Papers by Henry Sevilla Morales
LETRAS, 2017
Current complexities of English teaching in Costa Rica’s public secondary education are discussed... more Current complexities of English teaching in Costa Rica’s public secondary education are discussed. Using an autoethnographic research approach, critical incidents of an EFL teacher are examined in light of Complexity Theory. Findings suggest that classrooms are unpredictable sites of struggle where multiple rationalities coexist (and often conflict), which must be understood before random decisions are made. For applied linguistics, the study is relevant at three levels: it expands the bulk of literature on the subject, it calls for more attention to the complexities of EFL, and it opens an avenue for reflection and future research directions. ResumenSe analizan ciertos aspectos de las complejidades actuales sobre la enseñanza del inglés de secundaria en la educación pública de Costa Rica. Mediante la autoetnografía, se analizan incidentes críticos de un docente de inglés como lengua extranjera, a la luz de la teoría de la complejidad. Los hallazgos indican que el aula es un espacio...
Este número se publicó el 30 de mayo de 2014
Revista Electrónica "Actualidades Investigativas en Educación", vol. 14, núm. 2, mayo-a... more Revista Electrónica "Actualidades Investigativas en Educación", vol. 14, núm. 2, mayo-agosto, 2014, pp. 1-23
Journal of Translation and Language Studies, 2021
Translation theories which bloomed in the 1950s and the 1960s have inspired numerous debates on m... more Translation theories which bloomed in the 1950s and the 1960s have inspired numerous debates on multiple contexts of theory and praxis. With the increase of specialized journals and publishing houses of the past few decades, the professional literature has gone in so many directions –with supporters and opponents alike— that it is often hard to strike a balanced view of the contributions of these theories to current translation studies. In an attempt to fill this gap, this theoretical review article examines a corpus of scholarly publications which have taken place mainly between 2002 and 2018 about the translation theories proposed in the 1950s and 1960s. To such end, a body of works focusing on the seminal works of Vinay and Darbelnet (1958), Jakobson (1959), Nida (1964a), Catford (1965), and Nida and Taber (1969) are reviewed to infer their degree of applicability to current translation-based discussions and praxis. Findings suggest that the authors exerting the greatest influenc...
Káñina; Vol. 38, Núm. 2 (2014): Káñina; 297-301, Aug 25, 2014
Proyecto académico sin fines de lucro, desarrollado bajo la iniciativa de acceso abierto
A number of recent studies point to the bene ts of critical incidents and re ective writing in th... more A number of recent studies point to the bene ts of critical incidents and re ective writing in the language instruction process. Within this context, this study purports to unveil the role that critical incidents and re ective writing play in the con guration of future EFL teachers’ professional identities. To this end, 30 senior college students enrolled in an English Teaching Major wrote and re ected on critical incidents that have shaped their language learning and teaching of English experiences. Once data had been gathered, the researchers followed Freeman’s (1998) four-stage process for data analysis and interpretation. Findings were later on theorized in light of the research goal and the theory discussed in the theoretical framework. Conclusions are that (1) spaces for re ection should be opened so that positive practices are kept and the negative can be dismantled, (2) re ective writing through critical incidents is an effective way to realize professional and other social ...
Actualidades Investigativas en Educación, 2014
How to cite Complete issue More information about this article Journal's homepage in redalyc.org ... more How to cite Complete issue More information about this article Journal's homepage in redalyc.org Scientific Information System Network of Scientific Journals from Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain and Portugal Non-profit academic project, developed under the open access initiative
This study assesses the relation between self-evaluation and the development of learner autonomy ... more This study assesses the relation between self-evaluation and the development of learner autonomy (LA) in English as a foreign language (EFL). Using action-research, the investigation included 22 first-year students taking an oral communication and listening comprehension course in English at the Universidad Nacional, Costa Rica. Data collection instruments included weekly plan sheets, student diaries, and student portfolios and were subject to several validity measures. Broadly, findings suggest a connection between self-evaluation and the promotion of LA in EFL in four areas: time management, self-awareness and goal-setting, sense of achievement, and skills integration.
LETRAS, 2021
Consiste en una propuesta de traducción al inglés del cuento «Abbott y Costello», del nicaragüens... more Consiste en una propuesta de traducción al inglés del cuento «Abbott y Costello», del nicaragüense Sergio Ramírez. Es un trabajo terminológico que comprende la selección, búsqueda en textos paralelos y traducción al inglés de cincuenta términos problemáticos, según lo recomendado en el Manual de gestión terminológica, de Sherry E. Gapper. Se presenta además un análisis traductológico de la terminología seleccionada y se esbozan algunas conclusiones. Finalmente, se analizan implicaciones teóricas y prácticas y se dan recomendaciones para la traducción de textos literarios.
Letras, 2020
This study analyzes the opinions of a group of three English as a Foreign Language programs, on t... more This study analyzes the opinions of a group of three English as a Foreign Language programs, on the washback effects of board-based oral tests on the students’ language proficiency and foreign language anxiety levels, and on the professors’ instructional choices and decision making. With purposive sampling strategies and triangulation techniques, strong washback effects on learners’ foreign language anxiety levels and professors’ instructional choices, with lesser effects on learners’ proficiency levels and instructors’ decision making, were identied.
Pensamiento Actual, 2020
The current paper is a systematization of EFL experiences around the teaching of suprasegmentals ... more The current paper is a systematization of EFL experiences around the teaching of suprasegmentals courses from a register-based perspective. Simply put, the proposal is based on the notion that prosodic elements must be taught from a communicative perspective, where speech acts are adjusted to specific communicative situations considering the formality level required (casual, informal, formal, or fixed). To a large degree, the approach derives from the authors’ empirical evidence gained while teaching suprasegmentals at Universidad Nacional, Costa Rica (UNA) and Universidad de Costa Rica (UCR) over the course of four years.
Actualidades Investigativas en Educación, 2014
How to cite Complete issue More information about this article Journal's homepage in redalyc.org ... more How to cite Complete issue More information about this article Journal's homepage in redalyc.org Scientific Information System Network of Scientific Journals from Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain and Portugal Non-profit academic project, developed under the open access initiative
Káñina, 2014
Gerardo Tenorio supo que el ángel de la muerte por fin lo había alcanzado; husmeó suavemente con ... more Gerardo Tenorio supo que el ángel de la muerte por fin lo había alcanzado; husmeó suavemente con los dedos bajo su vientre, y acarició la tibiez de la sangre rezumada. Volvió a sentir un ligero mareo, se columpió un poco, y con fuerza bárbara empujó la lanza que tenía ya embutida entre las entrañas, para asegurarse de que esta vez no estuviera dentro de un sueño; el acero de la hoja traspasó las vísceras, hasta salir como un arpón hambriento sobre su espalda. Sintió un poco de dolor, pero no quiso molestarse en lanzar siquiera un quejido, porque no quería interrumpir el silencio brujo que se desgarraba en medio de las fauces del Volcán. Mientras Gerardo agonizaba entre ligeros resuellos, recordó tanto los mejores como los peores momentos de su vida, y no pudo saber si estos habían ocurrido hacía años, o hacía siglos infinitos en el indescriptible delirio de aquel jueves de terror y sombras. Volvió a sentir el filo del acero sediento en el gorgoriteo de sus vísceras, y pensó en las veces que esa misma lanza le había abierto el pecho a tantos jabalíes en la bocaza oscura de la selva, y se dio cuenta de que morir era vivir el drama de la vida entera en tan solo unos segundos, que podrían ser milenios, pues el tiempo es lo más impalpable que hay en este mundo de fantasías y ensueños. El Volcán lanzó un rugido, y corrieron los primeros vientos vespertinos desde la ribera del crique. La tarde se despedía con un garbo multicolor entre las nubes que avanzaban perezosas e indiferentes hacia el oeste, y Tenorio comprendió que había llegado el momento de entregarse a la inexorable ley de la naturaleza; sintió por última vez una paz muy parecida a la que experimentaba en las alucinaciones, que desde siempre lo concurrieron, y comprendió que su vida entera había sido solamente una premonición
LETRAS
The correlation between teacher training and the listening assessment practices is analyzed with ... more The correlation between teacher training and the listening assessment practices is analyzed with regard to teachers in the Costa Rican educational system. The results of a workshop on theory of listening assessment and guidelines provided by the Ministry of Public Education suggest that these testing practices can be improved with training that unifies official guidelines and listening assessment theory. En el estudio se analiza la correlación entre capacitación docente y las prácticas de evaluación auditiva en el profesorado del sistema educativo costarricense. A partir de un taller sobre teorías de la evaluación auditiva y directrices al respecto, del Ministerio de Educación Pública, se colige que esas prácticas deben mejorarse mediante capacitaciones que unifiquen tales directrices oficiales y la teoría de esta área del saber.
GIST – Education and Learning Research Journal
This research paper discusses the benefits and implications of bringing authentic assessment into... more This research paper discusses the benefits and implications of bringing authentic assessment into listening comprehension classes. The study was run in 2016 based on a QUAL-Quan model to research and included 38 college students enrolled in a listening comprehension class at an English Teaching Major (ETM) from the University of Costa Rica (UCR). Data collection instruments included plans of improvement, portfolios, self-assessment forms, teacher-student conferences, verbal calls, and impromptu reflections. Data were validated through several procedures and analyzed in the form of emerging themes from the information collected. Findings are that authentic assessment can and should be used more in listening comprehension classes to bring assessment and instruction together, as well as to provide opportunities for skills integration. The study yields implications for theory and practice, and it constitutes a proposal to move from traditional to process evaluation, and from norm-refere...
GiST Education and Learning Research Journal
This study examines future teachers’ theoretical reflections on Critical Incidents and how these ... more This study examines future teachers’ theoretical reflections on Critical Incidents and how these link to Costa Rica’s English teaching system. Participants included 30 senior college students from an English teaching program. Using narrative research techniques, the authors have concluded that: (1) spaces for reflection must be created in EFL so that students’ voices are heard; (2) both instruction and assessment need to be tackled not from the native speaker angle but from the learner language perspective; and (3) because mistakes are both inherent to foreign language learning and an indicator of language development, more tolerance to learner errors needs to be exercised. The study proves relevant for language pedagogy and Applied Linguistics (AL) since it paves the way for further research, opens room for reflection and dialogue, and enhances our understanding of the issue at stake from a future-teacher standpoint.
Revista de Lenguas Modernas, 2017
This paper examines the connection between student self-evaluation strategies and autonomy develo... more This paper examines the connection between student self-evaluation strategies and autonomy development in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom. To this end, 18 students enrolled in a phonetics class participated in a constructivist-based action research plan. Using different autonomy-oriented instruments, students set their learning goals and self-assessment strategies to foster learner autonomy and evaluated their learning experiences at the end of the semester. The study adopted a triangulation mixed methods design, where quantitative results were used concurrently with the qualitative data. Findings suggest clear-cut connections between self-evaluation strategies and the development of learner autonomy in the context of EFL.
Actualidades Investigativas en Educación, 2017
This research sought to explore the connection between a small-group intensive reading comprehens... more This research sought to explore the connection between a small-group intensive reading comprehension project and students’ performance in two sample English national exit exams (ENEEs) developed by the Ministry of Public Education, Costa Rica. The data were gathered from an intervention plan that combined the theoretical principles of schema theory, scaffolded reading comprehension, and intensive reading. The study adopts an action-research approach and uses a mixed design that combines quantitative and qualitative data in the analysis and interpretation of results. Participants included twelve students from a public high school in the Western Area of Costa Rica who needed special preparation for the ENEE, which narrows the research scope down to this population only. The data collection techniques included two sample ENEEs, field notes, and research artifacts. Findings reveal positive effects of scaffolded reading comprehension on student ENEE performance, but also it is warning th...
Pensamiento Actual, Jun 28, 2014
a I am always sorry when any language is lost, because languages are the pedigrees of nations.
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Papers by Henry Sevilla Morales