Proficiency Course Research Articles

Merging Self-Regulatory Strategies with GTA Pedagogical Practices: Enhancing Student Autonomy and Engagement

Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) play a dual role in higher education, balancing their research responsibilities with teaching duties. This dual identity provides a unique vantage point for GTAs to implement innovative teaching practices that encourage students to utilize self-regulated learning (SRL) strategies. This paper explores how GTAs can adopt teaching practices centered on promoting SRL among students. Drawing on data from focus groups and surveys conducted with five GTAs, the study identifies key techniques—such as reflective journals, peer assessments, and technology-enhanced learning tools—that GTAs can incorporate into their teaching. The intervention was conducted over one semester in an English proficiency course tailored for students with low English proficiency. Findings indicate that these strategies not only enhance student engagement and motivation but also improve critical thinking and problem-solving skills. The paper underscores the positive impact of SRL on student learning outcomes and discusses how GTAs can effectively integrate and promote these strategies in their pedagogical practices.

Exploring Moroccan EFL Undergraduates’ Readiness for a Newly-Implemented Blended Learning Course in English Language Proficiency

Over the last two decades, online learning has gained global attention from education stakeholders worldwide. Given the ubiquitous feature of today’s technology-driven world, the switch from face-to-face delivery to technology-delivered instruction has become a necessity. However, the implementation of innovative e-learning models such as blended learning cannot be a success without learners’ readiness and adaptability. Therefore, it is a top priority to be aware of students’ e-learning readiness to make the teaching-learning process effective and rewarding. This study seeks to gain insights into Moroccan EFL students’ readiness for a newly implemented blended language proficiency course. Data were collected using three research questions and a 29-item questionnaire adopted from Shakeel et al. (2023). The findings reveal that Moroccan university EFL students display a moderately positive attitude towards blended learning and this is a prerequisite for a smooth implementation of blended learning.

The Effect of Blended Learning in English Language Proficiency Courses on the Language Performance of Kurdish EFL Postgraduate Students in Sulaimani City

Recently, the effect of the blended learning strategy as compared with the face-to-face instruction in English language teaching has become a popular topic of research. This study focuses on the effect of implementation of Blended Learning (BL) approach in English Language Proficiency courses in Sulaimani city, Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) on the language proficiency of both Elementary and Pre-intermediate level course participants. The study utilizes the quasi-experimental research design involving 104 Kurdish postgraduate students, who were allocated into a treatment group (blended learning) and control group (traditional face-to-face classroom), from these two levels. Thus, the main goal of this study is to investigate whether there are any significance differences in obtained language proficiency between participants of the two groups between groups and per level. The sampling has been taken from the population who were enrolled in an English language proficiency course at the public universities’ language centres in Sulaimani city. The experiment was carried out during an intensive course lasted for six weeks (100 hours) in which the classes of English language proficiency were taught four days per week. The experimental group was taught using blended learning (i.e. an equal combination of both virtual and face-to-face teaching) and the control group was only instructed with regular face-to-face teaching. Overall, the results show that the participants who were taught using both blended learning and traditional teaching methods outperformed the control group who were only taught in face-to-face classrooms. Additionally, the pre-intermediate experimental group achieved higher language performance than the pre-intermediate control group and improved their overall language proficiency slightly higher than the elementary group. The findings of this study bring further evidence and support for the integration of blending learning into English language classes, particularly in the language proficiency courses of the universities’ language centres. This study also has a number of teaching implications for EFL teachers which will be highlighted at the end of the paper.

Reforming the Curriculum System for Applied Undergraduate English Majors: Bridging Theory and Practice

Since the implementation of the reform and opening-up policy, Chinese universities have seen a significant growth in the study of foreign languages, with a focus on English majors. Nonetheless, ongoing difficulties compromise this educational system's efficacy. It is often acknowledged by experts that, despite substantial expenditure, English majors struggle to satisfy societal demands because of curricular structures that are out of date and were inherited from earlier times. To address these issues, this paper suggests extensive changes to the applied undergraduate English major curriculum. The suggested changes, which stress the development of practical skills in line with the demands of the modern labor market, seek to close the gap between theory and practice by drawing on theoretical frameworks and real-world experiences. The theoretical structure for curriculum design includes refining traditional language proficiency courses, incorporating a variety of professional modules, creating career-focused vocational courses, enhancing comprehensive practical training. By aligning curriculum content with evolving industry demands and fostering a holistic approach to talent cultivation, these reforms strive to equip English majors with the necessary skills and competencies to succeed in today's dynamic global landscape.

A PRELIMINARY STUDY ON NEW UNDERGRADUATES’ EXPERIENCE OF UNDERTAKING ONLINE ASSESSMENTS FOR ENGLISH POST COVID-19 PANDEMIC

This initial study set out to investigate university freshmen’s feedback on their online assessment experience using the university’s learning management system in their English Language course which was conducted online. The objectives of this study were to investigate a) the learners’ perception on their overall online assessment experience for a language course using the university’s LMS, b) the learners’ experience in completing a writing assessment and c) the learners’ experience in completing a listening assessment. This basic mix-method study investigated 27 English Language learners of a public university in Malaysia attending Level 1 English proficiency course. A questionnaire containing 17 items using 5-points Likert-type scale was administered to measure their general online experience and their writing and listening assessment experience using the university LMS. This was followed by a round semi-structured interviews to probe further reasons behind their perception and experience. The study found that the freshmen expressed positive perception towards their overall online language assessment experience. They also indicated positive feedback for their experience in taking online writing and listening assessments Through the interviews the students highlighted that they are able to familiarize themselves and adapt faster by drawing on their previous experience during online learning at home during Covid-19 pandemic for their high school studies. They learnt to be patient and not panicky whenever there is any technical glitch which they had faced quite a lot during the pandemic. This shows that the students have developed certain level of literacy and digital education competency.

The Effect of Online Education on Student’s Achievements of Piano Proficiency Course in Music Education Program

The Effect of Online Education on Student’s Achievements of Piano Proficiency Course in Music Education Program

The Implementation of Piano Proficiency Course in Music Education Program under Online Environment

The Implementation of Piano Proficiency Course in Music Education Program under Online Environment

The Implementation of Dictation (Tingxie) in Chinese Online Learning for Beginner-Level Students

<p><strong>Dictation (tīngxiě) is commonly applied to evaluate students' ability to master Chinese characters. However, dictation is challenging to use in online learning because lecturers do not have full control over the conditions around students when dictation is carried out. Students tend to think more about a "strategic position" to putting notes during dictation than preparing and memorizing Chinese characters. Therefore, it is necessary to adjust the types of dictation questions in online learning. This study is a classroom action research which consists of 4 stages: planning, implementing, observation, and reflection. Researchers designed four types of dictation questions that applied to the Writing Proficiency course for beginner-level Chinese Language and Culture Study Program students at the University of Al Azhar Indonesia. Research data sources from observations, questionnaires and tests. The results showed that the design of the applied dictation question types effectively reduced the opportunity for students to cheat during dictation. In addition, this dictation method is also effective for practising Chinese writing skills and students' mastery of Chinese strokes and writing order.</strong></p><p><strong><em>Keywords</em></strong> - <em>Chinese character; dictation; tingxie; online learning; Chinese language.</em></p><p><strong><br /></strong></p>

Improving Teachers' English Language Proficiency for the Better Achievement of Students’ Learning Outcome: A Review of the British Council’s STEP Programme in Nigeria

Considering the position of the English Language as the medium of instruction in Nigeria and the role played by the teachers using the language in classroom instruction, this paper saw it significant to observe the Strengthening Teachers’ English Proficiency (STEP) course as introduced in Jigawa State by the British Council to improve teachers' English Language proficiency through self-study. Doing so is expected to enhance and provide a better learning outcome. The paper supported its views with the self-direct and andragogy approaches to adult learning as the basis for self-study which is believed to be compatible with teachers and teaching. The paper, therefore, tried to highlight the factors that may hinder the success of the programme. The paper stated that time, the commitment of the teachers and the other stakeholders in the state, financial issues and societal attitudes to the use of the English Language could be the challenges to this effort. As a point of concern, the paper suggested that the government, through the Ministry of Education should try to adapt and produce such materials used in the STEP programme and distribute them to teachers, especially those who did not attend the British Council’s training. Similar training should also be carried out on regular basis to help teachers embrace using the language frequently in their classes.

Computer-Aided Teaching and Assessment of Reading Skills in English as a Second Language

The research article presents the observations and findings of a case study on the effectiveness that the computeraided teaching of reading skill in English as a second language of first year engineering students. The research focuses on the students’ reading skills such as concentration on the text, transforming information, perception of meaning in the content, reasoning, and retrieval of required information from text. The present research investigates the change in language abilities deduced from the reading in the context of delivery of reading units in English Proficiency course. The study was conducted during two academic semesters of first year engineering for the academic year 2021-22. The target group consists of four batches of twenty five students having Marathi as their mother-tongue. The study has been carried out with the help of a computer based language laboratory multimedia instructional tool having the standard functions in it. The Reading Skill units of the course were taught in the traditional classroom approach to the control group and the experimental group has received the same content in computer assisted language laboratory software tool that enhances teaching-learning experience. The analysis of study is based on the formation and implementation of assessment tests on a CG and an EG. The result analysis directs the researcher to conclude that the computer-aided language learning tools generate positive change in students’ perception, transcoding, reasoning, and information recalling abilities. Keywords—Second language, Language proficiency, Reading Skills, Teaching-learning techniques, Computer-assisted learning.

Strategies of Arabic Students' Self-Regulated Learning Improvement in Language Proficiency in The Disruption Era

This study aimed to develop strategies to improve students' Self-Regulated Learning in the Arabic Language Education Study Program at Universitas Islam Riau in the Arabic language proficiency course in the disruption era. This research is qualitative research using a descriptive approach. The data collection technique for the qualitative method in this study used several designs; the Interview Technique, Documentation, and Literature Study. The systematics of strategy development refers to five stages according to Hariadi’s theory. This study shows the results of several strategies to improve Self-Regulated Learning for Arabic Language Education students at the Universitas Islam Riau for language proficiency courses; 1) Creation of environmental Arabic (Bîʾah Luġawiyyah), 2) monitoring and evaluation stages of the use of Arabic as a language of instruction lectures, 3) Coordination in the formulation of Semester Lesson Plan, 4) Orienting the religious subjects as subjects of knowledge and proficiency in the same time, 5) Motivation in competing, 6) Award Programs for student achievement, 7) Guidance lecturer in competing.

An Error Analysis of Students' Paragraphs and Essays: A Case of First-Year Students of an English Medium University in Bangladesh

Writing is deemed an enticing task in second language learning. Most researchers reason that second-language speakers of English not only find difficulty in writing tasks but speakers whose first language is English also face problems in writing. Therefore, the ability to communicate viably in English by both second language speakers and native speakers requires comprehensive and specific instruction. It is obvious that writing plays an integral role in student's academic life, and academic writing in English has brought considerable attention in English medium universities in Bangladesh. So, the International University of Business Agriculture and Technology (IUBAT) is no exception. This university, a non-government tertiary level and English medium institution in the country emphasize English's importance in producing its graduates from its inception. Writing is a productive skill; as an instructor at this university, I identify students’ difficulty writing compositions. In this paper, I explored the writing errors in a corpus of 30 paragraphs and 15 essays written by first-year students of IUBAT. The findings revealed that students have to face the serious challenges of writing error-free compositions even after completing the two English proficiency courses. Out of the 45 scripts that were analyzed, 96 errors were identified. The study further revealed that 66 of these total errors were related to grammatical errors and poor structuring of sentences. 28 errors were related to the mechanics of writing. The findings of the study direct recommendations and implications for educators, policymakers, and curriculum developers. This study has repercussions for pedagogy and future research in error analysis.

ESL UNDERGRADUATES READING HABITS AND ATTITUDES TOWARDS ENGLISH LANGUAGE READING

The ability to read and comprehend English text is one of the four core language abilities, hence ESL students need to develop strong reading skills. Reading is quite difficult to learn because many students are still struggling with reading in English. This study seeks to comprehend the reading habits and attitudes of undergraduate English as a Second Language (ESL) students in Malaysia. This research aims to investigate the preferred English reading materials of ESL undergraduate students, the amount of time they spend time reading each day, and their attitudes toward reading English materials. The information for this study was gathered via a survey. This study utilised an adapted version of Smith's (1991) Adult Survey of Reading Attitude (ASRA) and Pandian's (1997) Reading Habit questionnaire. The data was analysed using SPSS statistics and descriptive statistics was used to determine the respondents’ reading attitudes. The questionnaire was sent to 215 undergraduate ESL students currently enrolled in English proficiency courses. The study revealed that (i) ESL undergraduates enjoy reading English materials but still experience anxiety when doing so, and (ii) students enjoy reading as much as they enjoy visiting websites, such as social media sites. The paper will conclude by discussing the implications of the findings for the development of instructional materials within a reading context.

Readiness towards Using Computer-Based Language Test (CBLT) among Malaysian Tertiary ESL Learners

The vast majority of ‘Gen Z’ are in the positive light about the future of technology in education. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been a shift in teaching, learning and assessing methods. To keep abreast with current technology, computer-based language test (CBLT) was used as one of the methods to assess students’ language proficiency during the shift. For this study, the CBLT was adopted and conducted among students who were taking an English proficiency course in a public university mainly located in Selangor, Malaysia. They were required to sit for the test as part of the course fulfilment. Thus, the purpose of the study is to investigate whether there are significant differences in the CBLT 1, CBLT 2 and CBLT 3 scores among Business Management (BM), Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH), and Science and Technology (ST) students, who were from different branches around Malaysia. The study employed a quantitative research design in which a total of 16079 students’ scores from three (3) different tests were recorded and analysed. The results of this analysis will provide insights on the conclusion that students from different programmes were able to adapt to the use of the CBLT in assessing their listening skills.

An Evaluation of the Materials Deployed in English Language Proficiency Courses for Postgraduate Applicants: A Content- Based Study

There is broad recognition that a textbook, among other components, plays an important role in many English language classrooms today. As a result, its evaluation is a significant issue to guarantee its contribution to the success of the teaching- learning process. Evaluating textbooks and other instructional materials used in the teaching- learning contexts is one of the responsibilities of teachers. The textbooks adopted in Kurdistan university language centers are no exception. Hence, the present paper is an attempt to conduct a post-use evaluation for the content of one of the textbooks (Interchange 3) used at the intermediate level in Kurdistan university English language proficiency courses. It aims to determine the areas of strengths and weaknesses of the textbook content and to see to what extent it was appropriate in helping the learners improve their level of English from the teachers’ perspectives. The textbook is analyzed using a descriptive content analysis method. For this purpose, 23 teachers who taught this textbook in six different language centers were asked to participate and the data were obtained through a 24-item questionnaire suggested by Demir and Ertaș (2014). The results of the content analysis indicated that the teachers are highly satisfied with the textbook under evaluation regardless of some deficiencies in certain aspects of the textbook - and that the textbook suited the teaching/ learning context as it could provide sufficient meaningful opportunities for the learners to communicate with the target language.

The Power of Virtual Exchange as an Overarching Tool to Unify Language, Culture, and Communication

During the COVID-19 pandemic, most classes in higher education were offered online, and student and staff mobility came to a sudden halt. With its focus on online interaction and collaboration between students from different cultural backgrounds, Virtual Exchange (VE) has presented itself as an excellent opportunity to students and educators to combine the benefits of both digitalization and internationalization. This paper looks at the role of a series of factors in the interdisciplinary VE called 'The new normality,' which took place between BA Social Psychology students at a large public research institution in Eastern Spain and students from different BAs enrolled in Spanish proficiency courses at large public research university in the North of the Netherlands. This project had two main goals: 1) to create an environment for students to share their pandemic experiences across cultures and disciplines; 2) to determine to what extent this exchange of ideas contributed to the development of students’ intercultural awareness and competence and communicative competence.

The Impact of Emotional Intelligence on Cognitive Strategy Uses of Saudi English Foreign Language Students’ Vocabulary Knowledge

It is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the connection between emotional intelligence, strategy use, and vocabulary knowledge. However, very little attention has been paid to this subject, to the best of researchers’ knowledge. To this end, intermediate students were considered through the Cambridge English: Key English Test (KET). After taking the test, 50 male students with a mean age of 16 whose grades equaled (between 45 and 69) were chosen for this research sample. Adopting a correlational design, the researchers gathered three types of scores: an emotional intelligence questionnaire, cognitive strategy use questionnaire, and a vocabulary knowledge test. The data were checked for linearity of the relationship and normality of the distribution. Finally, Pearson product-moment correlation was conducted to identify any possible correlation between the variables. The results showed a significant relationship between emotional intelligence and cognitive strategy use. The data analysis also indicated a relationship between emotional intelligence and vocabulary knowledge. Moreover, the data analysis showed that in comparison with cognitive strategy use, vocabulary knowledge has a higher correlation with emotional intelligence. The findings have some pedagogical implications for instructors of proficiency courses, writing textbook developers, EFL learners, and language teachers who can benefit from this research results.

Unveiling the successes of religious school leavers in learning English proficiency course via a blended approach

The blended learning approach has achieved great success in the teaching of languages. It has been widely used to teach students at all levels, including university students from religious schools, who continue to grow in number nowadays. Unfortunately, these religious school leavers lacked of guidance in using their own handheld technology for English language learning. Therefore blended learning is the most suitable approach to teach these learners who rely on instructors for guidance. This study, with the qualitative research methods, aims to explore and determine the achievements of religious school leavers in the course of English Proficiency taught via a blended approach. The participants of this study were selected purposefully from six faculties and they are all first-semester students. The researcher conducted a series of semi-structured interviews and focus groups, as well as compiled online reflections and document analysis. The data gathered were analysed using thematic analysis with the assistance of Nvivo software. The findings revealed that (1) the participants perceived the blended learning approach over the traditional method (2) the blended learning approach has successfully contributed to the unexpected successes that include adjustment, positive feelings and remarkable progress in learning the English language.

Peer Instruction In A Flipped Learning Environment: Examining ESL Students’ Participation In Writing Argumentative Essays

Over the years, peer instruction and flipped learning approach has indicated its usefulness in teaching and learning. However, studies on how peer instruction in a flipped learning environment encourage active student participation in writing remain limited in Malaysia. Therefore, this study examines ESL students' participation during peer instruction in the flipped learning environment when composing argumentative essays. A total of 120 upper intermediate students undergoing an English proficiency course at a teacher education institution in Malaysia participated in this study. Qualitative data were gathered from student assessment forms (pair work and group work), lesson study logs, EdPuzzle video quizzes, and samples of student worksheets. Descriptive interpretations and thematic analysis were used to analyse textual data. The findings revealed that ESL students participated in this study by engaging themselves in interactions during in-class writing activities, contributing knowledge to others, getting prepared with the essential concepts and content before class, focusing on the task, and assessing the quality of argumentative writing. The findings implicate that teachers should consider the use of peer instruction in a flipped learning environment for students to engage actively in the teaching and learning of argumentative essay writing.

Peer Instruction In A Flipped Learning Environment: Examining ESL Students’ Participation In Writing Argumentative Essays

Over the years, peer instruction and flipped learning approach has indicated its usefulness in teaching and learning. However, studies on how peer instruction in a flipped learning environment encourage active student participation in writing remain limited in Malaysia. Therefore, this study examines ESL students' participation during peer instruction in the flipped learning environment when composing argumentative essays. A total of 120 upper intermediate students undergoing an English proficiency course at a teacher education institution in Malaysia participated in this study. Qualitative data were gathered from student assessment forms (pair work and group work), lesson study logs, EdPuzzle video quizzes, and samples of student worksheets. Descriptive interpretations and thematic analysis were used to analyse textual data. The findings revealed that ESL students participated in this study by engaging themselves in interactions during in-class writing activities, contributing knowledge to others, getting prepared with the essential concepts and content before class, focusing on the task, and assessing the quality of argumentative writing. The findings implicate that teachers should consider the use of peer instruction in a flipped learning environment for students to engage actively in the teaching and learning of argumentative essay writing.