This study attempted to check the impact of two dynamic assessment (DA) models on speaking CAF. DA, as opposed to static assessment, is conceived as an interactive approach to assessment that integrates teaching and testing into a unified instructional engagement. To achieve the goals of this research, a convenience sample of 90 upper-intermediate male EFL learners that were randomly assigned into GDA, a C-DA, and a non-DA control group participated in the study. Before carrying out the treatment, a speaking pretest was administered to all three groups and their CAF scores were collected. Following that, the treatment using the aforementioned DA and non-DA conventional models was completed in 16 sessions. To check the impact of the treatment, a speaking post-test was given to the groups at the end of the study. Data analysis using ANOVA showed that C-DA and G-DA could significantly increase speaking CAF than the conventional non-DA instruction with C-DA being significantly better than G-DA. The results of this research propose that implementing DA, especially C-DA by the teachers, can enhance the speaking CAF of the L2 learners.

This paper reports on an interview study with eight secondary school teachers in Indonesia regarding their experiences of teaching with technology during the COVID-19 pandemic. Employing semistructured interview questions and geared under a qualitative research approach, the study probes explicitly into (1) the availability of technology access at home, (2) teachers’ difficulties in teaching online, (3) teachers’ ability to adapt during online teaching, and (4) teachers’ experiences of teaching with technology. Findings from the study suggest insights into the impact of forced changes in teaching that could have implications for the professionalization of teacher education in terms of digitalization. The interview analysis informs that the participating teachers negotiated efforts in online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic using technology vis a vis with the challenges of an ever-changing era. Teachers were baffled with explaining lessons in details during the online teaching and knowing which students have understood or not. The study reveals that learning is mainly dependent on the Internet connection as many teachers suddenly lose their connection when they are teaching.

Background/Purpose: Second/foreign language learners face problems in different areas such as correct word usage, grammatical accuracy, and pronunciation fluency. This paper responds to one of these problems by investigating the impact of strategic Google Search on Iranian English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ grammar learning.   Methodology: Sixty Iranian intermediate EFL learners from a private English language institute in Isfahan, Iran were selected and randomly divided into two groups. To find which areas of grammar are most problematic among the participants, a multiple-choice grammar pretest which was validated by five English experts was given to them. Then 10 questions that most participants answered wrongly were selected as the most challenging ones. During 10 class sessions, the participants were taught how to select the correct choice through Google Search. In fact, each participant in the class had a laptop connected to the internet. The researcher taught them how to search on Google strategically and the participants found out that in Google sites there are some sentences which are grammatically wrong and they should not trust them. They learned how to search strategically for the correct choices. At the end of the sessions they answered a posttest containing different questions but in the same grammatical areas. The pretest and posttest both were conducted while the participants were connected to internet sites.   Findings: Data analysis was done through running t-test using SPSS software and statistically significant difference was revealed. The findings showed that those participants who were taught how to strategically use Google Search performed better in the posttest. Therefore, the results revealed that correct Google Search had improved the Iranian intermediate EFL learners’ grammar knowledge.    Contributions: This study has several implications for both language learners and teachers regarding the use of Google platform for English grammar learning. In addition, it contributes to the body of knowledge that strategic Google Search does not only improve the Iranian EFL learners’ English grammar but also make them less dependent on teachers thus promoting autonomous learning.   Keywords: Google search, EFL learners, grammar learning, intermediate EFL learners, Iran, web-based instruction.   Cite as: Tavakoli, M. (2021). Using Google search for English grammar learning. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 6(2), 318-339. http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol6iss2pp318-339

This study attempted to investigate the influences of cultural background knowledge on improving Iranian pre-intermediate EFL students’ vocabulary and idiomatic expressions. To reach this purpose, the Oxford Quick Placement Test (OQPT) was performed on 100 English as a foreign language (EFL) learners and 60 of them were selected. The selected respondents were then randomly divided into three groups: group A (Target Culture=TC), group B (Iranian Culture = IC), and group C (Culture-Free=CF). Afterwards, a vocabulary- idiomatic expressions pre-test was given to all groups. Then, the respondents of the three groups received three different treatments. Regarding the treatment, 10 texts pertinent to the customs and the culture of Iran were taught to the IC group, meanwhile, 10 texts with the new vocabulary and idiomatic expressions relevant to the target culture were taught to the TC group, and 10 culture-free texts including some new words and idiomatic expressions were trained to the CF group. After the instruction which took 10 sessions of 60 minutes each, the data were analyzed by using one-way ANOVA and paired sample t-test. The results depicted that the TC and the IC groups outflanked the CF group. This study has numerous implications for learners, teachers, and curriculum designers.