ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Using Comics as a Tool to Facilitate Critical Reflective Practice in Professional Education
Author: McGarr, Oliver
Date: 2021-08-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Cartoons,Early Childhood Education,Preschool Teachers,Teacher Education Programs,Teaching Methods,Career Choice,Student Developed Materials,Student Reaction,Preservice Teachers,Foreign Countries,Affordances,Reflection,Learning Activities

This paper reports on the use of comics to help facilitate reflection on one's past as part of an early childhood education degree programme in Spain. It is common in professional education programmes in the health and education fields to encourage students to reflect on their past in order to explore how this has shaped their development and how it has influenced their career decisions. A challenge with more traditional forms of written reflections in this area is that they often become simple descriptions without any critical reflection on past experiences. To address this, the research reported here aimed to explore the extent to which comics had the capacity to afford alternative and novel ways of reflecting on one's past by providing students with the opportunity to create their own comics. Reporting on a sample of the completed comics and the students' reactions to the task, the study found that despite initial reservations and limited experience of comics, the students completed the task to an impressive level. While there was variation in the quality of the completed students' comics, they had utilised many of the unique affordances of comics to reflect their past lives. This paper discusses the implications of integrating comics into reflective practice activities and the challenges and opportunities they pose for practitioners.
A Corpus-Assisted Discourse Analysis of Taiwanese Students&apos; Sentiments toward Asianphobia on the News amid COVID-19
Author: Yeh, Aiden
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,COVID-19,Pandemics,Student Attitudes,Racial Bias,Asians,News Media,College Students,Language Usage,Mass Media Effects,Sociolinguistics

The COVID-19 pandemic has fuelled the latest surge of anti-Asian hate. Raising Taiwanese university students' awareness about the dangers of racism has never been more important. This study draws on a class activity about media discourse, particularly on the representations of xenophobia and other forms of intolerance toward Asians during the pandemic. The self-created corpus was based on the students' collected news articles (119,375 words) and their feedback on the topic (14,641 words). The theoretical framework grounded on corpus-driven discourse analysis was used to investigate linguistic evidence of exclusion, discrimination, and racist discourse against the Asians and Chinese. This research also set out to understand the Taiwanese students' attitudes and concerns about the discourse circulated in the media. The web-based text analysis program Voyant Tools was employed to identify keywords, frequency, collocations, and word patterns in context. The findings revealed a high occurrence of the labels, &quot;Chinese virus,&quot; &quot;kung flu,&quot; &quot;Asian virus,&quot; and &quot;yellow peril&quot;--framing representations of the Chinese and Asians which spiked up during the pandemic. These epithets further mitigate the Chinese as the source of the virus. The repetitive use of such referencing stigmatizes the Asian community, and further constructs the notion of in-/out- group where Asians make up the out group-- the ones to be avoided. The findings also showed the students' strong sense of national pride echoing the slogan &quot;Taiwan can help,&quot; calling themselves &quot;Taiwanese,&quot; and categorizing themselves as &quot;Asian,&quot; but disassociating from the &quot;Chinese mainlanders.&quot; This study provides an insight to the Taiwanese's perception of identity, where racial dilemmas run deep as they are ethnically related, historically, and geographically connected. What lies underneath is a sense of fear for their own safety as they carry their race on their face.
Entangled in Two Romance Languages: Experiencing Language Barriers in Higher Education
Author: da Costa, Dinis Fernando
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Barriers,Romance Languages,Spanish Speaking,College Faculty,Multilingualism,Portuguese,Language Usage,Spanish,Undergraduate Students,Teacher Education Programs,Foreign Countries,Teaching Methods,Learning Processes,Language Attitudes,Teacher Attitudes,Language of Instruction,Foreign Nationals,Teacher Characteristics,Teacher Selection,Language Proficiency,Second Language Learning,Student Attitudes,Teacher Student Relationship,Communication Problems,Second Language Instruction

Since 2002, which marks the end of the Civil War in Angola, a large multilingual and multicultural workforce from various corners of the world has entered the Angolan education system. This paper investigates language barriers experienced in the classroom of Spanish speaking lecturers by Portuguese speaking students. The study focuses on a group of 81 first year students enrolled at the Pedagogic School of Namibe (Universidade Mandume Ya Ndemufayo) and the Institute of Higher Education Gregorio Semedo. Using questionnaires and observation techniques, the article shows how Spanish poses a language barrier to efficient communication in the teaching-learning process. It also shows that students employ various strategies; from asking help from fellow colleagues to recording lectures, in order to comprehend the lecturers' explanation. Given that the Angolan higher education system hosts a great number of foreign lecturers, largely from Cuba, the paper recommends that restricted language measures should be employed when hiring foreign lecturers who are not proficient in Portuguese. Hence Portuguese language training should be provided to Spanish lecturers for at least one year prior to the commencement of lecturing; this intervention will lower language barriers and thus create a conducive environment for meaningful learning.
Literature in the Algerian EFL Bachelor of Arts Degree: Reading Literature
Author: Belal, Yamina
Date: 2021-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English Literature,Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,English (Second Language),Undergraduate Students,Foreign Countries,Teaching Methods,Task Analysis,Course Objectives,Course Content,Student Needs,Language Aptitude,Needs Assessment,Language Proficiency,Educational Change,Departments

Given the acknowledged and undeniable advantages of literature in language education, it has been integrated into EFL curricula for undergraduate students as an essential subject. In the Algerian English departments before the reform introduced in the last two decades (the Licence, Master, doctorate system), literature used to have a privileged status in terms of the number of courses and number of classes or tutorials. However, after the reform, the importance of literature and the lion's share that it used to have in the EFL Bachelor of Arts course regressed in favor of more specialized subjects. Such a reform has only worsened the state of the art of EFL literature teaching, which was already in a deplored state according to the will be cited studies. This article aims at pointing at the primary defects or malfunctioning of the first-year literature course by answering the question: what are the main flaws of the first-year EFL literature course? In order to answer this question, the article starts with a review of the whole literature course package, i.e., objective, content, methodology, and assessment. More importantly, to go beyond mere evaluation and criticism, the article ends by suggesting an alternative course that adopts task-based language teaching as a methodology. The proposed task-based literature course attempts to overcome the observed weaknesses or the inefficiencies of the actual course by matching the course objective, content, methodology, and assessment to students' needs and aptitudes.
Development of a Virtual Summer Youth Program in Climate Change Resiliency
Author: Nazario-Leary, Cynthia
Date: 2021-07-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Program Development,Program Effectiveness,Youth Programs,Summer Programs,Outreach Programs,STEM Education,Climate,College Preparation,High School Students,Grade 11,Grade 12,Participant Satisfaction,Experiential Learning,Electronic Learning,Virtual Classrooms,COVID-19,Pandemics

Climate change is a timely topic and offers an overarching theme that can include a variety of STEM disciplines and technologies. In response to the pandemic, we developed and implemented an online science-based summer youth program in Climate Change Resiliency (CCR) for 11th and 12th graders in July 2020. Two sessions differing in content level and delivery were offered. The first session (S1) provided students with an introduction to the issues and scientific fields related to CCR. The second session (S2) explored CCR issues in more depth and utilized specific case studies to deliver content. Optional online informational and social activities were also offered including: UF admissions and financial aid panels; UF student life panels, climate change organization panels, and virtual game nights and socials. Overall program satisfaction was positive, with 97 percent of S1 and 81 percent of S2 participants reporting they were somewhat or extremely satisfied with the CCR program. Approximately 83 and 85 percent of S1 and S2, respectively thought the program's approach to teaching and learning was very or extremely effective. Future recommendations to improve the program include increasing synchronous face-to-face instruction time and participant-led learning opportunities.
An Evaluation of English Department Coursebooks at Komar University: A Case Study
Author: Saeed, Kochar Ali
Date: 2021-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Case Studies,Departments,Universities,Teacher Attitudes,Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,English (Second Language),Textbook Evaluation,Language Teachers,College Faculty,Student Surveys,Student Attitudes,Textbook Content,Foreign Countries,Grammar,Translation,College Students

This research aims to give a clear image of coursebook evaluation in the English department of Komar University of Science and Technology (KUST) in Iraqi Kurdistan. The focus of this paper is to show the advantages and disadvantages of six coursebooks that are used in the English department of KUST. For this purpose, the researchers conducted interviews with the instructors and a survey with the students of these courses. These interviews and the survey show the good sides and the shortcomings of the studied coursebooks by asking different types of questions related to the contents of the books. The research took place in Fall-Winter 2019. The study results show that two-thirds of the teachers were satisfied with the coursebooks chosen to teach in the department of English to a large degree, and most of the students were satisfied with their coursebooks.
Remote and Hands-On: Informal Environmental Health Science Education in a Socially Distant World
Author: Fallone, Caitlin M.
Date: 2021-07-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: COVID-19,Pandemics,Distance Education,Electronic Learning,Hands on Science,Science Education,Science Materials,Health Sciences,Environmental Education,Informal Education,Youth Programs,Secondary School Students,Outreach Programs,Public Health,Water Quality

The COVID-19 pandemic has created significant challenges for informal health science education, which traditionally involves face-to-face programming. We describe the adaptation of hands-on environmental health science kits for online and socially distanced informal education with diverse audiences. These hands-on science kits were traditionally used for in-person, whole group instruction. Because the kits include all the materials needed to complete the activities, they provide hands-on science experiences without the need for a science lab facility. We developed a logistics plan for online use of the kits, taking into account the use of technology, kit distribution, virtual instruction, and audience engagement. We also developed COVID-19-safe practices for in-person instruction that supported social distancing while engaging learners in hands-on science. The strategic adaptation and creative implementation of these kits allowed us to engage our community's youth in environmental health learning during the isolated and uncertain times of the pandemic. Lessons learned from this experience may inform future efforts to provide remote, interactive informal science education to respond to diverse learners' needs.
Peculiarities of Ethnic Stereotypes Usage in English Political Discourse
Author: Yuzhakova, Yulia V.
Date: 2018-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Language Usage,Ethnic Groups,Intercultural Communication,Stereotypes,Political Attitudes,News Reporting,Discourse Analysis,Psycholinguistics,Classification,Foreign Countries,English

This paper aims to highlight ethnic stereotyping in the English-language mass media political discourse, which is an actual issue since the scope of media texts in English prevails in the global information space, which cannot but affect the viewpoint of an &quot;average&quot; English speaking reader. According to the cognitive linguistic approach, the stereotype is considered to be an element of the cultural and linguistic world view and an integral part of reality categorization mechanism. Ethnic stereotypes are very important in the process of intercultural communication since they can increase its effectiveness and eliminate interethnic problems or they can act vice versa. So auto-and hetero-stereotypes play a significant role in intercultural communication. This fact underlines the relevance of ethnic stereotype studies. The notions of &quot;auto- stereotype&quot; and &quot;hetero-stereotype&quot; are considered in the article, using the examples of English-language political media text headlines. Special attention is given to the headlines of English-language media texts about Russia. Basic features of the stereotype &quot;modern Russia&quot;, formed by the English-language media, are defined by the analyzed political media text material.
Professional Learning through Coaching: Toward the Enhancement of the Teachers&apos; Pedagogical Competence
Author: Tarwiyah, Siti
Date: 2018-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Coaching (Performance),Pedagogical Content Knowledge,Language Teachers,Faculty Development,Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,English (Second Language),Lesson Plans,Junior High School Teachers,Foreign Countries,Teaching Methods,Instructional Effectiveness,Student Centered Learning,Learning Processes,Singing,Vocabulary Development,Grammar,Language Skills,Student Attitudes,Instructional Materials,Inquiry,Active Learning,Task Analysis,Lecture Method,Discussion (Teaching Technique)

Coaching is mainly purposed to build teacher capacity to enhance the success of learning and the quality of education in general. This paper is aimed at describing the coaching materials, methods, and the effectiveness of coaching in English Foreign Language (EFL) learning to strengthen the teachers' pedagogical competence. Six Junior High School EFL teachers of Central Java, Indonesia (T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, and T6) attended three-month weekly coachee-centered coaching leading to the implementation of student-centered learning. Observation of the teaching-learning process, review of the lesson plan, and an interview with the EFL teachers through Focus Group Discussion were done before coaching was carried out to identify the coachees' preliminary pedagogical competence and needs. The coaching materials encompassed using songs in EFL class, learning principles and activity-based learning, teaching methods, teaching vocabulary, teaching grammar, teaching the four language skills, assessing attitude, knowledge, and skill, and process skills. Coachee-centered coaching was implemented to present the materials through such methods as Demonstration, Scientific Approach, Lecturing and Discussion, Problem-Based Learning, Task-Based Learning, Inquiry Learning, Presentation-Practice-Production.
Silence of Thai Students as a Face-Saving Politeness Strategy in a Multicultural University Context
Author: Ambele, Eric A.
Date: 2018-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Pragmatics,Interpersonal Communication,Undergraduate Students,Student Attitudes,Peer Relationship,Ethnography,Language Proficiency,Self Concept,Language Usage,Communication Strategies,Interpersonal Competence,Foreign Students,Cultural Awareness,Foreign Countries,Psychological Patterns,Cultural Differences,Interaction Process Analysis

Silence as a communicative act in face-to-face spontaneous interaction has been under-investigated in linguistic politeness research in Thailand. With the recent increase in the influx of foreign students gaining admission into Thai universities yearly, the result is that such universities will be a coexistence of cultures. This study therefore aims to investigate the situational face-threat contexts where Thai students use silence as a politeness strategy. This aim is guided by the main research question of what different situational face-threat contexts could lead to the use of silence by Thai students in their foreign-peer interactions in a Thai multicultural university context. Twenty students' interactions were sampled using micro-socio-ethnographic technique, with data from observation, interview, and questionnaire. The main findings revealed that: uncertainty of language proficiency, expected hurting words from interlocutor, and unexpected negative change in hearer's mood, amongst others, were the main circumstances where Thai students use silence as a face-saving politeness strategy. The findings imply better intercultural awareness in multicultural university contexts.
WhatsApp: An Online Platform for University-Level English Language Education
Author: Alqahtani, Mufleh Salem M.
Date: 2018-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Computer Software,Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,English (Second Language),Teaching Methods,Computer Mediated Communication,Social Networks,Social Media,College Students,Learning Processes,Technology Integration,Student Attitudes,Learning Theories,Handheld Devices,Telecommunications,Learning Motivation,Self Concept,Foreign Countries

Technology has developed immensely and its role in the aspects of learning a language has grown bigger and bigger. Among the university level students, WhatsApp at present is getting into the frontline as one of the most widespread online social networking platforms concerning to language learning. The research work undertaken tries to understand if university level students consider WhatsApp as a significant learning platform that can develop and support their language learning skills. Moreover, , the research work focuses on the routine practices or use of WhatsApp by students. The outcome of the survey data reveals that students consider that WhatsApp may be utilized as a teaching cum learning online platform to assist them in the process of language learning. They also highlighted the necessity of imitating language courses associated with WhatsApp, integration of technology through WhatsApp for the access of class materials with a set of objectives and outcomes explicitly focused on learning language to create meaningful experiences for students. Pedagogically, the study concludes by emphasizing the efficacy and prospective role of WhatsApp in improving the capability of students with regard to learning a language at university level.
Using Task-Based Learning with Students of Academic English
Author: Viriya, Chorthip
Date: 2018-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Task Analysis,English for Academic Purposes,Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Pretests Posttests,Reading Tests,Writing Tests,Student Attitudes,Undergraduate Students,Universities,Foreign Countries,Educational Change,Content Analysis,Elective Courses,Cooperative Learning

The purposes of this study were to study the effects of using task-based learning (TBL) to teach English for Academic Purposes (EAP) students and to explore their opinions towards TBL at Thammasat University.Forty students were chosen via purposely selected sampling. The research instruments included a reading and writing pretest-posttest, a speaking pretest-posttest, and a questionnaire. The questionnaire was divided into three parts: the students' demographic information, the students' opinions about Pre-Task, During Task or Task Cycle, and Post-Task, as well as their additional opinions and suggestions of TBL. The data was statistically analyzed by mean, standard deviation, and t-test for dependent samples. The results of this study indicated that the reading-writing and speaking abilities of EAP students through TBL after the experiment were significantly higher at the .05 level. Similarly, they were highly satisfied to study with TBL.
Low Attendance and Transition Rates of Women at the Tertiary Level: Impact of Internet Innovation in Ghana
Author: Ahmed, Abdul-Rahim
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Females,Womens Education,College Students,College Attendance,Educational Technology,Gender Differences,Technology Uses in Education,Access to Computers,Access to Education,Computer Use,Costs,Sex Role,Internet

Ghanaian education industry, especially at the tertiary level has witnessed progressive growth over the years. As a result of this, technology is required to sustain this progress since technology has become a powerful tool for women to further their education without experiencing any role conflict. However, of great concern are the challenges such as gender imbalance, the high cost of tertiary education, women's inability to secure ICT equipment. Based on this, the study examined the relationship between Internet Technology (IT) accessibility and women's tertiary education in Tamale. The quantitative case study was adopted as research design and using purposive sampling procedure also supported by simple random sampling for data collection. A chi-square test was employed to examine the causal relationship between internet technology availability and women's education accessibility. It was discovered that there is a strong positive relationship between internet availability and women's accessibility to tertiary education. The study also disclosed satisfactory ICT infrastructure, the growth of internet usage for learners pursuing tertiary education. Gender imbalance, the high cost of tertiary education, women's inability to secure ICT equipment and the role conflict between domestic and tertiary education were also discovered. Based on these findings, the study recommends the construction of a strong and resilient Fiber Optic System (FOS) should be treated as a top priority by the National Communication Authority (NCA). To achieve this objective, there should be Public Private Participation (PPP) so as to ensure cost-sharing between the government and the private sector and also prevent the overburdening of either the public or the private sector. Universities should consider incorporating e-learning systems as part of the medium of instruction so as to address the role conflict which normally occurs between women's domestic chores and their urge for advanced and further educational pursuit.