Aug 2026· Journal of Education and Learning Technology· Vol 7, pp. 696· 0 citations· 21 references
Abstract
Using synonyms in essay writing tasks is one of the skills that improves clarity and precision. In the educational context, learners are expected to employ an extensive lexical repertoire to enhance clarity in their communication. Thus, this study focused on synonyms as a strategy to enhance communication. The study used a descriptive qualitative method. Data were collected using a document analysis instrument. The data were analysed using thematic analysis. The participants were fifteen (15) Grade 12 First Additional Language learners from one of the schools in the Malamulele South circuit. The results showed that some First Additional Language learners (EFAL) in the Malamulele South Circuit use synonyms in their English essays to improve clarity and understanding of the text. Furthermore, the study revealed that the causes of incorrect synonym usage include overgeneralisation, limited vocabulary, and poor reading habits. The study recommended more targeted instruction on the nuances of word choice and the importance of context in writing. The study contributes to existing knowledge by highlighting the role of synonym use as a specific lexical strategy in improving clarity and precision in essay writing, particularly among EFAL learners.
English writing proficiency is essential for learners of English as a First Additional Language (EFAL) in South Africa. Achieving this requires writers to use precise vocabulary, appropriate expressions and well-structured sentences, which is challenging for most students. The aim of this study is to identify patterns in the use of grammatical cohesion and to highlight the challenges that learners face in achieving coherent writing. The study explored the use of grammatical cohesion among Grade 12 English First Additional Language (EFAL) learners with particular emphasis on students in the Malanulele South Circuit of South Africa. A qualitative approach was adopted to examine the types of grammatical cohesive devices that learners use in their written texts. Data was collected from learners’ essays and analysed using thematic content analysis. The study found that the Grade 12 First Additional Language learners in the Malamulele South Circuit use all types of grammatical references, such as personal, demonstrative, comparative, and definite articles, as cohesive devices in their English essays. However, the study also found errors in addition and mismatches in the learners’ essays. The results indicate that the Grade 12 First Additional Language learners in the Malamulele South circuit relatively use reference as their cohesive device in English essays. Also, most writing challenges are in the application of personal pronouns, which require special attention from teachers and learners. The study recommends that essay-writing lessons be taught alongside cohesive devices. This study contributes to the scholarship on second language writing by providing context-specific insights into the use of grammatical cohesion among students.
M. Khosa, Hlaviso Motlhaka, E. Klu· E-Journal of Humanities, Art...· 0 citations
Writing in English is a crucial ability in the modern, globalized society. English, one of the most popular languages in the world, is essential for communication, commerce, education, and technology. Writing well in English enables people to communicate with people from another country, share information, and clearly convey ideas. For EFL (English Foreign Language) learners, mastering English grammar is still a major issue, especially in settings where English is not used for daily communication. This study looks at grammatical error and most common grammatical errors in the recount texts written by SMP VIP Asy-Syafi’iyyah Purworejo students. This study differs from previous studies by focusing on a pesantren-based school context. The research employed a descriptive qualitative method in analyzing the errors based on Burt, Dulay, and Krashen on Surface Strategy Taxonomy. The data sources of this research are the recount texts created by 18 seventh-grade students of SMP VIP Asy-Syafi’iyyah Purworejo. The results of this research found 242 grammatical errors: omission (19%), addition (9%), misformation (69%), and misordering (3%) Misformation was the most dominant error. The finding suggests that English teachers in pesantren-based schools should focus more on verb tense instruction to mitigate misunderstanding in written English communication.
Nelu Sahidah, A. Johan, Juita Triana· Ranah Research· 0 citations
Background: Lexical synonymy may contribute to vocabulary development by enabling learners to recognise semantic relationships and select contextually appropriate lexical alternatives.
Aims: This study aims to investigate the role of lexical synonymy in vocabulary expansion among Albanian students learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL). It specifically examines how awareness and use of synonymous relationships contribute to lexical development, semantic flexibility, and communicative competence in English. The study also explores the relationship between students’ mother tongue competence and their ability to acquire and use English synonyms effectively.
Study Design: A mixed-methods research design was employed, combining quantitative and qualitative approaches to analyse students’ awareness, acquisition, and use of lexical synonyms in English language learning.
Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted across the 2024–2025 and 2025–2026 academic years at the University of Tirana and Aleksandër Moisiu University of Durrës, Albania. The participants were undergraduate students from diverse academic programmes, including students in language and literature-related disciplines as well as other fields of study.
Methodology: The study was conducted across the 2024–2025 and 2025–2026 academic years at the University of Tirana and Aleksandër Moisiu University of Durrës, Albania. The participants included 71 first-year undergraduate students enrolled in diverse study programmes, including the Faculty of Foreign Languages, the Faculty of History and Philology, the Department of Albanian Language at the University of Tirana, and the Faculty of Education at Aleksandër Moisiu University of Durrës. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire comprising lexical and textual tasks designed to assess students’ awareness of synonymic relations, translation abilities, and their capacity to employ lexical alternatives in both English and Albanian. In addition, more than 15 English textbook-based texts were analysed to identify and examine synonymic relationships at the lexical, phrasal, and idiomatic levels. The collected data were analysed using descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation analysis to explore the relationships between synonym usage density and synonym acquisition in both Albanian-to-English and English-to-Albanian translation directions.
Results: The findings revealed positive relationships between awareness of lexical synonyms and vocabulary development. Correct responses ranged from 59% to 84% across the lexical tasks. Pearson correlation analysis showed significant positive associations between synonym usage density and Albanian-to-English synonym acquisition (r = .61), English-to-Albanian synonym acquisition (r = .58), and between the two acquisition directions (r = .64).
Conclusion: The study confirms that lexical synonymy plays a significant role in foreign language vocabulary development among Albanian EFL learners. The findings indicate that systematic integration of synonym-based activities into English language instruction can strengthen students’ semantic awareness, expand their lexical repertoire, and improve their overall communicative competence. Furthermore, the study emphasises the importance of establishing meaningful connections between learners’ mother tongue knowledge and foreign language acquisition processes, as such connections can facilitate deeper understanding, more effective vocabulary retention, and more accurate use of lexical items in English.
M. Shahini, H. Grillo· Journal of Education Society...· 0 citations
ABSTRACT
Writing is one of the most challenging skills for learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) because it requires the integration of linguistic, cognitive, and communicative competencies. In higher education, writing proficiency is essential for producing various academic texts; however, Indonesian EFL students continue to experience grammatical difficulties that negatively affect the quality of their writing. This study aims to examine the common grammatical errors found in the writing of Indonesian EFL students through the perspectives of Contrastive Analysis and Error Analysis. This study employed a library research design by analyzing and synthesizing relevant books, scholarly journal articles, and previous studies. The findings reveal that the most frequent grammatical errors involve tense usage, subject–verb agreement, articles, prepositions, plural forms, and sentence structure. These errors are primarily attributed to first-language transfer, overgeneralization, incomplete rule application, limited grammatical competence, and structural differences between Indonesian and English. In conclusion, Contrastive Analysis and Error Analysis provide complementary frameworks for identifying the sources of grammatical errors and serve as a valuable basis for improving the writing accuracy of EFL learners. The findings are expected to provide useful insights for teachers, curriculum developers, and researchers in designing more effective EFL writing instruction.
ABSTRAK
Menulis merupakan salah satu keterampilan yang paling menantang bagi pembelajar Bahasa Inggris sebagai Bahasa Asing (English as a Foreign Language/EFL) karena menuntut penguasaan aspek linguistik, kognitif, dan komunikatif. Dalam pendidikan tinggi, kemampuan menulis sangat penting untuk menghasilkan berbagai karya akademik, namun mahasiswa EFL di Indonesia masih sering melakukan kesalahan gramatikal yang memengaruhi kualitas tulisan. Penelitian ini bertujuan mengkaji kesalahan gramatikal yang umum ditemukan dalam tulisan mahasiswa EFL Indonesia melalui perspektif Analisis Kontrastif (Contrastive Analysis) dan Analisis Kesalahan (Error Analysis). Penelitian ini menggunakan metode kepustakaan (library research) dengan menganalisis berbagai buku, artikel ilmiah, dan hasil penelitian yang relevan. Hasil kajian menunjukkan bahwa kesalahan yang paling dominan meliputi penggunaan tenses, subject–verb agreement, artikel, preposisi, bentuk jamak, dan struktur kalimat. Kesalahan tersebut dipengaruhi oleh transfer bahasa pertama, overgeneralisasi, penerapan aturan yang tidak lengkap, keterbatasan penguasaan tata bahasa, serta perbedaan struktur antara bahasa Indonesia dan bahasa Inggris. Simpulannya, Analisis Kontrastif dan Analisis Kesalahan saling melengkapi dalam mengidentifikasi penyebab kesalahan gramatikal dan dapat menjadi landasan untuk meningkatkan akurasi menulis mahasiswa EFL. Temuan penelitian ini diharapkan menjadi acuan bagi guru, pengembang kurikulum, dan peneliti dalam mengembangkan pembelajaran menulis EFL yang lebih efektif.
Lili Elisa Rahma, Nazwa Umri Damanik, Rismayani Marpaung et al.· LANGUAGE Jurnal Inovasi Pend...· 0 citations
Purpose: The growing popularity of pronunciation research has led to an accumulation of knowledge in the literature. Notwithstanding the existence of reviews and syntheses on pronunciation, none has addressed this line of inquiry in the Turkish academic setting within the context of DergiPark journals. Design & Methodology: To that end, this study employed systematic, bibliometric, and content analyses to uncover the research tendencies and trends in pronunciation research within the mentioned context. A title search using keywords in DergiPark revealed 73 eligible records. A spreadsheet was used to document bibliometric and methodological characteristics, and NVivo 15 was used for content analysis. Findings: The study demonstrated that pronunciation research primarily focused on learnerteacher problems, leaving under-researched areas (e.g., instructional effectiveness, affective/cognitive factors, pronunciation constructs). Methodological robustness and depth are missing as the majority of research is either pedagogical/practice-oriented or uses quantitative designs, data collection tools, and analysis techniques. The prevalence of single-authorship calls for national and international co-operation. Implications & Suggestions: Collectively, the results were discussed within the broader literature, and implications were drawn. The findings suggest that Turkish researchers need greater methodological diversity, interdisciplinary collaboration, and attention to under-researched areas within English pronunciation scholarship.
I. Topal· İnönü Üniversitesi Eğitim Bi...· 0 citations
It is well-established that second/foreign language learning requires exposure to meaningful input. Thanks to advancing technologies, one way to achieve this in language teaching contexts is via online corpus tools. Given the potential pedagogical gains these tools offer for language skills (e.g., vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, and writing), this study aims to synthesise the findings of research on five popular corpus tools – Sketch Engine, SkELL, PlayPhraseMe, Fraze.it, and CorpusMate. Following the PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews, this study included five research papers from the Web of Science and Scopus databases until 2024. Applying qualitative and quantitative content analyses, the study found that corpus consultation promotes language skills and learner autonomy, supports contextually appropriate language use, and improves sensitivity to authentic language structures. Despite the promising outcomes, the scant number of studies analysed with some methodological issues and contextual constraints undermines the generalisability of the results. The study underscores the urgent need for more longitudinal, comparative, and large-scale research on using these corpus tools to harness them fully in language education. It also proposes that when systematically implemented, corpus tools may serve as powerful resources for language learning and teaching.
I. Topal· Journal of language research· 0 citations