This study examined the oral communication strategies (OCS) employed by Iranian intermediate English as a foreign language (EFL) learners and the relationship between the use of these strategies and the learners’ self-efficacy beliefs and anxiety level. To this en More
This study examined the oral communication strategies (OCS) employed by Iranian intermediate English as a foreign language (EFL) learners and the relationship between the use of these strategies and the learners’ self-efficacy beliefs and anxiety level. To this end, 160 participants were selected through convenience sampling. Next, three questionnaires were employed to determine the strategies the participants employ for coping with speaking and listening problems, their anxiety level, and their general self-efficacy. The results indicated that the most and the least frequently used strategies were “accuracy-oriented” and “massage abandonment” strategies when facing speaking problems and “word-oriented” and “fluency-oriented” strategies when confronting speaking problems. In addition, the results showed a significant positive relationship between OCSs and self-efficacy beliefs of the learners and a significant negative relationship between OCSs and their anxiety level. The findings imply that OCSs are helpful in both increasing EFL learners’ self-efficacy beliefs and reducing their anxiety level. Further implications of the results are discussed in the study.
Manuscript profile
The significant role of technology in improving second language skills and components has been recently addressed extensively. In the same vein, this quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design study aimed to compare the effects of synchronous and asynchronous social net More
The significant role of technology in improving second language skills and components has been recently addressed extensively. In the same vein, this quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design study aimed to compare the effects of synchronous and asynchronous social networks in teaching vocabulary to improve English as a foreign language (EFL) learners' reading comprehension. For this purpose, 61 EFL learners were chosen using the convenience sampling method and were randomly assigned to two experimental groups. Before the treatment, a researcher-made reading comprehension test was run as the pretest. Then WhatsApp was employed as the synchronous network for teaching vocabulary for the first group and Instagram as the asynchronous network for the second. The first group had to be online at a specific time, but the second group was given two days to see the posts. The strategies for teaching vocabulary were the same in both groups. After the treatment, another reading comprehension test was administered as the posttest. The statistical analysis indicated significant effects for both networks and a significant difference between the two experimental groups, showing that the asynchronous social network was significantly more effective in enhancing learners' reading comprehension than the synchronous one. The results imply that teachers can benefit from synchronous and asynchronous social networks as good platforms for teaching new words and improving learners' reading comprehension.
Manuscript profile
