scholarly journals An Investigation into Practices and Perceptions of Saudi University Learners of English towards Their Dictionaries’ Use for Learning Purposes

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 113
Author(s):  
Sultan Samah A Almjlad
Keyword(s):  
Postgraduate Students ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Bilingual Dictionary ◽  
Saudi Students ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The University ◽  
Paper Format ◽  
Dictionary Use ◽  
Target Words

This study investigates the dictionary use practices of Saudi students. Twenty Saudi postgraduate students from both genders (12 males and 8 females) participated in the study. All participants were postgraduate students at the University of Salford in the UK. Questionnaire and interview were the instruments used to collect data. The study discovered a number of results regarding the research questions. The findings indicated that most of the Saudi learners used their dictionaries for finding the meaning of the target words followed by checking the pronunciation of the same word. The study discovered three serious problems that face Saudi EFL learners while using their dictionaries namely the difficulty in understanding the phonetic symbols, difficulty of finding the correct words and, in addition, insufficiency of illustrative examples given in the dictionary. Moreover, the study explored that the Arabic bilingual dictionary was the single most preferred dictionary in its paper format for their educational purposes. The study concluded with emphasising the prime importance of training in dictionary use, indicating that most of the Saudi learners did not receive any form of training on the use of dictionary.

scholarly journals A Study of Probable Reasons for Saudi Learners’ Weakness in Listening Comprehension

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 166
Author(s):  
Sultan Samah A. Almjlad
Keyword(s):  
Listening Comprehension ◽  
Postgraduate Students ◽  
Remarkable Effect ◽  
Saudi Students ◽  
Academic Level ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Academic Lectures ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The University ◽  
Saudi Male

This study investigates the listening comprehension problems of Saudi students. Forty Saudi postgraduate students from both genders (24 males and 16 females) participated in the study and all participants were postgraduate students at the University of Essex in the UK. The questionnaire was the only instrument used to collect data. The main findings of the study discovered were related to listeners first. Secondly, the study showed a significant difference between the academic lectures or seminars in five problems related to both listener and text, while thirdly the study showed a non-significant difference between the Saudi male and female students in terms of listening comprehension. Fourthly, the study discovered that the LC problems vary based on the learners’ academic levels as the LC problems get fewer when the academic level gets higher, confirming negative correlations between academic level and LC problems. After applying aggression analysis on some variables, the study also demonstrated that the length of studying English has a remarkable effect on the LC for Saudi students. 

scholarly journals Attitude of Postgraduate Students towards Plagiarism in University of Port Harcourt

2020 ◽  
pp. 28-38
Author(s):  
G. W. Orluwene ◽  
A. E. Magnus-Arewa
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Random Sampling ◽  
Negative Attitude ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Scientific Integrity ◽  
Postgraduate Students ◽  
Descriptive Research ◽  
Port Harcourt ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
The University

Plagiarism remains a threat to scientific integrity and development of knowledge. This study examined postgraduate students’ attitude towards plagiarism at the University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Three research questions and corresponding hypotheses guided the study.  The descriptive research design was used for the study with a sample size of 200 postgraduate students was drawn using the purposive non-random sampling technique, from a population size of 1762 postgraduate students of the University of Port Harcourt. A questionnaire titled "Attitude of Post- Graduate Students towards Plagiarism Questionnaire" (APSPQ) was used as an instrument for data collection. The instrument was validated by experts and the reliability of the instrument was determined using Cronbach alpha, Data was analyzed using mean, standard deviation, independent t-test and Two-way ANOVA at 0.05 level of significances. Findings revealed that most postgraduate students of the University of Port Harcourt had a positive attitude towards plagiarism, the male postgraduate student had a negative attitude towards plagiarism while the Master students had negative attitude towards plagiarism. Part of the recommendations was that the University of Port Harcourt from time to time should organize orientation programmes for all postgraduate students based on the concept as well as implications for plagiarism.

scholarly journals A Case Study of Question Formations of the Saudi EFL Learners at Bisha University

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdulbari Mahboob Ahmed Al-Hassaani
Keyword(s):  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Optimum Level ◽  
Progressive Change ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Saudi Students ◽  
Grammar Rules ◽  
Wh Questions ◽  
Question Formation ◽  
The University

<p>This paper has studied the question formation techniques used by the Saudi students at Bisha University. It addresses the problems faced by the students in forming questions in English. The study has identified that a large number of the students suffer from the lack of proper grammar rules in forming various types of interrogative sentences and also from the intense mother tongue interferences. The research has attempted to discover the degree of the students’ difficultness/difficulties in forming questions and analyses the various types of their problems. The paper has also correlated the problems in the area, and the syllabus, the materials, tasks, and methodology prescribed. To achieve this objective, a questionnaire based survey has been used as a research tool to obtain data from both the girls’ and boys’ colleges of the University of Bisha. The survey comprised students’ questionnaire and the tests based on Wh- questions and yes-no question formations in English. The survey has identified that most of the students had problems in forming interrogative sentences due to the mother tongue interferences. The study has also highlighted a few major problems, for instances, the syllabus is indifferent to the needs of the students, and not enough emphasis is done specifically on the English question formation aspect of the grammar. The author concluded the study with the hope that the educationalists and other stakeholders realize that no course is fruitful unless: 1). It is interesting, 2). It effects a progressive change in the ability level of the learners, and 3). It helps the students to use their potentiality to the optimum level.</p>

scholarly journals Informal Digital Learning of English Vocabulary: Saudi EFL Learners’ Attitudes and Practices

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ghazwan Mohammed Saeed Mohammed ◽  
Jamal Kaid Mohammed Ali
Keyword(s):  
Digital Technology ◽  
Digital Learning ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Attitudes And Practices ◽  
Productive Activities ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
The University ◽  
Informal Settings

Because of the widespread use of digital technology, many EFL students access various types of technologies that help them acquire English vocabulary beyond formal classroom learning. This paper aims to explore Saudi EFL learners’ attitudes towards informal digital learning of English vocabulary (IDLEV) outside the academic requirements as well as their practices of IDLEV beyond the classroom. To answer the research questions of the study, the researchers recruited 80 Saudi EFL students from the University of Bisha, Saudi Arabia, to respond to a self-reported questionnaire. The study found that Saudi EFL students have positive attitudes towards informal digital learning of English in improving their vocabulary. Results also reveal that the participants tend to use different technologies to learn English vocabulary in informal settings. The study found that receptive activities are more commonly used than the productive activities. The study found a significant correlation between learners’ attitudes and practices. The implications of the study and recommendations were presented accordingly.

scholarly journals Informal Digital Learning of English Vocabulary: Saudi EFL Learners’ Attitudes and Practices

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 345-358
Author(s):  
Ghazwan Mohammed Saeed Mohammed ◽  
Jamal Kaid Mohammed Ali
Keyword(s):  
Digital Technology ◽  
Digital Learning ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Attitudes And Practices ◽  
Productive Activities ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
The University ◽  
Informal Settings

Because of the widespread use of digital technology, many EFL students access various types of technologies that help them acquire English vocabulary beyond formal classroom learning. This paper aims to explore Saudi EFL learners’ attitudes towards informal digital learning of English vocabulary (IDLEV) outside the academic requirements as well as their practices of IDLEV beyond the classroom. To answer the research questions of the study, the researchers recruited 80 Saudi EFL students from the University of Bisha, Saudi Arabia, to respond to a self-reported questionnaire. The study found that Saudi EFL students have positive attitudes towards informal digital learning of English in improving their vocabulary. Results also reveal that the participants tend to use different technologies to learn English vocabulary in informal settings. The study found that receptive activities are more commonly used than the productive activities. The study found a significant correlation between learners’ attitudes and practices. The implications of the study and recommendations were presented accordingly.

scholarly journals Use of monolingual, bilingual, and bilingualised dictionaries and EFL learners’ vocabulary learning strategies: A case study

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdorreza Tahriri ◽  
Zeinab Ariyan
Keyword(s):  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Vocabulary Learning ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Bilingual Dictionary ◽  
Vocabulary Learning Strategies ◽  
Bilingual Group ◽  
Chi Square Analysis ◽  
Dictionary Use

This study investigated the effect of dictionary use on the vocabulary learning strategies used by elementary level EFL learners. Seventy-five female EFL learners were randomly assigned to one of three groups (25 members each): the monolingual dictionary, the bilingual dictionary, and the bilingualised dictionary groups. Students' responses on the vocabulary learning strategies were collected through a questionnaire which dealt with the vocabulary learning strategies the participants used to understand each target item in a reading passage selected based on readability formula. The results of Chi-square analysis indicated that the participants in the bilingual group consulted their dictionaries more frequently to solve their lexical problems than those in the monolingual and the bilingualised dictionary groups. The bilingualised group reported the least use of other strategies (e.g., analysing morphemes, and using cognates), while guessing was rarely reported by the bilingualised dictionary group. The results also revealed that the participants in the bilingualised and the bilingual dictionary groups were more willing to consult their dictionaries when reading the text than the monolingual dictionary group. In fact, guessing the meaning from the context as well as using other strategies was more common for the monolingual dictionary group.

Tertiary English-majored Students’ Perceptions toward the Role of Pronunciation in English Language Learning and their Practicing Strategies

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 264-279
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
English Language Learning ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
The University

Accurate pronunciation has a vital role in English language learning as it can help learners to avoid misunderstanding in communication. However, EFL learners in many contexts, especially at the University of Phan Thiet, still encounter many difficulties in pronouncing English correctly. Therefore, this study endeavors to explore English-majored students’ perceptions towards the role of pronunciation in English language learning and examine their pronunciation practicing strategies (PPS). It involved 155 English-majored students at the University of Phan Thiet who answered closed-ended questionnaires and 18 English-majored students who participated in semi-structured interviews. The findings revealed that students strongly believed in the important role of pronunciation in English language learning; however, they sometimes employed PPS for their pronunciation improvement. Furthermore, the results showed that participants tended to use naturalistic practicing strategies and formal practicing strategies with sounds, but they overlooked strategies such as asking for help and cooperating with peers. Such findings could contribute further to the understanding of how students perceive the role of pronunciation and their PPS use in the research’s context and other similar ones. Received 10th June 2019; Revised 12th March 2020; Accepted 12th April 2020

The Student Room Survey: Changes in the Post Graduate Study for Cardiothoracic Surgery

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 71-74
Author(s):  
Md Faizus Sazzad ◽  
Mohammed Moniruzzaman ◽  
Dewan Iftakher Raza Choudhury ◽  
Arif Ahmed Mohiuddin ◽  
Raafi Rahman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thoracic Surgery ◽  
Retrospective Analysis ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
Graduate Study ◽  
Postgraduate Students ◽  
Depth Interview ◽  
Secondary Objective ◽  
Cardio Vascular ◽  
The University ◽  
Day By Day

Background: The number of postgraduate students in Cardiac surgical discipline is increasing day by day with incremental proportion are measurably suffering from the unnecessary lingering of the present course curriculum. The primary objective of this study was to find out the last 5 years’ of results of Masters in Surgery course under the University of Dhaka from a student room survey. A secondary objective was to find out positive changes that could show us the way of a step toward up-gradation. Methods: It is a retrospective analysis of all examination results of Cardio-vascular & Thoracic Surgery published since January 2008 to January 2013 from the University of Dhaka with in depth interview of 11 participants. Results: 85.24% students failed to pass part-I of Masters in Surgery for Cardio-vascular & Thoracic Surgery course while, 82.18% in part-II and 71.28% failed to pass the final part. Average 2.51 attempts needed to complete each part of the designed course resulted into lingering of course duration for 42.18 months/student. In the thoracic surgery discipline the number of students alarmingly reduced up to 0% in the recent academic sessions. Conclusions: Masters in Surgery is resulting in unnecessary prolongation of the course. We should step forward to meet the next generation challenge. Journal of Surgical Sciences (2019) Vol. 23(2): 71-74

National Astronomy Meeting, Portsmouth (United Kingdom), 23rd–26th June, 2014

2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 133-137
Author(s):  
Pamela Armstrong
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Annual Meeting ◽  
Solar Physics ◽  
Industrial Applications ◽  
Physics Community ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The University

Around six hundred astronomers and space scientists gathered at the University of Portsmouth in June 2014 for the Royal Astronomical Society’s National Astronomy Meeting (NAM). NAM is one of the largest professional astronomy conferences in Europe, and this year’s gathering included the UK Solar Physics annual meeting as well as attendance from the magnetosphere, ionosphere and solar-terrestrial physics community. Conference tracks ranged from discussion of the molecular universe to cosmic chronometers, and from spectroscopic cosmology to industrial applications of astrophysics and astronomy.

The Effect of Using Flipped Classroom Model to Improve Iraqi EFL Learners’ Pronunciation in English at University Level

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (40) ◽  
pp. 631-654
Author(s):  
Khaldoon Waleed Husam Al-Mofti
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Flipped Classroom ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
English Pronunciation ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
University Level ◽  
The University ◽  
And Control ◽  
Experimental Group

For Iraqi EFL learners who are studying English pronunciation in a traditional instruction method often requires more effort and hard work. Thus, using new methods of teaching such as the flipped classroom model (FCM) is necessary to facilitate learning and improve performance. Hence, this study reports on explanatory research that investigates the effect of using the FCM in the teaching of English pronunciation for Iraqi EFL learners at the university level. The study implemented mixed research methods for data collection in a quasi-experimental analysis. Therefore, two tests were conducted on the assigned groups to measure the effect of the FCM before and after the intervention. Besides, a questionnaire and interviews were used on the experiment group students to collect data about their perceptions of the FCM. The study length (lasted)  was 15 weeks and is comprised of 60 students from the department of English, College of Arts at the University of Anbar. The students were divided into two groups, experimental, and control with 30 students in each group. The findings revealed that there was a significant statistical difference between the two groups in favour of the experimental group with better performance, indicating that the FCM has considerably assisted the Iraqi EFL learners to improve their English pronunciation. Moreover, the students expressed their positive feedback and satisfaction on the use of the FCM in their responses to the questionnaire and the interviews. As such, the current study recommends further research to study the effect of applying the FCM in areas and disciplines other than language learning.

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