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Language ideologies at work: Examining the linguistic landscape in public spaces of Coventry, England
No full textThe rise of global migration has significantly changed how multilingualism in urban areas is studied. As such, the field of linguistic landscaping (LL) has been rapidly shifting its focus beyond LL signs to understand the semiotic construction of cityscapes and how multilingual communities share them (see Chik, Benson, & Moloney, 2019). In some cities, however, monolingualism is still preserved as a central identity throughout public spaces. This paper considers the relationship between micro-level language ideologies and the semiotic construction of space through an examination of the linguistic landscape in public spaces in the city of Coventry, UK. Despite official recognition of the high degree of ethnic and linguistic diversity within the city, English is dominant on public and private signage. This paper draws on signage data collected from two central public spaces in Coventry city centre as part of the MultiDiv summer school held at the University of Warwick in 2019. The analysis looks at the relationship between the geographical locations of the signs in selected sites and the languages displayed on them. Coventry Central Library is examined as a case study to show how micro-level language ideologies are manifested in a public place in relation to the spatial location of different categories of language signage. The study finds that English-only signs are more prominent in the city’s public spaces while signs displaying English mixed with one or more community languages are pushed to the periphery. These findings contribute to the body of literature on LL in urban areas and public spaces (Shohamy, 2010) and support recent research that calls for new cosmopolitan approaches in examining language presence, use, and acts in urban public spaces (Pietikainen & Kelly-Holmes, 2013; Roeder & Walden, 2016; Da Costa Cabral & Martin-Jones, 2017; Edmond, 2017; Hatoss, 2019)
Assessing L2 listening at a Japanese university: Effects of input type and response format
No full textLarge-scale and classroom-based tests of L2 listening comprehension typically employ audio-only listening texts and a multiple-choice response format. However, the effect of these test task characteristics on test-taker performance remains elusive, and begs the question as to whether they are the best option in terms of construct validity. Furthermore, the interaction between these test task characteristics and their potential joint effect on performance has not been sufficiently explored. To address this gap, a study was conducted at a Japanese university which investigated the effect of input type (audio-only vs. video) and response format (multiple-choice vs. short answer) on L2 listening test performance. Participants were divided into four groups to take an academic listening test with one of four combinations of input and response format: (1) audio-only with multiple-choice questions; (2) video with multiple-choice questions; (3) audio-only with short answer questions; and (4) video with short answer questions. Results of a 2 x 2 factorial ANOVA revealed a statistically significant effect of response format on test-taker performance. No significant effect for input type was found and no significant interaction among the variables was detected. Results suggest that visual input and audiovisual literacy need to be more clearly articulated within the construct definition of academic listening, if they are to be included at all
Beyond the washback of the English National Exam on learning: Subsequent impact on language learning strategies of first-year English majors
No full textThe study aims to investigate washback of the English National Exam (ENE) on learning and how they impacted English language learning strategies of first-year English majors at University of Foreign Language Studies, The University of Danang (UFLS, UD). Data was collected from a questionnaire administered to 120 first-year English majors and an interview conducted with ten randomly-selected students from the focus group. The findings indicated that given the ENE 2018 as an objective test with emphasis on language knowledge (grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation) and reading skills, previous learning practices of first-year English majors as the washback of ENE resulted in intense memorization of language knowledge to perform test-preparation exercises rather than concentrating on developing non-tested skills (listening, speaking, and writing). While some previous English learning practices have inherently benefited first-year English majors, they mainly exert negative effects and drive first-year English majors to develop and modify pre-existent strategies as well as adopt new ones for the development of all language skills. The study is instrumental in depicting potential effects of previous learning practices for the ENE on higher education specializing on English, thereby preparing first-year English majors to make adjustments and accommodate themselves with appropriate learning strategies at UFLS, UD
“Writing like a health scientist”: A translingual approach to teaching text structure in a diverse Australian classroom
No full textIn multilingual Australian classrooms, one of the biggest challenges for culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) learners is mastering the academic language they need to succeed at school. Unlike everyday language, academic language refers to the abstract, complex and challenging language that students need to understand, evaluate, synthesise and report on ideas that they learn in the classroom. It may include, for example, discipline-specific vocabulary, or textual conventions typical for a content area. As Goldenberg (2008) says: “If we want students to think like mathematicians, read like historians, write like scientists, we need to teach them these ways of thinking reading and writing” (p. 9). For CALD students in Australian mainstream classrooms, who learn subject content through English, mastery of academic language can prove particularly challenging if they are restricted to “English only” approaches to show what they know and can do. In contrast, a translanguaging approach can enable students to utilize any of the features in their full linguistic repertoires to demonstrate what they know and can do in relation to classroom content (Garcia, Johnson & Seltzer, 2017). This paper reports on an empirical research project that investigated the role of translanguaging (Garcia, 2009) in teaching academic language to CALD students, by setting up collaborative activities in which students worked together to draw upon all of their language and cultural knowledge. During this project, the first author, an academic researcher, collaborated with two classroom teachers (both of whom co-authored this paper) to explore various ways in which teachers could mobilise multilingual teaching pedagogies to support the students’ access to and engagement with language and literacy learning. In providing a finely grained account of how a translanguaging approach was applied to literacy and oracy work in a Health Sciences unit, this article demonstrates clearly how CALD students’ linguistic resources are fundamental to their cultural identities, and that enabling students to access all of these resources can lead to deeper and richer learning experiences
Formulation processes of monolingual, bilingual, and biliterate writers: Effects of biliteracy
No full textBy looking beyond their written products into what they do as they write, this mixed methods study offers insights into the writing process of writers who have mastered one language and those who have mastered two. It investigates the cognitive effects of bilingualism and biliteracy on the writing processes of years ten and eleven Sydney high school writers across three groups (N = 30): English monolinguals, Chinese-English bilinguals, and Chinese-English biliterates, focusing on their formulation processes (i.e., how thoughts are converted into language and the written form). Findings indicate distinctive features and patterns of writing behaviours, possibly reflecting specific strengths and weaknesses for each group. The monolinguals demonstrated strategic use of vocabulary, while the biliterates and bilinguals demonstrated prospective and retrospective behaviours when formulating. These findings are discussed in light of studies on the writing process and on the effects of bilingualism
Exploring the effectiveness of deliberate computer-assisted language learning
No full textThis article presents a work-in-progress focused on developing an experiment to investigate the effectiveness of different types of deliberate paired-associate computer-assisted language learning (CALL). First, the rationale for Japanese EFL learners’ current need for doubling their efforts with this technique is explained. Next, an overview of research regarding the interface in second language acquisition is presented. This is followed by an explanation of results from a recent experiment. Questions and issues raised in that experiment are then discussed with regard to a proposal for a subsequent experiment that will be conducted during the semester starting in April 2020. In this proposed study, different conditions within Internet-based flashcard study will be the major experimental learning component. Psycholinguistic response time measures will be the main dependent variable, aimed at gauging gains in nondeclarative, or tacit L2 knowledge. In addition, online declarative measures and traditional offline measures of declarative knowledge will be used
Deliberate vocabulary learning from word cards
No full textWhile word cards are a widely supported method of deliberately studying foreign language vocabulary, there is a surprising lack of research-based evidence supporting them. This paper first reviews some of the key literature on word cards and then briefly describes two experiments concerning word card methodology. The first experiment described in this paper examined the learning outcomes of making word cards while the second experiment compared the use of self-made word cards with premade cards. The results of the first study indicated that the simple process of making word cards results in significant shortterm vocabulary learning, but this new knowledge is sensitive to attrition if no further study is carried out soon after making the cards. The results of the second experiment indicated that while both methods are effective in the short and long-term, learners may be better studying from premade cards. Taken together, the results offer support for the use of word cards for foreign language vocabulary learning
Integrating multimodal technologies with VARK strategies for learning and teaching EFL presentation: An investigation into learners’ achievements and perceptions of the learning process
No full textSuccessful oral presentation effectually involves multi-faceted training of listening, writing, and nonverbal delivery besides speaking orally, which calls for a systematical holistic/multimodal approach. However, a multimodal learning environment for fostering EFL learners’ presentation development remains virtually unexplored. This study employed multimodal strategies adopted from the VARK model (visual, aural, reading/writing, and kinesthetic/gestural) with the support of digital audio, video, and speech visualization technologies in an English presentation course at a university in Taiwan. Two EFL classes served respectively as the experimental group with a technology-mediated multimodal approach and the control group with a traditional oral approach. Specifically, this research evaluated the experimental participants’ oral performance and explored their perceptions of this technology-mediated multimodal approach and its advantages and disadvantages as identified by the participants. Results from independent t-tests showed marginal significant progress of presentation performance in the experimental group. Descriptive statistics from the perception survey and content analysis of students’ reflective responses indicated that the participants were overwhelmingly positive about technology-supported multimodal activities implemented in the oral training course but encountered psychological and technological challenges when producing multimodal assignments. Theoretically, the results support the extension of multimodal theory to EFL oral presentation education. Practically the study informs EFL presentation instructors of the validity of technological-enhanced VARK strategies for learning and teaching EFL presentation. The research results also bear significant implications for the necessity of learner training on technology practices when pedagogy with the integration of multimodal technologies into EFL speech education is implemented
An investigation of learners’ use of CAN and COULD
No full textCAN and COULD have multiple uses and multiple interpretations which can be difficult for learners of English to understand. For example, the difference of Can you help me? and Could you help me? may go unnoticed to an English language learner, but a native speaker of English would recognise a difference in politeness. The current paper reports on an investigation of learners’ use of the modal auxiliaries CAN and COULD, including their negative counterparts (cannot/can’t and could not/couldn’t), in an English Proficiency Program (EPP) classroom at a New Zealand University. Through first examining the learners’ use of CAN and COULD in spoken and written contexts, comparisons are made to their use in the British National Corpus, which results in the identification of areas in which learners’ use could be strengthened
Balancing old and new: Integrating competency-based learning into CALL teacher education
No full textThe idea of competency-based, or mastery, learning has been around for decades, but it has recently been receiving more global attention as a foundation for English language teaching and learning. Because technology use can be integral to the attainment of competency, language teachers who use computerassisted language learning (call) in their classrooms should be aware of the principles and practices that can lead to competency. This paper argues that, for this to happen, call teacher educators and other professional development providers need to use a competency approach to make sure that the teachers in their classrooms are as prepared as they can be to engage their English language learners (ells) actively in mastering language, content, and technology. After presenting this position, the paper provides a detailed definition and description of competency-based learning and suggests ways that it can be integrated into call teacher education. An outline of some of the benefits and challenges of this approach in teacher education completes the discussion in this pape