4
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503
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893
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Using Freeware Concordancers to Help Thai University Students Activate L2 Collocations
Author
Author
Thaveesilpa, Issariya
Abstract
A summary of the resource.
The study examines the effect of training in online concordancing tools: BNC, Lextutor, and AntConc 3.2.1 on Thai undergraduate students’ L2 collocation activation. The freeware concordancers were introduced for the experimental group; the subjects, therefore, accessed a collection of authentic texts (corpus) via various computer programmes with recommended concordancing tools. The control group, on the other hand, was asked to practice lexical units by the e-Diary method via M@xLearn, KU e-Learning system. Following a preliminary and pilot study, the intervention interwoven with the regular teaching by the practitioner, was conducted at Kasetsart University (KU), Bangkok, Thailand. The subjects, from two intact classrooms, group 5 and group 7, took the elective course: English Reading for Mass Communication (01355205). According to the randomly selected procedure, the former was a control group; and the latter was an experimental group. Data were collected utilising two research instruments: pre and post tests of lexical items learning ability adapted from Nation’s (2001) Productive levels test: version C, and semi-structured interview administered at the end of the course to elicit the subjects’ attitudes and comments towards the using concordancers as new lexical learning tools. Furthermore, questions for the experimental group, were used to elicit the perceived effectiveness and ineffectiveness of the concordancers employed. The data obtained from the two research instruments were triangulated to confirm the validity and reliability of the research findings. The Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS), ANOVA shows that after introducing freeware concordancers, the subjects from the experimental group significantly outperformed subjects from the control group in their ability to activate lexical items and had a positive attitude towards using concordancers. Moreover, the subjects from the experimental group showed an increased awareness of the need to autonomously apply freeware concordancers to further help master L2 lexical learning in various genres.
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2012-05-04
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P Philology. Linguistics
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904
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Using Current out-of-class Materials in Teaching Reading Comprehension
Author
Author
Asgari, Majid
Abstract
A summary of the resource.
The studies on the integrating out of class materials with class materials mostly show the crucial role of this task for teachers and its benefits for students. This study investigates the effect of the integrating currents issues of interest into class materials on the students’ reading comprehension. The following question is proposed. Is relating current issues of interest to class materials useful on students reading comprehension? A true and a null hypothesis are given. The true hypothesis is integrating current issues of interest with class materials in teaching reading has a positive effect on reading comprehension. The study is performed at Islamic Azad University in Hidaj with 60 participants--male and female-- who are majoring in ‘mechanical’ and ‘electrical’ engineering. The subjects are randomly divided into two groups, each with 30 students. One of the groups is used as the experimental group (G1) and the other one as the control group (G2). The subjects are taught for two weeks and finally will take an achievement test. After analyzing the results of the test, and by comparing the means of the scores using t-test, the null hypothesis will be testified to show whether integrating current issues of interest with class materials improves reading comprehension of students in English class at university.
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2012-05
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P Philology. Linguistics
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770
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Using A Moodle Platform In An Online Exchange To Enhance Intercultural Sensitivity: A Practical Experience In Higher Education
Author
Author
Raluy Alonso, Angel
Abstract
A summary of the resource.
As the Council of Europe suggests foreign language teaching needs to comprise not only linguistic performance but also intercultural consciousness and intercultural skills. Despite being grammatically and lexically competent, many university students have limited experience in handling cultural difference due to a lack of exposure to intercultural interaction (Belz, 2006). As O’Dowd (2007) states, online communication tools not only offer more opportunities than before to interact with peers from distant societies but they also provide an authentic and effective way of preparing learners for intercultural enrichment through partnership. The aim of this talk is to present a summary of the experience and the findings of a semester long online exchange between specialist learners of English at the University of Vic (Barcelona, Spain) and at the University of Opole (Poland) during the 2011-2012 academic year. The immediate objective pursed by both institutions was to establish a closer relationship between third year students both physically and virtually so as to foster a better understanding of their counterparts’ culture. The project rested on the principles of reciprocity and learner autonomy, so the communication was asynchronous and fundamentally developed outside the classroom. In order to test the impact of the online communication on the students’ intercultural sensitivity a small scale study was conducted. During the session, the structure, outcomes, challenges and future of the experience will be discussed and some preliminary results of the research project will be presented.
Date
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2012-05
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PeerReviewed
P Philology. Linguistics
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995
Title
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Using ‘Glocal News’ to Develop Students’ Reading and Speaking Skills.
Author
Author
ÖZÇINAR-SIREL, Nazan
Abstract
A summary of the resource.
With the improvement of technology, many young people regard themselves as non-readers because they would rather engage in getting information from other forms of media such as the Internet, television, advertising, music, movies, video games and other digital realities. Therefore, teachers are constantly thinking of challenging ways to assign tasks that students can perform with these digital gadgets. Teachers are also aware of the fact that students need to be exposed to reading materials as much as possible so that they can improve their level of English. It is difficult to envisage a language- teaching programme without any reading tasks assigned to students. Whether teachers assign their students to read graded reader tasks or newspaper articles does not make any difference. It is a known fact that students will improve their reading skills with any reading tasks assigned to them. Therefore, reading newspaper articles is an effective way that teachers can use with their intermediate level of students to improve their reading skills. Unfortunately, we are not much of a reading society and we don’t even read a newspaper regularly in our mother tongue let alone in English. ‘Glocal News’ is one way of these challenging tasks designed for students at the intermediate level to encourage students to read online newspaper articles that they are interested in and present it online as a summary activity on MOODLE, an online open source known also as Course Management Systems (CMS). This workshop attempts to suggest an innovative approach to reading online newspaper articles to create online video journals.
Date
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2012-05-04
Keywords
Keywords.
Conference or Workshop Item
PeerReviewed
P Philology. Linguistics
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914
Title
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Use of Collins WorldBanks Online Corpus in Teaching English as a Second Language
Author
Author
Okicic, Melisa
Abstract
A summary of the resource.
This paper discusses the use of corpus linguistics sources, in particular, the Collins Worldbanks Online Corpus in terms of its characteristics and possibilities for linguistic analyses, which may significantly improve the process of teaching English as a second language at the university level. This Corpus contains 57 million words of written and spoken English, from both American and British sources. It is worth mentioning that, according to our knowledge, the corpus linguistics databases such as the British National Corpus, the Brown Corpus or the Collins Worldbanks Online Corpus, etc. are not available at the faculties in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Therefore, the main goal of this paper is to give a detailed overview of the structure and the basic terminology of the Collins Worldbanks Online Corpus such as query, concordance, sketch-diff etc. with special reference to a practical use of this corpus in a teaching process in terms of studying vocabulary and collocations (e.g. a proper word usage of the nouns man vs. male, or the verbs request vs. require), thus drawing attention to the importance of this significant linguistic tool which, hopefully, will be recognized as such and will be available all across the faculties in Bosnia-Herzegovina in near future.
Date
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2012-05
Keywords
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PeerReviewed
P Philology. Linguistics
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906
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Upotreba lažnih Prijatelja u Prevodima na Italijanski Jezik
Author
Author
Albano, Maria Teresa
Abstract
A summary of the resource.
U lingvistici se pod pojmom lažni prijatelji podrazumjevaju riječi ili grafemi u dva jezika ili dijalekta, koji izgledaju ili zvuče isto (ili slično), ali imaju različito značenje. Lažni prijatelji predstavljaju veliki problem ljudima koji tek savladavaju strani jezik i usvajaju njegove reči. Neki izrazi iz jednog jezika mogu se pojaviti u drugom dobijajući značenje koje više nije ni srodno ni blisko izvornom, izazivajući zabunu pri prevodu. Cilj našeg rada je prikazati najčešće greške u prevodima na italijanski izazvane upotrebom lažnih prijatelja.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2012-05
Keywords
Keywords.
Conference or Workshop Item
PeerReviewed
P Philology. Linguistics
-
https://eprints.ibu.edu.ba/files/original/27c843e88dd674c94f2d7494e12fd36a.pdf
ade747dad2032a62972f7520a3d448af
PDF Text
Text
1st International Conference on Foreign Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics
May 5-7 2011 Sarajevo
University students‘ attitudes towards alternative assessment in FLT
Sanja Josifovic Elezovic
Faculty of Philology, University of Banjaluka
Bosnia-Herzegovina
sanjajosifovic@gmail.com
Abstract: This paper describes a small-scale study of newly enrolled
university students regarding their views of nontraditional strategies of
assessment in foreign language teaching. Taking into account the importance
of attitudes to student motivation for learning, as well as contemporary
education reform issues related to assessment, the research investigates
students‘ attitudes towards alternative assessment methods, primarily peer, self
and portfolio assessment, following a one semester, undergraduate course at
University of Banjaluka. Attitudes of students from 3 different faculties Philology, Philosophy, and Technology, are explored and compared.
The findings reveal that majority of students endorse alternative assessment
techniques in FLT, and suggest their implementation in other subjects. This
research confirms numerous benefits of alternative assessment application at
university level, supporting beliefs of other researchers that using alternative
assessment techniques to assess student learning can lead to increased self
reflection, higher cognitive skills development, improved intrinsic motivation,
creativity, communication, cooperation, integration of language skills and
enhanced overall student performance.
In conclusion, benefits for students, teachers and institutions have been
summarized, and the use of alternative assessment recommended as an
effective supplement, if not replacement, to traditional tests and exams, which
will suit the needs of individual students by paying more respect to their
personal, linguistic and sociocultural diversity.
Keywords: alternative assessment, attitudes, FLT, peer assessment, portfolio,
university students
Introduction
During the last decades of XX and the first decade of the XXI century assessment has become a
state-of-the-art topic for teachers, educators, researchers. It has been frequently mentioned in professional
publications, workshops, conferences, in-service training, and university courses. The term "assessment" is
used in different contexts and means different things to different people. It is perhaps most often
understood as testing and grading: scoring quizzes and exams and assigning course grades to students, as a
way of informing them about how well they did in the courses. An emerging vision of assessment is that of
a dynamic process that continuously yields information about how well they are doing, i.e. student
progress toward the achievement of learning goals. This vision of assessment acknowledges that when the
information gathered is consistent with learning goals and is used appropriately to inform instruction, it
can enhance student learning as well as document it. Rather than being an activity separate from
instruction, assessment is growingly being viewed as an integral part of teaching and learning, and not just
the culmination of instruction. The current reform movement in educational assessment encourages
teachers to think about assessment more broadly than "testing" and using test results to assign grades and
rank students.
Alternative assessment is another notion which may imply different things, but most often denotes
forms which differ from conventional assessment methods such as tests and exam essay questions. It is
compatible with constructivist ideas in that it favours integration of assessment, teaching and learning; the
involvement of students as active and informed participants; assessment tasks which are authentic,
meaningful and engaging; assessments which mirror realistic contexts, in contrast with the artificial time
constraints and limited access to support available in conventional exams; focus on both the process and
products of learning; and moves away from single test or exam scores towards a descriptive assessment
based on a range of abilities and outcomes (Sambell, McDowell & Brown, 1997). Many alternative
assessment techniques have been developed and implemented into educational practice, mainly as a result
of new insights into student learning, and as a counterpart to standardized tests, e.g. multiple choice tests
and the like. These alternative techniques often refer to peer assessment, self assessment and portfolio
assessment, sometimes also to authentic and performance assessment.
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Peer assessment (PA) is also a term that may mean many things. A range of situations are
encompassed by the term - assessment by other students, self assessment (of oral presentations/viva, of
written work, assignments, tests, for marks, for formative/feedback purposes, for participation in group
work/derive individual marks on group projects, mark one-on-one, whole class or group marks an
individual's performance), peer group assessment or collaborative assessment. PA is found to increase
student–student and student–teacher interactions, and can be used to increase learner‘s understanding of
other students' ideas during the learning experience (Falchikov,1995; Sluijsmans et al.,1999). It can
increase learners‘ understanding in the cognitive and metacognitive domains, and develop social and
transferable skills (Topping,1998).
Self assessment is nothing new, but in educational context it represents an alternative technique, a
way of increasing the role and involvement of students as active participants in making judgements about
their own learning (Boud, 1995). It is mostly used for formative assessment in order to foster reflection on
one‘s own learning processes and results (Sluijsmans et al, 1999). If carefully planned and encouraged it
can be a springboard for discussion - a comparison between teacher and student self assessed mark can
reveal agreement or disagreement in over or underscoring and provide space for dialogue and further
student improvement.
Portfolio assessment is an ongoing process involving the student and teacher in selecting samples
of student work for inclusion in a collection, the main purpose of which is to show the student's progress. It
demonstrates and evidences that students have, or have not, mastered a set of learning objectives during a
longer time period. More than folders containing students‘ homework, they are personalized, longitudinal
representations of students‘ work and efforts. Above all, they are excellent assessment and self-reflective
tools. Through selecting optional papers to include in their portfolios students discover their strengths and
weaknesses, they see where they are for themselves and increase their metacognitive awareness.
In the new era of assessment, students are supposed to be active, reflective learners, regulating
their own learning processes largely on their own and by their individual choices. This then also implies
that they should be active assessors, given that learning is inseparable from assessment. Taking into
account the well-proven importance of attitudes to student motivation for learning, it could be assumed
that their attitudes to assessment, an integral part of learning, are salient issues for all educators and
education researchers.
Problem Statement
Academic assessment of students serves two main purposes, formative and summative. The
former intends to improve the quality of learning and serves students' learning needs, and the latter is
needed for accreditation of knowledge or performance and serves the needs of the society to evaluate the
end-result of schooling (Boud, 1990). Boud was one of many who argued that the need for the formative
assessment is usually neglected, and alternative assessments should be developed in order to improve
student learning. And indeed, contemporary education reforms put forward new rules related to
assessment, that insist on constant taking account of students‘ progress throughout the academic year,
enforcing two or more mid-term tests, attendance and participation scores, homework and different
activities scores and other kinds of scores. However, in practice, it all too often appears that the whole
assessment process boils down to just that – continuous scoring. Both students and teachers seem to
endlessly count points, the side effect often being an absurd, detrimental preoccupation with grades and
scores, rather than progress and learning. Frequent quizzes and tests throughout the academic year may
represent a kind of formative, as well as summative, comment on students‘ learning and progress, but it
does not necessarily need to be that way. If teachers are pressured to complete demanding teaching
materials planned by the syllabus and curriculum, prepare, administer, score and correct tests all by
themselves all the time, it might be logical to assume that formative assessment and differentiated
instruction simply stand in the way. Furthermore, if we take into account big numbers of students per one
teacher, it becomes obvious that finding time for formative assessment must be a big issue. Tests are
usually administered as planned, but do they guarantee benefits with regard to students‘ learning and
progress? Many studies have shown that tests and grades themselves actually do not significantly improve
learning or ensure students‘ progress (Black and William, 1998).
In recent years of education reform implementation at Banjaluka University (BLU) there has been
a continuing overreliance on traditional tests and exams. Assessment practices are still most often limited
to pen and paper tests and exams, use of traditional assessment is dominant and little attention is given to
alternative assessment. These practices might partly be causes of frequently unsatisfying situation in our
academic context. On one hand, there are time and again frustrated students complaining about everlasting
tests and exams, workload, low grades, boredom. On the other, there are recurrently frustrated teachers
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�1st International Conference on Foreign Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics
May 5-7 2011 Sarajevo
complaining about countless tests and exams, workload, low students‘ performance, administrative
requirements.
The key question that this research is concerned with, the question for both students and teachers
to ask, is: Can alternative assessment application contribute to lessening earlier mentioned burden,
boredom and bureaucracy? Given that students are indisputably at the centre of teaching and learning it
seemed essential to enquire about their attitudes to alternative assessment first. In some other study, it will
be more than relevant to examine teachers‘ attitudes to alternative assessment as well, and compare the
two.
The purpose of this study is to identify, describe and compare undergraduate students‘ attitudes
regarding alternative assessment at BLU. Attitudes of students from 3 different faculties have been
explored and compared - Faculty of Philology, students of English language and literature, Faculty of
Philosophy, students of Primary Teacher and Preschool Teacher Education, and Faculty of Technology,
students of Graphic and Textile Technology and Design. Research questions to start with were:
What are the attitudes of undergraduate students to alternative and traditional
methods? What are the attitudes of undergraduates at Faculty of Philology to alternative
methods? What are the attitudes of undergraduates at Faculty of Philosophy to alternative
methods? What are the attitudes of undergraduates at Faculty of Technology to alternative
methods? Are there any differences between the attitudes of students from different faculties?
assessment
assessment
assessment
assessment
Research design
Sample
The study was carried out after the first semester of the 2010-2011 academic year, in February
2011, with the participation of 122 newly enrolled students at BLU. Students come from 3 Faculties and 5
Departments - Faculty of Philology, Department of English language and literature (66), Faculty of
Philosophy, Departments of Primary Teacher Education and Preschool Teacher Education (20), and
Faculty of Technology, Departments of Graphic Technology and Textile Technology and Design (36). In
the winter term 2010/2011 these students were involved in a range of both traditional and alternative
337
assessment techniques in their English classes.
The sample is convenient and not representative of the entire BLU student population. Majority of
the students were female, born in Bosnia-Hercegovina and age between 18 and 23. Level of proficiency in
English was ranging from A1-C1.
Method and instrument
The study employed a qualitative approach, and a post-course and post-exam questionnaire was
used as a data collection instrument. Students‘ general perceptions of different assessment practices and
formats, traditional and alternative, formal and informal, assessment with and without grades, were then
analysed and compared. The draft questionnaire had been pretested with fourth year students of English,
and also in different forms of midterm and end-of-term self-reflective essays.
The questionnaire University students‘ attitudes to assessment in FLT (EGP) (Appendix1) was
given to students of English, while the questionnaire University students‘ attitudes to assessment in FLT
(ESP) (Appendix2) was given to students of Primary and Preschool Teacher Education and students of
Technology. The questionnaires are the same, open-ended in nature, consisting of 10 questions related to
formal and informal, traditional and alternative, forms of assessment the students participated in during the
winter term 2010/2011, including final exams in February 2011. The only difference is in question nine,
the table providing scaffolding for assessment activities and the only closed-ended question asking for just
one answer, where the number of assessment activities is lower for the students of English for Specific
Purposes than for the students of English, who do English for General Purposes.
Content analysis and constant comparison method were used for interpreting qualitative data.
337
This was done to a slightly less extent at Faculties of Philosophy and Technology, not because these students
learn English for specific purposes but because the number of classes of English per week is much lower. Students
at Faculty of Philology have 8 classes of English weekly (four classes for integrated skills and four for translations
L1-L2 and L2-L1) whereas students at the other two faculties have only two classes per week.
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�1st International Conference on Foreign Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics
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Data collection and procedure
Students were given questionnaires to fill in and clearly explained they were to be used solely for
research purposes, their anonymity secured. They were asked to be honest and given as much time as they
needed to complete the questionnaire. The language to be used was English, but it was made clear to the
students that the interest was in their thoughts and feelings, not at all in their language proficiency.
Moreover, they were offered to answer the questions using their mother tongue, if they found it easier.
In the analysis process all the responses were transcribed into a Microsoft Word file, and
afterwards analysed in terms of themes related to the study aims.
There are several limitations to this study that have to be highlighted in order to avoid
overgeneralisations and misinterpretations of results. First, due to time concerns the study was confined to
1st year students only, and only to students who came to class the day the questionnaire was delivered.
Second, due to the open-ended nature of the questionnaire on several occasions it was unclear what
students exactly meant, e.g. oral or written peer-assessment, speaking exam or speaking activity class,
translation from L1-L2 or L2-L1. Therefore, the results should be interpreted with care and only as an
initial insight into views of assessment of the students who participated in the sample. Further studies with
the same and broader sample are intended to be performed in the future in order to obtain a more reliable
and extensive picture.
Results - analysis and discussion
On the whole, students seemed very interested in discussing their views of assessment. They
answered all questions, often providing detailed reasons for their choices and offering suggestions. There
were only seven cases, all in Q9, when an answer was missing. Reasons for preferring some assessment
methods to others mostly fall into categories of affect and motivation, language learning and learning in
general. Substantial generalizations are impossible since great variability of answers was shown
throughout, proving considerable individual differences, but some insight is offered based on frequencies
of students‘ answers, analysed in categories determined by the questions in the questionnaire.
Personal preferences of assessment activity. In the first two questions, students expressed their
personal assessment favourites, individual likes and dislikes, and gave reasons for them. The form of
assessment that received the greatest frequency for both EGP (38%) and ESP students (40%) was an
alternative form - portfolio. The most frequently mentioned reasons for it being the favourite referred to
having enough time for learning, fostering creativity, interesting topics, handiness (‗everything in one
place‘). Findings show that students generally prefer home assignments to timed exam assignments. It is
not surprising, taking into consideration exam anxiety and stress. However, there were also students who
expressed doubts to reliability of assessing home assignments due to greater possibility of cheating –
copying essays from Internet or friends, or using Google translate. A third of ESP students disliked
traditional assessment form test, mostly because they found it boring and stressful.
Difficulty. Q3 and Q4 investigated students‘ opinion of the difficulty of assessment practices.
The results indicate that some forms are more difficult for individual students than others but generally
only small number of students found any of the assessment activities either too hard or too easy. This may
imply that the level of difficulty was appropriate for most students. Portfolio was mentioned as the easiest
by more than a third of the sample.
Usefulness. Next set of questions, Q5 and Q6, examined students‘ opinion of usefulness of
assessment practices. ESP students frequently mentioned portfolio and oral exam, while EGP students
showed a great diversity here by regarding very different assessment forms as useful for them. The
agreement in the most frequent answers was not higher than 20%. Generally, they found traditional forms,
like dictation, essay writing or translation tests, useful. However, peer assessment was also marked as
useful by 18% of students.
Potential for overall language competence assessment. Q7 asked which assessment activities
they feel show best their competence in English and why. The most frequent answer was oral assessment
(40%), and then writing papers‘ assessment. Dictations and translations came after speaking and writing,
and portfolio and peer assessment were mentioned by only 10 percent of the sample. In ESP group oral
exam as best method of showing their competence was mentioned by 52% of the students, and 33%
mentioned portfolio.
Potential for extensive holistic assessment of students – learner screening. Q8 asked which
assessment activities students feel show the teachers what type of student they really are. Similar to the
previous question answers, the most frequent answer was oral exam – about 40%. This suggests that
students value oral communication more highly than written. ESP students mentioned portfolio (34%)
more often than EGP students (17%) as revealing them as students.
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Q9 required from the students to evaluate more precisely each assessment activity undertaken
throughout the course and exam, deciding on only one word that best describes each. Results are shown in
the tables 1 and 2:
Peer assess oral
assess
Peer
Written
Portfolio
activities
Self assessment
Writing at home
Lett
Essays for nat
speak
Translation L1L2 test
Translation L2L1 test
exam
Dict Test
Timed
essay
Oral xamV
Oral examT
Table1 : Students‘ evaluation of traditional and alternative assessment forms (EGP – English Language
and Literature)
T
A
A
A
A
A
A
T
T
T
T
T
4
4
4
8
11
4
5
10
6
4
3
12
Assessment
Form/Activity
Dict Class
FACULTY OF PHILOLOGY
Assessment
A
Type/mode
Excellent
5
Interesting
4
5
18
9
18
13
9
15
4
2
19
19
15
Boring
1
2
7
7
5
3
8
14
3
3
4
1
2
Fun
4
0
9
9
12
11
5
6
4
3
3
4
8
Too easy
2
1
0
1
2
0
3
1
1
0
6
3
0
Too hard
3
7
2
2
0
2
2
1
6
15
4
5
5
Helpful
23
10
13
10
9
9
12
14
6
5
8
8
3
Important
7
23
2
0
0
6
9
1
22
23
11
11
10
Useful
16
10
9
14
6
6
13
6
10
6
4
5
1
Useless
0
1
0
10
3
2
0
3
0
2
1
0
2
Worthless
1
0
1
0
2
1
1
0
0
0
1
0
2
Other please0
state _______
3
1
0
1
2
0
0
0
1
1
7
6
Number
of66
responses N
65
Good (Little
stresfulhard)
NA
66
(good) (Little
hard)
NA
66
66
65
(stress (good) stres stres
ful)
5
5
NA 2 NA 1
66
66
66
66
66
64
65
Table2: Students‘ evaluation of traditional and alternative assessment forms (ESP - Technology&Teacher
Education)
FACULTY OF TECHNOLOGY and FACULTY OF PHILOSOPHY (TEACHER EDUCATION)
Peer
Assessment
assess Peer
assessPortfolio
Writing
atTest -grammar
form/activity oral
Written
activities
home
translation
Oral examV
Assess type
A
A
A
A
T
T
5
3
10
3
7
10
Excellent
9
1
6
Interesting
12
12
1
4
4
6
3
Boring
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Fun
Too easy
Too hard
Helpful
12
Important
Useful
6
12
1
4
6
Useless
Worthless
Other
please
state ________
N
56
3
1
3
10
4
7
9
3
1
6
5
2
1
14
10
7
4
2
56
56
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11
7
2
2
10
4
3
6
6
4
22
7
3
17
12
16
9
//
54
56
56
Generally speaking, students in the sample found alternative assessment either interesting and
fun, or useful and helpful, whereas traditional assessment mainly important. It is obvious from the table
that traditional assessment forms, written exams were dominantly qualified as important, while less
traditional forms like peer-assessment, portfolio and self assessment were most frequently described as
interesting. It is slightly surprising to note that, contrary to other parts of formal traditional written exam
like translations and dictation, students of English found oral exam interesting, even excellent, more
frequently than important. Especially surprising is to see that timed essay, another traditional form of
assessment, was mostly qualified as interesting, rather than important.
It is important to note that although majority of students found peer assessment useful and
helpful, as well as interesting and fun, there were also almost 20 percent of those who thought written peer
assessment was useless. This form of assessment was mainly new to the students, and probably the most
demanding of their cognitive and linguistic abilities. The reasons they mentioned to explain their negative
attitude to this kind of assessment mainly referred to their incompetence, lack of expertise in language
assessment, or sheer insincerity to peers.
In Q10 students were asked which form of assessment was entirely new to them. Almost half of
the students said it was peer assessment, and immediately after that portfolio and essays for the native
speaker. Findings suggest that majority of students at BLU are not familiar with alternative assessment
methods when they start employing them. Only very few say their high school teachers used peer
correction, peer comments or portfolio. Instead, the entire assessment process throughout their preuniversity education, i.e. elementary and high school, seems to be heavily teacher dependent.
It was clear from the questionnaire that a great number of students of English expressed positive
attitudes to different assessment practices. When asked to say which assessment activities are the least
useful, more than a third of students in the sample answered that everything is useful. They show greater
awareness of the importance of various kinds of language assessment techniques than students from the
other two faculties in the study, especially Faculty of Technology. This may be explained by their better
understanding of complex nature of language as such, as well as of language learning and assessment.
It was interesting to note that, on the whole, students often did not make a clear distinction
between some assessment and learning activity. They commented portfolio as almost solely a learning
activity. This can further imply that they do not differentiate between the two. Such finding further
indicates that some students are not aware of certain assessment techniques, thus proving the fact that
learning and assessment are indeed, in practice, frequently inseparable.
Conclusions and Recommendations
The main conclusions that can be drawn from the study are that there is no major agreement
among students on the best assessment technique that fits all and that students are not indifferent to
assessment methods but have strong attitudes towards the ways their knowledge, and more particularly
their language competence, is assessed.
This study has also proved that students‘ perceptions of alternative assessment are to some extent
problematic. Students were sometimes contradictory in their attitudes in that despite very positive personal
preferences and opinions of alternative assessment activities they frequently viewed traditional, teacher
governed, assessment as a more important, valid and reliable indicator of their competence. This indicates
a strong social basis of attitudes in foreign language learning and the importance of educational strategies
aimed at developing appropriate attitudes toward assessment in general.
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In the light of the above conclusions it may be generally recommended that alternative assessment
strategies should be given more space in language classrooms, but must be very carefully organized,
explained to students and methodically monitored. Students need to be trained and given time to get
accustomed to the novelties in assessment. After that, alternative techniques could progressively be given
more credit in the overall assessment of students. The development of positive attitudes toward the
innovative assessment and learning activities is an important step toward developing more balanced
assessment designs in higher education.
Implications for theory are mainly in the confirmed finding that the questions which assessment
method is the best and which instruments best reflect student achievement and competence remain
unresolved. The purpose of this research was not to establish which method is the best, but to explore
students‘ attitudes towards different assessment practices and obtain deeper insight into experience of
assessment from the students‘ perspectives .
A practical recommendation to teachers would be to employ various methods and also offer
students choices regarding assessment, after which teachers could research which assessment their students
preferred to engage in. There is no, and probably never will be, one best method for assessing students‘
knowledge. It is yet another sound reason why many different assessment methods should be employed,
including various alternative assessment techniques. It is sensible to vary the weight of alternative
assessment marks against traditional assessment marks in the final grade according to context. In the initial
stages, when students are not used to the alternatives, it is more feasible to give them less importance in the
final mark than after a semester or two of using alternatives as ways of assessment. Some balance between
the two ought to be found so that a profile of students‘ abilities can be reliably assessed, and respect paid to
individual personal, linguistic and sociocultural differences.
Recommendations for further study in the area would include a larger and a more diverse
population during a longer research period. In future research, attitudes by male and female students could
be compared, as well as different age groups and students at different years of study. Teachers‘ and
administrators‘ attitudes to assessment should also be explored, particularly their readiness to employ and
experiment with alternatives to the canon.
All in all, it is not to be forgotten that changes for better or for worse take time to implement, and
so does alternative assessment. Teachers need to bear in mind that educating is greatly about raising
awareness, broadening horizons, fostering critical and creative thinking, developing whole persons. Some
students simply like to be spoon fed. Some teachers enjoy it too. That way is easier for both. However,
students need to learn how to feed themselves and they will not learn it unless someone puts a plate of food
and a spoon in front of them. What follows may not be pleasing or immediately successful, but is there
another way to learn how to eat? Students need to learn the material, but also to make decisions about what
they need to know, how they will acquire that knowledge and whether they succeeded in it. If students are
to become autonomous learners, better-equipped for life-long learning and improvement, they ought to
take greater responsibility for both learning and assessment.
It ought to be reminded that although teachers should be required to design various assessment
tasks that efficiently and continuously encourage students' learning and autonomy, the implementation of
this policy needs to suggest an optimistic future for teachers, as well as students. It has to be taken into
consideration that, while universities have been under increasing pressure to improve the quality of both
the teaching and learning of their students, they have also faced diminishing funding, increasing student
numbers and fulfilling complicated, time-consuming administrative requirements. Heavy workloads of
teachers resulting from these factors unquestionably have implications for assessment methods.
References
Alderson, J. C. and Banerjee, J. (2001). Language testing and assessment (Part 1). Language Teaching 34,
4:213-236.
Bachman, L. & Palmer A.S. (1996). Language testing in Practice: Developing Useful language tests.
Oxford: Oxford University Press
.
Black, P. and Wiliam D., (1998). Inside the Black Box: Raising Standards through Classroom Assessment .
London: School of Education, King's College.
Boud, D. (1990). Assessment and the promotion of academic values, Studies in Higher
Education 15, 110–113.
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Boud, D. (1995). Enhancing learning through self-assessment, London, Routledge Falmer.
Cohen, A. D. (1994). Assessing language ability in the classroom. 2nd edition. Boston, MA: Heinle and
Heinle Publishers.
Council of Europe. (2001). Common European Framework Of Reference for Languages: Learning,
teaching, assessment. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Falchikov, N. (1995). Peer feedback marking: Developing peer assessment, Innovations in Education and
Teaching International 32, 175–187.
Falchikov, Nancy & Goldfinch, Judy (2000). Student peer assessment in higher education: A metaanalysis comparing peer and teacher marks. Review of Educational Research, 70(3), 287–322.
Falchikov, N. (2001). Learning Together: Peer Tutoring in Higher Education. London:Routledge Falmer.
Falchikov, Nancy (2005). Improving Assessment through student involvement: Practical solution for
aiding learning in higher and further education. New York: RoutledgeFalmer.
Genesee, F. and Upshur, J. (1996). Classroom-based Evaluation in Second Language Education.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Hancock, C.R. (1994). Alternative assessment and second language study, CAL Digests
Huerta-Macias. (1995). Alternative assessment – Responses to commonly asked
questions. TESOL Journal. 5.8–11.
Kirkpatrick, D. and Fuller, R. (1995). The challenge of peer assessment. In Summers, L. (Ed), A Focus on
Learning, p146-149. Proceedings of the 4th Annual Teaching Learning Forum, Edith Cowan University,
February 1995. Perth: Edith Cowan University. http://lsn.curtin.edu.au/tlf/tlf1995/kirkpatrick.html
Peng, Jui-ching. (2010). Peer Assessment in an EFL Context: Attitudes and Correlations. In Selected
Proceedings of the 2008 Second Language Research Forum, ed. Matthew T. Prior et al., 89-107.
Somerville, MA: Cascadilla Proceedings Project. www.lingref.com, document #2387.
Richards C. J., Renenadaya A. W., (2002): Methodology in Language Teaching, Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press.
Sambell, K., McDowell, L., & Brown, S. (1997). 'But is it fair?': an exploratory study of student
perceptions of the consequential validity of assessment. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 23 (4), 349371.
Sluijsmans, Dominique, M. A., Dochy, Filip, J. R. C., & Moerkerke, Geroge (1999). Creating a learning
environment by using self-, peer- and co-assessment. Learning Environments Research, 1, 293–319.
Topping, Keith (1998). Peer assessment between students in colleges and universities. Review of
Educational Research, 68(3), 249–276.
Tsagari, Dina. (2004). Is there life beyond language testing? Crile Working Papers No58.
APPENDIX 1
Sample questionnaire form for EGP students
University students‘ attitudes to assessment in FLT (EGP)
Please answer honestly the following questions related to your experience with Modern English 1
course:
1 Which assessment activities of the Modern English 1 course do you like the most? Please say why.
2 Which assessment activities do you dislike the most? Why?
3 Which assessment activities do you think are the hardest? Why?
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�Excellent
Interesting
Boring
Fun
Too easy
Too hard
Helpful
Important
Useful
Useless
Worthless
Other: please
state ________
10 Which assessment activities were totally new to you and how did you feel about them?
APPENDIX 2
Oral examT
Oral examV
–Gram
Test
Voc
at
Writing
home
Portfolio
activities
assess
Peer
Written
Peer
oral
assess
Sample questionnaire form for ESP students
University students‘ attitudes to assessment in FLT (ESP)
Please answer honestly the following questions related to your experience with English 1 course:
1 Which assessment activities of the English 1 course do you like the most? Please say why.
2 Which assessment activities do you dislike the most? Why?
3 Which assessment activities do you think are the hardest? Why?
4 Which assessment activities do you think are the easiest? Why?
5 Which assessment activities do you think are the most useful? Why?
6 Which assessment activities do you think are the least useful? Why?
7 Which assessment activities do you feel show best your competence in English? Why?
8 Which assessment activities do you feel show the teachers what type of student you really are? Why?
9 Please rate different assessment activities you engaged in using one word that best describes it:
Excellent
Interesting
Boring
Fun
Too easy
Too hard
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Oral examT
exam
Timed
essay
Translation
L2-L1 test
Translation
L1-L2 test
Essays for nat
speaker
at
Writing
home Lett
Self assessment
Portfolio
activities
assess
Peer
Written
assess
Peer
oral
Dictation T
Dictation C
4 Which assessment activities do you think are the easiest? Why?
5 Which assessment activities do you think are the most useful? Why?
6 Which assessment activities do you think are the least useful? Why?
7 Which assessment activities do you feel show best your competence in English? Why?
8 Which assessment activities do you feel show the teachers what type of student you really are? Why?
9 Please rate different assessment activities you engaged in using one word that best describes it:
Oral examV
1st International Conference on Foreign Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics
May 5-7 2011 Sarajevo
�1st International Conference on Foreign Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics
May 5-7 2011 Sarajevo
Helpful
Important
Useful
Useless
Worthless
Other:
please
________
state
10 Which assessment activities were totally new to you and how did you feel about them?
If you have any additional comments please write overleaf.
Thank you
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Title
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University students‘ attitudes towards alternative assessment in FLT
Author
Author
Josifovic Elezovic, Sanja
Abstract
A summary of the resource.
This paper describes a small-scale study of newly enrolled university students regarding their views of nontraditional strategies of assessment in foreign language teaching. Taking into account the importance of attitudes to student motivation for learning, as well as contemporary education reform issues related to assessment, the research investigates students‘ attitudes towards alternative assessment methods, primarily peer, self and portfolio assessment, following a one semester, undergraduate course at University of Banjaluka. Attitudes of students from 3 different faculties - Philology, Philosophy, and Technology, are explored and compared. The findings reveal that majority of students endorse alternative assessment techniques in FLT, and suggest their implementation in other subjects. This research confirms numerous benefits of alternative assessment application at university level, supporting beliefs of other researchers that using alternative assessment techniques to assess student learning can lead to increased self reflection, higher cognitive skills development, improved intrinsic motivation, creativity, communication, cooperation, integration of language skills and enhanced overall student performance. In conclusion, benefits for students, teachers and institutions have been summarized, and the use of alternative assessment recommended as an effective supplement, if not replacement, to traditional tests and exams, which will suit the needs of individual students by paying more respect to their personal, linguistic and sociocultural diversity.
Date
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2011-05
Keywords
Keywords.
Conference or Workshop Item
PeerReviewed
P Philology. Linguistics
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Undergraduate Students Examining Multiple Intelligence Theory through Developing an English Language Curriculum.
Author
Author
Mohamed, Maha Fathi
Abstract
A summary of the resource.
Misr International University (MIU) is a private Egyptian university whose medium of instruction is English. It consists of 8 faculties, one of which is Faculty of Alsun (languages), English Department. During the 4 years of study at Alsun, students take literature, translation & applied linguistics courses that help them improve their linguistic competence and become professional literary critics, translators or English Language teachers. As a graduation requirement, students have to do a project incorporating skills and ideas they have learned. On the other hand, when joining MIU, students of all majors sit for an English exam in order to be placed in one of 5 English Language levels. The purpose is to improve students’ language skills to enable them to cope with studying in English and succeed in their various majors. The purpose of this study is to present an approach to the teaching – learning process in which theory is put to practice. As such, Alsun graduation project was to tailor a language curriculum for the first level of English at MIU. The aim is to base the curriculum on the needs of the university as well as give Alsun students the chance to implement what they have studied. Fourth year Alsun students underwent that experiment during the Fall semester of 2011. They were divided into groups of 4, where each group developed 3 English language lessons. Students’ work was based on the theoretical framework of Gardner’s (1983) “Multiple Intelligence Theory” & on Richards’ (2007) steps of curriculum development. The paper will describe the steps students followed, including establishing needs, planning learning outcomes, providing instructional material & effective teaching methods & providing evaluation means. It will also talk about problems they have met, methods of overcoming them and finally feedback from teachers and students in the English language classes. (299 words)
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2012-05
Keywords
Keywords.
Conference or Workshop Item
PeerReviewed
P Philology. Linguistics
-
https://eprints.ibu.edu.ba/files/original/9e5108e3a098b52ffc40ecee5599a778.pdf
14cbe164c65184f5bb98b320aacd9a33
PDF Text
Text
1st International Conference on Foreign Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics
May 5-7 2011 Sarajevo
Undergraduate Level EFL Student‘s Beliefs About Language
Learning
Turgay HAN
Kafkas University, Faculty of Letters and Science,
Department of English Language and Literature, Kars, TURKEY
turgayhan@yahoo.com.tr
Hüseyin EFE
Artvin Çoruh University, Faculty of Education,
Department of English Language Education, Artvin, TURKEY
hefe@atauni.edu.tr
Muzaffer BARIN
Atatùrk University, Faculty of Letters,
Department of English Language and Literature, Erzurum, TURKEY
mbarin@atauni.edu.tr
Abstract:By providing quantitative data from the modified EFL version of Beliefs
about Language Learning Inventory (BALLI) completed by the ELT undergraduate
level students in one of the Turkish Universities, the survey was aimed to obtain
generalizable conclusions about beliefs or notions about language learning of
undergraduate level EFL students. The relationships among gender and years of
education in the ELT department, as the impacting factors, and the participants‘ scores
in the BALLI were statistically analyzed. The results were discussed in terms of the
EFL students‘ the most important beliefs and the effect size of the gender and years of
education as the variables on their beliefs about language learning.
1. Introduction
Beliefs are "psychologically held understandings, premises, or propositions about the world that
are felt to be true" (Richardson, 1996, p.102). More specifically, the term ‗beliefs‘ about language
learning are formed based on language learners‘ past experiences, background, their own culture,
learning context, and some other personal factors (Bernat & Gvozdenko, 2005). Furthermore, Puchta
(1999; pp.68-69) advocates that people understand and comprehend new information meaningfully by
depending on their experience and existing knowledge and claimed that beliefs ―are generalizations
about cause and effect, and they influence our inner representation of the world around us. They help
us to make sense of that world, and they determine how we think and how we act‖. This claim is
confirmed with a specific aspect from Horwitz (1987) who states that almost every language learner
has different beliefs or notions about learning a second language, in this respect, two foci points
emerge: firstly, some of these varying beliefs and notions are the result of students‘ previous
experience as learners learn a new language, and secondly, others are the result of their own cultural
backgrounds.
Recent research on Beliefs about language learning has focused on the interaction between second
language learners‘ individual characteristics (affective and cognitive) and learners‘ success in learning
a new language. In this respect, language learners differ in metacognitive knowledge and beliefs that
have impacts on such domains as academic learning, thinking, problem solving and logic solving
(Kardash & Scholes, 1996). Moreover, learners‘ affective characteristics are related to the language
learning capability (Schumann, 1998). Language teachers are mostly concerned with affective factors
which are the feelings toward target language culture, cognitive factors such as learners‘ language
aptitude and how they process information, and finally metacognitive factors such as language learning
strategies, study skills and beliefs about language learning (Horwitz, 2008; p.7). Flavell (1979, 1981
cited in Bernat & Gvozdenko, 2005) give importance to personal knowledge which is related to a
person‘s metacognitive knowledge while learning a second language; in this context, cognitive and
affective factors which have impact on learning are the components of personal knowledge.
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Delving into the learners‘ beliefs is a must as successful learners are able to develop insightful
beliefs about language learning process and discover their learning abilities and learning strategies
which act as facilitators in learning (Bernat & Lloyd, 2007; p.79). Therefore, research on beliefs about
second language acquisition is helpful in order to investigate how languages are learned and how they
should be taught (Horwitz, 2008; p14).
Research literature on beliefs about language mostly depends on how variables such as
gender, background knowledge, age and some other factors affect learners‘ beliefs about language
learning and what sort of support should be given to learners to solve their learning problems. In this
respect, Vibulphol(2004) attempted to investigate beliefs about language learning of pre-service EFL
teachers in Thailand and any relationships between the pre-service teachers‘ beliefs about language
learning and their choices of teaching assumptions. The most important results of this study indicate
that pre-service EFL teachers in Thailand possessed similar beliefs to those of EFL learners; beliefs
about language learning were influenced by learning experience as learners, beliefs relating to the use
of English were influenced by practice teaching experience and instructional practices were influenced
by beliefs about language learning. Another study comes from Bùyùkyazı (2010; p.169) who
investigated the beliefs about language learning of 156 English as a foreign language (EFL) students
and 19 EFL teachers working at one of the Turkish universities. It was aimed to find out the beliefs of
prep-class students and the difference between students and their teachers in terms of beliefs about
language learning. The study concludes that EFL learners have a broad range of conceptions both
similar to and different from those reported by their teachers. A study from Bernat and Lloyd (2007;
p.79) investigated the relationship between beliefs about language learning and gender. It was found
that males and females held similar beliefs about language learning. On the other hand, Siebert (2003)
investigated the beliefs of males and females, and reported several significant differences with a respect
to language learning and strategies that they employ. Tercanlıoğlu (2005; p.146) also investigated the
relation between gender and beliefs of pre-service EFL students studying at one of Turkish universities
and reported that there was no significant difference among males and females. Again, Bacon and
Finnemann (1992) investigated gender relation with self reported beliefs about foreign language
learning and authentic oral and written input and it was concluded that females hold a higher level of
motivation and strategy use in language learning; moreover, females are greater users of global
strategies in dealing with authentic input and they have a higher level of social interaction with the
target language group (cited in Bùyùkyazı, 2010; p.171). To our best knowledge, although there is
some research which has investigated beliefs about language learning and other factors such as strategy
use, contextual factors, and so on, there is not a certain consensus about the issue.
This study is a replication of the former studies at a point however it diverse from others as
EFL students‘ experiences in the ELLIT department is included in the study as a variance. The results
will be discussed from a general language teacher education policy of Turkey.
The main research questions that guide this study are: What beliefs about language learning do
Turkish pre-service EFL teachers report? Are there any significant difference with regard to beliefs
about language learning between males and females? and are there any significant differences among
participants with regard to years of experience in the ELT department?
2.
Methodology
2.1. Instrument
Depending on the samples of EFL version of beliefs about language learning inventory
(BALLI) used in former studies for EFL context, it was modified for Turkish EFL students. The
BALLI includes 34 items that investigate language learners‘ beliefs and 5 domains such as language
aptitude, language learning difficulties, nature of learning a language, strategies and motivation and
expectations (Horwitz, 1987). The items in BALLI were not translated into Turkish and they were
given to students in English as it was assumed that the inventory is clear enough for the participants
and it is written in simple language. Moreover, Horwitz (2008) suggests that ―if you are teaching a
different language, you can change English to any language, or you could replace it with the phrase,
‗the language I am trying to learn‘...‖ (p.232). Therefore, Cronbach alpha was not calculated for this
study.
The BALLI includes 34 items with 5-point likert-type scale. Participants indicated their
opinions from strongly agree to strongly disagree with the statements.
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2.2. Participants
Four groups of participants of this study were selected through convenience sampling method
from one of the Turkish universities. Each group of participants is consisted of undergraduate level
students studying in different years of the Department of English Language and Literature (ELLIT).
The department is a four-year program in which students are trained to gain English teacher
qualifications and also in the subjects such as British and American literatures. Both female and male
participants‘ ages range from 18 to 22.
2.3. Data Analysis
The data obtained from the survey was statistically analyzed with the SPSS software. The
results were illustrated with tables and figures at the result part. Descriptive analysis also includes
demographic information about the participants, and correlation analysis includes the relations among
the variables such as gender, the years of experience in the ELT department and responses to the items.
3. Results
Descriptive results related to the demographic information about the participants are presented on
the table 3.1., 3.2., and 3.3.
Table 3.1. The distributions of the male and female pre-service teachers according to the years of
education in the ELLIT department.
Gender
female
male
Total
1st year
26
9
35
Years of Education
2nd year
3rd year
18
24
6
5
24
29
Total
4th year
21
6
27
89
26
115
In this paper, one of the research questions is related to the effects of gender differences on the
participants‘ beliefs in view of the fact that there is little consensus about the gender as a contributing
variable to the beliefs about language learning. Only 26 out of 115 students are males. Although, in her
study, Tercanlıoğlu (2005) supposed that gender would have some impact on Turkish pre-service
teachers‘ beliefs about language learning, the researcher reported that females and males do not differ
significantly in their beliefs about language learning. However, there are some other studies that
concluded that male and females had different level of beliefs about language learning in different
areas (Bacon & Finnemann, 1992; Siebert, 2003).
Table 3.2. Females‘ and Males‘ previous teaching experiences
No, I have
never taught
before
Gender
Total
female
29
male
6
35
Teaching Experience
Yes, I have
Yes, I have
Yes, I have
taught both as
been an
taught in a
an individual
individual
tutor center
tutor and in a
tutor
tutor center
36
7
14
15
51
3
10
2
16
Others
Total
3
89
0
3
26
115
Table 3.2. indicates the pre-service teachers‘ teaching experiences in any field which are
thought to be potentially effective in forming their beliefs about language learning before being inservice teachers. About 23% of the males have reported that they had not had any teaching experience
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whereas nearly 33% of the females have no experience in teaching any subject. As these figures are
similar, the teaching experience of the participants was not included in this study.
Table 3.3. Participants‘ responses to the ―foreign language aptitude‖ items
FOREIGN LANGUAGE APTITUDE
item1. It is easier for children than adults to learn a foreign language.
item 2. Some people have a special ability for learning foreign languages
such as English.
item 3. Turkish people are good at learning foreign languages.
item 4. It is easier for someone who already speaks a foreign language to
learn another one.
item 5. People who are good at mathematics or science are not good at
learning foreign languages.
item 6.I have a special ability for learning foreign languages.
item 7. Women are better than men at learning foreign languages.
item 8. People who speak more than one language are intelligent.
item 9. Everyone can learn to speak a foreign language.
disagree
2,6
6,9
neutral
1,7
5,2
agree
95,7
87,8
26,0
6,0
53,9
9,6
19,1
84,4
53,0
20,0
27,0
5,2
27,8
25,2
20.9
18,3
19,1
28,7
20,9
76,5
53,0
46,0
58,3
The table 3.3. includes the first group of items questioning participants‘ aptitude toward
foreign language learning. Turkish EFL pre-service students who have reported in this inventory
believe that age has a determining factor for the ease of learning a foreign language [(item 1) (95,7%)];
moreover, they believe that some has special ability in learning a foreign language (87,8%) and
knowing already a foreign language may contribute to learning another foreign language
[(item4)(84,4%)].
Table 3.4. Participants‘ responses to the ―difficulty of language learning‖ items
Difficulty of language learning
item 10. Some languages are easier to learn than others.
disagree
,9
neutral
8,7
agree
90,5
item 11. I believe that I will learn to speak English well.
1,8
6,1
92,2
item 12. In learning English, it is easier to speak than to understand
what people say.
item 13. In learning English, reading and writing are easier than
speaking and listening.
26,1
24,3
49,6
13,9
15,7
70,05
Table 3.4.1. Learners‘ rating the ―Difficulty of language learning‖
I think English is..
A very difficult language
A difficult language
A language of medium difficulty
An easy language
A very easy language
Total
If someone spent one hour learning English everyday,
how long would it take him or her to speak English
well
Less than a year
1-2 years
3-5 years
Frequency
Percent
2
14
59
33
7
115
1,7
12,2
51,3
28,7
6,1
100,0
Frequency
Percent
30
46
19
26,1
40,0
16,5
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5-10 years
You can‘t learn a language in 1 hour a day
Total
7
13
115
6,1
11,3
100,0
Table 3.4 shows that nearly all Turkish EFL pre-service teachers believe that learning
difficulties depend on the type of the languages as some are easily learned [(item10)(90,5 %)]. They
also believe that they will speak target language fluently in the future [(item11)(92,2%)]. It is
interesting to note that item 12 is outscored as disagree and neutral than the other items. This may be an
outcome of the curriculum of the primary and secondary level educational institutions in Turkey; what
is more, students are selected to study EFL in Turkey through a state exam which includes only reading
comprehension, grammar and sentence completion questions but not includes performance assessment
questions. Therefore, students neglect speaking and writing skills till they are accepted to study at ELT
departments in Turkey.
Table 3.4.1. shows further information about the pre-service teachers beliefs about difficulty
of learning a foreign language. Nearly half of the participants indicates that English is a moderate level
difficult language to learn (51,3 %); that is, it is neither a very difficult language (1,7%) nor a very easy
language (6,1 %). Moreover, the table puts forward the idea that EFL learners need at least one or two
years (with a one hour study per day) to speak fluently (40%). They also reported that it is impossible
to speak English fluently by studying one hour in a day (11,3 %).
Table 3.5. Participants‘ responses to the ―nature of language learning‖ items
Nature of language learning
item 14. It is necessary to know the customs, the cultures, and the
ways of life of English-speaking people (such as the British,
Americans, or Australians) in order to speak English correctly and
appropriately in a particular context.
disagree
7
neutral
10,4
agree
82,6
item 15. It is best to learn English in an English-speaking country such
as England, the United States, or Australia.
2,6
1,7
95,6
item 16. Learning vocabulary words is an important part of learning
English.
1,7
5,2
93,0
item 17. Learning the grammar is an important part of learning
English.
13,3
9,6
85,2
item 18. Learning how to translate from Turkish is an important part
of
learning English.
7,8
19,1
73,0
item 19. Learning English is different from learning other academic
subjects.
7,0
27,0
66,0
Table 3.5. shows that participants moderately believe that learning English is different than
learning other types of materials, and in this respect it contrast with attention theories that view second
language learning as very similar to learning other types of subjects (Horwitz, 2008; p.29). Almost all
participants support the idea that learning a new language naturally, that is learning targeted language
in the second language context, will be more helpful [(item15)(95,6%)]. They also give importance to
learning vocabulary [(item16)(93 %)] and grammar (85,2 %) respectively in learning English
language(item17).
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Table 3.6. Participants‘ responses to the ―learning and communication strategies‖ items
Learning and communication strategies
disagree neutral
item 20. It is important to speak English with a correct pronunciation.
1,7
7,8
agree
90,4
item 21. We shouldn‘t say anything in English until we can say it correctly.
59,1
16,5
24,3
item 22. I enjoy practicing English with the foreigners I meet.
5,2
7,8
87,0
item 23. It‘s O.K. to guess if we don‘t know a word in English.
9,6
27,8
62,6
item 24. In learning English, it is important to practice a lot.
4,3
0,9
94,8
item 25. I feel timid speaking English with other people.
33,9
21,7
44,3
item 26. If beginning students are permitted to make errors in English, it
will be difficult for them to speak correctly later on.
33,0
21,7
45,2
item 27. In learning English, it is important to practice with cassettes or
tapes.
2,6
9,6
87,8
The above table indicates that grammatical accuracy in speech may be neglected
[(item21)(59,1%)] as practicing is considered to be the important factor in learning English [(item24)
(94,8 %)]. Furthermore, they mostly agree with the importance of correct pronunciation in speech
[(item20) (90,4 %)]. Using audio visual materials such as tapes and cassettes as practicing materials are
very helpful in learning English. Turkish learners of English report that they feel moderately shy and
hesitant while speaking in target language [(item25)(44,3 %)].
Nearly half of the pre-service teachers of English is strict on error correction and they believe
that errors may interfere with mastering new language materials and they should be corrected
[(item26)(45,2 %)].
Table 3.7. ANOVA for the effect of Gender on preservice teachers‘ language learning beliefs
Sum of
Mean
Squares
df
Square
F
Sig.
Foreign language aptitude
Between
,227
1
,227 1,188 ,278
Groups
Within Groups
21,563 113
,191
Total
21,790 114
Learning and communication
strategy
The nature of language learning
The difficulty of language
learning
Motivasyon and expectation
Between
Groups
Within Groups
Total
Between
Groups
Within Groups
Total
Between
Groups
Within Groups
Total
Between
Groups
Within Groups
Total
,428
1
16,047 113
,428 3,012 ,085
,142
16,475 114
,201
1
,201
26,387 113
,234
,861 ,355
26,588 114
,038
1
,038
32,253 113
32,291 114
,285
,220
1
24,675 113
,133 ,716
,220 1,010 ,317
,218
24,895 114
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p> ,05
Table 3.7. shows that the pre-service teachers‘ beliefs about language learning in any area of
beliefs do not differ in terms of gender; put it different words, male and females have reported similar
opinions; there is no significant difference between males and females in terms of foreign language
aptitude, learning and communication strategy, the nature of language learning, the difficulty of
language learning and motivation and expectation levels. Although some of the former studies have
reported that males and females had different beliefs (Bacon and Finnemann, 1992; Siebert, 2003, Öz,
2007); this present study concludes that there is no significant difference between males and females in
terms of beliefs (Tercanlıoğlu, 2005; Bernat &Lloyd, 2007).
Table 3.8. ANOVA for the effect of years of education on preservice teachers‘ language learning
beliefs
Sum of
df
Mean Square
F
Sig.
Squares
Foreign
Between Groups
,135
3
,045
,230
,875
language
Within Groups
21,655
111
,195
aptitude
Total
21,790
114
Learning
Between Groups
,695
3
,232
1,629
,187
and
Within Groups
15,780
111
,142
communicat
16,475
114
ion strategy Total
The nature
Between Groups
1,238
3
,413
1,806
,150
of language Within Groups
25,351
111
,228
learning
Total
26,588
114
The
difficulty of
language
learning
Motivasyon
and
expectation
Between Groups
Within Groups
Total
Between Groups
Within Groups
Total
1,014
3
,338
31,277
111
,282
32,291
114
,767
3
,256
24,128
111
,217
24,895
114
1,199
,313
1,176
,322
p> ,05
Table 3.8. shows that first, second, third and fourth year students do not vary in their beliefs
about language learning. There is no significant difference among students from each class. Therefore,
experience in the ELLIT department may have no effect on their beliefs about language learning. In
this context, curriculum of the department may have no or little effect on forming beliefs.
4.
Discussion and Conclusion
The results of this study which give insight into the learners‘ beliefs about language learning
have produced some interesting findings that confirm the result of some of the former studies that
reported beliefs were not gender related (Tercanlıoğlu, 2005; Bernat &Lloyd, 2007) and while they
rejected of some others that reported beliefs change based on gender (Bacon and Finnemann, 1992;
Siebert, 2003, Öz, 2007).
This paper has addressed the aims of identifying several studies on learner beliefs in the EFL
and ESL contexts and discussing them based on the recent literature. Analyses of learner beliefs are
worthy of note for the light they shed on learners‘ thinking, expectations, and actions in the foreign
language learning context. Furthermore, the beliefs held by participants in the studies in EFL/ESL
contexts have been assessed in terms of gender as a variable, and while they were found to be similar in
all categories they were found to be different in some others. Hence, the null hypothesis that ‗the
beliefs held by male and female students in the ELT departments in Turkish universities are different‘
was rejected. There were a small number of items with a discrepancy rate on agreement; two items in
the area of ―learning and communication strategy‖ (Items 25 and 26), only one item in the area of
―difficulty of language learning‖ (item12), two items in the area of ―foreign language aptitude‖ (items
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7 and 8) and none of the participants showed nearly no incongruity in the area of ―nature of language
learning‖.
Consequently, this study showed that there is no significant difference between males‘ beliefs
and females beliefs about language learning in the context of EFL pre-service teachers. Moreover, it
was concluded that students in different years of education in ELLIT department have nearly similar
beliefs. It can be said that the curriculum implemented in the English language teacher programs in
Turkey might have no effect on the pre-service teachers‘ of English as it was found that there was no
gap in terms of beliefs among students from each year. Of course, there may be varying degrees of the
impact of the curriculum of the teaching programs and syllabus of the courses and students and their
teachers‘ needs on forming the beliefs about language learning or cultural norms may be effective on
the beliefs-gender relations, so these are the limitations of the results of this study. Replication of this
study with a wider population may help to generalize the results of this study. Moreover; for analyzing
the pre-service teachers‘ beliefs about language learning in details is a very complex phenomenon,
further studies may also focus on the internal and external factors by applying triangulated research
designs.
References
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As A Foreign Language. Unpublished MA thesis, Social Sciences Institute, Gaziantep University,
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AktaĢ, A. (2001). Beliefs on the Nature of Language Learning: A Comparative Study of Turkish EFL
Learners‘ and Their Teachers‘ Beliefs at University Level. Master‘s of Art Thesis, EskiĢehir Anadolu
University, EskiĢehir.
Bacon, S. M. C.; Finnemann, M. D. (1992), Sex Differences in Self-reported Beliefs about Language
Learning and Authentic Oral and Written Input, Language Learning, 42(4), pp. 471-495.
Bernat, E., and Gvozdenko, I. (2005, June). Beliefs about language learning: Current knowledge,
pedagogical implications and new research directions, TESL-EJ, 9(1), A1. Retrieved 29th September,
2005. http://tesl-ej.org/ej33/a1.html
Bernat, E., & Lloyd, R. (2007). Exploring the gender effect on EFL learners‘ beliefs about language
learning. Australian Journal of Educational & Developmental Psychology, 7, pp 79-91.
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(Eds.), Learner strategies in language learning (pp. 119-132). London: Prentice Hall.
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Öz, H. (2007). Understanding metacognitive knowledge of Turkish EFL students in secondary
education. Novitas-ROYAL, Vol (1)2, p.53-82.
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Dublin Core
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668
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Undergraduate Level EFL Student‘s Beliefs About Language Learning
Author
Author
HAN, Turgay
EFE, Hüseyin
BARIN, Muzaffer
Abstract
A summary of the resource.
By providing quantitative data from the modified EFL version of Beliefs about Language Learning Inventory (BALLI) completed by the ELT undergraduate level students in one of the Turkish Universities, the survey was aimed to obtain generalizable conclusions about beliefs or notions about language learning of undergraduate level EFL students. The relationships among gender and years of education in the ELT department, as the impacting factors, and the participants‘ scores in the BALLI were statistically analyzed. The results were discussed in terms of the EFL students‘ the most important beliefs and the effect size of the gender and years of education as the variables on their beliefs about language learning.
Date
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2011-05
Keywords
Keywords.
Conference or Workshop Item
PeerReviewed
P Philology. Linguistics
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986
Title
A name given to the resource
Unavailable “Gazel” Lyrics in Rizayi Dewan
Author
Author
Yapici, Sefika
Gonel, Huseyin
Abstract
A summary of the resource.
Mehmed Ali Celebi who wrote by using the pesudonym “Rizayi” is one of the poets of 17th century. He has both works written in prose and one “müretteb dewan”. It is stated that first 15 couplets of 15. number qasida in that dewan was unread before. In a corpus (mecmua), recorded with R-6809 number and named “Mecmua-i Devavin” in Gazi Husrev Bey Library, in Bosnia, those unread 15 couplets is detected. Furthermore, there are 9 unavailable gazel lyrics in Rizayi Dewan in the same corpus. There are poems of Rizayi in Mecmua-i Devavin. The writer of that corpus wrote till “Kaf” letter among the poems of that poet. He chose poems among the poems of that poet. We will publish above mentioned unavailable 9 gazel lyrics in the dewan and first 15 couplets.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2012
Keywords
Keywords.
Conference or Workshop Item
PeerReviewed
P Philology. Linguistics