Grammar Skills Research Articles

Modeling the Nature of Grammar and Vocabulary Trajectories From Prekindergarten to Third Grade.

This study investigated the longitudinal development of 2 important contributors to reading comprehension, grammar, and vocabulary skills. The primary interest was to examine the trajectories of the 2 skill areas from preschool to 3rd grade. The study involved a longitudinal sample of 420 children from 4 sites. Language skills, including grammar and vocabulary, were assessed annually with multiple measures. Multivariate latent growth curve modeling was used to examine the developmental trajectories of grammar and vocabulary, to test the correlation between the 2 domains, and to investigate the effects of demographic predictors on language growth. Results showed that both grammar and vocabulary exhibited decelerating growth from preschool to Grade 2. In Grade 3, grammar growth further flattened, whereas vocabulary continued to grow stably. Growth of vocabulary and grammar were positively correlated. Demographic characteristics, such as child gender and family socioeconomic status, were found to predict the intercept but not the slope of the growth trajectories. Children's growth in grammar skills is differentiated in a number of important ways from their growth in vocabulary skills. Results of this study suggest the need to differentiate these dimensions of language when seeking to closely examine growth from preschool to primary grades.

Same or different: Narrative retells in bilingual Latino kindergarten children

ABSTRACTThe present study examines the association of micro- and macrostructural components in narrative retells within and across languages in Spanish-English bilingual Latino kindergarten children. Using a within-subject research design, fourteen Spanish-English speaking Latino kindergarten children were individually read a scripted picture book, after which narrative retells were elicited separately in each language using the pictures of the book as an aid. Cross-sectional data of the children’s retell transcriptions were coded and analyzed for macrostructure using the narrative scoring scheme and for microstructure by computing the mean length of utterance in words, the number of different words, and the subordination index. Results of the study suggest that elements of macrostructure retells are associated across languages. Microstructure components do not seem to be related across languages but are strongly associated within the same language. Performance in microstructural measures in each language was observed to vary across languages, suggesting that children in the sample acquired the lexical and grammar skills associated with microstructure independently in each of their two languages. Findings from this study have clinical and educational implications for the assessment and instruction of Spanish-English bilingual kindergarten children.

PEER ASSESSMENT FOR IMPROVING WRITING DESCRIPTIVE TEXT OF THE TENTH GRADERS OF SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL SETIA BUDHI SEMARANG

The problems of the study can be formulated as follows (1) How effective is peer assessment technique applied to students with low and high grammar ability in writing descriptive text?, (2) How effective is teacher assessment technique applied to students with high and low grammar ability in writing descriptive text, (3) Is there any significant interaction among grammar ability, peer assessment technique and writing ability. The research design employed in this study was Experimental Design (factorial design) consisting of a pre test, and post test for control group design and Experiment group. This research involved three variables which consisted of dependent variable (writing ability), independent variable (Peer Assessment Technique) and Grammar ability as moderator. This study found that peer assessment technique can be used to give practice in writing as well as in conducting this technique for teaching writing because it had given effect to the student writing descriptive text. It can be proven from the students’ score. Through this technique, the students could develop and improve their skill either in writing, grammar or vocabulary. They also became responsible to asses their friend’s work and increased their motivation. So, this technique of peer assessment should be used to improve English writing and grammar skill and an English teacher must improve his knowledge in English teaching method so the goal of teaching is gained.

The Students’ Error in Using Conjunction (Because, Since, as, in Case) in the Sentences

This research deals with the students’ error in using conjunction (because, since, as, in case) in the sentences. Conjunction is very important for the learners to develop a skill in grammar. And grammar is the most important part of language for anyone. Should be first understood before being able to construct sentences, rules based on the grammar of language are used to express a certain idea represented in a sentence. By understanding the grammatical rules, the sentences can be arranged to produce the desired meaning. The objective of the study are to find out the students’ difficulties in using subordinate conjunction and to find out the causes of the students’ problems in using subordinate conjunction. Finding of the study expected to provide information for the improvement of teaching conjunction. In addition the findings and description would be of some use for the teachers in teaching conjunction. The outcomes would be useful in minimizing the difficulties in teaching conjunctions. The data of this research were the scores of the students based on the number of items that they hard correctly. A test was administered to collect the data; the research was helped by the classroom English teacher. Based on the value of standard reliability, the result of reliability of the test is 0.97; it means that the value of the standard reliability of test is very good. It was shown that students made more errors working with items numbers 5,6,9,10,14, and 15 the total frequency of errors were 237 all items. It means that the second students of Senior High School, SMK Swasta HKBP Pematangsiantar good errors in using subordinate conjunction (as, in, case, because, since) in the sentence (complex sentences).

The Communication Strategy Used By Japanese Learner at the Basic Level

Students at the basic level in Department Education Japanese of Semarang State University have difficulties in Japanese speaking. They could not produce oral Japanese smoothly. Sometimes they said couple words in Bahasa Indonesia to express their ideas. In communication strategy there is a systematic technique used by foreign language learners to express their ideas when faced with the difficulty of communicating because of the limitations of second language mastery. The findings are the learners already have passed the stage of mastery of simple-level linguistic rules, so they have a tendency to pursue in various ways to make their message acceptable. The characteristic of communication strategy they used are directly translated an utterance literally in the concept of their mother tongue, and use those terminology in their mother tongue and English in Japanese utterance. The reasons that influence the use of these communication strategies are that students' grammar and vocabulary skills are insufficient to communicate in various fields as they are still in the early learning stages.

Percent Grammatical Responses as a General Outcome Measure: Initial Validity.

This report investigated the validity of using percent grammatical responses (PGR) as a measure for assessing grammaticality. To establish construct validity, we computed the correlation of PGR with another measure of grammar skills and with an unrelated skill area. To establish concurrent validity for PGR, we computed the correlation of PGR with a previously validated measure of grammaticality, percent grammatical utterances (PGU), and examined the extent to which PGR and PGU agreed upon pass/fail decisions for children. Participants included 79 3-year-olds from mostly middle socioeconomic status homes. Language samples were elicited by asking children to describe 15 pictures in response to 4 questions per picture. To calculate PGU, children's responses to all 4 questions were segmented into communication units, and each communication unit was evaluated for grammatical errors. To calculate PGR, the entire response to just the first question was evaluated for grammatical errors. PGR scores significantly correlated with a standardized test of grammar (r = .70), but not with a measure of vocabulary (i.e., type-token ratio; r = .11). In addition, PGR scores were significantly correlated with PGU scores (r = .88). Agreement between PGR and PGU was 92% for pass decisions and 94% for fail decisions. The current study establishes the construct validity of PGR as a measure of grammar and supports the use of PGR as a measure to assess grammaticality.

Using Rasch and Winsteps to Promote English Grammar Skills in Secondary School Students

Using Rasch and Winsteps to Promote English Grammar Skills in Secondary School Students

The Effectiveness of Games in English Language Learning at Elementary Level in Government Schools

Learning second language is a challenging task if the learning is concerned with the vocabulary, grammar, and other skills of L2. The teachers try hard to help and guide the learners to improve the learning process. Globally the same problem exists about the L2. Pakistan is country where L2 learning is difficult for both teachers and students. The results of this study show the same problem and the main reason are the traditional methodologies which are used for teaching. The researcher has selected educational games through the teachers of intermediate level of Sargodha, Pakistan in which they teach English as a subject. The hypotheses show that teaching through games can be more effective. Through quantitative procedure data has been collected from teachers who are teaching English at the elementary level. The research shows the process of using language games and the help which pupils may receive from games. The results of the research show that using games for language teaching are effective for learning vocabulary. However, games should be integrated with proper guideline because difficulties are shown in the research findings such as noise and disturbance in the classroom. It has resulted that language games are effective for learning L2 and teachers should need to integrate language games with other activities in the classroom because students are motivated and learn the language effectively.

The fragment of the Dutch language lesson for building first-year tertiary students’ grammar skills using the authentic song

This work presents the fragment of the Dutch language lesson for building first-year tertiary students’ grammar skills, particularly for familiarizing them with Tegenwoordige tijd, using an authentic song.

The lesson fragment for building first-year tertiary students’ French grammar skills using the authentic poem

The lesson fragment for building firstyear tertiary students’ French grammar skills using the authentic poem This work presents the French language lesson fragment for building firstyear tertiary students’ grammar skills with Le Passé composé using the authentic poem.

Student-centered learning approach in teaching basic grammar

<p>The study determined the effect of student-centered learning approach in teaching basic grammar of the tenth-grade students. Specifically, this study sought answers to following questions: 1). How does the result of the pre-test compare to that of post-test of the control and experimental groups? 2). Is there any significant difference in the results of the test between the control and experimental groups? 3). What is student-centered teaching guide in basic grammar that can be developed based on the findings of the study? It was applied an experimental research design in this study. The result in the post-test of the control and experimental groups showed that the computed the T value of 3.03 was higher than the tabular value of 2.03, at the degree of freedom of 34, at 5% level of significance. This condition rejects the null hypothesis that there is no significant difference in the mean scores in the post-test of the control and experimental groups. The student-centered teaching guide enhanced the students’ writing skill in the basic grammar of the tenth-grade students in the experimental group<em>.</em><em></em></p>

Use of Oral Narrative and Morphosyntactic Activities to Improve Grammar Skills in Pupils with Specific Language Impairment (SLI)

In this research, it is presented an intervention program that combines storytelling with morphosyntactic activities to improve grammatical skills in pupils with Specific Language Impairment (SLI). The sample consisted of a total of 34 pupils diagnosed with SLI and 34 children with typical language development. For the selection of the sample, the CELF-3 test, the Peabody test, the Hearing Association and Visual Association subtests of the ITPA and the K-BIT Intelligence test were used. The intervention program consisted of 216 sessions of 40minutes each, in which oral narrative activities were combined with other activities related to the automation of morphosyntactic skills. Significant gains were also made in the group of children with SLI versus controls in total ungrammaticality, ungrammatical sentences, morphological and syntactical errors. In conclusion, a combined program of both storytelling and morphosyntactic skills improves grammatical achievement in pupils with SLI.

The development of English grammar and reading comprehension by majority and minority language children in a bilingual primary school

Both for the first language (L1) and for all additional languages (L2 or L3), grammatical knowledge plays a vital role in understanding texts (e.g., Grabe, 2005). However, little is known about the development and interaction of grammar and reading comprehension in beginning foreign language learning, especially with respect to children with a minority language background. This longitudinal study, therefore, examined minority and majority language children’s English grammar and reading comprehension skills. The children attended a German-English partial immersion primary school and were tested at the end of Grades 3 and 4. As expected, we found grammar to affect reading comprehension but also reverse effects. Most importantly, the results did not reveal any differences between the two language groups, irrespective of the test. Therefore, immersion primary school programs seem to be suitable for minority language children, and these children do not automatically represent an at-risk group for foreign language learning.

Benefits of Measures to Promote Development in Language, Mathematics and Singing in Kindergardeners: Analysis of Data Collected at School Entrance Examination in the County of Biberach

To evaluate the benefits of implementing measures to promote skills in the areas of language, mathematics and singing in kindergardeners by statistical analysis of data collected during the school entrance examination (ESU) of 4-5-year-old children from the county of Biberach. Study 1 employs multivariate regression analysis to analyse - in chronological order - the ESU data on 4 cohorts (2011-2014; n=7 148) of children of the Biberach county. Study 2 qualitatively compares identical data representative of the entire state of Baden-Württemberg (N=3×80 000) with the Biberach results. Study 3 focuses on the cohort 2014 in Biberach county (n=1 783) and employs logistical regression techniques to correlate curriculum content and child development. There are significant performance improvements in the Biberach population (2011-2014) in the development of language and early mathematics, as well as in visual comprehension and visuomotor skills, but not in the area of gross motor skills. Similar improvements are much more difficult to demonstrate for the entire state of Baden-Württemberg. The detailed analysis of the 2014 Biberach County data reveal that kindergardeners with increased exposure to mathematics will have a decreased risk of failure in early mathematics (OR 0.72) and grammar skills (OR 0.53-0.75). Children with speech impairment or children not fluent in German that had extra language tutorials, typically in small groups and 4 times a week for 30 min, still have a higher risk of failure in all developmental aspects, save gross motor skills (e. g. OR 3.32 in grammar skills, OR 3.08 for hyperactivity). Programs with emphasis on singing have little effect on the above data. The risk of failure in German language is high (OR 2.78) for those of non-German backgrounds, but less in visuomotor skills (OR 0.52) and hyperactivity (OR 0.51). Statistical analyses show positive correlation of curriculum content and early child development for the kindergardens in Biberach county. The gains in performance are consistent with those reported from kindergardens known for pedagogical excellence.

English

Integration of information communication technologies, enhancing students’ motivation and adding to personalized learning, into higher education is challenging but beneficial. It is particularly acute in the field of foreign language learning which requires language competence formation along with knowledge of grammar patterns, vocabulary specificity and reproductive skills in listening, reading, speaking and writing. The given article reflects the current trends of e-learning of foreign languages to providing insights of teaching and learning practice, theoretical literature review and empirical data gained by students’ opinion polls in NRU HSE Nizhniy Novgorod branch. Both advantages and shortcomings are analyzed and the comparison of the traditional classroom education and innovative is carried out. Recent trends in e-learning of foreign languages, use of various tools and numerous techniques are considered. Key words: Gamification, Wiki sites, e-learning requirements, personalized learning.

L1 RUSSIAN - L2 ENGLISH STUDENTS ATTEMPTING ACADEMIC IELTS WRITING TASK 1 (PROCESS DESCRIPTION): GRAMMAR DIFFICULTIES IDENTIFIED

: A survey of 13 textbooks published in Western Europe and designed for IELTS preparation was conducted. Analysis of activities targeting functional language needed for description of a natural or manufacturing processes (Academic IELTS Writing Task 1) showed that most of these resources are centered around passive verb forms, relative clauses, and linkers, or sequencing phrases. Meanwhile, a study of 21 IELTS assignments written by Russian-speaking students at levels B1-B2 CEFR shows that the number of errors in the above structures is relatively small, and students lack grammar skills other than that. These are morphological and syntactic patterns which are largely missing in L1 Russian or which are cognitively difficult for L2 English learners at levels B1-B2. Moreover, a survey of 32 model texts, or model answers, found in the available authentic IELTS preparation sources shows that some structures inherent in authentic or nativelike texts do not occur in level B1-B2 students’ production. The linguistic and pedagogical implications of this are that 1) Academic IELTS Writing Task 1 should be subject to deeper linguistic analysis, 2) more grammar patterns should be made the focus of classroom instruction alongside the structures suggested by global textbooks; 3) there is a need for Russian-made manuals and designing IELTS related tasks.

Wikispaces: A Social Constructivist Approach to Flipped Learning in Higher Education Contexts

This paper describes an attempt to integrate flip teaching into a language classroom by adopting wikispaces as an online learning platform. The purpose of this study is to examine student perceptions of the effectiveness of using video lectures and wikispaces to foster active participation and collaborative learning. Flipped learning was implemented in an English writing class over one semester. Participants were 27 low intermediate level Korean university students. Data collection methods included background questionnaires at the beginning of the semester, learning experience questionnaires at the end of the semester, and semi-structured interviews with 6 focal participants. Because of the significance of video lectures in flip teaching, oCam was used for making weekly online lectures as a way of pre-class activities. Every week, online lectures were posted on the school LMS system (moodle). Every week, participants met in a computer room to perform in-class activities. Both in-class activities and post-class activities were managed by wikispaces. The results indicate that the flipped classroom facilitated student learning in the writing class. More than 53% of the respondents felt that it was useful to develop writing skills in a flipped classroom. Particularly, students felt that the video lectures prior to the class helped them improve their grammar skills. However, with respect to their satisfaction with collaborative works, about 44% of the participants responded positively. Similarly, 44% of the participants felt that in-class group work helped them interact with the other group members. Considering these results, this paper concludes with pedagogical suggestions and implications for further research.

Promoting Communicative Skills and Cultural Understanding among Saudi EFL Students Joining Summer English Programs at US Universities: A Web-Based Project

As English is one of the most spoken languages in the globally interconnected world of today, many Saudi universities are enrolling their EFL students in summer intensive English programs at US universities. The main purpose is to enhance their EFL students' oral competencies. This new policy is, in fact, the result of the failure of CLT practices in local universities (Liao, 2004; Nunan, 2003), large EFL classes and students' low proficiency (Yu, 2001; Li, 1998) and EFL teachers' preference for using traditional methods rather than communicative ones (Chowdhry, 2010; Littlewood, 2007). However, Saudi students, upon arrival to the US, encounter challenging communicative situations. The present study, therefore, advocates the implementation of four-week language software program in Jazan university prior to the later four-week language program in US universities. The aim is to prepare EFL Saudi students for the communicative and academic situations and cultural norm they would be encountering and experiencing in the USA. The project includes two modalities; online learning and in class learning. The online learning entails a language software content-based program with emphasis on listening, vocabulary, writing, grammar and reading skills. The in-class learning includes only speaking activities that are paralleled and compatible to the online thematic content. Thus, the main focus of the present paper will primarily be directed to providing a detailed description of the online language software and the different elements involved in constituting it. Keywords: language software components, integrated skills, communicative competencies, intensive language programs, cultural and sociolinguistic norms

Teaching Children Foreign-Language Grammar: Are Authentic Materials Appropriate?

The paper discusses authentic materials as a resource for teaching grammar to young learners. Difficulties in foreign-language grammar learning for Russian pupils are presented, and typical challenges are described. The paper provides a pre-/post-intervention study of the development of children’s grammar skills. The research question is, “How does one use authentic materials for teaching grammar in an English as a foreign language (EFL) classroom?” A qualitative method is used to assess the learning outcomes of using authentic materials in teaching grammar to eight–nine-year-old pupils (the second year of studying English).

Writing Assignments as a Way of Enhancing Foreign Language Proficiency at University Studies

Abstract Writing is often used as a tool in teaching a foreign language; its advantages and disadvantages are well known and have been widely discussed. Writing assignments are significant in teaching, testing and developing students⿿ competences in non-native languages. However, becoming competent in writing is quite a difficult task to achieve because students have different levels of proficiency, motivations and goals for learning a foreign language. For teachers, writing assignment is considered a useful tool as it unifies language, content and context ( Hyland, 2013 ). Thus, the aim of the paper was to investigate to what extent writing assignments help to develop the ability to use foreign language professionally among university undergraduates of various study programs. The obtained research data were investigated employing descriptive analysis and the qualitative method. The sample surveyed consisted of students majoring in either humanities and social sciences (N-145) or technological sciences (N-258) and language instructors (N-25). The results of the survey reveal that students majoring in humanities and social sciences tend to show more positive attitudes towards writing assignments than students of technological sciences. Problematic aspects include richness of vocabulary, ability to use complex grammatical and syntactical structures as well as text structure. In conclusion, it could be argued that writing assignments are a valuable resource for improving vocabulary, grammar skills and a way of practicing written communication in a foreign language.