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A comparison of textbook vocabulary load analysis
No full textThe popularity of using textbooks in second language programs in universities around the world continues to grow. Textbooks support teachers in their teaching by providing accessible materials and clear instruction. In addition, learners are guided by familiar lesson frameworks (e.g., beginning, middle, end) to guide their independent study (Swales, 1980). However, textbooks present many challenges. Learners’ difficulties include the range in lexical knowledge they must possess (Nation, 2006) and the different lexical and grammatical features that are found in written textbook registers (Biber et al., 1998). This study investigates and outlines the vocabulary load of two English for Academic Purpose textbooks, using the British National Corpus and Corpus of Contemporary American English (BNC/COCA) 25,000 (Nation, 2012) and JACET8000 (JACET, 2016) word lists. The results show that for each textbook, more lexical demands are needed for second language learners in the JACET8000 compared with the BNC/COCA 25,000 lists. Understanding the content in textbooks will inform of the vocabulary-level requirements needed when taught in tertiary-level programs. Using a general and a Japanese-specific word list to identify possible pedagogical priorities can help to determine textbook priorities for teachers that can be applied to teaching in the Japanese classroom
Team New Zealand-Sweden-Germany: A joint venture exploring language learning in digital spaces
No full textThis paper reports on a study investigating the use of digital devices by language students at universities in New Zealand, Sweden and Germany. The study also examines the use of social media for learning a foreign language in an institutional context, using survey results from language students in the three countries. Based on an online survey (n=156) with foreign language learners in Sweden, Germany and New Zealand, everyday use of devices and applications by students is compared and analysed applying the digital literacies framework described by Pegrum et al., 2018. Focusing on digital tools (including devices and applications) which facilitate informal communication, we attempt to answer the research questions: “How do students interact and communicate digitally / using social networking in educational contexts and beyond?” and “How do students use online tools, devices and applications, for information retrieval and learning?” The results provide a rationale for why students’ everyday habits when using such tools should be considered in educational contexts. This exploratory study also describes how devices and applications can facilitate second language acquisition and can be used in a language education context. We recommend guidelines for teacher trainers regarding the development of digital literacies in foreign language teaching
Should standard Arabic have "the lion's share?": Teacher ideologies in L2 Arabic through the lens of pedagogical translanguaging
No full textWith the multilingual turn in applied linguistics, translanguaging has been envisioned as a pedagogical approach in multiple contexts (Creese & Blackledge, 2010; Galante, 2020; Yilmaz, 2019). Recent discussions have turned to teachers’ perspectives to understand how teachers’ monolingual ideologies and beliefs could limit the potential of such approaches (Hillman et al., 2019; Holdway & Hitchcock, 2018; Tian, 2020). With a focus on Arabic as a multidialectal and multiglossic language, this paper examines teachers’ translanguaging ideologies and practices and their nexus to language learning and intercultural communication. It used a focused, semi-structured interview to determine to what degree teachers’ practices were consistent or in conflict with their ideologies regarding translanguaging. They were challenged with positions from translanguaging pedagogy to initiate their conceptual development. A discrepancy was found between teachers’ ideologies and practices. That is, whereas they initially hesitated to accept translanguaging as a legitimate pedagogy, they were indeed translanguaging. This discrepancy is argued to limit learning. A qualitative analysis of the interviews with some teachers showed the emergence of an internally persuasive discourse about the potential of translanguaging. In light of teacher reflections that specified legitimate challenges, we argue for the judicious adoption of translanguaging pedagogy in multilingual and multicultural settings and discuss pedagogical implications and future research directions
Exploring EAP students' perceptions of integrated writing assessment
No full textDespite the breadth of integrated writing assessment research, few studies have examined student perceptions of classroom-based integrated writing tasks or the instructional value of analytic rubrics. Adopting a case study methodology, this exploratory research investigated L2 learners’ conceptualizations of integrated writing assessment and their use of an analytic rubric for self-assessment in an EAP writing course. Data sources included integrated writing samples that were evaluated by the students and their instructor, a writing self-efficacy questionnaire, individual retrospective interviews, and course materials such as syllabi, and task instructions. Qualitative analysis revealed themes related to three aspects of classroom-based integrated writing assessment: task requirements, task conditions, and instructor feedback. The themes were discussed in terms of students’ test taking strategies and the use of available support systems in EAP contexts. In addition, findings indicated an overlap between students’ self-assessment and instructor evaluation of their integrated essays, suggesting that students could use the evaluation criteria effectively. Implications for teaching and assessing integrated writing in EAP contexts are discussed
Utilizing Flipgrid for speaking activities: A small-scale university-level EFL study
No full textIn 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced many educational institutions to implement ERT, which resulted in courses going online across Japan. Many teachers were faced with creating asynchronous or on-demand materials to meet the educational goals of their classes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of Flipgrid as a face-to-face speaking activity replacement. The study used four criteria based on asynchronous teaching as well as feedback from student surveys to determine Flipgrid’s efficacy as a face-to-face replacement and the use it may serve for future online or hybrid English courses. The use of Flipgrid had some observable positive and negative impacts. Students stated that motivation to learn English, as well as their listening and speaking ability grew over the first semester of the course. However, some student participants remarked that they were apprehensive to show their faces on camera for teachers and peers to see. The lack of real-time feedback from teachers may also be an obstacle to overcome for Flipgrid to be an effective replacement for face-to-face speaking activities
A corpus-assisted discourse analysis of Taiwanese students’ sentiments toward Asianphobia on the news amid Covid-19
No full textThe anti-Chinese racist slurs and violence toward anyone who bears physical resemblance to a Chinese have escalated at the time the Coronavirus aka Covid-19 has globally spread its wrath. For Taiwanese university students who were also impacted by Covid-19 as their opportunity to travel and study abroad has been put to a halt, raising their awareness of the dangers of racism amid the pandemic has never been more important. This study draws on the students’ feedback on class activity that revolves around language and culture, conflict and resolution. The self-drawn corpus was therefore based on the collected students’ written responses. Critical discourse analysis based on corpus linguistics (Baker et al., 2008) using Voyant Tools (Sinclair & Rockwell, 2016), a web-based text analysis tool, was conducted to investigate word patterns that rose from collocations and concordance data, and the correlational impact of these linguistic devices. These results were then interpreted using critical discourse analysis (CDA) theoretical framework of van Dijk (1984, 2015), Fairclough (1995, 2001) and Wodak (2001) to evaluate the students’ attitudes and social representations that they share. The findings suggest a high frequency of the lemma “Taiwanese” and the collocation “Taiwan can help” signifying a strong sense of pride as an overwhelming majority felt that Taiwan is successfully leading the fight against Covid-19, thus disassociating themselves from the “Chinese mainlanders.” Yet underneath this bold statement lies their deepest concern–a sense of fear for their own safety
Review of The Big Five in SLA
No full textThe Big Five in SLA by Ewa Piechurska-Kuciel, Springer International Publishing, 2020, 238pp., €103.99 (Hardcover) €85.59 (eBook). ISBN 9783030593230
Review of Radical Solutions for Education in a Crisis Context: COVID-19 as an Opportunity for Global Learning
No full textRadical Solutions for Education in a Crisis Context: COVID-19 as an Opportunity for Global Learning edited by Daniel Burgos, Ahmed Tlili, and Anita Tabacco, Springer, 2021, 323pp., 109.00 (eBook). ISBN 9789811578687
The impact of implementing augmented reality to enhance the vocabulary of young EFL learners
No full textThis study seeks to contribute to the small, but growing area of research regarding technology potential in the field of vocabulary research. The study aims to determine the usefulness of augmented reality (AR) technology in EFL vocabulary learning. An experiment was conducted to examine young learners’ motivation and vocabulary retention. The current study employed two instruments: a pre-post-delayed test and an interview. The participants (=73) were primary school sixth-graders (11–12 years old) and were assigned into two groups, experimental (38) and control (35). The findings revealed that there were differences in the mean scores in favour of the experimental group. However, these differences were not statistically significant. Furthermore, seventeen students were interviewed regarding their perceptions of the used technology. The findings showed that AR results in better understanding and higher levels of motivation among students. The study also highlighted the role of technology in the domain of language learning