title: Teachers’ and students’ attitudes and practices regarding code switching in writing: A study in selected primary schools in St. Lucia.

authors: Auguste-Walter, Berthina

subjects: code switching

abstract: This study was conducted in three primary schools in St. Lucia, a multilingual country situated in the Caribbean. The goal of this research was to investigate teachers’ and students’ attitudes and practices regarding the use of code switching in the academic writing of Grade 5 primary school students. For the purpose of this study code switching is defined as a phenomenon in which speakers [writers] switch back and forth between two separate languages and/or dialects (Schecter & Bayley, 1997). Code switching for bilinguals is “a way of saying that they belong to both worlds, and should not be forced to give up one for the other” (Zentella, 1997, p. 114). There are four major aims in this study. First the study aims to document the nature of code switching in students’ written texts. Second, the study focuses on examining both teacher and student views of Kwéyòl influenced code switching in students’ writing. The third aim is to identify whether acceptance of code switching in students’ written texts can be used positively to support their writing. The final aim is to evaluate the impact of teachers’ feedback on students’ written texts. A mixed-method approach was used to gather data for this research. The teachers’ interview was conducted with three Grade 5 teachers from three different primary schools. Questionnaires were also distributed to the other teachers on staff of each of the three Primary schools involved in this study. Selected students of the Grade 5 classes were part of the focus group interview. The students’ written scripts were also analysed and used during the focus group discussion, where students were able to provide reasons for certain statements in their text which reflected code switching. A thematic approach was used for the data analysis and this provided in depth knowledge of how teachers and students felt about code switching in their writing. A major finding was the teachers’ contradictory responses in terms of their attitudes and practice related to code switching. Some teachers commented that the use of the L1 would have a negative impact on the acquisition of Standard English. The importance of students learning the ‘proper’ structures of Standard English was highlighted as a major factor in assisting students in becoming communicatively competent. Although some teachers held a negative view of code switching practices in students’ writing, others were indeed pleased that some students were able to use their L1 to express their intended meaning. Moreover, the study found important differences in the attitudes between the individual teachers in the three different schools The responses from the teachers also indicated that code switching would be more effective in some genres of writing. This suggests that there is some kind of acceptance of code switching in students’ writing. The majority of the teachers agreed that code switching could be used positively to teach Standard English. However, teachers felt that they needed further information on the phenomenon in order to make informed decisions and assist students more effectively in their writing. There were other responses suggesting that there are positive attitudes towards code switching. What was of great interest was that some of the students’ attitudes mirrored those of their teachers, suggesting that teacher attitudes, beliefs and perhaps school ethos play a major role in changing the attitudes of the most important stakeholders, the children. The research highlighted the effective role that teachers’ attitudes and metalinguistic awareness, or lack of it, play in the language learning classroom, particularly in a multilingual society. Teachers need to be aware of the importance of metalinguistic awareness and should aim at exploring ways to promote language learning among students. This study also makes an important contribution to understanding how attitudes and practices in bilingual contexts and the use of language varieties in second language development are related. In conclusion, the study highlights the urgent need for all stakeholders to work collaboratively to finalise a draft literacy policy and plan document that might support bilingual and/or multilingual development of all students in the linguistically and culturally diverse classrooms.

text: Teachers’ and students’ attitudes and practices regarding code switching in writing: A study in selected primary schools in St. Lucia. This study was conducted in three primary schools in St. Lucia, a multilingual country situated in the Caribbean. The goal of this research was to investigate teachers’ and students’ attitudes and practices regarding the use of code switching in the academic writing of Grade 5 primary school students. For the purpose of this study code switching is defined as a phenomenon in which speakers [writers] switch back and forth between two separate languages and/or dialects (Schecter & Bayley, 1997). Code switching for bilinguals is “a way of saying that they belong to both worlds, and should not be forced to give up one for the other” (Zentella, 1997, p. 114). There are four major aims in this study. First the study aims to document the nature of code switching in students’ written texts. Second, the study focuses on examining both teacher and student views of Kwéyòl influenced code switching in students’ writing. The third aim is to identify whether acceptance of code switching in students’ written texts can be used positively to support their writing. The final aim is to evaluate the impact of teachers’ feedback on students’ written texts. A mixed-method approach was used to gather data for this research. The teachers’ interview was conducted with three Grade 5 teachers from three different primary schools. Questionnaires were also distributed to the other teachers on staff of each of the three Primary schools involved in this study. Selected students of the Grade 5 classes were part of the focus group interview. The students’ written scripts were also analysed and used during the focus group discussion, where students were able to provide reasons for certain statements in their text which reflected code switching. A thematic approach was used for the data analysis and this provided in depth knowledge of how teachers and students felt about code switching in their writing. A major finding was the teachers’ contradictory responses in terms of their attitudes and practice related to code switching. Some teachers commented that the use of the L1 would have a negative impact on the acquisition of Standard English. The importance of students learning the ‘proper’ structures of Standard English was highlighted as a major factor in assisting students in becoming communicatively competent. Although some teachers held a negative view of code switching practices in students’ writing, others were indeed pleased that some students were able to use their L1 to express their intended meaning. Moreover, the study found important differences in the attitudes between the individual teachers in the three different schools The responses from the teachers also indicated that code switching would be more effective in some genres of writing. This suggests that there is some kind of acceptance of code switching in students’ writing. The majority of the teachers agreed that code switching could be used positively to teach Standard English. However, teachers felt that they needed further information on the phenomenon in order to make informed decisions and assist students more effectively in their writing. There were other responses suggesting that there are positive attitudes towards code switching. What was of great interest was that some of the students’ attitudes mirrored those of their teachers, suggesting that teacher attitudes, beliefs and perhaps school ethos play a major role in changing the attitudes of the most important stakeholders, the children. The research highlighted the effective role that teachers’ attitudes and metalinguistic awareness, or lack of it, play in the language learning classroom, particularly in a multilingual society. Teachers need to be aware of the importance of metalinguistic awareness and should aim at exploring ways to promote language learning among students. This study also makes an important contribution to understanding how attitudes and practices in bilingual contexts and the use of language varieties in second language development are related. In conclusion, the study highlights the urgent need for all stakeholders to work collaboratively to finalise a draft literacy policy and plan document that might support bilingual and/or multilingual development of all students in the linguistically and culturally diverse classrooms.

year: 2011

title: Lie theory and separation of variables. 7. The harmonic oscillator in elliptic coordinates and Ince polynomials

authors: Boyer, C.P.

subjects: Mathematics

abstract: As a continuation of Paper 6 we study the separable basis eigenfunctions and their relationships for the harmonic oscillator Hamiltonian in two space variables with special emphasis on products of Ince polynomials, the eigenfunctions obtained when one separates variables in elliptic coordinates. The overlaps connecting this basis to the polar and Cartesian coordinate bases are obtained by computing in a simpler Bargmann Hilbert space model of the problem. We also show that Ince polynomials are intimately connected with the representation theory of SU (2), the group responsible for the eigenvalue degeneracy of the oscillator Hamiltonian.

text: Lie theory and separation of variables. 7. The harmonic oscillator in elliptic coordinates and Ince polynomials As a continuation of Paper 6 we study the separable basis eigenfunctions and their relationships for the harmonic oscillator Hamiltonian in two space variables with special emphasis on products of Ince polynomials, the eigenfunctions obtained when one separates variables in elliptic coordinates. The overlaps connecting this basis to the polar and Cartesian coordinate bases are obtained by computing in a simpler Bargmann Hilbert space model of the problem. We also show that Ince polynomials are intimately connected with the representation theory of SU (2), the group responsible for the eigenvalue degeneracy of the oscillator Hamiltonian.

year: 1975-03

title: “On and On It Goes”: Representations of the New Zealand Wars in novels, film, and theatre

authors: Sheridan, Brendan Daniel

subjects: History

abstract: This thesis considers fictional representations of the New Zealand Wars. Through the media of novels, feature films, and drama with links to Shakespeare, it explores common features between representations. It examines how these representations change in tone or style over time and how different representations negotiate the complex issues of race, gender, and colonialism.
	I examine key representations ranging from 1861 to 2017 in terms of genre. I begin with the nineteenth-century novel as many of the key tropes used in representations of the New Zealand Wars emerge in this period. I then look at the twentieth-century novel, before concentrating specifically on Maurice Shadbolt and Witi Ihimaera. My discussion then turns to the genres of film and theatre. In all of these diverse representations there are recurring tropes and motifs. Many of the fictions feature stock characters such as the European traveller, the imperial official, and the Māori maiden and bear the imprint of historical romance conventions, popularised by Sir Walter Scott’s Waverly and James Fenimore Cooper’s The Last of the Mohicans. The vast majority of stories take place in the North Island between 1860 and 1870. Variations in the depiction of historical events are shaped by the historical scholarship and dominant ideologies of the time, such as the post-colonial tonal shift that emerges following the publication of work by James Belich and Ranginui Walker. I contextualise representations with their point in history, and how they treat the New Zealand Wars in terms of events, characters, and historical figures. 
	Through this approach, my thesis argues that representations of the New Zealand Wars do not form themselves in isolation and do not occur in isolated clusters. This thesis seeks to demonstrate that representations of the New Zealand Wars occur on a steady continuum. Representations of the conflict exist in parallel to one another (intentional or not) and are affected by the social climate, dominant ideologies, and published histories available to the author at the time of writing. The variety of representations—novel, feature film, stage play—share many core tropes. Even so, chronologically this continuum also features shifts in tone, ideologies, and sympathies. A novel of the 1980s has a very different perspective regarding settlers compared to a novel from the 1860s. In the same manner, a play staged in the 2000s shows a different attitude towards the conflict compared to a film from the 1940s. This thesis demonstrates that while representations of the New Zealand Wars share a common subject, how they approach the material is constantly evolving.

text: “On and On It Goes”: Representations of the New Zealand Wars in novels, film, and theatre This thesis considers fictional representations of the New Zealand Wars. Through the media of novels, feature films, and drama with links to Shakespeare, it explores common features between representations. It examines how these representations change in tone or style over time and how different representations negotiate the complex issues of race, gender, and colonialism.
	I examine key representations ranging from 1861 to 2017 in terms of genre. I begin with the nineteenth-century novel as many of the key tropes used in representations of the New Zealand Wars emerge in this period. I then look at the twentieth-century novel, before concentrating specifically on Maurice Shadbolt and Witi Ihimaera. My discussion then turns to the genres of film and theatre. In all of these diverse representations there are recurring tropes and motifs. Many of the fictions feature stock characters such as the European traveller, the imperial official, and the Māori maiden and bear the imprint of historical romance conventions, popularised by Sir Walter Scott’s Waverly and James Fenimore Cooper’s The Last of the Mohicans. The vast majority of stories take place in the North Island between 1860 and 1870. Variations in the depiction of historical events are shaped by the historical scholarship and dominant ideologies of the time, such as the post-colonial tonal shift that emerges following the publication of work by James Belich and Ranginui Walker. I contextualise representations with their point in history, and how they treat the New Zealand Wars in terms of events, characters, and historical figures. 
	Through this approach, my thesis argues that representations of the New Zealand Wars do not form themselves in isolation and do not occur in isolated clusters. This thesis seeks to demonstrate that representations of the New Zealand Wars occur on a steady continuum. Representations of the conflict exist in parallel to one another (intentional or not) and are affected by the social climate, dominant ideologies, and published histories available to the author at the time of writing. The variety of representations—novel, feature film, stage play—share many core tropes. Even so, chronologically this continuum also features shifts in tone, ideologies, and sympathies. A novel of the 1980s has a very different perspective regarding settlers compared to a novel from the 1860s. In the same manner, a play staged in the 2000s shows a different attitude towards the conflict compared to a film from the 1940s. This thesis demonstrates that while representations of the New Zealand Wars share a common subject, how they approach the material is constantly evolving.

year: 2019