The Effectiveness of Contract Learning Strategy on Special Diploma Students' Achievement and Attitudes Towards English Language (original) (raw)
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Studies in Self-Access Learning Journal, 2012
There is agreement among language educators that the process of language teaching and learning should aim to develop autonomous language learners. While the advantages of autonomy seem to be quite obvious, fostering autonomy in practice can prove to be difficult for some language learners. This paper describes the use of learning contracts as a strategy for enhancing learner autonomy among a group of ESL learners in a Malaysian university. Through learners’ account of their experiences with the contracts, the study concludes that the learning contract has potential use for language learning and that learners’ positive learning experience remains the key to the success of any endeavour seeking to promote learner autonomy. The paper ends with some implications for teachers and learners who wish to use the contracts as a strategy for language teaching and learning.
This research aimed to investigate; students' English academic achievement, beliefs about English language learning, English language learning strategies, and the relationship of them. Descriptive and correlational design, quantitative methods were applied in this research. The students' final English scores of the first year, BALLI, and SILL were used as the instruments. The samples of this research were sixty six-first year students majoring Management at STIENAS Samarinda. The data of the research were analyzed using descriptive statistic, multivariate correlation, and Pearson Product Moment correlation. The students' beliefs about motivation and expectation were the most beliefs held by the students (M=3,65) followed by the nature of language learning (M=3,35), foreign language aptitude (M=2,97), learning and communication strategy (M=2,86), and the difficulty of language learning (M=2,74). The most preferred strategy used by the students was metacognitive (M=3,35) followed by memory (M=3,28), cognitive (M=3,28), affective (M=3,24), social (M=3,28), and compensation (M=3,18). There was a positive and weak correlation of beliefs and strategies with students' English academic achievement (R .035). Positive and insignificant correlation was found between English academic achievement and beliefs about English language learning (r = .145, p 0.245 > 0.05) and negative and significant correlation between English language learning strategies and English academic achievement (r =-.144, p 0,248 > 0.05).
PROSPECTIVE GRADUATES' ATTITUDES TOWARDS ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING IN BAHRAIN
The undergraduate level students in the Kingdom of Bahrain have problems in the acquisition of English as a second language. Most of the Bahraini students, who have spent ample years of learning English (from junior to secondary school), fail to acquire an expected level of proficiency in English when they enroll into the University for higher education. As a result, they are not easily absorbed by the global market. Aim: The aim of this study was to identify the Bahraini students' attitude towards learning English as a foreign/second language in the university which in turn can help in devising the ways and means to bring in the necessary changes to achieve the expected level of proficiency. Material & Method: The samples consist of 50 randomly selected Kingdom University students of College of Business Administration and College of Architectural Engineering & Interior Design. The survey handout is not a questionnaire but a series of statements with a choice of fixed five different responses. It mainly consists of three parts. The first part has 12 statements based on the reasons for learning English; second part has 12 based on how the students feel about English lessons and the third part has 6 statements to analyze how the students feel about learning English. Results & Discussions: The analyses of Parts A, B & C encapsulate that the students are aware of the usefulness of English and feel that the activities they are engaged with during the English classes to be beneficial and are contented with the progress they have been making since their school is in the acquisition of the proficiency of English language. Now, the question arises whether the students are achieving the expected level of proficiency, when they enroll into the university. Thus, this study lays the scope to identify the gap between the school level curriculum and college level expected frame of reference which is to be addressed by the educationists seriously as the findings portray a positive attitude towards English learning from the prospective graduators.
English Language Teaching, 2015
This research aims at examining the Students' perceptions of the effectiveness of the English program implemented in the College of Technological Studies in Kuwait. A sample of 242 students was randomly selected from the population. The students were asked to respond to a 21-statement questionnaire designed to obtain information about how they perceive their competencies in English after they have successfully completed the requirements of the English program. The statements of the questionnaire were distributed in such a way so that information can be obtained about five areas that have bearings on the attainment of the goals of the program and the students' improvement in the four skills. Overall, the participants viewed the English program as effective in improving their English competencies. However, they also pointed to some inadequacies which seem to be related to the program's implementation. In order for these inadequacies to be effectively redressed, the researchers recommend that further studies be conducted on other aspects of the programs, like the teaching methods and tools used in implementing it and feedback from instructors.
English language teaching has become very important because of the global status of English and people all over the world are learning this language (Mackey, 2002). Communicative Language Teaching Methodology, being a modern and effective method of language teaching, has been implemented in many contexts of EFL/ESL teaching including ESP classes (Richards, 2007). This implementation has not been without problems in many Asian countries as CLT has been in clash with local cultures of teach (Ali Khan, 2007). Iran is still following a traditional approach to English language teaching. This study was an effort to discover the learning needs of Iranian university students to assess the implementation of CLT in ESP context. To fulfill such an aim, two different questionnaires were used as instruments of data collection. The students' questionnaire was arranged in multi-option question pattern and where the assessment of attitude and beliefs was required a limited number of scaled questions were included to achieve this end. The teachers' questionnaire had only scaled questions.90 first-year students and 30 university professors of educational administration of different universities answered the questions. The results of the data analysis revealed that students' learning needs and styles supported the adoption of Communicative Language Teaching and Method. Professors' attitude towards CLT was also investigated and the presence of a positive attitude was established. Subsequently, certain factors which do not allow the practice of CLT in ESP classes are identified and recommendations are made which can help in initiating a shift towards CLT.
Anglisticum Journal, 2015
The present research studied the assessment of language learning strategies as a second language. It is also investigated the male and female university students’ awareness of the importance of the use of language strategies in learning the second language. For this purpose, 50 male and female learners of Cihan University were selected as the subject of this study. In this paper, Griffiths' (2007) English Language Learning Strategy Inventory (ELLSI) was selected as the questionnaire of this study. The importance of (ELLSI) by students was studied in relation to age and years of learning English. The result reveals that there were not significant references in terms of gender between students. Moreover, the findings showed that there were not statically differences between students’ of the importance of LLSs and their years of learning English. Keywords: ELL SI , LLS , Fuzzy Logic Tools
English language is now considered as global language, and with every single day its users are increasing numerously. The present study is exploratory in nature, investigating the business students' attitudes towards English language learning and its association with their academic achievement. The study incorporates quantitative approach and has used close ended questionnaire to collect data from the participants. A total number of 200 business students participated in the study. From the findings of the data, the study concludes that business students have a positive attitude towards English language learning and its' association with their academic achievement.
This study is quasi-experimental in nature which utilized an intervention program sponsored by the US Embassy through the English Access Microscholarship Program to help develop the language skills of the students. Fifty (50) students ranging from 13-20 years old who have economically disadvantaged backgrounds and show low performance in English skills (speaking, reading and writing) were encouraged to learn English and develop their linguistic skills through after-school instruction and enhancement activities.
The present research studied the assessment of language learning strategies as a second language. It is also investigated the male and female university students’ awareness of the importance of the use of language strategies in learning second language. For this purpose, 50 male and female learners of Cihan University were selected as the subject of this study. In this paper, Griffiths' (2007) English Language Learning Strategy Inventory (ELLSI) was selected as the questionnaire of this study. The importance of (ELLSI) by students was studied in relation to age and years of learning English. The result reveals that there were not significant references in terms of gender between students. Moreover, the findings showed that there were not statically differences between students’ of the importance of LLSs and their years of learning English