Papers by Ervin Kovacevic
In Gudurić, Snežana, Radić-Bojanić, Biljana, & Mutavdžić, Predrag. Jezici i Kulture u Vremenu i Prostoru IX/2. University of Novi Sad, 2020
This study presents and attempts to validate the Triplet Model of Content-based Second Language ... more This study presents and attempts to validate the Triplet Model of Content-based Second Language (L2) Instruction. The model has been developed over a few years by a team of English instructors as a set of instructional responses to a number of contextual variables. Its implementation is based on the Principles of Limited Flexibility , Critical Literacy, and Feedback-situated Experience. The first principle promotes adoption of educational philosophies and teaching styles which rest on the partly predictable dynamics; they oscillate across alternatives between the traditional and progressive forms. The second principle imposes particular forms of L2 experience which deliberately utilize tasks and materials that stimulate reflection on intercultural values, build intercultural competence, and provide personal growth. The third principle conditions the instructor to utilize individualized feedback sessions and techniques to facilitate the mastery of L2 using. The adoption of these three principles has been explored in the context of English for Academic Purposes courses which were offered in the Fall Semester 2019 at the International University of Sarajevo. Four instructors were interviewed about their practices. The interviews have confirmed the legitimacy of the principles.
IN THE SEARCH OF A LANGUAGE PEDAGOGICAL PARADIGM (edited by Michał Daszkiewicz and Anna Dąbrowska), 2020
This research explores the process of transformation of personal second language (L2) teaching pe... more This research explores the process of transformation of personal second language (L2) teaching pedagogy. It proposes the Multi-dynamic model of L2 teacher development which is based on Jarvis’s (1987) model of the learning process, Clarke and Hollingsworth’s (2002) interconnected model of professional growth, a neuroscientific perspective on the role of the limbic system in the learning process (Zull 2002), and Burns’s (2017) ‘Being-based’ teacher-oriented professional development framework. The model is built on the premise that personal L2 pedagogies should be facilitated primarily by means of critical reasoning and experimental experience which are in reciprocal relationships with personally generated results, situational feedback, and emotional dynamics. The proposal is followed by the results of an experimental study conducted at the International University of Sarajevo which show how personal L2 teaching pedagogies change after an undergraduate course in pedagogy.
Translation Studies: Retrospective and Prospective Views Year XII Vol.22, 2019
The present paper discusses the translation process as a means of understanding how the affective... more The present paper discusses the translation process as a means of understanding how the affective component may enhance critical thinking skills and linguistic research when finding translation equivalents. The theoretical framework of the paper is based on Bally's (1905) understanding of translation as a medium for acquiring a better insight into the affective in translators' personalities, their knowledge of grammar and general knowledge (Collombat 2006) and Halliday's (1978) approach to text as a complex system. In the context of the translation classroom, the value of critical thinking, critical reading, and general knowledge emerges owing to the fact that not only peculiar aspects of grammar, semantics and syntax may be reached through the talk-alouds (Bernandini 2002), but also the affective component, often an important factor in the decision-making process. The paper explores whether the texts containing the affective component defer the completion of in-class translation tasks in a corpus comprised of two sets of texts where each set contains two excerpts of proximal ('set 1') or varying ('set 2') readability scores.
Porta Linguarum, 2019
This study examines the hypothesis that language learning strategies (LLS) partly account for the... more This study examines the hypothesis that language learning strategies (LLS) partly account for the level of L2 proficiency (i.e. the level of L2 lexical complexity produced in the written output of English language learners). To test the hypothesis, 152 English-proficient freshman students of Bosnian L1 linguistic background were surveyed utilizing the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) designed by Rebecca Oxford (1990). Their lexical output was collected through short essays that were written during formal exams held in English for Academic Purposes undergraduate courses at the International University of Sarajevo. The written samples were converted to an electronic format and analyzed with the Web-based Lexical Complexity Analyzer (Lu, 2012; Ai & Lu, 2010). Relationships between six SILL subscales and twenty-five lexical complexity (LC) measures were assessed through applying the principles of correlational design. The results confirmed the hypothesis. Statistically significant correlations were found between memory strategies and three LC measures , cognitive strategies and twenty LC measures, compensation strategies and nine LC measures, and affective strategies and three LC measures. It is concluded that the relationship between LLS and LC levels is mostly conditioned by LLS types.
Jezikoslovlje, 2019
Although the relationship between language proficiency and learner beliefs is generally viewed as... more Although the relationship between language proficiency and learner beliefs is generally viewed as weak, indirect, and distant, there are empirical findings which show that the relationship between syntactic complexity measures and language learning beliefs is statistically tangible. Since syntactic complexity is only one constituent of the linguistic complexity system, it seems plausible to question whether other constituents of the system are also in statistically measurable relationships with language learning beliefs. This research project explores the relationship between 25 lexical complexity measures (Lu 2012; 2014) and four subscales of language learning beliefs that are suggested for Horwitz's (2013) Beliefs about Language Learning Inventory-BALLI 2.0 (Kovačević 2017). For three semesters (Fall 2014, Spring and Fall 2015), 152 freshman students at the International University of Sarajevo responded to BALLI 2.0 and wrote in-class exam essays which were converted into an electronic format. The results show 15 statistically significant correlation coefficients between 14 lexical complexity measures and three BALLI 2.0 sub-scales. Overall, it may be concluded that the relationship between lexical complexity measures and language learning beliefs is statistically detectable. The findings imply that the lexical complexity framework offers valuable opportunities for exploring how and to what extent particular individual differences manifest in foreign language production.
In Gudurić, Snežana & Radić-Bojanić, Biljana (eds.). JEZICI I KULTURE U VREMENU I PROSTORU VII/2. University of Novi Sad, 469-479, 2018
This research project explores the relationship between lexical and syntactic complexity measures... more This research project explores the relationship between lexical and syntactic complexity measures in the learner's use of the language learned. Statistically significant positive correlations were predicted. The predictions were tested by analyzing an English learner corpus which comprises 152 essays written during in-class exams conducted at the International University of Sarajevo. The corpus was analyzed with the Lexical Complexity Analyzer (Ai & Lu, 2010; Lu, 2012) and the L2 Syntactic Complexity Analyzer (Lu, 2014; 2010). A correlation test between 25 measures of lexical complexity (LC) and 14 measures of syntactic complexity (SC) produced a large number of statistically significant positive and several statistically significant negative correlations. The overall findings show that lexical and syntactic complexity measures only partly account for each other and imply that automatic ratings of L2 proficiencies which utilize language complexity indices need to rely on both lexical and syntactic complexity measures.
Kovačević, Ervin. The relationship between language learning beliefs and syntactic complexity. In Gudurić, Snežana & Radić-Bojanić, Biljana (eds.), Jezici i Kulture u Vremenu i Prostoru 6. Novi Sad: University of Novi Sad, 455–464., 2017
This research project explores the relationship between language learning beliefs and the levels ... more This research project explores the relationship between language learning beliefs and the levels of syntactic complexity in the learner's use of the language learned. It is hypothesized that language learning beliefs partly account for the levels of complexity in syntactic output. To test the hypothesis, one hundred and fifty-two (N=152) English-proficient freshman students were surveyed with the Beliefs About Language Learning Inventory/BALLI 2.0 (Horwitz, 2013). Their syntactic output was collected through formal exams held in English for Academic Purposes (EAP) undergraduate courses taught at the International University of Sarajevo. The written samples were converted to an electronic format and analyzed with the L2 Syntactic Complexity Analyzer (Lu, 2014; 2010). The results show statistically significant weak negative correlations between seven indices of syntactic complexity and the 'Motivation' BALLI subscale. The results also show statistically significant weak negative correlations between two indices of syntactic complexity and the 'Orientation' BALLI subscale.
The number of the undergraduate Turkish students studying at universities in Bosnia and Herzegovi... more The number of the undergraduate Turkish students studying at universities in Bosnia and Herzegovina has increased over the past few years. They usually study at the universities where the language of instruction is English, namely International University of Sarajevo and International Burch University. This research explores the differences in the adoption of language learning strategies between Turkish and Bosnian university students learning English for Academic Purposes (EAP) in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In Fall 2015, one hundred and forty Bosnian (n=140) and ninety-two Turkish (n=92) freshman university students were surveyed with the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning ‒ SILL 7.0 (Oxford, 1990) at International University of Sarajevo. The results revealed statistically significant differences in the adoption of memory, cognitive, and affective strategies. The analysis revealed no statistically significant differences in the adoption of compensation, metacognitive, and social strategies. In addition, an independent T-test showed a statistically significant difference in the overall adoption of the SILL strategies. The results show that cultural background partly accounts for preferences over particular language learning strategy clusters.
This research will explore teaching styles of university professors. Teaching style is an umbrell... more This research will explore teaching styles of university professors. Teaching style is an umbrella term for teaching decisions made during the entire teaching process – planning, delivery, and evaluation. Contemporary university teachers are advised to adopt the learner-centred teaching style which is assumed to produce remarkable possibilities. In the Fall Semester 2015 fifty-two respondents in different faculties of International University of Sarajevo were surveyed using The Principles of Adult Learning Scale inventory designed by Gary J. Conti. Inventory scores were calculated according to guidelines suggested by the author of the inventory. The scores revealed that majority of respondents strongly supported teacher-centred rather than learner-centred styles of instruction. Scores were analysed on gender lines and across three different faculties, namely: Arts and Social Sciences; Business and Administration; Engineering and Natural Sciences. In all five groups none of the seven teaching style indicators was found to conform with the learner-centred teaching criteria. There was no statistically significant difference between the two genders' preference for a teaching style. And there was no statistically significant difference between teaching style preference across the three different faculties.The results of this research imply that the learner-centred style of instruction is not frequently implemented. Secondly, the results indicate that the requirements necessary for proper application of the learner-centred teaching style are not easy to meet in current written and unwritten norms. Finally, the results show that traditional teaching styles, which have been preserved in different scientific fields, still predominate in universities.
Correlation studies (Li, 2010; Chang & Shen, 2010) between the clusters of survey items as origin... more Correlation studies (Li, 2010; Chang & Shen, 2010) between the clusters of survey items as originally suggested for The Beliefs About Language Learning Inventory ‒ BALLI (EFL version; Horwitz, 1988) and Strategy Inventory for Language Learning ‒ SILL 7.0 (Oxford, 1990) report generally weak and moderate positive correlation coefficients. The above survey instruments were administered to fifty freshman students of Bosnian linguistic and cultural background at International University of Sarajevo. Correlation tests partly confirmed results reported by Li (2010) and Chang and Shen (2010) but with more similar correlation coefficients with respect to the later authors. The results partly reflect universal features of the foreign language learner and indicate that the theory of reciprocity between the two research constructs should be focused on findings about other forms of human intelligence.
International Conference on Education, Culture and Identity, Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina - The Book of Proceedings, 2013
The characteristics associated with both effective and popular college instructors vary from bein... more The characteristics associated with both effective and popular college instructors vary from being knowledgeable, organized, or prepared to being caring, friendly, or humorous. Joseph Lowman (1994; 1995) classified thirty-three of such characteristics into two categories: intellectual behavior and interpersonal rapport. Inspired by his classification, this research asked 164 students of the International University of Sarajevo to rate the importance of the same characteristics for their own learning. The comparative analysis of the ratings and the rater profiles confirmed the premise that college teachers whose teaching actions are strongly governed by both the categories might be highly effective with any group of college students. Yet this article questions whether all the sets of personal characteristics associated with effective and popular instructors can be acquired and to what extent. The overall conclusions remind us of the links between displayed teaching styles and educational philosophies, and thus the life philosophies behind them.
Contemporary Foreign Language Education: Linking Theory into Practice, Ed. by Azamat Akbarov and Vivian Cook, Sarajevo: IBU Publications, 2012
Designed to teach rhetorical reading and advanced academic writing, Freshman English II is a requ... more Designed to teach rhetorical reading and advanced academic writing, Freshman English II is a required course for all International University of Sarajevo (IUS) students, regardless of the program they are enrolled in. During this course, students were required to write a research paper for which they had to explore the concept of "Teaching Style", come up with effective teaching criteria, observe the teaching actions of a Freshman English teacher, and define the effective and ineffective ones calling on the referred literature and their own intellectual reasoning. More than a hundred students revealed that they are intellectually excited and pleased by the teaching actions displaying teachercentered style (i.e. Expert, Formal Authority, and Personal Model), while they are, however, extremely appreciative of and motivated by artful teaching performance, teaching behaviors which project high interpersonal rapport, and learnercentered teaching approach. For the purpose of reaching more valid and reliable conclusions, the remarks were complemented with the results obtained through a formal survey assessing teaching performance at the end of every semester. Consequently, it might be inferred that in order to meet the needs of IUS Freshman English student profiles, a teacher should be able to deliberately apply teaching techniques associated with every and any style; a style driven by both andragogical and pedagogical reasoning. 3
The Journal of Teaching and Education , 2012
Consequently, he concluded that the practitioners either lacked the teaching knowledge which coul... more Consequently, he concluded that the practitioners either lacked the teaching knowledge which could be more effective with adult learner population, or they had not been trained to do so. Both the assumptions could be true. found that the instructors who received training in adult learning theory were more likely to display teaching behaviors that answer the needs of adult learner profiles. However, while trying to identify the reasons of the mismatch, Kova evi seems to have neglected the factors characterizing the team and school cultures the survey respondents were part of. Calling on Zinn (2004 states that research has indicated the philosophical orientation of an institution or facility may impact the philosophy of the individual educators, and over time, cause a shift in personal philosophy, which would then impact teaching style.
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Papers by Ervin Kovacevic