Moroccan EFL Learners Research Articles

Investigating the Nexus between French and English Writing Skills among Moroccan EFL Learners: A Correlational Study

Investigating the Nexus between French and English Writing Skills among Moroccan EFL Learners: A Correlational Study

From Paper to Screen and from Pen to Keyboard: Digital Reading and Word Processing among Moroccan EFL Learners

The paper in hand aims at exploring Moroccan EFL learners' attitudes towards digital reading and word processing as well as the benefits and challenges associated with these two recently spread practices. A convenience sampling technique was utilized by the researchers of the present study to select a sample consisting of 64 EFL learners belonging to the School of Languages, Literature, and Arts, Kenitra. This sample involved 34 males and 30 females whose ages ranged between 21 and 52 years old. The participants were asked to fill out a 5-point Likert scale questionnaire divided into two sections, namely digital reading and word processing. The collected data were then analyzed using the 26th version of Statistical Package for Social Sciences software (SPSS). The findings of the survey indicate that the participants hold positive attitudes towards digital reading and word processing. They also reveal that the informants face challenges in digital reading similar to those they encounter in word processing.

Examining Pragmatic Knowledge in Speech Acts of Request, Compliment Response, and Apology among Moroccan EFL Students

This research delves into the pragmatic competencies in interlanguage of Moroccan EFL learners, focusing on the speech acts of requests, apologies, and compliment responses. Utilizing Discourse Completion Tasks (DCT) as the cornerstone of data collection, the study scrutinizes 16 diverse situations involving advanced-level EFL learners in Morocco. The study not only reinforces existing theories about the role of social and relational factors in shaping linguistic behavior but also uncovers the nuanced interplay of variables such as power dynamics, relational distance, and imposition in influencing these speech acts. Significantly, the research reveals that Moroccan EFL learners are not mere passive recipients of established linguistic norms; they actively adapt their language choices in response to a complex array of sociocultural and sociolinguistic variables. The study concludes with a call for more explicit and targeted instruction in interlanguage pragmatics within the Moroccan EFL educational setting to better prepare students for authentic interactions. These insights have far-reaching pedagogical implications, particularly for the crafting of EFL curricula that are attuned to the nuanced sociolinguistic variables that influence language use.

A new consonant-vowel architecture: Japanese borrowings from European languages from the viewpoint of Complexity Scales and Licensing

This study endeavors to undertake a comparative analysis of aspect in English and Moroccan Arabic, hereafter referred to as MA, adopting a cognitive linguistic approach, with special attention to the categorization of different situation types as proposed by Radden and Dirven (2007). It also aims to highlight the aspect areas that may challenge Moroccan EFL learners when acquiring this English grammatical construction. The study reveals that aspect is treated differently in English and MA. English aspect hinges on the viewing frame adopted. Therefore, the shift from one viewing frame to another results in the change from one situation type to another. By contrast, in MA, the perfective use calls for the adoption of a maximal viewing frame. However, the imperfective use calls for two interpretations: the event can be seen with either a maximal or a restricted viewing frame. In the absence of elements that co-determine the aspect in MA, general context is the only indication of the appropriate interpretation. The differences in the aspectual systems of English and MA may lead to difficulties in language acquisition. MA learners attempting to learn English, and vice versa, may face challenges in learning both the grammatical structure and its associated meanings.

A contrastive analysis of aspect in English and Moroccan Arabic

This study endeavors to undertake a comparative analysis of aspect in English and Moroccan Arabic, hereafter referred to as MA, adopting a cognitive linguistic approach, with special attention to the categorization of different situation types as proposed by Radden and Dirven (2007). It also aims to highlight the aspect areas that may challenge Moroccan EFL learners when acquiring this English grammatical construction. The study reveals that aspect is treated differently in English and MA. English aspect hinges on the viewing frame adopted. Therefore, the shift from one viewing frame to another results in the change from one situation type to another. By contrast, in MA, the perfective use calls for the adoption of a maximal viewing frame. However, the imperfective use calls for two interpretations: the event can be seen with either a maximal or a restricted viewing frame. In the absence of elements that co-determine the aspect in MA, general context is the only indication of the appropriate interpretation. The differences in the aspectual systems of English and MA may lead to difficulties in language acquisition. MA learners attempting to learn English, and vice versa, may face challenges in learning both the grammatical structure and its associated meanings.

Promoting intercultural awareness among Moroccan EFL learners: A glimpse at the affective dimension

The present study aims to explore the extent to which the teaching of Reading Comprehension and Précis II, using intercultural topics along with intercultural tasks enhances Moroccan University EFL learners’ intercultural awareness in the area of attitudes or savoir-être. To this end, a quasi-experimental mixed-methods design was adopted. Two data collection tools were employed, namely an intercultural test, and a semi-structured interview. In light of convenience sampling, the study included 98 participants who were assigned to an experimental and a control group. The results revealed that there was a significant difference between attitudes towards cultural diversity in the sample groups. The findings also showed that there was a statistically significant increase in students’ mean scores after the administration of the experiment. This indicates that students in the experimental group outperformed students in the control group. Pedagogical implications are provided for quality assurance. Keywords: Attitudes; intercultural awareness; Moroccan EFL learners; reading comprehension and précis II

An investigation of Moroccan EFL Learners’ Explicit Attitudes towards World Englishes: Pedagogical Implications

The present study seeks to investigate the attitudes of Moroccan EFL learners (MEFLLs) towards different varieties of English speech (World Englishes (WE)). The study utilises a direct method of attitude measurement as the study’s participants are directly asked about their own explicit attitudes towards six English varieties of English speech[1] (namely, American English, British English, Indian English, Filipino English, Japanese English and Thai English). A sample of 544 MEFLLs was recruited in the study. The findings of the study show that MEFLLs’ attitudes towards varieties of English are aligned, to some extent, with those of previous studies conducted elsewhere (Jindapitak & Teo, 2012; Chien, 2018; Almegren, 2017). For example, it was found that MEFLLs, on the one hand, prefer Inner Circle Englishes (ICE) over Outer Circle Englishes (OCE) and Outer Circle Englishes over Expanding Circle Englishes (ECE) on the other hand. Another interesting finding is that the participants surveyed are already aware of English language variation, and they are willing to learn more about the different varieties of English spoken worldwide. Generally speaking, the Moroccan context seems to be a fertile setting for the discussion of World Englishes-related issues as the participants do, in fact, recognise and appreciate the sociolinguistic variation exhibited in the English language. The study concludes with a number of pedagogical implications for the choice of linguistic model(s) to be employed in EFL classrooms both inside and outside Morocco.
 
 [1] American English, AmE; British English, BrE; Indian English, InE; Filipino English, FiE; Japanese English, JpE; Thai English, ThE

Cross-cultural Pragmatic Failure in Moroccan EFL learners’ Requests

“Most of our misunderstandings of other people are not due to any inability to hear them or to parse their sentences or to understand their words…. A far more important source of difficulty in communication is that we so often fail to understand a speaker’s intention”
 (Miller in Thomas 1983:92)
 The concern in this paper is with such situations where we fail to understand “what is meant by what is said” thus with situations of pragmatic failure especially in an area of cross-cultural communication. Undoubtedly, these are situations where the actual use of language for the maintenance and preservation of social harmony among interactants depict clearly cross-language variations and interference. The discussion will revolve around such basic issues as: a) how interactional events in intercultural communication establish relationships between participants marking dimensions of social distance, status and politeness, b) the effects which different linguistic forms in different languages can have on the performance of the foreign language learner and c) basically the implications of all this for the teaching of the pragmatic competence to the non-native speakers of English, with special reference to the teaching of English at the university level in the Moroccan context.
 Keywords: Intercultural communication; politeness; pragmatic failure; Requests.

A Three-Body Problem: The effects of foreign language anxiety, enjoyment, and boredom on academic achievement

AbstractThis study is part of a growing wave of interest in foreign language (FL) learners’ emotions, their sources, and their effects. Previous studies have confirmed that there is a clear relationship between the emotions offoreign language enjoyment(FLE),foreign language classroom anxiety(FLCA),foreign language boredom(FLB), and foreign language performance. However, the relative importance of each emotion as a predictor of FL performance has yet to be examined, and as different teaching and learning strategies can elicit different emotions, it is difficult to determine whether FL teachers and learners should prioritize a specific emotion in course design and study. We, therefore, utilized structural equation modeling and latent dominance analysis on a sample of 502 Moroccan EFL learners in order to examine the relative importance of each emotion in predicting FL performance. We argue that it is crucial to use sophisticated statistical analyses and to collect samples from outside Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic (WEIRD) countries. The latent dominance analysis revealed that FLCA had the strongest (negative) effect on English test scores. FLB had a significant—but slightly weaker—negative effect and FLE had a significant—but weaker still—positive effect. As such, it is vital that FL teachers and learners not underestimate the impact of anxiety on language learning.

Request Modifications as Produced by Moroccan EFL Learners and American Native Speakers of English

This cross-cultural comparative study aimed to investigate the production of request modifications by American native speakers of English (ANSE) and Moroccan EFL learners (MEFLLs). With this aim in mind, the researcher employed two research instruments, namely a discourse completion test and a semi-structured interview. The former was the main research instrument, whereas the letter was mainly employed to explore the motives behind the participants’ use of certain modification strategies. Furthermore, sixty seven informants participated in the current study. Thirty MEFLLs and thirty ANSE responded to the ten given situations, while four MEFLLs and three ANSE were interviewed. This study adopted Blum-Kulka et al.’s (1989) coding scheme. The findings revealed that ANSE preferred syntactic downgraders, whereas MEFLLs selected lexical/phrasal downgraders. With regards to external modifiers, the two groups significantly differed in their use of mitigating supportive moves. That is, MEFLLs preferred combination and preparators, while ANSE favoured combination and grounders. The two groups used few aggravating supportive moves, and they did not display any significant differences in their use of external modifiers. However, they were used by ANSE more than MEFLLs. This paper ends with some suggestions to textbook designers and EFL teachers.

Compliment Responses across Gender: Moroccan EFL Learners as a Case Study

Compliment response is among the most common speech acts used in everyday conversations. Recipients’ responses to compliments differ depending on distinct social variables, including power, the degree of intimacy, social distance, culture and gender. The current study investigates Compliment Responses (henceforth, CRs) among Moroccan male and female EFL learners based on four topics of compliments (ability, character, possession and appearance). Thence, the present paper aims to explore the most frequent CR strategies used by Moroccan male and female EFL learners. Besides, it endeavors to find out the differences between the two groups in CRs. 50 female and 50 male EFL learners from Sultan Moulay Slimane University took part in the present study, epitomizing higher education population. In order to attain the required data for the study, discourse completion test (DCT) was used and data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (percentages) and inferential statistics (Independent T-test) based on Herbert’s (1989) classification of CRs. Results of the study revealed that the most frequent CR strategies used by Moroccan male and female EFL learners at the macro level are agreement strategies; however, the most frequent CR strategies used by the two groups at the micro level are appreciation token, praise upgrade and return strategies, wherein females showed a great tendency towards the use of praise upgrade and return strategies, while males were more inclined to the use of appreciation token strategy. Furthermore, the study results showed that there is a consonance between Moroccan male and female EFL learners in CRs at the macro level, whereas there is a significant difference between the two groups at the micro level in all situations except for character.

The Realization of Apology Strategies: A Comparative Study between Moroccan EFL Learners and Native Speakers of English

Pragmatic competence, generally defined as the study of language in its social context, has been part and parcel of language learning and teaching. Oftentimes, second language learners tend to fall short in expressing themselves in spite of their linguistic competence. Second language pragmatic research has shown that the greater the difference between cultures, the greater the likelihood of pragmatic failure among non-native speakers of English. With this in mind, this study aims at comparing the similarities and differences between Moroccan University Learners of English (MLE) and Native Speakers of English (NSE) apology strategies in order to identify and predict aspect of language use which are likely to create intercultural communication breakdowns among the two cultures, thus contributing to foreign language education. Henceforth, using a discourse completion task, data was elicited from 50 MLE and 50 NSE, who responded to 8 apology situations. Results showed that the most frequent strategy used for both groups is the explicit Illocutionary Force Indicating Device (IFID); however, the two groups differ in the frequency of other implicit apology strategies.

The acquisition of the English temporal system: A developmental perspective

This study evaluates the relationship between the inherent tense and aspect systems among Moroccan EFL learners. The study was conducted through a mixed-methods approach focusing mainly on statistically significant findings. Data was collected using a self-governed grammaticality judgment test, translation, and writing tasks. Two hundred and twenty subjects were arbitrarily selected to participate in the study, mainly from the Rabat-Salé region given the high diversity of the latter. The statistical analysis highlighted second language learning in the case of Moroccan EFL learners. The study deduced that there is an impact on the learning process related to the student’s academic level. The results revealed that the higher the level of education attained, the more learning is exhibited, highlighting the crucial role of the academic level in the acquisitional process. The paper also highlights the role of the developmental path among Moroccan EFL learners. The findings reiterated the gradual learning claims in temporal system research, indicating that tense and aspect are learned simultaneously.

Politeness in a Moroccan EFL Classroom: How Students of High School Using Apologizing Strategies in English?

This qualitative/quantitative study investigates Moroccan high school EFL learners’ apologizing strategies based upon a theoretical framework of politeness strategies and the Cross-Cultural Speech Act Realization Patterns (CCSARP) model. It investigates whether they approach native speakers’ apology norms or their own cultural way of apologizing. To achieve this goal, four first-year baccalaureate classes (Science Experimental Physics major) were observed and then a sample of 64 subjects was randomly selected to fill in a written discourse completion test which had 6 apology situations. All the responses are classified according to both politeness strategies and CCSARP model used by Blum-kulka et al. (1989). The observed classes during the training showed that Moroccan first-year baccalaureate students used an off-record super strategy while apologizing (the use of hints) to the teacher, whereas the teacher used positive politeness while addressing his pupils. The results of the discourse completion test (DCT) revealed that Illocutionary indicating devices (IFIDs) plus an explanation of account (IFIDs + Account) is the most frequently used apology strategy by the subjects. More than 60% employed this semantic formula in all six situations. The use of IFIDs and explanation of account were significantly linked to the effect of subjects’ L1 and due to the impact of their own collective-agency culture. Hence, choosing to use that strategy by the subjects was pragmatically unsuccessful and would be inappropriate by the apologizer since it does not meet the apology norms of native speakers of English, and it indicates and follows the Moroccan culture norms and rules. The paper concludes with some practical suggestions for improving the teaching of apologies.

An optimality-theoretic account of the acquisition of English tenses: The case of Moroccan EFL learners

The study intends to describe the acquisition of the English tenses among Moroccan EFL learners. The analysis investigates each tense, employing the constraint demotion algorithm (CDA). The belief here is that errors emerging at the initial learning stages are indicators of L1 transfer. Based on the L1 properties, CDA rearranges the constraints to establish a constraint ranking, identical to that of English, based on the hierarchy detected through universal grammar (UG). Two hundred and twenty students, belonging to three different academic levels, participated in the study. The questionnaire they answered tested tenses through three different tasks. The output stemming from the analysis was that students’ mother tongue plays an important role in the acquisition of the tenses of English. The article concludes that the learners reach an intermediate phase in the interlanguage before eventually learning the correct tense form.

A Cross-Cultural Comparative Study of American Native Speakers of English and Moroccan EFL University Students’ Production of the Speech Act of Request

The purpose of this study was to investigate the production of request strategies, request sub-strategies, and request orientations by Moroccan EFL learners (MEFLLs) and American native speakers of English (ANSE). To achieve this objective, the researcher adopted a mixed approach by collecting data through a semi-structured interview and a discourse completion test. The DCT is composed of ten situations adopted from Blum-Kulka et al.’s (1989) Cross-Cultural Speech Act Realization Patterns project and modified by Khamam (2012). Thirty MEFLLs and thirty ANSE responded to the discourse completion test, while four MEFLLs and three ANSE were interviewed. Furthermore, to analyse said and unsaid requests, this study relied on Blum-Kulka et al.’s (1989) coding scheme and Marti’s (2006) model. The results showed that MEFLLs differed from ANSE in several ways. MEFLLs were more direct than ANSE, as they used direct request strategies and hearer-oriented requests more than ANSE. However, the two groups preferred the conventionally indirect request strategy to the other request strategies. Regarding request sub-strategies, the two groups frequently selected the query preparatory strategy. Nevertheless, it was chosen by ANSE more than MEFLLs.

Moroccan EFL Learners' Knowledge of Vocabulary and their Speaking Ability: A Correlational Study

The study seeks to investigate the correlation between students' vocabulary knowledge and their speaking ability. It is carried out in Idriss 1st high school in Kenitra, with the participation of 30 first-year baccalaureate students, including males and females. Vocabulary and speaking tests are used as two main instruments to collect data from the participants. Pearson correlation is used in order to determine the relationship between students' scores in vocabulary and their scores in the speaking test. Based on correlation analysis, the research's major findings revealed a significant positive correlation (r=, 744) between the vocabulary test scores of students and their speaking performance in the speaking test.

A closer look at Moroccan EFL learners’ use of language learning strategies from a qualitative perspective

This paper explores from a qualitative perspective the use of language learning strategies by Moroccan university EFL science students. Actually, it is part of a larger mixed method design research; however, the focus in this paper is just on the qualitative part so that a deep analysis of the informants’ introspections on their language learning process is provided. The aim of this study is to delve deeply in students’ use of language learning strategies and their motivation for learning English and how it relates to their strategy use. To collect data, 60 university students randomly drawn from six science-oriented majors participated in a semi-structured interview which focused on their motivation and their use of language learning strategies to learn English. Then, the interviews were first categorized in themes to have a clear picture of the informants’ use of the different language learning strategies and the different types of their motivation to learn English, and second these themes were analyzed using the content analysis method. The results demonstrate that students use a variety of language learning strategies in different degrees and they exhibit different types of motivation to learn English. This study yields a number of implications both for pedagogical purposes and for further research.

Self-Disclosure and Moroccan EFL Learners’ Writing Development: Effects on Complexity, Accuracy, and Fluency

This article addressed the relationship between students’ self-disclosure—that is, sharing social and positive information—and writing development in the English language classroom. The pre-test-post-test research design was adopted to assess whether students’ reflections on personal positive experiences including feelings and opinions help improve their writing output as measured by complexity, accuracy, and fluency. The participants, drawn from a convenience sample, were 15 Moroccan students enrolled in the department of English studies at a Moroccan university. These participants were included to establish a homogenous level of English proficiency in writing. The participants completed a pre-test, six positive self-disclosure topics, and a post-test. A paired-sample t-test was computed to determine if a significant mean difference existed between the pre- and post-tests. Although the descriptive statistics suggest that the learners showed relative improvement in complex and fluent language, their overall writing development did not reach a statistically significant difference level. Although differing writing prompts and learners’ academic learning experiences influenced the overall findings, this study contributes to the debate about the role of self-disclosure activities in improving certain language components in writing and calls for developing study programs that consider students’ personal lives in language arts classes.

EFL Writing Instruction Research in Morocco: A Historical Overview

This paper is an attempt to trace and discuss how writing instruction research has evolved in the Moroccan EFL context over years. It also seeks to show that most EFL scholars were reactive and not proactive in dealing with this skill; they carried out their studies in response to the composing problems Moroccan EFL learners, at the secondary school or university level, face. The ultimate goal has always been the attainment of a research and evidence-based methodology that would render the writing skill accessible and learnable for most learners. Different writing-related topics have been studied thoroughly. But this paper is limited to the salient issues that Moroccan researchers have placed a premium on such as feedback, methodology, scoring and errors. Finally, the paper concludes with the allusion to some defective aspects of these studies and suggests other EFL writing trajectories for scholars to consider in future studies.