Writing in a second language is not an easy task for students. Yet, it is an important skill for them to acquire in order to succeed in university. The aim of this study is to investigate ESL tertiary students' perception on the importance and effectiveness of written feedback in their academic writing assignments. The study also aims to examine students' preferred feedback in helping them revise and improve their written assignments. The subjects are 34 Diploma students. Data was gathered via a questionnaire adapted from Ferris (1995), Leki (1999) and Hedgecock and Leftkowitz (1994). Findings reveal that students view feedback as important and necessary to help them improve their writing ability. Findings also revealed that students prefer feedback in the form of grammar correction and suggestions on how to improve. The least preferred feedback are questions and one-word comments.
This paper intends to investigate factors which may contribute to communication apprehension among English language learners in Sarawak, Malaysia. 49 pre-university students under a special programme called 'Changing the Destiny of Our People' (Mengubah Destini Anak Bangsa) participated in the study. They were chosen as their English course puts a heavy emphasis on speaking skills. Additionally, the course also expects the students to participate in both individual and group speaking tests. The data were gathered via a questionnaire and semi-structured interview. Generally, it was found that the learners disliked group discussions and were uncomfortable speaking in English. The learners were seemingly unprepared and unaware of the presentation organization. They were also found to display nervousness when asked to present in front of their classmates from the opposite gender. Finally, the learners were also not confident with their ability to pronounce English words correctly.
Abstract:The challenges of reading are indeed apparent in most teaching and learning processes in ESL classrooms. As a result, this study is conducted to resolve the issues of students who seem to find reading to be unbearable. Many of them have limited ability to read well and hence, possess insufficient reading habits to become competent readers, particularly out-of-school context. Besides, poor home literacy environments also contribute to their shortcomings in reading. The main objectives of this study are to identify the students' reasons for reading as well as to find out their home reading environments (reading backgrounds and habits; reading attitudes and motivation; reading exposure and supports). To identify these, questionnaires were distributed to 120 secondary school students (Form 4: 16 years old) from one of the urban schools in Sarawak, Malaysia. The findings indicate that the students read to gain information and knowledge though many chose reading as a hobby as their last choice in explaining their motives of reading. Besides, they preferred non-academic reading materials, mainly lighter forms reading materials such as comics, story books and magazines. Though the students acknowledged the importance of reading in their daily lives, their average reading habits, attitude, motivation, exposure and support within the home domain had suggested otherwise. They mainly read for instrumental purposes while reading for pleasure seemed not to be given priority. Besides, the respondents acknowledge that their parents and themselves did not read much at home. As an implication, it is vital for students to improve their reading perceptions, abilities and practices to achieve personal, societal and national progress. On a final note, parents' early and continuous efforts to be involved in their children's literacy events in an out-of-school context are believed to be vital to inculcate positive reading environments, habits and culture.Keywords: secondary, reading environments, reading habits LINGKUNGAN DAN PRAKTIK MEMBACA SISWA Abstrak: Tantangan dalam membaca memang terlihat di sebagian besar proses belajar mengajar di kelas bahasa Inggris sebagai bahasa kedua (ESL). Oleh karena itu, penelitian ini dilakukan untuk mencari jalan keluar bagi siswa yang tampaknya Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics, Vol. 3 No. 1, July 2013, pp. 17-28 18 menemukan kesulitan dalam keterampilan membaca. Banyak dari mereka memiliki kemampuan terbatas untuk membaca dengan baik dan karenanya kurang memiliki kebiasaan membaca untuk menjadi pembaca yang kompeten, khususnya konteks di luar sekolah. Selain itu, lingkungan rumah yang kurang memiliki literasi juga berkontribusi terhadap kekurangan mereka dalam membaca. Tujuan utama dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengidentifikasi alasan siswa membaca serta untuk mengetahui lingkungan membaca di rumah mereka (latar belakang dan kebiasaan membaca, sikap dan motivasi membaca, paparan dan dukungan membaca). Untuk mengidentifikasi hal tersebut, kuesioner dibagikan kepada 120 siswa s...
This paper presents a study of an innovation project titled ‘The Grammar Odyssey’, which is a language board game that is specifically designed for beginner and intermediate levels of learners. The board game is a handy device for learning the English grammar items, which integrates fun, simplicity and practicality in order to motivate players to learn grammar. Having mentioned this, learning the English grammar items does not stop at the classroom environment. In fact, language acquisition continues to adulthood even after years of leaving the school, college or institution. Hence, the sample of this research encompassed 22 adult staff members aged 28-57 years old from various administrative and support departments at Universiti Teknologi MARA Sarawak, Malaysia. This research aimed to identify their acceptance and feedback towards the learning of grammar items through the use of the language board game. Based on the survey conducted on the staff’s feedback after playing the board game, a huge majority of the participants responded positively to the board game, stating that it was a useful, practical and fun tool for learning the English grammar. Thus, using the right approach to learn grammar is essential to help learners of all ages and levels acquire the skills effectively.
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