Common European Framework Of Reference For Languages Research Articles

Causes of Low Communicative Competences in English as a Foreign Language: Considerations and Reflections

Mastering English as a lingua franca has become a first-rate skill for new professionals in most jobs around the world. According to the bilingualism policies in Colombia it is expected that students from higher education achieve a level of English between B1 or B2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL), with students from bachelor degree programs in foreign languages, the level must be C1, in this sense the Ministry of Education has implemented projects and strategies to get a bilingual professional with high communicative competences, according to the demands of the globalized world. However, most students show low levels of communicative proficiency in English according to the results of the test applied by ICFES. Despite the demands of learning English, weaknesses persist in the mastery of communicative competences. A constant concern is to investigate some causes of low communication skills in this language. This article presents the results of some research conducted in various countries around the world that has attempted to investigate these causes. The causes, according to the results of the research, have to do with social and cultural aspects, but more importantly, teacher performance is one of the most frequent causes. This requires special attention to start programs and projects aimed at training teachers in didactic competencies.

TRANSLATION IN LANGUAGE LEARNING AND TEACHING: FROM A SUB ROSA PRACTICE INTO A BEDROCK OF GLOBAL EDUCATION POLICY

Ever since the Grammar Translation Method has been outlawed in mainstream language education policy, translation as a tool for language learning and teaching has been ostracized for a variety of reasons other than pedagogical. However, with the currently growing multilingualism and multiculturalism, there is an ideal opportunity to engage in true cultural dialog and democratic citizenship. The translation is justifiably an essential step in the process of global identity construction. Today, the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages with its Companion Volume with New Descriptors for Mediation provides a blueprint for installing mediation as a proxy for translation in the learning and teaching of English as a foreign language. In this regard, mediation is conceived of as a set of translatorial skills that are highly required by today's world citizens in day-to-day life situations. Therefore, the foreign language classroom has to provide for the development of language learners as social agents whose mission is to establish and maintain communication across linguistic and cultural barriers. Within this perspective, this paper joins the initiative to close the conceptual, theoretical, and methodological divide between translation studies and foreign language learning and teaching methodologies. In doing so, it purports to reassess the validity of translation as a pedagogical activity in the foreign language classroom in light of the mediation descriptors provided by the Council of Europe in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL).<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0056/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Podcasting: tool to develop and reinforce EFL learning

This research explored the application of podcasts in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teaching context, mainly focused on the development of speaking and listening skills. This could shed light on the impact of ‘Podcasting’ in teaching and learning the mentioned skills. As a really important point of start, it offered basic characteristics, types of podcasts, and the topics which might be used throughout the research, that is why three different groups of students with different language levels (A1, A2, B1), according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL), belonging to “Be Free English Academy”, participated in this study, each level has seven learners of different ages; who were evaluated throughout two different months as well as explored the impact ‘Podcasting’ might have on them. This research evaluated the advantages, disadvantages, and contributions of podcasts in EFL classrooms to the development of language skills mainly listening and speaking Also, it examined the effect on the students’ attitudes after the podcasting strategy was implemented. Research in this field helps to understand the outcomes that this “relatively” new technological tool has and its implications in the English learning process.

Georgian Online Exercises for the Foreign Students − the principles of construction

Difficulties in the Georgian language learning are conditioned by the complexities of the language itself and by its otherness in comparison with the European languages. After the reading and writing skills are obtained, the complexities of the Georgian grammar remain to seem impossible to overcome multiple diversifications of the forms of the parts of speech, abundance of affixes, polypersonality of verbs – all those factors originate several problems for the foreign learners. It is already several years that the program “Irbakhi” has been working on in the Ministry of education and science of Georgia (prof. Marika Odzeli − the author and coordinator of the program), website www.geofl.ge is created and is provided by the learning and methodological material, containing manuals, working sheets, reading material, methodological papers, reference material in grammar, grammar guide books and all the materials correspond to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL). Learning a foreign language only from the manuals is not easy. As time passes, the distance learning methods and exercises are being worked on throughout the world and correspondingly, the abilities to fulfill independently several grammar exercises are also growing. In response to this, on the given stage, within the “Irbakhi” program, a number of the online grammar exercises were compiled containing learning activities for the several stages such as: listening, writing, reading, lexis and grammar. There are several types of the useful exercises, whenever it is necessary for the learners, listening to some words, phrases and texts is also available which helps to fulfill the grammar exercises. The grammar exercises are based on the basic dictionary and abstracts of the literature texts, the fundamental issues of which are given in the text books, work books and reading material. The online grammar exercises represent the convenient additional learning material. When compiling them, we had to solve some problems: choosing the essential problems and systematizing them by the levels, using vocabulary as the base, creating systemic menu and using large varieties of the exercises themselves. The drop-down menu shows the Georgian grammar system through its morphology and syntax (i.e. parts of speech, grammatical categories and others). The issues related to the verbs are especially diverse, including person, number, mood, conjugation forms, preverb, special types of conjugation and so on. Some types of the grammar exercises are used: marking the correct answer out of 3 or 4 given; inserting a right answer into the right space of the table or scheme, also the type of exercise as drag and drop, choose the proper words or the endings in the given full texts. The exercises are simple in use, oriented on practical knowledge, self-checking and improving the level of knowledge.

Effects of audio-visual translation in foreign language education

Yabancı dil öğreniminde çevirinin rolü uzun zamandır tartışma konusu olmuştur. CFRL’nin (Avrupa Dilleri Ortak Çerçeve Programı) 2001 yılında yayınlanan bildirisinde, yabancı dil öğrenen öğrencilerin “alım, üretim, etkileşim veya arabuluculuk” gibi çeşitli dil etkinliklerini gerçekleştirirken özellikle sözlü ve yazılı çeviri faaliyetlerinin iletişimsel dil yeterliliklerini aktive ettiği vurgulanmıştır. Görsel-İşitsel çeviri, sözlü dilin görsel-işitsel medyaya aktarılmasını ifade eder ve genel olarak “ekran çevirisi”, “multimedya çevirisi” veya film çevirisi terimlerini ifade etmek için bir şemsiye terim olarak kullanılır (Perego, 2005; Chiaro, 2009; Bollettieri, Di Giovanni and Rossato, 2014). Görsel-işitsel çeviri'nin dil öğrenimi ve öğretimine iletişimsel bir yaklaşımla entegrasyonuna ilgi artmaktadır ve bu disiplin artık çeviri çalışmaları alanındaki en hızlı büyüyen alanlardan biri olarak kabul edilmektedir. Altyazı çalışması yabancı dil öğrencilerinin dinleme, okuma ve yazma becerilerini geliştirerek, aktarılabilir becerilerini geliştirebilmelerine olanak sağlar. Sözlü dil aktarım yöntemi, öğrencilere dublaj, sesli açıklama ve diğer seslendirme görevleri aracılığıyla konuşma becerilerini geliştirme fırsatı sunar. Bu alanda yapılan çeviri faaliyetleri, hem bireysel olarak hem de gruplar halinde gerçekleştirilebilen ve böylece hem bireysel hem de işbirlikçi öğrenmeyi teşvik eden öğrenci merkezli bir potansiyeline sahiptir. Bu çalışmanın amacı, görsel-işitsel çevirinin özellikle altyazı çevirisinin eğitim faaliyetlerine dâhil edilerek hedeflenen yabancı dili öğrenmede sağlayacağı katkıların daha fazla araştırılmasını teşvik etmektir. Araştırma yöntemi olarak, nitel ve nicel yöntemler bir sentez halinde kullanılarak, özellikle son yirmi yıldaki teknolojik gelişmelere bağlı olarak görsel-işitsel çeviri alanındaki literatür taraması yapılacak, betimsel model üzerinden bu alandaki uygulamaların mevcut durumları da göz önünde bulundurularak, yabancı dil eğitiminde sağlayacağı katkılar ortaya koyulmaya çalışılacaktır.

Literatura en lengua extranjera y competencias: la experiencia de un club virtual de lectura

En los últimos años, la investigación en el campo de la educación ha cuestionado los objetivos y métodos de la enseñanza literaria a la luz de los cambios introducidos por el Marco Común Europeo de Referencia para las Lenguas (MCER). El debate se ha centrado, en particular, en la oportunidad de adoptar la perspectiva del aprendizaje orientado a la acción, cuya definición parece incompatible con el ideal tradicional de la formación humanista. Al contrario, estamos convencidas de que las dos perspectivas coinciden en muchos aspectos y que el texto literario puede contribuir en la formación del individuo y ciudadano: es posible configurar la didáctica literaria para transmitir no solo unos conocimientos disciplinares sino también unas competencias transversales que pueden reutilizarse fuera del contexto de la formación. En este sentido, las tecnologías digitales son una herramienta privilegiada para sumergir a los estudiantes en situaciones reales donde puedan llevar a cabo tareas auténticas. En este articulo presentamos dos experiencias de lectura que tuvieron lugar en Italia dentro de un curso universitario de literatura francesa contemporánea, basadas en la transposición en el mundo virtual de un diario del lector y un club de lectura. Tras la descripción de las plataformas utilizadas y el análisis de los datos obtenidos, formulamos una propuesta para la enseñanza de la lectura literaria en la universidad.

Enseigner le Français langue étrangère niveau B1 : difficultés et stratégies

<p class="Abstract">The aim of foreign language teaching is to enable learners to use the <span style="font-size: 1rem;">language they have learned to communicate and interact in their lives. </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">This is why teaching/learning no longer gives priority to structure but </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">rather to communication and interaction. It is by communicating that </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">they learn the structure. The foreign language class is a place where </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">learners use the language learned. Therefore, it is necessary for the </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">teacher to create interesting activities that can encourage learners to </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">use the language to communicate. Teaching French as a foreign </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">language from the first semester to the seventh semester in the French </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Department, Universitas Negeri Jakarta, we use the Alterego+ manual. </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">It replaced Alterego that we had used for over 5 years. After having </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">studied it for 7 semesters, we hope that students can present </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">themselves at DELF B2. As it provides language course level B1, it only </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">want to talk about thepractice class with Alterego+ 3 that has been </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">done for 2 semesters. Alterego+ 3 is published by Hachette, Français Langue Etrangère and targets </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">learners who have acquired the level A2. It aims to acquire skills described in level B1 of the Common </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">European Framework of Reference for Languages (CECRL), within a 150-hour course of </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">teaching/learning activities. This allows learners to present themselves at DELF level B1. However in our </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">department the B1 language courses are only lasted about 106 hours. How can one teach the limited </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">duration B1 level?</span></p>

Up2B2: Playing English grammar games at the B2 level

Author/s
 Irina Argüelles ÁlvarezMargarita Martínez NúñezAna Belén García HernandoAntonio da Silva FariñaUniversidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain
 
 ABSTRACT
 The study presented herein is framed within the Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL) approach and presents the results from the use of an original mobile app, developed by the research team, on the part of 73 students. The app prototype consists of multiple choice questions and answers that assess varied aspects of the grammar, vocabulary and use of English at level B2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL). The application presents motivating gamification components that aim at enhancing students’ participation and regular use of the game. Some of these gamification features are response time, use of competition and training tests, and a score ranking based on nicknames. The study uses different indexes in order to describe the use of the platform and qualitative and quantitative indicators to reach positive conclusions related to students’ increased motivation and improvement in their grammar and vocabulary competence levels.

El cuento como recurso didáctico en la enseñanza del francés lengua extranjera

<p>This article offers a pragmatic reflection on the use of short stories in the teaching of French as a foreign language. After analyzing the use of short stories in the foreign language classroom as didactic material, we briefly assess the different advantages of short stories and inquire about the validity of this genre as a suitable material for the teaching of written expression in the light of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL). On this basis, we propose a practical approach in which short stories are integrated to the teaching of written expression within a communicative context.</p>

CAMBIO DE PERSPECTIVA EN EL APRENDIZAJE DE LENGUAS EXTRANJERAS: HACIA LA AUTONOMÍA CON EL e-PEL (PORTFOLIO EUROPEO DE LAS LENGUAS ELECTRÓNICO)

INTRODUCTION. The change of approach advocated by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL), implemented by Information and Communication Technology (ICT), has led to the Electronic European Language Portfolio (eELP). This new model involves a change in methodology, which benefits from new ways of managing information and interacting with the personal learning environment. METHOD. This article analyzes the development of autonomy through the eELP by using data collected in a qualitative study conducted on a group of students studying German (level A2.1 of the CEFRL) of the Official School of Languages of Alicante (Spain) between October 2016 and February 2017. The purpose of this study is to analyze the progression of the students in three subsections of the section Learning to learn of the eELP: Reflection and organization, Learning the new and Fixing the learned. RESULTS . If we analyze the results, we conclude that the eELP has encouraged the change of focus from the teacher to the student. Likewise, meaningful learning has meant that the activities have had to be adapted to the student in regards to goals, content and tasks, thus responding to the needs of the learner, so that it has been possible to integrate and restructure these activities in their world of experiences. DISCUSSION . The motivation of all the students has increased and they have developed confidence in themselves thanks to the positive formulation of their capacities through rubrics. In spite of the progress in autonomy, the implementation time has been insufficient to develop all the capacities that integrate autonomous learning.

Improving English Speaking Fluency: The Role of Six Factors

This qualitative study, using an open interview, set out to investigate the roles six factors, including age, university education, teachers of English Language institutes, teaching English, dictionary, and note-taking, played in improving English speaking fluency of seventeen fluent Iranian EFL speakers. The participants were chosen purposefully based on the speaking scale of Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL). The findings indicated that early age had a great impact on the participants’ speaking fluency. They mentioned that they could not pick up fluency if they had started learning English at older ages. Moreover, university education had no effect on enhancing their fluency. They stated that not having enough opportunities to speak English in classrooms, being exposed to wrong amounts of input from their classmates or even from some university instructors, having no access to English native speakers in English Language Departments, professors’ talking in native language out of classes, in their offices or even sometimes in classes all led to their losing motivation after entering the university. In contrast, teachers in English language institutes had a supportive role in increasing the participants’ English learning. Although two participants quit teaching English since it had a negative influence on their speaking, it had a positive impact on improving speaking ability of the rest. And finally, fruitful strategies were suggested on how to use dictionaries and note-takings.

La competencia comunicativa en el grado de maestro de infantil y primaria. Una propuesta de criterios de desempeño como instrumento para su análisis y evaluación

El objetivo de este trabajo es determinar una propuesta de estructura de la competencia comunicativa, adaptada a los estudios de Grado de Infantil y Primaria. Tras revisar las investigaciones recientes sobre competencia comunicativa en la educación superior, se destacan las que se han estimado más relevantes. Se parte de la distinción entre tres funciones básicas de la competencia comunicativa, siguiendo las orientaciones del Marco Común Europeo de Referencia para las Lenguas (MCERL): competencia lingüística, socio-lingüística y pragmática. Empleando una metodología analítico-deductiva y funcional, se ha analizado la competencia comunicativa desde su definición más general hasta llegar a un conjunto de acciones fácilmente identificables. Así, se han establecido cuatro niveles: funciones básicas, unidades de competencia, descriptores y criterios de desempeño. Éstos se han recogido en tres cuadros que permiten orientar acciones de formación y aprendizaje para facilitar el desarrollo de la competencia comunicativa, su análisis y evaluación.

Google apps para el desarrollo de comunidades de aprendizaje: fortalecimiento de habilidades en el idioma inglés en un ambiente universitario

Introduction: This action research project aims to strengthen English language reading comprehension and speaking skills in college students through the use of Google Apps and Literature Circles (LCs) in virtual communities for learning. Method: The study involved 70 students at a public university in Ecuador. The educational intervention lasted a semester, included the implementation of LCs virtually and in person with a phase of independent reading and another for the discussion. 14 learning communities were organized and students assumed specific roles in order to warranty equality participation. The “Google Apps” were chosen for their ease of access. To monitor the progress of learning English, a pretest and a posttest were applied using the Preliminary English Test (PET) by Cambridge University, whose validity and reliability are amply recognized internationally. Results: It showed an improvement of the reading comprehension and speaking skills in English Language in the participants group, who went from A1 to B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL) at the end of the process. Conclusion: it is confirmed that the use of “Google Apps” aided in the building of virtual learning communities to support the second language acquisition process (L2) in the university context.

Identifying Learning Patterns in the Upper-Intermediate Level of English Through Large-Scale Testing

In this paper we will summarize the rationale and validation process of a multiple choice test developed at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) to regulate the students’ access to the subject “English for Professional and Academic Communication” for which a B2 proficiency level, in accordance with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL), was established as a minimum level. Item difficulty and item discrimination are studied and analyzed from the large-scale application of the test to 924 students. The aim of the study is to reach preliminary conclusions about possible areas where sequential learning on the part of students could be studied.

Challenges of the introduction of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages at foreign-language universities in Vietnam

In today’s globalized world, it seems necessary, or even indispensable for the teaching/learning of foreign languages to be based on international standards proposed by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL). The present article deals with issues of integration of the CEFRL in the Vietnamese context by analyzing the results of a study of training programs at six universities specializing in foreign languages, which are based in three regions of the country (Northern, Central and Southern Vietnam). Despite some positive changes and the dynamism characteristic of the approach, a mechanical and rigid introduction of CEFRL in foreign-language universities in Vietnam has actually caused several problems. These include (1) the inconsistency between the levels established by the CEFRL and the organization of teaching/learning; (2) the risk of teaching/learning becoming too “utilitarian” and too function-oriented and (3) excessive attention given to the evaluation and assessment of linguistic knowledge and of performance level rather than on the ability to use various resources as well as to long-term process of competence development. The study results show some possible ways for the development of a referential frame for learning/teaching French in Vietnam.

Lexical and semantic aspects in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages and the teaching of Italian business correspondence

The article is based on the guidelines of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL). It presents the results of a study aimed to determine to what extent they are taken into account in seven textbooks used for teaching business Italian. Given the importance of vocabulary in this type of language teaching, the article focuses on certain lexical and semantic aspects of business correspondence such as wordformation, synonymy, antonymy, collocations, part-whole relations, translation equivalence, and register differences. The analyses show that the authors of the materials covered these aspects well (albeit in different ways and to different extents in individual textbooks) despite the fact that in most cases the textbooks were written before the CEFRL was published or was known. In addition, two categories not present in the Framework but characteristic of business language were also recognized as important by the authors of the textbooks and presented in the task sections. These are some frequently used abbreviations and definitions (or their approximations considering the communicative language competence acquired) that learners can use to fill lexical gaps.

Putting Prosody First — Some Practical Solutions to a Perennial Problem: The Innovalangues Project

This paper presents some of the difficulties of teaching languages, in particular English, in the context of LSP/LAP2 programmes in French universities. The main focus of this paper will be the importance of prosody, especially in English, as an area where these difficulties may be addressed. We will outline the various solutions that are currently being put into place as part of the Innovalangues project, a six-year international language teaching and research project headed by Université Stendhal (Grenoble 3), France. The project has substantial funding from the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research and its mission is to develop innovative tools and measures to help LSP/LAP learners reach B2 on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL). The languages concerned are English, Italian, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese and possibly French as a foreign language. Initially the project will be focusing on the needs of Grenoble’s students, but the objective is to make the tools and resources developed freely available to the wider community. Oral production and reception are at the heart of Innovalangues. We believe, along with many other researchers, that prosody is key to comprehension and to intelligibility (Kjellin 1999a, Kjellin 1999b, Munro and Derwing 2011, Saito 2012), particularly given the important differences between English and French prosody (Delattre 1965; Hirst and Di Cristo 1998; Frost 2011). In this paper, we will present the particular difficulties inherent in teaching English (and other foreign languages) in the context of ESP/EAP3 in French universities and some of the solutions that we are implementing through this project (Picavet et al., 2012; Picavet et al 2013; Picavet and Frost 2014). These include an e-learning platform for which various tools are being developed, teacher training seminars focusing on prosody and the collection of data for research.

Large-scale assessment of language proficiency: Theoretical and pedagogical reflections on the use of multiple-choice tests

The new requirement placed on students in tertiary settings in Spain to demonstrate a B1 or a B2 proficiency level of English, in accordance with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL), has led most Spanish universities to develop a program of certification or accreditation of the required level. The first part of this paper aims to provide a rationale for the type of test that has been developed at the Universidad Politecnica de Madrid for the accreditation of a B2 level, a multiple choice version, and to describe how it was constructed and validated. Then, in the second part of the paper, the results from its application to 924 students enrolled in different degree courses at a variety of schools and faculties at the university are analyzed based on a final test version item analysis. To conclude, some theoretical as well as practical conclusions about testing grammar that affect the teaching and learning process are drawn.

A Pioneer Study on Online Learning Environments Following the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages

Abstract This paper shows the results of a pioneer study on how technology is used to complement face-to face teaching in universities following the directives of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL). The paper examines the students’ and teachers’ perception of the effectiveness of autonomous language practice. Findings reveal that while teachers value the incorporation of autonomous learning in traditional university classrooms, students don’t seem to agree unanimously on the positive benefits of autonomous learning as an add-on to face-to-face teaching. The role of teachers in technological environments is also a controversial issue discussed in this paper