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In an era of increased global investment in the use of technology in education generally, Saudi Arabia has intensified its quest to incorporate E-learning as a supplementary tool for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) at the high school levels. The benefits of this paradigm shift are obvious because the growth of the Internet and the proliferation of computers appear to have had a direct impact on the steady increase in popularity of E-learning, especially for EFL, in Saudi Arabia. This research is premised on the assumption that the successful implementation of E-learning in Saudi Arabia will require the readiness of students and teachers in particular, ahead of the adoption and use of the technology for teaching and learning. This study adopts a mixed method approach using both qualitative and quantitative methods at three stages in order to achieve distinct research objectives. The first stage of the research involved qualitative interviews with students and teachers that explored the underlying factors of readiness of students and English teachers. The second stage of the research involved surveys with students and English teachers that examined their current level of readiness, as well as any age and/or gender differences in their readiness to use E-learning as a supplementary tool for EFL in Saudi Arabia. The third and final stage involved in-depth qualitative interviews with national and regional government officials as well as heads of families in order to develop a deeper understanding of the current level of readiness for students and English teachers. Overall, the present study provides an alternative perspective to understanding the readiness of students and teachers to use E-learning, particularly in the Saudi context. The study establishes that in developing societies where institutions are less established and considered thinner, the introduction of E-learning in such societies will require more than the availability of financial resources and political will. The research outcome demonstrates that the readiness of students and teachers for E-learning in Saudi Arabia is indicated mainly by a set of underlying personal factors which are influenced by a set of external factors. In terms of the current level of readiness of the respondents, there is a mixed outcome. Further, there are also some differences and similarities in the readiness of respondents to use E-learning for EFL based on age and gender. Finally, this study contributes to the existing body of international literature on E-learning readiness by proposing an expansive new framework that takes into account both personal and external factors in exploring readiness. More so, the propose new framework incorporates the significant role the wider cultural and social context plays as well as the importance of gender issues and their particular centrality in the Saudi context in relation to individual and organisational E-learning readiness.

The native language of South Korea has come to contain a linguistic subset consisting of English and European loanwords and pseudo-loanwords. The notion that the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learner is immersed in such a lexicon, and that this terminology can be utilized to effectively assist target language (Standard American English) vocabulary acquisition by the false-beginner through Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL), was evaluated and examined. The empirical investigation employed a within-methods (i.e. experiment and survey) design. To this end, the researcher developed and deployed multimedia-based learning environments to empirically test research suppositions. In particular, to examine how the student’s knowledge of English words adapted for use in the South Korean vernacular – loanwords – is affected by their attitudes towards computerized instruction, their preference for certain methods of learning and teaching, and also by the attributes of computerized instructional packages. Ultimately, a method of instruction grounded in both CALL and linguistic theory was developed and its effectiveness for use with South Korean EFL learners in a university English program setting assayed. Scholarly accounts of the South Korean cultural learning style were also taken into consideration, and the implications such accounts hold for the implementation of CALL initiatives scrutinized. / The findings of this study are significant at the administrative, practitioner, and field level. Research outcomes indicate (a) computer use did not bias results obtained through CALL: (b) use of the L1 (first language) to assist foreign language acquisition produced positive learning gains, albeit marginal and limited, as evidenced by the persistent difficulty learners had in building new form-meaning connections between pseudo-loanwords in South Korean and English-equivalents; and, (c) multimedia-based learning developed on cultural and classroom expectations of learners, as found in the literature, was not as successful as that it was contrasted against. Consequently, results of the research come to support usability of CALL in the tertiary education sector, the existence of a ‘stabilized interlanguage’ on the South Korean peninsula and the need to re-profile the South Korean cultural learning style and student classroom expectations that pertain to EFL.

This dissertation investigates an area of notorious difficulty for learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) within the framework of Cognitive Linguistics. Research from previous studies has indicated that phrasal verb learning may be more effective if a Cognitive Linguistic approach is adopted. However, the quantitative and qualitative research in this dissertation demonstrates that the approach, once integrated into a regular, classroom-based EFL programme, does not consistently yield significant learning gains. Further qualitative investigations highlighted the fact that the benefits of the approach have less to do with the Cognitive Linguistic explanations than with their compatibility with other learning strategies, such as employing imagery and grouping information. In addition, the approach is most suited to phrasal verbs that are already partially familiar to students. However, for other phrasal verbs the Cognitive Linguistic approach may even impede learning. In addition, the implications for phrasal verb pedagogy are then presented and discussed.

This dissertation investigates an area of notorious difficulty for learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) within the framework of Cognitive Linguistics. Research from previous studies has indicated that phrasal verb learning may be more effective if a Cognitive Linguistic approach is adopted. However, the quantitative and qualitative research in this dissertation demonstrates that the approach, once integrated into a regular, classroom-based EFL programme, does not consistently yield significant learning gains. Further qualitative investigations highlighted the fact that the benefits of the approach have less to do with the Cognitive Linguistic explanations than with their compatibility with other learning strategies, such as employing imagery and grouping information. In addition, the approach is most suited to phrasal verbs that are already partially familiar to students. However, for other phrasal verbs the Cognitive Linguistic approach may even impede learning. In addition, the implications for phrasal verb pedagogy are then presented and discussed.

Recent years have seen the emergence of Web 2.0 in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teaching and learning, in which students are exposed to an online space where they are not only passive recipients of the featured content but actively engaged in a dynamic interaction and construction of their knowledge and understanding. This study illuminates the nature of Web 2.0 technology integration in EFL writing and examines how the interactive and collaborative features of blogs and wikis were incorporated into an undergraduate writing course in Taiwan. This study adopted mixed research methods to explore the pre-determined dimensions and underlying factors related to and influencing learner satisfaction. A total of 37 Taiwanese EFL students were recruited. At the end of the writing course, they filled out the demographic and learner satisfaction survey online. Sixteen students and the instructor took part in the interviews. The quantitative data were collected from the survey and writing test scores, while the qualitative data were collected from retrospective interviews, online archived assignments, course-related materials, and observations. Correlation analysis was applied to identify the association between the different dimensions and factors with learner satisfaction. Descriptive statistics, interview data and writing test scores were analyzed to determine the impact of the different factors on learner satisfaction. Dimensions and factors correlated with learner satisfaction include: (1) course dimension—course effectiveness; (2) technology dimension—perceived usefulness (of wikis), perceived usefulness (of blogs), perceive ease of use (for blogs); (3) environmental dimension—learner community support, peer assessment system (for wikis); and, (4) instructor dimension—instructor feedback timeliness. No factors in the learner dimension were found to be associated with learner satisfaction. According to the instructor and students' reflections, the technology background of Taiwanese university students, and their learning needs and culture can explain the findings related to their satisfaction with the blog- and wiki-supported writing course. In light of the findings, several implications are drawn for instructional design, classroom practice and research methods in EFL writing. / text

The teaching practices of English reading in Indonesia provide limited opportunities for students to engage actively with texts to foster comprehension. Teaching reading through the use of self-questioning strategy has been shown to be an effective approach to improve students’ levels of questioning that promotes reading comprehension. However, for this to occur, teachers need a more effective self-questioning strategy to use it with their students. This study investigates the development of teachers’ and students’ self-questioning strategy use, the challenges faced by teachers, and the assistance that they need to implement it. The effects of the implementation of self-questioning strategy on students’ skills in generating questions about English passages are also examined. This study was conducted in Samarinda, the capital of East Kalimantan, Indonesia, where English is a foreign language to Indonesian speakers. Three teachers and their Grade 11 classes from three different secondary schools participated in a multiple-site case study which was employed to generate rich explanatory data across sites. Data were gathered from both teachers and students in the form of observations, field-notes, interviews and reflective journals. Audio and video recordings of classes and teaching of English reading were used to support the data collection. The teachers were subsequently trained in a workshop in the use of self-questioning strategy with guidelines for the use of different levels of questions based on Bloom’s taxonomy. The teachers then implemented the self-questioning strategy with students in their classrooms. Two levels of analysis were applied in this multiple-site case study. Within site study analysis involved organising the data to search for patterns for each site. Across-site study analysis was then applied to generate themes, knowledge, concepts, and connections between variables and across the study sites before triangulation with other sources of data was undertaken to draw conclusions. The findings from this study show that teachers relied on textbooks for pedagogies for teaching reading and for the kinds of questions they asked to assist in reading comprehension. This meant that both teachers and students were exposed mainly to low level questions. Thus, they faced challenges in generating high level questions in these conditions, and required assistance in order to do this. The results reveal that both teachers and students perceived that they gained benefits from the application of the self-questioning strategy. Some factors that contributed to the effectiveness of the implementation of the self-questioning strategy in this EFL context were teachers’ knowledge and confidence, the abilities of students, the nature of the class, the supportive learning environment, and sufficient time for implementation. The implications for future research included the need to examine the self-questioning strategy in a longitudinal study, and the need to focus on students’ understanding and transfer of learning to other contexts. More generally, this study shows that the self-questioning strategy can be implemented effectively in reading lessons in Grade 11 classes in an Indonesian context. The findings of the study reveal that as well as improving teachers’ and students’ abilities to generate questions about English passages, the use of self-questioning also promotes the development of a more learner-centred approach in EFL and assists teachers to ask questions in their classrooms that go beyond those provided in the textbooks. The findings suggest that research in self-questioning strategy needs to be expanded and continued because this study has shown the potential of the strategy to enhance students’ engagement in learning and potentially to foster improvements in reading comprehension.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T20:25:04Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2771.pdf: 10882459 bytes, checksum: 801d88f64d272c2fa1574fb040c74758 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-08-31 / This research was motivated by debates against and in support of grammar instruction in English as Foreign Language (EFL)/ English as a Second Language (ESL) teaching. Some studies, opposed to explicit grammatical instruction, do not believe that formal grammar lessons can develop the ability of using the target-language into spontaneous communication. They also advocate that grammar instruction can only develop short term declarative knowledge of grammar. On the other hand, this investigation aimed to observe the results of a one semester EFL course focused on form, whose purpose was to evaluate participants ability to use target language in communicative activities. The study is based on Batstone s (1994) noticing activities, which means attention to and manipulation of form. We also proposed meaning-focused communicative tasks. It is a qualitative study based on observing the process of accuracy development through multiple tests: before, during and after the grammar-focused intervention. According to Ortega & Iberri-Shea (2005), a 6 month period is enough to classify it as a longitudinal research. The study was developed into a high school first grade classroom of a semi-private school. The 20 participants, aged between 14 and 16, were exposed to grammar as Batstone suggests. The target-language item was the simple present, defined after a diagnostic test. / Este estudo partiu da discussão acerca da inclusão/ exclusão da gramática no currículo de ensino de línguas estrangeiras ou de segunda língua (doravante LE e L2). Algumas propostas, contrárias a qualquer foco consciente na forma, negam a possibilidade de que a atenção à estrutura da língua possa resultar em uso de formas-alvo em situações espontâneas de comunicação. Afirmam ainda que resultados positivos do ensino da gramática só podem ser observados em avaliações que meçam conhecimento metalinguístico em curto prazo. Na contramão a essas afirmações, o objetivo desse estudo foi observar os resultados obtidos em um semestre de um curso de inglês como LE com foco na forma, cuja avaliação mediu a automatização de formas linguísticas específicas, em um contexto de comunicação que requereu, não explicitamente, seu uso. Para tal, seguimos, sobretudo, a proposta de Batstone (1994), denominada pelo autor de noticing, que prevê a atenção à forma e sua manipulação ativa. Além desse enfoque, a intervenção foi organizada a partir da discussão de temas e foram propostas atividades comunicativas, com foco no sentido. Trata-se de um estudo qualitativo, que observou o processo de desenvolvimento da acuidade linguística em avaliações múltiplas, ou seja, com a coleta de dados em diferentes momentos desse desenvolvimento, a saber: antes, durante e após o período de intervenção, que foi de 6 meses. De acordo com Ortega e Iberri-Shea (2005), esse período de observação parece ser suficiente para caracterizar a pesquisa como longitudinal. O contexto da pesquisa foi o ambiente instrucional de uma sala de aula do primeiro ano do ensino médio de uma escola semiprivada. Os participantes, 20 alunos cuja idade varia entre 14 e 16 anos, foram expostos à estrutura-alvo segundo a proposta de Batstone. Essa estrutura foi o presente simples, estrutura definida como necessária após a aplicação de avaliação diagnóstica.

Even though vocabulary skills are the essential key to achieving proficiency in a target language, there are some students who do not like reading. Thus, the purpose of this study is the potential use of digital technology for facilitating and motivating reading and vocabulary building in English. Thanks to technological innovations, children and young people are reading and writing in many ways and digital tools have become a part of everyday life for children and adults. Since 2018, the schools in Sweden have been preparing for the first digital national tests that will be taken in the year 2023. The Swedish National Agency for Education (Skolverket) has highlighted the importance of digital tools and the competence that is needed for teachers so that the students will be able to pass and succeed in their education. Digital tools in schools all around the world have become an essential tool in the classroom, especially in Sweden.    Ultimately, this critical literature review investigates whether the use of digital texts in the ESL (English as a Second Language) and EFL (English as a Foreign Language) classroom can help students improve and build their vocabulary as well as motivate children to read. It also examines the advantages, disadvantages, and effectiveness of using vocabulary learning in the classroom to motivate students to read more. The goal is to motivate students to read more so that they will be able to practice reading independently and, thus, become fluent readers. The results indicate that it is crucial that teachers improve their competence in digital technology.    Key terms: Digital, reading, books, motivation, English as a second language (ESL), English as a foreign language (EFL).

ABSTRACTThis study is an investigation of Japanese university students’ use of metacognitive knowledge for reading an English narrative text for general comprehension and their inference generation while reading. Research in second language (L2) reading and reading comprehension has advanced over the past three and half decades (Grabe & Stoller, 2020). Many studies focusing on L2 reading comprehension have shed light on the strong correlation of linguistic knowledge such as vocabulary and syntax with reading comprehension (e.g., Jeon & Yamashita, 2014). In addition, the literature on L2 reading has shown a strong interest in the role of higher-order processing and metacognition. However, there is a paucity of research on higher-order processing and metacognitive knowledge in L2 reading in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) contexts. With these gaps in mind, this study draws on Flavell’s (1979) model of cognitive monitoring and Nelson and Narens’ (1990) model of metacognition. It also draws on Kintsch’s (1988) Construction-Integration (CI) Model that elaborately describes the process of reading comprehension. Ten intermediate- and advanced-proficiency Japanese EFL learners voluntarily participated in this multiple case study, read a narrative text for general comprehension, and reported on their reading. The data collected from the participants’ course assignments, class oral presentation, class discussion, semi-structured interviews, and the think aloud and stimulated recall protocols were transcribed and coded for analysis. The transcribed data together with the written data were analyzed thematically clustering the data into categories manually using Flavell’s (1979) framework of metacognitive knowledge, person, task, and strategy, and by the types of inferences made. This study provides a descriptive account of the participants and contributes to the literature on EFL learners’ strategy use, metacognition, and inference-making in L2 reading. The findings reveal that intermediate- and advanced-proficiency Japanese EFL learners used strategies in combination to solve the difficulties they encountered, and metacognitive strategies to monitor and evaluate their strategy use while reading. Accordingly, this study supports the conclusion that metacognitive strategies are essential to self-regulated reading to achieve comprehension. In addition, the participants’ positive beliefs about themselves as EFL learners appeared to positively contribute to their motivation to read. In particular, their beliefs about good L2 readers helped them set goals with regards to the areas that they problematized. For example, the participants aspired to read faster because they recognized that their present L2 reading speed was slow. The findings also provide a detailed account of how readers constructed situation models for their reader comprehension. In particular, re-reading helped enhance participants’ ability to draw inferences, identify causal relationships, remove irrelevant or contradictory elements, and integrate relevant background knowledge to the textbase in the interest of updating their situation models. The rich description of the multiple cases in this study contributes to our understanding of difficulties intermediate- and advanced-proficiency Japanese EFL learners encounter while reading, how they use strategies to address them, how they draw inferences to connect information, and how they evaluate their comprehension on an ongoing basis. / Teaching & Learning