Writing is probably the most critical and challenging of the four language skills, even for native speakers of a language. Finding ways of helping language learners improve their writing ability, therefore, has always been a challenge for language teachers and researchers. Several attempts have already been made and a few techniques and activities have been proposed including controlled, guided, and free writing activities. This book compares the effectiveness of these activities on the cohesiveness of the argumentative writing of learners in an EFL context. It includes a theoretical review...

The reading skill is one of the most important and useful skills in language learning, particularly in EFL contexts. Finding more effective ways of improving this crucial skill has always been a major concern of teachers and educators, though every teacher and educator has looked at reading from their own perspective. Some have focused on vocabulary as an indispensable element. Others have shifted their attention toward how words are combined to form sentences within a text. Still others have moved beyond the level of sentence and emphasized discourse level features. Depending on their...

There is little doubt that vocabulary is one of the most indispensable components of any language. Previous research also suggests that various teaching techniques contribute differentially to L2 vocabulary development. This book is an attempt to shed further light on this issue by investigating the effects of selected presentation techniques including the keyword method, the peg word method, the loci method, argument mapping, concept mapping and mind mapping on L2 vocabulary comprehension and production. After a comprehensive review of the related literature, a detailed empirical analysis...

There is little doubt that vocabulary is one of the fundamental cornerstones of language and that the reading skill is one of the most crucial skills for educational and professional achievement. There is also little doubt that good preparatory activities can largely facilitate the development of both vocabulary and reading knowledge. This book is a theoretical review and an empirical analysis of the effects of pre-task activity types on EFL learners reading comprehension as well as their vocabulary recognition and recall. Attention is specifically focused on three pre-task activities...

As one of the most important components of language, vocabulary and the way it can be taught have been a long standing concern of many teachers. This book addresses vocabulary learning in the context of task-based teaching. It compares the contribution of input-oriented and output-oriented tasks to L2 vocabulary comprehension and production. It offers a theoretical review of some of the current views in this area followed by an empirical analysis of the issue. This book is suggested for second language learners at various proficiency levels as well as teachers and materials developers who are...

The fact that vocabulary is an indispensable component of language is indisputable. However, substantial controversy surrounds the issue of how to present vocabulary. The main concern of this book is to compare the effectiveness of three vocabulary presentation techniques including semantic mapping, semantic feature analysis, and vocabulary notebook keeping on L2 vocabulary comprehension and production. It offers a theoretical review and an empirical analysis of the issue. This book can be useful for language learners, teachers, and textbook designers.

Assessment is an essential part of any teaching/learning process. Despite the undeniable benefits of assessment, almost always, various degrees of anxiety come with assessment, especially if it is to be done by a superior source, like a teacher. In recent theories of teaching and testing, focus has shifted from teacher assessment to alternative types of assessment, namely peer assessment and self assessment in an attempt to ameliorate the learning conditions. However, these alternative assessments have turned out to have their own problems. This book compares the effect of the above-mentioned...

Helping learners to overcome the problems involved in learning second language vocabulary has always been, and still is, a major concern of many teachers. Numerous attempts have been made to address this concern, resulting in a multitude of vocabulary teaching techniques. However, it appears that the large number of vocabulary teaching techniques is turning into a new concern for language teachers. Today, the challenge many teachers face is which of the teaching techniques is more effective on L2 vocabulary learning. In an attempt to address this issue, this book aims to investigate the...