ESL Students Research Articles

Quick write and 3-2-1 strategies in summary writing: ESL students’ practices, perceptions, and attitude

ESL students’ limited knowledge and probably, unawareness of suitable strategies for summary writing have translated into mostly strategic problems. Quick write and 3-2-1 are strategies that foster analytical minds in reading and writing. This paper examined students’ attitudes, performance, and knowledge retention in summary writing. A pretest-posttest-control group quasi-experimental design was employed in the study with two treatments. The sample consisted of 110 senior secondary school II students. Three instruments, a questionnaire, a semi-structured interview, and a summary writing performance test were used for the study. The research findings showed significant improvement in students’ performance and knowledge retention in summary writing. However, findings revealed that there is no significant main effect of treatment on students’ attitudes to summary writing. This study concludes that quick writing and 3-2-1 strategies are effective in enhancing students’ performance and knowledge retention in summary. Keywords: Attitude; perceptions; performance; quick write; retention; summary writing; 3-2-1

Enhancing Speaking Skills through Storytelling: Perspectives of ESL Teachers from Northern Sindh

This qualitative study investigates the effectiveness of using storytelling as an educational strategy to improve spoken English abilities among secondary ESL students. The research, which was conducted in a Government High School in Sukkur, Sindh, Pakistan, used semi-structured interviews with seven ESL teachers to gather ideas directly from practitioners. The findings indicate that storytelling has a favorable impact on students. Through the storytelling approach students’ engagement increases, and they improve their vocabulary and fluency in the English language. Furthermore, students gain speaking confidence and better pronunciation. Limited resources, access to storytelling resources, and difficulty managing overcrowded classes were the most identified challenges by the teachers. The study's recommendations include resource distribution, class size control, and teacher professional development. The study adds significantly to literature by emphasizing the practical benefits of storytelling in ESL instruction, delivering context-specific insights, and making targeted recommendations for creating a successful learning environment.

Corpus-Based Teaching of Specific and Academic Vocabulary for ESL Students

The current paper presents the results of applying the corpus-based approach to teaching academic vocabulary as well as the vocabulary of English for specific purposes for ESL students. The approach relies on the bedrock principle of data-driven learning – referring to the language directly, refraining from mediated resources (coursebooks, dictionaries, and teachers), thus increasing language awareness by building a glossary tailored to students’ academic needs. The glossary encompasses not only lexico-grammatical meanings of the word but their functioning as well. The empirical data of the research proves that using corpora enhances conversational, reading, or writing skills.

Using Instructional Reading Strategies to Prepare ESL Students for Academic Life

Using Instructional Reading Strategies to Prepare ESL Students for Academic Life

Investigating the Perceptions and Attitudes of ESL Learners Towards theUse of Immersive Reader Technology in Enhancing Reading Comprehension at the Secondary School Level

Introduction: This article delves into the utilization of Immersive Reader Technology (IRT) as a tool to enhance reading comprehension among ESL students in secondary schools. It examines students' perceptions and attitudes towards IRT and its significance in educational achievement and language learning. Methodology: The study employs various educational theories, including the Technological Acceptance Model, to analyze the effectiveness of IRT features such as text-to-speech and translation. A quantitative approach was undertaken, involving 20 male students from Ajmal Bagh Secondary School, Sadiqabad. Data collection utilized a questionnaire focused on TAM's constructs to gauge students' perceptions and attitudes towards IRT. Result/Findings: Findings reveal a positive perception and attitude towards IRT among the participants. They highlight its ease of use, effectiveness in enhancing reading comprehension, and overall benefits in vocabulary acquisition. The study concludes that IRT significantly improves the reading experience, promoting enjoyment and confidence among ESL learners, particularly in secondary schools. Implication/Future Direction: The study suggests several recommendations for further enhancing the effectiveness of IRT. These include interface improvements, feature expansion, increased customization options, and ongoing feedback and research. By addressing these areas, IRT can continue to serve as a valuable tool in improving reading comprehension among ESL students, contributing to their academic success and language development.

Personalized Learning in English Flipped Classrooms: Exploring ESL Learners’ Decision-Making Styles in Academic Reading

This concept paper attempts to explore how Personalized Learning opportunities within a Flipped Classroom model can be enhanced by understanding the decision-making styles of English as a Second Language students during academic reading activities. Flipped classrooms – where initial content exposure occurs outside of class via recorded lectures and readings have potential to facilitate more tailored, self-paced instruction. However, limited research has examined students’ use of decision-making skills in reading academic materials during asynchronous learning, especially in developing English literacy skills essential for academic success. Utilizing a qualitative case study approach, this study attempts to investigate how ESL undergraduate students who are advanced English readers, make decisions while engaging with reading materials during asynchronous learning for flipped classrooms, including factors influencing choices of texts and materials, and their decision-making styles as proposed by Janis & Mann (1977). Triangulated data from semi-structured interviews and class observation in this study could provide rich insights into ESL students’ in-class engagement and decision-making priorities. Exploring connections between ESL learners’ approaches to self-regulated learning through decision-making skills in academic reading and how they experience flipped classroom instructions have practical implications for designing pre-work class that cultivates autonomy and stronger personalized outcomes. The study provides opportunities to derive key design principles and guidelines for flipped English classroom materials in a way that responds sensitively and systematically to the unique decision-making needs of ESL learners in higher education contexts.

IMPLICATIONS FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS OF APPRAISING COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS IN LITERATURE TEACHING

This study looks at how Filipino ESL students behave when discussing Philippine literature in English. The study assesses how well instruction complies with the needs of ESL students and validates their knowledge and skills through their in-class behavior. The literary questions and specifications checklist was examined using functional behavioral analysis (FBA). This emphasized how crucial it is to outline the course material and instructional goals to ensure students' knowledge, behavior, and skills are properly measured. The study's findings demonstrated how well students understood complex concepts and how well they could respond to lengthy reinforcements that were in line with course requirements for Philippine literature. The study evaluated the efficacy of comprehension inquiries, writing strategies, and prompts as indicators of students' knowledge and abilities. Further investigation into teachers' and students' satisfaction with classroom progress was conducted in the research. Overall, this study offers important insights into how Filipino ESL students interact with Englishlanguage works by Filipino authors and how their knowledge and skills can be properly assessed and validated.

Exploring the Preferred Application of Oral Corrective Feedback in ESL Classroom Settings

In a language classroom, learners are constantly working towards achieving native-like proficiency thus making them vulnerable to errors. Educators play a crucial role as feedback providers, employing various strategies to enhance learning outcomes especially when language errors are noticed or being made. Corrective feedback, in particular, stands out as an impactful strategy in providing learners feedback in ESL learning. There are six distinct types of Oral Corrective Feedback: Explicit Correction, Recast, Clarification Request, Metalinguistic Clues, Elicitation and Repetition. This research utilised a purposive sampling method tested on 340 ESL students from a local public university. It was found out that Explicit Correction has the highest mean compared to other Oral Corrective Feedback types. Therefore, based on this research, it can be concluded that Explicit Correction is the most preferred form of feedback within the ESL classroom settings. This discovery emphasizes the importance of utilising specific feedback approaches to enhance language learning experiences.

Mathematics Through a Linguistic Lens: The impact of English Language Proficiency in Solving Mathematical Word Problems Among Secondary ESL Students

Mathematics Through a Linguistic Lens: The impact of English Language Proficiency in Solving Mathematical Word Problems Among Secondary ESL Students

Exploring Malaysian ESL Students’ Unguided Written Reflections of an Online Poetry Engagement Activity

Self-reflection has become a popular practice in teaching and learning as it provides a space for self-assessment with numerous benefits to both learners and educators. As part of their Creative Writing course requirement, a group of Malaysian ESL students participated in an online poetry engagement activity. While a traditional instructor observation method was employed for grading students’ performances, little is known about the utilisation and integration of professional and positive attitudes toward this task from students’ perspectives. The purpose of this case study was to utilise unguided written reflections to shed light on matters of concern and importance from the students’ perspective and describe experiences related to the tasks’ intended learning outcomes. Purposive sampling was used to recruit study participants who met the sampling criteria. This approach can enhance the depth and richness of the data collected, as it ensures that the gathered are particularly relevant to the research questions. They were invited to write and submit an unguided self-reflection of the online poetry engagement activity. Inductive thematic analysis was then used to organise and elicit meaning from the collected data. Results indicate that the unguided reflections emulated academic writing convention with introductory statements at the beginning, descriptions and explanations of experiences as the body of writing, and ended with gratifications. The findings also indicated the participants’ achievements of the ethics and professional learning outcome. The findings suggest the inclusion of reflective writing for course tutors and programme administrators to improve assessment quality and reliability, especially for learning outcomes that focus on applying and developing generic skills.

Grammatical Ability Assessment Software for ESL Students with Limited English Proficiency

Grammatical Ability Assessment Software for ESL Students with Limited English Proficiency

Effectiveness Of Card Games in English Vocabulary Learning Among Chinese Public Primary School ESL Students

Effectiveness Of Card Games in English Vocabulary Learning Among Chinese Public Primary School ESL Students

Unraveling Challenges: Factors Influencing English Translation Competence in Higher Education ESL Students

This study investigates the intricate challenges faced by undergraduate students in English translation through the analysis of text samples from a cohort of 40 participants. By identifying and elaborating on key themes such as linguistic complexity, grammatical inconsistencies, cultural nuances, lexical choices, syntax issues, and terminology discrepancies, the research provides a comprehensive exploration of the difficulties encountered in the translation process. Drawing on specific examples, the study not only corroborates existing research findings but also contributes new insights into the nuanced nature of these challenges. The implications for educators and institutions are discussed, emphasizing the pressing need for targeted interventions. These interventions encompass language development programs, cultural sensitivity training, and the integration of technology to enhance students' translation competence. The study extends beyond mere identification of challenges by offering practical recommendations to improve the quality of English translation education at the undergraduate level. The findings serve as a valuable resource for educators, curriculum designers, and policymakers seeking to refine pedagogical approaches and provide more effective support structures for students navigating the complexities of English translation.

Empowering ESL Students: Leveraging Social Media Blogs for Effective Opinion Writing Skills Development

This study aims to investigate the impact of integrating social media blogs into ESL education, with a specific focus on enhancing opinion writing skills and overall language proficiency. The research was conducted among two teachers and six students enrolled in the BS English programme at the Institute of Southern Punjab, Multan. A qualitative method was employed, utilizing in-depth interviews with the teachers and students, cross case analysis, and classroom observations to gather rich insights into the phenomenon. The study revealed positive perceptions from both teachers and students regarding the effectiveness of integrating social media blogs. Teachers reported a significant positive impact on opinion writing skills, and students emphasized improvements not only in opinion writing but also in overall language skills. Cross case analysis supported these perceptions, showcasing consistent patterns of success across diverse contexts. Classroom observations further validated these findings, highlighting active student participation and dynamic teacher student engagements during opinion writing sessions using social media blogs. Regarding language exposure, social media blogs were identified as a valuable tool for providing authentic language experiences. The interactive nature of these platforms immersed learners in genuine communicative situations, exposing them to diverse writing styles and cultural nuances. Innovative teaching strategies derived from the interactive nature of social media blogs included online debates, multimedia integration, and collaborative writing environments. The study holds implications for ESL educators, curriculum developers, and policymakers. Integrating social media blogs into ESL curricula is suggested as a strategic move to enhance opinion writing skills and overall language proficiency. The identified innovative teaching strategies offer practical insights for educators seeking to leverage the interactive features of social media blogs. This study contributes valuable insights into the dynamic intersection of social media, opinion writing skills, and language proficiency within the context of ESL education, offering a foundation for further research and informed pedagogical practices.

Analysis of Morphological Errors in English Written Texts by ESL Learners

Pakistan has long studied English, thus it's critical to identify some typical mistakes made by ESL students so that they can develop more effective English language learning techniques. This study examines the morphological and syntactic mistakes made by ESL students when writing in English. The study aims to identify the different kinds of morphological errors that students make in their writing and to shed light on the causes of these errors. The current study determines morphological defects using both quantitative and qualitative methods. The children from Iqra Hoti School Mardan were chosen by the researcher. Dulay, Burt, and Krashen's (1983) theory was used to analyze the errors. The study's findings demonstrated that omission, addition, misformation, and misordering errors are common among students learning English as a second language.

The Effects of Graphic Organiser-based Reading Instruction on Reading Comprehension among Malaysian ESL Learners

This study investigated the impact of two graphic organizer (GO) instruction methods on reading comprehension in Malaysian ESL learners. The experiment involved180 Malaysian ESL students from three international schools, with one group received GO 1 instruction, another group received GO 2 instruction, and a control group received traditional instruction (NGO). Three instruments were used: a reading ability test, five practice sessions with five expository passages, and a reading comprehension test. The results of the 2-way ANOVA analysis indicated a significant interaction between GOinstruction, reading ability, and reading comprehension performance. The study found that GO instructions, specifically the concept mapping(GO 1)and KWL strategies(GO 2), were effective in enhancing reading comprehension, particularly among good readers. The KWL strategy also demonstrated benefits for improving reading comprehension,promoting active participation and critical thinking compared to the concept mapping group.This research contributes to the advancement of knowledge in ESL education by comparing the effects of the Concept Mapping strategy and the KWL strategy on reading comprehension among Malaysian ESL learners, thereby enriching the existing understanding of instructional methodologies in the field. Additionally, it diversifies generative learning strategies research by focusing on specific strategies, namely Concept Mapping and KWL, in a comparative analysis against the traditional NGO method, providing valuable insights for ESL educators to make informed decisions about instructional approaches. The study's findings have important pedagogical implications for ESL instruction.

Harnessing educational psychology to enhance ESL students’ LSRW proficiency through literature: A quantitative study

The present study aimed to ascertain the challenges encountered by English language learners in the domains of writing, reading, speaking, and listening. Through the utilization of the pre-test, students have the opportunity to engage in sentence construction as well as enhance their reading and listening skills by engaging with assigned literary materials. Additionally, they may refine their ability to effectively communicate in English with their classmates. The researcher disseminated the self-generated post-test questions. The investigation employed a quantitative methodology. This survey was done using a sample of 40 undergraduate students who are currently studying English as a second language and are affiliated with the Viscom and Catering programs. The study adopts educational psychology for teaching, testing, and assessing. The results suggest that English speaking is the most challenging of the three skills. Students are demonstrating significant improvement in their writing, reading, and listening skills when comparing their pre-test and post-test results. The speaking proficiency of the ESL students did not show substantial improvement as a result of insufficient opportunities for practice. In addition, instructors are recommended to employ a diverse range of effective teaching practices to enhance students’ proficiency in the four language skill domains.

Harnessing educational psychology to enhance ESL students’ LSRW proficiency through literature: A quantitative study

The present study aimed to ascertain the challenges encountered by English language learners in the domains of writing, reading, speaking, and listening. Through the utilization of the pre-test, students have the opportunity to engage in sentence construction, as well as enhance their reading and listening skills by engaging with assigned literary materials. Additionally, they may refine their ability to effectively communicate in English with their classmates. The researcher disseminated the self-generated post-test questions. The investigation employed a quantitative methodology. This survey was done using a sample of 40 undergraduate students who are currently studying English as a second language and are affiliated with the Viscom and Catering programs. The study adopts educational psychology for teaching, testing, and assessing. The results suggest that English speaking is the most challenging among the three skills. Students are demonstrating significant improvement in their writing, reading, and listening skills when comparing their pre-test and post-test results. The speaking proficiency of the ESL students did not show substantial improvement as a result of insufficient opportunities for practice. In addition, instructors are recommended to employ a diverse range of effective teaching practices to enhance students’ proficiency in the four language skill domains.

TRANSLANGUAGING IN LANGUAGE ARTS: A PEDAGOGY FOR THE FIFTH SKILL

This paper reviews literature on the teaching of literature under the module of Language Arts in Malaysian schools. The interplay of literature teaching in the primary SBELC module and the development of Translation in Language Teaching (TILT) should be part and parcel of teaching awareness in ESL/bilingual classrooms today. Research indicates that teachers do not possess adequate knowledge on appropriate literature teaching approach to enable them to teach literature to ESL students. Among the arising problems, among others, are improper training, failure to change their old approaches, apart from students’ language proficiency and lack of interest. As a result, they ended up teaching literature at the lower order thinking skill (LOTS). To fulfil the syllabus requirement, teachers resorted to comprehension and reading activities. The teaching of literary elements such as plot, character and themes seems minimal. No writing or speaking tasks involving students’ personal responses took place during the lessons. As a result, students failed to understand and appreciate literature lessons. This concept paper, thus, attempts to integrate the framework of Translanguaging Pedagogy into the teaching of literature in primary schools. Based on the Translanguaging Pedagogy framework (Garcia et al., 2015), a module of three cycles is proposed to enable teachers to teach Language Arts to primary ESL/bilingual students, from their own language repertoires and cultural identity. This module should be incorporated into teacher training programme. By doing so, the areas of literature teaching in ESL context and translation in language teaching (TILT) will be meaningful in helping students to understand and appreciate literature from their own linguistic repertoire and identity.

‘Righting’ the wrong: Text revision in ESL students’ composing processes in senior high schools in Greater Accra, Ghana

Revision is a fundamental strategy in second language learners’ text composition primarily because it guarantees congruence between these learners’ translated texts and their writing intentions as they effortfully compose in a nonnative language. As such, as part of a larger study, the current research explores the revision behaviours of learners in English composition in senior high schools in Greater Accra, Ghana. Twenty-four students were purposively sampled to write a timed argumentative essay under think-aloud conditions. The data were analysed using Conijn et al.'s (2021) tagset of revision as an analytical framework. The findings show unique and general characteristics of the trigger, spatial location, sequence, orientation, evaluation, action and linguistic domains of the students’ revision behaviours. Also, the findings reveal significant weaknesses in the revision behaviours of the participants and offer insights into aspects of their overall composing competence. From the findings, English language teachers in Ghana are encouraged to adopt revision-strategy instruction and also develop the cognitive and metacognitive skills of their students.