Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: enfoque por tareas

Resumen:

This study is aimed to identify the effects of task complexity on first language (L1) use and the functions it may serve when two groups of learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) work on collaborative tasks. Twenty-four pairs of Chinese EFL learners from two universities were assigned to a lower-proficiency and a higher-proficiency group, each with twelve pairs. Each group completed two collaborative tasks of different cognitive complexity. The results showed that task complexity had an appreciable impact on the use of L1 and its functions. It is also found that the impact of task complexity was dependent on learners’ English proficiency. Specifically, the higher-proficiency group employed more L1 to perform complex tasks than they did in the simple versions of the tasks. These learners also devoted significantly more L1...

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Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: enseñanza/aprendizaje de vocabulario

Resumen:

Although research shows that second language (L2) learners have major difficulties in developing their productive vocabulary skills, little research has been conducted on how to facilitate productive mastery of learned words. With this in mind, this study investigated the effects of task type and repetition frequency on improving receptive word knowledge to productive mastery. The 146 university students enrolled in an EFL course were assigned to four groups, each doing a different form of vocabulary exercises (multiple-choice, gap-filling, sentence translation and sentence writing) for 12 successive weeks. The 18 targets the participants knew receptively were divided into three sets that were repeated two, four and six times respectively. Productive knowledge of the targets was measured two weeks after the treatment. The results...

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Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: factores afectivos

Resumen:

Student engagement has long been recognized as a vital predictor of academic success, but how it associates with control-value appraisals and academic emotions of Chinese undergraduates of English as a foreign language (EFL) is underexplored. This article hence invoked the control-value theory and investigated the general profile of Chinese undergraduates’ control-value appraisals, academic emotions and student engagement in English learning, and the interrelationships between the three constructs. Descriptive statistics of the questionnaire data revealed that the 323 undergraduate participants generally showed a moderate level of control-value appraisals and engagement in English learning; furthermore, they experienced a variety of academic emotions, with positive emotions as more frequently experienced than negative ones....

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Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: interacción

Resumen:

Negotiation serves to solve communication problems in second language (L2) learners’ peer interaction including negotiation of meaning (NoM), negotiation of form (NoF), negotiation of content (NoC) and negotiation of procedure (NoP). The four negotiation types are initiated through negotiation strategies. This study examined how negotiation types and negotiation strategies were distributed and how the distributions developed. The data came from five rounds of group interaction conducted by 52 Chinese postgraduate students in a semester. The findings reveal significant differences in the distributions of negotiation types and negotiation strategies. NoC occurred significantly more frequently than NoM and NoF. Each negotiation type had its major negotiation strategies and they had significantly higher percentages than the other...

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Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: factores afectivos

Resumen:

Language learners’ well-being is crucial for promoting their learning achievement and supporting holistic psychological development. However, the overall level and specific manifestations of well-being among English as a foreign language (EFL) learners remain insufficiently examined. Further, prior research mainly adopted a variable-centered approach to investigate well-being, overlooking the potential individual differences in learners’ experiences. To address these gaps, this study adopted a person-centered perspective and employed latent profile analysis (LPA) combined with follow-up interviews to examine the well-being of 3,995 EFL learners from 16 Chinese universities. The results demonstrated four dimensions of well-being among Chinese EFL learners, namely emotional, cognitive, social, and cultural well-being, with overall...

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