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: enseñanza/aprendizaje de lenguas

Resumen:

High-stakes tests often report outcomes without shaping what learners do next. In large, CEFR-aligned English as a foreign language (EFL) programs, evidence is limited on whether brief, scheduled reflection can turn assessments into learning and improve calibration (alignment between self-ratings and scores). A sequential explanatory mixed-methods study was conducted with 389 tertiary learners who completed two midterm exams 8 weeks apart. The intervention combined pre-exam CEFR “can-do” self-ratings with a short, teacher-led dialogue, and nonparticipants served as a comparison group. Quantitatively, achievement was compared with ANCOVA (Exam 2 adjusted for Exam 1), and calibration was tested per skill with χ²/Cramér’s V . Scores declined across the term in both groups, but the decline was smaller with reflection. Calibration patterns...

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Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: enseñanza/aprendizaje de vocabulario

Resumen:

This study investigates the effect of personal investment in the form of learner-generated content (LGC) on the lexical recall of beginning-level learners of Chinese. The study employed a 2 × 2 repeated-measures design with content at two levels – teacher-generated content or TGC, and learner-generated content or LGC – and time at two levels (immediate, delayed). Quantitative results were triangulated with qualitative thematic analyses of follow-up interviews. The study was conducted at an Australian university and aimed to identify a way of modifying current intentional vocabulary learning activities to increase learner investment in the learning process and improve retention. Participants completed two versions of a picture description activity that was commonly used to introduce and practice new vocabulary in the program. The first...

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Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: feedback/retroalimentación

Resumen:

Peer feedback has been widely used in English as a foreign language (EFL) writing classes, but its effect is highly variable and its quality and validity are often questioned by students as well as teachers. This research aims to explore the effects of teacher intervention on student use of different types of peer feedback and on their self-revision of writing texts. The study employed a quasi-experimental design with two experimental groups receiving either the teacher’s direct correction for erroneous peer feedback or indication of inaccurate peer feedback with symbols and a control group receiving no teacher intervention on peer feedback. One hundred and ten non-English major graduate students in three parallel writing classes participated in the study. The study lasted for one and a half months, during which the participants...

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Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: enfoques y métodos

Resumen:

Traditional English teaching in China is predominantly teacher-centered, which limits student engagement and reflective learning. Transformative learning theory (TLT) advocates a student-centered approach that fosters critical reflection and active participation, potentially enhancing English listening and speaking skills. This study examines the effectiveness of a TLT-based curriculum intervention in improving Chinese college students’ English proficiency. Using a quasi-experimental design, 135 freshmen at a comprehensive university in China participated in the study. The experimental group (EG) received a 10-week TLT-based curriculum, while the control group (CG) underwent traditional instruction. Language proficiency was assessed using the Cambridge English Language Assessment’s Preliminary English Test (PET), and multivariate...

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Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: feedback/retroalimentación

Resumen:

This study investigates whether gesture-enhanced recasts lead to better production of the English regular past tense. Fifty-nine low-intermediate ESL students at a US university took part in communicative activities in class, during which they received, respectively, no feedback, verbal recasts, or gesture-enhanced recasts, the latter being a verbal recast accompanied by a point-back gesture indicating the non-target-like use or absence of the past tense. All learners also completed two assessments, a grammar test about the regular past tense and an oral production test that was designed to elicit the regular past tense, as a pre-test, an immediate post-test, and a delayed post-test a week later. Then, a repeated-measure ANOVA was used to analyse the linguistic development, using the obtained test scores. The results showed that there...

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Tipo: artículo

Metodología: estudio empírico

Temas: español como lengua extranjera

Resumen:

The present study examined the effect of a pedagogical intervention about humorous verbal irony in Spanish with a mixed group of 40 second language (L2) and heritage speakers of Spanish. Unlike previous studies that have considered only irony comprehension, this project incorporated both comprehension and production of irony into instruction and assessment. The intervention consisted of 2.5 hours of lessons that focused on humorous irony and irony cues. To assess effectiveness, participants completed a pretest and posttest of an irony comprehension instrument and a written production questionnaire designed to elicit humorous irony. The results from the study indicate that the intervention was beneficial in increasing participants’ accurate interpretation of irony and identification of tone of voice as an irony cue. Additionally, after...

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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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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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