Interactional metadiscourse in young EFL learner writing

2014 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 201-224 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huaqing Hong ◽  
Feng Cao
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Argumentative Writing ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Argumentative Essays ◽  
Qualitative Analyses

This study investigates how young English as a foreign language (EFL) learners from Chinese, Spanish, and Polish mother tongue backgrounds use interactional metadiscourse in descriptive and argumentative English essays by drawing data from the ICCI corpus. The quantitative and qualitative analyses show that (i) there are significant differences among the three groups of EFL learners in the use of boosters, attitude markers, self-mentions, and engagement markers; and (ii) there are significant differences between the descriptive essays and the argumentative essays in the use of hedges and self-mentions. Discussion of the results is related to intergroup homogeneity and heterogeneity in the use of metadiscourse and the influences of essay types as well as topics/prompts. Pedagogical implications are provided for teaching interactional metadiscursive resources to young EFL learners from different mother tongue backgrounds and in relation to descriptive and argumentative writing.

scholarly journals Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Learners’ Argumentative Writing Performance in Private Language Institutes

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (15) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vahid Nimehchisalem ◽  
Masoud Machinchi Abbasi ◽  
Amirtohid Ebrahimzadeh ◽  
Seyed Ali Rezvani Kalajahi
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Argumentative Writing ◽  
Private Language ◽  
Writing Performance ◽  
Efl Learners

scholarly journals Reverse Transfer Of L2 To L1: The Case Of Code-Switching

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (7) ◽  
pp. 57-68
Author(s):  
Shima Ghobadi ◽  
Mohammad Reza Talebinejad
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Code Switching ◽  
Reverse Transfer ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
Convenience Sampling ◽  
And Control ◽  
Academic Year

Issues related to the learners’ use of the foreign language and the mother tongue (code-switching) in the foreign language classroom and their role in language teaching and learning processes have been a common area of research. This study aimed at investigating Reverse Transfer of L2 to L1.To this end, 50 Iranian intermediate EFL learners (25 males, 25 females) at Islamic Azad University, Shahreza Branch studies in the second semester of the academic year 2016-2017 were selected through the convenience sampling method. They were then assigned randomly to the experimental and control groups.

scholarly journals Exploring syntactic complexity and its relationship with writing quality in EFL argumentative essays

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 68-81
Author(s):  
Farzaneh Shadloo ◽  
Hesamoddin Shahriari Ahmadi ◽  
Behzad Ghonsooly
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Syntactic Complexity ◽  
Writing Quality ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Syntactic Features ◽  
Development Scheme ◽  
Language Writing ◽  
Argumentative Essays ◽  
Different Levels

Abstract To predict syntactic complexity in second/foreign language writing, some studies have advocated the use of T-unit and clausal subordination measures while others have argued for the use of phrase-based measures. This study seeks to identify syntactic features that can be regarded as discriminators among different levels of writing quality. For this purpose, a corpus of argumentative essays by EFL learners was compiled and then the essays were rated and placed into three groups of high-rated, mid-rated, and low-rated essays. The corpus was then coded and analysed for both phrasal and clausal features. The phrasal features were manually coded based on the development scheme hypothesized by Biber, Gray and Poonpon (2011) for academic writing, and the clausal features were analysed using the online L2 Syntactic Complexity Analyzer developed by Lu (2010). A separate ANOVA test was used to compare the three groups of essays for each of the phrasal and clausal features. The findings of the current study demonstrated that subordination and dependent clauses were not good indicators of different writing qualities in our corpus. Also, the pattern of noun phrase complexity predicted by Biber et al. (2011) was not observed across argumentative essays from three different levels of writing quality.

scholarly journals A Shift from a Monoglossic to a Heteroglossic View: Metalinguistic Stego- Translanguaging Lens Approach

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 461-473
Author(s):  
Mohammad Awad Al-Dawoody Abdulaal
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Research Study ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Control Groups ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Reading And Writing ◽  
Port Said ◽  
Experimental Group

This research study aims at replacing monoglossic approaches with a stego-translanguaging pedagogy (i.e., the indirect use of the mother tongue to enhance the target language perception and acquisition). To solve the problematic constant decline in the learners’ reading and writing IELTS scores in Port Said Language Center and to check the influence of the stego-translanguaging approach, two groups of participants were randomly chosen, an experimental group with 33 English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners from different colleges in Port Said University in Egypt and a control group with 30 EFL learners. The participants in the experimental group followed a heteroglossic pedagogy, whereas the control group followed a strictly non-plurilingual monolingual approach. The results of Kruskal-Wallis test showed that the stego-translanguaging approach was much more influential in teaching IELTS reading than the monoglossic conventional approach with 1.483 as a mean difference between the two groups as (µ1=7) in the experimental group and (µ2= 5.517) in the control group. Another crucial result was displayed by a parametric test conducted to examine the significant differences between the IELTS writing posttest scores in the experimental and the control groups. The test showed that µ1 > µ2 with an estimation difference of 1.535, where µ1= 6.818 and µ2 = 5.28

scholarly journals The forbidden fruit: using the mother tongue in a Bogota university EFL programme

2012 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jill Fortune
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Current Debate ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Student Activity ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
Foreign Language Classroom ◽  
L1 Use

The current debate on the use of the mother tongue in the foreign language classroom has led to a wide array of literature being written onthe subject. While this can be enlightening, it can also cause confusion and anxiety among teachers when faced with the question of whetheror not it is acceptable to use the L1 in class. This paper analyses current perceptions and practices in terms of L1 use among teachers andstudents in the EFL and ESL settings, based on the hypothesis that the use of the L1 to some degree could be beneficial to EFL learners.Teacher and student activity and opinions are analysed through surveys and interviews before being compared and contrasted with classroomreality through live observation. The findings confirm that L1 use could indeed be beneficial to EFL learners, particularly at the lower levels oflanguage proficiency, but that teachers may need to revisit their reasons for using the L1, as well as their repertoire of pro-L2-use strategies.

scholarly journals Code-switching as Identity Marker: A Sociolinguistic Study of Kurdish EFL University Students

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 57
Author(s):  
Soma Nawzad Abubakr ◽  
Zana M. Hassan ◽  
Bekhal L. Muhedeen
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
University Students ◽  
Quantitative Data ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Code Switching ◽  
Major Focus ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Strongly Connected ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
University Level

Being able to know English along with a mother tongue would inevitably lead into code-switching. Whether intentional or unintentional, it is revealing to investigate codeswitching among English EFL learners. This study, however, focuses specifically on the issue of learner’s identity with codeswitching. Language as identity expresser, or even identity maker, is thought to be strongly connected with identity. This study targets Kurdish EFL students at university level to mainly investigate the reason(s) for code-switching between their mother tongue and English as a foreign language. To this end, quantitative data, through a questionnaire, has been collected. The model adopted for designing the questions is based on a well-known theory by Bloom and Gumperz (1972) known as ‘situational codeswitching’. This study hypothesizes that Kurdish EFL learners code switch from English to Kurdish due to the lack of knowledge in English, or they do code switch from Kurdish to English to mark a different identity, which is the major focus of this study. To validate or refute these claims, the data collected for this paper has been qualitatively verified to reach some conclusions.

scholarly journals A Shift from a Monoglossic to a Heteroglossic View: Metalinguistic Stego- Translanguaging Lens Approach

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Awad Al-Dawoody Abdulaal
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Research Study ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Control Groups ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Reading And Writing ◽  
Port Said ◽  
Experimental Group

This research study aims at replacing monoglossic approaches with a stego-translanguaging pedagogy (i.e., the indirect use of the mother tongue to enhance the target language perception and acquisition). To solve the problematic constant decline in the learners’ reading and writing IELTS scores in Port Said Language Center and to check the influence of the stego-translanguaging approach, two groups of participants were randomly chosen, an experimental group with 33 English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners from different colleges in Port Said University in Egypt and a control group with 30 EFL learners. The participants in the experimental group followed a heteroglossic pedagogy, whereas the control group followed a strictly non-plurilingual monolingual approach. The results of Kruskal-Wallis test showed that the stego-translanguaging approach was much more influential in teaching IELTS reading than the monoglossic conventional approach with 1.483 as a mean difference between the two groups as (µ1=7) in the experimental group and (µ2= 5.517) in the control group. Another crucial result was displayed by a parametric test conducted to examine the significant differences between the IELTS writing posttest scores in the experimental and the control groups. The test showed that µ1 > µ2 with an estimation difference of 1.535, where µ1= 6.818 and µ2 = 5.28

scholarly journals The Effectiveness of STOP and DARE in Planning and Drafting Argumentative Writing: A case of Saudi College Level Students

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arab World English Journal
Keyword(s):  
Social Dynamics ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Writing Skills ◽  
School Education ◽  
Argumentative Writing ◽  
College Level ◽  
Teaching Process ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Second Year

Changing social dynamics have influenced writing a lot and learning and teaching process has also evolved greatly in terms of its theoretical as well as practical aspects. EFL learners in Saudi context behave very much differently to the writing tasks as English is introduced at a later stage in school education. Consequently, learners face a lot of challenges in responding positively to the methods and strategies implemented at the college level. The courses are intensive but failed to achieve the desired outcomes at the end of the program. A sample of work from 20 second year bachelor level students is taken to check the validity STOP and DARE strategy in improving students’ writing skills and also to see how the learners respond to this method. Teaching of argumentative writing is a part of their mother tongue teaching of which they are conceptually aware of but how do they respond in EFL learning is of interest to this present study.

scholarly journals ‘I school at...’ and Other Sentences: A Phenomenon of English Sentence Production of Indonesian EFL Learners

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-24
Author(s):  
Christina Eli Indriyani ◽  
Maria Septiyani
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Background Knowledge ◽  
Sentence Production ◽  
English Learning ◽  
Teaching Process ◽  
English Sentence ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Direct Translation

Learning English as a foreign language is important but it is also difficult. The reason why it is important is that it can support learners to reach the opportunities in the future, for example getting a job, getting a scholarship, conducting a research and many others. However, it is also difficult. The difficulties can be seen from various aspects, such as learners'€™ background knowledge, learners'€™ mother tongue, and learners'€™ anxiety. Indonesian who learn English experiences these kinds of difficulties. English is learnt as a foreign language in Indonesia. Though it has taught since early level, there are mistakes found by the writers when the learners produce spoken or written utterances. The mistake that triggers the writers to write this paper is the sentence 'I am school at SMA 5 Kupang,'€™ when the student meant to say '€˜Saya bersekolah di SMA 5 Kupang.'€™ This kind of mistake raises since the students do not get used to English and they have lack of knowledge of English. Therefore, instead of saying 'I study at SMA 5 Kupang,' €™they say '€˜I am school at SMA5 Kupang.'€™ This phenomenon likely influence students'€™ ability in producing utterances especially in direct translation. The data of this research was collected through observation and students’ performance in class. The data was analysed qualitatively and the result showed that most students made mistakes before the teachers correct them. This paper aims to dig out more on this phenomenon and it is expected to give more insight to the English learning and teaching process.

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