Amms Kh - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Amms Kh

Language learning, 1997

Previous studies have shown a strong link between participants' apprehension about communicating ... more Previous studies have shown a strong link between participants' apprehension about communicating and their perception of communicative competence in both native (L1) and second (L2) languages. This apprehension may intensify when participants communicate in the L2, especially ifthey believe their level ofL2 competence to be very low. This study examines perceived competence in an L2 as a function of actual competence and language anxiety Thirty-seven young adult Aaglophone students, with widely varied competence in French, participated. They completed scales of language anxiety and a modified version of the "can-do" test, which assessed their selfperceptions of competence on 26 French tasks. They then attempted each ofthose tasks. We found that L2 language This studywas first presenteil atthe annual convention ofthe Canadian Psychological Association, Penticton, BC, June

System, 2004

The major purpose of this study was to explore, in a phenomenological tradition, factors that lea... more The major purpose of this study was to explore, in a phenomenological tradition, factors that lead some students to persist in foreign language study past the usual 2 years in high school. Factors that have been prevalent in the literature include language aptitude, motivation, grades, intellectual and cultural curiosity, language learning strategies, lack of anxiety, and positive attitudes toward the target language community. This qualitative analysis, through in-depth interviewing, captures the essence of the experiences of five students who spent extended periods engaged in abroad study in Spanish-speaking countries for the purposes of enhancing their proficiency and experiencing the culture. Data from the five interviews were categorized into five themes that represented several factors that lead some students to persist in the study of a foreign language.

This article reports the findings of a program evaluation project that assessed the integration o... more This article reports the findings of a program evaluation project that assessed the integration of technology-enhanced language learning (TELL) into a second semester, college-level French course. Thirty-three French II students participated in this study. Students in the treatment group met with the instructor three days per week and, for the fourth class, they participated in TELL activities. The control group met with the instructor four times per week. Both groups had the same instructor, textbook, and ancillary materials. The article reports on student performance in French for listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills, and on their cultural knowledge. Findings indicate that the students in the treatment group performed equally well as the control group in listening and speaking and better on reading and writing achievement measures. The study also includes findings regarding student motivation, anxiety, and perceptions on meeting the language learning goals students set for themselves. The results may be interpreted that it is both feasible and desirable to integrate, in principled ways, TELL activities into the language learning curriculum.

Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 2001

... However, there has been a recent trend to identify more specifically the sources of anxiety .... more ... However, there has been a recent trend to identify more specifically the sources of anxiety ... that reading anxiety negatively impacted learners recall of Spanish texts, replicating a finding by Oh ... Second language acquisition: A social psychological approach (Research Bulletin No. ...

Language Learning, 2002

This study investigated the links between second language classroom anxiety and second language w... more This study investigated the links between second language classroom anxiety and second language writing anxiety as well as their associations with second language speaking and writing achievement. The results indicate that second language classroom anxiety, operationalized by Horwitz, Horwitz, and Cope's Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale, and second language writing anxiety, measured by a modified second language version of Daly and Miller's Writing Apprehension Test, are two related but independent constructs. The findings suggest that second language classroom anxiety is a more general type of anxiety about learning a second language with a strong speaking anxiety element, whereas second language writing anxiety is a language-skill-specific anxiety. Nevertheless, low self-confidence seems to be an important component of both anxiety constructs.

Teaching in Higher Education, 2012

This article proposes that foreign language programmes have a central role to play in the interna... more This article proposes that foreign language programmes have a central role to play in the internationalisation of learning and teaching in the university. Looking at institution-wide programmes in the UK, it cites two main reasons for this claim: University language programmes teach multilingual and multicultural groups in which students from a range of disciplines may trial the skills required of international graduates. Furthermore, language programmes employ student-centred forms of learning in response to the heterogeneity of their student body. Their composition and innovative pedagogies, it is argued, suggest the university-wide foreign language programme as a central discipline of internationalisation which develops good practice to be rolled out across the university. The article describes the learning opportunities international language classrooms offer and presents an overview of the pedagogies employed in institution-wide language programmes.

Educational Research, 2012

Background: There is currently ongoing debate in Hong Kong between the teachers’ union and the Go... more Background: There is currently ongoing debate in Hong Kong between the teachers’ union and the Government on the reduction of large class size (typically more than 40 students) in secondary schools and whether smaller class sizes might facilitate improvements in teaching and learning. In fact, many Hong Kong secondary schools have already started to experiment with class size reduction. This study seeks to investigate from the students’ perspective how class size reduction might alleviate one key psychological aspect of learning in Hong Kong and Asia, namely language learning anxiety. Research has shown that language learning anxiety can have a debilitating effect on students’ classroom behaviour, and this study seeks to examine whether exposure to learning in a smaller class informs such findings. Purpose: This small-scale exploratory study aims to examine whether, and how, class size reduction might help to alleviate language learning anxiety, which has long been seen as an obstacle to second language acquisition. Method: This study employed multiple case studies in four Hong Kong secondary schools. Each case constituted one teacher teaching English language to first language Chinese students in a reduced-size class (where class size was between 21 and 25 students) and a large class (where class size was between 38 and 41 students) of the same year grade, and of similar academic ability. Multiple interviews were conducted with the four teachers, and data stemmed from group and individual interviews with 231 students. Student interview questions focused on their perspectives and experiences of studying in large and reduced-size classes. A total of 78 lessons were also observed across the four case studies. The data were analysed to identify any emergent patterns and themes. Findings: The research findings indicate that students reflect on their experiences of studying in reduced-size classes in a mature and confident way. Students reported that smaller classes promoted a strong sense of security within their classroom community and seemed to weaken students’ fears of negative evaluation from their peers and teachers. Students also reported that they felt more confident about participating in English lessons and these perspectives were supported by evidence from classroom observations. Conclusions: This small-scale exploratory research study suggests that the student voice can provide insights into language learning classrooms. Data from the case studies reveal that students’ sense of anxiety can be reduced in smaller classes and that class size reduction may assist in breaking down cultural barriers.

Tesol Quarterly, 1986

The contributions to this issue of the TESOL Quarterly range from an account of the development o... more The contributions to this issue of the TESOL Quarterly range from an account of the development of the English language teaching profession over the past two decades to discussions of specific issues in curriculum development, program evaluation, the assessment of writing ability in English as a second language, and teachers' attitudes toward varieties of English and Spanish. In addition, readers will find reports of research on second language reading strategies, on the generation of input from agepeers by children acquiring English as a second language, and on the nature of academic writing tasks which ESL learners face in undergraduate and graduate degree work in the United States.

Foreign Language Annals, 1986

The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) has developed an oral proficien... more The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) has developed an oral proficiency test, the Oml Proficiency Interview (OPI), which may become the official test of oral performance for prospective foreign language teachers in T m . h f m i o n a l s in foreign language education are raising concerns about the effect of anxiety on Oral Proficiency Interview ratings. The purpose of this study was to provide an assessment of how anxiety may influence scores on the OPI.

System, 2009

This investigation examines Thai college students’ motivational goals for learning the English la... more This investigation examines Thai college students’ motivational goals for learning the English language. Thai student volunteers (N = 1387) from two types of educational institutions participated in this survey study which combined measures of goal orientations based on two different goal constructs and motivation models. Results of two-step cluster analysis, correlation analysis, and analysis of variance of multiple goal orientations with gender and institution showed several significant findings. Females were significantly more “academic” oriented, more instrumental and less socio-cultural than males toward English language learning. Compared to university students, vocational college students were significantly more “superiority” oriented, more performance oriented toward the purpose of achievement and more identification oriented toward emulating an English speaking foreigner. “Academic” and “superiority” orientations were significantly and positively associated with foreign language anxiety whereas socio-cultural orientation was significantly and negatively associated with foreign language anxiety. Females indicated significantly higher levels of foreign language anxiety than males. Role socialization theory and self-esteem theory may explain the results of gender and institutional differences in the motivational orientations of Thai college students.

The Modern Language Journal, 2002

BECAUSE SPARKS, GANSCHOW, AND JAVOR-sky (2000) question the general construct of foreign language... more BECAUSE SPARKS, GANSCHOW, AND JAVOR-sky (2000) question the general construct of foreign language anxiety as well as foreign language reading anxiety in their current response, I will reply on behalf of Saito, Horwitz, and Garza (1999). Sparks et al. argue ...

System, 2007

The research reported in this paper investigates what types of inter-cultural contact Hungarian s... more The research reported in this paper investigates what types of inter-cultural contact Hungarian schoolchildren have, what kind of language-related attitudes they can give account of and how they see the role of contact situations in affecting their attitudinal and motivational dispositions towards the L2, the L2 speaking communities and the process of L2 learning. This study is based on data gathered in an interview project that involved 40 13-, 14-year-old learners of English and German from all over Hungary. The results reveal that tourism does not create many contact opportunities for the majority of students in this country and that in this particular foreign language setting, indirect contact through various cultural products is the most frequent means of gaining information about target language speakers and their culture. The participants were found to display a wide variety of attitudes towards a considerable number of aspects of the target language culture. Students reported that cross-cultural contact helps the development of their communicative competence and contributes to the increase of their motivation and the decrease of language use anxiety.

The Modern Language Journal, 1994

Computer Assisted Language Learning, 2011

Previous studies have emphasized the relationship between students' engagement and learning perfo... more Previous studies have emphasized the relationship between students' engagement and learning performance, and yet the context in which students and the teacher interact to engage each other has been ignored. In order to engage college students who are learning English as a foreign language (EFL) in the context of a big class, this study developed a system, which is an online situated language learning environment, to support the students, the teachers, and the teaching assistants (TAs) to communicate synchronously and asynchronously in and after class. A sample of 118 undergraduate students was recruited to participate in an E-meeting to express their thoughts and opinions toward the drama, and Post an Opinion to predict subsequent scenes in the enfolding plot. Students were also required to take an Assessment online, after reading each episode of the drama. In this study, the behavioral, emotional, and cognitive dimensions of students' intensive and reciprocal engagement were observed and recorded in the system for students to reflect on their language usage and further improve their language learning and for the teachers and the TAs to monitor and identify their students' difficulties and provide further scaffoldings. Students' language learning progress was also revealed through a questionnaire and the pre- and post-tests. Based on the interpretation of the result, suggestions for future studies are also discussed.

Language and Intercultural Communication, 2010

Framed within debates concerning national identification and English as a Foreign Language educat... more Framed within debates concerning national identification and English as a Foreign Language education within Japan, the current study explores the relationships between three specific attitudinal facets of Japanese national identification (internationalism, patriotism and nationalism), the perceived vitality of English-speaking nations, the intercultural appeal of English-speaking people, and attitudes toward learning English within a sample of 377 Japanese university students majoring in English at the undergraduate level. Based primarily on theoretical principles set forth by the author, a process of structural equation modelling was undertaken in order to test a proposed model of the various interactions and relationships. A number of important relationships were identified and are discussed from a socio-political and socio-educational perspective.

The Modern Language …, 1986

Such statements are all too familiar to teachers of foreign languages. Many people claim to have ... more Such statements are all too familiar to teachers of foreign languages. Many people claim to have a mental block against learning a foreign language, although these same people may be good learners in other situations, strongly motivated, and have a sincere liking for speakers of ...

The aim of this study was to explore the foreign language reading anxiety among learners of Chine... more The aim of this study was to explore the foreign language reading anxiety among learners of Chinese in colleges in the United States. Early studies on foreign language anxiety had an obvious focus on the language skill of speaking (e.g., Aida, 1994; Horwitz, Horwitz &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp; Cope, 1986; Phillips, 1992; Young, 1986) and the foreign language anxiety study related to other