Search

Speaking English as a foreign language (EFL) requires the proper instructional techniques and tactics. Since then, other techniques, including online scaffolding or more knowledgeable other in the speaking improvement, have been used. The current research employs scaffolding to teach speaking in comparison to teacher-guided. The goal of this research is to describe the scaffolding techniques a teacher uses while scaffolding four students. In order to do this, the current research investigates how learners describe what they had learned and accomplished via speaking class performances, which acts as a scaffold for them. The outcomes identify the six diamonds of scaffolding behaviors, that is, instructor, contingent, consultant, modeling, motivator, and evaluator. However, the researchers assert that there were only a small number of learners because of the difficulty of the subject. According to the research, peer scaffolding should blend or hybrid while teaching spoken EFL at the college level. The report encourages future ethnographic discussions for more research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the potential of VoiceThread (VT) as a learning tool in order to enhance learners' performance and confidence, and to provide the basis for continuing independent practice. The participants were students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds on a 10-week English for Academic Purposes (EAP) programme in academic speaking and listening skills in an Australian university. Students carried out a weekly extended speaking task in the form of an academic presentation, on a theme/topic related to their own interests. To prepare for this they used VT to record and rehearse their presentation, uploading their recordings to the Learning Management System for other students to listen to, and for the teacher to provide individual feedback. The recordings were analysed in relation to a number of features to measure utterance fluency, including speed, repairs and pauses. Questionnaires were used to investigate students' perceptions of the value of the task, of their performance on the task, and of changes in their performance and confidence over time. Interviews were used to investigate the potential of recording and rehearsal for long term independent practice. The study involved a total of 34 students in 10 week courses, 22 students using the Voicethread software, and 12 students in a comparison class following the same curriculum, but without the Voicethread software. The results suggest that, over time, regular VT tasks help students develop their performance and confidence in spoken English. Such voice-recording activities have the potential to improve oral performance by encouraging independent practice of oral activities, and so tackling the limitations on time, practice and feedback inherent in classroom-based courses. Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2021.2003407. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A number of factors among schoolchildren in England are currently contributing to poor attitudes towards speaking in the modern foreign languages (MFL) classroom. Although multiple explicit strategy-based instruction (SBI) intervention studies have appeared in recent years, very few studies have focused on its effect on oral skills and, in particular, pupils' attitudes towards speaking in the target language (TL). From the small pool of SBI investigations into schoolchildren whose first language (L1) is English, there is some evidence of success among boys in particular. The present quasi-experimental, two-cycle action research and development study of beginner (Year 7) and intermediate (Year 10) learners of L2 French (N = 148) investigated the impact of 12 hours of strategy intervention training on attitudes towards TL speaking skills in the MFL classroom in an all-boys selective secondary school in England. To assess the impact of the intervention, a mixed-methods approach was adopted; data were captured via questionnaires, lesson observations and interviews. In Cycle 2, pupils navigated the 'Strategy Island Map', an innovative tool to track their strategy use when speaking in the TL. Results suggest that explicit SBI improved attitudes towards speaking among both age groups. Implications for practice and suggestions for future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Second language teaching has recently witnessed a transition from the conventional flipped classes to a fully online flipped instruction. The present study aims to examine the differential effects of two modes of fully online flipped instruction, i.e. interaction-embedded (IE) and interaction-reduced (IR), on EFL learners’ speaking. Aligning with a quasi-experimental design, the current study recruited 43 intermediate learners from an English language institute, comprising an experimental group (n = 22) which received an interaction-embedded online flipped instruction with a student-centered teaching style (hereafter IE group) and a comparison group (n = 21) which underwent an interaction-reduced online flipped instruction following a teacher-dominated mode of teaching (hereafter IR group). The participants were selected from intact classes following a convenience sampling method and homogenized based on the Oxford Placement Test (OPT) scores. The results of Mann-Whitney U and Wilcoxon tests indicated that IE and IR modes of online flipped instruction both affected the students’ speaking significantly. Further analysis confirmed the superiority of the IE group to the IR group; however, the observed effect size was negligible. The qualitative findings from semi-structured interviews revealed that the fully online flipped classes secure an innovative, effective and collaborative learning that helps overcome the disorientation problems and apprehension of synchronous live interactions. As such, we posit the significance of online flipped instruction as an approach that bolsters computer-mediated, collaborative speaking and collective scaffolding through establishing an online learning community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Theories about word production differ in whether they assume that lexical selection involves modality-specific representations or modality-neutral ones, called lemmas. The observation that semantic errors in aphasia may be restricted to either speaking or writing has long been taken to challenge lemma models (Hillis et al., 1999; Kemmerer, 2015, 2019). Whereas patients RGB, HW, and RR make semantic errors in speaking but not in writing, patient RCM exhibits the opposite dissociation. Here, using WEAVER++ simulations and a simple mathematical analysis, a model with lemmas is shown to account for the double dissociation observed in patients. In particular, the model captures the patterns of performance of the patients on vocal picture naming, written picture naming, auditory word comprehension, and writing to dictation, explaining 98% of the variance. The challenge is now for modality-specific models to account for the findings that the lemma model was designed to explain in the first place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Often, second/foreign (L2) language learners receive little opportunity to interact orally in the target language. Interactive, conversation-based spoken dialog systems (SDSs) that use automated speech recognition and natural language processing have the potential to address this need by engaging learners in meaningful, goal-oriented speaking practice. However, these technology-based learning tools are often developed without input from teaching professionals. As part of a larger development effort, this study examined English as a second language (ESL) teachers' perceptions regarding SDS-based speaking tasks, addressing the following research questions: (a) What do teachers think about the SDS-based tasks? (b) How would they use them in the context of their English instruction? Overall, 16 ESL instructors in an intensive English program in the United States were asked to interact with four SDS-based speaking tasks designed to elicit specific linguistic phenomena (e.g. making requests; wh-questions). The teachers completed a survey after each task to gauge their user experience, level of engagement, and perceptions of the usefulness of the tasks for their teaching contexts. A subgroup of instructors (n = 7) also participated in audio-recorded focus group meetings. Descriptive statistics were calculated for each survey item and the open-ended responses from the surveys and focus groups were analyzed qualitatively for major themes. The findings show that teachers had positive views of the SDS tasks' potential for speaking practice and diagnostic purposes, primarily in a flipped classroom model. Their perceptions seemed to be related to their own user experience and, in particular, to the perceived authenticity of a given task. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Feedback practices for students' speaking activities in an online environment are very different from those on-site. This study investigated online feedback practices for speaking skills in a Sino-UK joint-venture university, as well as teachers and students' perceptions of the practices. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with four teachers and 11 students on a discipline-specific English for Academic Purposes (EAP) course. Overall, e-feedback was perceived as less effective than face-to-face feedback, which was mainly due to a lack of interpersonal ties. A range of specific e-feedback types was used; each type elicited both positive and negative perceptions, which were influenced by the nature of feedback type, opportunities for communication and psychological issues. This study concludes that for e-feedback to have the equal potential for clarifying expectations as face-to-face feedback, practitioners need to be well informed of the features of different types of e-feedback, and carefully choose the most appropriate type according to the learning outcomes and students' preferences. Students also need to develop an e-feedback literacy to fully use such feedback. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even though the psoas major muscle function is a frequent topic in sports and clinical science, there is a gap in the literature regarding its role in speaking and singing. As a consequence, this article critically examines and compares available literature and focuses on posture, anatomy, and function, as well as biomechanics of the psoas major muscle and anecdotal evidence from respectable practitioners. This article is a literature review, which offers the following: (1) The psoas major muscle is connected to the diaphragm through the medial arcuate; (2) its fascia is continuous with the pelvic floor fascia, which constructs connection with the conjoint tendon, transverse abdominus, and the internal oblique. This literature analysis suggests that moving, respiring, and vocalizing may be intimately connected through the psoas major muscle. Ultimately, the literature review argues that the psoas major muscle impacts vocal expression, and further research is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The following aphorism is used as the point of departure for the discussion in this article: 'How do I know what I think till I see what I say?' Its literal meaning is that it is through the very act of speaking that you get to know what you think; but the aphorism also has a suggestive quality to it. As a consequence, many artists and thinkers have referred to the aphorism and sometimes also elaborated on it. That the message of the aphorism is relevant for social science as well can be exemplified by the important interest that Robert K. Merton has shown for it, primarily to probe the process of creativity in science. Following up on Merton's ideas, but also taking them in a somewhat different direction, I argue that the aphorism may be of help when you try to theorize in a creative way in social science. Examples of this are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports observations and reflections from a pedagogic intervention intended to enhance mathematics students' learning of course content in a course in multivariable calculus. The intervention design required students to structure, practice, and deliver an oral presentation that was a synthesis of the teacher's weekly lectures, for the benefit of themselves and their peers. The intervention appears to have incentivized students to engage with and learn mathematics contents in an effective way, and it also helped the mathematics teacher to reflect on, adapt, and develop his teaching strategies. To conclude, it would seem that both students and teachers in mathematics have much to gain from giving students opportunities to develop their own voice in learning contexts otherwise relying on books and lectures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Students in colleges and universities need to be able to learn how to communicate effectively both within the specialized arenas of their chosen disciplines and, increasingly, with a wide variety of public and professional audiences. One way to accomplish this goal is to integrate the development of effective writing and speaking skills into both our disciplinary and interdisciplinary classrooms. In this essay, we suggest that faculty to adopt a “rhetorical perspective” in their teaching, regardless of discipline, in order to capitalize on already existing faculty expertise and empower students. Specifically, a rhetorical perspective integrating speaking and writing can help students to become more active agents in their intellectual development, can help faculty design assignments and activities that relate directly to course goals and learning outcomes, and can provide a framework for feedback that can facilitate student learning. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The constructs of complexity, accuracy and fluency (CAF) have been used extensively to investigate learner performance on second language tasks. However, a serious concern is that the variables used to measure these constructs are sometimes used conventionally without any empirical justification. It is crucial for researchers to understand how results might be different depending on which measurements are used, and accordingly, choose the most appropriate variables for their research aims. The first strand of this article examines the variables conventionally used to measure syntactic complexity in order to identify which may be the best indicators of different proficiency levels, following suggestions by Norris and Ortega. The second strand compares the three variables used to measure accuracy in order to identify which one is most valid. The data analysed were spoken performances by 64 Japanese EFL students on two picture-based narrative tasks, which were rated at Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) A2 to B2 according to Rasch-adjusted ratings by seven human judges. The tasks performed were very similar, but had different degrees of what Loschky and Bley-Vroman term ‘task-essentialness’ for subordinate clauses. It was found that the variables used to measure syntactic complexity yielded results that were not consistent with suggestions by Norris and Ortega. The variable found to be the most valid for measuring accuracy was errors per 100 words. Analysis of transcripts revealed that results were strongly influenced by the differing degrees of task-essentialness for subordination between the two tasks, as well as the spread of errors across different units of analysis. This implies that the characteristics of test tasks need to be carefully scrutinised, followed by careful piloting, in order to ensure greater validity and reliability in task-based research. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Although not a new discussion in the Irish context, the value of oral language development has recently gained prominence again in Irish Post-Primary English classrooms. In this article we present how the recent introduction of Junior Cycle English, which now includes an Oral Communication Classroom Based Assessment ( CBA) is renewing efforts to promote speaking and listening and has the potential to change teachers' understanding of assessment in English. The rationale for this change is presented here from the perspectives of the different stakeholders in Irish Education; educational researchers, policymakers, the Inspectorate, teachers and students. To cite the Junior Cycle Framework: 'until the examination changes, nothing else will' ( NCCA 2011: 6). However, past efforts to implement an oral assessment element illustrate how change is complex and fostering an awareness of the centrality of 'classroom talk' involves a cultural shift for the teachers implementing the Junior Cycle English Specification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An extensive body of literature theorizes public relations astwo-waycommunication,dialogue, andrelationshipsbetween organizations and their publics. Although there are alternative views, including public relations as advocacy, most theories emphasize dialogue, co-orientation, and relationships incorporating satisfaction, trust, and control mutuality—even to the extent of symmetry. Critical perspectives propose asociocultural turnthat further emphasizes stakeholders’ and societal interests. This analysis draws on a three-country study that reveals a major theory-practice gap and proposes a significant expansion of public relations theory in relation to listening to realize normative notions of public relations and give effect to claims of dialogue and engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores and extends Levinas’s ideas of singularity and community as multiplicity and argues that his identification of language and discourse as the means to create ethical communities provides tangible possibilities for rebuilding genuine democracy in a humane world. These ideas help us reimagine school and classroom as communities open to differences. They also give education the opportunity to support the emergence of the singular and the irreducible—infinite human beings. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The authors explore the importance of talk and interaction for learning, particularly in relation to new K–12 standards and the prominent role of academic language in today's educational contexts. The article concludes with a detailed example of a Grade 6 teacher's use of content and language objectives to address the needs and strengths of all her students, including her English language learners. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The present study integrates service learning into English as a Foreign Language (EFL) speaking class using Web 2.0 tools – YouTube and Facebook – as platforms. Fourteen undergraduate students participated in the study. The purpose of the service-learning project was to link service learning with oral communication training in an EFL speaking class by having each student create two YouTube videos in which they made informative presentations about the university (e.g., transportation system) and the city (e.g., sightseeing spots) in English to international students on campus. A Facebook community was established as a forum for students to share their videos with the international students and peers. The results suggest that the project enhanced EFL students’ public speaking-related skills (e.g., idea and content development, and pronunciation), built their confidence in speaking English, and allowed them to develop their own learning process and strategies. Moreover, Web 2.0 tools endow service learning with new possibilities of reaching a greater number of the target audience and provide the members of the community with alternative means of communication. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The present article lies at the intersection of research on teacher cognition and speaking competence in a second language. It is a qualitative analysis of teacher accounts of speaking in the context of English as a foreign language (EFL) in Iran. More specifically, the study is an exploration of three EFL teachers’ conceptions of learning and teaching the speaking skill in English. The teachers represented varying levels of experience and education and were classified as experts and novices. Through juxtaposing teachers’ views of how students should learn to speak and how the teachers themselves learned to speak English, the research study uncovers the interwoven nature of learning experience with teaching conceptions. It also unveils the images underpinning their conceptions of how to learn and teach speaking in an EFL context. The results also portray teachers as having unique ways of thinking of speaking while at the same time sharing certain patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In Hong Kong, many primary teachers of English have to prepare students for examinations which are mainly written assessment. Both teachers and students focus their attention on exam-based literacy such as reading and writing skills. Consequently, oral skills are overlooked. Indeed, public examinations sideline speaking assessment because of its subjective nature; thus English teachers do not provide students with many conversational activities. Without sufficient speaking practice, many students tend to learn English by rote. Conversely, English syllabuses always suggest that students should be given more opportunities to practice speaking. It seems there are inconsistencies between syllabuses and public assessment, but the latter certainly impacts upon classroom practices. In this paper, it is suggested that an Oral Recording System should be used for speaking assessment in public examinations; this system could reduce biases and subjectivity because the recorded data could serve as evidence to justify the grading. If the technical problems associated with oral examinations could be solved, oral English could then be accorded equal status with other language skills in public examinations; once oral English occupies a higher weighting, teachers and students will spend more time on interaction which could be a better way to learn English. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

On the fiftieth anniversary of the first publication of English in Education, this article reviews the journal's contribution to research and practice in the teaching of English. A thematic analysis based on close study of a sample of volumes is arranged chronologically (to show the development of ideas and practices) and thematically in terms of language mode (speaking; writing; reading, including new technologies). The article argues that the journal archive can shed light on the educational past in ways that can effectively inform the educational present and help to set agenda for the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A number of studies have recently reported that in picture–word interference (PWI) tasks, distractors with a low frequency of occurrence interfere more with picture naming than distractors with high-frequency. This finding is not straightforward to accommodate within traditional accounts of word production in which lexical access is typically conceptualised as competitive. Instead, the distractor frequency effect has been taken to support a view according to which lexical access is not competitive, and PWI effects arise at a postlexical preparation stage. Two experiments are reported which contrasted picture naming with a manual task performed on the picture name (Experiment 1: syllable judgment; Experiment 2: phoneme monitoring). In both studies, an equivalent effect of distractor frequency was observed for vocal and manual tasks, suggesting that the effect arises at a shared, abstract processing level. Consequently, the distractor frequency effect should not be interpreted as evidence for the claim that distractors have to be excluded from an articulatory response buffer before target naming can proceed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A common assumption in research on spoken word production is that lexical selection is a competition-based process among co-activated lexical representations. This assumption of competitive lexical selection has been challenged by an alternative account, which places competition at a postlexical response selection stage. A complex pattern of empirical findings from picture-word interference and other tasks has emerged which constrains current thinking about word production. In this article we provide an overview over the main positions, empirical findings, and put the various contributions to this Special Issue into a wider context. The theoretical debate is far from closed, but it has drawn attention to some critical points that we emphasise in this Editorial: The speech production process needs an element of competition, but this competition need not necessarily take place during lexical selection. Behavioural interference effects are caused by a combination of facilitation and interference, but there is discord about the processing levels at which these mechanisms are located. Finally, we stress the necessity to use findings from different experimental paradigms for theory-building and advocate a shift from the narrow focus on the picture-word paradigm that has dominated the theoretical discussion in this Special Issue and elsewhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compared with reading, writing and listening, there has been a paucity of empirical data documenting learners' experiences of speaking English as a second language (ESL) or English as a foreign language (EFL) in different learning contexts in spite of the fact that developing the ability to speak in a second or foreign language is widely considered a daunting task for most language learners. This paper reports on the findings of a questionnaire survey of the English speaking difficulties experienced by two Chinese populations: one group of university students from mainland China and one group of university students from Hong Kong. Drawing on various theoretical perspectives, the students' perceived difficulties are analysed in relation to linguistic deficiency, oral language processes, conversational skills and academic speaking conventions, affective influence as well as affordance of opportunities to use English for spoken communication in the students' learning contexts. Important implications of the results for pedagogical practices that foster development of ESL or EFL speaking skills are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Children with permanent hearing loss may communicate using either signed or spoken language individually, or in combination. The decision about which means of communication a child with permanent hearing loss will use is complex. To inform this process, a systematic literature review was conducted to determine the extent to which concurrent access to and use of spoken and signed language influences children's development of spoken or signed language skills commensurate with their non-verbal abilities. Searches of databases were conducted to locate studies published between January 1995 and November 2006. Four relevant studies were located but they were not designed to address the review's aim. Whilst a meta-narrative analysis indicated that children encouraged to concurrently develop spoken and signed language acquired both spoken and signed language, the relationships between these could not be isolated. Thus, it appears that there is little empirical evidence to inform this decision about which means of communication means to use. Consequently families need to consider their preferences along with professional expertise. Further, the unique needs of children acquiring signed and spoken communication systems concurrently need to be reflected in the service delivery models available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports a study of the use of non-standard English in the formal speech of 15-year- olds of both genders and of varying attainment levels. The pupils were drawn from two schools on Tyneside which take pupils from catchment areas of markedly different socioeconomic status. Differences were found in the incidence of non-standard lexis and grammar in terms of the variables studied: girls used fewer non-standard forms than boys, lower attaining pupils used more than their higher attaining peers and pupils of lower socioeconomic status used more than those of higher socioeconomic status. However, some complex interactions between the variables are reported. Even among the groups with a comparatively high incidence of non-standard forms, features specific to Tyneside English were relatively infrequent and the significance of this finding for teachers is discussed both via a critique of the treatment of standard English in the National Curriculum and through a proposed model for curriculum development which places use of non-standard dialect in the context of a much wider understanding of language variation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study sought to describe speaking fundamental frequency characteristics of elderly Euro-American and African-American individuals and to explore the effects of ethnicity and ageing on vocal parameters of speech production. Speech samples from 42 elderly Euro-American and 37 elderly African-American individuals (age range: 70-80 years) were compared on measures of mean speaking fundamental frequency (F[sub 0]), maximum and minimum speaking F[sub 0], speaking F[sub 0] standard deviation (F[sub 0] SD), and speaking F[sub 0] range (in semitones). Elderly African-American females had significantly lower mean speaking F[sub 0] and speaking F[sub 0] SD than their Euro-American cohorts. Results indicate that researchers need to improve the clinical database for speakers from non-Euro-American backgrounds, and speech-language pathologists must exercise discretion when assessing the speaking F[sub 0] and other speech characteristics of elderly individuals from different ethnic groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]