Learners Face Research Articles

Review Of Factors Affecting English Speaking Skills Among Foreign English Learners

Speaking skills, for effective communication, are widely recognized as a formidable challenge for language learners (EFL). In Pakistan, at the university level, these learners face numerous hurdles which hinder the progress of their speaking abilities. The present study is based on a review of articles. The objective was to categorize and pinpoint problematic aspects and linguistic barriers encountered by university students, with a particular focus on applied linguistics students in Pakistan. The scrutinized papers delved into the details of speaking difficulties and weaknesses experienced by university-level learners, primarily those immersed in the realm of applied linguistics. In the previous studies, EFL learners, grapple with challenges spanning linguistic factors, psycholinguistic factors and sociolinguistic factors. Furthermore, problems based on education, such as designed-based courses and the inadequacy of proficiency of teachers, compound predicaments faced by these learners. The key findings from this study serve as a useful path towards resolving the difficulties and issues related to speaking skills.

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF TEACHERS’ CORRECTIVE FEEDBACK (CF) AND SPEAKING PRACTICE ON UNDERGRADUATE LANGUAGE LEARNERS’ SPEAKING ANXIETY (SA)

The number of the English Language users is expanding quickly around the globe due to the irrefutable importance of the English language. This is because of a number of educational and economic benefits associated with it contributing a great deal to World Englishes. Despite English has been taught, till degree level, as a compulsory subject, learners face difficulties in the basic four-fold language skills such as listening, reading, writing and speaking. The present study focuses speaking anxiety of English learners. Investigating the impact of speaking practice and corrective feedback on listening anxiety, it measures levels of speaking anxiety of Pakistani undergraduate students before and after the speaking practice and corrective feedback. One hundred and fifty undergraduate students of a public college participated in this study. Foreign Language Speaking Anxiety Scale (FLSAS)) developed from (Horwitz et al., 1986) by Zulfiqar (2022) was adopted to answer the research questions. Mean scores and effect size were also calculated. Pearson correlation was run to check the correlation of pre and post-speaking data. There was a statistically significant decrease in scores of speaking anxiety (before speaking practice and corrective feedback (M= 3.0762, SD=0.45947) and after practice (M= 2.1885, SD=.41059; t (149) = 19.276. p=.000 (two-tailed). The mean decrease in speaking anxiety score was 0.88.77% with a 90% confidence interval ranging from 0.78 to 0.95. The eta squared statistic 0.69 indicated a large effect size

The labor market outcomes of bilinguals in the United States: Accumulation and returns effects.

At least half of the world population is bilingual, but lifetime financial gains from early exposure to multiple languages are largely unknown. In this study, we analyze individual earnings of bilinguals in the US using 15 years of Census data and an augmented wage model, accounting for cognitive, manual, and interpersonal skills derived from O*NET job task descriptors via sparse principal component method. Using unconditional quantile regression, we find evidence that language skills mostly benefit individuals at the lower end of the earnings distribution. While our analysis does not establish causality, it underscores the potential of early language acquisition to mitigate income inequality by enhancing the employment prospects of low-income individuals. We also highlight the favorable cost-benefit ratio of language acquisition in childhood, when learners face no monetary opportunity costs and can achieve greater levels of fluency.

Perspectives of Teachers on the Teaching of Learners with Dyslexia at Intermediate Phase in Mainstream Primary Schools

The inclusion of learners with dyslexia in mainstream primary schools requires the provision of a least-restrictive teaching and learning environment which celebrates the uniqueness of all individuals. In view of this, the purpose of this study was to explore the perspectives of teachers in teaching dyslexic learners at the intermediate phase in mainstream primary schools. A qualitative research approach was utilised in the study. This offered participants an opportunity to freely reveal their opinions on the phenomenon under investigation. The population for this study comprised teachers who taught classes with both dyslexic and non-dyslexic learners at the intermediate phase. Purposive sampling was used to select twenty-four teachers with a minimum of three years of teaching experience from the eight schools under study. Semi-structured interviews were used to gather data from the research participants. Data were analysed thematically. The study established that dyslexic learners face diverse reading, writing and arithmetic challenges and these affect their overall academic performance. The study recommends that teachers should consider the preferred learning styles of individuals with dyslexia in their planning and delivery of academic content.

Factors Affecting Speaking Proficiency in English Language Learning: A general overview of the speaking skill

For effective communication, speaking abilities must be developed and improved. One of the most complicated aspects of learning a new language is gaining speaking proficiency, which is commonly considered difficult. Many people learning a language encounter difficulties expressing their ideas and thoughts verbally. Individuals frequently need help with expressing themselves clearly in a foreign language. Individuals cease verbal communication when they encounter psychological obstacles or exhaust their repertoire of suitable linguistic formulations. Proficiency in spoken English is a vital requirement in today's modern communication and media landscape. This study aims to illustrate the significance of focusing on the factors that impact the speaking proficiency of those learning English as a second language. This review paper provides an overview of the existing body of research on speaking, its significance, the features of speaking performance, difficulties related to speaking, and factors that can influence speaking performance. The literature review indicated that learners prioritize and require increased attention to effective instruction in speaking skills. The findings of this study have the potential to inform educators and researchers about the speaking demands that English language learners face within the domain of English language instruction and acquisition.

The effect of embedded structures on cognitive load for novice learners during block-based code comprehension

BackgroundCoding has become an integral part of STEM education. However, novice learners face difficulties in processing codes within embedded structures (also termed nested structures). This study aimed to investigate the cognitive mechanism underlying the processing of embedded coding structures based on hierarchical complexity theory, which suggests that more complex hierarchies are involved in embedded versus sequential coding structures. Hierarchical processing is expected to place a great load on the working memory system to maintain, update, and manipulate information. We therefore examined the difference in cognitive load induced by embedded versus sequential structures, and the relations between the difference in cognitive load and working memory capacity.ResultsThe results of Experiment 1 did not fully support our hypotheses, possibly due to the unexpected use of cognitive strategies and the way stimuli were presented. With these factors well controlled, a new paradigm was designed in Experiment 2. Results indicate that the cognitive load, as measured by the accuracy and response times of a code comprehension task, was greater in embedded versus sequential conditions. Additionally, the extra cognitive load induced by embedded coding structures was significantly related to working memory capacity.ConclusionsThe findings of these analyses suggest that processing embedded coding structures exerts great demands on the working memory system to maintain and manipulate hierarchical information. It is therefore important to provide scaffolding strategies to help novice learners process codes across different hierarchical levels within embedded coding structures.

Social cognitive theory-assisted learning of Arabic: A study of self-regulated learning strategies, social media usage, and motivation

Social cognitive theory (SCT) has widely been used in second or foreign language learning. Multiple studies have also verified its importance in language learning. This present study examines the role that SCT plays in assisting the learning of Arabic by analysing the relationships among self-regulated learning strategies (SRLS), social media usage (SMU), and motivations of Arabic learners. A total of 317 university-grade Arabic learners participated in the present study. The self-regulated online learning questionnaire (SOL-Q), a social media usage questionnaire, and the motivated strategies for learning questionnaire (MSLQ) were used to understand the current issues that Arabic learners face. A quantitative analysis of the data revealed that most of the Arabic learners had medium levels of SRLS and SMU and high levels of motivation. Furthermore, SRLS and motivation significantly affected the Grade Point Average (GPA)-based academic achievements of these Arabic learners. The findings of this study verify that SRLS, SMU, and motivation have a triadic reciprocal correlation with SCT in the context of learning the Arabic language.

Chinese Learner Challenges in English Subject-Verb Agreement

The second language learners are experiencing manifold challenges when acquiring a new language. English is one of the most prevalent languages nowadays. The English speakers hail from around the world. Therefore, English has become a compulsory course in China since the late 1980s. As Chinese is my first language and English is the second, I can intermittently perceive the learner challenges especially the English grammar. Grammar is the set of rules in fields of phonology, morphology, and syntax, often complemented by phonetics, semantics, and pragmatics. Chinese grammar differs from English to a great extent, including subject-verb (S-V) agreement. It is sometimes really hard to compose grammatically correct sentences due to the influence of Chinese grammar patterns as well as the sociocultural context. Consequently, the aim of the paper is to define the challenges that the learners face whose first language is Chinese and seek for answers to this problem in second language acquisition.

Online Learning Challenges and Strategies: Visual Fatigue and Split Visual Attention.

Online learning environments are challenging for deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) individuals. A major concern is split attention, which occurs when one simultaneously attends to multiple stimuli, a situation that characterizes most multimedia presentations and instruction that combines sound, text, images, graphs or charts, and video. Needing to take notes adds another stimulus. DHH learners face this issue when auditory content is accommodated visually, in combination with visually presented content. No one can view multiple visual signals simultaneously. Learners must choose to view one signal and miss others; view signals sequentially, which requires additional time and hinders class participation; or switch between visual signals, losing elements of each. This process increases auditory and visual fatigue and cognitive load, ultimately compromising learning. Several ways are suggested to achieve more equitable access to instructional content for learners challenged by the problem of split attention.

Reading Obstacles and Strategies from the Perspective of Schema Theory: A Case Study of Senior English Majors in Northwestern Polytechnical University

Drawing on schema theory, this qualitative study explores reading obstacles English learners face, the causes of these obstacles and the reading strategies being used in reading. Three main themes emerged, which are a) reading obstacles encountered by English learners: reading obstacles of receiving visual information, reading obstacles of lacking non-visual information, reading obstacles of readers’ subjective purpose and attitude; b) three causes of reading obstacle: lacking certain schemata, failing to activate prior schemata, possessing limited knowledge about reading strategies; c) the situation of reading strategies employed by English learners. On the basis of the findings, pedagogical implications for both English learners and EFL teacher are given at the end of the thesis.

Challenges Of a Hard of Hearing Learner in Online Language Education

While inclusive education (IE) is embraced at the conceptual level and desired at the classroom level, successful IE implementation remains highly complex. COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019) outbreak which necessitated a quick switch to remote instruction made IE even harder to put into practice. Despite several studies regarding inclusion during face-to-face education, there has been quite limited research on online education and inclusive practices. This exploratory case study of qualitative nature took place at a state university in the southeast of Turkey with three participants: a hard of hearing (HH) English as a foreign language learner who is a freshman enrolled at the English Language Education Department and his two instructors. Data were collected by means of semi-structured interviews, journals, and narrative reports. Interviews were conducted with the student about the challenges he had and instructors’ practices during distance education, and with instructors about their general opinions towards IE and their online education practices regarding the inclusion of that student. Data were analyzed through thematic analysis. The analyses of student data revealed one major theme as “rechallenge” of an already challenging life and subthemes as nature of online education, instructors’ practices, delayed/ limited feedback, and lack of interaction. Instructors’ data revealed themes as beliefs and attitudes towards IE and need for training. Findings presented the challenges of online education for a HH pupil with significant implications, suggesting many solutions to the problems HH learners face, and raising public awareness on IE.

An Exploratory Study of Issues of EFL Learners in Pakistani University at Graduate Level

This study aims to address the challenges faced by English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners at the graduate level in Pakistani universities. Despite the importance of English language in Pakistan, EFL learners face a range of issues that impact their language proficiency and academic success. This study is qualitative and uses thematic analysis to explore the experiences of EFL learners and identify the key issues that impact their language learning. The semi structured interviews have been taken from the EFL learners. The findings of this study have important implications for EFL instruction in Pakistani universities and can inform the development of targeted interventions to support EFL learners. The study highlights the significance of finding solutions to the issues faced by EFL learners in Pakistan, especially related to speaking skills, and offers recommendations for addressing these challenges.

The Utilisation of Test-Taking Strategies by Saudi EFL High Schoolers in Al-Ahsa Region

It is highly recommended that educators know the importance of test-wiseness and test-unwiseness strategies which impact learners' performance on tests. This study aims to identify the common strategies learners adopt to achieve a high score and the most significant challenges that the learners face when taking the tests concerning the design of the tests and the clarity of instructions and questions. A group of six high school students has participated in the study. They have been given a vocabulary test with two types of questions (open and closed questions). The data has been collected by direct observation and a think-aloud protocol. The participants has utilized various test-taking strategies, which have helped them arrange ideas and gather information, such as asking about instructions, excluding choices, reading all questions before answering, and making a random choice of answers. Other students have utilized some TTS unwisely, such as skipping reading questions and instructions or reading them partially and choosing random answers without processing the whole question for meaning. The study helps to understand test-wise and test-unwiseness strategies and differentiate between conscious and unconscious strategies used by the participants. It has also suggested that educators should understand the impact of these strategies on their tests as this would help reduce the incidence of poorly framed questions and ambiguous instructions for learners. The study also raised the question of whether TTS should be taught to students or not. A topic that could further this investigation to reach wider insights and implications.

A contrastive analysis of modality between english and behdini-kurdish

The current study intends to conduct a comparative analysis of modality in English and Behdini-Kurdish. Modality is a linguistic category pertaining to expressing possibility and necessity, among other meanings. The paper’s central problem is that Behdini-Kurdish learners face difficulty in comprehending the notion of modality in English, precisely of modal auxiliary verbs. The primary goals of this investigation are to define epistemic and deontic modalities in the two languages in order to illustrate the similarities and dissimilarities between them. The results reveal that modals in English are predominantly grammatical auxiliaries. In contrast, in Kurdish, they are mainly lexical items, many of which are used to represent a single English modal auxiliary. The findings of the study are summarized in a number of conclusions.

Jordanian EFL Learners’ Production of Synonyms

This paper reports on the findings of a study that explored Jordanian EFL learners’ production of synonyms. The data were elicited through a translation task which consisted of 20 Arabic sentences to measure Jordanian EFL learners’ ability to produce the correct synonym in contextualized English sentences. The subjects were asked to translate whole sentences from Arabic into English. Each sentence contains a certain Arabic word that has a specific appropriate English equivalent out of a number of semantically interrelated words that belong to the same category. These words were selected from Sheeler and Markley (1982). The findings indicate that Jordanian EFL learners face serious difficulty in dealing with synonyms on the production level. This can be attributed to some reasons, namely the transfer of training, the complexity of the foreign language, the lack of some English lexical items, the confusion of words on the ground of formal similarity, and the EFL learners' limited knowledge of English in general and of collocations in particular. Furthermore, the subjects employed a number of strategies to compensate for their lack of knowledge, such as overgeneralization, semantic approximation, literal translation, and message abandonment when they encountered a problem in rendering a target word.

Exploring Speaking Anxiety of Non-English Department Students

The study's goal is to identify the barriers to speaking that EFL learners face at the tertiary level. Speaking anxiety is one of the issues. The levels and factors of speaking anxiety become the focus of this research. This study also investigates speaking anxiety factors experienced by EFL learners. Three factors contribute to speaking anxiety: communication apprehension, fear of negative evaluation, and a lack of self-confidence. The Foreign Language Speaking Anxiety Scale (FLSAS) was adopted to reveal the degree of speaking anxiety. The semi-structured interview was conducted with nine students to explore the source of anxiety. This study involved 81 participants from the Informatics Engineering department students at State Polytechnic of Malang. The findings revealed that Informatics Engineering department students demonstrated a moderate level of speaking anxiety. Furthermore, the study found that low self-confidence is among the highest average of speaking anxiety, followed by fear of negative evaluation and communication apprehension

Jordanian EFL Learners’ Production of Synonyms

This paper reports on the findings of a study that explored Jordanian EFL learners’ production of synonyms. The data were elicited through a translation task which consisted of 20 Arabic sentences to measure Jordanian EFL learners’ ability to produce the correct synonym in contextualized English sentences. The subjects were asked to translate whole sentences from Arabic into English. Each sentence contains a certain Arabic word that has a specific appropriate English equivalent out of a number of semantically interrelated words that belong to the same category. These words were selected from Sheeler and Markley (1982). The findings indicate that Jordanian EFL learners face serious difficulty in dealing with synonyms on the production level. This can be attributed to some reasons, namely the transfer of training, the complexity of the foreign language, the lack of some English lexical items, the confusion of words on the ground of formal similarity, and the EFL learners' limited knowledge of English in general and of collocations in particular. Furthermore, the subjects employed a number of strategies to compensate for their lack of knowledge, such as overgeneralization, semantic approximation, literal translation, and message abandonment when they encountered a problem in rendering a target word.

The Effects of Using Microsoft Teams on Improving EFL Learners' Speaking Abilities at Unaizah High School Students

Advanced technology has affected all aspects of life, including education. Technology in education has proven effective in several topics, including learning ESL/EFL. By reviewing previous research, the study aimed to explore the effects and challenges of using Microsoft Teams as an online learning tool on EFL learners at Unaizah, Saudi Arabia, from the students’ point of view. To improve their speaking skills more efficiently than in traditional classrooms, a questionnaire as a descriptive approach was used to collect data. The sample consisted of 351 female students. The results indicated that learners find using Microsoft Teams has advantages in improving English speaking skills. Thus it had a positive impact. Furthermore, the study found that learners face challenges in using Microsoft Teams. Moreover, there are no statistically significant differences at the level of the significance (α ≤ 0.05). The study recommends that educational institutions apply Microsoft Teams for its advantages.

"THE PRONUNCIATION OF DIPHTHONGS BY IRAQI LEARNERS OF ENGLISH "

This study examines the phonetic problems that Iraqi speakers encounter when learning and speaking English. The analysis of the data collected reveal s that Iraqi learners face difficulty in the production of most English diphthongs. The comparative analysis between Iraqi English (IE) and Standard British English (BE) helps in determining which similarities and differences either facilitate or hinder communication. The study offers a phonetic description and analysis of IE as spoken by five Iraqis. First, the study explores the problems that these speakers face in the pronunciation of English. Second, it compares their spoken English with Standard British English (BE). Third, it reveals the pedagogical implications that result from the comparison.

Navigating the interlanguage space: Chinese international students’ perceptions of a virtual chemistry laboratory course

The unforeseen shift to virtual learning during the COVID-19 pandemic required instructors and students to face unprecedented learning challenges. Under these circumstances, Chinese international students who intended to come to the U.S. to begin their studies were required to remotely access their courses while still residing in China, which included a general chemistry laboratory course. Research suggests that English language learners (ELL) face a substantial language barrier in science-based courses as they must simultaneously be proficient in English as well as in the discipline-specific academic language; however, little is understood about how ELLs navigate these challenges in the context of a virtual chemistry laboratory course. This study examined the perceptions of Chinese international students about their learning as well as the tools/strategies they used to navigate the language barrier in the virtual laboratory course. Results suggest that although the participants perceived the virtual laboratory space as a safe and low-pressured environment to run experiments, they experienced difficulties in comprehending procedures adequately which potentially hindered them from developing a deeper understanding of the experiments. The types of strategies and tools that students used to navigate between their first language, the English language, and the academic language associated with chemistry mainly supported surface level learning. These findings underscore the need to identify and develop more sophisticated instructional strategies that help students navigate interlanguage spaces and reach higher levels of learning.