Pub Date : 2012-09-11DOI: 10.5746/LEIA/12/V3/I1/A07/LOAN
N. Loan
TOEFL iBT and IELTS preparation courses have become increasingly popular in Vietnam over the past few years due to the increasing demand for overseas study. However, little research has been conducted into how to teach these courses effectively and interestingly. This paper describes action research that aims to discover activities that motivate students in TOEFL iBT and IELTS writing classes at a private foreign language center in Vietnam. The paper shares findings from a qualitative study involving the researcher’s observations, questionnaires for writing teachers and students, and course evaluations carried out by the center. Class diaries, teacher expertise, and activities organized in a communicative way tended to motivate these students. The findings suggest a new model for effectively teaching English in a culturally-based context of learning that exists in Vietnam (Ellis, 1994; Le Ha, 2004; Lewis & McCook, 2002) and in other Asian countries with similar cultural values. Recently, Vietnamese learners have had a tendency to earn degrees from foreign countries. This has led to a demand for English courses for learners to prepare for studying abroad, which the public school curriculum cannot meet. To meet learners’ objectives, many private English language centers provide academic English courses focusing on test preparation (e.g., TOEFL iBT and IELTS). To attract more students and encourage teachers to provide interesting lessons for students, classrooms in English as a foreign language (EFL) centers have been equipped with networked computers, speakers, and projectors. Some centers have even prepared e-materials (original academic English textbooks are scanned and audio files are added) for teachers to use to improve effectiveness and encourage teachers to be innovative. Some teachers now employ the communicative language teaching approach (CLT) or design and modify textbook material with software to move away from traditional ways of teaching students with just a textbook. Despite these improvements, in a survey by the researcher (see Appendix A) of teachers of writing, three-quarters of these teachers reported that the general atmosphere in their writing courses was “quiet” (see Appendix B). (Vietnamese teachers teach writing and reading skills 1 Language Education in Asia, 2012, 3(1), 71-84. http://dx.doi.org/10.5746/LEiA/12/V3/I1/A07/Loan
{"title":"Motivating Activities in Test Preparation Writing Classes: A Case Study in Vietnam","authors":"N. Loan","doi":"10.5746/LEIA/12/V3/I1/A07/LOAN","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5746/LEIA/12/V3/I1/A07/LOAN","url":null,"abstract":"TOEFL iBT and IELTS preparation courses have become increasingly popular in Vietnam over the past few years due to the increasing demand for overseas study. However, little research has been conducted into how to teach these courses effectively and interestingly. This paper describes action research that aims to discover activities that motivate students in TOEFL iBT and IELTS writing classes at a private foreign language center in Vietnam. The paper shares findings from a qualitative study involving the researcher’s observations, questionnaires for writing teachers and students, and course evaluations carried out by the center. Class diaries, teacher expertise, and activities organized in a communicative way tended to motivate these students. The findings suggest a new model for effectively teaching English in a culturally-based context of learning that exists in Vietnam (Ellis, 1994; Le Ha, 2004; Lewis & McCook, 2002) and in other Asian countries with similar cultural values. Recently, Vietnamese learners have had a tendency to earn degrees from foreign countries. This has led to a demand for English courses for learners to prepare for studying abroad, which the public school curriculum cannot meet. To meet learners’ objectives, many private English language centers provide academic English courses focusing on test preparation (e.g., TOEFL iBT and IELTS). To attract more students and encourage teachers to provide interesting lessons for students, classrooms in English as a foreign language (EFL) centers have been equipped with networked computers, speakers, and projectors. Some centers have even prepared e-materials (original academic English textbooks are scanned and audio files are added) for teachers to use to improve effectiveness and encourage teachers to be innovative. Some teachers now employ the communicative language teaching approach (CLT) or design and modify textbook material with software to move away from traditional ways of teaching students with just a textbook. Despite these improvements, in a survey by the researcher (see Appendix A) of teachers of writing, three-quarters of these teachers reported that the general atmosphere in their writing courses was “quiet” (see Appendix B). (Vietnamese teachers teach writing and reading skills 1 Language Education in Asia, 2012, 3(1), 71-84. http://dx.doi.org/10.5746/LEiA/12/V3/I1/A07/Loan","PeriodicalId":263152,"journal":{"name":"Language Education in Asia","volume":"32 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2012-09-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124656483","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2012-09-11DOI: 10.5746/LEIA/12/V3/I1/A01/STROUPE
Richmond Stroupe
{"title":"Reflective Teaching Practice: The Instructor as Researcher","authors":"Richmond Stroupe","doi":"10.5746/LEIA/12/V3/I1/A01/STROUPE","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5746/LEIA/12/V3/I1/A01/STROUPE","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":263152,"journal":{"name":"Language Education in Asia","volume":"47 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2012-09-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124891971","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2012-09-11DOI: 10.5746/LEIA/12/V3/I1/A08/BANKIER
Jean-Gabriel Bankier
A number of studies have shown that feedback on writing has a positive effect on improvements in drafts. Studies have focused on indirect and direct forms of feedback, as well as comparing different treatments of indirect feedback. In particular, studies have compared correction keys (in-text feedback) with highlighting or underlining errors. This paper describes an alternative system, post-text feedback, in which comments are made on language errors at the end of the text rather than through a correction key. The rationale for this system is described with reference to relevant research. To evaluate its potential effectiveness, two small groups of learners were given feedback based on two systems: in-text and post-text feedback. Written drafts from the participants were then compared to determine if post-text feedback led to an equal amount of correct revisions. ! ! Types of Feedback in L2 Writing Studies have researched feedback in terms of direct and indirect. In direct feedback, the teacher provides the form necessary to correct an error. In indirect feedback, the error is marked, but the correct form is not provided. Several types of indirect feedback are described below. In-Text Coded Feedback. One example of indirect feedback is the usage of a correction key (see Appendix A) to mark errors within the text of the learner’s writing. This type of feedback is usually referred to as coded feedback. A key consists of symbols or abbreviations corresponding to common errors. Table 1 shows an example of teacher feedback and the desired learner correction. Table 1 Correction Key Examples in Practice Teacher Feedback Learner Revision wf I was very happiness. I was very happy. I asked!brother. I asked my brother. Note. See Appendix A for the correction key. 1 Language Education in Asia, 2012, 3(1), 85-95. http://dx.doi.org/10.5746/LEiA/12/V3/I1/A08/Bankier
{"title":"Post-Text and In-Text Corrective Feedback","authors":"Jean-Gabriel Bankier","doi":"10.5746/LEIA/12/V3/I1/A08/BANKIER","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5746/LEIA/12/V3/I1/A08/BANKIER","url":null,"abstract":"A number of studies have shown that feedback on writing has a positive effect on improvements in drafts. Studies have focused on indirect and direct forms of feedback, as well as comparing different treatments of indirect feedback. In particular, studies have compared correction keys (in-text feedback) with highlighting or underlining errors. This paper describes an alternative system, post-text feedback, in which comments are made on language errors at the end of the text rather than through a correction key. The rationale for this system is described with reference to relevant research. To evaluate its potential effectiveness, two small groups of learners were given feedback based on two systems: in-text and post-text feedback. Written drafts from the participants were then compared to determine if post-text feedback led to an equal amount of correct revisions. ! ! Types of Feedback in L2 Writing Studies have researched feedback in terms of direct and indirect. In direct feedback, the teacher provides the form necessary to correct an error. In indirect feedback, the error is marked, but the correct form is not provided. Several types of indirect feedback are described below. In-Text Coded Feedback. One example of indirect feedback is the usage of a correction key (see Appendix A) to mark errors within the text of the learner’s writing. This type of feedback is usually referred to as coded feedback. A key consists of symbols or abbreviations corresponding to common errors. Table 1 shows an example of teacher feedback and the desired learner correction. Table 1 Correction Key Examples in Practice Teacher Feedback Learner Revision wf I was very happiness. I was very happy. I asked!brother. I asked my brother. Note. See Appendix A for the correction key. 1 Language Education in Asia, 2012, 3(1), 85-95. http://dx.doi.org/10.5746/LEiA/12/V3/I1/A08/Bankier","PeriodicalId":263152,"journal":{"name":"Language Education in Asia","volume":"84 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2012-09-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"126110639","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2012-09-11DOI: 10.5746/LEIA/12/V3/I1/A02/TIMOR
Tsafi Timor
This article addresses the controversy around teacher use of the mother tongue (MT) in foreign language (FL) teaching. Empirical and theoretical knowledge advocates that the MT should be incorporated by teachers in FL classrooms. The present study was conducted among 112 English language teachers in Hebrew-speaking elementary and secondary schools in Israel. The research tool was a questionnaire designed specifically for the purpose of the study. Findings demonstrate that teachers’ overall attitude towards MT use in FL classrooms is positive; they report using the MT for teaching purposes and a small number use the MT for classroom management purposes. Elementary and secondary school teachers differ in their use of the MT. Findings may be useful to language education policy-makers in designing more formal and concrete guidelines to help FL teachers use students’ MT judiciously. The article offers a model for an efficient use of the MT in FL classrooms. The question whether the students’ mother tongue (MT) should be used in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms in Israel has been re-opened to controversy recently, after many years in which the MT was discouraged on pedagogical grounds in the teaching of foreign languages (FL). This situation exists in many other countries where English as a foreign language (EFL) is taught, given the processes of globalization worldwide, e.g., German as the MT in EFL lessons in German schools or Thai as the MT in EFL classrooms in Thailand. In the state of Israel, it was difficult in the past for teachers to incorporate Hebrew as the MT into EFL classrooms for two reasons: (a) Israel was founded by Jews who immigrated to Israel from all parts of the world; thus, many English teachers were newcomers and did not speak Hebrew themselves, and (b) classes were characterized by a multiplicity of MTs. However, later, when Hebrew became a commonly spoken language for more teachers and students alike, teachers often avoided using it in teaching because it was considered pedagogically inappropriate. In Israel, EFL lessons start in Grade 2 or 3 of elementary school. Although most secondary school graduates speak English at different levels and may be exposed to English on the Internet and television, English is rarely heard or spoken on the streets. This article addresses the controversy that revolves around the pedagogical appropriateness of teacher usage of students’ MT in FL teaching. It presents findings from a study conducted !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Language Education in Asia, 2012, 3(1), 7-17. http://dx.doi.org/10.5746/LEiA/12/V3/I1/A02/Timor!
{"title":"Use of the Mother Tongue in Teaching a Foreign Language","authors":"Tsafi Timor","doi":"10.5746/LEIA/12/V3/I1/A02/TIMOR","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5746/LEIA/12/V3/I1/A02/TIMOR","url":null,"abstract":"This article addresses the controversy around teacher use of the mother tongue (MT) in foreign language (FL) teaching. Empirical and theoretical knowledge advocates that the MT should be incorporated by teachers in FL classrooms. The present study was conducted among 112 English language teachers in Hebrew-speaking elementary and secondary schools in Israel. The research tool was a questionnaire designed specifically for the purpose of the study. Findings demonstrate that teachers’ overall attitude towards MT use in FL classrooms is positive; they report using the MT for teaching purposes and a small number use the MT for classroom management purposes. Elementary and secondary school teachers differ in their use of the MT. Findings may be useful to language education policy-makers in designing more formal and concrete guidelines to help FL teachers use students’ MT judiciously. The article offers a model for an efficient use of the MT in FL classrooms. The question whether the students’ mother tongue (MT) should be used in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms in Israel has been re-opened to controversy recently, after many years in which the MT was discouraged on pedagogical grounds in the teaching of foreign languages (FL). This situation exists in many other countries where English as a foreign language (EFL) is taught, given the processes of globalization worldwide, e.g., German as the MT in EFL lessons in German schools or Thai as the MT in EFL classrooms in Thailand. In the state of Israel, it was difficult in the past for teachers to incorporate Hebrew as the MT into EFL classrooms for two reasons: (a) Israel was founded by Jews who immigrated to Israel from all parts of the world; thus, many English teachers were newcomers and did not speak Hebrew themselves, and (b) classes were characterized by a multiplicity of MTs. However, later, when Hebrew became a commonly spoken language for more teachers and students alike, teachers often avoided using it in teaching because it was considered pedagogically inappropriate. In Israel, EFL lessons start in Grade 2 or 3 of elementary school. Although most secondary school graduates speak English at different levels and may be exposed to English on the Internet and television, English is rarely heard or spoken on the streets. This article addresses the controversy that revolves around the pedagogical appropriateness of teacher usage of students’ MT in FL teaching. It presents findings from a study conducted !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Language Education in Asia, 2012, 3(1), 7-17. http://dx.doi.org/10.5746/LEiA/12/V3/I1/A02/Timor!","PeriodicalId":263152,"journal":{"name":"Language Education in Asia","volume":"20 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2012-09-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"123711091","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2012-09-11DOI: 10.5746/LEIA/12/V3/I1/A10/THANH_HUAN
Le Ngoc Thanh, N. B. Huân
This article explores the impact of task-based language learning on motivating non-English majors to acquire vocabulary at a community college in Vietnam. An experimental study was used to investigate the effectiveness of the use of text-based tasks to enhance students’ vocabulary. The quantitative analysis used data from a questionnaire and vocabulary tests to examine students’ motivation in vocabulary learning over twelve weeks. The qualitative analysis from follow-up interviews with students examined their attitudes towards the use of text-based tasks in terms of task-based language learning. The findings indicated that the participants were motivated to learn vocabulary and their vocabulary achievement improved after the experiment. Suggestions for language teachers to make better use of this approach are also discussed.
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Pub Date : 2012-09-11DOI: 10.5746/LEIA/12/V3/I1/A09/DIEM
Hoang Thi Ngoc Diem
Project-based learning (PBL) recently has been favored by teachers using various adaptations throughout the world. The purpose of this article is to share the experience of developing language skills via a project called “Faculty Voice.” In this project, second-year students of English, worked in groups as news editors to produce news; the traditional classroom environment no longer existed. The teachers gave feedback and help when students faced problems with language and technology. All activities related to the learning process were required to cover all four macroskills. Proper criteria and rubrics were also set up for assessment. At the end of the term, changes were found not only language competence and attitude, but also in some important soft skills. The Need to Change Through the fast development of technology, the mass media has seen great progress in their effort to satisfy a large number of customers. From a linguistic and pedagogical view, the mass media have made a great contribution to both learning materials and learning methods. In addition to using news texts adjusted for student reading materials and listening extracts, the process of students “making news” by writing, producing, and presenting their own news broadcasts has been used as a technique for them to practice and acquire a foreign language. In the movement toward innovation in language teaching at the Foreign Languages Faculty at Thainguyen University in Vietnam, making news was undertaken as a project-based learning (PBL) technique for second-year English majors with the main aim of enhancing English competence among students and experimenting with a new way of learning and teaching. Formerly, teachers were encouraged to design their lessons in such a way that there needed to be a more communicative context for learners themselves to produce the language item after it was presented and control-practiced. This P-P-P (Present, Practice, and Produce) approach was seen as the core of communicative methodology and proved to be more effective than previous approaches. However, teaching and learning is always demanding work, and the P-P-P approach sometimes seemed inadequate. More tasks and activities needed to be integrated into the approach to create more student interaction and meaningful communication. In this age of internationalization, learners are in a more accessible world of learning, not limited to a forty-five-minute class with teachers as the only source of knowledge. The question for teachers is how to create an authentic task for students to learn and how to 1Language Education in Asia, 2012, 3(1), 96-105. http://dx.doi.org/10.5746/LEiA/12/V3/I1/A09/Diem Language Education in Asia, Volume 3, Issue 1, 2012 Diem Page 97 integrate students’ exposure to the language into the syllabus. Among sources of access to language after school, news programs or channels in the target language appear to be common. The application of PBL is not new at the faculty (Diem, 2009)
基于项目的学习(PBL)近年来受到世界各地教师的青睐。这篇文章的目的是分享通过一个叫做“教师之声”的项目来发展语言技能的经验。在这个项目中，英语专业二年级的学生以新闻编辑的身份分组制作新闻;传统的课堂环境不复存在。当学生遇到语言和技术方面的问题时，老师们会给予反馈和帮助。与学习过程有关的所有活动都必须涵盖所有四种宏观技能。还为评估制定了适当的标准和准则。学期结束时，不仅语言能力和态度发生了变化，一些重要的软技能也发生了变化。随着科技的快速发展，大众传媒在努力满足大量客户方面取得了巨大进步。从语言学和教育学的角度来看，大众传媒对学习材料和学习方法都做出了巨大的贡献。除了使用为学生阅读材料调整的新闻文本和听力节选外，学生通过编写、制作和展示自己的新闻广播节目“制造新闻”的过程也被用作他们练习和习得外语的一种技巧。在越南泰庆大学外国语学院的语言教学创新运动中，新闻制作作为一种基于项目的学习(PBL)技术在英语二年级学生中进行，主要目的是提高学生的英语能力，并尝试一种新的学习和教学方式。以前，教师们被鼓励以这样一种方式来设计他们的课程，即需要有一个更具交流性的环境，让学习者自己在语言项目呈现和控制练习后产生语言项目。这种P-P-P (Present, Practice, and Produce)方法被视为交际方法论的核心，并被证明比以前的方法更有效。然而，教与学总是要求很高的工作，P-P-P方法有时似乎不够。需要将更多的任务和活动整合到方法中，以创造更多的学生互动和有意义的交流。在这个国际化的时代，学习者处于一个更容易接近的学习世界，而不是局限于45分钟的课堂，老师是唯一的知识来源。教师面临的问题是如何为学生创造一个真实的学习任务，以及如何做到这一点[j] .亚洲语言教育，2012,3(1):96-105。http://dx.doi.org/10.5746/LEiA/12/V3/I1/A09/Diem亚洲语言教育，第3卷，第1期，2012年Diem第97页，将学生接触语言纳入教学大纲。在课后学习语言的来源中，目的语的新闻节目或频道似乎很常见。PBL的应用在教师中并不新鲜(Diem, 2009)，但在大学之前还没有将新闻制作作为一种语言任务。Esch(1998)认为，PBL始于对最终结果的设想。学生必须调查主题，计划如何达到预期的结果，并管理可能出现的问题，就像他们在现实世界的设置一样。在进行项目时，学生获得了一套特定的内容知识和技能。Thomas(2000)引用了Bereiter和Scardamalia(1999)的话，声称作为一个PBL项目，“项目的中心活动必须涉及知识的转化和构建……”并补充说“如果中心活动……对学生来说没有困难，或者可以应用已经学过的信息或技能来进行，这个项目是一个练习，而不是一个PBL项目”(第4页)。PBL的优势PBL因其在有效性和适应性方面的独特特点而越来越受到青睐。第一个突出的优点是它侧重于内容学习，而不是特定的语言目标。PBL的另一个直接好处在于它以学习者为中心。这个学生方向鼓励学生在整个项目过程中的自主性和创造性。更重要的是，“PBL项目不会以预定的结果或预定的路径结束”(Thomas, 2000, p. 4)。当学生能够追求自己的兴趣并投入到自己的学习中时，他们会发现在传统学习环境中受到限制的隐藏能力，并利用这一领域的优势达到更高的水平。因此，学生的自主性和学习责任得到了发展。真正的技能整合也被广泛视为使用PBL的一个原因。在现实生活中学习，学习者不仅有真实的语言输入来发展他们的语言能力，而且还有机会使用其他技能，如IT、团队合作、批判性思维和专业知识。
{"title":"Making News: A Successful Example of Project-Based Learning","authors":"Hoang Thi Ngoc Diem","doi":"10.5746/LEIA/12/V3/I1/A09/DIEM","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5746/LEIA/12/V3/I1/A09/DIEM","url":null,"abstract":"Project-based learning (PBL) recently has been favored by teachers using various adaptations throughout the world. The purpose of this article is to share the experience of developing language skills via a project called “Faculty Voice.” In this project, second-year students of English, worked in groups as news editors to produce news; the traditional classroom environment no longer existed. The teachers gave feedback and help when students faced problems with language and technology. All activities related to the learning process were required to cover all four macroskills. Proper criteria and rubrics were also set up for assessment. At the end of the term, changes were found not only language competence and attitude, but also in some important soft skills. The Need to Change Through the fast development of technology, the mass media has seen great progress in their effort to satisfy a large number of customers. From a linguistic and pedagogical view, the mass media have made a great contribution to both learning materials and learning methods. In addition to using news texts adjusted for student reading materials and listening extracts, the process of students “making news” by writing, producing, and presenting their own news broadcasts has been used as a technique for them to practice and acquire a foreign language. In the movement toward innovation in language teaching at the Foreign Languages Faculty at Thainguyen University in Vietnam, making news was undertaken as a project-based learning (PBL) technique for second-year English majors with the main aim of enhancing English competence among students and experimenting with a new way of learning and teaching. Formerly, teachers were encouraged to design their lessons in such a way that there needed to be a more communicative context for learners themselves to produce the language item after it was presented and control-practiced. This P-P-P (Present, Practice, and Produce) approach was seen as the core of communicative methodology and proved to be more effective than previous approaches. However, teaching and learning is always demanding work, and the P-P-P approach sometimes seemed inadequate. More tasks and activities needed to be integrated into the approach to create more student interaction and meaningful communication. In this age of internationalization, learners are in a more accessible world of learning, not limited to a forty-five-minute class with teachers as the only source of knowledge. The question for teachers is how to create an authentic task for students to learn and how to 1Language Education in Asia, 2012, 3(1), 96-105. http://dx.doi.org/10.5746/LEiA/12/V3/I1/A09/Diem Language Education in Asia, Volume 3, Issue 1, 2012 Diem Page 97 integrate students’ exposure to the language into the syllabus. Among sources of access to language after school, news programs or channels in the target language appear to be common. The application of PBL is not new at the faculty (Diem, 2009)","PeriodicalId":263152,"journal":{"name":"Language Education in Asia","volume":"18 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2012-09-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124468600","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2012-09-11DOI: 10.5746/LEIA/12/V3/I1/A06/OGHIGIAN_CHUJO
Kathryn Oghigian, K. Chujo
In this study, mixed proficiency level classes of science and engineering university students performed both paper-based and computer-based text analysis using corpora to improve specific language forms such as noun, verb, and prepositional phrases, statements of intent, and results reporting in the production of a 2000-word academic research paper. Preand post-language samples for noun phrases and student feedback were analyzed to determine the effectiveness of this approach. Results were grouped into advanced and intermediate level students. Despite 5% and 8% overall gains respectively, more individual gains were seen with the advanced level students. All student responses to questionnaires regarding the usefulness of corpora and the various corpus tasks were positive. While advanced level students seemed to benefit the most from the corpus tasks, 90% of students reported they would use corpus analysis in the future, and 83% felt their writing had improved; thus, intermediate level students also benefited. Corpus-Based Exercises in the L2 Classroom Corpus-based text analysis has been shown to benefit L2 students in many ways. The learner controls the learning process (Braun, 2005; Huang, 2008), inductive thinking is encouraged (Johns, 1991), and there is a virtually limitless supply of data (Conrad, 2000). Since corpusbased text analysis is text-oriented and uses lexical patterns, it naturally lends itself to reading and writing (Flowerdew, 2002). Because grammar and vocabulary are interrelated (Sinclair, 1991), it is possible to clearly see common patterns and frequency of language use (Biber & Conrad, 2001). Yoon and Hirvela (2004) report that corpus analysis is increasing for English for Specific Purposes (ESP) courses in particular, since authentic texts provide specialized word patterns. Learners are able to see technical words in context, commonly occurring phrases and language chunks, and, as Yoon and Hirvela (2004, citing Odlin, 2001) noted, “where to put words into sentences.” In addition, various studies using corpus analysis in the L2 classroom report on particular language objectives. A sampling includes academic English vocabulary (Thurston & Candlin, 1 Language Education in Asia, 2012, 3(1), 60-70. http://dx.doi.org/10.5746/LEiA/12/V3/I1/A06/Oghigian_Chujo Language Education in Asia, Volume 3, Issue 1, 2012 Oghigian and Chujo Page 61 1998), the overuse of logical connectors (Milton & Tsang, 1993), basic grammatical structures such as noun and verb phrases (Chujo & Oghigian, 2008) and ESL university-level writing (Yoon & Hirvela, 2004). With the exception of Chujo and Oghigian, these studies have been conducted with intermediate or advanced level learners. In fact, there are very few studies at the beginner level (Boulton, 2008) or studies that incorporate data driven learning (DDL) in a class comprised of a range of levels. (For an excellent literature review focused on writing and student attitudes toward corpus use, see Yoon & H
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Pub Date : 2011-12-30DOI: 10.5746/LEIA/11/V2/I2/A03/LIEN
Hsin-Yi Lien
The study investigated EFL learners’ reading strategies use in relation to reading anxiety and gender after their participation in extensive reading as a supplemental course requirement. One hundred and eight EFL college freshmen completed a questionnaire, a survey of Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Scale (FLRAS), and a modified Survey of Reading Strategies (SORS) after eighteen weeks of participation in extensive reading. The results indicate a negative correlation between reading anxiety and reading strategies. It was also found that EFL learners with low anxiety levels tended to use general reading strategies such as guessing, while EFL learners with high anxiety levels employed basic support mechanisms, such as translation, to help themselves understand texts. Some reading strategies were more used by high-anxiety level readers than low-anxiety level readers. Additionally, females tended to be slightly more anxious than males in reading. Language anxiety, a complex psychological construct, is regarded as an affective variable in the language learning process. Research on language anxiety has examined the possible relationship between anxiety and performance, and its interference in language competence (Horwitz, Horwitz, & Cope, 1986; MacIntyre & Gardner, 1989; Sellers, 2000). The majority of studies have centered on the influence of language anxiety on listening or speaking in language classroom (Horwitz et al., 1986; Phillips, 1992; Price, 1991; Young, 1991). However, anxiety also can be a crucial filter for foreign language (FL) learners as they attempt to comprehend reading or listening passages. The literature on foreign language reading suggests that affective variables such as anxiety could be contributing factors in reading performance (Mohd. Zin & Rafik-Galea, 2010; Saito, Horwitz, & Garza, 1999; Sellers, 2000). In a preliminary study, Saito et al. (1999) indicated that foreign language reading anxiety is distinct from general foreign language anxiety and concluded that learners’ levels of reading anxiety were correlated with
本研究调查了英语学习者在参加泛读课后的阅读策略使用与阅读焦虑和性别的关系。118名大学新生在进行了为期18周的泛读后，完成了问卷调查、外语阅读焦虑量表(FLRAS)和修改后的阅读策略调查(sor)。结果表明，阅读焦虑与阅读策略呈负相关。研究还发现，低焦虑水平的英语学习者倾向于使用一般的阅读策略，如猜测，而高焦虑水平的英语学习者则使用基本的支持机制，如翻译来帮助自己理解文本。高焦虑水平的读者比低焦虑水平的读者使用更多的阅读策略。此外，女性在阅读时的焦虑程度略高于男性。语言焦虑是一种复杂的心理结构，是语言学习过程中的一个情感变量。对语言焦虑的研究考察了焦虑与表现之间的可能关系，以及焦虑对语言能力的干扰(Horwitz, Horwitz， & Cope, 1986;麦金太尔&加德纳，1989;卖家,2000)。大多数研究集中在语言焦虑对语言课堂听说的影响上(Horwitz et al.， 1986;菲利普斯,1992;价格,1991;年轻,1991)。然而，当外语学习者试图理解阅读或听力段落时，焦虑也可能是一个至关重要的过滤器。有关外语阅读的文献表明，焦虑等情感变量可能是影响阅读表现的因素(Mohd。Zin & Rafik-Galea, 2010;Saito, Horwitz， & Garza, 1999;卖家,2000)。Saito et al.(1999)在一项初步研究中指出外语阅读焦虑不同于一般的外语焦虑，并得出学习者的阅读焦虑水平与一般的外语焦虑相关的结论
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Pub Date : 2011-12-30DOI: 10.5746/LEIA/11/V2/I2/A00/STROUPE
Richmond Stroupe
Internationalization, globalization, and regionalization are increasingly promoting the importance and popularity of English language teaching and learning in Asia. While controversies and debates remain concerning level appropriacy, access, local contextual influences, teacher qualifications, status compared to local languages, and identity (Bray, 2000; Hallak, 2000; Kirkparick, 2010; Phillipson, 1992, 2001; Rahman, 2009), the influence of English is growing, and is predicted to continue to grow in the coming decades (Graddol, 1997, 2006; Nunan, 2003; Phillipson, 2001; Stroupe, 2010). Politically, a number of countries and regional blocs have made moves that have influenced the importance of English in the region, most notably the adoption by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) of English as the working language of the organization (Kirkpatrick, 2011) and the entry of China into the World Trade Organization (WTO) (Nunan, 2003). In addition, in 2004 and 2005, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) organization made a move to focus on developing the English (and Mandarin) language skills in the region through the Strategic Plan for English and Other Languages to further advance economic development (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, 2005).
{"title":"Supporting the Success of English Language Learners in the Asian Region","authors":"Richmond Stroupe","doi":"10.5746/LEIA/11/V2/I2/A00/STROUPE","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5746/LEIA/11/V2/I2/A00/STROUPE","url":null,"abstract":"Internationalization, globalization, and regionalization are increasingly promoting the importance and popularity of English language teaching and learning in Asia. While controversies and debates remain concerning level appropriacy, access, local contextual influences, teacher qualifications, status compared to local languages, and identity (Bray, 2000; Hallak, 2000; Kirkparick, 2010; Phillipson, 1992, 2001; Rahman, 2009), the influence of English is growing, and is predicted to continue to grow in the coming decades (Graddol, 1997, 2006; Nunan, 2003; Phillipson, 2001; Stroupe, 2010). Politically, a number of countries and regional blocs have made moves that have influenced the importance of English in the region, most notably the adoption by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) of English as the working language of the organization (Kirkpatrick, 2011) and the entry of China into the World Trade Organization (WTO) (Nunan, 2003). In addition, in 2004 and 2005, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) organization made a move to focus on developing the English (and Mandarin) language skills in the region through the Strategic Plan for English and Other Languages to further advance economic development (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, 2005).","PeriodicalId":263152,"journal":{"name":"Language Education in Asia","volume":"2 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2011-12-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114856341","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2011-12-30DOI: 10.5746/LEIA/11/V2/I2/A04/DOAN
L. Doan
{"title":"Guidance for Learners’ Improvement of Speaking Skills","authors":"L. Doan","doi":"10.5746/LEIA/11/V2/I2/A04/DOAN","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5746/LEIA/11/V2/I2/A04/DOAN","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":263152,"journal":{"name":"Language Education in Asia","volume":"51 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2011-12-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"123828345","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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