Beginner Learners Research Articles

EFFECTIVENESS OF COGNITIVE ACADEMIC LANGUAGE LEARNING APPROACH MODEL IN CHINESE LANGUAGE LEARNING

Pronunciations of Chinese that are different from Indonesian pronunciation make beginner learners feel difficult and the need for companions in learning Mandarin. Spelling mistakes make meaning mistakes in Chinese. This requires a language learning model. The Cognitive Academic Language Learning Approach(CALLA) model is a language learning model for the development of foreign language skills according to native speakers. So the CALLA model is used for learning Chinese in order to practice self-directed learning and Mandarin phonetics. This study aims to determine the effectiveness of the CALLA model in Chinese learning in 10th grade. The research method used was a quasi-experimental study in 10th grade with data collection in the form of a response questionnaire to assess learning independence and a performance assessment rubric to assess Mandarin phonetics and then analyzed by using the independent sample t-test. The results of t-test are 0.00<0.05 in phonrtic aspect and 0.014<0.05 in self-directed learning. This suggests that the Cognitive Academic Language Learning Approach Model is effectively used ini the 10th grade Mandarin learning in the phonetics and self-directed learning aspect.

Navigating the Challenges of L2 Reading: Self‐Efficacy, Self‐Regulatory Reading Strategies, and Learner Profiles

AbstractReading in a foreign language has value for learners as a potentially rich source of input as well as enjoyment. It requires persistence, however. Within models of self‐regulated learning, persistence relates to learners’ self‐efficacy and use of strategies to aid task completion and regulation of engagement. Yet the relationship between self‐efficacy and self‐regulatory strategies is underexplored for second language (L2) reading, despite some intervention studies finding that instruction aimed at improving strategy use positively influences self‐efficacy. The current study investigated the relationship between what we call text engagement regulatory reading strategies (TERRS) and reading self‐efficacy among 529 beginner learners of French. It also explored whether different learner profiles exist with respect to that relationship, and how far learners of different profiles benefited in respect of reading self‐efficacy from 3 instructional approaches: phonics instruction plus the use of challenging texts; strategy‐based instruction using the same texts; and no explicit phonics or strategy instruction using the texts only. The use of TERRS was an important predictor of reading self‐efficacy and central to 3 distinct learner profile clusters. Increases in reading self‐efficacy were significantly greater for learners of certain profiles who received strategy‐based instruction, with implications for theories of self‐regulated language learning and classroom practice.

A Sociocultural Approach to Interactions among Beginning Learners of Chinese as A Foreign Language: Implications for Teachers of Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages

A Sociocultural Approach to Interactions among Beginning Learners of Chinese as A Foreign Language: Implications for Teachers of Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages

Vuxna nybörjarstuderandes uppfattningar om skriftlig lärarrespons på skrivande i svenska som andraspråk

This study investigates how L2 beginner level students perceive written feedback from teachers on samples of their writing. It centers on beginner learners (of which very little research exists) and covers two broad areas of feedback: Focus and Manner. Focus refers to the kind of areas the teachers concentrate on in their comments, e.g. content, while Manner refers to different ways of delivering feedback, e.g. suggestions. The data was collected from a web-based course in Swedish for immigrants in an online Learning Management System. A questionnaire was used where the students evaluated feedback categories on a Likert scale and thereafter, ranked the same categories. Ranking, where different feedback categories are related to each other, has not been found in previous studies on feedback in the field of second language research. The results show that the students take feedback seriously. A large majority of students chose feedback on grammar as their first priority. They generally valued all feedback manners, but clearly preferred specific praise and specific criticism. I then discuss the conclusions and pedagogical implications based on web-based learning contexts. In particular, I emphasize the importance of establishing a dialogue between students and teachers which enables an orientation towards new understanding.

Out-of-Class Learning of Spanish During COVID-19: A Case Study in Trinidad and Tobago

This paper describes the experiences of 15 students who reported on their study habits and studying of Spanish outside of the classroom during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, when suddenly face-to-face classes had to be delivered remotely. The paper features the voices of eight teachers on how they promoted out-of-class learning. The inquiry took the form of a small-scale qualitative case study with beginner learners of Spanish and Spanish teachers at a language centre. The aim was to explore how students studied Spanish independently after their synchronous live classes by making use of some additional resources recommended by their teachers. Therefore, this paper attempts to look at how students made use of such resources and if they benefited from them. Data for this study were retrieved from an open-ended survey administered to three groups of Spanish students and a focus group interview with eight Spanish teachers. The emerging findings of the study suggest that although students engaged with additional materials, much work is needed in this context to raise more awareness and promote more learner engagement and exploration outside of the classroom.

A Sociocultural Approach to Interactions among Beginning Learners of Chinese as A Foreign Language: Implications for Teachers of Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages

A Sociocultural Approach to Interactions among Beginning Learners of Chinese as A Foreign Language: Implications for Teachers of Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages

The effectiveness of integrating technology in EFL/ESL writing: a meta-analysis

PurposeThis paper aims to highlight a research on integrating technology into teaching and learning of second/foreign language writing.Design/methodology/approachIn total, 18 empirical studies, involving a total of 1,281 second and foreign language learners, have been reviewed. These studies are selected from the following two databases: Web of Science and Google Scholar. The meta-analysis investigates how effect sizes vary depending on these moderators as follows: stage of writing, language context, learners’ educational level and language proficiency level.FindingsThe findings of this meta-analysis have indicated that technology has a large effect on second/foreign language writing (d = 1.7217). These findings have also revealed that the two stages of writing, drafting and editing, have received most of the researchers’ concern. In addition, high school and university learners have achieved a larger effect size of using technology in writing learning; beginner learners have achieved the smallest effect size.Originality/valueTo sum, the previous meta-analyses and reviews tried to explore the effect of computer on writing skills. However, some of them were limited to special groups (Williams and Beam, 2019) and some others analyzed very few studies (Little et al., 2018). Therefore, a comprehensive analysis of the effect of implementing technology in writing skills is needed. The purpose of this study is to perform a meta-analysis of the primary studies about the integration of technology into writing skills. The primary goals of this meta-analysis were to: examine the overall effects of implementing technology in writing; synthesize the relationship between technology and a number of moderators such as stages of writing, language context, learners’ target language proficiency and learners’ educational level (school and university).

Carta de ABC, de Antonio Maria Barker (livraria Commercial, Pelotas, 1924)

O objetivo principal deste artigo é apresentar e analisar um impresso específico para o ensino inicial da leitura e da escrita: o pequeno livro cujo título é Carta de ABC, de autoria do português Antonio Maria Barker, que foi editado e comercializado pela Livraria Commercial, de Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, em 1924. O livreto apresenta o alfabeto, sílabas, palavras e frases (máximas morais) em oito Cartas que, progressiva e paulatinamente, inseriam o aprendiz iniciante na arte da leitura e da escrita, observando a gradação das letras às palavras. Os dados da pesquisa indicam para o uso desse artefato tanto em escolas quanto no âmbito doméstico.

Can beginner L2 learners handle explicit instruction about language variation? A proof-of-concept study of French negation

Research has pointed to the importance of introducing social aspects of language at the beginning stages of second language (L2) acquisition (Yates, 2017). This proof-of-concept study therefore sought to determine if an explicit pedagogical intervention consisting of various types of sociolinguistic awareness activities could be implemented with beginner learners of French to bring about changes in knowledge about form, meaning and use of French negation. A beginner university-level French course (N = 22) received systematic explicit instruction on language variation over a 15-week period, targeting the variable use of the negative morpheme ne in verbal negation in French. To assess the effects of instruction on declarative knowledge, participants provided L1 explanations about the target feature at the beginning (Time 1) and end of the course (Time 2).They also displayed application of the rule in writing at Time 1 and 2. Findings point to increased awareness of variable presence of ne and its use, as well as increased ability to use target features in their appropriate contexts of use, suggesting that introduction of sociolinguistic features at early stages of acquisition can benefit L2 learners without confusing or overwhelming them. Discussed are the potential benefits of implementing pedagogical strategies to increase beginner learners’ sociolinguistic awareness.

Whole-Part-Whole Reading Instruction in the Teaching and Learning of Arabic as a Foreign Language at Beginner Level

The neurological bimodality theory, espousing the principles of directionality and cerebral hemisphericity, has led to a series of expedients in the field of foreign language teaching, like the use of inductive strategies. Accordingly, this contribution focuses on a methodological proposal stemming from the aforementioned theoretical perspectives and tackles the question of reading in the early phase of Arabic as Foreign Language learning. In doing so it questions how to teach Modern Standard Arabic at beginner level and proposes solutions to it through the use of new technological tools in the service of languages. Specifically, the focus is set on Pre-A1 and A1 levels of the recently issued Companion Volume to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. As a result of theoretical reasoning, the ‘Whole-Part-Whole’ method teaching philosophy is presented, theorized and verified in relation to the study of Arabic by non-Arab beginner learners.

Whole-Part-Whole Reading Instruction in the Teaching and Learning of Arabic as a Foreign Language at Beginner Level

The neurological bimodality theory, espousing the principles of directionality and cerebral hemisphericity, has led to a series of expedients in the field of foreign language teaching, like the use of inductive strategies. Accordingly, this contribution focuses on a methodological proposal stemming from the aforementioned theoretical perspectives and tackles the question of reading in the early phase of Arabic as Foreign Language learning. In doing so it questions how to teach Modern Standard Arabic at beginner level and proposes solutions to it through the use of new technological tools in the service of languages. Specifically, the focus is set on Pre-A1 and A1 levels of the recently issued Companion Volume to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. As a result of theoretical reasoning, the ‘Whole-Part-Whole’ method teaching philosophy is presented, theorized and verified in relation to the study of Arabic by non-Arab beginner learners.

한국어 초급 학습자의 용언 활용 오류 분석 연구

한국어 초급 학습자의 용언 활용 오류 분석 연구

Jaunu burtu veidošana ar diakritiskajām zīmēm latviešu valodas kā svešvalodas apguvēju tekstos

A Latvian learner corpus “LaVA” is being built in the Institute of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Latvia. The corpus includes texts written by beginner learners in the first two semesters of learning Latvian as a foreign language. The texts are written by hand and digitized afterwards in order to reduce the issues that could be caused by the necessity to learn not only writing itself but also using a foreign keyboard. One of the features that cannot be digitized is the new letters created by adding diacritical marks which are not used that way in the standard Latvian alphabet. Since one of the essential steps in learning to write in a language is learning the letters and diacritical marks of that language, this study aims to find instances of such newly made letters and to discuss the basic quantitative measures in order to define hypotheses and areas of interest for further research of such usage. Altogether 322 texts were searched, and 175 examples were found. The amount of examples found in 2nd semester texts was less than half the amount of examples found in the 1st semester texts, but the percentage of texts containing examples was higher than expected – more than 33 % in the 1st semester and almost 20 % in the 2nd semester. It leads to a conclusion that this is quite a common occurrence but also prone to reduction in the second semester. The corpus does not provide any data on later semesters so it cannot be predicted when such instances should become a rare, individual feature rather than a common one. The average amount of examples in a text is not high, though. Counting only the texts where at least one example was found, the average amount of examples per text is 2.136 in the 1st semester and 1.690 in the 2nd semester. Considering that the absolute lowest possible value here is 1, it should not be considered as a high value. Therefore, using diacritical marks to make new letters, while a common feature of the Latvian interlanguage, could be characterized as casual rather than systemic. However, that does not exclude the possibility of certain patterns in usage. The currently collected data already shows that there are some words – such as garšo, viņš, ļoti, četri – where examples were found in more than one author’s text. Examples of using unsuitable diacritical marks are also sometimes found next to letters for which said diacritical marks would be suitable. This should be explored more thoroughly using qualitative methods. The size of the corpus keeps growing; the expected size upon completion is 1000 texts. When it is reached, it would be useful to repeat the study and check whether the larger amount of data still confirms the same assumptions. The larger sample size would also allow for more detailed quantitative analysis discussing each letter, diacritical mark, placement of the diacritical mark, and metadata collected for the corpus, such as gender, native language and other spoken languages by the authors of the texts.

입력 처리 교수가 한국어 문법 성취도에 미치는 효과 연구－초급 학습자를 중심으로

입력 처리 교수가 한국어 문법 성취도에 미치는 효과 연구－초급 학습자를 중심으로

The impact of an adaptive e-course on students’ achievements based on the students’ prior knowledge

Researchers emphasize that prior knowledge is one of the important factors that influence learning. This study discusses the design and implementation of adapting an e-course to students’ prior knowledge using the Learning Management System (LMS). It aims to investigate the impact of such adaptive e-course to the learner’s prior knowledge through his or her achievement. To fulfill the study’s aim, a quasi-experimental approach was utilized. The study involved 130 students assigned randomly to two groups. An experimental group learned using an adaptive e-course while the other group was taught using traditional teaching methods. Findings of the study show that the experimental group outperformed the control group in academic achievement. The study also finds that activating relevant prior knowledge offered to the beginner learners helped in minimizing the performance gap between them and their advanced peers.

Develop of Hyperlinks Media to Learn Basic Wushu Techniques

This study aims to develop hyperlink media through social media that are effective in learning basic wushu techniques. In develop, hyperlink media used the Analysis Development Design Implementation Evaluation (ADDIE) instructional model. The method used research and development with a qualitative approach. The hyperlink media is tested with one to one evaluation, small group evaluation, and field testing. In this study, three instruments were used to collect data. Pretests were designed to identify learners’ initial abilities, questionnaires used the Liker scale was given to instructional design experts, media, and material to validate the content of hyperlinked media, and posts to see the effectiveness of hyperlink media in improving learning. The results of the field test involving 37 learners participants suggested that hyperlink media was very effective. As a medium for learning basic wushu techniques for beginner level. The results of this study indicate that the ADDIE develop the model is a learning design model that is based on an effective and efficient system approach and the process is interactive, the evaluation of each phase can bring the development of learning to the next phase. In improving effective and efficient learning, media that are easy to use and keep up to date with technology are up to date. Develop of hypermedia instructional to learn basic wushu techniques shows an increase in skills of wushu learners participants effectively and efficiently. Instructional methods used hypermedia as a support for the learning process, are very appropriate and innovative to facilitate learners, participants, and beginner learners.

A Comparison Study of Dynamic Assessment and Nondynamic Assessment on EFL Chinese Learners' Speaking Performance: Transfer of Learning

Abstract One goal of language instruction is to support students’ ability to transfer their learning or apply what they have learned in school to another setting. A common problem arises when the expected transfer does not take place, and follow-up assessments are unable to reveal where the student has had difficulty learning the language in such a way that they can apply it in other settings. Dynamic assessment (henceforth, DA) rooted in Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory has explained the importance of learning transfer or transcendence. Defined as the change in an individual’s cognitive knowledge that is applicable to other situations, transcendence supports the individual to move beyond the “here-and-now” demands of a given activity. DA differs from traditional nondynamic assessment (henceforth, NDA) in that DA makes it possible for teachers to make teaching recommendations based on their assessment of a learner’s developmental potential. The present study aims at investigating the differences between applying dynamic assessment and nondynamic assessment to EFL Chinese learners’ speaking performance and examining their transfer effect. Data included 119 first-year college students’ performance on integrated speaking tasks and records of the teacher’s interactive support and learners’ responses to the mediation. Results indicated that DA outperformed the NDA group in terms of supporting improvements in college students’ speaking performance. The interactive mediation provided through DA assisted advanced learners’ content development in speaking and assisted beginning learners’ control of grammatical structures. More importantly, the learning effect on the DA group did not fade away over time. Both beginning and advanced level learners performed better transcendence after receiving DA intervention. This study contributes to the literature in that few studies have examined whether DA assists speaking performance at the tertiary level in comparison to nondynamic assessment approaches.

The affordances theory in teaching and learning African first additional languages: A case for task-based language teaching

Multilingual language policies in South Africa aim to promote tolerance and understanding of sociocultural differences and equal access to power. The current common curriculum for learning of all additional languages in South African primary schools presents negative affordances for the acquisition of African languages as second languages. This article proposes that task-based language teaching presents a set of language affordances for young beginner learners that is most conducive for the learning of an additional language in primary schools. The affordances theory in second language learning provides a lens that allows a single-minded focus on relevant issues in a complex and dynamic context. It considers the learning needs and goals of young learners and their teachers, and identifies language affordances in the learning process. The important role of the teacher in matching language teaching activities to individual learner’s needs is recognised and justified in the affordances theory. Task-based language teaching presents a principled and empirically supported instructional approach, allowing a flexible methodology for teachers to achieve learning outcomes in diverse contexts.

Improving English Speaking Ability through Vlogging: an Innovative Breakthrough for Suburban Beginner Learners in English Community Muara Bungo

Speaking skill has a very important role in this era to help students to communicate and to show their understanding in English. This speaking ability can help students to achieve higher academic goals or improve their soft skills to face the challenges in globalization. English Language Study Program of STKIP Muhammadiyah Muara Bungo tries to help the students to solve their Speaking problem by establishing a community which called the English Community. This study aimed to improve students’ speaking abilityin Muara Bungo through Vlogging. This model was chosen because they liked to play gadgets and were more interested in doing many activities with their gadgets. This research was classroom action research. The population in this study were all students who joined as members of the English community. The sample in this study was taken by using total sampling. This research was conducted in three cycles. The results of the first cycle shown that students started speaking by learning ways and techniques of using Vlogging. In the second cycle, students began to be interested in using Vlogging to learn speaking and began practicing speaking through Vlogging. In the third cycle, students were able to practice speaking in a fun way through Vlogging. Based onthe results of interviews with students, they stated that speaking through vlogging was fun, they could become millennial humans that could speak English. By learning to use Vlogging they get two things, namely the ability to speak English and the ability to use Vlogging. In conclusion, Vlogging could improve students' ability in Speaking.

The Grammatical Forms Connection between Writing and Speaking from EFL Perspectives

The goal of this research is to examine whether Saudi undergraduates who use certain grammatical forms in their writing are able to reproduce the same forms with similar accuracy in their speaking. The sample of the study comprised 180 EFL undergraduates’ (male/female) at the undergraduate level from the Institute of languages at the University of Tabuk. The researchers used varied research instruments including Holistic Proficiency Scores and grammatical Use and Accuracy. The data was analyzed using Pearson Product-Moment Correlation, and SPSS. The findings of the research showed that there is a strong relationship between writing and speaking at varied proficiency levels (intermediate and advanced) but the beginners level revealed a noticeable difference in terms of writing and speaking proficiencies’ development in which some of these learners indicated better improvement in writing compared to speaking and vice versa. In relevance to the explicit existence of grammatical items and their use by beginner learners; they were shown to use a considerable number of these grammatical items in their writing, but revealed comparable accuracy in both writing and speaking. This study recommended that further future research should include a similar longitudinal study looking at how the relationship between speaking and writing may change over time for each individual learner, a finding that is merely hypothesized in the present study. Also, the present study investigates this problem through holistic proficiency assessment and grammatical use and accuracy.