The Role of Massively Multiplayer Role-Playing Games in Facilitating Vocabulary Acquisition for English Language Learners: A Mixed-Methods Study

Slow vocabulary development and poor comprehension among English Language learners (ELLs) (August, Carlo, & Snow, 2005) have resulted in an academic achievement gap between ELLs and native English-speaking learners in the United States (Klingner, Artiles, & Barletta, 2006; Wilde, 2010). This mixed-methods sequential explanatory research aims to help narrow the academic gap by providing increased engagement and interaction opportunities to ELLs. In this study, I replicated and extended Bourgonjon et al. (2010)’s study identifying the predictive factors of students’ acceptance for using video games in the classrooms. A sequential qualitative study with 11 selected participants was conducted to explain how the factors, tested in the first quantitative phase of study, facilitate ELLs’ vocabulary growth. I triangulated the results of the two phases and the discussion of the findings to answer my research questions. Based on the data collected from 371 participants via a web-based survey, I tested the reliability and validity of the adapted survey scale items using inter-item correlations, factor analysis, and internal consistency reliability tests. Then, I formulated and validated path models to test the hypotheses related to relationships among variables. Results from the analysis concluded that the factor of perceived learning opportunity is an important predictors for players’ preference for using MMORPGs in the L2 English classroom. The follow-up qualitative study aims to explain why certain factors identified in the first phase were significant predictors that impact players’ preference to use MMORPGs to obtain L2 English vocabulary. Evidence shows that game texts and social interactions are major learning opportunities provided by MMORPGs. I expect that this study, along with further research in this area, will help teachers integrate MMORPGs or related game mechanics into their regular instruction to provide increased engagement and interaction opportunities to English language learners

Expectations eclipsed in foreign language education: learners and educators on an ongoing journey / edited by Hülya Görür-Atabaş, Sharon Turner.

Between June 2-4, 2011 Sabancı University School of Languages welcomed colleagues from 21 different countries to a collaborative exploration of the challenging and inspiring journey of learners and educators in the field of language education.\ud \ud The conference provided an opportunity for all stakeholders to share their views on language education. Colleagues met with world-renowned experts and authors in the fields of education and psychology, faculty and administrators from various universities and institutions, teachers from secondary educational backgrounds and higher education, as well as learners whose voices are often not directly shared but usually reported.\ud \ud The conference name, Eclipsing Expectations, was inspired by two natural phenomena, a solar eclipse directly before the conference, and a lunar eclipse, immediately after. Learners and educators were hereby invited to join a journey to observe, learn and exchange ideas in orde

Social media content for business and user engagement on Facebook

Facebook is regularly used by businesses to present themselves to users and communicate with them. most users act passivily by simply reading and viewing a company's official homepage. Few followers adopt a more active role, such as commenting and interacting with each other and with the company, fewer still are reactive and proactive, becoming co-creators of content. This study examines the type of content entered by businesses to stimulate user engagement, and how participation and activism is stimulated, through the creation of appropriate indexes. The results obtained uncover previously overlooked aspects of conversation and content setting, to encourage user engagement

“Students’ perceptions about the use of lyrics training to enhance listening comprehension”

Lyrics Training is a technological tool used in the educational field that will provide benefits in the motivation of the learning process and in the improvement of the student's skills, especially listening comprehension, which is a fundamental skill in the acquisition of a foreign language. This qualitative study aims to analyze the students’ perception of the use of Lyrics Training to enhance listening comprehension. Data was collected by means of a survey with eight questions and analyzed through the thematic analysis process. Participants were eighteen students from the eighth semester of English at the Technical University of Cotopaxi during April - August 2022 academic term. The main findings show the positive influence based on the participants' opinions through the use of Lyrics Training which enabled them to develop their listening comprehension. As for the benefits, they highlighted the accessibility of the website, which helped to improve spelling and pronunciation, as well as the enjoyment of learning, which allowed them to feel motivated and increase their vocabulary knowledge. On the other hand, they also faced some difficulties due to their lack of understanding of the colloquial words in the songs and technological problems that impeded the listening process. Finally, the application of Lyrics Training is considered a useful technological tool to learn and develop skills in a foreign language such as English. Based on these findings, it is suggested that teachers can adapt Lyrics Training in their classroom lessons to develop listening comprehension activities that will help them to achieve satisfactory performance in their students.Lyrics Training es una herramienta tecnológica utilizada en el ámbito educativo que aportará beneficios en la motivación del proceso de aprendizaje y en la mejora de las habilidades del alumno, especialmente la comprensión auditiva, la cual es una habilidad fundamental en la adquisición de una lengua extranjera. Este estudio cualitativo pretende analizar la percepción de los alumnos sobre el uso del Lyrics Training para mejorar la comprensión auditiva. Los datos se recogieron mediante una encuesta con ocho preguntas y se analizaron mediante el proceso de análisis temático. Los participantes fueron dieciocho estudiantes del octavo semestre de inglés de la Universidad Técnica de Cotopaxi durante el período académico abril - agosto 2022. Los principales hallazgos muestran la influencia positiva basada en las opiniones de los participantes a través del uso del Lyrics Training que les permitió desarrollar su comprensión auditiva. En cuanto a los beneficios, destacaron la accesibilidad del sitio web, que ayudó a mejorar la ortografía y la pronunciación, así como disfrutaron del aprendizaje, lo cual les permitió sentirse motivados y aumentar sus conocimientos de vocabulario. Por otro lado, también se enfrentaron a algunas dificultades debido a su falta de comprensión de las palabras coloquiales de las canciones y a problemas tecnológicos que impidieron el proceso de escucha. Por último, se considera que la aplicación del Lyrics Training es una herramienta tecnológica útil para aprender y desarrollar habilidades en una lengua extranjera como el Inglés. A partir de estos resultados, se sugiere que los profesores puedan adaptar Lyrics Training en sus lecciones de clase para desarrollar actividades de comprensión auditiva que les ayude a obtener un rendimiento satisfactorio en sus estudiante

Semantic Interaction in Web-based Retrieval Systems : Adopting Semantic Web Technologies and Social Networking Paradigms for Interacting with Semi-structured Web Data

Existing web retrieval models for exploration and interaction with web data do not take into account semantic information, nor do they allow for new forms of interaction by employing meaningful interaction and navigation metaphors in 2D/3D. This thesis researches means for introducing a semantic dimension into the search and exploration process of web content to enable a significantly positive user experience. Therefore, an inherently dynamic view beyond single concepts and models from semantic information processing, information extraction and human-machine interaction is adopted. Essential tasks for semantic interaction such as semantic annotation, semantic mediation and semantic human-computer interaction were identified and elaborated for two general application scenarios in web retrieval: Web-based Question Answering in a knowledge-based dialogue system and semantic exploration of information spaces in 2D/3D

Guiding Language Students to Self-Sustained Learning

This portfolio is a compilation of written pieces which express the author’s beliefs about excellence in second language teaching. The views expressed here have been shaped by the author’s personal experience and by his time in the Master of Second Language Teaching (MSLT) program and are supported by relevant research throughout. This portfolio contains three sections: (1) teaching perspectives, (2) research perspectives, and (3) annotated bibliographies. The teaching perspective section is centered on the author’s teaching philosophy, which emphasizes communication in the target language, classroom community, and student motivation. The second section consists of three research papers written over the course of the MSLT program. The final section includes three annotated bibliographies that review research literature regarding student motivation, nonnative vs native teachers, and the teaching of vocabulary

An Investigation of Language Teachers’ Explorations of the Use of Corpus Tools in the English for Academic Purposes (EAP) Class

Despite claims that the use of corpus tools can have a major impact in language classrooms (e.g., Conrad, 2000, 2004; Davies, 2004; O\u27Keefe, McCarthy, & Carter, 2007; Sinclair, 2004b; Tsui, 2004), many language teachers express apparent apathy or even resistance towards adding corpus tools to their repertoire (Cortes, 2013b). This study examines from a teacher cognition perspective (Borg, 2006) how three EAP (English for Academic Purposes) writing teachers identified their most pressing needs and considered possible ways that corpus tools might address those needs. After having an individualized corpus working session, each teacher put into practice one or more corpus tools to address self-identified needs in their writing classes. The teachers reflected on the process across a series of interviews and in a stimulated recall session, which were analyzed using qualitative research methods. Each teacher discussed the degree to which the lesson met her objectives, and considered how she might use such corpus tools in the future, as one component in the development of her teaching beliefs, knowledge base, and practices. Through thematic analysis of the interviews and the individualized corpus working sessions, themes emerged that tell the story of these three teachers as they moved through this process, relating to the issues of time, student engagement, material analysis, selection and design, issues related to corpus tools, language, institutional factors, and collaboration. A new area of specialization on the pedagogical uses of corpus tools is discussed, based on the results of the three cases. Implications for researchers, material designers, corpus tools specialists, teacher educators, administrators and teachers are considered