Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'English language Study and teaching (Higher) Balinese students'
To see the other types of publications on this topic, follow the link: English language Study and teaching (Higher) Balinese students.
Create a spot-on reference in APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and other styles
Consult the top 50 dissertations / theses for your research on the topic 'English language Study and teaching (Higher) Balinese students.'
Next to every source in the list of references, there is an 'Add to bibliography' button. Press on it, and we will generate automatically the bibliographic reference to the chosen work in the citation style you need: APA, MLA, Harvard, Chicago, Vancouver, etc.
You can also download the full text of the academic publication as pdf and read online its abstract whenever available in the metadata.
Browse dissertations / theses on a wide variety of disciplines and organise your bibliography correctly.
1
Johnson, Vanessa Jane. "A rationale for an E.A.P. programme for tertiary level social work students." Thesis, Click to view the E-thesis via HKUTO, 1986. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/HKUTO/record/B38626421.
Full text
2
Jung, Miso. "When English as a Second Language students meet text-responsible writing." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 2005. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/2906.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis follows two international freshman students in an English composition class at California State University, San Bernardino. The results indicate that the students generally experienced feeling challenged and overwhelmed about the unfamiliar topic, but detailed assignment guidelines played a key role for students to progress in understanding the assignment.
3
Russell, Margo K. "A Comparison of Linguistic Features in the Academic Writing of Advanced English Language Learner and English First Language University Students." PDXScholar, 2014. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/2023.
Full textAbstract:
Writing for an academic purpose is not an easy skill to master, whether for a native English speaker (L1) or an English language learner (ELL). In order to better prepare ELL students for success in mainstream content courses at the university level, more must be known about the characteristics of student writing in the local context of an intensive English program. This information can be used to inform ELL writing instructors of which linguistic features to target so that their students produce writing that sounds appropriate for the academic written register.
Two corpora of 30 research essays each were compiled, one of L1 student writing done in various departments at Portland State University, and the other of ELL writing produced in an advanced writing course in Portland State University's Intensive English Language Program. The corpora were compared for the frequencies of 13 linguistic features which had been previously found in significantly different frequencies in L1 and ELL essays (Hinkel, 2002).
The tokens of each feature in each essay were counted, and the frequency rate was calculated in each case. The results of the Mann-Whitney U test found 6 features with significantly different frequency rates between the two corpora. The following features were more frequent in L1 essays than in ELL essays: modal would, perfect aspect, passive voice, reduced adjective clause, and it-cleft. In addition, the type/token ratio was found be significantly higher in L1 essays than in ELL essays.
An analysis of how each of the significant features was used in the context of ELL and L1 essays revealed the following: Both student groups were still acquiring the appropriate use of modal would; the majority of students in both groups did not utilize it-clefts; the lower type/token ratio in ELL essays meant that these students used a more limited vocabulary than did L1 students; and ELL students were still acquiring the accurate and appropriate uses of perfect aspect, passive voice, and reduced adjective clauses, whereas L1 students used these features grammatically and for the standard uses.
To apply these findings to the ELL writing classroom, instructors should help students raise their awareness of these six features in their own academic writing by leading students in identifying grammatical and ungrammatical uses of these features and providing practice in differentiating between uses which are standard to the register of academic writing and uses which are appropriate only in conversation. Two sample activities are included to illustrate how to implement these recommendations.
4
Dooey, Patricia. "Issues of English language proficiency for international students." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2005. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/628.
Full textAbstract:
In the last 20 years or so, there has been a phenomenal increase in the number of international full-fee paying students applying to study in Australian universities, The revenue provided in this way has helped to address the problems faced by cash-starved universities facing recurring funding cuts over the same period. Furthermore, the presence of such students on any university campus provides immeasurable enrichment to the student body in terms of cultural diversity and research potential, and indeed it is very tempting in an ever,-increasing global market, to be as flexible as possible with prospective international students. However, the process of admission also demands careful consideration on the part of the various stakeholders involved. Although several factors need to be taken into account, the most obvious and certainly of primary importance would be the need to prove proficiency in the English language, Given that English is the dominant means of communication in the university, all students are required to draw from a complex web of linguistic resources to construct meaning and to complete the range of tasks required of them during their tertiary studies, This volume deals :with the overarching theme of issues of English language proficiency for overseas students studying in an Australian university. This focus can be viewed from many angles, and there are certainly many key facets involved, a selection of which is explored in the papers of the portfolio. These include the following broad areas: recruitment and admissions, language testing and technology, curriculum and inclusivity, English language support, academic conduct and finally the specific needs of international students, as viewed from their own perspective.
5
Monassar, Hisham M. "Cohesion and coherence : contrastive transitions in the EFL/ESL writing of university Arab students." Virtual Press, 2005. http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/1312004.
Full textAbstract:
This dissertation investigates the expression of contrastive transitions in the ESL/EFL (English as a Second Language/English as a Foreign Language) writing of university students of Arabic language background. For this purpose, an experimental group of 30 freshmen at Sohar University in Oman whose native language is Arabic served as the experimental group. They did three tasks, two writing activities and a cloze test, ranging from semi controlled (free writing) to the highly controlled cloze test. A control group of 30 Ball State University freshmen in Muncie, Indiana who speak English as a native language performed the same three tasks.For the first task, the subjects wrote about one of 15 possible topics. They then performed the second task, which was writing about a different topic, and were also provided a list of 35 contrastive transitions to use at their discretion. For the third task, the subjects inserted contrastive transitions in the blanks of the doze test, marking the confidence in their choices on scales provided in the margins.This study indicates that the Arabic ESL/EFL students use contrastive transitions when writing contrastively in English. However, the expression of these contrastive transitions is relatively inadequate and limited compared to that of their native-English speaking peers. The Arabic students show a high rate of success in their expression of but as a contrastive transition. However, they show a lower rate of success in their expression of other contrastive transitions. Furthermore, the difference in the levels of confidence in the choices between appropriate and inappropriate contrastive transitions used in a controlled context shows they have little or no idea if their choices are correct or not.Department of English
6
Ozawa, Michiyo. "Japanese Students' Perception of Their Language Learning Strategies." PDXScholar, 1996. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/5160.
Full textAbstract:
Students' use of language learning strategies (LLSs) is affected by their educational backgrounds and academic requirements, and so are their attitudes toward language learning. This study investigates Japanese students' perception of their English LLSs in different language environments: Japan and the United States. A group of 43 Japanese students from Otemae College participated in a cultural study program at Portland State University. The group consisted of 28 students who studied for two terms (ST Group) and 15 students who studied for three terms (LT Group). In this study, a combination of a self-assessment questionnaire, dialogue journals, and a card-ranking activity was employed. The self-assessment questionnaire, SILL (Rebecca Oxford's Strategy Inventory for Language Learning), was administered at different times during the learning period for identification of students' English LLSs in Japan (Ll) and in the United States (L2). The SILL provided this study with quantitative data; whereas, dialogue journals and the card ranking activity supplied qualitative data that more insightfully indicated students' perception of language learning, learning experiences, and insight into the students themselves. Dialogue journals allowed students to record their positive and negative experiences in the L2 related to language learning, emotions, concerns, problems, and questions. The students' LLSs increased in frequency and variety of use when the language environment changed from the Ll to the L2. The LLSs of the LT Group continued to improve during an additional term in the L2. Conversely, the LLS use by the ST Group regressed after only four months back in the Ll (except Affective and Social Strategies). The results of the SILL indicated direct strategies were adjusted according to English learning experience in a different learning environment. Three administrations of the SILL, dialogue journals, and the card ranking activity gave students opportunities to review the process of their English learning. This process functioned in raising students' awareness of language learning from cognitive, psychological, social, and cultural perspectives. Such conceptual development of metalinguistic awareness of the language and culture helped the students recognize their language learning experiences in the L2 as the process of human development.
7
Zheng, Yongyan, and 郑咏滟. "Vocabulary knowledge development of Chinese learners of English in China: a longitudinal multiple-case study ofeight university students." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2010. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B45548250.
Full text
8
Yeo, Inung. "Effective writing instruction for English-as-a-foreign-language university students in Korea." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 2003. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/2300.
Full textAbstract:
Beginning with an analysis of current problems in English education in South Korea, this project is intended to suggest various ways to implement effective English education, especially for writing instruction. The project is designed for students who have low English proficiency in South Korean colleges and universities.
9
Koo, Bonhee. "Developing the English interactional competence of junior college students in Korea." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 1998. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/1449.
Full text
10
Ruhl, Janice Elisabeth. "American Deaf Students in ENNL Classes: A Case Study." PDXScholar, 1995. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/4920.
Full textAbstract:
Many deaf students who seek post secondary education need some sort of developmental education in reading and writing to ensure success in college. These students often end up in college preparatory or remedial classes that are designed for native speakers of English. For many of the deaf students entering college, English is a second language or a first language that they have failed to achieve fluency in. This study describes the experience of two deaf students enrolled in English as a Non-Native Language classes for the first time at an Oregon community college. The Office of Students with Disabilities and the ENNL department cooperated in this trial to determine whether the ENNL program is an appropriate place for American deaf students needing developmental education in English. Observations, interviews and writing sample analysis were used to provide a multi-layered description of the experience from several perspectives. The deaf students were found to display similar errors in their writing samples as traditional ENNL students at the same level and benefited from instruction geared to non-native speakers of English. The rehabilitation counselor and ENNL instructors agreed that placement of the deaf students in ENNL classes is appropriate and the program continues in fall term. The deaf students of this study stated that they were better served by ENNL classes than by Developmental Education Classes. Curriculum and methodology used in ENNL classes were found to meet the educational needs of the deaf students, and only minor modifications were made to accommodate the students. The experience from these classes has convinced the ENNL department to continue accepting deaf students to the program and enrollment of deaf students in ENNL classes is expected to increase.
11
顧永琪 and Yongqi Gu. "Vocabulary learning strategies and English language outcomes: a study of non-English majors at tertiarylevel in China." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 1997. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31235803.
Full text
12
Magambo, Joseph. "Investigating perceptions of students' language needs at a Rwandan institution of higher learning." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007268.
Full textAbstract:
The site of this research is the Kigali Institute of Science and Technology (KIST). The research was undertaken to investigate first year students' perceived English language needs in order to study successfully at KIST. The research was intended to pave the way for differentiated English language syllabuses for students of varying English proficiency. It sought to answer the following questions: (1) what are students' perceived language needs in order to study through the medium of English at KIST? (2) To what extent does the current English language programme address these perceived needs? And (3) what are the differences in students' perceived language needs at different levels of proficiency? The research was carried out in an interpretive paradigm using both qualitative and quantitative methods. It took the form of a case study utilising questionnaires to collect data. Questionnaires were administered to students, mainstream subject lecturers and English lecturers. The student sample consisted of 212 students chosen from the four previously identified levels of proficiency (beginner, elementary, intermediate and advanced). The lecturer samples consisted of seven subject lecturers and eleven lecturers in English. The research tools used to collect data were administered questionnaires and document analysis. The chi-square statistical test was used to analyse quantitative data especially in establishing differences that appeared between dissimilar proficiency levels. Findings have shown that, although English is no longer a credit-bearing course, students are still interested in learning it. Students expressed a high positive perception for learning language structures, listening and speaking, and a need for reading and writing. However, although it was possible to establish stakeholders' (students, subject lecturers and lecturers in English) perceptions of students' needs, it was not easy to establish what students' real needs and difficulties in English are. Attempts to get valid answers to my questions were not conclusive. Although this research has implications for the future of English language teaching/learning at KIST there is a need for further investigation of students' needs. An important starting point would be to begin a debate at KIST about the whole issue of students' needs. Such research would exploit research tools/methods not used in this research (e.g focus group interviews and observations).
13
Yao, Dong Don. "Gender differences in language learning strategies :a case study of ESL students at the University of Macau." Thesis, University of Macau, 2018. http://umaclib3.umac.mo/record=b3954217.
Full text
14
Hill, Margaret Monica. "The role of phonology in English vocabulary learning by Chinese tertiary students in Hong Kong." Thesis, Hong Kong : University of Hong Kong, 1997. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record.jsp?B20263521.
Full text
15
Won, Kim Jong. "A model of the writing process applied to English writing for Korean college students." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 1998. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/1440.
Full text
16
Winberg, Christine. "The comprehension of figurative language in English literary texts by students for whom English is not a mother tongue." Thesis, Rhodes University, 1994. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002649.
Full textAbstract:
This study applies Sperber and Wilson's relevance theory to the comprehension of figurative language in poetry. Students' understanding of metaphor as a linguistic category and comprehension of metaphorical texts are analysed in terms of the principle of relevance. Patterns of comprehension in English first language (Ll) and English second language (ESL) students' analyses of metaphorical texts are discussed and through an analysis of similarities and differences in these patterns of comprehension an attempt is made to develop a pedagogy around relevance theory. Relevance theory's particular emphasis on the role played by "context" in cognition is seen to have significance for the teaching of literature in South African universities. Relevance theory's account of cognition generates a range of educational principles which could be specifically applied to the teaching of metaphor. An appraisal of the strengths and difficulties students experience in expressing their understanding of metaphor in an academic context is included. This was done to further develop relevance theory into a pedagogical approach which takes into account the academic context in which writing occurs. The investigation of the particular difficulties that English metaphor poses for ESL students entailed acquiring a working knowledge of the ways in which metaphor is taught and assessed in DET schools. The interpretations of students of different linguistic, social and educational backgrounds reveal unifying elements that could be incorporated into a pedagogy based on relevance theory. Such a pedagogy would be appropriate to the multilingual/multicultural/multiracial nature of classes in South African universities and would be a more empowering approach to the teaching of English metaphor.
17
Ma, Jingjing, and 马晶静. "Chinese EFL university students' decision-making in peer review of second language writing." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2012. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B48329861.
Full textAbstract:
Informed by a sociocognitive view of writing, this study investigated six Chinese EFL students’ focus of decision-making and extent of criteria use in evaluating student texts, their decision-making in response to peer feedback and factors affecting their decision-making and criteria use in computer-mediated criterion-referenced peer review in one Chinese university setting. A multiple-case design was adopted and data were collected from a variety of sources, including think-aloud protocols, stimulated recall, semi-structured interviews, document analysis and classroom observations.
An examination of the think-aloud and stimulated recall data revealed that five out of the six students displayed language-oriented decision-making while evaluating peers’ texts. The students also tended to emphasize consistently specific elements of student writing within language, content and organization regardless of task type. They used part of the assessment criteria to the extent that particular elements evaluated by them coincided with specific components of the criteria. In response to peer feedback, the students decided to incorporate it selectively into revision, with one student being an exception.
Data analysis indicated that the students’ focus of decision-making and criteria use while evaluating peers’ texts were affected by the following factors: students’ own writing beliefs, conceptions and knowledge; teacher’s writing beliefs, conceptions and associated classroom practices; writing task types and features of student texts. The students’ decision-making in response to peer feedback was found to be subject to the influence of four categories of factors: student writer factors, especially their writing beliefs and knowledge; student reviewer factors; teacher factor and writing task factor.
The findings provide an in-depth look into both the cognitive and social dimensions of peer review. On the basis of the findings, the study proposes a tentative exploratory model of Chinese EFL university students’ decision-making in criterion-referenced peer review. It captures the interplay between cognitive and social dimensions of peer review and throws light on the interaction between cognition and context in the case of learning to write through peer review. Particularly regarding the social dimension of peer review, the variety of factors influencing the students’ decision-making and criteria use in this activity indicate that their evaluation of peers’ texts and response to peer feedback were not linear processes, but were mediated by multiple factors. Among the various factors identified, the strong influence of the writing beliefs and conceptions held by the students, their peers and the teacher suggest the crucial role played by learner and teacher beliefs in affecting L2 students’ learning to write through peer review. This study also highlights the interactional effect of views about writing and learning to write exhibited by the students, their peers, the teacher and the “methodology” of criterion-referenced peer review on the students’ decision-making and extent of criteria use.
Finally, the study makes pedagogical recommendations concerning how to enable students to make informed decisions in criterion-referenced peer review to bring its theoretical potential into full play. Recommendations for further research are also proposed.published_or_final_version
Education
Doctoral
Doctor of Philosophy
18
Yang, Zi. "Exploring inequalities in English language education in China : a comparative case study of English-major students from a sociological perspective." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2018. https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/283192.
Full textAbstract:
Education plays a vital role in shaping social structures and influencing social mobility in a society, and thus educational equality is a concern for many societies. Considering the compulsory status of English from basic to higher education in China and its symbolic meaning in Chinese society, this study regards it as a window to explore educational inequality and its association with social structures. This study investigates the roles played by family, geographic divide, and institution, and the way in which the three interplay in structuring the educational pathways of individuals and shaping educational inequality. This study describes a qualitative case study of 36 students of different social milieus in an elite university. Data from the case interviews is complemented by classroom observation of three secondary schools within the educational system hierarchy, classroom observation of the elite university, teacher interviews from the four educational institutions, and collected documents. I draw on Bourdieu's conceptual tools of different types of capital, field, and habitus in order to understand the complexity of educational inequality in China. The data present striking differences in the educational trajectories between social groups. The success of higher-SES students is partly ascribed to the richer volume and types of their families' cultural capital, and the inclination for their families to transfer abundant economic capital to their children's embodied cultural capital. The interview data suggest that disadvantaged students rely heavily on formal education and are inscribed with institutional habitus due to the scarcity of educational resources obtained from family. More importantly, for advantaged students, their family, secondary schools (previous field) and the elite university (current field) work together in a consistent way, resulting in a positive momentum that contributes to a sense of belonging and fitting-in to the elite university. On the contrary, for marginalised students, contradictions and disconnections are found between secondary schools and the current elite field in terms of institutional habitus and practices, which to a large extent can be ascribed to the stratified school system and geographic divides. This situation leads to a negative momentum for them, which causes feelings of alienation and a sense of disorientation when encountering the elite field. This academic disorientation is evident in their transitional period. Their habitus is identified by a transformative tendency with easier access to dominant cultural capital and habitus. However, the transformation is circumscribed by their huge efforts made in overcoming the initial difficulties and their families' lack of capital. Some special cases in my study suggest a more equal admission policy and the critical role that institutions play in compensating for a family's lack of capital. This thesis concludes with suggestions for more inclusive practices for institutions and policy makers in China to achieve a more equal educational context.
19
Van, Dan Acker Sara Marie. "The Role of Expectations on Nonnative English Speaking Students' Wrtiting." PDXScholar, 2013. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/1110.
Full textAbstract:
This study centered on the expectations of a non-native English-speaking undergraduate student and her teacher in a general education course at Portland State University during winter term 2012. This was a qualitative case study, where I collected data throughout the duration of the course by means of interviews, classroom observations, and written assignment sheet data. I triangulated verbal data from interview transcripts from the two participants, along with data from the observation notes and the assignment sheets in order to gain a better understanding of the expectations each participant had about writing assignments.
Data from four sources were collected and analyzed: interview transcripts, assignment sheets, the course syllabus, and classroom observation notes. Interview transcripts were the primary source of data, and were triangulated with the other abovementioned data sources.
The themes that emerged from verbal interview data were categorized and then subcategorized according to theme. The first category that emerged was Assignment Expectations. This was subcategorized into: Summarize, Examples, Reflect, Critical Thinking, and Theory Application. The second category was Evaluation, which was comprised of the themes Grading and Rubric. The third category that emerged was Student Interaction With Assignment, in which six subcategories emerged: Process, Experience, Time, Reading, Preparation, Understanding, and ESL. Lastly, the category background emerged, which contained the subcategories History and Background.
The findings of this study showed that due to the student's extensive background with various academic writing assignments prior to entering the course, she had similar expectations of specific assignment sheet attributes as the teacher. However, there were more salient differences in expectations between the teacher and the student in terms of how the student interacted with the assignment at the individual level. Likewise, expectations of assessment illustrated the murky nature of evaluation, even in a situation where the student had had extensive experience with academic writing assessment in the past.
20
Cheng, Winnie, and 鄭梁慧蓮. "An evaluation of a laboratory report writing unit for medical laboratory science students." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 1989. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B38626500.
Full text
21
Chimbganda, Ambrose Bruce. "A study of the summarizing strategies used by ESL first year science students at the University of Botswana." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002623.
Full textAbstract:
One of the major problems faced by speakers of English as a second language (ESL) or non-native speakers of English (NNS) is that when they go to college or university, they find themselves without sufficient academic literacy skills to enable them to navigate their learning successfully, such as the ability to summarize textual material. This thesis examines the summarizing strategies used by ESL first year science students at the University of Botswana. Using multiple data collection methods, otherwise known as triangulation or pluralistic research, which is a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, one hundred and twenty randomly sampled students completed questionnaires and summarized a scientific text. In order to observe the students more closely, nine students (3 high-, 3 average- and 3 low-proficiency) were purposively selected from the sample and wrote a further summary. The nine students were later interviewed in order to find out from them the kinds of strategies they had used in summarizing the texts. To obtain systematic data, the summaries and the taped interview were coded and analyzed using a hybrid scoring classification previously used by other researchers. The results from the Likert type of questionnaire suggest that the ESL first year science students are 'aware' of the appropriate reading, production and self-assessment strategies to use when summarizing. However, when the data from the questionnaire were cross-checked against the strategies they had used in the actual summarization of the text, most of their claims, especially those of the low-proficiency students, were not sustained. As a whole, the results show that high-proficiency students produce more accurate idea units and are more capable of generalizing ideas than low-proficiency students who prefer to "cut and paste" ideas. There are also significant differences between high- and low proficiency students in the manner in which they decode the text: low-proficiency students produce more distortions in their summaries than high-proficiency students who generally give accurate information. Similarly, high-proficiency students are able to sort out global ideas from a labyrinth of localized ideas, unlike average- and low-proficiency students who include trivial information. The same trend is observed with paraphrasing and sentence combinations: high-proficiency students are generally able to recast and coordinate their ideas, unlike low-proficiency students who produce run-on ideas. In terms of the discrete cognitive and meta-cognitive skills preferred by students, low proficiency students are noticeably unable to exploit pre-summarizing cognitive strategies such as discriminating, selecting, note-making, grouping, inferring meanings of new words and using synonyms to convey the intended meanings. There are also greater differences between high- and low-proficiency students when it comes to the use of meta-cognitive strategies. Unlike high-proficiency students who use their reservoir of meta-cognitive skills such as self-judgment, low-proficiency students ostensibly find it difficult to direct their summaries to the demands of the task and are unable to check the accuracy of their summaries. The findings also show that some of the high-proficiency students and many average- and low-proficiency students distort idea units, find it difficult to use their own words and cannot distinguish between main and supporting details. This resulted in the production of circuitous summaries that often failed to capture the gist of the argument. The way the students processed the main ideas also reveals an inherent weakness: most students of different proficiency levels were unable to combine ideas from different paragraphs to produce a coherent text. Not surprising, then, there were too many long summaries produced by both high- and low-proficiency students. To tackle some of the problems related to summarization, pre-reading strategies can be taught, which activate relevant prior knowledge, so that the learning of new knowledge can be facilitated. During the reading process students can become more meta-cognitively aware by monitoring their level of understanding of the text by using, for example, the strategy suggested by Schraw (1998) of "stop, read and think". Text analysis can also be used to help the students identify the main themes or macro-propositions in a text, and hence gain a more global perspective of the content, which is important for selecting the main ideas in a text. A particularly useful approach to fostering a deeper understanding of content is to use a form of reciprocal or peer-mediated teaching, in which students in pairs can articulate to each other their understanding of the main ideas expressed in the text. As part of the solution to the problems faced by students when processing information, we need to take Sewlall's (2000: 170) advice that there should be "a paradigm shift in the learning philosophy from content-based to an emphasis on the acquisition of skills". In this regard, both content and ESL teachers need to train their students in the explicit use of summarizing strategies, and to plan interwoven lessons and learning activities that develop the learners' intellectual ways of dealing with different learning problems so that they can make learning quicker, easier, more effective and exciting.
22
Yang, Kwo-Jen. "The tension and growth Taiwanese students experience as non-native writers of English in a university writing program for international students." Diss., The University of Arizona, 1994. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/186805.
Full textAbstract:
A case study approach was adopted for this study. Four Taiwanese students enrolled in the writing program for international students at The University of Arizona were interviewed individually about (1) how they acquired the code of written English and what their L2 writing assumptions were upon entering The University of Arizona; and (2) what writing difficulties they experienced in a university writing program for international students and what their L2 writing assumptions were after completing a university writing program for international students. Findings from this research indicated that the four Taiwanese students did not have sufficient comprehensible input from pleasure reading or other voluntary, extracurricular sources. They acquired the code of written language from reading, participating in varied classroom activities such as small-group and whole-class discussions, peer review, teacher-student conferences, writing texts to different audiences for various purposes, analyzing model essays, practicing sentence combinations, and formal instruction in the composing process. Their writing difficulties could be summarized as follows: (1) not making good use of classroom activities to reshape ideas in terms of readers' expectations and their own writing intentions; (2) lack of experience to develop necessary reading and writing skills; (3) inadequate knowledge of the composing process; (4) inadequate syntax, vocabulary, or mechanics to express themselves in L2; (5) being influenced by their L1 rhetorical convention; (6) no intrinsic motivation to integrate with the target language, culture, or society; and (7) low expectations of success related to negative or weak teacher-student relationships. This research both reinforces and expands Krashen's (1984) model of second language acquisition and writing, showing the critical role of comprehensible input, the significance of natural acquisition over direct teaching of grammar rules and error correction, and the presence of an "affective" filter which is socially and culturally mediated, as well as cognitively and linguistically based.
23
Howell, Ellen Sook Hyang. "Life experiences that influence language acquisition in generation 1.5 students." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 2006. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/3100.
Full textAbstract:
The study examines the life and educational experiences of five Generation 1.5 students at California State University, San Bernardino and analyzes how the first cultural socialization affects later English academic language learning. The study used three methods of gathering data: a survey questionnaire, participant-observation, and one-on-one interviews. The study also reviews other case studies that describe life and educational experiences as well as the language and cultural connections of Generation 1.5 students. An analysis of lexical, structural and interactional differences of the spoken and written modes of the English language is also included. The study's findings indicate that learning the vocabulary of the written language was a key factor in being a member of the academic community.
24
Cheung, Wai-fong Margaret, and 章慧芳. "A study of coherence in writing as a basis to identify teaching materials for engineering students." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 1998. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31944838.
Full text
25
Kauffman, Donna Carey. "The effects of a goal-oriented syllabus on college-bound English as a second language (ESL) students." Diss., This resource online, 1992. http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-10192006-115600/.
Full text
26
Zhang, Qing. "Academic writing in English and Chinese : case studies of senior college students." Virtual Press, 1997. http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/1063193.
Full textAbstract:
This dissertation reports the findings of a comparative case study of English and Chinese academic writing with respect to the use of composing strategies, the patterns of written discourse organization, and questionnaire responses regarding educational background and attitudes toward writing.The subjects were eighteen traditional senior college students -- nine native speakers of English and nine native speakers of Chinese. Each subject was asked to write two essays on given topics with the think-aloud protocol method. While the protocol data showed that the composing strategies used by the American and Chinese subjects were similar, the American subjects used most of the strategies more frequently than the Chinese subjects did and there was a lack of group consistency in the use of these strategies among the subjects in the Chinese group. The written data, which were analyzed by means of Coe's (1988) discourse matrix method, showed that, contrary to prior claims, Chinese writing is not indirect in idea development in comparison to English writing. The questionnaire responses indicated that the subjects' composing performance was consonant with their instructors' methods of teaching writing and the curricula set up for teaching writing. Based on these findings, implications for contrastive research and EFL/ESL teaching are discussed and suggestions for further contrastive studies of English and Chinese writing are made.Department of English
27
Sze, Pui-shan Carol, and 史佩珊. "An investigation of the effectiveness of three presentation methods onvocabulary retention by post-secondary five diploma students and theiruse of memory strategies in L2 vocabulary acquisition." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 1998. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31944929.
Full text
28
Yang, Jing, and 杨静. "Mainland Chinese research postgraduate students' attitudes to using English in an English-medium university in Hong Kong." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2012. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B48540419.
Full textAbstract:
This study explored a group of mainland Chinese research postgraduate students’ attitudes to using English in their current academic and daily lives in Hong Kong. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected. An interview survey with seven participants was carried out to seek in-depth information about participants’ perceptions of using English in Hong Kong. Based on the major themes found in the preliminary analysis of the interview survey, an online questionnaire survey was designed and sent out to investigate a much larger group of mainland research students' English language use experiences in Hong Kong.
The results revealed that this group of students generally had positive attitudes to using English in their academic lives in Hong Kong while had relatively negative attitudes to their experiences of daily English language use. Their perceptions of the English of different groups of people in Hong Kong were varied although they all opined that English was an important language in the educational, commercial and other formal settings in Hong Kong. The pedagogical implications for mainland research students, their academic supervisors and university language policy makers are discussed and future research directions are suggested.published_or_final_version
Applied English Studies
Master
Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics
29
Liu, Yue. "Teacher comments and students' risk-taking : native and non-native speakers of American English in basic writing." Virtual Press, 1999. http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/1159150.
Full textAbstract:
This comparative case study examines how writing teachers comment on basic writing students' papers, how students respond to these comments, and how students take risks in their revising process. Four U.S., four ESOL basic writing students, and four basic writing teachers participated in the study. Three writing samples of the students' choices including drafts, revisions, and final papers were collected, coded, and analyzed to see the amount of risk-taking. Students were asked to complete the Daly and Miller's Writing Apprehension Test along with a Demographic Information Check Sheet. Each student was interviewed three times: once for each writing sample, and each teacher was interviewed once. The study revealed that students in the study appreciated teachers' written comments on their multiple-draft papers, and that teachers' comments, particularly the ones on content and organization, did help improve their writing ability and motivated these students to take risks in trying new ideas in revision. The ESOL writers tend to take fewer risks and regard revision as making lexical changes because of their unfamiliarity with the English usage and writing conventions, while the U.S. writers take more risks and view revision as a recursive process with different levels of attention.The main purpose of the study was to find out what major factors motivated students' risk-taking in their revisions so that writing teachers will be able to provide comments that motivate students to become better writers. This study will contribute to the understanding of what students really think of teachers' written comments.Department of English
30
Chu, Lina, and 朱麗娜. "Towards understanding learners' perception of assessment: an investigation of ESL students' perception of timedwriting assessment in an EAP context." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 1998. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B3194484X.
Full text
31
James, Edwin A. H. "The saliency of existing text as a barrier to revision in the redrafting of college students' written compositions." Thesis, University of British Columbia, 1987. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/26844.
Full textAbstract:
The text already produced by student writers can act as a barrier to revision because the existing textual material can become so salient as to prevent writers from generating alternative text. This study investigated the effects of applying a revision heuristic designed to promote successful revision by alleviating the influence exerted by students' initial formulations of text.
Inexperienced college writers were randomly assigned to two treatment conditions and asked to produce three drafts of a two-part expository composition. The experimental group composed their second drafts without access to any material produced at the draft one stage but then received back this material at the third draft stage. The control group redrafted normally, having access at all times to previous draft material.
Results showed that students in the experimental group produced significantly longer and better quality final drafts with significantly higher self-evaluation scores than students in the control group produced. The mean number of idea units that were retained, removed, or added by students in either group was significantly different at both the second and third draft stages. Each part of the assignment was affected differently. Significant interactions among condition, grade point average and writing apprehension were not evident. These findings indicated that this three-stage redrafting heuristic may be a valuable technique for encouraging successful revision of students' early drafts. Further research,
particularly regarding how a text communicates information, would be beneficial to our understanding of the role played by existing text in students' compositions.Education, Faculty of
Graduate
32
Mahmood, Nafisa. "Using Google Docs to Support Collaborative Learning and Enhance English Language Skills among Non-Native English Speaking Students." Thesis, University of North Texas, 2018. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1404538/.
Full textAbstract:
Collaborative writing technologies such as Google Docs is believed to be a helpful tool in supporting the development of constructivist learning environments. However, not much research has been done among special populations outside the United States. This dissertation examines how using google docs can enhance collaborative learning among non-native English-speaking students at a university in Oman. A total of 52 students participated in this study, where they completed a collaborative writing activity using Google Docs. This exploratory study yielded quantitative as well as qualitative data. Interviewees shared their experience of using Google Docs for the collaborative writing activity. The research shows that Google Docs promoted collaborative interactions among students, such as learning from each other and communicating with the teacher. Interestingly, the data indicate that students used alternate social media such as WhatsApp to communicate with their group mates regarding the collaborative writing activity. Overall, the results obtained here confirm that the Google Docs can be used to enhance collaborative learning among non-native English-speaking students.
33
Katayama, Akemi. "Correction of Classroom Oral Errors: Preferences among University Students of English in Japan." PDXScholar, 1996. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/5282.
Full textAbstract:
Correction of oral errors in foreign or second language classrooms has been an issue of great concern. Although the literature on error correction is abundant, the studies on student reaction to this pedagogical practice are few. This study investigated the preferences for correction of classroom oral errors among university students of English in Japan. Data were collected from anonymous questionnaires. The study examined the students' attitudes toward the views about correction of oral errors which have been controversial among foreign and second language educators. The study also investigated the students' preferences for correction of different types of oral errors (e.g., grammatical errors) and particular types of correction as well. The results showed that the students had a strong positive agreement regarding teacher correction of oral errors. They showed a tendency toward agreement concerning peer correction, and a slight tendency toward agreement regarding selective error correction. Concerning overcorrection of errors, they showed a tendency toward disagreement. There was no significant difference among the different levels of oral English proficiency. The students had positive attitudes toward the correction of all five types of errors listed in the questionnaire: grammatical errors, phonological errors, and errors regarding vocabulary, pragmatics, and discourse. Pragmatic errors received the strongest preference. A significant difference among the proficiency levels was observed in only preference for correction of discourse errors. Preferred methods of error correction were: 1) the teacher gives the student a hint which might enable the student to notice the error and selfcorrect, 2) the teacher explains why the response is incorrect, 3) the teacher points out the error, and provides the correct response, and 4) the teacher presents the correct response or part of the response. The methods disliked were: 1) the teacher ignores the student's errors and 2) the teacher repeats the original question asked of the student. A significant difference among the groups was observed in preference for only one error correction method: the teacher presents the correct response or part of the response.
34
Fetter, Robert Scott. "An Examination of the English Vocabulary Knowledge of Adult English-for-academic-purposes Students: Correlation with English Second-language Proficiency and the Validity of Yes/No Vocabulary Tests." PDXScholar, 1995. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/4903.
Full textAbstract:
The importance given to vocabulary in second language instruction and in theories of second language acquisition has increased greatly in the last fifteen years. It is thus important for second language teachers/researchers to have valid, useful methods of assessing the vocabulary needs and vocabulary knowledge of their students as well as valid and useful methods of assessing the efficacy of various methods and techniques of teaching and learning vocabulary. This study examines the usefulness and validity of a relatively new type of checklist vocabulary test method known as the 'YES/NO' method. In the YES/NO method, nonsense words are listed together with real test words. A subject's test score is calculated by applying both the percentage of real words checked and the percentage of nonsense words checked to a mathematical formula. Sixty-six students enrolled in a college-level Englishfor- academic-purposes (EAP) program took three vocabulary tests. Correlation was calculated between the participants' scores on the 'Structure' and 'Listening' subsections of the Comprehensive English Language Test (CELT) and the participants' scores on all three vocabulary tests scored both as YES/NO tests and as simple-checklist tests. The following three findings were noteworthy: (1) correlation between CELT subtest scores and vocabulary test scores was more consistent and stronger when the vocabulary tests were scored as simple-checklist tests compared to when they were scored as YES/NO tests, (2) few students scored above recommended exit-level scores on the CELT subtests but below 5,000 on the vocabulary tests, and (3) a 120-real-word vocabulary test correlated more consistently and strongly with the CELT subtests than either of two 60-real-word vocabulary tests. Three conclusions were made: (1) adult EAP students preparing to study at English-medium institutions of higher education need knowledge of the 5,000 most-frequent words [lemmas] of English, (2) the YES/NO method of testing the L2 vocabulary knowledge of adult EAP students is not better than the simple-checklist method, and (3) a good direction for work on the improvement of tests intended to measure the L2 vocabulary knowledge of adult EAP students may be to explore how to elicit valid responses on long simple-checklist tests.
35
Ashton-Hay, Sally Ann. "Interactive peer-based learning in a comparative case study : what do students gain?" Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2011. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/46111/1/Sally_Ashton-Hay_Thesis.pdf.
Full textAbstract:
As English increasingly becomes one of the most commonly spoken languages in the world today for a variety of economic, social and cultural reasons, education is impacted by globalisation, the internationalisation of universities and the diversity of learners in classrooms. The challenge for educators is to find more effective ways of teaching English language so that students are better able to create meaning and communicate in the target language as well as to transform knowledge and understanding into relevant skills for a rapidly changing world. This research focuses broadly on English language education underpinned by social constructivist principles informing communicative language teaching and in particular, interactive peer learning approaches. An intervention of interactive peer-based learning in two case study contexts of English as Foreign Language (EFL) undergraduates in a Turkish university and English as Second Language (ESL) undergraduates in an Australian university investigates what students gain from the intervention. Methodology utilising qualitative data gathered from student reflective logs, focus group interviews and researcher field notes emphasises student voice. The cross case comparative study indicates that interactive peer-based learning enhances a range of learning outcomes for both cohorts including engagement, communicative competence, diagnostic feedback as well as assisting development of inclusive social relationships, civic skills, confidence and self efficacy. The learning outcomes facilitate better adaptation to a new learning environment and culture. An iterative instructional matrix tool is a useful product of the research for first year university experiences, teacher training, raising awareness of diversity, building learning communities, and differentiating the curriculum. The study demonstrates that English language learners can experience positive impact through peer-based learning and thus holds an influential key for Australian universities and higher education.
36
Quinn, Lynn. "An examination of the drafting-responding process used to develop students' writing in an English Language for Academic Purposes Course." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2000. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002642.
Full textAbstract:
Many students when they arrive at university do not possess the “cultural capital” (Bourdieu 1977) which is favoured by the institution. The purpose of the English Language for Academic Purposes (ELAP) course and the drafting-responding process is to help students to begin to acquire the “cultural capital” required to succeed at university. The research reported on in this thesis examined the drafting-responding process as it is used to develop students’ writing in the ELAP course at Rhodes University. The process involved students submitting drafts of their essays on which they received constructive and formative feedback from their ELAP tutor. This feedback was then used to revise their essays before a final version was submitted for assessment. The research took the form of a case study with an essentially interpretive orientation. I examined the drafts (with the tutor’s comments) and final versions of seven students’ ELAP essays. Additional data was obtained by interviewing the students and the tutor. Underpinning my beliefs regarding the role of writing in learning as well as my orientation to research is an understanding of knowledge and learning as being socially constructed. All writing is embedded in and dependent on, not only the immediate social circumstances, but also the broader social and cultural context. In analysing and discussing the data in this research I used Halliday’s (1985) definition of context, in which he draws a broad distinction between the immediate context of situation and the broader context of culture The research findings showed that the drafting-responding process can help students with the process of developing the academic literacy they need in order to write essays within specific situational contexts, in this case, the context of the ELAP course. In addition, at a broader level, it can help students to begin the process of being initiated into the culture of the university as a whole.
37
Kono, Nariyo. "American Students' Expectations of Teachers in the Japanese Language Classroom." PDXScholar, 1995. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/5261.
Full textAbstract:
The Japanese as a foreign language classroom in the United States is full of information about the target culture and cross-cultural interaction between American students and Japanese instructors. This cross-cultural interaction promotes culture learning but sometimes produces potential conflicts due to American students and Japanese instructors having different expectations of each other. The purpose of this study was to investigate student expectations of their Japanese teachers and to explore similarities and differences among Japanese and American expectations. The research questions addressed were 1) What do American students expect of their Japanese teachers in the Japanese language classroom? Do their expectations have any distinctive features?, and 2) What do Japanese teachers expect of themselves in the Japanese language classroom? Do their expectations have any distinctive features? The data was gathered in the two Japanese programs at universities in the Northwest. This exploratory study used both the quantitative and descriptive research methods. There were three primary data analysis procedures: multidimensional scaling analysis, hierarchical cluster analysis, and rank-order analysis. These multidimensional and hierarchical clustering analyses explored the underlying structure of the concept of what makes a good Japanese language teacher. The rank-order analysis revealed which beliefs were most important for different groups' judgments of who is a good teacher. In addition, the results of these analyses were discussed with the subjects through interviews. The results suggested a major similarity and also some culture differences. Both Americans and Japanese seemed to share a very basic framework about what makes a good teacher, which contained three domains: Classroom management, Interaction and Personality. However, some of the results seemed to reflect a difference between the role-specific aspects of Japanese society and the individualistic elements of American society. In addition, the rank-order analysis seemed to reveal a difference between the two schools.
38
Hessel, Gianna. "The impact of participation in ERASMUS study abroad in the UK on students' overall English language proficiency, self-efficacy, English use anxiety and self-motivation to continue learning English : a mixed-methods investigation." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2016. https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:7ae490c6-2303-4889-ae67-df3deb5eb870.
Full textAbstract:
It is widely assumed that participation in study abroad contributes to developing second language (L2) proficiency, as well as related outcomes such as higher levels of L2 learning motivation and intercultural competence. However, empirical studies into the outcomes of participation in study abroad have been affected by a series of methodological limitations, including complete reliance on participant self-assessment, the omission of longitudinal design elements, failure to control for non-equivalent comparison groups where these are included and insufficient sample sizes for testing programme effects. Thus, the present study investigates further the impact of studying abroad with the EU's ERASMUS programme on the participants' overall L2 proficiency, their self-efficacy and anxiety in using the L2 with native and non-native speakers and on their self-motivation to continue learning the L2. To this end, a longitudinal mixed methods design was employed in which 143 German university students who applied for an ERASMUS exchange with a British university for the academic year 2012-2013 and were either accepted or rejected/ withdrawn formed the abroad and comparison groups. All students completed C-tests of overall English language proficiency and questionnaires that inquired into the students' mobility history, their L2 learning background, L2 motivation, intergroup attitudes and aspects of the study abroad experience itself. Both instruments were administered online at the onset of the study abroad period (September 2012), one term into the programme (December 2012) and prior to the students' return (either December 2012 or June 2013). This predominantly quantitative group-level study served to establish the outcomes of participation in study abroad for the students' linguistic and motivational development. Repeated interviews with a sub-sample of 15 participants served to illuminate the observed outcome patterns in terms of the motivational dynamics during study abroad, as well as common factors associated with individual differences in linguistic development. The results of the study show that during the first 3 months abroad the ERASMUS students made significantly higher gains in overall English proficiency than the group of potentially mobile students who continued to study at home. The effect of the learning context was large and highly significant (p =.001), even after the influence of pre-existing participant characteristics on the students' proficiency development was controlled for. During the subsequent 6 months of the study abroad period, however, progress among the ERASMUS group slowed and the between-group differences were no longer significant. The participants' L2 proficiency level at programme entry emerged as the strongest predictor of overall L2 proficiency gain, explaining up to 31.5% of the variance. The students' attitudes towards their own national group, their perceptions of self-efficacy and feelings of anxiety when using English in social interactions, the perceived present-future L2 self-discrepancy and gender explained another 13.6% of the variance in overall L2 proficiency gain. Learner-external factors, including participation in English language instruction, participation in clubs and societies, the number of academic contact hours and type of enrolment, and free time spent with co-national peers, including friends and family back home explained a further 10.9%. The qualitative analysis of the students' accounts provided further insights into the ways in which these factors play out in L2 learning abroad, as well as into the students' perceptions of aspects of studying abroad that contributed most to their linguistic development. Regarding the motivational impact of the study abroad experience, the study found that ERASMUS students tended to develop significantly higher levels of self-efficacy in using English in social interactions as compared to the group of potentially mobile students who continued to study at home, while both the levels of perceived present-future self-discrepancy and English use anxiety with native and non-native speakers fell during the first 3 months abroad. While the overall impact of the study abroad experience on the students' motivation to continue learning the L2 was perceived as positive by the vast majority of participants, a decline in learning motivation was observed for most students after the initial 3-month period. The qualitative analysis showed that this decline can be plausibly explained by developments in the students' English self-concept that occurred in response to the study abroad experience. Evidence-based recommendations are made regarding ways in which the linguistic and motivational development of ERASMUS students can be more effectively supported by higher education institutions.
39
Yeh, Wai Man Helen. "Students' perspection of communicative language teaching : a study of the effects of oral communicative activities in a post-secondary EFL classroom." HKBU Institutional Repository, 1999. http://repository.hkbu.edu.hk/etd_ra/409.
Full text
40
Farina, Marcella. "The working relationship of international teaching assistants and undergraduate students." Master's thesis, University of Central Florida, 1999. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/RTD/id/5223.
Full textAbstract:
University of Central Florida College of Arts and Sciences ThesisThe present study was conducted to ascertain undergraduate views about the effectiveness of International Teaching Assistants (ITAs) in the American classroom. The study was administered to a stratified cluster sampling by college of the target population, undergraduate students at the University of Central Florida, in Orlando, Florida. The instrument used, Questionnaire of Undergraduates about International Teaching Assistants (QUITA) as developed by Wanda Fox (1990), is composed of a total of 40 items regarding personal and academic background, cultural exposure to and views about non-native speakers of English, and ITA-classroom effectiveness and problem-solving strategies. On the basis of data from the Fall 1998 semester, approximately 15% of the total number of ITA-taught course sections per college were surveyed. The subjects responded anonymously using computerized answer sheets. Upon completion of the data collection phase, all surveys were analyzed for response frequencies. In addition, background and demographic information regarding the participants and information regarding undergraduate exposure to IT As and IT A instruction were also summarized. The Likert-type items were combined to reveal an overall ATITA (Attitude toward International Teaching Assistants) score. The results of the ATITA portion of the study indicate that undergraduate student views toward IT As and IT A instruction are between neutral and mildly positive. Furthermore, survey responses indicated that undergraduates resolve conflicts involving IT As through personal means. The closing recommendations suggest maintaining open lines of communication between undergraduates, ITAs, and administrators alike.
M.A.
Masters;
Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures
Arts and Sciences
TESOL
72 p.
x, 59 leaves, bound : ill. ; 28 cm.
41
Nguyen, Ngan T. "West Wind Blows: Voices of Vietnamese Teachers and Students of English– A Case Study of Nha Trang University." Ohio University / OhioLINK, 2011. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1304001658.
Full text
42
Sroinam, Rapeeporn. "English reading comprehension of Thai undergraduates : L1/L2 usage, texts, strategies and problems." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2005. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/654.
Full textAbstract:
English Ianguage has been taught as a foreign language in Thailand for more than a century and now occupies an important place at all levels of the Thai education system. This study investigates the influence that the Thai language has on intermediate level undergraduate sludents while they are engaged in individual unaided reading of a variety of English texts and determines what aspects of reading texts caused problems. It aims to compare how often and for what purposes students resort to Thai with texts about culturally familiar texts and culturally unfamiliar texts, as well with different genres and question types. The subjects are 20 second year teacher trainee students majoring in English al Udon Thani Rajabhat University. Student responses to the texts, retrospective interviews, and a questionnaire were used as quantitative and qualitative dota. For qantitative data, the SPSS program was used to analyse the frequency of using the first language, the relationship between scores, texts and question types, as well as that between strategies, scores, question types und problems. The use of content analysis witn qualitalive data from responses to tasks and the interviews produced the means whereby student strategies and problems could be categorised and findings in the qualitative data extended.
43
Lor, Wing-suen, and 羅詠璇. "Studying the first-year students' experience of writing their reflection journals with the use of a web-based system." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 1998. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31944875.
Full text
44
Neuharth, Jay Stanley. "Empowering ESL Students for Out of Classroom Learning." PDXScholar, 1995. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/4909.
Full textAbstract:
Since its publication in 1898, The Turn of the Screw has been the focus of diverse critical interpretation. It has reflected shifts in critical theory that include the Freudian, psychoanalytic, mythological, structuralist, reader-response, linguistic, and new-historical schools. The majority of critical interpretations have focused on the governess's narrative and have excluded the prologue, or frame narrative, that begins the novella. The critics who did examine the prologue overlooked James's departure from the traditional use of frame narration and the importance of the structure of the frame in creating a text of insoluble ambiguity. James departed from traditional frame narration in four ways. By using only an opening frame, the reader is forced to rely on the prologue in order to determine narrative reliability. By creating a condition of reciprocal authority between the unnamed narrator and Douglas, the opening frame denies the possibility of using either character to substantiate the reliability of the other. The condition of reciprocal authority is constructed through a dialogue pattern in which the narrator and Douglas interpret each other's gestures and comments and finish each other's sentences. It is the use of the pattern in the prologue that prepares the reader to accept it in the governess's narrative. The governess repeats the dialogue pattern with Mrs. Grose and Miles. Their discussions appear to validate the governess as a reliable narrator when in fact her reliability is as impossible to determine as the reliability of Douglas or the frame narrator. The result of these departures from traditional frame narration is the construction of a text of insoluble ambiguity.
45
Mogilevski, Eugene 1974. "Structured monitoring of second order errors : focus on writing accuracy of 2nd year advanced level students of French." Monash University, French Studies, 2002. http://arrow.monash.edu.au/hdl/1959.1/8652.
Full text
46
Aziakpono, Philomina. "The attitudes of isiXhosa-speaking students toward various languages of learning and teaching (LOLT) issues at Rhodes University." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002621.
Full textAbstract:
This study aims at eliciting opinions and beliefs of isiXhosa-speaking students to revealtheir attitudes toward various languages of learning and teaching (LOLT) issues at RhodesUniversity, and to determine the influence of a number of variables (such as age, gender,schooling background, level of study and field of study) on these attitudes. Another aim of the study is to compare the findings of this research to the recent findings on isiXhosaspeaking students’ language attitudes at the University of the Western Cape (Dyers 1999) and the University of Fort Hare (Dalvit 2004). Qualitative and quantitative methods were used: data was gathered using a survey that employed a questionnaire and interviews (individual and focus group). The questionnaire data is analysed through using percentage scores as well as mean values coupled with Chi-square tests, while the interviews are analysed qualitatively to further confirm the results of the quantitative analysis. Results are also compared with other recent surveys at South African universities. The results reveal that respondents had a generally positive attitude toward English as LOLT, based mainly on instrumental motivations. More importantly, there was a positive attitude toward the use of isiXhosa alongside English. The motivations for the use of isiXhosa were both instrumental and integrative in nature. The majority of respondents who supported a bilingual arrangement did not, however, believe that a fully-fledged bilingual policy would be practical, mainly because of the multilingual nature of Rhodes University. They felt, however, that providing English and isiXhosa exam question-papers, bilingual tutor support and isiXhosa definitions of discipline-specific technical terms would facilitate learning. Most of the variables mentioned above had an influence on the relevant language attitudes, often confirming the findings of other studies. For instance, schooling background greatly influenced the language attitudes of respondents. Those from previously advantaged English-only schools showed very positive attitudes toward an English-only policy, while most respondents from formerly disadvantaged DET bilingual schools were favourably disposed toward a bilingual policy of English and isiXhosa at Rhodes University. A comparison of the findings of this study with those of recent findings on isiXhosa students’ language attitudes at other universities reveals that respondents at the University of Fort Hare were most favourable toward a bilingual policy, those at the University of the Western Cape were to some extent favourable toward a bilingual arrangement, while respondents at Rhodes University were least favourable toward a bilingual policy.
47
Magxaki, Akhona. "The effect of English as a medium of instruction on the academic performance of students in life orientation at Dower Campus of the Port Elizabeth College." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/14697.
Full textAbstract:
South Africa is a country with 11 official languages including English. English, however, dominates the educational sector, as medium of instruction. This is despite a plethora of research that shows the cognitive advantages of mother tongue instruction and language policies that promote additive bilingual approaches. As subtractive language approaches characterise poor schooling contexts, the outcomes for students are poor. This is because they do not develop proficiency in any language. The abolition of apartheid in South Africa and the advent of democracy in 1994 resulted in dramatic changes in the education system. Nevertheless, the medium of instruction from Grade four has remained English. Consequently, for the majority of the population the education is in their second language. This study takes place in the higher education setting of a TVET college, namely the Dower Campus in Port Elizabeth. It focuses specifically on Level 2 (first year) Life Orientation students to consider the effect English has, as medium of instruction, on the academic performance of students. There is concern about the status of TVET colleges. Even though the higher education sector has transformed, these skills based colleges are still given inferior status in the eyes of the general public and students themselves. These students may be particularly at risk of success given that they have lower entry requirements than other students in the higher education sector. The subject Life Orientation was used to examine the effect of English on student performance. Life Orientation has come under scrutiny for its usefulness and it cognitive value. This study argues that it is a valuable subject for students at colleges, equipping them with knowledge to succeed at studies and in society at large. However, the pass rates for Life Orientation have been consistently low. The study wanted to probe the role of English in this performance. To address the aims and objectives of this study, relevant literature and various multilingual approaches were reviewed to determine which strategies might be most effective in helping students cope with English as medium of instruction. The study also presents a case for the development of indigenous languages as medium of instruction. The study used a mixed methods approach, that is both qualitative and quantitative methods, to explore the use, attitude and perceptions of English among lecturers and students. The research used an interpretive approach and the study took the form of a case study. The researcher took the stance of being a non-participant observer. Qualitative data was obtained through the use of interviews while quantitative data was obtained through the use of questionnaires. The interviews were recorded and transcribed by a transcriber. Data was analysed using a thematic approach. The results showed that majority of the students did not speak English frequently nor had it as a home language yet they all had a positive regard for the language. Many factors were responsible for student performance in Life Orientation such as attitude to subject, theoretical versus practical components of the subject and student background. However, the medium of instruction played a large role in this performance. Though lecturers foregrounded the importance of English as medium of instruction, they recognise that it was a barrier to understanding and affected student performance. Analysis of the lecturer interviews and the questionnaires with students revealed that students were experiencing difficulty speaking, reading and writing in English. Lecturers adapted their teaching strategies when teaching by including translanguaging strategies of code-switching to facilitate understanding. The data also indicated that code switching was considered by the lecturers to be the most suitable method in teaching to student. Code-meshing and written translations of material were not strategies employed by lecturers. Students indicated that they would prefer to write assignments drafts initially in mother tongue. The findings also suggested that it was necessary for the lecturer to use a variety of multilingual strategies to ensure that students enjoy success in Life Orientation. Based on the findings, this study makes recommendations regarding the teaching and learning of English to students which includes the use of multilingual classroom strategies, collaboration with language lecturers and development of a multilingual language policy to aid in the understanding and acquisition of English terminology used in LO content. Such a language policy should also seek to develop indigenous languages as mediums of instructions at the college.
48
Sprague, Maureen Denise. "Foreign Student Enrollment Planning in Five Oregon Institutions with English as a Second Language Programs." PDXScholar, 1992. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/4562.
Full textAbstract:
Planning for foreign students in institutions of higher education takes many forms. This study set out to find out how this planning takes place within and between three particular units in five universities and colleges in Oregon. The three units chosen as the focus of this study work closely with foreign students in the initial admissions process, in the orientation, visa status and services area of their stay, and thirdly in academic coursework in English as a second language programs. The titles of the units are, the admissions office, the international student services office and the English as a second language program. This is a descriptive study and as such employed an interview format to gather current data on this topic. Interviews were held with the officers in charge of the each of the three units at each of the five institutions. The objective of the interviews was to find out the nature of planning for foreign students in each unit as well as the extent of coordination between units in planning for the enrollment of foreign students. The literature on planning for foreign students in institutions of higher education suggests that although the numbers of foreign students attending institutions in the U.S. continue to increase, there is not an indication of institutions setting policy for foreign students. In addition, planning for foreign student enrollment has not been an integral part of the admissions office planning framework, as formal enrollment planning for domestic students is still in the early stages. The results of this study reflect some consistency between the literature and the state of enrollment planning in the five institutions participating in this study. The nature of planning for foreign students in the admissions unit, the international student services unit, and the English as a second language program unit are distinctively characteristic of the individual programs and also of the university or college with which the units are affiliated.
49
Gould, Gaye Elizabeth. "Writing in the disciplines : English literature : building on freshman composition /." Thesis, Hong Kong : University of Hong Kong, 2000. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record.jsp?B22359783.
Full text
50
Yoshikawa, Sawako. "Some Possible Sources of Oral Foreign Language Anxiety (FLA) among Japanese Students in the United States." PDXScholar, 1996. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/5204.
Full textAbstract:
This study attempted to locate some possible sources of oral Foreign Language Anxiety (FLA) among Japanese students in the United States. This study proposed that the following three factors were possible sources of FLA: 1) the subjects' traitlike anxiety, which is carried by individuals across all communication-bound contexts; 2) the subjects' self-perceived oral proficiency levels in English and 3) the subjects' gapsize (i.e., the distance between their self-perceived and their self-expected oral proficiency levels in English) . This research examined whether the above three independent variables and the dependent FLA variable were significantly correlated, and if so, which one had the strongest correlation with the FLA variable. Also, whether the subjects' biographical variables had a significant effect on their FLA levels was investigated. All the variables were quantified through a questionnaire. The subjects' FLA levels and traitlike anxiety levels were measured by a 10-item, Personal Report of Communication Apprehension inventory (PRCA, Mccroskey, 1978). The subjects' self-perceived oral proficiency levels were measured by asking the subjects to rate their self-perceived oral proficiency level from 1 (poor) to 5 (fluent). The gapsize was quantified by asking the subjects to rate it on a scale from 1 (minimal) to 5 (maximal). The statistical methodology used in obtaining the PRCA scores in this study differed from McCroskey's in its interpretation of Likert type scales. The scales were treated as interval data in McCroskey's study, while, in this study, they were interpreted as ordinal data. After hierarchically ordering the subjects' answers, non-parametric tests were performed on them. Overall, each of the three variables and the FLA variable were found to be significantly correlated at p < .01. The traitlike anxiety variable, the proficiency variable and the gapsize variable correlated at .46, -.45 and -.33, respectively. The participants' demographic variables (age, gender, status at school or year(s) of residence in English speaking places) did not have a significant effect on their FLA levels. A discussion of the results was provided, with references to previous studies.