Improve Language Proficiency Research Articles

Student And Teacher Perceptions Of Extensive Reading Practice

Extensive reading practice is a reading activity that involves a variety of materials outside the official curriculum. This research aims to understand how students and teachers implement Extensive Reading Practice and its impact on language learning. The research method used is a literature review, in which information is collected and analyzed from various sources such as journal articles, books, and related references. The results showed that Extensive Reading Practice received positive responses from students and teachers. Students reported improved reading skills, increased vocabulary, better text comprehension, and increased interest in reading. Meanwhile, teachers reported that extensive reading practice increased students' motivation to learn and active participation in language learning. The role of the school in providing adequate resources for extensive reading practice is also very important. This includes a well-stocked library and a variety of reading materials to support different reading activities. Overall, this study shows that extensive reading practice has significant benefits for students and teachers in improving language proficiency and motivation to learn.

Content and language integrated learning: enhancing language acquisition and content understanding

Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) is an educational approach that integrates the teaching of content subjects with the learning of a foreign or second language. This article explores the concept of CLIL, its benefits, and provides evidence-based citations to support its effectiveness in language acquisition and content understanding. The benefits of CLIL include enhanced language acquisition, improved content understanding, increased motivation and engagement, and the development of cultural and intercultural competence. Research has shown that CLIL students demonstrate improved language proficiency in all language skills, including listening, speaking, reading, and writing. CLIL also facilitates a deeper understanding of academic content by allowing students to explore complex topics using authentic language. Furthermore, CLIL programs promote active learning and intrinsic motivation, as students perceive the relevance and utility of the language being learned. The integration of language learning with content subjects creates opportunities for cultural and intercultural competence development, as students are exposed to diverse perspectives and collaborate with individuals from different linguistic backgrounds. Multiple studies have provided evidence supporting the effectiveness of CLIL. Research has consistently shown that CLIL programs result in significant improvements in language proficiency, both in receptive and productive skills. Additionally, CLIL students have demonstrated higher levels of motivation and engagement compared to those in traditional language learning settings. The findings from these studies highlight the positive impact of CLIL on language acquisition and content understanding. As the demand for multilingual individuals continues to grow in our interconnected world, CLIL stands as a valuable educational approach that equips learners with language skills and subject knowledge simultaneously. This article serves as a comprehensive overview of CLIL, providing educators, researchers, and policymakers with insights into the benefits and evidence supporting the implementation of CLIL programs in educational settings.

Role of Motivation in English Language Learning: An Evaluation of the Correlation Between Student Motivation and Proficiency in English

This study investigates the relationship between student motivation and English language proficiency among high school students. Drawing upon seminal and contemporary models of motivation, including Gardner's Socio-Educational Model, Dörnyei’s Process-Oriented Model and L2 Motivational Self System, as well as the Dynamic Systems Theory, this study underscores the role of motivation in language learning. A total of 450 students aged 16 to 18 completed a modified version of the Attitude/Motivation Test Battery (AMTB) and their English proficiency was assessed using the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). The results indicated a strong positive correlation between motivation and English proficiency (r = .68, p < .001), substantiating the claim that high levels of motivation can contribute to improved language proficiency. This study reinforces the importance of fostering motivation in English language teaching and offers valuable insights for educators and researchers in the context of a rapidly evolving language learning landscape.

The Effectiveness of Outdoor Learning on First year English majored Students’ Speaking skill at Dong Nai Technology University

Cultivating students’ speaking ability is considered as one of the most important objectives of the English teaching process. In order to develop English communication skill, students need an appropriate learning environment. Indeed, applying outdoor learning is an effective way to improve language proficiency. Therefore, this study was conducted to 1) identify whether or not outdoor learning can increase students’ speaking ability, and 2) clarify students’ attitudes towards the application of outdoor learning in English teaching. The research employed both qualitative and quantitative methods. The participants were 45 first year English majored students from Faculty of Foreign Languages at Dong Nai Technology University in Vietnam. The results of the study showed that outdoor learning brought a lot of benefits in improving students’ speaking fluency. Moreover, the use of outdoor activities increased students’ opportunity to speak the target language by creating a positive learning atmosphere which enable students to interact in English naturally. The effectiveness can be proved by the increase of students’ motivation to learn English and master speaking skill. In fact, the students showed favorable attitudes to the implementation of outdoor learning. From the results, it can be concluded that with the assistance of appropriate outdoor activities, especially communicative activities, students could acquire the language much better.

Modern Techniques of Teaching Reading Skills

In recent years the support extensive reading(ER) in English as a second or foreign language(ESL/EFL) programs has been compelling. When practicing extensive reading, the reader/learner reads a wide variety of text for pleasure and achieves a general understanding of the context while deciphering unknown words through context. This approach contrasts with extensive reading, a more traditional approach based on a slow, careful reading of a text, with goals of complete comprehension and identification of specific details and information. Research supports the use of ER, as it benefits the development of speaking, listening, and writing language skills(Maley 2005), as well as involuntary vocabulary acquisition(Brown, Waring, and Donkaewbua 2008). for this reason, ESL/EFL programs(Day and Bamford 1998). In East Asian nations such as Korea- where EFL increasingly central to education policy- more and more workshops, seminars, and conferences focus on helping teachers incorporate ER programs into their teaching context. There is a wide range of materials available for ER, including graded readers-novels and short stories that are calibrated to the different language levels of learners. However, despite the great support for what has been described as “the single most effective way to improve language proficiency”(Maley 2005,354). “Simply reading” is not a valid use of learning time, nor is it congruent with local expectations of the role of classroom teachers. Consequently, intensive reading, a companied by comprehension questions and language analysis tasks, continues to dominate in Korean classrooms.

Articulate Storyline Application: Development of Foreign Language Learning Media on the Aspects of Listening Skills

Background: Arabic learning media using the Articulate Storyline application has not been developed much to improve listening skills. Objective: This study aims to develop one of the Arabic learning media that can improve listening proficiency through the use of the Articulate Storyline application in Madrasah Tsanawiyah students. Method: This research uses the RnD method. The development model follows Dick and Carry's opinion with the ADDIE model: Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation. Data collection procedures are obtained through, observation, interviews, questionnaires, and tests. The research instrument uses questionnaires. The source of data was obtained from an Arabic teacher, 20 students, and 3 experts. Data analysis techniques use descriptive analysis in percentage form using paired sample t-test formula. Distribution of questionnaires to students and provision of tests in the form of pre-tests and post-tests. Each test has 20 questions. Researchers conducted a normality test using the Kolmogrof-Simirnov test one sample test. For quantitative data response questionnaires, presentations were processed using Likert scales (4) Very good, (3) Good, (2) Sufficient, and (1) less. Results and Discussion: The results showed that the Arabic learning media based on the Articulate Storyline application was declared very good, and could increase students' interest in learning. This is based on: (1) an Assessment of material experts with a percentage of 97% of criteria and Very feasible and an Assessment of media experts with a percentage of 75% of feasible criteria. (2) Student assessment through response questionnaires, obtained a percentage of 94% so that it is classified as very feasible criteria. (3) Pretest, obtained an average score of 56.80% in the sufficient category, post-test test 85% in the eligible category. Conclusion and Implication: The conclusion of this study shows that articulate storyline learning media can be accepted by students and teachers as Arabic learning media that can be a solution to the problem of learning listening skills at the Madrasah level. The implication of the research is that application-based media articulate storyline is one of the best tools needed in learning foreign languages and improving language proficiency.

Perception changes over time on the usefulness of language learning strategies

This longitudinal study describes and analyses the shifts in students’ perceptions on the usefulness of language learning strategies (LLS) when learning Spanish as a foreign language, and explains the roles that these learning strategies play at various moments in time during students’ language learning journey at the undergraduate level. The richness of this investigation lies in the examination of the changing roles and the perceived usefulness of these strategies over a period of 3 years by using a mixed-method approach. Its main contribution is twofold. On the one hand, it offers practical insights within the linguistic field of language acquisition that can be applied to the learning of foreign languages by students with no previous knowledge of them. On the other hand, its longitudinal design not only goes beyond the traditional quantitative approach that offers a limited snapshot view, but also captures changes in strategy use over time while providing details on why strategies were or were not used in the new language at different proficiency levels. The study found some strategies that were initially perceived as useful and helpful at the beginning of the journey were later perceived as neutral, useless or obstructive by the same group of students who had become more proficient in the foreign language. And, conversely, other strategies that were initially perceived as neutral, unhelpful or frustrating, were later perceived as necessary to improve language proficiency, useful and stimulating by the same cohort of students. In this respect, it was found that the perceived role played by these strategies alternated between essential roles to catalytic roles, imperceptible roles, retarding roles and preventing roles, and vice versa.Contribution: The main contribution of this study is that it shows that students’ perceptions on the usefulness of certain LLS over time are influenced by their level of proficiency. This in turn influences, and is influenced by, language attitudes and language learning policy, which fall under the scope of this journal.

Effects in language development of young children with language delay during early intervention

IntroductionIn the Netherlands, early language intervention is offered to young children with Language Delay (LD). The intervention combines groupwise language intervention, individual speech and language therapy and parent-implemented language intervention. This study tests the hypothesis that children with LD show progress in their receptive and expressive language during intervention. Differences in language progress between age groups (< 36 months and ≥ 36 months at intervention start) were expected in favour of the younger group, which might be due to an earlier intervention start, a longer treatment duration or the potential presence of late talkers. MethodsThe study included 183 children with LD (45 children < 3 years of age at intervention start; mean age 32 months, 138 children ≥ 3 years; mean age 40 months). Receptive and expressive language was assessed with norm-referenced tests at intervention start and ending using Routine Outcome Monitoring. A repeated measures MANOVA was carried out to examine language progress and to compare the age groups on receptive syntax, receptive vocabulary, expressive syntax and expressive vocabulary. The Reliable Change Index was used to study individual progress. ResultsOn average, children in both age groups showed significant improvement in all four language domains. The younger children showed more language progress than the older children in all four domains. When examining individual progress, most of the children displayed reliable improvement for expressive vocabulary. Most children developed in the same pace as their typically developing peers for receptive syntax, receptive vocabulary, and expressive syntax. ConclusionsChildren stabilized or even improved language proficiency during the intervention, indicating that the language gap between these children and typically developing children did not widen further. Younger children displayed more language progress than older children in all four domains, but it is unclear what might explain this difference.

‘아쉬움’ 감정동사 의미 변별 연구

The aim is to uncover the semantic preferences of the co-occurring nouns of the ‘aswium’ type emotional verbs in order to differentiate their meanings. For learners of Korean as a foreign language, the acquisition of synonyms is crucial for expanding vocabulary knowledge and improving language proficiency. However, distinguishing between synonyms with similar meanings in different contexts can be challenging, particularly in the case of emotional verbs. Simply relying on a dictionary to understand the contextual meaning of emotional vocabulary is also difficult, as it fails to capture the complex and nuanced differences in various contexts. To address these challenges, recent studies on linguistic expressions of emotion have utilized corpus linguistics, AI machine learning, and deep learning. By analyzing corpus data, this study attempts to distinguish their meaning by revealing their semantic preference for the co-occurring nouns of Korean ‘aswium’ type emotional verbs - ‘aswipda, akkapda, seopseophada and seounhada’. And provide basic data for developing practical and objective vocabulary education content.

Blogging as an Integrative Technology to Improve Language Proficiency: An Investigative Study Among Engineering Students in India

Technology has become an inevitable part of learning these days and the popularity of blogs and web forums is increasing exponentially. The purpose of blogging is to encourage discussions on a particular topic or concept, thereby throwing more light on the point of discussion. These discussions generally focus on knowledge sharing and acquiring, but in a way, they help the participants and the readers to enhance their language skills like listening, reading, writing, grammar, and vocabulary both directly and indirectly. The present study consolidates the opinions of the researcher about the use of blogs as educational technology and the opinions of the learners about the role of blogs in their language learning aspects. The result shows that blogs have a considerable impact on one’s language proficiency.

Merenje uticaja programa pismenosti na socijalno uključivanje, zdravlje i učešće na tržištu rada - studija holandskog programa

Nowadays, 24.5% of the European population is still at risk of poverty and can be considered as citizens risking social exclusion. A low level of proficiency in literacy skills is indicated as one of the important reasons for social exclusion. It is argued that literacy programs for vulnerable adults act as a lever for the improvement of literacy and, in turn, for enhancing participants' social inclusion, health, as well as labour market position. However, to date, evidence of the impact of these programs is scarce. This study aims to fill this gap by measuring the outcomes of the Dutch program 'Language for Life' ('Taal voor het Leven'). The findings indicate that after five months, for many social inclusion indicators, more than half of the participants' group showed an increase. Improvement in physical and psychological health and labour market position is less prominent than improvement in the social inclusion indicators. This study does not only support the importance of a policy in literacy (on the national or regional level) aiming at increasing social inclusion by offering possibilities to improve language proficiency. Moreover, it aims to contribute to the investment in research aiming to monitor the outcomes of language programs.

Promoting EFL Learners’ Proficiency and Motivation via Google Jamboard-based Autonomous Knowledge Sharing

This study examined how Google Jamboard-based autonomous knowledge-sharing advanced language proficiency and motivation in an online intermediate–high EFL communication course. For one semester, 30 Korean first-year college students shared their learning experiences beyond the classroom, enhancing their English communication competence via a weekly Jamboard. The students speaking and perceived proficiencies and motivation changes were examined. Overall speaking proficiency increased, except for pronunciation. Students acquired the ability to selfstudy, but this was insufficient for oral practice because distance learning limited direct interactions. Perceived current proficiency increased, but imaginary proficiency and English importance did not. Their ease in using English in their daily life improved, and they felt the gap between the current and imaginary proficiencies decreased. The ideal L2 self increased, based on instrumentality and integrativeness. This finding indicates that students understood that they were undergoing the process of becoming fluent English speakers. Hence, well-organized self-directed activities can promote autonomous learning behavior to improve language proficiency and motivation.

A Critical Review on Steps Applied to Conduct Activities in Reading Classes to Improve Students’ Vocabulary Development and Expand Vocabulary Use

A majority of people consider intense reading as a great strategy to improve competence in vocabulary and language skills. However, educators believe that the time commitment required to use the intensive reading technique is a major barrier to its adoption. In order to teach students about short stories, novels, poems, and other types of creative writing, literature professors frequently use the intense reading method. The value of the intensive reading technique is a topic of much investigation. This study compared reading to intensive reading and considered how the two could be integrated. The primary objective of this study is to determine whether the Intensive Reading Method works well for teaching new vocabulary words utilizing its suggested procedures. In order to explore the intensive reading approach to improve language proficiency in writing, reading comprehension, and vocabulary, a systematic literature review was used. The results showed that the procedures taken in 70% of the studies were acknowledged as essential for carrying out the intensive reading approach. The Intensive Reading Method was employed in 14 out of 20 research studies, and it was proven to be successful in assisting learners in acquiring new vocabulary. Keywords: Vocabulary learning; Vocabulary Development; Intensive Reading Method

The Power of Pleasure Reading: A Narrative Inquiry of Proficient Non-English Learners

Pleasure reading, or termed Extensive Reading (ER) in the context of language learning, is defined as reading for enjoyment, happiness or satisfaction. A considerable number of studies have shed light on the benefits of ER to English language learning in L2 context. However, there has been no study examining the natural process of how pleasure reading naturally builds up language proficiency. Therefore, this study is intended to divulge the obscure process of how ones unconsciously build up English proficiency by doing pleasure reading. The participants in this study are two non-English learners who have done pleasure reading for, at least, 7 years with no purpose of learning English. Nested in a narrative inquiry methodology, this study examined the participants’ personal stories on the problems they tackle in doing pleasure reading, the gradual process they have been through, their motivation which makes them eager to read, and their unintentionally built up English proficiency. The data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews, observation and personal communication. The evidence showed that both participants underwent the language acquisition process in which they were not clued up about the subconscious awareness of language system obtained when reading. They got delectation of reading and achieved language proficiency (vocabulary, reading and listening skills, and grammar) simultaneously. Conclusively, pleasure reading or extensive reading works on improving language proficiency of not only language learners who intentionally read for learning but also those who read only for pleasure.

EFL teachers’ perceptions on professional development for language proficiency maintenance and improvement

&lt;span lang="EN-US"&gt;This case study investigated the phenomenon of English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers’ perceptions of professional development (PD) related to language proficiency, which has become a critical issue in the field of EFL teaching and has played an important role in facilitating students to learn English well. Interview guides were employed as the main instrument to elicit information about PD activities related to language proficiency maintenance and improvement, comprising closed-ended and open-ended items. The participants of the study were six professional EFL teachers who have had 5 to 30 years of teaching experience, selected from high schools in a capital city in Indonesia. Data were analyzed descriptively to result in frequencies of importance levels and qualitatively to explore patterns of PD activities. The results showed that two factors affecting the participants’ acknowledgement of the importance of language proficiency PD activities: the need to maintain and improve language proficiency and the benefits of proficiency for teaching and learning. It is recommended that Indonesian EFL teachers develop self-awareness of the importance of improving their skills not only pedagogically but also professionally and realize that PD for language proficiency in particular is imperative to help them keep their professionalism high. &lt;/span&gt;

Strengthening Ties to L2: Improving Secondary Students’ Attitudes through Dialogic Literary Gatherings.

Over the last decades, many efforts have been made to establish the Basque minority language as a normalized language in the Basque Country. Research has shown that language use, language proficiency and attitudes towards language are closely associated. Likewise, the benefit of interactive learning environments for improving language proficiency is well known. However, the effect of such environments on attitudes towards second languages (L2) has been less studied. This article presents a qualitative study that explores the extent to which the implementation of a particular dialogue-based classroom strategy, named Dialogic Literary Gatherings (DLGs), may transform secondary students’ attitudes towards Basque (L2). The DLGs were carried out with 46 secondary education students in the Basque Country. After implementing DLGs, teachers’ interviews and students’ focus groups were conducted and analysed inductively. Results show that participants reported changes in students’ attitudes towards Basque and they related these changes to the dialogical space they experienced during the DLGs, since this created affordances for them to engage in meaningful discussions when speaking in Basque. Implications of the study are discussed.

Comprehensive Evaluation and Analysis of Ecological Language Development in Consideration of Q-Learning Algorithm

The article uses the Q-learning algorithm to investigate the development of ecological language of college students in some cities, and analyzes the results of the investigation. Including the analysis of the language ability of the university, the analysis of the impact of the language environment of the students on the language ability, the analysis of the difference in language use and the analysis of the difference in language behavior. On this basis, summarizing the usage habits and behaviors of some students and giving solutions. In terms of social factors, analyzing the status quo of students and the Mandarin mode of college students. Analyzing the causes of college students’ “bilingualism” problems from the perspectives of sociolinguistics and psycholinguistics, improving language proficiency, and providing targeted solutions from the three perspectives of school, family, and individuals. The results show that only 9.9% of the respondents think their Mandarin is “very good,” only 19% of the respondents who can speak a little Mandarin think that their Mandarin is “very good.” Mandarin is very fluent, and the corresponding respondents rated their Mandarin as “very good” accounting for 32.1%. It can be seen that the Mandarin level of the surrounding contact objects has a great influence on the Mandarin level of the surveyed persons, and there is a positive correlation.

Where Psychology Meets Language Learning: Exploring the Positive Nexus

Abstract This paper provides an overview of positive psychology (PP), or the study of elements that make life most worth living (Peterson, 2006), and demonstrates its efficacy by detailing five intervention studies. By aligning PP objectives and linguistic aims in second language teaching and learning, the studies show multiplied, concurrent results, heightened teacher and learner wellbeing and improved language proficiency. One important caveat is that PP interventions work best when they cater specifically to individual learners.

Learning Beyond the Classroom: Teachers’ Perspectives of the Extracurricular Activities in Learning English as a Foreign Language

Abstract&#x0D; The current study investigated teachers’ perspectives of the use of extracurricular activities in EFL context. Data for the study were collected from 187 questionnaire respondents from Arabic speaking countries. The findings reveal that most of EFL teachers in study context use ECAs in their teaching of English. They also show that teachers not only use these activities to improve language proficiency but also to promote other language related skills. The findings also reveal some challenges in implementing ECAs such as time convenience, school workload, lack of funding, some social and cultural barriers, and students’ perception of these activities. Based on the findings, the researcher suggests further investigation into some other factors such as teachers’ readiness to implement these activities and the different types of activities that work best for the study context.

The effect of early childhood education and care services on the integration of refugee families

Devising appropriate policy measures to integrate refugees is high on the agenda of many governments. This paper focuses on the integration of families seeking asylum in Germany between 2013 and 2016. Exploiting regional differences in early childhood education and care (ECEC) services and dispersal policies as exogenous sources of variation, as well as controlling for local level heterogeneity that could drive the results, we estimate the effect of ECEC attendance by refugee children on their parents’ integration. We find a significant positive effect, especially for the integration of mothers. The size of the estimate is substantial and is particularly strong for improved language proficiency and employment prospects.