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Children\u0027s Foreign Language Anxiety Scale: Preliminary Tests of Reliability and Validity Image
Journal article

Children's Foreign Language Anxiety Scale: Preliminary Tests of Reliability and Validity

Foreign language anxiety (FLA), which constitutes a serious problem in the foreign language learning process, has been mainly seen as a research issue regarding adult language learners, while it has been overlooked in children. This is because there is a lack of appropriate tools to measure FLA among children, whereas there are many studies on the scales that aim to measure anxiety levels among adult learners. Thus, the current study aims to conduct the preliminary tests of reliability and validity of the Children's Foreign Language Anxiety Scale (CFLAS) and to report on the pilot examination of reliability, validity and factor structure of the CFLAS. The findings of the pilot study show that CFLAS is a reliable and valid tool to measure FLA levels among children who learn English as a foreign language (EFL) within the age range of 7-12 in a Turkish EFL context.
Turkish EFL Teachers\u0027 and Administrators\u0027 Perceptions of Short Teacher Training Courses: the Case of CELTA Image
Journal article

Turkish EFL Teachers' and Administrators' Perceptions of Short Teacher Training Courses: the Case of CELTA

The purpose of this study was to investigate the applicability of Certificate of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CELTA) in the Turkish context and the necessity for Turkish teachers to obtain it. For this qualitative study, the data was collected by means of three tools: A CELTA survey, semi-structured interviews with teachers and the administrators and classroom observations in order to validate the data. The findings suggest that teachers are glad to take it; they admit that it contributed to them in many ways. However, they agree that it is nearly impossible to apply all the CELTA techniques in their classrooms. From the employers' perspectives, it can be inferred that CELTA is an efficient tool for professional development,but it is not must.
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Students\u0027 Assessment of Blended Learning in an English Language Instruction Course at the University of Cuenca Image
Journal article

Students' Assessment of Blended Learning in an English Language Instruction Course at the University of Cuenca

The research aimed to assess students' appreciation of blended learning in a fourth-level English language instruction course at the University of Cuenca. The experiment was conducted in 2011 during the spring semester, and a total of 58 students participated. For the class, a mix of classical teaching using a textbook and instruction via internet using the Moodle software were used in harmony. The impressions and experiences of the students were gathered via a questionnaire and an interview; and analysed through Excel. The students liked the blended approach, were motivated to practice and communicate, learned better and more effectively, and considerably improved their English language skills. Initially, introducing the blended approach meant an additional burden for the lecturer, but, in the end, it considerably facilitated the teaching process. The experiment revealed that the university has to enhance its technological platform to make the modular, internet-based sections of the course function smoothly.
Kyung\u002DSook Cho Image
Journal article

Kyung-Sook Cho

Six case histories of second language acquirers were examined to attempt to determine what factors play a role in developing a long-term pleasure reading habit in a second language (English). The cases provided support for several hypotheses: Long-term readers are first stimulated to read through a pleasant reading experience, they have access to books and time and a place (or places) to read, they select their own reading material, feel free to stay with certain authors and genres if they want to, and do not profit from tests, workbook exercises and incentives. If these hypotheses are confirmed in future studies, we can conclude that school does not provide the conditions that help develop long-term pleasure reading.
Dear Colleagues\u003B Image
Dear Colleagues\u003B Image
Journal article

Dear Colleagues;

Book Review: English Language Learning and Technology Image
Book Review: English Language Learning and Technology Image
Journal article

Book Review: English Language Learning and Technology

The Role of Pragmatic Competence in Foreign Language Education Image
The Role of Pragmatic Competence in Foreign Language Education Image
Journal article

The Role of Pragmatic Competence in Foreign Language Education