The Effect of Using Social Networks on Developing EFL Learners' Pragmatic Competence through Speaking Accuracy and Fluency

Azad, M., Alipour, M., & Talebi, P. (2018)

Abstract:

The current study aimed at exploring the effects of using social networks on developing EFL learners’ pragmatic competence through speaking accuracy and fluency. For this purpose, 60 EFL learners were selected based on their scores on the Oxford Placement Test and were randomly assigned into one experimental and one control group each with 30 participants. The experimental group used the Telegram application to get the special instruction on pragmatics through speaking, while the control group received the conventional instruction on pragmatics through speaking. The results of two Mann-Whitney U tests revealed that the experimental group significantly outperformed the control group in speaking accuracy and fluency. Therefore, the first and the second null hypotheses were rejected. Also, the result of the Independent Sample T-test showed that there was no statistically significant difference between the pragmatic competence of male and female learners who had been exposed to social networks. Therefore, the third null hypothesis was confirmed. The findings of the current study have pedagogical implications for teachers, learners, and educators and highlight the need for strategic investment.

The Role of Age in Language Learning: Children Versus adults, Revisited

Rajabi, P., Koohafkan, M., & Abedi, M. (2018)

Abstract:

It is a common agreement that the best age to learn a new language is while you are young; however, the reason is not that clear. Many believe that the ultimate success in language learning depends on how early a person is exposed to a certain language. With the introduction of the idea of critical period hypothesis in the late 1950s, the idea of a biologically based time for language acquisition tried to explain the supposed success of children and the failure of adults in learning a second language. It is out of question that personal learning capacities vary from learner to learner. Still, research has shown that adult learners simply have greater cognitive and linguistic capabilities than younger learners.  As to learning vocabulary and language structures, being an adult learner is more of a benefit than a disadvantage. The present study aims to discuss the role of the age in language learning. This research has been carried out with a library and research methodology and an examination of the ideas and opinions of scientists in this field. In this research, the researcher tried to examine the influence of age and its impact on language learning.

The Effect of Word Exposure Frequency through Story Reading and Story Listening on Learning Collocations

Sanaeifar, S. H., (2018)

Abstract:

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of word exposure frequency through story reading and story listening on learning collocations. To conduct the study, 50 female learners were homogenized using Oxford Placement Test (OPT, 2001) and were randomly divided into an experimental group and a control group at Safiran Khazar English language Institute in Sari. During the treatment, the researcher provided the participants in both groups with the same stories. The only difference was that in experimental class the learners read the stories themselves, but in the control class the instructor read the stories to the learners. The stories were enriched with the target collocations placed in pre- and post-tests. The learners in both classes encountered the same collocations for 16 sixty-minute sessions. The data were collected through the pre-test and post-test, which were both designed by the researcher. The researcher piloted the test before the instruction on other learners to ensure that the test was reliable. The data obtained from the administration of the pre-test and post-test were analyzed using SPSS software. The result of this study showed that the word exposure frequency through story reading and story listening had statistically significant effect on collocation learning by Iranian intermediate EFL learners and also the reading group performed better than the listening group in learning collocations.

‘Language Education Studies’ Volume 4, Issue 1 March, 2018 Contents

Baby Talk: A Critical Analysis

Rajabi, P., & Marzoughi, S. (2018)