English Department Research Articles

A Comparative Analysis of English Language Student and Teacher Training in Inclusive Education and Specific Learning Difficulties in Canton Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina

The aim of this study was to conduct a comparative analysis of topics on inclusive education and Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLDs) provided in initial and continuing training opportunities for English language students and teachers in Canton Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The study follows a convergent mixed methods design with an explanatory nature. A questionnaire was used to gather both quantitative and qualitative data on student and teacher views about training in inclusive education and SpLDs at the English Department of the University of Sarajevo and the formal English language teacher professional development programs in Canton Sarajevo. The results suggest that teachers are exposed to more topics on inclusion and SpLDs in their professional training compared to students and potential future English language teachers in their initial training, with a focus on strategies of reflective practice to inclusive language teaching and language learning processes of students with SpLDs.

Difficult Aspects of Reading Comprehension Faced by Non-English Department of Vocational Students

Understanding and interpreting text is a fundamental skill for students across disciplines, not limited to those in the English Department. Proficiency in reading comprehension not only enhances vocabulary and writing abilities but also fosters overall academic growth. This research endeavors to pinpoint the primary challenges encountered by first-semester students at Politeknik Negeri Banjarmasin in comprehending written material. Employing a descriptive quantitative approach, the study aims to identify the most daunting aspects of reading comprehension. A reading comprehension assessment comprising 40 multiple-choice questions, administered via Google Form, was utilized to gather data. Analysis revealed that students encounter significant hurdles in this domain. Across all question types, spanning the five facets of reading comprehension, difficulty levels were consistently high. Particularly, questions assessing the determination of the main idea posed the greatest challenge, with 60% of students struggling in this area, followed by making inferences (44%), locating references (41%), understanding vocabulary (36%), and grasping detailed information (34%). Notably, identifying the main idea emerged as the most formidable task, whereas discerning detailed information proved relatively less challenging. These findings serve to highlight areas for improvement in understanding main ideas and inform strategies aimed at enhancing comprehension skills.

Assessing the Efficacy of Moodle: Perspectives from Educators and Learners at the Department of English, Ahmed Salhi University Centre, Naama

The educational sphere has experienced a progressive implementation of innovative ideas in institutions and universities, leading to a significant move towards the use of information and communication technology. Numerous universities worldwide have recently adopted Moodle as an e-learning platform due to its potential advantages. This Learning Management System was introduced into Algerian higher education last decade, especially when the COVID-19 pandemic began to spread. This article examines the effectiveness and benefits of learning via the Moodle platform for EFL teachers and students at Salhi Ahmed University Centre in Naama. To investigate this, the researchers employed a methodology involving two questionnaires: one targeting a sample of 15 EFL teachers and another for around 70 students. In addition to the platform’s popularity among educators and students, the findings reveal a general appreciation for Moodle-based learning. Nevertheless, challenges such as accessibility and the need for ongoing teacher training in assessment persist. Addressing these Moodle-related issues could enhance the quality of education, aligning the institution with global trends in digital education.

The Impact of Distance Education on Teaching Reading and Writing Skills: A Study among First Semester Students at the Faculty of Languages at Benghazi University

During the COVID-19 pandemic, faculty members and students had to leave theirclassrooms and move into online education contexts. This study has attempted to explorethe effect of distance education on reading and writing skills among first semesterstudents at English department, faculty of languages at Benghazi University. To do so,firstly, the starting point was comparing students' performance on two tests one after faceto face teaching and the other after online teaching. Then a semi structured interviewswere conducted with 20 students who were chosen randomly to understand the reasonsbehind their performance. Using Thematic Analysis (TA), students’ responses weretranscribed, codified, and interpreted. The findings of TA revealed that along with severaldisadvantages and challenges that students experienced in distance education with regardto learning English reading and writing skills, distance learning provided someopportunities and benefits for their learning. The study also provided some solutionsregarding online challenges.

Difficulties Facing English Foreign Language University Students in Using English Prepositions

Prepositions are one of the most used parts of speech in English. Thisstudy is concerned with the difficulties are facing Libyan highereducation students on the use of English prepositions. More specifically,this study is an attempt to discover these problems and the misuse of theseprepositions. This study is a quantitative. Seventy-six EFL students wererandomly selected from Libyan English department in Faculty ofEducation. The objective test was the main instrument for data collection.The results showed that Libyan students committed varied kinds of theerrors in the use of prepositions. Analysis of the responses revealed thaterrors made were mainly based on the function and replacement of theprepositions. The difficulties encountered in the use of prepositions arelinked to the nature of English prepositions: polysemy, idiomatic usageand substitution with first language prepositions. Another strategy toteaching English prepositions is required to improve students’performance.

Exploring Students’ Perceptions of Using Grammarly in Academic Writing: Master Students of the English Department as a Case Study

Mastering the writing skill can be a challenging task, particularly for MA students who are required to submit high-quality written assignments. To ensure that their work is flawless, the use of online error-checking tools like Grammarly can prove to be crucial. In this respect, this study aims to investigate the perceptions of MA students enrolled in the English Department at Ibn Tofail University regarding the use of Grammarly and its impact on their academic writing quality. A total of 60 MA students were selected using a convenience sampling technique. A mixed-method approach was employed to explore the specific ways in which students utilize the tool, the perceived benefits of its usage, and any challenges or limitations encountered by MA students. Data collection was carried out using a structured questionnaire based on the Technology Acceptance Model (Davis, 1989). This includes both closed-ended and open-ended questions. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics (SPSS), while thematic analysis was employed for qualitative responses. The findings reveal that MA students perceive Grammarly as a useful and easy-to-use online tool reporting their different experiences and objectives in using online error-checking tools.

Language at school: literature or linguistics?

This opinion piece argues that the education system in England suffers from a lack of KAL (Knowledge About Language) which is so extreme that it deserves the name KAL desert because children are taught virtually nothing about the languages that they study, whether English or a foreign language. The dominant view of language sees it merely as a skill, rather than as something interesting which is worth exploring, and the only content taught and tested in language lessons comes from literature rather than linguistics. This desert is to be found not only in our schools but also in our university departments of English and of foreign languages, so future teachers of English and foreign languages are not equipped to teach about language; modern linguistics has very little impact on the school curriculum apart from the Advanced Level exam in English Language. I also show that the present decline in both English and foreign languages actually started about 1970, and may arguably be due in part to the KAL desert. However, I also report evidence from three recent initiatives that a lot of children enjoy exploring language and learning about it, so I suggest that the decline in languages, both English and foreign, might be halted by teaching more KAL. Finally, I suggest a roadmap for achieving this by increasing KAL first in universities and then in schools.

A Comparison of Using Multiple Choice and Cloze Tests on Students’ Achievement in Reading Comprehension at Second Semester of English Department of FKIP Batanghari University

The purpose of the study was to find out the comparative achievement of multiple choice test and bracket test in reading comprehension in the second semester of the department of english, University of FKIP Batanghari. This study used a mixed method approach. The subject of the test would be second semester english students of FKIP Batanghari University. Data was collected through two instruments, which were a test and an interview. Based on the results of this study, the author found that students scored higher in the cloze test than in the multiple choice test. The result of the interview showed that the students preferred to answer the question in the cloze test than in the multiple choice question because they were easier to understand. These perceptions confirm the differences in student scores on the first research question. However, the result also showed that the multiple choice test is a better measure of students' reading comprehension. The students' impressions and opinions about the tests and their own performance were recorded and considered. Implications of results and recommendations further research is needed to obtain detailed and usable information to improve students' reading comprehension and achievement in the future.

The Potential for Implementing Democratic Assessment through Authentic Assessment Practices in the Context of Kurdistan Region Public University English Departments

This study explored the potential for implementing democratic assessment through conducting authentic assessment practices in three university English departments in the Kurdistan Region. Democratic assessment could be tremendously influential in education as it allows teacher-student negotiations about educational issues, resulting in making progress in education. Specifically, the study investigated the nature of teacher-student relation, the power of EFL students in discussing and making decisions about how to assess them, the provision of assessment ethicality through student accommodation, and the educational benefits of democratic assessment. All these issues were investigated by employing two research methods: interviews with 15 university EFL teachers and three focus group interviews, epistemologically adopting interpretivism and phenomenological approach. The findings revealed that, firstly, democratic assessment through authentic assessment practices were implemented along with satisfactory teacher-student relations, but still inadequate, unplanned, and students were not befriended. Secondly, it discovered that, although teachers believed in students’ rights to discuss assessment issues with their teachers, students’ power in discussing and making decisions as to how to assess them were limited in terms of disregarding students’ opinions and being indifferent about their preferences. Thirdly, participants believed in implementing various authentic assessment practices, instead of one shot exams, to provide fair assessments leading to assessment ethicality. Fourthly, to varying degrees, all the participants admitted, perceived, or believed that democratic assessment could have significant benefits for teaching and learning English language, achieving fairer, more accurate, more reliable, and more valid assessments accompanied by multi-dimensional feedback to students, resulting in more learning progress.

The Impact of Computer-Aided Translation Tools Integration in Translation Courses on the Students of the English Department at Bisha University

The Impact of Computer-Aided Translation Tools Integration in Translation Courses on the Students of the English Department at Bisha University

From Virtual to Physical

Since the beginning of the third decade of the 21st century, teachers of all levels of education have been experiencing turbulent times. Beginner teachers as well as experienced ones have been forced to rethink their skillset to reflect the changes not only in opportunities provided by the development of technology and globalisation but also the sudden, unexpected consequences of the global pandemic. The governmental decision to close all educational institutions in the Czech Republic because of the COVID-19 pandemic and to move the teaching and learning process into an online environment had an impact on university initial teacher education for future teachers of English, among others. Everyone had to cope with the challenges the situation brought about; educators had to re-evaluate their approach to initial teacher education so that their students would feel better prepared for the challenges of the crisis. Teacher educators, among others, have embraced the changing environment and have been actively searching for ways to best support students in their preparation for the teaching profession. The aim of this paper is to present and discuss the results of research conducted at the Department of English and American Studies at a regional Czech university in response to the consequences of the pandemic. The aim of the small-scale study was to explore student teachers’ perceptions of whether and how their microteaching sessions, conducted online because of the pandemic restrictions, prepared them for their face-to-face placement practice teaching the following semester. The context, therefore, was heavily influenced by the circumstances of the global pandemic. The theoretical framework of the initial English language teacher education programme, and of this paper, is based on the models of teacher professionalism (Spilková, 2019), the reflective practitioner (Černá, Píšová, & Vlčková, 2017), and the realistic approach (Korthagen et al., 2001). In the study, the data from reflection sessions, two focus group discussions, and a questionnaire were collected, analysed, and evaluated. The participants in the study were second-year bachelor students of the English for Education programme. The results of the research indicate that the students did not see the aims and content of the selected study programme as being affected by changes of external conditions; however, the processes of their professional learning were perceived as having been affected. These outcomes are in alignment with the research of Yochanna and Levy (2022) into the effective implementation of microteaching practice in teacher preparation. The implications of this study, in terms of both education and research, suggest that initial teacher education for future teachers of English needs to address the challenge of enabling the students to get ready for their profession regardless of whether they are teaching online or face-to-face classes. Initial teacher education should aim to prepare future teachers to expect the unexpected, which is a theme to be explored in further research.

Learning Phrasal Verbs Through Cognitive Linguistics-Approaches: A Case Study of Kurdish EFL University Students

This study aims to examine the effects of cognitive linguistic approaches on learning English idiomatic phrasal verbs among Kurdish EFL university students. The participants of this study were 62 sophomores in the English Department, at Soran University. They were enrolled in the course ‘Communication Skills’, the first semester of the academic year 2022-2023, and they were put into two distinct groups the control and the experiment groups, with 31 students in each group. Students in both groups received instruction from the same lecturer for thirteen weeks. The control and experiment groups were given instructional treatments based on traditional methods and cognitive linguistic approaches, respectively. A semi-structured interview and pre-and post-tests were used as the instruments of the study for data collection. The descriptive statistics of SPSS analysis, by paired samples t-tests, indicated that students in the experiment group outperformed those in the control group. Concerning (p < 0.05), the difference between both groups was statistically significant in favour of the experiment group (t = 2.186, p = .037). Besides, the difference between both groups related to exposed items was not statistically significant (t = 1.153, p = .258). Additionally, the difference between both groups related to unexposed items was statistically significant in favour of the experiment group (t = 2.934, p = .006). The interviewees’ statements supported the statistical data, and they considered cognitive-based lesson plans helpful and joyful.

Investigating the Impact of Blended Learning on Kurdish EFL Learners’ Speaking Skills at Two Selected Universities in Kurdistan

The current study aims to investigate the impact of blended learning on learners’ speaking skills. Blended learning combines traditional or face-to-face learning with online or electronic learning. The study compares students’ performance in traditional and blended classes. The samples were 190 second-stage students in the academic year 2021-2022 selected from the English departments at Soran and Salahaddin Universities, who studied. The study used a quasi-experimental method to collect data. Based on the mentioned method, there are two groups, the control group, which follows the traditional method and the experimental group, which is taught by blended learning. The results reveal that students' speaking skills improved in both groups. However, the students’ performance who experienced blended learning in the experimental group showed better performance than those who studied the traditional method in the control group, one of the reasons could be the accessibility to authentic material.

THE VOICE OF ELT STUDENTS AT ISLAMIC COLLEGE ON ACADEMIC LIFE

Research shows that student voice might be an influencing factor in the future transformation and innovation of English language teaching (ELT). The voice has long been believed to be an instrument that could provide ELT practitioners and policymakers with meaningful feedback for the betterment of curricula, materials, and classroom practices. However, there are limited discussions exploring ELT student voice in such particular educational contexts as Islamic colleges. This article aims to contribute to our understanding of that rarely discussed voice with a particular focus on: (a) the students‟ best experience as English education students at an Islamic college; (b) the students‟ perceptions related to dress code and exams; and (3) the students‟ self- assessment of English language skills. This study presents a survey study on 278 students in the English language education department at an Islamic college in Lampung province, Indonesia. The data are drawn from a survey consisting of open-ended questions distributed to the respondents at the end of the semester. Data analysis was conducted qualitatively, ranging from preparing and organizing the data to interpreting the meaning of the data in line with the research questions and theoretical review. The findings reveal that among the students' best experiences were the Islamic atmosphere, affordable tuition fees, religious education, professional lecturers, and scholarship availability. The majority of students agreed with the dress code regulation and had problems with cheating on the final examinations. The findings also show that more than half of the respondents are not sure about their English competency. This study offers important implications for English teacher education in Islamic educational contexts.

“I'm Afraid My Thesis Has Many Mistakes”: Thesis Writing Anxiety, Its Contributing Factors, and Alleviating Strategies

<p>The present study intends to investigate the possible contributing factors of thesis writing anxiety and the possible strategies that could be taken to help reduce thesis writing anxiety. For these purposes, this study conducted interviews with six Indonesian learners of English in English language departments and two Indonesian English lecturers who were thesis advisors. From Thematic Analysis, this study found two factors contributing to learners' anxiety. These were perceived inability to express ideas in good English writing and getting negative evaluations from their respective thesis advisor. Furthermore, three strategies were believed by both learners and advisors to help reduce learners' thesis writing anxiety. These included using grammar checker tools to improve writing quality and learning grammar, reading journal articles to improve learners’ mastery of the research topic, and creating a positive atmosphere for consultation sessions. Based on the findings, it is suggested, among others, that exposure to various academic texts and the use of grammar in academic contexts should be increased earlier in the curricula. Thesis advisors are also encouraged to show support and instill optimism. Contributions of this study are stated alongside several suggested directions for future studies.</p>

دراسة العوامل التي تؤثر عل المشاركة الاكاديمية لطلبة الجامعة.

This study investigates the factors that affect students' academic engagement and identifies the relevant factor. Using a sampling approach, the study involved 27 seventh-semester English department students from Abu- Issa Faculty of Education who completed questionnaires and five students who conducted interviews. A convergent parallel design was utilized to gather data through both quantitative methods involving questionnaires and interviews. The data analysis involved utilizing values determining deviations, and performing content analysis, for the interview responses. The study findings showed that factors related to teachers play a significant role in predicting students’ academic involvement. Specifically highlighted was the importance of teacher feedback in this aspect. Students also stressed the significance of teacher supportiveness, reliable communication and effective teaching practices. Furthermore, the study noted that peer assistance and parental participation were aspects contributing to engagement. The recommendation for increasing engagement is for educators to concentrate on giving feedback, while families should establish supportive settings for learning. Keywords: Academic Engagement, predicators of engagement, university level

The Effectiveness of Collaborative Strategic Reading (CSR) in Improving Students’ Reading Comprehension

This study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of Collaborative Strategic Reading (CSR) in enhancing students’ reading comprehension. Pre-experimental research was applied in the form of one group pre-test/post-test design to understand the influence of CSR on the students’ reading comprehension. Study participants included 30 English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students in their second semester of study in the English Department of a West Java private university. This sampling was determined through purposive sampling. The data for the research question of this study was collected through two test instruments - a pre-test and a post-test - with each consisting of 50 questions in each test in the form of multiple choice and observation. Both tests contained questions based on the five indicators of Barrett's taxonomy: literal comprehension, reorganization, inferential comprehension, evaluation, and appreciation. The study applied a gain-score calculation in which the average N-gain score is 61.38. The results showed that the Sig. (2-tailed) value was 0.000 <0.05. Therefore, based on the decision-making criteria, it can be concluded that there is a significant difference between learning outcomes in the pre-test data and post-test data. This means that the implementation of CSR is quite effective in enhancing the students’ reading comprehension competence.

DIFFICULTIES OF TRANSLATING POLYSEMOUS LEXICAL ITEMS AND THE STRATEGIES ADOPTED: A CASE STUDY OF EFL LEARNERS AT SABER FACULTY OF SCIENCE AND EDUCATION – DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH - UNIVERSITY OF LAHIJ

This study aimed to investigate the knowledge of the undergraduate students in translating three Arabic polysemous lexical items into English in different contexts. The research aimed to assess the student's proficiency in giving the meaning of polysemous words and measure their ability to select appropriate equivalents as well as the strategies adopted. The study involved thirty students from the Department of English, Saber Faculty of Science and Education. The participants carried out a translation test that contextualized three Arabic lexical polysemous lexical items (ضرب - حصر- تخفيف) within fifteen sentences. Statistical analysis of the data revealed a lack of knowledge among undergraduate students as they faced difficulties in constructing proper sentence patterns and a lack of competence in finding the exact English equivalents, resulting in challenges in selecting words that formed coherent English sentences and violating the sentence structure. Consequently, their production of correct English sentences was compromised. Furthermore, the study identified that the students relied on various language strategies, including L1 transfer, synonymy, avoidance, and paraphrasing, to facilitate their translation process. However, these strategies led to unsatisfactory English translations.

Exploring Factors that Influence Learners’ Interest in Writing-Based Activities in an EFL Classroom

Exploring Factors that Influence Learners’ Interest in Writing-Based Activities in an EFL Classroom 1-Maria Bhutto BS English Linguistic student, Department of Linguistics & Social Sciences, Begum Nusrat Bhutto Women University Sukkur maria3.20en006@bnbwu.edu.pk Rafique Ahmed Lakhan, Lecturer Department of Linguistics & Social Sciences, Begum Nusrat Bhutto Women University Sukkur rafique.ahned@bnbwu.edu.pk 3 Asadullah Balouch Designation: Lecturer, Department of English, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University, Nawabshah Email ID: asadullahbalouch@sbbusba.edu.pk Corresponding Author: Rafique Ahmed Lakhan Abstract: This study aims to identify the factors that influence learners’ interest in writing-based activities in an EFL classroom. Learners’ interest level varies; this research also aims to investigate the attitudes, preferences, and perceptions of learners in various writing tasks in an EFL classroom. And to what extent do these attitudes impact their performance in EFL writing activities. This research has explored attitudes of BS English students of Begum Nusrat Bhutto Women University, Sukkur. The qualitative research method was used to find the data. 15 semi-structured interviews were conducted. After analyzing the data, research found factors that influence learners’ interest are the types of writing activity, they are engaged in; the relevance and clarity of a topic; teachers’ support, constructive feedback and appreciation; and the learning environment in which the activities are incorporated. English is not a native language of interviewees, learners found writing activities beneficial as well as challengeable. This research is limited in an EFL context. Furthermore, it can also be conducted on a variety of tasks in various contexts in order to find out the variation in learners and for an effective learning environment.

EXAMINING STUDENTS’ ORAL CORRECTIVE FEEDBACK PREFERENCES FOR IMPROVING SPEAKING PROFICIENCY

This article examined the fundamental OFC types that students prefer for oral corrective feedback to improve their speaking ability in speaking class. It aims to give a clearer understanding of beliefs alignment between teachers and students, thus enabling them to choose appropriate OCF techniques that will enhance students’ performance. This study also contributes to the comprehension of OCF use in the educational context of Indonesia which is aimed at evidencing data-based learning. This research was carried out at Universitas Negeri Malang specifically in the Department of English and used descriptive quantitative design through surveys where respondents were 116. The instrument of this study was a questionnaire. The result indicates that when providing OCF, student emotions and preferences should be considered since these directly affect both the kind of feedback to be given and its effectiveness. In terms of the “delivery” of the feedback, students prefer metalinguistic and recast feedback types. However, there are some discrepancies in terms of their perceived effectiveness among students. Notably, metalinguistic, repetition, as well as recast OCF types, proved most advantageous concerning proficiency development. Furthermore, indirect OCF is more favored than direct administration timing. This research implies that metalinguistic, repetition, and recast feedback are types of OCF that are suitable for use in speaking classes with the aim of improving speaking performance. Since this research has not provided a data-based explanation of how students' preferred OCF helps improve their performance, future research is expected to conduct an in-depth exploration of its successful use.