College English in China has shifted from cultivating reading ability to comprehensive communicative abilities with an emphasis on listening and speaking. For this reason, new teaching models should be built on modern information technology. However, little research on developing models for the online teaching of listening skills has been conducted. Thus, the present study aims at developing an instructional model for online task-based interactive listening (OTIL Model) for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners and investigating the effects of using OTIL. First, researcher constructed the OTIL Model by analyzing and synthesizing four effective and manageable instructional design models. Subsequently, three experts in the field of instructional systems design and English language teaching evaluated the OTIL Model. Next, two non-English major intact classes at Tongren University, China (TU), were employed in the experiment by using OTIL designed based on the developed OTIL Model. Additionally, the results of the two classes were compared by pre-and post-tests, revealing a significant difference in the post-test score between the experimental and control classes (P=0.000, P≤0.05). The results seem to suggest that the OTIL Model can be served to promote students' listening ability.
Reading skills are important not only for academic achievement but also for professional development. However, some Thai EFL university students have been found to have relatively low reading comprehension ability, even with those majoring in English. Major causes include lack of reading strategies, improper instructional method, and learning environment. Although providing reading strategies has commonly been used to improve reading comprehension, it is usually effective when providing suitable environments for learning and practicing. Therefore, an alternative instructional method needs to be used in order to provide enhancing learning environments for the maximum learning outcomes. In this study, a Flipped Cooperative Classroom Model (FCCM) is introduced. With this instructional approach, course inputs are learned through online before classroom, and the classroom time is used for more individual
The study investigated the interaction patterns of six ASEAN EFL university students when they worked in small groups on two collaborative writing tasks: a descriptive essay and an argumentative essay. Both groups were homogeneous in terms of gender and heterogeneous in terms of home countries. Data collection included pre- and posttest writing, pre- and post-task questionnaires, participants’ work on essays, their reflections, observations, and semi-structured interviews. The students worked on their essays in Google Docs, and the researcher(s) used DocuViz as a tool for visualizations of students’ collaborative writing contributions and styles. The findings showed different interaction patterns (a cooperative revision style for Group A vs. a main writer style for Group B) across the two collaborative writing tasks. While revising, both groups added and corrected their essays and employed almost the same writing change functions and language functions, which were suggesting, agreeing, and stating.
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