Machine-translation
V. Mirzaeian; M. Maghsoudi
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Although Machine Translation (MT) is extensively researched within the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and translation studies, few studies have attempted to implement MT output in foreign language teaching (FLT). One potential aspect of using MT in FLT refers to the ...
Read More
Background and Objectives: Although Machine Translation (MT) is extensively researched within the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and translation studies, few studies have attempted to implement MT output in foreign language teaching (FLT). One potential aspect of using MT in FLT refers to the implementation of MT output for reading comprehension. Considering the existing gap in the body of research on this issue, the present study aimed to investigate whether MT output is qualified enough to be used as an aid in EAP reading comprehension courses. More specifically, this study intended to benchmark the efficacy of MT output for EAP reading comprehension courses based on the data obtained from testing its comprehensibility and probing the students’ perceptions. To achieve the objectives of the study, MT was operationally defined as quality assessment in terms of output efficacy, a combination of usability and comprehensibility, which mirrors the ultimate goal of MT use in EAP reading comprehension courses, from the users' or target readers’ standpoint. Within this perspective, the current research was an attempt to assess the quality of MT output in terms of comprehensibility and the degree to which MT output might be comprehensible to the EAP students participating in this study.Materials and Methods: The participants of the study, 140 Iranian undergraduate university students majoring in the field of education at Farhangian University, Iran, were selected based on simple random sampling. Oxford Quick Placement Test was used to homogenize them in terms of English proficiency. Two versions of a reliable reading comprehension test, human translation (HT) and Machine Translation (MT), were given to. This test included 25 multiple-choice items, assessing the participants' literal comprehension of information stated in the passage as well as higher-order comprehension that required making inferences and conclusions. In particular, the items measured textual coherence, inference, reference, scanning, skimming, and word-meaning inference. To test the reliability of the tests, the KR-21 formula was applied and the results showed that both HT test (.83) and MT test (.78) were reliable. To investigate the perceptions of the participants on the efficacy of the MT output they encountered on the test, semi-structured interviews were conducted with some of the participants in Persian. Findings: With reference to the results of non-parametric tests such as Spearman’s rho, and Mann-Whitney Tests, and considering the observed effect sizes (Cohen’s d), it was revealed that, generally, the efficacy of MT output is comparable to that of HT. Moreover, in terms of reading comprehension sub-skills, the qualities of the two translations were comparable with regard to scanning, and inference, but not skimming and reference. Furthermore, the findings from the interview indicated that the students perceive MT to be a seminal aid for their EAP reading comprehension activities despite the minor problems that exist in the output such as morpho-syntactic errors or inappropriate lexical equivalents.Conclusions: The present study confirmed the fact that the efficacy of MT output is target-reader-dependent and text-dependent since it is determined both by the characteristics of the readers, such as their disciplines, and text features, as demonstrated by the significant differences in comprehension levels of the same readers measured by the same questions for HT and MT output. Accordingly, this study shed limelight on comprehensibility as a criterion of MT output efficacy; that is to say, it has to be reminded that MT quality needs to be defined as a context-bound and target-reader-specific concept.
Technology-based learning environments
S. Sahebalzamani; A. Naeimi; M. Haddad Narafshan
Abstract
Background and Objectives: As the result of a rapidly evolving, technology-saturated world, individual development has become increasingly noteworthy. This development makes education systems accountable to incorporate 21st-century skills, especially critical thinking skill into their experiential learning ...
Read More
Background and Objectives: As the result of a rapidly evolving, technology-saturated world, individual development has become increasingly noteworthy. This development makes education systems accountable to incorporate 21st-century skills, especially critical thinking skill into their experiential learning curricula. There may be a divergence between what students learn in school and what they experience to get through the real world and to handle the real-life participations conforming to the unpredictable changes in the world and educational systems. This pressurizes educational sectors to improve and expand their educational instruction processes in an innovative and creative design which helps students to acquire experiences and develop the required life skills. To prepare students to be sufficiently constructive in their personal and social life, education should change its focus from merely content and academic development to individual and non-academic development according to different methods and diverse theories. One of these theories is experiential learning. As the name implies, learning by doing involves students acting and honing their language skills in and out of the classroom. To manage this, teachers must cultivate a culture of creativity, problem-solving and engagement in the classroom by the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from or generated by observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication as a guide to belief and action. The purpose of this study was to find out the impact of technology-integrated experiential leaning on reading comprehension and critical thinking of English language learners (aged 10) in one of the primary schools in Kerman.Methods: This study was quasi-experimental in terms of research method, using pre-test and post-test design with experimental and control groups who were chosen randomly. The independent variable in this study was technology-integrated experiential learning, and the dependent variables were learners' critical thinking and reading comprehension. Over four months, two groups of 60 learners (30 students in each group) were exposed to experiential learning in two forms of technology-mediated and traditional classrooms. The instruction in both groups was based on experiential learning theory by Kolb (1984). In the experimental group, the activities were done using technology potentials, and in the control group, the activities were done using classroom potentials. Pre-tests and post-tests were used to measure learners’ improvements in reading comprehension and Naieni’s (2005) questionnaire was acquired to assess learner’s level of critical thinking. Findings: The results of the Shapiro-Wilk test showed that the equality of variances was established, and the normality of the data distribution was confirmed. According to the findings obtained from the homogeneity of variances test, the assumption of homogeneity of variances was also confirmed. The results of covariance analysis showed that there was a significant difference between the post-test scores of reading comprehension in the technology-integrated experimental group and the traditional control group. Therefore, experiential learning based on technology had a significant effect on improving students' reading comprehension (P < 0.01). Because the square of partial Eta, which is equal to (partial ɳ2= 0.81), expressed the tremendous effect of experience on the basis of technology. In addition, there was a significant difference between the average scores of the technology-integrated group and the traditional control group in connection with the post-test of critical thinking. Although both groups improved in the level of critical thinking, but combining experiential learning with technology had a more significant effect on improving critical thinking. Learners in the experimental group (P < 0.01) with the partial square root equal to (partial ɳ2= 0.90) indicated a significant effect.Conclusion: The present research showed that learning by experience through the integration of technology is extremely significant for language learning. Additionally, it highlights the possibility of research and its effectiveness not only for school achievement but also for developing personal skills and critical thinking in primary school students. Even though experiential learning is effective in improving students' comprehension and critical thinking, combining classes with technology through learning management systems is a more effective way to increase students' understanding and critical thinking. It is hoped that the present research play a significant role in helping identify effective educational factors based on experience.
English teaching
Sh. Zarinfard; M. Rahimi; A. Mohseny
Abstract
Background and ObjectiveS: The difference between students and their individual needs have been the focus of many pedagogues in recent decades. With the emergence and development of a variety of technologies and the expansion of access infrastructure to emerging technologies, the condition to access ...
Read More
Background and ObjectiveS: The difference between students and their individual needs have been the focus of many pedagogues in recent decades. With the emergence and development of a variety of technologies and the expansion of access infrastructure to emerging technologies, the condition to access a variety of educational content has been met for a wide range of learners. The flipped classroom is one of the most ambitious ideas in education, which emerged in the last decade of the twentieth century with the aim of meeting the needs of learners and promoting learner-centered learning, using very simple technologies. The flipped class can affect the teacher's instructional practice and their interaction with students and even communication with parents. The main difference between the presentation method in the flipped classroom and the traditional classroom is that the teacher becomes a guide and facilitator of the learning process instead of the lecturer and controller of the teaching process. The flipped class gives students control over the teaching process by stopping and rewinding the teacher's teaching video. In this way, students with different levels of proficiency can listen to or see the teacher's teaching over and over again, without being accused of beingretarded by their classmates. Therefore, the students themselves take the main responsibility of planning for the lesson and learn the educational materials without any worries. This study investigated the impact of flipped classroom on the development of English reading comprehension. Methods:Two general English classes were selected based on convenience sampling and were assigned into control (n=25) and experimental (n=25) groups. The participants’ reading proficiency was assessed before and after the study by PET (Preliminary English Test). The scores of pre-test showed that the groups were homogeneous prior to the study. The experimental group received instruction based on flipped approach and the control group were taught based on conventional instruction. Findings: The result of MANOVA on post-test scores indicated that flipped classroom improved students’ reading comprehension significantly. Tests of between-subjects effects show that the groups’ means of posttest scores were significantly different in four parts of PET that focus on understanding the main idea and gist of meaning. The difference between the groups was not significant in Part 5 that assesses understanding the vocabulary and grammar in a short text. Conclusion: The results showed that the use of flipped instruction in general can improve learners' reading skills and comprehension. At the same time, this method has worked better in strengthening reading skills and comprehension of the general content and message of the texts than paying attention to smaller reading units such as vocabulary and grammar. This is logical given the theoretical underpinning of the flipped class in emphasizing higher-level cognitive skills and indicates the success of a model designed to teach GE. At the same time, it is necessary to help learners to strengthen low-level skills in the reading process by designing appropriate teaching aids and teaching learning strategies to them. Also, in order for this method to be successful in lower level cognitive activities, there is a need to continue using it and familiarizing learners with this method. In this study, due to the mediocre access of students to technology, advanced technologies (such as artificial intelligence, smart applications, etc.) were not used to prepare e-content. In addition, the flipped class was the first experience of the students participating in this study, and it is recommended to continued use of the flipped class (more than one semester) in other studies.
Electronic learning- virtual
V.R. Mirzaeian
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Machine translation is now widely used everywhere; However, its role as a language learning tool has not been confirmed, as there are concerns about its quality. However, if we compare the machine translation output with the output produced ten years ago, we see a significant ...
Read More
Background and Objectives: Machine translation is now widely used everywhere; However, its role as a language learning tool has not been confirmed, as there are concerns about its quality. However, if we compare the machine translation output with the output produced ten years ago, we see a significant improvement in its quality, especially in terms of vocabulary and grammar. Machine translation can be defined as: the process by which, using electronic devices, input can be provided from one language and output delivered in another language. When machine translation became available on smartphones, it gained universal acceptance because of its benefits such as free and easy access. In the field of education, many learners use this technology every day for various personal as well as academic purposes. These goals mainly include understanding a text that is not written in the native language or translating different texts from different languages into other languages and delivering it as homework. Machine translation can help learners gain a quick understanding of a text written in a language other than their mother tongue by producing an incomplete version. The aim of this research was to assess the quality of machine translation and its impact on students’ reading comprehension. Methods: Three types of texts were selected with varying levels of difficulty. These texts were translated once by a human translator and once by machine translation (Google Translator). Finally, six texts were obtained. The output of machine translation was evaluated and analyzed. Postgraduate students who happened to use machine translation more frequently were then randomly divided into six groups, each group reading one of these texts and answering multiple choice comprehension questions at the end of the text. The T-test was performed on the data and it was found that from the three types of texts, the two types of texts, despite having some lexical and grammatical problems, were able to compete with human translation. Findings: The data showed that the quality of machine translation is improving and has now reached a degree of quality that can be used as a tool in educational environments. Some guidelines were also given on how to use this technology in the classroom. Conclusion: This study attracts attention of language educators to MT and its use in language teaching. It suggests that language educators should be trained to use this tool to improve language learning among students. Considering that the type of text has a great impact on the quality of machine translation and very good scientific texts and very bad literary texts are machine translated, this point should also be considered in generalizing the results of this research. All three texts translated by Google were able to match the human translated text in terms of comprehension, but the number of unknown sentences in this text was more than the other two texts, which were expected to have a negative effect on students' comprehension, which was not observed. The issue of gender can also be examined to see if there is a relationship between gender and the type of reaction to machine translation or not.
Educational Technology - Public education
V.S. Vahedi; M. Ebrahimi
Abstract
The current study aimed to investigate the effect of critical thinking skill training on Iranian EFL learners' reading comprehension and reading strategy use. To this aim, 140 highly homogenous students were chosen and two groups shaped; one group was provided with critical thinking skill training, whereas ...
Read More
The current study aimed to investigate the effect of critical thinking skill training on Iranian EFL learners' reading comprehension and reading strategy use. To this aim, 140 highly homogenous students were chosen and two groups shaped; one group was provided with critical thinking skill training, whereas the control group did not receive any training regarding critical thinking skills. Before and after the tutorial, a reading comprehension test and a reading strategy questionnaire were administered. The data were analyzed using ANCOVA. The results indicated that the experimental group outperformed their counterparts in the control group in the reading achievement posttest (p<0.05). Furthermore, subjects in the experimental group used metacognitive, social and compensatory strategies more frequently after the treatment as compared to their usage of the same strategy types before starting out the tutorial. In sum, the current study revealed that critical thinking strategy training played an important role in enhancing learners' reading comprehension ability and also their reading strategy use. In other words, the introduction of elements of the constructivist pedagogy accompanied with specific strategies aimed at encouraging higher level thinking can lead to higher learning outcomes in the process of learning a second/forein language.
English teaching
M. Rahimi; H. Azhegh
Abstract
While there is an expanding literature on the challenges and practicalities of implementing Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) in East Asian educational setting, there is a dearth of research with regard to its effectiveness in foreign language settings and West Asian classes. The purpose of this ...
Read More
While there is an expanding literature on the challenges and practicalities of implementing Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) in East Asian educational setting, there is a dearth of research with regard to its effectiveness in foreign language settings and West Asian classes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of TBLT on Iranian university students’ reading comprehension ability and English achievement in an English-for-Specific-Purposes (ESP) course. Two intact groups of university students majoring in Mechanical Engineering (Production and Manufacturing) participated in the experiment. The control group received instruction in grammar-translation method through presentation, practice and production procedure with focus on teaching reading, grammar, vocabulary and translation. The experimental group experienced strong version of TBLT through pre-task, task, and post-task procedure. The experiment lasted for one semester. Students’ reading comprehension ability and achievement in ESP were assessed at the end of the experience. The results revealed that the experimental group outperformed the control group in both assessed variables, confirming the fact that TBLT is an effective way of teaching English to Iranian ESP students.