Modern Journal of Studies in English Language Teaching and Literature

Pronunciation Strategies for Developing Communicative Competence and Confidence in Linguistically Diverse English Learners

Patricia George — 2024-01-16

This action research study was initiated to investigate and evaluate the effectiveness of an
intelligibility and comprehensibility approach to teaching English pronunciation in an online
synchronous modality. Intelligibility is the listeners’ ability to understand what is being
spoken; comprehensibility is the ease with which the listener is understood. The curriculum
took a three-pronged approach to include segmental aspects, prosody, and suprasegmental
features. The participants included 46 first-year ESL students at an urban community college
in Brooklyn, New York, with diverse language and educational backgrounds between the ages
of 17 and 45. Using a targeted approach, the action steps consisted of planning, curriculum
development, observation, and reflection during instruction over two semesters. The data were
collected through instructor-created pre-and post-tests, semi-structured attitudinal
questionnaires, structured questionnaires, elicited documents, multimodal interactions, and
focus group observations. Data analysis included coding, memo writing, and a constant
comparative method during open, axial, and selective coding phases. The results revealed that
selectivity in course design improved the participants’ intelligibility and comprehensibility.
Multi-modalities that targeted individual pronunciation needs and communicative goals
actively engaged students in virtual learning. Contextualized and socially significant usage of
language increased confidence.

Parental language attitudes and beliefs underlying children’s extra-curricular English learning in Japan

Janice Nakamura — 2024-01-15

The growing emphasis on English in the education system in Japan has made English lessons one of the most popular extra-curricular activities for children. This qualitative study looks at how Japanese parents respond to language-in-education policy by examining their attitudes toward English and beliefs about extra-curricular English learning. Fifteen parents provided current and retrospective accounts of their children’s extra-curricular English learning in semi-structured individual interviews. Interview transcripts were coded and analyzed based on the constructive grounded theory approach. The results showed that most parents had a positive attitude towards English, but it was their language beliefs that determined their choices regarding extra-curricular English learning. The belief that “‘earlier is better’”motivated some parents to send their children for lessons at age five or younger. In contrast, parents who believed in the importance of child agency in learning enrolled their children for lessons at older ages or not at all. Extra-curricular lessons did not necessarily benefit the learning of English later in school. Hiatuses and discontinuity in learning, limited instruction time, instruction type, a lack of parental involvement, and children’s lack of interest or readiness affected the effectivenessof extra-curricular English learning. These findings show how Japanese parents’ language beliefs drive their children’s extra-curricular English learning, but such investments may not necessarily produce the results they desire.

Semi-systematic review of published Philippine classroom translanguaging studies from 2018 to 2023

Audrey Morallo — 2024-01-15

The steady increase in interest in translanguaging research in multilingual classrooms is fuelled by translanguaging’s potential benefits in language teaching and learning and theoretical advancements in the field of bilingualism and multilingualism. Thus, there has been a rise in investigations into classroom translanguaging in various countries, including the Philippines where a multilingual education program is being implemented. Despite the conduct of these studies, the local literature on translanguaging remains wanting (De Los Reyes & Bagona, 2022), and notable gaps that remain. This research attempts to map classroom translanguaging studies in the Philippines from 2018 to 2023 and identify ways to move the classroom translanguaging research agenda in the country forward. To achieve this, a semi-systematic review of relevant literature was employed. Several databases were searched for relevant studies using identified inclusion and exclusion criteria and keywords. Following a series of steps and data cleaning, 17 articles were included in the actual review. Results show three themes in the published studies 1) translanguaging/mother tongue and its impact on classroom learning; 2) role of translanguaging in the classroom; and 3) attitudes toward translanguaging. This review likewise shows that translanguaging plays vital functions in Philippine classrooms and can positively impact classroom learning. Additionally, more efforts are needed at the in-service and pre-service levels to bridge the tension between theory and practice experienced by many teachers. Future research should empirically establish the relationship between translanguaging and learning and focus on using translanguaging in other subjects and across subjects and contexts, among others.

EFL Students’ Private Speech in a Picture Narration Task: A Case Study from Speaking Classes at an Indonesian University

Marianus Roni — 2024-01-15

This paper presents results of a qualitative case study aiming to investigate how private speech facilitates Indonesian EFL students from different Speaking levels to complete a task of picture narration. The study involved 6 participants in two Speaking classes at English Literature Study Program of a private university in Flores, NTT, Indonesia. The study drew on the notion of private speech as it was employed by EFL students as a means of self-regulation while completing a picture narration task. The data were obtained from a language task of picture narration performed by individual participants followed by a semi-structured interview to gather information on participants’ experiences completing the task. The results reveal that private speech is employed by the participants in these two Speaking courses as indicated by the extensive use of object-regulation as a category of private speech used by EFL learners to self-regulate themselves while completing the task. These results support previous studies about ESL learners’ use of private speech in completing challenging language tasks such as picture narration. However, different from previous studies’ findings, the speakers in this study also employ self-regulation while completing the task. Participants’ experience with using private speech during picture narration task was discussed, and future studies on this topic were recommended.

Mutual Engagement in Virtual Spaces: Unveiling the Role of Artificial Intelligence in Shaping Teaching Practices

Flora Debora Floris — 2024-01-15

This qualitative case study investigates the mutual engagement of English language teachers in Virtual Communities of Practice (VCoPs) when discussing the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in English Language Teaching (ELT). After an analysis of 235 initial posts and 1,712 responses from six open Facebook groups, it is clear that these online communities play a crucial role in supporting Teacher Professional Development (TPD) and enhancing teachers' engagement with AI in ELT. The study reveals how teachers actively engage in discussions, share resources, and collaboratively navigate the challenges and opportunities presented by AI in education. The findings further demonstrate that mutual engagement in these groups extends beyond simple information exchange, fostering collaborative learning and reflective practice among teachers. While the study does not directly examine the effectiveness of AI tool implementation in teaching contexts, it highlights the significance of online teacher communities in deepening understanding and engagement with AI technologies in ELT. Acknowledging its focused approach, the study suggests future research avenues, such as exploring a broader range of online communities and conducting longitudinal studies, to further assess AI's long-term impacts in ELT.

A Study of Comparative English Rhythms of Speech by American and Japanese Elementary School Learners

Yuko Hakozaki — 2024-01-23

Suprasegmental features such as rhythm and intonation are considered important in assessing the intelligibility of English as a Second Language (ESL) learners. Japanese has a syllable-timed rhythm, while English has a stress-timed rhythm. Their different rhythm patterns make it difficult for Japanese EFL learners to master English suprasegmental features. However, few studies have been conducted on children who are EFL learners, especially Japanese children. We tested the following three hypotheses: 1) the duration of unstressed vowels in ISIs is longer for Japanese elementary school learners compared with native speakers of English; 2) the duration of interstress intervals is longer for Japanese elementary school learners compared with native speakers of English; 3) the ratio of the maximum and minimum values of the fundamental frequency (Hz) for Japanese EFL elementary school learners is significantly lower than for native speakers of English. With respect to the three hypotheses, significant differences were observed in the duration of unstressed vowels and interstress intervals (ISIs) between Japanese children and American children. Specifically, certain sentences showed longer ISIs for Japanese children compared to American children. However, no significant differences were found in the ratio of maximum and minimum values of fundamental frequency. The fundamental frequency ratio was similar between Japanese and American children. The present study provides valuable insights for English pronunciation instruction in Japanese elementary schools, considering the growing importance of this aspect in Japanese education. Educators can use these findings to design more effective strategies for enhancing students’ English language skills.

Metadiscourse Markers in the Results, Discussion, and Conclusion Sections of Research Articles Across Englishes and Disciplines

Leah Gustilo — 2024-02-22

The study examined the use of metadiscourse markers (MDMs) in the moves and steps of the Results, Discussion, and Conclusion (RDC) sections of research articles (RAs) across disciplines: linguistics, business, and social sciences; and across Englishes: Philippine English, American English, and Chinese English. Our dataset is composed of Results, Discussion and other following sections from 90 electronic RAs published from 2014 to 2018. The moves and steps were identified using Yang and Allison's (2003) move-step analysis of the RDC sections of RAs. Subsequently, the MDMs used per moves and steps were identified employing Hyland’s (2005) framework for the analysis of MDMs within two dimensions: Interactive and Interactional. For this second part of the analysis, we used a concordance software AntConc (Anthony, 2011). Our results showed that transitional markers are the most frequently used interactive markers, while hedges are the most frequently used interactional markers across moves in the RDC sections. The Log-Likelihood Test Results reveal that in the RDC sections, MDMs use varies significantly across disciplines and Englishes. MDMs were utilized heavily in Social Sciences. Across Englishes, MDMs are more ubiquitous in Philippine English RAs. As regards interactional MDMs use, significant differences were observed across disciplines as Chinese English authors more frequently used hedges and boosters in the field of Social Science. Philippine English RAs used hedges and boosters more in the field of Linguistics, while American English RAs in the field of Business.