ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
An Investigation into the State of Status Planning of Tiv Language of Central Nigeria
Author: Terkimbi, Atonde
Date: 2016-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,African Languages,Language Usage,Language Planning,Language Maintenance,Surveys,Stakeholders,Questionnaires,Statistical Analysis,Attitude Measures

The Tiv language is one of the major languages spoken in central Nigeria. The language is of the Benue-Congo subclass of the Bantu parent family. It has over four million speakers spoken in five states of Nigeria. The language like many other Nigerian languages is in dire need of language planning efforts and strategies. Some previous efforts were made to plan the language and government too has made policies to back up such efforts. This study therefore examines empirically the current state of the status planning of the language and its implication for the future and survival of the language. Status planning deals with the allocation of functions to a community's language(s). The functions investigated here include the educational, the media and home functions and it has been discovered that the language has a weak functional status. This therefore requires some conscious and deliberate language engineering strategies to be set in motion to rescue the language from its present bleak and weak functional status, to which end some recommendations have been made.
Investigation into Korean EFL Learners' Acquisition of English /s/ + Consonant Onset Clusters
Author: Choi, Jungyoun
Date: 2016-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Phonology,Second Language Instruction,Phonemes,Language Proficiency,Secondary School Students,High Achievement,Low Achievement,Pronunciation,Foreign Countries,Correlation,Native Language,Korean,Transfer of Training

This paper investigated the phonological acquisition of English /s/ + consonant onset clusters by Korean learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) who varied in their levels of proficiency. The data were collected from twenty eighth-graders in a Korean secondary school, who were divided into two groups according to their proficiency: low- and high-achievement. The major findings were: 1) the high-achievement group did not use a vowel epenthesis strategy in the articulation of the /s/ + consonant onset cluster, unlike the low-achievement group; 2) the duration of /s/ pronunciation was longer in the high-achievement group, as follows: /s/ + stop + liquid, /s/ + stop, /s/ + liquid; 3) the low-achievement group's duration of oral closure was longer than was that of the high-achievement group, as follows: /s/ + stop + liquid, s/ + stop, and 4) with regard to how /s/ + consonant onset clusters are perceived by native English speakers, /s/ + stop + liquid was related more significantly to the learners' level of proficiency than were the biliteral consonant onset clusters. Among biliteral onsets, /s/ + stop and /s/ + liquid clusters differed significantly between the groups, while the /s/ + nasal cluster did not.
Investigating the Role of Pop Songs on Vocabulary Recall, Attitude and Retention of Iranian EFL Learners: The Case of Gender
Author: Shakerian, Pouya
Date: 2016-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Singing,Music,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Recall (Psychology),Vocabulary Development,Language Proficiency,Foreign Countries,Role,Student Attitudes,Advanced Students,Adult Students,Gender Differences,Language Tests,Student Placement,Course Descriptions,Teaching Methods,Questionnaires,Statistical Analysis,Retention (Psychology)

Pop songs are, in fact, an ideal source for incidental vocabulary learning because teenagers often spend large amounts of their free time listening to music and in particular to pop songs. Employing an experimental approach, this study attempted to investigate the role of pop songs on vocabulary recall, attitude and retention of Iranian advanced adult EFL learners based on their gender. In so doing a language placement test (Quick Oxford Placement Test) was administered to 100 male and female language learners studying English at different language institutes in Esfahan, Iran. Ultimately, 60 advanced learners (30 males-30 females) were selected by leaving out the students of other levels of proficiency and randomly divided into two relatively homogenous groups as musical and non-musical groups. While the students of musical group (=30) were taught the new vocabulary in the syllabus through 60 different pop songs chosen by themselves through a questionnaire, the students of the non-musical group (n = 30) were taught new vocabulary without using the songs. The participants were examined based on an English vocabulary test developed by the researchers, which probed into the learners' vocabulary recall. A questionnaire was also used to investigate the attitude of the learners towards the instruction. A month later the vocabulary test was re-administered as a delayed retention test and obtained data were statistically analyzed. The results of t-tests demonstrated that the musical group outscored the nonmusical group on vocabulary recall and retention. The results also showed the male learners perform better than the females.
Comparison of English Language Rhythm and Kalhori Kurdish Language Rhythm
Author: Taghva, Nafiseh
Date: 2016-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Language Rhythm,Indo European Languages,English,Contrastive Linguistics,Phonology,Foreign Countries,Classification,Syllables,Measurement,Language Research,Intervals,Computer Software,Phonetics,Acoustics,Native Speakers,Oral Reading

Interval-based method is a method of studying the rhythmic quantitative features of languages. This method use Pairwise Variability Index (PVI) to consider the variability of vocalic duration and inter-vocalic duration of sentences which leads to classification of languages rhythm into stress-timed languages and syllable-timed ones. This study aims to consider the rhythm of British English and Kalhori Kurdish, which is spoken in some part of west of Iran, based on interval-based method. In order to reach this aim the duration variability of vocalic interval and inter-vocalic interval of English and Kalhori Kurdish are measured by PVI. Afterward the outcomes of this study were compared to the existed results of other languages. The results of this research demonstrated that the rhythmic quantitative features of these two languages are placed among stress-timed languages.
On Definiteness and Information Trigger in Arabic
Author: Jarrah, Marwan
Date: 2016-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Semitic Languages,Form Classes (Languages),Translation,Sentence Structure,Morphemes,Nouns,Semantics,Structural Analysis (Linguistics),Language Usage,Language Research,Pragmatics

The current research argues that definiteness in Arabic can be used for formal purposes. The definite article and the nunnation suffix &quot;-n&quot; (NnnS) manage the information flow in the sentence through maintaining accepted informativity balance. Additionally, the study assumes that NnnS, &quot;-n,&quot; is not an indefinite article. Its main function is rather to stimulate the speaker to add information about indefinite nouns. The information triggered by the NnnS is labelled as &quot;balancing materials&quot;, whose aim is to restore sentence acceptability which degrades due to indefinite nouns. Balancing materials can be of two types: semantic and formal. When the speaker balks at adding either types of balancing materials, the definite article is used, instead. Here, the definite article resolves the tension of adding information about the indefinite nouns and refraining from doing so. These issues are supported by empirical evidence. With this new role of definiteness, new insights into some pertinent issues, including sentence building and translation are offered.
Distinctiveness of Saudi Arabian EFL Learners
Author: Habbash, Manssour
Date: 2016-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Foreign Countries,Language Teachers,Student Attitudes,Cultural Influences,Student Motivation,Learning Motivation,Teaching Methods,Teacher Effectiveness,Teacher Student Relationship,College Preparation,Questionnaires,Likert Scales,College Students,Language Proficiency,Language Attitudes

In view of the increasing concern among English language teachers dealing with students from Saudi Arabia, as it manifests in TESOL community discussions, about the uniqueness of Saudi Arabian EFL learners, this paper attempts to document the outcome of a study of their distinctiveness from the perspective of expatriate teachers working for PYPs (Preparatory Year Programs) in Saudi Arabia. This study examines the distinctiveness with regard to the learning attitudes of Saudi students that are often cultivated by the culture and academic environment in their homeland. Employing an emic approach for collecting the required data an analysis was carried out in light of the other studies on &quot;education&quot; in Saudi Arabia that have particular reference to the factors that can positively influence student motivation, student success and the academic environment. The findings were used in constructing the rationale behind such distinctiveness. Assuming that the outcome of the discussion on the findings of this exploration can be helpful for teachers in adapting their teaching methodology and improving their teacher efficacy in dealing with students both from the kingdom and in the kingdom, some recommendations are made.
Political Ecology in Gabriel Garcia Marquez's &quot;One Hundred Years of Solitude&quot;
Author: ElSherief, Eman Mohammed
Date: 2016-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Novels,Ecology,Physical Environment,Foreign Policy,History,Political Attitudes,Literary Criticism,Literary Genres

The roots of ecology prolong profoundly within earlier phases of history, when the naturalistic fabric was first evinced. Bringing out his &quot;On the Origin of Species&quot; in 1859, Darwin not merely engendered a biological culmination but also heralded the revolutionary critical canon of naturalism that was virtually a stone thrown in the vast stagnant lake of traditional literature. Via the naturalistic lens, the whole bulk of man's behavioral attributes are being expounded in terms of milieu and heredity. The mid-1990s witnessed the publication of &quot;The Environmental Imagination&quot; by Lawrence Buell in 1995, and &quot;The Ecocriticism Reader&quot; edited by Cheryll Gloffelty and Harold Fromm in 1996, which palpably underpinned ecocriticism as revolving around the inextricable liaison between literature and the physical environment. The political ecology term was coined to further scrutinize relations among people that pertain to nature. The present paper is an endeavor to pursue the ecological tenor of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's landmark novel, &quot;One Hundred Years of Solitude,&quot; and how it was admirably exploited to address precarious postcolonial issues.
Insight into the Attitudes of Speakers of Urban Meccan Hijazi Arabic towards Their Dialect
Author: Alahmadi, Sameeha D.
Date: 2016-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Semitic Languages,Dialects,Attitude Measures,Foreign Countries,Questionnaires,Likert Scales,Individual Characteristics,Age Differences,Gender Differences,Educational Attainment,Responsibility,Sociolinguistics,Language Attitudes

The current study mainly aims to examine the attitudes of speakers of Urban Meccan Hijazi Arabic (UMHA) towards their dialect, which is spoken in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It also investigates whether the participants' age, sex and educational level have any impact on their perception of their dialect. To this end, I designed a 5-point-Likert-scale questionnaire, requiring participants to rate their attitudes towards their dialect. I asked 80 participants, whose first language is UMHA, to fill out the questionnaire. On the basis of the three independent variables, namely, age, sex and educational level, the participants were divided into three groups: old and young speakers, male and female speakers and educated and uneducated speakers. The results reveal that in general, all the groups (young and old, male and female, and educated and uneducated participants) have a sense of responsibility towards their dialect, making their attitudes towards their dialect positive. However, differences exist between the three groups. For instance, old speakers tend to express their pride of their dialect more than young speakers. The same pattern is observed in male and female groups. The results show that females may feel embarrassed to provide answers that may imply that they are not proud of their own dialect, since the majority of women in the Arab world, in general, are under more pressure to conform to the overt norms of the society than males. Therefore, I argue that most Arab women may not have the same freedom to express their opinions and feelings about various issues. Based on the results, the study concludes with some recommendations for further research.
Dynamic Assessment of Incidental Vocabularies: A Case of Iranian ESP Learners
Author: Hanifi, Sepideh
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Vocabulary Development,English for Special Purposes,Pretests Posttests,Learning Theories,Learning Experience,Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Incidental Learning,Quasiexperimental Design,College Students,Reading Processes,Language Tests,Teaching Methods,Student Evaluation,Statistical Analysis,Engineering Education

Dynamic assessment (DA), stemmed from both Vygotsky's (1978) learning theory and Feuerstein's (1979) theory of mediated learning experiences, is an alternative to static assessment. It focuses on both instruction and assessment aiming at promoting learning through mediation. DA has been widely researched in different linguistic areas, but there is paucity of research on its practice in ESP contexts. Accordingly, this study investigated the effectiveness of DA on incidental vocabularies emerging in technical reading textbooks, written for electronic engineering students. The study employed a quasi-experimental research design. Due to sample selection problems, an intact group of 25 BA electronic students were selected from the University of Zanjan. A pre-test was administered to check whether they had previous knowledge of the target words, incidentally acquired during the reading activity. As for the instrument stage, DA procedures were utilized in order to individualize participants' assessment. Following DA implementation, a post-test similar in content to pre-test, was administered to the same participants. The significance of DA for the enhancement of incidental vocabularies was to make participants aware of the strategies of identifying, evaluating and monitoring vocabularies (Nassaji, 2003) through mediation process. The results indicated that participants' incidental vocabulary learning promoted dramatically using DA, which employed structured hints for the mediation process. The results of this study can inform both teachers and learners to provide a step by step procedure to promote both teaching and assessment of ESP learners' vocabulary.
Postcolonial Hybrids in &quot;The Lowland&quot;
Author: Ghoreishi, Seyedeh Zahra
Date: 2016-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Novels,Indians,Immigration,Immigrants,Family Relationship,Emotional Disturbances,Disadvantaged,Life Style,Cultural Differences,Acculturation,Self Concept

This paper delves into Jhumpa Lahiri's 2013 novel, &quot;The Lowland&quot;, to analyze the diasporic experience of the Indianborn characters. Homi Bhabha's postcolonial approach is utilized to demonstrate the ways in which the characters perceive the immigration experience, and to unravel the causes of their despair, the disintegration of their family, and the underlying reasons behind the decisions that they make to compensate for their marginal status in the adopted land. It is attempted to shed light on the characters' insecurities and mental challenges brought forth by their &quot;liminal&quot; condition, in which they find themselves caught in a dilemma between the Indian lifestyle on the one hand, and the American dominant culture, on the other. Furthermore, &quot;hybridity&quot; is discussed, which entails the characters' partial adoption of the foreign culture that gives birth to mixed identities in the &quot;third space.&quot; This research concludes that in spite of the disturbing aspects of diasporic life including uncertainty, marginality, and unbelonging over which the characters possess no control, they are capable of surviving and even flourishing in the foreign social milieu.
Exploring Expansion and Reduction Strategies in Two English Translations of Masnavi
Author: Abbasi, Atefeh
Date: 2016-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Translation,English,Semantics,Poetry,Criticism,Poets,Language Usage,Reading Comprehension,Guidelines,Indo European Languages,Discourse Analysis,Comparative Analysis

The present study aimed to investigate the frequency of the use of two semantic adjustment strategies; namely, expansion and reduction, in the two English translations of book one of &quot;Masnavi.&quot; For this purpose, 300 lines of &quot;Masnavi&quot; by Rumi (2014) along its two corresponding English translations by Nicholson (2004) and Whinfield (2001) were critically analyzed based on Nida and Taber's (2003) theoretical framework. Based on the outcomes of the present study, both translators applied the expansion strategy more than the reduction because poems in &quot;Masnavi&quot; were so condensed and the writer of &quot;Masnavi&quot; applied classic words which were not understandable to the target language readers. Therefore, both translators used expansion strategy to explicate what was implied in the source text and to make a natural and a comprehensible translation to the target text readers.
Impact of Organizational Inertia and Dynamic Capabilities on Educational Performance of the Charitable Societies and Its Impact on Mathematical Performance of Elementary At-Risk Students
Author: Amiripour, Parvaneh
Date: 2017-01-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Elementary School Students,Mathematics Achievement,At Risk Students,Educational Change,Elementary School Mathematics,Nongovernmental Organizations,Elementary School Teachers,Teacher Attitudes,Educational Innovation,Statistical Analysis,Factor Analysis,Validity,Structural Equation Models,Reliability,Goodness of Fit,Hypothesis Testing

This study is an adjunct to a research effort focused on a mathematical curricular innovation in four non-governmental schools in Tehran, Iran. This study queried balanced, random sample of 100 educational personnel from the schools concerning dynamic capabilities associated with change (sensing opportunities, seizing opportunities, and reconfiguring assets) and issues surrounding organizational inertia (finding resources, confronting path dependency in change, and establishing new processes). Additional data collected described the personnel's perceptions about innovations and new processes instituted in their schools. Student performance data from the prior year's final mathematical examination were also gathered. The data describe a portion of the educational change potential of the schools, including improved student achievement. The variables informed by all of the data were evaluated by multivariate methods. The findings showed that beliefs about dynamic capabilities had a significant positive impact on educational performance and that educational performance had a positive impact on the final mathematical exam scores. The results also indicate that the organizational inertia of the schools had a significant negative impact on the educational performance of the schools. Conclusions were formed based on the analysis of the defining factors of the variables mentioned above and recommendations given for implementing change are proposed.
Reggio Emilia: An Essential Tool to Develop Critical Thinking in Early Childhood
Author: Fernández Santín, Mercè
Date: 2017-01-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Reggio Emilia Approach,Preschool Education,Preschool Teachers,Teacher Competencies,Critical Thinking,Thinking Skills,Young Children,Teaching Methods,Art Education,Literature Reviews,Art Products,Learning Theories

We seem to have a problem in arts education at pre-school level: the lack of specific training for teachers teaching this subject to very young children. The future preschool teachers' training seems to be focused on the teaching and learning aspects of artistic education however they receive little training on methodologies and philosophies. Therefore, when teachers have to face the classroom, the methodologies they use are usually quite traditional and do not favour the development of critical thinking skills in the students. There are different philosophies of arts education that might embed opportunities for reflection, art interpretation, experimentation, expression of emotions and feelings that if, in the case these philosophies, reach the classroom, may doubtlessly enrich the student's artistic training. Thus a conceptual framework based on one of these philosophies, named Reggio Emilia, arises. A systematic review of the literature which has been developed by categorising criteria from research papers and from examples of good practices. This categorisation might allow us to establish a framework that can be useful in the classrooms and can establish parameters of action that may have an impact on students, teachers and teachers' practice in general.
An Evaluation of the Second Intermediate Saudi English Language Textbook from the Teachers' Point of View
Author: BinObaid, Reem
Date: 2016-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Textbooks,Textbook Evaluation,Single Sex Schools,Questionnaires,Teacher Surveys,Teacher Attitudes,Language Teachers,Textbook Content,Statistical Analysis

The study evaluates the quality of the second intermediate grade English language textbook for Saudi girls' schools &quot;from the teachers point of view&quot; which was introduced at the intermediate stage by the Ministry of Education in 2004. This research project evaluates a new textbook that is considered to be the foundation stone in the English language program in Saudi Arabia. A survey questionnaire was used in this study to elicit the perspectives of 50 English language teachers and the population is about 220 teachers in Riyadh Educational Zone about the textbook in question. The questionnaire consisted of 23 items grouped under 5 main categories that are listed as: CB objectives, content, language style, skills, technical aspect and appearance of the CB. The data was subjected to analysis through descriptive statistics. The analysis of the results used several statistical methods which are as follows: Cronbach's alpha, means, percentage, chi square and standard deviations. The findings were generally in favor of the textbook except for the language style and some other sub-items. Out of 23 items in the questionnaire, only 4 items had arithmetic means less than 3.50 (the average). The category that had the highest mean was the one on technical aspects, while the category that had the lowest mean was the one on language style.