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An Empirical Study of the Predictors of Green Purchase Behaviour
Get PDFThe world has progressed economically in leaps and bounds but sadly at the cost of our environment. Green Consumer Behaviour has become the need of the hour in recent years with the rapid degradation of the environment. This study focuses on green apparel and aims to examine if there is a relationship between i) Personal Norm and Green Purchase Behaviour, ii) Peer Influence and Green Purchase Behaviour iii) Perceived Benefits and Green Purchase Behaviour and iv) to examine if attitude mediates the relationship between Personal Norm and Green Purchase Behaviour. Valueattitude-behaviour hierarchy theory (VABH) has been used. The method used for analyses is the Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) technique using AMOS 22 software. A sample of 146 consumers was used and the convenience sampling technique was followed. The results show that there is a positive and significant relationship between i) Personal Norm and Green Purchase Behaviour, ii) Peer Influence and Green Purchase Behaviour iii) Perceived Benefits and Green Purchase Behaviour and iv) attitude mediates the relationship between Personal Norm and Green Purchase Behaviour. The findings are valuable to green apparel product manufacturers, policymakers, parents, school management and the community at large
A Linkage between Perceived Corporate Image and Organisational Identification in the Banking Sector in Nigeria
Get PDFWhether an organization makes an effort to change its image, every organization has one. The stakeholders' perceptions of a particular firm activity as well as related global and industry challenges shape the perceived corporate image. One of the important topics in the management and organizational fields has been corporate image. The study's goal is to investigate the relationship between organizational identity and perceived corporate image. The study used a survey methodology to gather the data, which was then analyzed using IBM SPSS version 21.0's arithmetic mean, correlation, and regression functions. The study found that the notion of perceived corporate image is one of the fundamental ideas for being relevant and competitive in a globalized company environment. The link between perceived corporate image and employee engagement was examined in two distinct dimensions, external and internal, each with its own set of values. According to their own social responsibility ideals, an employee who believes that their company is renowned because it practices social responsibility may be more (or less) inclined to report involvement. Additionally, based on the study's findings, it was determined that there is a strong positive association between perceived internal and external image and organizational identity, and that both of the perceived corporate image's sub-dimensions had a favorable impact on that relationship. Future research might evaluate if, and to what extent, organizational culture influences corporate image and organization identity, according to the study's recommendations. 
Towards a New Paradigm for English Language Teaching: English for Specific Purposes in Asia and Beyond
Get PDFThe ESP literature, as emphasized in the most recent seminal paper of Helen Basturkmen (2021), is “rich in case studies of teaching that report practices in one setting” (p.5). And Towards a New Paradigm for English Language Teaching: English for Specific Purposes in Asia and Beyond, a volume co-edited by Hajime Terauchi, Judy Noguchi and Akira Tajino, is one example. This volume is a collection of contributions that look into a practical approach to English for Specific Purposes (ESP) classroom that underscores the importance of instilling into language learners the awareness and acceptance of reality towards achieving their goals and acquiring solid language skills
Cultural Resources, Listening Comprehension of Intermediate Iranian EFL Learners and their Emotional Intelligence
Get PDFThe notion of emotional intelligence (EQ or EI) was provided to complement general intelligence. This study intended to study the influence of emotional intelligence on listening comprehension of junior high school EFL learners from both genders when using culture-based materials. In so doing, a number of 50 Iranian intermediate level EFL learners were selected using the Oxford Quick Placement Test (OQPT). In addition, Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire was employed. The listening test was administered first. Participants were classified into an experimental and a control group. In the experimental group, students were exposed to listening materials such as special expressions, idioms, and conversations. After ten sessions, participants participated in the listening post-test. The results of an independent samples t-test showed that the performance of the participants in the two groups was significantly different. Moreover, one-way ANOVA and post-hoc analysis revealed that gender significantly affects the listening skills of EFL learners with varying degrees of emotional intelligence when using cultural material in listening lessons. The findings of this study can lead language teachers to include materials as listening pieces about cultural entities to improve the listening ability of language learners
E-Learning and Learner Autonomy in an EFL Class in Vietnam
Get PDFLearner autonomy has long been a matter of great interest in the world of EFL pedagogy and practice. It is one of the qualities that teachers want to cultivate as they know that developing this core value is synonymous with training an independent, confident, and effective learner. There have been numerous studies on this subject in the educational setting; however, those conducted to examine learners’ ability to self-control their learning in the online context are still far from sufficient. This research was conducted with the exploratory survey to examine learner autonomy in EFL classes in Vietnam, where e-learning has recently been made mandatory due to the Covid 19 pandemic. It involved the total participation of 20 teachers and 100 students randomly selected from five Vietnamese tertiary institutions. Results showed a good understanding of the course instructors about the importance of learner autonomy in the online courses and the need to promote it. The students, however, were not well aware of their self-regulated learning tasks. From the study results, we could realize some problems regarding the students’ behavior in the virtual learning environment and differences in teachers’ and students’ perceptions of this notion. The research findings also supported the researcher in making recommendations to motivate self-controlled learners
Exploring the Effect of an Entrepreneurship Awareness-raising Intervention on ELT Learners’ Entrepreneurial Intention, Mindset, Self-efficacy and Outcome Expectations
Get PDFThis experimental study aimed to explore the effect of entrepreneurship education among English language teaching (ELT) learners in Iran. To this end, an entrepreneurship awareness-raising intervention was designed and evaluated through a mixed-method explanatory sequential design with hypotheses rooted in social cognitive career theory. The effectiveness of the intervention was first investigated quantitatively through pre-test and post-test among 41 ELT learners. Then, semi-structured interviews were conducted among 15 participants to triangulate and further explain the quantitative findings. The results of repeated measures of MANOVA revealed that ELT learners’ entrepreneurial intention, entrepreneurial self-efficacy, entrepreneurial mindset, and entrepreneurial outcome expectations improved significantly from pre-test to post-test under the effect of the intervention. Further, the findings of qualitative data analysis confirmed the quantitative results and revealed that all of the participants took great satisfaction in the course, and they believed that the effectiveness of the course was even beyond their expectations. Implications are discussed
Reflections on a 40-year Career in Language, Education, and Psychology: An Interview with Richard Sparks
Get PDFThe current paper is an interview with Professor Richard Sparks, who has contributed his teaching, research, and consultancy service to academia and the broader community at large for over 40 years. In this paper, the two guest editors of this special issue (Edward and Hassan) had prepared a list of questions and invited Prof Sparks to answer them in written form. Key issues covered in the interview include some general background information, as well as more in-depth discussions of specific academic issues related to the major themes included in the special issue
Cheating on Testing: Cramming on Test Preparation
Get PDFProfessor Glenn Fulcher’s research has influenced language testing and assessment in two ways: in proposing a new understanding of data-driven speaking test design, and in drawing attention to the core identity of language testers. The former has had a powerful impact on practical speaking testing and assessment. The latter has asked a very essential question of what language testers do, exploring philosophical, historical, and social ideas from a pragmatic view of language testing and assessment. In particular, Fulcher (2015)’s chapters on meritocracy and values in language tests explain why we have been using tests throughout history to discern vital roles of language tests and yet why people attempt to cheat on them, in relation to ‘three Ms’ ideas including meritocracy, material success, and motivation. Within this view, this paper aims to review TOEFL cramming practices on test preparation, using Fulcher (2015)’s notion of cheating. Korean test takers study TOEFL cramming skills at test preparation companies to acquire admission to schools, called Hagwons in Korean. However, there is little research regarding cramming practices in terms of cheating. Collected data from my doctoral study (Kim, 2016) were reviewed. It was found that cramming skills as a form of cheating were explicitly taught in class, including use of actual test questions, memorisation of sample answers, and the use of a testing environment. The study revealed reasons to lead the cramming skills: (1) practical benefits of test scores, (2) speaking and writing sections and (3) investments of test preparation. The implications of the study are to raise awareness of the importance of links between cheating and cramming in the field of language testing and teaching
Cognitive Diagnostic Assessment of IELTS Listening: Providing Feedback from its Internal Structure
Get PDFHigh stakes testing, such as IELTS, is designed to select individuals for decision-making purposes (Fulcher, 2013b). Hence, there is a slow-growing stream of research investigating the subskills of IELTS listening and, in feedback terms, its effects on individuals and educational programs. Here, cognitive diagnostic assessment (CDA) performs it through breaking down the abstract listening concepts into fine-grained subcomponents, and applying it to in-class assessment and teaching. Therefore, the strengths and weaknesses of language learners concerning various subsections of the IELTS listening test were explored with use of three CDMs, i.e., DINA, DINO and mixed DINA-DINO. As a result, the analysis of the participants’(N=463) performances revealed that the mixed-DINA-DINO model using the original Q-matrix was the most effective model. On the other hand, all three models indicated that gap-filling was cognitively less demanding than the other subsections. However, they did not show any agreement on multiple-choice sub-competency. Accordingly, it can be argued that the CDM-driven diagnostic information related to the sub-sections of the IELTS listening test can be used in educational systems to explore the underlying structure of a test and detect the learners’ potential strengths and weaknesses with mastery and non-mastery of the intended items
The Roles of Language Aptitude and Online Self-regulated Learning in Foreign Language Achievements
Get PDFDespite extensive use of online language learning during the pandemic of COVID, there is insufficient research on what factors influence students’ foreign language achievements in online learning conditions. This article investigated the roles of language aptitude and online self-regulated learning in foreign language achievement in mainland China. 76 freshmen from two classes at a university in Jiangxi participated in this study. They were required to complete an aptitude test of MLAT and a questionnaire on online self-regulated learning. The results showed that: (1) The students’ language aptitude is at a relatively low level, and their online self-regulated learning is at an intermediate level; (2) A positive correlation is detected between language aptitude, online self-regulated learning, and their English achievements (r=0.621 & 0.583 respectively); (3) Language aptitude alone (grammatical sensitivity and associative memory ability) accounts for 38.9% variance in English achievement. Language aptitude and online self-regulated learning contributed 52.4% of the variance to their English achievements. Overall, the findings of the study confirm the high predictive power of the MLAT and predictions of the Linguistic Coding Deficit Hypothesis (LCDH) advocated by Sparks and colleagues. Pedagogical implications are also discussed