ACEID2023 Pre-Recorded Virtual Presentations

68584

| Procedural Checkpoint-Infused Laboratory Activity: Impact on the Attitude Towards Physics Among STEM Students with Varying Academic Achievement

Gian May Morgado, San Beda University, Philippines

Jhoanne Catindig Orillo, De La Salle University, Philippines

As learners are now back in the classroom since the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, it was observed that there is a growing negative attitude towards physics among the grade 12 STEM students. Self-assessment was used as a basis to enhance hands-on laboratory activities by infusing procedural checkpoint questions in laboratory worksheets that will elicit students’ active participation during the activity. The researcher determined the impact of enhanced laboratory activities on the attitudes towards physics of students with different academic achievements. Groups of high achieving and low achieving students were exposed to laboratory activities based on traditional (TLA) and enhanced (PCILA) structure. Four factors of attitude towards physics course were measured using the Physics Course Attitude Scale (PCAS) by Cermik and Kara (2020), specifically the students’ F1) interest F2) unwillingness F3) academic self and F4) necessity. Two-way ANOVA was used to determine the interaction of the factors on the attitude toward the physics course. Data reveals that among the factors of attitude, only interest is influenced by academic achievement of the learners and that neither academic achievement nor laboratory activities can be a predictor of students’ attitude toward physics. Furthermore, the interaction of academic achievement and type of laboratory activity doesn’t significantly change students’ attitude toward physics course.

Foreign Languages Education & Applied Linguistics (including ESL/TESL/TEFL)

67431

| Empowering Teachers to Become Peacebuilders

Erika De la Barra, University of Santiago Chile, Chile

Soffia Carbone, University of Santiago, Chile

This qualitative study analyses the perceptions that a group of TEFL trainees at a private university in Santiago, Chile have on violence, conflict, and peace during the Covid-19 pandemic. The study is framed within the theories of Johannes Galtung (1996, 2004) whose main contribution to the field of peace research deals with the concepts of transcending conflicts, positive peace and peacebuilding. On the other hand, the scholar Rebecca Oxford (2013, 2018, 2020) links Galtung’s concept of peacebuilding with the role of language teachers, specially EFL teachers, due to the fact that their use of language can either contribute to conflict transcending and peacebuilding or not. For Oxford (2013) language is not innocent and can be used for peaceful, positive purposes or for harmful ones. She also claims that language of peace is multidimensional in the sense that it encompasses personal, interpersonal, intercultural and ecological peace. Through the implementation of five multidimensional peace activities with 54 students of the TEFL program, the preconceptions and beliefs of the students were examined through a thematic analysis that searched for keywords and relevant themes. The main findings revealed that after the intervention students became more aware of conflicts in their personal, interpersonal, intercultural and ecological field, and wanted to become active peacebuilders looking for ways to transcend the conflict. This has implications for in-service teachers and pre-service teacher’s training programmes since it becomes imperative that they receive more training on language for peace to foster tolerant, inclusive school communities.

68198 | Strengthening Higher Order Critical Thinking Skills of C1 Level Students in a Classroom Environment

Ganzul

Gantuya, University of Finance and Economics, Mongolia

Higher-order critical thinking skills are essential in university settings because they enable students to succeed in their studies. However, they cannot be learned solely by course materials and articles; nevertheless, they must develop a critical thinker's attitude or disposition. The two main objectives of this study were to examine whether students were enhancing their higher-order thinking abilities through vocabulary, grammar, discourse, reading, engaging with the text, and externalizing from the text. In addition, instructor-related questions were asked to identify how higher-order thinking skills were applied in the classroom. This study will target first-year students at the C1 level of the undergraduate Academic English program. We will answer how essential higher-order critical thinking skills are for fostering learning strategies for academic skills such as vocabulary, grammar, discourse, reading, engaging with a text, and externalizing from a text. Furthermore, a standardized Cambridge self-assessment survey on critical thinking was conducted among 52 students to measure their critical thinking skills and evaluate the success/failures of students. Using the qualitative and quantitative methods, the results of the study showed that students could use vocabulary (54.5%), sentence-level grammar (51.3%), discourse (49%), reading & listening (48.7%), engage with a text (53.5%), and externalize from a text (51.4%) often. Although most students concluded that instructors always support them well in the learning environment, results showed their skills need to develop better. Furthermore, we will examine how this correlation can improve and how concepts can be put into practice.

69408 | Factors Influencing Motivation and Demotivation in the EFL Classroom for Taiwanese College Students

Hsiang-I Chen, Ming Chuan University, Taiwan

Li-Jiuan Tsay, Ming Chuan University, Taiwan

Ling-Hui Hsu, Ming Chuan University, Taiwan

I-Lun Chiang, Ming Chuan University, Taiwan aceid.iafor.org/aceid2023-virtual-presentations

Learning a foreign language is not an easy task and sometimes it is overwhelming. Therefore, enhancing learner’s motivation so as to elevate English proficiency has been a critical issue for educators and researchers over the past decades. Learners are motivated differently, and the motivators for English learners nowadays might not be the same as they were ten years ago. Therefore, the main purpose of this study is to examine the motivators for EFL learners in Taiwanese colleges. In addition, factors resulting in demotivation in English learning were investigated as well. A total of 386 non-English majors in two colleges participated in this study. According to the statistical results, it was found that participants’ instrumental and integrative motivations positively influence their English learning motivation. On the other hand, the worry of employability was reported to cause the existence of demotivation. Implications and suggestions are discussed in the study. It is hoped that the findings of this investigation could improve the understandings of English learning motivation and then facilitate students’ English learning process.