LULU PublicationsInternational Journal of Education & Language Studies2767-48512320231201Numbers in Dholuo12217231310.22034/ijels.2023.365441.1021ENDAVID OWINOOKWAYODepartment of Languages, Literary and Communication Studies, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology, Kenya0000-0002-2482-5600Emily AyietaOndondoDepartment of Languages, Literary and Communication Studies, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology, KenyaRobert OnyangoOchiengDepartment of Languages, Literary and Communication Studies, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology, KenyaJournal Article20221012Dholuo is one of the languages with a highly productive overt nominal marking system, particularly in plural formation. Despite this, previous studies have differed sharply on exactly how number is expressed in Dholuo nouns. In addition, the previous studies’ approaches posit feature polarity (voice, manner or prosodic) as a feature that solely applies to nouns. Again, none of the attempts has endeavored to fully account for the morphemes –e, -i and –ni occurring at the end of Dholuo plural forms. The analysis in this study shows that the feature “voice,” in general or voice polarity in particular, is not an exclusive constraint for defining Dholuo plurals but is a general descriptive constraint for all Dholuo nominal inflectional processes. The study has established that plural formation in Dholuo is regular and that Dholuo has a basic plural marker –e which has three allomorphic variations –e, -i, and -ni occurring in specific, morphophonologically defined environments. The [-ni] allomorph occurs predominantly with V-final noun roots and whose penultimate syllable is preceded by a long vowel; the [-i] allomorph occurs with noun roots which have a diphthong in the preceding syllable; and the final [-e] allomorph occurs elsewhere, but particularly with noun roots with a short vowel or vowel sequence in the penultimate syllable. This study also established that phonotactic restrictions in Dholuo nominals play a crucial part in yielding the structures in the plural forms, particularly articulatory harmony in consonants and vowel place (rounding, height, backness, ATR) harmony.https://www.ijels.net/article_172313_dbdd73481cd370cfd7ea82fe274dc200.pdfLULU PublicationsInternational Journal of Education & Language Studies2767-48512320231201The English Learning Motivation of Chinese Junior High School Students: Cross-grade Survey Analysis233617620210.22034/ijels.2023.399892.1023ENXiaojingSongMarketing Trading CentreJournal Article20230601Existing literature indicates that motivation is the most powerful determining factor that influences the rate and success of second language learning (Jiang, 2016; Kramsch & Yin, 2018; Li & Edwards, 2017; Liu, Lin, & Wiley, 2016; Liu, 2016). Currently, there is a growing body of empirical research indicating the changes in second language learning motivation in different grades at the same or different schools (Chambers, 1999; Kim, 2011, 2012a, b; Lamb, 2007; Williams, Burden, & Lanvers, 2002). The findings of previous studies have mostly shown that student second language learning motivation increases with increasing grade levels. Do¨rnyei (2000) suggested that concentrating on the time dimension of second language motivation is crucial for comprehending the second language motivation of students. However, the temporal variations of second language motivation, particularly motivational changes at different Chinese junior high school grades, have not been sufficiently emphasized by second language motivation researchers, therefore, this quantitative research investigated the changes in Chinese junior high school students’ English learning motivation from Grade 7 to Grade 9. An English learning motivation questionnaire was used and administered to 3000 students from Grades 7 to 9 in public junior high schools across Mainland China, and employed the reliability analysis and analysis of variance to analyze quantitative data. The statistical results revealed that Grade 9 students ranked highest in English learning motivation, followed by Grade 8 and Grade 7 students. Furthermore, the high school entrance exams had a positive impact on Grade 9 students' motivation to learn English.https://www.ijels.net/article_176202_e46e145956fab8c43be63d78efe3c905.pdfLULU PublicationsInternational Journal of Education & Language Studies2767-48512320231201Cooperative Learning in an Afghan Higher Education EFL Context: Teachers’ Attitudes, Opportunities, and Challenges385418072610.22034/ijels.2023.395006.1022ENMohammad QasimFarooqiBadghis Institute of Higher EducationJournal Article20230428This study explored the attitudes of Afghan English as a foreign language (EFL) instructors toward cooperative learning (CL) and its perceived opportunities and challenges in the context of higher education in Afghanistan. The participants (n=8) were chosen purposively from among the master trainers of TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) and English instructors from the English Department of Kabul Education University. The study employed a qualitative research design, using semi-structured interviews, to collect data from the participants. The data were analyzed using a thematic approach and the three components of Spooncer’s (1992) tripartite model of attitude as a framework. The findings indicated that the participants held a positive attitude toward CL in the context of higher education. Furthermore, the paper revealed some opportunities and challenges for both teachers and learners when implementing CL. This study also provided some possible solutions for the challenges associated with the implementation of CL.https://www.ijels.net/article_180726_12c33b1c30e356053378a5d0328f75a6.pdfLULU PublicationsInternational Journal of Education & Language Studies2767-48512320231201Investigating Afghan EFL Teachers' and Students' Attitudes Towards Oral Corrective Feedback558118640710.22034/ijels.2023.405904.1024ENBanafshahHakimiBanafshah Hakimi, English InstructorJournal Article20230707Foreign language acquisition has never been apart from trial and error and has grabbed magnificent attention in the OCF literature. It aims to provide consistent and congruous feedback to EFL learners. In alignment with several other studies in this field, the current study aims to investigate Afghan teachers’ and students’ attitudes toward OCF. This study is conducted via mixed-method design; a questionnaire was distributed to 40 sophomore students of HUA (Herat University Afghanistan) to record their attitudes towards OCF. Moreover, to have a deeper understanding of the topic, five of the HUA EFL teachers were interviewed. The results indicated some matches and mismatches between the perceptions of both groups regarding the amount of OCF in terms of perceptions, amount, types, timing, and source of OCF. Because some similarities existed between teachers’ and students’ perceptions towards OCF, it was not void of differences. The study revealed significant differences between the Types of OCF strategies. Contrary to their teacher, students in this study were found to be in favor of ‘Elicitation’ and ‘Meta-linguistic’ OCF strategies. Although, the OCF strategy preferred by the teachers is the ‘Explicit’ OCF strategy. Apart from all the differences and similarities, OCF aims to highlight learners’ errors, improve their spoken language, and activate good teacher-student interaction. https://www.ijels.net/article_186407_9ba1947ad684dfc3d23daafdacf2dd65.pdf