This study examines the impact of translation practice on foreign languages learning and, more in... more This study examines the impact of translation practice on foreign languages learning and, more in depth, the role it plays in vocabulary acquisition in a secondary school setting. Despite recent developments hinting at a revaluation of translation in the classroom, practitioners and researchers seem to be still somewhat reluctant to resort to it for pedagogical purposes. The research was carried out in a secondary school in the UK. Participants were three groups of 30 English native speakers learning Spanish. The three groups were assigned to three experimental conditions: exposure and copy exercise (n = 30); L2-L1 sentence translation (n = 32) ; L2-L1 text translation (n = 28). Results show that all conditions seem to enhance both short-term and long-term L2 vocabulary recall. However, compared to the translation equivalents and the rote-copying conditions, contextual exposure in translation seem to allow for better productive knowledge of words. Also, context-dependent translation have been found to be more effective than context-independent translation, especially when it comes to long-term retention of words.
The increasing international role of English in the world is gradually changing the landscape of ... more The increasing international role of English in the world is gradually changing the landscape of learning English as a foreign language. An increasing number of people creatively exploit the English language, adapting it to their needs. Thus, English is undergoing a process of language development which has contributed to the emergence of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF), that is, “any use of English among speakers of different languages for whom English is the communicative medium of choice, and often the only option” (Seidlhofer, 2011: 7). This inevitably raises issues on learning English as a foreign language, which, in turn, calls for a consideration of the current practice of English Language Teaching (ELT). In particular, it is widely believed that foreign language education should aim at “the acquisition of an idealised rendition of a prestigious L1 variety” (Modiano, 2009: 208). As a result, at present, ELT curriculum development only fosters native-speaker competence and adopts instructional materials mainly issued by British and American institutions. However, English language proficiency does not necessarily imply that one is well-equipped in order to communicate in a multicultural environment. The function of ELF calls for a re-evaluation of ELT in the classroom. Native-speaker teachers, whose views may be more rigid and traditional, need to be made aware that English is not only their ‘property’ anymore. Thus, they should be given a training which raises their awareness on the importance of developing the linguistic skills and strategies needed in an intercultural environment. The present study is a research carried out in England which aims to raise awareness on the importance of sensitising native-speaker teachers of English towards an ELF-aware approach to ELT. Recent research stressing the need to rethink the ELT curriculum has mainly focused on L2 teachers of English in an L2 setting. However, few studies have analysed native-speaker teachers’ attitudes towards an ELF-aware approach to education; nor does the literature provide an ample body of research aiming at sensitising native-speaker teachers towards the implementation of such an approach. To this end, it has been paramount to examine to what extent native-speaker teachers of English are aware of the recent developments and implications of ELF, as well as how willing they are to challenge the current and well-established practice of ELT. For the purpose of this study, a quantitative and qualitative investigation has been carried out. In particular, a small-scale survey, based on a quite straightforward questionnaire, has been devised and then submitted to 30 native English-speaking teachers. The survey has been created using an online form which allowed respondents to provide their answers quickly and from almost any browser. After having analysed the results of the survey, 10 participants were chosen for the next stage which involved face-to-face interviews lasting around 30 minutes. The latter participants were selected according to their place of origin, their background and the answers they provided in the questionnaire. They were asked to do research on ELF prior to the interview, so as to test whether readings on this topic would favour a change of attitude towards an ELF-aware education. The results seem to show that such readings have played a major role in eliciting such a change of attitude. This may suggest that sensitising teachers could be paramount in fostering a re-evaluation of the ELT curriculum. This study will first provide an overview on the increasing role of English in the world and the importance of cultural traits in a multicultural environment. It will then analyse ELF features, implications and strategies. After a description of issues on Second Language Acquisition (SLA) and ELT, the study will focus on the results of the study carried out in England, highlighting their implications for the ELT curriculum.
This study examines the impact of translation practice on foreign languages learning and, more in... more This study examines the impact of translation practice on foreign languages learning and, more in depth, the role it plays in vocabulary acquisition in a secondary school setting. Despite recent developments hinting at a revaluation of translation in the classroom, practitioners and researchers seem to be still somewhat reluctant to resort to it for pedagogical purposes. The research was carried out in a secondary school in the UK. Participants were three groups of 30 English native speakers learning Spanish. The three groups were assigned to three experimental conditions: exposure and copy exercise (n = 30); L2-L1 sentence translation (n = 32) ; L2-L1 text translation (n = 28). Results show that all conditions seem to enhance both short-term and long-term L2 vocabulary recall. However, compared to the translation equivalents and the rote-copying conditions, contextual exposure in translation seem to allow for better productive knowledge of words. Also, context-dependent translation have been found to be more effective than context-independent translation, especially when it comes to long-term retention of words.
The increasing international role of English in the world is gradually changing the landscape of ... more The increasing international role of English in the world is gradually changing the landscape of learning English as a foreign language. An increasing number of people creatively exploit the English language, adapting it to their needs. Thus, English is undergoing a process of language development which has contributed to the emergence of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF), that is, “any use of English among speakers of different languages for whom English is the communicative medium of choice, and often the only option” (Seidlhofer, 2011: 7). This inevitably raises issues on learning English as a foreign language, which, in turn, calls for a consideration of the current practice of English Language Teaching (ELT). In particular, it is widely believed that foreign language education should aim at “the acquisition of an idealised rendition of a prestigious L1 variety” (Modiano, 2009: 208). As a result, at present, ELT curriculum development only fosters native-speaker competence and adopts instructional materials mainly issued by British and American institutions. However, English language proficiency does not necessarily imply that one is well-equipped in order to communicate in a multicultural environment. The function of ELF calls for a re-evaluation of ELT in the classroom. Native-speaker teachers, whose views may be more rigid and traditional, need to be made aware that English is not only their ‘property’ anymore. Thus, they should be given a training which raises their awareness on the importance of developing the linguistic skills and strategies needed in an intercultural environment. The present study is a research carried out in England which aims to raise awareness on the importance of sensitising native-speaker teachers of English towards an ELF-aware approach to ELT. Recent research stressing the need to rethink the ELT curriculum has mainly focused on L2 teachers of English in an L2 setting. However, few studies have analysed native-speaker teachers’ attitudes towards an ELF-aware approach to education; nor does the literature provide an ample body of research aiming at sensitising native-speaker teachers towards the implementation of such an approach. To this end, it has been paramount to examine to what extent native-speaker teachers of English are aware of the recent developments and implications of ELF, as well as how willing they are to challenge the current and well-established practice of ELT. For the purpose of this study, a quantitative and qualitative investigation has been carried out. In particular, a small-scale survey, based on a quite straightforward questionnaire, has been devised and then submitted to 30 native English-speaking teachers. The survey has been created using an online form which allowed respondents to provide their answers quickly and from almost any browser. After having analysed the results of the survey, 10 participants were chosen for the next stage which involved face-to-face interviews lasting around 30 minutes. The latter participants were selected according to their place of origin, their background and the answers they provided in the questionnaire. They were asked to do research on ELF prior to the interview, so as to test whether readings on this topic would favour a change of attitude towards an ELF-aware education. The results seem to show that such readings have played a major role in eliciting such a change of attitude. This may suggest that sensitising teachers could be paramount in fostering a re-evaluation of the ELT curriculum. This study will first provide an overview on the increasing role of English in the world and the importance of cultural traits in a multicultural environment. It will then analyse ELF features, implications and strategies. After a description of issues on Second Language Acquisition (SLA) and ELT, the study will focus on the results of the study carried out in England, highlighting their implications for the ELT curriculum.
Uploads
Papers by Alessio Pavone
This inevitably raises issues on learning English as a foreign language, which, in turn, calls for a consideration of the current practice of English Language Teaching (ELT). In particular, it is widely believed that foreign language education should aim at “the acquisition of an idealised rendition of a prestigious L1 variety” (Modiano, 2009: 208). As a result, at present, ELT curriculum development only fosters native-speaker competence and adopts instructional materials mainly issued by British and American institutions. However, English language proficiency does not necessarily imply that one is well-equipped in order to communicate in a multicultural environment. The function of ELF calls for a re-evaluation of ELT in the classroom. Native-speaker teachers, whose views may be more rigid and traditional, need to be made aware that English is not only their ‘property’ anymore. Thus, they should be given a training which raises their awareness on the importance of developing the linguistic skills and strategies needed in an intercultural environment.
The present study is a research carried out in England which aims to raise awareness on the importance of sensitising native-speaker teachers of English towards an ELF-aware approach to ELT. Recent research stressing the need to rethink the ELT curriculum has mainly focused on L2 teachers of English in an L2 setting. However, few studies have analysed native-speaker teachers’ attitudes towards an ELF-aware approach to education; nor does the literature provide an ample body of research aiming at sensitising native-speaker teachers towards the implementation of such an approach. To this end, it has been paramount to examine to what extent native-speaker teachers of English are aware of the recent developments and implications of ELF, as well as how willing they are to challenge the current and well-established practice of ELT.
For the purpose of this study, a quantitative and qualitative investigation has been carried out. In particular, a small-scale survey, based on a quite straightforward questionnaire, has been devised and then submitted to 30 native English-speaking teachers. The survey has been created using an online form which allowed respondents to provide their answers quickly and from almost any browser. After having analysed the results of the survey, 10 participants were chosen for the next stage which involved face-to-face interviews lasting around 30 minutes. The latter participants were selected according to their place of origin, their background and the answers they provided in the questionnaire. They were asked to do research on ELF prior to the interview, so as to test whether readings on this topic would favour a change of attitude towards an ELF-aware education. The results seem to show that such readings have played a major role in eliciting such a change of attitude. This may suggest that sensitising teachers could be paramount in fostering a re-evaluation of the ELT curriculum.
This study will first provide an overview on the increasing role of English in the world and the importance of cultural traits in a multicultural environment. It will then analyse ELF features, implications and strategies. After a description of issues on Second Language Acquisition (SLA) and ELT, the study will focus on the results of the study carried out in England, highlighting their implications for the ELT curriculum.
This inevitably raises issues on learning English as a foreign language, which, in turn, calls for a consideration of the current practice of English Language Teaching (ELT). In particular, it is widely believed that foreign language education should aim at “the acquisition of an idealised rendition of a prestigious L1 variety” (Modiano, 2009: 208). As a result, at present, ELT curriculum development only fosters native-speaker competence and adopts instructional materials mainly issued by British and American institutions. However, English language proficiency does not necessarily imply that one is well-equipped in order to communicate in a multicultural environment. The function of ELF calls for a re-evaluation of ELT in the classroom. Native-speaker teachers, whose views may be more rigid and traditional, need to be made aware that English is not only their ‘property’ anymore. Thus, they should be given a training which raises their awareness on the importance of developing the linguistic skills and strategies needed in an intercultural environment.
The present study is a research carried out in England which aims to raise awareness on the importance of sensitising native-speaker teachers of English towards an ELF-aware approach to ELT. Recent research stressing the need to rethink the ELT curriculum has mainly focused on L2 teachers of English in an L2 setting. However, few studies have analysed native-speaker teachers’ attitudes towards an ELF-aware approach to education; nor does the literature provide an ample body of research aiming at sensitising native-speaker teachers towards the implementation of such an approach. To this end, it has been paramount to examine to what extent native-speaker teachers of English are aware of the recent developments and implications of ELF, as well as how willing they are to challenge the current and well-established practice of ELT.
For the purpose of this study, a quantitative and qualitative investigation has been carried out. In particular, a small-scale survey, based on a quite straightforward questionnaire, has been devised and then submitted to 30 native English-speaking teachers. The survey has been created using an online form which allowed respondents to provide their answers quickly and from almost any browser. After having analysed the results of the survey, 10 participants were chosen for the next stage which involved face-to-face interviews lasting around 30 minutes. The latter participants were selected according to their place of origin, their background and the answers they provided in the questionnaire. They were asked to do research on ELF prior to the interview, so as to test whether readings on this topic would favour a change of attitude towards an ELF-aware education. The results seem to show that such readings have played a major role in eliciting such a change of attitude. This may suggest that sensitising teachers could be paramount in fostering a re-evaluation of the ELT curriculum.
This study will first provide an overview on the increasing role of English in the world and the importance of cultural traits in a multicultural environment. It will then analyse ELF features, implications and strategies. After a description of issues on Second Language Acquisition (SLA) and ELT, the study will focus on the results of the study carried out in England, highlighting their implications for the ELT curriculum.