Proficiency Level Of Learners Research Articles

Recasts and Prompts in Dyadic Interaction: Explicitness of Feedback and Learner Proficiency

The study investigated the effects of recasts and prompts on learning language forms that arose incidentally in dyadic interaction, focusing on the degree of explicitness of each type of feedback and learner proficiency levels. The data were collected from 64 beginning and upper-intermediate English learners of Korean. Thirty-one beginning learners were randomly assigned to a feedback group and to a control group, and thirtythree upper-intermediate learners were also assigned to a feedback group and to a control group. Each learner was paired with an English speaker and worked on a picture-sequencing task. The learners in the feedback groups received recasts or prompts on their erroneous utterances while the learners in the control groups did not. The effects of feedback were measured by pre-interaction picture descriptions and immediate and delayed post-interaction correction tasks. The study found that both recasts and prompts had some effects on learning the targeted forms, and more explicit forms of each feedback resulted in a higher rate of correction. The beginning learners took more advantages of recasts relative to the upper-intermediate learners, and explicit prompts worked better for the upper-intermediate learners. The effects of prompts sustained longer than recasts in both levels.

An Adaptive Learning System based on Knowledge Level for English Learning

Traditional learning approaches in teaching English assume that learners have same background, ability, and requirements. In this study, we propose an adaptive learning systems-knowledge level (ALS-KL) is a learning system that can personalize materials due to proficiency level of English language learners. A pre-test is given to measure the proficiency level of learners. The level is divided into elementary, intermediate and advanced. The ALS-KL provides the most suitable materials according to the needs of the learners. We applied the proposed system on 90 learners with different English proficiency level. The effectiveness of the system was evaluated using post-test. The results of the post-test showed that the proposed system was able to improve learners with intermediate-level and advanced level 1.5 times and 4 times respectively while reducing the number of learners with elementary-level by more than 50%. These indicate the effectiveness of the proposed system.

Cognitive Competences of English Language Teachers and Their Impact on Use of Teaching Methods with Learners at Lower Secondary School

Abstract Introduction: The paper discusses the term cognitive competence of foreign language teachers and focuses on their application in practice. It also deals with possible impact of cognitive competences on choice of teaching methods. The paper identifies a list of the cognitive competences which are both expected and needed when conducting English lessons. Methods: For the purposes of the survey, the qualitative method of direct observation was chosen. To maximise valid information about the taught lesson, identical observation and self-evaluation sheets had to be designed first. The findings are analysed, compared, and conclusions drawn for school practice. Results: The survey data show which cognitive competences the teachers of English language use the most and the least when the teaching of pre-intermediate learners from two grades was observed at lower secondary school. The main findings also highlight the necessity of using a wider variety of more up-to date teaching methods and approaches suitable for both target grades of learners, in contrast to still prevailing traditional ones. Discussion: It needs to be admitted that the authors of this paper are not aware of works which deal with similar research of cognitive competences. Though many authors write about social, key and teaching competences in general, cognitive competences are still a kind of Pandora’s box. It is recommended both that deeper research be undertaken in this field and that teachers pay more attention not only to relevant theoretical knowledge within, for example, courses of continual professional development, but also to the impact on their learners’ performance of the cognitive competences being used. Limitations: The authors are aware of the limited number of observed lessons due to objective reasons such as the reluctance of some teachers to participate in the survey. The survey sample of four observed lessons is too small to enable definitive, generalisable statements to be made about the use of cognitive competences and the appropriateness of teaching methods. Additional, observed lessons would yield more valuable and valid results. Conclusion: The survey proves that cognitive competences are a necessary part of teachers’ personalities and abilities and their usage can depend on the proficiency level of learners of English language. The authors assert that the topic of cognitive competences and their impact in foreign language teaching has still not been explored in detail. It is an interesting area involving active metacognitive and cognitive functions influenced by many factors which tend to change according to the teacher’s historical context. This idiographic survey for the purposes of a graduation thesis carried out in a small town school can be regarded as a modest contribution to the topic.

偶発的語彙習得と英語力、語の頻度、コンテクストの関係 : 英語字幕付き邦画を用いた場合

偶発的語彙習得と英語力、語の頻度、コンテクストの関係 : 英語字幕付き邦画を用いた場合

어휘 지식 유형과 능숙도에 따른 고등학생의 영어 어휘 학습 전략 사용 분석

어휘 지식 유형과 능숙도에 따른 고등학생의 영어 어휘 학습 전략 사용 분석

Adversative Pragmatic Markers in Learner Language: A Cross-Sectional Perspective

The intention of this paper is to extend the empirical perspective on the functional acquisition of lexical pragmatic marking in learner English. While previous analyses have mostly focused on speech, and have considered a relatively homogeneous learner population in terms of proficiency, I shed some light on pragmatic marking in written discourse, and at different learner proficiency levels. To this end, I specifically contrast the usage of adversative pragmatic markers (e.g. actually, but, in fact, on the other hand) by beginning/intermediate learners (as represented in the International Corpus of Crosslinguistic Interlanguage) with the one of advanced learners (as represented by material form the International Corpus of Learner English). By way of a quantitative and qualitative analysis, I test when pragmatic markers first emerge in learner language. Factors considered are type of the first language of the learners as well as the patterns of emergence of individual pragmatic markers as well as variation between individual learner groups. In addition, I use data from the Louvain Corpus of Native English Essays as a further point of reference to determine whether and when native-like usage levels are approximated. The overall findings suggest (1) that different patterns of emergence can be observed for individual pragmatic markers (notably the core item but vs. others); (2) that the first-language background of the learners influences the time and rate of acquisition; and (3) that the development of a diversified system of adversative pragmatic marking represents a challenging feature, which is only mastered by advanced students.

Predicting computer science students’ online help-seeking tendencies

This study investigated how computer science students seek help online in their learning and what factors predict their online help-seeking behaviors. Online help-seeking behaviors include online searching, asking teachers online for help, and asking peers online for help. 207 students from a large university in the southeastern United States participated in the study. It was revealed that computer science students tended to search online more frequently than ask people online for help. Five factors, including epistemological belief, interest, learning proficiency level, prior knowledge of the learning subject, and problem difficulty, were explored as potential predictors in this study. It was found that learning proficiency level and problem difficulty were significant predictors of three types of online help-seeking behaviors, and other factors influenced online help seeking to different extents. The study provides evidence to support that online searching should be considered as an integrated part of online help seeking, and gives guidelines for practice of facilitating online help seeking and future studies.

The impact of motivational and cognitive involvement on EFL learners’ task performance

Although the role of task factors which can influence learners’ affective characteristics such as motivation and cognition has been of researchers’ enduring interest, few empirical studies have investigated motivational and cognitive operational impacts on task performance in instructional settings. This study investigated the independent and combined effects of motivational and cognitive pre-task strategies on listening-task performance by intermediate learners of English at a private language institute in Guilan. After homogenising the proficiency level of learners, three experimental groups and one control group were nominated to contribute to the study. In each treatment session, the motivation, cognitive, motivation and cognitive, and control groups engaged in the pre-treatment listening tasks and took the post-treatment tasks following brief motivationally (EX1), strategically (EX2), and motivationally and strategically (EX3) instructions, while the control group did not undergo any special kind of treatment. The results from paired samples t-test suggested that motivational, cognitive, or motivation and cognitive strategy instruction helped all experimental groups improve all their five post-treatment task performance. Although the results indicated that motivational and cognitive pre-task strategies could be a substitute for each other, it was shown that the combined support and promotion of them could induce better results.

What are the most important predictors of computer science students' online help-seeking behaviors?

This study investigates the most important predictors of computer science students’ online help-seeking behaviors. 203 computer science students from a large university in southeastern United States participated in the study. Online help-seeking behaviors explored in this study include online searching, asking teachers online for help, and asking peers online for help. Ten-fold cross validation was used to select the most significant predictors from eight potential factors, including prior knowledge of the learning subject, learning proficiency level, academic performance, epistemological belief, interests, problem difficulty, age and gender. Problem difficulty was selected as the most important predictor for all three types of online help seeking, while learning proficiency level, academic performance, and epistemological belief were selected as the most important predictors for both online searching and asking teachers online for help. Based on the selected factors and their relationships with online help seeking, the study provides guidance on targeted training for online help seeking in an era of mass higher education.

Teaching Liaison to Intermediate Learners of L2 French

While many researchers have found an effect for pronunciation instructions for students of second and foreign languages (L2), instructors are reluctant to address pronunciation in class. This article presents a brief summary of the importance of pedagogical intervention on L2 students’ pronunciation along with a series of short lessons to present liaison for instructors of L2 French. Lessons can be adapted to any learner proficiency level and any academic setting (elementary, secondary, post-secondary).

Competence analytics

A smart learning environment is characterized by the key provision of personalized learning experiences. To approach different degrees of personalization in online learning, this article introduces a framework called Smart Competence Analytics in LEarning (SCALE) that tracks finer-level learning experiences and translates them into opportunities for customized feedback, reflection, and regulation. The SCALE framework is implemented in four layers: the sensing layer, the analysis layer, the competence layer, and the visualization layer. The sensing layer provides the datasets to support context-awareness through state-of-the-art sensing technologies. The analysis layer, by the means of powerful code analysis tools, derives performance metrics (e.g., learner coding metrics) which serve as input to the competence layer to identify proficiency levels of learners. Finally, a learning analytics dashboard called MI-DASH (visualization layer) allows interaction with performance and competence metrics. The current SCALE system has been used in a study to track the habits, performances, and competences of novice programmers. Growth of coding competences of first-year engineering students has been captured in a continuous manner. Students have been provided with customized feedback to optimize their learning paths. The article describes the analytics-based approach pursued in the study and highlights key findings.

‘그림 묘사 후 추론하기’ 글쓰기 유형 중심의 영어 수업 모형 개발 연구

The purpose of this study was to develop English writing instruction models in order to improve 1st grade high school students’ writing ability under the communicative framework. A writing pattern ‘describing pictures and making an inference’ was utilized to develop writing instruction models and lesson plans. In order to accommodate a wider range of teachers’ needs in high school, the study took into consideration two teaching conditions, learner proficiency levels (high, mid, and low) and skill integration (listening, writing, and reading, writing) in the development process. A total of five English writing instruction models and lesson plans for different teaching conditions were developed using two chapters extracted from two textbooks. The characteristics of the newly developed models and lesson plans were provided so that teachers can easily modify them for their own needs in the practice. Further, the writing pattern ‘describing pictures and making an inference’ turned out to be quite adaptable to real teaching conditions and seemed to contribute to enhancing students’ creativity as well as their writing skills. At the end, study limitations were discussed.

Learners’ Proficiency Level and the Efficacy of Written Corrective Feedback on L2 Acquisition

This study aimed to investigate whether an individual learner difference factor of proficiency level mediates the efficacy of written corrective feedback (CF) on L2 acquisition. In a quasi-experiment conducted to attain this end, three types of written CF (i.e., indirect CF, direct CF, and metalinguistic CF) were considered, and English article errors were targeted for the written CF. EFL college students were formed into eight groups distinguished by proficiency level (i.e., higher and lower) and the type of CF to receive. They carried out three narrative writing tasks for written CF treatments and went through pretest, immediate and delayed posttest sessions. At each session, two subtests were administered to measure explicit and implicit knowledge, respectively. The results revealed that the efficacy of CF was mediated by learners’ proficiency level. However, the mediating effect was limited: proficiency level mediated the efficacy of indirect CF, but had no impact on that of direct CF and metalinguistic CF. In addition, the mediating effect emerged only for explicit knowledge, not for implicit knowledge. The results indicate that the proficiency level of learners constitutes a significant factor to be considered for the effective practice of written CF.

Design and implementation of an intelligent virtual environment for improving speaking and listening skills

In this paper, we present an intelligent architecture, called intelligent virtual environment for language learning, with embedded pedagogical agents for improving listening and speaking skills of non-native English language learners. The proposed architecture integrates virtual environments into the Intelligent Computer-Assisted Language Learning. This architecture supports visual, auditory, and haptic channels of interaction. It allows pedagogical ideas about language skills to be implemented and validated with a minimum design time. Moreover, we design a computational model to evaluate learner's proficiency level, and an automatic adaptation mechanism which adjusts to the learner's learning curve. We have implemented two scenarios based on the proposed architecture to teach learners how to communicate in public places such as airports and TV stores. Inputs to this system include learner's speech and hand motion, and outputs include graphical scenes, force feedback, and speech by a few embodied agents. Throughout interactions, agents discover the proficiency level of the learner and customize the level of communication complexity accordingly. The system is tested on 10 subjects. Experimental results show 14% increase in the number of proper replies, 3% decrease in grammatical errors, 16% decrease in pronunciation duration, and 11% increase in learners' proficiency level within three trials.

Study of science students' expectation for university writing courses

The New Malaysia Education Blueprint (2012) states that the private sector continues to have concerns for Malaysian graduates’ English proficiency. The present study investigates the views and expectations of science students taking English courses in a public university. The findings revealed that learners saw opportunities to communicate and job applications process as important soft skills. They preferred practical learning methods above traditional teaching methods. Learners considered group performance, personal attitudes and online activities as important learning opportunities, while factual knowledge, report writing were least supported despite the fact that the majority viewed both assessments and instructional process as relevant. The data revealed that though they were dissatisfied with their existing level of proficiency, many students continued to expect an A for their course. An assessment of the learner’s’ language ability revealed that language ability was less under the learner’s control and more dependent on learner proficiency level. Taken together, this study suggests that the curriculum for the Professional Writing course should be highly diversified and balanced, with some emphasis on getting less proficient learners to read and improve their grammar skills while better students should be given opportunities to develop creative talents and interpersonal skills.

Contingency of Recasts and Noticing

Recasts are an important type of implicit negative feedback that has attracted much attention in both L1 research and SLA research. The utility of recasts in face-to-face interaction has been empirically established, and the contingency of recasts is argued to be the key. However, the efficacy of recasts in computer-mediated communication (CMC), text-based online chatting in particular, remains questionable due to the possible violation of this contingency factor in the "split negotiation routines" commonly observed in CMC discourse. This study used a repeated-measure design to examine the potential impact of the contingency of recasts on noticing as well as some contextual factors that might mediate the contingency effect on the noticing of recasts. In this study, 17 ESL learners were invited to chat with one researcher on two dyadic communication tasks, one preceded by prewriting and the other without. Think aloud protocols and stimulated recalls were used to measure the noticing of recasts. It was found that participants noticed contingent recasts significantly more often than noncontingent recasts. Furthermore, working memory and prewriting were found to mediate the contingency effect, and learner proficiency level was found neither pertinent to the noticing of recasts nor mediative of the contingency effect.

Perceptual Learning-Style Preferences of Iranian EFL Learners in Relation to Their Proficiency Level

Learning style is the way in which you characteristically acquire, retain, and retrieve informat ion. It is a must for learners and especially teachers to be aware of learn ing styles of learners. Accordingly, the current paper was, in fact, an attempt to see does the ability level of EFL language learners significantly affect their learn ing styles. It also investigated the learning styles which are preferred and co mmon among beginning, intermediate, and advanced-level learners. To achieve such objectives, a TOEFL test (as a ho mogeneity pre-test to divide 120 selected Iranian EFL learners into three beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels) and a learning style questionnaire was used. The results of the study revealed that first, the proficiency level of learners have a significant impact on learners' learning style preferences. The study also revealed that sensory styles are the most preferred learn ing styles for beginning learners, personality styles for intermediate learners, and finally, degree-related styles for advanced-level learners. Conducting studies like the present one may contribute effectively on the better teaching of language to learners.

The functions of self‐initiated self‐repair in the second language Chinese classroom1

Self‐repair analysis has often been used to gauge a learner's proficiency level, language acquisition or monitoring ability. This study questions these presumed links by examining the self‐initiated self‐repair practices of second language learners of Mandarin Chinese drawing from both classroom interaction data and stimulated recall interviews. While this link may not be as strong as previously suggested, self‐repair behaviour can reveal other information about the learner, including monitoring preferences, learning strategies, areas of difficulty, and perceptions about both their proficiency level and the target language. As such, self‐repair still appears to play an important role in the language learning process, albeit not the straightforward role that has often been assumed to date.

Shared features of L2 writing: Intergroup homogeneity and text classification

This study investigates intergroup homogeneity within high intermediate and advanced L2 writers of English from Czech, Finnish, German, and Spanish first language backgrounds. A variety of linguistic features related to lexical sophistication, syntactic complexity, and cohesion were used to compare texts written by L1 speakers of English to L2 writers of English in order to examine if L2 writing shares text similarities regardless of the L1 of the writer. The results of the study provide evidence for intergroup homogeneity in the linguistic patterns of L2 writers in that four word-based indices (hypernymy, polysemy, lexical diversity, and stem overlap) demonstrated similar patterns of occurrence in the L2 writer populations sampled. However, significant differences were reported for these indices between L1 and L2 writers. The results of this study provide evidence that some aspects of L2 writing may not be cultural or independent, but rather based on the amount and type of linguistic knowledge available to L2 learners as a result of language experience and learner proficiency level.

Exploring the Teachers’ Use of Spoken Corrective Feedback in Teaching Iranian EFL Learners at Different Levels of Proficiency

In learning a foreign language, making error is an indispensible part of learning process. Finely tuned and pertinent corrective feedback is an important tool for teachers to prevent their learners’ errors from getting fossilized and help them progress along their interlanguage continuum. There are different factors contributing to efficacy of corrective feedback among which is taking into consideration proficiency level of learners in choosing corrective feedback techniques. In this study the researcher used a database of 360 corrective feedback moves which two EFL teachers provided to their learners at three levels of proficiency. Eight types of corrective feedback were identified and their distribution in relation to proficiency levels of learners was determined. The results revealed that recast was the most frequently used type of corrective feedback by the teachers at all three levels of proficiency. However, as the learners became more proficient the teachers reduced recasts and incorporated other self correction techniques.