Needs Assessment and Analysis in Learning Material Development for Igbo L2 Learners at the Upper Basic Levels in Ebonyi State (Published)
The study is an action research that undertook a needs analysis and assessment prior to the development of a learning material for Igbo L2 learners at the Upper Basic Level I (JssI). It is helpful to understand learners’ needs and get data from them before any learning material could be developed. It is also necessary to know what the learners’ objectives are, their needs, interests, expectations, background experiences in order to develop the material that would meet the needs of the learners. This study discusses the importance of knowing learners’ needs and to use same as a starting points in designing a learning material for them. The study is a descriptive survey research design that used questionnaires, Oral and written Igbo tests (OWIT) to elicit vital information from the respondents about their age, ethnic group, first language spoken, their level of competence in Igbo language, purposes for learning Igbo, situations for Igbo language use, language skills which learners most wish to develop and finally, the communicative activities they should be able to perform in Igbo language. The above information from the needs analysis and assessment guided the researcher in developing a learning material that is responsive to the needs and aspirations of learners of Igbo as a second Nigerian Language.
Keywords: Communicative Activities, Igbo L2 learners, language skills, material development, needs assessment
Are They Learning Language through Social Media Interaction? Exploring EFL Pre-Service Teachers’ Perceptions of the Usefulness of Social Media in Enhancing their Language Skills (Published)
This paper highlights the role of social media in learning English as a foreign language (EFL) among Kuwaiti pre-service EFL teachers. The participants involved in the study are female undergraduate students majoring English language at the College of Basic Education (CBE) in Kuwait. The data is collected via a questionnaire designed to explore the usefulness of social media in developing language skills, as perceived by pre-service teachers. The findings demonstrate that social media plays a significant role in learning English, revealing that the participants use social media to enhance their vocabulary development, reading, and listening skills, which consequently improves their English language ability. Their writing and communication skills are also moderately developed. This paper therefore argues that interacting via social media is extremely beneficial for learning languages, although both teachers and students require guidance concerning its use.
Keywords: Pre-Service EFL Teachers, Social media, Sociocultural Theory., language skills