scholarly journals ‘A Puzzle that Needs to be Fitted Together’: The Beginning of My Autoethnographic Journey of Learning French Through Music

2020 ◽  
pp. 93-107
Author(s):  
Robert J. Werner
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
French Language ◽  
Listening Skills ◽  
Japanese University ◽  
Learning History ◽  
Learning Goal ◽  
Learning Techniques ◽  
Song Lyrics

This is the first of several installments of an autoethnography about my experiences as a self-directed learner studying French over a six-week period. My studies paralleled work that students were completing in an English language course at a Japanese university and occurred simultaneously with theirs. I set a learning goal and focused on vocabulary and listening skills in order to better understand French language songs. In doing so, I not only revisited past knowledge of French, but also examined my learning techniques and developed strategies as I made weekly study plans. In this installment, I will give an overview of the project, and tell how I arrived at it and why I chose to study French. I will also describe my language learning history, especially with regard to French and Japanese. Data consisted of observation notes, weekly reflections, song lyrics with my vocabulary translations, and a log of days/time spent studying. This installment goes through the first week of the project, when I chose a song to study, a strategy to try, resources to use, and then did those things. At the onset, I doubted whether I could be successful, but was also excited and motivated to begin a new endeavor.

scholarly journals ‘Trusting the Process’: Part Three of My Autoethnography as a Self-Directed Learner of French

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 347-369
Author(s):  
Robert Werner ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Life Experiences ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Daily Basis ◽  
French Language ◽  
Listening Skills ◽  
Learning History ◽  
English Class ◽  
Classroom Language ◽  
Authentic Language

This is the third part of an autoethnography about trying to enrich my vocabulary and improve my listening skills as a self-directed learner through French language songs. I followed the same Study Use Review Evaluate (SURE) learning cycle as my students in a self-directed English class at a university in Japan, and my work occurred at the same time as theirs, over a period of six weeks. Throughout the project and in the course of writing it up, I have been making comparisons and identifying connections between my learning and that of my students. This installment covers the final three weeks of the project. First, in continuing my language learning history, I discuss authentic language and the discrepancies between my classroom language learning and real-life experiences, especially with regard to understanding spoken language while in France. Next, the paper details how I evaluated my learning both during the project and months after it finished. After that, I describe my longtime interest in accents and dialects and how I chose my third song partly to study Nouchi, a French-based dialect spoken in Ivory Coast. The paper concludes with a description of how I felt my goals shifting at different points in the project and reasons I considered changing my focus from listening to reading. I also describe a way I have been able to continue practicing reading French on a daily basis and how students can benefit from this method too.

scholarly journals Telegram App in Learning English: EFL Students’ Perceptions

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 51
Author(s):  
Zahra A. Abu-Ayfah
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Mobile Device ◽  
English Language ◽  
English Language Learning ◽  
Learning Techniques ◽  
Device Applications ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Efl College Students

The rapid growth of mobile device technology and the emergence of new mobile device applications such as Telegram have created new opportunities for EFL students. Accordingly, the current study investigated the EFL College students’ perceptions of using Telegram for English language learning. The participants of the present study were 300 EFL college students, 200 female and 100 male were selected randomly from the department of English and Translation at Tibah University in AL-Medina AL-Manwarah in Saudi Arabia. This study followed a quantitative approach in which a survey questionnaire was utilized as an instrument for data collection. The results revealed that the majority of EFL students perceived Telegram as a useful tool for English language learning, particularly in vocabulary learning. The findings of the present study may contribute to developing the process of improving learning techniques in higher education in Saudi Arabia.

scholarly journals UTILIZING YOUTUBE TO DEVELOP NURSING STUDENTS’ AUTONOMOUS LEARNING AND LISTENING COMPREHENSION: AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Michael Recard ◽  
Sandra Sembel ◽  
Shinta Hasibuan
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Study ◽  
Nursing Students ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Listening Comprehension ◽  
English Language ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Autonomous Learning ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Listening Skills ◽  
Comprehension Skills

<p>Industrial Revolution (IR) 4.0. is about dealing with digital-native students  and developing autonomous learning. One possible strategy to deal with these issues is using YouTube as a tool for English language learning. There have been some studies discussing the effectiveness of using it, yet we still have niches; for instance, deeper and wider contexts and respondents. Thus, this study aims to examine students’ autonomy over their learning and whether YouTube can develop the listening comprehension skills of nursing students in a Faculty of Nursing in Tangerang. To achieve the first aim, quantitative and qualitative studies were conducted, while for the second aim, an experimental study was used. The experimental study involved an experimental group consisting of 16 students and a control group consisting of 16 students. The result shows that the participants consider YouTube as a useful support to develop their autonomy in learning English and YouTube video has been successful to develop their listening skills.</p>

scholarly journals Investigating the Use of Instagram as a MALL Tool: The Case of Al-Imam University EFL Students

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Athar Yousef Abdullah Al-Garawi
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Oral Communication ◽  
English Language Learning ◽  
Listening Skills ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Immediate Feedback ◽  
First Semester ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Learning English

This study aimed to investigate the benefits and barriers of using Instagram in English language learning. The sample of this study consisted of 151 randomly-selected female students enrolled in the department of English at the College of Languages and Translation at Al-Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University in the academic year 1436/1437– 2015/2016 in the first semester. The researcher used both a five-point Likert scale questionnaire as a quantitative instrument and semi-structured interviews withstudents as a qualitative instrument to collect the data of the study. Those instruments were validated by ten university professors. Similarly, the reliability of the questionnaire was achieved by calculating Cronbach Alpha formula. The findings of the study revealed that the most important benefits of using Instagram in learning English were as follows: improving the reading, writing, and listening skills, providing enjoyable learning experiences, enriching vocabulary, improving oral communication skills, and enjoying a sense of freedom of time and place. Furthermore, the results of the study unveiled the following challenges of using Instagram in English learning: distracting attention, lack of direction from the syllabuses, lack of encouragement from instructors, embarrassment, lack of immediate feedback, the cost of Internet access, and the difficulty of writing long passages. Finally, the findings of the study presented the following solutions to Instagram barriers in English language learning: creating learning accounts and posting important things in the lecture, following only specialized accounts for learning English.

scholarly journals Dynamic Assessment in the EFL Classroom: The Case of Listening Comprehension

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Hamza Alshenqeeti ◽  
Grami Mohammad A. Grami
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Listening Comprehension ◽  
English Language ◽  
Dynamic Assessment ◽  
Reliability And Validity ◽  
Test Reliability ◽  
Listening Skills ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
Post Test ◽  
The University

The current study evaluates the potential of dynamic assessment (DA) in listening comprehension classes. DA is based on the sociocultural aspect of the Vygotskyan theory. It facilitates language improvement because DA assumes that mental instruments mediate psychological exercises. Although DA has been extensively analyzed, few studies have investigated its impact on listening comprehension in the language classroom. This study intends to fill the research gap in listening comprehension studies using DA as a mediation tool. The purpose of the current study therefore is to assess the effects of dynamic assessment on listening comprehension. A total of fifty-six English as a foreign language (hereinafter EFL) learners took part in the present examination. The subjects took a general placement proficiency test developed by the English Language Centre within the university to ensure participant homogeneity. The researcher recorded pre-test and post-test results of the participants and coded the values quantitatively. Data management and analyses were performed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The results were statistically analyzed using one-way ANOVA to test reliability and validity. The relevance of DA in enhancing listening comprehension is clearly supported by the fact that DA students’ results outperformed their counterparts in the study. The study findings also indicated a need for language educators to utilise mediation techniques in order to enhance students’ listening skills.  Educators are advised to apply more DA approaches to mitigate student resistance to classroom instructions. These discoveries underscore the efficacy of DA and suggest its inclusion in the language-learning curriculum.

Do Opposites Attract?

2019 ◽  
pp. 2015-2035
Author(s):  
Mark R. Freiermuth ◽  
Hsin-chou Huang
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Small Groups ◽  
English Language ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Cultural Backgrounds ◽  
Language Abilities ◽  
Esl Teachers ◽  
Japanese University ◽  
Academic Interests

This study discusses the results of an online intercultural chat task designed to see whether students from different cultural backgrounds, with different English language abilities, with different L1s and who had different academic interests would be willing to communicate using English—the target language. Taiwanese university students who were marine science majors (lower proficiency) chatted electronically in small groups with Japanese university students who had been studying English intensively for two years (higher proficiency). Student comments taken from a questionnaire indicate that both groups were invigorated and willing to communicate by the task; it was considered meaningful because it provided an opportunity to use English in a realistic way, represented the only means to communicate with their overseas partners and helped students to empathize with their newly found peers. To sum up briefly, text-based chat can be useful for EFL and ESL teachers as a tool for language learning students, providing learners with “real” target language opportunities for communication.

Do Opposites Attract?

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 40-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark R. Freiermuth ◽  
Hsin-Chou Huang
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Small Groups ◽  
English Language ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Cultural Backgrounds ◽  
Language Abilities ◽  
Esl Teachers ◽  
Japanese University ◽  
Academic Interests

This study discusses the results of an online intercultural chat task designed to see whether students from different cultural backgrounds, with different English language abilities, with different L1s and who had different academic interests would be willing to communicate using English—the target language. Taiwanese university students who were marine science majors (lower proficiency) chatted electronically in small groups with Japanese university students who had been studying English intensively for two years (higher proficiency). Student comments taken from a questionnaire indicate that both groups were invigorated and willing to communicate by the task; it was considered meaningful because it provided an opportunity to use English in a realistic way, represented the only means to communicate with their overseas partners and helped students to empathize with their newly found peers. To sum up briefly, text-based chat can be useful for EFL and ESL teachers as a tool for language learning students, providing learners with “real” target language opportunities for communication.

scholarly journals Apathy, Agency, and Sociocultural Mediation in a University English Course

2020 ◽  
Vol 2019 (1) ◽  
pp. 144
Author(s):  
Masayo Kanno
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Self Directed Learning ◽  
Japanese University ◽  
Semistructured Interviews ◽  
Sociocultural Approach ◽  
Directed Learning ◽  
Learner Agency ◽  
Japanese Learners

This paper is a report of an exploratory case study with a learner who showed apathetic attitudes in a Japanese university English course. Previous research indicated the influence of self-perception, learner autonomy, and exam washback effects on Japanese learners’ attitudes towards language learning. This study takes a sociocultural approach to contribute to a deeper understanding of the constructive nature of learner agency. Semistructured interviews unexpectedly revealed the learner’s multilingual experiences and ongoing self-directed learning efforts outside the classroom. A thematic analysis identified two themes: the ineffectiveness of the classroom learning environment and the importance of English language skills. These themes illustrated that learner agency was mediated through interaction between the learner’s subjective opinions and collective attitudes in the classroom. The author discusses pedagogical factors that could enhance learner agency and facilitate learner involvement in language learning. 本論文は、日本の大学の英語の授業内で無関心な態度を示す一人の学習者に関する探求的事例研究の報告である。先行研究では、自己認識や学習者の自律性、そしてテストの波及効果が日本人学習者の語学学習に対する姿勢に与える影響が示されている。本研究は、社会文化論的なアプローチから、発展的な性質を持つ学習者行為主体性をより深く理解することを目的とする。半構造化インタビューでは、多言語に接した経験があり、現在自主的に英語を学習していたことが予想外に明らかになった。主題分析により、効果的ではない教室での学習環境、英語力の重要性、の二つのテーマが特定された。これらのテーマは、学習者の主観的な意見と教室内での集合的な態度の相互作用を媒介として行為主体性が形成されることを示唆した。著者は、行為主体性を高め、語学学習への関わりを促進することができるような教育的要素を論じる。

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document