Fluency In Foreign Language Research Articles

The effect of digital game-based language learning mobile application on the development of complexity, accuracy, and fluency in foreign language monologic oral production among Chinese learners of English as a foreign language

The study reported the effect of a digital game-based language learning (DGBLL) mobile application “Speaking English Fluently – An Automated Scoring Artificial Intelligent Tutoring System on Spoken English” on the complexity, accuracy, and fluency in foreign language (FL) monologic oral production among 31 second year Chinese university learners of English as a foreign language (EFL). The participants’ monologic oral production was measured in the first (week 1) and last week (week 21) of a semester using the same narrative picture description task. The oral production was audio-recorded and transcribed. Both the transcripts and audio-files were analyzed on the complexity, accuracy, and fluency dimensions. The complexity was measured using the number of Mean (M) words per T-unit, the accuracy dimension was measured using the number of repairs and errors per 100 words; and the fluency dimension was measured via speech rate (i.e., number of words per minute), and M length of pauses. Students were required to download the mobile application and followed the monological practice section twice a week for 30 minutes each time. Using paired sample t-tests, we found that even though the participants’ repair rate and speech rate remained unchanged, they produced more complex monologic speech, had significantly fewer errors, and reduced average length of pauses after 20 weeks treatment using the mobile application, demonstrating a positive effect of the DGBLL mobile application on FL learners’ monologic oral production.

Formation of Foreign Language Competence of the Law University Students by Means of Introducing the Innovations in Psycholinguistics

The author believes that under current complicated international environment there has been a great demand in specialists having updated knowledge in their profession, high morality and patriotism. In terms of legal education, the most important tasks it faces now are the formation of professional legal skills and devotion to Motherland. The author shares the results of her pedagogical experience according to which the enhancing of top-notch legal skills has been achieved through the development of critical and analytical thinking and focusing on modelling the interactive legal situations. Those ones have been produced by means of the application of the latest innovations in psycholinguistics such as audio- and videofiles and podcasts. The author proceeds with highlighting the importance of the choice of the criteria of estimation of the pedagogical results. According to the author those most relevant aspects are pursuing of innovative ways to solving acute legal and international problems, taking into account socio-personal component, knowledge of the fast-changing international legal situation as well as fluency in foreign languages. Having in arsenal such tools and applying the above-mentioned integral approach, the country is sure to meet any challenges it is facing nowadays.

Subject-related communicative language competence: Exploring future information technology specialists' learning and teaching

The need for IT professionals with fluency in foreign languages becomes increasingly critical as the Kazakhstani government implements steps to foster IT innovation. However, there are structural, geographical and professional imbalances in the interaction of supply and demand for IT professionals who can speak a foreign language in the modern labour market which is the main problem that is currently hindering the growth of the IT sector in Kazakhstan. The aim of this study was to assess the development of subject communicative language competencies (a) in linguistic or grammatical ability and (b) in discourse ability in first-year students for the proposed author's innovative learning technique in the educational process as well as the appropriate technological and systematic procedures. A mixed-research method was used in this study. The study involved 365 learners in the "Informatics" direction at the International University of Information Technologies in Almaty, Kazakhstan during the school year 2021-2022. According to the findings, the experiment participants did not develop subject-related communicative language competencies. The results show that the degree of capability formation is not satisfactory. 52.8% is the basic level, 41.6% is the production point and only 5.8% is the high level. Positive dynamics shaping learners' subject-related language communication competencies were identified as a result of the implementation of innovative techniques. This paper contributes to the research on teaching IT students in developing countries and highlights the most important factors that contribute to improve the level of subject-related communicative language competencies of IT students.

LEXICAL FLUENCY IN ENGLISH: CHALLENGES FOR ESP STUDENTS

Lexical competence is a vital part of the foreign language fluency. The students who studied English as their second language and continue studying English for Specific Purposes should master not only general, but professionally-oriented vocabulary during their course of study. The paper explores various approaches to learning vocabulary and gives examples of different types of exercises which help students gain lexical competence.

The Formation of English-Language Lexical Competence of Future Specialists of Information Technologies

The article investigates the principle of information technology specialists' competence formation in the conditions of globalization and integration economic processes. In the course of the study, the factors determining the necessity of IT specialists' fluency in foreign languages, in particular in English of professional communication, are identified. Such processes are analyzed on the basis of the theoretical grounding of the researchers on this topic. The relevance of the article is due to the needs of today's globalized society in the context of the development of informatization and digitalization. The study clarifies the essence of English-language lexical competence of future specialists in information technology, identifies the pedagogical conditions, the theoretical rationale, practical development and experimental testing of the methodology for forming English-language lexical competence in future specialists in information technologies within the framework of masters’ degree programmes. The stages of formation of such competence in future IT specialists were determined, a system of tasks for forming English-language lexically competence (ELC) in professionally oriented written communication (POWS) was substantiated and concluded, a linguodidactic model was designed, an algorithm of collective preparation of a written product was proposed. Importantly, the article interprets the results of the experiment in order to verify the effectiveness of the developed method of forming their ELC. The method of analysis, synthesis, research and comparative generalizing method, problem solving method and information and communication method were used for research, a methodical experiment was conducted. On the basis of the obtained data the hypothesis about the effectiveness of the methodology of ELC formation in the POWS of future IT-specialists is confirmed.

Exploring Foreign Language Students’ Perceptions of the Guided Use of Machine Translation (GUMT) Model for Korean Writing

This study examines students’ perceptions of the Guided Use of Machine Translation (GUMT) model and their perceptions of GUMT’s impact on their foreign language (FL) writing. Adapted from O’Neill (2016, 2019b), GUMT model activities were developed and implemented in an upper-elementary Korean as a FL course at a large southwestern U.S. university. At the beginning of the semester, students received an instructional session on how to use machine translation (MT) effectively as the first step of GUMT. The session included 1) the potential strengths and weaknesses of two online Korean MT platforms, Google Translate and Papago; and 2) the combined use of other online resources (e.g., image and news searches) to enhance students’ awareness of pragmatic issues related to MT output. Throughout the semester, students applied the GUMT model to writing assignments and wrote reflections on their GUMT practice. Students also received continuous feedback from instructors on MT use. Analyses of pre- and post-surveys and students’ reflections indicate that the GUMT model played an important role in fostering MT use strategies and improving students’ confidence and self-perceptions of their fluency in FL writing.

What\u2019s so special about born globals, their entrepreneurs or their business model?

There is near unanimity among international business scholars that it takes more time to expand internationally than domestically. Hence, this is why some are puzzled by born globals (BGs), firms that make large foreign sales at birth or shortly afterwards. Explanations given for this “anomaly” are that BGs have exceptional resources—advanced technologies and a high international orientation on the part of their entrepreneurs, and that they rely on cheaper internationalization strategies like the Internet and networks. What is almost completely overlooked is the role of the BG’s business model (BM). We analyze the time it took for a sample of Italian SMEs to reach BG status (25% foreign over total sales) within a three-year time span. Entering both international entrepreneurship (IE) and BM variables, we find that, among the IE variables, a firm’s technological intensity, the number of years their founders studied abroad and their foreign language fluency, as well as their use of domestic networks, are statistically insignificant. Variables measuring a firm’s focus on a niche BM, on the other hand, are statistically significant, along with the international work experience of the founders, with the niche BM explaining a higher level of variance with greater accuracy.

Collocational Competence as a measure of ESL / EFL Competency: A Scoping Review

The purpose of this review is to identify the appropriate strategies or methodologies that can help address those problems related to collocational competence amongst English as a Second Language (ESL) and English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners. The topic of collocational competence needs to be explored given that having collocational competence would advantage language learners to attain second or foreign language fluency. Collocational competence is in fact a reliable indicator of high language proficiency level. Numerous studies that explored collocational competence found that most learners are still facing difficulties in mastering different types of collocations. This problem seems unending despite major advancements in teaching technologies. Therefore, new and exciting ways of learning and teaching collocations that cater to students’ individual needs and that are useful for teachers should be devised. A scoping review protocol was established for this study. A total of 21 articles from 2010 to 2020 were qualitatively synthesised. Of the 21, nine articles on corpus-based methodology, eight articles on traditional methods of teaching collocations and three articles discussing other relevant learning and teaching strategies that focus on solving the problem of lack of collocational competence were isolated and analysed. The findings suggested that implementing an indirect corpus approach in language classrooms may be the most suitable and practical approach that can cater to almost all levels of proficiency whilst consuming a limited amount of resources. The use of corpora in language classrooms is beneficial as it also offers reliable references for learners to explore and for teachers to adopt and teach. Keywords: Scoping Review; ESL; EFL; Collocations; Collocational Competence

Understanding Employment Opportunities and Challenges Facing Lao Graduates from Chinese Universities

The purpose of this study is to explore the employment opportunities and challenges facing Lao graduates who studied abroad in China and returned home after graduation. A qualitative method was employed by utilizing semi-structured interviews with 17 Chinese-educated Lao graduates who now live in Laos. The findings revealed that although returning graduates were sought after in the local labor market, they seemed more employable in certain market segments in which China has been economically involved. Yet possessing a foreign degree alone was not sufficient to attain jobs unless it was complemented with foreign language fluency and employability skills such as communication skills and learning skills. The study also found that returning graduates tended to experience job mismatch and reverse culture shock in the process of their career development. With these findings, universities should sufficiently equip students with skills that can be effectively applied in different labor markets and contexts.

Some Considerations on Russian Patronymics

These notes were inspired by a recent article by Boris Norman and Natalja Rajnochová on the role of patronymics in the Russian naming tradition and culture (Voprosy onomastiki, 2020, Vol. 17, Iss. 2). Without disputing its provisions in any way, the author attempts to take a closer look into the present tendency to omit patronymics or even abhor their use. Recognizing this as a growing trend in the Russian culture, the author reflects upon its causes, foremost of which is the general aversion for all the formal manifestations of the Soviet system. Since the use of patronymics (in the official formula) became mandatory exactly after 1917, it is commonly perceived as a Soviet relic. The second reason is the adoption of Western naming practices not requiring the use of a father’s name — due to Russia’s greater involvement in the international communication, extensive overseas travelling, and fluency in foreign languages, primarily English. The issue of the required use of patronymic in official documents is particularly acute when children from mixed families obtain Russian citizenship. Other factors for doing away with patronymics include Russian media language, as in most news programs and talk shows it is carefully avoided, and the increase in the number of single-parent families (no father) where the need to register a patronymic entails complex formal and ethical problems. Yet, however pertinent these problems are in the modern society, the author considers them relatively marginal and argues the relevance of patronymics for modern Russian culture and the naming practice. The author supports this view by giving evidence from Internet forums, as well as the author’s personal experience.

Lexical Bundles across levels of Proficiency in Portuguese as a Second Language

Formulaic sequences are known for being measures of foreign language fluency for learners. Research in language processing suggests that native speakers as well as learners process these sequences as a single word (ELLIS, 1996). Nevertheless, little is known about the use of formulaic sequences in Portuguese and, even fewer studies have examined the use of formulaic sequences in learners of Portuguese. Therefore, in this study, we sought to investigate the textual function of lexical bundles extracted from a corpus of learners of Portuguese as a Second Language (PSL). Lexical bundles are sequences of three or more words that occur with larger than expected frequency in a specific corpus. In this study, we used corpus linguistics tools to extract lexical bundles that occur frequently at two levels of proficiency – beginner and intermediate – in Portuguese. These bundles were, then, classified according to their textual function. Results indicate that beginner level students use more bundles associated with concrete references, while intermediate learners use more bundles associated with textual organization and stance. This study contributes to the description of Portuguese acquisition at these two levels of proficiency. In addition, the results can foster classroom activities where the PSL teachers introduce new functions of lexical bundles to students. Finally, we hope that this study motivates more research describing the language used at different stages of Portuguese acquisition.

The Impact of Personality and Competence of Leaders on Business Success

Purpose: This article aims to identify leaders’ personality and competence traits that determine success for Polish small and medium-sized enterprises. Design/Methodology/Approach: Empirical data are selected from an experimental survey conducted by the Statistics Poland from December 2017 to January 2018 as part of the Determinants of Entrepreneurship Developments in the SMEs Sector project. We used 20959 surveys of enterprises in which the leader (an owner or a manager) played a dominant role. To test the dependence of measures of success (selected aspects of changes in enterprises) and assessments of the importance of personality and competence features of leaders, we built appropriate contingency tables and used the Pearson chi-square independence test. We also applied logistic regression and calculated the appropriate odds ratios. Findings: When estimating logistic parameters, we obtained a model with five statistically significant variables: beliefs about the possibility of achieving set goals; high aspirations and constant search for new challenges; passion and commitment; fluency in foreign languages; and knowledge of the company’s market. Practical implications: The results of this research suggest for enterprises a need for pro-development activities in the field of managerial competencies.

Effects of focus on form on primary CLIL students’ foreign language performance in task-based oral interaction

Abstract In content and language integrated learning (CLIL) programmes, attention to language can be easily overlooked behind the assumption that language learning will take place incidentally. This study aimed at analysing the effects of a balanced integration of content and language on fifth graders’ foreign language (FL) oral performance. Two groups of participants had been doing CLIL in the form of an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) subject as of first grade, and yet observations revealed an important lack of focus on form in these lessons. CLIL materials and lessons that provided enough attention to language were designed and implemented for three months only in one of the groups. Students were assessed on their FL fluency and complexity before and after the treatment. Results revealed higher gains in speech rate and number of minimal contributions and a significantly lower L1 reliance in the case of the treatment group.

A multilevel investigation of cultural competence among South Korean clinical nurses.

There is lack of empirical evidence on whether organisational variables affect the cultural competence of nurses. This study aimed to investigate individual and organisational characteristics associated with South Korean clinical nurses' cultural competence. A descriptive cross-sectional research design was used. A convenient sample of 401 clinical nurses from 21 hospitals in South Korea was recruited between November 2015 and February 2016. Multilevel modelling was used to estimate the effects of individual- and organisation-level predictors. Data were analysed using the nlme package in R. Multilevel modelling indicated that professionalism (β=0.02, p<0.001) and foreign language fluency (β=0.25, p=0.012) were significant individual-level predictors. Education on foreign patient care was marginally significant at p=0.069. At the organisational level, nurse-to-patient ratio (β=0.37, p=0.038) and organisational cultural competence (β=0.02, p<0.001) were significant predictors. In addition, hospital ownership and work environment were marginally significant at p=0.054 and p=0.050, respectively. Furthermore, there was a significant cross-level interaction between professionalism and hospital ownership (β=0.03, p=0.003). To provide culturally competent care, nurse leaders should recognise the importance of organisational-level factors, such as nurse staffing and organisational cultural competence, and create an environment that is inclusive of diverse patients, as well as promote professionalism among individual nurses.

SELECTION OF TERMINOLOGICAL UNITS FOR TEACHING LOGOPEDICS BILINGUAL GLOSSARIES (ENGLISH-BULGARIAN)

The speech of the language pathologist may serve as a linguistic model in terms of application of language norms, unambiguous use of lexis and register for the achievement of effective professional communication. The aim of the present survey was to integrate the lexical and the corpus-based approach and to compile a collection of terminological units for the purposes of teaching English as a specialized language in the domain of Logopedics.The ESP syllabus brings together a broad range of subjects such as linguistics, phonetics, and medical sciences anatomy and physiology, psychology, neurology, and speech and language pathology. To introduce the core vocabulary and the main issues in several fields and to compensate for the lack of bilingual reference materials available to students in Logopedics, the creation of a bilingual glossary is naturally justified.On the one hand are the key components of speech production such as phonation; resonance; fluency; intonation, voice, and the components of language (phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics). On the other hand, the focus on doctor-patient communication, history taking, voice, mechanics of breathing, syndromes of communicative disorders, should be introduced in accordance with the academic style conventions. For the achievement of such complex the teaching and learning goals a series of ESP language practice materials were developed, incorporating the listening, reading and speaking skills. Terminological units were extracted from authentic publications, grouped thematically in bilingual glossaries and published as an educational resource on the university platform. Key lexical items were incorporated into learning tasks and specially designed exercises for practicing pronunciation, vocabulary, and extensive oral practice through audio visuals, discussions, simulation and role-play activities, students’ Power point presentations by topics and other communication-based activities that transform the classroom into an interactive place. Further to the development of foreign language fluency, the researcher/lecturer believes that writing summaries and translating short professional texts should be part of the language seminars for logopedics.The bilingual glossaries provide clear and concise definitions, sample sentences that illustrate usage, and translation equivalents in Bulgarian, while the language practice resources reinforce the relevant terms in the field.

Coming out of conflict: How migrant entrepreneurs utilise human and social capital

This paper examines how human and social capital influences the entrepreneurial activity of migrant entrepreneurs, with special reference to forced migrants due to conflict. The study uses Riinvest Migrant’s Survey data collected at the end of 2008 and beginning of 2009 to estimate the probability of entrepreneurial activity among Kosovan migrants. The findings demonstrate that host networking (foreign spouse and foreign language fluency) exerts a positive effect on entrepreneurial activity of migrants, while co-ethnic networking is found not to be important. We show that migration experience has a positive impact on the probability of entrepreneurship. Exposure to host country (both measured as years in migration and age) increases probability to start a business. Educational qualifications in the country of origin before migration do not have any influence on entrepreneurship, while specific business training in the country of residence has a positive impact. Contributions to scholarship on migrant entrepreneurship and policy approaches to mobilise them are discussed.

Globalization, transnational human capital, and employment in the European Union

The literature claims that the returns to transnational human capital (THC) are considerable and extend beyond firms that use it. This article critically appraises this claim and for the first time compares the employment returns to three types of THC: fluency in foreign languages, study abroad, and friendship ties abroad. The Eurobarometer 73.3 reveals that fluency in English alone is related to employment status, a relationship that based on the statistical evidence presented here may actually be spurious. The findings reflect that demand for THC is less strong and THC has less signaling and symbolic value than the literature assumes.

The role of foreign languages in hospitality management

&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;The paper addresses the subject of foreign languages in hospitality management under the scope of their significance for the Greek hospitality industry and their role in the hospitality management education. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Multilingualism offers a competitive advantage to both companies operating in the global hospitality market as well as people who pursue a career in it. The data presented herewith derives from a quantitative research that targeted managers of luxury hotels operating in Greece and hospitality management students. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;The key findings indicate a contradiction between theoretical acknowledgement of the importance of foreign languages in hospitality management and its practical promotion, particularly in regard to fluency in foreign languages, in service training initiatives and level of offered training courses. The paper aims to bridge the gap by showcasing up to date studies and presenting the special features of the Greek reality to promote further investigation of the field and to encourage specific action. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="Abstract"&gt; &lt;/p&gt;

간호 대학생의 다문화에 대한 지식과 결혼이민 여성에 대한 태도

본 연구는 미래 결혼이민 여성의 간호를 담당할 간호 대학생들의 다문화에 대한 지식과 결혼이민 여성을 어떻게 생각하는지 그들의 태도를 확인하고, 다문화에 대한 지식과 결혼이민 여성에 대한 태도의 상관성을 파악하기 위해 연구를 실시하였다. 연구 대상자는 병원에 임상실습을 한 간호 대학생을 대상으로 하였으며 전라남도, 경기도, 서울특별시에 소재한 간호대학에 재학 중인 3, 4학년 220명을 대상으로 설문조사 방식으로 조사하였다. 결과적으로 간호 대학생의 다문화에 대한 지식은 13점 만점에 8.10점(<TEX>${\pm}2.01$</TEX>)으로 이를 100점으로 환산하면 62.4점 높게 나타났으며, 결혼이민 여성에 대한 태도는 전체 문항 평균이 5점 만점에 2.45점(<TEX>${\pm}0.46$</TEX>)으로 나타났으며, 하부영역별로 편견이 가장 낮았으며, 관심도, 신뢰도, 영향력, 배타감의 순으로 나타났다. 다문화에 대한 지식은 연령이 유의한 인자로 나타났으며 결혼이민 여성에 대한 태도는 연령, 거주 지역, 해외여행 경험 유무와 해외 체류경험 정도가 유의한 인자로 나타났다. 다문화에 대한 지식과 결혼이민 여성에 대한 태도는 정의 상관관계로 나타났으며 하부영역별로 신뢰성, 관심도, 수용, 영향력은 정적 상관관계, 배타감은 부적 상관관계로 나타났다. 간호 대학생의 결혼이민 여성에 대한 태도를 향상시키기 위해서는 외국어 능력을 함양하고 지속적으로 다문화를 경험할 수 있는 다문화 교육 프로그램 개발에 대한 안을 제언함으로써 실질적이며 효과적인 교육내용을 개발하는 것이 필요하다. 하지만 본 연구 결과만으로 연구 결과를 일반화 하는데 한계가 있으므로 연구대상 및 지역을 확대한 반복 연구 진행을 제언한다. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to identify the correlation coefficient of knowledge about multicultural, and attitude toward migrant wives by nursing Students. Methods: Research participants of this study were 212 students attending nursing university in Seoul, Gyeonggi-do, Jeollanam-do. A self-report instrument was used to measure knowledge about multicultural and attitudes toward migrant wives. Descriptive statistics, t-test, Mann-Whitney test, ANOVA and Pearson's correlation analysis with SPSS/Win 20.0 were used. Results: The mean knowledge about multicultural was 8.10 out of 13 and the mean attitudes toward migrant wives was 2.45 out of 5. Factors affecting knowledge about multicultural were age. Factors affecting attitudes toward migrant wives were age, residential district, experience of overseas trip, experience of living abroad and foreign language fluency. There was a positive correlation between knowledge about multicultural and attitudes toward migrant wives. Conclusion: Developing knowledge about multicultural and positive attitudes toward migrant wives is necessary in nursing school curricula. Therefore, nursing educator should make actual and effective education program.

간호대학생의 문화적 역량과 문화간호역량 교육요구 분석

Purpose This study evaluates the level of cultural competence (CC) and educational needs for cultural competence in nursing (CCN) in undergraduate nursing students. Method A self-report instrument was used to measure CC and educational needs for CCN. Questionnaires were completed by 330 nursing students in three nursing colleges. Descriptive statistics, a t-test, an ANOVA, Pearson correlation analyses, and multiple regression were used to analyze the data. Result The mean CC score was 2.99 and the mean CCN educational needs score was 7.1. CC positively correlated with educational needs for CCN. The regression model explained 36% of the variance in CC. Factors affecting CC were school grades, multicultural education experience, frequency of meeting foreigners, length of encounters with foreigners, foreign-language fluency, and degree of interest in multicultural nursing. Conclusion To strengthen the CC of students, nursing educators should develop an educational program for CCN and incorporate CCN into nursing school curricula. Keywords: Cultural competence, Education, Needs assessment, Nursing student 주요어: ë¬¸í™”ì  역량, 교육, 요구 ì‚¬ì •, 간호대학생