Volume 15, Number 1, June 2018 DOI: 10.56040/e-flt.151
Language teaching materials play substantial roles in language classes around the world. However, it is the quality of materials along with the teachers’ use of them that determine the ultimate success of courses. Teachers are hence encouraged to constantly evaluate and adapt the materials they use. Few studies have systematically observed materials adaptation by teachers considering contextual factors affecting them though. Contextual pressures can potentially provoke internal conflicts and in turn cause teachers severe emotional distress. Yet, teachers often manage to overcome such conflicts through self-organization and the construction of narratives of immunity. The present study is hence designed to shed more light on how language teachers conceptualize and practice materials use. Maintaining a case-study research structure, it draws on in-depth data collected from four Iranian and four Japanese EFL teachers to make sense of how context alters practice. The results of the analysis of classroom observation data indicate that while the Iranian teachers are more dependent on the published materials, the Japanese teachers frequently adapt them. Stimulated recall interviews also unravel qualitative intricacies regarding how they justify their materials and how they self-organize and construct narratives of immunity to shield themselves and their materials use against third-party criticism and blame.
Despite research on teacher written feedback on L2 students’ writing (e.g. Ferris, Pezone, Tade, & Tinti, 1997; Lee, 2007), much needs to be known about the usability of teacher feedback (i.e. whether teacher feedback carries potential for students to act upon it to improve their writing) from teachers’ and students’ points of view. From a formative perspective (Brown & Glover, 2006; Fernandez-Toro, Truman, & Walker, 2013; Walker, 2009, 2013), this exploratory study investigates: (1) two Hong Kong college EFL teachers’ written feedback practices concerning the final products of their students’ academic writing in terms of the purpose of teacher feedback (e.g. to point out a strength or weakness), aspects of performance that it focused on (e.g. content or skills development), and the depth of feedback; and (2) teacher and student perceptions of the usability of teacher feedback as well as the relationship between the two. The findings show that both teachers commented on the strengths and weaknesses of students’ writing, provided feedback according to the assessment criteria and emphasized skills development more than content, but they differed in terms of the depth of feedback. Both convergence and divergence have been identified in teacher and student perceptions of the usability of teacher written feedback. The pedagogical implications of the findings have also been discussed.
Dina Abdel Salam El-Dakhs, Fouzia Phyllis Amroun & Musinah Charlot-Muhammad
There is a strong agreement that mastering second language collocations is beneficial for language processing and acquisition (El-Dakhs, 2015b; Henriksen, 2013). The current study aims to examine what works better for L2 collocation learning; explicit instruction or incidental learning. To this end, 114 Arab elementary learners of English as a foreign language were divided into two experimental groups (i.e. explicit instruction and incidental learning) and one control group, and completed immediate and delayed post-tests that assessed the participants’ receptive and productive knowledge of 24 verb + noun collocations which were introduced to the experimental groups during the four-week treatment period. The results show a clear advantage for explicit learning in form recognition and recall for short-term and long-term learning gains. Incidental learning only proved slightly beneficial in short-term form recognition. The results are interpreted in light of the existing literature and relevant theoretical models. Pedagogical implications and suggestions for further research are proposed.
Ulf Schuetze
Practicing Grammar Online: Multiple-choice or Fill-in-the-blanks (pp. 55–65)
This paper reports findings of an original research project that investigated how grammar can be practiced effectively using closed activities on a learning platform. 47 learners enrolled in an intermediate German course at a West Coast university were divided into two groups in order to practice German prepositions in the context of fairy-tales. Results showed that the group who used a fill-in-the blanks activity type outperformed the group who used a multiple-choice activity type. A paired sample t-test based on a pre/post-test analysis showed that those differences were statistically significant.
Elizabeth Enkin & Maite Correa
Evaluating Learner and Teacher Perceptions of Program Outcomes in the Foreign Language Major (pp. 66–80)
This article discusses a survey study that adds to the literature on program evaluation. Using a mixed-methods approach, we examine feedback on learning and teaching experiences from instructors and graduating seniors in Spanish, French, and German major programs in a modern languages department. The results are grouped into four major themes: learners’ communication ability (the four language skills), learners’ connection to another culture, learners’ expectations of their programs, and learners’ preparation for their futures. The alignment of student and teacher perceptions for each of these topics is discussed, and the learner needs that emerged and the extent to which teachers expressed an awareness of these needs is examined. Curricular improvements based on survey findings are also proposed, which include: incorporating more speaking and free student-student communication opportunities into the curriculum, and establishing an activity where students can showcase evidence of oral skills upon graduating; creating service learning opportunities and advertising them adequately; offering phonetics and translation courses; and increasing the focus on preparing students for real-world tasks related to the job market. Because the surveys were constructed to address concerns that various foreign language programs may face, this study’s results may be useful to an array of language educators.
I-Chun Vera Hsiao, Ying Stella Lin & Shao-Ting Alan Hung
An Investigation of the Washback Effects of an Intensive Test-Preparation Program on EFL Learning (pp. 81–99)
An increasing number of universities in Taiwan have emphasized the importance of English proficiency tests to demonstrate students’ English ability. Universities have initiated Intensive Test-Prep Programs (ITPPs), hoping to enhance students’ English proficiency. Hence, this study aimed to explore the wash-back effects of an ITPP on non-English majors. Specifically, the study intended to find out how an ITPP affected non-English majors’ English learning motivation and learning strategies, and the relationship between students’ test performance and washback effects. An experimental group of 52 and a control group of 60 non-English majors were recruited from a national university. Students from the experimental group attended a five-week ITPP, which emphasized promoting students’ reading and listening skills, while the participants from the control group prepared for the proficiency test on their own. Three instruments were employed to collect the data, including questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and students’ scores from TOEIC. The results disclosed that the two groups differed statistically in motivation. Furthermore, results showed that three out of sixteen learning strategies differed significantly between the two groups: taking mock tests, reading newspapers, articles and magazines, and learning through English websites. However, the relationship between students’ test performance and washback effects was not significant. Finally, the study offers implications for non-English majors, teachers, researchers, and curriculum developers.
Josefina C. Santana & Cristina Eccius-Wellmann
Gender Differences in Test Anxiety in High-Stakes English Proficiency Tests (pp. 100–111)
Test anxiety can be defined as a reaction of stress to evaluations. This article reports on a study of the gender differences in test anxiety between males and females taking an English language proficiency test – the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) at a Mexican university. Participants (N=231; 47% male and 53% female) were asked to complete Grandis’s Questionnaire on Test Anxiety in University Students a few minutes before they took the TOEIC. Responses on the questionnaire were correlated to TOEIC scores by linear regression analysis. Results show that women’s scores were significantly higher than the men’s on the Test Anxiety questionnaire (F = 65.75 vs M = 53.56), significantly lower on the TOEIC (F= 731 vs M = 772), and that gender is an important factor in test anxiety.
Reviews
Brenda Pui Lam Yuen
Review of “Language Learner Strategies: Contexts, Issues and Applications in Second Language Learning and Teaching” (pp. 112–116)
Handoyo Puji Widodo
Review of “Developing Learner Autonomy through Tasks: Theory, Research, Practice” (pp. 117–119)