scholarly journals Grammatisches Wissen, Fremdsprachenunterricht und Lehrwerke – Zur Qualität von Grammatikübungen in zwei kroatischen DaF-Lehrwerken

2014 ◽  
Vol 69 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonard Pon

The present paper looks into an important aspect of textbooks for teaching German as a for-eign language: grammar exercises. The author analyses two Croatian textbooks for teaching German at primary school level: Applaus! 7 and Flink mit Deutsch 4. The first part investigates the relationship between explicit and implicit knowledge and shows that explicit knowledge has an important role in the development of grammar competence. Consequently, grammar exercises used for explicit grammar teaching must be incorporated into textbooks. The author elaborates on what types of grammar exercises are needed and how these exercises should be created so that learners can benefit from them. In addition, the first part comments on the role of chunks in the development of grammar competence. Finally, the author examines the role of receptive and productive skills in connection with grammar teach-ing. The second part addresses the textbook analysis in general. It refers to the previous research conducted in the field as well as to the criteria that can be drawn upon when describing the quality of teaching materials. In the third part, the results of the analysis of the two Croatian textbooks are presented. Both quantitative and qualitative data are commented on. This part also includes some information regarding the Croatian teaching situation so that potential readers not acquainted with it can better understand comments and suggestions provided by the author. On one side, the paper points to the strengths and weaknesses of the teaching materials in question. On the other side, the author provides some general comments on what a good text-book should contain in order to help foreign language learners develop their grammar compe-tence.

10.29007/5xsb ◽  
2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alicia Martínez-Flor ◽  
Esther Usó-Juan

Studies analysing the positive role of pragmatic instruction in formal settings have increased over the last decades. Within this area of interventional pragmatics, some studies have particularly examined whether the effectiveness of the instruction implemented is sustained over time. In order to shed more light on the long-term effects of instruction, this research investigates English as a Foreign Language learners’ use of complaining formulas not only after immediately receiving instruction, but also two months later. Results show that learners keep using a variety of appropriate complaining formulas two months after having participated in the instructional period. These findings are discussed and directions for future research suggested.


Author(s):  
Selin Ozdemir ◽  
Fatih Yavuz

Teaching grammar has been regarded as one of the most crucial issues in the field of language. It gains its importance since it helps learners attain high level of accuracy and proficiency in language learning processes. During these processes, the way of teaching grammar differs under some certain circumstances and is divided into some sub-categories such as conscious grammar teaching and subconscious grammar teaching. In this study, a literature review of issues on the role of consciousness and sub-consciousness in teaching of grammar has been widely discussed since there are numerous views, claims and approaches related to choosing one of them as an ideal way to teach grammar. Both of them have a significant impact on the knowledge of grammar .The study revealed that neither conscious grammar teaching which lays emphasis on the structures and rules of a language nor subconscious grammar teaching without attention to explicit knowledge of grammar should be neglected. Keywords: Grammar teaching, consciousness, sub-consciousness, deductive, inductive.


Neofilolog ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 103-117
Author(s):  
Ariadna Strugielska

The role of affective factors in the process of foreign language learning and teaching is undeniable. Still, despite growing interest in the role of attitudinal variables in foreign language training, the problem has not been much researched from the perspective of multidimensional cognition. Thus, the focus of the article is the architecture of foreign language learners’ cognition situated within a multimodal framework and shaped by particular socio-linguistic experience. It is postulated that the conceptual system of a foreign language learner is unique in being highly susceptible to processing in terms of affective parameters. This hypothesis is corroborated by the results of a pilot study which show that concrete words in the conceptual systems of foreign language learners are associated with affect more than in the case of native speakers.


Author(s):  
Günter Schmale

Print advertising very frequently refers to idioms containing verbal expressions of images conveying a figurative meaning. “Material” idiom's (photos, drawings, cartoons, etc.) in print adverts, in one way or another, depict the idioms’ literal meaning. Advertising plays on numerous forms of interaction between the idiomatic and material image (representation of literal meaning, implicit relation between visual element and verbal idiom, etc.). Following preliminary considerations on figurativeness and metaphoricity, 14 German print adverts are analysed with a focus on the role of the material image. Based on these analyses, reflections on the interpretability of the relation between idiomatic and material image by native speakers and foreign language learners are discussed.


2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 11
Author(s):  
Azedah Nemati

Communication has verbal and nonverbal aspects.It has been estimated that 82% of class communication is nonverbal. While the role of nonverbal behavior in English classes is much it is hitherto an unexplored area. One subpart of nonverbal communication is proxemics or space. Combing nonverbal communication and the right to privacy, this article is aimed at exploring the attitude of foreign language students regarding nonverbal communication and privacy right in English classes. A nonverbal questionnaire along with privacy proposed by the researcher was answered by 107 general English participants. Based on their opinion the major findings were that students like, smiling, tidy and on time teachers who explain and illustrate in English classes. However, they do not like to answer questions regarding their personal life such as personal description, identification, health or background. As a result, their privacy right should be observed in communicative English classes.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fei Liu ◽  
Balachandran Vadivel ◽  
Ehsan Rezvani ◽  
Ehsan Namaziandost

This study aims to find out the role of games in promoting students’ willingness to communicate (WTC) and their teachers’ attitude toward it. In order to collect the data, the researchers employed a 28-item questionnaire which was given to 60 English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners in an English institute. Then, the students were randomly divided into two groups of 30 learners functioning as control and experimental groups. The students in the experimental group received games in their language lessons and classes, while control group learners did not. At the end of the term, the same questionnaire was given to the students to know if playing games had a significant impact on their WTC. In addition, the teachers were asked to answer a 30-item questionnaire to investigate their attitudes toward playing games in language classes. The results showed that most of the teachers in this study believe that games have a positive influence on the students’ attitudes towards learning English and that using them in class serves many educational purposes. In addition, games played a significant role in improving the EFL leaners’ willingness to communicate. In the light of these findings, the researchers suggested using games as energizers and practical activities at the end of class not only to improve enthusiasm for learning, but also to improve the learners’ WTC.


2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 189
Author(s):  
Saudin Saudin ◽  
Iis Sulyaningsih ◽  
Lina Meilinda

The important role of collocation in learners’ language proficiency has been acknowledged widely. In Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL), collocation is known as one prominent member of the super-ordinate lexical cohesion, which contributes significantly to the textual coherence, together with grammatical cohesion and structural cohesion (Halliday & Hasan, 1985). Collocation is also viewed as the hallmark of truly advanced English learners since the higher the learners’ proficiency is, the more they tend to use collocation (Bazzaz & Samad, 2011; Hsu, 2007; Zhang, 1993). Further, knowledge of collocation is regarded as part of the native speakers’ communicative competence (Bazzaz & Samad, 2011); and lack of the knowledge is the most important sign of foreignness among foreign language learners (McArthur, 1992; McCarthy, 1990). Taking the importance of collocation into account, this study is aimed to shed light on Indonesian EFL learners’ levels of collocational competence. In the study, the collocational competence is restricted to v+n and adj+n of collocation but broken down into productive and receptive competence, about which little work has been done (Henriksen, 2013). For this purpose, 49 second-year students of an English department in a state polytechnic were chosen as the subjects. Two sets of tests (filling in the blanks and multiple-choice) were administered to obtain the data of the subjects’ levels of productive and receptive competence and to gain information of which type was more problematic for the learners. The test instruments were designed by referring to Brashi’s (2006) test model, and Koya’s (2003). In the analysis of the data, interpretive-qualitative method was used primarily to obtain broad explanatory information. The data analysis showed that the scores of productive competence were lower than those of receptive competence in both v+n and adj+n collocation. The analysis also revealed that the scores of productive and receptive competence in v+n collocation were higher than those of productive and receptive competence in adj+n collocation. The finding comes as a surprise since it turns out adj+n collocation is more problematic than v+n collocation both productively and receptively. Much research, by contrast, has reported that mistakes in v+n collocation are typical (Al-Zahrani, 1998; Nesselhauf, 2003; Liu, 1999; Sun, 2004). A conclusion has even been drawn that “v+n collocation is more difficult than adj+n collocation” (Kuo, 2009, p. 148). Though more studies are needed to support its finding, this research suggests the type of collocation deserve to get more attention from researchers.


Author(s):  
Muhammad Dhika Arif Rizqan ◽  
Endang Fauziati ◽  
Sri Samiati Tarjana

The Knowledge-based Era demands scholars to be experts in their fields. Language Awareness (LA) is L2 explicit knowledge about language. Its presence as one of the expertise qualifications for foreign language learners is inevitable. This study aims to describe the extent of LA within the qualitative case study approach. Eight TEFL master students were chosen as the subjects. The researchers collected the data from exams and interviews. The general findings showed that the students have ‘adequate’ LA. In a closer look, their analyzed knowledge was better than metalinguistic knowledge; it was a relatively normal condition since analyzed knowledge requires simpler cognitive process rather than metalinguistic knowledge. Additionally, it seemed that the multiple choices in the exams enlighten the cognitive process within analyzed knowledge. However, their metalinguistic knowledge had a problem with grammatical terminologies. In sum, both types of knowledge are vital but metalinguistic knowledge deserves more priority to be improved.


Author(s):  
Hosny Mostafa Al-Dali

<p>The present study examines the variation in the proficiency of adult learners (males and females) of English as a foreign language.  It is a generally accepted fact in L<sub>1</sub> acquisition that females enjoy a rate advantage, initially at least. However, I know of no study that has systematically investigated the rate of second language acquisition (SLA) in females versus males. It might be safe to cite few SLA studies: Farhady, 1982; Eisenstein, 1982; Lakoff, 1973; Zimmerman and West, 1975; and Gass and Varonis, 1986. Although these studies reported sex-related differences, they were incidental to their main focus. The subjects for the present study are 180 students in the Department of English, Faculty of Arts, Minufiya University. They are divided into three groups according to their academic status in their university: Beginners (60); Intermediate (60); and advanced (60). Each group is equally divided into males (30), and females (30). Accordingly, the total number of males is 90, and that of females is 90, as well. All subjects performed three tasks: 1) listening; 2) reading, and 3) structure and written expressions, similar, to those used in the TOEFL test. The overall umbrella, under which all these tasks are designed, is ‘systematicity’; and/or ‘variability’; and whether learners' sex is responsible for it. Results are obtained and conclusions are made. </p><strong>Keywords</strong>: Variability; L<sub>2</sub> learners’ proficiency, sex.


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