The use of cohesive devices in argumentative writing by Chinese EFL learners at different proficiency levels

2012 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenxing Yang ◽  
Ying Sun
Keyword(s):  
Argumentative Writing ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Proficiency Levels ◽  
Cohesive Devices

scholarly journals Exploring Self-Mention in The Yemeni EFL Argumentative Writing Across Three Proficiency Levels

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Alward
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Cultural Background ◽  
First Person ◽  
Argumentative Writing ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Proficiency Levels ◽  
Proficiency Level ◽  
University Level

Self-mention used by university-level Yemeni writers is regarded as a challenging task. The overuse use of this feature is often considered as less formal and objective in academic writing. Despite the significance of this feature in academic writing, previous studies were mostly conducted in the Western cultural context. Research on self-mention produced by EFL learners of Arabic cultural background seems to be overlooked. Therefore, this study aimed to explore and compare the use of the first-person pronouns across three proficiency levels in an argumentative paragraph written by 80 third-year undergraduate students. Data were collected, assessed by ELT specialists, and then quantitatively analyzed. The results revealed that Yemeni EFL learners make extensive use of the first-person pronouns in their argumentative paragraphs. Differences were found in the occurrences of the first-person pronouns across three proficiency levels. The results also indicated that learners with a high proficiency level tend to use the first-person pronouns less than learners at low and intermediate proficiency levels. Since low-proficient learners rely more on the use of the first-person pronouns than those at higher levels, learners need to be exposed to a variety of strategies of how they can project their voice appropriately in their written texts.

N-gram use in EFL learners’ retelling and monologic tasks

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaopeng Zhang ◽  
Baoshan Zhao ◽  
Wenwen Li
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Association Strength ◽  
College Level ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Proficiency Levels ◽  
Oral Production ◽  
Speaking Proficiency ◽  
N Gram

Abstract This study examined n-gram use in oral production by Chinese college-level English as a foreign language (EFL) learners at four distinct proficiency levels. Thirty indices regarding range, frequency, and association strength of bi- and tri-grams obtained from retelling and monologic samples were analyzed. Results suggest that, i) the four proficiency levels differed in measures for frequency and association strength of bi- and tri-grams, ii) academic bi- and tri-gram proportions and association strength (captured by MI- and t-scores) were predictive of EFL speaking proficiency for both the retelling and monologic samples but the effects were small, and iii) EFL learners used more well-attested bi- and tri-grams in monologues than in retelling, demonstrating that higher rated samples tended to contain more strongly-associated bi- and tri-grams, a greater proportion of frequent attested academic tri-grams, and that EFL n-gram use was task-sensitive. These findings help enrich our understanding on EFL development of multi-word sequences and have potentially useful implications for EFL pedagogy.

scholarly journals Investigating the Differential Effects of Formative and Summative Assessment on EFL Learners’ End-of-term Achievement

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 1055
Author(s):  
Amir Mahshanian ◽  
Reihane Shoghi ◽  
Mohammad Bahrami
Keyword(s):  
Formative Assessment ◽  
Summative Assessment ◽  
Achievement Test ◽  
T Test ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Differential Effects ◽  
Proficiency Levels ◽  
Summative Assessments ◽  
Different Types ◽  
General Test

In this study, an attempt has been made to highlight the importance of summative assessment in conjunction with teacher-based (formative) assessment on the learning. 107 advanced EFL learners in 3 classes were selected and grouped based on the type of assessment they received. Participants in this study were given tests for two main reasons. First, a general test of proficiency was administered in order to place the learners in different proficiency levels. Second, in an attempt to compare learners’ improvement based on different types of assessment within a 4-month learning period, an achievement test of the course was given two times, as pre and post-tests. The data obtained through learners’ scores on achievement tests were analyzed and then compared using ANOVA, ANCOVA and t-test. In light of the results of this study, it can be argued that a combination of formative and summative assessments can lead to higher achievements of EFL learners than either formative or summative assessment separately.

scholarly journals Implicit/explicit knowledge and its contribution towards tense consistency employment across EFL learners’ proficiency levels

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 1727129
Author(s):  
Amir Reza Asiyaban ◽  
Mortaza Yamini ◽  
Mohammad-Sadegh Bagheri ◽  
Lotfollah Yarmohammadi
Keyword(s):  
Explicit Knowledge ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Proficiency Levels

The interplay of oral corrective feedback and L2 willingness to communicate across proficiency levels

2020 ◽  
pp. 136216882092896
Author(s):  
Mostafa Zare ◽  
Zohreh Gooniband Shooshtari ◽  
Alireza Jalilifar
Keyword(s):  
Corrective Feedback ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Willingness To Communicate ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Feedback Type ◽  
Proficiency Levels ◽  
Proficiency Level ◽  
High Preference ◽  
Oral Corrective Feedback ◽  
The Impact

This study aims to explore the impact of oral corrective feedback types on English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ willingness to communicate across proficiency levels. It also investigates how EFL learners view different types of feedback in relation to their willingness to communicate. Sixty Iranian EFL learners were tracked in four proficiency levels. Initially, the participants filled in a questionnaire to measure their attitudes to oral CF and their willingness to communicate. Subsequent to the teachers’ employment of explicit correction, recasts, and prompts, the learners’ willingness to communicate was measured anew. A semi-structured interview was also conducted. The results revealed learners’ high preference for prompts. A two-way mixed between-within ANOVA demonstrated a significant effect for both oral corrective feedback and proficiency level on willingness to communicate. Furthermore, elicitative types of feedback were ranked as the most contributory feedback type to L2 willingness to communicate.

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