English As Foreign Language Learners Research Articles

Assessing Saudi EFL Learners’ Metacognitive Awareness of Reading Strategies: A Cross-Sectional Study

With extant studies producing inconclusive findings regarding English as foreign language (EFL) readers’ metacognitive strategies, researchers are yet to investigate the perceived metacognitive awareness and use of reading strategies among tertiary EFL learners with varying proficiency levels, an area that has not fully received attention in the Saudi context. Hence, this study investigated differences in the metacognitive reading strategies that Saudi students learning English as a foreign language used when reading English texts to determine whether metacognitive awareness varied across proficiency levels (low, intermediate, and high). The study adapted and administered the Survey of Reading Strategies questionnaire to 260 Saudi English majors and analyzed the data using independent-samples ANOVA across the three proficiency groups, and found how participants varied in their perceived use of reading strategies across global, problem-solving, and support strategy categories. Overall, EFL learners with high-proficiency reported global and problem-solving strategies more often than intermediate- and low-proficient groups did, while low-proficiency group reported using support strategies more often than high- and intermediate-proficiency groups did. The study results also revealed how problem-solving strategies were most frequently reported by study participants, followed by support and global strategies. Subsequently, two major pedagogical implications are discussed: the need for Saudi EFL readers to be exposed to diverse reading strategies to help facilitate their reading comprehension of English texts, as well to reading-strategy instruction, which should emphasize global, problem-solving, and support strategies for Saudi EFL learners with varying reading abilities across different reading tasks.

Responses and preferences of rural Islamic university EFL learners for written corrective feedback

The primary objective of this current investigation was to provide a detailed account of the experiences of English as Foreign Language (EFL) learners in their response to Written Corrective Feedback (WCF). Additionally, the study aimed to explore the preferences of these learners regarding the utilization of WCF in their thesis writing within the context of a rural Islamic higher education institution. The participants of this study consisted of twenty-two senior EFL learners who were in the process of writing their theses as their final projects. To gather the necessary data, semi-structured interviews were extensively utilized. The findings of this study revealed that EFL learners employed various strategies when responding to WCF, including a focus on grammatical error correction, an emphasis on overall error correction, the utilization of online grammar checkers, and seeking guidance from their supervisors. Furthermore, the learners' perception of WCF included their preferences, disfavored aspects, advantages, and disadvantages. These results indicate that EFL learners are expected to engage in intensive learning of grammar and writing. Additionally, it is crucial to establish standardized approaches to providing WCF. In conclusion, WCF proves to be a valuable tool for EFL learners in their thesis writing endeavors.

An Analysis of Grammatical Errors in Chinese EFL Learners' Oral English

Compared with reading, writing, listening, Chinese English as Foreign Language (EFL) learners oral English ability is usually far weaker and ignored in classroom language teaching. In terms of oral English teaching and practicing, most of the emphasis is on pronunciation, vocabulary, intonation, while little attention has been given to the grammatical errors in the oral English. The present research focuses on analyzing grammatical errors in Chinese EFL learners oral English. In order to identify the most prevalent grammatical error types and determine the relationship between grammatical errors and oral English proficiency levels, the study collects recordings of subjects discussing a particular topic and transcribing them for error recognition, classification, frequency analysis, and correlation analysis. It is found that Chines EFL learners commit preposition and article errors most frequently; no obvious correlation between error numbers and English-speaking levels is shown, while two error types omission auxiliary be and noun for adjective have significant positive correlation with learners English-speaking scores as indicators of their oral English levels. Based on that, it is concluded that differences between the mother tongue and English, as well as the complexity of some grammatical rules are main causes for errors, and teachers should be aware that students are likely to commit some certain types of errors more as they make progress and try to use more complicated grammatical patterns.

Reading Difficulties Faced by Students in the Implementation of Bilingual Books in the University Level

Reading is part of the productive skill in learning English and it is important like other skills which learners have to master all skill. That skill has many issues for the learners especially to the English Foreign Language (EFL) learners because reading is not easy to learn. The purpose of this mini-research is to investigate various reading difficulties are faced by the students in science classrooms and to find out what strategies they use to overcome reading difficulties. A questionnaire and essay were distributed and for collecting data, a survey questionnaire and an essay were done on thirty students from different departments in the Faculty of Science. The results obtained from the survey questionnaire and essay answer the research questions. The findings show that students face problem-related in reading comprehension. These problems are related to the poor habit of reading and lack of interest in reading by using bilingual books in the classroom. So, the students need more interactive learning activities in the class as their strategies to solve their problems in facing reading difficulties.

Chinese EFL learners’ basic psychological needs satisfaction and foreign language emotions: a person-centered approach

Abstract The importance of emotion in language learning is well recognized, but the significant contribution of basic psychological needs (BPNs) to emotion has been neglected. Moreover, prior studies have mainly used variable-centered approaches to investigate associations between emotions and their antecedents, which has uncovered only part of their relationships. Therefore, this study first set out to reveal the general levels, and gender differences of BPNs satisfaction (autonomy, competence, and relatedness) and foreign language emotions (enjoyment, anxiety, and boredom), and the bivariate correlations between them among 948 Chinese university English foreign language learners. Using a person-centered approach (i.e., latent profile analysis), the present study further investigated the latent profiles of BPNs satisfaction and examined how emotions differ across these profiles. Results revealed middle to high levels of BPNs satisfaction, enjoyment, and anxiety, but a low level of boredom. Males reported higher levels of BPNs satisfaction, enjoyment, and lower anxiety than females. Four profiles of BPNs satisfaction were identified, namely average-satisfaction, below-average satisfaction, low-satisfaction, and high-satisfaction. The majority of students fell into the average-satisfaction profile. Students in the high-satisfaction had the most positive emotional outcomes, while those in the low-satisfaction reported the opposite pattern. Theoretical and pedagogical implications were then provided.

The impact of jigsaw cooperative learning on academic motivation, academic hardiness, and self-efficacy of English Foreign Language learners

This research study investigates the effects of jigsaw cooperative learning (JCL) on academic motivation (AM), academic hardiness (AH), and self-efficacy (SE) of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners. JCL is an educational strategy that emphasizes collaboration, interdependence, and group cooperation. However, limited research has examined the specific impact of JCL on these factors among EFL learners. Thirty-eight learners from each of the two groups—one was the experimental group (EG) and the other was the control group (CG)—were randomly chosen from among the learners who had been chosen in the academic year 2023. Data were collected using three questionnaires on AM, AH, and SE. Before implementing the JCL treatment, both groups completed the questionnaires as a pretest. A post-test was administered after teaching JCL in the EG and using the traditional method in the CG. Descriptive and inferential statistics, including covariance tests, were conducted to analyze the collected data. The outcomes showed that JCL, as a cooperative learning technique, improved students' AM, AH, and SE. A comparison of the pretest and post-test results confirmed the significant and positive influence of JCL on AM, AH, and SE. These results suggest that the application of JCL techniques can facilitate the development of AM, AH, and SE among EFL learners. These findings have implications for EFL instructors and practitioners, as they can utilize JCL strategies to enhance their learners’ AM, AH, and SE in the classroom.

Influence of Narrow Reading and Narrow Reading Plus Morphological Awareness Training on Vocabulary Development

The present study sought to investigate the effects of narrow reading and a combination of narrow reading and morphological awareness training on intermediate Chinese college English learners’ vocabulary acquisition and retention. To these ends, 54 Chinese college English as foreign language learners (EFL) were randomly divided into three groups—a narrow reading group (NR group); a narrow reading plus morphological intervention group (NRMI group), and a control group (CR group). The two experimental groups read the same five thematically-related expository passages over 5 weeks with the NRMI group receiving extra morphological training; while the CR group read five texts on different topics over the same period of time. Linear mixed model analysis results indicated that while two treatment groups performed significantly better than the CR group on both receptive and productive vocabulary tests, the NRMI group improved the most in vocabulary learning.

THE USE OF BINGO GAMES IN EFL VOCABULARY CLASS: A CASE STUDY OF INDONESIA JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

Vocabulary is an important basic skill for learning English, because it contains the basis for the development of all other skills such as reading, speaking, writing, and listening. This study aims to explain the reflections of English foreign language (EFL) learners after using the Bingo game and to explore their perceptions of it is benefits. This research uses qualitative method. The results obtained from questionnaires and interviews. This research was conducted at a private junior high school in Medan, Indonesia. Twenty six college students participated in this study (12 females 14 males). The data from the questionnaire was viewed, and the results showed that most of the students were happy with how the Bingo game helped them learn new vocabulary. It can be seen that, in the second meeting, some students participated more actively than at the first meeting. When they don't know the vocabulary they looked up the dictionary or asked the teacher. In the second meeting, the students showed more confidence when they talked in front of their classmates and all of the students participated actively during the lesson. Bingo games can increase students'' vocabulary achievement and motivation. The results of the study show that bingo games are beneficial in three aspects: improving their learning outcomes, a more enjoyable learning environment, and increasing student learning motivation. The effectiveness of the benefits of bingo games in learning vocabulary has a positive impact on the benefits felt by students.

Strategies of Content Knowledge Representation and EFL Learners‘ English Writing Proficiency: Mediating Role of Critical Thinking Skills

The exploration of optimizing content knowledge representation and enhancing critical thinking capabilities in English as Foreign Language (EFL) learners’ writing still needs to be improved. Cultivating adept critical thinking skills and effective content knowledge representation is paramount for EFL learners, given its correlation with heightened writing proficiency. This study sought to examine critical thinking skills as a mediator in the correlation between strategies of content knowledge representation and writing proficiency among EFL learners. A total of 360 English as foreign language participants engaged in the California Critical Thinking Skills Test and responded to a questionnaire on strategies of content knowledge representation conducted at Kaifeng Science Technology and Communication College, China. Subsequently, participants undertook a writing task, and the outcomes underwent analysis using SPSS 26.0, incorporating descriptive analysis, correlational analysis, and AMOS 24.0 for mediating analysis. The findings unveiled a correlation between critical thinking skills and EFL learners’ writing proficiency, echoing the association observed between content knowledge representation strategies and writing proficiency. Furthermore, critical thinking skills were identified as a mediator, linking content knowledge representation strategies to writing proficiency among EFL learners. The combination of content knowledge representation and critical thinking skills emerged as a positive role in the writing process. This research underscored the paramount significance of critical thinking skills within a specialized discipline, highlighting their transformative potential for EFL learners’ writing competency and accentuating their functions in the broader writing pedagogy.

Cognitive diagnostic assessment of EFL learners' listening barriers through incorrect responses.

English as Foreign Language (EFL) learners' cognitive processes have been a research focus in listening assessment. Most studies use correct responses as data, but undervalue the rich information of the incorrect answers or options (in the case of multiple choice questions, MCQ). However, the MCQ distractors are often intentionally designed to reveal learners' problems or barriers. In order to diagnose the EFL learners' listening barriers through incorrect responses, Cognitive Diagnostic Models (CDMs) for bugs were adopted, hence the name Bug-CDMs. First, five EFL listening barrier attributes were identified and two Bug Q-matrices were developed to comparatively analyze the learner's responses with different Bug-CDMs. The results revealed that Bug-GDINA was the optimal model, and the most prevalent barriers were semantic understanding and vocabulary recognition. These barriers confirmed both compensatory and non-compensatory relationships in causing listening comprehension failures. The study proved the feasibility of Bug-GDINA in diagnosing listening barriers from the incorrect responses. Limitations and suggestions for further research were also proposed.

Blogging for reducing EFL learners’ writing anxiety: An experience of Barishal University, Bangladesh

Research has shown in writing English, Foreign Language (EFL) learners experience a considerable amount of anxiety which negatively influences their achievement and performances in language classrooms. In Bangladesh, learners’ foreign language anxiety is one of the main reasons behind learners’ failure in learning English but research on Bangladeshi learners’ writing specific anxiety is scant. Besides, no study has been done yet to find out the effectiveness of blogging in reducing the writing anxiety of the EFL learners of Bangladesh. So, this study aims to assess the writing anxiety of the undergraduates of the English department of Barishal University, Bangladesh, investigate the sources which trigger anxiety, and explore the effect of blogging in reducing their writing anxiety. This study was completed employing a mix-method research design and data revealed that EFL undergraduates of Barishal University suffered from moderately low to moderately high level of writing anxiety caused mainly for their lack of practice, lack of knowledge regarding different genres of writing, limited vocabulary stock, writing under time constraints, and fear of negative evaluation. Findings also showed that participants of this have a highly positive attitude towards blogging for reducing their writing anxiety in English.

An Analysis of Students’ Difficulties In Listening Comprehension at English Education Department in Faculty of Teacher Training And Education of Universitas Ekasakti

Listening is part of the English language skills component which is quite complex in EFL (English as Foreign Language) learning practices. Difficulties in this skill is experienced by students in the Indonesian context consisting of various ethnicities, languages and cultures. Listening skill would enable people to improve their ability in communication. However, in some cases of EFL classes, college students still find difficulties in learning this skill since it needs more attentions and concentrations in order to comprehend the language materials. This study tries to discover the listening difficulties encountered by English Education Department students of faculty of teacher training and education in Universitas Ekasakti while taking the listening courses. The design of this research was descriptive research with population were the second-year students who have taken the Listening comprehension. They were 17 members . The researcher used total sampling technique to take the sample so all population was sample. The instrument used was listening comprehension test. The results of the study showed that there are four main categories of students’ difficulties in listening, namely: difficulties related to the learning materials (unfamiliar topics, topic that doesn’t exist in students’ cultures, too many unfamiliar words, and the length of the spoken texts); difficulties related to the speakers (unclear pronunciation, varieties of accents, and the speed of speaking); difficulties related to the listeners (inferring the meanings of unknown words, losing concentration, memory, and the length of the questions); and difficulties related to the physical settings (noises around, the online learning media used, and the internet connection).

Language Anxiety Among English Foreign Language Learners

The purpose of this study was to find out how much language anxiety EFL university students have, what causes it, and how they deal with it. This study aims to fill a gap in the literature regarding the causes of language anxiety, the causes, and how people cope with it, as most researchers have not yet combined those three factors into a single study. The current study used a mixed method,a questionnaire and a semi-structured interview were used. FLCAS was used as a questionnaire to collect quantitative data. At the same time, questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were used to select the qualitative method. This study included 40 male and female EFL university students from the Faculty of Business and Social Sciences at one of Jakarta’s private universities. Their ages range from 18 to 25 years. In this study, the questionnaire items revealed two levels of anxiety: 1) low anxiety (62%) and 2) moderate anxiety (38%). Three causes of language anxiety were identified using a combination of questionnaire items and semi-structured interviews: 1) Inadequate confidence in speaking English in class; 2) Fear of making mistakes when speaking English; and 3) Lack of vocabulary/grammar knowledge.
 Keywords: foreign language anxiety, speaking anxiety, FLCAS, level of anxiety, causes of anxiety

Enhancing English Language Skills through a Collaborative Drama Project

We have to admit that drama activities can give a variety of benefits for English foreign language learners of all ages in Indonesia. This article describes how a collaborative drama project could enhance twenty-seven undergraduate students in the sixth semester of the English education study program of a small private college in Cimahi, West Java, Indonesia. Drama, which could be considered a literary exposure for the participants, is one subject being taught as intra-curricular activities for 3 credit hours per semester, where they took the subject for the whole semester. The final assignment for this subject is a collaborative drama project in the English language. The article summarises the benefits of using collaborative drama activities to enhance the participants’ English language skills and offers recommendations for the implementation of similar projects for other language instructors. Further, the challenges of organizing collaborative English language drama projects at the college will be outlined. As the final elucidation of this article, the participants’ experiences during the collaborative drama project were analysed briefly through an interview as feedback on the research. Their self-perceived learning through collaborative drama is also highlighted. Keywords: collaborative drama project, English language learning, undergraduate students

THE USE OF TED TALKS VIDEOS AS LEARNING MATERIALS IN AN INTERMEDIATE LISTENING CLASS IN A PRIVATE UNIVERSITY IN YOGYAKARTA

Listening has a crucial role in developing communication skills in English as Foreign Language (EFL) context. Facilitating EFL listening activities can be conducted by using various resources such as online video providers, interactive websites, and web-based podcasts.TED Talk is one of the online video series that can be used for undergraduate students to develop their listening comprehension in learning EFL. This study aimed to investigate the use of TED Talk videos in developing EFL listening comprehension and the benefits of listening to TED Talk videos. The study was conducted in an Intermediate Listening Class at a Private University in Yogyakarta. The research subjects were 27 students. The researchers collected data by distributing questionnaires and conducting in-depth interviews with the students. Purpose sampling was employed to result in 3 students. Four students with the highest and lowest results were chosen to be examined thoroughly. The result showed that TED Talk videos helped to develop EFL listening comprehension even though not significant. Listening to TED Talk videos can also motivate undergraduate students to learn English, and can enrich the students’ general knowledge.

Impact of a robot and tangible object (R&T) integrated learning system on elementary EFL learners’ English pronunciation and willingness to communicate

Research on how the use of social robots helps improve English as Foreign Language (EFL) young learners’ pronunciation and willingness to communicate (WTC) is understudied. This study developed a robot and tangible objects (R&T) learning system and examined its impact on elementary EFL learner’s English pronunciation and WTC. The R&T system consists of a robot, a tablet, a cellphone, and sets of tangible objects that enable students to physically interact with the system. A total of 29 elementary students were engaged in location-specific tasks with the R&T system 40 min a day for five days. Data were collected through pronunciation tests, willingness to communicate questionnaires, and video recordings of students’ interaction with the R&T system. Paired-samples t test showed students improved in both pronunciation and willingness to communicate after interacting with the R&T system. Video recordings found active engagement in the form of multiple tries and active help-seeking. Finally, a missed learning opportunity captured in the video data provided directions for future refinement in robot and task design.

The effects of background music on English reading comprehension for English foreign language learners: evidence from an eye movement study.

Based on previous literature, the present study examines the effects of background music on English reading comprehension using eye tracking techniques. All the participants, whose first language was Chinese, were selected from a foreign language college and all of them were sophomores who majored in English. The experiment in this study was a 2 (music tempo: fast and slow) × 2 (text difficulty: difficult and easy) × 2 (background music preference: high and low) mixed design. Both musical tempo and English reading passage were within-subjects factors, and the level of music listening preference was a between-subjects factor. The results showed that the main effect of the music tempo was statistically significant, which indicated that participants read texts more quickly in the fast-tempo music condition than in the slow-tempo music condition. Furthermore, the main effect of the text difficulty was statistically significant. Additionally, the interaction between the text difficulty and music tempo was statistically significant. The music tempo had a greater effect on easy texts than on difficult texts. The results of this study reveal that it is beneficial for people who have a stronger preference for music listening to conduct English reading tasks with fast-tempo music. It is detrimental for people who have little preference for background music listening to complete difficult English reading tasks with slow-tempo music.

The study of the relationship between willingness to communicate and self-regulation with the mediating role of self-efficacy among English foreign language learners: structural equation modelling approach

The study of the relationship between willingness to communicate and self-regulation with the mediating role of self-efficacy among English foreign language learners: structural equation modelling approach

The effect of blended learning model in improving English foreign language learning students’ achievement

Higher education institutions are researching and adopting pedagogical approaches to meet the changing needs of education in response to various challenges, especially with Covid19 and E-learning is one of these modes. This study aimed to explore the effectiveness of this new model (mixed education) in the English language on Third-year English foreign learners' achievement and their attitudes toward using it. It compares the results of various ways of teaching and students' attitudes toward their use. The case study is used as a research design. The participants of the study were 30 students, the questionnaire was designed to confirm the study's validity and reliability, and quantities were used to analyze the data. The findings have shown that there were positive towards using blended learning. The study recommends further research into the use of blended learning in higher education. Keywords: Blended learning; EFL Learners; E-learning; face-to-face learning; students’ achievement; higher education.

PREPOSITION ERRORS IN @BARACKOBAMA’S CAPTION OF INSTAGRAM POSTS

The purpose of this study is to identify the prepositional errors that are made in the captions of @barackobama’s Instagram posts. This study employed a qualitative descriptive research methodology. The data in this study is 167 post captions of @barackobama Instagram accounts during 2022. Based on Azar’s (2006) prepositional theory, this study finds 2 prepositional errors, which is equal to 1,2%, in two different captions. The errors are preposition of time and preposition of place. The results of this study differ from those of Dwiyanti (2017) and Putri (2019). They found more errors than the number of errors in this study. The difference in the number of errors found can be because the subjects of their study are Indonesian students who are English foreign language learners. While the subject of this study is an English native speaker. The captions of the Instagram posts @barackobama are highly recommended for students to learn English.