Undergraduate English Students Research Articles

The Implementation of Critical and Creative Thinking in Research-Based Learning for Sustainable Language Education

Objective: This research aims to reveal a concept of Critical and Creative Thinking for Research-based Learning/CCTRbLmin the context of language learning in regards of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4, Quality Education, in the context of strengthening language literacy. Theoretical Framework: Critical and creative thinking on language literacy are pivotal skills for responding to the competitiveness and problems of the 21st century in almost all aspects of life. It is also promoted by SDG program. In correlation with developing learning strategies, effective methods and any strategic plan in improving the quality of education, the syntax of the CCTRbL model, is necessaryly explained in some stages. Method: This research subject is 6 annual reports facilitated by 3 lecturers and enrolled by 134 undergraduate students in English and Indonesian courses. The analysis is done with Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, and Threat (SWOT) to gain the strategic plan for sustaining the quality of college language education. Results and Discussion: The result indicated an aggressive strategic plan, by using strength and opportunity in optimizing the implementation of CCTRbL model. It is easier for teachers to compile and implement learning, including providing meaningful language learning activities. Research Implications: The research implications more on providing insights of how to apply meaningful language llearning model in higher education setting. Originality/Value: The opportunities for collaborative and innovative learning carried out in the classroom have positive impacts in achieving the goals of implementing this model for enhancing higher education language learning in the future.

ChatGPT versus human essayists: an exploration of the impact of artificial intelligence for authorship and academic integrity in the humanities

Generative AI has prompted educators to reevaluate traditional teaching and assessment methods. This study examines AI’s ability to write essays analysing Old English poetry; human markers assessed and attempted to distinguish them from authentic analyses of poetry by first-year undergraduate students in English at the University of Oxford. Using the standard UK University grading system, AI-written essays averaged a score of 60.46, whilst human essays achieved 63.57, a margin of difference not statistically significant (p = 0.10). Notably, student submissions applied a nuanced understanding of cultural context and secondary criticism to their close reading, while AI essays often described rather than analysed, lacking depth in the evaluation of poetic features, and sometimes failing to properly recognise key aspects of passages. Distinguishing features of human essays included detailed and sustained analysis of poetic style, as well as spelling errors and lack of structural cohesion. AI essays, on the other hand, exhibited a more formal structure and tone but sometimes fell short in incisive critique of poetic form and effect. Human markers correctly identified the origin of essays 79.41% of the time. Additionally, we compare three purported AI detectors, finding that the best, ‘Quillbot’, correctly identified the origin of essays 95.59% of the time. However, given the high threshold for academic misconduct, conclusively determining origin remains challenging. The research also highlights the potential benefits of generative AI’s ability to advise on structuring essays and suggesting avenues for research. We advocate for transparency regarding AI’s capabilities and limitations, and this study underscores the importance of human critical engagement in teaching and learning in Higher Education. As AI’s proficiency grows, educators must reevaluate what authentic assessment is, and consider implementing dynamic, holistic methods to ensure academic integrity.

Factor Analysis on the Motivation for Extensive Reading Questionnaire

This study examined the factors adapted from the Motivation for Reading Questionnaire. We considered eight dimensions (Self-Efficacy, Reading Challenge, Reading Curiosity, Reading Involvement, Importance of Reading, Recognition for Reading, Reading for Grades, and Social Reasons for Reading). In addition, we included some items based on the extensive reading, principles, and technology acceptance model. The study recruited 558 undergraduate students of English as a foreign language in Indonesia via Google Forms. The structure of the questionnaire was validated using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. To determine the dependability of the instrument, internal consistency reliabilities of the instrument as a whole and per factor were calculated. We computed the average variance extracted and the Heterotrait-Monotrait Ratio of Correlation to determine convergent and discriminant validities. The results led to the omission of six items with loading values < 0.50. The omissions included one item for Reading Involvement (0.42) and five items for Social Reasons for Reading (0.47; 0.43; n/s.; n/s.; and n/s.). Lastly, the study presented the significance of the results and directions for future studies.

Examining longitudinal changes in citation practices

Abstract While previous research has revealed the form and function features of citations across diverse disciplines, writer groups of varying expertise, and academic genres, limited attention has been given to the developmental trajectories in citation practices among novice academic writers. To address this issue, we conducted a corpus-based, discipline-specific analysis of the citation practices of L2 English novice academic writers over time. Using a multi-perspective analytical approach, we examined citation types and functions, along with reporting verbs and reporting structures in 39 linguistics course papers written by 13 L2 English undergraduate students across three semesters. Overall, we observed an increase in citation density, with more diverse citation forms and functions, as well as an expanding usage of reporting verbs and structures. Our results shed light on the developmental trajectory of citation practices and the persistent challenges for novice academic writers. Implications for English for Academic Purposes pedagogy are discussed.

The Impact of Online Learning on Undergraduate English Students’ Achievement

The Impact of Online Learning on Undergraduate English Students’ Achievement

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION AT SECONDARY SCHOOL AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN EMI HIGHER EDUCATION

EMI became an educational policy in Kazakhstan and its benefits are not arguable. Although EMI state is in action challenges emerge on the way. Therefore, continuous research in this field is needed for educated decisions on all levels of education. Considering higher education level interrelated with others, schooling as a previous step might have an impact on it. This article investigates the correlation between the academic performance of undergraduate students in English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) programs and their language of instruction during secondary school. The primary objective is to determine whether studying in English during secondary education confers an advantage to EMI undergraduates. By utilizing administrative data obtained from a selective private EMI university in Kazakhstan (n=6.980) and conducting t-test analyses, the study reveals that students who studied in EMI secondary schools perform better academically in their EMI university studies. The implications of these findings on policy are discussed. Keywords: English-medium instruction, higher education, academic achievement, EMI, trilingual education.

Deaf and hard‐of‐hearing EFL learners' perception of learning English: A narrative inquiry

AbstractThere is limited research on deaf and hard‐of‐hearing (D/HH) learners' learning English as a foreign language. It is even more scant in contexts such as Iran where D/HH learners are least visible and represented. This narrative inquiry aimed to explore Iranian D/HH English as a foreign language (EFL) learners' lived experience in learning English. The data were collected through semi‐structured interviews with 10 undergraduate students of English. The data were thematically analysed, yielding five themes: (1) learning English and its relevance to personal goals and aspirations; (2) perceived language‐related difficulties; (3) awareness of the differences in their language learning experience as D/HH learners; (4) significance of visual communication for D/HH learners of English; and (5) the role and support of technology. These themes provided a multidimensional understanding of these learners' perception of their foreign language learning trajectory. The results of this study have implications for various stakeholders in the context of special needs language education.

Self-regulatory learning strategies involving the use of linguistic landscape: the case of undergraduate multilingual learners

Capitalising on research into self-regulated learning strategies (SRLS), the study reported in the present paper explored the use of SRLS by multilingual learners in the context of the linguistic landscape. We designed the Linguistic Landscape (LL) SRLS Inventory, used it for data collection and validated it. Insights were provided by 100 undergraduate students of English and German and concerned searching for opportunities to learn from LL, paying attention to LL, creating mental linkages with LL, and organising LL-based learning. Statistical analyses revealed that the use of LL SRLS was affected by reading comprehension skills and varied substantially across SR stages.

The Symphony of Writing Strategies: Exploration of Strategies Used in a Collaborative Academic Writing Task

Inspired by Rebecca Oxford's thought-provoking reflections on language learning strategies, and particularly her orchestra metaphor on how the strategies work together, I conducted a study that seeks to understand how non-native writers employ, configure, sequence and combine individual writing strategies when creating a text in the target language. Four dyads of undergraduate students of English were video-recorded while jointly writing an argumentative essay. The transcripts were analyzed using a general inductive approach to uncover writing strategies emerging in the writing process and to explore how individual strategies are coordinated in task completion. The most important finding is that writers do not randomly sequence the strategies, but they orchestrate them to attain the desired goal. Metaphorically, learners combine writing strategies into 'symphonies of strategies', mirroring the way different instruments of an orchestra create music.

Realization of the Complaint Speech Act in Spoken Arabic and English among Saudi Female English Majors at Imam Mohammed Ibn Saud Islamic University

The core goal of this study is to investigate complaint speech act conducted in English and Arabic by Saudi female English majors at Imam Mohammed Ibn Saud Islamic University in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The sample of this study involves 30 undergraduate students of English at level eight. In order to collect data for this study, the subjects are given a controlled elicitation technique named “a Discourse Completion Test (DCT)”. The test comprises two versions; Arabic and English. Each version consists of nine situations denoting the speech act of complaint to which the subjects are required to respond as naturally as they can without spending much time thinking of what to say. After that, the data are analyzed based on the classification system of complaint strategies developed by Olshtain and Weinbach (1987) and DeCapua (1998). Two more new strategies have been added by the present researcher. Moreover, the study compared and contrasted complaint patterns in English and Arabic as expressed by these subjects. These patterns are analyzed using frequencies and percentages of their occurrence as well as the Chi-square test. The results of this study indicate that the social statuses like power, which affect the realization patterns of complaint, seem to be universal. Saudi female English majors tend to change their complaint behavior according to the social variables of the situation. Those subjects tend to be more direct when composing complaints in higher to lower relations and in equal relations and more polite and indirect when a complainee has dominance over a complainer. The results of the presents study revealed that Saudi female English majors should have enhanced awareness of cultural and linguistic discrepancies in order to express the speech act of complaint in English appropriately, making use of complaint strategies that are based on English speaking norms.

Learning English Under the Sounds of Air Raid Sirens: Analysing Undergraduate EFL Students’ Sustainable Learing Practices

Abstract The article presents a mixed-methods study that examines how undergraduate students of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) sustain their practices of learning English during the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war in 2022–2023. In total, 33 undergraduate EFL students (henceforth – participants) took part in the study. In order to gain insight into their sustainable learning practices, the participants were requested to write a short reflective essay titled “My Thoughts on How I Learn English during the War”. The participants were instructed to write their essays in English within a one-week timeframe. Seeking to identify and classify a range of sustainable practices related to the ways the participants learnt English during the Russo-Ukrainian war, their reflective essays were analysed qualitatively and quantitatively. The analysis of the participants’ essays revealed the following learning practices that, according to the participants, helped them to sustain their EFL learning trajectory in the wartime EFL contexts: (i) participation in online EFL courses, (ii) communication with the native speakers of English on social networking sites (e.g., Instagram), and (iii) the combination of EFL learning activities offered at the participants’ university. The findings are discussed in detail further in the article through the lens of sustainable multilingualism development. Specifically, we argue that the development of multilingualism in the time of crises is feasible and sustainable, especially if it is coupled with an EFL learner’s inner psychological factors that are further facilitated by the external support offered by the digital learning environments that are (i) institutionalised and systematic, and (ii) extra-mural and unstructured (in other words, digitally wild).

Undergraduate English Students' Use of Google Translate in Afghanistan

Google translate (GT) is widely used by students around the world. The current study examined English students' use of GT in Afghanistan. A survey questionnaire was used to collect data from 132 randomly selected students from a public university in Afghanistan. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. The findings showed that the participants had positive attitudes towards GT, and they were aware of GT drawbacks. The participants utilized GT for numerous reasons including not feeling confident in their own translation. They used GT for a number of purposes to varying extent. They frequently used GT to look up general and technical words as well as idioms and collocations. They also used it for translation purposes. There were differences between female and male students' attitudes towards GT. The study recommends instructors to adopt GT, particularly those teaching in Afghanistan, in their classes and encourage students' critical use of GT.

Voices from National University of Bangladesh: Students’ perception of the value of linguistics and ELT courses in providing pre-service EFL teacher education

The purpose of this study was to provide an insight into student-cum-supposed teachers’ perceptions about the value of linguistics and ELT courses (LELTC) in imparting pre-service teacher education (PTE) for the undergraduate English students of National University (NU) affiliated colleges in Bangladesh. This is based on the postulation that students’ perception has a critical function in executing the goals and objectives of particular course(s). Through a self-explorative semi-structured questionnaire this study piloted a survey on one hundred five English students studying in their final year of Honours at three higher education colleges purposively selected from a divisional metropolitan city of Bangladesh. Findings revealed varied perceptions in students regarding value of the LELTC. Three separate perceptions of the students participating in the survey could be noticed regarding the value issue: positive, negative and ambivalent. Positive perceptions were perceptible among one-third of students; yet again almost the same quantity of students exhibited negative perceptions. Furthermore, the ambivalent perceptions exposed by a large number of students might designate their lack of awareness and their irresolution about the importance of the said courses in developing student-cum-prospective teachers’ teaching expertise. Lastly, this study offered a few recommendations for exterminating the prevailing wrong perceptions of students about the significance of the discussed courses in cultivating students’ teaching expertise. Thus, this study will deepen our understanding of students’ internal thought processes regarding the value of the LELTC as a part of a typical pre-service teacher education programme, and thus help us remove the challenges of misconceptions about the necessity of the courses from student psyche which can ultimately contribute to the effectiveness of the said courses in the NU context.

Breaking the silence: exploring the challenges of oral participation faced by Chinese undergraduate students in a Sino-US university in China

PurposeThis study aimed to explore the underlying reasons for student silence in EMI classrooms and identify the coping strategies employed by students and teachers.Design/methodology/approachEmploying qualitative case study methods, in-depth semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions were conducted with both teachers and students. Thematic analysis was used for the findings.FindingsThematic analysis of the data revealed four primary reasons for student silence, and several effective coping strategies used by students and teachers to mitigate this challenge.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings provide a comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon of silence among Chinese undergraduate students in English as a medium of instruction classrooms and offer valuable insights to students and teachers to adapt and succeed in these challenging environments.Originality/valueThe originality of this study lies in the fact that this is among the few studies conducted on students from a foreign branch campus of an American university in China that explores the explores the phenomenon of silence of Chinese students in such universities.

English Education Students’ Satisfaction with the Use of Google Meeting and Zoom: Study of Listening Ability

Background: The Covid 19 pandemic has disrupted many systems, from health, business, and education to severely restricted religious services. The current solution is to do online learning or online learning from home. Purpose: This research aims to explore data related to student satisfaction with listening learning media facilities using the Zoom and Google Meet applications used during study-from-home activities. Method: The descriptive quantitative method is used to capture student satisfaction. The population of this study was English undergraduate students in semesters 3, 5, and 7 of IAIN Syekh Nurjati Cirebon, Indonesia. Data was obtained from a questionnaire. There were 30 responses to a survey distributed through the Google Forms application regarding student satisfaction with listening via Zoom and Google Meet learning media Results: The research study results show that most students are satisfied with distance learning via Zoom and google meet, 70% of respondents are satisfied, and 30% are unsatisfied. the majority of students prefer the listening learning model in class compared to listening learning using Zoom and google meet, with a percentage of 73.3%. Conclusion: Distance learning via Zoom and Google Meet is effective and positively impacts lecturer and student communication. Besides that, it encourages them to participate more in listening classes. Urgent distance learning via Zoom and google meet makes English listening courses more engaging. Distance learning via Zoom and Google Meet helps them feel more confident when communicating with classmates and lecturers.

Meaningful Drills and Contextualized Reading Passages to Understand Relative Clauses

The current study tries to test the assumption that the use of meaningful drills and contextualized reading comprehension passages lead to better understanding of relative clauses. The study is based on the idea that meaning and contexts are necessary for learning to take place. It also aims to empirically test the effect of meaningful drills proposed by Christina Paulston on the acquisition of relative clauses. A sample of (30) first year undergraduate students of English took part in this study. The participants were divided equally into experimental and control group. The sample performances were matched based on their scores in the pre and posttest. After doing the pretest the experimental students received a short handout with relative clauses presented in short reading passages to read for themselves. Students of the experimental group had to identify and discover for themselves the occurrences of relative clauses in the reading passages. The reading passages are followed by meaningful drills on relative clauses. Three weeks later, the students in both groups took a posttest on relative clauses. Based on the tests results the authors have concluded that inserting context and meaning leads to better understanding of the grammar pattern being investigated.

INVESTIGATING KURDISH EFL STUDENT’S TRANSLATION OF METAPHORICAL EXPRESSIONS AT THE UNIVERSITY LEVEL

The current study is an extracted paper from an MA thesis that relates to exploring the ability of Kurdish undergraduate students of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) to translate English metaphorical expressions into Kurdish Language and vice versa. Furthermore, it aims to highlight the most frequently applied strategies in translating English and Kurdish metaphorical expressions and the challenges that EFL students encounter in their translations. The study adopts three models: Lakoff and Jonson (1980), Larson (1984), and Farahzad (1992). Based on these models, a test is administered to 143 students to gather the quantitative data. Additionally, a semi-structured interview was conducted with six university lecturers to collect the qualitative data. The results show that the ability of Kurdish EFL students at the Colleges of Basic Education/English Department to translate English and Kurdish metaphorical expressions is very low and minimal. Moreover, the most frequently applied strategies are metaphor to another metaphor with the same meaning and transference of meaning without the metaphorical image for Kurdish and English metaphorical expressions, respectively. It also reveals that the majority of the students have difficulty in translating ontological types of metaphorical expressions, and the inability to find appropriate or near-like equivalents, insufficient Kurdish resources and cultural differences between the source and target languages are challenges that EFL university students face in their translations.

The Mediating Role of Academic Passion in Determining the Relationship Between Academic Self-Regulation and Goal Orientation With Academic Burnout Among English Foreign Language (EFL) Learners.

One of the most significant current discussions in educational psychology is academic passion. This research aimed to investigate the mediating role of academic passion in the relationship between goal orientation and academic self-regulation with students' academic burnout. However, so far, there has been little discussion about these variables together. The statistical population of the present study includes all undergraduate English students of Islamic Azad University, Tabriz, whose strength is equal to 598 people, and the sample size is determined by the convenience sampling method and Cochran's formula (248 participants). Data collection methods in this study include four questionnaires of the academic passion; goal orientation; self-regulatory and academic burnout. The Pearson test results showed that the correlation coefficient of academic burnout with goal orientation, self-regulatory, and academic passion is statistically significant at 0.05%. These variables are inconsistent with academic burnout, and with increase in these variables, academic burnout significantly decreases. The correlation coefficient of goal orientation with self-regulatory variables and academic passion is statistically significant at the level of 0.05%. These variables are consistent with goal orientation, self-regulated learning, and academic passion, and with increase in the aforementioned variables, they significantly rise. Goal-oriented and self-regulated goal orientation can predict academic passion. Academic passion has a direct and significant relationship with academic self-regulation and goal orientation. Finally, the obtained fit indices of the general model have the desired fit with the collected data. The implication is that academic passion plays an important role in creating a positive learning environment that will lead to effective learning and teaching. It may influence student learning. Passion inspires and stimulates, and teaching with passion promotes learning.

L2 learners’ self-regulated learning strategies and self-efficacy for writing achievement: A latent profile analysis

There is an increasing recognition that effective deployment of self-regulated learning (SRL) strategies is essential for the development of second/foreign language learners’ abilities to accomplish learning goals. Within models of SRL, a prerequisite for the active employment of SRL strategies is learners’ self-efficacy, which interacts with strategy use in all phases. In the domain of second language (L2) writing, previous research mainly adopted a variable-centred approach to investigate the relationship between SRL strategy use and self-efficacy whereas person-centred questions have largely been neglected. Performing latent profile analysis (LPA) with undergraduate students of English as a foreign language (EFL), we identified three SRL profiles that differed quantitatively concerning levels of self-efficacy. The efficacious self-regulators with the highest levels of cognitive, metacognitive, and motivational components of SRL reported the highest levels of self-efficacy, followed by the moderate strategists; EFL learners with the lowest levels on the main SRL components reported the lowest writing self-efficacy score. Learners of different profiles differed significantly in a writing performance test with the efficacious self-regulators outperforming the other two profiles. Implications for self-regulated language learning and L2 writing instruction are discussed.

Clustering perceived learning environment as antecedents of willingness to communicate in a second language

This study was designed to explore patterns of student perceptions of second language (L2) classroom environments and the relationships between such perceptions and L2 willingness to communicate (WTC). A sample of 845 first-year undergraduate students of English as a foreign language (EFL) participated in the study and reported their perceptions of the L2 classroom environment and their WTC. Using cluster analysis, this study aggregated students’ perceptions of the classroom environment into four clusters: High support, Rapport, Input, and Low support classes. These four clusters of classes differed significantly in the student perceived support of interpersonal relationships and instructional input. A one-way ANOVA further showed that L2 WTC was positively related to student perceptions of interpersonal relationships and instructional input. More specifically, students’ positive perceptions of interpersonal relationships tended to facilitate WTC in meaning-focused activities, while students’ positive perceptions of instructional input tended to facilitate WTC in form-focused activities. This study finally proposed a model to depict perceived situation cues as antecedents (interpersonal relationship and instructional input) of L2 WTC. Implications for L2 instruction and learning were also discussed.