Levels Of Language Instruction Research Articles

Item Analysis of a Multiple-Choice Exam

Although foreign language testing has been subject to some changes in line with the different perspectives on learning and language teaching, multiple-choice items have been considerably popular regardless of these perspectives and trends in foreign language teaching. There have been some studies focusing on the efficiency of multiple choice items in different contexts. In Turkish context multiple choice items have been commonly used as standardized stake holder tests as a requirement for undergraduate level for the departments such as English Language Teaching, Western Languages and Literatures and Translation Studies and academic progress of the students in departments. Moreover, multiple choice items have been used noticeably in all levels of language instruction. However, there hasn’t been enough item analysis of multiple-choice tests in terms of item discrimination, item facility and distractor efficiency. The present study aims to analyze the multiple choice items aiming to test grammar, vocabulary and reading comprehension and administrated at a state university to preptory class students. In the study, 453 students’ responses have been analyzed in terms of item facility, item discrimination and distractor efficiency by using the frequency showing the distribution of the responses of prepatory students. The study results reveal that, most of the items are at the moderate level in terms of item facility. Besides, the results show that 28% of the items have a low item discrimination value. Finally, the frequency results were analyzed in terms of distractor efficiency and it has been found that some distractors in the exam are significantly ineffective and they should be revised.

Using Qr Codes as a Resourceful Ict Tool in the Elt Classroom

As the incorporation of technology into language instruction becomes more prevalent, teachers and researchers look into ways of using mobile tools in the classroom. Using QR codes for language instruction is one example of successful incorporation of a mobile technology, which allows educators to draw on the motivational value of technology while using tools that are fit for the purpose of effective instruction. QR codes are everywhere. Students see these codes everyday outside the classroom. They will be fascinated at the prospect of using this technology in the classroom. Similarly, teachers are eager to adopt new technologies, provided they are simple and efficient. And there is a reason why QR codes are everywhere: they are simple and efficient. This workshop aims at familiarizing participants with this very practical and efficient mobile tool that teachers can easily use at every level of language instruction. The presenter will first provide theoretical background explaining what QR codes are and how the use of QR codes enhances classroom instruction. This discussion will be followed by a hands-on training session where the participants will be guided through the steps of creating URLs and QR codes for classroom use. In the last part of the workshop, the presenter will share practical ideas on how these codes can be used in various ways including sample assignments and projects. The workshop will conclude with a discussion of the motivational value that the QR codes can bring to the classroom.

The relationship between academic self-concept, attributions, and L2 achievement

Abstract This study explores the relationship between academic self-concept, classroom test performance, and causal attribution for achievement among Turkish students. 267 Year 6 students from six different cities in Turkey participated in the study. Academic self-concept was measured by means of the Myself-As-a-Learner Scale (MALS) while attributions were elicited through a specifically designed attribution questionnaire. Achievement was measured by course achievement tests. Analysis of the data revealed that teacher was the most frequent attribution for test scores followed by ability, interest, and long term effort. Academic self-concept (high vs. low) and test performance (good vs. poor) exerted a main effect but yielded together no interaction effect on attributions. Multiple regression analysis showed that a set of ability attribution, academic self-concept, interest attribution, and teacher attribution were the best predictors of test performance. As the most frequent attributions and predictors of test performance were found to be mainly uncontrollable and stable, this study concludes that knowledge of student attributions and academic self-concept can provide useful information to teachers of English both at the level of prediction and intervention beyond the level of language instruction.

Literature in Lower‐Level Courses: Making Progress in Both Language and Reading Skills

Abstract: This research project investigated the role of the literary text in intermediate reading instruction in an attempt to address the question of how instructors can integrate literary selections into all levels of language instruction. Specifically, the study examined one particular classroom environment and explored its relationship to our present understanding of the teaching of literature and reading comprehension. Using a qualitative research approach, the study investigated: (1) the interplay between “reading” and “literature” in the second language (L2) classroom; (2) the underlying beliefs and assumptions that the instructor and students bring into the classroom regarding literature and reading comprehension; and (3) how these underlying assumptions affect what occurs in class. A presentation of course goals, classroom roles, and class activities and tasks elucidates how each of these issues is influenced by the students' and instructor's conceptualization of the reading process. Suggestions are made to help language teachers incorporate literature into classroom instruction. Attention is also given to the Standards for Foreign Language Learning and to their implications for incorporating literary texts into an intermediate reading course.

Expanding on Authenticity: A Case for Immigrant Letters, Photographs, and Other German-Americana in the Language Classroom

When asked to divulge their reasons for studying we have found that students' answers fall roughly into the following categories: fulfilling a degree requirement, future travel plans, future plans to work in a German-speaking country, ability to read German, and German ancestry, or, less frequently, fulfilling parents' wishes.1 We are aware that, depending on the geographic location of the school, college, or university, the percentage of heritage learners will vary considerably. Yet, even the most cursory glance at textbooks currently available on the market reveals that those students citing ancestry as a main motivation for language learning find their interests only marginally reflected.2 Adding German-American materials at all levels of language instruction would not only meet heritage learners' needs but enhance the curriculum to cater to an increasingly diverse student body at our colleges and universities. While such material encourages students of Germanspeaking ancestry to delve into their own familial past, a meaningful prototype will also provide students of other ethnic backgrounds with a model for contrasting their family's or ethnic group's experiences to the materials presented in class.

The Arlington Curriculum Development Model

ABSTRACT This article presents a model process for “bottom‐up” teacher development of a proficiency‐oriented, criterion‐referenced second or foreign language curriculum. The process is designed for second and foreign language teachers and administrators at all levels of education (1) to enhance articulation and coherence of teaching objectives and practices between levels of language instruction and (2) to foster communicative teaching practices.

Using Forms as Springboards for Conversation in the Foreign Language Classroom

ABSTRACT Standardized target language forms that require the furnishing of biographical information can be used as springboards for personalized conversation in the foreign language classroom. They encourage the immediate and meaningful employment of language between two class members in a directly personalized context. A sampling of forms is accompanied by guidelines for their productive classroom employment. These activities are characterized by total student involvement, with all class members participating simultaneously. Such forms may be used in a variety of instructional settings: from high school through university or adult education. They may be employed at any level of language instruction, and with any target language, including ESL. These lessons can be used independently at any time to complement a textbook or curriculum, or to introduce or review some practical target language vocabulary, while providing a stimulating and motivational change of pace.

Inkblots, Norman Rockwell, and New Yorker Ads: Let's Talk (and Read, Write, Listen, Guess, Interpret…)

ABSTRACT Inkblots, Rockwell illustrations, and magazine ads have proved an effective means of provoking active language use. Their appeal to inventiveness on the part of each student is a strong motivating force. They can be used effectively at all levels of language instruction, even in beginning courses, and can be linked to the four basic language skills. Perhaps most important, they provoke individual response leading to collective discussion. The present article illustrates these propositions by discussion of the use of one inkblot, a Rockwell illustration called “After the Prom,” and a New Yorker ad. In each case the illustration is given, and tactics for individual work, small group interaction, and full class discussion are described. Vocabulary building, techniques of interpretation and discussion, and selected grammar points are highlighted. In addition, an interview (with transcript) of native speakers reacting to the visual materials is used for listening comprehension, further vocabulary, idiomatic expressions, and topics for written exercises. Follow‐up exercises (students choosing their own ads for presentation to the class, cross‐cultural issues, video tapes of foreign language television commercials, etc.) are also described.

German Via the Airwaves, Phase Two: On the Beam with CB Radio

ABSTRACT In a continuing effort to utilize two‐way radio contacts as a means of generating conversational skills in the foreign language class, a treasure hunt game using hand‐held walkie‐talkie radios has been developed and implemented at the Georgia Institute of Technology. The game consists of a base team and a field team, which must work together in the target language in order to locate a hidden message. The message must be found and decoded before the adversary teams have done the same with their messages. The game can be utilized at any level of language instruction, and the equipment is readily available and relatively inexpensive.