Browsing by Author "Wach, Aleksandra"
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Item Computer-mediated communication as an autonomy-enhancement tool for advanced learners of English(Zakład Filologii Angielskiej Wydział Pedagogiczno-Artystyczny Uniwersytetu im. Adama Mickiewicza w Kaliszu, 2012) Wach, AleksandraThis article examines the relevance of modern technology for the development of learner autonomy in the process of learning English as a foreign language. Computer- assisted language learning and computer-mediated communication (CMC) appear to be particularly conducive to fostering autonomous learning, as they naturally incorporate many elements of autonomy that give learners control over and responsibility for their own learning, such as choosing the materials used, managing their contact with various genres and types of interaction, often in authentic contexts, and evaluating their own progress, measured through their success in understanding and conveying meanings. However, providing access to language resources does not automatically lead to the development of autonomy, as much depends on other factors, such as the learners’ level or previous experience in learner training. The present study investigated whether advanced learners of English made use of out-of-class CMC engagement for the purpose of learning English autonomously. The results indicate that most of the participants were eager to use CMC opportunities to deliberately practice their English, although, quite naturally, leisure and social reasons for using CMC predominated. The expressed willingness to deliberately focus on practicing English during beyond-theclassroom meaning-oriented online interactions confirms the great potential of CMC as an autonomy-enhancement tool.Item Native-speaker and English as a lingua franca pronunciation norms: English majors’ views(Zakład Filologii Angielskiej: Wydział Pedagogiczno-Artystyczny Uniwersytetu im. Adama Mickiewicza w Kaliszu, 2011) Wach, AleksandraWithin the communicative approach to English as a foreign language (EFL)teaching, the aims of instruction are primarily to enable learners to communicate; hence, functional and communicative intelligibility has become the goal of pronunciation training. On the other hand, contemporary approaches to EFL teaching leave sufficient room for accommodating the individual learner and contextual factors which largely influence the choice of the target pronunciation models. Moreover, in a globalized world, where English has become a contemporary lingua franca for intercultural communication, the pronunciation norms of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) appear to meet the needs and expectations of learners of English in international settings, coexisting with or replacing nativespeaker pronunciation models as the target of instruction. The ELF approach and the Lingua Franca Core elaborated by Jenkins (2000, 2002) have aroused controversy among both researchers and EFL teachers. The paper presents the findings of a questionnaire study involving 234 Polish students, English majors, which aimed to determine their preferences and opinions concerning nativespeaker and ELF norms as pronunciation instruction targets. The findings revealed a strong preference for native-like pronunciation models in the subjects’ own language development and a less strong preference for such models in pronunciation teaching at all levels of proficiency. Moreover, the results pointed to the significant role played by the intensity of pronunciation training and the level of awareness of native-speaker pronunciation models in shaping the subjects’ attitudes toward native-like and ELF pronunciation norms.Item The L1 as a consciousness-raising tool in learning L2 grammar(Wydawnictwo Naukowe UAM, 2019-02) Wach, AleksandraThe main aim of the book is to investigate the facilitative role of learners’ native language (L1) in raising their consciousness of foreign language (L2) grammatical structures. The literature review focuses on selected second language acquisition theories which explain the role of the different conceptualizations of consciousness in L2 learning, on the position of grammar in contemporary L2 pedagogy, with special regard to grammatical consciousness-raising, and on theoretical and empirical perspectives on the functions of learners’ L1 in L2 learning and teaching. The empirical part of the book presents the methodology and results of a mixed-methods study conducted on low-proficiency adult learners of L2 English with the aim of exploring the role of their L1 (Polish) in promoting the noticing, understanding, and explicit knowledge of L2 grammatical structures. The results revealed a number of significant functions of the L1 in enhancing the participants’ consciousness of the targeted structures, evidenced in the use of mental strategies (i.e. translation, cross-linguistic comparisons, making inferences, metalinguistic reasoning, etc.), in the results of tests, and in opinions expressed in debriefing interviews.Item Wielopłaszczyznowy charakter lekcji języka obcego(Wydawnictwo Naukowe UAM, 2013) Siek-Piskozub, Teresa; Wach, AleksandraA foreign language lesson is an interesting and complex event, with a specific structure, social roles ascribed to the participants, and a set of relevant objectives which it aims to fulfill as part of a certain teaching methodology. Following the various perspectives on a lesson which were identified by Prabhu1, the article aims to emphasize the multidimensional nature of a foreign language lesson. Therefore, a lesson is scrutinized as a basic unit of a syllabus, as a way of operationalizing a teaching method, as a social event, as a scene of social interaction, and as an experience fostering the development of teachers’ competence.