ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
The Challenges of Student Affairs at Kenyan Public Universities
Author: Yakaboski, Tamara
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Public Colleges,Student Personnel Services,Student Personnel Workers,Institutional Role,Case Studies,Social History,Cultural Influences,Barriers,Student Costs,Student Behavior,Educational Needs,Professional Development,Leadership Effectiveness,Political Influences,Content Analysis,Interviews,Activism

Kenya is increasingly turning to the promise of mass higher education to help solve a range of economic and social issues. These efforts have had profound effects on university students, faculty and professionals who provide the vital student support services necessary for academic success. This case study explores the challenges that face Kenyan student services professionals within the context of the country's history and cultures. Kenya's student service professionals face four major challenges: the increasing costs of attendance, the resulting impact on student behaviours and actions, lack of training and senior leadership, and regular campus closures.
From Semantics to Semiotics: Demystifying Intricacies on Translation Theory
Author: AlBzour, Baseel A.
Date: 2015-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Semantics,Semiotics,Linguistics,Translation,Grammar Translation Method,Linguistic Theory,Contrastive Linguistics

The implications of any linguistic and non-linguistic research can be always of paramount importance when carefully and cleverly integrated within the scope of any interdisciplinary field of translation study. The major goal of this paper, therefore, is to highlight and stress how a semiotic approach to the theory of meaning, in general, and to translation theory, in particular, can critically subsume the mere linguistic concerns of any prevalent semantic approach to translation. On the one hand, the former sets justifiable priorities that can more thoroughly cater for the dynamism of all textual, co-textual, extratextual, contextual and paratextual layers of the text as a fully-fledged sign within an overall sophisticated yet systematic macro order of signification; on the other hand, the latter usually may fumble and stumble whenever a text bears over-laden content of basic signifying elements that soar beyond the narrow limitations of lexical and sentential compositional structure. Thus, this paper advocates a strict semiotic approach to translation theory through which an array of semiotic annotations of the SLT must be aligned with and incorporated into basic morphosyntactic notations, semantic denotations and sociocultural connotations.
An Etymological Study of Mythical Lakes in Iranian &quot;Bundahišn&quot;
Author: Najari, Hossein
Date: 2015-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Etymology,Mythology,Water,Geography,Natural Resources,Geographic Location,Geographic Regions,Asian History,Naming

One of the myth-making phenomena is lake, which has often a counterpart in reality. Regarding the possible limits of mythological lakes of Iranian &quot;Bundahišn&quot;, sometimes their place can be found in natural geography. Iranian &quot;Bundahišn&quot;, as one of the great works of Middle Persian (Pahlavi) language, contains a large number of mythological geography names. This paper focuses on the mythical lakes of Iranian &quot;Bundahišn&quot;. Some of the mythical lakes are nominally comparable to the present lakes, but are geographically located in different places. Yet, in the present research attempt is made to match the mythical lakes of Iranian &quot;Bundahišn&quot; with natural lakes. Furthermore, they are studied in the light of etymological and mythological principles. The study indicates that mythical lakes are often both located in south and along the &quot;Fraxkard Sea&quot; and sometimes they correspond with the natural geography, according to the existing mythological points and current characteristics of the lakes.
Important Points on Rewriting Old Stories for Children
Author: Jalali, Maryam
Date: 2015-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Story Telling,Story Reading,Children,Foreign Countries,Classical Literature,Adolescents,Childrens Literature,Books,Revision (Written Composition)

Various works with different genres can be applied to rewrite classic literature. Versified stories, unreal fictions and real stories are identified as texts which can be rewritten in a new texture. The first rewritten texts have been published long ago. The authors and researchers have been more knowledgeable in this regard particularly in the last two decades in order to carry out a remarkable development in this field. It should be considered that there are talented authors who realize the capability of these texts while analyzing them. As a matter of fact, this capability is referred to being recreated and turning into a new texture and structure. It seems as if these myths are supposed to step into a new universe where it is founded on written speech. This recreation is emerged because the society needs to take a look at its past in a modern version because modern children are going to read them.
Arabic and English Consonants: A Phonetic and Phonological Investigation
Author: Shariq, Mohammed
Date: 2015-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Semitic Languages,English (Second Language),Phonetics,Phonology,Contrastive Linguistics,Pronunciation,Phonemes,Articulation (Speech),Barriers,Second Language Learning,Arabs

This paper is an attempt to investigate the actual pronunciation of the consonants of Arabic and English with the help of phonetic and phonological tools like manner of the articulation, point of articulation, and their distribution at different positions in Arabic and English words. A phonetic and phonological analysis of the consonants of Arabic and English can be useful in overcoming the hindrances that confront the Arab EFL learners. The larger aim is to bring about pedagogical changes that can go a long way in improving pronunciation and ensuring the occurrence of desirable learning outcomes.
Improving Undergraduates' Argumentative Group Essay Writing through Self-Assessment
Author: Fung, Yong Mei
Date: 2015-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,College Freshmen,Freshman Composition,Essays,Writing Improvement,Persuasive Discourse,Collaborative Writing,Self Evaluation (Individuals),Writing Evaluation,Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,English (Second Language),Writing Ability,Writing Tests,Pretests Posttests,Semi Structured Interviews,Reflection,Quasiexperimental Design,Check Lists,Statistical Analysis,Peer Evaluation,Feedback (Response)

When writing an argumentative essay, writers develop and evaluate arguments to embody, initiate, or simulate various kinds of interpersonal and textual interaction for reader consideration (Wu &amp; Allison, 2003). This is quite challenging for English as a second language (ESL) learners. To improve the quality of their writing, students need to review their draft throughout the writing process. This study aimed to investigate the effect of self-assessment in group writing and how group work improves students' writing ability. An intact class comprising 22 first-year undergraduates participated in the study. Data were collected from pre- and post-treatment writing tests, semi-structured interview and reflection entries. The results revealed that self-assessment has a significant effect on students' writing performance. Group work also enhanced social and cognitive development of the students. This study provides insights into the use of self-assessment in writing class to develop learner autonomy and improve writing ability.
Analysing ESL Students' Perceptions towards Oral Communication for Social and Occupational Purposes
Author: Husain, Fauzilah Md
Date: 2015-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Second Language Learning,English (Second Language),Student Attitudes,Speech Communication,Oral Language,English for Special Purposes,Vocational English (Second Language),College Seniors,Theory Practice Relationship,Communication Skills,Semi Structured Interviews,Skill Development,Outcomes of Education,Educational Benefits

Fundamental principles of public speaking and appropriate organisational structure of ideas for occupational and social communication are vital aspects for undergraduates as a pathway to overcome employers' grievances on graduates' lack of communication skills (Malaysia Education Blueprint, 2015). This study was undertaken to explore the perceptions of a group of ten students at a tertiary institution in Malaysia to see how they utlise the theories and practice of effective communication skills beyond their course entitled &quot;Oral Communication for Social and Occupational Purposes&quot;. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the participants. The study found that these students gained knowledge about effective communication for social and occupational purposes. The findings also indicate that students have benefitted in relation to communication in a formal way especially to higher authorities, and sharpening their communication and presentation skills. However, there were shortcomings that need to be addressed, particularly related to methods of teaching Oral Communication for Social and Occupational Purposes, time constraint in preparing for the tutorial sessions and producing a good quality video.
A Comparative Study of the Figures of Speech between Top 50 English and Persian Pop Song Lyrics
Author: Ashtiani, Farshid Tayari
Date: 2015-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Comparative Analysis,Figurative Language,Singing,Discourse Analysis,Indo European Languages,English,Popular Culture,Incidence,Literary Devices,Literary Styles

This paper is a corpus-based comparative discourse analysis of top fifty pop English and Persian song lyrics in 2014 to investigate the production of four figures of speech including metaphor, simile, personification, and hyperbole. The English corpus was compiled from the End-Year 2014 Chart of Billboard and the Persian corpus was complied from the most downloaded songs and the results of an informal inquiry among the researchers' friends and colleagues for the most favorite songs in 2014. Firstly, the four figures of speech were identified and counted in the English and Persian verses twice by the researchers who were Persian graduates of TEFL and a doctoral candidate of English Literature. Then, a joint session was held among them, and a consensus was reached on the discrepancies. Afterwards, the frequencies were submitted to chi-square analysis. The results revealed that there was a significant difference in the usage of figures of speech between the two languages. Persian song lyrics contained more figures of speech both overall and separately; although, there was not any significant difference in the frequency usage of simile and metaphor between the two languages, Persian lyricists used hyperbole and personification more frequently compared to English lyricists.
A Comparative Study on the Use of Compliment Response Strategies by Persian and English Native Speakers
Author: Shabani, Mansour
Date: 2015-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Comparative Analysis,Indo European Languages,Native Speakers,Gender Differences,Moral Values,College Students,Questionnaires,Educational Strategies,Communicative Competence (Languages),Language Skills,Positive Reinforcement,English,Foreign Countries

The significance of pragmatic knowledge and politeness strategies has recently been emphasized in language learning and teaching. Most communication failures originate in the lack of pragmatic awareness which is evident among EFL learners while communicating with English native speakers. The present study aimed at investigating compliment response strategies, as a sub-category of politeness strategies, used by a group of Persian and English native speakers, and examining the effect of gender on the use of strategies to respond to compliments. To these ends and with the use of convenient sampling, thirty Iranian native speakers (15 females and 15 males) in Iran and 26 English native speakers (13 females and 13 males) in Canada, all college students with age range of 17-30, participated in this study. In order to collect a corpus of compliment responses, a researcher-made questionnaire in the form of a Discourse Completion Task was distributed among the participants. Using two-way ANOVAs, the findings indicated that there is a significant difference between Persian native speakers and Canadian English speakers (p&lt; 0.05) with respect to the compliment response strategies investigated in this study namely, &quot;accept,&quot; &quot;evade,&quot; and &quot;reject.&quot; Moreover, it was found that the most widely used compliment response strategy among both Iranian and English participants is &quot;accept.&quot; Regarding the effect of gender on the use of compliment response strategies by the participants, the results did not reveal a statistically significant difference between the two groups (p&gt; 0.05). Considering the findings of the present study, materials developers and textbook writers can make more space in EFL textbooks for exercises about compliments (responses); and help in highlighting the significance of this aspect of pragmatic knowledge.
A Group of Indonesian Adult EFL Students' Mastery of Tenses and Aspects: Investigating the Internal and External Factors of Learning
Author: Muhlisin
Date: 2015-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Morphemes,Adult Students,English (Second Language),Grammar,Semi Structured Interviews,Language Tests,Academic Achievement,Language Acquisition,College Second Language Programs,Learning Experience,Student Attitudes,Study Habits,Performance Factors,Knowledge Level,Instructional Effectiveness

The study aimed, firstly, to assess a group of Indonesian adult EFL students' mastery of tenses and aspects as part of their mastery of English grammar and, secondly, to identify if their experience of going through the instructional processes, their perceptions of and habits in studying English grammar shaped their mastery of tenses and aspects. The data were collected through a grammar test and a semi-structured interview. As the study was conducted, the students were sitting in the fourth (last) year of their study. Despite having such long instructional experience, however, the findings show that the mastery of tenses and aspects of majority of the students still fell into the &quot;fail&quot; category. Also, their having perception that studying English grammar is important apparently did not shape their mastery of tenses and aspects. What seemed influential as to shaping their mastery was much more related to their habits in studying, the modes of instruction they experienced, and the type of language samples they were exposed to, especially during the process of receiving grammar instruction in the classroom.
A &quot;Judicious&quot; Use of L1 in TL Classroom: Socio-Political, Psychological and Functional Dimensions
Author: Awan, Muhammad Afzal
Date: 2015-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Language Usage,Second Language Instruction,Psychology,Code Switching (Language),Bilingualism,Social Theories,Immersion Programs,French,Foreign Countries,Language of Instruction,Native Language,English (Second Language),Teaching Methods

In the present study, the authors deliberate that there are no separate boxes in human brain to restrict two different languages to interact with each other. The practice on ground is strongly in favour of allowing L1 to support target language (TL). The paper contests the status quo of maximal input hypothesis and documents enough research in the field of human psychology, code-switching, bilingualism and Socio-Cultural Theory (SCT). The Canadian French Immersion Programme has also been referred to, in the article. The real life teaching and learning experiences have been shared and are connected to the latest theory and research, and it is concluded that this issue has serious sociopolitical and academic dimensions. The study postulates that the extent of L1 to be used is highly context-dependent. A &quot;judicious&quot; use of L1 should, however, be practiced in target language (TL) class without malign.
Acquisition of English Prepositions among Iraqi Secondary School Students in Kuala Lumpur-Malaysia
Author: Shakir, Hani
Date: 2015-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Language Acquisition,Form Classes (Languages),Secondary School Students,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Language Tests,Interference (Language),Semitic Languages,Qualitative Research,Comparative Analysis

The study focuses on the acquisition of English prepositions among students of Iraqi secondary school in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Participants in the study were (20) students all of them at sixth level. The researchers studied the students' responses to the given test to investigate the problematic prepositions of English language that Iraqi English as foreign language (EFL) learners have in their everyday and academic usage; and investigate the way that EFL Iraqi learners differentiate between using English and Arabic prepositions. The major finding in this study is that the main reason for all the errors is the dominance of the mother tongue (MT) on English language (EL), especially with Arabic language having a syntactic structure when imposed on EL that too with Arabic meaning on EL. The dominance and influence of one's MT is a major challenge in using the EL in the right way by Iraqi EFL learners. In a subconscious manner, Iraqi EFL learners tend to use or impose their MT's syntactic, semantic structures and patterns on EL. Arabic and English have different number of prepositions and word-to-word equivalents of prepositions cannot be found between Iraqi Arabic and English Languages. Iraqi EFL learners are influenced by the prepositional system of their MT (Arabic) when they intend to use the prepositions in EL and this leads to errors and lack of idiomaticity. Inaccuracy is a result of this, which is reflected in class hours for EFL learners.
Analysis of the Discourse of Power in Etel Adnan's Play &quot;Like a Christmas Tree&quot;
Author: Alashqar, Hossam Mahmoud
Date: 2015-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Discourse Analysis,Power Structure,Theater Arts,Literary Criticism,Cultural Differences,Cross Cultural Studies,Interpersonal Communication

This paper seeks to investigate the sources of power in the discourse of an Arab-American writer, Etel Adnan's one act play, &quot;Like a Christmas Tree.&quot; The play represents a heated argument between two figures who stand for two different ideologies and who fall within the frame of &quot;binary opposition,&quot; transcultural misunderstanding, and colonial hegemony versus native resistance. Supposedly, an American Journalist, Jim, is expected to dominate the discourse by force of his cultural and professional background, but sarcastically enough, the Iraqi butcher, Badr is the part who represents power and domination throughout the play. The current paper depends on more than one tool of analysis: Norman Fairclough's (2001) and Foucault's (2004) concepts of power and discourse, Grice's theory of &quot;cooperative principles&quot; (1989), Brown and Gilman's study of &quot;address forms&quot; (1972), and Georgia Green's contribution in the process of &quot;turn-taking&quot; (1989).The study celebrates an analysis of data which uncovers the power of discourse in the exchanges of both characters and sheds light on the identity of both of them in an attempt to affirm that &quot;power&quot; is not necessarily on the side of the stronger.
Arabic Determinative Phrase: DP Movement or Scrambling?
Author: AlBzour, Baseel Ali
Date: 2015-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Semitic Languages,Phrase Structure,Syntax,Native Language,Morphology (Languages),Language Variation,Foreign Countries,Pragmatics,Language Research,Dialects,Discourse Analysis

Arabic varieties show explicit linguistic behavior, especially at the syntactic level. This apparent diversity is mainly due to how syntactic rules confine the scope and the flexibility of movement of certain constituents inside and outside their syntactic domains. This paper examines solely how the mother tongue from which all these varieties have emanated, i.e. Standard Arabic can be obviously analyzed as a configurational language that tends to surface in a way similar to nonconfigurational languages at certain surface levels where determinative phrases &quot;DPs&quot; lend themselves freely to move and result in various templates frequently realized as VSO, OVS, OSV and VOS. These configurational structures seem problematic to construe in many vernacular Arabic varieties, mainly, in Suburbanite Northern Jordanian Arabic because of the scarcity of effective inflectional morphology such varieties exploit rather than pragmatic factors.
Coquetting Females versus Males of Manners: Critical Discourse Analysis of Egyptian Street Songs
Author: El-Falaky, Mai Samir
Date: 2015-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Singing,Discourse Analysis,Foreign Countries,Gender Differences,Socioeconomic Status,Interpersonal Relationship,Negative Attitudes,Sex Role,Literary Genres,Sexuality

The study explores gender differences and the role of the ideological background in portraying the roles of the males and the females. Socio-economic statuses affect the description of gender differences and this is proclaimed within the analysis of a recent phenomenon of poor quality street songs. The study represents a detailed description of male and female relationship, so as to spot the light on the literary and societal implications of this newly propagated genre. The study analyses two common songs spreading among commoners distorting the woman's image predefined in the Egyptian culture. Negative cultural and societal conceptions are explicitly mentioned about the relation between males and females.
Framework of Assessment for the Evaluation of Thinking Skills of Tertiary Level Students
Author: Heng, Chan Swee
Date: 2015-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Thinking Skills,Teaching Methods,Taxonomy,Models,Test Construction,Skill Development,Higher Education,Foreign Countries,Feedback (Response),Questioning Techniques,Tests

In the 21st century, students are required to master thinking skills in order to deal with many situations that arise in the tertiary environment which later would translate into the workplace. Nowadays, thinking skills play a vital role in tertiary education. To provide an approach for teachers, this paper identifies a 4-step model that can be implemented in test design with reference to Bloom's Taxonomy for thinking skills. This model illustrates a feasible procedure of test construction built upon existing resource. The procedures can easily be applied to different fields of study. It provides an appropriate way for teachers who may want to add more ideas to their repertoire skills in addressing the learning of HOT (higher-order thinking) skills.