Individual versus pair work on L2 speech acts: production and cognitive processes

This study aims to examine the extent to which peer collaboration affects EFL learners’ speech act production and cognitive processes. Eleven EFL students in the individual group and 22 students (11 pairs) in the collaborative groups were asked to report their cognitive processes when working on a written discourse completion task (WDCT). The WDCT performances were rated on a five-point Likert-type scale, and the verbalizations were analyzed in terms of pragmatic-related episodes (PREs). Results showed that the individual group scored higher on content, whereas the collaborative group outperformed their counterparts on forms. Regarding the cognitive processes, the individual group tended to plan the general direction of their writing before writing the WDCT and paid more attention to sociopragmatic content while writing. In contrast, the collaborative group planned specific details before the task and attended to pragmalinguistic forms more often while writing.

The Implementation of Reading Text Strategies in Enhancing EFL Learners Vocabularies: A Case of One Islamic Higher Education in Jambi, Indonesia

The purpose of this study was to reveal the lecturer’s strategy in enhancing students’ English vocabularies in the process of teaching and learning in the classroom. 3 English lecturers who have ever taught English for Academic Purposes (EAP) in non-English department were involved in this study. The data were collected through semi-structure interview. Thematic analysis was applied for analysis the participants’ interview result. Finding of this study show that; first. the participants used selected reading text as a media of enhancing students vocabularies. Second, the strategy was implemented through small group discussion and pair work to make students actively participated in sharing the knowledge. Third, the participants evaluated the students’ understanding of reading text strategy by asking them to work individually without any assistance from the group members This study recommended that the findings can be a basis consideration in enhancing students’ vocabularies in the process of teaching and learning.

Pair work in informatics lessons as one of the forms of organization of educational cooperation of students

The article discusses the types of work in pairs that can be used in informatics lessons, provides methods and techniques that can be applied to implement this type of activity. The emphasis is placed on the fact that pair work allows you to improve the quality of assimilation of educational material, is a kind of stepping stone for preparing students for work in a group, makes it possible to acquire the most important skill — the ability to study independently. The material of the article contains specific examples of interactive methods and tasks that can be used to organize paired work at different stages of an informatics lesson. Their use in the classroom will help teachers to efficiently organize pair work and educational cooperation of students, will contribute to the formation of their communicative competency.

Illusionism in sacred monumental painting of the baroque era, optics of perception

The investigation of the mechanisms of dual influence in a pair “work of art – viewer” opens up important opportunities for the worldview, cultural, aesthetic intentions laid down by the author(s), outlines the ways of transmitting the message to the recipient and assesses the effectiveness. The authors of this article analyse the practices of applying the mechanisms and principles of neuroaesthetics in the perception of baroque monumental paintings and the effects caused by the conscious use of illusory techniques in the duality of relationships. The authors of the article aim to find out the principles of the formation of cognitive and aesthetic connections expressed in specific formal principles-approaches, in the processes of perception of illusionistic baroque painting by the primary addressee-a person of the Baroque era – from the point of view of neuroaesthetics. The methodology refers to the implementing a multidisciplinary approach, based on the synthesis of cultural, anthropological and art research methods. To solve research problems and achieve results, we turn to the functional method and the modelling method, thanks to which defining effective models of interaction in the pair “work of art – recipient” and modes of functioning of consciousness when generating a pictorial image.

Pair Research Tasks: Promoting Educational Research with Pre-Service Teachers

This paper presents a study that explores the role of pair-work tasks to promote educational research in 20 pre-service English language teachers (eleven males and nine females) of a Colombian public university. The project was carried out to enhance educational research skills and knowledge by developing theoretical-practical pair-work research tasks. Data was collected through observation field notes, semi-structured interviews, and field journals. The results suggest that pair-work research tasks increased learners' opportunities to acquire theoretical and practical educational research knowledge and skills. Due to this exercise, the participants learned to define, formulate research objectives-questions, review the literature, and state research methodologies to finally write their research proposals. Additionally, pair-work research assignments offered an effective way to work together, negotiate, reach agreements, and gain experience by conducting theoretical and practical research exercises.

Letting students decide whether to work in pairs or individually in class

Communicative approaches to language teaching have advocated for the benefits of pair and group work when learning foreign languages. This paper reports an example of classroom research that has been carried out with intermediate students of English, level B1+, focusing on how they prefer to work in class as regards grammar and vocabulary exercises when given the chance to choose. In order to obtain the results for this classroom research study, the students’ teacher becomes a participant observer who records the data throughout the course and collects the data on observation worksheets. Contrary to what it might be expected, the outcomes show that many of the younger students prefer working on their own and then compare and justify their answers with their partners, rather than working in pairs from the very beginning. This is recommended to establish whether this is just specific of these students, or it is something common with other students and teachers have been unaware of it. Keywords: Classroom research, individual work, learning gains, learning preferences, pair work, personal decision.

Modelling the Process of Reflection with Pre-Service Student Teachers

The article traces the role of reflection in teacher education and explores the issue of the necessity of creating a system of developing student teachers reflective skills in the process of their university studies. The importance of reflection in linking theoretical knowledge with teaching and learning practices is emphasized. The model of guided reflection employed at the Department of Foreign Philology at H.S. Skovoroda Kharkiv National Pedagogical University is described in detail and examined through different research methods, including qualitative and quantitative analysis of various documents (questionnaires, observation charts, reflective essays etc.) and interviews with participant focus groups. The article presents samples of activities used in pedagogy and methodology classes, and observations of student teachers’ behaviours while performing them. Some information about students’ perception of the model steps is also provided. The collected data prove that student teachers manage to get accustomed to continuous reflection and, thanks to gradual transition from communal reflective activities to pair work and individual assignments as well as constant and sufficient scaffolding, interaction with the ‘knowledgeable other’ feel more confident, are getting aware of the benefits of reflection, and are developing skills of reflective practitioners, which are crucial for their further professional and personal growth.

Anatomizing Students’ Task Engagement in Pair Work in the Language Classroom

Student engagement in the second language classroom has been the focus of numerous researchers and teachers. Previous studies have shown that there are several dimensions of student engagement, but it is still unclear how they change (or not) over time and consequently how they affect actual task performance. This study investigated the task engagement of language learners engaged in collaborative writing in pairs. Specifically, it focused on the combination of behavioral, cognitive, emotional, and social dimensions of task engagement, and examined which combinations resulted in better task performance. Participants were 60 Japanese university students who worked in pairs on a picture description task. Multiple data sources, such as the number of words/turns/language-related episodes, patterns of dyadic interaction, and self-reported questionnaire results, were utilized to investigate the process of students’ task engagement. The results showed: that the 30 participating pairs fell into three groups showing similar combinations of dimensions; that there was a significant difference in actual engagement between the groups and across time; and that such differences had a significant impact on task performance. Based on the results, pedagogical implications for teachers are discussed concerning the use of pair work in the language classroom.

Significance and features of dialogical teaching

The authors of the article focus on the features and importance of interactive learning, analyze the actions of teachers and students in the process of dialogical learning, the methods used in group work. Lectures on the specialty «Translation Studies», a joint conversation of students in practical classes, pair work, analysis of the group work advantages and disadvantages, identified the strengths and weaknesses of the lesson. The authors made a reflective analysis of the content of lectures and practical classes, using new approaches to teaching and learning. Ways of increasing the effectiveness of dialogical learning, specific methods used, lesson planning, proper feedback, ways of dialogue between student and teacher, student and learner have been determined. As interactive learning is a truly effective form of learning that contributes significantly to the development of students’ spoken language, this approach which helps them to open up, communicate, and increase their vocabulary is described in the article.

INVESTIGATING STUDENTS’ WRITING QUALITY WITH DIFFERENT PROFICIENCY LEVELS IN INTERACTION-BASED PAIR WORKS

Pair work, an activity involving learners working together in pairs, has been widely used in language learning, especially in writing classes. Many studies have reported the effectiveness of this technique in improving students’ writing. However, there is scarce research on how the factors like students’ proficiency and the level of interaction may affect the effectiveness of pair work. This study, therefore, aims at investigating whether or not there is a significant difference in students’ writing (1) between the high proficient students working in the dominant-dominant pairs (H-DDP) and those working in the dominant-passive pairs (H-DPP), and (2) between the low proficient students working in the dominant-dominant pairs (L-DDP) and those working in the dominant-passive pairs (L-DPP). The experimental research design was taken on. There were forty-eight students involved in this study. The students were the English Department of private University in Madiun, East Java, Indonesia. Independent t-test by using SPSS 18.0 version was chosen to answer the research questions. The results show that the high proficient students working in the dominant-dominant pairs (H-DDP) perform better writing on argumentative essay than the high proficient students in the dominant-passive pairs (H-DPP). The students can manage their writing on argumentative essay effectively. The students give feedback to help each other by giving assistance in argumentative essay writing. Then, there is no significant difference of the low proficient students working in the dominant-dominant pairs (L-DDP) and those working in the dominant-passive pairs (L-DPP). Moreover, high proficiency influences the students working in pair work to write argumentative essay. This implies that teachers should consider students’ proficiency and level of social interaction before assigning students into pairs in writing classes.