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Loanwords for language learners: Help or hindrance?
No full textBackground: Loanwords are a growing component of the Japanese language. During the past six decades, the majority of new loanwords entering the Japanese language have come from the English language. For native Japanese speaking students, loanwords are a source of potential frustration and support, both within their L1 and L2 (English). Aims: To explore and further our understanding of students’ knowledgeof high frequency loanwords. Sample: One hundred thirty undergraduate students of mixed major, studying in a compulsory course (Eigo/Eigokaiwa), at Kyushu Sangyo University, participated in this exploratory study.Methods: This study compares loanword self-reported difficulty (L2) with students’ productive knowledge in their L1. This study was undertaken with a group of first- and second-year students (n!130) enrolled incompulsory English classes.Results: For half of the loanwords examined, self-reported difficulty and students’ productive knowledge was consistent. The remaining words examined were inconsistent with self-report measures, generally underestimating students’ actual productive knowledge. Conclusions: Error analyses of students’ L1 sentences indicated that inconsistencies observed between self-report and productive knowledge may be due to students’ partial knowledge of words expressed through their reliance on katakana translations of the words tested. Implications for practice and future directions are discussed
Learning strategies and learner attitudes in the massively multiplayer online roleplaying game cube world
No full textThe rapid progress of technology has revolutionized learning and in the field of computer assisted language learning, the use of digital games has expanded significantly. One type of game that has been attracting interest is massively multiplayer online role-playing games (henceforth mmorpgs). Recent research has drawn attention to the potential of these games as arenas for language learning (Peterson, 2013). This paper will analyze the findings of exploratory research focusing on the use of the mmorpg Cube World involving a group of efl learners based at a university in Japan. Data analysis of text chats, learner feedback and in-class video recordings revealed that the interactive language exchanges between players when they communicate and collaborate with each other in the game appear potentially beneficial for language learners. The data further showed that the participants viewed language learning through Cube World as fun and motivating. This suggests that learner participation in network-based mmorpgs provides an arena for learner centered social interaction that offers valuable opportunities for target language practice. mmorpgs offer the potential to enhance communicative competence; however, this research also highlights the need for additional studies
Enhancing Japanese university students’ English-language presentation skills with mobile-video recordings
No full textIn universities throughout Japan, English language learners are required to stand in front of their peers and make a presentation with the aid of software such as Microsoft PowerPoint. This type of public speaking activity can often be an anxiety-inducing, glorified reading or memorization exercise of text-heavy slides that fails to meet the intended objective of developing the learners’ presentation skills. This paper reports on the perceptions of Japanese university students toward an action research project that utilized poster presentations in conjunction with mobile-video reflective feedback. An activity systems analysis helped uncover the systemic contradictions and tensions that existed in the participants’ English as a foreign language (efl) oral presentation lessons. One hundred and twenty-nine undergraduate economics students from nine classes completed a paper-based survey. In addition, seven students from the same second-year international economics course participated in a focus group interview. The results indicated that most participants viewed mobile-video enhanced self- and peer-reflective feedback as beneficial tools that could help improve the quality of their efl presentation performances. However, many students expressed concern about public speaking anxiety, the protection of personal privacy, as well as the cultural contrast between Western and Japanese presentation styles
An empirical examination of the effect of guessing on vocabulary size test scores
No full textThe Vocabulary Size Test (VST) was created to provide a reliable estimate of a second language learner’s written receptive vocabulary size, measuring from the most frequent fourteen 1,000 word families of the spoken subsection of the British National Corpus. While some have recommended that users should limit the amount of the test taken to only slightly above a student’s level, others argue that learners should take every level of the test. However, this raises concerns that correct responses on lower frequency levels could largely be attributed to guesses rather than vocabulary knowledge. In this paper we analyze a data set of 3,373 Japanese university students’ responses to the first eight levels of the original VST under the 3PL model, in order to determine the minimum expected score on the test for learners of low ability, examine the proportion of low-level students’ scores on the lowest frequency level tested that can be attributed to guessing under the 3PL model, and conduct a model fit comparison to determine whether the 3PL model offers a significantly better description of the data than the Rasch model. The results indicate that a substantial portion of lower level learners’ scores on items testing low-frequency words can be attributed to guessing and support the position that students should not sit every level of the test. The authors recommend using the results of the 3PL analysis in order to determine which sections of the test learners of different proficiency levels should sit
Replacing translation tests with yes/no tests
No full textAlong with personal interviews, individual word translation tests from the target language to the mother tongue are recognized as a reliable method of determining students’ actual lexical knowledge. However, as most English as a foreign language teachers are aware, the marking of these tests can be a laborious task. A far easier vocabulary testing format is the Yes/No (YN) checklist test, which can examine a large number of words while not over-burdening the marker. Pseudowords, which look like real words but do not bear meaning, have been added to the YN format to check for evidence of overestimation of lexical knowledge by test-takers. Four scoring formulae, which adjust YN results according to the number of pseudoword reports, have become established in the literature. Of these, the h-f formula has become recognized as the simplest to use for adjusting YN scores. This study presents a regression-based prediction formula derived from the h-f results in a pilot study, which was then applied to the YN h-f adjustments in a second study (the main study) to predict actual vocabulary knowledge as demonstrated by a meaning recall translation test of the same items. This prediction formula, labeled h-fRF, was compared with another regression-based formula as well as the original h-f formula. Results showed that 54% of the 455 individual h-fRF predictions were within 5% (4.8 of 96 words) of matching translation test scores, and 82% were within 10%, which were better than the other formula predictions. These results may be of interest to classroom teachers as they suggest that by using the h-fRF, the burden of marking translation tests can be reduced by the far easier YN test format
Imitating podcasts by providing audio content to support and enhance language learning
No full textThe provision of supplemental educational and instructional content in podcast form is becoming increasingly widespread in first language education. However, amongst second language students in Japan the lack of literature illustrates podcast use has been limited. Imitating podcasts, educational and instructional materials in audio form were delivered to Japanese university English language learners directly by email to encourage and reinforce learning and prepare them for upcoming class content and tasks. Investigation revealed students’ receptiveness to these materials, the benefits that they brought to learning, and how teachers in similar circumstances can utilize this alternative delivery method
Using the UTAUT model to examine the acceptance behavior of synchronous collaboration to support peer translation
No full textThe teaching of translation has received considerable attention in recent years. Research on translation in collaborative learning contexts, however, has been less studied. In this study, we use a tool of synchronous collaboration to assist students in experiencing a peer translation process. Afterward, the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (utaut) and a partial least squares regression approach are used to explore students’ perspectives on the synchronous collaboration. Specifically, the study is constructed in a technical university in Tainan, Taiwan. A total of 27 participants enrolled in the study. The results show that most of the hypotheses we had developed before the study were supported by the data we collected, and further reveal that the construct of facilitating conditions is the most important determinant of students’ intention to use the synchronous collaboration, followed by social influence and effort expectancy. The results indicate that the construct of facilitation conditions, such as the usage of new technology or problem solution, plays a significant role when integrating new technology since students will be more familiar with the new technology. Finally, both the implications and limitations of this study are discussed, and further research directions are proposed
Mastery sentences: A window into the interplay between word knowledge types
No full textThis study investigates students’ productive knowledge of high-frequency vocabulary using a word knowledge framework. A sample of more than 300 written ”mastery sentences” was analyzed and coded for errors made at the meaning level of the target word, as well at the usage level. These sentences were categorized into three groups, based on students’ English proficiency, which roughly translates to low-to-mid A2, mid-to-high A2, and low B1 on the Common European Framework of Reference. Preliminary findings indicate that while word knowledge at the meaning level improves with proficiency, knowledge at the usage level appears to plateau once students reach a mid-level of proficiency. Further investigation as to why this may be the case indicates that although higher level students tend to make roughly an equal number of grammatical and collocation-type mistakes compared to their mid-level counterparts, they do so in attempts to use richer, less frequent vocabulary in their mastery sentences. These preliminary findings suggest that, in the spirit of mastery, students may be making more errors as they test the limits of newly acquired vocabulary. Future research will further investigate this hypothesis
A Japanese word association database of English
No full textIn this paper, two word association (WA) studies are presented in support of recent arguments against the use of native-speaker (NS) norms in WA research. In Study 1, first-language (L1) and second-language (L2) WA norms lists were developed and compared to learner responses as a means of measuring L2 proficiency. The results showed that L2 norms provided a more sensitive measure of L2 lexical development than did traditional NS norms. Study 2 was designed to test the utility of native norms databases in predicting the primary WA responses of Japanese learners to high-frequency English cues. With the exception of only extremely frequent cues, it was shown that native norms were not successful in predicting learner responses. The results of both studies are discussed in terms of cultural and linguistic differences, geographic distance, and dissimilarities in word knowledge between respondent populations. Finally, a proposal is made for the construction of a Japanese WA database of English responses (J-WADE). The methods by which it will be developed, key features, and employment in future research are outlined
EFL student and faculty perceptions of and attitudes towards online testing in the medium of Blackboard: Promises and challenges
No full textThis study explored efl students and faculty’s perceptions of and attitudes towards the use of online assessment and practice. A descriptive method was used, employing quantitative data collection and analyses from a sample of 400 students of different age categories and educational levels and another sample of 25 teachers in the English department. Results showed that students’ attitudes towards e-testing are generated by the test-takers’ perceptions of self-efficacy, enjoyment, usefulness, behavioural intentions to use web-based assessment, system satisfaction and system challenges in the order of the responses of the students. Furthermore, attitudes towards e-testing are generated by the students’ salient beliefs about the consequences of continued use and the evaluation of online testing technology. Web-based assessment and practice provided students with immediate feedback and automated scores that help students to have more control over their work and their effort. The findings from this study imply that creating web-based assessment technology awareness, motivation, and changing faculty and learners’ behaviours and attitudes is required for the success of e-testing adoption, implementation and diffusion in the future