This article reflects on the concept of meaningful literacy. It offers a classroom methodology, posting on a closed Facebook Group, that manifests this approach to English as a second language (ESL) or English as a foreign language (EFL) classroom meaningful literacy instruction. This study aims to produce empirically informed teaching materials by providing a meaningful literacy writing task for ESL/EFL educational environments. This aim is guided by the main research question: What are the genre characteristics of posting a photo and writing a caption about it in a closed Facebook Group writing task? To answer the question, multiple instruments are employed including observation of task completion, Facebook Group posts, and post-task completion faceto-face interviews. These instruments help in understanding the participants' contribution to the closed Facebook Group task. This article focuses on utilizing Facebook as a language learning tool to create meaningful experiences. It starts with a summary of empirical evidence that supports implementing the use of Facebook in ESL/EFL classes. Then, this article provides some descriptions of the practical aspects of applying it. This approach is presented as a way of focusing on the individual language learner as a center of the language learning process and as a way of facilitating the development of language learning. The findings revealed that the participants are able to create meaning easily and to express themselves better. Therefore, Facebook Groups can be extended spaces for writing tasks in educational contexts where students learn the language through bridging life experiences with school subjects.
There are a variety of factors that affect the English language learning process such as motivation and gender. The present study highlights the importance of motivation and gender in the English language learning process. This study follows a mixed-method approach; qualitative and quantitative data were collected and analyzed. Qualitative data were collected through a self-determined motivation questionnaire and a self-assessment chart from fifteen male and fifteen female Saudi students. The participants were all studying English in the United States to continue their university-level education. Data were analyzed co-relationally, using statistics and descriptions, quantitatively. The results have revealed interesting findings, as the female participants tend to demonstrate more motivation towards learning the English language, further highlighting that participants of different genders had different perspectives about learning the English language. The conclusions, implications, and recommendations of this study provide a foundation for future investigations into the English language learners’ motivation in Saudi Arabia and other similar settings, with the goal of identifying variances in students’ orientations.
The article argues that the Aristotelian appeals (logos, ethos, and pathos) can be taught through the use of Twitter as an educational tool to build connections between everyday informal writing on social media and academic writing. It highlights the utilization of Twitter in English second/foreign language (ESL/EFL) educational settings for supporting learners’ rhetorical awareness and understanding of different writing genres. The main purpose of this article is to provide pedagogical implications and future research potentials on the use of Twitter in ESL/EFL educational settings. The Aristotelian appeals are discussed as the framework for the analysis of Twitter’s content in ESL/EFL educational contexts. In this regard, this research question is addressed: How can Twitter serve as a tool for teaching the fundamentals of writing competency in terms of the Aristotelian appeals (logos, ethos, and pathos) in ESL/EFL educational settings? To explore the current state of research and inform future studies, the researcher reviews selected academic articles on the use of Twitter in ESL/EFL language classes. All articles were accessed using Google Scholar, ERIC, and ProQuest databases. The researcher examines empirical studies published in peer-reviewed journals as well as non-empirical studies. This article addresses Twitter users’ constructions of logos, ethos, and pathos, and presents some of the accessible characteristics of Twitter. Also, it briefly provides pedagogical implications of understanding the Aristotelian appeals through Twitter in ESL/EFL educational contexts that can support the teaching and learning processes. Lastly, the researcher proposes potential research directions for Twitter use in ESL/EFL educational settings.
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