Gauging the association of EFL learners’ writing proficiency and their use of metaphorical language

System ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 74 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ha Hoang ◽  
Frank Boers
Keyword(s):  
Writing Proficiency ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Metaphorical Language

scholarly journals A Study of Writing Proficiency in the Use of Discourse Markers in Iranian EFL Learners' Writing

2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 106-113
Author(s):  
Ozra Kookhaei ◽  
Majid Amerian
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Discourse Markers ◽  
Writing Proficiency ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Intact Group ◽  
Language Pedagogy ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Language And Literature

The aim of this study was to investigate the use of discourse markers by Iranian EFL learners based on their writing proficiency. The study was conducted at Department of English Language and Literature in university of Arak. 29 participants, 6 males and 23 females, as an intact group, were required to write an essay on an argumentative topic without limit of words and without any instruction. Their writings were analyzed quantitatively using Fraser's (2004) taxonomy of Discourse Markers. The results showed that there is no statistically significant difference between the use of discourse markers and writing proficiency. It was also founded that participants employed a variety of discourse markers with some types used more frequently than others. Coordinate conjunction were the most frequently used, followed by elaborative markers and contrastive markers. Possible implications of the study for language pedagogy have been also discussed.

scholarly journals Chinese EFL Learners’ Decision-making While Evaluating Peers’ Texts

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 99 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jingjing Ma
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Peer Review ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Writing Proficiency ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Stimulated Recall ◽  
Chinese Writing

Approaching peer review from a process and contextualized perspective, this exploratory case study investigates two Chinese EFL learners’ decision-making patterns while evaluating peers’ texts in an online peer review and factors influencing these patterns. Detailed qualitative case study data were collected through think-aloud protocols, stimulated recall, semi-structured interviews, classroom observation and document analysis. Analyses indicate that the two learners with higher level of English writing proficiency to a certain extent illustrated contrasting patterns of decision-making, and yet both prioritized specific aspects of peers’ texts. Student-related factors such as perceptions of good English expository writing shaped by previous learning and assessment experiences of English (or Chinese) writing, type of writing task and weaknesses of student text interacted with one another to influence the participants’ decision-making patterns. Pedagogical implications for the findings are discussed.

Metaphorical competence in EFL

AILA Review ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 23 ◽  
pp. 155-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fiona MacArthur
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Cognitive Linguistics ◽  
English Language ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Effective Feedback ◽  
Metaphorical Language ◽  
Linguistic Resources ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Communication Demands

Although there exists a number of studies that have shown the benefits of applying the cognitive linguistics notion of motivation to foster comprehension and retention of conventional English metaphors, relatively little attention has been paid to EFL learners’ productive use of metaphor in speech and writing. Using data gathered in a post-intermediate English language classroom, I describe and explore the metaphorical language used by undergraduate students in their writing. The data show that learners use metaphor to express their ideas on complex, abstract topics, but that the resulting metaphorical usage is not always conventional or felicitous. Since metaphor is deployed by EFL learners in response to particular communication demands, teachers need to find ways of providing appropriate feedback on learners’ efforts to make use of their limited linguistic resources to express their own meanings. However, how effective feedback is to be given is not always straightforward. I discuss some of the problems involved and suggest areas that are in need of further research.

scholarly journals EXAMINING RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN EFL STUDENTS' LEARNING STYLE, WRITING PROFICIENCY, AND SELF-ASSESSMENT

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 200
Author(s):  
Andri Suherman
Keyword(s):  
Learning Styles ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Style ◽  
Mean Value ◽  
Writing Proficiency ◽  
Multiple Sources ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
Writing Ability ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Assessment Performance

This research article aimed to explore the relationship between students’ learning styles, writing proficiency, and self-assessment. The participants in this case study were forty Indonesian tertiary-level EFL learners. This study investigated language learning styles preferences of the participants, analyzed preferred language learning styles of the most proficient writers, and explored how the partcipants assess their writing ability. Multiple sources of data were collected, including questionnaires, self-assessment checklist, and students’ writings. The findings revealed three main points. First, based on the mean value and standard deviation, Communicative was the most popular learning styles among the students, followed by three others styles, called Concrete, Analytical, and Authority-Oriented. Second, based on the students’ writing scores, eight students were considered the most proficient writers, and most of them had applied Communicative learning style to help them organize their writings. Third, the most proficient writers, compared to the self-assessment performance of the least proficient writers, appeared to underestimate their writing ability. The pedagogical implications of this study were to provide insight to EFL teachers into how students’ learning styles can help them to make the necessary adaptation and changes in the instruction, and to inform EFL learners with some suggestions to carry out self-assessments to help them improve their writing performance.

scholarly journals Language Competence of HSSC Level Students in Pakistan: Developing Writing Proficiency through Literature

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 65
Author(s):  
Muhammad Din ◽  
Muhammad Asif Khan ◽  
Mamuna Ghani
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Achievement Test ◽  
Sentence Structure ◽  
Writing Proficiency ◽  
Language Competence ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Proficiency Level ◽  
Writing Skill ◽  
Language Areas ◽  
Pie Chart

Writing is a means of communication and part of everybody’s education. Writing as a medium of language has its special features. This study brings to light the fact that teaching English through literature does not render any substantive and positive pay off in developing and honing the ESL/EFL learners’ writing skill. In the Pakistani context, literature seems to be inadequate and improper language teaching tool at HSSC level. To achieve the set objectives of this study, the researcher went for the quantitative research methodology. So, a questionnaire comprising of four categories i.e., grammar, vocabulary, sentence structure and creative writing was designed to collect data from 600 subjects (male/female) of intermediate level. The researcher also conducted an achievement test so that a correlation might be drawn between their attitude towards “developing writing skill through literature” and the score of their achievement test. This study has also strived to categorize the subjects in accordance with their proficiency level and computed a pie chart to illustrate their proficiency level. The collected data were analyzed through software package (SPSS XX). The findings of this study explicitly reveal that the EFL learners remain unable to develop both the language skills (particularly writing skill) and language areas when they are taught English through literature. This study recommends that the teaching of English should be application oriented and task-based strategies and activities should be resorted to by the EL educators.

scholarly journals Saudi EFL Adult Learners’ Spelling Errors: Reasons and Remedial Strategies to Raise Their Writing Proficiency Level

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (7) ◽  
pp. 131
Author(s):  
Khaled Besher Albesher
Keyword(s):  
Writing Proficiency ◽  
Spelling Errors ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Loan Words ◽  
Proficiency Level ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
Transfer Strategies ◽  
Preparatory Year ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Remedial Strategies

This study aims to find out the most common spelling errors committed by the Saudi EFL learners, their plausible reasons and the successful remedial strategies. The study may help the EFL teachers in their task of enabling their learners to complete their writing essays and assignments without any spelling mistakes and errors. This is a purely qualitative study. Thirty male EFL teachers and fourteen female EFL teachers have participated in this research study by sharing their teaching observations and experiences and helping in categorization of learners’ errors and in finding reasons and remedies for the learners’ spelling errors. Moreover, in the light of the feedback provided by the teacher participants, the researcher analyzed 50 writing drafts of Level-4 male Saudi EFL learners and 50 Level-4 female Saudi EFL learners at Preparatory Year Programme at Qassim University. The study concludes that the Saudi EFL learners usually use interlingual and intralingual transfer strategies due to problems in phonemic differences, loan words; phonemic, orthographic, homophonous, morphological and compounding confusions; ignorance or overgeneralization of spelling rules, and the impact of social media. The study recommends a number of teaching techniques for their rectification.

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