Language Learning in the 21st Century

Kahoot! is a gaming system designed for interactive learning and can be utilised for students of all ages. The present study involved two groups of Malaysian ESL students (n = 57) enrolled in a remedial English proficiency course in a public university. All 57 participants were exposed to weekly Kahoot! sessions over a period of one semester; the sessions covered various English language learning components including vocabulary and reading comprehension, but focused largely on grammar. At the end of the semester, the participants completed a 34-item questionnaire comprising closed- and open-ended items. The questionnaire was tested for reliability with returned values indicating high internal consistency, thus making the instrument a reliable option for use in future studies. The study's findings indicate that the students found Kahoot! to be beneficial in terms of: 1) inducing motivation, and 2) fostering and reinforcing learning. The students were also of the opinion that Kahoot! would be useful for foreign language learning (for instance, Spanish and French).

A Remedial English Course from the Freshmen EFL Learners’ Viewpoints and Expectations at the Hashemite University in Jordan

The higher education system in Jordan requires freshmen students in each university to set for an English aptitude exam. If the student fails in this exam, s/he should register in the remedial English 99 course which is regarded as a prerequisite for English 101. The purpose of this study is to explore students’ expectations of this course and whether these expectations are met. The study adopts a qualitative design. Data was collected through a questionnaire interview from 97 students registered in two sections in the Language Center at the university. The findings of the study revealed that students expected the course would improve their communication skills. Later, they discovered that this course benefited them more from the grammatical and structural aspects of language. The findings can be valuable for EFL curriculum developers, syllabus designers and administrators to understand students’ needs better and to take their viewpoints into account.

Kuwaiti EFL Students’ Perceptions of the Effectiveness of the Remedial English Course 099 at the College of Technological Studies

The study aims to evaluate the English remedial course 099 taught in the College of Technological Studies (PAAET) as part of the English program which disseminates English Language Skills to EFL students studying at this college. This study is expected to provide sufficient information to policymakers and educators involved with this program at all levels, with the intention to help them evaluate this course and make useful decisions to improve English Language Teaching in order to combat the deficiency in the English language suffered by college students in Kuwait. A number of 155 students participated in a questionnaire of 15 statements divided into four areas: reading, grammar, writing, and speaking skills. The findings of the study showed that most EFL students benefited from the English course 099, and their language skills were improved. However, there were some drawbacks and weaknesses of the program in terms of learners’ assessments and follow up. The significance of the study arises from the fact that it would enable decision-makers and course evaluators to pinpoint the strengths and weaknesses of the course and hence find ways to improve it.

Language Learning in the 21st Century

Kahoot! is a gaming system designed for interactive learning and can be utilised for students of all ages. The present study involved two groups of Malaysian ESL students (n = 57) enrolled in a remedial English proficiency course in a public university. All 57 participants were exposed to weekly Kahoot! sessions over a period of one semester; the sessions covered various English language learning components including vocabulary and reading comprehension, but focused largely on grammar. At the end of the semester, the participants completed a 34-item questionnaire comprising closed- and open-ended items. The questionnaire was tested for reliability with returned values indicating high internal consistency, thus making the instrument a reliable option for use in future studies. The study's findings indicate that the students found Kahoot! to be beneficial in terms of: 1) inducing motivation, and 2) fostering and reinforcing learning. The students were also of the opinion that Kahoot! would be useful for foreign language learning (for instance, Spanish and French).

The Role of Using English Newspapers in Enhancing Pre-intermediate Level Learners' Reading Comprehension Skills

Several newspaper based reading comprehension sessions for pre-intermediate learners were conducted at the foreign languages center at Arab International University. Using newspapers was a first in remedial English courses at the FLC. The learners were excited to explore newspapers with their different sections. They were required to apply their reading comprehension skills while attempting to read a newspaper article: skimming, scanning and summarizing. The learners ability to cut through the challenging task was measured by a written assessment as they were required to present a summary of the main ideas of a chosen article in addition to expressing their own personal opinion. The learners were judged according to four points: the linguistic structure, dependence on the original text, the number of ideas presented, and expressing their personal opinion. Finally, the learners' feedback on the current experience was collected via a questionnaire.

Developing a Pronunciation Computer Program for the Acquisition of English Phonemes and Word Stress

This study devised a pronunciation computer program to examine whether mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) could facilitate college students’ acquisition of English phonemes and word stress. Thirty-eight participants enrolled in the remedial English class offered at the language center of a national technological university in central Taiwan. Before the class, they were asked to read a word list. In the following six weeks, they were taught to distinguish and articulate English phonemes and to predict word stress locations using the designed computer program. They were also instructed to review the learning materials using the smart-phone version of the devised program. After the teaching session, each participant was asked again to read the same word list and fill out an assessment questionnaire. The sound analyses show that their readings of English minimal pairs and word stress placement were more accurate than their performances before the instruction. Their responses to the questionnaire indicate that both the given instruction and the designed computer program were satisfactory. In the open-ended questions, some of them said that they have built up a better understanding of phonemes and word stress, and that they would try to predict polysyllabic word stress when reading English articles. The present findings can be further applied to research on MALL-based English pronunciation acquisition.

USING PICTURE BOOKS TO ENHANCE MOTIVATION AND LANGUAGE LEARNING OF REMEDIAL EFL LEARNERS

According to studies done by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, many secondary schools across the nation aren�t adequately preparing students to excel at college. Universities are stepping in to fill the gap by offering remedial college courses in subjects such as Japanese and English. The purpose of the present study is to explore how an EFL class for college freshmen can help the students develop the critical thinking skills as well as language skills such as pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar necessary to read at the college level.Picture books are often overlooked by adult ESL/EFL instructors as many of them feel uncomfortable reading books designed for children. However, if chosen with consideration for the interests of the students and used in ways that are appropriate for adult learners, picture books can provide valuable opportunities of language-rich experiences and interactions. In fact a number of studies in Western cultures have shown that picture books provide a wealth of possibilities for teaching English topics as well as various vocabulary sets such as family, food, clothes, and so on. They can also motivate learners to read more and learn more as the students are more likely to find reading a manageable challenge.Given these functions of picture books, the main objectives of the study are (1) to discuss the merits of using picture books in remedial English classes from the viewpoint of English language learning, (2) to investigate the effect of using picture books on the learners� motivation and emotional development, and (3) to give a report about the students� reactions towards an adoption of a picture book in an EFL class.Keywords: intercultural communication, English as a second language, EFL classroom, language and gender, children�s literature in EFL learning

Teaching of Remedial English and the Problems of the Students: A Case of University of Sindh, Jamshoro, Sindh, Pakistan

The research paper is designed to explore the achievement of the aims and objectives of teaching remedial English. Italso aims to know the importance of the course and the problems of the students regarding the teaching of remedialEnglish at university level in Pakistan with special reference to university of Sindh, Jamshoro. In this regard manyefforts were taken by the tutors, lecturers, assistant professors, professors and the administration of the university toenhance the capabilities and efficiencies of the students of undergraduate level. All students of undergraduate leveland the teachers who take remedial English classes are constituted as the Population of the study. Five (n=5) teacherswho teach remedial classes and forty (n=40) students from different departments were recruited as the sample of thestudy through purposive and random sampling techniques. Interviews were conducted from students and tutors whoattend and teach remedial English course respectively. 90% students found unsatisfied from the administration of theclasses and they stressed that the classes should be conducted separately at department level and they demanded forthe basic needed facilities during the classes such as the facility of language laboratory, availability of computers,multimedia, audio and video resources in order to accelerate and enhance the teaching learning process to improveEnglish language skills.