In this paper, I attempt to investigate whether online writing checkers, including tools looking at grammar, punctuation, spelling and composition, do in fact help potential ESL writers, and if so, to which extent, in what areas, to what effect and at what cost. The small-scale study involves 23 university level ESL students who compose various texts as part of their training. Data was collected using pre and post writing samples, questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. The analysis used a descriptive statistical method, Likert-scale and correlations and qualitative analysis for the three methods respectively. The results are inconclusive as students reported different opinions. It was found however that students who are frequent users of features such as MS Word Thesaurus and Online Corpora are more likely to incorporate online writing checkers and therefore found them more helpful. It was also found that regardless of their effect, students always welcomed tools available that can provide feedback to their compositions. The writing software used, AccurIT, also showed improvements in students’ ability to write correct collocations.
This paper reports on the experience of seven Saudi female ESL students who worked collaboratively in an interactive online writing environment over a period of four weeks. It chronicles their experiences with online writing tasks, documents their responses to online feedback, and examines their attempts to cope with different settings and audiences. It was found that interactive features of weblogs helped establish a valid peer review culture as an integral part of collaborative writing. The experience also helped develop critical thinking and ability to identify target audience. In general, students’ attitudes were positive and participants exhibited a desire to incorporate similar tasks in upcoming ESL writing classes. It is therefore recommended that educational authorities and teachers should solicit online resources more often.
The current study evaluates the potential of dynamic assessment (DA) in listening comprehension classes. DA is based on the sociocultural aspect of the Vygotskyan theory. It facilitates language improvement because DA assumes that mental instruments mediate psychological exercises. Although DA has been extensively analyzed, few studies have investigated its impact on listening comprehension in the language classroom. This study intends to fill the research gap in listening comprehension studies using DA as a mediation tool. The purpose of the current study therefore is to assess the effects of dynamic assessment on listening comprehension. A total of fifty-six English as a foreign language (hereinafter EFL) learners took part in the present examination. The subjects took a general placement proficiency test developed by the English Language Centre within the university to ensure participant homogeneity. The researcher recorded pre-test and post-test results of the participants and coded the values quantitatively. Data management and analyses were performed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The results were statistically analyzed using one-way ANOVA to test reliability and validity. The relevance of DA in enhancing listening comprehension is clearly supported by the fact that DA students’ results outperformed their counterparts in the study. The study findings also indicated a need for language educators to utilise mediation techniques in order to enhance students’ listening skills. Educators are advised to apply more DA approaches to mitigate student resistance to classroom instructions. These discoveries underscore the efficacy of DA and suggest its inclusion in the language-learning curriculum.
This literature review article looks into the practice of finding literal translations in the target language for each and every technical term and process in the source language, even if the equivalents are not intelligible to the readers. This practice is evident in many translated textbooks in highly technical majors including IT, engineering and medicine. The paper suggests a hybrid model of translation by employing transliteration (Arabicisation) as well as traditional translation. In other words, known terms and processes should be treated as proper nouns rather than lexical items and subsequently referring to the entities as sounds rather than meanings. This process makes a translated text easier to comprehend, keeps the intended meaning as accurate as possible and saves translators time finding awkward and pointless equivalents in the target language.
This article briefly looks at the practice of appropriating Western teaching methodologies into the Arab world. It accounts for recent and historical attempts to do so and evaluates the success or otherwise of such practice. The paper adopts Adrian Holliday's (1994) distinction between British, Australian and North American (BANA) context and Tertiary, Secondary, and Primary English language education (TESEP) where the context of the current study fits. The paper argues that appropriating Western methodologies risks alienating the culture from which these teaching approaches come. Since one reason for learning a language is to become familiar with its culture, one may question the need for adapting its teaching methodologies by simply separating it from its cultural values in the first place. The question is that shall one protect his or her cultural identity by dismissing the cultures of other dominant languages? This is a conundrum that cannot be easily saved but one that needs looking at nonetheless. The paper looks at a widely used series of textbooks in a TESEP context and attempts to see if adapting Grami et al.; JESBS, 33(1): 24-32, 2020; Article no.JESBS.54409 25 teaching methodologies is attainable and practical. By comparing the stated goals of both the institute and the textbook, we can better define how local contexts can shape BANA methodologies. Original Research Article
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