Reading is an important skill for all languages and all language learning. It is a skill complex to understand, complex to teach and complex to learn. This thesis addresses the issue of reading from the reader's point of view. It provides a detailed analysis of the reading strategies used by the Yemeni learners of English at the tertiary level as they read textbooks. In doing so it draws from two domains of second/foreign language learning, viz reading and strategies. Within the framework of these two domains it focuses on readin g strategies, depending on the first part (reading) on the reader-text interaction view of reading and for the second part (strategies) on the conscious effort involved in solving a reading problem. It investigates two related aspects of the reading process: reading problems arising in the creation of meaning as far as the systemic and schematic knowledge is concerned and reading solutions as given by the reader. The concept of 'strategy' is first examined as it is found in learning and communication studies. It is then presented in reading and reading models. Studies that have addressed the issue are then reviewed. Reading strategies are investigated through a five-stage design where a different instrument is used in each stage. Subjects in each of the five stages (questionnaires, interviews, classroom observations, doze/recall tasks and verbal protocols in Li and L2) range from 60 to 100 in number, coming from two different disciplines, viz Education and Engineering. The data of the study are analysed using quantitative and qualitative techniques. The results present a picture of the strategies the readers used in reading texts in Arabic and in English in the form of some twenty-four different strategies, which are categorised as problem identifying and problem-solving ones. These strategies are then discussed with reference to the reading models presented earlier. On the basis of this, implications for theory and pedagogy are made.

Researching on the appropriateness of video materials for learners of EIL has required in-depth discussion of the role of the medium of video in the field of crosscultural communication in an EIL context - the ASEAN countries generally and Malaysia specifically. This has drawn into the picture two perspectives. The first is sociocultural; the consideration of the role of English as an International language in Malaysia and the other ASEAN countries, the recommendation of a suitable pedagogical model of speech for audio-visual materials in Malaysia, the components of cross-cultural communication that are essential for any language learner who aspires to communicate in English with persons who come from varying sociocultural backgrounds. The second perspective is that of the role of video for the teaching of intercultural language teaching. What is it in the medium that enables it to play a pivotal role in delivering the message - aspects of cross-cultural communication? These perspectives provide the background to the main research question at hand, which is, how appropriate in sociocultural content and design are ELT video materials for language learners in Malaysia? ELT video materials have been commercially produced since the mid-70's. The majority of these materials are based in Western sociocultural settings, portraying native speakers interacting with-each other. Given the dominant role of English as an international language, linking countries communicatively that otherwise would have great difficulty doing so, yet there has been minimal change in the sociocultural nature of the materials. Therefore, this research aims to investigate via critical analysis and questionnaires, the appropriateness of the sociocultural and design features of existing and potential ELT video materials for EIL language learners. The information from the two sources will, it is hoped, provide useful recommendations for the future-production of appropriate ELT video materials for EIL-language learners in Malaysia specifically and the ASEAN countries generally.

Supporting learners with a severe intellectual disability (SID) who come from diverse language backgrounds presents teachers with complex choices and decisions regarding the language(s) they use in their classrooms. Understanding teachers' perceptions in this matter can assist all role players, such as administrators and policy makers as well as auxiliary support personnel such as speech-language therapists, to support teachers in their decisions and practices. This study aimed to investigate the perceptions of foundation phase teachers in schools for learners with SID, that have high linguistic diversity, about their language practices and choices. Specifically, the study aimed to: (i) describe the language(s) teachers use with the learners in their classrooms; (ii) to describe the factors that teachers take into account when deciding on which language(s) to use with their learners; and (iii) to explore teachers' beliefs and feelings about language practices and choices for learners with SID in their classes. / Mini Dissertation (MA AAC)--University of Pretoria, 2020. / Centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (CAAC) / MA (AAC) / Unrestricted

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Education in partial fulfilment of the Degree of Masters of Education in the Department of Educational Psychology and Special Needs at the University of Zululand, 2017 / This study is a descriptive survey designed to investigate challenges teachers encounter in teaching English reading and writing in the uThungulu District schools. This study comprised 44 teachers who were purposely sampled on grounds of availability. Views were sampled through the use of a self-made questionnaire. This study addressed three research questions, namely: (i) what are the challenges teachers encounter in teaching reading in the Intermediate Phase? (ii) what are challenges teachers encounter in teaching writing in the Intermediate Phase? (iii) what factors contribute to difficulties in teaching English reading and writing in the Intermediate Phase? The study used a qualitative and quantitative questionnaire and the survey design. Data were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) resulting in descriptive data. The findings of the study revealed that teachers were faced with numerous challenges which included, among others, learners who are unable to read and construct complete sentences, their inability to write as characterised by errors in spelling and poor punctuation. In addition to these challenges, mother tongue interference, teaching methods used by teachers, and overloading of the curriculum were also experiences of the teachers. Another salient finding was the lack of support for teachers from both the department and parents. Recommendations made from the study were that teachers need to be trained in efficient methods of teaching reading and writing. Teachers also need to be trained in identifying learners with special needs as early as possible and refer them accordingly. Workshops and campaigns designed by the department of education need to be planned and conducted early in the year and need to be implemented in manageable packages. Teachers need to be equipped on how to encourage their learners to read for pleasure and provide reading material that is interesting to their learners.

Over the past 25 years, research on the effectiveness of new technologies in teaching has been constantly evolving as teachers try to keep up with educational trends. With the current evolution of technology, it is important to find out how students feel about the use of technologies in both the classroom setting and the non-traditional learning environment. The objective of this project is to determine which applications the students of French 1010 (first semester of college-level French) at the University of North Texas use for language learning to supplement and reinforce the concepts learned in class. Two questions guided this project: (1) what are the new technologies that students in French 1010 use? and (2) if UNT were to implement hybrid classes, would students be interested in taking them? In order to answer these questions, a survey was distributed to 184 students of French 1010 at UNT during the fall 2019 semester. From these surveys, 100 were selected for analysis in the present study, and three students were interviewed as a way to collect additional data. The results of the survey showed that Duolingo was the most used application for language learning purposes, while the interviews showed that the students would be open to the possibility of taking hybrid classes. From these results arise questions related to ways in which mobile applications can be effectively incorporated in language classrooms.

Este trabalho tem por objetivo a reflexão sobre uma alternativa de ensino e aprendizagem de Língua Portuguesa no Fundamental II cujo foco esteja no desenvolvimento efetivo das habilidades de leitura, oralidade e escrita por meio de atividades lúdicas. Para tanto, pautou-se pela experiência bem sucedida com esse tipo de recurso no ensino e aprendizagem de Língua Inglesa, notadamente em cursos de idiomas, cuja orientação metodológica é a Abordagem Comunicativa, e, em especial, o Task-based Language Teaching. O conceito de jogo aqui empregado provém das obras de Huizinga (2004), Wittgenstein (1975) e Brougère (1995, 1999), enquanto a relação entre jogo e Educação foi discutida tendo em vista as considerações de Kishimoto (1992, 1994, 1998, 2001, 2007), Brougère (1995, 1999) e Macedo, Petty e Passos (2005), e entre jogo e língua estrangeira, por Crookall e Oxford (1990) e Bullards (1990). Discutiu-se as abordagens e metodologias mais difundidas no Brasil (FERRO, 1998; RODRIGUES, 2005; BERGO E GOMES, 1985) com a finalidade de se contextualizar a utilização do jogo no Task-based Language Teaching (ELLIS, 2003). A análise do que se compreende como tarefa central do ensino e aprendizagem de Língua Portuguesa privilegiou quatro pontos de vista distintos: o da tradição escolar, dos resultados das avaliações do ensino Fundamental, da perspectiva oficial (PCN) e dos estudos lingüísticos voltados à Educação. Partindo desse referencial teórico, realizou-se em duas etapas uma pesquisa de cunho etnográfico. A Primeira Entrada em Campo consistiu na observação de aulas de Língua Portuguesa e de Língua Inglesa extracurricular em um colégio particular em São Paulo. Objetivou-se verificar como tem sido a prática efetiva nessas disciplinas com relação ao uso de jogos em sala de aula, concluindo-se que 60% do tempo das aulas observadas de Língua Inglesa foram ocupados por atividades lúdicas, enquanto, a rigor, nenhuma atividade desse caráter ocorreu na de Língua Portuguesa. Na Segunda Entrada em Campo realizou-se um minicurso de leitura, oralidade e escrita, ministrado pela pesquisadora a alunos da rede pública de ensino, no qual verificou-se as possibilidades reais de sucesso de uma metodologia de Língua Portuguesa cuja prática considerasse as atividades lúdicas como uma alternativa ao excesso de atividades metalingüísticas revelados por estudos de Neves (2003) e Semeghini- Siqueira (1998, 2006a). O referencial metodológico para a elaboração das aulas do minicurso pautou-se pelos conceitos de Avaliação Diagnóstica e Formativa (SEMEGHINI-SIQUEIRA, 1997, 2002) e Seqüência Didática (SCHNEUWLY; DOLZ; NOVERRAZ, 2007) como forma de estruturação para atividades lingüísticas e epilingüísticas (SEMGHINI-SIQUEIRA, 1977, 1997, 2001, 2005, 2006b, 2006c; FRANCHI, 1991; GERALDI, 1985, 1991, 2002; TRAVAGLIA, 1996; POSSENTI, 1996), organizadas em torno do gênero textual entrevista. A inserção de atividades lúdicas que privilegiaram diversas habilidades e diferentes formas de abordagem da língua resultou em um aprendizado mais significativo e eficiente do que aquele observado em aulas de Língua Portuguesa cujas atividades restringem-se apenas às metalingüísticas. / This dissertation aims at reflecting upon an alternative to Portuguese learning and teaching in Middle school1 in which the focus is the development of the proficiency in reading, writing and speaking by means of game-like activities. Therefore, it bears resemblance to the highly successful experience conducted by English courses in line with the Communicative Approach, specially, those of Task-based Language Teaching orientation. The concept of game hereafter presented comes from the works of Huizinga (2004), Wittgenstein (1975) and Brougère (1995, 1999), meanwhile the relationship between games and education relies upon the considerations of Kishimoto (1992, 1994, 1998, 2001, 2007), Brougère (1995, 1999) and Macedo, Petty e Passos (2005); as for games and second language learning and teaching, by Crookall and Oxford (1990) and Bullards (1990). Approaches and methodologies with a greater importance in the Brazilian context (FERRO, 1998; RODRIGUES, 2005; BERGO E GOMES, 1985) were discussed in order to provide background information on the usage of games in Task-based Language Teaching (ELLIS, 2003). Four points of view were privileged to the analysis of the main reasons for learning and teaching Portuguese: the schooling tradition, the results of the evaluation conducted to measure the performance of the students enrolled on the Middle school, the official perspective (PCN) and the linguistic studies related to Education. Having this theoretical scope in mind, two different pieces of ethnographic research were conducted. The first one consisted of the observation of both Portuguese and English (extracurricular) classes at a private school in São Paulo, so that it would be possible to verify whether their delivery has really been taking into consideration the use of games or not. It was reached the conclusion that 60% of the time spent in the English classes observed were on game activities. On the other hand, none activity was observed during the Portuguese class. In the SECOND FIELD STUDY, there was a mini-course of reading, writing and speaking, taught by the researcher, in which students from a public school in São Paulo participated in. Its main objective was to access the real possibilities of success in teaching Portuguese by making use of game activities instead of the metalinguistic ones, pointed as the major resource for Portuguese classes by Neves (2003) and Semeghini-Siqueira (1998, 2006a). The methodological reference for the mini-course is based upon the concepts of \"Avaliação Diagnóstica e Formativa\" (SEMEGHINI-SIQUEIRA, 1997, 2002) and \"Seqüência Didática\" (SCHNEUWLY; DOLZ; NOVERRAZ, 2007) as a means of structuring the linguistic and epilinguistic activities (SEMGHINI-SIQUEIRA, 1977, 1997, 2001, 2005, 2006b, 2006c; FRANCHI, 1991; GERALDI, 1985, 1991, 2002; TRAVAGLIA, 1996; POSSENTI, 1996) around the interview genre. As a result, the game activities carried out in the Portuguese classes held by the mini-course proved to be very effective, therefore the learning was enriched by the variety of approaches as well as the range of skills involved in performing the tasks.

This study investigated the perceptions of teachers of the Junior High and the Senior High Schools on the Communicative Language Teaching ( CLT ) in Irian Jaya province, Indonesia. Forty- six participants were involved in this study, i.e., twenty JHS teachers, twehty SHS teachers, four headmasters and two supervisors. Three instruments: questionnaire, interview and field study were employed to collect the data. Interviews and field study were carried out by the researcher in Indonesia. Spearman's rho was used to correlate answers about teaching principles of CLT and chi-square tests were used to examine responses on the relevance of subjects and the influence of the course on professional knowledge and teaching skills. The participants' opinion on the most and the least useful units was discussed based on the calculated frequency. The problems faced by the participants in implementing CLT were analyzed. The benefits of CLT were analysed and categorized into positive and negative points. Results indicated that both teaching levels have positive perceptions on CLT. Both groups showed an overall similarity in problems faced in their teaching, on the usefulness and the relevance of units presented in the Teacher Training despite some minor differences. It is argued that it is necessary for the teachers to give consideration to the teaching of vocabulary. It is also desirable to train the teachers to design tests which are valid and reliable.

In this qualitative study based on constructivist learning theory, nine intermediate level university students of German were observed as they read foreign language texts on the Internet. Through observations, as well as think-aloud protocols and semi-structured interviews, the study identified Internet reading strategies the students used, and determined the difficulties they encountered in Internet reading activities. The observed strategies were related to four different types of reading tasks the students had to complete and to the language levels of the students. The four task types included: (a) scanning for specific information, (b) skimming and summary writing, (c) detailed reading and text comparison, and (d) observing linguistic phenomena in a text. The research questions arose from the observation that, while the Internet has a positive influence on motivation, independent learning and cultural understanding (Alm-Lequeux, 2001; Brandl, 2002; Chapelle, 2000; Lee, 1997), the literature also talks of frustration on the part of the students, and of students being overwhelmed by foreign language Internet pages (Kubota, 1999; Rüschoff & Wolff, 1999; Shetzer & Warschauer, 2000). This frustration is hypothesized to be due to the fact that Internet texts are authentic texts written for readers in the target culture, and have not been adjusted to the linguistic and cultural knowledge level of foreign language students. There is still little empirical research on the specific ways students deal with these difficulties while completing Internet reading tasks. The present study was carried out with the aim of shedding light on the Internet reading process for pedagogical purposes. The think-aloud technique of data collection permitted a deeper understanding and a more precise description of this special type of reading than would have been possible with interviews alone. The data analysis revealed eight key factors playing a role in foreign language Internet reading: course performance level, background knowledge, motivation, strategic reading, computer skills, problem-solving style, hypertext structure, and type of task. These factors lead to pedagogical implications for designing suitable Internet tasks for foreign language students, and for scaffolding the foreign language Internet reading process.

No description available.

This study aims to investigate Turkish teachers&rsquo / opinions and beliefs on the place of target cultural information in English language teaching, as well as their related practices and applications in EFL classrooms in Turkish higher education context. Particularly, it tries to explore three research questions: (a) How do Turkish teachers of English define culture? (b) What are the EFL teachers&rsquo / attitudes towards incorporating cultural information into their teaching? and (c) What role do they allocate to the culture of the target language in their classrooms? Data was collected from 98 randomly selected EFL teachers in the Preparatory (Hazirlik) Programs of four universities (Hacettepe University, Middle East Technical University, Ankara University, and Baskent University) in Ankara. A written survey questionnaire, including structured items, a rating scale and a Likerttype attitude scale, together with a follow-up interview were used as the two data collection methods. The analyses were carried out by frequency counts of the predetermined choices in the items and the related responses that were given to questions of the interview. The study shows that teachers mostly define culture in the sociological sense, such as values and beliefs. Their definition of culture in the framework of ELT slightly shifts towards more visible culture, such as food and clothing. The study also reveals teachers&rsquo / positive attitudes towards incorporating cultural information in their instruction. Teachers incorporate cultural knowledge to increase the learners&rsquo / awareness of other cultures and people for intellectual development, and to improve learners&rsquo / communicative competence.