A systematic review of empirical studies on the types of vocabulary learning strategies used by EFL learners in higher education

Considering that many empirical studies on the types of vocabulary learning strategies used by EFL learners in higher education indicated similar and different results, this systematic synthesizes the findings of the included empirical studies on vocabulary learning strategies employed by EFL learners in higher education to provide a comprehensive understanding of the types of vocabulary learning strategies used by EFL learners across included countries, identify the similar and different results between the included studies, and explore potential reasons for the similarities and differences. A convergent qualitative synthesis approach was adopted for this systematic review. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were utilized in data collection process, and Excel was used as a tool for information recording and coding in data analysis. The data was collected within a time span from 2013 to 2022 in EBSCO (Education Source), resulting in 18 empirical studies being included. The findings of this study indicate that EFL learners in higher education mainly used seven types of vocabulary learning strategies including determination, cognitive, memory, metacognitive, social/affective, compensatory and technology-based strategies. Moreover, common trends were identified in using determination, social and technology-based strategies based on 18 included studies, and differences existed in using strategies such as memory and metacognitive strategies. The potential factors such as learning environments, academic majors, levels of English proficiency, previous learning experiences and beliefs for the similarities and differences were explored to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the similar and different results. Research gaps, future research directions and pedagogical implications were also explored and suggested

Language and thought in Egypt\u27s schools today: what does Arabic mean to Arabic native speakers? A literature review

Sociocultural education initiated by Leo Vygotsky strongly believes that language of instruction affects thinking. With regards to the present situation in Egypt, the present research explores the current literature on the value that Arabic has in the Arabic speaking world. Over against a wide-spread opinion that English should be used as the only medium of instruction in early years of literacy, literature shows that some forms of immersion have negative impact on the mastery of mother tongue, and on the very development of cognitive skills. The linguistic and educational scenario is further complicated by the fact that Arabic is a diglossic language, in which high and low variants are far apart. After carrying out a historical overview of the value associated to the learning of different languages in the region and discussing the psycho-social implications of diglossia, the research presents some recommendations for school-level language education

Teaching academic writing to Iraqi undergraduate students: An investigation into the effectiveness of a genre-process approach

A modified integrated process-genre approach (MIM) was implemented with EFL undergraduate students in Iraq. Some students subject to the MIM were better able to construct structurally complex and reasonably-grounded arguments and to employ a wider range of informal reasoning patterns group.Combining the merits of both the process and genre approaches has the potential to develop a more coherent model of writing by taking into account cognitive and social demands

More than Words: A Systematic Review on the Contributions of Synonymy in Language Learning

The use of synonyms in language learning offers numerous benefits, including vocabulary expansion, contextual understanding, and language variety. This systematic literature review gives birth to the contributions of synonymy in language acquisition based on a number of researches that have been published in a number of publications and are accessible in a number of online databases. It focuses explicitly on examining the different uses of synonymy and its effect on acquiring a language. The data which was plotted on the repertory grid were analyzed to identify the gaps in the research conducted.The findings of the study established five (5) significant roles synonymy holds in language acquisition: word substitution, sense, and context relation, register identification, repetition avoidance, and language embellishment. The results of this study provide English teachers with a deeper insight into the impact of synonymy on students' language acquisition.Consequently, this study allows teachers to reflect with more excellent knowledge of the main benefits involved in the use of synonyms in teaching/learning English. Besides, the knowledge of synonyms instills confidence in language learners. It allows them to communicate more precisely and flexibly, leading to increased fluency and proficiency in the language. Thus, to make the most of synonymy in language learning, learners should pay attention to the subtle differences between synonyms, learn their appropriate usage in different contexts, and practice incorporating them into their active vocabulary., and practice incorporating them into their active vocabulary. Keywords: language learning, systematic literature review, synonymy DOI: 10.7176/JLLL/98-02 Publication date:August 31st 202

Evaluating Factors Affecting EFL Learners’ Writing at Undergraduate Level: A Survey

Writing is an important language skill that benefits a language learner in many ways from developing vocabulary knowledge to enhancing overall language competence Unfortunately EFL learners encounter many difficulties during writing that prevents them from developing their writing skills and eventually negatively affect their overall language learning process The goal of the present study was to assess the factors that affect EFL learners writing at the undergraduate level Using a Likert-scale survey sheet the study surveyed of 255 undergraduate students at Bangladesh Agricultural University and found that many factors are responsible for EFL learners poor writing at the undergraduate level Some factors very intensely affect the learners writing while some affect moderately and some have comparatively less effect By evaluating the factors that affect the learners writing the study basically attempted to make the learners aware of those factors they face in writing so that they can overcome them improve their writing skills and become proficient writer

Reported Reading Strategies of Iraqi Graduate Students Studying in Us Universities

Reading is an important academic skill that college students need to master if they want to succeed in their academic programs. Traditionally, reading is the process whereby readers look at a written text and try to understand its content. Currently, researchers define reading as a cognitive process in which readers use their prior knowledge and reading strategies to grasp a written text (Sheorey &Mokhtari, 2001). Current studies in second/foreign language reading research have focused on reading strategies that learners use to comprehend English-language academic texts while reading (Mokhtari & Reichard, 2004; Al-Nujudi, 2003; Alsheikh, 2002; Malcolm, 2009). Reading strategies or individuals' comprehension techniques are now recognized as vital to successful reading comprehension and make the distinction between skilled and unskilled reading. The purpose of this study was to report Iraqi graduate students' (studying in the US) perceived reading strategy use when reading English-language academic texts and to determine if gender differences affect the research subjects' reading strategies use. The researcher used a modified version of the Survey of Reading Strategies (SORS) (Mokhtari &Sheorey, 2002) to research 115 Iraqi participants' perceived reading strategies use. The study results revealed that Iraqi participants reported using global strategies more frequently than problem-solving and support strategies. Also, a T-test revealed no statistically significant differences between the overall mean use of using strategies male and female participants reported. The results suggest that Iraq graduate students (studying in US universities) are aware of arsenal of reading strategies and they are "skilled readers" who know how to use various reading strategies "effectively" for successful comprehension. Moreover, although gender did not have an impact on the perceived general reading strategies used by Iraqi participants , the females sample number was small (N=32) and thus cannot be used for making accurate calculations and conclusions about whether gender affected strategy use.School of Teaching and Curriculum Leadershi

The effects of using english movies on the development of listening skills and vocabulary acquisition of EFL students

Aprender vocabulario y adquirir competencia auditiva parece ser un desafío para los estudiantes de inglés como lengua extranjera hoy en día porque los maestros y los estudiantes han descuidado esas áreas del idioma inglés durante el proceso de aprendizaje. Desafortunadamente, las metodologías tradicionales e ineficaces no ayudan a los estudiantes a dominar sus habilidades lingüísticas para comunicarse de manera efectiva. Por esta razón, esta síntesis de investigación tiene como objetivo analizar los efectos del uso de películas en inglés con o sin subtítulos en el desarrollo de las habilidades auditivas y la adquisición de vocabulario de los estudiantes de inglés como lengua extranjera. Para este propósito, se seleccionaron y analizaron 15 trabajos de investigación con enfoque cuantitativo, cualitativo, cuasi experimental y de método mixto para determinar si el impacto de ver películas en inglés en el aula es positivo o negativo para los estudiantes. Los hallazgos revelan que (1) ver películas en inglés con o sin subtítulos contribuye en gran medida al desarrollo de las habilidades auditivas, (2) la modalidad bimodal (banda sonora en inglés y subtítulos en inglés) se consideran la más apropiado para mejorar las habilidades auditivas de los estudiantes y finalmente (3) para ayudar a los estudiantes a aumentar su conocimiento del vocabulario en Inglés, ver películas con subtítulos (ya sea bimodal o estándar) es más efectivo que ver películas sin subtítulos.Learning vocabulary and acquiring listening proficiency seems to be challenging for learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) today because teachers and students have neglected those areas of the English language during the learning process. Unfortunately, traditional and ineffective methodologies do not help students master their language skills to communicate effectively. For this reason, this research synthesis aims to analyze the effects of using English movies with or without subtitles on the development of listening skills and vocabulary acquisition of EFL learners. For this purpose, 15 research papers with quantitative, qualitative, quasi-experimental, and mixed-method approaches were selected and analyzed to determine whether the impact of watching English movies in the classroom is positive or negative for learners. Findings reveal that (1) watching English movies with or without subtitles greatly contributes to the development of listening skills, (2) bimodal modality (English soundtrack and English subtitles) is considered the most appropriate to improve the listening skills of students, and (3) to help learners increase their knowledge of English vocabulary, watching movies with subtitles (either bimodal or standard) is more effective than watching movies without subtitles.Licenciado en Pedagogía del Idioma InglésCuenc

The cross-linguistic influence of Arabic on the English passive voice

It is difficult to describe cross-linguistic influence; however, it has been a contentious phenomenon for a long time. Whenever the speaker of a language becomes bilingual, the first language will subtly affect the new one, even if it is not used much. This is how first language influence begins since the majority of Arab English as a foreign language (EFL) learners suffer from this problem. This current research aims to study the negative influence of the native language (Arabic) on utilising the English passive voice. In this article, we aim to discover the levels of Arab EFL learners’ knowledge of the passive voice, as well as to examine the percentage of interlingual and intralingual errors. This study applies a quantitative method. Forty-six participants, who are Arab EFL learners studying at the Universiti Malaysia Pahang, engaged in the task of answering a grammar test. To conclude, the results show that Arab students have a high rate of L1 transfer on the English passive voice, and their levels of knowledge of passive voice are identified. The researchers recommend mixed methods for further research in order to provide a wider understanding about this issue

The effects of providing EFL students with asynchronous and online instant feedback

Esta síntesis de investigación tuvo como objetivo el analizar los efectos de utilizar retroalimentación asíncrona y retroalimentación instantánea en línea con estudiantes universitarios de inglés como lengua extranjera. Este estudio exploró las ventajas y desventajas de usar cada tipo de retroalimentación y los factores que los profesores de inglés toman en cuenta para elegir si usar retroalimentación asíncrona o retroalimentación instantánea en línea. Se seleccionaron veinte estudios empíricos realizados entre 2008 y 2021 para el análisis de datos de esta investigación. Los resultados de esta investigación indicaron que la retroalimentación instantánea en línea incrementa la motivación y las calificaciones de los estudiantes universitarios mientras que la retroalimentación asíncrona tiene efectos positivos en el rendimiento académico de los estudiantes en las cuatro principales áreas del lenguaje. Además, los estudiantes que recibieron retroalimentación asíncrona superaron a los estudiantes que recibieron retroalimentación instantánea en línea. Una limitación de este estudio es la falta de información sobre el uso de retroalimentación asíncrona y retroalimentación instantánea en línea en Latino América, por lo que se sugiere más investigación empírica sobre el tema en esta áreaThis research synthesis aimed to investigate and analyze the effects of using asynchronous and online instant feedback with EFL college students. This research also explored the advantages and disadvantages of each feedback method and the factors that influence teachers to consider using online instant feedback or asynchronous feedback. Twenty empirical studies from 2008 to 2021 were selected for the data analysis. The results of this research show that online instant feedback improves EFL college students’ motivation and grades while asynchronous feedback has a positive effect on learners’ academic performance in the four language skills areas, that EFL students who received asynchronous feedback can outperform the learners who got online instant feedback, and that EFL teachers prefer asynchronous feedback over online instant feedback. A limitation of this study is the lack of information about the use of asynchronous and online instant feedback in Latin American countries; consequently, further research in such contexts is being suggestedLicenciado en Ciencias de la Educación en Pedagogía de los Idiomas Nacionales y ExtranjerosCuenc