English-speaking Learners Research Articles

The Role of AI Technology Plays in Chinese Students’ Spoken English Learning

With the popularization and development of the Internet, artificial intelligence as a common tool has been widely used in Chinese students’ spoken English learning. Language learning assisted by AI technology is developed from information technology-assisted language learning. Although it has many advantages, it has not been fully developed and applied, and there is a research gap in the field of technology and ethics. This paper is a systematic review that describes in detail how information technology-assisted language learning has developed step by step from computers to artificial intelligence Apps and even robots, and summarizes the advantages of AI technology in spoken language learning, such as vividness, accuracy, and convenience, as well as the limitations of difficult application, high cost, low error-tolerant rate and neglect of cultural differences. Through literature investigation and comparative analysis, this paper summarizes the relevant suggestions and improvement plans for AI technology-assisted spoken English learning.

Analysis of Teaching Methods and Student Perceptions in Learning English Speaking Skills

This study aims to identify and analyze the teaching methods employed by lecturers to enhance speaking skills among university students in Karawang. Mastery of speaking skills in a foreign language is crucial for students, not only for academic success but also for professional development in the future. Despite its importance, teaching speaking skills often faces challenges, such as determining the most effective methods to improve students' speaking abilities. This research adopts a qualitative approach using narrative inquiry to explore various teaching methods utilized by lecturers and the perceptions of students towards these methods. Data were collected through interviews and classroom observations involving five randomly selected students who have participated in speaking courses. The findings indicate that teaching methods incorporating active interaction, constructive feedback, and the use of technology significantly enhance students' speaking skills. Students responded positively to more interactive and technology-based methods, which allowed them to practice speaking in contexts closer to real-life situations. The study also revealed that students' confidence in public speaking increased when supported by a positive learning environment and inclusive teaching methods. This research provides valuable insights for educators in developing more effective teaching strategies to improve students' speaking abilities. Therefore, the findings from this study are expected to contribute to the development of better curricula and more innovative teaching programs in higher education.

CAMBODIAN EFL STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF FACTORS INFLUENCING PRONUNCIATION

This study aims to explore students’ perceptions of factors influencing pronunciation. The study was designed quantitatively. The purposive sampling method was used, and 50 Cambodian EFL students at the National University of Battambang were selected as the sample. The questionnaire was designed in a semi-structured format. The data was analyzed by SPSS. The result showed that most participants believed learning English from a young age leads to better pronunciation. Interestingly, it indicated that the mother tongue (Khmer) influences English pronunciation since learners find it difficult to produce some sounds, especially the /th/sh/f/v/ sound in English, as these sounds do not exist in the sound system of Khmer. Additionally, the majority of the respondents believed that being exposed to an English-speaking environment, including real communication with English native speakers or access to English-speaking learning media, can enhance pronunciation. Last but not least, it was also assumed that feedback on pronunciation errors and motivation contribute to a positive learning process. Therefore, this study provides insight into effective pronunciation instruction.

Language learners’ expectations and satisfaction level in a telecollaboration project

The aim of this paper is to analyse the data collected in a six-week telecollaboration project between 9 Spanish-speaking learners of English and 5 international students from the Erasmus+ programme, who engaged in both synchronous and asynchronous activities with 10 English-speaking learners of Spanish. Data was gathered through a pre-questionnaire enquiring about learners’ expectations at the beginning of the project and a post-questionnaire seeking information about students’ satisfaction at the end of the project. The results revealed that students’ expectations mostly aligned with the perceived benefits after carrying out the exchange. However, some of the participants found it difficult to meet on a weekly basis with their virtual partners as was required. This suggests that students participating in telecollaboration projects may need further guidance and help to plan their meetings. Despite this, most of the comments received at the end of the project were positive and showed participants’ overall satisfaction.

Fostering Pragmatic Proficiency: The Influence of Explicit Instruction on Plurilingual EFL Learners’ Mastery of Hedging Devices in Canadian Academic Writing Context

Hedging academic claims is a crucial aspect of scholarly writing that presents challenges for many non-native English-speaking academic authors. Scholars, such as Hyland (2021), have emphasized the vital role of explicit instructional interventions in raising awareness about hedging devices among Plurilingual non-native English writers. This is particularly relevant considering the nuanced nature of certain hedging devices, characterized by polysemy and polypragmatics. This research aims to investigate the effectiveness of explicit instruction in enhancing the pragmatic competence of non-native English-speaking learners, with a specific focus on the acquisition and application of English modal auxiliaries as hedging mechanisms within an academic context. In this study, a group of 37 non-native English-speaking College students, representing various academic disciplines, were purposefully selected from Sommet College located in Greater Montreal area, and divided into two groups: a control group and an experimental group. The control group received conventional academic writing instruction, while the experimental group underwent explicit instruction on the use of modal auxiliaries for hedging in their academic writing. Both groups completed pretests and post-tests as part of the evaluation process. Analysis of the test scores and t-test results revealed a significant improvement in linguistic and pragmatic proficiency concerning the use of modal auxiliaries for hedging within the experimental group. Moreover, the findings demonstrated the superior performance of the experimental group in employing modal verbs for hedging purposes. The findings of this study have broader implications that reach beyond pedagogical practice, resonating with educational program administrators and curriculum developers. These results underscore the importance of including explicit instruction on hedging devices, particularly modal auxiliaries, to bolster the academic writing skills of non-native plurilingual English-speaking learners.

영어권 한국어 학습자의 보조사 ‘도’ 사용 발달 연구A Study of English-Speaking Korean Learners’ Acquisition of the Particle to “also”

ABSTRACT English-speaking learners of Korean frequently have difficulty acquiring the Korean particle “to,” which is translatable as also. This study conducts two analyses: an error analysis of English-speaking learners’ use of “to” and a comparison of the use of “to” by advanced learners and native speakers. First, our error analysis of the learner corpus finds that beginners frequently make errors in positioning “to” and in combining “to” with other particles; intermediate learners also have difficulty with positioning “to” correctly, as well as with using “to” to make parallel connections. Advanced learners still struggle with parallel connections, but their overall error rate is significantly less. Second, the study’s contrastive interlanguage analysis investigates whether advanced learners can use diverse polysemous meanings of the particle “to” and whether they can use complex grammatical patterns, including “to,” as proficiently as native speakers. Compared to native speakers, advanced learners use two meanings less frequently: an “extreme presentation” meaning, where “to” can be translated as even; and an “emphasis” meaning, which lacks a single-word English translation. Our analysis also found that advanced learners use two grammatical patterns less frequently than native speakers: complex combinations of particles including “to,” and adding the meaning of “to” to a predicate.

영어권 한국어 학습자 대상 한국어 교육 연구 동향

Objectives The purpose of this study is to analyze the research trends in Korean language education for English-speaking Korean learners and propose future research directions. Methods To achieve this, 100 academic journal articles and 103 theses published from 2000 to 2023 were selected as the subjects of analysis. They were categorized by year, type, proficiency level, and topic for thorough examination. A qualitative method was used in which the researcher sets analysis criteria and classifies the study accordingly. Results Research on Korean language education for English-speaking learners began in 2000 and peaked in 2015, with the highest number of studies published. Since then, it has been maintained at a steady level. In terms of publication types, there were 100 academic journal articles and 103 theses, with the majority focusing on beginner-level learners, while research on intermediate-level learners was the least prevalent. Looking at the topics, studies on educational content and learner performance patterns accounted for the largest proportion, whereas research on general education, learner factors, and educational materials appeared relatively scarce. Conclusions Research on cultural education content for English-speaking learners needs to be conducted more actively, and studies on educational materials available to English-speaking learners should be diversified according to specific topics and proficiency levels. Additionally, research on teacher education and studies on self-directed learners are also necessary.

Promoting Thailand’s Creative Tourism: A Case Study of Thai Classical Dance Lessons

Thai performing arts play a crucial role in Thailand’s tourism industry. This article discusses Thai Dancing Arts’ role in promoting Thailand’s creative tourism, relevant models, and theories. The article also displays a prototypical example of the Thai dancing lesson in conjunction with the use of technology. Additionally, the article delves into the practical aspects of teaching basic Thai dancing to foreign tourists or English-speaking learners. This article could help practitioners, policymakers, and private or public tourism authorities incorporate Thai dancing lessons into their creative tourism programs to disseminate Thai culture, add value to Thai intangible cultural heritage, and promote Thailand’s tourism.

An Investigation of Language-Specific and Orthographic Effects in L2 Arabic geminate production by Advanced Japanese- and English-speaking learners.

Research has indicated that second-language learners have difficulty producing geminates accurately. Previous studies have also shown an effect of orthography on second-language speech production. We tested whether the existence of a contrast in the first language phonology for length aids the second-language production of the same contrast. Furthermore, we examined the effect of exposure to orthographic input on geminate consonant production in a cross-script context. We tested the production of Arabic geminate-singleton stop consonants [/bː/-/b/, /tː/-/t/, /dː/-/d/, and /kː/-/k/], a nasal stop consonant /mː/-/m/, and an emphatic stop consonant /tˤː/-/tˤ/, as well as the effect of the diacritic used in Arabic to mark gemination in a delayed imitation task and two reading tasks (ortho-with diacritics and ortho-without diacritics). A comparison of the productions of advanced Japanese-speaking learners, English-speaking learners, and an Arabic control group showed that both learner groups were able to produce Arabic geminate stops; however, the Japanese-speaking learners exhibited an advantage over the English-speaking learners in the auditory-only task and in the presence of diacritics, highlighting the fact that orthographic effects may occur in some cross-script contexts.

English-Speaking Learning for Fifth-Grade Elementary School Students Using a Contextual Learning Model Assisted by Flashcards

This research aims to increase students’ speaking ability by using flashcard props (picture cards). The method used is qualitative. The sample of this research is the students of class V SDN 205/IV Jambi, Academic Year 2022/2023. The results showed an increase in English speaking skills, which refers to the results of the final test and interviews given to students. Thus, the use of contextual learning models assisted by flashcards can improve the English speaking skills of students in class V SDN 205/IV Jambi.

The Attitudes of Chinese College Students Towards Utilizing Blended Learning to Enhance Their English Speaking Skills

This study aimed to investigate the attitudes of Chinese college students toward using a blended learning approach to enhance their English speaking skills. Participants include 105 non-English major students from a regular university in western China. A quantitative analysis was conducted based on the data from a designed questionnaire. The findings identify the majority of students were satisfied with using the blended learning approach during the courses to improve their English-speaking skills. Furthermore, most students showed a preference for using blended learning in future English-speaking learning because of its user-friendliness, flexibility in terms of time and location, access to self-directed learning, and diverse teaching resources. The study further demonstrated the successful and effective implementation of blended learning in English-speaking instruction as part of an educational reform process in a regular university in Western China. The researcher attempted to provide some tips to enhance blended English-speaking learning including diversified instructional designs, increased teacher-student interaction, the active use of spoken English in the classroom, practice opportunities outside of class, and the dissemination of rich oral language learning resources.

DIFFICULTIES IN SPEAKING ENGLISH ENCOUNTERED BY VIETNAMESE SECOND-DEGREE ENGLISH-MAJORED STUDENTS: A CASE OF THOSE AT THU DAU MOT UNIVERSITY

English is becoming increasingly crucial in this era of globalization and worldwide integration. Fluency in this language helps people obtain better job opportunities and develop themselves in a variety of ways. However, acquiring English is difficult for Vietnamese people who use it as a foreign language, and speaking is one of the most challenging skills to acquire for many language learners, especially for those who are pursuing a second degree in English. For the purpose of discovering and analyzing the difficulties in learning speaking skills faced by second-degree English-majored students at Thu Dau Mot University (TDMU), a mixed-method study of both quantitative and qualitative designs was carried out. The sample included 152 students and 5 lecturers in charge of the speaking courses for these students. With the data collected through the questionnaire survey, the interview, and the observation, the result reveals dominant difficulties commonly encountered by these students with reference to the limitation of vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, students’ personal psychology, and the habit of thinking in Vietnamese while speaking English. The findings of the study are applicable to the process of teaching and learning English speaking skills among second-degree language learners in Vietnamese context.

English speaking with artificial intelligence (AI): The roles of enjoyment, willingness to communicate with AI, and innovativeness

The pervasive use of artificial intelligence (AI) among educational stakeholders has inevitably led to discussion around its influence on learning as well as users' continuance adoption. There is a dearth of studies that contextualize the use of AI in the English-speaking learning setting, and even fewer studies examined the roles of learners' emotions generated from AI usage in influencing their speaking practice. The current study was designed based on the Expectation Confirmation Model to investigate the impact of perceived enjoyment, willingness to communicate with AI, and innovativeness on influencing EFL learners' continuance learning intention with AI-enhanced tools, such as EAP Talk. Results from the structural equation modelling suggested EFL EAP Talk users perceived positively in AI affordances and wiliness to communicate with AI significantly influenced perceived usefulness and satisfaction, which further impacted their intentions to continue the usage. Moreover, the enjoyment they perceived is significantly associated with continuance intention, while the role of innovation was not suggested. The research model explained 88% of the variance for continuance behavioral intention. This study provides suggestions for policymakers, AI designers, and course instructors to innovate learning methods and strengthen supervision to enhance students’ language learning.

Factors causing students’ challenges in learning English speaking skills: A review of empirical works

Factors causing students’ challenges in learning English speaking skills: A review of empirical works

The Implementation of Advocacy Method on Learning English Speaking at Senior High School

The Implementation of Advocacy Method on Learning English Speaking at Senior High School

The Use of Cake Application in Learning English Speaking Skills

Technology is quite important to use in everyday lives in this modern day. Young learners nowadays use technology for study and it can assist teachers and students in carrying out learning tasks. There are various applications available right now that can help kids learn more effectively; one such app for learning to speak is the cake app. This study aims to analyze the use of Cake application as a tool to learn English speaking skills. A literature study was conducted in this research. A literature study is a data collecting strategy that comprises doing study studies of books, literature, records, and reports that have to do with issues solved. One of the most important abilities in learning English is speaking and a skill practiced in speaking is how to pronounce words properly and correctly. The Cake program is a tool for learning English. Playlist Corporation's Cake - Learn English for Free in the category of Education is developed by Playlist Corporation. There are several features in this application such as watching short movie and practicing speaking by using dialogue. The research's goal is to look into how Cake Application can be used to learn how to speak.

An Overview of the Utilization of TikTok in Improving Young Saudi Learners’ Speaking Skills

The present study sought to examine the effectiveness of social media applications, particularly the TikTok platform, in the improvement of English-speaking skills among young Saudi learners from the perspectives of both learners and teachers. The study attempted to answer three questions: How far is the use of social media, especially TikTok, via mobile devices, effective in improving young Saudi learners’ speaking skills outside the classroom? What are young Saudi English language learners’ perspectives on the use of TikTok via mobile devices as a tool for improving their speaking skills? To what extent is learning to speak English through TikTok more effective than traditional class methods? The researcher used a mixed-methods approach to collect data in the study. The sample consisted of 120 secondary school and university students who participated in the study. To reach valid conclusions regarding their perceptions on the use of TikTok as a language development tool, the participants responded to an online 5-point Likert scale questionnaire. Following that step, three experienced English teachers provided their perceptions of the impact of TikTok as an enhancement tool in English-speaking learning. The findings of the study indicated that TikTok is an effective tool for learning English, particularly in relation to speaking skills, since both most young Saudi learners and teachers agreed that they perceive TikTok as an effective learning tool that English learners can utilize to motivate them and enhance their speaking skills.

Improving Learners’ English-Speaking Accuracy by Using Interrogative Constructions

English speaking accuracy is one of the most important aspects of Business English. While most studies are conducted to improve English speaking accuracy, they neglect phrasal semantics. This present study involves 30 participants from Phu Em Company. The study employs a mixed-methods design in which the quantitative approach helps quantify the speaking accuracy scores made by learners while the qualitative approach explores how learners perceive the use of interrogative constructions. The instruments are a questionnaire and an interview. Data analysis procedures include a theme analysis of the interview data, a statistical analysis of the test and survey data, and integrated findings. The findings from this research provide evidence that using interrogative constructions does not improve grammatical or phonological accuracy but improves expressing accuracy. The study also reveals that 58% of EG learners provide positive feedback on the use of interrogative constructions in learning English speaking skills. Based on the findings, several suggestions are offered to teachers and learners.

Improving First-Year English-Majored Students’ Speaking Skills through Using Digital Storytelling

This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of digital storytelling on Vietnamese first-year English-majored students' English-speaking learning at a university in Vietnam. In this study, the students were asked to create English-dubbed animated stories with different topics relating to their speaking lessons by using the Movie Adventure application. Methods for data collection were speaking pre-and post-tests, questionnaires, and interviews. The findings revealed that using digital storytelling as a pedagogical tool for practicing English speaking benefited students' speaking ability. The findings also showed that engaging in the content of stories not only encouraged students' motivation but instilled their confidence to speak in English. The results of the given questionnaires and interviews showed that students responded positively to the implementation of digital storytelling, which facilitated learning by allowing learners to interact and collaborate in English. From the results gained, it was concluded that digital storytelling can be used to create a dynamic speaking learning environment that helps students participate actively in their English-speaking lessons during their learning time.

Learner Agency: Multiple Case Studies of English Speaking Learning of English Majors in China

Objectives This article delves into the ways in which three English major students, each possessing varying levels of proficiency in spoken English―high, moderate, and low―express their agency throughout the process of acquiring spoken language. This exploration encompasses their experiences both within and beyond the classroom, all situated within a broader contextual framework. Methods Qualitative research was conducted during one fall semester from September to December 2023. The researchers observed an English speaking course instructed by a Chinese female teacher. Data were collected through classroom observations, semi-structured interviews, course documents and learners’ artifacts. Data analysis was conducted with three levels of coding (open coding, axial coding, and selective coding) and the credibility was ensured with data triangulation. Results The findings revealed that English major students, when encountering difficulties and challenges, such as pronunciation problems and limited vocabulary etc, exercised different forms of agency to address and overcome obstacles in the process of learning spoken English. Specifically, the agency forms of English major students in spoken English learning is manifested through action engagement, action adjustment, and action resistance. Conclusions The findings and the analysis of the current study revealed that learner agency had a significant role to play in English as a foreign language classroom in a Chinese college context. Based on the thematic data analysis, this study offered some pedagogical implications for educators and teachers both at Chinese universities and beyond.