Category: Language Learning

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Using Signs and Symbols in Teaching English Language in Global Perspective

Using signs and symbols defuses the need of using any other language or medium in teaching English. With the help of popular sings and symbols of a region, the method attempts to denote the functioning mechanics of English language and creates many simple and multi- dimensional visual mediums to incorporate the most common words, ideas,

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Association between the Simple Past and Emergence of the Present Perfect in EFL Learners’ Writing

Previous research have shown that tense and aspect are acquired in a particular order and tense is usually acquired before aspect. The purpose of this investigation was to test the claim that learners in general must master the simple past (SP) at an accuracy rate of 85.9% before they begin to acquire the present perfect

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The Implementation of New Curriculum 2013 and the Issues of English Language Teaching and Learning in Indonesia

The importance of English as world language and the education reform envisaged through several changes in national curriculum play an important role in the development of English language teaching in Indonesia. This paper highlights some constraint and resources related to the implementation of new curriculum 2013 in Indonesia especially in context of English language teaching

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A Design of an Interactive Multimedia Learning Environment for Supporting Reading Skills of Deaf Individuals

The purpose of this paper is to develop an interactive multimedia learning environment to promote reading skills for deaf children based on see and learn. The authors of this study focus on the idea that children should have the potential to develop learning to read based on the conceptual framework of see and learn which

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Investigating Tertiary Students’ Autonomy in Out-of-Class EFL Learning

Autonomy in language learning has been a key discussion in the realm of language teaching and learning for more than 30 years. However, to date, much research on autonomy was mainly focused on fostering learner autonomy in the classroom context. Autonomy in out-of-class learning is less paid into attention. According to Benson (2006: 26), out-of-class

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The Concept of Mat Rempit (Illegal driving in Malaysia)- A Study from Malaysia

A qualitative study were implemented to shape again for getting idea about rempit (fast driving) by considering a group namely Mat Rempit (Illegal motor driving in Malaysia) . This study uses two interview methods. They are: interview individual and focus group interview. The first method involves 16 individual that have been involved with activity rempit

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Does Deeper Processing Lead to a Better Recall Result?— A Study on Second Language Vocabulary Learning

This study surveyed Chinese EFL learners about what activities they do after class to enhance the memorization of English vocabulary. Based on the survey responses and the framework of levels of processing (Craik and Lockhart, 1972), three tasks were designed to induce different levels of processing of a word list. Task 1 was a phonological

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L2 Acquisition of Reference Time of Epistemic Modality in English by L1 Thai Speaking Children

Demirdarche, and Uribe-Etxebarria (2008) argue that the reference time of the modal complement in English results from the interplay between the semantic properties of modals and the aspect of the verbal complement. Unlike English, the reference time of the modal complement in Thai is indicated by temporal adverbials or contexts (Yangklang 2011: 35). Thus, the

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First Language Acquisition Theories and Transition to SLA

First language (L1) acquisition studies have been an interesting issue to both linguists and psycholinguists. A lot of research studies have been carried out over several decades to investigate how L1 or child language acquisition mechanism takes place. The end point of L1 acquisition theories leads to inter-language theories, which eventually lead to SLA research

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Communication Strategy Research among Japanese EFL Learners『日本人学習者間のコミュュニケーション戦略の研究』

This research represents a year-long longitudinal study into the affects of communication strategy instruction on Japanese EFL learners’ linguistic proficiency. The paper replicates research carried out by Nakatani (2005) and aims to equip learners with the linguistic and problem-solving skills to overcome linguistic barriers. The findings indicate clearly that influence of prominent socio-cultural factors have

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Intercultural Training in Foreign Language Education: Using Video to Develop Cultural Awareness and Cultural Self-awareness of Japanese College Students

A long time has passed since the trend of English education in Japan shifted from grammar translation methods for acquiring English knowledge to using a communicative approach regarding foreign language learning as one kind of communication activities. English education and intercultural communication education share important commonalties in their purposes. The current English education at high

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The Diversity of Languages and Cultures: Bridge or Barrier?

If Babel, language diversity has created a barrier to communication as a direct result, “dispersion” of the human race, the need to communicate in plantation companies, between master and slave, was giving a positive constraint birth to Creole. “Not only an encounter, a shock a mix, but a new dimension that allows everyone to be

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Face the Book & Facebook

Blended learning focuses on combining a specific percentage of online curriculum and instruction in a face-to-face setting. In this study, the adoption of Facebook as an additional tool in teaching communicative English skills to prepare international students from non-English speaking countries for tertiary education in Malaysia is discussed; based on the Leapfrog Principle. The study

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Generation 1.5: from Struggling to Flourishing

Globalization has increased the immigration trend. Generation 1.5 – youth born in their home countries, who immigrated to another country with their families and received education there – is increasing in population in many parts of the world. As the young immigrants struggle to adjust their identity, many have developed a new mindset from living

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Investigating Native Speakers’ Intelligibility Ratings and Comments about Japanese EFL Speakers’ Speech

In this study, we investigated Japanese EFL (JEFL) speakers’ intelligibility rated by two groups of native speakers of English, a peer group and a teacher group, and their comments on the speech samples. Reading and spontaneous speech samples were collected twice, pre- and post study abroad from seven JEFL students who visited North America for

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Understanding Politeness in the Indian Way- A Study of Girish Karnad’s  “Nagamandala” and Vijay Tendulkar’s “Silence! The Court is in Session”

Politeness is a culture specific and context-bound phenomenon. While engaging in conversation with somebody, several factors are taken into account like sociological and interpersonal factors such as status, inferiority- superiority, formality or informality of relation, age group etc. These factors could lead to various instances of face threatening acts among speakers and hearers. This research

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Trends and Concerns of Teacher Trainees in Using Game Strategy to Improve Speaking in a Rural/Remote Primary School

This study reports on the trends and concerns of ESL teacher trainees in using game strategy to improve speaking skill in a rural and remote primary school. It is about focusing on improving their methodological and pupils’ speaking skills through games both at the professional and personal/social domains. This study was conducted over three weeks

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What is my Learning Style Preference?

Due to students’ different background, motivational level, interest and learning style (to name a few), it is very vital for teachers or educators to determine the learning style preference (LSP) of the students. Not only it helps teachers or educators to decide on the teaching style, it also assists them in adopting the most appropriate

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The Relationship of MDAB (Mengubah Destini Anak Bangsa) Students’ Academic Reading Performance with their Reading Attitudes

This study investigated the reading attitudes of a group of students under a programme known as ‘Mengubah Destini Anak Bangsa’ held in one of the higher learning institutions in Malaysia. This study also describes the relationship between the students’ academic reading performance with their reading attitudes by taking into consideration three main dimensions: reading attitudes,

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Examining the Anxiety, Stress and Motivation of Novice NESTs

Anxiety, stress and motivation are often discussed from the English language learner’s perspective, but these terms can also apply to the language teacher. More specifically, novice Native English Speaking Teachers (NESTs) working in foreign countries may experience these phenomena both in and outside of the classroom due to the vast cultural variations between their home

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Excuse My Konglish

This paper is about “Korean English (Konglish)”. The impression that Koreans have of Konglish is that it is ‘bad’ or ‘incorrect’ English because of how it is used among Koreans. Foreigners cannot understand it unless they learn it but Koreans understand it when spoken among themselves. A major concern is that unlike American English, British

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Opinions on English Teaching Large Classes as Perceived by English Teachers at Burapha University

Thai students need to improve their weak English proficiency for the completion of ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) in 2015. The drawback of the improving is that there are not enough English teachers for increased students. The way to solve this problem is teaching in large class containing more than 60 students. Therefore, the objective of

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Interactive English Teaching: Effects on Students’ Performance

The problem of this study is: How does interactive English teaching affect students’ communication skills? This study described the profile of the students in terms of gender, Intelligent Quotient level and achievement in previous English course these variables were made as the basis for grouping of the students into two-the Interactive Group and the Traditional

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Swot Analysis and Setting up a Virtual Professional Environment in Esp Teaching

This research is devoted to incorporating the Internet into pre-career ESP learning environment. Unlike GE career-oriented ESP learning is not a mere goal of language study, but a tool of learning profession. This spells instructional consequences, the teacher needs content-focused competent resources, the student requires a well structured career-related guidance. The main obstacle in pre-career

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The Benefits of Encouraging Learners to Notice Their Errors

The main purpose for conducting the research presented in this paper was to explore the possible benefits of encouraging learners to notice their errors. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected on both experimental ( n = 28) and control ( n = 28) groups over a semester at a private university in intensive English

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Focused Instruction of Formulaic Language: Use and Awareness in a Japanese University Class

While there exists a growing body of research on the nature and functions of formulaic language, there remains a paucity of analysis of the ways language teachers may implement this knowledge in their classrooms, and the relative effectiveness of teaching techniques. Formulaic language, generally defined as multiword units of language with particular functions and meanings

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Intercultural Communication

This workshop session provides an overview of pertinent research and major theories related to communicating with people of different cultural backgrounds, as well as fun and useful techniques and strategies to use in international classrooms, school offices, and businesses. Save as a Favourite

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The Propriety of the Native Speaker: World Englishes and the NEST/NNEST Dichotomy

Discriminating teachers’ pedagogical and professional skills, solely on the basis of accent, physical appearance, and native speaker status is unfounded and unethical. The growing number of English language learners worldwide correlates to an increasing number of nonnative English speaking teachers (NNESTs) and native English speaking teachers (NESTs). Unfortunately, NNESTs have not always shared equal status

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Difficulties and Challenges in Teaching English as the Second and Foreign Language

To support the rapid growth of globalization a common language is badly needed. Fortunately English has got the honor to become that common language for communicating among the different nations. It is the language of choice in most countries of the word. Though English is the mother tongue of the United Kingdom, they alone cannot

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English Language Teachers’ Self-Efficacy & Self-Awareness and Their Students’ Achievement

Teachers in general and language teachers in particular are believed to have a crucial role in the success or failure of each educational system.. Among the many characteristics of teachers, this study aimed to examine the relationship between the self -efficacy (SE) and self -awareness(SA) language teachers (female=77, M=70) and their students’ achievement in intermediate

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Genre Analysis Approach in Teaching

Applying genre analysis as a rich analytical tool in a study in a state university in Indonesia, the writer has revealed the students’ ability and problems in writing a research methodology chapter in their research proposal. It is found that most students faced difficulties in presenting arguments in terms of justification of the choice of

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Learning Strategies for the Success of EFL Learners : An Evaluation in the Context of Jazan University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

This paper has examined how Language learning strategies are the key factors for the success of EFL/ESL learners at Jazan University in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how these factors influence the rate and ultimate success of FLA/SLA. There were 81 students participated in this study and

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Grammatical Errors Analysis of the First Year English Major Students, Udon Thani Rajabhat University

The purposes of this research were; 1.) to investigate types of grammatical errors made by the first year English major students, Udon Thani Rajabhat University, 2.) to explain characteristics of the errors and give examples of the errors in order to find out the proper ways to solve those errors. Data was collected from 49

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A Study of Chinese University Students’ Usage of Logical Connectors in English Argumentations, Descriptions and Narrations

Logical connectors are important cohesive devices in written discourse to guide readers through texts. This study aims to examine the cognitive activities that the Chinese university students perform while adopting adversative, causal and temporal logical connectors in English argumentations, descriptions and narrations. It also investigates the factors which explain for the Chinese students’ behaviors of

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Multilingualism as a Fact, a Right, and a Teaching and Learning Resource for Developing Intercultural Awareness and Honouring Diversity in International Baccalaureate Programmes

Recent rapid globalization has resulted in a shift in classroom demographics; increasingly, a community of learners consists of students from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds and often many of them must access the curriculum in a language other than their mother tongue. In some contexts this has been construed as a problem. However, recognising the

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Motivation and Attitudes Towards Learning and Using English Outside the Classroom Environment: A Study of the Library and Information Science Undergraduates at the University of Tsukuba

This purpose of this study is to investigate the different social and cultural factors related to Japanese university students’ motivation and attitudes towards speaking English outside the formal classroom environment. A self-constructed questionnaire was administrated to a group of third- and fourth-year undergraduate students in June 2012. These Japanese students were learning English as a

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Critiquing of Higher Education Policy in Saudi Arabia: A Neoliberalism Approach

In this paper, we aim to step back in time and speak more broadly on the aspect of higher education policy in Saudi Arabia.  We will argue that the post 9/11 context of education in Saudi Arabia has brought into a new paradigm of thinking away from what McCarthy et al. (2009) call “safe harbors”

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Gender, Self-Motivating Strategies Use and Foreign Languge Grade

There is a need empirical data concerning gender differences in students` self-regulation of foreign language learning motivation. Therefore two research problems were formulated: do male and female foreign language learners differ in terms of self-motivating strategies use? Is foreign language grade related differently with foreign language learning motivation and self-motivating strategies use in men and

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A Study of Vocabulary Learning Strategies, Learning Achievements, and Cognitive Styles among the Junior High School Students in Taiwan

This study investigates the use of vocabulary learning strategies among EFL junior high school students in Taiwan, finds the differences in vocabulary learning strategy use between high- and low-proficiency learners, and explores the relationship between the use of vocabulary learning strategies and cognitive styles. A vocabulary learning strategy questionnaire, vocabulary achievement test, and Hidden Figures

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“Dear Pro.”, an Examination of the Format Used in Chinese Students’ E-mails

E-mail has become a widely used medium of communication in the academic and business communities. As language educators, we need to ensure that learners acquire successful language skills in these contexts. This study investigates the format used by Chinese university students when writing e-mails in English to their professors. Most of the previous research has

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Empowering English Language Learners:  The Importance of Developing Critical Literacy Skills

For some time, listeners and readers have been regarded as active participants in the complex and interactional nature of negotiating meaning (Savignon, 2001). However, many of those who are learning English do not have equal access to the skills of understanding the social practices in which reading and writing are embedded (Clark, 1995). For English

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The Effects of the Thai Phonological and Writing Systems on Spelling and Writing in English: A Case Study of Burapha University Students

Thai has unique phonological structures, which contrast with other languages. Crucially, the fact that Thai lacks certain English consonant phonemes in its phonological system has created problems for Thai learners of EFL in accommodating and pronouncing English sounds, particularly the consonant ones. This could result in ambiguity and miscommunication e.g. ‘tin’ instead of ‘thin’ due

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English as a Second Language; Engaging the Early Years through Interactive Tablet Application Software

An interactive tablet application for the new Microsoft Surface has been developed that targets early years of primary school education (kindergarten students) for improvement in English literacy and linguistic skills. The application services remote learning in English as a second language and is developed in accordance with school curricula and learning objectives, in collaboration with

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A Study of EFL Preservice Teachers’ Perceptions of Non-native English Teachers

Frequent quizzing is one of the major factors motivating students to study. The clicker system was a promising technology but has some limitations. Most of the universities in the developing countries do not have it and some instructors have problem using it. In this study, a system based on SMS is suggested. Mobiles phones are

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The Sense Development of English Preposition: A Case of ‘at’, ‘on’, ‘in’ with Loglinear Analyses of CHILDES Database

The aim of this study is to figure out the development of spatial and temporal senses in L1 acquisition. Since ‘TIME IS SPACE’ metaphor has been proposed that the temporal sense has been acknowledged as the one derived from the spatial sense. However, in the previous study on English preposition ‘on’ (Jun and Lee 2009),

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The Issues of Task Complexity in Oral Test Tasks

Since the introduction of communicative language teaching and models of communicative competence, approaches to testing have evolved. Instead of tests being based on traditional psychometric methods of measuring isolated pieces of grammar and vocabulary knowledge, tests are increasingly focusing on measuring the ability to use accurately and appropriately in communicative contexts. This has led to

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Diversity in Teaching in the Classroom

Being a good teacher involves having a variety of skills, from being able to connect with students to classroom management, organization, understanding learning styles, providing engaging activities, and much more. When all of these things come together, they can create a fun and effective learning atmosphere. One of the most rewarding parts of teaching is

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Early Foreign Language Education in Europe – Challenges in Materials Design for Young Learners

The paper will describe the policy of foreign language education of young learners in Europe and list the factors important in the teaching process including age of the learners, teachers’ qualifications as well as procedures and materials. In particular, the paper will focus on teaching and learning materials used in early foreign language education. The

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The Advantages of a Cognitive Stylistic Analysis of a Literary Text in the Teaching of English to Grade Seven Students in the Philippines

In the Revised 2010 Secondary Education Curriculum of the Philippines, the teaching of English focuses more on literary competence rather than critical thinking skills and communicative competence. Reading selections written in Philippine English are also given to Grade Seven students who, unfortunately, are not yet fully prepared to take in large amounts of texts making

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What Goes on in Foreign Language Learners’ Minds? Planning Research to Explore EFL Motivation, EFL Anxiety and EFL Learning Strategies

Learning a second language is a complex task and one that is becoming more and more popular as the world becomes smaller. Within Taiwan, English is taught in elementary, middle and senior high schools as part of the compulsory education as well as in specialised courses in universities and cram schools. However, despite all this

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Board Game Design and Publication to Teach English for Specific Purposes

Board games provide a social atmosphere that digital based learning environments are still having a hard time recreating. This is in part due to the shared experiences created by playing together face to face. Using board games in an English classroom can be a great instrument for increasing motivation among students to communicate. However it

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L2 Writing Challenges for the Undergraduates: A Performance Analysis and a Literature Review on SIL Domains

English is used as a second language (L2) in Malaysia with a great emphasis in tertiary education as the medium of instruction, the most important subject in the curriculum, and a mandatory subject for all undergraduates. Yet, the university lecturers share a common view that students find it difficult to perform satisfactorily, particularly in writing

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Errors Analysis in Hanyu Pinyin Pronunciation among Undergraduates from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Engineering Campus

Mandarin is a tone language which means every Mandarin word has a fixed tone; if a tone is changed, the meaning of the word will change. Therefore, identifying the Hanyu Pinyin pronunciation mistakes is important and should be prioritized by the Mandarin language instructors. Numerous pronunciation errors were identified among the undergraduates who are the

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From Direct Method to Immersion in Adult L2 Learning. Hidden Aspects

This study examines the use and uptake of iPads in two technology-free Spanish pre-school classrooms. The study was framed by a socio-cultural perspective and an action research process. Data sources included videos of 42 four-year olds and their engagement in play and literacy activities before the iPads were introduced in the two classrooms, and while