THE EFFECT OF EDUCATIONAL COMPUTER GAMES ON THE VOCABULARY LEARNING PERFORMANCE OF TURKISH MIDDLE SCHOOL EFL STUDENTS

<p>This study aims to establish the effects of educational computer games on the vocabulary learning of EFL students. In the research, the real experimental model with a pre-test/post-test control group was used. The application of the study was carried out with 5th grade EFL students in two middle schools. The study group consisted of 166 students in the experimental group and 171 students in the control group. Five different games have been developed for use in research, including selection-matching-space-filling games, memory games, word capture games, crossword games, and millionaire games. Games were prepared by using Adobe Captivate 9.0 program. The students in the experimental group learned through educational computer games. The students in the control group learned according to the current program. Data were collected by applying the academic achievement test before and after one month of the experiment. To analyze the data were used quantitative data methods; T-Test for independent samples, t-Test for dependent samples, Mann-Whitney U test, and Wilcoxon signed-rank test. The results of the study indicate that the students who learned vocabulary with educational computer games were more successful than the students who learned according to the current program. The learning in the experimental group is more retention than in the control group.</p><p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0963/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

FACTORS AFFECTING MOTIVATION OF ENGLISH-MAJORED STUDENTS TOWARDS LEARNING ENGLISH AT A UNIVERSITY IN THE MEKONG DELTA, VIETNAM

It could be broadly accepted that motivation plays its fundamental role as one of the most important elements in foreign language learning. The present research investigated factors affecting motivation in learning English of freshmen at Tay Do University. The participants were 84 freshmen studying in Faculty of Linguistics and Literature. In the study process, these participants were given questionnaires which consisted of several statements related to the mentioned factors and the interview to get information. The collected data from the two instruments mentioned above were all analyzed afterward. The current study showed that there were elements that motivate freshmen towards English learning. Parental, environmental, teacher’s and intrinsic (personal) factors were examined. It is hoped that this research can be helpful for not only students but also teachers in learning and teaching English. <p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0894/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

THE INFLUENCE OF TEACHER AND STUDENT CHARACTERISTICS ON STUDENT PERCEPTIONS OF TURKISH EFL TEACHERS’ INTERPERSONAL BEHAVIOR

Research shows that different student and teacher characteristics affect students’ perceptions of teachers’ interpersonal behavior to varying degrees. Studies on interpersonal teacher behavior mostly refer to such student and teacher characteristics as gender, work experience, age, socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds, as well as school affiliations and academic achievements. This study investigates several teacher and student characteristics in terms of their influence on students’ perceptions of interpersonal behavior of Turkish teachers of English as a foreign language. The variables investigated are teacher experience, teacher gender, teacher age, student gender and birthplace, and student educational background and academic achievement. In addition to insights drawn from the mean scores of student perceptions, the study found significant correlations for such characteristics as teacher experience and student gender. <p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0857/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

TESTING IN A COMPETENCY-BASED LANGUAGE TEACHING CONTEXT / TESTER DANS UNE BASE DE COMPÉTENCES CONTEXTE D'ENSEIGNEMENT DES LANGUES

Tests are part and parcel of the teaching and learning process. The objectives of the research are to explore the design of tests within the framework of the competency-based approach under implementation in the Beninese secondary education system and to describe the challenges teachers face in the process of designing competency-based tests. A focus group was organized with six EFL teachers from two secondary schools in the South of Benin in order to collect relevant data for the study. The findings show that the respondents test their learners to gauge their level of understanding of lessons and to find out if they are teaching well. In addition, the respondents indicated that all the tests they administer are criterion-referenced. Some of the criteria mentioned include recognizing details in a text, showing mastery of grammar, vocabulary and functions, rephrasing sentences, and expressing opinions. The respondents equally indicated that it is difficult for them to find adequate texts for their tests, to design appropriate contexts, and to frame the directions of the tasks. It is therefore recommended to continuously train teachers in the field of testing. Les évaluations font partie intégrante du processus d’enseignement-apprentissage. Cette étude vise à explorer comment les professeurs d’anglais conçoivent les évaluations dans le cadre de l’approche par compétences mise en œuvre dans l’enseignement secondaire au Bénin et de décrire les difficultés auxquelles les professeurs d’anglais sont confrontés dans le processus de conception des évaluations basées sur les compétences. Un entretien de groupe a été organisé avec six professeurs d’anglais de deux établissements d’enseignement secondaire au Sud du Bénin. Les résultats montrent que les participants évaluent leurs apprenants pour jauger le niveau de compréhension des cours par ces derniers et voir s’ils enseignent bien eux-mêmes. De plus, les participants ont indiqué que toutes les évaluations administrées sont critériées dans la mesure où elles sont fondées sur des critères comme la reconnaissance de détails dans un texte, la démonstration de la maîtrise de la grammaire, du vocabulaire et des fonctions, la reformulation des phrases et l’expression d’opinions. Les participants ont également signalé qu’ils éprouvent des difficultés à trouver des textes adéquats pour les évaluations, à concevoir des contextes appropriés et à formuler les consignes des tâches. Il est alors recommandé d’assurer la formation continue des professeurs sur l’évaluation. <p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0825/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

AN INVESTIGATION INTO DIFFICULTIES IN ENGLISH LISTENING OF FRESHMEN MAJORING IN ENGLISH AT A UNIVERSITY IN THE MEKONG DELTA, VIETNAM

English is a very popular language in the world. However, learning a foreign language is not an easy process for learners, especially the English listening process. In fact, most learners believe that it is hard for them to master this skill. Therefore, the research “An Investigation into Difficulties in English Listening of Freshmen Majoring in English at a University in the Mekong Delta” was conducted with the purpose of helping these students to recognize clearly their own problems in English listening. Statistical data were collected from eighty-five English-majored freshmen. The main instrument of the study was a questionnaire. The findings of the research would point out the students’ difficulties in linguistics, including vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, intonation and accent; background knowledge; and difficulties from their own minds. One more notable purpose of this research is that thanks to the results, students can now solve their own problems, so that they can study better. <p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0749/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

EFFECTS OF TASK BASED SPEAKING ACTIVITIES ON EFL LEARNERS’ ORAL PERFORMANCE

Task-based speaking activities have attracted considerable attention of many researchers in teaching and learning speaking skills. The current study is aimed at investigating the effects of Task-based speaking activities on non-English major students’ and examining their attitude towards the implication of speaking activities based on tasks. The study was conducted at a university in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam in the second semester of the school year 2020-2021. Fifty-eight non-English major students who are all studying the second course of the General English subject at the university were recruited as participants of the study. A pre-test and post-test were used to measure the participants’ oral performance and a questionnaire was employed to examine the experimental group’s attitude towards the use of task-based speaking activities. The findings indicate that EFL students in the experimental group gained more development in oral performance than their peers in the control group which was instructed in the traditional method. Furthermore, EFL students not only express their completed agreement on the benefits which they receive from speaking lessons practiced with task-based speaking activities. <p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0896/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

CYCLE OF WRITING PROPHECY: EXPLORING BELIEFS AND FEAR IN ACADEMIC WRITING

The fear of writing stems from many reasons. Some fear the process, some fear the product, while others fear the reaction given towards their writing product. Past researchers have done many studies that investigate many angles of writing. When it comes to writing, the self-imposed belief (positive or negative) is dependent on other imposed expectations (positive or negative). This in turn affects the end result of the writing assignment. This study is done to investigate the cycle of writing prophecy and explore how this cycle is influenced by the writers’ beliefs and fear. 108 participants were purposely chosen from a few groups of students who registered for an academic writing course, they were asked to respond to the instrument. The instrument used is a survey (table 1). The survey has 5 sections. Section A is about demographic profile. Section B has 9 items on Beliefs. Section C has 15 items on Writing apprehension. Section B has 7 items on Behaviour, and section E has 25 items on result. Findings bear interesting pedagogical implications towards the teaching and learning of writing. <p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0852/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

PROBLEMS IN VIETNAMESE-ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF RELATIVE CLAUSES FOR ENGLISH-MAJORED JUNIORS AT TAY DO UNIVERSITY, VIETNAM

Realistically, Vietnamese-English translation is not easy for Vietnamese students to master, and relative clauses are not typical in Vietnamese. Therefore, learners cannot avoid mistakes in their translation practice. Concerned researchers carried out a study to identify common Vietnamese-English translation errors in terms of English relative clauses. The participants were 60 juniors from the Bachelor of English course at Tay Do University. Test papers and interviews were employed as the instruments. The collected data from the two instruments mentioned above were all analyzed carefully afterward. The results of the study showed that the students suffered from a variety of grammar and vocabulary problems hindering them from translating Vietnamese into English correctly. <p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0887/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

STYLISTIC ANALYSIS OF TE DEUM LAUDAMUS

The aim of this essay is to do a stylistic analysis on Te Deum Laudamus. Stylistic techniques and methods are employed for this task under the aspects of syntactic semantic, phonological and graphological patterns. Effects of linguistic foregrounding are also highlighted in the paper. The analysis revealed that the poet made use of stylistic and linguistic tools not only to deepen his message but also to make it effective and aesthetic. <p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0865/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

A STUDY ON ERRORS IN PRONOUNCING DENTAL SOUNDS OF ENGLISH-MAJORED SOPHOMORES AT TAY DO UNIVERSITY, VIETNAM

It is not deniable that pronunciation is considered one of the most crucial parts of learning English helping learners enhance their communication in both speaking and listening comprehension. To reach a level of a clear and precise pronunciation has never been an effortless task; however, it is a far more problematic one for English majored students regardless of their learning years. For this reason, the study entitled “Common Errors in Pronouncing Dental Sounds of English-Majored Sophomores at Tay Do University” was implemented with the aim at investigating the errors that English-majored students encountered in pronouncing dental sounds. 80 English-majored sophomores from course 14 at Tay Do University were selected to participate in the study. Questionnaires and recording tests were delivered to the participants for collecting data and getting more information. The collected data from the two instruments mentioned above was all analyzed afterward. The findings of the research revealed that sophomores of English major often mispronounced the dental sounds, including omission and substitution. The results of this study may also be useful for those who are interested in this field. <p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0854/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>