10 January 2015, Volume 25 Issue 1

    

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  Reading Strategy Awareness and Use among EFL Gulf University Students

  Martin J. ENDLEY

  Asian Journal of English Language Teaching. 2015, 25(1): 1-34.

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  This paper reports a study of the awareness and use of reading strategies among undergraduates at United Arab Emirates University (UAEU). Three research questions were addressed: (1) What is the frequency of individual and overall reading strategy use among UAEU students when required to read academic materials in English? (2) Do UAEU students display any trends or preferences in their choice of academic reading strategies? (3) Are there any differences in the reported use of academic reading strategies among UAEU students studying in different colleges? The participants were students majoring in the three largest colleges in UAEU: the College of Business and Economics, the College of Engineering and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. The study was conducted using the Survey of Reading Strategies (Mokhtari & Sheorey, 2002). Collected data was subjected to statistical analysis using SPSS software, with the aim of identifying trends and patterns of statistical signifi- cance. Results of the analysis indicate that students in all three colleges have a high level of awareness of reading strategies, with a general preference for using problem-solving strategies rather than global strategies or support strate- gies. The pedagogical implications of these findings are briefly discussed.
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  How Written Recasts Influence the Processing of Corrective Feedback: A Case of Noticeability and Explicitness

  Baburhan UZUM

  Asian Journal of English Language Teaching. 2015, 25(1): 35-62.

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  The present study explores whether written recasts influence the processing of corrective feedback. Following an experimental design, lower-intermediate level ESL learners (N=32, Asian and Arabic) studying at an American university were randomly put into three groups. Group A (aural recasts) received recasts only through an aural channel, Group V (visual recasts) received recasts only through a visual channel, and Group AV (aural and visual recast) received feedback through both channels in the treatment sessions. The statistical data gathered from pre-test and post-test scores were submitted to a series of ANOVA and ANCOVA tests, and interpretations were drawn from the findings. The study tested the hypothesis that learners receiving recasts through both modalities outperform the other groups in relation to their post-test performance. The results indicated that Group AV outperformed V and A groups regarding their performance in the written and oral measures, suggesting a significant contribu- tion of the modality in which recasts are provided. In order to increase the explicitness of corrective feedback, recasts should be given in aural and visual modalities to be easily noticeable, unambiguous, and efficient, considering classroom time limitations.
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  The Bilingual Vocabulary Size Test for Vietnamese Learners: Reliability and Use in Placement Testing

  Roger W. GEE, Le T. C. NGUYEN

  Asian Journal of English Language Teaching. 2015, 25(1): 63-80.

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  To be useful, placement tests need to be both reliable and practical. Placement tests must be reliable in order to have confidence in the results. They must be practical in terms of expense, in the time required to administer and mark the test, and in the ease with which the results are interpreted (Nation & Macalister, 2010, p. 120). This article reports on the use of a freely available test, the Bilin- gual Vocabulary Size Test for Vietnamese Learners (BVSTV), and its use and modification as a reliable and practical placement test. The study involved 147 Vietnamese university graduates of various academic backgrounds. The partici- pants sat the BVSTV as part of placement testing prior to participating in an intensive four-week, 100-hour English program. The results of the study indicate that a shortened version of the BVSTV containing the words from the first eight frequency levels could be used for vocabulary assessment in placement testing. It is reliable and the first eight levels are sufficient for use of partial knowledge at high-frequency word levels while avoiding random guessing at low-frequency word levels.
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  Validation of a Vocabulary Learning Strategy Scale and Its Relationship to Vocabulary Level Test Scores

  Mitsuru KUDO, Atsushi MIZUMOTO, Takaaki KUMAZAWA

  Asian Journal of English Language Teaching. 2015, 25(1): 81-112.

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  The purpose of this study is two-fold: firstly, to validate a questionnaire of self- regulated vocabulary learning strategies (VLS), based on a strategic self-regula- tion (S2R) model of language learning (Oxford, 2011), and secondly, to investi- gate the relationships between self-regulated VLS and vocabulary size. An explanatory factor analysis on the data of 216 Japanese EFL students yielded the following seven factors, which could reflect constructs hypothesized from the S2R model to a reasonable extent: (a) planning for goal achievement, (b) obtaining and using preferred resources, (c) conceptualizing by linking/ combining related vocabulary, (d) planning for positive affective strategies, (e) using auditory sense to understand and remember, (f) generating and main- taining extrinsic motivation, and (g) increasing instrumental motivation. Among the seven strategic vocabulary learning constructs, (b), (c) and (g) were moder- ately correlated to vocabulary size. Furthermore, these strategies were strongly correlated with self-regulatory and planning strategies. The results suggest an integral role for these variables in vocabulary learning.
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  A Music Word List for Non-native Speakers of English: A Corpus-based Study

  Ping WANG, Michelle PICARD

  Asian Journal of English Language Teaching. 2015, 25(1): 113-132.

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  The acquisition of English as a second/foreign language is an additional burden for non-native speakers (NNSs) who must master English as well as developing expertise in their own profession. This corpus-based study aims to improve the English learning of music students by determining how many and what types of words music majors need to acquire in order to understand the most important texts in their discipline. We compiled a music corpus (MC) which we analyzed using the frequency count function of the Adelaide Text Analysis Tool (AdTAT). Then the word list was compared with the New General Service List (NGSL) and the New Academic Word List (NAWL). The findings provide English for Special Purposes (ESP) instructors with a clear picture of high-frequency words in the music discipline, so that they can support the English learning of music students and develop more appropriate materials for them. The findings also have meth- odological implications for the teaching of other Arts majors.
Book Reviews
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  Academic Publishing: Issues and Challenges in the Construction of Knowledge

  K. L. Hyland, Shogo SAKURAI

  Asian Journal of English Language Teaching. 2015, 25(1): 133-138.

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  Needs Analysis for Language Course Design: A Holistic Approach to ESP

  Marjatta Huhta, Karin Vogt, Esko Johnson, Heikki Tulkki, David R. Hall, Nha T. T. VU

  Asian Journal of English Language Teaching. 2015, 25(1): 139-141.

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