Students Of English Studies Research Articles

<b>The Effects of Integrating Artificial Intelligence into Learning Academic Vocabulary Among Masters in English Studies Students</b>

<b>The Effects of Integrating Artificial Intelligence into Learning Academic Vocabulary Among Masters in English Studies Students</b>

SURVEY ON VOCABULARY LEARNING STRATEGIES OF HIGH–QUALITY ENGLISH STUDIES PROGRAM STUDENTS, SCHOOL OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES, CAN THO UNIVERSITY, VIETNAM

This research study aimed to investigate the usage of vocabulary learning strategies among English Studies students at Can Tho University (CTU), specifically those under the high-quality program at the School of Foreign Languages (SFL). The primary objective of the study was to identify the most commonly used strategies for learning English vocabulary and to compare the similarities and differences in how these strategies were applied among students by academic year. A total of 200 survey responses from SFL, CTU got involved in the study, and 12 of whom joined a semi-structured interview. The data gathered were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistical techniques. The results of this study provided insights into effective vocabulary learning strategies and would facilitate the improvement of English language teaching and learning practices at the university level.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0031/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Tools for Scaffolding the Development of L2 Speaking in English-medium Higher Education: Lessons from Poland and Australia

Participating in oral L2 communication may be challenging for English-medium higher education students. While literature suggests that scaffolding facilitates the development of L2 speaking, research has not addressed the notion of tools for scaffolding its development. The aim of this study is twofold: (1) to investigate how scaffolding can be embodied in tool design to support L2 speaking and (2) to obtain and analyse student perceptions of the tools. We draw on questionnaire data gathered in two iterations of a larger design-based research study conducted in two contexts: English Studies students in Poland (N = 26) and culturally and linguistically diverse L2 learners in Australia (N = 12). This study illustrates how features of scaffolding were applied to map instructor, peer- and technology-based tools in terms of learning activities, resources, technology and feedback. The results suggest that these tools may cater to the multiple levels of student understanding and skill with regard to the development of L2 speaking found in modern L2 classrooms.

The Effect of Using Project-based Learning on Improving Self-Regulated Language Learning among English-majored Students at Ba Ria – Vung Tau University, Viet Nam

Project-based learning (PBL) is one of the powerful instructional approaches for students in the classroom (Bender, 2012). PBL is an exciting, innovative instructional approach to motivate students in problem-solving (Baran, 2010). It may be defined as a real world project, based on motivating and engaging tasks, problems, questions to teach students academic content in the context of working cooperatively to solve the problem (Bell, 2010). These authors implied that if teachers utilize PBL, they change their traditional roles into the new mode of teaching. According to Dewey (1959), when students implement meaningful tasks related to problems in real-world situations, they can achieve more profound comprehension. PBL is considered an alternative choice for teaching because it is a powerful tool to encourage students to solve real-world problems (Berger, 1999). It is also believed that PBL assists students to take part in learning activities as active and confident participants (Marx, 1994). This paper examines PBL that influences the self-regulated language learning (SRLL) surveyed at BVU. The study used a quantitative approach with a positivist paradigm. The quantitative approach is deductive because it tests theories, develops models and hypotheses, and collects empirical data (Schunk, 1990). A survey tool was used to collect data from respondents across students of English Studies. The results show that PBL develops the students’ SRLL, and setting goals are the centre of SRLL to help the students study better and better at higher education.

The Journal. Wykorzystanie symulacji globalnej w rozwijaniu umiejętności pisania w języku angielskim

The ability to write in English plays a significant role in today’s context of international communication within professional, academic, and private spheres, both in real life and on the Internet. Developing writing skills among higher education students is crucial for their effective participation in these various life domains. Unfortunately, typical writing tasks in foreign language classes often focus on inauthentic content and activities. Hence, the article aims to present global simulation as an effective tool to encourage students to engage in authentic writing tasks, simultaneously enhancing their language skills relevant for professional and academic life. The first part of the article introduces the definition and characteristics of global simulation, along with examples of projects focusing on developing writing skills, highlighting the benefits of utilising global simulation. The second part of the article showcases an example of using global simulation in a “Writing” course, where English Studies students took on roles as editorial members, wrote, and published their texts online.

Electronic literature as part of english literature

This essay introduces an approach to teach electronic literature in English Studies students; first introduces to the students what electronic literature is, that is, its main features, goals and genres. Secondly, it provides examples of women writers and their importance in the development of this kind of literature. Thirdly, it shows two electronic literary works written by women that may be part of the course’s core readings. This article dives into and breaks apart these literary texts through an introduction and a close reading of them.

Journal writing – students’ voices

Developing writing skills in L2 is challenging. Writing is believed to be time-consuming, difficult, boring, limiting and not rewarding. All of these challenges result in students having a negative attitude towards writing, both in L1 and in L2. Journal writing is a tool which helps students develop their writing and language skills, establish a regular writing habit, while at the same time allowing them space for self-expression. The present study aims at finding out how students perceive journal writing. The participants were 55 first year students of English Studies, who participated in a creative writing course. It was discovered that students view journal writing as pleasant; that it helped them in writing their final assignment; and that it helped them develop their language skills. The study also found that offering students writing prompts may be useful in the course of writing a journal, especially for those students who lack ideas for their entries. Finally, recommendations concerning the use of journals in any language class are provided. The study suggests that if administered properly and understood by the students, journal writing has the potential to help students change their attitude towards writing for the better and improve their writing and language skills.

English Studies Students’ Level of Understanding of British Culture in English Communication

This paper investigates the level of understanding of British culture in the communication of EFL learners. Participants are 71 first, second, and third-year English Studies students from the General English Studies, High-Quality English Studies program, and Translation and Interpreting Studies at Can Tho University (CTU). Data were collected using a five-Likert scale questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Findings showed that students majoring in Translation and Interpreting have a higher level of understanding of British culture in communication. It was also found that participants did not know how to make a specific plan for studying British culture in communication. Based on the results, we proposed some pedagogical implications to enhance EFL learners' understanding of British culture.

TWO HEADS BETTER THAN ONE? PAIR PRESENTATION IN THE EFL CLASSROOM – A PANACEA FOR ANXIETY?

While the role of emotions in language learning is getting more and more attention in second language research, relatively few studies have investigated emotions related to specific classroom activities. This mixed-method practitioner research examined tertiary-level EFL learners’ affective reactions to a specific type of oral presentation: the pair presentation. The aim of the study was to examine whether making a classroom presentation feels to be a more positive and less anxiety-provoking experience if done in pairs rather than individually. 33 English Studies students were asked to choose a presentation partner and give a 10-20 minute joint presentation in one of their regular language development classes. Immediately after the talk, they were asked to indicate on two 10-point rating scales how pleasant/unpleasant they felt during the task and how much anxiety they experienced. Additionally, they were invited to reflect on their experiences in greater depth within 24 hours, responding to a set of open questions. The results of the study are discussed in comparison to those of an earlier investigation in the same setting, which focused on the emotional experience of individual presentation (Tóth, 2019). While the numerical findings suggest that presenting with a partner is neither less anxiety-provoking nor a substantially more positive experience, the post-task reflections show that most participants approve of the idea of pair presentation and only a minority of them prefer individual presentation. Providing insights into the complexities of learners’ emotional experiences and the practicalities of how they prepared for the joint presentation, the study sheds light on these conflicting results and has important implications for language teachers.
 
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Insertion of vowels in English syllabic consonantal clusters pronounced by L1 Polish speakers

AbstractThe aim of this study was an attempt to verify whether Polish speakers of English insert a vowel in the word-final clusters containing a consonant and a syllabic /l/ or /n/ due to the L1–L2 transfer. L1 Polish speakers are mostly unaware of the existence of syllabic consonants; hence, they use the Polish phonotactics and articulate a vocalic sound before a final sonorant which is deprived of its syllabicity. This phenomenon was examined among L1 Polish speakers, 1-year students of English studies, and the recording sessions were repeated a year later. Since, over that time, they were instructed with regard to phonetics and phonology but also the overall practical language learning, the results demonstrated the occurrence of the phenomenon of vowel insertion on different levels of advanced command of English. If the vowels were inserted, their quality and length were monitored and analysed. With regard to the English system, pronouncing vowel /ə/ before a syllabic consonant is possible, yet not usual. That is why another aim of this study is to examine to what extent the vowels articulated by the subjects differ from the standard pronunciation of non-final /ə/. The quality differences between the vowels articulated in the words ending with /l/ and /n/ were examined as well as the potential influence from the difference between /l/ and /n/ on the occurrence of vowel reduction. Even though Polish phonotactics permit numerous consonantal combinations in all word positions, it proved to be challenging for L1 Polish speakers to pronounce word-final consonantal clusters containing both syllabic sonorants. This result carries practical implications for the teaching methodology of English phonetics.

Accessing a global community through L2 learning: a comparative study on the relevance of international posture to EFL and LOTE students

ABSTRACTDue to the ‘global English bias’ in the field of L2 motivation, many motivational constructs have been primarily investigated in relation to learners of English. One of these, international posture, has been recently found to hold some relevance to LOTE students. Despite this, no research has examined comparatively similarities and differences in the relevance of a global community to the motivations of EFL and LOTE learners. This study fills this research gap, by focusing, as a case in point, on data collected via a questionnaire and interviews with university students of English studies in Italy and in Germany, and of students of Italian and German studies in Australia. The findings confirm the relevance of this construct to both learner groups and show that it can co-exist with integrative motives. While EFL respondents viewed the affiliation with a global community as dependent on the mastery of English, most LOTE respondents associated it with the language learning process itself and with their new positioning as second language learners and speakers in their monolingual environment. This study advances our understanding of the range of reference of international posture and contributes to reducing the gap in scholarship between EFL and LOTE learners.

Multimodal literacy development in a higher education English Studies classroom

University students are often expected to interpret and produce multimodal texts during their studies. However, their multimodal literacy is rarely developed explicitly and students often lack the language and the knowledge to talk and write about multimodal experiences. Such expectations demand knowledge and skills to approach multimodal texts in written and spoken discourse. To explore the educational potential of artworks, museum exhibitions and other multimodal texts in language development, I designed a course for undergraduate English Studies students at a Hungarian university. The course called ‘Making Meaning with Visual Narratives’ was aimed at English language teacher trainees and English Studies students. Data collected during the courses comprise writing tasks, questionnaires, multimodal texts, and my teaching notes. Based on the qualitative content analysis of the data, I demonstrate the impact of image-based language development tasks on conceptual development. Both the research design and its implementation in pedagogical practice draws on social semiotic multimodal analysis, theories of literacy pedagogy and sociocultural theory.

A survey of gender politics and the use of English among students of the department of English studies, University of Port Harcourt

This study investigated feminist consciousness and the differences in the use of English language among undergraduates in the Department of English Studies (EST), University of Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt, Nigeria. The theoretical basis of the study is Radical Feminism and the researchers used a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) to collect data for the study. The researchers collected data from three groups each of which consisted of ten final year students who formed panels to discuss gender issues while the researchers moderated. The data was analysed with framework analysis, simple percentages, and significant ratios. The study revealed that the participants were actively engaged in gender politics, used English in significantly different styles, but tended to be equally divided on their total allegiance to their gender groups. The study concluded that EST students are actively engaged in gender politics and confirmed the existence of some of the differences between male and female speech identified by earlier studies. Therefore, it recommended, among others, that curriculum design on the subject should shift from aggression and divisiveness to integration and mutual respect for not just named gender groups, but also for all humans.
 Key Words: gender politics, Feminism, focal group discussion, gender and language, variation

Landscaping Broadcast Media in Morocco: TVM’s Viewing Frequency, Cultural Normalization Effects, and Reception Patterns among Moroccan Youth: An Integrated Critical Content Analysis

This paper approaches the Moroccan broadcast media landscape in the age of globally internetworked digital broadcasting systems through an integrated critical content-analysis of TVM’s viewing frequency, cultural normalization effects, and reception patterns as manifest among Moroccan youth. TVM is short for TV Morocco, a handy English substitute for SNRT (Societe Nationale de Radiodiffusion et de Television, National Radio & Television Broadcasting Corporation). The paper, first, presents a succinct historical account of the station’s major stages of institutional and structural evolution since its inception to date. Second, it tries to measure the channel’s degrees of watchability and needs satisfaction partially with a view to clarifying what this study sees as a phenomenon of satellite and digital migration of many Moroccans to foreign broadcast and electronic media outlets. Third, the paper attempts to demonstrate if TVM exerts any consolidating or weakening effects on the cultural identity patterns in Morocco purportedly resulting from an assumed normalization process. These three undertakings are carried out on the basis of a field survey targeting a random sample of 179 Moroccan second and third year students of English Studies at Ibn Tofail University, and an elected set of media approaches like Uses and Gratifications Theory, Social Cognitive Theory, Cultivation Theory, and Cultural Imperialism. Keywords: Broadcast media, Moroccan television, normalization, media needs gratification

Serious games and learning effectiveness: The case of It’s a Deal!

Although the value of serious games in education is undeniable and the potential benefits of using video games as ideal companions to classroom instruction is unquestionable, there is still little consensus on the game features supporting learning effectiveness, the process by which games engage learners, and the types of learning outcomes that can be achieved through game play. Our aim in this discussion is precisely to advance in this direction by providing evidence of some of the factors influencing the learning effectiveness of a serious game called It's a Deal! This serious game was created for the purpose of teaching intercultural business communication between Spaniards and Britons in business settings in which English is used as the lingua franca. This paper hypothesizes that the immersive, all-embracing and interactive learning environment provided by the video game to its users may contribute to develop and enhance their intercultural communicative competence. The study attempts to answer three main research questions: (a) after playing It's a Deal!, did the students sampled improve their intercultural awareness, intercultural knowledge and intercultural communicative competence in business English? (b) If they improved their intercultural learning, what are the factors influencing such improvement? And (c) if they did not improve their intercultural learning, what are the factors influencing such failure? The game participants who volunteered to take part in the study were all students of English Studies at the University of Alicante in the academic year 2010-2011. One hundred and six students completed both the pre-test and the post-test questionnaires, and played It's a Deal! A sample of fifty students was selected randomly for the empirical study. The results obtained in the tests performed were compared and contrasted intra-group, both qualitatively and quantitatively, for the purpose of finding any statistically significant difference that may confirm whether or not there was an improvement in the students' intercultural communicative competence in business English as a result of the implementation of the It's a Deal! serious game. Findings of this study demonstrate that the video game is an effective learning tool for the teaching of intercultural communication between Spaniards and Britons in business settings in which English is used as the lingua franca. In particular, whereas the game had a small learning effect on intercultural awareness and a medium learning effect on intercultural knowledge, it had a large learning effect on intercultural communicative competence. The study also documents correlating factors that make serious games effective, since it shows that the learning effectiveness of It's a Deal! stems from the correct balance of the different dimensions involved in the creation of serious games, specifically instructional content, game dimensions, game cycle, debriefing, perceived educational value, transfer of learnt skills and intrinsic motivation.

What do learners expect to find in their first year at university? Reading their diaries

Using students’ diaries as a frame of reference, this research project set out to learn more about how they experience foreign language classes in their first university year, over two semester periods (from September to June of the academic year 2007/08). The diaries were produced by 35 students of English Studies at the Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, Spain. The data gathered from these diaries were classified into three sections: Section 1 provides a qualitative study of the students’ opinions of the lessons (subdivided into three different areas of interest: what learners expected, what they valued and what they criticised); Section 2 covers comments on feeling expressed about their first experience at university; finally, in Section 3, the data are reconsidered to shed light on the students’ learning strategies.

Review of Shakespeare's Macbeth (directed by Lucy Pitman-Wallace) at Nottingham Playhouse, October–November 2008

In a recent workshop with English Studies students at the University of Nottingham, director Sir Richard Eyre reflected on the significance of the playing space for any production of Macbeth. Throw...

Nationalism and Otherness:Reading Nation in the Literature Classroom

This essay examines the motives and fallout, both overt and tactical, that surround the materiality of postcolonial novels and critical texts in specific institutional and pedagogical contexts. At stake is both the ontology and materiality of the other—more specifically their representation at the hands of a self as center of political power that legitimates its own systems of knowledge and meaning. The specific institutional context and point of departure is the recent revision of the postgraduate English syllabus at Guahati University in northeast India. The essay examines this academic exercise for a larger ideological meaning by drawing to a logical conclusion the assumption that a so-called muffassil (provincial) Indian university that is implicated in the life of the people of its region stands committed to the human resource development of that region. The institutional assumption is that the university’s students of English studies in the socioeconomically challenged state of Assam should be sensitized to the complex issues of the nation and its otherness; it is also assumed that they should be able to construct a politically engaged reading of such texts, one informed by the problems of discontent of being on the nation’s margins literally and metaphorically. The texts, however, instead tend to generate anxieties and discomfiture as Assamese students—already the nation’s other—encounter postcolonial celebrations of the borderless nation, dissemination, porous borders, liminality, etc., which fail to empathize with the miseries of the Assamese people and the deplorable conditions of the region—the product of years of neglect by the metropolitan center, heavy immigration from Bangladesh and the resultant strain on the land and regional economy, and subnationalist aspirations being perceived as secessionism and terrorism. [End Page 71]