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    Exploring the value of bilingual language assistants with Japanese English as a foreign language learners

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    Authors
    Macaro, Ernesto
    Nakatani, Yasuo
    Hayashi, Yuko
    Khabbazbashi, Nahal
    Affiliation
    University of Oxford
    Hosei University
    Issue Date
    2012-04-27
    Subjects
    English language assessment
    language assessment
    Japan
    X162 Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL)
    
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    Abstract
    We report on a small-scale exploratory study of Japanese students’ reactions to the use of a bilingual language assistant on an EFL study-abroad course in the UK and we give an insight into the possible effect of using bilingual assistants on speaking production. First-year university students were divided into three groups all taught by a monolingual (native) speaker of English. Two teachers had monolingual assistants to help them; the third group had a bilingual (Japanese–English) assistant. In the third group, students were encouraged to ask the assistant for help with English meanings and to provide English equivalents for Japanese phrases, especially during student-centred activities. Moreover, the students in the third group were encouraged to code-switch rather than speak hesitantly or clam up in English. In the first two groups, the students were actively discouraged from using Japanese among themselves in the classroom. The data from an open-ended questionnaire suggest that attitudes to having a bilingual assistant were generally positive. Moreover the ‘bilingual’ group made the biggest gains over the three week period in fluency and in overall speaking scores although these gains were not statistically significant. Suggestions for further research are explored particularly in relation to whether a bilingual assistant may provide support with the cross-cultural challenges faced by EFL learners.
    Citation
    Macaro E, Nakatani Y, Hayashi Y, Khabbazbashi N (2014) 'Exploring the value of bilingual language assistants with Japanese English as a foreign language learners', Language learning journal, 42 (1), pp.41-54.
    Publisher
    Routledge
    Journal
    Language learning journal
    URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/10547/622342
    DOI
    10.1080/09571736.2012.678275
    Additional Links
    http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09571736.2012.678275
    Type
    Article
    Language
    en
    ISSN
    0957-1736
    EISSN
    1753-2167
    ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
    10.1080/09571736.2012.678275
    Scopus Count
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    English language learning and assessment

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