ONCOLL: A quasi-experimental study on the effect of a web-based platform on teaching collocations

For many decades, the role of the learner's mother tongue in foreign and second language classrooms has been a topic of debate. EFL teachers may present and explain vocabulary in student’s native language, they may do so in the target language, or they may keep switching between the two. The aim of the current study is to investigate how EFL vocabulary instruction affects EFL Arab learners' usage of English lexical collocations in their speaking performance through implementing several working memory strategies. A quasi-experimental, mixed method design was adopted comparing teacher code-switching and L2 explanations in teaching lexical collocations. Within twenty-six sessions of teaching intervention to teach lexical collocations to EFL learners, the study measured learners' responses to vocabulary instruction in the two experimental groups. The study also explored how working memory strategies used by learners in response to vocabulary instruction may enhance learning lexical collocations by EFL learners. For this purpose, 45 Arab elementary EFL learners in the English language centre in Kuala Lumpur were divided into three groups (code-switching, L2 explanation group, and control group); they completed three speaking tests, pre, and post-test and delayed post-test. The results indicated that both the code-switching group and the L2 explanation group were improving their vocabulary; however, the study showed an important role of L1 in learning lexical collocation. The findings revealed that working memory strategies assisted learners to retain collocations effectively. The study included several pedagogical suggestions and implications for future research to improve the standard for teaching, learning, and retention of lexical collocations in speaking performance.

The aim of this study was to identify the effectiveness of a mobile application in vocabulary knowledge improvement of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners. This study adopted a quasi-experimental research design consisting of an experimental and a control group with 73 participants studying at two state universities in Turkey. During the application that lasted for 14 weeks, the experimental group tried to learn 40 collocations via CollocatApp, while control group used worksheets. The data were gathered through Collocation Achievement Test (CAT) developed by the researchers and Vocabulary Knowledge Scale (VKS) (Wesche & Paribakht, 1996).CAT was used for measuring receptive vocabulary knowledge of learners, and VKS was used for testing productive vocabulary knowledge. The findings showed that there was a significant difference between the experimental group and control group in terms of receptive vocabulary knowledge in the posttest. However, there was no difference between groups in retention tests. At the dimension of productive vocabulary knowledge, it was seen that there was no difference between the use of mobile applications and worksheets in terms of productive vocabulary knowledge. Thus, it was concluded that using mobile applications was an effective way of improving vocabulary knowledge receptively for only short-term memory.

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether teaching vocabulary via collocations would contribute to retention and use of foreign language, English. A quasi-experimental design was formed to see whether there would be a significant difference between the treatment and control groups. Three instruments developed were conducted to 60 participants. The experimental group was taught collocations through lexical approach by means of ten different kinds of activities for ten weeks. On the other hand, the control group was taught in a traditional way, only focusing on word definitions from dictionary, antonyms, synonyms and guessing from the text. The results showed that the participants in the experimental group outperformed the ones in the control group in all of the three instruments. The study also indicated that a period of treatment and exposure to lexical collocations led the treatment group to remember and produce the collocations in the reading courses more appropriately and less deviantly than the control group. This result showed that teaching collocations in the class systematically week by week and scaffolding learners’ progress could lead to better learners who can remember and use collocations in their reading comprehension in English. Article visualizations:

This paper was aimed to find out: (1) EFL learners of pre-service teaching program’s knowledge of collocation, and (2) EFL learners of pre-service teaching program’s perception about their knowledge of collocation and on collocation teaching in EFL setting. The data was collected from EFL learners of pre-service teaching programs of IKIP Muhammadiyah Maumere in Maumere East Nusa tenggara, Indonesia. To collect the data, a multiple choice of collocation test that consisted of thirty items was administered and 9 item of questionnaires about their perception toward collocation teaching materials, collocation learning methods, and collocation teaching techniques. The findings revealed that the average percentage of EFL learners of pre-service teaching program’s collocation errors through statistical analysis using SPSS 25.0 was 51, 50% (an average of 4.85 errors per participants). It was identified that 56.30% grammatical errors (an average of 10.68 errors per participants) and 42.60% lexical errors (an average of 10.54 errors per essay) were found. This implies that the most frequently committed errors were in the grammatical category. The study also revealed that 80% of EFL learners of pre-service teaching program agreed that the role of collocation in teaching and learning vocabulary was very important. 43% of them mostly learn collocations from the course book. They agreed that the most suitable level to learn o r teach collocations are from around elementary. They learn collocation bacause It is important for language proficiency while 30% of them said that techniques do you use in learning collocations was through translating. 40% of them agreed that reading was language skill(s) would be the most effective in learning collocations. The causes their collocational errors were 43% of them agreed that there is interference from Indonesian.

Smart board has been found as an effective learning tool in English as foreign language (EFL) reading comprehension. The present study aims at exploring the effects of smart board on reading comprehension and intrinsic motivation to read. Among 90 EFL learners, fifty-two Iranian lower-intermediate EFL learners were selected based on Quick Placement Test (QPT) developed by Oxford University Press and University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (2001). These participants were randomly assigned in two experimental (smart board) and one control (traditional board) groups. Each group included 26 male EFL students. At the beginning of the study, pretest (Reading Comprehension Test from Key English Test developed by Cambridge ESOL Examination, 2008) was administered to both experimental and control groups. In addition to KET, a translated copy of intrinsic motivation in English reading questionnaire (IMERQ) adopted from Wigfield and Guthrie (1997) was given to these two groups. Throughout the course of 14 sessions (three months), participants in experimental group were taught reading materials from Intro-interchange (Ricahrds, 2005) by using smart board. Participants in control group took benefits from traditional board. Reading materials were the same for both groups. Finally, participants in both groups sat for posttest. Here, both instruments administered at the start of the study, were used as the posttest. Results of t-test indicated that implementation of smart-board significantly improved participants' reading comprehension and their intrinsic motivation to read. These findings provide pedagogical implications for utilizing smart board in EFL context. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n4s1p281

Collocations are word combinations essential for achieving fluency in a given language. Considerable emphasis should therefore be placed on teaching collocations as a part of vocabulary instruction in language teaching. However, there is no current consensus on how best to teach collocations, and few studies have addressed the issue. This quasi‐experimental study investigated the effectiveness of online tools for learning English adjective‐noun collocations compared to learning collocations via traditional activities. A quasi‐experimental design with a pretest and immediate and delayed posttests was applied to 53 participants ( n = 25 for the control group; n = 28 for the experimental group). The test results reveal that participants in the experimental group who learned collocations with online tools performed significantly better on both immediate and delayed posttests, demonstrating the effectiveness of these tools on learning adjective‐noun collocations.

This research is an evaluation-based quasi-experimental study. The objective of this research was to compare the difference in knowledge level between the experimental and the control groups after the experimental group had received the training program. The satisfaction with the training program and the willingness to participate in volunteering services of the experimental group before and after the experimental group had received the training were also investigated. 45 nurses in total joined the training program and they were placed in the experimental group, and 46 nurses in the control group were selected from similar backgrounds, but they did not receive the training program. Subjects in the experimental group filled the ”Questionnaire of Recognition” and showed their willingness to participate in volunteering services before and after the training, and their satisfaction with the training was included in the evaluation as well. The subjects in the control group also filled the questionnaire at the time before and after the training. The Mann-Whitney U and χ^2 test results showed no significant differences in the basic attributes between the experimental and control groups. The total scores measured by paired t test prior and after the training for the experimental group showed significant difference (full score=35, average score 18.4 prior to the training, and 26 after the training, p＜.01), but the results showed no significant difference for the control group. The scores that were analyzed by t test between these two groups prior to the training were not significantly different. However, the scores did show significant difference after the training (average score 26 for experiment group and 18.48 for control group, p＜.01), and this revealed that the training can enhance the recognition for Community Health Volunteering Services. The willingness of the experimental group to continue participating in volunteering services, measured by Bowker's test of symmetry, showed no significant difference prior to and after the training. The degree of satisfaction for the ”Community Health Volunteering Services Training” is averaged between 3.93-5 (satisfactory-very satisfactory).

This paper was aimed to find out: (1) EFL learners of pre-service teaching program’s knowledge of collocation, and (2) EFL learners of pre-service teaching program’s perception about their knowledge of collocation and on collocation teaching in EFL setting. The data was collected from EFL learners of pre-service teaching programs of IKIP Muhammadiyah Maumere in Maumere East Nusa tenggara, Indonesia. To collect the data, a multiple choice of collocation test that consisted of thirty items was administered and 9 item of questionnaires about their perception toward collocation teaching materials, collocation learning methods, and collocation teaching techniques. The findings revealed that the average percentage of EFL learners of pre-service teaching program’s collocation errors through statistical analysis using SPSS 25.0 was 51, 50% (an average of 4.85 errors per participants). It was identified that 56.30% grammatical errors (an average of 10.68 errors per participants) and 42.60% lexical errors (an average of 10.54 errors per essay) were found. This implies that the most frequently committed errors were in the grammatical category. The study also revealed that 80% of EFL learners of pre-service teaching program agreed that the role of collocation in teaching and learning vocabulary was very important. 43% of them mostly learn collocations from the course book. They agreed that the most suitable level to learn o r teach collocations are from around elementary. They learn collocation bacause It is important for language proficiency while 30% of them said that techniques do you use in learning collocations was through translating. 40% of them agreed that reading was language skill(s) would be the most effective in learning collocations. The causes their collocational errors were 43% of them agreed that there is interference from Indonesia.

This study aims to reveal students’ perceptions about the Foreign (English) Language Test implemented as a component of University Entrance Exam. There were two groups as the participants of the study: the first group included pre-service English teachers studying in the English language teaching (ELT) Department and the second group consisted of cram school students preparing for the English Language Test. A questionnaire was implemented to both groups in order to reveal their perceptions about the English Language Test. The data derived from the questionnaires were analysed in a descriptive way through Statistical Package for the Social Sciences and the results were presented in a comparative manner. The results revealed that the rate of pre-service English teachers who think that English Language Test should include all of the language skills is higher than the rate of cram school students. In addition to that most of the pre-service English teachers are not pleased with the content of the test as they have faced with the problems related to the language skills after the onset of studying in ELT Department. Keywords: Students’ perceptions, education policy, English language test.

The major purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of flipped classroom on pre-service English teachers' Advanced Writing achievement. The study also aims at exploring whether flipped classroom approach makes a difference, if any, on the self-regulated learning of the participants. The participants of this study were selected by convenience sampling method and consisted of fifty-five (N=55) pre-service ELT teachers attending Advanced Writing course and studying at English Language Teaching Department (ELT) at a foundation university in the fall semester of 2017-2018 academic year. Two intact classes were selected as control (N=28) and experimental group (N=27). The control group was exposed to traditional lecture based instruction, whereas the experimental group received the flipped classroom approach. In this quasi-experimental study, data were gathered through pre-post-tests of advanced writing and self-regulated learning scale. Mixed ANOVA analysis was used for data analysis. The obtained results demonstrated that the implementation of flipped classroom approach resulted in better writing achievement, yet self-regulated learning showed no significant difference between groups. Based on these findings, the study provides pedagogical implications and suggestions for integrating flipped classroom approach in the undergraduate programs.

Vocabulary and grammar are two significant components of English which learners often find challenging in their process of learning English as a foreign language (EFL). Therefore, finding the best way to teach grammar and vocabulary has always been a controversial issue among English teachers and researchers. The present study is an attempt to investigate the effect of dictogloss (DG) task, as one of the focus on form techniques, on EFL learners’ vocabulary versus grammar development. To this end, a quasi-experimental design was utilized to examine the effectiveness of the treatment. In this design, two classes were chosen, one as the experimental group (n=20) and the other as the control group (n=20). The participants were 40 female learners of English as a foreign language at intermediate level. In the experimental group the selected grammatical structures and vocabulary were taught using the DG technique, while in the control group the traditional method of teaching, present-practice-produce was used. The results gained from comparing pretest and posttest scores indicate that, although the experimental group outperformed the control group in learning vocabulary, there was no statistically significant difference between the experimental and control group regarding grammar scores. Therefore, it can be concluded that using DG task was more effective on vocabulary learning of learners than grammar development. The findings of this study will be of help for both English teachers and learners regarding finding the best method of teaching and learning English grammar and vocabulary.

Introduction. The need for employees of various companies to use a foreign language to solve professional tasks has contributed to the emergence of corporate language courses. However, the effectiveness of corporate courses for a specific target audience will depend on the chosen methodological approach to learning: a foreign language for specific purposes or content and language integrated learning. The purpose of this paper is to develop a methodology for corporate training in a professional foreign language and test its effectiveness experimentally. Materials and methods. The study involved employees of a recruiting company in Moscow (N=44). In order to test the effectiveness of the methodology for the control and experimental groups, the subject-thematic content of training and a set of training materials were developed. Participants in the control group (N=22) studied a foreign language for specific purposes, and participants in the experimental group (N=22) studied a course built on the basis of a model of content and language integrated learning. The subjects of control were: professional vocabulary, grammar, speaking (monologue and dialogic speech), oral professional communication in English, written speech, written professional communication in English, and professionally oriented knowledge. To process the obtained results, the Student's t-test was used. Research results. The study revealed that a corporate language course built on the basis of an content and language integrated training proved to be more effective than a foreign language for specific purposes in mastering grammar (t = 3.33; p ≤ 0.05), developing speaking skills (t = 3.78; p ≤ 0.05), oral professional communication (t = 4.19; p ≤ 0.05), written speech (t = 4.19; p ≤ 0.05), written communication (t = 5.57; p ≤ 0.05), and professional knowledge (t = 4.07; p ≤ 0.05). At the same time, the statistical analysis of the data did not show differences in the mastery of professional vocabulary by students (t = 1.81; p> 0.05), which confirms the effectiveness of the two compared approaches in the formation of this aspect of the language. Conclusion. The novelty of the study is in determining the stages of development of a corporate course in a professional foreign language and to determine the advantages of a course built on the basis of a model of content and language integrated learning over a foreign language course for specific purposes. The results obtained can be used in the development of a methodology for corporate courses in a professional foreign language.

This study was conducted with the aim of investigating the impact of instructional conversations on oral autonomy of Iranian English as Foreign Language (EFL) learners. Forty-nine Iranian intermediate EFL learners from three language institutes in Sarakhs were selected as the participants of the study based on their scores in Nelson Proficiency Test. Administering Nelson General Proficiency Test, participants were measured to make sure they are homogeneous. These participants were randomly assigned into to control and experimental groups. Participants in both groups sat for Learner Oral Autonomy Questionnaire with some modifications from Kashefian's learner autonomy questionnaire (2002). Results of independent samples t-test lack of any significant difference between the two groups in oral autonomy at the outset of the study. Throughout the study which lasted for 12 sessions participants in experimental group received the treatment, instructional conversations, as a tool for teaching speaking materials. Participants in the control group were taught the same materials as those practiced in the former group through such techniques as role playing, peer dialogues, and oral presentations. Finally, the posttest being the same as the pretest was administered. Results of independent samples t-test showed that the experimental group significantly outperformed the control one in Oral Autonomy Questionnaire. The present findings provide pedagogical implications for employing instructional conversation in EFL speaking classrooms.

The effect of child neglect and abuse information studies on parents' awareness levels during the COVID-19 pandemic

People need motivation in every field. The statements that he can do this job before starting a job make him take action faster. Motivation is a key element in the process of learning a foreign language, for continuity, progress with determination and being excited. In this way, the student will be interested in the target language with the pleasure he receives and his motivation to learn will increase. Multimedia technologies are a factor that makes teaching Turkish as a foreign language supportive and efficient. The aim of the study is to examine the effect of multimedia technologies on the motivation levels of students learning Turkish as a foreign language in Erbil. Mixed method was used in the research. Experimental and control groups were formed within the scope of the subject determined within the scope of the research. Pre-test and post-test applications were made to the students. While the lectures using multimedia technologies were given to the experimental group students, the control group students were lectured using only textbook activities. A questionnaire was applied to determine the effect of multimedia technologies on students' motivation. As a result, the post-test mean of the experimental group was 79.8 and the mean of the control group was 69.6. A difference of +10.2 points was observed between the two groups. As a result of the survey on the effect of multimedia technologies on students' motivation, 97% of the students stated that their motivation was positively affected. Keywords: Motivation, multimedia technologies, material, foreign language Turkish