Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language--TESL-EJ
Developing second/foreign language (L2) comprehension skills can represent a challenging endeavor... more Developing second/foreign language (L2) comprehension skills can represent a challenging endeavor for learners with autism spectrum condition (ASC) because their social and verbal cognition may be impaired in terms of abstract reasoning, organizing, and retelling events, inferring intentions, and identifying emotions contained in a text. Thus, it becomes relevant to explore how these learners experience metacognitive strategies when reading in a foreign language. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore how Chilean elementary Learners with ASC perceive their metacognitive awareness and how they strategize their L2 reading. To this end, 27 elementary Learners with ASC were asked to report on their perceptions of metacognition in L2 reading by means of a metacognitive awareness reading strategy inventory and semi-structured interviews. Findings revealed that participants displayed a medium level of awareness toward metacognition, with problem-solving strategies being the mos...
Objectives: The purpose of this study was to explore Chilean higher education English as a foreig... more Objectives: The purpose of this study was to explore Chilean higher education English as a foreign language (EFL) students’ perceptions toward components of their fully online learning experience and their computer self-efficacy during the CoVID-19 pandemic and assess how these variables are influenced by age, gender, and language proficiency. Method: Participants of the study were 236 undergraduate students (110 males and 126 females) who took a fully online EFL course in a professional institute in Chile. Likert-scale questionnaires were used to gather data on perceptions toward fully online language learning components (online participation, collaborative group work, instructional materials, and learning strategies and styles) and computer self-efficacy (CSE). Findings: Participants held overall positive views toward fully online language learning components but had negative views toward online participation. Findings revealed significant relationships between computer self-effic...
TEFLIN Journal: A publication on the teaching and learning of English
Self-efficacy perceptions on second language settings have been linked to several aspects includi... more Self-efficacy perceptions on second language settings have been linked to several aspects including learner performance in linguistic tasks, willingness to communicate, and language learning strategy use. These firmly place self-efficacy as a variable affecting cognitive and contextual aspects in language learning settings. However, the amount of L2 used by teachers needs to be researched in their own right, since an approach that makes the L2 compulsory in the language classroom may affect learners’ perceptions of their ability to learn the new language. This relationship becomes even more relevant in low-level EFL school settings where teachers are more willing to use the learners’ L1 in their lessons. Thus, to assess the impact of teacher L2 use on the self-efficacy of primary EFL learners, the present study investigated 58 Chilean 6th-grade EFL students’ self-efficacy beliefs in two contexts: L2-Only instruction (i.e., an approach where lessons are delivered solely in the L2), a...
Vigo International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 2022
The Lexical Approach (LA) is a pedagogical method that emphasizes authentic language and learner ... more The Lexical Approach (LA) is a pedagogical method that emphasizes authentic language and learner exposure to co-occurring lexical units. The approach has garnered renewed interest over the last years due to its focus on the frequency of multi-word form-meaning distributions, which is in line with usage-based (UB) approaches to language acquisition. Thus, the present study sought to assess the impact of the LA on perceived oral proficiency and formulaic sequence use. To this end, 38 English as a Foreign Language adult learners at a language institute were divided into two groups, one of which was exposed to 38 teaching hours of instruction based on LA principles. Both groups were asked to perform two oral tasks that were evaluated by three judges in terms of oral proficiency and number of formulaic sequences used. Results revealed that the LA group outperformed the control group in perceived overall oral proficiency scores and in the number of formulaic sequences used, and that there...
espanolEl presente estudio intento demostrar la importancia que la forma de las contribuciones li... more espanolEl presente estudio intento demostrar la importancia que la forma de las contribuciones linguisticas tiene en la provision de oportunidades de participacion y en el aprendizaje en el aula. Se examino un conjunto particular de caracteristicas interaccionales que pueden dar forma a los enunciados de los alumnos: andamiaje linguistico, solicitudes de aclaracion y comprobaciones de confirmacion. Se ha demostrado que estos rasgos interaccionales promueven la participacion y el aprendizaje desde una perspectiva de discurso en el aula (Walsh, 2002; Walsh y Li, 2013; Can Daskin, 2014). El estudio utilizo el concepto sociocultural del aprendizaje como un logro social conseguido a traves de la participacion (Lantolf, 2000; Donato, 2000; Mondada & Pekarek, 2004). Se utilizo una metodologia de Analisis de Conversacion (CA) para examinar dos extractos recogidos en aulas de ingles como lengua extranjera en un instituto de idiomas en Santiago de Chile. El analisis sugirio que si los profeso...
Online Student Response Systems (OSRS) are web-based tools that can be used to collect and share ... more Online Student Response Systems (OSRS) are web-based tools that can be used to collect and share language assessment data from students. Although they have been found to improve learner satisfaction, motivation, and learning, students’ perceptions need to be taken into account when addressing the contextualized nature of OSRSs. Therefore, 23 pre-service EFL teachers studying at a private university in Santiago were asked to provide their perceptions regarding the Socrative OSRS in terms of its usability, its impact on learning, and its impact on engagement. Findings showed that students held positive perceptions towards the usability of the application, but remained neutral in relation to its impact on learning and engagement. This is explained in terms of the nature and the layout
Jenny Montaño-González2 & Marco Cancino3, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago, Chile Abstract Lang... more Jenny Montaño-González2 & Marco Cancino3, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago, Chile Abstract Language learning strategies (LLSs) and self-efficacy (SE) beliefs have been two important research foci in the field of English as a second (ESL) or foreign language (EFL). The present study explored the relationship between these two constructs as perceived by sixty-two EFL learners at a public Chilean university. Data were obtained by means of a strategy questionnaire (SILL), a self-efficacy questionnaire (QESE), and an interview. Quantitative results revealed a significant positive relationship between participants’ strategy use and their self-efficacy, and that these respondents displayed moderate levels of overall LLS use and SE. Qualitative findings mirrored quantitative results, as they suggested that high-strategy users also experienced a heightened sense of SE. Interviews showed that EFL students’ motivation can help them increase their use of LLSs and their SE. Implications for re...
One aspect of online classes that has recently experienced a paradigm shift is fully online langu... more One aspect of online classes that has recently experienced a paradigm shift is fully online language environments (FOLEs) – that is, learning settings where 100% of the content of the class is being delivered online. The SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) outbreak in 2020 called for the use of fully online teaching in schools and universities in many countries due to confinement measures. Accordingly, schools have made extraordinary efforts towards implementing home-based schooling and delivered online courses to their students during the pandemic. In many universities, online platforms such as Blackboard Collaborate are being used to fulfil the need to keep up with the requirements of academic programmes. However, research findings addressing specific FOLE platforms are scarce, with even fewer studies focusing on learners’ engagement perceptions in those settings. Therefore, the purpose of this mixed-methods exploratory study was to delve into aspects involved in engagement, such as participati...
Abstract Over the last 30 years, English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms have been consist... more Abstract Over the last 30 years, English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms have been consistently nurtured by technology. An important breakthrough in this respect has been Google Translate (GT), one of the most widely used online translators (OTs). Research suggests that when teachers are aware of the limitations of OTs and provide adequate guidance to use them, they can become effective pedagogical devices. However, most of the studies conducted in EFL settings focus on adult learners’ perceptions toward OTs or rely on holistic rubrics to assess writing quality. Thus, the present study sought to apply a linguistic approach to the analysis of writing output produced by high school learners using GT. Sixty-one high-school EFL learners were randomly assigned to one of three groups: (GT without instruction, GT with instruction, and a group with no access to GT). Writing quality was assessed in terms of T-unit length, syntactic complexity, and accuracy in a narrative task. Results suggest that syntactic complexity and accuracy scores were higher in the groups that had access to GT. The possibilities for GT as an effective learning tool are discussed, while emphasizing the need for learners to receive adequate instruction on how to utilize it.
Profile: Issues in Teachers´ Professional Development, 2020
The present study sought to assess and characterise the amount of first language use that two Eng... more The present study sought to assess and characterise the amount of first language use that two English as a foreign language teachers used to accomplish a number of functions in two classroom modes. An adapted version of the Functional Language Alternation Analysis of Teacher Talk scheme was used to analyse teacher talk in six English as a foreign language classes at a public high school. Results showed that the first language holds a hegemonic presence in these classrooms across a wide range of pedagogical functions. It is argued that initiatives that present prescriptive approaches to foreign language use need to take into account linguistic, contextual, and idiosyncratic factors in the English as a foreign language classroom.
The idea that interaction shapes learning in the second language classroom by increasing opportun... more The idea that interaction shapes learning in the second language classroom by increasing opportunities for participation, and that teachers can achieve this by adequately eliciting language from learners has been discussed in the literature. However, research specifying interactional resources deployed by teachers when eliciting language from their learners has been scarce. To this end, the present study used conversation analysis to examine the interactional resources produced in the elicitation of questions belonging to a specific lesson stage, namely, the ‘classroom context mode’ (CCM). In the CCM, fluency and meaningful exchanges are encouraged, and learners are prompted to talk about their feelings, emotions, and experiences, which represent a fruitful interactional juncture for eliciting learner language. The data collected in the present study come from four teachers and their students in an adult English as a foreign language (EFL) classroom at a language institute in Chile....
Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 2019
The language choices that teachers make in the language classroom have been found to influence th... more The language choices that teachers make in the language classroom have been found to influence the opportunities for learning given to learners (Seedhouse, 2004; Walsh, 2012; Waring, 2009, 2011). The present study expands on research addressing learner-initiated contributions (Garton, 2012; Jacknick, 2011; Waring, Reddington, & Tadic, 2016; Yataganbaba & Yıldırım, 2016) by demonstrating that opportunities for participation and learning can be promoted when teachers allow learners to expand and finish their overlapped turns. Audio recordings of lessons portraying language classroom interaction from three teachers in an adult foreign language classroom (EFL) setting were analyzed and discussed through conversation analysis (CA) methodology. Findings suggest that when teachers are able to navigate overlapping talk in such a way that provides interactional space for learners to complete their contributions, they demonstrate classroom interactional competence (Sert, 2015; Walsh, 2006). T...
Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language--TESL-EJ
Developing second/foreign language (L2) comprehension skills can represent a challenging endeavor... more Developing second/foreign language (L2) comprehension skills can represent a challenging endeavor for learners with autism spectrum condition (ASC) because their social and verbal cognition may be impaired in terms of abstract reasoning, organizing, and retelling events, inferring intentions, and identifying emotions contained in a text. Thus, it becomes relevant to explore how these learners experience metacognitive strategies when reading in a foreign language. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore how Chilean elementary Learners with ASC perceive their metacognitive awareness and how they strategize their L2 reading. To this end, 27 elementary Learners with ASC were asked to report on their perceptions of metacognition in L2 reading by means of a metacognitive awareness reading strategy inventory and semi-structured interviews. Findings revealed that participants displayed a medium level of awareness toward metacognition, with problem-solving strategies being the mos...
Objectives: The purpose of this study was to explore Chilean higher education English as a foreig... more Objectives: The purpose of this study was to explore Chilean higher education English as a foreign language (EFL) students’ perceptions toward components of their fully online learning experience and their computer self-efficacy during the CoVID-19 pandemic and assess how these variables are influenced by age, gender, and language proficiency. Method: Participants of the study were 236 undergraduate students (110 males and 126 females) who took a fully online EFL course in a professional institute in Chile. Likert-scale questionnaires were used to gather data on perceptions toward fully online language learning components (online participation, collaborative group work, instructional materials, and learning strategies and styles) and computer self-efficacy (CSE). Findings: Participants held overall positive views toward fully online language learning components but had negative views toward online participation. Findings revealed significant relationships between computer self-effic...
TEFLIN Journal: A publication on the teaching and learning of English
Self-efficacy perceptions on second language settings have been linked to several aspects includi... more Self-efficacy perceptions on second language settings have been linked to several aspects including learner performance in linguistic tasks, willingness to communicate, and language learning strategy use. These firmly place self-efficacy as a variable affecting cognitive and contextual aspects in language learning settings. However, the amount of L2 used by teachers needs to be researched in their own right, since an approach that makes the L2 compulsory in the language classroom may affect learners’ perceptions of their ability to learn the new language. This relationship becomes even more relevant in low-level EFL school settings where teachers are more willing to use the learners’ L1 in their lessons. Thus, to assess the impact of teacher L2 use on the self-efficacy of primary EFL learners, the present study investigated 58 Chilean 6th-grade EFL students’ self-efficacy beliefs in two contexts: L2-Only instruction (i.e., an approach where lessons are delivered solely in the L2), a...
Vigo International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 2022
The Lexical Approach (LA) is a pedagogical method that emphasizes authentic language and learner ... more The Lexical Approach (LA) is a pedagogical method that emphasizes authentic language and learner exposure to co-occurring lexical units. The approach has garnered renewed interest over the last years due to its focus on the frequency of multi-word form-meaning distributions, which is in line with usage-based (UB) approaches to language acquisition. Thus, the present study sought to assess the impact of the LA on perceived oral proficiency and formulaic sequence use. To this end, 38 English as a Foreign Language adult learners at a language institute were divided into two groups, one of which was exposed to 38 teaching hours of instruction based on LA principles. Both groups were asked to perform two oral tasks that were evaluated by three judges in terms of oral proficiency and number of formulaic sequences used. Results revealed that the LA group outperformed the control group in perceived overall oral proficiency scores and in the number of formulaic sequences used, and that there...
espanolEl presente estudio intento demostrar la importancia que la forma de las contribuciones li... more espanolEl presente estudio intento demostrar la importancia que la forma de las contribuciones linguisticas tiene en la provision de oportunidades de participacion y en el aprendizaje en el aula. Se examino un conjunto particular de caracteristicas interaccionales que pueden dar forma a los enunciados de los alumnos: andamiaje linguistico, solicitudes de aclaracion y comprobaciones de confirmacion. Se ha demostrado que estos rasgos interaccionales promueven la participacion y el aprendizaje desde una perspectiva de discurso en el aula (Walsh, 2002; Walsh y Li, 2013; Can Daskin, 2014). El estudio utilizo el concepto sociocultural del aprendizaje como un logro social conseguido a traves de la participacion (Lantolf, 2000; Donato, 2000; Mondada & Pekarek, 2004). Se utilizo una metodologia de Analisis de Conversacion (CA) para examinar dos extractos recogidos en aulas de ingles como lengua extranjera en un instituto de idiomas en Santiago de Chile. El analisis sugirio que si los profeso...
Online Student Response Systems (OSRS) are web-based tools that can be used to collect and share ... more Online Student Response Systems (OSRS) are web-based tools that can be used to collect and share language assessment data from students. Although they have been found to improve learner satisfaction, motivation, and learning, students’ perceptions need to be taken into account when addressing the contextualized nature of OSRSs. Therefore, 23 pre-service EFL teachers studying at a private university in Santiago were asked to provide their perceptions regarding the Socrative OSRS in terms of its usability, its impact on learning, and its impact on engagement. Findings showed that students held positive perceptions towards the usability of the application, but remained neutral in relation to its impact on learning and engagement. This is explained in terms of the nature and the layout
Jenny Montaño-González2 & Marco Cancino3, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago, Chile Abstract Lang... more Jenny Montaño-González2 & Marco Cancino3, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago, Chile Abstract Language learning strategies (LLSs) and self-efficacy (SE) beliefs have been two important research foci in the field of English as a second (ESL) or foreign language (EFL). The present study explored the relationship between these two constructs as perceived by sixty-two EFL learners at a public Chilean university. Data were obtained by means of a strategy questionnaire (SILL), a self-efficacy questionnaire (QESE), and an interview. Quantitative results revealed a significant positive relationship between participants’ strategy use and their self-efficacy, and that these respondents displayed moderate levels of overall LLS use and SE. Qualitative findings mirrored quantitative results, as they suggested that high-strategy users also experienced a heightened sense of SE. Interviews showed that EFL students’ motivation can help them increase their use of LLSs and their SE. Implications for re...
One aspect of online classes that has recently experienced a paradigm shift is fully online langu... more One aspect of online classes that has recently experienced a paradigm shift is fully online language environments (FOLEs) – that is, learning settings where 100% of the content of the class is being delivered online. The SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) outbreak in 2020 called for the use of fully online teaching in schools and universities in many countries due to confinement measures. Accordingly, schools have made extraordinary efforts towards implementing home-based schooling and delivered online courses to their students during the pandemic. In many universities, online platforms such as Blackboard Collaborate are being used to fulfil the need to keep up with the requirements of academic programmes. However, research findings addressing specific FOLE platforms are scarce, with even fewer studies focusing on learners’ engagement perceptions in those settings. Therefore, the purpose of this mixed-methods exploratory study was to delve into aspects involved in engagement, such as participati...
Abstract Over the last 30 years, English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms have been consist... more Abstract Over the last 30 years, English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms have been consistently nurtured by technology. An important breakthrough in this respect has been Google Translate (GT), one of the most widely used online translators (OTs). Research suggests that when teachers are aware of the limitations of OTs and provide adequate guidance to use them, they can become effective pedagogical devices. However, most of the studies conducted in EFL settings focus on adult learners’ perceptions toward OTs or rely on holistic rubrics to assess writing quality. Thus, the present study sought to apply a linguistic approach to the analysis of writing output produced by high school learners using GT. Sixty-one high-school EFL learners were randomly assigned to one of three groups: (GT without instruction, GT with instruction, and a group with no access to GT). Writing quality was assessed in terms of T-unit length, syntactic complexity, and accuracy in a narrative task. Results suggest that syntactic complexity and accuracy scores were higher in the groups that had access to GT. The possibilities for GT as an effective learning tool are discussed, while emphasizing the need for learners to receive adequate instruction on how to utilize it.
Profile: Issues in Teachers´ Professional Development, 2020
The present study sought to assess and characterise the amount of first language use that two Eng... more The present study sought to assess and characterise the amount of first language use that two English as a foreign language teachers used to accomplish a number of functions in two classroom modes. An adapted version of the Functional Language Alternation Analysis of Teacher Talk scheme was used to analyse teacher talk in six English as a foreign language classes at a public high school. Results showed that the first language holds a hegemonic presence in these classrooms across a wide range of pedagogical functions. It is argued that initiatives that present prescriptive approaches to foreign language use need to take into account linguistic, contextual, and idiosyncratic factors in the English as a foreign language classroom.
The idea that interaction shapes learning in the second language classroom by increasing opportun... more The idea that interaction shapes learning in the second language classroom by increasing opportunities for participation, and that teachers can achieve this by adequately eliciting language from learners has been discussed in the literature. However, research specifying interactional resources deployed by teachers when eliciting language from their learners has been scarce. To this end, the present study used conversation analysis to examine the interactional resources produced in the elicitation of questions belonging to a specific lesson stage, namely, the ‘classroom context mode’ (CCM). In the CCM, fluency and meaningful exchanges are encouraged, and learners are prompted to talk about their feelings, emotions, and experiences, which represent a fruitful interactional juncture for eliciting learner language. The data collected in the present study come from four teachers and their students in an adult English as a foreign language (EFL) classroom at a language institute in Chile....
Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 2019
The language choices that teachers make in the language classroom have been found to influence th... more The language choices that teachers make in the language classroom have been found to influence the opportunities for learning given to learners (Seedhouse, 2004; Walsh, 2012; Waring, 2009, 2011). The present study expands on research addressing learner-initiated contributions (Garton, 2012; Jacknick, 2011; Waring, Reddington, & Tadic, 2016; Yataganbaba & Yıldırım, 2016) by demonstrating that opportunities for participation and learning can be promoted when teachers allow learners to expand and finish their overlapped turns. Audio recordings of lessons portraying language classroom interaction from three teachers in an adult foreign language classroom (EFL) setting were analyzed and discussed through conversation analysis (CA) methodology. Findings suggest that when teachers are able to navigate overlapping talk in such a way that provides interactional space for learners to complete their contributions, they demonstrate classroom interactional competence (Sert, 2015; Walsh, 2006). T...
Uploads
Papers by Marco Cancino