This paper aims to show the importance of using technology in Iraqi EFL classrooms to enhance and support education in Iraq especially after the spread of Covid-19all over the world. Iraqi EFL learners suffer from the old method of teaching which depends heavily on following the Grammar Translation Method, the Audio-Lingual Method and recently, the Communicative Approach. Iraq did not attempt to involve e-learning as a tool of learning. Currently, when the world became as a small country especially with the rapid development of technology around the world, it became a necessity to use technology in Iraqi classrooms. Technology has provided a means of escape from all the tradition teaching and learning based on the textbook. Different types of technology provide learners with a vast number of opportunities to develop their English which are not found in the traditional learning. Bataineh and Al-Abdali (2015) stated that "Technology has changed the teachers' and learners' roles, teaching changed from "teacher-centered into student-centered" (P. 243). This paper tries to show teaching and learning English language in the era of E-learning in Iraqi education.
This study aimed at investigating the use of web-cam chat as one of the most effective tools of Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC), and measuring its effect on the sociocultural competence of the English as foreign language learners. The sample of the study consisted of 38 undergraduate EFL learners who registered for a Conversational Skills Course at Al-alBayt University during the academic year 2013-2014. However, the chosen sample of the study was of two groups: Group one consisted of (20) students, which was chosen as an experimental group, and group two consisted of (18) students, which was assigned as a control group. Data were collected within 8 weeks and statistical analysis was prepared (T-test, one-way analysis of variance, and Scheffe). To assess the effect of using web-cam chat on EFL learners sociocultural competence, students in both groups sat for a written and an oral test at the beginning of the second semester of the academic year 2013-2014 so as to determine their actual sociocultural knowledge before starting the experiment. After 8 weeks, the same test was administered as a posttest. The results of the study indicated that the experimental group performed better that the control group in the sociocultural aspects of language due to the new method of teaching that is Web-cam chat. The results of the study showed that the experimental group acquired some sociocultural aspects rather than the others. Additionally, the findings of the study revealed that the experimental group students have developed their language skills. This might be due to the effect of web-cam chat through which the experimental groups' students interacted a lot with native speakers of English. Accordingly, a set of recommendations were provided at the end of this study.
This action research project is an experimental study. It aims at investigating the effect of using web-cam chat on the development of university learners' paralinguistic competence. The population of the study included 460 students majoring in English language and literature at the University of Jordan in Amman. The sample of the study consisted of 32 students registered for a Debate course, in the first semester of the academic year 2013-2014. After reviewing the theoretical literature and the previous studies, the researchers identified the paralinguistic aspects of language to be studied, i.e. gestures, postures, facial expressions, gaze and eye contact, bodily movement, intonation, pauses, stress and rhythm, emotional tone of speech, and proximity. A pre-test was administrated to know the actual level of both groups: The control group and the experimental group before being exposed to the new experience of teaching. The control group was taught traditionally while the experimental group was taught via web-cam chat formally inside the lab and informally outside the classroom. Two months later, a post-test was administrated so as to find if any change occurred, if it occurred, to what extent, in what dimension, and in favor of which group. To be certain of the validity of the test, it was refereed by a group of specialists, and its reliability was calculated by Cronbach Alpha Coefficient to be (0.92). To treat the raw scores statistically, means and standard deviations were found. The results of study indicated significant differences in favor of the experimental group, which was taught via web-cam chat. This could be an indirect suggestion for methodologists and curricula designers to emphasize the role of web-cam chat on developing the learners' paralinguistic competence. Furthermore, it could be an invitation for textbooks writers, the time they sit to decide the content of foreign language activities and exercises to take the paralinguistic aspects of language into account because they vary from one language community to another. Finally, it could be wiser if researchers conduct studies at scholastic level to judge the effect of CMC on the paralinguistic competence of the EFL learners.
At present, English plays a key role in the world and it is known as an international language which enables people to connect all around the world and English can be called as a global language because it is helpful in the processes of globalization. As English has played an indispensable role in global communication, it is essential for English language users, both native and non-native, to use clear, comprehensible and educated English that allows smooth communication and avoids misunderstandings in social interactions. Hence, pragmatic competence can facilitate language users to successfully achieve their communicative aims in intercultural communication. Consequently, pragmatic elements have noticeable roles in communication between speakers because such elements can hinder inaccuracies and misunderstandings during communication. This paper discusses pragmatics as a branch of linguistics and its significant role in learning English as a second and a foreign language. In pragmatics, meaning in communication can be classified into two elements; verbal and nonverbal. This classification depends on the contexts, relationship between utterers, and social factors. Teachers should teach pragmatic competence in second language English classes through different activities and tasks.
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