title: Concurrent second-order schedules: some effects of variations in response number and duration

authors: Sealey, Diane M.

subjects: concurrent schedules

abstract: To examine the effects on concurrent performance of independent manipulations of response-unit duration and number, 6 hens were exposed to concurrent second-order schedules of reinforcement. Each first-order operant unit required completion of a fixed-ratio schedule within the time specified by a fixed-interval schedule, with one further response completing the fixed-interval schedule. The fixedratio and fixed-interval requirements comprising the first-order operant units were systematically and independently varied under three pairs of concurrent variable-interval schedules to produce differences in the first-order response and duration requirements (response and duration differentials). These manipulations produced consistent changes in response, time, and operant-unit biases. A 1:4 response differential biased the time and operant-unit measures towards the smaller fixed ratio, but to a degree less than the imposed response differential. The response-based biases favored the larger fixed ratio. Duration differentials of 4:1 and 8:1 biased the response and operant-unit measures towards the shorter fixed interval, again less than the imposed duration differential, but the time biases remained close to zero. Both sorts of differentials acted to bias operant-unit completions more systematically than the other measures, but undermatching to the differentials occurred. The undermatching appears to have arisen from a pattern of fix and sample (in which visits to the less preferred alternative involved only a single completed operant unit) under combinations of unequal operant-unit requirements and reinforcer rates. The response and time bias measures appeared to arise as by-products of the changes in operant-unit completions.

text: Concurrent second-order schedules: some effects of variations in response number and duration To examine the effects on concurrent performance of independent manipulations of response-unit duration and number, 6 hens were exposed to concurrent second-order schedules of reinforcement. Each first-order operant unit required completion of a fixed-ratio schedule within the time specified by a fixed-interval schedule, with one further response completing the fixed-interval schedule. The fixedratio and fixed-interval requirements comprising the first-order operant units were systematically and independently varied under three pairs of concurrent variable-interval schedules to produce differences in the first-order response and duration requirements (response and duration differentials). These manipulations produced consistent changes in response, time, and operant-unit biases. A 1:4 response differential biased the time and operant-unit measures towards the smaller fixed ratio, but to a degree less than the imposed response differential. The response-based biases favored the larger fixed ratio. Duration differentials of 4:1 and 8:1 biased the response and operant-unit measures towards the shorter fixed interval, again less than the imposed duration differential, but the time biases remained close to zero. Both sorts of differentials acted to bias operant-unit completions more systematically than the other measures, but undermatching to the differentials occurred. The undermatching appears to have arisen from a pattern of fix and sample (in which visits to the less preferred alternative involved only a single completed operant unit) under combinations of unequal operant-unit requirements and reinforcer rates. The response and time bias measures appeared to arise as by-products of the changes in operant-unit completions.

year: 2005

title: Incorporating culture into English as a medium of instruction (EMI) teaching:  An exploration of EMI teachers in Chinese higher education

authors: Zhou, Xi

abstract: The increasing internationalisation of higher education in China has led to the widespread adoption of English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) across various disciplines. However, the integration of cultural elements into EMI teaching remains underexplored, particularly in the Chinese context. This study investigates the perceptions and practices of EMI instructors in Chinese higher education regarding the incorporation of culture into their teaching. The research aims to address the following questions: (1) In EMI programmes in Chinese higher education, what are the EMI instructors’ understandings of culture? (2) What do they think of the roles of culture in EMI? and (3) To what extent and in what ways are their understandings reflected in their teaching practices?

The study uses a qualitative research design, involving online questionnaires completed by 56 EMI instructors from various disciplines, and in-depth data collection (semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and stimulated recall interviews) conducted with a subset of 10 instructors. Findings show that teachers view culture as being multifaceted, comprising material (language, artefacts) and nonmaterial (social norms, values, high culture) aspects. They also support different integration strategies: some favour embedding culture through interactive tasks like role-plays and cultural debates in a bid to foster intercultural communicative competence, while others endorse content-based integration on the basis of a lack of time and curriculum pressure. Their practice also mirrors such perceptions to some extent, as competency-oriented instructors actively engage with cultural narratives and guest speakers; however, time pressure demands superficiality, and instructors skirt culture with indirect exposure through textbooks.

The study also suggests some of the difficulties that teachers of EMI face, such as coping with various cultural expectations, linguistic differences, and the necessity of providing a broad curriculum content while incorporating culture in their teaching. Despite these difficulties, teachers apply a number of strategies to incorporate cultural elements, such as role-plays, discussions of cultural festivals, and invitations to cultural experts to provide information. Such activities are aimed at developing intercultural communicative competence and providing students with proper preparation for international interactions.

The findings contribute to the growing body of literature on EMI and cultural integration with practical recommendations for improving EMI practice in China and beyond. The study emphasises the critical need for a variety of professional development activities—beyond usual workshops—to give EMI instructors the capacity to incorporate elements of culture organically into instruction. This research effectively makes the case for an EMI model of change on the basis that by overcoming barriers in the shape of poor training, curricular constraints, and lack of university support, EMI programmes can actually equip students for competitiveness in the new globalising world—not just linguistic competence but also intercultural communicative competence.

text: Incorporating culture into English as a medium of instruction (EMI) teaching:  An exploration of EMI teachers in Chinese higher education The increasing internationalisation of higher education in China has led to the widespread adoption of English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) across various disciplines. However, the integration of cultural elements into EMI teaching remains underexplored, particularly in the Chinese context. This study investigates the perceptions and practices of EMI instructors in Chinese higher education regarding the incorporation of culture into their teaching. The research aims to address the following questions: (1) In EMI programmes in Chinese higher education, what are the EMI instructors’ understandings of culture? (2) What do they think of the roles of culture in EMI? and (3) To what extent and in what ways are their understandings reflected in their teaching practices?

The study uses a qualitative research design, involving online questionnaires completed by 56 EMI instructors from various disciplines, and in-depth data collection (semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and stimulated recall interviews) conducted with a subset of 10 instructors. Findings show that teachers view culture as being multifaceted, comprising material (language, artefacts) and nonmaterial (social norms, values, high culture) aspects. They also support different integration strategies: some favour embedding culture through interactive tasks like role-plays and cultural debates in a bid to foster intercultural communicative competence, while others endorse content-based integration on the basis of a lack of time and curriculum pressure. Their practice also mirrors such perceptions to some extent, as competency-oriented instructors actively engage with cultural narratives and guest speakers; however, time pressure demands superficiality, and instructors skirt culture with indirect exposure through textbooks.

The study also suggests some of the difficulties that teachers of EMI face, such as coping with various cultural expectations, linguistic differences, and the necessity of providing a broad curriculum content while incorporating culture in their teaching. Despite these difficulties, teachers apply a number of strategies to incorporate cultural elements, such as role-plays, discussions of cultural festivals, and invitations to cultural experts to provide information. Such activities are aimed at developing intercultural communicative competence and providing students with proper preparation for international interactions.

The findings contribute to the growing body of literature on EMI and cultural integration with practical recommendations for improving EMI practice in China and beyond. The study emphasises the critical need for a variety of professional development activities—beyond usual workshops—to give EMI instructors the capacity to incorporate elements of culture organically into instruction. This research effectively makes the case for an EMI model of change on the basis that by overcoming barriers in the shape of poor training, curricular constraints, and lack of university support, EMI programmes can actually equip students for competitiveness in the new globalising world—not just linguistic competence but also intercultural communicative competence.

year: 2025

title: "Ko au te whenua, ko te whenua ko au:" A Māori housing development process

authors: Fletcher, Marcus Anzac Kewene

subjects: Māori

abstract: Tangata whenua (People of the land/Indigenous people of Aotearoa) are being recognised as emerging property and land developers in Aotearoa New Zealand (hereafter, Aotearoa). Literature and practice demonstrates how Māori are developing housing in different ways than traditional developers, supporting the wellbeing of whānau (families), hapū (sub-tribes) and iwi (tribes), while contributing to addressing the national housing crisis. The distinctiveness of these approaches are important to understand if we want to deepen our knowledge of urban development and the modelling of housing markets in Aotearoa. This thesis aims to reveal, codify and examine Māori decision-making processes relating to how and why we develop housing in Aotearoa and the values and principles that inform these approaches. Utilising Kaupapa Māori Theory and taking an insider/whānaunga (relatives) approach to the research, four whakawhiti kōrero sessions with Waikato whānau and kaimahi (workers) were undertaken to better understand how and why Māori develop housing and the processes and rationalities at play. The thesis has three contributions for academia, environmental planning and the housing sector in Aotearoa: insights into the values and rationalities that influence Māori urban development; the introduction of a Māori housing development framework; and insights into how the framework may be utilised to contribute towards more accurate and sophisticated agent-based modelling (ABM) or urban growth modelling.  

The findings and discussion identified six prominent values that Māori utilise to develop housing: kaitiakitanga, manaakitanga, orangatanga, whānaungatanga, ūkaipōtanga and rangatiratanga. Being rooted in Māori knowledge and epistemology essentially demands differing rationalities for when Māori undertake housing development, which are placed within an overarching framework. The framework represents a new tool to disrupt the current understanding of ‘developers’ as a single entity with a defined pathway that influences all development behaviour. Moreover, it demonstrates how whānau, hapū and iwi draw on the established learning and guidance of our tūpuna (ancestors) and the strides taken to reclaim tino rangatiratanga (self-determination). The thesis argues that academics, environmental practitioners and the housing sector should re-examine their understanding of developers in Aotearoa to become more pluralistic, which may present new challenges and opportunities for ABM and urban growth modelling. This framework argues some aspects may have potential to be incorporated into these technical analyses, while other aspects should be considered in the context of Māori and Indigenous Data Sovereignty to protect the contributions and mana of the participants within this thesis, or resist the ability to be captured altogether.

text: "Ko au te whenua, ko te whenua ko au:" A Māori housing development process Tangata whenua (People of the land/Indigenous people of Aotearoa) are being recognised as emerging property and land developers in Aotearoa New Zealand (hereafter, Aotearoa). Literature and practice demonstrates how Māori are developing housing in different ways than traditional developers, supporting the wellbeing of whānau (families), hapū (sub-tribes) and iwi (tribes), while contributing to addressing the national housing crisis. The distinctiveness of these approaches are important to understand if we want to deepen our knowledge of urban development and the modelling of housing markets in Aotearoa. This thesis aims to reveal, codify and examine Māori decision-making processes relating to how and why we develop housing in Aotearoa and the values and principles that inform these approaches. Utilising Kaupapa Māori Theory and taking an insider/whānaunga (relatives) approach to the research, four whakawhiti kōrero sessions with Waikato whānau and kaimahi (workers) were undertaken to better understand how and why Māori develop housing and the processes and rationalities at play. The thesis has three contributions for academia, environmental planning and the housing sector in Aotearoa: insights into the values and rationalities that influence Māori urban development; the introduction of a Māori housing development framework; and insights into how the framework may be utilised to contribute towards more accurate and sophisticated agent-based modelling (ABM) or urban growth modelling.  

The findings and discussion identified six prominent values that Māori utilise to develop housing: kaitiakitanga, manaakitanga, orangatanga, whānaungatanga, ūkaipōtanga and rangatiratanga. Being rooted in Māori knowledge and epistemology essentially demands differing rationalities for when Māori undertake housing development, which are placed within an overarching framework. The framework represents a new tool to disrupt the current understanding of ‘developers’ as a single entity with a defined pathway that influences all development behaviour. Moreover, it demonstrates how whānau, hapū and iwi draw on the established learning and guidance of our tūpuna (ancestors) and the strides taken to reclaim tino rangatiratanga (self-determination). The thesis argues that academics, environmental practitioners and the housing sector should re-examine their understanding of developers in Aotearoa to become more pluralistic, which may present new challenges and opportunities for ABM and urban growth modelling. This framework argues some aspects may have potential to be incorporated into these technical analyses, while other aspects should be considered in the context of Māori and Indigenous Data Sovereignty to protect the contributions and mana of the participants within this thesis, or resist the ability to be captured altogether.

year: 2025