The article examines an action research of negotiated curriculum in a university-level EFL (English as a Foreign Language) classroom. Drawing on critical pedagogy, this study is best suited to action research as negotiated curriculum can be explored with a deeper understanding through action-oriented research. The research details how negotiated…

A key purpose of the Foundation Year provision is to prepare students, often from a widening participation background, for their undergraduate study. Research has established that access to academic discourse and disciplinary knowledge is, to a large extent, dependent on students' academic language and literacy skills, including oracy skills.…

Globalisation has made English a dominant language both in education and in manpower recruitment worldwide. Due to globalisation and Vision 2030 in Saudi Arabia which enhanced the involvement of Saudi youth in the work force, the study of English language, especially English for Specific Purposes (ESP), has become increasingly important in the…

A much under-researched issue in higher education is the extent to which English-medium university courses help students improve their English proficiency in an ESL context. Adopting a longitudinal, mixed methods design in which quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analyzed, the current study tracked English language improvement,…

In this study, the effects of the use of peer tutoring in Effective and Good Speech Course on students' success, perception of speech self-efficacy and speaking skills were examined. The study, designed as a mixed pattern in which quantitative and qualitative research approaches were combined, was carried out together with 57 students in 2014 to…

Responsive information is one of the factors that determine the quality of higher education. The factor is especially important for eLearning where a direct communication between a lecturer and a student is replaced with a virtual one. How may a qualitative responsive information, in other words feedback (see the definitions of key words), help…

Prompted by the issue of whether participation in forensics programs has some tangible beneficial effects on the participants, this paper examines how such participation might influence the participant's processing of information. The paper first presents a rationale for examining the forensics participant as an information processor, citing…

The purpose of teacher feedback in the speech classroom is to inform the speaker of the audience's reaction to the speech, to make suggestions for improvement on future speeches, and to motivate the speaker to speak again or to enjoy speaking. To provide appropriate criticism, teachers need to understand the nature and the relative merits of…

This article stresses the need for improved Spanish instruction in Spanish and Latin American universities for Spanish-speaking students. Obstacles to teaching such as student apathy and professional shortcomings are outlined. Suggestions for improved curriculum content and methodology are given. (Text is in Spanish.) (CLK)

Research has shown that communication apprehension (CA) has an impact on academic achievement over and beyond intelligence, type of performance-oriented class, language proficiency, and amount of verbal activity. A study explored the idea that this relationship is context-based by examining the impact of CA in the generalized contexts of small…

Reports on a study into the use of three classroom communication techniques in an upper-level crop physiology course. Results indicated that three-fourths of all previous students wished their college coursework had offered more opportunities for public speaking. (TW)

This article discusses the history and benefits of debating as an educational technique, then discusses a five-year study of the use of student debates in a senior-level college marketing course. Students reported that debates both enhanced their learning and improved their speaking skills. (MDM)

In countless surveys, employers, graduate students, academicians, and others continue to list oral and written communication among the most critical skills needed by business students today (Hynes & Bhatia, 1996; Maes, Weldy, & Icenogle, 1997; Plutsky, 1996; Wardrope, 2002). The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)…

This paper describes a paraphrasing activity devised to assist English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) graduate students at Ohio State University develop their academic writing skills. The activity is based on the community language learning approach. The students in the class were divided into groups of three, with each group member in turn assigned…