Dissertations / Theses: 'Foreign language context'

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Goës, Ingelöv. "Alternative Identities and Foreign Language Learning." Thesis, Högskolan Dalarna, Engelska, 2005. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:du-1223.

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My D-essay has the working title “Alternative Identities and Foreign Language Learning”. I have chosen this area because I have noticed a certain reluctance among Swedish students to use the foreign language English in English classes. They often seem embarrassed to express themselves in a language which is not their mother tongue, but they seem less embarrassed when they are allowed to act somebody else. These two observations converge into a focus of discussion on the matter, which will be supported by a minor study of my own, by extracts from other people’s essays on the matter, and by an overview of current litterature on language, identity and drama.The aim of my essay is to compare Swedish students’ willingness to use the foreign language English when acting minor plays in school, as themselves and as a chosen character, and to investigate the possibility of improving students’ willingness to use a foreign language, when given the opportunity to do so through acting somebody else.

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Mak, Ting-fung Martin, and 麥庭峰. "A case study : task-based language teaching in a Chinese foreign language context." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10722/209655.

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This project mainly looks at the teachers’ and students’ views on ‘Task-based Language Teaching’ (TBLT) in a context of learning Chinese as a foreign language. This project first discusses the three pedagogical characteristics of TBLT – ‘meaning-focused’, ‘reinforcement’ and ‘flexibility’. It then discusses the limitations of previous literature on how TBLT can motivate students to learn Chinese as a foreign language. To feedback the current curriculum for teachers to carry out TBLT and to enrich the literature in this field, feedback from the users (i.e. teachers and students) was collected through systematic and methodical research methods. At the end of the research, two theoretical frameworks to evaluate TBLT design and how far it can motivate students are constructed in this project.
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Master of Education

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Gudkova, N. "Gamification in the context of special purpose foreign language teaching." Thesis, Національний авіаційний університет, 2020. https://er.knutd.edu.ua/handle/123456789/15161.

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Teachers of foreign languages equated successful learning of a language with memorizing texts, focused on studying books. Today many educators are proponents of exciting interactive activities. With the rapid development of the Internet, the possibilities of using computer technology for teaching and learning a foreign language appeared. In classes equipped with Internet technologies, students have access to numerous information. The Internet technologies contribute to the study, comparison, contrasting and development of knowledge of the language and culture being studied. Online communications open up many places where students can practice using the language they are learning. Training that focuses on digital technologies provides an opportunity to captivate students, increase their motivation for independent language learning, overcome the language barrier and reduce anxiety, and helps to develop a positive attitude of students to learning a foreign language, characterized by the systematic nature of academic work, satisfaction with studies, and high marks of their future professional activities.

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Markiewicz, Jan-Kristian. "Personalized and context sensitive foreign language training supported by mobile devices." Thesis, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Department of Computer and Information Science, 2006. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:no:ntnu:diva-10137.

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In this research project I try to answer how context sensitive mobile devices can be used to complement traditional foreign language learning in a classroom. My approach to answering this question is based on the goal of creating a prototype application called the Personalized And context sensitive foreign Language training system for real Life situAtions using mobile devices (PALLAS). To be able to develop PALLAS satisfactory I start by performing a prestudy to create a theoretical ground for my ideas. This allows me to come up with ideas of how PALLAS could be used. To systemize my process I create a scenario-based development method. I start by writing user scenarios of the PALLAS system in use. This is the part where new ideas are included into PALLAS. Then I analyze the user scenarios and create formalized models of how PALLAS is supposed to work. The models are in turn used to design a system architecture, which finally is used to implement the PALLAS prototype. I finish my research by comparing the finished PALLAS prototype to the original user scenarios. It turns out that the process has resulted in an architecture that can almost completely satisfy the features found in the user scenarios. With this solid architecture in place the next natural step for PALLAS will be testing in real-life scenarios with students and teachers using the system.

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Clark, John L. "Curriculum renewal in school foreign language learning : a project in context." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 1985. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/26395.

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Boraie, Deena. "Learners' perceptions of language proficiency, language test-taking strategies and emotional regulation in a test-taking context : a case study in an Egyptian EFL context." Thesis, University of Wolverhampton, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/2436/90236.

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Ceccon, Joangela <1991&gt. "Learning a Foreign Language in an Outdoor Education Context: Challenges and Possibilities." Master's Degree Thesis, Università Ca' Foscari Venezia, 2021. http://hdl.handle.net/10579/18691.

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L’obbiettivo di questo progetto di ricerca è fornire uno sguardo iniziale in merito alla possibilità di apprendere delle lingue straniere in contesti di educazione all’aperto e in particolare nelle scuole del bosco. La prima sezione offre una contestualizzazione teorica delle sfaccettature di quest’area interdisciplinare. La seconda sezione presenta le domande poste tramite un questionario inviato a varie scuole all’aperto o nel bosco nel mondo. La terza sezione analizza e discute le risposte al questionario in relazione alle teorie e raccomandazioni riguardanti l’apprendimento delle lingue straniere presentate nella sezione iniziale. La ricerca indica che, benché non tutte le scuole all’aperto o nel bosco includano l’apprendimento di una lingua straniera nella propria offerta formativa, alcune di esse hanno sviluppato strategie o programmi che promuovono l’apprendimento delle lingue straniere in contesti di educazione all’aperto.

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Woods, Angie L. "Reaching Out and Jumping In| The Relational Context of Service-Learning." Thesis, University of Cincinnati, 2013. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3597991.

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This dissertation examines how college students' participation in a Spanish service-learning course affected their perceptions of language culture and community. Findings demonstrate that students will potentially experience connections, disconnections, and reconnections when they interact with others in a Spanish service-learning experience. The connections that they form may motivate them to improve their skills and knowledge related to the subject matter. In this qualitative, practitioner action research study, I interviewed four students who were enrolled in my service-learning course. The narratives were analyzed using the Listening Guide (Gilligan et al., 2003) a feminist relational methodology.

When the students spoke of their experiences with language, culture, and community in interviews prior to taking the course, they used voices of powerlessness, rejection, observation, and separation. In the interviews that occurred after the service-learning experience, their voices spoke of empowerment, acceptance, participation, and inclusion. Cross-case analysis revealed that students formed relationships with the community, other students, and the instructor during the service-learning experience. Even if these relationships were short-term and limited, they often experienced the cycle of connection, disconnection, and connection of long-term relationships. Prior to the course, students spoke of previous experiences with language-exclusion and disconnections that they experienced because of their relational images of observation and separation. When they spoke of their service-learning experiences, they described multiple relational triangles (Hawkins, 1974; Raider-Roth & Holzer, 2009) and revealed their developed sense of empathy. This empathy demonstrates the connections they formed with other students and with the community members. Two students spoke of disconnections that occurred during the course, but these disconnections were outweighed by connections. These connections led them to desire more meaningful connections, which they realized could only happen by improving their language skills.

The implications of this study suggest that in a relational service-learning course, instructors no longer are only part of the relational triangle between the instructor, the student, and the subject matter; they also facilitate relationships between students, community partner organizations, community members, other volunteers, and the subject matter. The multiple relational triangles that they facilitate combine to form a relational hexagon. This relational understanding of service-learning has implications for instructors, the discipline, and the university.

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Eriksson, Daniel. "Teachers’ Perspectives on Foreign Language Speaking Anxiety : A Qualitative Study of Foreign Language Speaking Anxiety in a Swedish Upper Secondary School Context." Thesis, Karlstads universitet, Institutionen för språk, litteratur och interkultur (from 2013), 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kau:diva-78319.

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The aim of the present study was to find out about teachers’ awareness, experiences and specific strategies used when dealing with Foreign Language Speaking Anxiety in the subject of English in Swedish upper secondary schools. Five teachers were interviewed to find out about their awareness and experiences of what contributes to Foreign Language Speaking Anxiety, and what manifestations students show who suffer from it. Further, the interviews also intended to find out about the teachers’ specific strategies used in order to reduce Foreign Language Speaking Anxiety. The results demonstrated that the anxious students generally are those who put unrealistic demands on themselves and feel that anything less than an excellent outcome is a failure. All participants agreed that two contributing factors to Foreign Language Speaking Anxiety are the fear of being embarrassed in front of others, and the emotional aspect of low self-confidence or self-esteem. Students tend to fear speaking situations where others could evaluate them negatively, which probably has to do with low self-confidence or self-esteem. The most evident manifestation of Foreign Language Speaking Anxiety proved to be the strategy of avoidance, where students can refuse to speak, become silent, or do not even show up for speaking activities. The most extensively used strategy for reducing Foreign Language Speaking Anxiety turned out to be dividing students into smaller groups, in order to make each student feel more comfortable speaking English. However, the results also brought up some interesting strategies used not mentioned in previous research.
Syftet med denna studie var att ta reda på lärarnas medvetenhet, erfarenheter och specifika strategier som de använder sig av när det kommer till talängslan i främmande språk i en svensk gymnasieskolekontext. Fem lärare intervjuades för att få reda på deras medvetenhet och erfarenheter kring vad som bidrar till talängslan i främmande språk och hur det yttrar sig hos eleverna som lider av det. Vidare så var även syftet att ta reda på specifika strategier lärarna använder sig av i undervisningen för att reducera talängslan i främmande språk. Resultaten visade att oroliga studenter oftast är de som ställer orealistiska krav på sig själva och känner att allt utom ett utmärkt resultat är ett misslyckande. Alla deltagare var överens om att två bidragande orsaker till talängslan i främmande språk är rädslan för att bli generad framför andra, och den känslomässiga aspekten av lågt självförtroende eller självkänsla. Eleverna tenderar att vara oroliga i talsituationer där andra skulle kunna bedöma dem negativt, vilket antagligen har att göra med lågt självförtroende eller självkänsla. Det mest uppenbara yttrandet för talängslan i främmande språk visade sig vara undvikande, som till exempel, att eleverna vägrar att prata, blir tystlåtna, eller inte ens är närvarande under talaktiviteten. Den mest använda strategin för att reducera talängslan i främmande språk visade sig vara att dela upp eleverna i mindre grupper för att de skall känna sig mer bekväma med att tala engelska. Resultaten visade även på några intressanta strategier som inte nämnts i tidigare forskning.

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Crerand, Mary E. Lavin. "From first language literacy to second language oracy to second language literacy : the act of writing in a foreign language context." The Ohio State University, 1992. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1239369687.

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Cornelius, Crista Lynn. "Language Socialization through Performance Watch in a Chinese Study Abroad Context." The Ohio State University, 2015. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1437580040.

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Samperi-Mangan, Jacqueline. "Languages in contact : error analysis of Italian childrens' compositions in a multilingual context." Thesis, McGill University, 1991. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=60594.

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Children of Italian immigrants in Montreal are in contact with many languages and kinds of speech. French and English are used publicly, formal Italian is studied in heritage classes, a dialect of the family's region of origin is used at home, and a kind of koine is frequently used in interactions with other Italian immigrants. The contact of these languages produces various kinds of interferences. These lead a child to make errors when he tries to use the Standard Italian code. In this research, children's compositions are examined for errors which in turn are analysed and classified. The causes of these errors are investigated and statistics are presented to indicate the frequency of errors or the power of various causes.
An effort is made to show all the different errors and interferences that occur, and to discover a pattern of their causes. The data put forth might eventually serve as a base for further studies on the pedagogical prevention or correction of errors in the teaching of Standard Italian as adapted to the specific situation in Montreal.

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Osman, Osman Hassan. "The impact of teaching methods on language learning strategies employed by learners in a foreign language context." Thesis, De Montfort University, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/2086/10200.

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Language learning strategies (LLS) have been the focus of research since the mid-1970s up to the present; however, teaching them has not received the same attention. The present study is an attempt to bridge this gap by investigating how they could be taught. The overall aim of the study is to investigate the frequency of LLS and the impact of teaching methods on students' choices of their strategies. It also highlights the role of English proficiency level in choosing the LLS. A total of 140 students, 70 as a treatment group and 70 as a control group, and ten teachers from the University of Nizwa participated in this study which used a mixed methods approach. The researcher conducted a questionnaire to find out the frequency use of LLS employed by the university students and follow up interviews were done with teachers and learners to probe the perceptions of teachers and students of LLS and to find out the impact of teaching methods on students' choices. Students' diaries and the researcher's own observations were used to collect the data and to complement other tools. The collected data were analyzed qualitatively by the Grounded Theory approach and quantitatively via descriptive statistics, independent-sample-t-test, and one-way ANOVA. According to the findings, the students participated in the study were 'medium' users of strategies and that the teaching methods have a significant impact on the LLS which can be taught within cognitive and sociocultural theories, based on a clearly designed model. The study also showed that language proficiency has a correlation with the choice of learning strategies. Students' dairies and interviews illustrated that they benefited from the group work, the scaffolding received and from the learning strategies instruction. Moreover, teachers who participated in the study showed positive attitudes towards LLS. Practical recommendations and suggestions for future research are also made.

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Yao, Kanako. "Effectiveness of Excuses in Japanese Business Context: Accounts as Conflict-Management Strategies." The Ohio State University, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1512081144592171.

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Jamshidnejad, Alireza. "Exploring Oral Communication Strategies in an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Context." Thesis, University of Kent, 2010. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.523629.

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LEE, SOO YUN. "Dynamic Assessment in Foreign Language Individualized Instruction." The Ohio State University, 2016. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1468352180.

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Papadopoulou, Charis-Olga. "Teachers' conceptualisation and practice of planning in the Greek EFL context." Thesis, University of Oxford, 1999. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.312711.

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CARVALHO, MONICA TORREAO. "5 CS AND 1 CONTEXT: AN EXPERIENCE IN TEACHING PORTUGUESE AS FOREIGN LANGUAGE ACCORDING TO USA STANDARDS FOR THE TEACHING OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE - SFLL." PONTIFÍCIA UNIVERSIDADE CATÓLICA DO RIO DE JANEIRO, 2005. http://www.maxwell.vrac.puc-rio.br/Busca_etds.php?strSecao=resultado&nrSeq=7086@1.

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PONTIFÍCIA UNIVERSIDADE CATÓLICA DO RIO DE JANEIRO
Esta dissertação tem por objetivo analisar, a partir dos conceitos de contexto e identidade nacional, os parâmetros norte- americanos para aprendizagem de língua estrangeira - Standards for Foreign Language Learning - conhecido como os 5 Cs do ensino de línguas estrangeiras, documento elaborado pelas principais associações e conselhos de ensino de LE dos Estados Unidos da América, . Esta análise tem como eixo orientador o relato de uma experiência de ensino de português, por um ano letivo, em Boston College, com o qual busca-se perceber as implicações das propostas do documento para o desenvolvimento de um programa de ensino de português como língua estrangeira - PLE.
This dissertation aims to analyze through the concepts of context and cultural identity the Standards for Foreign Language Learning, a document elaborated for the development of national content standards for foreign language education in the United States of America, as a collaborative project of ACTFL and eight others important foreign language associations. The analysis is oriented by the description of a two semester experience of teaching Portuguese as foreign language at Boston College. Such description intends to point out the implications of the document for the development of a Portuguese as foreign language curriculum.

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Li, Qi. "The Motivation of Chinese Learners of English in a Foreign and Second Language Context." Thesis, University of Auckland, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/2292/7122.

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This study investigated differences in the motivation of Chinese EFL and ESL learners, changes in the motivation of Chinese ESL learners over a three month period of residence in an English-speaking country, and the effect of motivational strategy training on Chinese EFL learners’ motivation. This multiple-method study employed both quantitative and qualitative analyses. There were two phases in the study. In Phase One, the motivation of 132 EFL and 122 ESL learners was measured by means of a self-report questionnaire, which was adapted from Taguchi, Magid and Papi’s (2009) instrument based on Dörnyei’s (2005, 2009a) L2 Motivational Self System theory. In addition, 10 EFL and 11 ESL learners kept a diary of their English learning over a three month period. Their diaries were collected and analyzed to examine the ongoing changes in the learners’ motivation to learn English. Data collected from follow-up interviews supplemented the data from the learner diaries. In Phase Two, an intervention study was carried out, involving the same 10 EFL learners (five in the intervention group and five in the control group). The learners in the intervention group were provided with three months’ motivational strategy training. Data on the effect of the training were collected by means of learner diaries, follow-up interviews, and semi-structured interviews. The results showed that there were some notable differences in the motivation of Chinese EFL and ESL learners (i.e., difference in their Ideal L2 Self, their attitudes to L2 community and culture, instrumentality, their attitudes to learning English, and criterion measures). The overall motivation of the ESL learners was higher than that of the EFL learners. The results revealed individual changes and general patterns of change in the motivation of the ESL learners over the three month period of residence in New Zealand. Drawing on Dörnyei’s (2005, 2009a) L2 Motivational Self System, these motivational changes were analyzed in terms of three major dimensions: (1) ideal L2 self, (2) ought-to L2 self, and (3) L2 learning experience. According to the similarities and differences in the changes in their motivation, five learner types were identified based on these three dimensions. The learners belonging to three of these iv learner types were able to maintain or increase their overall motivation. Learners in the other two types were not able to maintain their overall motivation: Their motivation decreased over the three months. The results also showed that the effect of the motivational strategy training on the EFL learners’ motivation differed according to their motivation type. In the Conclusion chapter, the implications and limitations of the study are discussed and suggestions made for future research.
Whole document restricted until October 2013, see Access Instructions file below for details of how to access the print copy.
Whole document restricted until October 2013, see Access Instructions file below for details of how to access the print copy.

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Phillips, Marjo H. "A profile of an English as a foreign language education system : the Finnish context." Virtual Press, 1995. http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/1001182.

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Since English is increasingly being taught worldwide, questions about the importance of teaching context continue to grow. But studies of EFL (English as a foreign language) educational systems in various contexts are rare. This holistic study was intended to describe and analyze one European setting where English is taught as a foreign language, to uncover the underlying assumptions and needs that drive EFL education, to hear teacher and student voices about the confidence they have in the system, and to identify factors in the layers of context that make this system unique.The study relies mainly on qualitative methods, but uses also some quantitative data to support and/or refute information obtained through qualitative research methods. The ethnographic field work was conducted on location in Finland from January to December of 1992.The findings indicate that the Finnish EFL education system is unique because of various social, political, and linguistic factors that are characteristic of the nation itself. Several factors contribute to the effectiveness of the system, such as highly qualified instructors, excellent instructional materials, and up-to-date teaching methods. More importantly, however, it is Finland's commitment to quality foreign language education that seems to be decisively instrumental in achieving the expected results. Thus, the nation as a whole invests in the development and research of foreign language education. It appears that the key to the relative success of the English education system in Finland involves just the right combination of interrelated factors and level of confidence found at every layer of the context.Since most EFL systems consist of the same universal elements' (teachers, students, materials, methods, etc.), the study proposes an EFL Contextual System Model, which is applicable to other settings. The Model can be used to analyze and interpret the parts and interrelationships of EFL systems in various educational contexts.By learning about the EFL context in Finland, the worldwide TESOL (teaching English to speakers of other languages) community can gain a better understanding of the importance and function of the broader teaching/learning context itself and draw parallels between EFL educational systems in various nations.
Department of English

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Silva, Maristela. "Narrativised teacher cognition of classroom interaction : articulating foreign language practice in the Amazonian context." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 2016. http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/33696/.

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This thesis investigates teacher cognition of classroom interaction as represented in narratives by Amazonian language teachers. Language teacher cognition has been investigated in the great educational centres in Brazil, but has been overlooked as a research theme in Amazonas, the context of this study. In order to bridge this existing gap in language teacher research, the current study develops a narrative enquiry in the public and private school settings to find the different understandings of interaction in the English as a foreign language (heretofore EFL) classroom as articulated by teachers. The study is grounded in theories of teacher education and cognition, applied and socio-linguistics, socio-cultural theories and discourse analysis to further the understanding of concepts that are of rising importance in the EFL field: teacher cognition, classroom interaction, and narrative research. In brief, teacher cognition refers to teachers’ mental lives and to the ways they perceive their practice. In this research, four constructs (knowledge, thought, beliefs, and decision-making) are considered to represent the broad conceptualisation of teacher cognition. Classroom interaction corresponds to the collaborative moments which happen in the language classroom among students, or between students and teacher, in order to improve learning. Narrative enquiry relates to both the method and methodology which is used to understand diverse knowledge processes. In simple terms, in this thesis, narrative enquiry explores teachers’ stories about their practice and determines the ways in which they can be analysed and interpreted. This qualitative research has been designed from a constructionist epistemological standpoint and an interpretivist theoretical perspective. Because it investigates complex concepts, this research does not follow one specific philosophical background but finds inspiration in critical pedagogy and matters of knowledge in the Brazilian context. The data produced by nine experienced EFL teachers was systematically analysed. Starting from the four individual constructs of teacher cognition, the interpretation of the data develops to concepts and themes which emerged from this initial analysis. The findings generated new understandings of the construction of knowledge as personal practical knowledge (PPK) and its relationship to other constructs of teacher cognition, to experience, to the teachers’ individual contexts and to styles of storytelling. From these main findings, the present study proposes a model of narrativised teacher cognition to better understand the interrelation between the cognitive constructs and discursive strategies, as well as build a new and concrete dimension to teachers’ articulation of their practice.

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Obeid, Hoda. "Think-alouds' effects on first language and second language reading comprehension of English as a foreign language students in a Lebanese context." Thesis, McGill University, 2010. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=94927.

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The present study aimed at investigating the effect of training in think-alouds on Arabic (L1) and English (L2) reading of eighth grade EFL students in a Lebanese private school. Participants were randomly assigned to two groups: Students in one group received training in the use and application of think-aloud reading strategies in narrative and informative English texts; whereas, students in the other group read the same selections according to their regular reading instruction. It was expected that eighth grade EFL students who received training in think-alouds would show better reading comprehension than students who did not receive the same training. It was also expected that students' use of think-alouds would vary in relation to reading comprehension, and that there would be transfer of strategy use from L2 to L1. Moreover, it was expected that motivation levels would vary in relation to reading comprehension. Data were collected in a variety of ways: Students received reading comprehension tests to compare their reading comprehension pre- and post-intervention in addition to a motivation questionnaire to determine their motivation levels prior to intervention. Students in the experimental group received 15 hours of training in think-alouds. Finally, English and Arabic verbal reports were collected for those students to record their strategy use in think-alouds. Thus, qualitative and quantitative methods, mixed methods, were used to address the questions raised in the study. Although few differences were found between the two treatment groups, a number of important results were obtained including: 1) All students showed their best performance on English informative passages, 2) students used similar strategies in their L1 and L2 verbal reports, and 3) students with greater motivation scored higher on reading comprehension tests and used more strategies in their verbal reports. It was also shown that increased proficiency in both languages, L1 and L2, posit
Cette étude vise à étudier l'effet de la formation des élèves de l'Anglais, langue seconde, de huitième année dans l'application des stratégies de réflexion à voix haute dans la lecture de textes Arabes (L1) et Anglais (L2), dans une école Libanaise privée. Les participants ont été répartis au hasard en deux groupes: Les élèves d'un groupe ont reçu une formation dans l'utilisation et l'application des stratégies de réflexion à voix haute pour les textes rédactionnels et informatifs Anglais; alors que les élèves de l'autre groupe ont lu les mêmes textes suivant leurs stratégies de lecture régulière. On s'attendait à ce que les élèves de huitième année de l'Anglais, langue seconde, qui ont reçu une formation en stratégies de réflexion à voix haute démontrent une meilleure compréhension que les élèves qui n'ont pas reçu la même formation. On s'attendait aussi à ce que le degré d'utilisation des stratégies de réflexion à voix haute pourrait varier par rapport à la compréhension, et qu'il y aurait un transfert de l'utilisation de ces stratégies entre L2 et L1. Il était prévu aussi que le niveau de motivation pourrait varier en fonction de la compréhension. Les données ont été recueillies de plusieurs manières: Les étudiants ont reçu six testes de compréhension de lecture pour comparer leur compréhension avant et après la formation, en plus d'un questionnaire de motivation pour déterminer leur niveau de motivation avant la formation. Les élèves du groupe examiné ont reçu une formation de 15 heures en stratégies de réflexion à voix haute. En dernier, des rapports verbaux en Anglais et Arabe ont été recueillis pour les élèves du groupe examiné pour enregistrer leurs utilisations des stratégies de réflexion à voix haute. Alors, des méthodes quantitatives et qualitatives, une méthodologie mixte, étaient utilisées pour résoudre les questions relevées par l'étude. Bien que quelques diffé

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Jeong, Tae-Young. "Assessing and interpreting students' English oral proficiency using d-VOCI in an EFL context." Columbus, OH : Ohio State University, 2003. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc%5Fnum=osu1045462461.

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Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2003.
Title from first page of PDF file. Document formatted into pages; contains xii, 151 pages : ill. (some col.) Includes abstract and vita. Advisor: Charles R. Hancock, College of Education. Includes bibliographical references (p. 115-125).

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Neveu, Anne. "Context Effects in Reading for Translation: Early Target Language Activation." Kent State University / OhioLINK, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1531663827262551.

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Tsai, Yau. "Intercultural learning in the context of study abroad : a role in second foreign language acquisition." Thesis, Durham University, 2008. http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/2155/.

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This study aims to explore the effects of intercultural learning on SLA (Second/Foreign Language Acquisition) by drawing upon quantitative and qualitative research. It is conducted at a university in the United States to compare the experiences of intercultural learning in which one often communicates with native speakers and negotiates the differences between his or her own culture and the target culture by using English as a shared language among international students coming from Asian countries. The researcher assumes that social and psychological factors such as motivation, attitudes and cross-cultural adaptation can reflect the effects of intercultural learning on SLA and that the effects of intercultural learning reflected in those factors can also be predicted by the length of residence. The findings, on the one hand, show that intercultural learning indeed affects students' motivation, attitudes and cross-cultural adaptation during their studying abroad. On the other hand, however, the results of the present study find that students' motivation, attitudes and cross-cultural adaptation cannot be predicted by the length of their residence. While communication and interaction with native speakers are commonly recognized by students studying abroad in the present study as a good strategy to acquire the target langue and culture, the researcher concludes that the willingness in communication and interaction with native speakers might replace the role of the length of residence in predicting how the variables of motivation, attitudes and cross-cultural adaptation are demonstrated under the effects of intercultural learning in the context of study abroad. The more willing to communicate and interact with native speakers students' motivation, attitudes and cross-cultural adaptation. Secondly, it is claimed that under the effects of intercultural learning the three variables of motivation, attitudes and cross-cultural adaptation are correlated to each other and can be predicted by the frequency of communication and interaction with native speakers. Thirdly, the model further claims that due to the effects of intercultural learning the changes in motivation, attitudes and cross-cultural adaptation can further enable students studying abroad to make a change in their learning modes and thinking systems which lead to SLA. While providing SLA researchers with a new model to draw their attention to the fact that intercultural learning is a trend which the younger generations in the twenty-first century very likely experience and that this kind of learning definitely plays a role in one’s intellectual growth and SLA, the researcher suggests that all the teachers of teaching English as a second or foreign language across the world should rethink a new direction of English teaching by integrating either intercultural learning or culture learning into second or foreign language education

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Donald, Shane Michael. "A study in interactional competence in the Taiwanese 'English as a foreign language' classroom context." Thesis, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10443/2878.

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Francis, Lilia Maria Eloisa Alphonse. "English as a Foreign Language: Textbook Analysis, Ideology and Hegemonic Practices in a Brazilian Context." Connect to resource, 1995. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc%5Fnum=osu1215807853.

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Ericsson, Jessica. "Reading Strategies : Multilingual students learning English in a Swedish context." Thesis, Högskolan Dalarna, Engelska, 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:du-33806.

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This thesis aims at exploring what linguistic challenges and opportunities multilingual students experience when reading in English. This paper has a qualitative approach and consists of focus group interviews as the method for collecting data. The participants were students in compulsory school, ninth grade, studying English as a foreign language. A total of nine multilingual were divided into three groups. Firstly they received a piece of informative text to read, containing a picture and a heading, and secondly they answered and discussed questions about their use of reading strategies. The results from the present study show that they tended to use top-down strategies when reading. The picture was not regarded as important as the heading; yet it was clear that they transferred already developed strategies from other languages. Previous research has shown that a reading ability developed in a student´s first language will be transferred to other languages, through an underlying proficency. Likewise it was expected in this study that the students would use their first language in order to understand English as a foreign language, but unpredictably findings show that Swedish was the preferred language when translating. In conclusion, one can therefore argue for Swedish as the strongest academic language and therefore important in scaffolding multilingual students.

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Petersén, Tuva. "The relationships between foreignlanguage anxiety, motivation, andachievement in an EFL context." Thesis, Malmö universitet, Malmö högskola, Institutionen för kultur, språk och medier (KSM), 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mau:diva-40396.

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This study investigates the relationships between foreign language anxiety (FLA), motivation and achievement in EFL-learners in secondary and tertiary education. Research previous to 2009 generally reaches the conclusion that learners with more motivation have less FLA and higher achievement, and learners with more FLA have lower motivation and achievement. The present study synthesises eight studies from late 2009 to 2020, and it was found that although six studies are generally in accordance with the earlier research, they disagreed with one another concerning what motivational and FLA subscales were most related. Some differences in the conclusions of the studies are theorised to be due to the different motivational constructs the studies focused on. All studies also failed to show a cause-and-effect relationship between any of the variables or agree on the extent to which they were related. This suggested the advantage of looking at the variables as part of a dynamic system, in which all the variables affect one another, and the relationships are constantly changing. Further research was suggested in the area of FLA to identify its factors and which learners suffer from it.

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Isabelli, Christina Louise. "Motivation and extended interaction in the study abroad context : factors in the development of Spanish language accuracy and communication skills /." Digital version:, 2000. http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/utexas/fullcit?p9992827.

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Lin, Lin. "Collaborative learning in context : a case study of Chinese learners of English as a foreign language." Thesis, University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, 2012. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.601690.

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The study reported in this dissertation investigated the use of collaborative learning (henceforth CL) in two Chinese Higher Education (HE) English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms. Its theoretical framework integrated theories from Vygotsky's socio-cultural theory of mind, second language acquisition (SLA) and the affective domain of motivation. The research focused on students' engagement, learning preferences and motivation. It also explored the participants' attitudes and perceptions. In view of the hitherto rare use of CL in Chinese HE EFL classrooms, this research also explored issues relating to CL task design, implementation and aspects of CL evaluation relevant to that context.

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Wang, Jianfen. "An Ecology of Literacy: A Context-based Inter-disciplinary Curriculum for Chinese as a Foreign Language." The Ohio State University, 2016. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1461251633.

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Wang, Xuan. "The Relationship between Receptive and Productive Vocabulary Size in an English as a Foreign Language Context." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/17640.

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This study aims to explore the relationship between receptive and productive vocabulary size and individual variance factors that might relate to this established relationship. Individual variance factors included reading ability, whether participants are studying in an arts or science stream, and the ratio of the score at the most frequent 2,000 word level to the overall vocabulary score. Two hundred and forty-six English as a Foreign Language (EFL) high school students in China were recruited to complete four tests to explore these research components. Participants completed the English-Chinese Vocabulary Translation (ECVT) and the Chinese-English Vocabulary Translation (CEVT) tests to measure their receptive vocabulary size and controlled productive vocabulary size. The Lex30 was used to investigate participants’ free productive vocabulary size and participants’ reading ability was identified according to their scores from one IELTS General Training Reading practice test. The current study, measuring receptive and controlled productive vocabulary size through the ECVT and the CEVT, found that participants’ receptive and controlled productive vocabulary knowledge developed at an inconsistent speed and participants with a higher receptive score tended to have a larger gap between receptive and controlled productive knowledge. This study also found that when estimating learners’ breadth of vocabulary knowledge, the predictive frequency levels differed for receptive and productive vocabulary size. These findings suggested that learners’ receptive vocabulary size developed faster than their controlled productive vocabulary size. The current study found that reading English is a complicated process for learners, and while gaining a sufficient vocabulary is compulsory, other factors should also be considered in terms of improving reading ability. Controlled productive vocabulary size showed a higher statistical correlation with reading ability than receptive vocabulary size. Exploring this research component and the corresponding findings provides a greater understanding of the form-meaning interaction between receptive and productive vocabulary knowledge and the relationship between receptive skills and productive vocabulary knowledge. In addition, the findings highlighted the importance of enriching the measurements for vocabulary size and the necessity to measure vocabulary size both receptively and productively. When measuring the relationship between receptive skills and vocabulary knowledge, adding productive vocabulary size enables the establishment of a more comprehensive link between reading ability and vocabulary size. The final research component seeks to make a theoretical contribution to this field of learning by investigating the impact of three groups of variables on the relationship between receptive and productive vocabulary size. This study found that reading ability, the stream and the ratio of the score at the most frequent 2,000 word level to the overall vocabulary score did not significantly influence this relationship and factors influencing this relationship are still not clear and require further enquiry.

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Whitsed, Craig. "Standing in the genkan: Adjunct foreign English language teachers in the Japanese higher education internationalisation context." Thesis, Whitsed, Craig (2011) Standing in the genkan: Adjunct foreign English language teachers in the Japanese higher education internationalisation context. PhD thesis, Murdoch University, 2011. https://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/6406/.

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This dissertation explores the experiences, knowledge and beliefs of adjunct foreign English language teachers (AFELT), and how they envisage their role and place in the Japanese university context. These experiences are important when considered against a backdrop of Japanese higher education reform and internationalisation. For example, this research asks, what are the experiences of AFELT? how do they conceptualise their expected role? and what do these suggest about internationalisation in the Japanese university context? This dissertation aims to: first, contribute to the understanding of how AFELT construe themselves as situated in the Japanese university context; second, investigate how AFELT contribute to, or not, internationalisation by illuminating phenomena that afford or constrain AFELT practices; third, examine the conceptual usefulness of applying a multi-theoretical perspective to elicit a richer, more nuanced understanding of stakeholders’ social interaction and ‘place’ at both macro and micro levels of internationalisation. It is these phenomena, including notions of inclusion and exclusion, that situate the research in the broader context of internationalisation. The empirical study presented in this dissertation initiated out of a desire to better understand AFELT experience, role and ‘place’ from an emic perspective. Previous research on Japanese higher education internationalisation is generally quantitative or limited in depth, thus has remained silent on AFELT experience, place, and value. By privileging participant voice, this study makes an original contribution to this field of research. A key feature of this dissertation is its theoretical grounding in interpretive epistemology and constructionist traditions. The epistemological assumption upon which the research is grounded assumes social interaction and socio-cultural/political phenomena such as internationalisation to be complex, multilayered, multidimensional, and dynamic. Qualitative data were therefore generated from successive focus groups and in-depth interviews conducted over a year involving 43 participants working across 66 universities (public and private) in Japan. The findings revealed a complex, multilayered, matrix of intersecting and diverging themes and discursive discourses. At the macro level, a major finding is the significant discontinuity between internationalization and communicative English language education policy and practice in Japan, and how these are enacted at the institutional level. AFELT role and ‘place’ was perceived by participants to be mobilised in essentialist, utilitarian and symbolic terms, with AFELT value indexed to the realisation of internationalisation and marketing strategies rather than to educational outputs. Thus, a significant degree of incongruence concerning the nature, purpose and function of AFELT classes was exposed. According to participants, higher education, broadly speaking, constitutes a social rather than educational experience for many Japanese undergraduate domestic students. From AFELT’s perspective, English language classes are considered as peripheral to the function of the universities in which they work, and not essential to the internationalisation process advocated in the broad internationalisation discourse. As such, AFELT construed their role as being commodified and instrumentalised. They asserted that AFELT were not supported in, or encouraged to facilitate, the development of interculturality in the domestic student population. Yet nevertheless, the majority of participants still felt a responsibility to implement intercultural education and encourage the development of students’ ability to value diversity. At the micro level, the research identified contextual and individual affordances and constraints that impacted upon AFELT communicative English teaching. Participants’ ‘subject positioning’ was identified as a salient factor affording or constraining AFELT professional identity and practice. The research concluded by casting AFELT as aggressively asserting their agency through ‘reflexive positioning’. Through its in-depth examination of AFELT ‘place’ and ‘experience’, this dissertation makes a unique contribution to Japanese internationalisation discourse. The multiple theoretical perspectives appropriated from situative social/psychological person-in-context perspectives, Japanese culture and communication studies, cognitive linguistics, dramaturgy, and Positioning theory to explore AFELT ‘place’ and ‘experience’ provided powerful conceptual lenses to interrogate stakeholder positioning within the internationalisation space. The dissertation highlights the need for further research into: the influence of AFELT as vehicles of, and facilitators for reciprocal intercultural understanding; local cultural affordances and constraints; and, processes to evaluate and support ‘global citizenry’ as graduate outcomes in the Japanese context. Metaphorically, the experience of the Japanese university for adjunct foreign English teachers may be likened to ‘standing in the genkan’, that is, they are invited into the house but are not invited up and into the home, or beyond the confines of the genkan. As such, AFELT are socially positioned between states - neither fully ‘in’ nor ‘out’, ‘visible’ nor ‘invisible’.

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Anderson, Susan Elizabeth. "Learner strategy instruction and student uptake of strategies in a Japanese as a foreign language context." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2012. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/63676/1/Susan_Anderson_Thesis.pdf.

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The Japanese language is recognised as being more difficult than European languages, needing three times more tuition time to reach comparable levels of proficiency. Encouraging Japanese as a Foreign Language (JFL) students to become aware of, and effectively use, learner strategies is one way to assist them become more controlled, effective learners leading to enhanced language learning. This thesis investigates the development and implementation of a JFL curriculum implemented in a university course for students learning JFL. The curriculum was developed specifically to assist beginner university students with the development of learner strategies appropriate for a JFL reading context. The theoretical underpinning of the study was informed by Educational Criticism (Eisner, 1998), which aims to describe, interpret and evaluate the processes of interaction between the teacher, the learner and the curriculum and the students' learning processes in a tertiary JFL classroom. The study investigated the effect on student learning processes of a JFL reading program that incorporated explicit learner strategy instruction and identified factors that enhanced or impeded the development of learner strategy knowledge. The participants in the study were 29 students enrolled in the course, 10 of whom volunteered to undertake additional tasks, and the two teachers who implemented the curriculum. Data collection involved a number of different strategies to observe the students' participation in the classroom and learning experiences. Learning processes were investigated through TOL protocols, classroom observations, course evaluations, interviews, and learner strategy use measurement instruments (SILL, SILK and SORS) to document student uptake of learner strategies. The design of the study and its applied focus recognised my expertise as a JFL teacher, curriculum writer and researcher, an approach that aligns with the purpose of a Professional Doctorate. Four general thematics, or principles, were identified in this study: „h Explicit learner strategy instruction provides the context for students to develop awareness of learner strategies and take control of their learning; „h Collaborative learning and interaction with teachers offers students the opportunity for shared knowledge construction; „h Reflection offers teachers and students the opportunity to reflect on their own learning style and strategy knowledge, and raises awareness of other available strategies; and „h Diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds have an impact on curriculum implementation and student uptake of learner strategies. The study¡¦s methodological contribution is that it is one of the first in Australia to use Educational Criticism (Eisner, 1998) as a research methodology. The findings contribute to theoretical knowledge in the fields of Applied Linguistics, Second Language Teaching and Learning, Second Language Acquisition and JFL Teaching and Learning by offering new knowledge on the importance of learner strategies in the beginner JFL classroom, the potential of explicit strategy instruction, the value of reflection for both teachers and students, and the important role of the teacher in the process of curriculum implementation. The general principles identified and the findings of this in-depth study of a JFL classroom can be drawn upon to inform other teaching practice situations, and invite practitioners from not just Japanese, but from other language areas and other disciplines, to examine and improve their own practices, and suggest further research questions to pursue this line of enquiry.

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Ruiz, Madrid Maria Noelia. "Learner Autonomy in Computer-Assisted Language Learning. A comparative case-study of learners' behaviours in the English as a Foreign Language Context." Doctoral thesis, Universitat Jaume I, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10803/10440.

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This dissertation investigates the relationship between Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) and language-learning approaches. In this sense, Language Learning Autonomy (LLA) seems to be the most preferred candidate by researchers in order to become the suitable approach in order to make the most out of technology (Blin, 1999; Little, 2001; Littlemore, 2003; The European Directorate General of Education and Culture, 2003; sanz, 2003; Villanueva, 2003). The increasing research on this specific field and the theoretical reflections derived from it over the last decade constitutes the framework of our study. Following previous studies (Beatty, 2003; Chapelle, 2003; Alessi, 2001; Marqués, 1995, 2001; Rushby, 1997; Shin and Wastell, 1998; Blin, 1999; Holliday, 1999; Hoven, 1997, 1999; Murray, 1998; Sanz, 2003), the aim of the present study is to examine to what extent an approach to language learning autonomy from a socioconstructivist perspective can effectively inform the design of a specific language learning package taht promotes both autonomising behaviours and positive attitudes in learners. With these reflections in mind, three aspects underline the present study, namely 1) the need to carry out qualitative studies in order to inform a theoretical framework for CALL development, 2) the need to focus on the relationship between CALL and LLA and 3) the need to examine the "teachibility"of learner autonomy by means of a language learning package designed for this specific purpose. This context motivated the following actions: 1) to design a pilot application based upon autonomising criteria (TADLA: Technology Applied to the Development of Learner Autonomy); 2) to test this design with learners with a specific learner style regarding their learner autonomy degree. And finally 3) to compare the results obtained in the tests of other language learning package (Communicate and Connect, 2003).
The results obtained in the case-study confirm that the criteria upon which the design of TADLA is based could be considered the requirements that enable the integration of autonomising strategies within the learning activities. In this sense, attention to learning styles, implementation of authentic materials, the possibility of transfer and a discursive approach among others are suitable criteria for the development of attitudes that could lead to a later development of learner autonomy.

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Левенок, Інна Сергіївна, Инна Сергеевна Левенок, and Inna Serhiivna Levenok. "The Question of Quality of Teaching Ukrainian Language for Foreign Students in the Context of Intercultural Communication." Thesis, Sumy State University, 2017. http://essuir.sumdu.edu.ua/handle/123456789/67271.

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It is generally recognized, that studying abroad is always prestigious and honorable. Knowledge, practice and scientific achievements of other countries are implemented by specialist in professional field of his own country. Therefore the level of knowledge, which is received at Ukrainian higher education institutions should correspond to the level of knowledge obtained at the universities of other countries.

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Sokolova, Natalia. "Investigation of final language assessment for pre-service teachers of English in the Russian educational context : a case study." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/25486.

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This research explores the final assessment of language competence of future foreign language (FL) teachers (university graduates) in the Russian educational context. Foreign Language teacher training has always been an essential part of Russian education and its importance increased in the 1990s. Later however, with significant educational reforms at primary and secondary school level, teacher training became an area of least attention and interest from the Ministry of Education of Russia and local education authorities. This research is based on the belief that no school reforms are possible without investing in teachers and, therefore, in initial and in-service teacher education, with assessment being one of its key dimensions. The study aims to describe optimal methods of assessing language competence of novice teachers of English as a FL in Russia. For this purpose, the following objectives have been achieved: - a description of current notions of FL teacher language competence, based on analyses of previous theoretical and empirical research; - design of exam evaluation tools – 3 questionnaires and an interview framework, and their use in data collection from various stakeholders in a Russian state pedagogical university; - identification of strengths and weaknesses of the current Final language assessment; - description of possible alternative options for the Final Language Examination and discussion of their impact on different stakeholders. The research follows a mixed-methods design with both qualitative and quantitative data collected and discussed. The study involves various stakeholders at different levels and from different backgrounds – university students, Final Exam takers; Exam designers and administrators, and also teachers of English who provided their valuable vision of the current Final Language Examination and its possible alternatives. The data obtained through surveys and interviews allows for tentative conclusions on the current Language Examination’s appropriacy and relevance, and provides ground for a multi-faceted analysis of the Exam’s strong points and weaknesses, and for development of alternative assessment tasks. The research concludes by viewing possible changes in the Exam as likely and less likely to happen in the near future, based on analysis of the Russian higher education context.

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Shi, Qingquan. "Achieving interaction in listening and speaking within a Chinese cultural context." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 2001. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/2080.

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The purpose of this project is to develop heuristics and guidelines for English teachers to design appropriate courses. The exploration begins with a review of relevant literature in order to provide principles to comprise a pedagogical model. Based on that model, an instructional unit is presented that incorporates the model in a real-world context.

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Kaweian, Shenita. "Thinking and doing : an investigation of Thai preservice teachers' beliefs and practices regarding communicative language teaching in 'English as a foreign language' context." Thesis, Durham University, 2018. http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/12801/.

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This study investigates the English as a foreign language (EFL) Preservice teachers’ beliefs and practice; and their relationship; and examines the extent to which teacher education plays a role in promoting innovative teaching of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT). It focuses particularly on the context of the school-based teaching practicum in basic education level in southern Thailand. A sequential mixed approach employing quantitative and qualitative research methods was used for data collection in two stages. Stage One is based on self-survey questionnaire data from 166 Thai EFL pre-service teachers from three universities which explored their self- reported beliefs. In Stage Two, observation of English communication classes of 3 pre-service teachers were conducted in three practicum schools, in a nine - month teaching practicum course. Classroom practices were observed and documented providing further insights into their beliefs and practices regarding to CLT. Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyze the quantitative survey data. Content analysis was used to analyze the qualitative observation data. Analysis of the findings indicated that majority of the participants held positive beliefs about CLT principles and the PST cases taught differently from many of their reported beliefs. Key findings of the study confirm that the Thai EFL pre-service teachers, taught to a limited extent, in accordance with their pedagogical beliefs. Findings showed that PSTs’ instructional decision-making was central to the deep-rooted core beliefs regarding ‘accuracy is as perfect learning’. Active experimentation and self-reflection helped bridge the gap between conflicting beliefs and enhanced their effort in innovative teaching. Factors that affect CLT adoption include students’ motivation to learn and the guidance from supervisor/mentor. Implications for EFL teacher education are that PSTs should be made aware of their personal beliefs and the possible contextual constraints they face. The study suggests the consideration in the localization of the ELT reform.

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Briggs, Jessica G. "A study of the relationships between informal second language contact, vocabulary-related strategic behaviour and vocabulary gain in a study abroad context." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2014. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:e7dc69d9-09e5-4fab-b8fc-fe4682eecdfb.

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This thesis reports on a longitudinal, mixed-methods study of the relationships between informal (i.e. out-of-class) second language (L2) contact, vocabulary-related strategic behaviour and vocabulary gain in a study abroad context. The study addressed three main gaps in knowledge that arose from analysis of the literature: (1) the evidence of informal L2 contact was largely unreliable, ungeneralisable, or both; (2) the evidence of vocabulary-related strategic behaviour in informal L2 contact was neither context nor task specific; and (3) there was no evidence of the interplay between informal L2 contact, vocabulary-related strategic behaviour and vocabulary gain in a study abroad context. The sample (n=241) were adults undertaking a study abroad experience (SAE) in England, who comprised a range of nationalities and first language backgrounds and for whom the majority of the SAE was spent outside of the classroom. A vocabulary test was administered at the beginning and end of the SAE. A questionnaire was administered during the SAE to determine the most highly identified with informal L2 contact scenarios and out-of-class vocabulary-related strategies. Subsequently, an innovative research tool comprising computer-based simulations of the most identified with scenarios was developed and used as the stimulus in semi-structured interviews to capture task and/or context-specific vocabulary-related strategic behaviour. Analysis grouped participants by length of stay and location. The most highly identified with informal L2 contact scenarios involved participants seeking information from external sources, such as interlocutors, posters or websites. The vocabulary-related strategies most highly identified with by the sample pertained to the use of a newly encountered lexical item; that is, they were strategies in which the learner used or prepared to use a lexical item that they had decided to engage with strategically. The strategic behaviour manifested in response to the simulation tool (the 'OWLS') provided strong evidence in support of the fundamental considerations of task, context and intention in strategy-based research. Regression analysis revealed that informal L2 contact scenarios that were less strategically prohibitive and strategies that were less context-dependent were predictors of vocabulary gain. The pedagogical implications of these findings are far- reaching in terms of preparing L2 learners for informal contact on a SAE and guiding their manipulation of that contact for maximum linguistic gain.

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Cha, Jae Guk. "EFL in Korea : the teaching and learning of English as a foreign language in the context of South Korean culture." Thesis, University of Stirling, 1998. http://hdl.handle.net/1893/2208.

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The objective of the present research is to explore the present state of EFL (English as a foreign language) in Korean culture which is assumed to be different from that of English speaking countries, and to investigate learners' attitudes toward needs and motivation for the English language. Since it seems to be recognised that language and culture are inseparable, EFL in the Korean cultural context might reflect its own typical aspects. Chapter 1 deals with problems in EFL in Korea, and the relationship between foreign language acquisition and cultural background. The meaning of culture and its importance in a foreign language learning and teaching is elaborated. Chapter 2 reflects the characteristics of Korean culture, with an account of her history, education system and national policy of EFL. Current implementation of English language teaching at Korean universities, with its developmental history, is presented with evidences obtained from previous research. Chapter 3 reviews the theoretical literature on needs, attitudes, interest, anxiety and motivation in foreign/second language learning, since they are recognised as central to foreign language acquisition. Research studies on these variables are introduced, compared with each other and critically discussed. In Chapter 4, research questions and hypotheses are drawn, based on the theoretical framework reviewed in Chapter 3. The research design (sampling, methods of and procedures for data-collection) is elaborated. Chapter 5 begins with a description of data-interpretation methods employed in the study. Data obtained from these instruments were statistically analysed through a computer programme `SPSS'. The findings of the research are presented, followed by a discussion of the results. In Chapter 6, more detailed profiles of analysis than those given in Chapter 5 are presented. Particularly, item-by-item comparison is made between the college students' and graduates' questionnaires. Chapter 7, as a closing chapter of the present research, reviews the foregoing chapters and derives conclusions, suggesting implications for further research. Key implications arising from the research are: priority for teaching EFL from intercultural perspectives, and (so far as learners are concerned) to tolerating the new approaches to teaching that are required.

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Ortner, Gwyndolen Jeanie. "A corpus-based approach to writing in German as a foreign language in the South African tertiary context." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1021256.

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German Studies students at Rhodes University have normally never studied the German language before enrolling for the first-year course and face the challenge of a fairly rapid linguistic advancement in order to engage meaningfully with the literatures and cultures of German-speaking countries. This thesis investigates the process of teaching and learning to write in a more academic way in German as a foreign language at Rhodes University, using corpus linguistic tools for both analysis and instruction. The past 20 years have shown a shift from traditional teaching methods resting on notions of an underlying prescriptive grammar, to teaching based on insights from real-life language data (Gabrielatos, 2005; Krummes & Ensslin, 2012; Sinclair, 1997) and applications of corpora to teaching and learning have shown to be highly successful in many European contexts (Aijmer, 2010; Johns, 1991; Granger, et al., 2002; Varley, 2009). In the South African context however, this is a relatively new concept with few publications on the application of corpus linguistics to language teaching (Van Rooy, 2008), and one which does not seem to have reached its full potential. A writing course was instituted whose aim was two-fold: 1. to teach learners “every-day academic” German words (TAG words) and phrases (collocations) based on German mother-tongue corpus evidence; 2. to have learners write short assignments in German at regular intervals (Homstad & Thorson, 1996; Estes, et al., 1998); both aims with the overarching objective to improve the students’ academic register in German. After the writing course, 80% of the participants perceived that their writing had improved and specifically attributed this to the corpus-based instruction received during the writing course, and regular writing in German. Quantitative data (from the learner corpus created) shows a marked improvement in the use of the collocations taught. Moreover, participants (weaker students in particular) also found that their writing in English had improved as a result of the various exercises they had to complete as part of our German writing course.

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Quevedo, Marta. "The influence of semantic context on accentedness, comprehensibility, and intelligibility in extemporaneous foreign accented Swedish speech." Thesis, Stockholms universitet, Centrum för tvåspråkighetsforskning, 2014. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-104768.

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Bilingualism is nowadays a worldwide phenomenon due to different factors such as migration, education or political and geographical reasons. These factors have led to both individual and social bilingualism, which favor an increase of communicative encounters between native and non-native speakers of a certain language. The above situation has contributed to a growth of studies on second language acquisition. Some of these studies have focused on native speakers’ perception and understanding of the non-native speech. More specifically, perception and effectiveness of communication through the analysis of three dimensions; accentedness, comprehensibility, and intelligibility. Although these three constructs have been intensively studied, little is known about the effect of semantic context on them. To our knowledge, just two studies have analyzed the effect of semantic context on native speakers’ judgments of the three dimensions by using read material. Therefore, this thesis extends the research on the influence of semantic context over these three dimension when the auditory stimulus corresponds to spontaneous non-native speech. In this thesis, the results on accentedness, comprehensibility, and intelligibility tasks of 40 native Swedish speakers are presented. The findings showed that listeners’ perceived comprehensibility of the non-native speech is affected by the use of additional contextual information. That is, the listeners who were provided with additional visual information perceived the non-native speech as significantly easier to understand than those listeners who did not receive the extra contextual support. Furthermore, the results showed that accentedness and comprehensibility perception of the listeners is influenced by their actual understanding of the non-native speech. Finally, this thesis proves the difficulty of studying the effect of semantic context on listeners’ response to accentedness, comprehensibility, and intelligibility when using spontaneous non-native speech. The results indicate that more research on how semantic context influences the perception of extemporaneous non-native speech is needed.

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Yin, Chengbin. "Language learning strategies in relation to attitudes, motivations, and learner beliefs : investigating learner variables in the context of English as a foreign language in China /." College Park, Md.: University of Maryland, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/1903/8258.

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Thesis (Ph. D.) -- University of Maryland, College Park, 2008.
Thesis research directed by: Dept. of Curriculum and Instruction. Title from t.p. of PDF. Includes bibliographical references. Published by UMI Dissertation Services, Ann Arbor, Mich. Also available in paper.

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Sowers, Andrew Michael. "Loanwords in Context: Lexical Borrowing from English to Japanese and its Effects on Second-Language Vocabulary Acquisition." PDXScholar, 2017. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/3970.

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Research has shown that cognates between Japanese and English have the potential to be a valuable learning tool (Daulton, 2008). Yet little is known on how Japanese learners of English produce cognates in context. Recently, studies have argued that cognates can cause a surprisingly high number of syntactic errors in sentence writing activities with Japanese learners (Rogers, Webb, & Nakata, 2014; Masson, 2013). In the present study, I investigated how Japanese learners of English understood and used true cognates (words that have equivalent meanings in both languages) and non-true cognates (words where the Japanese meaning differs in various ways from their English source words). Via quasi-replication, I analyzed participants' sentences to determine the interaction of true and non-true cognates on semantics and syntax. In an experimental study, twenty Japanese exchange students filled out a word knowledge scale of thirty target words (half true cognates and half non-true cognates) and wrote sentences for the words they indicated they knew. These sentences were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively for both semantic and syntactic errors. Sentences with true cognates were semantically accurate 86% of the time, while those with non-true cognates were accurate only 62.3% of the time, which was a statistically significant difference. When the sentences were analyzed for syntax, there was no statistically significant difference in the number of errors between true and non-true cognates, which contrasts with previous research. Qualitative analysis revealed that the most problematic syntactic issue across both cognate types was using collocations correctly. Among those collocational issues, there were clear differences in the types of errors between true and non-true cognates. True cognate target words were more likely to lead to problems with prepositional collocations, while non-true cognate target words were more likely to lead to problems with verb collocations. These results suggest that for intermediate Japanese learners of English, semantics of non-true cognates should be prioritized in learning, followed by syntax of true and non-true cognates, which should be taught according to the most problematic error types per cognate status.

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Bergstrand, Nina. "Etymological Elaboration versus Written Context : A study of the effects of two elaboration techniques on idiom retention in a foreign language." Thesis, Högskolan i Halmstad, Akademin för lärande, humaniora och samhälle, 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hh:diva-33268.

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The premise that idioms are an important feature in second language learning and teaching is what underpinned the present study. The aim is to investigate what teaching method is the most effective for idiom retention; etymological elaboration or context elaboration. It is a small scale study run focusing on two groups of 9th grade students were approximately 80% of the students had Swedish as their mother tongue, whilst the remaining 20% had other languages. One group of 18 students where taught 15 opaque idioms. The idioms were presented with their etymology. The preference group consisted of 19 students and the same idioms were presented to this group in context. A pre-test was given to both groups in order to establish what idioms they already knew. A post-test was run immediately after the ecture, where the idioms were presented either in context or with their etymology, in order to determine the methods’ effect on immediate retention. After three weeks, a second post-test was run in order to discover the degree to which the idioms had reached the students’ longterm memory and compare the two teaching techniques accordingly. A questionnaire was also conducted in order to gauge out the students’ idiom awareness and to what degree they believed that the teaching method helped them to remember the idioms. The results of the study show that both teaching techniques are beneficial on idiom retention. Context elaboration, however, turned out to be most effective on immediate- and long-term retention.

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Zielonka, Bronisława. "The Role of Linguistic Context in the Acquisition of the Pluperfect : Polish Learners of Swedish as a Foreign Language." Doctoral thesis, Stockholm University, Department of Scandinavian Languages, 2005. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-532.

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This work consists of two parts: the theoretical and the experimental. In the theoretical part, some general and some language specific theories of tense, aspect and aktionsart are presented, and the temporal systems of Swedish and Polish are compared.

The theoretical part is not a mere review of the literature on the subject. The comparison of the descriptions of aspect and aktionsart by Slavic researchers with the universal theory of Smith (1991) and (1977) and with description of aktionsart in Swedish in Teleman et al. (1999) has allowed me for some important observations as to the nature of the long-lasting dispute about the differences between aspect and aktionsart.

The experimental part is a cross-sectional study on the role of the linguistic context on the acquisition of the pluperfect by Polish learners Swedish as a foreign language. The informants are university students studying Swedish as a foreign language. The language samples were collected by means of two types of tests: gap-filling and translation from Polish.

Twelve linguistic factors, each divided into two subgroups, were hypothesised to have affected the correct use of the pluperfect. All those hypotheses as to which of the subgroups may inhibit and which may facilitate the correct use of the pluperfect are grounded in linguistic theories, i.e. presented in the form of linguistically-based discussions as to what kind of effect, facilitative or inhibiting, each of the linguistic factors may have had, and why.

The effect of those factors upon the correct use of the pluperfect has been tested by means of a step-wise multiple regression which measured the simultaneous effect of each factor upon the correct use of the pluperfect. This method has confirmed the facilitative effect of the following six linguistic factors: intrasentential indication of topic time (subordinate clause), unbounded verb indicating topic time, agentive meaning of the target verb, specifying subordinate clause, statal pluperfect and location of the time of action of pluperfect clause outside the temporal frame of narrative plot.

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Mongkolhutthi, Preechaya. "Professional learning and work culture in a Thai university context : the case of English as a Foreign Language lecturers." Thesis, University of York, 2016. http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/13051/.

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This study explores the perceptions of a group of EFL lecturers in a Thai University towards professional learning and the types of learning activities they are engaged in. It also investigates the nature of their work culture. The data presented in this study are drawn from a semester-long period of qualitative field study. In essence, the data suggest that participants engaged in several types of learning activities, both inside and outside the workplace. The participants relied more on formal than on informal professional learning activities. The inequality of access to professional learning opportunities for different groups (full-time, part-time, and non-Thai lecturers) was highly noticeable. The part-time lecturers’ constraints to access learning opportunities appeared to result from the institution’s workplace policy. With regard to work culture the data suggest that the lecturers worked and learned together with their colleagues in small sub- group form. The nature of this sub-grouping behaviour has not been identified in the work culture literature to date and was termed ‘workplace-kinship’. The data further expose that participants worked in isolation (individualism) most of the time as part of their adaptive strategy. Given the findings, this study contributes to more understanding of the teacher professional learning situation in a particular Thai Higher Education institution and calls for more awareness of teacher workplace interactions, job embedded professional learning activities, and the equality of teacher professional development opportunities, particularly the visibility of part-time lecturers in the Higher Education system.

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Ko, Young-Ah. "The Effects of Pedagogical Agents on Listening Anxiety and Listening Comprehension in an English as a Foreign Language Context." DigitalCommons@USU, 2010. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/822.

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This study aimed to explore the impact of pedagogical agents in computer-based listening instruction on EFL students' listening anxiety levels and listening comprehension skills. A total of 66 Korean college students received computer-based listening instruction. Students were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: American agent condition, Korean agent condition, or no-agent condition. Additional data sources were included in the experimental design in order to investigate students' learning experience more thoroughly. Results indicated that there were no statistical differences in listening anxiety levels and listening comprehension skills between students who worked with the agent and students who worked without the agent. In addition, there was no statistical difference in listening anxiety levels between students who worked with the Korean agent and students who worked with the American agent. However, survey findings indicated a few differences between the agent condition and the no-agent condition when students were asked to describe their learning experiences. Students from both groups enjoyed the lesson overall; however, their comments revealed some differences. Students in the agent condition regarded the agent as an important contribution to their enjoyable learning experience, and specifically chose the presence of the agent as the reason they would want to work with the program again, while students in the no-agent condition mainly enjoyed the useful functions integrated into the computer-based lesson, and indicated they would work with the program again because it was interesting and helpful. Although there were no statistical differences between the groups, these results seem to illuminate that the guidance provided by the pedagogical agent during the lesson positively affected students' learning experiences, which is in line with previous study findings. The findings from the survey can also provide suggestions regarding what aspects of pedagogical agents should be kept or improved for language learning. More data would strengthen the impact of the results. However, these findings offer practical and theoretical implications for using pedagogical agents in foreign language education.

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Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Foreign language context'

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