Expertise reversal effect and sequencing of learning tasks in online English as a second language learning environment

The aim of this paper is to examine the effects of sequencing instructional materials and learners' prior knowledge on learning ESL (English as a second language) through an online learning course. 121 fifth-grade students from an elementary school in Korea participated in the study. Each participant was allocated to one cell of a 2?×?2 between-subjects factorial design, with an instructional format (i.e. sequential or concurrent) as a first factor, and prior knowledge (i.e. high or low) as a second factor. Instructions of the words and grammar rules were allocated to each page for the sequential group, whereas integrated on a single page for the concurrent group. The result indicates that the sequential instruction of words followed by grammar explanations was more effective for the students with higher levels of prior knowledge than the concurrent presentation. The reverse was also found for the students with lower levels of prior knowledge in English. There are four possible explanations for the results. First, split-attention effect, temporal-contiguity effect, or transient information effect might occur. Second, worked-example effect might occur and over-ride the effect of sequencing. Third, intrinsic and extraneous cognitive load might intertwine each other. Last, the levels of element interactivity in two instructional formats might be different from each other. The implications for instructional designers and future research are discussed.     

汉英词汇联想意义差异和词汇空缺

词汇的联想意义是一种概括性术语，在不同文化中，词汇具有相同或不同的联想，甚至会出现某一词汇在另一文化中难以找到或没有对应词的现象，了解这种现象，对词汇学习是极其重要的。     

对外汉语教学中词汇教学的思考

对外汉语教学作为一门独立的学科是在1978年被明确地提出来的,始于吕必松教授在中国社会科学院召开的北京地区语言科规划座谈会上的提议。随着中华民族的不断发展和壮大,对外汉语教学也得到了很大的发展,教学水平不断提高,只是汉字教学一直没得到应有的重视和发展,汉字教学还非常落后。本文以字本文为角度,通过对汉字的分析,根据对外汉字教学的特殊性,提出一些比较适合对外汉字教学的教学方法。     

跨语言迁移研究:母语对第二语言学习的预测作用

在中国既有英语热又同时存在着学习汉语的热潮,围绕这些现象的一个核心是第二语言学习及其影响因素问题。研究者从跨语言迁移的角度出发,考察不同语言系统间的差异性以及一致性特征,并在此基础之上探讨母语经验以及相关语言因素如何影响学习者第二语言的学习与发展,取得不少有价值的研究成果。     

Learning English as a second language at the university level in Jordan: motivation,self-regulation and learning environment perceptions

The overarching aim of this study was to investigate students’ perceptions of the learning environment and whether these influenced their motivation and self-regulation in learning English as a second language at the university level in Jordan. Our sample involved 994 students, drawn from 13 schools, within three faculties (humanities, health sciences and engineering) of one university. The collection of data involved the administration of two surveys: one to assess students’ perceptions of the learning environment and another to assess students’ motivation and self-regulation in learning English as a second language. The results of analyses strongly supported the reliability and validity of the surveys when used at the university level in Jordan, thereby providing confidence in the results of the present study. Simple correlation and multiple regression analysis were used to examine the influence of students’ perceptions of the learning environment of English language classes on self-reports of motivation and self-regulation. Statistically significant (p < 0.05) simple correlations were found between students’ perceptions of their learning environment and their motivation and self-regulation. The regression weights (β) indicated that scales of the learning environment were positively, statistically significantly (p < 0.05) and independently related to the motivation and self-regulation outcomes.     

浅谈对外汉语口语课词汇教学研究

运用适合的教学法对迅速扩大留学生的汉语词汇量,提高他们运用汉语词汇的能力非常重要。     

浅谈中级阶段对外汉语阅读教学

阅读是留学生学习和掌握汉语的基本技能之一,阅读教学在对外汉语教学中十分重要。本文从对外汉语教学出发,浅谈中级阶段阅读教学的一些原则和方法。     

浅谈对外汉语词汇教学

对外汉语词汇教学是贯穿在整个对外汉语教学活动之中的,目前国内的对外教学趋势是逐渐倾向于遇词讲词,这种现象尽管是不可避免的,但也可通过改变词汇的教学法等方式,寻求一条对外汉语词汇教学更高效的途径。     

The internet as a tool to learn a second language in a technical environment

Second language acquisition is a hard task for teachers, since to achieve the motivation from students to practice a language simulating a real context is very difficult. On the one hand, students are often influenced by their mother tongue and more when they are practising a second language with a partner from the same nationality. On the other, technology is part of our lives and teachers should use all the tools in order to motivate students to learn any topic. So, if we integrate technology in the methodology we use when teaching a second language and students can practise with international partners, the results can be surprising. Chats, scanning texts, games, filling forms, etc. are just some of the activities our students can do in order to improve their command of a second language and also these activities can be used by content teachers in order to complement content learning. In the present paper, we provide some examples of activities designed by collaborating with content teachers based on websites, and then we analyse the effect they produced on students. We contrast the methodology used to propose tasks based on websites and those based on texts, and finally, evaluate their effect on the motivation of students.     

学习迁移理论在德语二外教学中的应用研究

随着经济全球化的发展,各国贸易日渐频繁,国家之间的关系随之密切,外语教学的地位显著提升。我国各高校都开设有第二外语专业,且历史悠久、经验丰富。在第二外语的学习过程中,语言迁移的影响很大。德语是我国很重视的第二外语,随着语言学的发展和教育水平的提高,德语教学取得了前所未有的成绩,但还存在一些问题。因此,如何有效利用语言迁移策略提高德语教学的质量是外语教育者思考的重要课题。本文对迁移的概念和内涵进行了阐述,指出了德语中语言迁移想象的体现,分析了语言迁移对于德语教学的重要意义,提出了借助语言迁移理论指导德语教学的有效措施。     

Orthographic learning through self-teaching among learners of English as a second language

Reading and Writing - Children can teach themselves new words via independent text reading. Previous studies on self-teaching heavily focused on learning to read in a first language (L1). Limited...     

实践课与第二语言(汉语)教学

论述实践课项目设计在第二语言(汉语)教学中的作用,并具体论述在语言实践中应遵守的几个原则。     

古文字在汉语作为第二语言教学中的应用

文字是语言的载体,古今汉字的传承性使我们能够通过对部分汉字的古形体的分析与研究找到一些汉字学习的方法和技巧,这些技巧在对外汉语教学的汉字教学中产生了一定的作用,有助于留学生对于汉字的学习和掌握,以及对相对应的中国传统文化的理解。     

The development of reading comprehension skills in children learning English as a second language

Reading comprehension is a multi-dimensional process that includes the reader, the text, and factors associated with the activity of reading. Most research and theories of comprehension are based primarily on research conducted with monolingual English speakers (L1). The present study was designed to investigate the cognitive and linguistic factors that have an influence on reading comprehension in English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) speakers. The cognitive aspects of reading comprehension among L1 speakers and ESL speakers in the seventh grade were investigated. The performance of both groups was compared and the role of some relevant processes, including word reading, word reading fluency, phonological awareness, working memory, and morphological and syntactic awareness were assessed. Within this sample, three groups were examined: (1) children with poor comprehension (PC) in the absence of word reading difficulties (2) children with poor word reading and poor comprehension (poor readers, PR) (3) and children with both good word reading and comprehension abilities (good comprehenders, GC). The results demonstrated that a variety of cognitive processes, such as working memory and phonological, syntactic, and morphological awareness are important for reading comprehension and compromised in poor comprehenders. The GC group performed better than the PC group on all of the cognitive measures, indicating that comprehension depends on a variety of phonological, memory and linguistic processes and that adequate word recognition skill are important for reading comprehension. The prevalence of the ESL and L1 students was similar across the three reading groups. The ESL and L1 students demonstrated similar performance, indicating that the skills underlying reading comprehension are similar in the ESL and L1 students. This study demonstrated that ESL students are capable of developing word reading and reading comprehension skills that are as strong as those of their L1 peers.     

对外汉语教学中的拼音教学

对外汉语教学中的拼音教学与对内的拼音教学在教学对象、目标、模式等方面存在很多差异,并且对外汉语教学中的拼音教学有其自身的特点。那么在具体的对外汉语教学中,我们就更需明确一些有关普通话语音和相关教学的问题。     

Orthographic facilitation in oral vocabulary learning: effects of language backgrounds and orthographic type

Reading and Writing - Two experiments investigated whether exposure to Chinese characters and pinyin would facilitate oral vocabulary learning for Chinese as a first (L1) and second (L2) language...     

A forest‐based environment as a site of literacy and meaning making for kindergarten children

This study analyses the valued school experiences of 15 five‐ and six‐year‐old Canadian children, through their creation of multimodal texts. Throughout the school year, the students spent a large portion of each school day in the expansive forest on the school grounds, and their texts revealed their significant interest in this natural outdoor environment. Specifically, the data revealed that the outdoor space provided a context where the children could engage with each other and the environment in meaningful, creative and collaborative ways. This research has the potential to contribute to our understanding of the capacity of young children to share their thoughts on their school experiences by drawing on a range of modes and to contribute to our understanding of the power of alternative learning spaces, such as forest environments, on children's literacy learning and development.