Pub Date : 2024-05-08DOI: 10.1515/cercles-2024-2002
Lan Anh Thuy Nguyen, Anita Habók
This study investigates the relationship between attitudinal and non-attitudinal variables that impact digital technology use by EFL students in Vietnam. An adapted questionnaire was administered to 1,005 students from different tertiary courses. The results showed that students have a positive attitude to the use of technology and sometimes apply digital tools in their language learning. Although there is a low correlation between learners’ technology attitude and their usage of applications, other variables like age, English proficiency levels, digital competence, and the major being pursued can predict the usage of technology among students.
{"title":"An investigation into the relationship between attitudinal and non-attitudinal variables and the utilization of digital technology: the EFL Vietnamese context","authors":"Lan Anh Thuy Nguyen, Anita Habók","doi":"10.1515/cercles-2024-2002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/cercles-2024-2002","url":null,"abstract":"This study investigates the relationship between attitudinal and non-attitudinal variables that impact digital technology use by EFL students in Vietnam. An adapted questionnaire was administered to 1,005 students from different tertiary courses. The results showed that students have a positive attitude to the use of technology and sometimes apply digital tools in their language learning. Although there is a low correlation between learners’ technology attitude and their usage of applications, other variables like age, English proficiency levels, digital competence, and the major being pursued can predict the usage of technology among students.","PeriodicalId":53966,"journal":{"name":"Language Learning in Higher Education","volume":"64 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2024-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140930135","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 : 2024-05-08DOI: 10.1515/cercles-2023-0033
Ruth Breeze, Hanne Roothooft, Marcel Meyer
Learning to take effective notes is particularly difficult for non-English-native university students enrolled on English Medium Instruction (EMI) courses. However, time and cost constraints mean that many universities provide no support in English for academic purposes or academic skills. One solution to this problem would be to work closely with subject lecturers to develop training that can be delivered within the framework of the EMI content courses themselves. We developed a pilot programme for training students to take effective notes in English and applied it within the context of a first-year content course in Economics and Business Administration at a Spanish university. The students improved on several measures from the pre-test to the post-test, and provided positive feedback. They particularly appreciated learning how to build outlines, simplify information, and use abbreviations and symbols. Questionnaire responses indicated that they had found the training useful and appreciated the possibilities for direct application of the new skills acquired in their other EMI courses. Further research on how to train students in academic language competences within the ecologically valid setting of the EMI classroom itself could include support with subject-focused academic writing and speaking skills.
{"title":"Teaching note-taking in EMI: an experimental study in Economics and Business Administration","authors":"Ruth Breeze, Hanne Roothooft, Marcel Meyer","doi":"10.1515/cercles-2023-0033","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/cercles-2023-0033","url":null,"abstract":"Learning to take effective notes is particularly difficult for non-English-native university students enrolled on English Medium Instruction (EMI) courses. However, time and cost constraints mean that many universities provide no support in English for academic purposes or academic skills. One solution to this problem would be to work closely with subject lecturers to develop training that can be delivered within the framework of the EMI content courses themselves. We developed a pilot programme for training students to take effective notes in English and applied it within the context of a first-year content course in Economics and Business Administration at a Spanish university. The students improved on several measures from the pre-test to the post-test, and provided positive feedback. They particularly appreciated learning how to build outlines, simplify information, and use abbreviations and symbols. Questionnaire responses indicated that they had found the training useful and appreciated the possibilities for direct application of the new skills acquired in their other EMI courses. Further research on how to train students in academic language competences within the ecologically valid setting of the EMI classroom itself could include support with subject-focused academic writing and speaking skills.","PeriodicalId":53966,"journal":{"name":"Language Learning in Higher Education","volume":"34 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2024-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140930163","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 : 2024-05-08DOI: 10.1515/cercles-2023-0052
Fei Morgan
Using Chinese language teaching in an engineering department as an example, this paper explores how language teaching can meet the challenges of globalisation and the advancement of technology by fulfilling its educational function as described in Byram’s model of intercultural communicative competence. By adapting theories and practices from counselling psychology, the proposed curriculum focuses on emotions to help learners uncover emotional barriers that arise when confronted with differences. It will support learners in raising awareness and developing their capacity to negotiate differences, leading to more effective cooperation with others. The paper discusses the use of experiential exercises in the classroom. They include those developed in Chinese language pedagogy, namely the performed culture approach and those developed in humanistic psychotherapy, such as body psychotherapy. The aim is to help learners notice their own feelings, attitudes, and behaviour as well as the otherness of the other in the classroom. This approach is powerful because it is in the here and now. It utilises movements and different senses as well as cognition. It helps uncover barriers to intercultural communication hidden under the surface by making the unconscious conscious. Reflection is a key part of this process. Learners are expected to reflect on their own thinking and feelings and to make sense of the dynamics in the classroom. Learners are expected to develop reflexivity, subjectivity and intersubjective awareness while acquiring linguistic competency and social cultural rules of use.
{"title":"Learning Chinese and making meaning – ways to develop intercultural citizenship in the foreign language classroom","authors":"Fei Morgan","doi":"10.1515/cercles-2023-0052","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/cercles-2023-0052","url":null,"abstract":"Using Chinese language teaching in an engineering department as an example, this paper explores how language teaching can meet the challenges of globalisation and the advancement of technology by fulfilling its educational function as described in Byram’s model of intercultural communicative competence. By adapting theories and practices from counselling psychology, the proposed curriculum focuses on emotions to help learners uncover emotional barriers that arise when confronted with differences. It will support learners in raising awareness and developing their capacity to negotiate differences, leading to more effective cooperation with others. The paper discusses the use of experiential exercises in the classroom. They include those developed in Chinese language pedagogy, namely the performed culture approach and those developed in humanistic psychotherapy, such as body psychotherapy. The aim is to help learners notice their own feelings, attitudes, and behaviour as well as the otherness of the other in the classroom. This approach is powerful because it is in the here and now. It utilises movements and different senses as well as cognition. It helps uncover barriers to intercultural communication hidden under the surface by making the unconscious conscious. Reflection is a key part of this process. Learners are expected to reflect on their own thinking and feelings and to make sense of the dynamics in the classroom. Learners are expected to develop reflexivity, subjectivity and intersubjective awareness while acquiring linguistic competency and social cultural rules of use.","PeriodicalId":53966,"journal":{"name":"Language Learning in Higher Education","volume":"76 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2024-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140930194","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 : 2024-05-08DOI: 10.1515/cercles-2023-0028
Kübra Taşkara, Emrah Ekmekçi
This study explores Turkish Higher Education EFL instructors’ perceptions and awareness of ‘gamification’, along with their practices of integrating it into the classroom. Through in-depth interviews with 6 instructors, the research reveals accurate conceptual understanding and alignment between instructors’ knowledge and actual gamification practices. The findings highlight positive attitudes tow1ards gamification, supporting its application across education levels and language skills, despite potential time and curriculum constraints. The study suggests valuable insights for curriculum developers and educators regarding the applicability and effectiveness of gamification in L2 teaching.
{"title":"Exploring EFL instructors’ perceptions, conceptual awareness, and actual practices about gamification: an exploratory case study in a Turkish state university","authors":"Kübra Taşkara, Emrah Ekmekçi","doi":"10.1515/cercles-2023-0028","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/cercles-2023-0028","url":null,"abstract":"This study explores Turkish Higher Education EFL instructors’ perceptions and awareness of ‘gamification’, along with their practices of integrating it into the classroom. Through in-depth interviews with 6 instructors, the research reveals accurate conceptual understanding and alignment between instructors’ knowledge and actual gamification practices. The findings highlight positive attitudes tow1ards gamification, supporting its application across education levels and language skills, despite potential time and curriculum constraints. The study suggests valuable insights for curriculum developers and educators regarding the applicability and effectiveness of gamification in L2 teaching.","PeriodicalId":53966,"journal":{"name":"Language Learning in Higher Education","volume":"41 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2024-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140930133","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 : 2024-05-08DOI: 10.1515/cercles-2023-0023
Francisco Zayas-Martínez, José Luis Estrada-Chichón, Natalia Segura-Caballero
Schooling practices founded upon the principles of Instructed Second Language Acquisition (ISLA) do not appear to have attained widespread adoption among teachers, consequently hindering the implementation of didactic measures that foster foreign language acquisition. These measures are closely entwined with the classroom climate, wherein the fundamental element often hinges upon the attitude of the teacher. For the most part, foreign language teachers are better equipped to embrace this attitude after having personally experienced it as learners themselves. To explore this matter further, the present study adopts a mixed-methods research design to gather insights from participants (n = 74) who attended the Didactics of Foreign Language in Primary Education – German course within the Bachelor Degree in Primary Education at the University of Cádiz (Spain) during the last nine editions; that is, from 2014/15 to 2022/23. The research findings reveal a near-unanimous consensus among all participants, regardless of nationality, teaching experience, or age, on the influential role of a classroom climate in shaping their teaching attitude. Based on the results, pre-service foreign language teachers must be allowed to acquaint themselves with effective didactic measures, together with a well-defined classroom climate wherein the significance of teaching attitude is accordingly recognized as one of the most influential factors in motivating learners.
{"title":"Training attitudes of primary school foreign language teachers","authors":"Francisco Zayas-Martínez, José Luis Estrada-Chichón, Natalia Segura-Caballero","doi":"10.1515/cercles-2023-0023","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/cercles-2023-0023","url":null,"abstract":"Schooling practices founded upon the principles of Instructed Second Language Acquisition (ISLA) do not appear to have attained widespread adoption among teachers, consequently hindering the implementation of didactic measures that foster foreign language acquisition. These measures are closely entwined with the classroom climate, wherein the fundamental element often hinges upon the attitude of the teacher. For the most part, foreign language teachers are better equipped to embrace this attitude after having personally experienced it as learners themselves. To explore this matter further, the present study adopts a mixed-methods research design to gather insights from participants (<jats:italic>n</jats:italic> = 74) who attended the Didactics of Foreign Language in Primary Education – German course within the Bachelor Degree in Primary Education at the University of Cádiz (Spain) during the last nine editions; that is, from 2014/15 to 2022/23. The research findings reveal a near-unanimous consensus among all participants, regardless of nationality, teaching experience, or age, on the influential role of a classroom climate in shaping their teaching attitude. Based on the results, pre-service foreign language teachers must be allowed to acquaint themselves with effective didactic measures, together with a well-defined classroom climate wherein the significance of teaching attitude is accordingly recognized as one of the most influential factors in motivating learners.","PeriodicalId":53966,"journal":{"name":"Language Learning in Higher Education","volume":"9 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2024-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140930134","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 : 2024-05-08DOI: 10.1515/cercles-2023-0015
Ian Michael Robinson
The ubiquitous nature and diffusion of songs sung in English has meant that a great number of EFL and ESP students are listening to English and acquiring some notions about the language almost subconsciously. Such songs have also been incorporated into English as an L2 practice for, probably, almost as long as English has been taught as a foreign language. However, sometimes they are used as filler exercises or only as an exercise to keep the students happy. Slowly, songs have been gaining more acceptance as a valid didactic tool to be used in various moments of the general English L2 lesson and for various functions (Tegg 2018). This article reports on a project to use songs in English for Specific purposes lessons at an Italian university with students of two Master degree courses (Social Work and Social Policy; Sociology and Social Research). During the English modules, songs from various artists were specifically chosen and language-learning exercises devised around them to be used in almost every lesson for different learning objectives: these included introducing a new subject, presenting and revising grammar, learning individual words or short phrases including idiomatic expressions, as lead-ins to discussions. At the end of the course, the students completed a questionnaire aimed at eliciting their opinions about the use of songs in ESP lessons. The results indicate that the use of popular songs is an effective tool in an ESP lesson and that their inclusion can help motivate students as well as help them learn.
{"title":"Harmonious learning: songs in English for ESP","authors":"Ian Michael Robinson","doi":"10.1515/cercles-2023-0015","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/cercles-2023-0015","url":null,"abstract":"The ubiquitous nature and diffusion of songs sung in English has meant that a great number of EFL and ESP students are listening to English and acquiring some notions about the language almost subconsciously. Such songs have also been incorporated into English as an L2 practice for, probably, almost as long as English has been taught as a foreign language. However, sometimes they are used as filler exercises or only as an exercise to keep the students happy. Slowly, songs have been gaining more acceptance as a valid didactic tool to be used in various moments of the general English L2 lesson and for various functions (Tegg 2018). This article reports on a project to use songs in English for Specific purposes lessons at an Italian university with students of two Master degree courses (Social Work and Social Policy; Sociology and Social Research). During the English modules, songs from various artists were specifically chosen and language-learning exercises devised around them to be used in almost every lesson for different learning objectives: these included introducing a new subject, presenting and revising grammar, learning individual words or short phrases including idiomatic expressions, as lead-ins to discussions. At the end of the course, the students completed a questionnaire aimed at eliciting their opinions about the use of songs in ESP lessons. The results indicate that the use of popular songs is an effective tool in an ESP lesson and that their inclusion can help motivate students as well as help them learn.","PeriodicalId":53966,"journal":{"name":"Language Learning in Higher Education","volume":"3 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2024-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140930200","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 : 2024-05-08DOI: 10.1515/cercles-2023-0022
Oksana Polyakova
Adapting engineering education to a sustainable ESP (English for Special Purposes) training and competence-based education requires dedicated effort. Although active learning methodologies are commonly utilised in Higher Education institutions, there remains a need for enhanced curricular coordination and coherence. To address this, we are investigating the latest syllabus updates by introducing and verifying a valuable and student-friendly tool – an electronic portfolio in English. We view the ePortfolio as a comprehensive platform to facilitate students’ academic and professional growth, as well as their development of competences. This quasi-experimental study utilised a pre-/post-training trial design and nonrandomised control group to investigate the implementation of ePortfolios. During the diagnostic assessment, the first questionnaire allowed students to express their ideas regarding their competences, portfolio understanding, ESP and professional growth. The second was used to determine the undergraduates’ learning outcomes and perceptions after three months of training. There was a significant increase in learners’ support of several types of transversal competences, whereas some other competences appeared to be declining. This indicates that the ePortfolio tool stimulated a fresh process of self-reflection among the students. Our research focuses on examining the creation of the ePortfolio in the context of an ESP course to integrate technical students’ reflections on capacity building and advanced professional development in English.
{"title":"Sustainable language learning and ePortfolio application","authors":"Oksana Polyakova","doi":"10.1515/cercles-2023-0022","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/cercles-2023-0022","url":null,"abstract":"Adapting engineering education to a sustainable ESP (English for Special Purposes) training and competence-based education requires dedicated effort. Although active learning methodologies are commonly utilised in Higher Education institutions, there remains a need for enhanced curricular coordination and coherence. To address this, we are investigating the latest syllabus updates by introducing and verifying a valuable and student-friendly tool – an electronic portfolio in English. We view the ePortfolio as a comprehensive platform to facilitate students’ academic and professional growth, as well as their development of competences. This quasi-experimental study utilised a pre-/post-training trial design and nonrandomised control group to investigate the implementation of ePortfolios. During the diagnostic assessment, the first questionnaire allowed students to express their ideas regarding their competences, portfolio understanding, ESP and professional growth. The second was used to determine the undergraduates’ learning outcomes and perceptions after three months of training. There was a significant increase in learners’ support of several types of transversal competences, whereas some other competences appeared to be declining. This indicates that the ePortfolio tool stimulated a fresh process of self-reflection among the students. Our research focuses on examining the creation of the ePortfolio in the context of an ESP course to integrate technical students’ reflections on capacity building and advanced professional development in English.","PeriodicalId":53966,"journal":{"name":"Language Learning in Higher Education","volume":"105 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2024-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140930230","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 : 2024-05-08DOI: 10.1515/cercles-2023-0006
Ye Yuan, Huan Li, Anan Sawaengdist
This study attempts to explore the impact of ChatGPT on EFL learners’ English writing and how this benefits from it. The three research objectives are to explore the reasons why EFL learners choose to use ChatGPT for their academic English writing, to examine how it affects EFL learners’ academic English writing and define the challenges and opportunities for EFL learners using ChatGPT as an academic English writing tool. This study employed semi-structured and open-ended interviews to collect qualitative data. By thematic analysis, we found that EFL learners use ChatGPT for their academic English writing as it is convenient and caters to their needs. It also assists them since it scaffolds literacy in terms of writing fluency, content, and knowledge. Challenges for learners include: 1) possible academic plagiarism and a lack of critical thinking due to their over-reliance on the information provided by ChatGPT; 2) bias in English academic writing from the English-dominant context and pressure to pay; 3) considering and scrutinizing the authenticity of information generated in academic contexts. With its ease of use and undeniable efficiency, ChatGPT has emerged as a revolutionary tool in the realm of language learning and academic writing. However, English learners should be cautious and reflect on using this AI tool, especially for academic writing purposes.
{"title":"The impact of ChatGPT on learners in English academic writing: opportunities and challenges in education","authors":"Ye Yuan, Huan Li, Anan Sawaengdist","doi":"10.1515/cercles-2023-0006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/cercles-2023-0006","url":null,"abstract":"This study attempts to explore the impact of ChatGPT on EFL learners’ English writing and how this benefits from it. The three research objectives are to explore the reasons why EFL learners choose to use ChatGPT for their academic English writing, to examine how it affects EFL learners’ academic English writing and define the challenges and opportunities for EFL learners using ChatGPT as an academic English writing tool. This study employed semi-structured and open-ended interviews to collect qualitative data. By thematic analysis, we found that EFL learners use ChatGPT for their academic English writing as it is convenient and caters to their needs. It also assists them since it scaffolds literacy in terms of writing fluency, content, and knowledge. Challenges for learners include: 1) possible academic plagiarism and a lack of critical thinking due to their over-reliance on the information provided by ChatGPT; 2) bias in English academic writing from the English-dominant context and pressure to pay; 3) considering and scrutinizing the authenticity of information generated in academic contexts. With its ease of use and undeniable efficiency, ChatGPT has emerged as a revolutionary tool in the realm of language learning and academic writing. However, English learners should be cautious and reflect on using this AI tool, especially for academic writing purposes.","PeriodicalId":53966,"journal":{"name":"Language Learning in Higher Education","volume":"2 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2024-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140930190","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 : 2024-05-08DOI: 10.1515/cercles-2023-0014
Willem B. Hollmann, Kazuko Fujimoto, Masahiro Kuroda
Modifying and hedging one’s claims appropriately is an important characteristic of academic writing. This study focuses on the three main English modal verbs used to express “epistemic possibility” to avoid making strong statements, viz., may, might, and could. The purpose of this corpus-based study is to explore modal verb usage by Japanese EFL undergraduate students and consider pedagogical implications of our findings. Our analysis suggests that the Japanese students’ use of these modal verbs, especially could, has a tendency to be informal and insufficiently academic. While the Japanese students use could very frequently, they do not use it sufficiently in the sense of “epistemic possibility”, and some of their use is inappropriate not just in academic English but in English more generally. The observed high frequency of could may be related to topics and may also be due to the influence of L1. We discuss different factors that may explain the findings, based mainly on the overview of factors impacting on EFL learners’ use of academic English offered by Gilquin and Paquot (2008). Too chatty: Learner academic writing and register variation. English Text Construction 1(1). 41–61), suggest several additions to this overview, and discuss implications for the instruction of these modal verbs in academic writing and in order to improve relevant teaching materials.
对自己的主张进行适当的修改和对冲是学术写作的一个重要特点。本研究的重点是用于表达 "认识可能性 "以避免强词夺理的三个主要英语情态动词，即 may、might 和 could。本研究以语料库为基础，旨在探讨日本 EFL 本科生的情态动词用法，并思考研究结果的教学意义。我们的分析表明，日本学生对这些情态动词的使用，尤其是could的使用，有非正式和学术性不足的倾向。虽然日本学生使用 could 的频率很高，但他们并没有在 "认识论可能性 "的意义上充分使用它，而且他们的一些用法不仅在学术英语中不合适，在一般英语中也不合适。观察到的 could 的高使用频率可能与话题有关，也可能是受 L1 的影响。我们主要根据 Gilquin 和 Paquot（2008 年）对影响 EFL 学习者使用学术英语的因素的概述，讨论了可能解释这些发现的不同因素。太健谈：Learner academic writing and register variation.English Text Construction 1(1).41-61），对这一概述提出了一些补充建议，并讨论了在学术写作中指导这些情态动词的意义，以改进相关教材。
{"title":"Japanese EFL undergraduate students’ use of the epistemic modal verbs may, might, and could in academic writing","authors":"Willem B. Hollmann, Kazuko Fujimoto, Masahiro Kuroda","doi":"10.1515/cercles-2023-0014","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/cercles-2023-0014","url":null,"abstract":"Modifying and hedging one’s claims appropriately is an important characteristic of academic writing. This study focuses on the three main English modal verbs used to express “epistemic possibility” to avoid making strong statements, viz., <jats:italic>may</jats:italic>, <jats:italic>might</jats:italic>, and <jats:italic>could</jats:italic>. The purpose of this corpus-based study is to explore modal verb usage by Japanese EFL undergraduate students and consider pedagogical implications of our findings. Our analysis suggests that the Japanese students’ use of these modal verbs, especially <jats:italic>could</jats:italic>, has a tendency to be informal and insufficiently academic. While the Japanese students use <jats:italic>could</jats:italic> very frequently, they do not use it sufficiently in the sense of “epistemic possibility”, and some of their use is inappropriate not just in academic English but in English more generally. The observed high frequency of <jats:italic>could</jats:italic> may be related to topics and may also be due to the influence of L1. We discuss different factors that may explain the findings, based mainly on the overview of factors impacting on EFL learners’ use of academic English offered by Gilquin and Paquot (2008). Too chatty: Learner academic writing and register variation. English Text Construction 1(1). 41–61), suggest several additions to this overview, and discuss implications for the instruction of these modal verbs in academic writing and in order to improve relevant teaching materials.","PeriodicalId":53966,"journal":{"name":"Language Learning in Higher Education","volume":"4 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2024-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140930049","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 : 2024-05-08DOI: 10.1515/cercles-2023-0009
Hiwa Weisi, Maryam Zandi
This study explores the verbal engagement strategies that EFL instructors adopt when teaching English over Instagram. These instructors create videos where they teach English and share them on Instagram. Twenty-five highly engaging English teaching videos on Instagram were used as the data of this study. To discover the engagement strategies that the instructors used, a combination of Hyland’s Engagement Model and Martin and White’s Appraisal Model, was applied to the teachers’ talk. The results indicated a slight difference in the frequency of engagement resources between the two models. Moreover, the results related to Hyland’s framework revealed that listener pronouns (second person pronouns) had considerably higher frequency than other engagement devices in the instructors’ speech. Nevertheless, personal aside and appeals to shared knowledge were used to a limited extent. Regarding the model of Martin and White, the result indicated that the overall engagement resources of heterogloss were about twice those of the monogloss. Moreover, between two broad categories of heterogloss, the resources of the contract category were significantly more common than those of the expand category in the teachers’ talk. The findings of this study have fruitful pedagogical implications. As the results suggest, teachers can bring the learners to discourse using listener pronouns, and in this way increase learner engagement in lessons. Moreover, the heterogloss resources, specifically the contract ones, can assist teachers in engaging learners.
{"title":"Verbal engagement strategies in Iranian Teachers’ talk: Instagram teaching context","authors":"Hiwa Weisi, Maryam Zandi","doi":"10.1515/cercles-2023-0009","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/cercles-2023-0009","url":null,"abstract":"This study explores the verbal engagement strategies that EFL instructors adopt when teaching English over Instagram. These instructors create videos where they teach English and share them on Instagram. Twenty-five highly engaging English teaching videos on Instagram were used as the data of this study. To discover the engagement strategies that the instructors used, a combination of Hyland’s Engagement Model and Martin and White’s Appraisal Model, was applied to the teachers’ talk. The results indicated a slight difference in the frequency of engagement resources between the two models. Moreover, the results related to Hyland’s framework revealed that listener pronouns (second person pronouns) had considerably higher frequency than other engagement devices in the instructors’ speech. Nevertheless, personal aside and appeals to shared knowledge were used to a limited extent. Regarding the model of Martin and White, the result indicated that the overall engagement resources of heterogloss were about twice those of the monogloss. Moreover, between two broad categories of heterogloss, the resources of the contract category were significantly more common than those of the expand category in the teachers’ talk. The findings of this study have fruitful pedagogical implications. As the results suggest, teachers can bring the learners to discourse using listener pronouns, and in this way increase learner engagement in lessons. Moreover, the heterogloss resources, specifically the contract ones, can assist teachers in engaging learners.","PeriodicalId":53966,"journal":{"name":"Language Learning in Higher Education","volume":"59 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2024-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140930189","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}
京公网安备 11010802042870号
京ICP备2023020795号-1
扫码关注我们
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：