The English literature component has been around in the Malaysian Education system since 2000. However, literature as a subject has always been learned more for transactional purposes rather than for its aesthetic value. Basically, a regurgitation of knowledge from years of learning, poured out in one major examination. In this research, the researcher applies a teaching method, called the literature circle in a classroom to study how it could be an effective way to learning literature beyond the classroom and for completing exam papers. Accompanying the literature circle activity is the writing of personal responses to gauge the students’ understanding and views on the literature component being studied. This paper discusses the findings of the study that investigates the effect of literature circle in the students’ personal responses and also to examine the students’ perception towards literature circle. The findings of this study, obtained via qualitative and quantitative instruments, comprising of observations, interviews, personal responses, and questionnaires, provide insights for educators and other researchers into another dimension of the teaching and learning of literature component.
Given the burgeoning interest in the use of technology and electronic tools for educational purposes among students, this study set out with the purpose of investigating medical students’ perception of using e-learning tools and applications in an English for Specific Purposes (ESP) program at an Iranian medical university. The study also aimed to discover the extent to which the students prefer to use paper dictionaries, offline mobile dictionaries, computerbased dictionaries and Internet-based dictionaries. To do so, an electronically-mediated course plan was designed and implemented for eight weeks. The course plan required the students to use different types of resources, including electronic learning tools. Then, a questionnaire eliciting the students’ perception of the significance of using electronic learning tools in the program and asking the students the extent to which they used different resources (paper dictionaries, offline mobile dictionaries, computer-based dictionaries and software and Internet-based applications and tools) was developed and used. The results showed that the majority of the students perceived that employing electronic tools and applications for educational purposes in the program was highly significant. It was also discovered that the students gave a high priority to offline mobile dictionaries; Internet-based applications, paper dictionaries and computer-based dictionaries were other resources they used in the program in order of priority. The study carries practical implications for teachers and educational policymakers, especially in the developing countries where problems with the Internet linger on.
This study aimed to investigate the effect of pre-teaching new vocabulary items via audio-visuals on Iranian EFL learners’ reading comprehension ability. The question this study tried to answer is if pre-teaching new vocabulary items via audio-visuals have any effect on Iranian EFL learners’ reading comprehension ability. To find the answer to the question, 30 intermediate level students from Rasht language institutes were selected via administrating OPT which divided them into two groups. They were both male and female. Intermediate level students were used for the current study because they were learning all skills of language at the same time, they were familiar with some words, and their English proficiency was enough to speak English and understand the importance of reading comprehension. The students were one experimental group (pre-teaching new vocabulary items via audio-visuals) and one control group (a placebo, teaching L2 reading comprehension via the existing method). The research was conducted during learners’ classes within 5 sessions in summer course, 2016. The results indicated that pre-teaching new vocabulary items via audio-visuals affected positively the participant Iranian EFL learners’ reading comprehension ability.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the undergraduate students’ attitudinal disposition towards English language learning owing to their scholastic disposition to English language in the course of their studying in a Nigerian university. The study adopted descriptive survey research design. The sample consisted of an intact class of 332 Part 3 undergraduate students who registered for EDU 309 (English Teaching Methods). A researcher-developed instrument was used to collect data. Data collected were analysed using independent t-test statistical method. The results showed that factors affecting students’ attitudinal disposition towards learning English language significantly influence their scholastic disposition to English language. Further, the findings indicated that there existed a significant difference in students’ interest in learning English language and perception of English language learning owing to their scholastic disposition to English language. Thus, teachers should motivate their students to learn better English by highlighting its importance as they need English for their academic achievement.
The activity of speaking is conducted spontaneously and there is not much time devoted to preplanning and arranging the utterances the speaker intends to deliver. Briefly defined, gambits and routines refer to the words and phrases that facilitate the flow of conversations. As such, one way to help learners acquire oral proficiency is to teach gambits that support the social skills emphasized. The present study aimed to investigate the speaking fluency of Iranian intermediate EFL learners through conversational gambits and routines. To this end, the subjects of the present study consisted of an experimental group and a control group each containing 30 students who attended listening and speaking classes. To count the frequency of gambit tokens and identify their functions, the recorded data were analyzed utilizing Keller and Warner’s classification of conversational gambits. The results of the t-test revealed that the experimental group possessed better speaking fluency based on the occurrences of gambit categories. There was a positive correlation between the number of gambits and the scores of fluency test. Evidently, the findings of the present study may have implications for EFL teachers and syllabus designers.
Communication is an essential part in languages. It is the purpose of learning a second or a foreign language. Oral communication is one of the aspects that need to be developed among English learners. The study focused on investigating the factors of apprehension among English language students in Palestine. The study aimed to investigate the degree of oral communication apprehension among English senior majors at Al-Quds Open University in Palestine. In order to achieve the study objectives, the researchers used the descriptive approach. Therefore, the study used the Personal Report of Communication Apprehension Measurement (PRCAM) as the main tool of the study. PRCAM was distributed to a sample of 64 English language seniors at Al-Quds Open University in Palestine in Rafah and Khan Younis branches. The major findings of the study revealed that the degree of oral communication apprehension among English senior majors at Al-Quds Open University was moderate and that there was no any statistically significant difference at (a ≤ 0.05) in the oral communication apprehension among English senior majors due to gender (male or female).
This study aimed to investigate the effect of role-play through dialogues vs. written practice on Iranian intermediate EFL learners’ knowledge of English idioms. The question this study tried to answer is if role-play through dialogues vs. written practice has a significant effect on Iranian intermediate EFL learners’ knowledge of English idioms. To find the answer to the question, 30 intermediate level students from Iranian institute were selected. They were both male and female. Intermediate level students who were dealt for the current study were selected because they were learning all skills of language at the same time, they were familiar with words, and their English proficiency was enough to speak English and understand the importance of speaking. The students were selected administrating OPT which divided into two groups, one experimental group (Role-Play through Dialogues) and one control group (Written Practice). The results of this study revealed that the experimental participants performed better on learning idiom.
