title: Improving Written Language and Exploring Attitudes towards Learning English in Primary Age ESL Learners in Brunei Darussalam

authors: Dallas, Heather

subjects: ESL learners

abstract: This research was conducted in the small sultanate of Brunei Darussalam on the island of Borneo where the researcher was working as an English language teacher at a government primary school. Although the majority of students’ first language is Bruneian Malay, English is also an important component of the Bruneian curriculum, and is taught from new entrant level. From Year 1, Mathematics and Science are also taught in English and students sit Cambridge University examinations in these three subjects at secondary school. As these are examinations for native speakers, a high standard of English is necessary for academic success.
The main goals in this research were to investigate whether a journal writing programme would improve the English writing of primary students and to suggest to what extent their differing attitudes towards learning English affect success in writing tasks.
The research used the context of a case study of ten students in Years 4, 5 and 6 participating in a weekly journal writing programme to focus on four aims:
• to document any changes or improvements in students’ written English over the course of ten months through a comparison of writing samples at the beginning and end of the programme;
• to observe any changes in student attitudes towards the writing programme and their relationship with the teacher;
• to ascertain basic attitudes or challenges towards learning and using English at school and at home;
• to suggest any connection between the findings for the above aims and actual academic achievement in end of year English examinations.
A mixed-methods approach was used for this research which collected five different types of data and was conducted in two parts. A background context for the study was first established by surveying peers from the same school about their attitudes towards English and any challenges they face. School examination results were also studied. A range of data was then collected from the case study students which included their own survey responses, examination results, written journal entries and classroom observations by the teacher.
A major finding of this research study was the significantly improved deeper writing features exhibited in the journal writing entries. Students’ sense of audience, personal voice, and quality of vocabulary improved far more than would be expected from normal writing maturation in this timeframe. There is evidence of a high degree of student engagement during journal writing, often due to personally motivating topics. The opportunity to share ideas through written dialogue with their teacher resulted in the development of strong teacher student relationships. Findings surrounding the issues of modeling correct language in context, code switching to enhance understanding of new language and the explicit teaching of vocabulary are also examined.
This research provides several other significant findings. There is strong evidence primary age students at all ability levels value English and would like to improve their academic results. Differences in gender were discovered with more boys than girls finding writing the most difficult English skill. Boys were also more likely to fail examinations. Interesting data is provided about the feedback teachers provide writers, and a major finding was that classroom English tasks were not able to be completed successfully by approximately half of all students. There are interesting findings about the strong beliefs students hold on being taught the other core subjects of Mathematics and Science using the English language.
Finally, this research makes an important contribution to understanding how young learners’ attitudes towards a second or subsequent language affect their ability to do the task and to eventual task success or failure. A major implication for educators from this research is that many students are likely to highly benefit from a differentiated English programme in primary school which supports the varied learning needs of all students.
Although this research was conducted in Brunei, many of the findings may also be applicable to ESL teaching programmes in other parts of Asia and around the world at a time of strong international interest and growth in English second language teaching.

text: Improving Written Language and Exploring Attitudes towards Learning English in Primary Age ESL Learners in Brunei Darussalam This research was conducted in the small sultanate of Brunei Darussalam on the island of Borneo where the researcher was working as an English language teacher at a government primary school. Although the majority of students’ first language is Bruneian Malay, English is also an important component of the Bruneian curriculum, and is taught from new entrant level. From Year 1, Mathematics and Science are also taught in English and students sit Cambridge University examinations in these three subjects at secondary school. As these are examinations for native speakers, a high standard of English is necessary for academic success.
The main goals in this research were to investigate whether a journal writing programme would improve the English writing of primary students and to suggest to what extent their differing attitudes towards learning English affect success in writing tasks.
The research used the context of a case study of ten students in Years 4, 5 and 6 participating in a weekly journal writing programme to focus on four aims:
• to document any changes or improvements in students’ written English over the course of ten months through a comparison of writing samples at the beginning and end of the programme;
• to observe any changes in student attitudes towards the writing programme and their relationship with the teacher;
• to ascertain basic attitudes or challenges towards learning and using English at school and at home;
• to suggest any connection between the findings for the above aims and actual academic achievement in end of year English examinations.
A mixed-methods approach was used for this research which collected five different types of data and was conducted in two parts. A background context for the study was first established by surveying peers from the same school about their attitudes towards English and any challenges they face. School examination results were also studied. A range of data was then collected from the case study students which included their own survey responses, examination results, written journal entries and classroom observations by the teacher.
A major finding of this research study was the significantly improved deeper writing features exhibited in the journal writing entries. Students’ sense of audience, personal voice, and quality of vocabulary improved far more than would be expected from normal writing maturation in this timeframe. There is evidence of a high degree of student engagement during journal writing, often due to personally motivating topics. The opportunity to share ideas through written dialogue with their teacher resulted in the development of strong teacher student relationships. Findings surrounding the issues of modeling correct language in context, code switching to enhance understanding of new language and the explicit teaching of vocabulary are also examined.
This research provides several other significant findings. There is strong evidence primary age students at all ability levels value English and would like to improve their academic results. Differences in gender were discovered with more boys than girls finding writing the most difficult English skill. Boys were also more likely to fail examinations. Interesting data is provided about the feedback teachers provide writers, and a major finding was that classroom English tasks were not able to be completed successfully by approximately half of all students. There are interesting findings about the strong beliefs students hold on being taught the other core subjects of Mathematics and Science using the English language.
Finally, this research makes an important contribution to understanding how young learners’ attitudes towards a second or subsequent language affect their ability to do the task and to eventual task success or failure. A major implication for educators from this research is that many students are likely to highly benefit from a differentiated English programme in primary school which supports the varied learning needs of all students.
Although this research was conducted in Brunei, many of the findings may also be applicable to ESL teaching programmes in other parts of Asia and around the world at a time of strong international interest and growth in English second language teaching.

year: 2013

title: Identification of central circuitry components mediating anorexigenic properties of oxytocin

authors: Klockars, Oscar Andreas

abstract: Recent years have brought exciting discoveries showing that a neurohormone, oxytocin (OT), acts as an appetite suppressant. Importantly, OT decreases energy needs-driven consumption of high-calorie foods by promoting early satiation, and it terminates intake motivated by palatability related to sweet taste. OT’s anorexigenic effects on both aspects of ingestive behavior are mediated by the OT receptor (OTr) expressed broadly in the brain, however, our understanding of which specific sites relay anorexigenic actions of OT is limited. Thus far, only the nucleus accumbens and ventral tegmental area of the mesolimbic system, and the brainstem’s dorsal vagal complex, have been directly implicated in relaying OT-induced hypophagia. Thus, the overarching goal of this thesis was to examine which discrete components of circuitry expressing the OTr mediate OT’s anorexigenic effects on energy- versus reward-driven feeding. The research approaches included intracranial drug administration, analyses of region-specific expression of genes, neuronal activation mapping, and feeding behavior testing in rats.
The first set of studies explored whether extreme overeating induced by a powerful orexigen, butorphanol tartrate (BT), can be alleviated by pharmacologically stimulating the OT receptor in the forebrain versus the hindbrain (via lateral (LV) and fourth ventricular (4V) OT injections, respectively). I established effective doses of BT and LV / 4V OT. Then, I determined doses of LV and 4V OT that reduce hyperphagia produced by BT in sated and deprived rats. Finally, I assessed whether OT’s effects on BT-induced feeding can be suppressed by an OTr antagonist. 4 mg/kg BT increased intake in fed and in deprived rats, whereas LV and 4V OT at 1μg caused a decrease in deprived rats. BT-induced chow intake in hungry and sated animals was suppressed by a very low, 0.1-μg dose of 4V OT, whereas 1μg OT was effective LV. The effect of OT was attenuated by OTr antagonist. The data strongly suggest that while both the forebrain and hindbrain populations of the OTr promote hypophagia, the hindbrain component of the circuitry is particularly sensitive to appetite reducing properties of OT in animals motivated to eat by a potent orexigen, BT.
In the second set of studies, I examined whether either of the two populations of the hypothalamic OTr, in the medial preoptic area (MPOA) or the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus (VMH), mediates OT-driven hypophagia in energy- and reward-related ingestive behaviors. I provide insights into mechanisms underlying OT-driven anorexia mediated by the hypothalamus by (a) defining whether OT MPOA or VMH administration affects feeding for energy versus palatability; (b) identifying feeding-related sites activated by VMH OT injection; (c) measuring VMH OTr mRNA changes in response to hunger and palatability; and (d) examining how VMH OT affects sweet solution intake in rats. MPOA had no effect on intake of energy-dense chow in deprived rats nor did it decrease intake of calorie-dilute palatable solutions. VMH OT decreased chow intake and the effect was reversed by the antagonist. OT did not affect intakes of saccharin and sucrose solutions. Fos immunoreactivity, a marker of neuronal activation, was elevated in the VMH and energy balance-related paraventricular and arcuate nuclei, but not reward areas. VMH OT receptor expression was higher in hungry than sated rats; saccharin intake had no effect. In sum, MPOA OTr is not involved in OT-driven hypophagia mediated by hypothalamic networks. VMH OT decreases intake driven by energy not by palatability.
Finally, I assessed whether the OTr present in the basolateral (BLA) and central amygdala (CNA), sites implicated in emotional/pleasure processing of food intake, is involved in appetite control by OT. I injected OT in the BLA or CNA and assessed intake of chow induced by energy deprivation and intake of sweet solutions in nondeprived rats. I examined whether these effects are reversible by OTr blockade. I determined the effect of energy deprivation and exposure to saccharin on BLA and CNA expression of OTr mRNA. BLA OT at 0.3 μg and CNA OT at 1 μg reduced chow intake after deprivation. Only BLA OT was effective at suppressing consumption of sucrose and saccharin. The anorexigenic effects of BLA and CNA OT were attenuated by an OTr antagonist. BLA OTr mRNA expression was affected by exposure to saccharin, whereas that of CNA OTr, by energy deprivation. The relationship between amygdalar OT and energy- vs palatability-driven intake depends on the discrete localization of the OTr in this complex structure.
Overall, these findings shed light on the specific elements of brain circuitry mediating anorexigenic properties of OT. Both the forebrain and hindbrain OTr populations are relevant to feeding control. OT’s inhibitory effects on feeding for energy are mediated by a broader network of sites that includes, aside from the previously reported nucleus accumbens and dorsal vagal complex, the VMH, BLA, and CNA. Only the BLA OT modifies eating for reward. Surprisingly, the OTr in the MPOA is not involved in feeding regulation.

text: Identification of central circuitry components mediating anorexigenic properties of oxytocin Recent years have brought exciting discoveries showing that a neurohormone, oxytocin (OT), acts as an appetite suppressant. Importantly, OT decreases energy needs-driven consumption of high-calorie foods by promoting early satiation, and it terminates intake motivated by palatability related to sweet taste. OT’s anorexigenic effects on both aspects of ingestive behavior are mediated by the OT receptor (OTr) expressed broadly in the brain, however, our understanding of which specific sites relay anorexigenic actions of OT is limited. Thus far, only the nucleus accumbens and ventral tegmental area of the mesolimbic system, and the brainstem’s dorsal vagal complex, have been directly implicated in relaying OT-induced hypophagia. Thus, the overarching goal of this thesis was to examine which discrete components of circuitry expressing the OTr mediate OT’s anorexigenic effects on energy- versus reward-driven feeding. The research approaches included intracranial drug administration, analyses of region-specific expression of genes, neuronal activation mapping, and feeding behavior testing in rats.
The first set of studies explored whether extreme overeating induced by a powerful orexigen, butorphanol tartrate (BT), can be alleviated by pharmacologically stimulating the OT receptor in the forebrain versus the hindbrain (via lateral (LV) and fourth ventricular (4V) OT injections, respectively). I established effective doses of BT and LV / 4V OT. Then, I determined doses of LV and 4V OT that reduce hyperphagia produced by BT in sated and deprived rats. Finally, I assessed whether OT’s effects on BT-induced feeding can be suppressed by an OTr antagonist. 4 mg/kg BT increased intake in fed and in deprived rats, whereas LV and 4V OT at 1μg caused a decrease in deprived rats. BT-induced chow intake in hungry and sated animals was suppressed by a very low, 0.1-μg dose of 4V OT, whereas 1μg OT was effective LV. The effect of OT was attenuated by OTr antagonist. The data strongly suggest that while both the forebrain and hindbrain populations of the OTr promote hypophagia, the hindbrain component of the circuitry is particularly sensitive to appetite reducing properties of OT in animals motivated to eat by a potent orexigen, BT.
In the second set of studies, I examined whether either of the two populations of the hypothalamic OTr, in the medial preoptic area (MPOA) or the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus (VMH), mediates OT-driven hypophagia in energy- and reward-related ingestive behaviors. I provide insights into mechanisms underlying OT-driven anorexia mediated by the hypothalamus by (a) defining whether OT MPOA or VMH administration affects feeding for energy versus palatability; (b) identifying feeding-related sites activated by VMH OT injection; (c) measuring VMH OTr mRNA changes in response to hunger and palatability; and (d) examining how VMH OT affects sweet solution intake in rats. MPOA had no effect on intake of energy-dense chow in deprived rats nor did it decrease intake of calorie-dilute palatable solutions. VMH OT decreased chow intake and the effect was reversed by the antagonist. OT did not affect intakes of saccharin and sucrose solutions. Fos immunoreactivity, a marker of neuronal activation, was elevated in the VMH and energy balance-related paraventricular and arcuate nuclei, but not reward areas. VMH OT receptor expression was higher in hungry than sated rats; saccharin intake had no effect. In sum, MPOA OTr is not involved in OT-driven hypophagia mediated by hypothalamic networks. VMH OT decreases intake driven by energy not by palatability.
Finally, I assessed whether the OTr present in the basolateral (BLA) and central amygdala (CNA), sites implicated in emotional/pleasure processing of food intake, is involved in appetite control by OT. I injected OT in the BLA or CNA and assessed intake of chow induced by energy deprivation and intake of sweet solutions in nondeprived rats. I examined whether these effects are reversible by OTr blockade. I determined the effect of energy deprivation and exposure to saccharin on BLA and CNA expression of OTr mRNA. BLA OT at 0.3 μg and CNA OT at 1 μg reduced chow intake after deprivation. Only BLA OT was effective at suppressing consumption of sucrose and saccharin. The anorexigenic effects of BLA and CNA OT were attenuated by an OTr antagonist. BLA OTr mRNA expression was affected by exposure to saccharin, whereas that of CNA OTr, by energy deprivation. The relationship between amygdalar OT and energy- vs palatability-driven intake depends on the discrete localization of the OTr in this complex structure.
Overall, these findings shed light on the specific elements of brain circuitry mediating anorexigenic properties of OT. Both the forebrain and hindbrain OTr populations are relevant to feeding control. OT’s inhibitory effects on feeding for energy are mediated by a broader network of sites that includes, aside from the previously reported nucleus accumbens and dorsal vagal complex, the VMH, BLA, and CNA. Only the BLA OT modifies eating for reward. Surprisingly, the OTr in the MPOA is not involved in feeding regulation.

year: 2019

title: Ngā takenga o te riri

authors: Murphy, Ēnoka

subjects: Pakanga

abstract: Ko te kaupapa ake o tēnei tuhinga, ko te whakawhāriki i ētahi kōrero mō te takenga mai o te riri, o te pakanga ki tā rā ngā kōrero a te Māori. Ko aua take mai rā kei ngā kōrero o tua whakarere, e hokia ana ki a Ranginui rāua ko Papatūānuku me tā rāua hūnuku. Ko tāna e pātai ake nei, nō hea ake te riri Māori, otirā, te pakanga a te Māori? Nō hea anō hoki āna tikanga? He aha ā ērā kōrero tauiratanga mai ki te toa o te Māori ki te whawhai. Ka mutu, ko te wāhi uaua pea o ngā pātai nei, ko te āhua ki ngā kōrero a te Māori kāore nei i te tapatahi mō te oroko hīmatanga. Ahakoa rā, tērā ōna rite, ōna rerekē. Kua tuhia nuitia te kaupapa o te oroko tīmatanga mai o te ao e ngā momo o te kaituhi Pākehā, ā, tērā anō hoki ko ngā tuhinga a te Māori ake. Inā te rerekē o ngā kōrero mō te oroko hīmatanga mai o te ao, tērā noa ētahi kōrero kua tīkina hei mātaitanga mō tēnei rangahau, mō tēnei tuhinga. Ka mutu, ko tā tēnei tuhinga, he whakaatu i te takenga mai o te riri, o te matawhāura Māori.

text: Ngā takenga o te riri Ko te kaupapa ake o tēnei tuhinga, ko te whakawhāriki i ētahi kōrero mō te takenga mai o te riri, o te pakanga ki tā rā ngā kōrero a te Māori. Ko aua take mai rā kei ngā kōrero o tua whakarere, e hokia ana ki a Ranginui rāua ko Papatūānuku me tā rāua hūnuku. Ko tāna e pātai ake nei, nō hea ake te riri Māori, otirā, te pakanga a te Māori? Nō hea anō hoki āna tikanga? He aha ā ērā kōrero tauiratanga mai ki te toa o te Māori ki te whawhai. Ka mutu, ko te wāhi uaua pea o ngā pātai nei, ko te āhua ki ngā kōrero a te Māori kāore nei i te tapatahi mō te oroko hīmatanga. Ahakoa rā, tērā ōna rite, ōna rerekē. Kua tuhia nuitia te kaupapa o te oroko tīmatanga mai o te ao e ngā momo o te kaituhi Pākehā, ā, tērā anō hoki ko ngā tuhinga a te Māori ake. Inā te rerekē o ngā kōrero mō te oroko hīmatanga mai o te ao, tērā noa ētahi kōrero kua tīkina hei mātaitanga mō tēnei rangahau, mō tēnei tuhinga. Ka mutu, ko tā tēnei tuhinga, he whakaatu i te takenga mai o te riri, o te matawhāura Māori.

year: 2017