scholarly journals 'A study of EL2 pilots’ radio communication in the General Aviation environment

2009 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 24.1-24.16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominique Estival ◽  
Brett Molesworth
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Traffic Control ◽  
English Language ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
General Aviation ◽  
Flight Training ◽  
Radio Communication ◽  
Communication Problems ◽  
Language Technologies ◽  
Aviation Pilots

This paper reports on the preliminary stages of a project designed to investigate communication problems in General Aviation and assess the utility of language technologies as a means of mitigation. The study presented in this paper is the first of a three-part study, in which we aim to investigate the extent to which the English language proficiency of pilots whose native language is not English (EL2) impacts on their ability to effectively communicate with Air Traffic Control (ATC), and its potential impact on safety outcomes. In a preliminary survey, we distributed a questionnaire to General Aviation pilots at various flight training organisations and collected self-reported instances of miscommunication between themselves and ATC. In addition, we asked pilots to rank, in order of difficulty, five typical radio communication tasks. The results indicated that pilots who are English native speakers and EL2 pilots give a similar ranking of difficulty to the radio communicative tasks, and that both EL2 and native speakers rank understanding other pilots as the most challenging task.

scholarly journals A study of EL2 pilots’ radio communication in the General Aviation Environment

2009 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 24.1-24.16
Author(s):  
Dominique Estival ◽  
Brett Molesworth
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Traffic Control ◽  
English Language ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
General Aviation ◽  
Flight Training ◽  
Radio Communication ◽  
Communication Problems ◽  
Language Technologies ◽  
Aviation Pilots

This paper reports on the preliminary stages of a project designed to investigate communication problems in General Aviation and assess the utility of language technologies as a means of mitigation. The study presented in this paper is the first of a three-part study, in which we aim to investigate the extent to which the English language proficiency of pilots whose native language is not English (EL2) impacts on their ability to effectively communicate with Air Traffic Control (ATC), and its potential impact on safety outcomes. In a preliminary survey, we distributed a questionnaire to General Aviation pilots at various flight training organisations and collected self-reported instances of miscommunication between themselves and ATC. In addition, we asked pilots to rank, in order of difficulty, five typical radio communication tasks. The results indicated that pilots who are English native speakers and EL2 pilots give a similar ranking of difficulty to the radio communicative tasks, and that both EL2 and native speakers rank understanding other pilots as the most challenging task.

scholarly journals Proficiency Differences in Syntactic Processing of Monolingual Native Speakers Indexed by Event-related Potentials

2010 ◽  
Vol 22 (12) ◽  
pp. 2728-2744 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Pakulak ◽  
Helen J. Neville
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Language Processing ◽  
English Language ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Memory Span ◽  
Wide Spectrum ◽  
Event Related Potentials ◽  
Related Potentials ◽  
Native Speakers Of English ◽  
Proficiency Scores

Although anecdotally there appear to be differences in the way native speakers use and comprehend their native language, most empirical investigations of language processing study university students and none have studied differences in language proficiency, which may be independent of resource limitations such as working memory span. We examined differences in language proficiency in adult monolingual native speakers of English using an ERP paradigm. ERPs were recorded to insertion phrase structure violations in naturally spoken English sentences. Participants recruited from a wide spectrum of society were given standardized measures of English language proficiency, and two complementary ERP analyses were performed. In between-groups analyses, participants were divided on the basis of standardized proficiency scores into lower proficiency and higher proficiency groups. Compared with lower proficiency participants, higher proficiency participants showed an early anterior negativity that was more focal, both spatially and temporally, and a larger and more widely distributed positivity (P600) to violations. In correlational analyses, we used a wide spectrum of proficiency scores to examine the degree to which individual proficiency scores correlated with individual neural responses to syntactic violations in regions and time windows identified in the between-groups analyses. This approach also used partial correlation analyses to control for possible confounding variables. These analyses provided evidence for the effects of proficiency that converged with the between-groups analyses. These results suggest that adult monolingual native speakers of English who vary in language proficiency differ in the recruitment of syntactic processes that are hypothesized to be at least in part automatic as well as of those thought to be more controlled. These results also suggest that to fully characterize neural organization for language in native speakers it is necessary to include participants of varying proficiency.

scholarly journals Critically Examining Perceptions of Different Englishes in the IELTS Speaking Section: Who Decides What is Acceptable?

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 08-15
Author(s):  
Colin Michell
Keyword(s):  
Focus Group ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Language Testing ◽  
English Language Proficiency ◽  
Testing System ◽  
Native Speakers Of English ◽  
Fit For Purpose ◽  
International English

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) has become the worldwide benchmark for evaluating English language proficiency. However, the IELTS exam is not without its critics. It has been accused of being elitist and unaccommodating of test-takers who are not users of the prestige varieties of English, even though these people may need to take the exam for employment or immigration purposes. This study involved a focus group of experienced IELTS examiners who were given a number of listenings from non-standard yet still ‘native speakers’ of English to evaluate using the IELTS speaking bands. The focus group found that the IELTS speaking descriptors are not fit for purpose when dealing with non-standard or regional varieties of English. This study makes a case for the creators of the IELTS exam to adjust their grading criteria and examiner training to be more inclusive of all English varieties.

scholarly journals Improving the English skills of native Japanese using artificial intelligence in a blended learning program

2019 ◽  
pp. 327-333
Author(s):  
Hiroyuki Obari ◽  
Stephen Lambacher
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Blended Learning ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Private University ◽  
Business Majors ◽  
Learning Program

A constructivist approach to language learning can motivate students by activating their brains to create new knowledge and reflect more consistently and deeply on their language learning experience. The present study focused on assessing the use of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) speakers Google Home Mini and Amazon Alexa as part of a Blended Learning (BL) environment to improve the English skills of two groups of native Japanese undergraduates. The participants were 47 native speakers of Japanese, all third-year business majors at a private university in Tokyo. Pretest and posttest Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) scores, as well as results from a post-training survey, were used in evaluating the overall effectiveness of the program. Gains in TOEIC scores indicated the BL program incorporating AI speakers improved the students’ overall English skills, particularly listening comprehension. The results suggest the integration of AI, along with social media and 21st-century skills, may be an effective way to improve the English language proficiency of adult L2 learners.

English Language Development for Non-Native Pre-Service Teachers

2017 ◽  
pp. 141-163
Author(s):  
Andrew Johnston
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
English Language Development ◽  
Background Information ◽  
Classroom Setting ◽  
Education Students ◽  
Native Speakers Of English ◽  
Primary School Age ◽  
Communicative Abilities

This chapter is describing a plan for a mentor teacher assisting pre-service teachers during their practicum using English in an Emirati national school. The plan consists of 20 lessons that covers speaking, reading, listening, and writing to Kindergarten to primary school age students (3 – 12 years old). As an educator, the author is constantly looking for ways to enhance student's communicative abilities, especially non-native speakers of English. There is a constant need to provide scaffolding and learning situations to make sure pre-service education students feel comfortable using English language in a classroom setting. This chapter will give background information for people who want to do research into incorrect language usage and its effect on students in the classroom. It also describes an outline for a course to develop language proficiency and confidence to use communicative language in a classroom setting.

scholarly journals Cross-cultural Study of Perception of Humor by English Native Speakers and Iranian EFL Learners

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 166
Author(s):  
Maryam Farnia ◽  
Atena Farhangi ◽  
Masoud Saeedi
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Morphological Type ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
The Body ◽  
Efl Learners

As an instance of foreign language comprehension, L2 humor perception is proved to be challenging for the foreign language learners. However, the body of literature is heavier on the side of humor production than humor perception. The current study explores the extent to which Iranian English as foreign language (EFL) learners perceive different types of English humor in comparison with the English native speakers. The participants were 153 Iranian EFL learners at intermediate level of language proficiency who were randomly selected from English language learners from several English language institutes in Shiraz, Iran, and 30 American English native speakers who voluntarily participated in this study. A questionnaire consisting of six contextualized jokes of three major types of universal, cultural and linguistic (with morphological, phonological, lexical and syntactic subcategories)was developed based on Schmitz's classification of verbal humor to obtain the quantitative data. Moreover, a semi-structured interview was conducted to elicit the perception of those participants who did not find the jokes humorous. The results showed that the majority of Iranian EFL participants did not realize the humor in the jokes. Also, the findings revealed that generally speaking, Iranian EFL learners' perception of humor is significantly lower in all types of jokes examined. The best perceived type of humor was found to be the linguistic humor of morphological type for the Iranian EFL learners and the lexical type for English native speakers. It was also discovered that the phonological humor was the least perceived type of humor for both Iranian EFL learners and English native speakers.

scholarly journals Comparative assessment of senior year student’s confidence in discipline-specific English bridging course

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 61-70
Author(s):  
Nicole Yiu ◽  
◽  
Ibukun Oluwadara Famakin ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Confidence Level ◽  
English Language ◽  
Occupational Safety ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Listening Skills ◽  
Senior Year ◽  
Safety And Health ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Post Test

Senior year students of BSc (Hons) in Environmental and Occupational Safety and Health (EOSH) are trained to be future environmental and safety practitioners. However, they usually show relatively weak English ability when proceeding with their study in articulation degree programmes. Their ability to communicate fluently in English is pivotal to the advancement of their career, particularly for numerous international opportunities. All the EOSH students are Chinese and are expected to communicate in English at work, which indicates the importance of English proficiency. Therefore, a trial course perfectly tailored to meet the professional needs of senior year students with job-related examples was developed to improve their confidence level in communication, particularly the syntax, semantics and lexis of English language. The intended objectives were assessed by reviewing students’ performance and feedback. A pre-test and a post-test were conducted to ascertain the English language proficiencies of the students before and after the English bridging course respectively. Further, a pre-designed questionnaire survey was distributed to the senior year students before and after the English bridging course to collect information about their confidence level with four identified areas, including overall language proficiency, specific writing skills, specific listening skills and specific speaking skills. The results showed that the confidence level of senior year students was low before the English bridging course, while the confidence level was moderate after the English bridging course. There was also significant improvement in their confidence level after the English course for all the identified areas. The results suggest that an English bridging course should be conducted in English by native speakers and supplemented with Cantonese from non-native speakers to enhance the understanding and confidence level of the senior year students.

scholarly journals Dictogloss Approach to Dictation Writing Activities

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (2 (16)) ◽  
pp. 99-108
Author(s):  
Siranoush Ghaltakhchyan
Keyword(s):  
Language Learners ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
English Language Proficiency ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Authentic Materials ◽  
Solid Foundation ◽  
Constructing Meaning

The present article is devoted to the study of modern approaches to dictation writing activities, namely to dictogloss approach, the purport of which is, first and foremost, to build a solid foundation of the English language proficiency and enhance integrated language skills in context. As different from traditional dictation writing activities, that aim at helping language learners become accustomed to processing and differentiating between different sounds of the target language, identifying words and phrases and recording them as accurately as possible, the dictogloss method of dictation writing tries to boost listening for detailed understanding, i.e. focusing on the grammatical constructions used in the texts, guessing the words and phrases suitable to the context, constructing meaning from the recorded texts and interpreting the gist of the dictated stories. Our study shows that the effectiveness of dictation writing activities in EFL classroom increases and the dictogloss procedure becomes more enjoyable and challenging in case of the intensive use of authentic materials, i.e. when the texts are not dictated directly by the teachers themselves, but are told by native speakers recorded on CDs.

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