English Project Design: Exploratory Practice: Researching The Impact of Songs On Efl Learners' Verbal Memory

ENGLISH PROJECT DESIGN 2014
LEARNING ACTIVITY 1.1

Work on the follow-up questions and activities (Pages 23, 41, 98, 131 and 159).
2. Consider the journals you listed for question 1. Can you determine the scope of each
journal? With what kinds of topics do they deal? Some journals are quite explicit; others
might require a look through the table of contents and abstracts.
EXPLORATORY PRACTICE: RESEARCHING THE IMPACT OF SONGS ON EFL LEARNERS’ VERBAL

MEMORY
Rebecca Coleman
The purpose of this journal is to knowhow songs have been used as a way of enhancing listening
and auditory perception skills and teaching vocabulary, but not necessarily for memory recall. This
study has also found that more attention needs to be given, to the lexical, grammatical and
phonological items that learners are instructed to retain. The results suggest that, verbal memory is
a vital part of language learning, the need to review the way language in popular songs is encoded,
stored and retrieved, by incorporating memory strategies, following guidelines on gap-selection,
including a phonological aspect and using a recycling activity.
EFFECTIVE LEARNING JOURNALS WITH BLOGS.

Jeanne McCarten, Michael McCarthy
The aim is to encourage learners to reflect together on their learning and to help build the learning
community outside the classroom. This study is appropriate for teachers with any level of
experience. This project also describes that a reflective learning journal which provides a new
channel of communication and a purposeful context for language and literacy development. For a
reflective blogging project to succeed, a teacher needs to encourage a culture of regular writing
outside the classroom, respond in a timely manner, and encourage learners to comment on their
classmates’ blogs.
WHAT MATTERS IN LEARNING VOCABULARY?

Paul Nation
Teachers often spend classroom time teaching words which learners may not retain, while learners'
own strategies are often inefficient in learning vocabulary. How can teachers avoid this pitfall, while
guiding learners to maximize their vocabulary-learning potential? In this article, Paul Nation
provides guidance in deciding what vocabulary to focus on, and how it is best learnt.
INSIGHTS AND ISSUES ARISING FROM THE ENGLISH PROFILE WORDLISTS PROJECT
Anette Capel.
The English vocabulary profile wordlist project started in May 2007. The intention was to grade
vocabulary as it is used by learners against the CEFR level A1-B2.
The aim of the project was to conduct corpus-informed research, investigating the range of
vocabulary items that learners around the world know and use and to find out at what stage of the
language learning process words, phrases and their different meanings are acquired by learners, so
that vocabulary could be given a CEFR level.
USING APPS FOR LANGUAGE LEARNING

Paul Driver
The basic premise is that connecting or organizing separate parts together into a single whole
increases their value, and it is this idea that he would like to apply to the use of apps in ELT. One
way to build app fluency is to use social media to connect with other teachers. By exchanging
recommendations and sharing knowledge, you can gain a good idea of what works, while
benefitting from the experience of others.
THE EFFECT OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF CORRECTIVE FEEDBACK ON ESL STUDENT WRITING
John Bitchener, , Stuart Young, Denise Cameron
The study investigated whether the type of feedback given to 53 adult migrant students on three
types of error (prepositions, the past simple tense, and the definite article) resulted in improved
accuracy in new pieces of writing over a 12 week period. The study found a significant effect for the
combination of written and conference feedback.
TO GIVE IS BETTER THAN TO RECEIVE: THE BENEFITS OF PEER REVIEW TO THE REVIEWER'S
OWN WRITING
Lundstrom, K., Baker, W.
This study describes how peer review has been shown to be beneficial in many writing classrooms.
The purpose of this study is to determine which is more beneficial to improving student writing:
giving or receiving peer feedback. The study was conducted at an intensive English institute with
ninety-one students in nine writing classes at two proficiency levels. An analysis in the gains in
writing ability measured from writing samples collected at the beginning and end of the semester.
Digital Tools for Teaching

Penny Ur
This journal shows about the use of technology is no longer a supplement but rather a staple in the
materials and facilities used for learning and teaching worldwide. In this resource, Penny Ur
explores digital tools that can be useful in teaching, such as interactive whiteboards, wikis and
blogs. The term CALL (Computer Assisted Language Learning) is, however, used less and less, as
people become aware that the use of technology is not a supplement (as implied in the word
‘assisted’), but a staple component in the materials and facilities used for learning and teaching
worldwide.
JUST-IN-TIME TEACHING: A TOOL FOR ENHANCING STUDENT ENGAGEMENT IN ADVANCED

FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNING
Laurel Abreua and Stephanie Knouseba
Specialists have showed a need for advanced research on effective pedagogical strategies designed
for advanced foreign language courses. This article pursues to contribute to the growing discussion
regarding instruction in upper-level foreign language courses. The authors present how the
pedagogical technique “Just-in-Time Teaching” (Novak, Patterson, Gavrin, & Christian, 1999), which
has been successfully implemented in a wide array of academic disciplines for over a decade
(Simkins & Maier, 2010a), could be integrated in different upper-division foreign language classes.
Preliminary analysis reveals that Just-in-Time Teaching not only facilitates the learning o but also
can help create more opportunities for oral and written language production.
4. Consider these same five journals. Do the journals give guidelines for submission (e.g.,
length, style guidelines, number of copies to submit, mode of submission)? List the
guidelines you have found.
EXPLORATORY PRACTICE: RESEARCHING THE IMPACT OF SONGS ON EFL LEARNERS’ VERBAL

MEMORY
This investigation is distributed into:
The content is divided into:

 Theme
 Author
 Abstract and key words
• Introduction
• Research Method
• Participants, Instruments, Analysis of Data
• Results
• Discussion
• References
Length: 70 pages.
EFFECTIVE LEARNING JOURNALS WITH BLOGS
Sections of the paper:
• Title + Author
• Abstract
• Introduction
• The context research
• Materials and Methods
• Results
• Conclusion
• References
Length: 18 pages
WHAT MATTERS IN LEARNING VOCABULARY?
This is an academic/scholarly writing journal by Paul Nation and published by Cambridge

University Press. This journal informs reports and makes available original research and new
findings about teaching vocabulary.
This paper has:
• Abstract
• Introduction
• Method and material
• Results and discussion
• References
Length: 37 pages
INSIGHTS AND ISSUES ARISING FROM THE ENGLISH PROFILE WORDLISTS PROJECT
It is a journal article based on Cambridge ESOL: Research Notes.
The author draws attention to the first phase of the English Profile Programme Wordlists project,
which provides lexical information for CEFR levels A1 to B2. Annette shares insights and issues
arising from this project
Length: 7 pages
JUST-IN-TIME TEACHING: A TOOL FOR ENHANCING STUDENT ENGAGEMENT IN ADVANCED

FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNING
It has a scientific content. It is subdivided into the following sections:
 Title
 Authors and Affiliation
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 Acknowledgments
 Literature Cited
Length: 68 pages
6. Find three articles and consider the end of the discussion section or perhaps the beginning
of the conclusion section to determine if the authors acknowledged limitations of the study.
What did they say?
AWARENESS OF TEACHING THROUGH ACTION RESEARCH

Jerry G. Gebhard
She discussed the benefits of doing action research, how it helps us to make more informed
teaching decisions; gain skills at posing and solving teaching problems; expand reflective skills;
create a forum to discuss teaching issues and beliefs, as well as its focus only on problems; a
narrowly defined linear process.
There were two limitations:

1. Action research was focused on problems and they were always looking for ways to
understand problems and solve them. They missed the chances to explore teaching ideas
outside of those problems.
2. Another limitation was when Ikuko posed the problem of using considerable Japanese in
her class and she decided to use more English by giving verbal instructions in English to
introduce reading activities. She then became aware that many of the students could not
fully understand these instructions. As such, she started to look for a better way to give
instructions, such as writing key words from her verbal instructions on the board.
OVERVIEW OF COMPUTER ASSISTED LANGUAGE LEARNING RESEARCH WITH SECOND

LANGUAGE ACQUISITION PERSPECTIVES.
by Hee-Jung Jung
This article discusses current CALL research with SLA perspectives. It explores the trend of CALL
research and indicates restricted research methods and findings.
The limitations of CALL empirical research, this paper concludes that they need to investigate CALL
classroom environments with multiple factors.
THE IMPACT OF PERCEPTION TRAINING ON ELL SPELLING: PREVENTING L1 PHONETIC

TRANSFER
Manuela González-Bueno /Donita J. Massengill Shaw
The purpose of this study was to investigate whether teaching English unfamiliar phonetic
distinctions to Spanish-speaking English Language Learners (ELL) would impact their spelling of
the corresponding graphemes. Several limitations of the study required to be addressed.
1. This study included a small sample size which limits the ability to generalize to other
populations.
2. While the gains showed that pupils improved significantly in their ability to produce the
correct grapheme when listening to a dictated sentence, little instruction was given, but
there was minimal connection between this intervention and classroom literacy practices.
3. One test was given for the pre and post assessments. They recognize that this one-time
assessment did not success over the course of time to determine the true impact on change
and if this learning will be maintained.
4. A confounding issue is that of maturation, in which children are expected to make progress
as a result of instruction over a period of time.
5. They served dual roles as instructors and researchers, which are both strength and a
limitation. Their beliefs, viewpoints and bias may have indirectly impacted our teaching and
perception of our learners.
8. How can the following research topics be turned into researchable questions?
Example:
• Gender differences in language classes

• Do males perform differently than females on a grammar test following treatment in which
negative feedback is given?
a. Motivation
What are the key elements for motivation in independent learning?
How motivation can stimulate creativity and learning in students?
b. Task effectiveness
How well do your students know the effectiveness of applying tasks in the learning
process?
How significant is the task effectiveness?
c. Novice teacher performance
What is the level of teacher self-efficacy belief of the novice classroom teachers?
What methods do the novice teachers use for classroom management?
d. Attention
Are there different models to grab students’ attention, what are they?
What skills are required for teacher to improve students’’ attention in class?
e. Final Grade
How does motivation influence students in order to get better grades at the end of the
cycle?
What is the effect of motivation on students’’ grades?
Chapter 2 Page 41
FOLLOW-UP QUESTIONS AND ACTIVITIES
2. When planning a classroom study of 30 ESL learners aged 11-12 years old, discuss how
you would resolve the following issues:
a. The children are not required by the school to give their consent, but you wish to
supplement your parental consent form by giving the children the opportunity to opt out.
Indicate the principles by which you would modify the parental consent form for the
children.
Parental consent provides extra protection when children are not able to understand what
research involves, but there are also situations where seeking parental consent is inappropriate
or offers no protection. In some situations asking for parental consent may be risky rather
because some research involve the collection of identifiable information and that increases the
risk of breach of confidentiality to individuals.
It can be acceptable for parents to give information about their children without their children’s
permission, but parents may need to speak for children in some research, not because
information needed is about something the child would not have knowledge of e.g. Child’s
health.
SAMPLE
Dear Parent/Guardian,
The ___________________________ “Juan Montalvo” High School will soon begin a research “Child Abuse” Recognizing
the Signs and symptoms to all high school students. It is a two-week unit based on dynamic workshops. The
presence of a single sign does not mean that child maltreatment is occurring in a family, but a closer look at the
situation may be warranted when these signs appear repeatedly or in combination. This research is intended to
help you better understand the legal definition of child abuse and neglect and learn about its different types.
You may call _________________________ at ____________________________ if you have any questions. Once you are familiar
with the program, if you prefer that your child not participate in this unit, please make an appointment to sign
an ‘opt-out’ form.
I __________________________________ give my child __________________________________ permission to participate in the
Worth the Wait / Wellness & Sexual Health Sex Education curriculum. Please sign form below. Thank you.
Sincerely, __________________________________________
School Staff Parent/Guardian Signature Date
If you DO NOT wish your child to participate, please complete this form. Following the review of the instructional
materials on “Child Abuse”, I am choosing to ‘opt-out’ my child, _______________________________, from participating in this unit.
I understand that he/she will not be allowed to remain in the classroom while the curriculum is being taught, and that
he/she will receive alternative lessons deemed appropriate by the school.
Child’s school: _______________________________________________________________ Grade__________________
Parent/Guardian Name (please print):_____________________________________________________________________
Signature: __________________________________________________________________ Date: __________________
Reason(s) for not participating:__________________________________________________________________________
b. Two children and their parents decline to consent. What steps can you take to avoid
collecting data from these children on your videotapes? (Obviously, you will not use any
data collected in this way, but there are also steps you might take to avoid collecting
them.)
The number of participants must be changed in order to guarantee that I only use the collection
of data from those students that have consent.
c. Halfway through the study, one child's parents withdraw him, and a second child says
she will be absent for the next five classes. How do you deal with each data set?
I think it would be better withdraw a participant in the research sample.
d. The potential participants for your research tend to be suspicious about researchers and
are hesitant to participate for fear that sensitive information may be revealed about
them upon completion of the research. What sort of information could you provide to
reassure them?
Provide participant necessary information to explain how the development of the research and
confirm that the collected information is totally confidential,.
4. Explain the difference between an expedited and a full IRB review.
Expedited review to qualify must fall into nine federally-defined expedited categories. These
categories include collection of samples and data in a manner that is not anonymous and that
involves no more than minimal risk to subjects. IRB review means that the research is reviewed at
a convened meeting at which a majority of the members of the IRB are present, including at least
one member whose primary concerns are in nonscientific areas. This type of review applies to
studies that are greater than minimal risk, or minimal risk but do not qualify for review using the
expedited procedure.
Chapter 3 Page 98
3. Conduct a library search. Find three articles that investigate similar topics. Do they
use the same elicitation tool? If so, why do you think this is the case (e.g., it is the only
possibility)? Do you think that there could have been an alternative? If so, describe
the alternative and how it might be better or worse than the one originally used.
BRIEFLY INFORMATION FROM THE ARTICLES
ARTICLE #1
INTERPRETATIONS OF INDEPENDENT LEARNING
IN FURTHER EDUCATION
JAMES BROAD*
Selby College, UK
The focus of this article is the interpretation of independent learning by 16- to 19-year-old students at a
further education tertiary college. This article reports the interpretations of students of independent learning
and offers explanations and reasons for these interpretations that exist in academic and vocational students.
ELICITATION TOOLS USED IN THE INVESTIGATION
The research used a case study methodology employing a mixture of questionnaires and interviews. Data
collected from staff interviews were used to structure a student focus group, whilst data collected from the
student questionnaire were used to structure the staff questionnaire in both cases allowing feedback and the
cross analysis of data between staff and students.
The students sampled were those who were present on the day of their tutorial with their Guidance and
Support Tutor (GST). Gender was not considered within the sample, nor was the age (beyond being 16–19
years old). Only their course of study and year of study were requested. The questionnaire utilized questions
reflecting the need to ascertain a quantitative representation of the views held by students, but also to
maintain flexibility in allowing discussion of feelings towards independent learning. The questionnaire was
organized into two sections: (i) contained 10 multiple-choice questions, whereas section (ii) contained five
open-ended questions.
Responses to the questionnaire were analyzed using a combination of spreadsheets and the constant
comparison method of category generation derived from Glaser and Strauss (1967)
CONCLUSIONS
The findings from this research have demonstrated that students are open to learning independently and
share common interpretations and perceptions of what independent learning is (an interesting outcome
considering the list compiled by Kesten, 1987).
On the whole, A level students felt that independent learning was when an individual takes control of their
own learning by taking responsibility (56%). They felt that this was best achieved by research (56%) and
least by class-based activities (86). The largest proportion of A level students felt they are more able to learn
independently than two years ago (45%); 25% of this group felt more capable of independent learning with
tutor support. They consider the library to be best suited to their independent learning (41%) and that this
learning is of benefit to their studies.
Key points:
- No significant differences exist in the perceptions and interpretations of independent learning in the
full time 16- to 19-year-old population of the college.
- Students have a positive perception of the college with regard to the support and guidance given by
staff in developing their independent learning.
- There is no specific mention by students of any involvement of GSTs.
- Students recognize their role in independent learning as being self-motivated and to ‘study’ (to
practice their skills and to learn subject content).

- Resources do not figure significantly in students’ perceptions of independent learning, whereas the
guidance and support offered by their tutors ranks more highly.
- Students did not highlight, or discuss, any form of independent learning outside of college.
- The majority of students consider that they have taken part in an independent learning activity, from
which the main benefit has been an improvement in knowledge.
- Students identify a symbiotic relationship between resources and learning independently, with one
having an impact upon the other.
- Students reinforce the multiple-choice question answers by identifying staff as the providers of the
opportunity and support to allow them to learn independently whilst they take responsibility to
independently learn.
It can be concluded that 16- to 19-year-old students value guidance and support given by their tutors;
significantly they recognize that they have a role to play within developing their own independent
learning skills. However, if students are to develop and practice independent learning, the above research
demonstrates that the tutor must identify and develop activities which allow time for individual guidance
and support in meeting the learner’s goals as well as the learning intentions of the tutor. In simple terms
independent learning is best fostered when time and support is given by the tutor to allow learning to
take place.
ARTICLE #2
A STUDY OF THE USE OF INDEPENDENT LEARNING ACTIVITIES
WITH YEAR 10
RESEARCH PROJECT BY ANNA DZIEWULSKI AND SUPERVISED BY DR ANN CHILDS
The aim of this study is to look specifically at what pupils and teachers perceive makes independent learning
activities more or less beneficial to learning. The findings showed that the majority of pupils had heard of
independent learning and that many pupils can identify classroom activities during which such learning takes
place. They could also recall examples of participating in such activities in the science classroom. Pupils were
able to discuss both the advantages and disadvantages of independent learning in line with the ideas seen in
literature. Overall it was concluded that pupils believe independent learning improves their ability to learn.
This is an action research design project that has built upon standard teaching practices. The following
methods have been used:
- Five year 10 Lessons, taught by myself and two other teachers, with a specific independent learning
activity incorporated.
- Pupil questionnaires after each activity to establish how the pupils enjoyed that activity and how
they felt it helped their learning.
- Interviews with teachers, on completion of the five lessons, to establish how they enjoyed the
activities and how they felt they helped their pupils to learn.
- Focus group discussion with pupils, on completion of the five lessons, to establish pupils’ overview of
the activities.
- Follow up study with a year 9 class using the best two independent learning teaching activities.
CONCLUSIONS
- Pupils do enjoy independent learning activities.
- Their main reasons are that enjoy obtaining the information themselves and they find the activities
fun.
- Their reason for not enjoying some independent learning activities is that they are boring.
- All pupils agree that independent learning helps them to learn better.
- Their reasons are because ‘we don’t just get told the information’ and because ‘you have to think
about what you are doing’.
- Other teachers are enjoying these activities in their classrooms and are finding their pupils are fully
engaged with the activities
ARTICLE #3
MAXIMISING STUDENT USE OF
INDEPENDENT LEARNING CENTRES:
SUPPORT FOR ESOL LEARNERS
KERSTIN DOFS AND MOIRA HOBBS
CPIT AND UNITEC December 2011
This research project aims to produce some useful Good Practice Guidelines for center workers, teachers and
senior institutional managers in New Zealand. Another aim is to add to a growing body of knowledge in the
field of self-access and autonomous learning by investigating and presenting an up-to-date snapshot of
current practices of student support in a range of ILCs throughout the country. It will identify some of the
issues currently facing these centers and suggest some solutions to counteract them. As a result of the
collaboration with the participating centers, and guided by relevant literature, a valuable resource of
innovative Good Practice ideas is expected to evolve.
This paper was developed by a qualitative descriptive research project which involved 14 tertiary institutions
throughout the country, to benchmark existing frameworks and services of their (mainly language self-
access) centers and discover what current leaders in this field believe is Good Practice and how they can best
deliver this. Data collection was triangulated from questionnaires, interviews and personal observations to
give a more complete overview and differing perspectives. After a review of current literature, qualitative
data was gathered via center visits and interviews with managers and other workers involved. These visits
and interviews focused on three major issues relating to maximizing student use of ILCs.
CONCLUSIONS
The results showed that a range of initiatives for autonomous learning support is being undertaken by the
ILCs, and they demonstrated examples of advising. In addition, a vast source of practical advice and Good
Practice suggestions for the running of an ILC emerged. The suggestions are best seen as indicators of Good
Practice only as the centers wanting to utilize them may differ from the centers from which the ideas
originated. Other results highlighted that the managerial role varied considerably between the ILCs and that
there seemed to be evidence for the importance and need for robust institutional support, through both
appropriate funding and commitment, for centers to be able to develop and thrive. The study indicates an
aspiration by a range of tertiary institutions to provide some form of useful and beneficial independent
learning center in order to encourage life-long learning, and support students towards taking more control of
their learning process. This desire is being met in varying ways, using various strategies, by different
departments and schools within the institutions. It is hoped that these Guidelines will inspire and help
tertiary institutions develop existing centers, as well as provide encouragement for setting up new ones.
DO THEY USE THE SAME ELICITATION TOOL? DO YOU THINK THAT THERE COULD HAVE BEEN
AN ALTERNATIVE?
Yes, they do. The articles listed above use similar
elicitation tools like interviews and questionnaires. Yes, I do.
Interviews are the most traditional technique for Alternative 1: Problem setting
requirements elicitation, they can be inherently
informal and their effectiveness depends on the Researchers can also stimulate discussion by asking
greatly on the quality of interaction between the young participants to propose a solution to a
participant. practical problem related to the topic of research.
Additionally questionnaires are used on the early The researcher can then explore the reasons and
stages of the research of requirement elicitations and more abstract beliefs behind the chosen solution,
may consist of open or closed questions. with the participant retaining the ability to support
their comments with reference to the original
answer.
Alternative 2: Control studies

Groups experiencing the intervention were matched
with ones that did not experience it and a
retrospective analysis used to look for differences
between the two groups or simple case studies.
4. Find two recent articles in a second language journal that could have dealt with
unanswered questions through a recall procedure. Describe how you would have conducted
a recall portion for the study that you have selected.
DESCRIBE HOW YOU WOULD

HAVE CONDUCTED A RECALL
ARTICLE UNANSWERED QUESTIONS
PORTION FOR THE STUDY THAT
YOU HAVE SELECTED.
Practical Aspects of Using Video in Research would also need to For both research works I would
the Foreign Language Classroom address how video manifests itself conduct those studies through a
Christine Canning-Wilson differently than prolonged quantitative analysis of video
christine.canning [at] hct.ac.ae exposure to a visual aid that does comprehension tests, use types of
not have an audio component? videotexts ranked as easy and
With such unanswered questions difficult materials. And within-
yet to be proven with quantitative group comparison.
measures practitioners must ask
themselves if there is sufficient
evidence to support continued use
of audio-visual aids in the learning
of foreign languages to justify the
allocation of resources for them in
the foreign or second language
classroom?
Visuals & Language Learning: Is With such unanswered questions,
There A Connection? hypotheses and theories, yet to be
By Christine Canning-Wilson proven with quantitative
measures, practitioners must ask
themselves:
Is there sufficient evidence to
support continued use of visual
aids in the learning of foreign
languages to justify the allocation
of resources for them in the F/SL
classroom?
6. You want to elicit speech samples containing:
a. Subjunctive (7 request that everyone be here by 5.).
1. Could you please be here by 5?

2. It is essential to be here by 5.
3. I recommend everyone to be here by at 5.
4. The principal suggest everyone to be here by 5.
5. I’ve asked everyone to be here by 5 for the meeting.
6. I desire everyone be here by 5 for the general meeting.

7. I propose everyone to be here 5 for the annual meeting.
b. Embedded questions (The teacher asked why she was late.).
1. I wonder why she was late.

2. Do you know why she was late yesterday?
3. I wonder why she has been late this week?
4. I don’t know why she is late again?
5. Can I ask you why she is late for the meeting?
8. You want to study agreement in English (e.g., subject-verb agreement). How would you go
about collecting data?
The investigation offers a number of options for data elicitation measures which will depend on the
questions being asked. The research would attempts to analyze errors made by students in Juan
Montalvo School. The research focuses on the error on subject-verb agreement in student’s
speaking. Someone who really wants to understand you conversationally will work hard to
determine what you mean and will ignore your mistakes. But, you make someone’s life easier by
speaking with correct grammar, and you will impress someone with your writing and speaking
skills by taking the time to use proper subject verb agreement. By classifying the data on each
speaking task into two categories, correct sentences and incorrect sentences into narrative forms.
Chapter 4 Page 131
2. In chapter 1, section 1.3.2, we discussed research questions and hypotheses. We listed five
of each. Rewrite the hypotheses as null hypotheses.
a) Ho. Null subjects in the four subjects' IL will not decrease with time.
b) Ho . There is no negative relation between the development of verb inflections and the use of null
subjects; in other words, null subjects will decrease with the increase in verb inflections.
c) Ho. The acquisition of obligatory verb inflections depends on the specific category of verb
morphology. *Null subjects refer to expressions in languages such as Italian or Spanish that have
verbs with no overt subjects. In Italian, for example, to say I speak Italian, one can say Parlo italiano,
where the first word means I speak. The overt word for I (to) is not used. INTRODUCTION TO
RESEARCH 21_
d) Ho. There is a positive relationship between the use of null subjects in is constructions and the
development of is constructions.
d)Ho. There are significant differences between the distribution of null subjects and lexically
realized subjects in is constructions and non-15 constructions. The frequency of occurrence of null
subjects will be greater than the frequency of occurrence of lexically realized subjects in is contexts;
the frequency of occurrence of null subjects in non-is contexts will be less than the frequency of
occurrence of lexically realized subjects in non-is contexts. (Lakshmanan,1989, pp. 85-86).
4. In the articles you discussed in question 3, what kinds of scales (nominal, ordinal, or
interval) were used? Describe the scales and state why they are of the type you identified.
Investigators leading quantitative studies ask the question, what statistical test should I use for this
particular research topic? Accepting the measurement scales underlying the variables will help the
researcher to select the appropriate statistical tests.
Nominal scales name values for a variable without demonstrating any order or hierarchy for those
values. A nominal scale is a name system in nature. Variable with nominal scales are called
categorical variables. Examples of categorical variables are gender (male vs female), treatment
groups (CSR vs teacher-directed), learning strategies for vocabulary acquisition (keyboard,
semantic and keyboard-semantic), and types of L1 language (English, Japanese and Korean). When
a variable with nominal scale has only two categories, such as native speakers versus nonnative
speakers, it is called a dichotomous variable. Numbers are sometimes used to indicate categories,
such as I meaning male and 2 meaning female. In such case, the numbers are just names for the
categories without implying that 2 is greater than or superior to 1.
As the name suggests, an ordinal scale assigns ordering or ranking for the values of a variable, but
the differences between the values may not have the same interval. Examples of ordinal variables
include language proficiency level (high, intermediate and low). The Lynkert-type scale with
choices ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree, and education status (high school,
college and graduate). Notice the difference, for example, between high and intermediate language
proficiency levels is not necessarily the same as the difference between intermediate and low
proficiency levels.
Interval scales not only give ordering for the objects but also assume equality between scale values.
Listening comprehension ability indicated by the number of multiple choices items answered
correctly is an example of interval scale, if these students took the listening comprehension test and
received scores of 10,20 and 30, we can say that the difference in comprehension ability between
the first and the second students is the same as that between the second and the third students. One
characteristic of an interval scale is that a value of zero on the scale does not indicate anything. For
example, a score of zero on the listening comprehension would not imply that the student had
absolutely no ability in listening comprehension.
Ratio scales have the characteristics of ordinal scales, with an additional requirement that a zero
value on the indicators truly nothing. Examples of ratio scale include the number of year s a learner
has studied an L2, the number of words introduced during one learning session, and the response
time in milliseconds to a new stimuli.
It should be noted that a nominal scale is not strictly speaking a measurement scale; it no more than
a naming system, and in this sense it is inherently different in nature form the other three scales.
6. Find a study in which the researcher clearly operationalizes a variable. What needed to be
operationalized? How was it operationalized? Are there alternative ways it could have been
operationalized? What are they?
Not all research projects require study measures. Some research simply involves observing the
results of events in the field and drawing conclusions based on a theoretical framework. Others
may involve analyzing data from clinics or other institutions, using statistics and reasoning to find
patterns that may have important implications. However, many projects involve direct contact with
participants, using an operationalized definition of a phenomenon. These projects require well-
designed measures in order to be considered valid. There are two broad categories of research:
quantitative and qualitative. The researcher must operationalize the terms being used.
Operationalization refers to defining otherwise abstract concepts or terms in a measurable way. A
researcher must be careful to operationalize the measures in such a way that they reflect exactly
what the researcher is trying to measure. Depending on how terms are operationalized, the results
of a study can vary widely, so it is critical that a researcher carefully consider how each of the
measures are to be operationalized before forming a hypothesis and beginning a study.
A hypothesis takes the operationalized definition of the factors to produce a clear prediction of the
causal relationship between the independent variable and the dependent variable in the statement.
The independent variable is a factor that the researcher can control or manipulate (whether or not
a person receives basic eye care services), and a dependent variable is a factor that the researcher
cannot manipulate, but instead varies in relation to the independent variable (the economic
productivity of the individual.
FCS Teacher Education
Research Hypothesis: Students will be more likely to comply with school regulations when they
have limited responsibility for the creation and implementation of school disciplinary procedures.
Operational Hypothesis: The number of student disciplinary actions will decline as the
implementation of student generated disciplinary procedures increases.
Child Life Specialist
Research Hypothesis: Treatment compliance of patients with cystic fibrosis will increase when the
patient is on a daily activity schedule.
Operational Hypothesis: Measures on a treatment compliance scale will increase for cystic fibrosis
patients after a personalized daily schedule of activities is created and maintained for two weeks
8. Are the following directional or no directional hypotheses?
a. German learners of Russian will outperform Spanish learners of Russian in the acquisition of
case marking. (DIRECTIONAL HYPOTHESIS)
b. There will be more instances of relative clause production by Hindi learners of French than by
Japanese learners of French. (DIRECTIONAL HYPOTHESIS)
c. There will be a difference between Hindi learners of French and Japanese learners of French in
the amount of relative clause production. (NON DIRECTIONAL)
d. Students in a lab setting will show more evidence of circumlocution than those in a classroom
setting. (DIRECTIONAL HYPOTHESIS)
e. There will be a difference in learning between students who are presented with models of
language as opposed to those who are given recasts. (NON DIRECTIONAL)
f. Students who are induced to make an error through over generalization followed by immediate
correction will outperform those who are presented with a correct form from the outset.
(DIRECTIONAL HYPOTHESIS)
10. To which does each of the following refer: nominal scale, ordinal scale, interval scale, or
ratio scale?
a. A scale in which equal differences are truly equal differences of the variable being measured.
Interval scale
b. A scale that can't measure quantitative variables. Nominal scale
c. A scale with a true zero point. Ratio scale
d. A scale that indicates relative rankings. Ordinal scale
12. Read the following abstract and answer the questions.6
ARTICLE TITLE: EVIDENCE IN FAVOR OF A BROAD FRAMEWORK FOR PRONUNCIATION

INSTRUCTION
ARTICLE SOURCE: LANGUAGE LEARNING, 1998,48,393-410.
AUTHORS: TRACY DERWING, MURRAY MUNRO, AND GRACE WIEBE
Abstract: We had native English-speaking (native speaker) listeners evaluate the effects of 3 types
of instruction (segmental accuracy; general speaking habits and prosodic factors; and no specific
pronunciation instruction) on the speech of 3 groups of English as a second language (ESL)
learners. Werecorded their sentences and extemporaneously produced narratives at the beginning
and end of a 12-week course of instruction. In a blind rating task, 48 native English listeners judged
randomized sentences for accentedness and comprehensibility. Six experienced ESL teachers
evaluated narratives for accent, comprehensibility and fluency. Although both groups instructed in
pronunciation showed significant improvement in comprehensibility and accentedness on the
sentences, only the global group showed improvement in comprehensibility and fluency in the
narratives. We argue that the focus of instruction and the attentional demands on speakers and
listeners account for these findings.
Segmental = phonetic features, i.e., vowel and consonant sounds, and no prosodic features Prosodic
features — generally stress, intonation, pitch, volume, i.e., suprasegmental features
Extemporaneously produced narrative = without any planning
Blind rating task = The evaluators did not know which set of sentences or narratives belonged to
which treatment group.
Questions:
a. What is the independent variable in this study?
The independent variable in this study is the type of instruction: segmental accuracy, general
speaking habits and prosodic factors, no specific pronunciation instruction.
b. The dependent variable, pronunciation, was measured in many different ways in this
study. Do you think that those measures were categorical, ordinal, or interval? Explain.
The measure is ordinal because the dependent variable the pronunciation is categorized in
significant improvement, improvement and maybe no improvement. An ordinal variable is similar
to a categorical variable. The difference between the two is that there is a clear ordering of the
variables, but statistical computations and analyses assume that the variables have a specific levels
of measurement.
c. How was the issue of validity in assessing the dependent variable dealt with in this study?
The most important issue with the dependent variable in this case the pronunciation, which
everyone will judge it according to the place in which it originates; despite being natives of the
country, not everyone pronounced the same word.
d. How would you check the reliability of the measures of pronunciation?
An experiment designed to measure the accuracy of the system was run under simulated
conditions. 340 nonnative phones were studied using American English as L1 and Japanese for L2.
Results show that (a) 84 percent of the learner’s phones flagged by the system as having an L1
accent influenced by L1 phone x were judged by a human native L2 listener as indeed being
influenced by phone x, and (b) 91 percent of phones judged by the system as sounding perfectly L2
were judged by the human native listener as indeed being free of an L1 accent. Overall, the native
listener agreed with the system 88 percent of the time. This experiment was repeated using
Japanese for L1 and American English for L2. Out of a total of 391 nonnative phones, a native L2
listener agreed that (a) for 81 percent of the time, phones flagged by the system as being influenced
by L1 phone x were in fact influenced by phone x , and (b) for 95 percent of the time, phones
declared by the system as accent-free did in fact sound perfectly native. Overall, the native listener
agreed with the system 89 percent of the time. These results suggest that our system is a useful
component technology for foreign language pronunciation teaching. Future work includes
determining the learner’s mispronunciation habits by identifying tendencies in his incorrect inter-
language allophones (for instance, if a learner tends to palatalize, his habit will appear as his
reference towards palatal sounds). Another task is adding allophones to the language model after
they have been removed. In the current system, once an inter-language allophone is removed, it is
never restored. Capability to do so may be necessary for true dynamic modeling of the learner’s
pronunciation behavior, such as when the learner pronounces phones inconsistently compared to
previous practice sessions
e. Was the blind rating done to ensure the internal or external validity of the study?
Explain.
I think the double rating was done to ensure the internal validity. This is a crucial measure in
quantitative studies, where it ensures that a researcher's experiment design closely follows the
principle of cause and effect. Internal validity only shows that you have evidence to suggest that a
program or study had some effect on the observations and results.
14. Why does (or why doesn't) replicating research make that research more generalizable?
A repetition study is like retelling a study using the same methods but with different subjects or
experimenters. The researchers will apply the current theory to new situations in order to
determine generalizability to different subjects, age groups, races, locations, cultures or any such
variables.
The main determinants of this study include:
To assure that results are reliable and valid

To determine the role of extraneous variables
To apply the previous results to new situations
To inspire new research combing previous findings from related studies
Chapter 5 Page 159
2. YOU ARE COMPLETING A STUDY ON THE EFFECTS OF PARTICIPATION IN A

VOLUNTEER AIDING PROGRAM ON LATER PERFORMANCE IN ESL PRACTICE
TEACHING.
WHAT IS THE DEPENDENT VARIABLE? WHAT IS THE INDEPENDENT VARIABLE?
Research topic
“The effects of participation in a volunteer aiding program on later performance in ESL practice
teaching.”
Dependent variable:
The variable that is measured to determine the The performance in ESL practice teaching.
effects of the independent variable.
Independent variable:
A variable that is believed to affect the Participation in a volunteer aiding program

dependent variable.
You also believe that type of class in which aiding was done (elementary school, adult school
and university class) might have some relationship to success in student teaching. Identify
this variable type.
This belongs to Dependable Variable.
Explanation: The degree of perceived success in student teaching will developed the variance in the
aiding program.
4. CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING CONCLUSIONS.
ARE THEY VALID? WHY OR WHY NOT? IF NOT, WHAT WOULD MAKE THEM MORE
CONVINCING?
a. Second language learners who identify with the target culture will master the language
more quickly than will those who do not.
Evidence 1: a case study of an unsuccessful language learner who did not identify with the
target language;
NOT VALID (AT ALL):

The evidence has not been rigorously evaluated and has not consistently been shown to work.
Despite the fact that culture can influence negatively second language acquisition; we can identify
problems like homesickness and reverse culture shock. Cultural differences and beliefs also affect
communication, learning and teaching styles.
How can I make it more convincing?
Evidence based on study design must be well conducted, suitably powered randomized control
trial. Provide a justification.
Evidence 2:
Five case studies of unsuccessful language learners who did not identify with the target
language.
And five case studies of successful language learners who did identify with the target
language;
NOT VALID (AT ALL):
It is not really strong evidence.
How can I make it more convincing?
Support the evidences within the context of confirmation theory. It must provide a justification.
Evidence 3: same as #2, but the data are accompanied by verbal reports from learners
showing that this is indeed an important connection.
VALID:
The degree of support or confirmation that evidence number three is given by the verbal reports
from learners.
b. Immigrants are more law abiding than native-born citizens.
(Evidence: an analysis of court records.)
VALID:
Numerous studies by independent researchers and government commissions over the past 100
years repeatedly and consistently have found that, in fact, immigrants are less likely to commit
crimes or to be behind bars than are the native-born.
This evidence is valid, there is a confirmation, and court records are evidence for that conclusion.
c. Affective relationships between teacher and students influence proficiency gains.

Evidence: a longitudinal ethnographic study of an inner-city high school class.
NOT VALID (AT ALL):
The evidence does not match with the conclusion.
d. Input followed by interaction promotes better learning than does interaction followed by
input. (Evidence: two groups of 50 each—the group with input followed by interaction
outperformed the group with interaction followed by input on an immediate posttest and
two subsequent posttests.)
VALID
There is a strong evidence comparing the two groups.
LEARNING ACTIVITY 1.2
For this activity, you should use the research topic of your interest about e-learning and EFL
curriculum. Access the ESPE´s digital databases (EBSCO and Gale and Cengage learning). Download
as many journals as possible related to the field of your interest (your research topic). Read them
and take notes. YOU MUST REPLICATE ONE OF THE STUDIES PROVIDED IN THE JOURNALS BY
FOLLOWING THE RESEARCH PROTOCOL OF THE APPLIED LINGUISTICS DEGREE. Start writing
your research project. Follow the methodology provided in the learning assistance. The journals
you have downloaded from the digital databases can provide you useful information about what
previous researchers have done in the field.
PART ONE
1.1 Identification of the problem.
1.2. Problem-formulation
• What can be used to increase vocabulary on students?

• What kind of strategies or resources can be applied in a lesson to teach vocabulary?
• Which teaching approach can teachers apply to help students to learn more vocabulary?
• How games can help students to learn different vocabulary from their language?
• How effective are games to teach vocabulary?
One of the questions that teachers ask themselves with frequency all over the world over is:
How can you teach vocabulary through games? Facing the problem and analyzing how teach
vocabulary; we found one way to help students to learn and increase vocabulary is through their
own, where each word plays an important role in expressing a complete thought or a simple
sentence, especially when vocabulary is considered the element that links the four skills of
speaking, listening, reading and writing.
1.3. Variables matrix
Independent Variable : Use of games
Dependent Variable: Teaching vocabulary
Variable Working Matrix
VARIABLES WORKING OUT MATRIX
CONCEPTUAL
DIMENSIONS SUBDIMENSIONS
VARIABLE DEFINITION
GAMES: Classifications of Sorting, ordering, or

games arranging games
“A game is an activity with rules,
a goal and an element of fun… Information gap games
Games should be regarded as
Guessing games
an integral part of the language
syllabus, not as an amusing Search games
activity for Friday afternoon or
Matching games
for
Memory Games
The end of the term.”
Labeling games
USE OF GAMES Exchanging games
Board games
Role-play games
Competitive games
Cooperative games
Comparision games
Wall dictionary or
Vocabulary Box
The advantages of Motivate learners

using games in
language teaching Promote learners’
and learning interaction
Improve learners’
language acquisition and
use of Word in contexts.
Increase learners’
achievement
VOCABULARY: Overview of The Grammar -

teaching Translation Method
TEACHING A set of words in a particular
approaches
VOCABULARY language. The Audio-lingual
Method
Total Physical Response

(TPR)
The application of The advantages of

technology in instructional technology
teaching and in language teaching and
learning Vocabulary learning.
The application of
technology in teaching
and learning vocabulary
TEACHING Teaching and learning vocabulary Productive Satisfactory

VOCABULARY through games indicates the
THROUGH necessity of games for easing the
GAMES difficulties, exciting the
atmosphere in teaching and Non-Productive Unsatisfactory
learning Grammar.
1.3. Objectives
1.3.1. General
Create and provide relaxing, motivating and effective vocabulary lessons for learners
through games.
Be aware of the lessons they are learning from the teacher about vocabulary even before they begin
to speak.
1.3.2. Specific
Immerse learners in a meaningful practice of the vocabulary lessons and all language skills.
Promote learners’ interaction by motivation, in order to improve their language acquisition and
increase their vocabulary and achievement through games.
1.4. Justification
As students progress through their classes in Juan Montalvo High School, they will gain many skills
that will enable them to one day be fluent in the language. Preparing students in learning a second
language at a very young age and get plenty vocabulary is also an essential part of this preparation.
Teaching English vocabulary can be difficult for teachers if they do not count with strategies to
teach it at any level, however, we can provide English vocabulary to students by using fun learning
games and before we know it our students will be learning more.
PART TWO
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
2.1 Theoretical and Conceptual Focus

Teaching teenagers is a very demanding issue that needs consideration. Research in Juan
Montalvo High School, First Bachillerato has shown that only some teachers of English believe
that their education curriculum prepare them as effective tutors of English that can teach young
learners successfully. This problematic issue is important because the teacher should come up
with the most suitable activities and tasks to teach young learners. As such, games are one of
the best ways to direct young learners’ energy not only to vocabulary learning, but also too
many skills and areas of the language. However, it should be taken into consideration that as
they are young learners, teaching them through games require special effort from the teacher.
Games and other activities, which are task-based and have a purpose beyond the production of
correct speech, are the examples of the most preferable communicative activities. They go on to
explain that vocabulary games help teenagers not only gain knowledge but be able to apply and
use that learning.
Games have the advantage of allowing the students to practice and internalize vocabulary,
grammar and structures extensively. They can do this because students are often more
motivated to play games than they are to do desk work. Plus, during the game, the students are
focused on the activity and end up absorbing the language subconsciously.
Teenagers will come up with the most extraordinary things when they start using language.
Acquiring language is a gradual, lengthy process, and one that involves a lot of apparent errors,
these errors are in fact not errors at all, but a necessary part of the process of language
acquisition.
To use games is that "the use of such activities both increases the cooperation and competition
in the classroom." One can use games to add excitement through competition or games which
create bonding among students and teacher.
Learning a language requires constant effort and that can be tiring but Teenagers are more
motivated to learn grammar with games.
2.2. Structure
CHAPTER I
1. VOCABULARY
1.1. DEFINITIONS OF VOCABULARY
1.2. Overview on teaching approaches
1.2.1. The Grammar -Translation Method
1.2.2. The Direct Method
1.2.3. The Audio-lingual Method
1.2.4. Community Language Learning
1.2.5. Total Physical Response
1.2.6. Communicative language Teaching
1.3. How words are remembered
1.31 Working memory
1.3.2 Short and long term memory
1.4. The application of technology in teaching and learning Vocabulary
1.4.1. The advantages of instructional technology in language teaching and learning
1.4.2. The application of technology in teaching and learning vocabulary
CHAPTER II
2. GAMES
2.1. Definitions of game
2.2. Classifications of games
2.3. The advantages of using games in language teaching and learning
2.3.1. Games motivate learners

2.3.2. Games promote learners’ interaction
2.3.3. Games improve learners’ language acquisition
2.3.4. Games increase learners’ achievement
CHAPTER III
3. THE INFLUENCE OF USING GAMES ON TEACHING VOCABULARY
3.1. Prior researches on teaching English VOCABULARY THROUGH GAMES
3.2. Students Language Acquisition through games
3.3. Is the language acquisition process the same for all students?
3.4. Do all students learn at the same rate?
3.5. How do students acquire vocabulary?
CHAPTER IV
4. PRACTICAL PART
4.1. Set of teaching practices Group A
4.2. Set of teaching practices Group B
4.3. Testing Phase
4.3.1 Test results
CONCLUSIONS
BIBLIOGRAPHY
APPENDICES
2.3. Hypothesis system
2.3.1. Null Hypothesis
The use of games that are amusing and challenging are not highly motivating and do not allow
meaningful use of the language context for students in First Bachillerato.
2.3.2. Working Hypothesis
The uses of games that are amusing and challenging are highly motivating and allow meaningful use
of the language context for students in First Bachillerato.

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ENGLISH PROJECT DESIGN 2014

LEARNING ACTIVITY 1.1

EXPLORATORY PRACTICE: RESEARCHING THE IMPACT OF SONGS ON EFL LEARNERS’ VERBAL

EFFECTIVE LEARNING JOURNALS WITH BLOGS.

WHAT MATTERS IN LEARNING VOCABULARY?

USING APPS FOR LANGUAGE LEARNING

THE EFFECT OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF CORRECTIVE FEEDBACK ON ESL STUDENT WRITING

John Bitchener, , Stuart Young, Denise Cameron

Digital Tools for Teaching

JUST-IN-TIME TEACHING: A TOOL FOR ENHANCING STUDENT ENGAGEMENT IN ADVANCED

EXPLORATORY PRACTICE: RESEARCHING THE IMPACT OF SONGS ON EFL LEARNERS’ VERBAL

This investigation is distributed into:

The content is divided into:

EFFECTIVE LEARNING JOURNALS WITH BLOGS

Sections of the paper:

WHAT MATTERS IN LEARNING VOCABULARY?

This is an academic/scholarly writing journal by Paul Nation and published by Cambridge

This paper has:

It is a journal article based on Cambridge ESOL: Research Notes.

JUST-IN-TIME TEACHING: A TOOL FOR ENHANCING STUDENT ENGAGEMENT IN ADVANCED

It has a scientific content. It is subdivided into the following sections:

AWARENESS OF TEACHING THROUGH ACTION RESEARCH

There were two limitations:

OVERVIEW OF COMPUTER ASSISTED LANGUAGE LEARNING RESEARCH WITH SECOND

THE IMPACT OF PERCEPTION TRAINING ON ELL SPELLING: PREVENTING L1 PHONETIC

• Gender differences in language classes

FOLLOW-UP QUESTIONS AND ACTIVITIES

Child’s school: _______________________________________________________________ Grade__________________

Parent/Guardian Name (please print):_____________________________________________________________________

Signature: __________________________________________________________________ Date: __________________

Reason(s) for not participating:__________________________________________________________________________

I think it would be better withdraw a participant in the research sample.

4. Explain the difference between an expedited and a full IRB review.

FOLLOW-UP QUESTIONS AND ACTIVITIES

BRIEFLY INFORMATION FROM THE ARTICLES

practice their skills and to learn subject content).

Alternative 2: Control studies

DESCRIBE HOW YOU WOULD

a. Subjunctive (7 request that everyone be here by 5.).

1. Could you please be here by 5?

6. I desire everyone be here by 5 for the general meeting.

b. Embedded questions (The teacher asked why she was late.).

1. I wonder why she was late.

Chapter 4 Page 131

FOLLOW-UP QUESTIONS AND ACTIVITIES

FCS Teacher Education

Child Life Specialist

8. Are the following directional or no directional hypotheses?

b. A scale that can't measure quantitative variables. Nominal scale

c. A scale with a true zero point. Ratio scale

d. A scale that indicates relative rankings. Ordinal scale

12. Read the following abstract and answer the questions.6

ARTICLE TITLE: EVIDENCE IN FAVOR OF A BROAD FRAMEWORK FOR PRONUNCIATION

a. What is the independent variable in this study?

d. How would you check the reliability of the measures of pronunciation?

The main determinants of this study include:

To assure that results are reliable and valid

Chapter 5 Page 159

FOLLOW-UP QUESTIONS AND ACTIVITIES

2. YOU ARE COMPLETING A STUDY ON THE EFFECTS OF PARTICIPATION IN A

WHAT IS THE DEPENDENT VARIABLE? WHAT IS THE INDEPENDENT VARIABLE?

A variable that is believed to affect the Participation in a volunteer aiding program

Child’s school: _____________________________________________ Grade

Signature: ________________________________________________ Date: