Colombian Applied Linguistics Journal

Foreign Language Teachers’ Perceptions after Gamified Classroom Practice

2022-06-17T01:54:02-05:00

This study examines the perceptions and beliefs of thirteen teachers of foreign languages who have received specialized training in gamification and have put it into practice in the classroom. Specifically, the study analyses the impact of gamification in the three years following its introduction into their teaching practices. To gain insights into teachers’ perspectives and attitudes towards gamification, thirteen semi-structured interviews were conducted. The analysis of the interviews revealed that gamification is viewed by teachers as a motivating and collaborative strategy which can be challenging to implement in some courses but can be facilitated by certain key elements such as the use of narratives in the classroom. Additionally, teachers highlighted the need for more training in this new pedagogical strategy and the importance of collaborative planning of gamified experiences with colleagues. The value of this study lies in showing the impact of gamification on the perceptions of foreign language teachers in the medium term after its introduction into their classrooms.

Error Analysis in Second Language Acquisition (SLA): Types and Frequencies of Grammatical Errors of Simple Present and Past Tense in the Elicited Written Production Task of Arab EFL Undergraduate Learners

2023-03-08T10:43:43-05:00

This investigation aimed to examine the types and frequencies of grammatical errors of present and past tense and agreement in the elicited written production task (EWPT) of Arab EFL learners. The sample of the study comprised 67 Arab EFL undergraduates selected through a simple random sampling method and subdivided into three proficiency levels. The data collection instrument was the EWPT, which consisted of two passages and a total of 46 test items. The EWPT was collected and the errors committed by the students were identified, classified, and analyzed in frequencies. Then, statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 21. The findings demonstrated two basic types of grammatical errors: error of misformation (EM) and error of omission (EO). Overall results revealed that incorrect use of inflectional morphemes was higher for the EM than for the EO of inflectional morphemes across the three groups of participants. The ungrammatical EM is characterized by the use of incorrect forms, including misusing phonologically similar words, incorrect suffixation, substitution, as well as overgeneralization of be verb forms. Based on these findings, some recommendations and pedagogical implications were proposed, which might assist EFL teachers in developing feasible teaching propositions and policies.

Teaching and Communication Models in Diverse Classrooms in Bogotá

2022-07-07T11:14:22-05:00

Today more than ever, diverse classrooms are a reality in Colombian schools. The objective of this article is to understand how teaching and communication models are interwoven in the classrooms of a school characterized by the diversity of populations in the south of Bogotá. To achieve this goal, ethnography of communication is used, with techniques such as participant observation and ethnographic interview. The results show the predominance of knowledge transmission models under a vertical interaction scheme and a traditional type of teaching, as well as conditioning models centered on a bidirectional exchange of verbal and nonverbal character that leads to change and/or reinforcement of the students' behavior. These facts show the need to continue working so that communication becomes the basis of the intercultural fact and the axis of an education in and for differences.