1. TEACHING ENGLISH THROUGH SONGSEda Drmota, 2013, diplomsko delo Opis: The diploma thesis addresses the use of music in teaching English and discusses many aspects of music and language learning. The theoretical part introduces music as an important factor in people's lives and presents reasons for its decisive role in acquiring a foreign language. It also provides a comparison between language and music and their effect on human brains. The attention is paid to songs which are presented as an effective pedagogical tool indispensible especially in young learners’ classroom.
The aim of the empirical part is to give insight into the use of songs in current English classrooms by examining six English coursebooks which are used with fourth and fifth graders. The study clarifies the function of songs and analyses their presentation based on chosen criteria which define a good language learning song. My research also focused on pupils and their experience of songs in chosen coursebook. The sample included 124 pupils. The aim was to find out which songs are pupils' favourite and which criteria are the most important to them when choosing a favourite song. The findings of the research have been set in the conclusion.
Ključne besede: foreign language teaching, early language teaching, English coursebooks, Primary School, music, song, human brains, motivation
Objavljeno: 09.05.2013; Ogledov: 1819; Prenosov: 224
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2. Dyslexia and Foreign Language Learning in Primary SchoolsDijana Šmon, 2014, diplomsko delo Opis: The thesis Dyslexia and Learning a Foreign Language in Primary Schools deals with the general difficulties in foreign language learning which are caused by a very specific disorder called dyslexia. The problems that come with the disorder are in most cases transferred across languages and the aim of this thesis was to find out how dyslexia influences on the learning of the foreign language (English) in the primary school, which is becoming an issue and an open question nowadays between scientists and teachers who have a direct contact with the pupils.
The main goals of the thesis are to connect the general characteristics of dyslexia and its influence on English as a foreign language and to identify the main language learning areas and skills in which dyslectics need special support and need to be taken under further investigation. The emphasis is also on providing some solutions, strategies and methods that would help teachers to support their learners with dyslexia.
In the empirical part, I discuss the results. I also provide interpretations of one questionnaire, which was filled in by teachers of foreign language and one test that Slovene learners who have been learning English as their foreign language took. To obtain more additional data, five interviews with English language teachers were transcribed and analysed about their knowledge of dyslexia and the methods that they use to help dyslectics to benefit as much as possible from the foreign language lessons.
Ključne besede: dyslexia, English as a foreign language, early identification, language awareness transfer, differentiation, teachers’ knowledge, developing language skills
Objavljeno: 07.03.2014; Ogledov: 2109; Prenosov: 226
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3. Learning English as a Second Language in AdultsSaša Šprah, 2015, magistrsko delo Opis: The thesis on Learning English as a Second Language in Adults presents adult learning and findings connected with it in the theoretical part. This part also includes characteristics of adult learning which have an impact on the learning process and dynamics of work. Memory and motivation, wide concepts, and important features are also presented in terms of adult learning. Last but not least, age factor also affects learning a foreign language. In English, the most affected language fields are pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary. The empirical part presents motives and motivation of adult learners that learn English as a foreign language. We also presented the results of didactic features and experiences that the learners gained during the learning process. We found out that motive, didactic features in learners’ experiences are in a correlation with the age factor.
Ključne besede: Adult learning, second/foreign language, learning English, motivation, memory, age factor
Objavljeno: 30.11.2015; Ogledov: 825; Prenosov: 109
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4. English for Specific Purposes - Students of Nursing Bridging the Gap between Theory and PracticeSofia Ha Vela, 2016, diplomsko delo Opis: Theoretical framework: Mastering a foreign language is a necessary component in the pursuit of a successful nursing career. Needs analysis identifies the purposes of learning, the best teaching methods, and the possible problems in implementing the language program.
Purpose: This thesis explored the academic and professional needs of the English language for nursing students at the Faculty of Health Sciences in Maribor and for health care employees within the region in order to build a bridge between theory and practice.
Methodology: The quantitative method of research was applied and a survey questionnaire was used as an instrument to collect data. Questions included in the survey were mostly of the closed type. Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel were used to analyze, examine, and edit the acquired information.
Results: It was determined that the learning needs of the students should focus on verbal communication and listening comprehension and less on grammar. More emphasis should be placed on conversational English, as both the student and employee groups felt that this was the most efficient method for learning.
Conclusion: The necessary information is now available to make improvements to the English language courses at the Faculty of Health Sciences in Maribor to better meet the needs of future health care professionals. Ultimately, this can improve communication between nurses and patients in a foreign language and increase the quality of care.
Ključne besede: English for Specific Purposes (ESP), student nurse, foreign language, needs analysis, health care workers, communication.
Objavljeno: 12.05.2016; Ogledov: 564; Prenosov: 28
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5. The Influence of the Early Learning of English on the Acquisition of English in Slovene Primary SchoolsNataša Kosajnč, 2016, magistrsko delo Opis: The results of the Slovenian National Assessment of Knowledge in English i.e. NAK (Nacionalno preverjanje znanja iz angleščine za 6. in 9. razred - NPZ) in the sixth class and the ninth class show different results among schools in Slovenia. The data suggest that there are several factors that help pupils achieve good results in the NAK, especially practice and early English language learning and early language exposure.
The purpose of the study was to determine the English language skills of the pupils in Slovenian schools who had organized, systematic English language learning in the first triad of the primary school in comparison to the English language skills of the pupils who did not have organized, systematic English language learning in the first triad of the primary school. The purpose was also to determine the impact of systematic English language teaching in the first triad of primary school on language knowledge of the fourth class pupils. A study was designed which was based on testing the English language skills on a sample of fourth class pupils, selected according to the form of English language learning in the first triad of primary school in Slovenia. The study was conducted in the 2015/2016 school year on a sample of 110 fourth class pupils divided into three groups. The experimental group consisted of 42 pupils who had organized, systematic early learning of English during the first triad. The first control group consisted of 17 pupils who did not have any kind of organized, systematic early learning of English in the first triad. The second control group consisted of 51 pupils who learned English as an extracurricular activity or took English language courses. All groups of pupils completed a questionnaire and took part in the language skills testing on different linguistic levels: lexical, grammatical and discourse levels. A language test was designed for this purpose. The results showed that the three groups were homogenous. Test results were compared within the three groups of pupils. The obtained data was also compared to the general, publicly available data of national sixth class testing (NAK).
The analysis showed statistically significant differences in the test results of the three groups of pupils. Pupils who had organized, systematic early learning of English in the first triad achieved better results overall. A more detailed analysis showed that the pupils who had early learning of English in the first triad were more successful in tasks focusing on grammar and discourse. Surprisingly, the pupils who did not experience the organized, systematic early learning of English in the first triad were more successful in lexical tasks.
Ključne besede: foreign language, early English language learning, research, language test, primary school
Objavljeno: 05.10.2016; Ogledov: 567; Prenosov: 55
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6. Developing academic vocabulary with AWL gapmaker and corpus dataAgata Križan, 2009, izvirni znanstveni članek Opis: There is a growing need for the development of at least some academic vocabulary in students of EFL (studying English for teaching and non-teaching purposes), if one of the main aims of EFL study is to produce competent users of English. Students are expected to read and understand advanced professional texts, not simply to successfully complete their degrees but to become a part of educated society, and to be able to meet the demands placed upon their knowledge in a prefessional environment. The reading and understanding of professional texts can be a highly demanding activity because of the number of academic and professional terms such texts include. This paper exemplifies the usefulness of a gap-fill exercise, as one among a range of options for developing and testing academic vocabulary in a professional context. The exercise was compiled with AWL gapmaker based on a professional review text, which includes academic items of vocabulary. The gap-fill exercise was used with two groups of EFL students in the same year of study and installed at two difficulty levels for two reasons: to test students' existing knowledge of academic vocabulary, and to enrich it through the analysis of words in context/co-text relation using a concordancing program. The paper compares the answers of both groups to determine the most problematic entries (incorrect answers), and to provide the possible reasons for them. Further, contextual clues are taken into consideration as a helpful source for determining correct entries, and tested with the concordancing program. Besides the emphasis on the usefulness of such gap-fill exercises combined with corpus for the development and enrichment of academic vocabulary, the paper also emphasizes the importance of guiding students in how to search for different grammatical and other contextual clues to make correct inferences, and how to use concordances to support or reject the claims.
Ključne besede: English, foreign languages, scientific language, scientific vocabulary, academic vocabulary, corpus linguistics, academic teaching, didactics
Objavljeno: 18.05.2017; Ogledov: 349; Prenosov: 135
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7. Students' attitudes towards the use of Slovene as L1 in teaching and learning of business English at tertiary levelNataša Gajšt, 2017, izvirni znanstveni članek Opis: Over the past decades, the monolingual (English-only) approach to English language teaching and learning has prevailed. In recent years, however, the trend of using students' first language (L1) in teaching and learning English as a foreign language has re-emerged. However, the research on the use of L1 in teaching English for specific purposes is far from extensive. The aim of this study was to investigate the use of Slovene as the students' L1 in teaching and learning Business English at tertiary level. The specific objectives were to determine the students' attitudes towards the teachers' and the students' use of Slovene during Business English lessons and the students' use of Slovene in learning Business English. The present study was quantitative, with data gathered via a questionnaire. The results show that, on the one hand, there is some inclination towards the use of L1 both in class and during their study of Business English. On the other hand, the preference towards the use of predominantly (or exclusively) English in class is also present and is positively correlated with the level of students' knowledge of English. The results are of value to English language teachers as they suggest the contexts in which students' L1 could be used in the process of teaching and learning English for specific purposes.
Ključne besede: business English, foreign language study and teaching, Slovenian language, native language, didactics
Objavljeno: 09.08.2017; Ogledov: 485; Prenosov: 154
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8. Pre-service teachers' attitude towards learning and teaching English to young learnersSilva Bratož, 2015, izvirni znanstveni članek Opis: Considerable attention has recently been invested into researching the influence of affective variables, such as attitudes and motivation on foreign language learning and teaching. The topic is timely and relevant especially at the time when English is being introduced as an obligatory subject in the first cycle of primary school in Slovenia. Two key issues are addressed: attitudes towards learning and teaching English as a foreign language and the profile of the young learners' language teacher. The article presents the results of a small-scale research conducted with a group of primary education students on their attitudes towards learning and teaching English. The results suggest that trainee teachers have moderately positive attitudes towards learning English but diverse attitudes towards teaching a foreign language.
Ključne besede: English as a foreign language, pre-service teachers, attitudes, motivation, young language learners
Objavljeno: 22.09.2017; Ogledov: 201; Prenosov: 43
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10. Encouraging Speaking Skills by Teaching Adults English as a Foreign LanguageRebeka Očko, 2018, magistrsko delo Opis: English language has become the international language of communication. It is being used in almost every company; therefore the need for English-speaking staff is increasing. Making learners speak and actively participate in order to practice and improve their speaking skills is one of the hardest tasks for a teacher. Children learn best through play, but it is also adults that learn best when stimulated by different activities that put them in authentic situations. The purpose of this thesis is to find the importance and the effect that well-structured activities have on adult-learners’ speaking skills and to what extent they contribute to their level of proficiency of the English language. The theoretical part of this thesis contains information on what affects adult’s learning of a foreign language, and approaches of teaching them. There are methods presented on how to encourage learners to speak and actively participate. It is explained how to deal with adult-learners’ errors in the most productive way and how to teach pronunciation. As the red thread of this research, there are activities listed that actively engage and motivate learners to speak. In the empirical part there are nine activities presented that were applied when teaching two courses, the beginner’s course (ten participants) and the advanced course (ten participants), during the period of one year. The research was conducted to see how these activities affected twenty learners’ speaking skills, which of the activities were the most motivating for them and which helped develop their speaking skills, while dividing between beginner learners and advanced learners. Another point of the research was to see which activities helped learners remember new vocabulary for a longer period of time. The research results are then analyzed and the improvement of learners’ speaking skills is described, while the important findings are summarized at the end of the thesis.
Ključne besede: adult learners of a foreign language, English language, speaking skills, encouragement, activities.
Objavljeno: 21.09.2018; Ogledov: 146; Prenosov: 19
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