Open Access
Teachers’ beliefs about oral corrective feedback: a comparison of secondary and adult education
(Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa, 2018) Roothooft, Hanne; Ciencias Humanas y de la Educación; Giza eta Hezkuntza Zientziak
Aunque existe un gran número de estudios que demuestran la eficacia del feedback oral para la adquisición de una segunda lengua, no está claro hasta qué punto los profesores creen que el feedback es útil. Algunos estudios han mostrado que los alumnos generalmente quieren que se les corrija mucho más de lo que sus profesores estiman necesario. Sin embargo, otros aspectos relacionados con el feedback oral, como por ejemplo los tipos de feedback y el momento adecuado de dar feedback, han recibido muy poca atención en dichos estudios. Por eso, el presente estudio compara las creencias de dos grupos de profesores de inglés como lengua extranjera sobre: cuándo corregir, cuánto corregir y qué tipos de errores corregir. A pesar de las diferencias de contexto, los dos grupos estaban de acuerdo en que el feedback es importante, pero que demasiadas correcciones pueden interferir con el desarrollo de la fluidez y la confianza de los alumnos. La mayoría de los profesores también preferían tipos más implícitos de feedback. Estos resultados indican que existe la necesidad de incrementar la formación del profesorado en el tema del feedback oral.
Open Access
Investigating the interrelationship between rated L2 proficiency and linguistic complexity in L2 speech
(Elsevier, 2020) Bulté, Bram; Roothooft, Hanne; Ciencias Humanas y de la Educación; Giza eta Hezkuntza Zientziak
This study investigates the relationship between nine quantitative measures of L2 speech complexity and subjectively rated L2 proficiency by comparing the oral productions of English L2 learners at five IELTS proficiency levels. We carry out ANOVAs with pairwise comparisons to identify differences between proficiency levels, as well as ordinal logistic regression modelling, allowing us to combine multiple complexity dimensions in a single analysis. The results show that for eight out of nine measures, targeting syntactic, lexical and morphological complexity, a significant overall effect of proficiency level was found, with measures of lexical diversity (i.e. Guiraud's index and HD-D), overall syntactic complexity (mean length of AS-unit), phrasal elaboration (mean length of noun phrase) and morphological richness (morphological complexity index) showing the strongest association with proficiency level. Three complexity measures emerged as significant predictors in our logistic regression model, each targeting different linguistic dimensions: Guiraud's index, the subordination ratio and the morphological complexity index.
Open Access
The effects of elicitation on students' accurate production of English past tense forms in communicative story-telling tasks
(Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2014) Roothooft, Hanne; Ciencias humanas y de la educación; Giza eta Hezkuntza Zientziak
A small-scale experimental study following a pre-test post-test design was carried out in order to study the effects of a type of corrective feedback, elicitation, on the acquisition of the English past simple test. Due to problems with the research design and the low number of participants taking part in all sessions of the study, we were unable to find conclusive evidence for this. However, when focusing on the treatment sessions, we did find indications of positive effects of elicitation on students¿ performance during story telling tasks. It appears that the production of a structure which has been previously studied and of which students possess high explicit knowledge can be positively affected by elicitation. As there was a high rate of repair after elicitation focusing on past-tense errors, it seems that these intermediate students¿ past tense errors were not the result of a lack of knowledge, but rather of the difficulty of applying this knowledge in online communication tasks. There was also some evidence that the students' immediate performance improved and that they were starting to monitor their own past-tense use, even without needing interference from the teacher, as some of them started to self-correct their errors. Nevertheless a questionnaire administered at the end of the study shows that the students were not consciously aware of the focus of the study, as only one student indicated that he improved his ability to talk in the past. This same questionnaire indicates that most of the students thought the experiment was about improving their speaking skills, which means that the provision of immediate corrective feedback does not have to interfere with the communicative focus of a lesson.
Open Access
Spanish lecturers’ beliefs about English medium instruction: STEM versus Humanities
(Routledge, 2019) Roothooft, Hanne; Ciencias Humanas y de la Educación; Giza eta Hezkuntza Zientziak
More and more European universities are implementing English Medium Instruction (EMI) programs, but such policies tend to be top-down and pay insufficient attention to contextual factors such as the degree of internationalization of the universities involved, or the actual subject taught and the perceived role of English in that subject. To understand such contexts better, it is essential to listen to the voices of the professionals actually involved in the transition to EMI, namely the lecturers themselves. This study focuses specifically on EMI lecturers’ beliefs in the Spanish context, and uses narrative frames to contrast the views of STEM and Humanities lecturers. In line with previous research, most of the 59 lecturers who completed our narrative frame indicated that they focused on content and not on language. Some differences in opinion between STEM and Humanities lecturers were found, especially with regard to changes in teaching style and L1 use. More Humanities teachers than STEM teachers felt that they had changed their teaching style. Humanities teachers also imposed stricter controls on L1 use, although overall attitudes to L1 use appeared to be determined more by other issues, such as the presence of international students, than by the actual subject in question.
Open Access
Met immersie aan de slag/Au travail, en immersion: reseña
(Universidad de Navarra, 2016) Roothooft, Hanne; Filología y Didáctica de la Lengua; Filologia eta Hizkuntzaren Didaktika
The book presents a collection of both practical and theoretical chapters about immersion education in the French community of Belgium, written in two of Belgium’s official languages, Dutch and French.
Open Access
Investigating the development of "grammatical range and accuracy" at different proficiency levels in the IELTS Speaking test
(IELTS Partners, 2019) Roothooft, Hanne; Breeze, Ruth; Ciencias Humanas y de la Educación; Giza eta Hezkuntza Zientziak
This project sheds light on the morphemes and grammatical structures used at different band levels, as well as on the error rates and types associated with their use. The authors provide information that is relevant for examiner and teacher training, and make suggestions for improving rating scales and exam tasks. A sample of 73 IELTS Speaking tests from band levels 4 to 8 was analysed in order to identify grammatical structures that distinguish different band levels and to calculate the error rates which characterise their use. The results showed that different features followed different paths. Although some features, such as plural -s, were acquired early, others, like the irregular past, seemed to follow a path of gradual improvement from bands 4 to 8, while one, namely third person -s, was found to undergo dramatic improvement only at bands 7 and 8. These findings bear some interesting similarities to patterns observed in second language acquisition studies. A second focus of this study was to characterise the range of more complex structures attempted by candidates at different levels, centring on the use of conditionals, relative clauses, indirect questions and passive structures. It was found that attempts at these structures did indeed tend to increase at higher band levels, though this was often accompanied by a high failure rate. This study contributes to our understanding of the order in which grammatical morphemes and complex structures are acquired, while at the same time providing useful information for IELTS examiners, teachers and course book writers on what structures candidates are likely to produce and what errors are typical of candidates at different levels.
Open Access
Transitioning to English medium instruction in operations management courses taught on Spanish business degrees: perceptions and diagnosis
(OmniaScience, 2020) Alfaro Tanco, José A.; Roothooft, Hanne; Breeze, Ruth; Ciencias Humanas y de la Educación; Giza eta Hezkuntza Zientziak
Purpose: The objective of the present study is to analyze the effects of the transition to English Medium Instruction (EMI) on lecturers in Spanish universities in one specific area, namely Operations Management courses taught in Business degrees. Methodology: After reviewing the bibliography, we designed a questionnaire based on previous research into EMI in non-Anglophone countries. By administering this online, we gathered information from 20 EMI lecturers giving Operations Management courses in thirteen Spanish Universities. The data were analyzed by means of a descriptive analysis of the closed-ended questions and thematic content analysis of the open-ended questions. Findings: Most professors report that they initially reacted negatively to the idea of having to teach in English, but now realize that most of their fears were ungrounded. They emphasize that it is very important to invest time in training seminars and the exchange of experiences. Other relevant findings are the perceived lack of incentives to teach in English, the need to use tools and techniques to improve the interaction with students, and the considerable amount of time needed for class preparation. Our results are discussed in the light of the bibliography on EMI and recommendations are made with regard to the implementation of EMI in Operations Management courses and related areas. Originality/value: The results of this small-scale study of EMI in OM shed important light on how EMI is impacting on one field. They are consistent with previous research elsewhere, but also provide some insights that may pave the way for further research and development.
Open Access
Teaching note-taking in EMI: an experimental study in economics and business administration
(De Gruyter, 2024) Breeze, Ruth; Roothooft, Hanne; Meyer, Marcel; Ciencias humanas y de la educación; Giza eta Hezkuntza Zientziak
Learning to take effective notes is particularly difficult for non-English-native university students enrolled on English Medium Instruction (EMI) courses. However, time and cost constraints mean that many universities provide no support in English for academic purposes or academic skills. One solution to this problem would be to work closely with subject lecturers to develop training that can be delivered within the framework of the EMI content courses themselves. We developed a pilot programme for training students to take effective notes in English and applied it within the context of a first-year content course in Economics and Business Administration at a Spanish university. The students improved on several measures from the pre-test to the post-test, and provided positive feedback. They particularly appreciated learning how to build outlines, simplify information, and use abbreviations and symbols. Questionnaire responses indicated that they had found the training useful and appreciated the possibilities for direct application of the new skills acquired in their other EMI courses. Further research on how to train students in academic language competences within the ecologically valid setting of the EMI classroom itself could include support with subject-focused academic writing and speaking skills.
Open Access
Primary teachers' beliefs about teaching english to young learners
(Universidad de Alcalá: Escuela Universitaria Cardenal Cisneros, 2017) Roothooft, Hanne; Filología y Didáctica de la Lengua; Filologia eta Hizkuntzaren Didaktika
Aunque se considera a menudo que el inglés debería enseñarse a partir de edades tempranas para mejorar los resultados, se sabe poco sobre las prácticas y actitudes de los profesores de inglés de primaria en España. Por eso, se elaboró un estudio cualitativo basado en entrevistas con 22 profesores de inglés de primaria con el fin de investigar las creencias de estos profesores sobre la metodología, el uso del trabajo en grupo y el uso de la primera lengua. Se observó que todos los profesores creen en el uso de un método comunicativo enfocado en las habilidades orales y de escucha, en lo cual la enseñanza explícita de la gramática es de menor importancia. La mayoría de los profesores también dicen que usan solo la lengua meta en clase y que hacen un uso frecuente del trabajo en grupos. Uno de los aspectos que parece haber influido en las actitudes de estos profesores es su propia experiencia negativa como alumnos en las aulas tradicionales, enfocadas en la gramática.
Open Access
Pronunciation in EMI: conceptualization, interlocutor anxiety and attitudes towards lecturer speech
(Equinox Publishing, 2023) Gómez Lacabex, Esther; Roothooft, Hanne; Ciencias Humanas y de la Educación; Giza eta Hezkuntza Zientziak
The consolidation of English as a global language has brought with it the need to reconceptualise aspects such as English pronunciation, which seems to be experiencing a detachment from the native norm and the integration of multicultural identities. EMI students have been reported to favour intelligibility over accurate pronunciation, as they represent a community of learners for whom English is a tool rather than a target. As previous research has reported that pronunciation may be an anxiety factor for students in speaking exchanges, this study explored how 126 EMI students envision the learning of pronunciation, their attitudes towards EMI teachers¿ pronunciation and their pronunciation anxiety upon interaction with different interlocutors in their EMI context: teachers, local peers, L1 English international peers and L2 English international peers. The data from a questionnaire and focus groups revealed that these EMI learners conceptualize pronunciation as a communication tool rather than a subject to be learnt; they revealed that they do not experience uneasiness during lessons owing to their lecturers¿ pronunciation, expressing that fluency is more important than pronunciation accuracy. Finally, they showed more pronunciation anxiety if the interlocutor was the teacher or an L1 English speaker than if it was a local peer or L2 English speaker.