EFL Undergraduate Students Research Articles

Effects of using inquiry-based learning on EFL students\u2019 critical thinking skills

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of using inquiry-based learning on students’ critical thinking skills. A quasi-experimental design which employed time series design with single group participants was used. A total of 20 EFL undergraduate students who took advanced writing skills course were selected using comprehensive sampling method. Tests, focus group discussion, and student-reflective journal were used to gather data on the students’ critical thinking skills. The participants were given a series of three argumentative essay writing pretests both before and after the intervention, inquiry-based argumentative essay writing instruction. While the quantitative data were analyzed using One-Way Repeated Measures ANOVA, the qualitative data were analyzed through narration. The findings of the study revealed that using inquiry-based argumentative writing instruction enhances students’ critical thinking skills. Therefore, inquiry-based instruction is suggested as a means to improve students’ critical thinking skills because the method enhances students' interpretation, analysis, evaluation, inference, explanation, and self-regulation skills which are the core critical thinking skills.

Writing Strategies Used by Indonesian EFL Undergraduate Students across Their Proficiency and Gender

Proficient writers in L2 setting used many kinds of strategies to face their difficulties in English writing. This study investigates the writing strategies used by Indonesian EFL undergraduate students and examines if there is any differences between proficient and less proficient students across their gender in choosing strategies in writing. The subject of the study consisted of 100 (one hundred) undergraduate students of English Department in Islamic State University of Antasari, Banjarmasin. A questionnaire was adopted from Peñuelas (2012) to gather data about student writing strategies. The categorization of proficient and less proficient of the students was based on the result of writing test. The results indicated that Indonesian EFL undergraduate students used six categories of writing strategies and compensation strategies was the most frequently used followed by affective strategies as the least frequently used. Proficient and less proficient students employed compensation strategies as the dominant strategies both male and female students. The differences of strategies used based on students gender did not occur in proficient students. However, the differences was significant of less proficient male and female students only in affective strategies while the rest was not significant. Furthermore, proficient female students used more strategies than male in term of categories while less proficient male used more strategies in memory and compensation strategies than female.

Writing Strategies Used by Indonesian EFL Undergraduate Students across Their Proficiency and Gender

Proficient writers in L2 setting used many kinds of strategies to face their difficulties in English writing. This study investigates the writing strategies used by Indonesian EFL undergraduate students and examines if there is any differences between proficient and less proficient students across their gender in choosing strategies in writing. The subject of the study consisted of 100 (one hundred) undergraduate students of English Department in Islamic State University of Antasari, Banjarmasin. A questionnaire was adopted from Peñuelas (2012) to gather data about student writing strategies. The categorization of proficient and less proficient of the students was based on the result of writing test. The results indicated that Indonesian EFL undergraduate students used six categories of writing strategies and compensation strategies was the most frequently used followed by affective strategies as the least frequently used. Proficient and less proficient students employed compensation strategies as the dominant strategies both male and female students. The differences of strategies used based on students gender did not occur in proficient students. However, the differences was significant of less proficient male and female students only in affective strategies while the rest was not significant. Furthermore, proficient female students used more strategies than male in term of categories while less proficient male used more strategies in memory and compensation strategies than female.

A genre analysis of research article ‘findings and discussion’ sections written by Indonesian undergraduate EFL students

The quality of findings and discussion (FD) section in a research article is crucial to elucidate the results of a particular inquiry and to situate the significance of the results in the body of knowledge through publications in scientific journals. Previous academic genre analysis has generated several models to help novice writers develop the rhetorical moves of the FD sections across disciplines. However, the study on the quality of the rhetorical moves in the undergraduate EFL students’ research articles is still scarce. Hence, this study seeks to examine the manifestation of rhetorical moves in the findings and discussion sections written by Indonesian undergraduate EFL students. A total of 113 unpublished ELT research articles from a state educational university in Bandung was selected as the target corpus. AntMover 1.10 was employed as the analysis tool. The top-down approach was carried out to obtain the existing rhetorical structure using Ruiying and Allison’s (2003) framework as the guideline. The bottom-up approach was used to scrutinize the linguistic realizations of the rhetorical moves. The findings demonstrated that, in the move level, most of the students’ FD sections had manifested the four moves, i.e., providing background information, reporting results, summarizing results, and commenting on results. However, in the step level, a number of FD sections did not provide detailed information regarding the sequence of the findings presentation, the analysis procedure to obtain the findings, the explanation for the findings, and the highlight of the significance of the findings. The randomized rhetorical patterns were also dominant. It can downgrade the clarity and rigor of the FD sections. Despite that, the linguistic realizations of the moves, particularly the tense and sentence voice, mostly conformed to the norms. The findings may serve as a reference to develop the teaching materials of English for research publication purposes (ERPP).

Engagement in high- and low-rated argumentative essays: Interactions in Indonesian students’ writings

This study reports the use of engagement in high-rated and low-rated EFL undergraduate students’ argumentative essays. The engagement here refers to one of the aspects in interacting with the readers, which is called metadiscourse (Hyland, 2005a). The data in this study were ten highest-rated and ten lowest-rated argumentative essays written by first-year undergraduate students. The data were coded manually by two raters to maintain data validity. The results reveal that high-rated essays contain less engagement than low-rated ones. However, it also shows that the engagement in high-rated essays was more varied and grammatically sophisticated than those in low-rated essays. Furthermore, while this study reveals that the higher number of engagement used in argumentative essays does not always coincide with the improved quality of the writing, it implies that the writing quality and score do not depend on the number of engagement expressed but more on the ways students use the engagement effectively. Thus, the explicit teaching on how to use engagement effectively in persuasive writings may be useful for the students to build more persuasive arguments as well as to improve their writing quality.

Indonesian Undergraduate EFL Students’ Perceptions toward Flipped Classroom

Abstract: The aim of this study was to find Indonesian undergraduate EFL students’ perceptions towards the implementation of flipped classroom. This study implemented survey research design and perceptions were found out through questionnaire and the questionnaires were spread to 30 students who experienced the implementation of flipped classroom. The questionnaire consisted of two aspects, namely meaningful and competence aspects. The results of questionnaire of perceptions were statistically calculated. The data on meaningful aspect revealed that mostly the students had positive perceptions toward the implementation of flipped classroom. On the other hand, in competence aspect, the students perceived that flipped classroom was beneficial for their writing competence. However, for the pre-class activities, such as viewing video and reading e-materials, the students had varied perceptions on it. They actually like the idea to have an additional video-lecture and e-material to prepare them before the class, but they did not really see the meaning by doing that pre-class activities. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk menemukan persepsi mahasiswa EFL Indonesia terhadap penerapan flipped classroom . Penelitian ini menggunakan desain survey dan data dikumpulkan melalui kuesioner dan disebarkan kepada 30 siswa yang mengalami implementasi flipped classroom . Kuesioner terdiri dari dua aspek, yaitu aspek kebermaknaan dan kompetensi. Hasil kuesioner dihitung secara statistik. Data pada aspek kebermaknaan mengungkapkan bahwa sebagian besar siswa memiliki persepsi positif terhadap pelaksanaan flipped classroom . Di sisi lain, dalam aspek kompetensi, siswa merasa bahwa flipped classroom bermanfaat untuk kompetensi menulis mereka. Namun, untuk kegiatan pra-kelas, seperti menonton video dan membaca materi daring, siswa memiliki berbagai persepsi di dalamnya. Mereka menyukai ide untuk meononton video pengajaran dan materi daring tambahan untuk mempersiapkan mereka sebelum kelas, tetapi mereka tidak benar-benar melihat arti pada pelaksanaan kegiatan pra-kelas tersebut.

Blended Learning in a Reading Course: Undergraduate EFL Students’ Perceptions and Experiences

Research on blended learning in reading course especially is limited. This study aimed at revealing the implementation of blended learning in reading course for undergraduate EFL students at one public university in South Sumatera and the students’ perceptions on the e-learning incorporated in the blended learning in the reading course. The study was carried out through a qualitative method using a case study approach. The first semester students, consisting of 13 female and 5 male students, majoring in English Education Study Program at a public university in South Sumatera participated in this study. The researchers used observations, documents, and semi-structured interviews to collect the data. The collected data were analyzed qualitatively. The findings covered two major issues in accordance with the research questions: the implementation of the blended learning and students’ perceptions of the e-learning. The findings showed that in the reading course, 4 meetings were conducted with e-learning and 12 others were employed in the classroom with various activities. In terms of students’ perceptions, the students reported some advantages and challenges that they encountered in e-learning. This study also provided some implications and recommendations for further research.

Web-Based Synchronous Speaking Platforms: Students’ Attitudes and Practices

This study employed the interaction hypothesis (Long, 1983) to investigate attitudes towards different English accents (i.e., American and British) of 40 male undergraduate EFL students majoring in English. It explored the reasons for such views, as well as identifying the accent the participants found most effective for communication. The study also examined students’ attitudes to online speaking by means of a Synchronous Computer-Mediated Communication (SCMC) website known as ‘Cambly’. Students were granted free access to the Cambly website for live interaction with Native English Speakers (NES). Each student talked for 15 minutes with an American and British interlocutor, enabling the researcher to recognize the common topics appearing within these conversations. Data were collected using a mixed-method approach, employing a web-based survey of closed and open-ended questions, alongside the recorded conversations. The key findings reveal that students enjoyed the SCMC conversation and also found it beneficial for improving their speaking skills. Furthermore, SCMC allowed students to choose the topic and negotiate meaning with native speakers during a lengthy conversation. This study establishes that students preferred American to British accents and felt more confident in understanding American speakers. The study concludes by highlighting the practical implications for teaching speaking skills, also suggesting new directions for future research.

Practicing English Through Digital Devices: Practices and Perceptions of the EFL Undergraduate Students Majoring in English Language

This research paper briefly considers the significance of practicing English through digital devices for EFL Saudi undergraduate university students majoring in English language. As the Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) acronym is no longer suitable for investigating and describing EFL practices to improve the English language learners' macro skills, namely, listening, speaking, reading and writing .This is because we are now in a ‘post-CALL era’ of Mobile Assisted Language Use (MALU) with digital literacy skills as a defining characteristic for the 21st century English language learners.The current study highlighted the practices and perceptions of Languages and Translation Department students majoring in English Language at Tayma University College in Saudi Arabia. In order to collect the necessary data, the study used a four- point options Lekert scale questionnaire. The study used a mixed method of quantitative and qualitative approaches. The participants of the study were 40 students (20 males and 20 females). The study was conducted in the first semester of the academic year 2018/2019. The findings of the study proved that the students were highly motivated to use the digital devices to improve their English language proficiency macro skills. Based on these results, the study recommends implementing the digital devices in the EFL curricular to improve the EFL learners’ macro skills.

The Effect of Using IPod Technology on EFL College Students' Writing Skill: أثر استخدام تقنية الآي بود على المهارة الكتابية لمتعلمي اللغة الانكليزية كلغة أجنبية

This study aimed to explore the effect of using IPod technology on EFL students' writing skill. It also aimed to investigate whether teaching writing via using IPod Technology is better than the conventional method of teaching. To carry out the study, 65 male and female undergraduate EFL students who registered for a Writing 2 course at, Al-alBayt University, in the second semester of the academic year 2015/2016 were chosen as participants of the study. They were assigned randomly into two groups: Group one consisted of 35 students, which was chosen as an experimental group and was taught writing using IPod technology and group two consisted of 30 students, which was assigned as a control group and was taught using conventional method of teaching. Both groups were taught the same material, on the same days of the week, and on the same period. Both groups sat for a pre-post-test to assure that both groups have the same linguistic ability level in the aspects of writing. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software was used to conduct the required statistical analysis of the data related to the objectives of the study. Means, standard deviations, one-way ANOVA, and Scheffe tests were used for all the variables of the study. Data were collected within eight weeks. The findings of the study showed that there were statistically significant differences between the mean scores of the experimental group and control group students' writing performance in favor of the experimental group. Thus progress might be due to using IPod technology. A number of related recommendations were presented to the Ministry of Education and the teachers.

Understanding the Development of EFL Undergraduate Students’ Research Writing: An Investigation of the Use of Metadiscourse

Understanding the Development of EFL Undergraduate Students’ Research Writing: An Investigation of the Use of Metadiscourse

The Effect of Inductive and Deductive Teaching on EFL Undergraduates’Achievement in Grammar at the Hashemite University in Jordan

This current study aims at investigating the impact of using inductive and deductive teaching upon EFL undergraduate students’ achievement at the Hashemite University. More specifically, the study attempts to explore the effect of using inductive and deductive approach on students’ achievement in some grammatical issues included a book adopted for teaching Grammar 2 in the Department of English Language and Literature. The research instrument used is a pre-post-test developed by the researchers. Two groups of students are chosen for the purpose of the study. Whereas the experimental group was taught through inductive approach, the controlled group was taught through the deductive approach. Results show significant differences between the means of students’ scores in the two groups on the post-test, in favor of the experimental group. Results also reveal no significant differences according to study-year, the type of school they graduated from, and gender. In light of these results, the researchers suggest some recommendations for TEFL researchers and EFL instructors.

Afghan EFL students’ difficulties and strategies in learning and understanding English idioms

The study investigated the attitude of Afghan undergraduate EFL students towards the importance of learning English idioms, sources of difficulties in learning and understanding them, and strategie...

Developing undergraduate EFL Students’ Communicative Competence through Using Pragmatic Instruction

The study attempted to explain the communicative competence, pragmatic instruction , and the role of pragmatic instruction through using activities-based teaching EFL context. The study was presented by a public curriculum lead that prioritizes the necessity for English teachers/ instructors focused on activities when they teach pragmatics in an academic and social context. The research aimed to explain the vital role of activity-based teaching pragmatics on increasing students' communicative competence among EFL students. Moreover, most English students fail to present communicative competence in their communication on how to use pragmatic aspects, speech acts, social expressions, and cultural treatments by relating expressions to their meanings, knowing the intention of language users. There is a growing of researches on the value of activities-based teaching language on increasing learners’ communicative competence in EFL teaching. The pragmatic instruction and activities-based of teaching English to these students have been reflected in details of the present paper.

The Relationship between Critical Thinking and Translation Ability of EFL Undergraduate Students

The Relationship between Critical Thinking and Translation Ability of EFL Undergraduate Students

Syntactic Analysis of Grammatical Mistakes in English Writing among Iraqi EFL Undergraduate Students

Syntactic Analysis of Grammatical Mistakes in English Writing among Iraqi EFL Undergraduate Students

Exploring undergraduate EFL students’ perceptions and experiences of a Moodle-based reciprocal teaching application

ABSTRACT This study reports on the use of Moodle as a platform for incorporating the online reciprocal teaching (RT) application into a freshman English Reading course in Taiwan. Data on the 53 students’ perceptions and experiences of Moodle-based RT application were collected using a questionnaire, and their actual reading comprehension was measured via a pre-test and post-test consisting of multiple-choice questions and a summary-writing task. The results showed that the students perceived the Moodle-based RT application as a helpful learning method, and their scores on the multiple-choice comprehension tests were higher on the post-test than on the pre-test. However, the propositional density of the post-test summary texts was about the same as or lower than that of the pre-test summary texts, reflecting difficulties the students encountered in using written English to express their understanding of passages they had read. These findings offer implications for both EFL instructors and researchers, especially those interested in designing new college-level English reading courses or improving existing ones through the Moodle-based RT application.

The use of e-learning in foreign language learning: A Case Study of Undergraduate EFL Students

This research paper is intended to shed light on the use of e-learning in learning and more particularly in foreign language learning by EFL students in higher education either to support the process of their traditional learning or for any other independent learning purposes. The aim is to identify how e-learning is used, the various existing e-learning strategies that students prefer to learn with and the extent to which EFL students are satisfied with the support offered by e-learning to assist the process of EFL learning. To answer these queries, a quantitative method is adopted for the collection of data using online tools in the creation and the administration of the questionnaire to the respondents. The findings of the study demonstrate that students usually use e-learning as it helps them to develop many language skills including communication skills, problem solving skills besides the four language skills. It has been shown also that students are highly satisfied with the use of e-learning which is usually used by traditional learning students to fulfill the missing gaps.

Cohesive Devices Used in Argumentative Essays of Undergraduate EFL Students in Indonesia

ABSTRACTThis study analyzed qualitatively the cohesive devices used in argumentative essays of undergraduate EFL students in South Sumatera, Indonesia. Eighty essays were collected from eight universities in which ten essays were obtained from each. Halliday and Hasan (1976) concept of grammatical cohesion was used as the framework for the analysis of the essays. All the cohesive devices were found. Reference had the highest frequency which is 50.24% of the total cohesive devices followed by conjuction which is 37.34%, lexical cohesion which is 7.7% and ellipsis which is 3.57%. Substitution was the least used type of cohesive device which is only 1.15%. In terms of correctness of using the devices, most of the devices were all used properly. It was revealed that there was still few mistakes of using reference and substitution since they both were frequently used in the essays. Hence, it can be concluded that the students are more familiar with the use of reference and conjunction even though they are able to use the other devices as well.Keywords: cohesive devices, argumentative essay

Google Translate As an Alternative Tool to Assist EFL Undergraduate’s Students’ Assignment

This study aimed to present the data analysis regarding assistance tools for EFL undergraduate students in completing their assignments. In the digital era, the use of google translation is one of the most popular tools among EFL students, either for their assignment or improve foreign language’ skills. EFL undergraduate students of University Muhammadiyah Tangerang in 5th-semester areas the research subject, because most of them should complete their assignment and almost of their subject lesson should use English weather orally or written form. This research used purposive sampling with a total is 35 students, and a qualitative descriptive method is used to analyze and present the data comprehensively. The data collection starts from problem identification, field observation, interview and study document be based on their assignment submitted.