The Construct of the Story Continuation Writing Task: Insights From the China’s Standards of English Language Ability

Although the story continuation writing task (SCWT) has attracted much research attention, few studies have investigated the construct of the task, particularly with respect to which language competence it focuses on. In addition, although some studies have demonstrated that China’s Standards of English Language Ability (CSE) provides comprehensive insights into the development of Chinese learners’ English language proficiency, little research has investigated the relationship between CSE and SCWT. This study drew upon the CSE to develop an SCWT language use inventory to address the above research gaps. A total of 358 high school students were asked to complete the questionnaire, of which 277 valid responses were analyzed. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) on the CSE-based questionnaire revealed the presence of six factors, namely language correctness, language variety, task planning, connecting-and-generating, selecting-and-mining, and organizing. The strategy of connecting-and-generating was the only significant predictor of the learners’ SCWT scores. The paper also discusses the findings relating to the SCWT rating and other integrated writing tasks.

Pelatihan Kemampuan Komunikasi Bahasa Inggris Sebagai Kesiapan Ekonomi Bagi Siswa PIK R Di SMP Muhammadiyah I Rawabening

This activities starts from the PIK R group which did not create activities mainly related to life skills for economic preparation for adolescents in planning a happy and prosperous family life. Lack of knowledge, attitudes, behavior of adolescents about life skills (English language ability) to be practiced so that growth and development to the fullest in order to realize the generation of planning. the low knowledge of family life readiness especially economic readiness, the low Life Skill especially English language skills is an important issue being faced. The solution offered from these problems is continuous training on Life Skills and English communication skills for PIK R students. The method used is the silent way, with consonant vocal recitation correctly. The results of this devotion were very high enthusiasm from the participants with their enthusiasm for learning, designing creativity and becoming a problem solver for their educational problems. Characterized by the increased ability of English communication, especially in terms of vocabularies about economic learning.

Perbandingan Perolehan Bahasa Inggris di Indonesia, Thailand dan Philipina

International cooperation between universities is one of the strategic issues for the internationalization of a university in Indonesia. One form of cooperation is not only manifested in the tri dharma aspect of higher education. The focus of this research is the comparison of students' mastery of English in the three countries. This English language ability aims to determine the ability of students who take part in student exchange programs or internship exchange programs conducted by three universities. This descriptive qualitative research involved students from universities in Indonesia, universities in Thailand, and the Philippines. Data taken from interviews with several English learners were then transcribed, coded, and analyzed to determine the stage of mastery of English according to Processability Theory. The results of this study indicate that although there are differences in the use of English in the three countries, participants from the three countries have the same attainment of mastery of English. Participants in the Philippines were more active in using English, considering that English in this country is a second language. Unlike Thailand and Indonesia, which place English as a foreign language. However, the highest mastery of English achieved by participants in the three countries was the same, namely at Stage 3 in Processability Theory.

Why Don't They Participate in Class?

This study explores how Chinese international graduate students participate in Canadian classrooms, what factors promote and inhibit their participation, and what approaches can help to improve their participation. Eight student participants and two of their instructors were interviewed individually. Data analysis revealed that all participants appreciated the significance of classroom participation for their learning, but they were quieter than domestic students. Many factors were mentioned that possibly influenced their participation including their English language ability, differing education context and pedagogy between Canada and China, class environment, their personal work experience, part-time job commitments, personal interest, and emotional state. It is critical for instructors to distinguish and observe why their students participate less, then adjust their teaching practice in different situations to improve the participation level.