The Effect of Simulation on Middle School Students’ Perceptions of Classroom Activities and their Foreign Language Achievement: A Mixed-Methods Approach

The present study delved into a language learning model in the domain of English as a foreign language (EFL), i.e., simulation. The term simulation is used to describe the activity of producing conditions which are similar to real ones. We hypothesized that simulation plays a role in middle school s...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Akram SHARIFI, Afsaneh GHANIZADEH, Safoura JAHEDIZADEH
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Kura Publishing 2017-03-01
Series:International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education
Subjects:
Online Access:http://iejee.com/index/makale/383/the-effect-of-simulation-on-middle-school-students-perceptions-of-classroom-activities-and-their-foreign-language-achievement-a-mixed-methods-approach
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Summary:The present study delved into a language learning model in the domain of English as a foreign language (EFL), i.e., simulation. The term simulation is used to describe the activity of producing conditions which are similar to real ones. We hypothesized that simulation plays a role in middle school students’ perceptions of classroom activities (i.e., interest, challenge, choice, and joy). It was also conjectured that simulation affects foreign language achievement. To do so, the study utilized an experimental design consisting of 51 female participants (25 learners in the control group and 26 students in the experimental group). The results demonstrated the positive role of simulation in students’ perceptions of classroom activities and their language achievement. A semi- structured interview was also held at the end of the study with a number of students in experimental group to investigate student’s attitudes and emotional reactions towards simulation.
ISSN:1307-9298