scholarly journals The effects of speaking task types and Korean EFL learners’ English proficiency level on online speaking performance.

2014 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 106-131
Author(s):  
최윤희
Keyword(s):  
English Proficiency ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Proficiency Level ◽  
Speaking Performance ◽  
Task Types ◽  
Korean Efl Learners ◽  
Speaking Task

scholarly journals Is there a Relationship between Shyness and English Proficiency Level of Bilingual and Monolingual EFL Learners

2014 ◽  
Vol 33 ◽  
pp. 50-62
Author(s):  
Hamedreza Kohzadi ◽  
Fatemeh Aziz Mohammadi ◽  
Fatemeh Samadi
Keyword(s):  
English Proficiency ◽  
Bilingual Students ◽  
Language Competence ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Linguistic Resources ◽  
Proficiency Level ◽  
The One ◽  
Complex Phenomena ◽  
Age Range

It would be mention that bilingualism can be defined in different ways. For example, Maleki (2011) asserted that individual level includes consecutive or simultaneous learning which involves the content of achievement, ability, language competence and proficiency. However, social level contains complex phenomena of minority and migrants and focuses some matters like domain and diglossia. These are useful in interpreting the various ways that linguistic resources are organized in multilingual communities. In these communities, there are some phenomena like transfer, borrowing, code switching and interference. The current study seeks to examine the effects of the role of shyness in English proficiency level of Bilingual EFL Learners in Komijan (in the province of Markazi) and Monolingual EFL learners in Arak (in the province of Markazi). The number of subjects were 98 and all of them were male. The age range of learners was 12 to 15. Thus, Revised Cheek and Buss Shyness Scale (RCBS) was used to measure the shyness level of both bilingual and monolingual learners. Results of the One-way ANOVA indicated that different level of shyness was not significant among bilingual and monolingual learners. It also indicated that bilingual students outperformed monolingual students in General English Proficiency.

scholarly journals Derivational Complexity in EFL Learners’ Development of Bi-clausal Wh-questions

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 146
Author(s):  
Jung-Tae Kim
Keyword(s):  
English Proficiency ◽  
Developmental Process ◽  
Production Task ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Wh Questions ◽  
Korean Learners ◽  
Korean Efl Learners

This paper aims to investigate Korean learners’ interlanguage with respect to the production of English bi-clausal wh-questions. One hundred seven adult Korean-speaking learners of English in three proficiency groups took part in a production task designed to elicit English bi-clausal wh-questions. The study specifically asked what interlanguage structures Korean EFL learners would produce and whether the structures would change as learners’ English proficiency advances. The results revealed that Korean EFL learners produced a range of alternative bi-clausal structures, including wh-scope marking, silent scope marking, wh-scope marking with embedded wh-in-situ, L1 clause order, and wh-about-wh type constructions. Comparison of three proficiency groups showed that as the learners’ English proficiency increases, they tend to produce an increasing number of derivationally more complex alternatives. It is argued that derivational complexity plays a role in the developmental process of Korean EFL learners’ interlanguage for bi-clausal wh-questions.

scholarly journals The Role of Learners’ Attitudes Toward Parental Involvement in L2 English Learning

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 18
Author(s):  
Jung-Tae Kim ◽  
Rusty Barrett
Keyword(s):  
Parental Involvement ◽  
South Korea ◽  
English Proficiency ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
English Learning ◽  
Negative Attitudes ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Korean Efl Learners

This paper seeks to examine Korean EFL learners’ perceptions of parental involvement and how their attitudes toward parental involvement are associated with the success of parental involvement. Two hundred fifty four EFL children in South Korea participated in a survey asking the degree of their parent’s involvement in seven involvement types and their attitudes towards parental involvement. The results showed that while all types of parental involvement were positively correlated with English proficiency for the group of children with positive attitudes towards parental involvement, no such correlations were found for the group of children with highly negative attitudes. In addition, for the group of children with moderately negative attitudes toward parental involvement, only less direct, autonomy-supportive parental involvement was found to be related to their achievement. These results suggest that learners’ attitudes toward parental involvement may be a factor that delimits the positive influence of parental involvement on EFL learners’ achievement.

scholarly journals The Comprehension of English Relative Clauses by Arabic-Speaking EFL Learners

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 192
Author(s):  
Sofia Sabahat Khan ◽  
Lubaba Abdul-Salam Al-Namer
Keyword(s):  
Relative Clauses ◽  
English Proficiency ◽  
Syntactic Structure ◽  
Choice Test ◽  
Relative Pronoun ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Proficiency Level ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Arabic Speaking ◽  
English Relative Clauses

This study investigates the extent to which 50 Arabic-speaking EFL learners comprehend English relative clauses (RCs). It also aims to test which relative pronoun among the seven pronouns we are investigating is the easiest to comprehend and which is the most problematic. Furthermore, it aims to measure whether the English proficiency level of the participants affects their performance on the test. Therefore, a multiple-choice test was administered in order to examine their comprehension of this complex syntactic structure.  The participants were asked to choose the correct answer out of four choices. The results demonstrate that Arabic-speaking EFL learners may not be fully aware of English relative clauses (total percentage= 48.5%). The t-test shows that the English proficiency level affected the participants’ performance on the test. Consequently, there is a significant difference between the answers of the advanced learners (ALs) (61.3%) and those of the intermediate learners (ILs) (35.6%). Moreover, the results reveal that the easiest relative pronoun to comprehend is the pronoun when, and the most difficult one is the pronoun whom. This study accounts for these difficulties and concludes with pedagogical implications and recommendations for further research. 

scholarly journals The effects of a narrative structure and English proficiency on university students’ speaking performance: Pausing patterns

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eri Kurniawan ◽  
Eka Parwati
Keyword(s):  
English Proficiency ◽  
Narrative Structure ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Oral Performance ◽  
Oral Fluency ◽  
Proficiency Level ◽  
Equivalent Test ◽  
Speaking Performance ◽  
English Students ◽  
The Relationship

Literature has shown that a narrative structure and narrative complexity factor into the speaking performance of L2 learners, especially those of lower-proficiency level of various L1 backgrounds (e.g., see Tavakoli & Foster, 2008). However, little research has looked at the issue with Indonesian-speaking learners of English. In order to fill this empirical void, this study examines the relationship between a narrative structure, English proficiency (intermediate and upper-intermediate), and the distributions of mid-pause of English students when performing a picture-assisted story narration task in English. Informed by a quantitative approach, data were collected from spoken texts drawn from a picture-assisted narrating task of 40 participants majoring in English at a university in Indonesia. The participants’ speeches were transcribed, and the mid-pauses produced by the participants were analyzed using a paired t-test. The English proficiency levels were determined by a standardized TOEFL-equivalent test the participants took at a language center. Results reveal that (1) the participants produced more mid-pauses when performing a tight structured narrative, and (2) they with different language proficiencies, intermediate and upper-intermediate, paused differently. That is, the oral performance of the intermediate-level participants was affected by a narrative structure, while that of the upper-intermediate peers was not influenced by that structure. These results may encourage language teachers and language testers to formulate certain strategies to enhance learners’ oral fluency by considering the effect of a task design on students’ speaking performance.

scholarly journals On the Acquisition of Derivational Suffixes by Kuwaiti EFL Learners

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (17) ◽  
pp. 223
Author(s):  
Maye A. Alotaibi ◽  
Abdullah M. Alotaibi
Keyword(s):  
English Proficiency ◽  
First Language ◽  
Choice Test ◽  
Production Test ◽  
Advanced Learners ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Proficiency Level ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Comprehension Skills ◽  
L1 Influence

This study aims to test the extent to which 90 Kuwaiti EFL learners are aware of the correct use of derivational suffixes in English. It also identifies the mains reasons of the errors that Kuwaiti EFL learners may make. In addition, it investigates whether the English proficiency level of the participants plays a role in their answers on the test. To this end, the participants were tested twice in this study; a multiple-choice test was used to check their comprehension skills, whereas a fill-in the blank test was used to measure their ability to produce the correct derivational suffixes in English. Following data analysis, the results reveal that Kuwaiti EFL learners are fairly aware of the correct use of English derivational suffixes to a certain degree; the total mean on both tests (comprehension = 70% and production = 56%) is 63%. The participants obtained higher percentage of correct answers on the comprehension test (mean= 70%) compared to the production test (mean = 56%). Additionally, the t-test shows that the participants’ English proficiency level plays a central role in their comprehension and production of these suffixes. The performance of the Advanced Learners (ALs) (comprehension = 77% and production = 62%) is better than that of the Intermediate Learners (ILs) (comprehension = 64% and production = 48%) on the tests. In particular, there is a statistically significant difference between the answers of ALs and ILs on both tests. Regarding the types of error made by the participants, I argued that the most noticeable ones are due to: (1) the modification that non-neutral derivational suffixes cause when they are attached to the word (stems/roots); and (2) first language (L1) influence. Finally, the study concludes with some recommendations for further research.

scholarly journals The Effect of Structured Academic Controversy on English Proficiency Level within Communicative Language Teaching Context

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 349
Author(s):  
Reza Tavakoli ◽  
Seyed Hesamuddin Aliasin ◽  
Fariba Mobini
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
English Proficiency ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Communicative Language Teaching ◽  
T Test ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Proficiency Level ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Academic Controversy

This study aimed at investigating the effect of Structured Academic Controversy (SAC) on English proficiency level of Iranian intermediate EFL learners within the Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) context. To this end, the Cambridge English Placement Test (CEPT) as the pre-test was administered to 90 EFL learners at Khayyam University of Mashhad, Iran. Based on the results and according to the test guidelines, only the intermediate EFL learners were selected as the final participants (N=60). Then, they were randomly divided into two groups of control and experimental, each group consisting of 30 subjects. Then, a t-test analysis was conducted to ensure that the two groups were not different in their English proficiency level before treatment. The experimental group was taught English based on a CLT syllabus supplemented by SAC techniques, whereas the control group received the same instruction but without being aided with the SAC techniques. After treatment, the participants received the same CEPT as the post-test. The t-test results for this test revealed a significant effect of SAC on the experimental group's performance on the post test, which means that SAC can play a role in EFL learners' English language proficiency improvement.

scholarly journals The Use of Inflectional Morphemes by Kuwaiti EFL Learners

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 32
Author(s):  
Abdullah M. Alotaibi
Keyword(s):  
Negative Transfer ◽  
English Proficiency ◽  
First Language ◽  
Choice Test ◽  
Multiple Choice Test ◽  
Advanced Learners ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Proficiency Level ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Inflectional Morphemes

<p>This research paper aims to test the extent to which 100 Kuwaiti EFL learners are aware of the correct use of inflectional morphemes in English. It also explores the main causes of the errors that Kuwaiti EFL learners may make. Additionally, it checks whether the English proficiency level of the participants plays a role in their answers on the test. To this end, a multiple-choice test was used to measure the participants’ ability to use the correct inflectional morphemesin English. Following data analysis, the results reveal that Kuwaiti EFL learners are aware of the correct use of the inflectional morphemes in English to a certain degree (total mean=65.5%). Additionally, the t-test shows that the participants’ English proficiency level plays a central role in their comprehension of these morphemes. In particular, there is a statistically significant difference between the answers of the advanced learners (ALs) (73.5%) and intermediate learners (ILs) (57.5%). The number of correct answers provided by ALs is higher than that provided by ILs. Regarding the types of errors made by the participants, it has been argued that the most noticeable ones are due to first language (L1) negative transfer and the irregularity of some types of inflectional morphemes in English. Finally, the study concludes with some pedagogical implications and recommendations for further research.</p>

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