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1. Competent Performances of Situated Identities: Adult Learners of English Accessing Engaged Participation (EJ867038)
Author(s):
Warriner, Doris S.
Source:
Teaching and Teacher Education: An International Journal of Research and Studies, v26 n1 p22-30 Jan 2010
Pub Date:
2010-01-00
Pub Type(s):
Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Peer-Reviewed:
Yes
Descriptors: Participant Observation; Ethnography; Adult Education; Adult Learning; Adult Students; English (Second Language); Teaching Methods; Learner Engagement; Second Language Learning; Second Language Instruction; Work Environment; Transfer of Training; Curriculum; Communities of Practice; Interviews; Learning Processes; Educational Environment; Social Theories; Learning Theories; Theory Practice Relationship
Abstract: The Communities of Practice (CofP) framework and theories of engaged participation have profoundly shaped how we theorize, investigate, and represent a variety of learning and teaching processes, both in and out of classroom contexts. Within this framework, useful distinctions have been made between a teaching curriculum and a learning curriculum, with the former being interrogated for ascribing limited identities to its learners and the latter valued for the ways it prioritizes learning (and its resources) from a learner's perspective. Analysis of data collected utilizing ethnographic methods (e.g. document collection, participant observation, interviews) demonstrates that, even though the teaching curriculum of one adult ESL program itself provided limited "structuring resources" (and learning opportunities) to its learners, the learners' participation in the program helped them to recognize and value the kinds of engaged participation necessary to access membership in local workplace communities of practice. However, findings also show that while these adult learners of English managed to learn and adopt the practices of one community of practice, they remained excluded from legitimate membership in other communities of practice. The analysis raises questions about the limits and possibilities of a teaching curriculum that values "real world" experiences (and situated learning) in theory but does not prioritize them in practice. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract
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2. Foreign Language Pronunciation Skills and Musical Aptitude: A Study of Finnish Adults with Higher Education (EJ866900)
Milovanov, Riia; Pietila, Paivi; Tervaniemi, Mari; Esquef, Paulo A. A.
Learning and Individual Differences, v20 n1 p56-60 Feb 2010
2010-02-00
Descriptors: Music; Aptitude; Phonemics; Higher Education; Adults; Foreign Countries; Pronunciation; English (Second Language); Second Language Learning; Tests; Auditory Discrimination; Task Analysis; Models; Language Skills; Correlation
Abstract: The main aim of this study was to examine second language production and discrimination skills in the light of musical aptitude. Our study was conducted in university settings in south-western Finland. English was used as a model for the second language due to its popularity among young adults. There were three types of tests used in this study: a pronunciation test, a phonemic listening discrimination task, and the Seashore test as an index of the musical aptitude. All the participants performed equally well in the phonemic listening discrimination task. However, the participants with higher musical aptitude were able to pronounce English better than the participants with less musical aptitude. The results, therefore, imply that musical and linguistic skills are interconnected. (Contains 3 figures and 1 table.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract
3. Why Are Students Quiet? Looking at the Chinese Context and beyond (EJ866525)
Xie, Xiaoyan
ELT Journal, v64 n1 p10-20 Jan 2010
Descriptors: Majors (Students); Classroom Communication; Teacher Student Relationship; Teaching Methods; English (Second Language); Second Language Learning; Observation; Reflection; Sociocultural Patterns; Foreign Countries; Cultural Context
Abstract: This paper is part of a larger project on teacher-student interaction and the contextual issues which shape them. It reported that the reticence of English majors is caused by the communicative environment that the teachers create in their interactions with their students. The data were collected through observations, audio- and videotaping, and stimulated reflection across a two-and-a-half-month period. Informed by Vygotsky's (1978) sociocultural theory which puts talk at the core of successful teaching and learning, the analysis presented reveals how the teachers' thematic control leads to students' low interaction levels. Based on the findings, implications are discussed and some possible changes to teaching practices proposed, which are applicable not only to the Chinese context but beyond. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract
4. Views on Creativity from an Indonesian Perspective (EJ866524)
Tin, Tan Bee; Manara, Christine; Ragawanti, Debora Tri
ELT Journal, v64 n1 p75-84 Jan 2010
Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Descriptors: Creativity; Creative Teaching; English (Second Language); Second Language Instruction; Second Language Learning; Poetry; Foreign Countries; College Students; Language Usage; Teaching Methods; Student Attitudes; Teacher Attitudes
Abstract: With an increasing emphasis on creativity in education and language teaching, it is important for teachers and students to examine their own views on and perceptions of creativity. What is regarded as creativity may vary from one context to another. This paper examines the perceptions of creativity reflected in the evaluation of creative poems by students and teachers in an Indonesian context. The participants evaluated short poems written by a group of Indonesian university students. This resulted in several characteristics of creativity being highlighted: honesty, reality, truthfulness, and personal value. The poems were voted on and the ones which received the greatest number of votes were also analysed. The more creative poems demonstrated higher degrees of language play and creative language use. This paper suggests several activities which could be conducted by teachers and students in other contexts to help them examine their own explicit and implicit views on creativity. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract
5. Help Seeking in English Language Learning (EJ866522)
Skinner, Barbara; Madden, Mary Catherine
ELT Journal, v64 n1 p21-31 Jan 2010
Descriptors: Help Seeking; Action Research; Classroom Environment; English (Second Language); Second Language Learning; Student Behavior; Behavior Change
Abstract: An examination of literature on the issue of help seeking (HS) has revealed a common theme: students will not always ask for help, even when they are aware that help is needed. The purpose of this action research study was to examine HS and help avoidance in the context of setting tasks in two types of English language-learning environment: a formal classroom situation and an informal community group. This action research study aimed firstly to explore whether and how instances of HS to understand tasks set could be increased, and secondly to examine the effects the two very different language-learning environments had on students' HS. It was found that changes in HS behaviour were small and that regardless of interventions to support HS, learners will only seek help when the environment in which they are learning is relaxed and informal. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract
6. Balancing the Dual Functions of Portfolio Assessment (EJ866519)
Lam, Ricky; Lee, Icy
ELT Journal, v64 n1 p54-64 Jan 2010
Descriptors: Portfolios (Background Materials); Writing Evaluation; Portfolio Assessment; Writing Tests; Questionnaires; Writing Instruction; Summative Evaluation; Interviews; Student Attitudes; Teacher Attitudes; Formative Evaluation; English (Second Language); Second Language Learning; Second Language Instruction; Grades (Scholastic); Evaluation Methods
Abstract: While research on portfolio assessment (PA) has focused largely on the summative aspects of writing assessment, not much has been done to find out its formative potential. Drawing upon student questionnaires and student and teacher interview data, this paper aims to explore the formative functions of PA and, specifically, how the formative potential of PA can be better utilized in the EFL writing classroom. The findings of the study indicate that although students responded positively to the formative aspects of PA, they still preferred summative grading and tended to believe that grades were the best way to inform their current standards of writing. The paper ends with a discussion on how the formative aspects of PA could be strengthened and how PA can integrate teaching and assessment to benefit students' learning of writing. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract
7. A Case Study: Two Teachers' Reflections on the ELP in Practice (EJ866518)
Sahinkarakas, Sehnaz; Yumru, Hulya; Inozu, Julide
ELT Journal, v64 n1 p65-74 Jan 2010
Descriptors: State Schools; Action Research; Language Teachers; Case Studies; English (Second Language); Second Language Learning; Portfolios (Background Materials); Guidelines; Teaching Experience; Teaching Methods; Foreign Countries; Teacher Attitudes
Abstract: We conducted an action research study with a group of EFL teachers in our local area in order to establish the grounds for the use of the European Language Portfolio (ELP) and the Common European Framework of Reference in local state schools. This paper reports on the way we conducted this study and the cycles we went through, specifically focusing on two teachers' experiences of the ELP in practice. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract
8. Extending the TAM Model to Explore the Factors that Affect Intention to Use an Online Learning Community (EJ866188)
Liu, I-Fan; Chen, Meng Chang; Sun, Yeali S.; Wible, David; Kuo, Chin-Hwa
Computers & Education, v54 n2 p600-610 Feb 2010
Descriptors: Electronic Learning; Internet; Models; Intention; Adoption (Ideas); High School Students; English (Second Language); Hypothesis Testing; Second Language Learning; Predictor Variables; Foreign Countries; Student Attitudes; Educational Technology; Computer Uses in Education; Computer Mediated Communication; Discussion Groups
Abstract: An online learning community enables learners to access up-to-date information via the Internet anytime--anywhere because of the ubiquity of the World Wide Web (WWW). Students can also interact with one another during the learning process. Hence, researchers want to determine whether such interaction produces learning synergy in an online learning community. In this paper, we take the Technology Acceptance Model as a foundation and extend the external variables as well as the Perceived Variables as our model and propose a number of hypotheses. A total of 436 Taiwanese senior high school students participated in this research, and the online learning community focused on learning English. The research results show that all the hypotheses are supported, which indicates that the extended variables can effectively predict whether users will adopt an online learning community. Finally, we discuss the implications of our findings for the future development of online English learning communities. (Contains 3 figures and 4 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract
9. Ergonomics Factors in English as a Foreign Language Testing: The Case of PLEVALEX (EJ866186)
Garcia Laborda, Jesus; Magal-Royo, Teresa; de Siqueira Rocha, Jose Macario; Alvarez, Miguel Fernandez
Computers & Education, v54 n2 p384-391 Feb 2010
Descriptors: Educational Testing; Language Tests; Foreign Countries; Internet; English (Second Language); Test Bias; Educational Experiments; College Students; Student Attitudes; College Instruction; Educational Technology; Computer Assisted Testing; Technology Integration; Computer Software; Computer Software Evaluation; Human Factors Engineering; Design Requirements
Abstract: Although much has been said about ergonomics in interface and in computer tools and interface design, very few articles in major journals have addressed this topic in relation to language testing. This article describes an experiment carried out at the Polytechnic University of Valencia, Spain, in which 27 Media and Communication students provided support to design and experiment an internet based oral and written English as a foreign language test platform called PLEVALEX (Garcia Laborda, 2007b). These students then responded to a questionnaire about their feelings, acquired experience and ergonomics based on their results in both development stages. According to their opinions, language test interfaces are different from those of other e-learning platforms and websites. These differences have been previously mentioned by authors such as Fulcher (2003) or Garcia Laborda and Magal Royo (2007). This research concludes that the features described by Garcia Laborda and Magal Royo which are applied to the PLEVALEX platform, although tending to simplify interfaces, are to be met if students are to be tested in their knowledge of English as a foreign language as opposed to being tested on their skills and performance as computer users. The findings of this paper have valuable implications for the scientific community, given that more and more standardized high-stakes language tests are beginning to use internet and computer based versions (Garcia Laborda, 2007a). (Contains 3 figures and 6 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract
10. Effects of a Computer-Assisted Concept Mapping Learning Strategy on EFL College Students' English Reading Comprehension (EJ866185)
Liu, Pei-Lin; Chen, Chiu-Jung; Chang, Yu-Ju
Computers & Education, v54 n2 p436-445 Feb 2010
Descriptors: Concept Mapping; Reading Comprehension; Reading Strategies; Reading Ability; English (Second Language); Second Language Learning; Learning Strategies; College Freshmen; College Instruction; Teaching Methods; Instructional Effectiveness; Educational Technology; Computer Assisted Instruction; Electronic Learning; Statistical Analysis
Abstract: The purpose of this research was to investigate the effects of a computer-assisted concept mapping learning strategy on EFL college learners' English reading comprehension. The research questions were: (1) what was the influence of the computer-assisted concept mapping learning strategy on different learners' English reading comprehension? (2) did the computer-assisted concept mapping learning strategy affect learners' use of other English reading strategies? One hundred ninety-four freshmen who were enrolled in the English course were divided into low-level and high-level groups according to their English proficiency. A computer-assisted concept mapping learning strategy was introduced to the learners in the experimental class to improve their reading ability. Through two-way ANOVA analysis, it was found that the computer-assisted concept mapping learning strategy had greater reading benefit for the low-level group than for the high-level group. In addition, the results of independent sample t-test analysis indicated that the computer-assisted concept mapping learning strategy enhanced learners' use of other English reading strategies--listing, enforcing, and reviewing. (Contains 2 figures and 6 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract
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