EFL Skills Research Articles

Investigating the Effect of Reading English Short Stories in Developing Skills for EFL Students at some Selected Universities in Mogadishu, Somalia

This research aims to explore how reading English short stories contributes to the development of skills among EFL students in Mogadishu. Specifically, it seeks to understand how such reading enhances vocabulary acquisition, comprehension, pronunciation, and grammatical knowledge. Employing a quantitative research design with a descriptive method, the study utilized a questionnaire as its primary tool. It involved 100 English lecturers from five universities in Mogadishu, Somalia, with 80 selected as participants. The key findings suggest a significant correlation between reading English short stories and the development of language skills among EFL students. Additionally, the study highlights the effectiveness of this practice in enhancing vocabulary, comprehension, pronunciation, and grammatical understanding. The research holds potential for English lecturers aiming to enhance the skills of EFL students at the university level. It is anticipated to inspire students to engage in more reading of short stories, fostering their creativity and critical thinking. Furthermore, English lecturers encountering challenges in teaching EFL skills stand to benefit from the insights provided by this study.

The Effect of Using the CoRT Program on Jordanian EFL Ninth-Grade Students’ Speaking Skills

This study aimed at exploring the effect of using the CoRT Program on Jordanian EFL ninth-grade students’ speaking skills. The participants of study were 68 female students from Maysaloun Basic School for Girls, which is part of the Directorate of Education in Jordan who were distributed randomly and equally into two groups; experimental and control. This study followed a quasi-experimental design. Data were collected through a pre-/post-test for both control and experimental groups. To achieve the purpose of the study, the experimental group was taught though the CoRT Program and the control group was taught using a conventional teaching method. The results showed that showed that there were statistically significant differences at (a= 0.05) in the subscales (Accuracy, Fluency) due to instruction (the CoRT program vs. conventional instruction) in favor of the experiments group. In light of the findings of the study, the study recommends to use the CoRT Program in different EFL skills and different levels of students.

ESOL Student’s Portfolio Writing Practice: Studying Corrective Feedback With Formative Assessment to Enhance L2 Outcomes in Saudi Arabia

Corrective Feedback with Formative Assessment (CFFA) could be a vital component in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). It is a coherent approach to enhance ESOL students' writing skills. The aim of this study is to analyze heterogenous outlines, quantitative congeniality, and the effectiveness of WF (Written Feedback) with one-on-one corrections. The EFL writing portfolios include the CFP (Corrective Feedback Planning), WFD (Writing the First Draft), and EFD (Evaluating and Improving the First Draft). It also includes using the CFFA to teach EFL skills based on various modules of authentic ESOL course material selected for teaching at the lower-to-elementary levels of ESOL learning students. The quantitative data from simultaneous questionnaires affirmed the efficacy and relevance of CFFA with the students' composition of descriptive and expository texts within the Preparatory Year English writing courses at three different campuses of a university in Saudi Arabia. 351 students from various groups and individual instructors in charge of the RW (Reading and Writing) courses responded to correlated questionnaires, and task outlines were collected for stylistic analysis. Besides being an effective teaching practice, CFFA involves an informal instructor-student exchange and written remarks. Although not summative, they aim to enhance students' writing skills. The students merely perceived their errors as part of the recurrent practice required in the elaborate but formulaic methodology of the instructional techniques of EFL writing. In turn, the absence of summative grading reduced student anxiety. The results demonstrated that the well-defined written CFFA aligns with students' levels and course objectives.

Teaching English as a Foreign Language in Higher Education using flipped learning/flipped classrooms: a literature review

ABSTRACT Purpose: We systematically reviewed the empirical literature that reports research in the specific context of teaching EFL to identify what is known about the efficacy of using flipped learning to teach EFL, the robustness of this evidence, and to explicate the strengths and weaknesses of the pedagogy in teaching EFL. Design/methodology/approach: Adapting the systematic literature review method and combining it with content analysis of qualitative findings we narrowed our search to 40 articles that were primary studies. Findings and originality: The majority of authors examined student perceptions of their learning; one third investigated the use of flipped learning on the acquisition and development of EFL knowledge, skills and abilities. That students like learning in a flipped learning environment is the strongest finding emerging; many linking it to the facilitation of self regulated learning behaviors. However, research evidence for flipped learning’s contribution to important educational outcomes is not robust and this remains a problem for understanding where or how to target the impact or value of this pedagogy. Nonetheless, other encouraging findings include that using flipped learning to teach EFL was linked to its capacity to improve idiomatic knowledge, oral and writing performance, motivation, and higher order thinking skills. Future research should focus on improving research design and reporting for flipped learning interventions, and focus on investigating key EFL learning skills particularly reading which is comparatively understudied despite its importance to language acquisition. Value: The results clarify for educators that flipped learning’s capacity to influence the acquisition of key learning skills remains largely unproven.

The Effect of Inquiry-Based Learning Strategy on EFL Tenth-Grade Students’ Reading Comprehension

This study examined the potential effect of Inquiry-Based Learning Strategy (IBL) on the tenth-grade students' reading comprehension. Two groups and a quasi-experimental design were used. Two complete sections of grade 10 students from a public Secondary School for Girls in Irbid was randomly assigned by the researcher. The experimental group of 30 students was chosen first, and then the control group of 30 students. A pre-post reading comprehension test was designed before and after the study in order to fulfill its goals. Additionally, the experimental group was taught using the IBL strategy, whereas the control group was taught using the traditional teaching methods recommended in the tenth-grade Teacher's Book. According to the findings, there were significant statistical differences favoring the experimental group over the control group. In light of the findings, the researcher recommended employing the IBL strategy to students with various levels and EFL skills.

Integrating Critical Discourse Analysis on Sustainable Tourism in English Language Learning in University

The research discussed that discourses on tourism in social media often contradict the perspective of sustainable tourism. In engaging with public texts, students must develop a critical mindset to be able to filter information as well as to contribute their constructive ideas in solving problems in society. This could be developed as students learn some language skills in EFL, especially writing. The research applied a qualitative descriptive approach that focused on observing techniques, processes, and learning outcomes of writing skills by implementing Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). The research used the participant observation method, where the researcher participated in the activities carried out by the group under study. The research population was students taking the English for Journalism course. The research sourced its textual material from selected online news articles and social media posts. The research involved several steps: student selection, questionnaire design and distribution, CDA and Sustainable Tourism training, feature article writing, writing assessment, and developing CDA integration models in learning. The findings show the positive impact of integrating CDA into writing instruction, notably by introducing the perspective of sustainable tourism. Students demonstrate enhanced critical writing abilities, enabling them to respond and contribute to more informed and thoughtful discussions surrounding tourism and sustainability to the content encountered on the internet that often contradicts the perspective of sustainable tourism. In engaging with public texts, students must develop a critical mindset to be able to filter information as well as to contribute their constructive ideas in solving problems in society.

Effectiveness of Implementing Active Learning Strategies in Enhancing EFL Learners’ Motivation, Attitudes, Aptitudes and Skills

This study aimed at investigating the effect of implementing active learning strategies in enhancing EFL learners' motivation, attitudes, aptitudes and skills. To achieve the objective of this study, the researchers attempted to answer these questions: 1- What do the students in the English classroom need to learn? 2- Will the active learning strategies help students promoting their language skills? 3- Will the designed activities help maximizing students' participation and interaction in the classroom? 4- To what extent do active learning strategies affect English learners' performance in the English language? The researchers used the quasi- experimental approach. Two instruments were employed for data collection: a questionnaire besides a pre and post- test. (30) female English majors' students of Arts Faculty-Shamli Branch -University of Hail, served as subjects for the study. The participants were distributed into two groups. The first group represented the control group of (15) students; while the second one represented the experimental one of (15) students. The active learning strategies were implemented in teaching the experimental group, and the traditional teaching method was utilized with the control group. A combination tests out of (25) questions, covered all skills (Reading, listening, writing and speaking.) was designed to be used as a pre and post- test. The data analysis of the post-test results showed that there were statistically significant differences between mean results of the experimental and the control group favoring the experimental group; Thus, the experimental group outperformed the control group. Consequently, the use of the active learning strategies proved to have a positive role and effect on EFL Learners' Motivation, Attitudes, Aptitudes and Skills. In their responses to the questionnaires, they reported a very good and positive attitude towards learning English language through using active learning strategies.

The Effects of CLIL and Sources of Individual Differences on Receptive and Productive EFL Skills at the Onset of Primary School

Abstract Research on the implementation of CLIL at the onset of primary school is limited and has largely overlooked the role of other sources of individual differences. This study investigated the effects of the CLIL approach to English learning, together with the effects of out-of-school exposure to the language through media and other sources of individual differences, in a sample of Grade 1 students in Catalonia (Spain) using a longitudinal design. Participants (N = 176) from 14 different schools completed a test battery at the beginning and end of Grade 1 that assessed receptive and productive English skills. Results revealed that abilities at the onset of Grade 1 were the best predictor of abilities at the end of the year, and that CLIL was not associated with additional advantages in the students that followed the approach. In addition, certain characteristics of the linguistic and family background of participants predicted additional gains during the academic year: participants who engaged in more English extracurricular activities and participants with more educated mothers performed better at the end of Grade 1.

Exploratory Study on the Blended Learning of Research and Language Skills in EFL and Interinstitutional Assessment

Blended learning is receiving more and more attention due to social changes, technological advances, and the increasing internationality of studies, and research needs to be carried out to explore the possibilities this instruction modality offers to university students. This project aimed to test the feasibility and success of a blended course on research and EFL skills and to determine whether there is an internationally shared criterion when assessing students’ scientific work. To do so, a short module on research skills was designed and implemented with 30 students from the BSc in Optics and Optometry from the Complutense University of Madrid, whose final project, the production of a scientific poster, was assessed by three instructors from different universities. The results show that the content and modality of the teaching were successful in the increase in students’ research and language skills. The assessment of the posters showed heterogeneous evaluations regarding the quality of their visual features and their contents. Therefore, more research is needed on international perspectives about the presentation of results in the academic and scientific genre to pursue the creation and dissemination of homogeneous criteria, and therefore improve students’ performance with an international value.

To investigate Impacts of Implementing multimedia computer for EFL Students to Promote L2 Learning Gaps in Schools

This study tries to investigate impacts of integrating CALL in classroom enhancing EFL learning gaps. This study tries to provide local voice and insight of implementing CALL into Iranian EFL educational contexts as well as global perspectives in CALL. There is no qualm that CALL mediated is adhered as technology development to convey and paving paths which we are interacting with each one of community members. However, primary goal of this research is to find how information and communicative technology and its methodology can be effectively utilized to ameliorate cumbersome and prohibitive EFL teaching-learning obstacles. Based on findings it can be predicted that CALL helps to learn FL skills. Recent Research has focused to go over status of CALL and non-CALL settings to investigate what students do while to use CALL technology in EFL contexts for their language learning activities. While a lot of studies have carried out research in a laboratory context or through structure observation, this study explores learners’ interactions and challenges within CALL. The results indicate significant changes in participants’ scores after to use CALL to learn EFL skills in contrast to non-CALL environments. It also examines strategies in which persuade students’ challenges for their developing CALL professionals.

Well-structured electronic portfolio as a facilitator of engagement in EFL skills

Electronic portfolios have been widely accepted as the learning and assessment tool for enhancing language skills and competence in higher education. However, previous studies have not profoundly examined how e-portfolios with well-defined structure influences students’ engagement. More information on e-portfolios and engagement is also needed. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the well-structured e-portfolios on students’ engagement in learning activities as these activities consist of self-and peer-assessment. To serve this intention, an explanatory sequential mixed method with questionnaires and interviews was used to obtain data. The questionnaires and reflective notes were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and the results of the interview were analyzed based on the qualitative thematic analysis technique. The findings show that there is no difference between EFL students’ perception and language skills. It was also indicated that self-assessment plays an essential role in engagement which informs constructs of e-portfolio. Further, a wider range of information on e-portfolio structure to deepen engagement was constructed. The conclusion profoundly informs and implicates instructional design and pedagogy in further study.

The Efficacy of Implementing Call into EFL Settings

This study tries to investigate impacts of integrating CALL in classroom enhancing EFL learning gaps. This study also tries to provide local voice and insight of implementing CALL into Iranian EFL contexts as well as global perspectives in CALL. There is no qualm that CALL mediated is adhered as technology development to convey and paving paths which we are interacting with each one of community members especially in EFL context users; tutors or pupils. So, primary goal of research is to find how information and communicative technology and its methodology can be effectively utilized to ameliorate cumbersome and prohibitive EFL teaching-learning obstacles. Based on findings it can be predicted that CALL helps to learn FL skills. Recent research has focused to go over status of CALL and non-CALL settings to investigate what students do while to use CALL technology in EFL contexts for their language learning activities. While a lot of studies have carried out research in a laboratory context or through structure observation, this study explores learners’ interactions and challenges within CALL. The results indicate significant changes in participants’ scores after to use CALL to learn EFL skills in contrast to non-CALL environments. It examines strategies in which persuade students’ challenges for their developing CALL professionals and brief overview of three stages of CALL history, teachers’ jobs about computer assisted language learning in classroom for language learning purposes, Web 2.0 applications and a purview to CALL components.

A Workshop-Based Blended Program to Improve EFL Writing Skills

The research aimed at investigating the effect of a Workshop-Based Blended Program (WBBP) on improving the EFL writing skills of Secondary School Students. The participants of the study were Forty (47) First Year General Secondary School Students from Belkas Secondary School, Dakahliya, Egypt. The study adopted the quasi-experimental research design. So, there were two groups: an experimental group (n= 24) and a control one (n= 23). To collect data, the researcher used multiple instruments: an EFL writing skills test (pre-post), and a workshop based blended program designed and implemented on 1st year secondary stage students. The researcher taught both groups: the experimental group was taught through the WBBP while the control group was taught through the regular way of teaching. The results of the study revealed that there were statistically significant differences between the mean ranks of the experimental group and the control group on the post administration of the reading skills test in favor of the experimental group. The effect size of the program was found to be high. The study recommends using the WBBP as a technique in teaching EFL skills and as a training approach in professional development programs of EFL teachers.

Improving EFL Preparatory Stage Pupils’ Reading Comprehension Skills through a Web-Based Self Regulated Learning Strategies Program

The research aimed at investigating the effect of a web-based self regulated learning strategies program to improve EFL preparatory stage pupils’ reading skills. The participants of the research were sixty (60) second year preparatory pupils from Riyadh Elsalheen Private School, Mansoura, Al Dakahlia Governorate, Egypt. The study adopted the quasi-experimental research design. So, there were two groups: an experimental group (n= 30) taught through the suggested program and a control (n= 30) taught through the regular method. To collect data, the researcher used multiple instruments: an EFL reading skills test and self-regulated learning strategies inventory. The results of the research revealed that the experimental group outperformed the control group in the reading skills. The research recommends using web-based self-regulated learning strategies as a technique in teaching EFL skills and as a training approach in professional development programs of EFL teachers.

A Web-Based Self Regulated Learning Strategies Program to Improve EFL Preparatory Stage Pupils’ Speaking Skills

The research aimed at investigating the effect of a web-based self regulated learning strategies program to improve EFL preparatory stage pupils’ speaking skills. The participants of the research were sixty (60) second year preparatory pupils from Riyadh Elsalheen Private School, Mansoura, Al Dakahlia Governorate, Egypt. The study adopted the quasi-experimental research design. So, there were two groups: an experimental group (n= 30) taught through the suggested program and a control (n= 30) taught through the regular method. To collect data, the researcher used multiple instruments: an EFL speaking skills test, a speaking skills rubric and self-regulated learning strategies inventory. The results of the research revealed that the experimental group outperformed the control group in the speaking skills. The research recommends using web-based self-regulated learning strategies as a technique in teaching EFL skills and as a training approach in professional development programs of EFL teachers.

A Workshop-Based Blended Program to Improve EFL Reading Skills

The research aimed at investigating the effect of a Workshop-Based Blended Program (WBBP) on improving the EFL reading skills of Secondary School Students. The participants of the study were Forty (47) First Year General Secondary School Students from Belkas Secondary School, Dakahliya, Egypt. The study adopted the quasi-experimental research design. So, there were two groups: an experimental group (n= 24) and a control one (n= 23). To collect data, the researcher used multiple instruments: an EFL reading skills test (pre-post), an and a workshop based blended program designed and implemented on 1st year secondary stage students. The researcher taught both groups: the experimental group was taught through the WBBP while the control group was taught through the regular way of teaching. The results of the study revealed that there were statistically significant differences between the mean ranks of the experimental group and the control group on the post administration of the reading skills test in favor of the experimental group. The effect size of the program was found to be high. The study recommends using the WBBP as a technique in teaching EFL skills and as a training approach in professional development programs of EFL teachers.

Pragmatic Competence of Complimenting among Female Omani EFL College Students: A Sociolinguistic Study

The importance of pragmatic competence in language teaching and learning has been highlighted in many studies; however, scarcity of such studies in the Omani context can be easily identified. The study investigates how female Omani higher education students express compliments in English and whether these are pragmatically, linguistically and communicatively appropriate. The research data were collected from 51 female college students through a response-based questionnaire containing 18 social scenarios to test their responses on the linguistic accuracy and pragmatic appropriateness of compliments. Native speaker’s ratings on these revealed that 61.02% of students’ responses were linguistically deficient and 23.96% pragmatically incompetent. It was found that many students used linguistic and pragmatic considerations of complimenting from their mother tongue while communicating in English which resulted in infelicitous or defective performance of the speech act under examination. This entails an urgent need to integrate pragmatic and cultural knowledge into EFL skills courses in Oman, especially those that focus on speaking, in order to raise students’ awareness of what is considered appropriate and acceptable in English and avoid serious cross-cultural errors in inter-language communication. 
 Keywords: compliments, speech acts, female EFL students, linguistic accuracy, pragmatic competence

The Efficacy of Implementing CALL into EFL Settings

This study tries to investigate impacts of integrating CALL in classroom enhancing EFL learning gaps. This study also tries to provide local voice and insight of implementing CALL into Iranian EFL contexts as well as global perspectives in CALL. There is no qualm that CALL mediated is adhered as technology development to convey and paving paths which we are interacting with each one of community members specially in EFL context users; tutors or pupils. So, primary goal of research is to find how information and communicative technology and its methodology can be effectively utilized to ameliorate cumbersome and prohibitive EFL teaching-learning obstacles. Based on findings it can be predicted that CALL helps to learn FL skills. Recent research has focused to go over status of CALL and non-CALL settings to investigate what students do while to use CALL technology in EFL contexts for their language learning activities. While a lot of studies have carried out research in a laboratory context or through structure observation, this study explores learners’ interactions and challenges within CALL. The results indicate significant changes in participants’ scores after to use CALL to learn EFL skills in contrast to non-CALL environments. It examines strategies in which persuade students’ challenges for their developing CALL professionals and brief overview of three stages of CALL history, teachers’ jobs about computer assisted language learning in classroom for language learning purposes, Web 2.0 applications and a purview to CALL components.

The efficacy of Implementing C ALL into EFL Settings

This study tries to investigate impacts of integrating CALL in classroom enhancing EFL learning gaps. This study also tries to provide local voice and insight of implementing CALL into Iranian EFL contexts as well as global perspectives in CALL. There is no qualm that CALL mediated is adhered as technology development to conveyand paving paths which we are interacting with each one of community members specially in EFL context users; tutors or pupils. So, primary goal of research is to find how information and communicative technology and its methodology can be effectively utilized to ameliorate cumbersome and prohibitive EFL teaching-learning obstacles. Based on findings it can be predicted that CALL helps to learn FL skills. Recent research has focused to go over status of CALL and non-CALL settings to investigate what students do while to use CALL technology in EFL contexts for their language learning activities.While a lot of studies have carried out research in a laboratory context or through structure observation, this study explores learners’ interactions and challenges within CALL. The results indicate significant changes in participants’ scores after to use CALL to learn EFL skills in contrast to non-CALL environments. It examines strategies in which persuade students’ challenges for their developing CALL professionals and brief overview of three stages of CALL history, teachers’ jobs about computer assisted language learning in classroom for language learning purposes, Web 2.0 applications and a purview to CALL components.

Blogging About Current Global Events in the EFL Writing Classroom: Effects on Skill Improvement, Global Awareness and Attitudes

A class blog was created and used as a supplement to in-class EFL writing instruction for freshman students. Topics that focused on current global events such as Ramadan in Islamic countries, the Tsunami in Japan, the Royal wedding, and refugees in Europe were posted by the instructor. The students were required to look for videos, photos or articles related to the assigned event and write a short paragraph (blog post) that describes the photo, summarizes the video and article content, or talk about the event in their own words. They also had to write their reaction to the event, and post comments and feedback on their classmates’ blog posts. The students worked on their blog posts individually, in pairs or small group. Comparisons of the posttest scores of students who blogged about current global events and those who used paper-and-pencil assignments on the same topics showed significant differences in writing improvement in favor of the blog group. In addition, students in the blog group had positive attitudes towards the blogging activity. They enjoyed interacting and collaborating with their classmates and reflecting on their own writing in response to the feedback and comments they received from other blog members. Blogging about current global events proved to be effective in raising students’ global awareness and enhancing their writing skills in EFL.