IJALEL Future, Current & Past Issues by Emad A Alghamdi
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Papers by Emad A Alghamdi
ABSTRACT Only recently has the main focus of SLA researchers shifted from analyzing recurrent err... more ABSTRACT Only recently has the main focus of SLA researchers shifted from analyzing recurrent errors second language learners make in stereotypical manners to the social and communicative aspects of interactions that second language learners are repeatedly involved in with either native speakers (NS) or non-native speakers (NNS) of the target language (Zuengler 223). According to Jane Zuengler “this shift toward learner’s interactionally situated research can be credited, in large part, to theoretical assertion by Krashen (1981,1982) that comprehensible input from the L2 learner’s interlocutor is crucial for language acquisition to take place (223)”, a hypothetical claim which has encouraged a numerous number of contemporary SLA researchers to concentrate more on the dynamic of these social interactions and their plausible role in second language acquisition. Given that the second language learners’ communicative interaction with native speakers has a crucial role in enhancing learners’ linguistic competence, a considerable effort should be devoted to describe the nature of these interactions while bearing in mind the social, psychological, and linguistic aspects that are usually involved in NS-NNS interactions.
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Proceedings of the 17th International Conference on Information Integration and Web-based Applications &Services - iiWAS '15, 2015
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As an instructional intervention, multimedia glosses are found to enhance incidental vocabulary l... more As an instructional intervention, multimedia glosses are found to enhance incidental vocabulary learning. Previous studies have investigated the efficacy of different modalities of glosses (text, picture, audio, or video) on incidental vocabulary learning when learners read a passage or listen to an audio in the second language. However, no study, as far as I know, has yet investigated the effectiveness of multimedia glosses on incidental vocabulary learning when learners exclusively play an online hidden-object game. In this experimental study, an online hidden-object game was purposely designed to examine the effect of three modalities of multimedia glosses (Picture + L1 Text Gloss, Picture + L2 Text Gloss, and Picture-Only Gloss) on fostering incidental L2 vocabulary learning and retention. A total number of 162 elementary EFL students participated. The results of an ANOVA test followed by post hoc comparisons showed that the Picture + L1 Text Gloss group did significantly better than the other two groups in incidentally acquiring more vocabularies as measured by the Picture Recognition Test (PRT). As for gauging the retention of the target words over a two-week period, the results of repeated measures ANOVA revealed that the Picture + L1 Text Gloss group scored the highest retention rate in PRTs while in WRTs the Picture + L2 Text Gloss slightly outperformed the other two groups. Furthermore, the findings of a questionnaire indicated a significant correlation between participants’ scores and their computer skills and use, while a modest negative correlation was found with their frequency of playing video games, and no significant correlation was found with their attitude toward playing video games on computers.
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ABSTRACT This study reports a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the use of discourse marke... more ABSTRACT This study reports a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the use of discourse markers (DMs) in personal narrative and argumentative papers written by 30 undergraduate students: 15 native speakers (NS) and 15 non-native speakers (NNS). The study also ascertains whether the frequency and the incorrect use of DMs plays a role in determining the quality of ESL writings. Findings showed that there was no significant difference in the use of DMs. In both types of composition, NS and NNS writers used elaborative, contrastive and reason markers at higher rates than any DMs in other categories, forming, as consequence, a hierarchy of use. The qualitative analysis of NNS writings showed an overuse of DMs at sentence-initial position and an unnecessary use of semantically similar DMs within the boundary of a single sentence. The incorrect use and the frequency of DMs were key indicators of the quality of ESL writings. Finally, some pedagogical implications are offered.
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International Research in Education, 2016
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International Journal of English Linguistics
Innovative technologies, such as the Audience Response System (ARS) provide an opportunity to ste... more Innovative technologies, such as the Audience Response System (ARS) provide an opportunity to steer students into active engagement and meaningful discussions. Many previous studies on the use of ARS, mainly in large traditional classes, have accentuated the positive impact in terms of increased students’ learning and engagement through the incorporation of ARS into classroom practices. However, in synchronous online courses, wherein the lack of visual contact tends to stifle active engagement, the impact of using ARS is certainly worthy of investigation. Thus, in this mixed method study, online English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students’ perceptions concerning the use of mobile-based ARS (M-ARS) and its impact on enhancing their engagement, interactivity, and learning attainment were examined via a questionnaire whereas challenges pertaining to the use of M-ARS were solicited via semi-structured interviews. The results revealed that the implementation of M-ARS in online teaching ...
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Recent advances of communication technology have brought a myriad of advantages to distance educa... more Recent advances of communication technology have brought a myriad of advantages to distance education. Students' interactivity and connectedness are no longer a concern in distance education. Yet, with this comes the challenge of maintaining academic integrity. As online instructors, we noticed a tendency among our online students to opt out of using our courses' formal discussion groups for their course communication, and instead, independently create a group in the social instant messaging app, WhatsApp, away from our direct observation. In this mixed method research, we first investigated what motivate our students (n= 64) to create the WhatsApp group and what types of interaction they engage in as a group. Then, we examined our online students' perceptions of cheating in reference to their participations in the group. Our findings revealed that our online students perceived cheating differently and expressed their objection to the inclusion of the term 'cheating' in the distance-learning contexts, as they believed that distance learning is an open educational environment which permits collaboration and open discussion.
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ABSTRACT
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Only recently has the main focus of SLA researchers shifted from analyzing recurrent errors secon... more Only recently has the main focus of SLA researchers shifted from analyzing recurrent errors second language learners make in stereotypical manners to the social and communicative aspects of interactions that second language learners are repeatedly involved in with either native speakers (NS) or non-native speakers (NNS) of the target language (Zuengler 223). According to Jane Zuengler “this shift toward learner’s interactionally situated research can be credited, in large part, to theoretical assertion by Krashen (1981,1982) that comprehensible input from the L2 learner’s interlocutor is crucial for language acquisition to take place (223)”, a hypothetical claim which has encouraged a numerous number of contemporary SLA researchers to concentrate more on the dynamic of these social interactions and their plausible role in second language acquisition. Given that the second language learners’ communicative interaction with native speakers has a crucial role in enhancing learners’ ling...
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Innovative technologies, such as the Audience Response System (ARS), provide an opportunity to st... more Innovative technologies, such as the Audience Response System (ARS), provide an opportunity to steer students into active engagement and fruitful discussion. Many previous studies on the use of ARS, mainly in large traditional classes, have shown that an effective incorporation of ARS into classroom practices can have a positive impact on increasing students’ engagement and concentration. However, in large online courses, where active engagement is stifled by the sheer number of students’ enrollment and the lack of visual contact, the impact of using such technology is indeed worth investigating. Thus, this study seeks to investigate the efficacy of utilizing mobile-based ARS on enhancing students’ engagement and learning attainment in a virtually delivered English course in a Saudi university. The study adopts a focus group and semi-structured interview techniques to elicit students’ perceptions towards the use of their smart phones as an ARS system synchronously while attending th...
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The present empirical study examined the efficacy of coupling L1 or L2 definitions with pictorial... more The present empirical study examined the efficacy of coupling L1 or L2 definitions with pictorial glosses on incidental vocabulary learning when L2 learners exclusively play a purposely designed hidden-object game. Elementary EFL learners (n= 162) took a vocabulary pretest and a picture recognition test (PRT) and a word recognition test (WRT) immediately after playing the game, and again two weeks later. ANOVA analyses were conducted to measure vocabulary acquisition and retention. The findings revealed that the L1 text + picture gloss group did significantly better than the other two groups in the immediate acquisition of vocabulary. Concerning vocabulary retention, the two vocabulary measurements yielded different outcomes. In PRT, the L1 text + picture gloss group kept the highest retention rate, whereas in WRT, the L2 text + picture group did better than the other groups. This study suggests that assessment methods may yield different outcomes in multimedia vocabulary learning studies.
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As an instructional intervention, multimedia glosses are found to enhance incidental vocabulary l... more As an instructional intervention, multimedia glosses are found to enhance incidental vocabulary learning. Previous studies have investigated the efficacy of different modalities of glosses (text, picture, audio, or video) on incidental vocabulary learning when learners read a passage or listen to an audio in the second language. However, no study, as far as I know, has yet investigated the effectiveness of multimedia glosses on incidental vocabulary learning when learners exclusively play an online hidden-object game. In this experimental study, an online hidden-object game was purposely designed to examine the effect of three modalities of multimedia glosses (Picture + L1 Text Gloss, Picture + L2 Text Gloss, and Picture-Only Gloss) on fostering incidental L2 vocabulary learning and retention. A total number of 162 elementary EFL students participated. The results of an ANOVA test followed by post hoc comparisons showed that the Picture + L1 Text Gloss group did significantly better than the other two groups in incidentally acquiring more vocabularies as measured by the Picture Recognition Test (PRT). As for gauging the retention of the target words over a two-week period, the results of repeated measures ANOVA revealed that the Picture + L1 Text Gloss group scored the highest retention rate in PRTs while in WRTs the Picture + L2 Text Gloss slightly outperformed the other two groups. Furthermore, the findings of a questionnaire indicated a significant correlation between participants’ scores and their computer skills and use, while a modest negative correlation was found with their frequency of playing video games, and no significant correlation was found with their attitude toward playing video games on computers.
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Undeniably mass media have become the primary source of information and communication for the maj... more Undeniably mass media have become the primary source of information and communication for the majority of, if not all, members of modern societies. The nature of the information thus communicated and the manner in which it is dispensed through media certainly have a profound influence on people’s perceptions of the world around them. The relation between the media, on one hand, and culture, social life, and politics on the other, is an interesting one in which media fulfills dual functions, reflecting and also shaping issues occurring within these three domains (Bell & Garrett, 1998). In the initial media coverage of the 2011 Norway terrorist attacks, some western media authors, inaccurately and unjustly, held Muslims and Islamic groups as being responsible for the attacks. Using Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), this study seeks to ascertain how language was manipulated in this coverage of the terrorist attacks in order to give expression to blind prejudice against Islam and Muslims. As findings of the analyses reveal, the tones of allegation in these articles and reports differed dramatically from one article to another ranging from tones of mere suspicion to those of overt accusation. The varying degrees of uncertainty or assertion of the authors’ statements were reflected in the varied linguistic forms and devices used within the discourse.
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This study reports a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the use of discourse markers (DMs) ... more This study reports a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the use of discourse markers (DMs) in personal narrative and argumentative papers written by 30 undergraduate students: 15 native speakers (NS) and 15 non- native speakers (NNS). The study also ascertains whether the frequency and the incorrect use of DMs plays a role in determining the quality of ESL writings. Findings showed that there was no significant difference in the use of DMs. In both types of composition, NS and NNS writers used elaborative, contrastive and reason markers at higher rates than any DMs in other categories, forming, as consequence, a hierarchy of use. The qualitative analysis of NNS writings showed an overuse of DMs at sentence-initial position and an unnecessary use of semantically similar DMs within the boundary of a single sentence. The incorrect use and the frequency of DMs were key indicators of the quality of ESL writings. Finally, some pedagogical implications are offered.
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Pidgin languages across the world are characterized by a universal set of linguistic features tha... more Pidgin languages across the world are characterized by a universal set of linguistic features that, therefore, can be utilized for their identification. Among these linguistic traits, two are found in Gulf Arabic Pidgin (GPA); an overt reduction of sophisticated linguistic items and an increased regularity of less complicated linguistic items used to fulfill other linguistic functions (Nass, 2008; Bakir, 2010; Avram, 2014). The purpose of the present study is twofold: 1) to descriptively analyze some essential morphological (inflectional affixation) and syntactic features within the nominal and verbal systems of GPA, and 2) to statistically measure the level of the consistency among GPA speakers in their use of inflections, sentence structures, and navigation markers. The study starts with reviewing and discussing the literature on pidgins and the main linguistic characteristics of well-studied pidgin languages with the reference to the sociolinguistic environment in which this language variety is typically evoked. This is followed by a review on the few studies conducted on GPA. It ends with a discussion on the current linguistic status of GPA in light of the results obtained.
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IJALEL Future, Current & Past Issues by Emad A Alghamdi
Papers by Emad A Alghamdi