Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: enseñanza/aprendizaje de vocabulario

Resumen:

This article examines the influence of different reading conditions (i.e. reading only and reading with first language marginal glosses), number of word encounters (one, three, and seven) while reading, and combinations of these two variables on new word retention. This study considered a total of six possible combinations. Six groups of Chinese learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) (n = 240) were randomly selected and each assigned to a condition including 15 target lexical items. Each treatment session lasted for 5 weeks. One delayed test, containing four dimensions of vocabulary knowledge, was intended to measure learners’ retention of unknown words. The delayed test was administered 2 weeks after the experiment and was not disclosed to the learners in advance. The groups whose reading was accompanied by first-language (...

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Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: comprensión oral

Resumen:

Focusing on the teaching of listening strategies to second language (L2) learners, this study sought to revisit Renandya and Farrell’s (2011) claims that explicit listening strategy instruction for lower-proficiency learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) is a fruitless endeavor. As such, we implemented a quasi-experimental study to measure the effectiveness of a metacognitive intervention for a convenience sample of lower-proficiency (CEFR A2) Japanese university EFL learners (n = 129). The training program focused on an explicit process-based approach, involving integrated experiential learning tasks and guided reflections, to develop learners’ L2 listening skills. Data collection consisted of TOEIC® test scores, listening comprehension tests, cloze tests, a listening self-efficacy questionnaire, and a post-treatment survey...

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Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: expresión oral

Resumen:

This study investigates the impact of cognitive apprenticeship on the speaking proficiency of English as a foreign language (EFL) learners. The study follows a randomized pre-test–post-test control group design, with an experimental group receiving instruction based on cognitive apprenticeship principles and a control group receiving conventional instruction. Sixty intermediate Iranian EFL learners participated in this study. The participants’ speaking proficiency was assessed using the Preliminary English Test (PET) and two IELTS speaking tests. Trained examiners evaluated the participants’ performance on the basis of established speaking proficiency criteria. The results indicate that the experimental group, which received instruction following cognitive apprenticeship principles, outperformed the control group in terms of speaking...

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Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: translingüismo

Resumen:

Translanguaging has thrived as a pedagogy for second language (L2) acquisition because of its potential in maximizing L2 learners’ communicative repertoire. However, limited attention has been paid to how translanguaging can influence L2 speaking within the framework of task-based language teaching (TBLT). This study explored how different language use (i.e., L2 only and translanguaging) in collaborative pre-task planning contributed to L2 learners’ subsequent monologic speaking performance, as measured by complexity, accuracy, fluency (CAF), and idea units. The planning behaviours were also examined to offer explanations for the differences in learners’ speaking performance. Altogether 72 undergraduate students from a Chinese university voluntarily participated in this study. The results showed that translanguaging planning...

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Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: enfoque por tareas

Resumen:

This mixed-methods study investigates how task type—independent versus integrated—and task repetition may influence the complexity, accuracy, and fluency (CAF) of second language oral performance and learners’ underlying attention orientation. Fifty-six Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners completed either an independent (reading–speaking) or integrated (reading–listening–speaking) task, repeated after one week. CAF measures captured performance changes, and stimulated recall interviews with 24 participants traced attentional allocation according to Levelt’s (1989) speech model. No interaction effects emerged, but significant main effects were found: repetition was associated with increases in syntactic complexity and accuracy, and task type affected speech rate. Stimulated recalls appeared to align with these findings...

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Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: colocaciones

Resumen:

This study investigates the relative effectiveness of two methods for teaching a set of English verb–noun collocations: form-focused instruction (FFI) and concept-based instruction (CBI). The sample comprised 73 Chinese-speaking learners of English taking intermediate English courses, who were randomly assigned to one of three groups: an FFI intervention group, a CBI intervention group, and a control group. In order to determine the effects of the two instructional methods, the participants’ collocational knowledge was measured in three ways: via form recall testing, form recognition testing, and meaning recall testing. Specifically, all of the participants took pretests, immediate posttests, and one-week delayed posttests. The results of a comparison of the learning gains between the three groups showed that the CBI and FFI...

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Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: pensamiento crítico

Resumen:

Critical thinking and second language (L2) critical writing are very important for students at the tertiary level. However, applied linguistics and L2 acquisition research has mostly focused on linguistic knowledge development. Second language research has yet given scarce attention for examining the development of critical thinking and critical writing. This article explores the impact of critical analysis based on augmented reality (AR) technology on developing critical thinking and critical writing. Two groups of L2 undergraduates (n = 120) participated in this study. The experimental group used critical analysis based on AR, and the control group used online instruction based on a learning management system without AR. The findings showed that the experimental group outperformed the control group in critical thinking and writing....

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Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: enseñanza/aprendizaje de lenguas

Resumen:

Addressing the pervasive issue of low engagement in Chinese junior high school English classrooms, this study evaluates the efficacy of gamified cooperative teaching (GCT) using a mixed-methods design. By integrating surveys, pre- and postintervention vocabulary tests, systematic classroom observations, and semi-structured interviews, the research examines the behavioral and cognitive shifts of a cohort of seventh-grade English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) learners. Findings indicate that the implementation of GCT was associated with a notable increase in active classroom participation and improved vocabulary retention compared with traditional instructional methods. Qualitative data from interviews and observations further suggest that the gamified collaborative framework effectively fostered student motivation and enhanced classroom...

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Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: enseñanza/aprendizaje de lenguas

Resumen:

The present study employed a mixed methods quasi-experimental design to investigate the effectiveness of applying motivational strategies and mental imagery (i.e. visionary techniques) to facilitate second language (L2) vocabulary learning. Four treatment sessions were integrated into a six-week language course offered to 150 intermediate students in nine classes of English as a foreign language (EFL), which were divided into three groups: motivational group, visionary group and control group. The target language items involved 56 formulaic sequences, and the outcome was assessed by a multiple-choice vocabulary test. The quantitative results were accompanied by qualitative data, aimed at gaining a deeper understanding of the test results. The findings revealed that both motivational strategies and visionary techniques proved effective...

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Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: comunicación no verbal

Resumen:

This study investigated the extent to which different pedagogical gestures contribute to learners’ foreign or second language (L2) narrative recall, and further discussed how task complexity and task difficulty (i.e. working memory capacity or WMC) influence recall performance. Sixty-four adolescent learners, assigned to four different gesture viewing conditions (iconic gestures, deictic gestures, beat gestures, or no gesture), were required to listen to an instructor telling two stories (one complex and one simple) and then retell both stories twice: once immediately after listening (immediate recall) and a second time two weeks later (delayed recall). Recall performance was evaluated by the number of relevant pieces of event and motion information produced in the participants’ retelling. The results show that L2 learners who were...

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