English Review: Journal of English Education
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SELF-PACED READING AND THE ACHIEVEMENT OF PERSIAN EFL LEARNERS
Get PDFAbstract: This study aimed at investigating the effects of reading goals on L2 reading comprehension in a computer-mediated environment when reading is self-paced by the learners and students are responsible for their own comprehension. Sixty participants (30 males & 30 females) in three groups of 20 were involved. A computer program, written in C#.NET program, presented the text on the screen four lines at a time, and measured the amount of time students would spend on each page initially, how many times students re-read pages, and how much time students would spend re-reading pages. L2 learners’ comprehension and learning strategies were measured in three ways: recall of materials, time spent reading each page of the text and time spent re-reading pages, and the number of times pages were re-read. Finally, after one month from the first test a posttest was administered to determine which group could remember materials better. The results revealed that recall of materials was significantly greater for the teaching-goal group than the other two groups in both first and second tests. Time spent re-reading was significantly greater for the teaching-goal group as well. These findings suggest that reading goals do have an effect on comprehension and recalling in a computer-mediated environment and students with a different reading goal performed differently while reading passages. Keywords: reading goals, computer-mediated reading environment, learning, immediate and delayed recall
IMPROVING STUDENTS’ LISTENING SKILL BY USING ENGLISH SONGS
Get PDFAbstract: This study investigates students’ listening skill by using English songs. The reason of choosing this topic is based on the problems that is listening skill. It can be seen during the writer teaching at SMPN in Kuningan, the students lack of listening skill. The aims of this research were to investigate the effectiveness of using English songs to improve students listening skill and to know the students attitudes of using English songs in listening skill.The target of this research was the students at eighth grade of SMPN 1 Lebakwangi, Kecamatan Lebakwangi. There were 62 students. The method of this research was quasi-experimental design. There are two groups as the investigated group in this research. One group is for experimental group and the other group is controlled group. The data were collected through three steps, namely pre-test, post-test, and questionnaire. To analyze the result of pre test and post test, this research used t-test formula computed by SPSS 17.00. The result of the research showed that the students’ progress in mastering listening skill during the activity can be seen from the Paired test that shows t count is higher than t table (-32.697>2.042). It indicates that English songs is effective in listening skill. Students given positive attitude based on the questionnaire result that it had level agreement 92% and mean 142.Keywords: listening skill, song, media, language skil
THE CHARACTER ANALYSIS OF GLEN HANSARD IN ONCE FILM
Get PDFAbstract: This paper analyzed the characterization of talented actor named Glen Hansard in Once film. This study employed a descriptive qualitative research design based on theories of Rahardjo (1985), Robert (1965), and Card (1988). Primary data sources were whole Once scenes film directed by John Carney which had low-budgeting production with two stars, Glen Hansard and Irglova, while secondary data sources were collected from the articles related to this study. This research mainly investigated two aspects involved two character analyses of the main actor, Hansard. The first one was the construction of Hansard’s characters and the second one was the effect between his character and another actors’ character. The study showed that Hansard’s characters were constructed by five factors: from what the character did and said, what the other characters said about him, how the appearance and its milieu were, influencing one and another.The study also found that he had struggle, visionary, ambitious, introvert, sensitive, straightforward and curious characters, but more characters that showed strong characters of his were struggle, visionary and ambitious, because the scenes reflected them more.Keywords: literary works, film, character, characterizing.Â
STUDENTS’ ORAL SKILL IMPROVEMENT AS REVEALED IN LEARNING-BASED PERFORMANCE
Get PDFAbstract: This classroom-based research investigates how interaction and individual performance by means of classroom learning participation has contributed the undergraduate students’ oral skill improvement. This study observes six speaking course meetings which involves 27 sophomore undergraduate English education. Data collected through classroom activities involving students’ performance analysis, observation and oral test technique. Data analyzed through Carr and Kemmis’ classroom action research model examination in two phases. The findings prove that during the interaction and individual-based performance investigation, some students’ oral skill performance increase in the point level. The improvement gains from .25 to .50 points as shown in the second phase. The average score gained in the first phase is 68.30 and 71.12 in the second phase, which indicate that the average achievement is 9.7%. Overall, out of 27 participants, there are 74% or 20 participants gaining an improvement in speaking course IV, whilst other 7 participants do not increase their oral skill performance.Keywords: Adult and independent learners, individual participation, oral skill achievement Â
TEACHING GENDER AWARENESS THROUGH FAIRY TALES IN THE EFL CLASSROOM
Get PDFAbstract: The purpose of this study is to explore how gender has been portrayed historically and in current times in fairy tales and then to introduce the effectiveness of using fairy tales in language instruction. While some instructors may still believe that teaching EFL encompasses focusing on linguistic elements only, recent trend in EFL teaching indicates the necessity of integrating literature in the curricula because of its rich potential to provide an authentic model of language use as well as its universal themes within human history. Traditional fairy tales and modern ones can allow students to think critically about how men and women are portrayed and to compare these portrayals with their own communities. It is hoped that discussion of the topic of gender issues can help students foster critical thinking and literacy and empower them with a further understanding of gender notions in their lives.Keywords: intercultural communication, English as a second language, EFL classroo
A SELF-ASSESSMENT MODEL IN TEACHING ACADEMIC WRITING FOR INDONESIAN EFL LEARNERS
Get PDFAbstract: This self-assessment model is developed to help EFL students improve their achievement in academic writing, more particularly essay writing. In English department of Pancasakti University Tegal, academic writing is the course subject which develops models and practices of essay writing in order that students are actively engaged in rhetorical problem-solving. The development of this self-assessment model was derived from the analysis of both theoretical and empirical studies of self-assessment in EFL writing. The self-assessment model developed in this study consists of four kinds of self-assessment instruments: self-edit checklist of writing dimensions (CWD), checklist of writing strategies (CWS), survey questionnaire of writing interest and awareness (SWIA), and questionnaire of learning monitoring strategies (QLMS). This self-assessment model can be an alternative model in teaching academic writing to EFL students at university level, more particularly the students of English Department, Pancasakti University Tegal.Keywords: self-assessment model, academic writing, Indonesian EFL learner
BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEENNEEDS ANALYSIS ANDCOURSE EVALUATION INSIGHTS
Get PDFAbstract: The “Advancing English Skillsâ€, textbook was compiled and introduced about a decade ago, at the Faculty of Humanities, Dhaka University, Bangladesh, to teach the foundation English courses, to freshmen students from thirteen departments, including English. Today the course is still being taught at some departments. The department of English scrapped the foundation course, but the textbook is still being used for another compulsory course. This paper presents the ï¬ndings of a study conducted to determine the English language needs of students (60) and teachers (30) at the Humanities Faculty of Dhaka University. Additionally a two prong evaluation of the course and materials from the viewpoints of both students and teachers of the Humanities faculty was carried out, in order to shed light on the nature, effectiveness, and objectives of the course. Strengths and shortcomings of the present course, and areas of mismatch between the students’ needs and the course, were identiï¬ed. Suggestions have been made, to improve the English language courses based on these ï¬ndings, and implications for pedagogy have been highlighted. Keywords: needs analysis, course evaluation, perceptions, ability, mismatc
IRANIAN EFL TEACHERS AND STUDENTS' DEVELOPMENT THROUGH OBSERVATION
Get PDFAbstract: This paper describes the processes used to examine on one hand the effect of less experienced teachers' participation in experienced teachers' classes on their own skills and teaching methodologies. It also describes the role of teachers' training through observation in their students' achievements. This quasi-experimental design study was conducted In KISH Language School in Bojnurd, Iran. Twenty one EFL teachers were selected as experienced and less experienced ones and involved 169 male and female students (aged 15 - 45 years) as participants. In order to compare students' English proficiency before and after the treatment, a Key English Test (KET) and a Preliminary English Test (PET) were employed. Also, a Peer Observation of Teaching Questionnaire, a sample of TOEFL test and an interview were used to find out the results of teachers' development. This study also revealed that less-experienced teachers' participation in experienced teachers' classes had a significant effect on EFL teachers' skills and strategies used in their classroom and almost all teachers were satisfied with their participation in experienced teachers' classes.Keywords: observation, professional development, less experienced teachers, learners' achievemen
A STUDY OF ENGLISH INTONATION IN INDONESIAN EFL LEARNERS
Get PDFAbstract: This study examined the patterns of intonation and kinds of information structure that occur in EFL learners. The objectives of this study were: (1) to know the patterns of intonation that occur in EFL learners; (2) to know kinds of information structure that occur in EFL learners. The method used in this study is descriptive qualitative and the subjects of this study is a debater and also a student in English Department at one of private university in Kuningan, West Java. Techniques of collecting data used in this research were library research, observation and interview. Halliday’s theory and PRAAT Software Analysis use in this research to analyze the data. Based on the data analysis, it can be known that: (1) There were 5 kinds of intonation pattern used by the speaker: fall, rise (final), rise (non-final), fall-rise (final), fall-rise (non-final); (2) There were 158 clauses with 25 independent clauses and 133 dependent clauses from the respondent’s performance; (3) There were three systems from information structure: tonality, tonicity, and tone; (4) In tonality system, H-TS-T with the percentage 18% was the most pattern used by the respondent; (5) Given-New-Given (G-N-G) with the precentage 36% was mostly used in her performance based on tonicity system; (6) Incomplete information (rise non-final) was the most dominant intonation pattern used by the respondent with the precentage 33%.Keywords: intonation, information structure, EFL learner
THE ROLE OF TASK-INDUCED INVOLVEMENT IN VOCABULARY LEARNING OF IRANIAN LANGUAGE LEARNER
Get PDFAbstract: This study investigated Laufer and Hustijn’s (2001) Involvement Load Hypothesis in vocabulary learning. It comprised two experiments. Experiment 1 examined whether two tasks with equal involvement load but different distribution of components would yield the same result in initial learning and retention of target words. Experiment 2 investigated whether two tasks, one input and another output, with equal involvement load and the same distribution of components would result in equivalent initial learning and retention of target words. 126 advanced English learners completed one of three vocabulary learning tasks that equated in the amount of involvement they induced: sentence writing, ï¬ll-in, and translation (L2-L1). The result of t-test for Experiment 1 showed that when two tasks had equal involvement load but different distribution of components they resulted in similar amounts of initial learning and retention of new words. The ï¬ndings of Experiment 2 indicated when two tasks, one input and another output, had equal involvement load and the same distribution of components., they led to superiority of ï¬ll-in task over translation task in initial vocabulary learning, however, not in retention of new words. Key Words: involvement load hypothesis; incidental vocabulary learning; depth of processing theor