La interferencia de la lengua materana en la adquisición del género gramatical por aprendices españolas de inglés.

ABSTRACTThere has been a substantial body of research, in L2, documenting the central importance of strategic knowledge in reading comprehension and exploring the variables likely to influence strategy use by readers. All this research has, however, been conducted within the single-text tradition of reading research. With a movement toward the multiple-texts-based construction of meaning in the current academic environments, surprisingly little is known about the factors influencing strategy use in this emerging type of literacy. Therefore, the present study aimed to explore the processing strategies English for Academic Purposes (EAP) multiple-texts readers use as a function of varying levels of language proficiency and prior knowledge. The study participants were 48 L1-Persian undergraduates at different levels of English language proficiency and prior knowledge of the topic. Think-aloud reporting was used to obtain information regarding the strategic behavior of the participants while reading as series of technical reading documents. Results of the comparisons of processing strategies across different levels of language proficiency and prior knowledge revealed that both these factors exert significant effects on the frequency and types of processing strategies EAP readers employ while dealing with multiple technical documents.

The present study aimed to assess the target and present reading comprehension needs and abilities of Iranian medical students with different levels of English language proficiency. A total of 283 medical students and 23 ESP instructors were chosen through cluster sampling. The data collection instruments included the Persian version of Atai and Nazari’s (2011) needs analysis questionnaire and a 40-item language proficiency test. The obtained results indicated that ‘general vocabulary’ and ‘medical terminology’ were considered ‘important’ in facilitating the comprehension of medical texts. In addition, the findings revealed that medical students need to improve all reading sub-skills. Furthermore, the respondents’ perceptions were significantly different with regard to students’ target needs and present abilities in reading comprehension. Finally, there was no statistically significant difference in students’ target and present needs and abilities across different levels of language proficiency. The findings have potential implications for the improvement of medical EAP courses.

In an English teaching and learning process, teachers and students have interactions that occupy the students’ first language. It can be related to the existence of code-switching. It can help them fill in the gap which occurs during a conversation. It can improve the quality of teaching and learning. This study focuses on the analysis of code-switching in the interactions between the teacher and the students with different levels of language proficiency. This study examines how the teacher produced code-switching, the students’ responses towards the teacher’s code-switching, and the teacher’s roles code-switching. This study employed qualitative research. The instruments used for collecting data were audio-video recording, test, interview, and questionnaire. Findings of the study revealed that (1) the teacher used three types of code-switching to the students with different levels of language proficiency and the function of repetitive was the most frequent function found in the interactions, (2) the students responded to the teacher’s code-switching by using English, Indonesian language or code-switching, and (3) the roles of teacher as a controller and a director have the crucial use in the interactions. Hopefully, further studies can explore code-switching deeply in the interactions between teachers and students with different language proficiency levels in instructional settings.

The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR, Council of Europe, 2001) currently functions as an instrument for educational policy and practice. The view of language proficiency on which it is based and the six proficiency levels it defines lack empirical support from language-use data. Several issues need to be investigated collaboratively by researchers working in the fields of first and second language acquisition, corpus linguistics and language assessment. These issues are concerned with (i) the CEFR’s failure to consistently distinguish between levels of language proficiency (static aspect) and language development (dynamic aspect), (ii) with the CEFR’s confounding of levels of language proficiency and intellectual abilities, and (iii) the potential problem of mismatches between second-language learners’ communicative and linguistic competences. Furthermore, from a more theoretical perspective, this paper proposes (iv) to investigate which CEFR proficiency levels are attainable by native speakers and (v) to empirically delineate the lexical, morpho-syntactic and pragmatic knowledge shared by all native speakers (called Basic Language Cognition).

Introduction. Teaching the skills of adequate decoding of intonation is an integral part of teaching English, along with listening, speaking and reading skills. However, teaching this aspect is not always given sufficient attention. The purpose of the experiment is to identify the ability of students to decode the emotional characteristics of a sounding speech in a non-native language, as well as to reveal the correlation between the development of rhythmic-intonation skills and the level of the English language proficiency. Materials and methods. The research is carried out on the basis of the main tone groups of British English. The study is conducted by interviewing two groups of respondents with different levels of language proficiency (level B2 – 58 students) and C1 – 61 students). As a material for the survey, 11 statements in English were selected, having different intonation structure and belonging to different communicative types. The task of the respondents was to determine the attitude that the speaker puts into the utterance with the help of intonation. A correlation analysis was carried out between the level of English proficiency and the ability to correctly interpret intonation. The Chi-square criterion was used to calculate the homogeneity of two independent experimental samples. Results. The results of the study showed low ability of students to adequately interpret the English intonation and to identify the emotions of the speakers: correct answers gave 31.5% of respondents. We can conclude that students with the level of English proficiency C1, do not differ from students of group B2 in the level of perception of suprasegmental features of the English speech (χ2 = 10,06; p = 0,44). In other words, increasing the level of English proficiency does not affect the ability of students to correctly interpret intonation. Conclusion. The obtained result confirms the need for additional purposeful work on improving the methods of teaching prosody in a foreign language, aimed at improving the effectiveness of the educational process.

While some researchers have questioned the efficacy of corrective feedback (CF), other researchers believe that CF can be effective if implemented through new technology types, including e-portfolio (EP). However, whether EP can be used as a medium of providing CF for language learners at different levels of language proficiency is still unknown. The purpose of the present study, therefore, was twofold: (a) to examine the writing performance of EFL learners across three levels of language proficiency receiving direct corrective feedback (DCF) via EP, and (b) to investigate which language proficiency group benefits more from DCF provided via EP. For the purposes of the present study, sixty (60) Iranian EFL learners who were divided into three levels of language proficiency at Sharif language center in Tehran, Iran participated in this study. The results of data analysis showed statistically significant differences for two components of writing—content, and mechanics—between beginning and intermediate, and beginning and advanced language learners. The results also showed that the higher the language proficiency level of language learners, the more they benefit from the provision of DCF through EP. These findings suggest that EP may be a viable option to supply Iranian EFL learners across levels of language proficiency with DCF. The article concludes with a call for testing the threshold-level hypothesis that may exist for language learners to use EP.

Standards-based education has become a crucial issue with which evaluating the learning of French language in Thailand was then required to comply. Since the alignment is the core idea in systematic and standards-based reform, this study aimed to evaluate the alignment between Thailand’s Professional and Academic Aptitude Test in French language (PAT 7.1) and the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages by using item mapping and to study the factors affecting the misalignment between Thailand’s Professional and Academic Aptitude Test in French language (PAT 7.1) and the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. Variables were composed of contents and cognitive demands. Populations were 100 items of PAT 7.1, 388 grade-12 students (Matthayomsuksa 6) in English-French program (academic year 2017) in 10 schools under the South 2’s Development Center of French language (Le Centre pour le Developpement du Francais, CDF Hatyai) and 3 qualified panelists. A sample of 163 students were selected using the multistage sampling method. Research tools consisted of a PAT 7.1 test, two alignment matrixes and a set of open-ended questions. Data was analyzed using the proportion, Rasch IRT model, chi-square, percentage and content analysis. The research revealed that there were 16 items of PAT 7.1 aligning with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. Most of them were classified into A2 level and evaluated analysis/investigate skill. Moreover, item mapping result was coherent with that of panelists’ judgement. Three main factors affecting the misalignment were highlighted: the incoherence between item content and standard content, the unmatched levels of cognitive demands and the language usage, including the grammar, in the items that was irrelevant to standard and to students’ language proficiency levels. Keywords: French language, CEFR, alignment, item mapping

The present research is an attempt to find out the relationship between the rise and fall of Iranian female students’ motivation and their different levels of language proficiency from high school to university and to discover whether the motivation of Iranian female students at different proficiency levels change over an academic semester. Furthermore, the focus of the study is on the possible reasons behind the rise and fall of motivation for students at different proficiency levels .This study was conducted in Mazandaran, Iran. The participants were 80 Iranian female students from among high school students and university BA students. The data was gathered using a questionnaire and a semi-structured interview. To analyze the data, a one-way ANOVA, repeated measure ANOVA and Pearson Correlation were run. The results indicated that there is a statistically significant difference in the motivation level across different language proficiency groups over an academic semester. In addition, there is a significant positive relationship between the participants’ motivation scores and their language proficiency scores. It also revealed that there are five demotivating factors responsible for the rise and fall of motivation for students at different proficiency levels including learning contents, materials, and facilities; attitude towards English speaking community; the teacher; experience of failure, and attitude towards second language learning. Among these, learning contents, materials, and facilities are the most prominent demotives in L2 learning, and attitude towards second language learning is the least important source of demotivation.

The objective of this study is explore the use game-based intervention as a tool in understanding its contributions to the level of English Language proficiency among B40 secondary school students in Klang Valley (n=104). Results was tested using correlational study in SPSS. The level of English proficiency improvement of students was measured according to The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). Results indicate that more than 50% (54) shows a significant result in improvement with moderate-string correlation and statistically significant. This allows the curation of appropriate strategies and responses to address application development in English language learning if necessary. Keywords: Game-based Intervention (GBI); UN Sustainable Development Goals 4 (SDG); The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR); B40 eISSN: 2398-4287 © 2021. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v6iSI6.3036

This chapter provides an overview of teaching speaking to English learners who may belong to different age groups, have different levels of language proficiency, and come from various language backgrounds. It includes a section on theories that underpin and influence the teaching of speaking skills, as well as current perspectives on pronunciation instruction. The chapter also contains practical considerations for teaching speaking as it addresses teacher views on teaching speaking, responding to spoken language, and promoting interaction in the classroom through activities that can be adapted for learners at different levels of language proficiency and in diverse contexts.

Theoretically, beliefs about English language learning have a psychological factor, such as predicting the rate of success or failure among learners in the classroom context. However, learners with different levels of language proficiency may perceive such beliefs in a different way, which may lead to the development of special needs, in terms of emphasizing their sustainable language development. The present study aims a) to investigate self-reported beliefs about English language learning among both low and high proficiency Thai students in university-level Foundation English courses, b) to identify the most prevalent affirmative beliefs among both student groups, and c) to identify the similarities and differences in their beliefs. The findings revealed that for low-proficiency students, vocabulary was an essential aspect of English language learning, while for high-proficiency students, regular practice was the key to their success. They also believed that anybody could speak English, when given the opportunity to practice speaking. The most prevalent affirmative beliefs among both sets of students were a) that anybody can speak English if given the opportunity and the time to practice, b) studying in a country where English is spoken as a native language will increase their language proficiency, and c) they want access to information resources in English. There were ten major differences between their beliefs (i.e. to learn English well, one must know at least one other foreign language, and be good at mathematics and sciences). Such findings would be a valuable resource to assist in the redesigning of English language courses, especially general English at the tertiary level, for learners with different levels of language proficiency.

This study aims to explore the relationship between language aptitude components and different levels of English proficiency among Chinese English majors. Sixty-four second-year English majors from a university in Beijing participated in the study. An aptitude test composed of three subtests of Pimsleur Language Aptitude Battery and two self-developed subtests was administered to the participants. The students’ scores on two national English proficiency tests (Test for English majors – Band 4 and Band 8, abbreviated as TEM-4 and TEM-8) were used as measures of their English proficiency. Correlational analysis, multiple regression analysis and t-tests were conducted. Results showed that different aptitude components had different relationship with different levels of language proficiency. Regression analysis showed that two aptitude components (sound discrimination and memory for text) were significant predictors of both of the students’ TEM-4 and TEM-8 scores, while only inductive language learning ability could significantly predict their TEM-8 scores. Further analysis showed that students with higher and lower TEM-4 and TEM-8 scores also differed significantly in different language aptitude components. The results lend support to Skehan’s hypothesis (A cognitive approach to language learning, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1998) that different language aptitude components play different roles in second language acquisition when the learner is at different levels of proficiency.

With the spread of COVID-19 and the replacement of face-to-face classes with emergency online learning, many studies have investigated English as a Foreign Language learners’ perceptions regarding their experiences of emergency online learning. However, the influence of EFL learners’ proficiency levels on their perceptions is still a neglected area. Conducting in-depth interviews with a group of Libyan EFL learners (n=18) by employing the Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique, this study investigated their metaphorical perceptions regarding emergency online learning across the three proficiency levels of Basic, Independent, and Proficient Users according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. Considering the large number of EFL learners around the world and the felt literature gap, this study investigated the relationship between EFL learners’ proficiency levels and perceptions. The three main features of online learning reflected in the participants’ metaphors were (i) lack of the teacher’s physical presence, (ii) lack of peers’ physical presence and (iii) lack of nonverbal communication cues. Furthermore, this study reveals a significant relationship between the learners’ language proficiency levels and perceptions. For instance, Basic Users perceived the lack of a teacher’s presence by metaphors of ‘unsafety’ and ‘fear’, while Independent and Proficient Users respectively perceived it by metaphors of ‘freedom’ and ‘power’. Accordingly, the learners reported different class behaviors and learning strategies in response to these features

This study determined the English Language Proficiency and School Performance in English as well the school performance as a whole. The respondents of the study were both English teachers and grade 10 students in the national high schools in the fifth district of Iloilo, using the descriptive comparative approach. Findings of which served as basis for the enhancement of the existing English manual used in English 101 for the improvement of English language proficiency of the students enrolled in the said subject. Generally, seventy percent of the student and teacher respondents were female. Teachers’ Level of English language proficiency has a significant effect on the level of proficiency of students which has a direct relationship on the school performance. It was also found out that teachers’ performance has no significant relationship with the students’ performance in English and school performance as a whole. Further, student–respondents performance has a significant relationship with their level of English language proficiency which has a direct effect on the school performance as a whole. The English teachers’ performance is related to their English proficiency level, but not associated with the students’ performance in English and school performance. However, the English teachers’ level of English language proficiency significantly affects the students’ level of English proficiency, while the students’ performance has a significant effect on their level of English language proficiency, affecting the school performance as a whole. Enhancement of the English language manual that will be used in English 101 (Study and Thinking Skills) must be adopted. Training & Development Program Design for the Enhancement of English Teachers language Proficiency must be implemented.

Background. Several factors affect the identification of topicality of this research. First, the rapid integration of Ukraine into the European space requires some strong and determined changes in various spheres of our life, including education and law enforcement activity. Second, reforms and European integration require a fresh look at training competitive, proficient and competent specialists with developed skills in at least one foreign language. Therefore, the FL trainers of non-Linguistics majors are faced with the challenge to teach FL to students who have limited number of FL classroom hours and different levels of language proficiency. Consequently, applying differentiated teaching seems the best option. Purpose. So, the goal of this research is to analyze the results of the experimental FL training aimed at validating the differentiated methodology of building lexical competence in the English oral communication of Law majors. Additionally, the paper describes the purpose, tasks and stages as well as the process of planning, preparing and conducting the experiment under consideration. Discussion. Apart from the teaching methodology, the author offers criteria for selecting participants of the study alongside with the criteria to assess lexical competence in oral communication of Law students. The hypothesis of the study was verified by the methods of systematization and processing of the research data. Thus, the data obtained from the experimental training and assessment have demonstrated a positive trend in boosting lexical competence in the English oral communication of the research participants. Results. To sum up, the goal of this research is reached, and the tasks are solved. The experiment data prove that the differentiation model of building lexical competence in English oral communication is effective.