An Evaluation of Emerging Trends in Written English among University Students in South-East Nigeria: The Teachers’ Perspective (Published)
The study investigated the degree to which students used emerging trends in their handwritten academic work. Through a three-stage random sampling, selected facilitators assessed students’ tasks in order to identify those “informal/emerging trends” used by students. Pretested questionnaire written in English was administered to facilitators at the Imo State University, Owerri, Nigeria. Results showed that facilitators encountered emerging trends and at a high frequency while grading scripts. Findings revealed that the most likely causes of usage were poor learning in English, social media influence and keeping with the trend. Again, the study showed the consequences include grammar/spelling error, formation of incorrect/unacceptable structure, poor performance in examinations/use of English among others. Finally, the study demonstrated that facilitators were inclined to constant correction during teaching, giving more exercises involving essay writing as corrective measures to check the use and recommended that teachers must adopt a hands-on approach on the correctness of grammar.
Keywords: Emerging Trends, Nigeria, University students, formal/academic writing, teachers’ perspective
The Role of Critical Friends Groups on Improving University Students’ Speaking Accuracy (A Case Study of Albaha University Students’ At Faculty of Sciences and Arts-Almandaq) (Published)
This paper investigates the positive effect of critical friends groups on improving university students’ speaking accuracy. Different speaking activities are also considered and discussed in this study. In this respect, the control and experimental groups data are documented through speaking activities and observation checklists. Speaking activities pre- and post-tests are administered to the both groups. Twenty participants are assigned as a control group and the same amount as an experimental one. The students’ achievement is recorded for further analysis. The recorded data is transcribed and measured through speaking accuracy rubric. An analytic scale is also employed by the researcher himself as an observation checklist in pre- and post-test sessions to assess students’ performance. The outcome of the both analyses showed that critical friends groups can improve students’ ability in speaking accuracy. Moreover, the comparison between findings of accuracy of the two groups demonstrated students’ speaking improvement.
Keywords: Critical Friends Groups, Speaking Accuracy, University students