Department of English Programs
American University of Armenia
Friday, June 8 2012, 10:00-17:00
Yerevan, Armenia
The Department of English Programs held its first Student Research Conference on June 8, 2012. The Conference was open to all graduate students in Armenia in the fields of teaching languages and foreign language education. The event was entirely organized and coordinated by MA TEFL students under the leadership of Meri Nasilyan, 2nd year student in the DEP, with help from a team of current 1st and 2ndyear DEP students. Sixty graduate students from AUA, Russian-Armenian (Slavonic) University, and Yerevan State Linguistic University (after V. Brusov) gave talks and attended presentations on Linguistics, Applied Linguistics, TESOL, TEFL, and TESL. After this initial success, the DEP hopes to hold this conference on an annual basis every spring.
Conference Program and Abstracts
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LOCATION |
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| TIME | Manoogian Hall | PAB 413 W | PAB 414 W | Akian Gallery
4th floor PAB |
MAIN BLDG
LOBBY |
| 9:30-10:00 | REGISTRATION | —- | —- | —- | —- |
| 10:00-10:30 | OPENING DR. SIMEON SLOVACEK |
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| 10:30-11:15 | —- |
Language Manipulation in the Sphere of Advertising. |
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| 11:15-12:00 | —- |
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| 12:00-1:00 | —- | —- | —- | —- | LUNCH BREAK |
| 1:00-1:45 | —- |
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| 1:45-2:30 | —- |
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| 2:30-3:00 | —- | —- | —- | COFFEE BREAK | —- |
| 3:00-3:45 | —- |
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| 3:45-4:00 | CLOSING
END OF CONFERENCE |
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ABSTRACTS
- Dr. Simeon Slovacek, visiting professor, California State University, LA, USA : Unraveling Myths: The Case for Research in Education ( PPT )
This presentation will address the need for research in Education by exploring some widely held myths and hypotheses about education and human development. Examples of research hypotheses that later turned out to be false when put to the data test, will be presented. A few implications for English Language teachers and researchers will be addressed as well.
- Lusine Guinashian, Armenian – Russian(Slavonic) University: Language Manipulation in the Sphere of Advertising
The objective of the work is to provide the analysis of language manipulation in the sphere of advertising from linguistic perspective and specify linguistic means used in advertising texts and slogans. The work is aimed to show how the knowledge of pragmatics and language manipulation assists to creating a powerful and successful advertising text or slogan. By analytical method, the author found out the most frequently used words and structures that are being used in advertising slogans and video commercials in perfume industry in particular.
- Anna Movsesyan, AUA: Note-taking: A key to listening comprehension
This study is designed to delineate the effect of note-taking during listening activities on learners’ listening comprehension skills. It reviews a set of basic techniques used for effective note-taking and reflects on listening comprehension skills in different contexts. The study also performs an in depth description of the research design, introducing the involved participants, instrumentations and the procedure of data collection. Results of the study, particularly, the impact that note-taking during listening activities has on learners’ listening comprehension skills and learners’ attitudes towards note-taking during these activities are illustrated.
- Ani Hakobyan, Yerevan State Linguistic University (V. Brusov): Politics through Language: Can Language Construct or Destroy Identity?
The present study attempts to establish that not always politicians’ over-dependence on first person deixis can help improve identity. The paper expands upon the singular and plural forms of first person pronouns intermittently deployed throughout the pre-resignation televised speech made by the Egyptian ex-president Hosni Mubarak on Feb. 10, 2011. The results of the study indicate that despite his endeavors to repair a marred image, the exaggerated self-referencing by Hosni Mubarak implied a supreme awareness of his personality, self-reverence and ego-involvement.
- Armine Ab, AUA: The Impact of Blogging on the Production of Idioms in an Academic EFL Setting
This presentation will discuss about a research on the impact of blogging on the production of idioms in an academic EFL setting. The awareness raising factor of blogging and major challenges of producing idioms are discussed in this study. Twenty one participants of the study were the newly enrolled students of the American University of Armenia with TOEFL iBT score mean of 74.5. Quantitative data were obtained through pre- and post-tests. Qualitative data were obtained through a questionnaire and a semi-structured interview. Results obtained from the data analysis indicated that blogging had positive effect on the production of idioms.
- Syuzanna Torosyan, AUA: The Impact of Formative Assessment on EFL Learners’ Vocabulary Enhancement
Assessing the vocabulary knowledge of EFL learners is both essential and reasonably straightforward. It is essential in the sense that words are fundamental blocks of language, the units of meaning from which larger structures, such as phrases, sentences, paragraphs and texts are drawn. Vocabulary, as a central area in language teaching, needs testing tools to check learners’ progress. The purpose of the current paper is to investigate whether and to what extent formative assessment influenced EFL learners’ vocabulary enhancement. It also aimed at determining the students’ attitudes towards using formative assessment in the vocabulary learning process.
- Zarmine Chidemyan , Armenian – Russian (Slavonic) University: Pragmatic Framework of Political Situation
The present paper aims to investigate political situations represented in the form of political debates and political interviews with famous American and British politicians. The analysis of the transcripts of presidential debates brought to the conclusion that the two main strategies utilized by both speakers are the strategy of positive self-presentation and negative other-presentation. Communicative situation represented in the form of political interview was analyzed through those linguistic units which help the politician to hide the real truth from the audience.
- Siranush Seyranyan, Yerevan State University: The ABCs of Enriching English Language Vocabulary
The present paper addresses the issue of the proper mastery of English vocabulary as the crucial part for language proficiency. The process of vocabulary enrichment is viewed as a constant hyper active and forever changing process which includes not only the formal methods and techniques developed as the part of the language teaching curriculum but also the strategies designed by students themselves to meet their individual needs. The paper introduces theoretical approaches on the subject along with practical methods for application that have been summed up as a result of a small-scale survey among the students.
- Gayane Gabrielyan, AUA: The Effect Role-play on the Improvement of EFL Students’ Speaking Skills
This study aimed to investigate the effect of role-play on EFL students’ speaking skills as well as students’ attitudes towards role play. The research was carried out in the Experimental English Classes (EEC) at the American University of Armenia. The results obtained from the quantitative analysis revealed that there was a significant improvement in both the experimental and control groups, meaning the methods used in both groups were equally effective. The questionnaire and interview results revealed that the students’ attitudes towards role-play were positive.
- Shushanik Melik-Adamyan, Armenian – Russian (Slavonic) University: Lexicological and Stylistic Analysis of the Language of Science
The main aim of this paper is an attempt to analyze the language of science on lexicological and stylistic levels. In the practical part several scientific articles and abstracts from both natural and social sciences are explored on the basis of previous theoretical assumptions. And in doing so we realize our second goal, the endeavor to show that some common stereotypes about the language of science considered rather a poor and limited layer of language are very often erroneous. We hold that in the language of science polysemy, antonymy, oxymora and the like exist and are of great importance.
- Ani Smbatyan and Rozita Aghamalyan, AUA:Problematic Areas in EFL Writing of Armenian students
This paper examines the main problematic areas in EFL writing of high proficiency Armenian students. For that purpose, a qualitative study was conducted. Thirty writings from four different grades from the National Olympiad were analyzed and the main problematic areas were established. The results revealed that Armenian EFL learners make errors connected mostly with vocabulary and grammar, particularly with the use of prepositions. The present paper first introduces the main concepts and terms, then presents the findings of several prior studies. Then the authors present the research conducted, discuss its findings and draw conclusions.
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