Tertiary Level Learners Research Articles

A Research into the Effect of Augmented Reality-Enhanced Storybook Reading on EFL Learners

The era that we live in now brings along new technologies and augmented reality (AR) is one of these innovative technologies. Recently, there has been an increasing interest in the integration of AR into educational areas. To date, in the field of language education, the studies focused on mostly the use of AR to teach vocabulary and the effect of AR on learners in a narrow range. However, the effect of AR-enhanced storybooks on tertiary level learners’ English reading comprehension and possible reasons for the before-founded positive effects of AR have still not been comprehensively investigated. Hence, the present study carried out a qualitative study with focus group interviews to get a deeper understanding of the effect of AR-supported storybooks on the learning process of English language learners with the help of their subjective experiences and to obtain students' suggestions regarding the use of AR technology for English learning and reading comprehension. The findings demonstrated that the AR-enhanced storybook increased reading comprehension and English learning, thanks to its use of visual and didactic language, arousing a feeling of wonder, interacting with the story by making the learners a part of the story, appealing to their interest, and increasing their excitement with the help of multisensory elements, and leading them to emphatic thinking and be more enthusiastic to read and learn.

FIVE DECADES OF ACHIEVEMENT MOTIVATION RESEARCH IN ELT: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW

Purpose – There is an absence of systematic review papers in the achievement motivation theories literature. In terms of currentresearch trends, English learning motivation is gaining attention as a determiner of success in FLA. Hence, this review aims to trace thetrends in the empirical studies on achievement motivation theories and tools, ranging from 1970 to 2022. Methodology – With a focus on theories, diversity of research participants, and practical ELT-related issues addressed by previousresearchers, this paper applied the PRISMA Systematic Review Protocol to offer a comprehensive synthesis of 91 empirical studieson theories of achievement motivation. Findings – The majority of the published studies were from China and Iran. There was also a large number of studies conducted on tertiary-level learners. Structural equation modelling was found to be the most widely used analysis. In addition, technology-assisted learning is the current trend in achievement motivation research. Significance – This paper offers new insights into the existing achievement motivation literature and identifies the research gaps.This study recommends more studies on expectancy-value theory including in-depth qualitative studies involving culturally diversepopulations and experimental research to develop more effective pedagogical approaches and expand the current understanding ofachievement motivation.

Code-Switching and Code-Mixing During Speaking among Tertiary Level Learners in Bangladesh

The paper aims to investigate the challenges teachers and learners have in developing learners’ English-speaking skills at the tertiary level in Bangladesh. The analysis of the study has been supervised by pursuing a mixed-method approach. The survey was conducted on thirty tertiary-level learners to obtain quantitative data and four in-person interviews were carried out with the four tertiary-level educators to accumulate qualitative data. The findings of the study revealed that learners with a lack of confidence, practice, anxiety, fear of criticism, motivation, supportive environment, insufficiency of language lab, and negative judgment are some of the significant challenges learners and teachers are forced to contend with in developing their speaking competency. Additionally, the exercise of only reading and writing skills-oriented exams at the secondary and higher secondary levels provides less attention to speaking skills and is also an indispensable challenge in developing learners’ speaking skills. To evolve learners’ speaking skills, instructors should impart appropriate suggestions and a supportive environment for learners to exercise speaking skills to the fullest extent.

L2 learners’ pragmatic output in a face-to-face vs. a computer-guided role-play task: Implications for TBLT

Accomplishing oral interactive workplace tasks requires various language abilities, including pragmatics. While technology-mediated tasks are thought to offer many possibilities for teaching and assessing second language (L2) pragmatics, their effectiveness – especially those facilitated by an AI agent (artificial intelligence agent) – remains to be explored. This study investigated how 47 tertiary-level learners of English as a second language (ESL) performed on an oral interactive task that required them to make requests to their boss in two distinct modalities. Each participant completed the same task with a fully automated AI agent and with a human interlocutor in a face-to-face format. Findings showed that both modalities elicited language use relevant to the pragmatics target. However, fully automated interactions were found to be more transactional, while face-to-face interactions were more functionally oriented (e.g. more frequent/varied supportive moves). Although fully automated interactive tasks may be useful for eliciting requests, replicating human-to-human interactions remains a challenge.

The Motivation Conundrum: What motivates university students in an EAP program?

The purpose of the research project described in this paper is to examine the salient features of motivation driving tertiary level learners of English for Academic Purposes (EAP) in the Israeli student population at Bar Ilan University. The quantitative study included 228 undergraduate university EAP students studying in various disciplines. Dornyei’s L2 Motivational Self-System Questionnaire was translated to Hebrew and modified for cultural appropriateness and language clarity. Exploratory factor analysis of the students' answers revealed seven salient features, ranked from highest to lowest, underlying motivation in second language learning with varying degrees of perceived importance. The results present an Israeli perspective which differs from other studies conducted on English Foreign Language (EFL) populations. This leads to the conclusion that a broad perspective toward motivation in the language classroom is important in order to understand motivation among EAP students. Implications for pedagogy and suggestions for future research are explored and discussed.

Assessing Content-Based Instruction (CBI) in the Context of Teaching English at the Tertiary Level of Bangladesh

This study aims to assess the English language outcome of Content-Based Instruction (CBI) among EFL learners of English at the tertiary level of Bangladesh and the problems involved in this process, where a group of students and teachers (existing) of English department were the focus of the study. To conduct this study, a mixed-method approach was applied where research instruments such as questionnaire and classroom observation were used. In total, 279 (students=260, teachers=19) respon dents participated in the survey questionnaires and classroom observations. The findings of this study suggested that though teachers and students prefer the CBI approach, some drawbacks were found in this learning process. Keywords: Content-Based Instruction, Tertiary Level Learners of Bangladesh, EFL context

Mediational moves and reciprocity behaviors in face-to-face and mobile-assisted dynamic assessment

Research on dynamic assessment (DA) has been conducted on the efficiency of either face-to-face (F2F) or mobile-assissted (MA) DA sessions. However, the studies investigating the difference between these sessions conducted in the foreign language learning context are scarce. Thus, this study aims to explore the differences between F2F and MA DA sessions in terms of the mediator’s mediational moves and learners’ reciprocity behaviors. To this end, F2F and MA DA sessions were held with four tertiary level learners. Then the mediational moves and reciprocity behaviors employed in these sessions were explored through qualitative descriptive analysis. The results showed that the interactions occurred between the mediator and the learner in F2F and MA contexts were generally carried out effectively. However, it is noteworthy that the learners made more inaccurate responses and used L1 more in F2F DA sessions. In contrast to this, the learners made more careful attempts in MA DA sessions. Moreover, the teacher as a mediator tended to give more approval to the learners’ responses to eliminate the disadvantage of restricted context of MA DA. In light of these findings, pedagogical implications were suggested for both language teachers and researchers.

Incorporating Drama in English Language Teaching: A Case Study at a Private University in Bangladesh

Drama is a unique way to make learning more enjoyable, conversational, and relevant to the real world. Integrating a drama-based approach into the language classroom has the potential to improve listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills, as well as presentation abilities in a varied manner. This study analyzes the advantages of incorporating drama techniques into teaching English language among tertiary level learners. It also focuses on the strategies for developing a learner-centered classroom to improve the communication abilities of second language learners. 11 students in their second year of English Language and Literature at the University of Asia Pacific in Dhaka, Bangladesh, were the participants of this case study. The study is conducted using qualitative research methodology. According to this study, drama-based English instruction has a positive impact on all aspects of growth—physical, emotional, social, and cognitive. It illuminates the strategy of placing students in authentic settings in order to help them uncover their latent creativity and overcome their anxieties. In addition, this drama-based approach is beneficial for learners to foster their sense of collaboration, conversation, negotiation, and performance.

Grammar phobia as a hindrance to the fluency in oral communication of Bangladeshi tertiary level students: A study

Oral communication has a highly significant role to stay in touch with the current global circumstances, but a low level of speaking fluency is seemingly a major drawback for Bangladeshi tertiary-level students to achieve global standards of speaking. Taking the core issue into account, this study aims to explore grammar phobia as an obstacle to the learners’ way of gaining fluency in oral communication. To substantiate the hypothesis a fact-finding survey for the study has been conducted on the learners of the tertiary level of a particular region in Bangladesh. The findings of the study show grammar phobia of the learners as a major threat to fluency as they get less exposure to free expression and communication when it comes to mutual interaction in the classes. In a typical Bangladeshi approach to language learning, the learners are supposed to put extra emphasis on grammatical accuracy for communicative competence, but most of them admitted that they fumble in free fair communication for fear of grammatical issues. In addition, It would be further evident from the study that teachers’ limitations and lack of expertise contribute to the overall failure of tertiary-level learners in their performances in oral communication.DOI: 10.26905/enjourme.v7i2.8767

Reassessing Reading Strategies in the Engineering Classroom

Engineering undergraduates face difficulties in comprehending discipline-specific study materials because the reading skill has been neglected at the school-level, and the students themselves have not been motivated adequately to read. This paper hypothesizes that instruction-sessions on reading strategies enable tertiary-level learners to understand their engineering texts better. In this study, the teacher-researchers distributed a questionnaire to find out the students’ difficulties in academic reading, their attitude to the reading strategies taught, and the usefulness of the instruction-sessions. They also interviewed the students, and systematized the data collected. The analysis showed a mixed reaction from the students. Some of them reported that learning the strategies fostered a positive change in advancing their reading skills, while others testified that strategies had only a negligible role in doing so. Therefore, this study suggests a 5 D approach to strategic reading – Decipher, Digest, Deduce, Detail and Discuss – to overcome the difficulties in reading.

A Novel Synchronous Hybrid Learning Method: Voices from Saudi Arabia

The current article investigates tertiary level learners' satisfaction with a novel synchronous hybrid learning method (SHLM) that combines face-to-face and virtual teaching simultaneously using real-time audio and video technology to facilitate interaction between two groups. The originality of this approach stems from teaching two groups simultaneously (one group face-to-face and the other online) and rotating them consecutively in order to offer them 50% of the classes face-to-face and 50% virtually. This approach gave students equal learning opportunities by studying at home on specific days whilst not depriving them of face-to-face communication with their tutors, as well as establishing contact with their peers. We believe that this learning model has not been implemented in this fashion before and that the study has not been conducted elsewhere. For the most part, it was introduced as a solution to provide face-to-face teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed at examining learners' opinions, motivation, attention, and success in this new learning environment. The study employed a mixed methods approach that included a survey and semi-structured interviews to collect quantitative and qualitative data. The overall results revealed that learners were generally in favor of SHLM. Furthermore, it found that reducing the group sizes from 40 to 20 students had a positive impact on learner satisfaction. Students also highlighted that feeling safe, the use of technology, the teachers' attention during classes, sense of equality, and collaborative efforts between students contributed to their positive learning experience as a whole. Learners also indicated that their experience during classes with various digital tools such as Padlet, Google Jamboard, and Nearpod had a positive impact on their learning. However, the findings from some of the interviews revealed that there was a variation in opinion dependent on the students’ learning style, personality traits, and linguistic ability. Some beginner and intermediate learners pointed out that at times, their proficiency level hindered their understanding when alternating to online classes. The study alluded to the fact that the implemented learning approach is subject to modifications and may remain in place for an extended period in case the pandemic still poses a problem or in the event of a shortage of physical classrooms or faculty. This model can also be applied during emergency remote instruction in educational institutions that have a suitable infrastructure. Since this study only focused on the students’ perception of this hybrid approach, it is recommended that the teachers’ experience with the approach should be examined. It is also recommended that the teaching of the four English language skills should be examined through this model to find whether all the skills can be taught effectively.

SELF-PERCEIVED ENGLISH ACCENTS OF TERTIARY-LEVEL LEARNERS FOR PROFESSIONAL AND DAILY PURPOSES

Globalization brings linguistic globalization together into modern life, with a great increase in the use of English as lingua franca(ELF) for various purposes all around the world. In recent years, there has been a rising number of publications focusing on ELF and its components, such as identity, accents, etc. Nevertheless, a question remains whether there is difference between the use of English accents for daily and professional use of tertiary-level learners, who use English both in daily life and close to using English in their immediate future professional life, and its effects on communicative competencies of the learners. Hence, the central intention of this study is to determine self-perceived English accents of tertiary-level learners, and it is of interest to analyze the effect of self-perceived accents on their communicative competence for daily and professional purposes. Data, collected from 105 tertiary-level learners majoring in different departments at a state university in Turkey with a survey and a focus group interview have demonstrated that learners prefer British, followed by American English as ideal accents; however, they also care about the properties of accents, mostly intelligibility, for both language use. Additionally, learners emphasize the importance of native-like English accent for professional purposes and believe if they have a native-like accent, they will establish effective communication by gaining reputation and prestige in their future careers.

English language learning in response to the COVID-19 pandemic: Hong Kong English as a Second Language students’ perceptions of Badaboom!

In the midst of COVID-19 pandemic, many university courses delivered in English are conducted entirely online. However, if we continue using traditional teaching strategies and the same set of teaching materials, it would be extremely difficult for students, regardless of age, to focus in a 2- or 3-h synchronous online class. As such, many researchers and educators are exploring different ways to engage students in today’s digitally connected world. This article explores how English as a Second Language (ESL) undergraduate students come up with emergency remote learning at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using exploratory research design, one hundred university students from five English for Academic Purpose (EAP) classes who experienced blended learning using Badaboom!, a Game-based Student Response System (GSRS), for one semester were recruited to participate in the research. 30 students were interviewed to collect the data. The interview aimed to detail their responses so their strategies can be mapped clearly. The data reveal that the tertiary-level learners of this study feel that game-based classroom response system is useful for assisting them in overcoming ESL academic writing difficulties. The study reflects that, most students favour the interactivity and engagement afforded by Badaboom! due to the strong instructor-student and student-student interaction as well as students’ increased engagement.

Impact of Collaborative Learning in Developing Reading Skills of Tertiary Level English as a Second Language (ESL) Learners

Collaborative learning approach (CLA) or small group discussions is identified as an effective means of language learning. In the process of collaborative learning, learners work together to achieve a common goal thus, each member tries to contribute and holds responsibility in achieving that goal (Colbeck, Campbell & Bjorklund, 2000).In the process of language learning, Reading is measured as a vital skill as it is the only means of access to written documents in a language (Alderson, 2000). Learners with sufficient reading skills tend to achieve their academic goals faster than those who lack them (Floris &Divina, 2015). This study was carried out in order to investigate the impact of Collaborative learning in developing reading skills of tertiary level learners. In order to investigate the effectiveness of Collaborative Learning on reading, Collaborative Strategic Reading Approach (CSR) which is a learner cantered reading approach closely related to cooperative learning theory (Klingner and Vaughn,1996; 1998; 2000) was identified and employed with a group of 67lower intermediate tertiary level participants. Data was collected through the mixed method approach. The qualitative data of the experiment verified that collaborative work during the reading activities lead the learners to learn and think significantly more and better. However, the statistical analysis did not prove this method as a better method than the traditional teaching method. Thus, pedagogical implications for English instruction at university level in Sri Lanka and suggestions for future research based on the findings to further validate the impact and effectiveness of collaborative learning are proposed.

Data-driven learning with younger learners: exploring corpus-assisted development of the passive voice for science writing with female secondary school students

Corpus-based approaches to language and literacy education, commonly known as data-driven learning (DDL), are increasing in prominence. However, the vast majority of DDL interventions involve adult tertiary level learners, leaving a dire need for comprehensive DDL studies for secondary education. The present study reports on a half-year DDL experiment conducted at an all-girls secondary school in Australia, focusing on the development of receptive and productive knowledge of passive voice constructions used when writing scientific research reports for a physical science class. Pre/post-tests were conducted testing learners’ receptive knowledge and productive use of the passive, alongside data on learners’ autonomous use of corpora within a written research report. Learners’ perceptions of corpora and DDL were also collected through questionnaire survey and interview data taken both immediately post-training and three months after training. The results suggest learners’ corpus consultation was effective in improving use of the passive voice for science writing with pre-tertiary learners, although clear preferences for (and criticisms of) certain corpus tools, functions and usage was apparent, and continued uptake post-training was relatively weak. Generally however, the implications of these findings paint a positive picture of what is possible regarding DDL with younger learners, and provide a model of how a DDL intervention with younger learners can be successfully managed and integrated in a context where secondary content teachers, rather than solely the applied linguist, can be the main stakeholders in a DDL intervention.

Human versus machine: investigating L2 learner output in face-to-face versus fully automated role-plays

To examine the utility of spoken dialog systems (SDSs) for learning and low-stakes assessment, we administered the same role-play task in two different modalities to a group of 47 tertiary-level learners of English. Each participant completed the task in an SDS setting with a fully automated agent and engaged in the same task with a human interlocutor in a face-to-face format. Additionally, we gauged students’ perceptions of the two delivery formats. Elicited oral performances were examined for linguistic complexity (syntactic complexity, lexical variety, fluency) and pragmatic functions (number and type of requests). Learner performance data across the two delivery modes were comparable although learners spoke slightly longer in the SDS task and used significantly more turns in the face-to-face setting—a finding that may be due to participants deploying more social rapport building moves, clarification requests, and backchanneling. The attitudinal data indicate that, while many learners liked both delivery formats, there was a slight preference for the face-to-face format, mainly due to the presence of body language. Overall, results show that fully automated SDS tasks may constitute a feasible alternative to face-to-face role-plays. Nevertheless, when possible, learners should be given a choice in task format for both learning and assessment.

Assessing collaborative writing in the digital age: An exploratory study

Driven by the digital revolution and the recognized importance of learner collaboration in language learning, computer-mediated collaborative writing (CW) has been widely implemented in diverse classrooms. Despite the fast-growing interest in CW, little research has considered assessment practices in computer-mediated CW. To fill this gap, this study examines the effects of assessment approaches (product-based vs. process-and-product based) on learners’ performance and collaboration dynamics in web-based CW. Eighty-two intermediate tertiary-level learners formed a control and an experimental group. The control group (n = 20 pairs) was introduced to the traditional product-based assessment prior to completing a synchronous CW task, whereas the experimental group (n = 21 pairs) was presented an assessment approach addressing both the collaboration process and product. Drawing upon analyses of dyads’ interaction, revision processes, and the co-constructed texts, the study found that the experimental group produced texts of enhanced fluency, writing quality, and phrasal complexity. Also, they displayed strikingly more collaboration during the task. The study not only provides a practical approach for L2 teachers to assess collaborative writing in the digital age, but also provides findings that underscore the value of the process-and-product based assessment for remedying challenges presented in web-based CW.

Paraphrasing as a Strategy to Develop Reading Comprehension at The Tertiary Level of Education

The three aims of this study are to determine (1) the reading proficiency and the motivation level of a group of tertiary level learners, (2) how far paraphrasing as a strategy can help in developing the reading comprehension of the learners, and (3) whether this strategy also motivates the learners to read more. This study employed a quasi-experimental design. The research population comprised all 18 students in the third semester of the MA in ELT (English Language Teaching) programme of Gauhati University. The data were collected by using (1) two types of tests to measure abilities in literal and inferential comprehension, (2) paraphrasing as technique for reading and (3) questionnaires. The results showed that there was a greater engagement with the text and higher levels of motivation while using the paraphrasing strategy. However, more research needs to be carried out to obtain conclusive evidence that the reading comprehension of students can be developed substantially with the use of the paraphrasing strategy.

English Language Anxiety of Tertiary Level Learners in Bangladesh: Level and Sources

The prime objectives of this study were to unveil the level of anxiety and the sources of English language anxiety of the tertiary level students of Bangladesh. Through a questionnaire survey using Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale developed by Horwitz et al. (1986), the study found that most of the tertiary level learners have high anxiety of English as a foreign language. Based on an exploratory factor analysis with principal component analysis and varimax rotation (Kaiser Normalization), a four-factor (communication anxiety, comprehension and test anxiety, fear of negative evaluation, and lack of anxiety) solution emerged. Following a close analysis of the EFA and other established valid models, the study found that six components, namely, speaking anxiety, fear of negative evaluation, peer pressure/social-image anxiety, comprehension-related anxiety, negative attitude towards class, and test anxiety were the main sources of anxiety, which need to be addressed for alleviating the anxiety of the students.

The Perceptions of Tertiary Level Learners on the Use of Mobile App ‘Balloon Vocabulary’ in Improving Vocabulary for Reading Comprehension

The challenges that the English as a Second Language (ESL) learners encounter during the reading process impede their reading comprehension. During the reading process, they need to pick up the information and stimulation around the text to comprehend it. Learners with a low vocabulary repertoire usually face difficulties to understand the lengthy text. Therefore, in this study, a mobile application labelled ‘Balloon Vocabulary’ was developed to help Ibanese tertiary learners to enjoy their reading and develop their vocabulary repertoire. This study employed a mixed-method approach that aimed to seek the perceptions of 125 tertiary level Iban learners on the usage of ‘Balloon Vocabulary’ towards improving their vocabulary repertoire. This study was also embarked to discover the learners’ performance after they completed both pre-test and post-test by using the application. Descriptive and inferential analyses were used to analyze the data. The qualitative data were analyzed and transcribed into themes. From the findings, the process of experiencing gamification and language games has led the learners to discover their skill related to vocabulary. Furthermore, their passion for learning was increased due to the involvement of technology in learning. This application is hoped to serve as a potential platform for learners to gain new experience dealing with new technological ways of learning English. Then, it will tread a new path for teachers as they will be able to attract learners’ attention and realign their focus to achieve desired content in learning.