Vision: Journal for Language and Foreign Language Learning
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The Contributions of Teacher Humor in EFL Classes in Vietnam: University Students’ Perspectives
Full text linkAccording to several studies on English teaching and learning, English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers tend to avoid humor in their classrooms. However, many studies have shown that teachers’ sense of humor plays an essential role in EFL students’ learning process. Therefore, this study utilizing a mixed-method design was conducted to determine students’ perceptions of the impact of teachers’ humor (TH) on their learning. Data were collected through a questionnaire with a five-point Likert scale comprising twenty-one items and semi-structured interviews. The study involved 158 university students in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam. Quantitative data from the questionnaire were analyzed by using SPSS 20.0, and data from the interviews were analyzed according to themes. The survey results revealed that the students showed positive attitudes toward the effects of TH in EFL classrooms, especially reducing boredom (M=4.59), strengthening teacher-student rapport (M=4.53), decreasing sleepiness (M=4.47), promoting students’ cheerfulness (M=4.47), increasing students’ consciousness (M=4.46), and solving conflicts in classrooms (M=4.42). Additionally, non-majored students were appreciated for TH more than their counterparts. Moreover, students’ perceptions positively correlated with their gender. The interviews also showed that cultural factors affected the effectiveness of TH in EFL classes. EFL teachers are encouraged to use TH in their classes in order to foster its benefits. However, careful consideration should be taken before using TH in teaching different students with different learning styles or characteristics
Short Plays and Drama in EFL Classrooms as Perceived by Secondary School Students: the Role and Impact
Full text linkThis quantitative study investigates the role and impact of short plays and drama on English as a foreign language (EFL) students. A total of 72 students from a secondary school in North Kalimantan in Indonesia participated in the study. Data was collected through a questionnaire consisting of 8 items, which were later classified into three different focuses of inquiries; psychological, instrumental, and pedagogical aspects. The study results indicate that secondary school students viewed short play from the three perspectives positively. Findings also suggest that the application of short play in EFL classrooms must be preceded by a careful selection of literary texts and careful planning of short play instructional design. Finally, the study calls for further attempts to integrate secondary school EFL curriculum and literature, implying the needs for appropriate drama-based activity pedagogy and professional development programs
Iranian EFL and Malaysian ESL University Students’ Use of Language Learning Strategies
Full text linkIn recent years, more active roles have been allocated to language learners. Empowering students can help them function more autonomously and their ability to make appropriate use of language learner strategies (LLSs) predisposes them to achieve their academic goals. The participants of the present study were male and female undergraduate university students from two different countries. A multivariate analysis of variance was conducted to compare the use of the six strategy categories of memory strategies, cognitive strategies, compensation strategies, metacognitive strategies, affective strategies and social strategies together with direct strategies, indirect strategies and overall use of language learning strategies among Iranian EFL and Malaysian ESL university students. It was illuminated that social context influenced selected students’ use of social strategies. Classroom observations helped the researchers to find out about frequency of use of language learning strategies. Metacognitive and cognitive strategies were the most used in-class strategies among Iranian and Malaysian university students, respectively. It is suggested that instructors provide a wide range of language learning strategies to satisfy the needs of learners with different needs and expectations
Empowering Vietnamese EFL Learners at Tertiary Level: Investigating Factors Shaping Learner Autonomy in English Language Acquisition
Full text linkThis study scrutinizes the viewpoints of Vietnamese students studying English as a Foreign Language (EFL) regarding determinants impacting their autonomy in English language acquisition. Data was amassed from 117 Vietnamese EFL learners attending a university in Vietnam by using a survey-based methodology. The survey instrument, comprising Likert-type items, was predicated on well-established conceptual frameworks derived from antecedent studies. The study unveiled multiple key influences on learner autonomy, incorporating voluntariness, learner choice, adaptability in study alternatives, peer collaboration, and beliefs about the educator’s role, motivation, capabilities, and independence. These determinants underscore the significance of learners’ active participation, personal agency, social interactions, nurturing learning ecosystems, intrinsic motivation, efficacious learning strategies, and learner empowerment in cultivating learner autonomy. The implications gleaned from these results emphasize the necessity for pedagogical stratagems that encourage voluntariness, learner choice, peer collaboration, teacher backing, motivation, skill enhancement, and learner agency within English language educational environments. These pedagogical stratagems would better equip learners for the autonomous journey of English language acquisition, thereby enhancing the overall efficiency of English language education in the Vietnamese context
Critical Pedagogy in an EFL Context: Towards Solving the Definition Precision Problem
Full text linkSome critics mention the definition variety problem, or a lack of definitional precision, as a major problem with Critical Pedagogy (CP). One who has just been familiar with CP may not have enough information regarding its roots and its multidisciplinary nature. S/he may not know about the historical development of CP and thus may not even be acquainted with the possibility of the existence of different definitions and versions for CP. Therefore, a newly-arrived researcher may get confused encountering the different definitions of CP. On the other hand, the literature on CP does not seem to be directed at the new researchers. By having five phases, the present mixed-methods study offered a simple definition of CP encompassing all the common grounds in the literature using an extensive literature review, the Grounded Theory approach, and Factor Analysis. Ten Iranian EFL professionals in CP, besides 306 Iranian EFL teachers, participated in the present work. The results of the present work may be helpful in developing CP-based curricula and courses which look into the real needs of the learners and teachers in order to have a more fruitful educational system
Academic House Style and Acknowledgement Writing: the Case of Two Ghanaian Universities
Full text linkThis descriptive study sought to examine the structural features of Thesis Acknowledgements (TA) from two disciplines in two Ghanaian Universities. Forty TAs were sampled from the fields of Chemistry and English. Hyland’s (2004) generic move structure was modified in analyzing the sampled TAs. The data was also examined on the basis of the two institutions’ academic style guides for conformity. The findings indicate that the structural features of TAs from the two fields differ. It also revealed that out of the seven steps identified in the obligatory Elaborative Move, DoC writers generally use three steps, and DoE writers mostly use four steps. It is further revealed that while writers from the DoC mostly acknowledged contributors for their technical support, writers from DoE acknowledged their helpers for providing materials for the research. It was revealed that the data followed the institutional style guide. The paper argues that though the contextual difference in the TAs from both fields is minimal, subtle variances and parallels still exist between the two fields. Therefore, it is suggested that these variations in linguistic forms that account for the discursive styles of the TAs should be further examined. Finally, additional analysis by corpus analytic tools applied to large data from the research context could complement this study
Accounting for Iranian EFL Teachers' Burnout: Educational Beliefs and Teacher Self-Disclosure in Focus
Full text linkTeaching is considered a high-risk profession for those suffering from burnout syndrome. Burnout syndrome affects the person who suffers from it and everyone around them, e.g., family, friends, co-workers, students, and parents. The main purpose of this study was to investigate any probable relationship between Iranian EFL teachers’ educational belief and their tendency to self-disclose with their likelihood of suffering from burnout. The research instruments were The Teacher Self-Disclosure Scale (Cayanus & Martin, 2008), Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI-ES) (Maslach, C., & Schaufeli, 1993), and the Teachers' Educational Belief Questionnaire. The participants were 98 EFL teachers selected from 25 private language schools in Shiraz, Iran. Descriptive statistics, Cronbach Alpha coefficients, and Person Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient were used to answer this research question. Analyzing the data collected through the questionnaires indicated a positive correlation between some dimensions of teacher burnout and teachers’ constructive or traditional beliefs. Thus, ‘lack of personal achievement’ and ‘constructive beliefs’, ‘emotional exhaustion’ and ‘depersonalization’, and teachers’ traditional beliefs were positively correlated. On the contrary, a negative correlation was identified between ‘lack of personal achievement’ and teachers’ traditional beliefs. Likewise, ‘emotional exhaustion’ and ‘depersonalization’ on the burnout scale were correlated with teachers’ constructive beliefs. However, no significant correlation was observed between teachers’ neutral beliefs and any dimensions of the burnout scale. Moreover, teacher self-disclosure quantity and negativity were correlated with ‘emotional exhaustion’ and ‘depersonalization’ on the burnout scale
The Effect of Parental Absence on Children’s Literacy Development: A Case Study of a Fourth-Grade Elementary School Student
Full text linkThe research analyzed the parental role in the literacy development of a fourth-grade Midwestern elementary school student in the United States of America. The subject selection was based on the beginning of the year assessment, which showed an early second-grade literacy level. Data were collected through observation and in-depth interviews with the homeroom teacher, reading specialist, and the subject for one semester. The observation notes, and interview transcriptions were coded. The four emerging themes were the subject’s literacy level, parental background, the caregiver’s literacy belief and behavior, the home literacy environment, and the subject’s literacy interest. The analysis showed that parental absence affected the subject’s lack of motivation in facing academic challenges and literacy difficulties. Low motivation led to low academic achievements, including literacy. The caregiver, which was the grandfather, did not display his parental role in reinforcing the subject’s literacy. A home literacy-rich environment was not created. The caregiver did not expose the subject to literacy-related activities at home. Meaningful conversation on literacy activities and achievements was not made between the caregiver and the subject, which was suggested to be the factor that caused the subject’s difficulties in processing and delivering information. The limited parental support by the caregiver on the subject’s literacy activities and resources was analyzed to be the instrumental factor that caused the subject’s difficulties in reading and writing
Investigating Academic Writing in EFL Contexts: Students’ Voices on Complexities and Coping Strategies
Full text linkThis research aimed to investigate students’ voices regarding the complexities that contribute to challenges and the coping strategies that address academic writing challenges they use in academic writing. Through a qualitative method, four female students majoring in English Education in the eighth semester at a private university in Indonesia were chosen as participants in this study's interview. Data analysis techniques employed include analyzing the data, coding the data, and interpreting the data. The findings indicated that twelve complexities contributed, namely learners’ low motivation, lack of lecturers’ feedback, lack of translation, lack of references, lack of time, lack of research background, low students' self-confidence, lack of experience in writing, lack of proficiency in reading, lack of critical thinking skill, lack of proper preparation in writing, and lack of a supportive writing learning environment. Students used twelve coping strategies for organization, ideas development, vocabulary, grammar, and mechanics. These strategies included exercises, feedback, reading academic papers, extensive reading, Google Translate, QuillBot, Grammarly, and Mendeley for arranging academic style. The implication of this research has been discussed here
Investigating the Extent of Critical Thinking in Field-Dependent and Field-Independent Students’ Critical Thinking and Blogging
No full textIdentifying critical thinking and learners’ characteristics is very important in an online learning environment. This study investigated the extent of critical thinking between field-dependent and field-independent students’ critical thinking and blogging. It is a quasi-experimental in which a quantitative method was employed on an intact class of the students to develop their CT skills in their argumentative blog posts. Different aspects of CT skills, such as observation, inference, reasoning, assumption, and credibility were explained to the students. The GEFT developed by Witkin et al. (1971) was applied to evaluate the students' field dependency. Moreover, Newman et al. model (1996) was applied to analyze students’ CT in their blog posts. No significant difference was found in the number of positive and negative CT indicators used by FD and FI students. Therefore, educators who wish to improve the students’ learning may train the students in CT skills by using a pre-planned and systematic procedure without worrying about learners’ cognitive styles, particularly their field dependency