Practical English Course Research Articles

Research on Improving the English Listening and Speaking Ability Development of College Students Wearing Masks During the Pandemic

This study investigated the impact of wearing masks on students’ English listening and speaking performance in a classroom setting. The study was conducted with 30 first-year students of a practical English course at a southern Taiwan science and technology college. The class was designed using social-cognitive tools and profession-related podcasts to reduce interference from wearing masks. The study tested the impact of wearing a medical mask and a transparent mouth mask on students’ motivation, anxiety, and clarity of message communication. Students believed wearing a medical mask and a transparent mouth mask had a stronger motivation to learn, but their classroom anxiety was insignificant. The course used selective podcasts and online voice recording exercises to make students respond more positively. Students were more capable of changing the negative external factors of mask-wearing for their precision English communication. However, students generally did not agree that the use of transparent mouth masks affects the clarity of English communication. Based on this study, the practical English course design and teaching experiences for students’ learning needs in mask-wearing circumstances of English teaching environment can further benefit future research

Implementing Question-Answer Relationship (QAR) Strategy in Teaching Reading on Practical English Course

Implementing Question-Answer Relationship (QAR) Strategy in Teaching Reading on Practical English Course

Research on Influencing Factors of Curriculum Ideological and Political Teaching Effect under Mixed Teaching Mode

As the carrier of moral education, teachers guide students to transform moral education elements into intrinsic qualities and abilities by imparts curriculum knowledge and become qualified successors to the socialist cause. Based on the current situation of ideological and political implementation of practical English courses in hotels under the mixed teaching mode, this paper studies the impact of students, teachers, teaching environment and educational evaluation on the effect of ideological and political teaching of practical English courses in hotels.

Mind maps as an effective tool in “Practical English language course”

The article considers the issue of using mind maps in the Practical English course. It is emphasised that they help to structure, analyse, understand and memorise the necessary material. With their help, teachers can explain a new topic, systematise information, exercise control, summarise what they have learned, encourage communication, and create supports. This study aimed to consider the concept of “mind maps” and to highlight the possibility of their application in the study of the educational component “Practical English Language Course”. Research methods includes analysis, systematization, and generalization of scientific research, as well as abstraction, idealization, and logical-structural analysis of the use of mind maps in the educational process. It is noted that this tool is also effective for a student, in particular, for systematizing knowledge, for preparing for classes, for test control, etc. The student can actively participate in the educational process, participating together with the teacher in the development of mind maps. The article states that one of the main uses of mind maps is to create visual schemes or diagrams to represent and organize ideas, vocabulary, grammatical structures, or thematic concepts. In the “Practical English Language” classes, students of higher education can use mind maps to create a schematic representation of the studied material, to activate speaking skills, to work with lexical material, with grammatical material, with text material, to present the results of project activities, to conduct brainstorming storming, discussion, debate, etc. Teachers adapt the use of mind maps according to the specific needs and preferences of their students, which promotes active learning, development of critical thinking and effective communication in the classes. The article emphasizes that in classes you can use ready-made mind maps presented in textbooks or on posters, prepare your own samples for class in the form of presentations or reference notes, in the process of presenting the material, build them in class, organize various types of individual and group activities of students with using ready-made mind maps. Their advantages in use by both teachers and students of higher education are indicated. The practical significance of the research is that its results can be used in the process of professional training of future philologists and English language teachers in higher education institutions, as well as for the preparation of scientific and methodological support using mind maps and in the self-educational activities of students

Professional examination programme in english on the speciality 014.021 secondary education (language and foreign literature (English language and literature))

Adhering to the structural and organisational continuity for the entrance examination on the basis of a bachelor’s degree, which provided for the verification of theoretical and practical preparation of applicants to study at Kyiv National Linguistic University at the second (Master’s) level of higher education, it has been found that the Professional Examination Programme on the speciality 014 Secondary Education, the major 014.021 English Language and Literature, the educational curriculum Teaching European Languages on the basis of combined technologies (English and another Western European language) (Melnyk, 2022) requires certain changes and new vision in order to optimally combine all aspects of assessing the overall level of English proficiency and, accordingly, with the objective results obtained, will ensure the successful process of obtaining a master’s degree. The paper outlines the Professional Examination Programme in English for applicants for the Master’s degree on the speciality 014.021 Secondary Education (Language and Foreign Literature (English Language and Literature). The eximination provides for the verification of theoretical and practical training of applicants, defines the required amount and content of knowledge in theoretical and practical English courses, and, accordingly, contains a list of literature on the practice of oral and written communication, lexicology, stylistics. The article covers the following components of the Professional Examination Programme: requirements for applicants; structure and content of the programme; criteria for assessing the results of applicants’ academic achievements; indicative topics; recommended literature.

Учебно-методический потенциал пособий по домашнему чтению в практическом курсе основного иностранного языка

The authors of the article share their experience in teaching philology students of Saratov State University Home Reading aspect as part of Practical English Course. The article highlights the teaching and methodological potential of the Home Reading guides in the course of studies. The Home Reading guides are made to be used as a series of original readers in the form of workbooks for the students of four different language proficiency levels: Elementary + (A1+), Pre-Intermediate (A2), Intermediate (B1), Upper-Intermediate (B2). The above guides contain groups of tasks on pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar, reproduction and speaking to improve the needed competence. The guides develop phonetic competence (transcribing, preparing a passage for good reading with the correct pitch-and-stress structure, learning a passage by heart and reading it out), lexical and grammatical competence (looking up in dictionaries and giving English and Russian equivalents to the active vocabulary, doing tasks on translating the active vocabulary into English and Russian, on rephrasing it, and on searching for mistakes of different type), retelling competence (drilling the needed structures to improve indirect speech skills to use while retelling the stories), speaking competence (preparing reports to answer the given questions for discussion of the stories). The guides for Intermediate (B1), Upper-Intermediate (B2) levels contain the tasks to develop text analysis skills, skills in looking for different types of realia in texts with their further analysis. The article shows different forms of assessment of the provided tasks and introduces some possible types of tasks and forms of assessment of the students with different English language proficiency levels.

Development of students’ collocational competence based on corpora

Introduction. The development of students’ collocational competence is one of the main goals of foreign language teaching in a linguistic university. Achieving this goal is possible through the use of corpora. However, the implementation of the methods for the development of students’ collocational competence based on corpora requires the selection of teaching content and the development of learning stages that combine classroom and distant, online and offline learning forms and allow students to work independently with the data of linguistic corpora. The purpose of the study is to develop methods for the development of students’ collocational competence based on corpora. Materials and methods. The study involved 2nd year students (N=44) studying “Linguistics” (profile: “Theory and Methods of Teaching Foreign Languages and Cultures”) and “Pedagogical Education” (profile: “English Language”) programmes at Derzhavin Tambov State University (Russian Federation). In order to test the methods effectiveness for the experimental group, a selection of collocations was carried out and a hybrid learning methods was developed, which includes project activities (classroom and distant) and consists of three stages. Participants in the control group studied a practical English course using traditional printed teaching aids. The subject of control was students’ collocational competence. To process the obtained results, Student’s t-test was used. Research results. The study shows that both teaching methods are quite effective for the development of collocational competence of linguistic university students (control group: t = 12.82, p ≤ 0.005; experimental group: t = 15.64, p ≤ 0.005). At the same time, statistical processing of data when comparing the results of the experimental cut between the control and experimental groups proved the effectiveness of the author’s methods of teaching collocations based on corpora (t = 2.54, p ≤ 0.005). Conclusion. The novelty of the study lies in the formulation of methods for the development of students’ collocational competence based on corpora, which consist of three stages and includes classroom and distant, online and offline forms of education. The results obtained can be used in the development of methods for a foreign language teaching in general and lexical competence in particular on the basis of corpora, as well as in the development of methods for foreign language teaching based on other modern ICTs.

The use of CLIL methodology in teaching Practical English Course for the 1 st year students of philological faculties at higher educational establishments of Ukraine in the conditions of blended and distant learning

The use of CLIL methodology in teaching Practical English Course for the 1 st year students of philological faculties at higher educational establishments of Ukraine in the conditions of blended and distant learning

The Improvement of Students' "Cultural Confidence" in the Reform of Courses for Ideological and Political Education in Practical English Course

The Improvement of Students' "Cultural Confidence" in the Reform of Courses for Ideological and Political Education in Practical English Course

Means and methods of forming lexical competence in future english teachers

The article addresses the issue of shaping the lexical competence of future English teachers. In particular, the role of a number of tools and methods, such as linguistic exercises, working with vocabulary, flash cards, is explained. The issue of defining methods and techniques for the formation of lexical competence of future English teachers is also one of the current issues related to our study. Our next observations were based on the Practical English Course and a number of other disciplines.

Імплементація методитики clil під час викладання «практичного курсу англійської мови» для студентів 3 курсів філологічних факультетів ЗВО України в умовах дистанційного та змішаних форм навчання

Імплементація методитики clil під час викладання «практичного курсу англійської мови» для студентів 3 курсів філологічних факультетів ЗВО України в умовах дистанційного та змішаних форм навчання

Investigating Linguistic Features of Cohesion in Korean EFL College Writing

Cohesion is an important element in writing as it relates to linking ideas and connecting sentences and passages. Cohesion can influence the overall comprehension of a passage and can guide and assist readers as they encounter more difficult texts. The current study explored the development in the use of cohesive devices in L2 writing, with a particular focus on givenness and connectives, by using the Tool for the Automated Analysis of Cohesion (TAACO) as L2 learners write three response essays in a 16-week semester. Forty-two students, either minoring or majoring in English language and literature who were enrolled in an integrated-skills practical English course, participated in the study. Statistically significant difference were shown in elements of givenness and connectives; however the changes seemed to show fluctuation for givenness and consistent changes in the use of connectives. Based on the findings, implications for teaching L2 writing are discussed.

Implementation of CLIL methodology in teaching Practical English course for the 3rd year students of philological faculties at higher educational establishments of Ukraine in the conditions of distant and blended learning

Implementation of CLIL methodology in teaching Practical English course for the 3rd year students of philological faculties at higher educational establishments of Ukraine in the conditions of distant and blended learning

ROLE OF MANUALS IN TEACHING ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION AND LEXIS OF FUTURE EFL TEACHERS

The article reveals possible types of lexical and pronunciation practice activities and tasks at higher education. The analysis of the activities was conducted on the basis of compulsory practical English courses at Faculty of Foreign Languages of Pavlo Tychyna Uman State Pedagogical University. The article also explicates the significance of the use of educators’ practical manuals for teaching English pronunciation and lexis at higher education. It proves that teaching manuals help to adapt the main information from the course books according to the needs and abilities of future EFL teachers. It depicts that most of the analysed activities and tasks can be divided into groups due to the development of productive (speaking and writing) and receptive (listening and reading) skills. It points out that lexis and pronunciation are the main bases of any communication. The study claims that the pronunciation tasks can be divided as the following: articulation gymnastics, development of listening skills, formation of pronunciation skills. The lexis activities and tasks may cover the following route map of the lesson: pre-text, text and post text tasks. Nevertheless, lexis does not comprise only the information on the use of the essential vocabulary; the grammar aspects of language should be taken into account.

INVESTIGATING ADVANCED LEARNERS’ USE OF AFFECTIVE STRATEGIES FOR DEALING WITH TEST ANXI-ETY

Language anxiety has been researched for many decades now and its significance for attainment cannot be questioned. In numerous research accounts anxiety related to learning a foreign/second language comes in different guises, as speaking anxiety, or communication apprehension, fear of negative evaluation, and finally, test anxiety. In fact, developing linguistic competence in the formal setting is inherently fraught with the need to have one’s skill and knowledge verified in the form of informal and formal, low- or high-stakes tests and examinations. Alleviating the negative consequences of anxiety seems imperative for effective learning, which in the opinion of the present author, will not be possible without gaining a deeper insight into the ways in which learners deal with negative feelings evoked by language study or use. Hence, an attempt has been made to explore the range of strategies employed by a specific group of learners – English majors in their final year of study – to cope with a stressful situation such as a regularly-scheduled achievement test in one of the components of the practical English course. What distinguishes this group of learners is their level of proficiency, which is C1 or nearing C2, but most importantly of all, their long-term experience of dealing with stress that has extended throughout formal education including the duration of MA studies in English Philology. Data collected by means of immediate reports and questionnaires revealed that the participants employed quite a limited scope of stress-reducing strategies and that there were characteristic trends, the analysis of which could serve as a point of departure for offering effective strategy instruction capable of relieving the consequences of negative affective states.

Methods of using cloud services in foreign language training

Research goals: determine particularities of using cloud services in English communicative competence forming process and develop the model of distance learning system (DLS) and cloud services interaction that improves the quality of the learning process.Research objectives: to identify, describe and develop methodological features of the model of distance learning system and cloud services interaction; consider on the examples the methods of use cloud services in DLS in foreign language training, aimed at English communicative competence forming process of students; experimentally investigate the level of using of cloud services in distance learning and identify ways of improving its use.Object of research: methodical system of foreign language students’ training of language faculties in high institutions.Subject of research: methodological model of the model of distance learning system and cloud services interaction in English communicative competence forming process.Research methods used: review and analysis of scientific publications, psychological, educational and instructional materials, modeling of complex systems, questionnaires, conducting pedagogical experiment.Results of the research. The model of distance learning system and cloud services interaction was developed and the methodological particularities of this interaction are defined. Methods of using cloud services on the example of the distance course “Practical English Course Upper Intermediate” describing the methods of doing the tasks in English communicative competence forming process of language faculties were considered. As a result of experiment it was found there is a low level of use of cloud technologies in distance learning is a consequence of a lack of awareness of teachers in the possibilities of its use.The main conclusions and recommendations: 1) the use of cloud technologies in distance learning of foreign language will improve the quality of training of students of language faculties of high institutions; 2) it is reasonable to conduct work in familiarization and training university lecturers using cloud services in professional and educational activities.

Korean University Students‟ Perceptions of Teacher Motivational Strategies

ELT (English Language Teaching) is a significant component of the Korean Education system from elementary school to university. The ELT industry is comprised of two distinct types of teachers: Native English speakers and Native Korean speakers. While both groups share similar educational goals, there is often very little interaction between the two groups. Both groups spend considerable time with students and have considerable influence on students studying English in South Korea. The goal of this research was to see what students thought of the motivational strategies employed by each group, in hopes of being able to see how both groups could learn from each other. Motivation is one of the most important elements of language learning and this research hoped to find how each group of teachers motivated students. The focal point of this research was a survey focusing on a set of motivational strategies identified by Dornyei. This survey adapted Dornyei’s survey to focus on how the students perceived the strategies, rather than how teachers assessed their own motivational strategies. The survey was given to two groups, students in an undergraduate level Practical English course and to students in a graduate level interpretation and translation department to see how the students perceived the motivational strategies of each group. The survey revealed a few clear cut differences among each group. The surveys showed that Native English teachers provided instinct motivation through various tasks and by creating a positive classroom environment. Native Korean speakers excelled in creating extrinsic motivation, by providing realistic goals and by stressing the importance of English in the working world. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.16.9.3

Developing intercultural competence of trainee translators

Intercultural competence is one of the key aspects of a translator / interpreter competence as it contributes to betterunderstanding of the source text and thus, its more ‘ideal’ conveying into the target language. The purpose of this research is toclarify the areas requiring improvement in the process of developing trainee translators’ intercultural competence in the contextof Kazakhstani education. Questionnaires for instructors teaching Practical English course and translation courses were used tocollect data about the most problematic aspects of to-be translators’ training and cultural awareness of students. Thepreliminary results of the research show the lack of cultural information at phonetic, intonation and grammar levels, whichsupposes developing of a special system of exercises and integrating two different pathways represented by theoretical coursessuch as lingua-cultural studies and practical courses like English for specific professional purposes. Keywords: intercultural competence, ELT, translator / interpreter trainin, interpersonal skills, communication strategies.

DISTANCE LEARNING TECHNOLOGIES IN FORMATION OF PROFESSIONAL TRAINING OF FUTURE ENGLISH TEACHER

Due to the global informatization of society and the process of involving information and communication technologies (ICT) in all areas of human activity, including the educational process of high school the problem of new model construction of process of future highly qualified and competitive professionals training is raised. In conditions of Ukraine integration into the European educational space, the significant changes in professional training of teachers in higher education institutions are taken place. ICT and distance learning technologies are implemented in learning process. However, this process causes many difficulties in students and teachers, for example, the lack of guidance on the implementation of ICT and distance learning technologies in the learning process and not enough formed skills and abilities of teachers and students to use ICT and distance learning technologies in professional activity. These problems negatively affect on the quality of future specialists training, including teachers of foreign language (English). To increase the quality of English teachers training there is a need to introduce distance learning technologies in language learning process, at study the discipline “Practical English Course”. On the base of analysis of psychological and educational literature in future English teachers training, the results of international studies and methodological literature of distance learning the practical implementation of distance learning technologies in educational process of training of English teachers of Kherson State University was presented.

Integrating Technical Communication Skills into Practical English Courses for Engineering Students

Acquiring skills for global communication in English is one of the most urgent tasks we face in today's world. Especially in Japan, a major shift is taking place, from approaching English as one of the liberal arts, to teaching English as a practical tool for global communication. Particularly at the university level, which has a direct interface with the business world, various efforts are being made in teaching technical English communication. In this paper, I would like to present an approach for the effective incorporation of technical communication into the existing university-level pedagogical framework, based on the English education program currently in use at the Faculty of Engineering, Toyo University, Japan.