JET (Journal of English Teaching)

Paraphrasing Strategies and Levels of Proficiency of an AI-generated QuillBot and Paraphrasing Tool: Case Study of Scientific Research Abstracts

Mon, 10 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

AI-generated paraphrasing tools, especially QuillBot and Paraphrasing Tool, play a crucial role in preventing plagiarism in academic writing. However, their effectiveness and proficiency have been questioned, particularly regarding the adequacy of their strategies. This qualitative study analyzed the paraphrasing strategies and proficiency levels of QuillBot and Paraphrase Tool. Using a purposive sampling technique, all 30 abstracts from one issue of the Journal of Second Language Writing were paraphrased using the two paraphrasing tools in their standard modes, and the results were analyzed using the frameworks of Keck (2014) and Nabhan et al. (2021). The results of the study indicated that both tools primarily used synonym substitution, with QuillBot favoring word-level changes and Paraphrase Tool emphasizing sentence restructuring. QuillBot tended to show minimal revision, followed by moderate revision, while Paraphrase Tool exhibited more moderate revision, followed by minimal and substantial revision. Paraphrase Tool exhibited broader paraphrasing capability than QuillBot, but both tools show some paraphrasing limitations. Overall, while these tools may enhance some writing, writers should thoroughly review the core concepts of the original texts and grammatical structures in specific contexts. For novice writers, paraphrasing practice in classrooms should be conducted under teachers’ guidance. AI-generated tools should be secondary.

Interventions to Enhance English Teachers’ Participation in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: Kalahari Circuit English as a Second Language Teachers’ Voices

Mon, 10 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The paucity of English teachers in Namibia’s research output as well as practicing the scholarship of teaching and learning has been noticed and noted. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the views of English teachers in the Kalahari Circuit in the ||Kharas Region in Namibia on the effect of an intervention to enhance their willingness to conduct research and publish. The study used a questionnaire to collect qualitative and quantitative biographical data from the participants. The quantitative data were analysed using simple description while qualitative data were analysed using Renner and Tylor-Powell’s five steps for analysing narratives. The study revealed that, after participating in the research workshop, English teachers showed confidence to conduct research and publish their work. Furthermore, the participants suggested that the workshop should include all teachers, who need support from the agents in education. It was also found that the duration of the workshop should be extended and resources should be availed to teachers to conduct research for publication. The study recommended that this training should be rolled out to other regions while broadening the target scope.

Anxiety in Speaking: What Factors and How to Overcome

Ramli, Fitriawati, Anjelina Nirmala — Mon, 10 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This study aims to investigate students' speaking anxiety in English classes in the second semester of Universitas Borneo Tarakan. Specifically, this study examines the factors that influence students' speaking anxiety and strategies to minimize it based on what the students have experienced. Thirty-eight students were selected as research subjects using a specialized sampling method. The researchers used a descriptive qualitative method with a phenomenological approach by conducting interviews, questionnaires, and observations with students who have anxiety in speaking English. The results showed two factors, including internal factors, i.e., discouragement (feeling shy), lack of confidence, and fear of making mistakes, and external factors (limited vocabulary and friends/classmates). And there are two strategies shown in this study (preparation and relaxation). The conclusion of this study is that speaking anxiety can occur and hinder students' speaking performance. Therefore, strategies are needed to do so in order to make it easier for students to speak.

Evaluation of Molina-Albir Translation Techniques Comprehension in Translation Class

Arif Hidayat, Ninuk Lustyantie, Fathiaty Murtadho — Wed, 12 Jun 2024 22:24:24 +0000

Translation is crucial in cross-cultural communication, especially in today's globalized world. Understanding translation techniques, such as the Molina-Albir technique, is key to producing high-quality translations. This study aims to evaluate the understanding and application of Molina-Albir translation techniques among English Literature students at Bina Sarana Informatics University. This descriptive qualitative research involves observing and analyzing the translation work of peers. It focuses on students in class 33.6A during the Even Period of 2022-2023, who will analyze their classmates' translations based on detailed instructions. Data is analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively, with results validated by researchers and/or lecturers. The study found that 68% of students had a fair to very good understanding of Molina-Albir techniques, while many scored below 60%. Key issues included misidentification of techniques such as amplification, modulation, and adaptation, indicating a need for improved teaching methods.

The Strands and Findings of Recent Research on Technology-enhanced Collaborative Writing in EFL Setting

Parlindungan Pardede — Sat, 15 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

More and more researchers and educators have recently focused their attention to technology-enhanced collaborative writing (TECW) in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) setting. Yet, the updated review focusing on research in this field is meager. This study aims at helping researchers and educators get a deeper understanding of the features and development tendencies of recent research on TECW in EFL setting. It systematically reviewed 45 empirical studies published from 2014 to 2023, focusing on strands and findings. In terms of research strands, the results showed the writing process, outcomes, and students and teachers’ perceptions and attitudes. In terms of research findings, the review results showed that TECW was effective in enhancing students’ writing performance, developing a sense of community, engagement, motivation, collaboration, and satisfaction. The studies’ findings also revealed that students and teachers demonstrated a strong disposition towards TECW practices.

The Effects of Reading Assistant Software on the Speech Fluency and Accuracy of EFL University Students

Nakhon Kitjaroonchai, Suzanna Maywald — Wed, 12 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This study investigated the effects of a reading assistant software on the fluency and accuracy of speech production among EFL university students, employing a one-group pretest-posttest design. The participants included 50 Thai undergraduate English majors in their first and second years. Data were analyzed using paired-samples t-tests to measure L2 oral fluency, specifically pruned speech rate (PSR) and mean length of run (MLR). Accuracy rate was assessed by quantifying the proportion of error-free clauses within the participants’ speeches from the pretest and posttest and calculating the average number of error-free clauses per T-unit. Results indicated significant improvements in speech fluency, evidenced by longer uninterrupted speech segments, fewer disfluencies like filled pauses and repairs, and increased overall fluency. Additionally, the post-test showed a higher percentage of error-free clauses compared to the pre-test, reflecting a substantial enhancement in grammatical accuracy. This suggests that the intervention had a positive impact on the participants’ ability to produce grammatically accurate and error-free clauses. These outcomes suggest that the reading assistant software effectively enhances both the fluency and grammatical accuracy of speech production in EFL learners, underscoring its potential benefits in language education contexts.

Didactic Intralingual Dubbing of Vertical Videos for EFL Learners

Aitziber Elejalde — Wed, 12 Jun 2024 22:48:07 +0000

This paper is focused on the development of a didactic proposal for English students in the Basque Country. Specifically for students in the 1st year of Bachillerato with Spanish and Basque as their L1 and English as their L2 which aims to improve their communication skills, especially oral abilities and pronunciation, through the use of didactic dubbing. This proposal is framed within a project-based learning (PBL), in which the final project is the creation of a vertical video dubbed in English. For this purpose, six sessions have been designed with different group activities that will culminate with the presentation of the video. This didactic unit revolves around social networks and seeks to meet the requirements of current regulations in terms of objectives, contents, competences and evaluation criteria. In addition, transversal elements such as the appropriate use of social networks, fears or interpersonal relationships are worked on. The use of videos in vertical format meets the increasing demand for creating content in this format that adapts to the new mobile devices.

A Flipped Classroom Based Virtual Learning Prototype for Developing Undergraduates’ English Receptive Skills

Hambalee Jehma, Apipa Prachyapruit, Pateep Methakunavudhi — Wed, 12 Jun 2024 23:07:43 +0000

This quasi-experimental research aimed to develop the prototype of virtual learning implemented in flipped classrooms and evaluate its effectiveness as a tool for developing Thai undergraduates’ English receptive skills. The experimental sample group were 40 undergraduates studying English as a required general education subject at a university in Thailand. They were purposively selected as their English proficiency level did not meet the university requirement of not lower than 600 of the TOEIC scores for graduation. The actual TOEIC tests as a pre and post tests have been employed to examine if the prototype was effective. The collected data from pre and post tests were, then, analyzed through the t-Test and ANOVA. The results showed that the designed prototype applied in teaching and learning through the three online virtual platforms, namely Second Life, VRChat, and the ClassStart in the flipped classrooms were effective for developing students’ English receptive skills as the overall development of students’ English receptive skills both listening and reading shown from their post-test English TOEIC scores had significant development, showing that the post-test scores were higher than that of their pre-test’s. Thereby, applying this prototype for language teaching and learning as a pedagogy was highly advised.

A New Textbook Design in Language Teaching: Plurimethodological Pair-unit

Ahmet Acar — Tue, 25 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

In this paper, I propose a model of plurimethodological approach in ELT textbook design, in which one unit is based on the communicative PPP unit model, where the unit ends with a final communicative task, and the following unit is based on the action-oriented unit model, where the unit is a mini-project unit as a whole. Such a textbook model is based on the concept of plurimethodological pair-unit, where the communicative approach and the action-oriented approach are combined in coherence and synergy. In such a plurimethodological textbook design, the topics of the two successive units (one PPP unit and the other mini-project unit) are the same or closely related, so that the unit based on the PPP model will provide the students with much of the language and documentary resources needed to complete the mini-project in the following unit. The mini-project unit will provide the students with additional language and documentary resources for carrying out the mini-project, but as there will be less language and documentary work for students in this unit, students will be better able to concentrate on carrying out the mini-project.