonomy and metacognition awareness of EFL learners in the completion of writing tasks. Findings also showed that self-assessment was more effective than peer assessment and the results showed that the types of assessments increased the learners’ knowledge in the writing, teaching, lexicography, spelling, grammar, and similar models and were significantly effective in developing their writing skills. The findings of the present research study might have some implications for researchers, instructors, language teachers, and language learners.

How effective are recasts in teaching /θ/ and /ð/ to EFL learners?

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 78
Author(s):  
Maryam Karami ◽  
Laya Heidari Darani
Keyword(s):  
Language Learners ◽  
Corrective Feedback ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Complex Sounds ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Feedback Type ◽  
Paired Samples ◽  
Before And After ◽  
And Control

This study explored the effect of recasts as corrective feedback (CF) on teaching the sounds /θ/ and /ð/ to Iranian EFL learners, which are absent in Persian. A group of 30 intermediate level students studying English were assigned randomly to the experimental group (EG) and control group (CG). The EG was instructed by giving recasts as CF; while the CG received no feedback when they were taught these sounds. In this experimental study, two teacher-made tests on sounds /θ/ and /ð/ were administered to the participants before and after the treatment. The collected data were analysed using paired-samples t tests. Language learners in the recast group outperformed those in the CG in the posttest. The results showed that recast was an effective feedback type in teaching both the sounds. Findings of the present study can help language teachers and teacher trainers in teaching these complex sounds to Iranian EFL learners.   Keywords: Corrective feedback, errors, form-focused instruction, recast, sounds /ð/ and /θ/.    

scholarly journals Language Proficiency through Vocabulary Development: A Framework

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Boumediène BENRABAH
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Threshold Level ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
English As Foreign Language ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Language Proficiency Test ◽  
Experimental Group

The global aim of the present research paper is an attempt to reach a threshold level of the learning of a foreign language (English) through the development of vocabulary. Observing the very limited rate of use of English in the Algerian community, English as Foreign Language (EFL) students, actually, need to progress in the mastery of that language by reading and/or listening to texts or messages intensively. To achieve this goal, subsequent procedures should take place by giving the foreign language a rather more appreciable position in the community such as the one held by a second language. To be down-to-earth, a brief survey on the linguistic situation in Algeria is exposed where neat clarification of second-foreign language status in the community is laid out to show that the more a (foreign) language is explicitly exposed in its manifold forms, the more are learners, in that community, likely to acquire it as a second language. However, the assumption of presenting the receptive skills (reading and listening) as the most appropriate means for the growth of foreign language vocabulary is supported by Krashen’s input theory where any input to be understood, should come at EFL learners’ capacity to read/listen and decode easily the meaning. In due course, First year EFL students have been subject to a language proficiency test-‘a pre-test then a post-test’. This typical experimental design is an intervention study which contains two groups: ‘the treatment or experimental’ group which receives the treatment, or which is exposed to some special conditions of intensifying vocabulary learning through a varied, comprehensible input; and a second group of EFL learners- the control group- whose role is to provide a baseline. The findings showed better scores among the experimental group compared to the other group. Actually, the results proved the adequacy of the adopted theory.

scholarly journals The first five days

2016 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 94-104
Author(s):  
Amanda Romjue
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Learner Autonomy ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Learning Framework ◽  
Educational Culture ◽  
Motivation For Learning ◽  
Language Classes ◽  
Successes And Challenges

Facilitating lifelong language learning amongst students is a frequently mentioned goal of many language teachers. Teachers want their students to fall in love with the cultures and languages they have dedicated their lives to studying. However, igniting the spark for learning beyond the classroom can be a real challenge. In the current educational culture where motivation for learning is too often focused on extrinsic motivations like passing tests and making good grades, how do teachers redirect students toward intrinsic motivations like a love for learning? Research into various fields of study have provided evidence that it typically takes at least ten years of concerted effort to master most skills. From this premise it stands to reason that in order for language learners to reach higher levels of language proficiency, there is a need to promote learner autonomy that extends learning beyond the language classes students take in schools. Facilitating learner autonomy requires a reconceptualization of the way language classes are structured. Building upon goal theories, task-based language learning, and deep reflection within a transparent learning framework can help to provide students with the skills to continue learning beyond the classroom. This framework can set students on a more self-directed path toward language learning that is both intrinsically motivating and engaging. Throughout my own research and practice I have begun to develop a process to facilitate this type of learning environment for my students. In this paper, I share my own successes and challenges as I spent the first five days of a semester establishing expectations for facilitating learner autonomy.

The Application of Projected Visuals in Teaching Collocations to Intermediate EFL Learners

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 1136
Author(s):  
Zohre Asgari Rad ◽  
Andisheh Saniei
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Proficiency Test ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Teaching English ◽  
Homogeneous Groups ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Language Proficiency Test ◽  
Instructional Aids ◽  
Experimental Group

The present study is an attempt to investigate the effective of using projected visuals, pictures in the form of slides displayed through projectors, in teaching English collocations on students’ learning. To this end, 60 Iranian EFL learners were selected out of 90 based on their performance on a language proficiency test, PET, and were assigned randomly into two homogeneous groups of control and experimental. Both groups took a 40-item researcher-made, validated pretest of collocations whose reliability was calculated as 0.74 through KR-21. 130 collocations were presented to each group in ten sessions through ten tables which consisted of 10 to 15 collocations with their L2 definitions and L1 (Persian) equivalents. The control group was required to make sentences, including the newly instructed collocations following the examples provided by the instructor, while the experimental group was shown a set of slides related to the newly-instructed collocations and was asked to determine the intended collocation related to each picture. After receiving ten treatment sessions, both groups took the posttest. The collected data were analyzed through ANCOVA and the results indicated that the experimental group significantly outperformed the control group. Therefore, the use of visuals as instructional aids in teaching English collocations is proved helpful and recommended to those EFL instructors who are seeking for enhancing their students’ learning through more effective materials.

scholarly journals The Effect of Oral Summary of Short Stories on Iranian Intermediate EFL Learners’ Vocabulary Learning: With a Focus on Gender

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
pp. 129
Author(s):  
Amir Reza Nemat Tabrizi ◽  
Setareh Abbasi
Keyword(s):  
Short Stories ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Proficiency Test ◽  
Vocabulary Learning ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Course Content ◽  
Oral Production ◽  
Language Courses

<p>This study investigated the effect of producing oral summary of short stories by language learners on vocabulary learning of EFL learners at intermediate level and the possible different effect of this classroom activity on male and female participants. In order to pursue the purpose of the study, one hundred twenty Iranian EFL learners were given Nelson proficiency test as the proficiency test and pretest. Seventy five learners were chosen as the participants for the study who formed one control group and two experimental groups. After twenty sessions of treatment, the participants were given a piloted version of a researcher-made test based on the vocabulary used in the short stories. The findings of the study proved that oral production of short stories can have a positive effect on vocabulary learning among intermediate learners, but the effect of this mode of teaching was not different on male or female language learners. The findings of the study could be used by language teachers who aim at conducting learner-centered language classes and material producers who aim at increasing the outcome of language courses by opting suitable course content.</p>

scholarly journals The Effect of Collaborative Writing on Iranian EFL Learners' Task Achievement in Writing and Their Perception

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hossein Khodabakhshzadeh ◽  
Farideh Samadi
Keyword(s):  
Language Learners ◽  
Collaborative Writing ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Placement Test ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Teacher Authority ◽  
Test Of Homogeneity ◽  
The City ◽  
Experimental Group

Collaborative writing has gained interest in the last decade; however, as stated by Shin, Lidster and Sabraw (2016) more research is required to delve into various aspects of this multifarious class activity. This true experimental research examined the effect of writing collaboratively on task achievement of Iranian EFL learners in writing. Oxford Placement Test was given to 60 language learners in the city of Kashmar, Iran,  as the test of homogeneity. Considering +/-1 standard deviation of the mean score, 40 learners were chosen to pursue the purpose of the study. These learners formed an experimental group and a control group with 20 participants in each. Collaborative writing was implemented in the experimental group and individual writing was used in the comparison group. The participants in the experimental group were later interviewed and their perception toward collaborative writing was investigated. The findings of the study through t-test revealed that the experimental group participants outperformed the ones in the control group in terms of task achievement. In addition, the results of the semi-structured interview through thematic analysis revealed that most participants found collaborative writing effective in terms of motivation, peer feedback, comprehensive view over the topic, changing ineffective writing habits, and vocabulary learning; though peer authority and teacher authority were considered as inhibiting factors. Pedagogical implications are discussed.

scholarly journals The Study of the Metalinguistic Knowledge of English by Students in an Intensive and a Traditional Course

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 215
Author(s):  
Somaye Nazarian ◽  
Siros Izadpanah
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
T Test ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Intermediate Students ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Intensive Courses ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Language Proficiency Test ◽  
Metalinguistic Knowledge

The goal of the current research was to study the relationship among learning contexts and, levels of metalinguistic knowledge of the Iranian intermediate EFL learners. This research explores the level of learners’metalinguistic knowledge in English in two different contexts (traditional and intensive courses). Participants included 44 intermediate students at Shoukoh Language Institute, Zanjan, Iran. The selection violated the randomization criterion, thus the quasi-experimental was taken for the current study. The instruments used for data collection were Nelson English Language Proficiency Test (NELPT) as a placement test which used to measure level of students prior to the experiment and, a metalinguistic knowledge English test (MKET) was also, administered at the beginning and ending the semester as pre and post-test to measure their metalinguistic knowledge. The data collected from the administration of the above mentioned two tests were submitted to different statistical analysis such as ANCOVA, one independent sample t-test and, one paired sample t-test. The results revealed that there was a significant distinction between two sets performance in the metalinguistic test. An intensive English course had an important helpful influence on MKE of the students. They enhanced their MKE in an intensive semester. As an implication of this study, the findings will motivate language teachers to focus on intensive semester because intensive instruction was found to be effective in improving the EFL learners’ MKE. Further study is needed before the results of the research can be generalized.

scholarly journals The Effect of Form versus Meaning-Focused Tasks on the Development of Collocations among Iranian Intermediate EFL Learners

2011 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 180 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reza Pishghadam ◽  
Ebrahim Khodadady ◽  
Naeemeh Daliry Rad
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Proficiency Test ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Main Idea ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Focus On Form ◽  
Form Versus ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Pair Group ◽  
Language Proficiency Test

This study attempts comprehensively to investigate the effect of form versus meaning-focused tasks on the development of collocations among Iranian Intermediate EFL learners. To this end, 65 students of Mashhad High schools in Iran were selected as the participants. A general language proficiency test of Nelson (book 2, Intermediate 200A) was used to measure their general language ability. Moreover, a teacher-made collocation test was implemented to examine the participants’ collocation knowledge. Participants were divided into: form-focused instruction group (FFI), meaning-focused instruction (MFI) group, and a control group. The FFI group performed dictogloss task (DT) which focused on both target items and meaning. The MFI group assigned communicative task (pair /group discussion task) which did not required attention to the target items. The control group is designated as the Conventional Group, simply to reflect the fact that they did not receive focus-on-form instruction but rather received combination of explaining collocation or new vocabulary and reading a text silently to mention its main idea or answer to comprehension questions. The results revealed the fact that FFI group (dictogloss task) significantly outperformed the other two groups on the collocation test.

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