77,732 research outputs found

    Investigating the washback effects on improving the writing performance of Iranian EFL university student

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    Because of the complex nature of writing as a social, cultural and cognitive phenomenon, and the variety of challenges faced by both learners and teachers, learning and teaching writing in EFL context, this study aimed to investigate the washback effects on improving Iranian EFL students' writing performance. Two research questions were addressed. The first was whether the test-oriented writing classes provide teachers with a taxonomy of more common errors in university EFL learners' scripts or not. The second aimed at investigating the significance of the difference in the writing performance of university EFL learners receiving washback treatment and those taught by the traditional method. The subjects of the research were ninety Iranian university EFL students, making up two intact classes of thirdyear majors. There were forty-five students per class, which consisted almost entirely female. The control group continued the traditional way of practicing writing in the classroom. The experimental group received washback–based instruction. The instructional program was then steered toward improving the areas of difficulty and focusing on the aspects that require more practice. The study showed that the rate of grammatical and lexico-semantic errors was more than errors in keeping cohesion, coherence and rhetorical organization.The diagnostic instructional program based on washback effect was satisfactory in improving the students' writing performance

    The effects of grammar-focused writing instruction on the writing abilities of students at the University of Gaziosmanpasa in Tokat

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    Ankara : Institute of Economics and Social Sciences of Bilkent University, 1997.Thesis (Master's) -- Bilkent University, 1997.Includes bibliographical references leaves 85-90Improving student writing abilities has been one of the main concerns of language teachers and researchers. There have been numerous research studies to determine the effects of teaching writing in various ways. Some of these studies are related to the effectiveness of teaching grammar in writing class. The results of these studies, however, have yielded controversial results (Holden, 1994; El-Banna, 1994). This study aimed at determining the effects of grammar-focused writing instruction on the writing abilities of EFL students focusing on the Turkish context. There were two groups in this study: an experimental group which was taught how to write with a grammar-focused writing class and an experimental group which was taught with the process approach. All the subjects were first year students attending the University of Gaziosmanpasa. The students were required to write a composition as a pre-test before the treatment started. The treatment took place over a period of four weeks. Every week students attended one session which lasted forty five minutes. In the experimental group each writing class started with a grammar explanation which lasted about fifteen minutes. The grammar explanation focused on the grammatical items, the simple past and past continuous tense verbs. The explanation was followed by reading a passage based on the structures focused on in the grammar explanation which also lasted fifteen minutes. The subjects were required to read the reading passage so that they could see English sentences in context. The last fifteen minutes of each class were devoted to the writing of first drafts. At the end of each session, the researcher collected the compositions and gave written feedback on the grammatical accuracy of the compositions. These were given to the class teacher to be returned to the subjects the following morning. The students wrote a final draft at home according to the feedback given by the researcher on the grammatical accuracy of the compositions. The control group, on the other hand, started with a pre-writing activity during which students produced words and ideas about the topic of the writing they were going to work on. A reading passage related to the writing topic was read by the students. Then, the subjects wrote their first drafts. Having written the first drafts, the subjects exchanged drafts and gave oral feedback to their peers which was mainly on the content of the draft. The subjects wrote their second drafts based on the feedback they received from their peers. The researcher collected the compositions at the end of the session and gave written feedback based on the content and gave them to the class teachers. The compositions were returned to the subjects by the class teacher the following morning. The last drafts were produced according to this content feedback from the researcher. At the end of the four-week treatment, as a post test, the subjects were required to write on the same topic given for the pre-test compositions. The same topic was used in order to compare more accurately the differences between the pre-test and post-test compositions. These compositions constituted the data to be analyzed to find out the effects of the treatment on student writing abilities. The pre-test and post-test compositions were evaluated both holistically and analytically by two non-native English lecturers working at the same University. The results of the holistic and analytic scoring indicated that the subjects in both groups experienced an improvement in their writing abilities. It was observed that there was an increase in the mean scores between the pre-test and post-test compositions. It was also found that the control group subjects who were instructed with the process approach improved more than the grammar focused writing group subjects on the components of writing such as grammar, content, and organization along with the overall writing proficiency. This indicated that students' writing ability, including grammatical accuracy, can be improved without specific focus on grammar structures. One outcome of this study suggested that teaching of writing as a separate course would improve students' writing abilities no matter which tecnique --grammar-focused or the process approach -- is used in the writing class. This improvement can be seen as a result of students' receiving instruction on how to write and practice in writing several compositions both in class and at home. Attention to writing and practice in writing had a positive effect on student writing abilities.Çiğdem, MustafaM.S

    The Effects of a Combined Output and Input-Oriented Approach in Teaching Reported Speech

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    The participants of the study are 74 first year students of the English philology who were divided into four groups: 3 treatment groups and a control one. The study results do not mirror those reported in the vast majority of relevant literature and points that although input manipulation appears to have more beneficial effect on the development of the interlanguage than the analysis of output, a combination of the two approaches turns out to be the most beneficial and economical

    Enhancing Information Language Learning with Mobile Technology - Does it Work?

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    There are many theories that attempt to explain second language acquisition processes and factors determining success or failure. Despite a lack of general agreement between proponents of these theories, research has convincingly shown that the amount of exposure to target language input is one important predictor of ultimate achievement levels. ‘Time on task’ is as important in language learning as it is in many other domains (cf. Reber, 1993) and it is therefore important to identify ways in which this can be increased. An obvious possibility is to encourage learners to engage with (and in) the language outside the classroom. Informal learning, in the sense of learning outside of formal education, has been shown to be a major aspect of adult learning (Cross, 2007) and, given appropriate preparation and support, learners can greatly increase opportunities for learning if they can do so independently. Mobile technologies have obvious potential in this regard. However, is it possible to improve language skills in this way? In this article we report on an exploratory study into the use of cellphones for extensive listening practice. We used input enhancement to draw learners’ attention to not only the meaning of the materials but also the formal (grammatical) aspects of the input. We found that the use of mobile technology presented a number of challenges and in this study did not result in learners acquiring the target structures. We conclude with a number of recommendations for the use and future study of mobile technologies for (language) learning

    Chengyu in Chinese Language Teaching: A preliminary analysis of Italian learners’ data

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    Chengyu, also known as Chinese four-character idioms, are a type of traditional Chinese idiom, mostly consisting of four characters. They commonly derive from classic Chinese literary sources, including those of the three great philosophical and religious traditions that influenced the entire East Asia cultural sphere: Confucianism, Daoism and Buddhism. Chengyu, therefore, possess a wide range of cultural references, and, from Chinese, spread to the languages of the other countries of the sinosphere, such as Japan and Korea. Although many scholars have emphasized the importance of the acquisition of chengyu, not much attention has been paid to chengyu learning in Chinese Language Teaching research so far. As a preliminary attempt to address this gap, this paper reports the results of two small-scale, exploratory experiments, aimed at investigating Italian learners’ general knowledge of chengyu and their main interpretation strategies, as well as comparing the effectiveness of direct and indirect instruction in chengyu teaching. The experiments involved participants from Bachelor and Master programs of Roma Tre University. The results show a predominant effect of negative transfer from Italian, as well as a better performance of the participants who received indirect instruction

    An experimental evaluation of the relative effectiveness of two methods of composition assignments in stimulating ideas

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    Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston University, 1947. This item was digitized by the Internet Archive

    Constructing a second language: some final thoughts

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    All the papers in this special section address issues central to cognitive linguistics research: usage-based models with their focus on frequency; multi-word units and the relationship between lexical and grammatical knowledge; and the nature of lexical meaning, especially construal or “thinking for speaking”. Cognitive Linguistics is thus clearly a useful paradigm for L2 research. The contributors also emphasise that many of the processes operating in L1 acquisition are relevant in L2A as well. In this paper, I discuss the opposite side of the coin: how cognitively-inspired L2 research can inform work on first language learning and theoretical linguistics, focussing in particular on three issues that have been extensively studied in an L2 context but neglected by the other language sciences: transfer of knowledge between constructions, the role of explicit learning, and individual differences in linguistic knowledg

    Assessment of proofreading and editing with technical diploma students at Western Wisconsin Technical College - Mauston

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    Plan BProofreading and editing are a major component of the Office Assistant program. The practices of proofreading and editing are an integral part of primary skills employers expect from their employees. The ability to proofread and edit a document are critical components in reading and writing skills that employers look for in hiring people or in choosing an employee for promotion. The purpose of this study was to determine the degree of how proofreading and editing help students perceive themselves as better writers as they progress through the process of proofreading, editing, journal writing, error logs and peer editing. Nine students, who entered the Technical Diploma Office Assistant program at Western Wisconsin Technical College - Mauston campus, in August, 1999 and graduated in May 2000, comprised the samples. A proofreading and editing pretest was administered to the entering Technical Diploma class in September of 1999 - prior to the beginning of program instruction. Proofreading and editing assignments were given in September 1999, October 1999 and November 1999. A posttest was given in November of 1999. The researcher at Western Wisconsin Technical College - Mauston campus, administered the pretest, assignments and posttest
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