scholarly journals Measuring the Impact of Online Translation on FL Writing Scores

2016 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Errol M. O'Neill
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
University Students ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Student Writing ◽  
Prior Training ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Writing Scores ◽  
Writing Task

Online translation (OT) sites, which automatically convert text from one language to another, have been around for nearly 20 years. While foreign language students and teachers have long been aware of their existence, and debates about the accuracy and usefulness of OT are well known, surprisingly little research has been done to analyze the actual effects of online translator usage on student writing. The current study compares the scores of two composition tasks by third- and fourth-semester university students of French who used an online translator, with or without prior training, to the scores of students who did not use OT. Students using an online translator did not perform significantly worse those not using the translator on either task. In fact, students who received prior training in OT outscored the control group overall on the second writing task. Additionally, students using the online translator received higher subscores on one or both writing tasks for features such as comprehensibility, spelling, content, and grammar. The results of the current study are discussed in detail; implications for the foreign language classroom are presented; and avenues for future research are proposed.

scholarly journals The Impact of Topic Selection on Writing Fluency: Making a Case for Freedom

2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 31-40
Author(s):  
Joshua Cohen
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
University Students ◽  
Significant Influence ◽  
Writing Fluency ◽  
Free Writing ◽  
Language Classrooms ◽  
Second Year ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Writing Task ◽  
Writing Activity

This study sought to test the hypothesis that topic-selection control influences fluency in writing. A total of 29 second-year university students (9 men, 20 women) in two separate classrooms engaged in a free writing activity using different topics (both teacher-selected and self-selected) in order to determine which approach was more likely to increase writing fluency. Participants’ written output was then textually analyzed for fluency using a type/token formula. A total of 116 samples written by participants over four weeks were examined to measure their writing fluency by counting the total number of unique words produced in a free writing task. Participants’ writing samples were then analyzed by conducting a correlated-samples t-test. The results showed the effect of topic-selection had a statistically significant influence on increasing students’ writing fluency. The results also support the claim that fluency development deserves a prominent role in second and foreign language classrooms and curriculums. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/nelta.v18i1-2.10328 Journal of NELTA, Vol 18 No. 1-2, December 2013; 31-40

SECOND FOREIGN LANGUAGE ACQUISITION: THE INFLUENCE OF STUDENTS’ FIRST FOREIGN LANGUAGE ON LEXICAL SKILLS DEVELOPMENT IN ENGLISH FOR SPECIAL PURPOSES

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olga Maximova ◽  
Tatiana Maykova
Keyword(s):  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
University Students ◽  
Russian Language ◽  
Positive Transfer ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Foreign Language Acquisition ◽  
Lexical Interference ◽  
The Impact

"Globalization and intercultural communication are stepping up the demands for modern specialists’ linguistic competencies. To provide successful professional communication, competitiveness and mobility, the graduates of higher education are to master two or more foreign languages. In this regard, it seems important to study the features of multilingual education, identify the difficulties that arise in multilingual teaching and outline the ways to overcome them. Although, there is a number of studies devoted to the impact of the native language on foreign language acquisition, the issue of learners’ first and second foreign language interaction seems to be inadequately treated and there is a lack of research on factors that increase learners’ second foreign language proficiency in three-language contact (i.e., their native, first and second foreign language). In particular, little attention is paid to cross-linguistic skills transfer or to lexical interference patterns that arise among students mastering their second foreign language. This paper is devoted to lexical interference that occurs when English for Special Purposes (ESP) is taught as the second foreign language to university students studying French or Spanish as their first foreign language. The purpose of the work is to identify which language(-s) are the source of interference through analyzing students’ errors. The hypotheses of the study are as follows: in case of receptive activity (reading) the language which is closely related to the target language will serve as the source of positive transfer. In productive activity (writing and speaking) lexical interference will arise and play a significant role. The source of interference will be learners’ first foreign language. To test the hypotheses, a pilot study was conducted, during which typical lexical errors of Russian-speaking students studying ESP as their second foreign language and French or Spanish as their first foreign language were identified. The control group were students with native Russian language and English as their first foreign language. The research methodology included questionnaires, testing and interviews. The research participants were RUDN University students. The results of the study confirm the presence of positive transfer and lexical interference in ESP terminology acquisition, the source of which is learners’ first foreign language. Learners’ typical mistakes are associated with the use of articles, prepositions, adjective order, fully and partially assimilated cognates, depend on their language experience and are due to their first foreign language interference"

scholarly journals The Role of Dopamine Receptor D2 in Bridging the Intention-Behavior Gap in Sport Participation

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 2379
Author(s):  
Seiyeong Park ◽  
Junhye Kwon ◽  
Chiyoung Ahn ◽  
Hae-Sung Cho ◽  
Hyo Youl Moon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Dopamine Receptor ◽  
Sport Participation ◽  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Behavioral Model ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Male Students ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Dopamine Receptor D2 ◽  
The Impact

Previous studies have identified that a behavior can occur through the strongest predictor intention, but there is a gap between intention and behavior. Dopamine receptor D2 (DRD2) is known to account for a variance in sporting behaviors in human and animal subjects. However, the relationship between DRD2 and sport participation has been poorly studied, and the limited available reports are inconsistent. The present study was performed to examine the impact of DRD2 on sport participation among Korean university students based on the integrated behavioral model (IBM). Data were collected from enrolled university students in Seoul (N = 45). Participants answered survey questions first, and then they gave investigators their hair to provide DNA information (i.e., the A1 allele of DRD2). DRD2 had a significant effect on sport participation, but only in male students. Male students who carried the A1 allele of DRD2 significantly participated in 105.10 min more sporting activities than male students who did not. Moreover, the effect of intention on sport participation was significantly decreased when considering DRD2. Despite the small sample size, the results of this study could be a preliminary case for a larger study and indicate the direction of future research. Our results suggest that DRD2 may have played an important role as the “actual skill” shown in the IBM.

scholarly journals Inverse translation and the language student: A case study

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 171-193
Author(s):  
Lucía Pintado Gutiérrez
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
Inverse Translation ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThis article explores the agency of the student in translation in language teaching and learning (or TILT). The purpose of the case study discussed here is to gain an overview of students’ perceptions of translation into the foreign language (FL) (also known as “inverse translation”) following a module on language and translation, and to analyse whether there is any correlation between students’ attitude to translation, its impact on their language learning through effort invested, and the improvement of language skills. The results of the case study reveal translation to be a potentially exciting skill that can be central to FL learning and the analysis gives indications of how and why language teachers may optimise the implementation of translation in the classroom. The outcome of the study suggests that further research is needed on the impact of translation in the language classroom focussing on both teachers’ expectations and students’ achievements.

The Influence of Challenge Course Participation on Moral and Ethical Reasoning

2002 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 278-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol A. Smith ◽  
Sharon E. Strand ◽  
Camille J. Bunting
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
University Students ◽  
Moral Reasoning ◽  
Ethical Reasoning ◽  
Defining Issues Test ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Challenge Course ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Impact

This study investigated the impact of a 15-week outdoor experiential program on the moral reasoning of college students. One hundred and ninety-six university students volunteered to participate in this study, which utilized Rest's (1979) Defining Issues Test (DIT). The DIT investigates how individuals arrive at making decisions, and formulates a “P” (Principled moral reasoning) score for each subject. The groups were found to be homogeneous in moral reasoning at the pretest (outdoor experiential x = 36.07; control x = 33.08; F = 0.05). There was a statistically significant difference on the posttest scores of the outdoor experiential program participants (x = 40.98) in relation to the control group (x = 34.14) (F = 3.84). The results of this study demonstrated that the outdoor experiential program participants were significantly different from the control group at posttest. It is postulated that even though improved moral reasoning was not a stated objective, the outdoor experiential students, through front-loading, reflection, critical thinking, problem solving, and adherence to the full value contract, did enhance their level of moral reasoning. Through the combined modeling of behavior and discussion, changes in behavior can occur. The nature of outdoor experiential programs seems well suited to positively influence moral and ethical reasoning.

scholarly journals The Resilience Journal: Exploring the Potential of Journal Interventions to Promote Resilience in University Students

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Max S. Lohner ◽  
Carmela Aprea
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
University Students ◽  
Expressive Writing ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Control Group ◽  
School Students ◽  
Daily Monitoring ◽  
External Threats ◽  
Resilience Intervention

Given the prevalence of mental health issues among university students, they must be regarded as a vulnerable population. Resilience interventions offer one potential means of strengthening students’ capacity to overcome academic challenges and external threats. This is all the more urgent in light of the additional difficulties caused by the current COVID-19 pandemic, such as the demands of remote learning. The present study is a first step toward designing and evaluating an appropriate dynamic resilience intervention for students. The design of the Resilience Journal intervention draws on insights from expressive writing and positive writing research and focuses on reflection on daily challenges. In this online intervention, 100 business school students (66% female, Mage = 23.74) at a German university were randomly assigned to two groups and completed two different versions of the Resilience Journal for 5 days. The two versions focused, respectively on broadening attention to challenges and priming attention to mastered challenges. In a pre-post design, two resilience measures and one measure of life satisfaction were used to assess intervention outcomes. Additionally, a newly developed rating scale was used for daily monitoring of dynamic resilience. While both groups showed a significant increase in resilience as measured by the Brief Resilience Scale, that increase could not be attributed directly to the intervention, as there were no group differences, and the design did not include a control group. The other resilience and life satisfaction measures showed no significant change. This first implementation confirms the potential of the Resilience Journal and indicates directions for the development of dynamic resilience interventions and measures in future studies. To further study the potential of such a positive psychology intervention, future research necessitates the inclusion of control groups.

scholarly journals The Impact of Text Messaging on Iranian University Students as an English as a Foreign Language Instructional Tool to Enhance Learner Autonomy and Perception

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (11) ◽  
pp. 184-202
Author(s):  
Behnam Behforouz ◽  
Anca Daniela Frumuselu
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Text Messaging ◽  
Learner Autonomy ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Instructional Tool ◽  
Control Groups ◽  
And Control ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Experimental Group

This paper investigates the efficiency of text messaging as an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) instructional tool to enhance learner autonomy and perception at the Islamic Azad University-South Tehran Branch, Iran. The study considers seventy-four learners to participate in the study after the administration of an Oxford Placement Test to measure their proficiency level. Participants are randomly assigned in experimental and control groups, including 37 participants each. A questionnaire is used as a pretest and posttest to measure learners` autonomy. Participants from the experimental group use text messaging (the treatment) to receive instructions, whereas those from the control group receive traditional classroom instructions in a face-to-face channel. A semi-structured interview is also used to collect date on experimental group participants` perception in using MALL in classrooms. The results reveal remarkable differences between the experimental and control groups’ means on their learner autonomy scores. However, the impact of the independent samples t-test has shown that there is no statistically meaningful gender difference among the learners regarding their autonomy scores. The findings based on the semi-structured interview showed complimentary views on MALL. The current study is beneficial since its outcomes could be relevant for EFL curriculum developers and English language teachers in the use of mobile learning and text messaging in the English classroom.

scholarly journals Controlled Study of the Impact of a Virtual Program to Reduce Stigma Among University Students Toward People With Mental Disorders

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matías E. Rodríguez-Rivas ◽  
Adolfo J. Cangas ◽  
Daniela Fuentes-Olavarría
Keyword(s):  
Mental Disorders ◽  
University Students ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Project Based Learning ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Global Score ◽  
Stigma Reduction ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Impact

Stigma toward mental disorders is one of today's most pressing global issues. The Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated the barriers to social inclusion faced by individuals with mental disorders. Concurrently, stigma reduction interventions, especially those aimed at university students, have been more difficult to implement given social distancing and campus closures. As a result, alternative delivery for programs contributing to stigma reduction is required, such as online implementation. This paper reports the results of a controlled study focused on an online multi-component program on reducing stigma toward mental illness that included project-based learning, clinical simulations with standardized patients and E-Contact with real patients. A total of 40 undergraduate students from the Universidad del Desarrollo in Santiago, Chile, participated in the study. They were randomly divided between an intervention and control group. The intervention group participated in the online multi-component program, while the control group participated in an online educational program on cardiovascular health. We assessed the impact of the program by using the validated Spanish-language versions of the Attribution Questionnaire AQ-27 and the Questionnaire on Student Attitudes toward Schizophrenia with both groups, before and after the intervention. In addition, an ad hoc Likert scale ranging from 0 to 5 was used with the intervention group in order to assess the learning strategies implemented. Following the intervention, the participants belonging to the intervention group displayed significantly lower levels of stereotypes, perception of dangerousness, and global score toward people with schizophrenia (p < 0.001). In addition, participants presented lower levels of dangerousness-fear, avoidance, coercion, lack of solidarity, and global score (p < 0.001). The control group displayed no statistically significant differences in the level of stigma before and after the evaluation, for all of the items assessed. Finally, the overall assessment of each of the components of the program was highly positive. In conclusion, the study shows that online programs can contribute to reducing stigma toward mental disorders. The program assessed in this study had a positive impact on all the dimensions of stigma and all of the components of the program itself were positively evaluated by the participants.

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