Development Of Oral Skills Research Articles

Developing speaking skills and learning pronunciation with new technologies in the French as a foreign language classroom

This study examines the role that new technologies, social media and telecollaborative projects have played in the development of oral production skills, as well as in learning and correction in pronunciation. During the period 2005 to 2015 several experiments were conducted for this purpose as part of a French language course at the University of León, Spain. We sought to examine the characteristics and modalities of different oral productions from students, as well as ICT tools and teaching tasks which led to the creation of audiovisual recordings published in a number of educational web environments (weblogs, podcasts, social networks, education platforms). We looked also at the role which students, tutors and teachers play in the correction of pronunciation, taking into consideration the feedback strategies that have been observed in their interaction, with particular focus on autocorrective feedback such as in collaborative pronunciation tasks corrected by the students. We have also attempted to gauge the reactions of students to the use of these tools, learning environments and pronunciation tasks, by undertaking three surveys which focus on their pronunciation and ICT skills in the context of French as a Foreign Language.

Computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) system research - Edutab box

Collaborative/active learning has proven to be an effective educational method. It involves groups of two or more learners working together to solve a problem or complete a task and the benefits are numerous. For example, it enhances problem-solving skills, inspires critical thinking, improves social interactions and helps in the development of self-management skills and oral communication skills, to name but a few. There is potential to further enhance these benefits using information and communications technology (ICT). Professor Hirotaka Takahashi has spent his career looking at a wide range of topics, including adaptive data analysis methods, information theory, gravitational wave physics and astronomy. His current work centres around computer-supported collaborative/active learning (CSCL) systems, which he is seeking to further develop by collaborating with experts in data science, ICT system development and education. Specifically, Takahashi is working with experts to develop a CSCL system/software called the 'Edutab Box'.

Language skills, and not executive functions, predict the development of reading comprehension of early readers: evidence from an orthographically transparent language

The simple view of reading proposes that the development of reading comprehension in early elementary school is best predicted by children’s fluent decoding and oral language skills. Recent studies challenge this view and suggest that executive functions should also be included in this theoretical model; however, the empirical evidence is not strong enough to clearly support or refute this hypothesis. In this short-term longitudinal study, we used latent variables to test whether executive functions have direct effects on the development of reading comprehension in 184 Romanian second graders, beyond fluent decoding and oral language skills. The results indicated that the initial stages of reading comprehension were associated with executive functions, but only the language skills could independently predict the development of reading comprehension. Our findings show that executive functions do not have a significant direct effect on the development of reading comprehension in early readers beyond fluent decoding and oral language skills in languages with transparent orthography. The results also suggest that once children learn to decode well, their language skills (and not their executive functions) have a strong effect on the development of reading comprehension. Therefore, reading interventions in elementary school should stress on the development of oral language skills.

Analyzing English Language Teaching Practices in Burkina Faso: A Sociocultural Perspective

The purpose of this study is to explore English language teaching in English as a foreign language context. It examines teaching practices in Burkina Faso and seeks to understand the extent to which those practices promote or inhibit the development of oral skills. As a French speaking country, Burkina Faso implements compulsory English language teaching in middle and secondary schools. Yet, it seems that students are unable to hold a basic conversation after seven years of taking English classes. The purpose of the study is then to identify the instructional practices that hinder the development of learners’ communicative abilities. The data collection approach was qualitative using classroom observations and interviews. The method of data analysis was inductive using thematic units of analysis. The findings suggest that teaching activities are not diversified, speaking activities are rare and teaching methods are teacher-centered with little active collaboration between teachers and their learners and between learners themselves.

Application of Mobile Technologies in Foreign Language Learners’ Project Activity

<p class="0abstract">The article analyzes the specific features of project work organization in English classes with blended mobile learning with the participation of students who previously haven't studied foreign languages or had school experience in learning other foreign languages – German or French. The relevance of the proposed work is caused by the application of the project method on the basis of mobile technologies that promotes the development of oral communication skills in the most effective way, taking into account the individual characteristics of the student and allows him in the future conducting a free conversation in a foreign language. The novelty of the methodology used lies in the complex application of systemic and integrative approaches using mobile technologies to the formation of oral skills in a foreign language. The hypothesis of the study that the application of the proposed teaching method contributes to a stable average for all students to improve the quality of knowledge throughout the entire period of study was fully confirmed. Student’s participation in the project work and the use of mobile technology to share information and knowledge are an independent creative activity that ends with the creation of a fully communicative and linguistically correct speech message. Free speech in a foreign language based on students own multimedia product is considered as a practical result of using an intensive method of teaching a foreign language from scratch.</p>

Computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) system research - Edutab box

Collaborative/active learning has proven to be an effective educational method. It involves groups of two or more learners working together to solve a problem or complete a task and the benefits are numerous. For example, it enhances problem-solving skills, inspires critical thinking, improves social interactions and helps in the development of self-management skills and oral communication skills, to name but a few. There is potential to further enhance these benefits using information and communications technology (ICT). Professor Hirotaka Takahashi has spent his career looking at a wide range of topics, including adaptive data analysis methods, information theory, gravitational wave physics and astronomy. His current work centres around computer-supported collaborative/active learning (CSCL) systems, which he is seeking to further develop by collaborating with experts in data science, ICT system development and education. Specifically, Takahashi is working with experts to develop a CSCL system/software called the 'Edutab Box'.

A Genre-Based Approach to the Teaching of Pronunciation

Pronunciation teaching hasn’t been paid enough attention by teachers regarding ESL contexts. In particular, segmental and suprasegmental features through genre-based approach may be an opportunity on how to integrate pronunciation into a more meaningful learning practice. Therefore, the aim of this project was to carry out a survey on some aspects related to English pronunciation that Brazilian students consider more difficult to learn, thus enabling the discussion of strategies that can facilitate the development of oral skills in English classes by integrating the teaching of phonetic-phonological aspects into the genre-based approach. Notions of intelligibility, fluency and accuracy were proposed by some authors as an ideal didactic sequence. Basic learners should be exposed to activities focused on the notion of intelligibility as well as intermediate students to the notion of fluency, and finally more advanced ones to accuracy practices. Data were collected during three high school English classes at Federal Center for Technological Education of Minas Gerais (CEFET-MG), in Brazil, through questionnaires and didactic activities, which were recorded and transcribed for further analysis. The genre ‘debate’ was chosen to facilitate the participants’ oral expression in a more flexible way, making them answer questions and give their opinion about a previously selected topic. Students demonstrated more difficulty with some aspects than others. Many of the intelligibility aspects analyzed had to be listened to more than once for a better understanding. Intermediate students’ speeches were considerably easier to understand, but they found it more difficult to pronounce the words fluently. Lastly, more advanced learners seemed to express their ideas more fluently, but still subtle issues related to accuracy were perceptible, thereby confirming the proposed hypothesis. It was also seen that using genre-based approach to promote oral communication in English classes might be relevant, considering the socio-communicative function inherent to the approach.

Pilot Study of Sham Feeding in Postoperative Neonates.

Sham feeding may enhance development of oral skills in neonates after bowel surgery and decrease stress levels in mothers. In this pilot study, we test the feasibility of sham feeding, identify safety hazards, and assess maternal satisfaction. A convenience sample of 15 postoperative neonates was enrolled. Sham feeding with unfortified human milk was offered following a strict advancement protocol beginning with 5 mL once daily and increasing up to 30 mL, three times daily. Continuous gastric suction was used during sham feeding. Each mother completed a satisfaction survey. Sham-fed gastroschisis patients were compared with a historic cohort. All 15 patients were able to sham feed. A total of 312 sham feeds were offered with a median of 23 sham events per patient. Four minor complications occurred during sham feeding. No differences were noted between 11 sham-fed gastroschisis patients and 81 historic controls. The mothers reported a decrease in stress after sham feeding using a 5-point score (3.8 ± 1.4 vs. 1.5 ± 0.7, p < 0.005) and 100% satisfaction with sham feeding. Sham feeding is feasible for neonates after bowel surgery and is highly rated by mothers. · Sham-feeding human milk to neonates after bowel surgery is feasible and safe.. · A novel postoperative sham feeding protocol is described.. · Mothers of sham-fed infants report it reduces stress compared with not feeding..

Διερεύνηση της ανάπτυξης του προφορικού λόγου και της δημιουργικής σκέψης των παιδιών προσχολικής ηλικίας, μέσα από διδακτικές παρεμβάσεις αξιοποίησης της εικαστικής τέχνης

The aim of this study was to investigate the contribution of visual art to thedevelopment of oral language and creative thinking of toddlers in the context of a targeted teaching intervention in a kindergarten classroom in Athens. The pupils came in contact with artworks based on Perkins’ methodical art observation model. The intervention lasted for three months and involved 20 children (15 toddlers aged 5-years-old and 5 toddlers aged 4-years-old). Language skills and creative thinking were evaluated at the beginning and at the end of the intervention. Data was collected through group discussion, interviews and children’s personal artworks. The results showed that after the intervention, substantial changes were observed in both the language skills and creative thinking of the children. In particular, children’s narratives were better in structure and quality, vocabulary was richer, and more children participated in a discussion in comparison with the beginning of the intervention. In terms of creative thinking, a higher level of hypothesis was made, more ideas were produced, and mainly more visual works based on the observed works of art were produced by the children. This paper contributes to research into the development of oral language skills and creative thinking, highlighting the relationship between visual arts and the development of toddlers’ basic preschool skills.

Методические принципы работы с курсантами и слушателями системы МВД в лингафонной лаборатории при обучении их иностранному языку

This article deals with directions in the methodology of teaching foreign languages of cadets and students in educational organizations of the Ministry of Internal Affairs using the capabilities of the language laboratory. The large part of distance learning as well as the formation of a contingent of students of distance learning, mainly from the shortened form (on the basis of higher and secondary education), in whose study a known break is especially noticeable when teaching foreign languages, necessitates a special consideration of creating the most favorable conditions for teaching external students of foreign languages. The bottleneck in teaching languages to students of distance learning is the development of oral, reading and pronunciation skills, in other words, communication skills. The real way to solve this problem with a limited time of classroom language classes in an educational organization is to combine existing forms of educational work with the work of students in a language laboratory or in a computer class while preparing for the next classroom classes.

برنامج قائم على المدخل التفاوضي لتنمية مهارات التعبير الشفوي لدى تلاميذ المرحلة الابتدائية

هدف هذا البحث إلي تنمية مهارات التعبير الشفوي لدي تلاميذ الصف الخامس الإبتدائي من خلال برنامج قائم على المدخلالتفاوضى . و قدأثبتت النتائج بعد تطبيق الاختبار و المقياس المتدرج الأتى: ارتفاع متوسط درجات تلاميذ المجموعة التجريبية بعدى عن متوسط درجات المجموعة الضابطةبعدى مما أثبت فاعلية استخدام البرنامج القائم على المدخل التفاوضي تنمية مهارات التعبير الشفوى لدى تلاميذ الضف الخامس الابتدائي لدى أفراد المجموعة التجريبية. الکلماتالمفتاحية: برنامج قائم على المدخل التفاوضي – مهارات التعبير الشفوى – المدخل التفاوضي The aim of this research is to develop the oral expression skills of the fifth grade pupils through a program based on the negotiation approach. And the results after applying the test and the graded scale proved the following: The average grades of the experimental group students increased far from the average scores of the control group afterwards, which proved the effectiveness of using the program based on the negotiation approach, and the development of oral expression skills among the fifth primary students among the members of the experimental group.

Challenges Faced by Language Learning Disabilities Primary Students in Learning English as Second Language

This paper reports on a study carried out to explore challenges faced by primary level Language Learning Disabilities (LDs) students in learning English as a Second Language (ESL) in Pakistan. The data was collected through a quantitative (close-ended) questionnaire filled in by 100 and a qualitative (open-ended) questionnaire filled by 10 Primary English language teachers in Pakistan. The findings revealed that language LDs hinder the development of literacy and oral skills of primary ESL learners. The study concluded that in order to improve the English language learning of students with language LDs, there is a need to assure the provision of teacher training facilities, application of sensorial activities, and establishment of good rapport between the teaching staff, school administration and parents of students with language LDs.

Students’ Views of Classroom Debates as a Strategy to Enhance Critical Thinking and Oral Communication Skills

Background: The skills in effective communication and critical thinking are essential for nurses to apply appropriate judgments in the delivery of patient care. Classroom debates are evident to be an effective strategy that can be used to improve such skills. Unfortunately, research focusing on classroom debates to promote critical thinking and oral communication skills among nursing students has not been extensively explored. Purpose: This study aimed to explore nursing students’ views of classroom debates as a learning strategy to enhance critical thinking and oral communication skills.Methods: A descriptive qualitative research design was employed in this study. Twelve students of the undergraduate program in nursing with classroom debate experiences and willingness to participate were purposively recruited for semi-structured interviews. Open-ended questions were used, and probing questions were also generated from the participants to get more detailed information. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using the inductive content analysis. Results: The results of the study identified five themes, including the acquisition of new knowledge, awareness and responsiveness to diverse viewpoints and arguments, learning structuring ideas and appropriate ways of presentation, development of other necessary skills, and challenges of classroom debates in nursing education. Conclusion: Classroom debates promoted the development of critical thinking and oral communication skills, and offered students an opportunity to develop other necessary skills in the face of today’s complex healthcare. Classroom debates can be integrated into the curriculum and teaching practices of any nursing educational institutions.

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND ACQUISITION OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE ORAL COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Studying the factors of successful acquisition of ESL speaking skills in Ukrainian adult learners, the authors focused on the correlation between emotional intelligence and development of oral communication skills, and, on the other hand, on the growth of these indicators as a result of purposeful inclusion of content-related emotions into activities aimed at the development of speaking and listening skills. Theoretically based on the ideas of emotional intelligence as an important factor in human interaction and guided by the hypothesis that content-related emotions intensify emotional involvement and have a positive influence on the acquisition of oral communication skills, the researchers applied Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test and the English Language Oral Communication Skills Test developed by the authors, to measure the key oral communication skills indicators against a 100 point scale. Experimental teaching of 124 undergraduate students of International Relations during September 2018 – May 2019 proved a beneficial influence of including emotions in the learning activities on the acquisition of ESL oral communication skills, as well as on student motivation and overall quality of student experiences. Significant increments in Emotional Intelligence and ESL oral communication skills in the experimental group compared to insignificant growth of the same indicators in the Reference group allow to establish a positive correlation between the growth of emotional intelligence and acquisition of the ESL speaking skills pursuant to inclusion of content-related emotions into the ESL learning in Ukrainian students.

The Effectiveness of a Proposed Computer Program in Developing the Skill of Oral Expression among Basic Stage Students Who Are Not Arabic Speakers in Denmark (An Experimental Study)

The aim of this research was to identify the effectiveness of a suggested computer program in developing oral expression skills among students of the basic stage of non-Arabic speaking learners in Denmark. The research was based on the design and production of a multimedia-based computer program dedicated to the Arabic language curriculum for the fourth grade، in cooperation with the Granada Educational Foundation in Paris as a research tool. The fourth module was selected to teach its contents and to teach oral expression skills. Besides an achievement test to measure the level of oral expression skills to be applied pre and post over the research sample. The researcher used the experimental method in dealing with the research topic، and measure the effectiveness of the proposed multimedia software program (as an independent variable) in the development of oral expression skill (as a dependent variable). The study sample consisted of two randomly selected groups of fourth level students in the basic stage - one representing the experimental group and the other representing the control group - the number of each (twenty students). The research had revealed a number of findings، the most important of which are: Verifying the effectiveness of employing the suggested multimedia software program in the development of oral expression skills in the fourth level students in the basic stage in Denmark. The research also resulted in statistically significant differences between the average post-test scores of the two groups: experimental and control attributable to the use of the program in teaching oral expression in favor of the experimental group. This means that the program has an impact on the development of oral expression skills in fourth grade students.

Development of emergent literacy skills of a child with hearing loss: a longitudinal case study

ABSTRACT This longitudinal case study aimed to investigate the development of emergent literacy skills of a child with hearing loss was carried out in a research and application centre which provides full-time day education using an auditory-oral approach for children with hearing loss. The study focuses on a child with profound hearing loss who started kindergarten education at the age of 52 months. The data was collected in the second and third grade of kindergarten and the first term of primary first grade. Results indicate that group and individual experiences, based on the Whole Language Approach, support the development of code-related and oral language skills and that the child benefited from intense and systematic application of drills in accordance with his individual needs.

A trilingual teaching sequence for oral presentation skills in Basque, Spanish and English

ABSTRACTThis paper sets out to show how a trilingual teaching sequence delivered primarily in minority L2 Basque can foster not just development of oral presentation skills in Basque, but also in L1 Spanish and L3 English. We set out to show that such a trilingual teaching intervention, based on the principles of integrated teaching of languages and translanguaging, can effectively promote multilingual skills in the Basque educational context. The teaching sequence involved alternation between the three languages, but Basque – the minority language in this case – was the language given preference. Oral presentations produced by the 16-year-old trilingual students before and after the teaching intervention were evaluated for key elements. Our results generally showed development in students’ oral presentation skills on our key criteria, not only in Basque, but also in Spanish and English. We conclude that carefully planned language alternation and an integration of languages within a genre-focused teaching sequence can offer an effective teaching approach for Basque immersion education, promoting multilingual development including the minority language.

Taking into account Chinese students’ cognitive and psychological characteristics while teaching Russian grammar

This paper aims to discuss the problem of nationally oriented teaching of Russian grammar to Chinese students. The author analyzes the works that are devoted to the study of Chinese students cognitive and psychological characteristics. The analysis revealed specific learning strategies that Chinese students use when learning a foreign language. When training a mono-ethnic group, the national-oriented approach is considered optimal. To implement this approach, a comparative analysis of systems of contacting languages is necessary to determine the zones of interlanguage and intralanguage interferences. The most important factor in the effectiveness of the educational process is the adequacy of the teachers ideas about students from different regions. The author concludes that in order to maintain motivation for mastering the Russian language and optimize the learning process as a whole when developing curricula and class books for Chinese students, it is necessary to strive to make the learning process not only effective, but also as comfortable as possible for students. Taking into account Chinese students cognitive and psychological characteristics will not only contribute to the development of strong grammar skills, but will also ensure the development of oral speech skills in Russian. The paper provides recommendations for intensifying the process of teaching Russian grammar to Chinese students. The following research methods were used: a comparative analysis, an analysis and a synthesis.

A Behavioral Epigenetics Model to Predict Oral Feeding Skills in Preterm Infants.

Preterm infants experience a multitude of prenatal and postnatal stressors, resulting in cumulative stress exposure, which may jeopardize the timely attainment of developmental milestones, such as achieving oral feeding. Up to 70% of preterm infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit experience challenges while initiating oral feeding. Oral feeding skills require intact neurobehavioral development. Evolving evidence demonstrates that cumulative stress exposure results in epigenetic modification of glucocorticoid-related genes. Epigenetics is a field of study that focuses on phenotypic changes that do not involve alterations in the DNA sequence. Epigenetic modification of glucocorticoid-related genes alters cortisol reactivity to environmental stimuli, which may influence neurobehavioral development, and is the essence of the evolving field of Preterm Behavioral Epigenetics. It is plausible that early-life cumulative stress exposure and the ensuing epigenetic modification of glucocorticoid-related genes impair neurobehavioral development required for achievement of oral feeding skills in preterm infants. The purpose of this article is to build upon the evolving science of Preterm Behavioral Epigenetics and present a conceptual model that explicates how cumulative stress exposure affects neurobehavioral development and achievement of oral feeding skills through epigenetic modification of glucocorticoid-related genes. Using the Preterm Behavioral Epigenetics framework and supporting literature, we present a conceptual model in which early-life cumulative stress exposure, reflected by DNA methylation of glucocorticoid-related genes and altered cortisol reactivity, disrupts neurobehavioral development critical for achievement of oral feeding skills. Future investigations guided by the proposed conceptual model will benefit preterm infant outcomes by introducing epigenetic-based approaches to assess and monitor preterm infant oral feeding skills. Furthermore, the proposed model can guide future investigations that develop and test epigenetic protective interventions to improve clinical outcomes, representing an innovation in neonatal care.

O desenvolvimento da habilidade oral através do uso de tecnologias digitais: uma revisão sistemática

The present article consists of a qualitative, descriptive-interpretative systematic review, whose objectives are (1) to present which teaching-learning approaches are most used in the development of oral skills through digital technologies; (2) investigate which tools are the most used to develop oral skills in digital environment; (3) what aspects of orality are being the most studied and (4) what possibilities and restrictions are indicated. We analyzed 56 papers, among articles, dissertations and thesis collected from three databases. The implications of this work also point to research gaps in the area, such as the absence of studies on critical perspectives in the work with technology and orality, and the lack of research that deals with the question of orality via ICT in the initial and continuing training of LE teachers.