جستجوی مقالات مرتبط با کلیدواژه "l2 learners" در نشریات گروه "ادبیات و زبان ها"

This mixed-methods research was carried out to investigate the impact of diagnostic assessment and remedial instruction to improve second/foreign language (L2) learners’ writing ability and to shed light on their perceptions towards these techniques. For this purpose, after administering the Oxford Quick Placement Test (OQPT), 60 lower-intermediate L2 learners were selected and randomly assigned into an experimental and a control group. The groups took the writing pretest and then participated in writing classes. However, only the experimental group received the diagnostic assessment and remedial instruction on their writing. At the end, both groups took the writing posttest. The researchers also developed a checklist with 20 yes/no items. They asked the participants to respond to the items based on their experience of dealing with diagnostic assessment and remedial instruction. Moreover, seven experimental group participants participated in a semi-structured interview to identify their perceptions of diagnostic assessment and remedial instruction. The results of a repeated-measures two-way ANOVA revealed the considerable outperformance of the experimental group. Furthermore, the analysis of the L2 learners’ responses to the checklist and interviews indicated that they had positive perceptions of using diagnostic assessment and remedial instruction in improving L2 learners’ writing ability.

Among four language skills, writing is a complex and demandingcognitive process.Writing is an important tool in evaluationwhere English proficiency needs to be assessed. The present study aimed to explore the impact of feedback provided by Grammarly Software compared to teachers’ feedback on the writing ability of Iranian EFL learners. Through the nonrandom sampling method, 60 intermediate male and female EFL learners were selected, then they were randomly assigned to two main groups: the experimental and control group. The participants were administered the Oxford Placement Test (OQPT), Pretest of Essay Writing, Grammarly software program, Posttest of Essay Writing, and an attitude questionnaire in ten sessions. The data gathered from the comparison of pretest and posttest revealed that the experimental group members outperformed those in the control group, meaning that the Grammarly software program positively affected the EFL learners' writing ability. The results might have implications for language teachers, learners, and materials developers.

Many students, both at tertiary and secondary level, consider writing for academic purposes as a challenging task. It is of prime importance that students have sufficient content knowledge and basic understanding of different writing strategies to write coherent and cohesive texts. This study unveils the impact of writing strategy instruction on writing strategy use and performance of 40 undergraduates enrolled in an Academic and Professional Writing course. The design of the current study was experimental and data were collected using a questionnaire and students’ essays. The results of the t-test present that writing strategies training could be imparted to the students to improve their overall writing. The treatment group showed a significant improvement in their writing performance and writing strategy use after receiving strategy instructions. The study recommends explicit writing strategy instruction be incorporated into English writing courses and learners be encouraged to use them in their writing tasks.

Although listening is a crucial skill to enhance one’s position in academia, this skill is challenging for most L2 learners. The first step to improve L2 learners’ listening skill is to figure out their listening problems and to provide them with appropriate instruction. The aim of the current study was told-fold: (1) It explored Iranian intermediate L2 learners’ listening problems, and (2) it examined the effect of metacognitive strategies’ instruction on Iranian intermediate L2 learners’ listening comprehension. Participants were a random sample of 31 intermediate L2 learners in Iran. The Oxford Placement Test (OPT) was administered to the participants to check their homogeneity. Also, the participants’ listening comprehension was pretested. After 10 treatment sessions, the participants were posttested to check the (possible) changes in their listening comprehension ability. In order to check the participants’ listening problems, they filled Liu’s (2010) Listening Comprehension Processing Problems Questionnaire. Data were analyzed through one samples t test and paired samples t test, whose results indicated that metacognitive strategies elevated the participants’ ability in terms of listening. Results revealed that the participants had problems in the steps of parsing and perception, although the problems were not significant. On the other hand, in the utilization phase, there seemed to be no problem. As a result, applying the findings of this research will help materials developers, curriculum planners, instructional decision-makers, and teachers.

Ubiquitous learning can be described as a daily learning environment supported by mobile, computers, and wireless networks to provide learning anytime and anywhere. As the concept of Ubiquitous learning is little known in Iran, this study considers a sample of Iranian EFL learners to identify the effects of different aspects of Ubiquitous learning including omnipresence, context customization, interactivity, perceived self-efficacy, and m-learning motivation that influence L2 learner’s classroom achievement. The participants included 150 high school students in Shiraz. A questionnaire adapted from Jung (2014) was the main data collection instrument used in the present study. Moreover, classroom achievement scores of the students taken from their final exam results were also analyzed. Structural equation modeling results showed that among aspects of Ubiquitous learning, omnipresence, context customization, perceived self-efficacy, and m-learning motivation affected classroom achievement but interactivity did not influence classroom achievement. The results also revealed the positive effect of integration of technology on student learning. EFL learners with a clear understanding of innovation in education are better positioned to move their efficiency and effectiveness from the traditional English learning environment to one that fully integrates learning into learners’ daily routines. The study concludes that developments in technology need to be transmitted into the pedagogical areas and carefully considered in the forms of curriculum and contents for language teaching.

The present study explored the effect of semantic priming in the resolution of ambiguous sentences containing Relative Clauses (RCs) preceded by a complex Noun Phrase (NP) by L1-Persian learners of L2 English. The type of semantic relationship examined was the one between the RC and one of the NPs in the complex NP to find out whether semantic manipulation through priming one of the NPs to the RC can affect L2 learners’ attachment preference. The participants were 60 L1-Persian learners of L2 English with different proficiency levels. In a self-paced Paraphrase Decision Task using E-prime software, their reading times and attachment preferences while reading ambiguous sentences were examined. The low-proficiency participants’ off-line (RC attachment preferences) and on-line data (reading times) were compared with off-line and on-line data obtained from high-proficiency participants. The results revealed that in both groups, semantic priming affected participants’ attachment preferences. These findings are consistent with Constraint-based Models of sentence processing, which assume that several sources of information, including semantics, are used in sentence processing. The results also support predictions of the Spreading Activation Model. There were also significant differences between the two groups, low-proficiency participants fully transferred their L1 (Persian) processing strategies to their L2 (English). However, high-proficiency participants processed sentences similarly to native English speakers even though there were still traces of their L1 parsing preferences which is consistent with Shallow Structure Hypothesis.

Self-assessment helps learners to acquire self-confidence and gives them insightful feedbacks. There is no valid self-assessment inventory for learners of English for academic purposes (EAP). This study aimed at developing an academically appropriate instrument to measure tertiary students’ English in academic situations. The study used both qualitative and quantitative methods in developing the selfassessment inventory (SAI). Sixty students were interviewed for the qualitative part of the study. For the quantitative phase, 600 students were selected through multistage random sampling. Qualitative data were analyzed by a constant comparative method. In addition, a questionnaire survey was used to assess the validity and reliability of SAI. A 41-item SAI was developed, the content validity, construct validity, and reliability of which were ensured by expert review, factor analysis, and internal consistency. This scale constitutes a validated self-assessment inventory of EAP.