Comprehensible Input Research Articles

English Language Proficiency in the Philippines: An Overview

The Philippines is considered one of the largest English-speaking nations in the world. In fact, English is one of the official languages in the Philippines. But throughout the years, a gradual deterioration in English language proficiency can be observed among Filipinos based on the EF English Proficiency Index, Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC), and the average score of Filipino IELTS takers. This paper aims to discuss the different factors behind the descending Filipino English proficiency, such as learners’ motivation, parental involvement, learning environment, teaching strategies, comprehensive input, learners’ socio-economic status, and learners' age. Several articles have been reviewed and examined for the authors to come up with the following conclusions: 1) Continuous practice and usage of the English language could help us further cement our economy; 2) there is still a huge room for improvement in terms of grammar which could also help alleviate learners’ anxiousness, and 3) we still need to strike a balance in polishing the English language education and nurturing our local and cultural languages. This review will help the teachers in planning and implementing English classes to improve students' English proficiency, the educational institutions that aim to uplift the quality of English language teaching, and curriculum developers in constructing innovative English proficiency learning materials.

Autonomous use of podcasts with metacognitive intervention: Foreign language listening development

AbstractPodcasts have become a pervasive and easy‐to‐access input for language learning that may improve both form and meaning aspects of language. This study attempted to investigate some unknown impacts of the autonomous use of podcasts through a metacognitive intervention on 12 adult language learners' listening comprehension with an exploratory approach and using a questionnaire, learners' journals, and semi‐structured interviews. The results suggest that autonomous language learners may benefit from multiple advantages of utilizing extensive listening input such as podcasts. Moreover, the learners have a positive attitude toward learning listening with metacognitive strategies and asserted that they aided them to be independent listeners. This study underscores the effectiveness of applying technology‐based listening learning in an EFL context where many learners are devoid of sufficient authentic and comprehensible input.

Enhancement of Writing Skills in English of Engineering Students Through Autobiographies — A Literature-Based Approach

This study emphasizes the importance of writing skills in English and analyses from various perspectives the reasons for the present-day students lacking good writing skills in English. The authors insist on reading of autobiographies for better enhancement of writing skills and the insistence is justified appropriately. The paper begins with the importance of writing skills in the present scenario, throws light on literature-based approach and a detailed description of the methodology adopted by the researcher including conduct of a pre-test for the selected students of engineering students from various branches of engineering (at the entry-level), a three-month session on reading of select autobiographies along with language activities for the selected students, and a post-test after reading the autobiographies (at the exit level). The statistical approach paired-t-test and one-way ANOVA have been used to examine the efficiency of the autobiographies that help to improve the writing skills of students in English based on the marks secured in the post-test. A comprehensive input was given on the autobiography reading session by the students selected for the experiment. The performance of the students in the tests bears testimony to the fact that reading of autobiographies remarkably enables learners to enhance their writing skills.

A Model for Teaching English Translation in Universities Based on the Random Matrix Optimization Bell Translation Model

This paper adopts the random matrix optimization fusion of Bell’s translation model to conduct in-depth research and analysis on the teaching model of English translation in colleges and universities. Bell’s translation model theory explicates the mental model of the translation process to a certain extent based on psycholinguistic research results. Using the results of random matrix theory on the eigenvalues of the sample covariance matrix, the energy of each subspace is estimated, and the estimated energy is then used to construct the subspace-weighting matrix. The statistical properties of the sample covariance matrix eigenvectors were analyzed using the first-order perturbation approximation, and then asymptotic results from random matrix theory on the projection of the sample covariance matrix signal subspaces to the real signal parametrization were used to obtain the weighting matrix based on the random matrix eigenvectors. The analysis shows that the teacher can help students understand the teaching content and master the knowledge points by using guided meta-discoursal to indicate the logical relationships inherent in linguistic expressions and make the discourse transitions natural, coherent, and organized. The use of interactive meta-discoursal attracts students’ attention and treats them as participants in the discourse, making them feel a sense of belonging and satisfying their need for psychological belonging, which is beneficial to the students’ main position in the classroom. In teaching methods, there is a principle of comprehensible input, which is to provide students with a lot of interesting and understandable listening and reading input. In the translation classroom, the translation teachers code-switched infrequently and mainly used three types of code-switching: inter-sentence code-switching, intra-sentence code-switching, and additional code-switching to carry out translation teaching. Among them, intra-sentence code-switching accounts for 57.46%, inter-sentence code-switching accounts for 41.53%, and the least frequent is additional code-switching, accounting for 1.01%.

ANALYZING THE TYPES OF SPEECH ACTS USED IN TEACHING-LEARNING INTERACTION

This qualitative study was aimed at analyzing the types of speech acts used in teaching-learning interaction. The participants of this study were one class of 10th grade students of SMAN 1 Bandar Lampung. In collecting the data, observation and audio-visual material were used. Then, descriptive analysis was used to analyze the speech acts used in teaching-learning interaction. The results of this study showed that the speech acts mostly used was directive speech acts. On the other hand, declarations speech acts was not used at all. In conclusion, since the role of the teacher is as an initiator and sustainer of the interaction in the classroom and regarding the opportunities for the full range of human interactions are limited which make the students get more difficulties in acquiring appropriate language use patterns, therefore, directives speech acts is appropriate, used in classroom interaction context to help the students to acquire the target language in the comprehension input and lead them to have positive behavior for learning.
 Keywords: speech acts, teaching-learning interaction.

Second language development in face-to-face versus synchronous computer-mediated interactions: Dyadic type and language proficiency

Language negotiations facilitate second language acquisition (SLA) in both face-to-face (FTF) and computer-mediated interactions. Research shows that dyadic type can impact the quantity and quality of negotiations. Although both learner (L)-learner and native speaker (NS)-L dyadic type interactions have shown to be beneficial to SLA, it is still unclear which dyadic type is more effective for second language (L2) development in FTF and computer-mediated interactions. To fill this gap, this quantitative study compares FTF versus text-synchronous-computer-mediated communication (SCMC) task-based interactions by examining the following question: Is there a significant difference in the (1) frequency of negotiations and (2) effect of negotiations on subsequent L2 development in FTF interactions compared with text-SCMC in the following three dyadic types: NS-low-proficiency learners (LPL), NS-high-proficiency learners (HPL), and HPL–LPL? The study is grounded in the Interaction Hypothesis, which argues that comprehensible input, opportunities for modified output, and noticing are essential for interactions to facilitate SLA through negotiation episodes. The participants included four NSs, four LPLs, and four HPLs. The participants were paired up to form two of each of the following dyadic types: NS–LPL, NS–HPL, and HPL–LPL. All dyads performed one task in each mode. The learners took a tailor-made posttest, designed to measure their L2 development. The data collection included transcribed FTF interactions, SCMC chats, and posttest scores. The interactions were coded for negotiation episodes and strategies. The posttest responses were coded as correct, partially correct, or incorrect. Chi-square test of independence was used to analyse the quantitative data because of their categorical nature and small sample size. Results found no statistically significant difference in the frequency of negotiation episodes among the three dyadic types or the LPLs’ and HPLs’ language learning outcome in FTF versus SCMC. Pedagogical implications are discussed.

Cellworks singula therapy response index (TRI) predicts clinical outcomes for esophageal adenocarcinoma: MyCare-004.

4064 Background: Computational biological modeling reveals many dysregulated signaling pathways responsible for hallmark behaviors of cancer and variable drug response in the population. A mechanistic model created for each patient using comprehensive genomic inputs can biosimulate downstream molecular effects of cell signaling and drugs for each patient’s personalized in silico virtual disease model. Singula TRI is designed to predict the outcome of specific therapies with a continuous TRI Score, 0 to 100, for each patient’s unique genomic network. Methods: TRI’s ability to predict Overall Survival (OS), Disease Free Survival (DFS) and Mandard – tumor regression grade (TRG) was prospectively evaluated in a retrospective cohort of gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma (GEA) from UK OCCAMS consortium. Random sampling stratified by clinical factors was used to split the data into independent training (N = 140) and validation (N = 131) subsets. Multivariate Cox Proportional Hazard (PH) and Proportional Odds models were used to predict survival and pathological response as a function of the pre-defined TRI and clinical thresholds compared with standard clinical factors. Results: 271 GEA patients were selected who had pre-chemo treated biopsies with 50x whole genome sequencing from the OCCAMS International Cancer Genome Consortium study. The median age was 65.6 years, 234 male and 30 female, with deceased median OS of 21.9 months and living of 49.9 months. There were 35 T2, 215 T3, 70 N0, 126 N1, 62 N2 and 266 M0. Patients were treated with physician prescribed chemotherapy treatments (PPT) according to UK clinical guidelines (SC). Biosimulation revealed that 99% of these tumors had deficiency in DNA repair genes. Other pathways included amplification of multi-drug resistance pumps, TP53 mutations and aberrations of the PI3K/AKT pathway genes. The table shows that TRI provides additional predictive information for OS and DFS beyond PPT and standard clinical factors. TRI was also predictive of TRG in univariate analysis. TRI scores were also generated for 82 alternate therapies for each patient enabling selection of optimal therapies with estimates of improvements in median OS and DFS compared to SC. Conclusions: In this cohort of patients, Cellworks Singula TRI was predictive of survival and TRG beyond clinical factors. These positive results suggest the utility of biosimulation-informed therapy selection to improve survival of GEA and validation in prospective clinical studies is warranted.[Table: see text]

The Real Role of Listening and Speaking in Foreign Language Acquisition – A Theoretical Analysis Based on Comprehensible Input Hypothesis and Affective Filter Hypothesis

The Real Role of Listening and Speaking in Foreign Language Acquisition – A Theoretical Analysis Based on Comprehensible Input Hypothesis and Affective Filter Hypothesis

Analyzing the Efficiency of E-Assessment of EAP Courses amid COVID-19 in Bangladesh

In industrialized countries, conducting online classes has been a common phenomenon. However, it became quite challenging to arrange virtual classes for a developing country like Bangladesh during the COVID-19pandemic. Teachers at all levels had to cope with the situation to make a drastic shift from offline to online classes in a short period of time. Although teachers could successfully take virtual classes, concerns about the efficacy of e-assessment remained since assessments must depict the actual scenario of students' learning. This mixed-method study tried to figure out the efficiency of e-assessment of EAP (English for Academic Purposes) courses. To facilitate, 30 students and 4 teachers of privately-run universities in Dhaka virtually took part in this research. The findings reveal that the students could find validity and reliability in the e-assessment, but technical glitches made the e-assessments impractical. On the contrary, teacher participants could only ensure the presence of validity. At the same time, they could apply the concept of zone of proximal development by Vygotsky and comprehensible input hypothesis by Krashen.

Feasibility study of fast intensity-modulated proton therapy dose prediction method using deep neural networks for prostate cancer.

Compared to the pencil-beam algorithm, the Monte-Carlo (MC) algorithm is more accurate for dose calculation but time-consuming in proton therapy. To solve this problem, this study uses deep learning to provide fast 3D dose prediction for prostate cancer patients treated with intensity-modulated proton therapy (IMPT). A novel recurrent U-net (RU-net) architecture was trained to predict the 3D dose distribution. Doses, CT images, and beam spot information from IMPT plans were used to train the RU-net with a five-fold cross-validation. However, predicting the complicated dose properties of the IMPT plan is difficult for neural networks. Instead of the peak-monitor unit (MU) model, this work develops the multi-MU model that adopted more comprehensive inputs and was trained with a combinational loss function. The dose difference between the prediction dose and Monte Carlo (MC) dose was evaluated with gamma analysis, dice similarity coefficient (DSC), and dose-volume histogram (DVH) metrics. The MC dropout was also added to the network to quantify the uncertainty of the model. Compared to the peak-MU model, the multi-MU model led to smaller mean absolute errors (3.03% vs. 2.05%, p = 0.005), higher gamma-passing rate (2 mm, 3%: 97.42% vs. 93.69%, p = 0.005), higher dice similarity coefficient, and smaller relative DVH metrics error (clinical target volume (CTV) D98% : 3.03% vs. 6.08%, p = 0.017; in Bladder V30: 3.08% vs. 5.28%, p = 0.028; and in Bladder V20: 3.02% vs. 4.42%, p = 0.017). Considering more prior knowledge, the multi-MU model had better-predicted accuracy with a prediction time of less than half a second for each fold. The mean uncertainty value of the multi-MU model is 0.46%, with a dropout rate of 10%. This method was a nearly real-time IMPT dose prediction algorithm with accuracy comparable to the pencil beam (PB)analytical algorithms used in prostate cancer. This RU-net might be used in plan robustness optimization and robustness evaluation in the future.

Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling (TPRS) as a Technique to Foster Students’ Speaking Skill

Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling (TPRS) is quite essential to improve EFL learners’ speaking ability. It can be done successfully by means of the basic concept of TPRS known as comprehensible input in second language acquisition (SLA). This paper presents a study on learners’ speaking ability through TPRS making use of three important steps; Showing, Telling, and Reading. This is a quantitative study using quasi-experimental as the two intact groups are used; experimental and control group. The data are obtained from pre-test, post-test and questionnaires viewed from both students’ and teachers’ perspective. The data from pre-test and post-test are analyzed by using independent sample t-test. The experimental and control are ascertained to be homogenous in term of English performance from the pre-test analysis. The post-test are carried out from both groups after the treatment and the the result of the test are compared in order to prove if the null hypothesis is rejected indicating that there is significant difference performance between the two groups. The result of the study is expected to be beneficial for English teachers, EFL learners, and further researchers.

Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling (TPRS) as a Technique to Foster Students’ Speaking Skill

Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling (TPRS) is quite essential to improve EFL learners’ speaking ability. It can be done successfully by means of the basic concept of TPRS known as comprehensible input in second language acquisition (SLA). This paper presents a study on learners’ speaking ability through TPRS making use of three important steps; Showing, Telling, and Reading. This is a quantitative study using quasi-experimental as the two intact groups are used; experimental and control group. The data are obtained from pre-test, post-test and questionnaires viewed from both students’ and teachers’ perspective. The data from pre-test and post-test are analyzed by using independent sample t-test. The experimental and control are ascertained to be homogenous in term of English performance from the pre-test analysis. The post-test are carried out from both groups after the treatment and the the result of the test are compared in order to prove if the null hypothesis is rejected indicating that there is significant difference performance between the two groups. The result of the study is expected to be beneficial for English teachers, EFL learners, and further researchers.

Syllabus Development on Writing English News Stories for Kasetsart University Students, Thailand

An English syllabus was developed on writing English news stories for the English for Journalism course in the second semester of the 2014 academic year at Kasetsart University, Kamphaeng Saen campus, Thailand. The study focused on the development of material for writing hard-news and feature stories. The sample consisted of 154 students who had majored in English. The development and analysis of the syllabus for the course used a book titled English News: Reading and Writing developed by Peking University Press (2008). The analysis implemented current news stories in the course for their social and cultural contexts. The findings indicated that the designed curriculum worked well to some degree but that it was limited by the students’ lack of familiarity with writing news stories. We suggest various actions: 1) to further develop students’ writing ability, the lecturer should integrate more comprehensible inputs and material apart from those in the book; and 2) the news input material could be sourced from current news stories around the world with particular attention to Appraisal Framework (Martin & White, 2005) and the learning cycle proposed by the Sydney genre-based school (Martin & Rose, 1994), which are the main approaches under systemic functional linguistics, focusing on metafunctions (field, mode, tenor), the context of situation and the context of culture.

Language learning opportunities in native vs. non-native EMI lecturer input: insights for a language-aware approach to EMI teacher training

ABSTRACT Despite a growing body of research on English-medium instruction (EMI), little is known about how actual EMI lecturers’ language practices support L2 learning, specifically key psycholinguistic processes such as learner comprehension and output. This paper presents a classroom-centred study of the L2 learning opportunities found in the EMI lecturers’ input. More specifically, it compares the presence of discourse features and strategies supporting students’ input comprehension and output in a series of EMI classes taught by an English L1 lecturer and an English L2 lecturer at a Catalan university. The results show that both lecturers employ a variety of strategies to foster comprehensible input and student participation in their classes, with a clear bias in favour of the former. The English L1 lecturer provides more support to comprehensible input than his English L2 counterpart, who is keener on student participation. The profile of the students might have prompted the use of different discourse strategies, as well as the lecturers’ beliefs on the nature of L2 scaffolding in EMI. We argue for the importance of developing research-informed EMI teacher training programmes revolving around discipline-specific language awareness and reflective cycles.

Meaningful Learning in English as a Foreign Language Classrooms: A culinary experience as Comprehensible Input

Foreign Language educators and researchers still refine meaningful instruction and engagement to motivate secondary education students. This research aims to enhance learning environments and analyze students' exposure to English vocabulary through a collection of culinary videos as Comprehensible Input in English as foreign language (EFL) classrooms. The participants were high school students from a public educational institution in Manta-Ecuador. This study is ascribed to the post-modern paradigm, using a hybrid approach and audio-visual technology research as a teaching resource. The instrument used is the students’ motivation for learning of Acevedo, et al. (2022). The techniques for determining this research were non-random sampling and data collection with surveys, interviews, and class observations. The research results demonstrated that learners recognize foreign language vocabulary when creating a cooking recipe or when the teaching process is authentic, dynamic, and innovative. Moreover, exposing learners to an artistic experience increases participants' motivation to practice a foreign language. It is concluded that EFL learning environments can be more meaningful when instructors use videos as Comprehensible Input.

Storytelling in the Inclusive L2 Classroom

This paper examines storytelling as a technology of teaching foreign languages with the help of fascinating stories in the inclusive environment. The relevance of developing inclusive education, i.e. integrating students with different individual characteristics (in particular, disabilities) into the learning process, is highlighted. In this regard, the concept of cognitive learning styles and Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences are characterized as not quite suitable for the role of a general foundation of language teaching methodology in an inclusive classroom. Krashen’s Monitor Model, in its turn, is adopted as the theoretical basis of the modern approach to second language acquisition, emphasizing the importance of comprehensible input (received speech material) and emotional filter (psychological barrier) as key factors in the development of speech competence. In light of this, the advantages of a multisensory approach to language learning, and, in particular, the inclusive potential of using multisensory stories and creating students’ own stories with the support of a teacher (storybuilding), are clarified. Storytelling, thus, is considered by the authors of the article as a universal method for developing both receptive and productive speech skills in a foreign language for all kinds of students, including children with disabilities. The paper contains methodological recommendations regarding the implementation of storytelling technology in an inclusive classroom, including the conditions for effective assimilation of educational material by students with special educational needs. The principles of scaffolding (teacher support), mutual cooperation, clarity of instructions, sequence of material presentation, individualized information delivery forms, emotional involvement and integration are also explained. Based on the research literature on psychology, inclusive pedagogy and language education (Vygotsky, Rubinstein, Asher, Krashen), as well as some case studies featuring diverse students with varying disabilities, the authors argue for the need to gradually shift from skill-building to implicit teaching (and learning).

Water cost for water purification: Renewability assessment of a typical wastewater treatment plant in China

In the context of severe water shortage and water pollution, wastewater treatment plays an important role in recycling water resources and improving water quality. Renewability of the wastewater treatment system as reflected by the water cost for water purification is revealed by a case investigation of a typical wastewater treatment plant in China, by means of the tiered hybrid method combining process analysis and systems input-output analysis. Based on a normalized indicator of water investment in water purified, the industrial freshwater use for per cubic meter of treated wastewater is calculated as 0.0069 m³, demonstrating a high renewability of the case wastewater treatment plant. Tap water and electricity inputs are the main contributors to the industrial water use of the wastewater treatment system that respectively account for 46.4% and 23% of the total, while construction stage contributes a non-negligible proportion of 19%. Compared with previous findings, however, the water cost for water purification by the case wastewater treatment plant is obviously larger, which may be attributed to the adoption of a most comprehensive input inventory and the tiered hybrid method that could effectively incorporate both onsite and offsite water use. The outcome presents a unique perspective for evaluating the renewability of wastewater treatment plants and provides a reference for water conservation.

Understanding the Impact of Social Networks on ESL Proficiency


 
 
 Given the importance of English for academic success and socio- economic mobility in Pakistan, proficiency in English as a Second language (ESL) is a necessity for Pakistani learners who aspire for better employability, social mobility, and academic success. However, despite the importance of comprehensible input in L2 for language learners’ progression, most Pakistani ESL learners have limited L2 exposure or opportunities to develop their L2 skills, particularly in their home networks wherein the use of Urdu or regional languages is favored. Adopting the theoretical lens of Milroy's social network theory (1987), this study investigates how Pakistani ESL learners’ social networks comprising family members, friends and peers promote or hinder their L2 learning. The data for the study was collected through questionnaires and interviews implemented with BS undergraduate ESL learners at a Pakistani university. This study finds that participants with weak and multiplex ties are more likely to make gains in L2 proficiency. In contrast, strong and uniplex ties hinders Pakistani ESL learners from improving their L2 proficiency as the learners tend to predominantly use Urdu or regional languages when communicating within such networks. Based on these findings, it is argued that social networks can be leveraged by ESL learners to gain exposure to English and opportunities for L2 learning.
 
 

Crisis Management Strategy in Bali Hotel Industry during the COVID-19

The Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic that has occurred has had an impact on life in Bali, which relies on tourism. The crisis cannot be avoided, both economic and psychological, for tourism actors in Bali. Many hotels experience a crisis and then close because they cannot survive during the pandemic. Therefore, this study aims to determine Bali's hotel crisis management strategy during the Covid-19 pandemic. This study uses a qualitative approach. The sample was determined purposively, and data were collected through observation, in-depth interviews, and documentation. The sample of this study were employees of 3-star hotels in Kuta, Bali, with as many as 20 respondents from different hotels. This research was conducted from May 2020-April 2021. Data reduction, data presentation, and conclusion were drawn in qualitative data. The results of this study are that crisis management strategies in Bali are carried out based on the crisis level category of each Hotel. Of the total objects studied, there are three categories of hotel crisis levels, namely healthy-owning companies (20%), struggling-owning companies (45%), and unhealthy- owning companies (30%). A healthy-owning company implements a defensive strategy by focusing on budget efficiency, changes in marketing strategy, and product innovation. While struggling-owning company apply an adaptive strategy and focus on crisis management, including asset and HR management. Then, unhealthy-owning companies apply a dynamic strategy, namely closing operations and laying off employees, to hotels. This study concludes that the crisis management strategy is adjusted to the company's health to find the best and most appropriate solution. The theoretical implication of this research is that the theory of crisis management strategies in the hotel industry is obtained based on crisis-level conditions. Then, the practical implication of this research is that it can be a consideration for hotel entrepreneurs in determining the most appropriate strategy in maintaining their business during the pandemic, especially in Indonesia. Other recommendations can be made in different locations to compare the crisis management strategies and provide more comprehensive input for business actors, destination managers, and the government.

USING COLLABORATIVE LEARNING APPROACH TO IMPROVE LEARNER’S MENTAL LEXICON OF WORD ASSOCIATION

A collaborative learning approach has been identified to lessen anxiety and allow more comprehensible inputs to be processed cognitively to result in meaningful outputs. This study specifically examines the effectiveness of the collaborative learning approach and its best fit model supplemented with several techniques to improve students’ mastery of the mental lexicon of the word association. This Classroom Action Research involved 60 college students in their senior years in Institut Teknologi Kalimantan. The data collection involved two cycles in which each cycle employed planning, implementation, analysing learning activities and learning outcome and finally reflection. To gain insight through each cycle, a cloze test and a survey were administered. Furthermore, the result was analysed qualitatively and the finding reveals a significant improvement in terms of the mental lexicon of word association repertoire especially in cycle 2. The percentage of the students meeting the criteria of success doubled at 71.67% while the students’ learning perception throughout each cycle was successfully maintained. Collaborative learning also helped most students to create a positive perception to level up their mental lexicon mastery