Abstract

Transfer has been discussed from different points of view since the advent of Contrastive Analysis Hypothesis [13], [8]. Mishina- Mori [19] has defied transfer as merging grammatical properties from one language to another. The effect of transfer from a first language (L1) to a second language (L2) or a third language (L3) has been viewed differently in different theories of Second Language Acquisition (SLA). A number of these theories view transfer as having no role, some others as having debilitative effects and still others as having enhancive effects on L2 or L3 learning. This article has reviewed these different views of SLA theories toward transfer and claims that though these theories sound incommensurable in this regard, they can be considered as one tune in a complex dynamic but chaotic system of SLA known as Chaos/ Complex System.

Abstract

Because it has been established that there is a local variety of English that has blossomed in the Philippines, there are crucial debates specifically on what pedagogical standard must be used in teaching English in Philippine schools. In spite of the growing number of researches on Philippine English (PE) and the publication of its own dictionary, it appears that a considerable number of educators, language learners, non-educators, and professionals still deem that the so-called ‘Standard English’ variety  which also goes by the names of ‘ENL’ (English as a Native Language) (Kirkpatrick, 2007), and ‘inner circle’ variety (Erling, 2005)  is “innately superior to ESL and EFL varieties and that it therefore represents a good model for English for people in ESL and EFL contexts to follow” (Kirkpatrick, 2007, p. 28). This study therefore explores the prevailing perceptions of college students and language instructors in the oldest university in the Philippines and in Asia toward the two main varieties of English that thrive in the country — American English (AE) and Philippine English (PE) as well as their motives for learning and teaching the English language. This study shows that a majority of the student and teacher respondents have similar reasons why English is taught and studied in the Philippines and that between AE and PE, AE remains as “the” privileged English variety. This paper also examines more specific contentious issues on (1) the language learners’ motives for learning English, (2) the luring reasons for Filipino language teachers and learners for privileging AE, and (3) the Filipino learners and teachers’ prevailing unreceptive attitudes towards PE. This paper then explicates some of the contributing factors that influence the respondents’ choice of variety and proposes ‘de-hegemonizing’ agents that may result not only in the popularization of Philippine English but also in the gradual liberation of the Filipino language teachers and learners from the shackles of the colonizing power of AE.

Abstract

Readers’ reading purpose is of great significance to their use of text processing strategies, their achievement in recall and reading comprehension in L1 reading research. To test its role in EFL learning, the author conducted an experiment to 18 EFL Chinese learners of English.  Think-aloud and written recall methods were adopted and the result indicates that readers with the reading purpose of getting information are likely to use more global text processing strategies, focusing their attention on tackling comprehension problems at discourse level rather than solving problems at sentential or word level. As a result, they are more likely to get higher score in both written recall and reading comprehension test. Despite the limitation of the study, the result is quite significant in reading practice.

Abstract

Reading comprehension has won much effort on the part of teachers, testers, and researchers in Iran due to the fact that the immediate need of  Iranian students at different university levels is the ability to read in order to get new information on the topic they are studying. The question raised is how much reading practice can move learners along the horizontal axis of development predetermined by high stake tests like the IETLS. To this end, this study tried to investigate the relationship between Iranian students' reading ability varying in their level of education (sophomore, junior, and senior) and their IELTS band score. Data from 431 Iranian students taking the IETLS were collected and analyzed descriptively and inferentially. The results showed that there was no significant relation between learners' level of education and the IETLS band score within the present data; that is learners were not different in terms of their level of education. Surprisingly, the highest band scores of 7 and 8 on the IELTS belonged to students in the lower levels of education.

Abstract

This paper looked into the interplay between language and culture based on the metatext categories utilized by the writers in three speech communities: Philippines, Iran, and Taiwan.  Specifically, it answered the following subproblems: (1) What metatext categories exist in the results-and-discussion section of ESL/EFL research articles written in Philippine English, Iranian English, and Taiwanese English?; (2) At what points are the metatext categories in the three speech communities parallel or contrasting?; and (3) What cultural features are revealed by the use of metatext categories in the three Asian Englishes?

Data analyzed were the results-and-discussion sections of 15 research articles (RAs): ESL RAs representing the Philippine-English variety were published in the TESOL Journal in 2009, and EFL RAs representing both the Taiwanese-English and Iranian-English varieties were from the Asian EFL Journal published in 2008 and 2009.  Two inter-raters helped in the coding of metatext categories in the genre examined and in the validation of the data gathered.  Frequency and percentage counts were employed to examine the corpus.

Results revealed that the relative frequency of preview and review categories was highest in Philippine English RAs than in Taiwanese English RAs and Iranian English RAs.  In the three Asian Englishes, the number of previews was larger than the number of reviews.  With regard to the use of connectors, all three Englishes were built on the additive cohesive relation.  Further, they used both simple connectors, such as and, but, though, and yet and their complex alternatives, such as furthermore, on the other hand, in a similar vein, and in a similar sense - a preference for a more elaborate and a change-oriented rhetorical pattern.  In addition, Philippine English had the most number of action markers, thus, implying the Philippine English’s tendency to be more writer-responsible as compared with the Taiwanese English and Iranian English.

Abstract

This study examines the use of formulaic language in an intercultural communication encounter. It focuses particularly on phatic expressions used in an online discussion about gender stereotypes in English among 167 undergraduate university students in Taiwan, Israel, and the US. Content analysis methodology was used to examine whether there are differences in the openings and closings that the students from the different countries used in their self-introductions. The analysis also sought to discover whether the participants regard online discussion as writing or speaking by analyzing the types and frequency of expressions used. While the results did offer strong support for there being cultural differences in the usage of phatics, the analysis of these formulaic responses does point to the use of an informal style of writing rather than the interactions imitating oral communication. Therefore, rather than being a form of speaking or writing, or a combination of the two, perhaps online writing is evolving into a specific form of communication with its own conventions for using phatics to establish and maintain connections in the online environment.

Abstract

The field of English language education has seen developments in writing pedagogy, moving from product-based to process-based and then to genre-based approaches. In Vietnam, teaching secondary school students how to write in English is still lagging behind these growing developments. Product-based approach is commonly seen in English writing classes in Vietnamese secondary schools. Within that context of teaching and learning writing, this paper outlines the impact of our implementation of the process-based approach in English writing classes with Vietnamese secondary learners. The study following a two-group pre-test and post-test design aimed to test the effects of the process-based approach on learners’ English writing and to investigate their perceptions of the learning process under this approach. Participants were 57 non-English major grade 10 students in an upper-secondary school in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta. Participants were involved in a sixteen-week intervention program with eight forty-five-minute writing sessions every two weeks. Three instruments were used to collect data: the questionnaire on participants’ perceptions toward the writing process, the English writing tests, and the interview on participants’ perceptions. Results indicated a significant difference in learners’ writing performance and their perceptions toward the writing process between the two groups after the study: Participants in the experimental condition outperformed those in the control condition.

Abstract

The present study was carried out to find out whether regular administration of cloze test improved the students' knowledge of grammar more than the multiple choice one. Subjects participating in this study were 84 Iranian pre-university students of Allameh-Gotb-e Ravandi University, aged between 18 and 35 and enrolled in a grammar course. To investigate the research, the candidates were screened through a NELSON test. This test enabled the researchers to have homogeneous subjects; therefore, among 84 subjects, 75 students were selected to take part in this research. Among this number of students, 39 students were to be in one group and the other 36 were the other group members. The two groups were provided with 10 consecutive weeks, each session 100 minutes long. Every week one experimental group was treated by a 25-item cloze test of grammar while the other experimental group was provided with a 25-item multiple choice one. The time allowed for each multiple choice test was about 25 minutes. Each week the grammatical point which had been taught the previous session, was tested. After the treatment, a 60-item test consisting of a 30-item cloze passage and a 30-item multiple-choice grammar section were administered to find out whether there was any difference in the grammatical knowledge of both experimental groups. The analysis of data indicated that there was no significant difference between the average performance of the two groups. In another words, the findings proved that the cloze procedure did not improve the subjects' knowledge of grammar any more than the multiple-choice grammar test did.

Abstract

The present study is aimed at finding the effect of Instructional software program in the learning of grammar on the achievement of teacher training students of Namakkal District. Parallel group experimental method was adopted in this study. A  sample of 80 students studying in the teacher training college were selected on the basis of their knowledge in English grammar. 40 students were involved in conventional learning of English grammar and another 40 were considered for learning grammar based on instructional media. The instrument of the study was an instructional software program used for teaching particular grammar items. Achievement test was used after establishing validity and reliability. It is evident from the analysis that instructional media played a significant role in the learning of English grammar. Experimental group students have made significant higher gains in learning grammar in comparison to conventional group students. In light of the findings of this study, it was recommended that English teachers use Computer Aided Instructions in their teaching.