Knowledge Of English Research Articles

Integration of In-Class and Extracurricular English Reading in Elementary Schools under the "Double Reduction" Policy

In the context of the full implementation of the "Double Reduction" policy, elementary English teachers are urged to update their teaching concepts and methods in the daily teaching process. The goal is not only to help reduce the burden of learning English knowledge for elementary students but also to alleviate their psychological stress. Traditional teaching methods, which are relatively outdated, have not been successful in extricating elementary students from the heavy academic workload. This requires elementary English teachers to focus on cultivating students' abilities to learn English theoretical knowledge efficiently within the limited teaching time and to enhance their practical skills. English reading instruction is a crucial component of elementary education. To ensure the practical implementation aligns with the requirements of the "Double Reduction" policy, teachers need to develop comprehensive teaching plans that integrate in-class and extracurricular reading. This approach aims to guide students correctly in learning English and to boost their enthusiasm for learning, thereby enabling them to master English knowledge precisely within a limited time. This paper explores the importance of integrating in-class and extracurricular English reading in elementary schools and discusses how to effectively carry out this teaching method under the "Double Reduction" policy.

A mixed method study of EFL teacher knowledge and practice in Chinese kindergartens

ABSTRACT Despite an increasing research interest in subject-specific teacher knowledge, there is limited research on teachers’ knowledge of English as a foreign language (EFL) in early childhood education (ECE). This paper, therefore, reports a mixed-methods study which investigated the relationships between ECE EFL teachers’ knowledge and their practices in the Chinese context. Four hundred and twenty-four Chinese kindergarten English teachers completed questionnaires and six of them participated in stimulated recall classroom observations. Quantitative and qualitative data analyses revealed two knowledge factors that had significant effects on the teachers’ practice, namely pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and knowledge of context. There was one common classroom practice, influenced by PCK and knowledge of context. This was the process-product-mixed pedagogy. In addition, not all teacher knowledge could be applied in practice because contextual factors intervened in the process. The study revealed the complexity of ECE English teaching and the influence of teacher knowledge. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Modeling Dimensionality of Bilingual Kindergarteners' Language Knowledge in Spanish and English.

This study used structural equation modeling to investigate the dimensionality of language in Spanish-English bilingual kindergartners. Five theoretical models were compared, including (a) a unidimensional model; (b) a two-dimensional model by language (Spanish, English); (c) a three-dimensional model by domain of language (phonology, semantics, morphosyntax); (d) a second-order model organized first by language (Spanish, English), with each language dimension comprising three domain-specific dimensions (phonology, semantics, morphosyntax); and (e) a six-dimensional model with freely covarying language-specific domains. Participants included 238 Spanish-English bilingual kindergartens, as identified by parent report of current language exposure and direct language measures. All participants completed a battery of phonology, semantics, and morphosyntactic test items in English and in Spanish. The six-dimensional covarying model constrained by domain and language provided the best fit for the data, with six separate factors for phonology, morphosyntax, and semantics in English and Spanish. The excellent model fit is supported by findings of a χ2 to df (degrees of freedom) ratio < 2 with no significance, comparative fit index > .95, standardized root-mean-square residual < .08, and root-mean-square error of approximation values ≤ .05. Results support emergent theories of bilingual language development. Application of the results to the evaluation and intervention of oral language abilities in bilingual children entering the formal education setting are considered. https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.25843846.

Lost in translation? Deciphering the role of language differences in the excess risk of psychosis among migrant groups.

Migration is a well-established risk factor for psychotic disorders, and migrant language has been proposed as a novel factor that may improve our understanding of this relationship. Our objective was to explore the association between indicators of linguistic distance and the risk of psychotic disorders among first-generation migrant groups. Using linked health administrative data, we constructed a retrospective cohort of first-generation migrants to Ontario over a 20-year period (1992-2011). Linguistic distance of the first language was categorized using several approaches, including language family classifications, estimated acquisition time, syntax-based distance scores, and lexical-based distance scores. Incident cases of non-affective psychotic disorder were identified over a 5- to 25-year period. We used Poisson regression to estimate incidence rate ratios (IRR) for each language variable, after adjustment for knowledge of English at arrival and other factors. Our cohort included 1 863 803 first-generation migrants. Migrants whose first language was in a different language family than English had higher rates of psychotic disorders (IRR = 1.08, 95% CI 1.01-1.16), relative to those whose first language was English. Similarly, migrants in the highest quintile of linguistic distance based on lexical similarity had an elevated risk of psychotic disorder (IRR = 1.15, 95% CI 1.06-1.24). Adjustment for knowledge of English at arrival had minimal effect on observed estimates. We found some evidence that linguistic factors that impair comprehension may play a role in the excess risk of psychosis among migrant groups; however, the magnitude of effect is small and unlikely to fully explain the elevated rates of psychotic disorder across migrant groups.

A Survey of Sinological Literacy of College English Majors Under the Background of New Liberal Arts

Under the new circumstances, the world development pattern has undergone rapid changes, and China is playing an increasingly important role on the international stage. To establish a good national image under the background of globalization, higher requirements are put forward for English majors to improve their Sinological literacy. Based on the background of the new liberal arts, the author takes English majors in Chongqing Normal University as the research subject. And combines domestic and foreign research results to study the current situation of Sinological literacy through questionnaires, interviews, and literature research. The questions consists of 4 dimensions (Sinological knowledge, Sinological competence, Sinological spirits, and Sinological emotions.) and 53 questions. The research questions are: (1) What is the status quo and problems of English majors' Sinological literacy in Chongqing Normal University? (2) What are the causes leading to students' lack of Sinological literacy? (3) What measures are offered to improve Sinological literacy? The paper founds that students majoring in English lack knowledge related to sinology. They are confused about the Sinological spirit and have weak competencies. By interviewing, the paper found 4 reasons that may explained it: (1) Students lack interest and incentive to learn Sinology. (2) There are few qualified teachers who are equipped with abundant Sinology. (3)Students prefer fragmented knowledge than Sinology due to the era of multimedia. (4) English majors are more likely to be influenced by Western culture if they`re not guided correctly. Through literature research, the paper also raises some measures:(1) Establish the correct concept, the school should add the corresponding subjects. (2) Strengthen teachers' character. (3)Make full use of the rich activities in the second classroom .(4)Build campus culture full of Sinological elements. The author analyzes the result of the investigation case and gives some corresponding countermeasures to solve the problem, in order to provide suggestions for the Sinological literacy cultivation of college English majors and hopes that schools can train more talents for English majors to communicate with other cultures.

Research on the Status Quo and Countermeasures in Curriculum Ideology and Politics Teaching of English Courses Under the Background of New Liberal Arts Construction

New Liberal Arts, as an innovative development in the field of traditional liberal arts education, is a new form of discipline that takes inheritance and innovation, crossover and integration, synergy and sharing as the main way, and promotes the crossover and in-depth integration of multiple disciplines in a demand-oriented way. Curriculum ideology and politics is an important direction for the construction of English curriculum in colleges and universities at this stage, which can effectively improve the teaching effect of English curriculum, help colleges and universities and English teachers to build a perfect English curriculum system, and effectively play the nurturing value of English curriculum, realizing the synergistic nurturing of English professional knowledge and ideology and politics theory. Based on this, this paper analyzes the significance of English curriculum ideology and politics, discusses the problems of English curriculum ideology and politics at this stage, and then puts forward relevant suggestions in the hope of improving the construction effect of English curriculum ideology and politics, and effectively integrating the elements of ideology and politics into the teaching activities of English curriculum in colleges and universities.

The Effects of Derivational Suffix Instruction on English Vocabulary Knowledge in Thai High School Learners

This study investigated the effect of derivational suffix instruction on vocabulary knowledge. Fifty-eight high school learners were recruited to participate in the study. The learners were divided into control (n = 29) and experimental (n = 29) groups. The experimental group received a Fundamental English II course with an emphasis on derivational suffix instruction, whereas the control group only received a Fundamental English II course. Two receptive and productive derivational suffix tests were designed and validated to measure high school learners’ suffix knowledge. A questionnaire was also administered to explore the experimental participants’ perceptions of derivational suffix instruction in facilitating vocabulary knowledge. Descriptive and inferential statistics were conducted to analyse the quantitative data, including pair-sample t-tests and independent-sample t-tests. The results showed that high school learners in both groups performed significantly better on the posttest than on the pretest. The results also revealed that experimental learners significantly outperformed their control counterparts. These findings suggest the efficacy of derivational suffix instruction on English vocabulary knowledge in Thai high school learners. In addition, the questionnaire analysis indicated that high school learners had positive perceptions towards derivational suffix instruction as a method to improve their vocabulary knowledge. Together, the current findings highlight the importance of derivational suffixes in vocabulary acquisition and development. Other relevant implications and suggestions for future studies are also discussed.

A Study on the Utilization of Applied Linguistics in Contemporary English Teaching

In the context of globalization, the importance of teaching English as a common language in the world becomes increasingly apparent. Applied Linguistics belongs to one of the sub-disciplines of linguistics, which plays an important role in contemporary English teaching. The knowledge of applied linguistics can help students learn the grammar, semantics, vocabulary, writing, and other contents in English, deepen their knowledge and understanding of English, and enhance the effectiveness of English teaching. This paper mainly describes the important role played by English linguistics in English teaching and focuses on its utilization strategies in the hope of providing references on this topic.

Effects of extramural English activities on willingness to communicate: The role of teacher support for Chinese EFL students

Extramural English (EE) with teacher support may work more effectively for Asian EFL learners' willingness to communicate in a second language (L2 WTC) given their sociocultural and educational contexts. Therefore, a teacher-supported EE program was developed to help students transit from teacher-controlled to learner-driven EE activites. Ninety Chinese EFL university students were randomly assigned to three groups: EE (n = 30), teacher-supported EE (n = 30), and conventional class (n = 30). Pre-post (trait-like WTC) and real-time survey (state-like WTC) results showed that the teacher-supported EE group outperformed the other groups in improving their L2 WTC. Interviews (n = 20) identified five factors that influenced the enhancement of their L2 WTC: emotional support from peers and teachers, teachers’ cognitive and pedagogical support, a low affective filter, increased topical knowledge, and increased English lexical knowledge. This study is the first to demonstrate that (a) EE activities contribute to improvements in both trait-like and state-like L2 WTC levels in EFL learners, and that (b) the effectiveness of the EE program is enhanced when teacher support is provided, particularly for Asian EFL learners.

Unlocking Vital Professional Skills of EFL Educators to Cultivate Student English Core Competencies in the Digital Era

With the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, the education sector has witnessed transformative changes. In the domain of secondary English language teaching, the advent and implementation of intelligent teaching systems have necessitated a reevaluation of Teacher Professional Competency (TPC). However, there is limited research exploring English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers’ perspectives on the TPCs required for fostering student English core competencies in the ear of AI. This study aimed to investigate the need for relevant TPCs among English teachers. A sample of 1089 English teachers from 335 schools across China participated in this research. The findings identified a total of 12 TPCs, with variations observed based on gender, years of teaching experience, school type, school level, and school location. Notably, Teaching Design Competency (TDC), English Knowledge and Application Competency (EKAC), and Teaching Implementation and Management Competency (TIMC) were identified as the most crucial TPCs. These results provide valuable insights into the components of EFL teacher professional competencies and offer guidance for competency-based teacher digital education programs.

English in Spain: Education, attitudes and native‐speakerism

AbstractSpain has traditionally featured rather low in the rankings measuring the knowledge of English by European citizens, and yet English has been constantly entering different areas of Spanish life and in all levels of education. This article delves into the efforts made at different levels of education to enable school graduates to communicate in English without difficulty. It focuses on how young people conceptualise English: their attitudes towards the language and to what extent they associate it with Inner Circle countries, or whether instead they see it as a tool for international communication. This discussion is complemented with an analysis of the pervasiveness of ‘native‐speakerism’ in Spanish society, which we claim acts as another handicap to the normalisation of the use of English as a lingua franca by Spanish citizens in multicultural settings within and outside the country.

English in Sweden: Functions, features and debates

AbstractEnglish has for a long time had a strong position in the Swedish sociolinguistic context. English is ubiquitous in the contemporary Swedish public sphere, and good knowledge of English can be found in all sections of society. Far from only being used as a lingua franca for international communication, English is today also pervasively used in domains of business, higher education and academia, as well as in the media and for entertainment purposes. This growing presence of English in Sweden has led to language debates about the status and the role of English in Sweden and concerns of whether English is a threat to Swedish. This article discusses the status and the manifold functions of English in Sweden and describes the uses and features of English in the Swedish context. It concludes with a discussion of the current debates on the uses and the role of English in Sweden.

Exploring the Effects of Early Extramural English Exposure on the Vocabulary Size of University Students

Research has shown that current informal extramural (out-of-class) activities can be an important predictor of second language (L2) vocabulary knowledge, but less is known about the relationship between language proficiency and activities earlier in life, which could have contributed to L2 acquisition. This exploratory study investigated Norwegian university students’ reported exposure to English through extramural activities at an early age and how this related to their current vocabulary size in L2 English. Participants (N = 40) completed an online survey comprising items from the Vocabulary Size Test (VST) and questions about the earliest extramural activity they felt made an important contribution to their knowledge of L2 English and the age at which they engaged in this activity. Participants’ mean English vocabulary size, as measured by the VST, was 11,246 words, and regression analysis found that the age of reported earliest extramural exposure was a significant predictor for L2 vocabulary size but that the current age of participants was not a significant predictor of VST scores. The results suggest that investigating early exposure to extramural input could be an important avenue for future research.

Enhancing Freshman English Learning: A Study of Solo vs Collaborative Educational Gameplay Effects on Achievement and Motivation

This research compared the effects of solo and collaborative gameplay formats on learning achievement and motivation among freshmen English students. Sixty students were randomly assigned to play educational games either individually or in small groups over ten weeks. While both groups received similar instructional time, one played independently using individual devices, while the other played in small groups sharing a single device. A pre-test and post-test design was used, with a 20 multiple-choice exam assessing freshman English knowledge. A modified Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire was also administered to measure five dimensions of motivation (intrinsic goal orientation, extrinsic goal orientation, task value beliefs, control beliefs, and self-efficacy for learning). Post-test scores were significantly higher for the collaborative gameplay group, suggesting team-based interaction enhanced learning. However, a MANOVA showed no significant differences between groups on any of the motivation dimensions measured. The findings demonstrate collaborative gameplay may boost achievement without compromising motivation when compared to solo gameplay.

A comparison of Lab- and Web-based elicited imitation: Insights from explicit-implicit L2 grammar knowledge and L2 proficiency

Abstract Elicited imitation (EI) tasks are a practical tool for measuring second language (L2) knowledge and skills. In this study, we implemented a web-based EI task that measures English morphosyntactic knowledge and compared its measurement properties to a traditional laboratory-based EI. A cohort of 149 L2 English learners engaged in the web-based EI task, and 151 participants completed a traditional lab-based EI counterpart. Correlation analyses revealed a significant, comparable relationship between English proficiency and the two EI versions, with the ungrammatical items showing less consistency that neither improved nor harmed the overall EI effectiveness. Factor analyses corroborated the validity of web-programmed EI, with both EI versions relating similarly to time-pressured, implicit knowledge and untimed, explicit knowledge measures. Our results suggest the potential for utilizing web-based EI to substitute lab-based tasks, enabling larger-scale, more diverse sampling. We end with implications for future web-based EI task users and include a coding guideline for customized web-based EI use.

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF INTERACTIVE DIGITAL ENGLISH BOOK FOR READING SKILL IN TENTH GRADE STUDENTS AT MA MASALIKIL HUDA

Reading, which involves character decoding, is a complex cognitive process with the goal of understanding the text. Reading in English gives students the opportunity to pursue interest and knowledge in learning English. Reading is a way to teach other speaking skills. Most students are quiet during lessons because they find learning boring. Therefore, teachers need media that makes the learning process more interesting. The purposeiof this study was to determine the effectiveness of the Interactive Digital English Book (IDEB) in improving students' reading skills. This study was conducted on 42 MA Masalikil Huda Jepara tenth-grade students who were divided into two classes. This research is a quantitative type of researchiusing quasi-experimental prei- test and posti- test research methods. The dataithat came from the research were gathered using tests in the form of multiple-choice tests for the students. The average score for the experimental group that has been calculated is 74.5 points and that of the control group was 55.7 points. T-Analysis Results: Sig. (2-tailed) is 0.07, greater than 0.05, besides that the T-test is greater than the T-tablei(2.201 &gt; 2.021). As a result, the use of English Digital Textbooks has been found to be effective in improving students' reading skills.

A Practical Study on Improving the Professionalism of Elementary School English Teachers Based on Compulsory Education Testing

In the face of the ever-opening contemporary China, English has become an indispensable communication tool. Based on the results of basic education quality monitoring and existing research results on teacher professional quality, this paper investigates the professional quality of English teachers in representative primary school in Xi'an, examining the teachers’ professional quality in five dimensions, namely, the basic situation, professionalism, professional knowledge and professional abilities, and training status and conducting interviews with relevant teachers. Through the survey, it was found that elementary school English teachers in Xi'an have high professional ideals and good professionalism, have a high sense of teaching effectiveness, and have a good grasp of English education professional knowledge. The teachers' professional abilities basically meet the requirements of English teaching, and they hope to receive further regular training in teaching methods, skills training, and the ability to write papers. At the same time, some problems were also discovered: the gender ratio of teachers is disproportionate, and teaching philosophy is not fully implemented; teachers lack mastery of theoretical knowledge and scientific research knowledge, and their oral English expression still needs to be improved; parent resources cannot be better utilized; the adoption of teaching methods requires to be further improved, teaching methods need to be further improved; teachers’ scientific research capabilities are weak, etc. In view of the existing problems, the article puts forward suggestions for improving the professional quality of elementar school English teachers in Xi'an: strengthening teachers' professional emotional quality; deepening teachers' understanding of teaching concepts; strengthening the cultivation of teachers' professional knowledge and professional abilities; strengthening the cultivation of teacher's educational research ability.

Research on the Application of Second Language Acquisition Theory in College English Speech Teaching

The teaching of English speeches in universities aims to enhance oral communication ability, improve English communication skills, and expand English knowledge, occupying a core position in English teaching in universities. This article takes the theory of second language acquisition as the background, analyzes the important role and value of this theory in English speech teaching in universities, and explores how to apply the theory of second language acquisition in English speech teaching in universities. It aims to strengthen the cultivation of English skilled talents and provide a brief reference for improving English speech teaching in universities.

Factors nd Problems Affecting English Listening Comprehension Skills of Eic Undergraduate Students at Rmutl Tak, Thailand

Purpose: This quantitative research is to investigate the significant factors and to discover the existing problems affecting English listening comprehension skills of EIC undergraduate students at RMUTL Tak, Thailand. Method: This is survey research. The participants were 46 students who were the 3rd and 4th year students selected by purposive method. The research instrument was an online questionnaire which was gathered and analyzed by descriptive statistics. Results and Conclusion: The findings reveal that factors affecting English listening comprehension skills compose of (1) Factors relating to text, (2) Factors relating to linguistic features, (3) Factors relating to speakers, and (4) Factors relating to listeners. The problems affecting English listening comprehension skills compose of (1) Speaker accent, (2) Speaker speed of speaking, (3) New vocabulary and (4) English knowledge of the listeners respectively, and overall, it was found that students had listening comprehension problems at high level (x ̅ = 3.80, S.D. = 0.763). Furthermore, both the factors and the problems highlighted were crucial information required to remedy and improve the students' English listening comprehension skills. Research Implications: Therefore, those who want to improve their English listening comprehension should be aware of these factors and problems; however, others factors and problems must be considered when developing English listening comprehension as well. Furthermore, listeners should be aware of all factors and problems that affect their intelligibility and should develop their own listening more or practice listening more for solving the factors and problems exploring in this study, practicing listening to a variety of listening media, such as the news, music, movies, talk shows, speeches or talks: Ted Talks as one of the listening strategy applied, to become accustomed to and learn more about the various accents and speaker speeds and listener can practice their own listening skills further outside the classroom. Originality/Value: Teachers can use these to solve problems for students to practice listening skills in the classroom, and those who want to practice listening skills can apply these methods or practice themselves to improve their listening skills. Nevertheless, this research still has some weaknesses.

The Implementation Methods of the Ideological and Political Theories Teaching in Foreign Majors: A Case Study of Comprehensive English Course

Ideological and political theories teaching is an education and teaching concept with Chinese characteristics, which is an introduction of ideological and political elements in all kinds of curriculum teaching. It is aimed at guiding students to establish correct outlook on the world, life and values. During the study of foreign language and culture, students are more susceptible to the impact of diverse cultures, values and ideologies. Therefore, colleges and universities should strengthen the cultivation of patriotism, national consciousness and core socialist values of foreign language students. As a college Foreign Majors course, Comprehensive English course has the advantage of playing the function of implicit ideological and political education. Integrate Chinese elements and patriotic education while teaching English language knowledge and skills. This paper analyzes the understanding of ideological and political theory teaching, teaching content, evaluation system, teaching process and other ways to integrate ideological and political education into the teaching of comprehensive English courses. It is conducive to cultivating students' patriotism and training high-quality foreign language specialists.