WorldWideScience

Sample records for university language education

  1. Language Choice and Use of Malaysian Public University Lecturers in the Education Domain

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tam Lee Mei

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available It is a norm for people from a multilingual and multicultural country such as Malaysia to speak at least two or more languages. Thus, the Malaysian multilingual situation resulted in speakers having to make decisions about which languages are to be used for different purposes in different domains. In order to explain the phenomenon of language choice, Fishman domain analysis (1964 was adapted into this research. According to Fishman’s domain analysis, language choice and use may depend on the speaker’s experiences situated in different settings, different language repertoires that are available to the speaker, different interlocutors and different topics. Such situations inevitably cause barriers and difficulties to those professionals who work in the education domain. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to explore the language choice and use of Malaysian public university lecturers in the education domain and to investigate whether any significant differences exist between ethnicity and field of study with the English language choice and use of the lecturers. 200 survey questionnaires were distributed to examine the details of the lecturers’ language choice and use. The findings of this research reveal that all of the respondents generally preferred to choose and use English language in both formal and informal education domain. Besides, all of the respondents claimed that they chose and used more than one language. It is also found that ethnicity and field of study of the respondents influence the language choice and use in the education domain. In addition, this research suggested that the language and educational policy makers have been largely successful in raising the role and status of the English language as the medium of instruction in tertiary education while maintaining the Malay language as having an important role in the communicative acts, thus characterizing the lecturers’ language choice and use. Keywords: Language

  2. Languages+ Internationalisation and the multilingual university

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lauridsen, Karen M.

    . With different language backgrounds come different ethnic, cultural and educational backgrounds that have wide implications for what happens in the learning space or classroom. Based on the outcomes of the IntlUni Erasmus Academic Network (Lauridsen & Lillemose 2015) and other sources, this keynote will address......Languages+ Internationalisation and the multilingual university The growth in English Medium Instruction (EMI) outside the English speaking countries (Wächter & Maiworm 2014) as well as the increase in non-L1 speakers in English-dominant settings is one of the very conspicuous outcomes of higher...... education internationalisation efforts today. Lecturers and students teach and learn through a language other than their own first language, which has led university leaders and other key actors to believe that issues arising from this situation are a question of language capabilities only. It is not...

  3. Research on Foreign Language Teaching in North America : The University of Toronto and Michigan State University

    OpenAIRE

    Lauer, Joe; Yamada, Jun

    1998-01-01

    Both the Modern Language Centre at the University of Toronto's Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE/UT), and the English Language Center at Michigan State University, are acknowledged as being among the best centers for applied linguistics research and education in the world. The Modern Language Centre has published important findings in the areas of second language acquisition, psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics and language curricula. Meanwhile, the English Language Center has ...

  4. Linguistics in Language Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumar, Rajesh; Yunus, Reva

    2014-01-01

    This article looks at the contribution of insights from theoretical linguistics to an understanding of language acquisition and the nature of language in terms of their potential benefit to language education. We examine the ideas of innateness and universal language faculty, as well as multilingualism and the language-society relationship. Modern…

  5. Language as capital in international university education

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Petersen, Margrethe; Shaw, Philip

    be a trade-off between the fluency in a second language provided by its use as sole or parallel medium in education and educational depth in the discipline studied. This fluency may in some circumstances constitute greater capital than the disciplinary insights partially sacrificed. But this varies......As Bourdieu and Passeron noted, academic discourse is never anyone’s ‘mother tongue’. Acquisition of this discourse in one’s first language is a prime aim of undergraduate education, but there is evidence that a substantial minority of students fail to acquire it. There is strong evidence...

  6. Attitudes of Students at the Faculty of Education, University of Ljubljana, Towards Slovenian as the Language of Instruction

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    Skubic Darija

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available The paper discusses the Slovenian language as the language of instruction inhigher education context. First, the status of Slovenian throughout history isbriefly described. Second, the author points out the role of the Slovenian standardlanguage in the educational system from kindergarten to the university, and the fullfunctional role of the Slovenian language within higher education, i.e. Slovenianas the academic language in different disciplines. Further, the paper provides anoutline of language guidelines as included in various documents, such as TheCountry Profile of Slovenia (2003, The National Programme for Language Policy(2007-2011, The White Paper (2011, The Common European Framework forLanguages (2001, and the draft of the National Programme for Language Policy2012-2016. The empirical part focuses on a survey, which investigated into theattitudes of students at the Faculty of Education towards Slovenian as the languageof instruction. The conclusions drawn from the survey suggest some strategies forimproving the current language practice in the higher education context.

  7. The Curriculum for English Language Teacher Education in Australian and Vietnamese Universities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nguyen, Minh Hue

    2013-01-01

    This paper examines the curricula for English language teacher education in two universities, one in Australia and the other in Vietnam. Specifically, it analyses the structures of the two curricula, compares and contrasts them, and examines how the development of the curricula was shaped by distinctive contextual factors. Sources of data include…

  8. What Unites Us All: Establishing Special Education Teacher Education Universals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Darling, Sharon M.; Dukes, Charles; Hall, Kalynn

    2016-01-01

    The theoretical base that supports human universals served as a model for proposing special education teacher education universals. The human universals model is explained and put forth as a basis for identifying special education teacher education universals. Twenty-four English language journals from different countries representing four…

  9. Managing Expectations: A Case Study of Sessional Staff in Languages and Cultures Education in Australian Universities

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    Josh Brown

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available In light of the increasing casualisation of the academic workforce in recent years, expectations of sessional staff in Australian universities from their academic employment are becoming more poignant. Following on from a previous report by Ferrari & Hajek (2012, this paper further highlights how these workers are affected by short-term, often only semester-long, contracts. We focus on how the brevity of employment affects sessional teachers’ perceptions of their role and perceived obligations to the university, and consequently the health of languages education. We present the results of an online survey conducted at the vast majority of Australian universities, which investigated sessional staff’s expectations. This study reveals that language sessional staff have expectations of their employment which are often at odds with their role as academics in the university environment.

  10. Where "Sign Language Studies" Has Led Us in Forty Years: Opening High School and University Education for Deaf People in Viet Nam through Sign Language Analysis, Teaching, and Interpretation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Woodward, James; Hoa, Nguyen Thi

    2012-01-01

    This paper discusses how the Nippon Foundation-funded project "Opening University Education to Deaf People in Viet Nam through Sign Language Analysis, Teaching, and Interpretation," also known as the Dong Nai Deaf Education Project, has been implemented through sign language studies from 2000 through 2012. This project has provided deaf…

  11. Language variety, language hierarchy, and language choice in the international university

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Haberland, Hartmut; Mortensen, Janus

    2012-01-01

    Introduction to thematic issue on Language variety, language hierarchy, and language choice in the international university......Introduction to thematic issue on Language variety, language hierarchy, and language choice in the international university...

  12. French Second Language Teacher Education and Continuing Professional Development in Canada: The Roles of Smaller Universities and Related Institutions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heffernan, Peter J.

    1991-01-01

    Discusses teacher shortages in French language instruction areas in Canada, both core and immersion; the rationalization of programs; staffing and financial support among Alberta's tertiary education; language teacher preparation; and continuing professional development. Suggestions are made as to how a smaller university can better fulfill its…

  13. Anadolu University, Open Education Faculty, Turkish Language and Literature Department Graduated Students' Views towards Pedagogical Formation Training Certificate, Special Teaching Methods Courses and Turkish Language and Literature Education from: Sample of Turkey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bulut, Mesut

    2016-01-01

    The aim of this study is to find out Anadolu University Open Education Faculty Turkish Language and Literature graduated students' views towards Pedagogical Formation Training certificate and their opinions about special teaching methods. This study has been done in one of the universities of East Karadeniz in Turkey in which the 20 Turkish…

  14. Language Issues in Distance Education. Dunford Seminar Report (16th, England, United Kingdom, 1993).

    Science.gov (United States)

    British Council, London (England).

    A collection of articles from a 1993 British seminar on language issues in distance education includes: "The End of Distance Education" (Iredale); "The Logistics of Distance Language Teaching" (Turner); "The Open University and Language Issues" (Floyd); "Language Issues in Distance Education at Tertiary…

  15. Refining English Language Tests for University Admission: A Malaysian Example

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    Arshad Abd Samad

    2008-06-01

    Full Text Available English has now become the lingua franca of much of technological, business and academic endeavours. Consequently, learning the English language is now seen as vital, especially at the university level where proficiency in the language has become a selection criterion. At present, the Malaysian University English Test (MUET has been adopted by Malaysian public universities as an indicator of English language proficiency. A student’s overall result depends on all the four language components of the MUET and often determines the number and nature of the English language courses he or she has to attend at university. This study seeks to examine whether MUET is an accurate predictor of performance and success at university and how the MUET can be finetuned as an entry level English language test. It was carried out among 52 third year undergraduates of the Faculty of Educational Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia, admitted into the Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL programme. The findings of the study do not offer conclusive evidence about the validity of MUET as a predictor of academic success. However, six models of various combinations of scores on language components on the MUET scores are examined in terms of their effectiveness in increasing the accuracy in selecting students for the TESL programme. The correlations obtained using these models indicate that the combination of various components of the MUET can be used to more accurately predict student achievement at tertiary level than the cumulative MUET score itself. The results of these correlations and their implications in using language tests as admission requirements in general are also discussed

  16. Open Educational Resources as a Tool to Improve Language Education Effectiveness in the Russian Higher Institutions

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    Tatiana Sidorenko

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available An attempt of Russian universities to move forward to the leading positions in the world rankings has resulted in some initiatives to enhance their activities on the market of education services. Under these conditions, foreign language proficiency is no longer a luxury and it is becoming an important tool to implement goals of university development. In this regard, new methods and techniques of foreign language teaching are highly demanded, which would significantly improve the language competency of both students and faculty members. A search for effective methods to enhance foreign language teaching makes analyze Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs open educational platforms and consider an opportunity for these platforms to be integrated into the existing system of foreign language teaching in Russian higher education institutions. Based on the research findings, the author concludes that it is irrational to use the resources as embedded components without significant adjustment to the conditions existing in the current higher education system.

  17. WAYS OF DEVELOPING PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ ENGLISH LANGUAGE COMPETENCE

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    Lyudmyla Gavrilova

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Involvement of future specialists into advanced studying of English as the main language of international communication is a relevant problem of modern higher education in Ukraine. This issue relevance is proved by the country's integration into the European educational environment, changes in strategic directions of higher education development in Ukraine, regulations by Ukrainian Government and the Ministry of Education, in particular, the Decree of the President of Ukraine “On Declaring 2016 the Year of English Language in Ukraine”, “Common European Framework on Language Education”. Essential changes which are now taking place in studying foreign languages, especially English, are also associated with the competency paradigm of education that focuses on achieving certain educational results and orienting scientific research of professional pedagogical education in recent years. An important condition for reformatting process of learning a foreign (English language is monitoring future specialists’ academic achievements in this field, particularly future teachers’ ones. The concept “pedagogical monitoring” is interpreted as a system of measures for collecting and analyzing data to study and evaluate the quality of professional training and to make decisions on further improvement of the educational process. The purpose of the article is to highlight and analyze the results of monitoring the level of English of State higher educational establishment “Donbas State Pedagogical University” students and reveal the ways of improving future teachers` English communicative competence. The monitoring stages are assessing the starting level of foreign (English language of students who are not trained in the field of language-related professions using the tests for A2 level standards of Cambridge Educational Syndicate; reformatting the content of learning English at the university: developing and implementing the course

  18. English Textbooks in Parallel-Language Tertiary Education

    OpenAIRE

    Pecorari, D.; Shaw, P.; Irvine, Aileen; Malmstrom, H.

    2011-01-01

    Tertiary education in many countries is increasingly bilingual, with English used in parallel with the national language, particularly as a reading language. This article describes the results of a survey of student attitudes toward, and reading practices regarding, English language textbooks. Over 1,000 students at three Swedish universities responded to a questionnaire asking about their experiences with English textbooks. Textbooks written in English were generally unpopular, and the perce...

  19. Education, Language, and Identity amongst Students at a South African University

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parkinson, Jean; Crouch, Alison

    2011-01-01

    This article reports on a study of language and cultural identity of mother-tongue Zulu students at an English-medium South African university. The data consist of focus group interviews, questionnaires, and student opinions in essays. Findings include a strong identification of the participants with the Zulu language and Zulu culture, and a view…

  20. Defining English Language Proficiency for Malaysian Tertiary Education: Past, Present and Future Efforts

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    Chan Swee Heng

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available Any attempt to define English language proficiency can never be divorced from the theories that describe the nature of language, language acquisition and human cognition. By virtue of such theories being socially constructed, the descriptions are necessarily value-laden. Thus, a definition of language proficiency can only, at best, be described as developmental, following changes that are linguistic, pragmatic, cultural and political. In defining English proficiency for tertiary education, the context is naturally also linked to the focus on university education. The argument has been that an ‘acceptable’ level of language competence of a university applicant is anything but constant. Tremendous social changes have seen traditional values of elitism in university education giving way to the ‘massification’ of education. As Kaplan and Baldauf (1997:257 affirms, “The principal problem in tertiary education is not declining literacy standards but rather it is about meeting changed societal, cultural and informational requirements and circumstances”. In the light of these changes, this paper attempts to trace influencing factors that help define an ‘acceptable’ level of English proficiency for Malaysian tertiary education. The paper examines past and present efforts of establishing an English language policy and assessment practice for tertiary education, and concludes with some views on future development that could evolve from the current indicative pursuits of establishing language learning and ability.

  1. Discursive Mechanisms and Human Agency in Language Policy Formation: Negotiating Bilingualism and Parallel Language Use at a Swedish University

    Science.gov (United States)

    Källkvist, Marie; Hult, Francis M.

    2016-01-01

    In the wake of the enactment of Sweden's Language Act in 2009 and in the face of the growing presence of English, Swedish universities have been called upon by the Swedish Higher Education Authority to craft their own language policy documents. This study focuses on the discursive negotiation of institutional bilingualism by a language policy…

  2. Translating language policy into practice: Language and culture policy at a Dutch university

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Haines, Kevin; Dijk, Anje

    2016-01-01

    The CEFR will only achieve its potential in higher education if it is embedded in a meaningful way in the wider processes of the university. One means of embedding the CEFR is through policy, and in this article we report the development of a language policy in the broader context of

  3. Realities of and perspectives for languages in the globalised world: Can language teaching survive the inadequacies of policies implemented today at Leeds Beckett University?

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    Saadia Gamir

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Various newspaper articles report that British ministers, university representatives, exam chiefs and business bodies agree that foreign languages skills in primary, secondary and tertiary UK education are in crisis. Lower funding and policy changes have caused language skills deficiencies felt gravely in the business sectors. Funding and support initiatives pledged by policy makers appear to be election-driven, barely outliving newly elected governments. Others blame secondary school language curriculum for failing to inspire students to take up a language when they reach 13 or 14. Others still argue that severe A-level examinations marking deters students from taking up a foreign language at 6th form level, producing fewer prospective language learners for university departments. Community languages are also undervalued as small-entry languages could soon be axed from GCSE and A-level examinations. In a world increasingly interconnected, it is essential the importance of language learning be reinstated in all our educational institutions. This paper reviews two decades of the conditions of language provision in the UK in general, with an emphasis on Leeds Beckett University. It also attempts to answer two questions emerging form the author’s personal teaching experience and reflections: What are the realities and challenges language teaching faces at Leeds Beckett University? And, how may we support language learners in fulfilling their ambition to acquire the required skills to communicate effectively in this globalised world?

  4. FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING IN SUDANESE UNIVERSITIES: GOALS, ATTITUDES, AND REALITY

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    Abdel Rahim Hamid Mugaddam

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract: The goals and means of language study continue in the very center of debates among specialists in language teaching/learning. Different views relating to language and its functions are reflected in two main approaches to language teaching/learning. On the one hand, language is considered to be principally instrumental, a means of communicating thought and information. One the other hand, language is viewed as an important element of human being’s thought processes, perceptions, and self-expressions; and as such, it is placed at the core of translingual and transcultural competence. This paper investigates the current situation of teaching/learning foreign languages in the Sudanese universities with special focus on the goals of teaching these languages and their role in students’ future. Goals of language teaching and students’ attitudes towards the process will be related to the job opportunities available for the students on graduation. Data for the paper have been collected using questionnaires and interviews administered to students and teachers from five language departments at Khartoum University: English, French, German, Russian, and Chinese. Questionnaires and interviews on language attitude will be administered among Four-year language majors representing the four departments. The central question the paper tries to answer is whether there is a realistic match between the goals of language teaching/learning set by policy makers and students’ interests and expectations. Results are expected to contribute to the efforts made to restructure language-in-education curriculum at university level in a way that addresses the expectations of both policy makers and students. Keywords: Foreign language teaching and learning, goals, attitude.

  5. Teaching Japanese Language in Tertiary and Secondary Education: State and Private Institutions in Romania

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    Angela DRAGAN

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available In Romania, Japanese language, literature and culture are taught at university level in two private universities and two state universities. Japanese departments are part of either a Faculty of Letters or a Faculty of Languages and Literatures. Students have to choose another language to study, in addition to Japanese. This gives them a dual major / dual specialization. A large number of graduates decide on pursuing a teaching career in one of their specializations. My paper looks at the way in which university provides an educational background for teachers at lower and upper education. It also looks into the way it shapes secondary education through its curriculum. This refers to compulsory education in an integrated national system of education. But, in the last ten years, this perspective has broadened. Language schools, which are not part of this integrated system, have appeared. Some of them teach exclusively Japanese language and Japanese culture classes. In the beginning, the students were mainly adults, age 18+ but in the last several years, more children have started to be interested in attending classes in these language schools. My paper also discusses this new perspective. A questionnaire and its results will also be presented on this topic. It will show not only the increasing number of young learners but also, their very young age, which goes as far as primary school. This tendency, in studying Japanese as a foreign language, could provide a preview into its development at the secondary level.

  6. SECOND-LANGUAGE ACQUISITION AND THE SYSTEM OF EDUCATION

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    CAMELIA NEAGU

    2012-05-01

    Full Text Available As a branch of applied linguistics, language education or educational linguistics2 has had a long history dating back in ancient times. However, at present, under the influence of globalization, second-language acquisition3 has become a sine qua non condition for any potential employee or employer in the knowledge society. Basically, democratic regimes and developing countries encourage language education which they regard as an important asset in the process of globalization. Moreover, the study of foreign languages significantly contributes to the development of any human being’s personality and implicitly of any society by eliminating cultural biases and borders. Currently, countries which fail to understand the importance of second-language acquisition deprive their citizens of a key social and cultural development factor. Last but not least, we could say that at present the ability to speak English has become synonym with acquiring a universal language. In consequence, educational policies should seriously focus on the study of the new lingua franca4, i.e. English, while accepting as an undeniable possibility – given the rapidly changing political and economic environment – the fact that another language (such as Chinese or Spanish etc. may replace English in time.

  7. Learning Indicators of a Foreign Language in Spanish Public University. Case Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cáceres-Lorenzo, M-Teresa; Salas-Pascual, Marcos; Afonzo-de-Tovar, Isabel-Cristina; Vera-Cazorla, M-Jesús; Santana-Alvarado, Yaiza; Santana-Quintana, Cristina

    2017-01-01

    This article investigates 292 postgraduate students of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Canary Islands, Spain), through a Likert-scale questionnaire. This inquiry was about private, educational actions and learning valuation of a foreign language and its relation with the learning of one or several foreign languages. The analysis of…

  8. English language writing centres in Japanese universities: What do students really need?

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    Jim McKinley

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available The installation of English language writing centres in Japanese universities is a relatively recent event—the first ones established with funding from the Ministry of Education in 2004. Because of the EFL writing context, setting up a writing centre requires consideration of students’ needs and cultural expectations of writing and writing centres. In general, writing centres that have been established in Japanese universities follow a structure similar to those in the US. This raises the question as to whether or not this is appropriate for the particular needs of EFL students and the obstacles they face. For this study, in order to explore students’ attitudes toward writing centres and the role they play in writing education, interview data was collected from students of English composition in two different departments at a university in Japan well known for its English language education: the English department, which does not have a writing centre, and the liberal arts department, which has one of the first writing centres established in Japan.

  9. Taking Teacher Education to Task: Exploring the Role of Faculty Education in Promoting Values and Moral Education of Task-Based Language Teaching

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    Dr. Gabriel C. Delariarte

    2014-02-01

    Full Text Available - This study aimed to determine the taking teacher education to task: exploring the role of teacher education in promoting values and moral education of task-based language teaching in the college of education of West Visayas State University Calinog-Campus for the school year 2012-2013. Descriptive research method was utilized in the study. The findings revealed that the respondents perceived highly observable Teachers’ role in promoting values and moral education of task-based language teaching; the entire group of respondents has perceived highly observable Teachers’ role in promoting values and moral education of task-based language teaching; both male and female respondent have perceived a highly observable Teachers’ role in promoting values and moral education of task-based language teaching; all age brackets have perceived a highly observable Teachers’ role in promoting values and moral education of task-based language teaching except 19 to 20 brackets that perceived very highly observable Teachers’ role in promoting values and moral education of taskbased language teaching. Finally, there is no significant difference in the perceived teacher’s role in promoting values and moral education of task-based language teaching when classified as to sex and age.

  10. Internet Technology-Based Projects in Learning and Teaching English as a Foreign Language at Yakutsk State University

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    Zamorshchikova, Lena; Egorova, Olga; Popova, Marina

    2011-01-01

    This paper discusses recent uses of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in fostering Internet-based projects for learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL) at the Faculty of Foreign Languages in Yakutsk State University, Russia. It covers the authors' experiences integrating distance education and creating educational resources…

  11. An Analysis of the Language of Attribution in University Students' Academic Essays

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jabulani, Sibanda

    2014-01-01

    The study reports on challenges related to the use of the language of attribution in academic essay writing by Post-Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) students at Rhodes University, as a microcosm of similar challenges faced by university students elsewhere. The study content-analysed 150 essays written by 50 PGCE students taking the course…

  12. TECHNOLOGICAL APPROACH TO TEACHING FOREIGN LANGUAGES IN TECHNICAL UNIVERSITIES

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    Mariia Kuts

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Modern learning foreign languages is based on a humanistic paradigm. The realization of the possibility of such activity researches consider in implementation of technological approach in educational process. The scientists connect the optimal and qualitative realization of this activity with the implementation of education technology into learning process. Modern studies are focused on questions of implementation of technological approach into teaching foreign languages. It is thought to allow to achieve guaranteed minimal level of learning results. At the same time there are some incompletely studied aspects such as content of pedagogical technologies, their conceptual and procedural characteristics, approaches to classification. In the article the essence of technological approach is revealed, the communicatively focused technologies of teaching foreign languages in non-linguistic universities are concretized. The interpretation of technological approach is given; characteristics and attributes in teaching foreign languages are selected. It is noticed that technological approach is social and engineering ideology in the sphere of didactics according to which teaching process is considered to be a completely designed process with strictly planned and fixed results (M. Klarin. In the article it is emphasized on feasibility and efficiency of technological approach while teaching foreign languages, the degree of its integration in educational process is defined. The communication-oriented technologies, based on a communicative method of E. Passov, are allocated as the most optimum. It is shown the communication-oriented technologies go beyond the conceptual idea of modelling in teaching process of real foreign-language communication, and their procedural component and contents are founded on certain principles. The most commonly used technologies of teaching foreign languages are classified as technologies of modernization and technologies of

  13. Professional Language Training of International Students in the Multicultural Environment of University for International Relations

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    Tatyana Glebova

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The article addresses the specific features of professional language training of international students in the multicultural environment of a Russian university teaching students of international relations. After a brief historical survey of teaching foreign students in the universities of Russia, the writer considers the factors that influence the choice of universities graduating specialists in international relations by foreign students. The author goes on to analyze the specifics of linguisticand socio-cultural environment in Russian universities and its impact on international students stressing the fact that the educational environment at MGIMO-University is multilingual and multicultural. That explains the relevance of studying the quality of professional language training of foreign students in the sphere of international relations. The language of teaching in most universities of the Russian Federation is Russian, besides, all MGIMO students are obliged to learn English either as their first or second foreign language, that is why international students have to study in a tri-lingual environment and the interfering influence of several cultures. The writer points out that under such circumstances it is necessary for future IR specialists to build a number of professionally relevant competences: linguistic, socio-cultural, communicative, and suggests educational technologies that have proved to be effective in building them: case-study, role-plays, etc. The article gives special attention to the place and role of translation in teaching English as translation is a system of encoding within the system of two language systems. Translating phrases from Russian into English the student does 'inner', mental translation using the mother tongue. That makes the author suggest using the students'mother tongues in the teaching process. While learning foreign languages, international students should, along with language material, study the system

  14. A Performance-Based Teacher Education Curriculum in the Language Arts

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    Rudman, Masha

    1972-01-01

    Under a feasibility grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare for a Model Elementary Teacher Education Program (METEP), the University of Massachusetts' School of Education set up a language arts education program based on performance criteria, in that it is the performance of the student that is crucial, not the method…

  15. Internationalizing General Education from within: Raising the Visibility of Heritage Language Students in the Classroom

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    Davidova, Evguenia

    2011-01-01

    This article analyzes the findings of a pilot project conducted in 2008-2009 as a partnership between University Studies, Portland State University's interdisciplinary general education program, and the University's Russian Flagship Language Partner Program. The project proposes a new approach of integrating non-English speakers' language skills,…

  16. Foreign language education: Principles of teaching English to adults at commercial language schools and centers

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    Oleg Tarnopolsky

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available The ever-increasing spread of English as the language of global communication leads to ever-increasing demand for learning it among adult populations of non-English-speaking countries. If such people did not have a chance of acquiring English during their school or university years but urgently need it for professional or personal purposes, they have no other choice but to go and learn it at courses offered by numerous commercial language schools and centers. In post-Communist countries, such as Ukraine, commercial language schools and centers are responsible for English language training of the majority of adults learning that language after their secondary or tertiary school studies. They also serve the needs of many high and higher schools’ students who, due to various reasons, are not satisfied with learning English at their educational institutions. However, despite the importance and spread of this specific type of language education, its pedagogical and methodological foundations have hardly been developed at all. The present article is an attempt of partly filling this gap in pedagogy and methodology of English language education in non-English-speaking countries. The paper develops some theoretical underpinnings of that kind of education in the form of six principles underlying the organization of commercial English language courses, formulating their goals, selecting the learning contents, and choosing the methods of teaching and learning. The practical consequences of adopting the six suggested principles are outlined.

  17. FOREIGN LANGUAGE PROGRAMS OFFERED IN TURKISH UNIVERSITIES

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    Bengül CETINTAS

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available n this study, the departments of philology and teaching, which take place in higher education programs in Turkey and give education in foreign language, have been examined. 23 different languages are offered to philology students who wants to attend to faculty of literature. Students can prefer classical languages besides modern languages. However, English, German, French, Arabic and Japanese are offered to the students of teaching department. To teach another foreign language, pedagogical formation is also required.This study focuses on the departments of German Language Teaching and German Language and Literature. From this point, the place and the importance of other philology and foreign language teaching departments in Turkish higher education have been examined.

  18. Internationalization of Higher Education and Language Policy: The Case of a Bilingual University in Taiwan

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    Lau, Ken; Lin, Chia-Yen

    2017-01-01

    Universities worldwide, in placing a greater emphasis on global mobility, have recently seen a growing number of in- and outbound students. Parallel to this development has been the need to internationalize individual campuses, an important aspect of which is to have a common language (or languages) used for communication. The language policies in…

  19. Knowledge of the Guarani language in medical students at a university hospital in Paraguay.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiménez, Hassel Jimmy; Delgadillo, Lorena; Campuzano de Rolon, Ana; Jiménez, Diana; de Samudio, Angélica; Agüero, Adriana; Radice, César; Jiménez-Britez, Gustavo

    2018-04-10

    Paraguay is a bilingual country and knowledge of the guarani language is an important communication tool for the doctor- patient relationship. To determine the degree of and the factors that influence the knowledge of the Guaraní language in medical students at a University Hospital in Paraguay. Observational, cross-sectional, analytical study in which an anonymous questionnaire was applied to the final year medical students of a University Hospital of Paraguay. The baseline characteristics of the medical students and their degree of knowledge of the Guarani language were described. The association between the characteristics of the students and the degree of knowledge of the Guarani language was evaluated with the Chi square association test and the logistic regression model. We included 264 students in the survey. Eighty two percent come from the capital, 72% made their pre-university studies in the capital; 92% studied Guaraní in primary and secondary education; 67.9% do not interpret Guarani correctly; 8.5% understand and express themselves totally in Guaraní. Of these, 86% refer to have the greater learning of the language in their home; 75.2% of respondents believe that primary and secondary education did not help in learning the language. The degree of knowledge of the language (speaks and understands the Guarani language correctly) varies according to: the origin of the student, the inland regions or the capital (31.25% vs. 2.5%, adjusted OR = 0.24, 95% confidence interval: 0.06 to 0.92, p = 0.003); the location of primary and secondary school: inland versus capital (25.6% vs. 1%, adjusted OR: 0.08, 95% confidence interval: 0.01 to 0.53, p = 0.009). The degree of knowledge of the Guaraní language of the students is lower compared to the general population; those who best understand and express themselves were born or studied in the interior of the country. The majority considers that primary and secondary education contribute little in the learning of

  20. Virtual Linguistic Personas and Foreign Language Teaching in Higher Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Popova, T. P.; Nenasheva, T. A.

    2016-01-01

    Many Russian institutions of higher education support the introduction of information technologies, and they actively use them in the educational process. In teaching foreign languages (FLs) at university, the transition to the new instructional model implies the need to actively deploy innovative concepts and practices aimed at ensuring that…

  1. Higher Education Language Policy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lauridsen, Karen M.

    2013-01-01

    Summary of recommendations HEIs are encouraged, within the framework of their own societal context, mission, vision and strategies, to develop the aims and objectives of a Higher Education Language Policy (HELP) that allows them to implement these strategies. In this process, they may want......: As the first step in a Higher Education Language Policy, HEIs should determine the relative status and use of the languages employed in the institution, taking into consideration the answers to the following questions:  What is/are the official language(s) of the HEI?  What is/are the language...... and the level of internationalisation the HEI has or wants to have, and as a direct implication of that, what are the language proficiency levels expected from the graduates of these programme?  Given the profile of the HEI and its educational strategies, which language components are to be offered within...

  2. Sprogpolitik for Roskilde Universitet/Language Policy for Roskilde University

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pedersen, Karsten; Klitgård, Ida; Hvidtfeldt, Susanne

    Med vedtagelsen af den Internationale Uddannelsesstrategi i 2012 blev det også vedtaget at Roskilde Universitet skulle udarbejde en ny sprogpolitik. Sprogpolitikken skal være med til at sikre at Roskilde Universitet bliver en arbejdsplads med plads til mennesker fra forskellige kulturer og steder....... Politikken fastslår at dansk er hovedsproget på RUC (svensk og norsk er ligestillet med dansk), at engelsk er det fælles andetsprog som universitetet bruger til sin egen interne kommunikation og til at kommunikere med sin ikke dansktalende omverden med, og at andre sprog kan og bør benyttes i de relevante...... sammenhænge. Roskilde University’s International Education Strategy was passed in 2012. Part of the strategy said the Roskilde University must implement a new language policy. The language policy will contribute to Roskilde University as a workplace with room for people from various cultures and places...

  3. El Espanol como Idioma Universal (Spanish as a Universal Language)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mijares, Jose

    1977-01-01

    A proposal to transform Spanish into a universal language because it possesses the prerequisites: it is a living language, spoken in several countries; it is a natural language; and it uses the ordinary alphabet. Details on simplification and standardization are given. (Text is in Spanish.) (AMH)

  4. Teaching Foreign Languages: A Challenge to Ecuadorian Bilingual Intercultural Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haboud, Marleen

    2009-01-01

    Since the Universal Declaration of Linguistic Rights in 1996, there is a tendency not only to maintain linguistic and cultural diversity worldwide, but also to ease universal access to quality education which should comprise the learning of other languages and cultures and the generation of intercultural relations. In this sense, this article…

  5. Language Teachers: Research and Studies in Language(s) Education, Teaching, and Learning in "Teaching and Teacher Education," 1985-2012

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kleinsasser, Robert C.

    2013-01-01

    The article reviews twelve of 79 articles focusing on language teachers, language(s) teacher education, teaching, and learning published in "Teaching and Teacher Education" since 1985. The twelve articles, divided into three sections, include narrative inquiry and identity, teacher education topics, and contexts. The articles provide local and…

  6. Ghana language-in-education policy: The survival of two South Guan minority dialects

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ansah, Mercy Akrofi

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The paper investigates the survival of two South-Guan minority dialects, Leteh and Efutu, in the context of the Ghana language-in-education policy. The study is done from the perspective of the UNESCO Universal Declaration on Linguistic Rights (1996. In every multilingual state, the formulation of policies concerning language use has always presented challenges. The government has to decide which of the languages need to be promoted and for what purposes. In Ghana, since the introduction of formal education, English has indubitably been the language of education, trade, law, media, government and administration. However, there has always been a debate surrounding the language-in-education policy, especially at the basic level of education. The argument has always been whether English should be emphasised or Ghanaian languages. For purposes of formal education, the government of Ghana has promoted nine languages known as government-sponsored languages. These are languages which have literary tradition and can be used as media of instruction in schools. This decision was to the detriment of some Ghanaian languages; languages which are often described as minority languages, and which are not government-sponsored. The paper argues that, if language and culture are intertwined, and the culture of a people must be preserved, then language policymakers need to consider the linguistic rights of speakers of the so-called minority languages. Data for the study were sourced from language surveys and observation.

  7. Reframing Language Allocation Policy in Dual Language Bilingual Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sánchez, María Teresa; García, Ofelia; Solorza, Cristian

    2018-01-01

    This article addresses language allocation policies in what is increasingly called "Dual Language Education" (DLE) in the U.S., offering a challenge to the strict language separation policies in those programs and a proposal for flexibility that transforms them into "Dual Language Bilingual Education" (DLBE). The article offers…

  8. Change in Language Policy in Malaysia: The Reality of Implementation in Public Universities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gill, Saran Kaur

    2006-01-01

    In Malaysia, a sudden change in language policy, from Bahasa Melayu to English, has been instituted for the disciplines of science and technology at varying levels of the educational system. For this paper, it will be the domain of higher education that will be focused on. In 2005, the students who had their pre-university courses in English would…

  9. A Model for Community-based Language Teaching to Young Learners: The Impact of University Outreach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Martha Nyikos

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available A primary challenge given to university foreign language departments and Title VI National Resource Centers is to increase interest and participation in foreign language learning, with particular emphasis on less commonly taught languages (LCTLs. Given that many LCTLs in high demand by the US government, including Arabic, Chinese, Persian and Turkish, rarely find their way into the school curricula, this article offers a successful ongoing community-based model of how one university-town partnership addresses advocacy with programming for pre-K-grade 9. Non-native and heritage undergraduate language students who volunteered as community language teachers found the experience invaluable to their pedagogical development. Teacher education programs or language departments can employ this approach to community-based teaching, by providing free, sustained language teaching in existing community centers. This article offers guidance for how to start and expand such a program.

  10. Second Languages in Primary Education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Donoghue, Mildred R.; Kunkle, John F.

    A book on second languages in primary education, designed to assist both classroom teachers and language specialists, is presented. The following topics are addressed: (1) reasons for studying a second language; (2) reasons for children to learn a second language; (3) language choices; (4) qualifications of teachers; (5) FLES, bilingual education,…

  11. Multilingual education in South African universities: A possibility or ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    After the demise of apartheid it was hoped that a radical shift would give impetus to multilingual education in universities in South Africa. This is predicated on the vigour that South Africa exuded in its endeavour to promote eleven languages to national official status for the country. The question is, will universities ever be ...

  12. Determining the Correlation Between Language Scores Obtained by Medical Students in their University Entrance and Comprehensive Medical Basic Sciences Exams

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Majid Ahmadi

    2009-06-01

    Full Text Available Background and Purpose: Some professors and educators in the field of English language believe that the high grades attained by medical students in their Comprehensive Medical Basic Sciences Exam (CMBSE are mainly a result of the students prior fluency in the language before entering medical colleges; they are of the opinion that these grades are not necessarily a result of the combined effort of the English teachers and students in language courses at the university. This research aimsat determining the correlation between the level of fluency in English of medical students prior to university entrance and the grades obtained by them in their CMBSE after 3 terms of language courses at the university.Methods: Seven of the major and smaller universities of medical sciences were selected. The language scores of 2426 students admitted to these universities during the three academic years of 1999 to 2002 in both the National University Entrance Examination (NUEE and the Comprehensive Medical Basic Sciences Exam (CMBSE were obtained from their related universities and from the secretariat of the Council of Medical Basic Sciences Education respectively. The language scores of each studentobtained in both NUEE and CMBSE were then matched. The related SPSS software was used to assess the level of correlation between these two groups of language scores for the students of each university, for each academic year and semester and also the overall score for the three years.Results: Overall a positive and moderately significant correlation was found between the NUEE language scores and those of the CMBSE of the students of the universities studied (P<0/001; R=443%. The level of correlation for the various universities studied differed (Max. 69%, min.27%.A comparison of the means of these two groups of scores also confirmed this correlation.Conclusion: students’ grades The NUEE language score was not the only factor affecting the student’s CMBSE score

  13. Language Ideology or Language Practice? An Analysis of Language Policy Documents at Swedish Universities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Björkman, Beyza

    2014-01-01

    This article presents an analysis and interpretation of language policy documents from eight Swedish universities with regard to intertextuality, authorship and content analysis of the notions of language practices and English as a lingua franca (ELF). The analysis is then linked to Spolsky's framework of language policy, namely language…

  14. MGIMO Educational Standards: Goal and Contents of Professional Language Training of IR Economics Students

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alla A. Kizima

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The article gives a methodological analysis of MGIMO-University own education standards and programmes. The relevance of the article is explained by the necessity to define the goals and contents of professional language training of IR economics students at MGIMO-University after a transfer to own education standards. The researcher used competence-based and cultural studies approaches with reference to the didactic principles of accessibility, systematic, consistency, necessity and sufficiency. The author used a set of methods including the method of theoretical analysis, the method of synthesis and systematization, summative method. The article addresses the difference in the training of IR economists and economists in other spheres of economics, underlines the importance of professional language training of IR economics students, analyses the specifics of professional language training of IR economists from the standpoint of competence-based approach by comparing the competences presented in the Federal State Education Standards of Higher Education and MGIMO own education standards. The author gives a definition of goal and contents of professional language training of IR economics students as well as didactic principles of contents choice that define the effectiveness of training. In conclusion the author points out that the contents of professional language training of IR economics students based on MGIMO own education standards are approached as the system of professional knowledge, skills and competence leading to successful intercultural communication.

  15. English Language Teacher Educators' Pedagogical Knowledge Base: The Macro and Micro Categories

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moradkhani, Shahab; Akbari, Ramin; Samar, Reza Ghafar; Kiany, Gholam Reza

    2013-01-01

    The aim of this study was to determine the major categories of English language teacher educators' pedagogical knowledge base. To this end, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 5 teachers, teacher educators, and university professors (15 participants in total). The results of data analysis indicated that teacher educators' pedagogical…

  16. Educator Language Ideologies and a Top-Down Dual Language Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fitzsimmons-Doolan, Shannon; Palmer, Deborah; Henderson, Kathryn

    2017-01-01

    Dual language bilingual education (DLBE) programs are framed to reflect pluralist discourses (de Jong, E. [2013]. "Policy Discourses and U.S. Language in Education Policies." "Peabody Journal of Education" 88 (1): 98-111) and affiliated language ideologies. The continued expansion of DLBE programs not surprisingly brings to…

  17. Language-universal constraints on speech segmentation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Norris, D.; McQueen, J.M.; Cutler, A.; Butterfield, S.; Kearns, R.K.

    2001-01-01

    Two word-spotting experiments are reported that examine whether the Possible-Word Constraint (PWC; Norris, McQueen, Cutler & Butterfield, 1997) is a language-specific or language-universal strategy for the segmentation of continuous speech. The PWC disfavors parses which leave an impossible residue

  18. Short message service (SMS language and written language skills: educators' perspectives

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Salomé Geertsema

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available SMS language is English language slang, used as a means of mobile phone text messaging. This practice may impact on the written language skills of learners at school. The main aim of this study was to determine the perspectives of Grade 8 and 9 English (as Home Language educators in Gauteng regarding the possible influence of SMS language on certain aspects of learners' written language skills. If an influence was perceived by the educators, their perceptions regarding the degree and nature of the influence were also explored. A quantitative research design, utilising a questionnaire, was employed. The sample of participants comprised 22 educators employed at independent secondaryschools within Gauteng, South Africa. The results indicated that the majority of educators viewed SMS language as having a negative influence on the written language skills of Grade 8 and 9 learners. The influence was perceived as occurring in the learners' spelling, punctuation, and sentence length. A further finding was that the majority of educators address the negative influences of SMS language when encountered in written tasks.

  19. Teacher Educators' Evaluation of the English Language Teaching Program: A Turkish Case

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yavuz, Aysun; Zehir Topkaya, Ece

    2013-01-01

    This study explored the perceptions of teacher educators regarding the changes in the English Language Teacher Education Program introduced by the Turkish Higher Education Council (HEC) in 2006. Employing a qualitative design, open-ended questionnaires were administered to 18 lecturers working at five different state universities. The analysis of…

  20. "Speaking English Naturally": The Language Ideologies of English as an Official Language at a Korean University

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choi, Jinsook

    2016-01-01

    This study explores language ideologies of English at a Korean university where English has been adopted as an official language. This study draws on ethnographic data in order to understand how speakers respond to and experience the institutional language policy. The findings show that language ideologies in this university represent the…

  1. The Strategy for Development of Educational Services and Educational Programs at the University of Warsaw

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sitnicki Maksym W.

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available The successful experience of the main educational and scientific institution of Poland – the University of Warsaw in formation and implementation of own strategy of development of educational services and educational programs under conditions of Polish membership in the European Union was researched. The model of the development system of the University of Warsaw has been built, based on its eleven main elements, reflecting the main strategic directions of development, which provide the basis for development of the University in the strategic perspective. The most important directions are described, which are pivotal and development-inclusive: concept of Open University; expansion of existing and creation of new training programs of an interdisciplinary nature; selection and education of scientific and pedagogical staff; training and practice of students; postgraduate education; launching of training programs in foreign languages, internationalization of education; paid tuition; scholarship programs of the University; promotion of outstanding didactic activities through the Foundation for didactic innovation; organizing the recruitment of candidates for training; quality of education. The scientific and practical results of this research will be useful for the top-level managers engaged in the development and implementation of strategies for higher education institutions and research universities in Ukraine.

  2. GLOBAL EDUCATION IN SECOND LANGUAGE TEACHING

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kip Cates

    1999-01-01

    Full Text Available This article paints an optimistic picture of the role we second language teachers can play not only in improving our students' language proficiency but also in infusing global education into our classes as we join with our students to address global concerns, such as peace, prosperity, environmental protection, and human rights. The article is divided into four parts. The first part describes global education and identifies organizations of second language educators participating in global education. The second part of the article focuses on two key areas of global education: peace education and environmental education. Next, we address questions that second language teachers frequently ask about including global education in their teaching. Lastly, we supply lists of print and electronic resources on peace education and environmental education.

  3. Language Schools of MGIMO-University

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    G. I. Gladkov

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available In 1943, when the Department of International Relations at MSU was established to develop one year later into the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO, the first task of the faculty was to teach future diplomats of foreign languages, which they for the most part simply did not know. Of course, in the midst of World War II, the most important foreign language seemed to be German. But the question was in providing for language support for the system of world diplomacy of the Soviet state. And pretty soon it became clear that proficiency in two foreign languages was the main advantage of MGIMO graduates over graduates of all other national universities. The language study at MGIMO is of applied nature: while studying languages students at the same time receive other professions - a diplomat, an economist, a lawyer, a journalist. Studying a language of profession became an academic niche of MGIMO. That is why today MGIMO entered the Guinness Book of Records for the number of foreign languages studied: 53 in 2014.

  4. Integrated language education - a means of enhancing engineers' social competences

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lappalainen, P.

    2010-08-01

    The changes facing industries are necessitating a concomitant change in university curriculum. Before instigating a reform, however, education providers need to acquire an understanding of the most pertinent development needs essential for filling industrial competence gaps. The Language Centre at the Helsinki University of Technology in Finland set out to respond to the emerging competence demands by examining industrial requirements through previous research and stakeholder analyses. Surveys conducted among employers and students corroborated a need to shift focus towards oral communication abilities. More specifically, university education needs to address interaction skills essential in meetings and managerial tasks. As a result, a so-called integrated language course was designed and piloted to train students into multi-disciplinary, culturally and ethically aware communicators who possess leveraged self-leadership and managerial abilities. 'Organisational Communications' integrates substance matters such as finance, strategy, leadership and ethics into a language course, while harnessing the English language as a tool. Course methodology is based on project- and problem-based learning and situational learning, rooting the students in real working life by imitating authentic corporate cases and industrial contexts. The course aims to provide the students with preparedness, ability and mindset to deal with working life challenges and ways of working while applying their specialist discourse, that is, the appropriate industrial jargon and linguistic practices. The learning outcomes and student feedback from this course indicate that the pedagogy in use in this experiment, drawing from exercises emulating authentic, industrial problems, offers an effective method of preparing students for working life requirements.

  5. Paradigm Shift in Language Teaching and Language Teacher Education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elaine Ferreira do Vale Borges

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available In this article, I intend to conduct a short literature review and discussion about paradigm shift in language teaching and language teacher education from Cartesian to the complexity paradigm. For that, I use the Kuhnian notion of scientific revolution to present a short compilation of works related to paradigm shift in different sciences, including psychology, linguistics and, more emphatically, applied linguistics. The main proposal is to show the evolutions of paradigm shift in language and social sciences and its impact on the emergence of the complexity paradigm in language teaching and language teacher education fields.

  6. Language Alternation in University Classrooms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taha, T. A.

    2008-01-01

    This paper examines the alternate use of Arabic and English in the context of a university classroom, where a policy to use the former language in place of the latter was being implemented. Analysis of a sample of recorded university lectures of English and Arabic medium classes in sciences and humanities reveals that teachers use code switching,…

  7. Language in education and language development in Zimbabwe ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This article analyses the language in education policy of Zimbabwe. It attempts to highlight the factors that informed the formulation of this policy, as well as the challenges and constraints that have affected its implementation. The country's language in education policy can be traced back to the colonial history of the country, ...

  8. Scientists Interacting With University Science Educators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spector, B. S.

    2004-12-01

    Scientists with limited time to devote to educating the public about their work will get the greatest multiplier effect for their investment of time by successfully interacting with university science educators. These university professors are the smallest and least publicized group of professionals in the chain of people working to create science literate citizens. They connect to all aspects of formal and informal education, influencing everything from what and how youngsters and adults learn science to legislative rulings. They commonly teach methods of teaching science to undergraduates aspiring to teach in K-12 settings and experienced teachers. They serve as agents for change to improve science education inside schools and at the state level K-16, including what science content courses are acceptable for teacher licensure. University science educators are most often housed in a College of Education or Department of Education. Significant differences in culture exist in the world in which marine scientists function and that in which university science educators function, even when they are in the same university. Subsequently, communication and building relationships between the groups is often difficult. Barriers stem from not understanding each other's roles and responsibilities; and different reward systems, assumptions about teaching and learning, use of language, approaches to research, etc. This presentation will provide suggestions to mitigate the barriers and enable scientists to leverage the multiplier effect saving much time and energy while ensuring the authenticity of their message is maintained. Likelihood that a scientist's message will retain its authenticity stems from criteria for a university science education position. These professors have undergraduate degrees in a natural science (e.g., biology, chemistry, physics, geology), and usually a master's degree in one of the sciences, a combination of natural sciences, or a master's including

  9. ORGANIZATIONAL AND METHODICAL BASES OF MULTICULTURAL SELF-ORGANIZATION OF STUDENTS IN THE ADDITIONAL FOREIGN LANGUAGE EDUCATION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V N Kartashova

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available The article deals with the organizational and methodical bases of multicultural self-organization of the linguistic personality of the student in terms of additional foreign language education. According to the authors’ opinion, the methodological basis is a dialogue of cultures as a philosophy of mutual understanding, mutual relations in today’s global environment. Changing the socio-cultural context of foreign language education paradigm allows you to select multicultural (teaching a foreign language on the principle of “native culture - the culture of the foreign language speaking country - the culture of the world” and active (the development and functioning of a person in the normal course of his activities, where the starting point is the introduction of man to the world of culture and his self-development approach as a priority. The contents of additional education is oriented towards the disclosure and a possible solution of specific problems in the educational practice, and based on the principles of humanism and diversification.The article analyzes the individual programs of additional education and professional training in the field of foreign languages, developed by universities in recent decades. The authors present the experience of the scientific and methodological development and implementation at the department of foreign languages and teaching methods of Bunin Yelets State University of the additional foreign language education system that provides the multicultural self-organization of the student’s linguistic personality. The description of the program of professional retraining “The multicultural self-organization expert in the field of business, management and tourism (English”, designed for the students of non-language training areas, is presented, too. The positive dynamics of mastering foreign languages, the development of global attitude of the linguistic personality to the culture and his/her cultural

  10. Subtractive Bilingualism and the Survival of the Inuit Language: Heritage-versus Second-Language Education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wright, Stephen C.; Taylor, Donald M.; Macarthur, Judy

    2000-01-01

    Examines the impact of early heritage-language education and second-language education on heritage-language and second-language development among Inuit, White, and mixed-heritage kindergarten children. Inuit children in second-language classes showed heritage language skills equal to or better than mixed-heritage children and Whites educated in…

  11. Guest Comment: Universal Language Requirement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sherwood, Bruce Arne

    1979-01-01

    Explains that reading English among Scientists is almost universal, however, there are enormous problems with spoken English. Advocates the use of Esperanto as a viable alternative, and as a language requirement for graduate work. (GA)

  12. Auditing Chinese Higher Education? The Perspectives of Returnee Scholars in an Elite University

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yi, Lin

    2011-01-01

    Drawing upon fieldwork conducted in an elite Chinese university and English language literature of audit culture in higher education against the backdrop of Chinese higher education in transition, this paper has discovered that Chinese higher education is undergoing an auditing process. However, this Chinese audit regime is not only guarded by a…

  13. German Language Proficiency among Students of Business and Management in the Czech Republic and its Perception: The Importance of German Language Skills on the Labour Market and the Role of Universities in Foreign Language Training

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zinecker Marek

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents the results of an empirical study designed to map German language proficiency among students at Czech universities of business and management. The results of this empirical survey can be summarised as follows. First, the ability of students at Czech universities of business and management to communicate in German is poor, and exceeds the general German language proficiency of the Czech population only to an insignificant extent. Second, the school environment (the opportunity to learn the language, compulsory subject, language study motivation has a decisive influence on the respondents’ ability to communicate in German. Third, nearly three-quarters of the respondents perceive German as a language that is very or rather important for their profession and career growth. Fourth, almost two-thirds of the respondents consider the role played by a university of business and management in the improvement of German language proficiency rather or very important. In conclusion, the study proposes directions for the potential development of the national educational system in the area of German language proficiency of university graduates in business and management in the Czech Republic, with an emphasis on the concept of content and language integrated learning (CLIL. We believe that the survey results are also very important from the point of view of enterprises operating in the Czech Republic because of the very close economic relations between the Czech Republic and German-speaking countries.

  14. Independient virtual english language learning: a case study in higher education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Esther Nieto Moreno de Diezmas

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available The development of independent and self-learning strategies for Foreign Language Learning is of special interest in Higher Education. In particular, these strategies are essential in the Foreign Language Learning area (EFL, since students need to practise and strengthen their exposure to language so as to develop receptive and productive skills. The goal of this paper is to show how independent and virtual learning are developed by means of ICT. To this end, a group of tasks and activities have been designed, distributed and implemented by means of Moodle in the setting of a teaching innovation project in which different campuses and faculties of Education of the University of Castilla-La Mancha where English I is studied have taken part. Additionally, the initial results in terms of students’ perceptions about their independent and virtual learning are shown. Therefore, this paper focuses on a case study at Higher Education in which valid conclusions may be drawn for other similar settings where language learning and virtual learning need to be combined. Initial results suggest the students have responded positively in terms of their perception and participation. This validates the tasks and procedures carried out in the implementation of virtual foreign language learning.

  15. Assessment for English Language Education on the Programs at the Agricultural Engineering School of Madrid

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodriguez Sinobas, Leonor; San José Martínez, Fernando; Hontoria, Kira; Adán, Angeles; Blanco, María; Calderón, Fernando; Carbonell, Victoria; Chaya, Carolina; Fondevila, Guillermo; González, Trinidad; Marín, Carmen; Mira, Sara; Molina, Antonio; Pereira, David; Quemada, Miguel; Ricote, Luis; Sánchez Monje, Rosa; Sanz, Alberto; Albir, Maria

    2014-05-01

    The convergence process among European academic degrees pursues the exchange of graduate students and the adaptation of university programs to social demand. Within the framework of the European Higher Education, European universities will need to be more competitive not only by increasing or maintaining the student enrolment, but also in their academic performance. Thus, the reinforcing of English language education within the University Programs might play an important role to reach these objectives. In this sense, a complete survey was accomplished at the Agricultural Egineering School of Madrid (ETSIA ) addressing issues such as: identification the needs for bilingual instruction at ETSIA, identification resources needed and interest and background in English language of students and professors (San José et al., 2013). The conclusions and recommendations to promote the bilingual instruction in the ETSIA, taking into account the approaches followed by other Spanish universities, are presented in this work.

  16. East meets West: The influence of language and culture in clinical education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ladyshewsky, Richard

    1996-01-01

    The marketing of education in South East Asia has become big business for Australian Universities. Physiotherapy programs are not exempt from this marketing push, with increases in foreign student enrollment becoming commonplace. This raises numerous opportunities and dilemmas for those involved in physiotherapy clinical education. This action research project investigated the influence of language and culture on clinical education practices. Nine South East Asian undergraduate physiotherapy students and 11 clinical instructors were involved in this qualitative research project. A variety of issues were identified which have important ramifications for academics and clinical instructors. Cultural membership, issues of authority and respect, and language proficiency were identified as having a direct influence on the clinical education process. Strategies for dealing with these cross cultural teaching and learning challenges are discussed.

  17. Transfer and access to universal grammar in adult second language acquisition

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sauter, Kim

    2002-01-01

    Summary This dissertation focuses on the roles of first language transfer and Universal Grammar in adult second (or foreign) language acquisition. It contributes to the ongoing debate whether second language acquisition is constrained by Universal Grammar. According to generative linguists,

  18. The difficulties in teaching the foreign languages in technical universities and the ways of their overcoming

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Grishina G. V.

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available the article considers the main problems in teaching the foreign language for non-linguistic students at University. To achieve good results and to increase the quality of higher education, effective ways and methods of teaching are covered.

  19. Language Learners Perceptions and Experiences on the Use of Mobile Applications for Independent Language Learning in Higher Education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ana Niño

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available With the widespread use of mobile phones and portable devices it is inevitable to think of Mobile Assisted Language Learning as a means of independent learning in Higher Education. Nowadays many learners are keen to explore the wide variety of applications available in their portable and always readily available mobile phones and tablets. The fact that they are keen to take control of their learning and autonomy is thought to lead to greater motivation and engagement, and the link with games-based learning suggests that the fun factor involved should not be overseen. This paper focuses on the use of mobile applications for independent language learning in higher education. It investigates how learners use mobile apps in line with their classes to enhance their learning experience. We base our analysis on a survey carried out in autumn 2013 in which 286 credited and non-credited language students from various levels of proficiency at The University of Manchester express their perceptions on the advantages and disadvantages of the use of mobile applications for independent language learning, together with examples of useful apps and suggestions of how these could be integrated in the language class.

  20. SCIENTIFIC PARADIGM SHIFT AS THE BACKGROUND OF LANGUAGE EDUCATION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V. D. Tabanakova

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction. Recently, there has been a cardinal restructuring of university preparation. Linguistic education takes up nearly the last position in the new model of the higher school dictated by economic interests. Investments in linguistic projects are considered as unprofitable today. The linguistic component in educational programs of a bachelor degree is reduced to a minimum, and focused on language knowledge promoting as communication technologies.The aim of the work purposes to trace how the scientific and the linguistic paradigm shift have an impact on the domestic linguistic education system, and to show the unrealized potential capacity of linguistic knowledge.Methodology and research methods. The methodology of the offered research is based, on the one hand, upon the domestic periodical press review on the linguistic education problems for the last 15 years, on the other – on the philosophical analysis of science historical forms which change has caused the past, the present and the future of linguistics and linguistic education. The inductive methods to integrate different approaches are also used.Theoretical significance. The author emphasizes the need to consider the problems of higher education in philosophical aspect, through the interaction of a scientific and educational paradigm.Results and scientific novelty. At a time of global changes in domestic higher education the linguistic education is considered to be a display of the convergence process of natural sciences, technology and humanities. The philosophical study of the scientific paradigms – classical, non-classical and post-non-classical has revealed the regularities of the linguistic scientific paradigms – structural, communicative and cognitive. Each of the paradigms was traced in the frame of linguistic education functions alternation and constantly changing academic programs.A new take on the U-turn of a centrifugal vector in science has obviously demonstrated

  1. Home and Community Language Proficiency in Spanish-English Early Bilingual University Students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schmidtke, Jens

    2017-10-17

    This study assessed home and community language proficiency in Spanish-English bilingual university students to investigate whether the vocabulary gap reported in studies of bilingual children persists into adulthood. Sixty-five early bilinguals (mean age = 21 years) were assessed in English and Spanish vocabulary and verbal reasoning ability using subtests of the Woodcock-Muñoz Language Survey-Revised (Schrank & Woodcock, 2009). Their English scores were compared to 74 monolinguals matched in age and level of education. Participants also completed a background questionnaire. Bilinguals scored below the monolingual control group on both subtests, and the difference was larger for vocabulary compared to verbal reasoning. However, bilinguals were close to the population mean for verbal reasoning. Spanish scores were on average lower than English scores, but participants differed widely in their degree of balance. Participants with an earlier age of acquisition of English and more current exposure to English tended to be more dominant in English. Vocabulary tests in the home or community language may underestimate bilingual university students' true verbal ability and should be interpreted with caution in high-stakes situations. Verbal reasoning ability may be more indicative of a bilingual's verbal ability.

  2. Language Ideologies in Educational Migration: Korean "Jogi Yuhak" Families in Singapore

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Joseph Sung-Yul; Bae, Sohee

    2009-01-01

    This paper discusses the connection between language ideologies and educational migration. South Korea is experiencing a boom in short-term migration among pre-university students, a phenomenon known as "jogi yuhak." This trend is driven in part by ideologies that link valorized forms of English with specific geographical locations; but…

  3. In search of the African voice in higher education: The language ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Kate H

    Africanise without transforming – in other words, what are we really talking about by .... “…with the meanings, the implications and consequences of what an African ..... Although many of the 25 South African universities have a language policy ... for Higher Education (CHED), the latter focusing particularly on terminology ...

  4. University Students’ Web 2.0 Technologies Usage, Skill Levels and Educational Usage

    OpenAIRE

    Baran, Bahar; Ata, Figen

    2013-01-01

    This study aims to find out university students’ use of Web 2.0 technologies in terms of frequencies, skill levels and educational use and to understand whether or not these variables differ for gender, foreign language levels, computer ownership and the Internet connection duration. Accessible population of this study is the entire Dokuz Eylul University students. In the sample, the researchers collected data from 2776 university students of the university. In the context of the study, blog,...

  5. Georgetown University Round Table on Languages and Linguistics 2001. Linguistics, Language, and the Real World: Discourse and Beyond.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tannen, Deborah, Ed.; Alatis, James E., Ed.

    This book contains papers from the 2001 Georgetown University Round Table on Languages and Linguistics, "Linguistics, Language, and the Real World: Discourse and Beyond." Papers include: "Introduction" (Deborah Tannen); "A Brief History of the Georgetown University Round Table on Languages and Linguistics" (James E.…

  6. The language of the protein universe.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scaiewicz, Andrea; Levitt, Michael

    2015-12-01

    Proteins, the main cell machinery which play a major role in nearly every cellular process, have always been a central focus in biology. We live in the post-genomic era, and inferring information from massive data sets is a steadily growing universal challenge. The increasing availability of fully sequenced genomes can be regarded as the 'Rosetta Stone' of the protein universe, allowing the understanding of genomes and their evolution, just as the original Rosetta Stone allowed Champollion to decipher the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. In this review, we consider aspects of the protein domain architectures repertoire that are closely related to those of human languages and aim to provide some insights about the language of proteins. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Motivation, Psychology and Language Effect on Mobile Learning in Universiti Sains Malaysia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Issham Ismail

    2010-10-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study was to examine the motivation, psychology and language effect on Mobile learning in the School of Distance Education, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang. Mobile learning or m-learning is a new learning phenomenon in the open and distance learning environments. Moving from stationary to mobile learning allows informal collaboration and interaction between learners. Therefore, there is a necessity to revise people’s psychological factors, process and mechanisms that underlie M-learning so that the practice can move from technology-centred implementation to human-centred effective learning processes. The Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS Version 12.0 and Rasch Model Analysis was used to measure these items. The 5-point Likert scale questionnaires (12 items being sent to 105 distance education students from four courses including Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Social Science and Bachelor of Management which was distributed in tutorial sessions during the annual residential intensive course in the main campus of the Universiti Sains Malaysia by their respective course managers. The finding shows that a positive response from the learners as they feel happy to use this additional learning tools (mobile learning. Learner’s feel supported and motivated to use the mobile application with the usability of simple language.

  8. Modeling the language learning strategies and English language proficiency of pre-university students in UMS: A case study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kiram, J. J.; Sulaiman, J.; Swanto, S.; Din, W. A.

    2015-10-01

    This study aims to construct a mathematical model of the relationship between a student's Language Learning Strategy usage and English Language proficiency. Fifty-six pre-university students of University Malaysia Sabah participated in this study. A self-report questionnaire called the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning was administered to them to measure their language learning strategy preferences before they sat for the Malaysian University English Test (MUET), the results of which were utilised to measure their English language proficiency. We attempted the model assessment specific to Multiple Linear Regression Analysis subject to variable selection using Stepwise regression. We conducted various assessments to the model obtained, including the Global F-test, Root Mean Square Error and R-squared. The model obtained suggests that not all language learning strategies should be included in the model in an attempt to predict Language Proficiency.

  9. Google apps for virtual learning communities development: strengthening english language skills in an university environment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eder Intriago

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: This action research project aims to strengthen English language reading comprehension and speaking skills in college students through the use of Google Apps and Literature Circles (LCs in virtual communities for learning. Method: The study involved 70 students at a public university in Ecuador. The educational intervention lasted a semester, included the implementation of LCs virtually and in person with a phase of independent reading and another for the discussion. 14 learning communities were organized and students assumed specific roles in order to warranty equality participation. The “Google Apps” were chosen for their ease of access. To monitor the progress of learning English, a pretest and a posttest were applied using the Preliminary English Test (PET by Cambridge University, whose validity and reliability are amply recognized internationally. Results: It showed an improvement of the reading comprehension and speaking skills in English Language in the participants group, who went from A1 to B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL at the end of the process. Conclusion: it is confirmed that the use of “Google Apps” aided in the building of virtual learning communities to support the second language acquisition process (L2 in the university context.

  10. Atatürk and the History of Foreign Language Education in Turkey

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gülay SARIÇOBAN

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available Background and Problem: There have been various opinions on the policies of foreign language education in our country since the foundation of our republic. There is no doubt that Atatürk placed much more importance in foreign language education than the other nations’ founders on earth. For the purpose of foreign language education, the department of western languages and literatures was established in the faculty of language, history, and geography at Ankara University. This department was also considered to contribute the fields of history and Turkish studies. Foreign language and literature studies are believed to be responsible for establishing interaction and communication between cultures. If a scientific approach to a foreign language and its literature and the knowledge of methodology leads to acquisition of a native language, this means that it performs its real function. Atatürk, believing this contribution of knowing a foreign language to the mother tongue of a nation, absorbs the importance of this fact. He strongly asserted that we should make use of this advantage for our national benefits: by not teaching a topic in a foreign language, but teaching a foreign language. To him, the courses should be conducted in Turkish. However, just contrary to his views, we had courses conducted in the foreign language in Anatolian high schools, science high schools, and/or in private colleges. Thus, the number of these schools has increased and therefore, the importance of mother tongue has lessened even in our country. Purpose: This study aims at discussing the foreign language policies followed in our country by referring to certain periods.Method: For the purpose of the current study, the researchers have gone through literature review process in detail and compiled the data they could reach from various reliable sources.

  11. A study of the extent to which university English education fulfills workplace requirements for Vietnamese graduates and of the extent to which action research can lead to improvements in university English education

    OpenAIRE

    Vo, Thi Hong Le

    2014-01-01

    This study focuses on possible approaches that can be undertaken at university to prepare undergraduate students with English language communicative competence required at the workplace. In exploring how English is taught at a university and whether English education met the needs of business, the main concern of this study is how materials design and teacher education can support learners to develop the skills to communicate effectively in the Vietnamese workplace. The purpose of the stud...

  12. OF LANGUAGE EDUCATION POLICY AND CHILD FOREIGN ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Foreign language education, particularly in French, has taken root in Kenyan ... interest and potential in foreign language education at this young stage of life. ... Since independence, the Kenyan government has set up several education ...

  13. Towards Multilingual Higher Education in South Africa: The University of Cape Town's Experience

    Science.gov (United States)

    Madiba, Mbulungeni

    2010-01-01

    South African universities are required by the Language Policy for Higher Education adopted by the government on 6 November 2002 to implement multilingualism in their learning and teaching programmes. Multilingualism is recommended in this policy as a means to ensure equity of access and success in higher education, in contrast to past colonial…

  14. English as a global language in China deconstructing the ideological discourses of English in language education

    CERN Document Server

    Pan, Lin

    2014-01-01

    This book offers insight into the spread and impact of English language education in China within China's broader educational, social, economic and political changes. The author's critical perspective informs readers on the connections between language education and political ideologies in the context of globalizing China. The discussion of the implications concerning language education is of interest for current and future language policy makers, language educators and learners. Including both diachronic and synchronic accounts or China's language education policy, this volume highlights how China as a modern nation-state has been seeking a more central position globally, and the role that English education and the promotion of such education played in that effort in recent decades.

  15. Human language reveals a universal positivity bias.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dodds, Peter Sheridan; Clark, Eric M; Desu, Suma; Frank, Morgan R; Reagan, Andrew J; Williams, Jake Ryland; Mitchell, Lewis; Harris, Kameron Decker; Kloumann, Isabel M; Bagrow, James P; Megerdoomian, Karine; McMahon, Matthew T; Tivnan, Brian F; Danforth, Christopher M

    2015-02-24

    Using human evaluation of 100,000 words spread across 24 corpora in 10 languages diverse in origin and culture, we present evidence of a deep imprint of human sociality in language, observing that (i) the words of natural human language possess a universal positivity bias, (ii) the estimated emotional content of words is consistent between languages under translation, and (iii) this positivity bias is strongly independent of frequency of word use. Alongside these general regularities, we describe interlanguage variations in the emotional spectrum of languages that allow us to rank corpora. We also show how our word evaluations can be used to construct physical-like instruments for both real-time and offline measurement of the emotional content of large-scale texts.

  16. Language Travel or Language Tourism: Have Educational Trips Changed So Much?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laborda, Jesus Garcia

    2007-01-01

    This article points out the changes in organization, students and language learning that language trips, as contrasted with educational trips (of which language trips are a subgroup) have gone through in the last years. The article emphasizes the need to differentiate between language trips and language tourism based on issues of additional…

  17. Teacher Educators' Personal Practical Knowledge of Language

    Science.gov (United States)

    Swart, Fenna; de Graaff, Rick; Onstenk, Jeroen; Knezic, Dubravka

    2018-01-01

    This paper describes teacher educators' understanding of language for classroom communication in higher education. We argue that teacher educators who are aware of their personal practical knowledge of language have a better understanding of their students' language use and provide better support for knowledge construction. Personal practical…

  18. Association between Primary Caregiver Education and Cognitive and Language Development of Preterm Neonates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Asztalos, Elizabeth V; Church, Paige T; Riley, Patricia; Fajardo, Carlos; Shah, Prakesh S

    2017-03-01

    Objective  This study aims to explore the association between primary caregiver education and cognitive and language composite scores of the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, 3rd ed. (Bayley-III) in preterm infants at 18 to 21 months corrected age. Design  An observational study was performed on preterm infants born before 29 weeks' gestation between 2010 and 2011. Primary caregivers were categorized by their highest education level and cognitive and language composite scores of the Bayley-III were compared among infants between these groups with adjustment for perinatal and neonatal factors. Results  In total, 1,525 infants/caregivers were included in the multivariate analysis. Compared with those with less than a high school education, infants with primary caregivers who received partial college/specialized training displayed higher cognitive (adjusted difference [AD]: 4.6, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.8-7.4) and language scores (AD: 4.0, 95% CI: 0.8-7.1); infants with primary caregivers with university graduate education or above also demonstrated higher cognitive (AD: 6.4, 95% CI: 2.6-10.1) and language scores (AD: 9.9, 95% CI: 5.7-14.1). Conclusion  Higher levels of education of the primary caregiver were associated with increased cognitive and language composite scores at 18 to 21 months corrected age in preterm infants. Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

  19. Short Message Service (SMS) Language and Written Language Skills: Educators' Perspectives

    Science.gov (United States)

    Geertsema, Salomé; Hyman, Charene; van Deventer, Chantelle

    2011-01-01

    SMS language is English language slang, used as a means of mobile phone text messaging. This practice may impact on the written language skills of learners at school. The main aim of this study was to determine the perspectives of Grade 8 and 9 English (as Home Language) educators in Gauteng regarding the possible influence of SMS language on…

  20. Assessing the current implementation of communicative language for English language teachers in Ethiopian Universities

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Anto, A.G.; Coenders, Ferdinand G.M.; Voogt, Joke

    2012-01-01

    This study has attempted to assess the current implementation of communicative language teaching (CLT) approach in two Ethiopian universities to identify professional development (PD) needs of English language teachers. A cross-sectional study using teachers, students and management as sources of

  1. The Role of Second Language in Higher Education: A Case Study of German Students at a Dutch University

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zijlmans, Lidy; Neijt, Anneke; van Hout, Roeland

    2016-01-01

    This article reports on an investigation of the challenges and benefits of university students taking a degree course in a language other than their mother tongue. Our study was conducted from the point of view of the non-native students themselves, and our primary concern was the role of language. We investigated the academic achievement of…

  2. Language teacher education in CALL: history and perspectives

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ana Cristina Biondo Salomão

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Over the last years, the new technologies have changed the way we relate to information and communicate with other people, which has brought on impact to foreign language teaching and learning, and, consequently, to the area of foreign language teacher education. The abbreviation CALL (Computer Assisted Language Learning has been used to designate the processes of language teaching and learning with the use of computers, and language teacher education in CALL to name teacher education for and with the use of new technologies, since a number of authors point to the interdependence of both processes. We intend in this article to present an overview of the literature of the area of language teacher education in CALL nowadays and discuss issues related to the use of new technologies concerning its integration to teacher education and the functional and institutional roles to be taken. We also present two proposals of teacher education with the use of new technologies which are being implemented and at the same time studied in Brazil, which we believe have essential elements for the development of language teachers for and with the use of new technologies currently.

  3. Language in education: Minorities and multilingualism in India

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sridhar, Kamal K.

    1996-07-01

    The question of education in India cannot be properly discussed without referring to its socio-linguistic context. This paper provides background information on the linguistic profile of India. The term "minorities" in the Indian context is defined, and the protection offered to linguistic minorities in the Indian Constitution is examined. A discussion of language policy in Indian education follows in which the recommendations of the different education commissions are analysed. The important issues covered include: the number of languages that are taught, the medium of instruction, and the educational policies regarding speakers of minority languages. The article also discusses different language movements and their impact on Indian education.

  4. Language Games: University Responses to Ranking Metrics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heffernan, Troy A.; Heffernan, Amanda

    2018-01-01

    League tables of universities that measure performance in various ways are now commonplace, with numerous bodies providing their own rankings of how institutions throughout the world are seen to be performing on a range of metrics. This paper uses Lyotard's notion of language games to theorise that universities are regaining some power over being…

  5. Language Planning, English Language Education and Development Aid in Bangladesh

    Science.gov (United States)

    Erling, Elizabeth J.

    2017-01-01

    The increased status of English as the language of international communication and business has meant that development aid has increasingly been used to finance language planning initiatives aimed at improving and/or expanding English language education. The intended outcome of this aid is often to provide expanded economic returns and…

  6. Foreign Language Learners' Motivation and Its Effects on Their Achievement: Implications for Effective Teaching of Students Studying Japanese at Universiti Brunei Darussalam

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keaney, Minako; Mundia, Lawrence

    2014-01-01

    An increasing number of students at the University of Brunei Darussalam are studying the Japanese language. However, research on the relationship between learners' motivation and their achievement has not been given sufficient attention in Japanese foreign language education compared to English in Brunei. The present study, which utilized a…

  7. Foreign Language Education Levels in the Dutch Population.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oud-de Glas, Maria; Peels, Fons

    1991-01-01

    Reports on levels of foreign language education and foreign language competence among Dutch students, discussing the sharp decline in the teaching of French and German, a lack of foreign language training in technical education, where it is most needed, and the limitations of the data collected regarding foreign language attainment in the…

  8. The Language Environments of Exchange Students at some Scandinavian Universities

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Caudery, Tim; Petersen, Margrethe; Shaw, Philip

    Language Environments of Exchange Students at Scandinavian Universities One aspect of, and one reason for, the internationalisation of Scandinavian universities is the increasing number of exchange students and postgraduates from outside Scandinavia attending courses here. Few of these students...... are primarily motivated by a desire to learn the local language. In fact it is widely believed that many of them live in a lingua-franca English-speaking environment, so that Erasmus contributes to linguistic homogenisation rather than plurilingualism. This paper reports results of an ongoing study...... of the language environment and language learning experiences of some hundred (so far) Erasmus exchange students in two institutions in Sweden and two in Denmark. Subjects had French, German and Spanish as mother tongues. This design is intended to enable the identification of language/culturespecific factors...

  9. Factors Related to Professional Development of English Language University Teachers in Thailand

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wichadee, Saovapa

    2012-01-01

    Professional development is deemed necessary for university teachers at all levels, as it helps to enhance teaching quality. However, the extent of English language university teachers' professional development might depend on a number of factors. This paper reports on a study investigating English language university teachers' professional…

  10. Change Makers: Empowering Ourselves Thro' the Education and Culture of Aboriginal Languages: A Collaborative Team Effort.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McLeod, Yvonne

    2003-01-01

    A British Columbian Native teacher education program is guided by a team of First Nations educators and elders, university faculty, a representative of the teacher federation, and students. Aboriginal languages are incorporated into a Native cultural studies course using a holistic approach based on the Medicine Wheel that empowers students to…

  11. Mathematics Education and Language Diversity

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Moschkovich, Judit; Planas, Nuria

    This book examines multiple facets of language diversity and mathematics education. It features renowned authors from around the world and explores the learning and teaching of mathematics in contexts that include multilingual classrooms, indigenous education, teacher education, blind and deaf...

  12. South African Sign Language and language-in-education policy in ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    KATEVG

    As this passage suggests, there is extensive and growing literature, both in .... For instance, sign language mediates experience in a unique way, as of ..... entail Deaf students studying together, in a setting not unlike that provided by residential .... of ASL as a foreign language option in secondary schools and universities.

  13. Developing and Improving:A Study of the Middle School Students’ Writing Ability in the Second Language Education

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Bing WANG

    2016-01-01

    With the development and advancement of social and cultural communication between China and other countries in the world, the second language education is very popular with Chinese people. And usually, it will take the young for nearly 16 years to learn a second language, especially English. Most of them learn English from primary school until university. Besides having routine English classes at school, they also pay extra time and money to learn English in their spare time in many training companies. And now, English education has already become an industry in China and some training companies such as New Oriental English, are familiar to common people. And a crucial problem is that, after so many years of hard work, most of them are even having basic writing difficulties. The systemic and effective teaching method of writing in a second language education in China is being researched. This thesis attempts to cultivate the students’ subjective initiative in second language education activities, raise the students’ learning consciousness, and enhance their lasting interests in learning so as to reach the goal to improve the students’ writing ability in second language education.

  14. Literature in Foreign Language Education Programs: A New Perspective

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ibrahim Abukhattala

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Many of the studies on the subject of literature as an essential part of the English  education programs in Arab universities  has concentrated on only professors’ views and attitudes to these courses. By contrast, the following article describes a qualitative investigation on how former students and presently in-service English teachers felt about studying English literature during their university years. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with six English-major graduates who teach EFL at high and secondary schools in Misurata. Libya. The study has revealed that participants were not positive about literature courses as they maintain that these courses have contributed little to their language development and teaching careers. They have narrated several factors which limited benefiting from these courses. Some of these factors are the teaching and learning practices in the language classroom, the   difficulty and oddness of  vocabulary and structures of literature texts and the lack of skills in English. Based on the interviews, reflections and implications of these barriers are made.

  15. The linguistic rights in the education of deaf people in Brazil: a recognition of languages?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Verônica de Oliveira Louro Rodrigues

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper is about the education of deaf people in Bra­zil, concerning their linguistic rights of recognition of the Brazilian sign language (LIBRAS and the Portu­guese Language in the National Institute of Deaf Edu­cation (INES. This study compares the Institucional Development Plan with the Universal Declaration of Linguistic Rights (1996 and the main Brazilian public policies which concern this minority community. 

  16. Language Learning Motivation among Malaysian Pre-University Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muftah, Muneera; Rafik-Galea, Shameem

    2013-01-01

    The study describes and examines Malaysian pre-university students' integrative and instrumental motivation toward learning English language. In this study, 182 non-English major students in one of the Malaysian public universities are selected to fill out a questionnaire reflecting their attitudes and motivation towards learning English. The…

  17. Japan-U.S. Joint Ventures in Higher Education: Language Education in an Uncertain Future.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clayton, Thomas

    1991-01-01

    Examines Japanese-U.S. joint venture language or U.S.-style education programs in Japan. These programs offer language and cultural education classes for those interested in English and for students who have failed in the Japanese education system. Problems facing these programs and the need to explore new, English-language education markets are…

  18. Digital Game-Based Language Learning in Foreign Language Teacher Education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yunus ALYAZ

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available New technologies including digital game-based language learning have increasingly received attention. However, their implementation is far from expected and desired levels due to technical, instructional, financial and sociological barriers. Previous studies suggest that there is a strong need to establish courses in order to support adaptation of game-based learning pedagogy through helping teachers experience digital games themselves before they are expected to use them in teaching. This study was conducted to investigate educational digital games in foreign language teaching, to identify the determining reasons behind the pittfalls in applications and to explore the contribution of a serious game to the development of professional language skills of pre-service teachers. Pre- and post-tests were applied to measure the contribution of the game to the development of their language skills. In addition, a game diary and semi-structured interviews were used to elicit information about the problems pre-service teachers had and their perceptions on the whole process. The analysis of the data illustrated that there was great improvement in pre-service teachers’ professional language skills and attitudes towards using these games while teaching in the future. This is important in foreign language teacher education in terms of enhancing digital game-based language learning pedagogy for teachers.

  19. Language in Education: Preservice teachers' ideas about grammar and knowledge about language

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christensen, Mette Vedsgaard; Bock, Kathrin

    2012-01-01

    Even though the national curriculum for mother tongue instruction in Denmark emphasizes a functional view of language (Danish Ministry of Education, 2009), we - as teacher educators - have experienced that most of our teacher students’ notions about language and grammar are deeply rooted...... in a formal and structural view of language. Hence we designed and carried out an action research project with the aim of pushing first year teacher students’ notions about language in a more functional direction. Throughout their first year in teacher training the students were involved in a series...... of radical changes to the curriculum, such as introducing SFL-based linguistics (Halliday 1994) and genre theory (Martin & Rose 2008) as the overall theoretical framework for language description. These changes were made in order to equip future teachers with a more functional view on language...

  20. Event representations constrain the structure of language: Sign language as a window into universally accessible linguistic biases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Strickland, Brent; Geraci, Carlo; Chemla, Emmanuel; Schlenker, Philippe; Kelepir, Meltem; Pfau, Roland

    2015-05-12

    According to a theoretical tradition dating back to Aristotle, verbs can be classified into two broad categories. Telic verbs (e.g., "decide," "sell," "die") encode a logical endpoint, whereas atelic verbs (e.g., "think," "negotiate," "run") do not, and the denoted event could therefore logically continue indefinitely. Here we show that sign languages encode telicity in a seemingly universal way and moreover that even nonsigners lacking any prior experience with sign language understand these encodings. In experiments 1-5, nonsigning English speakers accurately distinguished between telic (e.g., "decide") and atelic (e.g., "think") signs from (the historically unrelated) Italian Sign Language, Sign Language of the Netherlands, and Turkish Sign Language. These results were not due to participants' inferring that the sign merely imitated the action in question. In experiment 6, we used pseudosigns to show that the presence of a salient visual boundary at the end of a gesture was sufficient to elicit telic interpretations, whereas repeated movement without salient boundaries elicited atelic interpretations. Experiments 7-10 confirmed that these visual cues were used by all of the sign languages studied here. Together, these results suggest that signers and nonsigners share universally accessible notions of telicity as well as universally accessible "mapping biases" between telicity and visual form.

  1. Language Universalization for Improved Information Management: The Necessity for Esperanto.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jones, R. Kent

    1978-01-01

    Discusses problems for information management in dealing with multilingual documentation. The planned language, Esperanto, is suggested as a universal working language because of its neutrality, rational structure, clarity, and expressive power. (Author/CWM)

  2. Equity in Education: Signed Language and the Courts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Snoddon, Kristin

    2009-01-01

    This article examines several legal cases in Canada, the USA, and Australia involving signed language in education for Deaf students. In all three contexts, signed language rights for Deaf students have been viewed from within a disability legislation framework that either does not extend to recognizing language rights in education or that…

  3. Language policy from below:

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mortensen, Janus

    2014-01-01

    . Not only is it at odds with the available empirical evidence, it also puts unnecessary constraints on the potential that transnational education holds for cultural and linguistic exchange and development. The article is based on a case study where the patterns of language choice of three student project......, to varying degrees, developed practice-based language policies ‘from below’ that allow for alternating and sometimes syncretic use of English and Danish....... internationalisation, and English is accordingly promoted as the ‘obvious’ language of instruction for international education in many university policies. This article argues that the idea that university internationalisation should equal the exclusive use of English as a lingua franca is essentially misguided...

  4. CONDITIONS FOR OVERCOMING COMMUNICATION-LANGUAGE BARRIERS IN THE SYSTEM OF NON-LINGUISTIC HIGHER EDUCATION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lidiya Olegovna Polyakova

    2016-01-01

    Results. Results of our scientific work are such conditions should be implemented based on the principle of «vertical integration», covering the social levels of the customer of higher education (economic sector, national systems of higher education, the University, the faculty, the chair. Practical implications. Presents a set of tools that is effective in solving problems of communication-language barriers of future specialists of non-linguistic profile.

  5. Self-Access Language Learning for Malaysian University Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tse, Andrew Yau Hau

    2012-01-01

    Just a few Malaysian universities offer self-access language learning activities to students. The objective of this study is to investigate if self-access learning can promote self-directed or autonomous learning in a public Malaysian technical university. Data collection is by means of interviewing the Director, lecturers, and students in a…

  6. Applications of Quality Management in Language Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heyworth, Frank

    2013-01-01

    This review examines applications of quality management (QM) in language education. QM approaches have been adapted from methodologies developed in industrial and commercial settings, and these are briefly described. Key aspects of QM in language education are the definition of purpose, descriptions of principles and practice, including various…

  7. Hypermedia for language learning: the FREE model at Coventry University

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marina Orsini-Jones

    1996-12-01

    Full Text Available The tradition of incorporating CALL into the language-learning curriculum goes back to the early 1980s at Coventry University, and since then has evolved in keeping with changes in the technology available (Corness 1984; Benwell 1986; Orsini-Jones 1987; Corness et al 1992; Orsini-Jones 1993. Coventry University is at present pioneering the integration of hypermedia into the curriculum for the teaching of Italian language and society. The syllabus for a complete module of the BA Modern Languages and BA European Studies Degrees, which will count as l/8th of the students' programme for year 2, has been designed upon in-house produced hypermedia courseware.

  8. Multilingualism at Danish universities equal to English? The Implications for other foreign languages and linguistic poverty

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Cancino, Rita

    and revenue (Phillipson, 2010). This issue forms the background of the presentation, in which it will be discussed how the extended use of English at Danish Universities contributes to linguistic poverty and lack of other foreign languages. The presentation will be centered around the study of language......Language policy and the economics of the workplace, Language policy and globalization Keywords: Key words: Danish Universities, multilingualism, language policy, foreign languages, globalization, Multilingualism at Danish universities equal to English? The Implications for other foreign languages...... and linguistic poverty. Since 2003, with the new Danish University Act and the strengthening of internationalisation, Danish Universities have changed rapidly with a massive transition to English as language of instruction in many study programmes. Studies taught in English attract a large amount of both Danish...

  9. Education as a Site of Language Contact.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baker, Colin

    2003-01-01

    Reviews the multidimensional research on bilingual education, covering contexts where bilingual children are in transitional classrooms as well as schools where curriculum content is experienced in two (or more) languages. Suggests that for bilingual education to play its part in language reversal, it needs to show its relative effectiveness, both…

  10. Compulsory African languages in tertiary education: prejudices from ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies ... of African languages, in reality more has to be done if policy provisions are to be realised. ... of language attitude planning and that existing resources at universities should be ...

  11. Minority Language Education in Malaysia: Four Ethnic Communities' Experiences.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Karla J.

    2003-01-01

    Discusses minority language education in Malaysia, a multilingual and multicultural country. Looks at four language minority groups and what they have done to to provide beginning education programs for their children that use the children's native languages. (Author/VWL)

  12. Towards a Pattern Language for Hybrid Education

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Köppe, Christian; Nørgård, Rikke Toft; Pedersen, Alex Young

    2017-01-01

    -digital, academic-nonacademic, online-offline, formal-informal, learning-teaching and individual-collective. In doing so, hybrid education invites uncertainty, open-endedness, risk-taking, experimentation, critical creativity, disruption, dialogue and democracy (back) into the heart of education. Accordingly, we......In this paper we offer an initial framework for a pattern language of hybrid education. With the term hybrid education, we imply the use of educational design patterns that actively strive to cut across, circumventing or upheave traditional dichotomies within education such as physical...... see, within hybrid education, the promise to push against and circumvent current trends of marketization, managerialism and standardization in higher education today. Here, a pattern language for hybrid education presents an alternative way of designing for future higher education in ways...

  13. Language as a universal form of culture’s existence

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    I. A. Shishko

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Today it is increasingly becoming the subject of attention of philosophers, philologists, linguists, since the existence of many problems and their solutions are in the language. To any information became available to the human mind, you need to make much effort to establish links between the mind and the outside world. The author of the article analyzes the active and constructive properties of language and its ability to influence the popular culture, psychology and creative writing I. Herder, W. von Humboldt, J., L. Vaysgerbera and others. Since, it is a social phenomenon and it reflected the requirements of collectivism, the author of the article reveals its role in the development of culture through their close interrelation in modern society. It is a necessary condition and a means of socialization of the individual and no common life with other people without learning social norms, rules, culture, without development achievements created by the labor of many generations, people are not aware of themselves as part of society. The article author is considered as a unique way of educating people and a universal condition for the existence of any culture.

  14. Language Policy and Planning: Challenges for Latin American Universities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamel, Rainer Enrique; Álvarez López, Elisa; Carvalhal, Tatiana Pereira

    2016-01-01

    This article starts with an overview of the sociolinguistic situation in Latin America as a context for language policy and planning (LPP) decisions in the academic field. Then it gives a brief overview of the language policy challenges faced by universities to cope with neoliberal internationalisation. A conceptualisation of the domain as a…

  15. Twelve tips for effective body language for medical educators.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hale, Andrew J; Freed, Jason; Ricotta, Daniel; Farris, Grace; Smith, C Christopher

    2017-09-01

    A significant proportion of human communication is nonverbal. Although the fields of business and psychology have significant literature on effectively using body language in a variety of situations, there is limited literature on effective body language for medical educators. To provide 12 tips to highlight effective body language strategies and techniques for medical educators. The tips provided are based on our experiences and reflections as clinician-educators and the available literature. The 12 tips presented offer specific strategies to engage learners, balance learner participation, and bring energy and passion to teaching. Medical educators seeking to maximize their effectiveness would benefit from an understanding of how body language affects a learning environment and how body language techniques can be used to engage audiences, maintain attention, control challenging learners, and convey passion for a topic. Understanding and using body language effectively is an important instructional skill.

  16. USING EDUCATIONAL MARBLE GAMES IN GERMAN LANGUAGE TEACHING

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    HASAN COŞKUN

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this article is to show how German students can be motivated by learning games. Apart from the development and didacticisation of the learning game “Marbles”, the attitude of Turkish families and language teaching educational establishments and the support of the DaF lessons by German mediating institutions in Turkey will be considered. The attitude of Turkish families to learning foreign languages is mostly positive. Turkish educational authorities and those responsible for education take various measures to expand foreign language teaching availability in the schools. German institutions which provide teachers (Goethe-Institut, ZfA, DAAD promote the improvement of German teaching in Turkey. Nevertheless, the quality of German teaching is not satisfactory mostly because the available teachers are not adequately qualified, teacher training is remote from practice, the quality of text books and teaching materials, the traditions of learning, the excessively large classes, inadequate learning environment (language cabinets and equipment, the nature and method of central examinations (multiple choice and their significance in the Turkish educational system. In the long-term, this leads to frustration in both teachers and students. The Turkish educational authorities initially took measures to expand the availability of language teaching in the course of harmonisation of the Turkish educational system to that of the EU e.g. the introduction of a second foreign language. German mediating institutions ensure reasonable further training for teachers locally and in Germany and support the creation of teaching materials etc.

  17. DISTANCE EDUCATION: MODERN TENDENCIES IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF LANGUAGE EDUCATION

    OpenAIRE

    Andrii O. Kravchenko

    2010-01-01

    This article deals with analyses of modern level of integration of distance education in Ukraine and around the world, it is performed the distance education in educational principles, perspective analyses of modern tendencies in development of language education is presented.

  18. What Arab Students Say about Their Linguistic and Educational Experiences in Canadian Universities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abukhattala, Ibrahim

    2013-01-01

    In this inquiry, I examine the cross educational experiences of ten Arab undergraduate students in two English-language universities in Montreal. Participants were from Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco and have been in Canada for three to seven years. Classic qualitative methodological tools of in-depth interviews, participant observation and…

  19. Improving Language Learning Strategies and Performance of Pre-Service Language Teachers through a CALLA-TBLT Model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guapacha Chamorro, Maria Eugenia; Benavidez Paz, Luis Humberto

    2017-01-01

    This paper reports an action-research study on language learning strategies in tertiary education at a Colombian university. The study aimed at improving the English language performance and language learning strategies use of 33 first-year pre-service language teachers by combining elements from two models: the cognitive academic language…

  20. Implementing Task-Based Language Teaching to Integrate Language Skills in an EFL Program at a Colombian University

    Science.gov (United States)

    Córdoba Zúñiga, Eulices

    2016-01-01

    This article reports the findings of a qualitative research study conducted with six first semester students of an English as a foreign language program in a public university in Colombia. The aim of the study was to implement task-based language teaching as a way to integrate language skills and help learners to improve their communicative…

  1. Research Culture in Higher Education: The Case of a Foreign Language Department in Mexico

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Edith Hernández Méndez

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available In the case of Mexico, until recently, many universities focused mainly on teaching, but recent changes have led to new appointments in research, administration, and community service. There now seems to be, however, a view of the predominance of research in the academic environment. Therefore, the purpose of this paper was to examine and identify, through the lens of organizational theory and a current model of research culture in an academic setting, some characteristics of the research culture in the Department of Languages and Education at a public university in Southeast Mexico. Following the international tendencies and models in higher education, we see that the research culture observed in this university resembles more a market culture than other types of culture, although some traits of hierarchy culture provide cohesion in the organization.

  2. Promoting international mobility in The Degree of Speech and Language Therapy: a case of an educational good practice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nieves Mendizábal de la Cruz

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available The constant modification of teaching and learning methods require the design of innovative strategies and the identification of educational good practices. The Degree of Speech and Language Therapy at theUniversityofValladolidhas developed various actions to promote international mobility of students and staff members, within the framework of interuniversity innovative educational projects. The objectives are: to make students aware of the role of the international dimension to increase the quality of their training; to expose innovative educational strategies to promote the international mobility; to foster internationalization of studies as a driver of research in this field; to establish Spanish as the language of reference in speech and language therapy. Descriptive methodology of performed actions was used. Results included: questionnaire sent to speech and language therapists in order to know their language skills and to enhance their importance, participation in courses, workshops and meetings, as well as in international mobility programs and exchange of experiences, teaching of subjects in English, publication of multilingual educational materials, contacts with American and European institutions and participation in international networks, blogging. It is concluded that the whole educative community should help to provide university programs of an international identity, and mobility should be provided of a social sense promoting equal opportunities for all groups.

  3. Ten "Good Practice Principles" ...Ten Key Questions: Considerations in Addressing the English Language Needs of Higher Education Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murray, Neil

    2012-01-01

    In response to social, political and educational imperatives, Australian universities are currently reviewing the way in which they provide for the growing number of students for whom English is not a first language. A document recently published by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations has increased the sense of urgency…

  4. Choosing a language in international office service encounters

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hazel, Spencer

    Choosing a language in international office service encounters – from multilingual miscellany to medium-of-interaction in a matter of seconds Spencer Hazel Roskilde University, Denmark In higher education settings characterized by increasing transnational student and staff mobility, members...... to a multimodal interaction analysis following the ethnomethodological tradition of Conversation Analysis. Gafaranga, J. (2000). Medium repair vs. other-language repair: Telling the medium of a bilingual conversation. International Journal of Bilingualism, 4(3), 327-350. Hall, J. K., Hellermann, J., & Pekarek...... Preisler (eds.) Language alternation, language choice and language encounter in international education. Dordrecht: Springer Preisler, Bent, Ida Klitgård, and Anne H. Fabricius. (2011). Language and learning in the international university: from English uniformity to diversity and hybridity. Bristol...

  5. Mobile learning and high-lighting language education

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Vinther, Jane

    Mobile learning and high-profiling language education. The number of students learning a second or foreign language and participating in instruction in languages other than English has been in decline for some time. There seems to be such a general tendency across nations albeit for a variety...... of reasons idiosyncratic to the particular national conditions. This paper gives an account of a diversified national project designed to infuse foreign language learning classes in upper secondary schools in Denmark with renewed enthusiasm through systematically experimenting with the new media by taking...... advantage of the social side in their application. The aim has been to make language classes attractive and relevant and to highlight the attractiveness and fun in learning through web 2.0 and mobile units. The overall project was supported by the Danish ministry of education as well as the individual...

  6. Language and the politics of institutional identity: can the University ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Given the recent decline of bilingualism at three formerly statutorily designated bilingual South African universities, one has to ask: Will an institution such as the University of Pretoria really be able to remain a bilingual university in a meaningful way? What forces are operative in tertiary language policy development in ...

  7. Whose Parallellingualism? Overt and Covert Ideologies in Danish University Language Policies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hultgren, Anna Kristina

    2014-01-01

    This paper aims to contribute to the study of multilingualism in the workplace by analysing top-down language policies advocating parallellingualism at Denmark's eight universities. Parallellingualism, a key concept in Nordic language policy, has been suggested as a way to ensure an equitable balance between English and the Nordic language(s)…

  8. Foreign Language Education Policy on the Horizon

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hult, Francis M.

    2018-01-01

    Language policy has developed into a major area of research that continues to expand and develop. This article examines potential directions for cross-pollination between the fields of language policy and foreign language education. First, publication trends are examined. Database searches were conducted for the journals "Foreign Language…

  9. A Global Approach to Foreign Language Education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Conner, Maurice W., Ed.

    The papers collected here are largely devoted to foreign language education as a means of increasing international and cross-cultural understanding. Titles include: (1) "Language Is the Medium, Culture Is the Message: Globalizing Foreign Languages" (Lorraine A. Strasheim); (2) "Cultural Understanding for Global Citizenship: An Inservice Model"…

  10. Syracuse University English Language Institute: Business Communication for Executives

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Berly, Geraldine; McGraw, Deborah

    2010-01-01

    The Syracuse University English Language Institute (ELI), housed within University College, has been offering noncredit executive English courses on a contract basis for the past 12 years. Despite its small size and limited resources, the ELI, whose main mission is to prepare international students for academic study, also manages a successful…

  11. Now What? Think Fast: Using Healthcare Clinics as Universal Language to Maximize Learning for International Students in a Graduate Classroom

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sanda Katila

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available International students in Masters programs come to the US optimistic and willing to learn. Upon arrival and entrance into programs, they often encounter unexpected environments. Culture shock and language barriers may seem like obvious hurdles, but work ethic and scope of visual knowledge also pose unique challenges for both students and design educators. Although all students share new challenges in graduate school, international students face tougher impediments in studio environments where they express themselves both visually and verbally. Additionally, much of design uses humor, idioms, and visual clues only understood in English. So how do educators help international students build on what they already know? How do educators break barriers between domestic and international students so they may teach one another through a shared language? In fall 2015, my Conceptual Development and Implementation class was struggling to exchange ideas in the classroom. We moved through that struggle by developing a shared language around each student's experiences with healthcare clinics in their country of origin. Students explained what makes healthcare clinics reputable; how people access information in India, China, small towns and larger urban areas; and where people look for trustworthy information. This paper discusses how one educator used student experience of healthcare clinics to find a universal language to maximize learning for international students in design education.

  12. Language Policy and Language Ideology: Ecological Perspectives on Language and Education in the Himalayan Foothills

    Science.gov (United States)

    Groff, Cynthia

    2018-01-01

    Ethnographic research in the Kumaun region of North India highlights different perspectives on this multilingual context and on national-level policies. Language policies that explicitly or implicitly minoritize certain linguistic varieties influence local discourses about language and education but are also interpreted through the lens of local…

  13. Language teaching is no panacea: A theoretical perspective and critical evaluation of language in education within the South African context

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Heila Jordaan

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available Language competence is both the means and the end to educational achievement, and multilingualism in particular has important cognitive, academic and societal advantages. The linguistic diversity in South Africa creates an ideal context to provide learners with the educational opportunities that promote high levels of linguistic proficiency in their home and additional languages. Unfortunately, the education system has not delivered on the constitutional imperatives of promoting multilingualism. English continues to dominate as the preferred language of teaching and learning, at the expense and marginalisation of the African languages. This is regarded by many researchers as the primary reason for the disturbingly low numeracy and literacy achievement levels of the majority of South African schoolchildren. However, the effects of language-in-education practices on academic achievement are not straightforward. This paper analyses recent research pertaining to the effects of language-in-education practices and argues that the critical role of educational linguistics is neglected in the South African education system. This affects the quality of teaching irrespective of the language of instruction and has a significant impact on the achievement of our children. The purpose of this paper is to present a critical theoretical perspective on language in education in order to influence policy and practice. An additional aim is to promote the role of speech-language therapists (SLTs in education, since these professionals are well positioned to work in collaboration with educators to enhance language learning in mainstream/ordinary classrooms. However, SLTs also need to be well informed about the challenges in education and the theory underlying language-in-education practices.

  14. Upholding the Malay Language and Strengthening the English Language Policy: An Education Reform

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yamat, Hamidah; Umar, Nur Farita Mustapa; Mahmood, Muhammad Ilyas

    2014-01-01

    Today's global economy and dependency on technology has led to educational reforms in Malaysia, which includes language policies; namely the Upholding the Malay Language, and Strengthening the English Language ("MBMMBI") policy. This policy underpins the project presented and discussed in this paper; on the development of a bilingual…

  15. A conceptual dimension of language education: a Vigotskian approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mary Elizabeth Cerutti Rizzatti

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available This article discusses the conceptual appropriation of language education, aiming to address two concerns: ‘What does it mean to educate through language?’, and ‘What is conceptual appropriation of language education?’. Hence, the article presented herein has been configured as a qualitative approach, gathering empirical data that composes the documentary units prepared by the Grupo de Pesquisa Cultura Escrita e Escolarização (Written Culture and Schooling Research Group. Data analysis is based on L.S. Vygotski’s Collected Works, translated from Russian to Spanish. The discussion results in an argumentation that favors capturing (or recapturing the aforementioned conceptual appropriation of language education, based on a configuration that effectively highlights inter-subjectivity. In order to delineate the proposed argument, it is necessary to problematize the following: (i taxonomic and/or normative approaches hidden behind social practices; (ii objectification paths leaning towards genres of discourse; (iii scientific approach applied to the grammatical treatment; and (iv denial of such treatment, from any perspective. The Vigotskian focus is based on an epistemic approach towards language education, thus, on the understanding that the correlation between daily and scientific concepts is a nodal issue inherent to the self-regulation process applicable to the use of language.

  16. Internet-Assisted Technologies for English Language Teaching in Turkish Universities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Celik, Serkan

    2013-01-01

    Although the enormous potential of the Internet has gained attention in Internet-assisted language teaching (IALT), a solid background of research is still lacking about/investigating English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers' use of Internet assistive technologies. This study set out to determine Turkish university level EFL instructors'…

  17. English in China's Language Policies for Higher Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Hongmei

    2012-01-01

    Taking ecological language planning and policy as its conceptual orientation and interpretive policy analysis as its methodological framework, and following an embedded single-case study design, this study explores the role of English, as compared with the role of Chinese, in China's educational language planning and policy for higher education.…

  18. Japanese Language as an Organizational Barrier for International Students to Access to University Services: A Case of Aoyama Gakuin University

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hiratsuka, Hiroyoshi

    2016-01-01

    In 2011, Aoyama Gakuin University (AGU) started a government-funded degree program (taught in English) to accept international students with limited or no Japanese language proficiency. However, the students faced obstacles in accessing all of the university resources provided. In this article, I investigated Japanese language as an organizational…

  19. Review of Doctoral Research in English Language Education in the Philippines, Singapore and Malaysia (2007-2010)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rubdy, Rani; Tupas, T. Ruanni F.; Villareal, Corazon D.; David, Maya Khemlani; Dumanig, Francisco Perlas

    2012-01-01

    This review highlights recent doctoral research in English language education and related areas completed between 2007 and 2010 in three countries in Southeast Asia: Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines. Out of sixty dissertations initially chosen from major universities in these countries, five from the Philippines, four from Malaysia and…

  20. Medical education in a foreign language and history-taking in the native language in Lebanon – a nationwide survey

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vanda Abi Raad

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background With the adoption of the English language in medical education, a gap in clinical communication may develop in countries where the native language is different from the language of medical education. This study investigates the association between medical education in a foreign language and students’ confidence in their history-taking skills in their native language. Methods This cross-sectional study consisted of a 17-question survey among medical students in clinical clerkships of Lebanese medical schools. The relationship between the language of medical education and confidence in conducting a medical history in Arabic (the native language was evaluated (n = 457. Results The majority (88.5% of students whose native language was Arabic were confident they could conduct a medical history in Arabic. Among participants enrolled in the first clinical year, high confidence in Arabic history-taking was independently associated with Arabic being the native language and with conducting medical history in Arabic either in the pre-clinical years or during extracurricular activities. Among students in their second clinical year, however, these factors were not associated with confidence levels. Conclusions Despite having their medical education in a foreign language, the majority of students in Lebanese medical schools are confident in conducting a medical history in their native language.

  1. The Globalisation of (Educational) Language rights

    Science.gov (United States)

    Skutnabb-Kangas, Tove

    2001-07-01

    Languages are today being murdered faster than ever before in human history: 90% of the world's oral languages may be dead or moribund (no longer learned by children) in a hundred years' time. The media and the educational systems are the most important direct agents in language murder. Behind them are the real culprits, the global economic, military and political systems. Linguistic human rights might be one way of promoting conflict prevention and self-determination, preventing linguistic genocide, and maintaining linguistic diversity and biodiversity (which are correlationally and also causally related). The most basic linguistic human rights for maintenance of linguistic diversity, specifically the right to mother tongue medium education, are not protected by the present provisions in human rights law. Linguistically, formal education is today often 'forcibly transferring children of one group to another group' (one of the definitions of genocide in the UN Genocide Convention). Human rights are supposed to act as correctives to the 'free market'. Despite good intentions, forces behind economic globalisation have instead given brutal market forces free range.

  2. Nigerian French language curriculum and the millennium goals ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Nigerian French language curriculum and the millennium goals: issues in the Nigerian educational system. ... Lwati: A Journal of Contemporary Research ... Education, on the other hand, language is universally acknowledged as a problem solver, which makes it paramount in the achievement of human developmental ...

  3. The Gentrification of Dual Language Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Valdez, Verónica E.; Freire, Juan A.; Delavan, M. Garrett

    2016-01-01

    Utah's dual language education (DL) initiative, officially introduced in 2007 and backed by unique state-level planning, is touted as a new "mainstreaming" of DL and is sparking interest across the U.S. Using a critical language policy lens and a mixed method approach, we asked which student groups were positioned discursively and…

  4. Language Choice, Education and Community Identity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trudell, B.

    2005-01-01

    This paper is an examination of the pedagogical and cultural impact of the PROPELCA (Operational Research Project for the Teaching of Cameroonian Languages) mother-tongue education program being implemented in the Bafut, Kom and Nso' language communities of the Northwest Province of Cameroon. Using research carried out in 2002-2003, the author…

  5. Research in Mathematics Education and Language

    Science.gov (United States)

    Planas, Núria

    2016-01-01

    A synthesis of reasons for the production of this monograph is presented with a focus on contemporary research in the context of the Ninth Congress of the European Society for Research in Mathematics Education. Within the domain of mathematics and language, three lines of concern are addressed: (1) classroom discourse, (2) language diversity, and…

  6. Communication and Gamification in the Web-Based Foreign Language Educational System: Web- Based Foreign Language Educational System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Osipov, Ilya V.; Volinsky, Alex A.; Nikulchev, Evgeny; Prasikova, Anna Y.

    2016-01-01

    The paper describes development of the educational online web communication platform for teaching and learning foreign languages. The main objective was to develop a web application for teaching foreigners to understand casual fluent speech. The system is based on the time bank principle, allowing users to teach others their native language along…

  7. A Comparative Study on the Motivation and Attitudes of Language Learners of Online Distance and Traditional in-Classroom Education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gulten GENC

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available In recent years, the increase in the use of computer and the internet has led to a change in the traditional concept of formal education today. Distance learning as a more student-centered system has been frequently used at universities. In this context, education has been applied to the individuals consisting of all age groups in accordance with their aspirations, expectations and interest in a more flexible way. This study aims to determine and compare the motivation and attitudes of language learners of online distance and traditional in-classroom education, in a state university in Turkey. Participants were 500 undergraduate university students in various disciplines. About 250 (half of the participants studied English as a foreign language through traditional in-classroom education whereas the rest of the participants (250 studied English through online distance education in the same university by the same instructors. Two questionnaires (one to evaluate motivation level and one to evaluate attitudes of the participants related to English as a foreign language and a background information form investigating individual information of the participants were used to collect data from the students of nine faculties at the University (including Faculty of Dentistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Faculty of Education, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Faculty of Fine Arts and Design, Faculty of Law, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Faculty of Engineering, and Faculty of Medicine. According to the nature of the research, the study used descriptive statistics (frequencies, range, means, and standard deviations, t-test and ANOVA as the statistical analysis methods. All collected data were coded and computerized using the SPSS software and the alpha level for the tests was set at .05. After calculating each participant’s motivation and attitudes scores, their scores were compared to the variables selected for the study and each other. The

  8. Exploiting the Theory of Universals in Adult Second Language Teaching.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kandiah, Thiru

    1994-01-01

    This article presents a bilingual teaching strategy based on Noam Chomsky's universalist hypothesis, which emphasizes the "universal" aspects of human language. The strategy focuses on the matching process that all learners carry out between the first (L1) and second (L2) language, as well as the differences between L1 and L2. (58…

  9. The growth of language: Universal Grammar, experience, and principles of computation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Charles; Crain, Stephen; Berwick, Robert C; Chomsky, Noam; Bolhuis, Johan J

    2017-10-01

    Human infants develop language remarkably rapidly and without overt instruction. We argue that the distinctive ontogenesis of child language arises from the interplay of three factors: domain-specific principles of language (Universal Grammar), external experience, and properties of non-linguistic domains of cognition including general learning mechanisms and principles of efficient computation. We review developmental evidence that children make use of hierarchically composed structures ('Merge') from the earliest stages and at all levels of linguistic organization. At the same time, longitudinal trajectories of development show sensitivity to the quantity of specific patterns in the input, which suggests the use of probabilistic processes as well as inductive learning mechanisms that are suitable for the psychological constraints on language acquisition. By considering the place of language in human biology and evolution, we propose an approach that integrates principles from Universal Grammar and constraints from other domains of cognition. We outline some initial results of this approach as well as challenges for future research. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. In search of the African voice in higher education: The language ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This article seeks to understand what South African universities are doing by making use of language as a tool or as an enabling voice towards Africanisation and transformation with particular reference to Rhodes University, which serves as a case study. Although many universities now have language policies in place and ...

  11. An Intersection of Interests: The Millennial Generation and an Alternative World Language Teacher Education Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morrissey, Gwynne E.; Coolican, Maria J.; Wolfgang, David F.

    2011-01-01

    The Ann Arbor Languages Partnership (A2LP) between Ann Arbor Public Schools and the University of Michigan's School of Education recruits Spanish-speaking undergraduates from many academic majors to teach Spanish in the district's 3rd and 4th grade classrooms during the academic year. The partnership allows the district to offer students a world…

  12. Innovations in the higher school language education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Наталія Вікторівна Гагіна

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available The article deals with innovations in the higher school language education. Authors note that innovations result in intensification of the educational process, guarantee its flexibility, diversify the program of studying languages in HEI, favor the growth of motivation, the involvement of students in the research activity, the development of creativity, elaboration of intellectual products, the creation of the favorable atmosphere for the students’ independent work.In the offered article was studied the essence of the notion “innovation” and the importance of innovative technologies in education and also grounded the expedience of using informational graphics (infographics as the one of the most effective innovative methods of studying languages in HEI, analyzed the main tasks, advantages of the use and principles of creation of infopraphics, determined the levels of complication of informational graphics elaboration, cited the examples of on-line services that allow create the static and dynamic infographics

  13. Language Policy, Language Ideology, and Visual Art Education for Emergent Bilingual Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomas, Beth A.

    2017-01-01

    In 1968 the Bilingual Education Act marked the first comprehensive federal intervention in the schooling of language minoritized students by creating financial incentives for bilingual education in an effort to address social and educational inequities created by poverty and linguistic isolation in schools. Since that time federal education…

  14. Effects of age, gender, education and race on two tests of language ability in community-based older adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Snitz, Beth E; Unverzagt, Frederick W; Chang, Chung-Chou H; Bilt, Joni Vander; Gao, Sujuan; Saxton, Judith; Hall, Kathleen S; Ganguli, Mary

    2009-12-01

    Neuropsychological tests, including tests of language ability, are frequently used to differentiate normal from pathological cognitive aging. However, language can be particularly difficult to assess in a standardized manner in cross-cultural studies and in patients from different educational and cultural backgrounds. This study examined the effects of age, gender, education and race on performance of two language tests: the animal fluency task (AFT) and the Indiana University Token Test (IUTT). We report population-based normative data on these tests from two combined ethnically divergent, cognitively normal, representative population samples of older adults. Participants aged > or =65 years from the Monongahela-Youghiogheny Healthy Aging Team (MYHAT) and from the Indianapolis Study of Health and Aging (ISHA) were selected based on (1) a Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) score of 0; (2) non-missing baseline language test data; and (3) race self-reported as African-American or white. The combined sample (n = 1885) was 28.1% African-American. Multivariate ordinal logistic regression was used to model the effects of demographic characteristics on test scores. On both language tests, better performance was significantly associated with higher education, younger age, and white race. On the IUTT, better performance was also associated with female gender. We found no significant interactions between age and sex, and between race and education. Age and education are more potent variables than are race and gender influencing performance on these language tests. Demographically stratified normative tables for these measures can be used to guide test interpretation and aid clinical diagnosis of impaired cognition.

  15. Language Learners and Diverse Legacies: Question of Confidence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nicolson, Margaret

    2000-01-01

    A survey of 43 Scottish open university students, aged 28-87, who were studying another language, examined extent of bilingualism; schooling in and exposure to other languages in youth; school, family, media, and travel influences on language attitudes; and motivations for language study. Social and educational legacies affecting student…

  16. Training of Future Civil Engineers in the Area of Foreign Language: Interaction of Educational Paradigms

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nordman Irina

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The article deals with problems of engineers’ training in higerh school. Problems in the organization of classroom and students’ independent work, in the area of evaluation and control as well as teaching recourses and training methods are pointed out. The role of foreign language in the training of future specialists in the field of construction is highlighted. The necessity of the use of settings of traditional and innovative educational paradigms when training of students in the specialization “Industrial and civil construction” on the discipline “Foreign Language” is proved. The interaction of traditional and innovative teaching resources, trraining methods, as well as evaluation and control means is shown. The conclusions on the effectiveness of interaction of traditional and innovative educational concepts when teaching a foreign language in technical universities are drawn.

  17. Rethinking and Reconfiguring English Language Education: Averting Linguistic Genocide in Cameroon

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carlous Muluh Nkwetisama

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available The over 285 indigenous languages of Cameroon may be crushed by the English language. To ensure a sustainable linguistic ecological balance whose peace is undoubtedly threatened by the global imperialistic terrors of English colonialism, an overhaul of ELT practitioners is needed. The English language is taught and learned in Cameroon against a conflictual linguistic platform of French (the other official language of questionable equal status as English, Pidgin English and over 285 indigenous languages. Of these local languages, just about 40 are currently being used (taught in education at the different levels of education in the country. The aim of this paper was to examine the English language politics, practices and teaching. It thereafter evaluated English language teachers’ perception of the so called English Language Teaching Tenets. It also aimed at assessing the functional load of English and it ascertained the extent to which it was threatening the development of local languages as well as effective access to education in Cameroon.

  18. LANGUAGE, HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AND EDUCATION: FOCUS ON CHILDREN’S EDUCATION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Solange Maria Alves

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available Based on theoretical patterns of historical-cultural approach, this text proposes a critical discussion about the relation among the process of human development, the role of language and scholar education as elements of specific and intentional mediation, directed to the development of typical human ways of thinking, or, as preferred by Vygotsky, superior psychological functions. Under this focus, the author points some characteristics to be assumed by scholar organization, committed with pedagogic praxis for childhood, approaching the playful of social roles and the game as linguistic elements itself, and, thus, owners of social content, fundamental symbolic contents to be taken as start element for the educative action of change. KEYWORDS: Language and play. Human development. Education. Childhood. AUTORA

  19. Research in the School of Languages and Linguistics at Griffith University

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fenton-Smith, Ben; Walkinshaw, Ian

    2014-01-01

    Griffith University is set across five campuses in south-east Queensland, Australia, and has a student population of 43,000. The School of Languages and Linguistics (LAL) offers programs in linguistics, international English, Chinese, Italian, Japanese and Spanish, as well as English language enhancement courses. Research strands reflect the…

  20. The Ecology of Language in Classrooms at a University in Eastern Ukraine

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tarnopolsky, Oleg B.; Goodman, Bridget A.

    2014-01-01

    Using an ecology of language framework, the purpose of this study was to examine the degree to which English as a medium of instruction (EMI) at a private university in eastern Ukraine allows for the use of Ukrainian, the state language, or Russian, the predominantly spoken language, in large cities in eastern Ukraine. Uses of English and Russian…

  1. Socioeconomic status, parental education, vocabulary and language skills of children who stutter.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Richels, Corrin G; Johnson, Kia N; Walden, Tedra A; Conture, Edward G

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this project was to investigate the possible relation between standardized measures of vocabulary/language, mother and father education, and a composite measure of socioeconomic status (SES) for children who do not stutter (CWNS) and children who stutter (CWS). Participants were 138 CWNS and 159 CWS between the ages of 2;6 and 6;3 and their families. The Hollingshead Four Factor Index of Social Position (i.e., Family SES) was used to calculate SES based on a composite score consisting of weighted values for paternal and maternal education and occupation. Statistical regression analyses were conducted to investigate the relation between parental education and language and vocabulary scores for both the CWNS and CWS. Correlations were calculated between parent education, Family SES, and stuttering severity (e.g., SSI-3 score, % words stuttered). Results indicated that maternal education contributed the greatest amount of variance in vocabulary and language scores for the CWNS and for participants from both groups whose Family SES was in the lowest quartile of the distribution. However, paternal education generally contributed the greatest amount of variance in vocabulary and language scores for the CWS. Higher levels of maternal education were associated with more severe stuttering in the CWS. Results are generally consistent with existing literature on normal language development that indicates maternal education is a robust predictor of the vocabulary and language skills of preschool children. Thus, both father and mothers' education may impact the association between vocabulary/language skills and childhood stuttering, leading investigators who empirically study this association to possibly re-assess their participant selection (e.g., a priori control of parental education) and/or data analyses (e.g., post hoc covariation of parental education). The reader will be able to: (a) describe the influence of socioeconomic status on the development of

  2. Languages of Instruction: Policy Implications for Education in Africa ...

    International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

    The research reviews on which the report is based were commissioned after African Ministers of Education expressed a need for an exploration of languages of instruction in the African context, particularly the use of mother tongues and national languages for instruction and learning. The Ministers of Education also ...

  3. Visual dataflow language for educational robots programming

    OpenAIRE

    ZIMIN G.A.; MORDVINOV D.A.

    2016-01-01

    Visual domain-specific languages usually have low entry barrier. Sometimes even children can program on such languages by working with visual representations. This is widely used in educational robotics domain, where most commonly used programming environments are visual. The paper describes a novel dataflow visual programming environment for embedded robotic platforms. Obviously, complex dataflow languages are not simple for understanding. The purpose of our tool is to "bridge" between light...

  4. Language Teachers' Target Language Project: Language for Specific Purposes of Language Teaching

    Science.gov (United States)

    Korenev, Alexey; Westbrook, Carolyn; Merry, Yvonne; Ershova, Tatiana

    2016-01-01

    The Language Teachers' Target Language project (LTTL) aims to describe language teachers' target language use domain (Bachman & Palmer 2010) and to develop a language test for future teachers of English. The team comprises four researchers from Moscow State University (MSU) and Southampton Solent University.

  5. Language Planning for the 21st Century: Revisiting Bilingual Language Policy for Deaf Children

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Knoors, H.E.T.; Marschark, M.

    2012-01-01

    For over 25 years in some countries and more recently in others, bilingual education involving sign language and the written/spoken vernacular has been considered an essential educational intervention for deaf children. With the recent growth in universal newborn hearing screening and technological

  6. Computers and Tuvan language: an overview of research at Tuvan State University

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sergey M. Dalaa

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Since their very beginnings, both philology and information technologies have faced the challenge of processing textual information. With the arrival of the Internet, this task has become more topical than ever before. In the Republic of Tuva, it is being dealt with by the Research and Education Center for Turkic Studies at the Tuvan State University in collaboration with the university’s Department of Information Technologies. This article is an overview of their joint projects. Computer processing of texts in Tuvan used to be a difficult task since the Tuvan alphabet is Cyrillic-based, but makes use of three letters absent in Russian - ң, ө and ү which did not have special codes assigned before the arrival of UNICODE. When the spread of UNICODE began in 1990s, Tuvan texts finally could be coded in their entirety. The article provides short summaries and abstracts of databases and software created by Tuva’s researchers in collaborative projects and registered at the Federal Service for Intellectual Property (Rospatent in 2013-2015. All patent rights belong to Tuvan State University. The list includes such pieces of software as “Chastotnyi slovar po khudozhestvennym proizvedeniiam na tuvinskom iazyke” (Frequency dictionary of literary texts in Tuvan language, “Poisk slov v tekste na tuvinskom iazyke” (Word search in Tuvan texts, “Tyva dyl. Sөzүglel. Praktiktig stilistika 10-11 klasstarga өөredilge nomu” (Practical stylistics for 10th and 11th grades, “Leksika landshafta Tuvy” (The vocabulary of Tuvan landscape, CMS “Pisateli Tuvy” (The writers of Tuva, databases “Slovar’ dialektnykh slov altaiskogo dialekta Tuvinskogo iazyka” (A vocabulary of the Altai dialect of Tuvan language, Morfemno-orfograficheskii slovar’ Tuvinskogo iazyka” (Morphemic and orthographic dictionary of Tuvan language, and “Analiticheskie skrepy Tuvinskogo iazyka” (Analytical foundations of Tuvan language Given the rise of mobile

  7. Nuclear education in Japanese universities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamamuro, Nobuhiro

    1981-01-01

    In 1957, the graduate courses for nuclear engineering were established in Kyoto University, Osaka University and the Tokyo Institute of Technology. Since then, the expansion of nuclear education has kept pace with the growth of the nuclear industry in Japan. The nuclear education in universities in more than 20 years can be roughly divided into three periods. In the first period from 1955 to 1965, nuclear education began at undergraduate level, and the facilities required for the research and education were set up. The imported reactor began the commercial operation in 1966 for the first time, and during the period of high economic growth, the request by the nuclear industry was met by providing special studies in addition to the regular curriculum studies. The research committee on nuclear engineering education was formed, and in 1973, Japan-U.S. cooperative seminar on education program for nuclear engineering was held. The first ''oil crisis'' occurred in 1973, and the significance of nuclear power as an alternative to oil increased. But as nuclear power plants became bigger and increased, the safety and the effect on environment have been discussed. Also the research and development of nuclear fusion have been promoted. All these factors were reflected to the nuclear education in universities. The carricula in universities and the tasks and prospects in nuclear engineering education are described. (Kako, I.)

  8. University students' perceptions of multilingual education: A case ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    to implement multilingual education for purposes of teaching and learning ... higher education system, very little (excluding a range of stereotypes) is known about the ... learning of one additional or supportive language of tuition (CHE 2001:11). ..... state their gender, age, home language, household economic status and the ...

  9. Searching for Bridges between Formal and Informal Language Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brebera, Pavel; Hlouskova, Jitka

    2012-01-01

    Life in the contemporary society and ongoing globalisation processes result in growing demands on educators, including language teachers in higher education. The frequently accentuated so-called postmethod approach to foreign language teaching gives teachers a lot of freedom and flexibility but also creates a large space for various types of…

  10. Analysing institutional influences on teaching–learning practices of English as second language programme in a Pakistani university

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Irfan Ahmed Rind

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper examines the institutional influences on the teaching–learning practices within English as Second Language (ESL programme in the University of Sindh (UoS, Pakistan. The study uses qualitative case study approach, basing its findings on documentary review, observations, and responses of teachers and students. The analysis of the data is informed by Bourdieusian notions of habitus, field and capital. The study found that UoS’s institutional policies and practices are shaped by its position in the field of higher education, which shape ESL teaching–learning practices. Specifically, UoS defines its capital as “higher education for all”, which in practice translates as admitting students from disadvantage groups. To meet English language needs of these students, UoS offers the ESL programme. However, teaching–learning practices of ESL are significantly influenced by UoS’s policies related to faculty hiring and development, ESL teachers and administration relationships, teacher-student ratio, assessment, quality assurance, and learning support resources.

  11. Language Planning and the Programs in Filipino of Higher Education Institutions

    OpenAIRE

    Jaine Z. Tarun

    2016-01-01

    This study was focused on the language planning and the programs in Filipino of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Region 02, Philippines. It aimed to evaluate the extent of contributions in the implementation of national and institutional academic language policies and programs on Filipino in the General Education Curriculum (GEC), Bilingual / Multilingual Education, translation of books and articles, instructional materials development using Filipino and other languages in ...

  12. Cuban Voices: A Case Study of English Language Teacher Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Steven John

    2016-01-01

    This case study uses qualitative research methods and a postcolonial paradigm to listen to the voices of Cuban teacher educators describing how they educate and prepare English language teachers in Cuba. English language teacher education in Cuba includes features that are considered innovative, contemporary and good practice in the Western world.…

  13. Multimedia Instruction & Language Learning Attitudes: A Study with University Students

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jesús Izquierdo

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available This study examined the effects of two types of Multimedia Instruction (MI and learners’ second language (L2 proficiency on language learning attitudes. During four weeks, university learners of French received MI on the distinctive use of the perfective and the imperfective past in one of the four following conditions: learners with low L2 proficiency level exposed to MI with (n=17 or without language awareness tasks (n=17, and learners with intermediate L2 proficiency level exposed to MI with (n=14 or without language awareness tasks (n=28. Before and after the experiment, participants completed the Attitude/Motivation Test Battery (AMTB. Non-parametric analyses revealed a positive enhancement of classroom-related attitudes only among intermediate learners exposed to MI without Language Awareness Tasks. Nevertheless, the results showed similar as well as stable attitudes towards language learning in all the experimental conditions.

  14. CROSSROADS BETWEEN EDUCATION POLICIES AND INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES MAINTENANCE IN ARGENTINA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ana Carolina Hecht

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available Process of language shift is explained by many researchers since linguistic and anthropological perspectives. This area focuses on the correlations between social processes and changes in systems of use of a language. This article aims to address these issues. In particular, we analyze the links between educational-linguistic policy and the maintenance of the languages spoken in Argentina. In doing so, we explore this field taking into account the linguistic and educational policies implemented about indigenous languages in Argentina.

  15. English Language Education Policy in Colombia and Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roux, Ruth

    2012-01-01

    English language education policies have attracted the attention of researchers in applied linguistics and English language teaching world-wide in the last few years. Some contend that English language skills are vital if a country is to participate actively in the global economy and individuals are to have access to knowledge for social and…

  16. Social Class in English Language Education in Oaxaca, Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    López-Gopar, Mario E.; Sughrua, William

    2014-01-01

    This article explores social class in English-language education in Oaxaca, Mexico. To this end, first, we discuss social class in Mexico as related to coloniality; second, for illustration, the paper presents the authors' own social-class analysis as language educators in Oaxaca; third, we discuss how social class impacts English education…

  17. Foreign Language Usage by Secondary Education EFL Teachers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sophia Kakavoula

    2010-02-01

    Full Text Available In the last few decades there is growing interest in pre- and in- service teacher education which aims to help teachers keep up to date with new trends and developments in the field of education. Although this movement has resulted in upgraded approaches to the design and implementation of teacher training courses, most of them focus mainly on theoretical and methodological issues neglecting the systematic improvement and development of English teachers’ language proficiency and competence. However, it is a reality that several teachers sometimes feel uncomfortable with using the foreign language inside and outside the classroom. The present research investigates how comfortable teachers feel with their foreign language proficiency, whether their confidence in using it influences in any way their teaching practices and whether there is a need for in-service teacher training courses targeting teachers’ language development and improvement. From the analysis of the research data we are able to assume that teachers of English feel that there are deficiencies in their foreign language proficiency and competence and admit that their participation in training courses targeting their language development would improve not only their language proficiency but their actual teaching practices as well.

  18. CHALLENGES OF HUNGARIAN HIGHER EDUCATION IN UKRAINE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Viktória Ferenc

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Hungarians in Ukraine have a well organized educational system that covers institutions from the kindergarten to the university. At first glance it may look like that the maintenance of the Transcarpathian Hungarians in Ukraine is guaranteed, however,we have to see that minority education (which is one of the key-issue of the maintenance of the community is threatened by several factors. In the given paper I will take under investigation only two of these factors. On the one hand the Ukrainian state language policy would like to strengthen the position of the state language even at the expense of other languages and education is used as a means of achieving these aims. On the other hand, while education is one of the effective and powerful means of achieving social goals of the minority and choosing the language of instruction is a crucial part of language education policy, minority universities neglect serious language planning activity. It is high time for every institute to work out an individual university language policy taking into account their own aims and personal conditions.

  19. Investigating the Information Needs of University Students in Foundational Foreign Language Courses

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Glenna Westwood

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available This investigation seeks to address two issues: first, to discover if there is evidence that university students in foundational language courses need information resources to support their language learning and second, if such evidence exists, what the specific information resource needs might be and how important those resources are to students’ language learning. After engaging in a year of foreign language study, the author used the evidence gathered to develop and conduct a survey of the user needs of language students at the Self Access Centre (CAADI of the University of Guanajuato, Mexico. Results of the survey supported the personal learning experiences of the author. Over 80% of students surveyed reported using the information resources in the CAADI at least once a week with general grammar books, course text books and films being reported as the most important resources. This investigation provides a starting point for research in to the collection development practices of academic libraries supporting the learning of foreign languages. By examining the information needs of one population, evidence has been provided that these students do indeed need information resources to support their language learning. The study suggests specific resource types that could be important for these users.

  20. Communication, language and expression body in physical education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eliane Gomes da Silva

    2005-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper intends to give basis for understanding corporal expression as a language, which would enable the child to produce information/knowledge within the physical education. Based on the concepts of childhood, language and comunication, we understand that the phsysical education must promove the establishment of comunicative relationships, in which corporal expresion apears as a special manifestation. Based on Peirce Semiotics, the corporal expression is conceive as a language in itself, constitude by spontan gests, which ar produced by diversous stimuli. This enable the children to construct interpretating/interpretative relations in this signs fluxe, and, because of it, to produce knowledge.

  1. Using Webquests in Foreign Languages Teaching in Economic Universities: Definition, Classification, Methods of Using in the Educational Process

    OpenAIRE

    Livskaya E. V.

    2013-01-01

    Intensive developing of computing technologies and the necessity of using them in the educational process ask a modern teacher to possess both skills on a discipline and knowledge of information technologies. The paper analyzes the reasons of using webquests in the process of teaching foreign languages, and focuses on the following formats of webquests like HotList, Treasure Hunt, WebQuest, etc. Pros and cons of using them in the educational process are analyzed as well. The most popular up-t...

  2. INTERNATIONALISATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN EUROPE: BY EXPERIENCE OF BOLOGNA UNIVERSITY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nadezhda V. Krasilnikova

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of the research is to study and analyse the current trends in internationalisation of higher education in European countries; analyse the performance of the University of Bologna with regard to development and implementation of its internationalisation strategy as well as identify factors facilitating successful development of internationalisation and hindering this process.Methods. Theoretical methods – analysis of regulatory documents on development and reforming of higher education; documents of national and international organisations which activities are relevant to internationalisation of higher education; conference papers; and regulatory documents of the University of Bologna. Empirical methods – student surveys and interviews with the staff members of the University of Bologna, observation, methods of mathematical statistics.Results and scientific novelty. The study has identified and described the major recent changes in the process of internationalisation in Europe. The outcomes of the research reveal that internationalisation process aimed primarily at enhancing the quality of education and research has become a strategic focus of universities; emphasis is being given to providing all students with the opportunity to develop intercultural competencies. The results of the empirical study suggest that the development of internationalisation at the University of Bologna is focused on enhancing academic mobility of students, elaborating and implementing double / joint degree programmes, as well as developing international research activities. One of the factors driving this development is the development and monitoring of the implementation of the University’s internationalisation strategy. Difficulties in the implementation of this strategy are still related to financial issues, as well as foreign language competency of students and professors and their insufficient motivation to participate in academic mobility

  3. Creole Languages and Educational Development. Linguistic Communications: Working Papers of the Linguistic Society of Australia, No. 13.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thompson, R.W.

    An international conference on creole languages and educational development was held at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad, from July 24-28, 1972. It was attended by scholars from Africa, Australia, Hawaii, the Caribbean region, the United Kingdom, the United States, and France. The papers presented were descriptions of a…

  4. University students' context-dependent conscious attitudes towards the official South African languages

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hilton, Nanna Haug

    2010-01-01

    This paper considers the results of an empirical investigation of overt language attitudes held by students attending North-West University, South Africa. Attitudes elicited from 325 students with mainly Setswana, Sesotho, Afrikaans and English as home languages are analysed comparatively. The study

  5. Culture and Language Education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    kazem Lotfipour saedi

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available There are different views on the relationship between language and culture. Some consider them as separate entities one being a code-system and the other a system of beliefs and attitudes. Some believe in a cause and effect relationship between the two; and yet others argue for a co-evolutionary mode of interrelation. This paper will subscribe to the Hallidayan co-evolutionary view of the relationship (cf. Halliday 1991, presenting the view that language and culture are both integrated into a unique socio-semiotic system always interacting with one another for the successful functioning of the system. It will discuss some aspects of this interaction and the implications for ESL/EFL education programs.

  6. Language Education Policies and Inequality in Africa: Cross-National Empirical Evidence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coyne, Gary

    2015-01-01

    This article examines the relationship between inequality and education through the lens of colonial language education policies in African primary and secondary school curricula. The languages of former colonizers almost always occupy important places in society, yet they are not widely spoken as first languages, meaning that most people depend…

  7. University of Akron: Training Speech-Language Pathology Specialists to Provide Quality Service to Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing--A Collaborative Preservice Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wray, Denise; Flexer, Carol

    2010-01-01

    A collaborative team of faculty from The University of Akron (UA) in Akron, Ohio, and Kent State University (KSU) in Kent, Ohio, were awarded a federal grant from the U.S. Department of Education to develop a specialty area in the graduate speech-language pathology (SLP) programs of UA and KSU that would train a total of 32 SLP students (trainees)…

  8. Sociological Implications of English as an International Language in Music Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kertz-Welzel, Alexandra

    2016-01-01

    Internationalization and globalization have created a global music education community which is not only linked by similar ideas, but also shares a common language. English functions as a global language and facilitates the international discourse in music education. While it is good to have a common language supporting international dialogue, it…

  9. The implementation of language policy: The case of Ecuador

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cossío, Consuelo Yánez

    1991-03-01

    Ecuador is implementing a programme of indigenous bilingual intercultural education. Work began systematically in 1978 through a research centre of the Catholic University, and throughout the 1980s the government has become increasingly committed to the principle of indigenous education. In 1980 agreement was reached on a common alphabet for all indigenous languages. In the same year the government accepted that vernacular languages might be used for education, and the "Macac" educational model was devised by the Catholic University's research centre. By 1984 there were 300 bilingual primary schools, but the government then suspended its experiment. This was restored four years later, with the addition of secondary education and teacher training colleges. What is stressed by NGOs active in promoting indigenous education is not only its use of vernacular languages, but the need for intercultural exchange, recognizing in a modified curriculum the cultural values of the indigenous population and their socioeconomic reality. This change has not been understood by all government agencies, although a new Directorate for Bilingual Intercultural Education was established in 1988 to provide education for people of all ages in indigenous communities. The traditional Spanish-language formal education system has exercised a restricting influence on innovation, and the response of the dominant Spanish-speaking majority has generally been indifference.

  10. Effects of Prior Economic Education, Native Language, and Gender on Economic Knowledge of First-Year Students in Higher Education. A Comparative Study between Germany and the USA

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brückner, Sebastian; Förster, Manuel; Zlatkin-Troitschanskaia, Olga; Walstad, William B.

    2015-01-01

    The assessment of university students' economic knowledge has become an increasingly important research area within and across countries. Particularly, the different influences of prior education, native language, and gender as some of the main prerequisites on students' economic knowledge have been highlighted since long. However, the findings…

  11. The Flipped Experience for Chinese University Students Studying English as a Foreign Language

    Science.gov (United States)

    Doman, Evelyn; Webb, Marie

    2017-01-01

    Many educators worldwide are aware that traditional teacher-fronted instruction and lecture-based learning often lead students to become passive in the classroom. In the language classroom, particularly in classrooms for English as a second or foreign language, the flipped model of education drives students to become more responsive and more…

  12. Listening as a Method of Learning a Foreign Language at the Non-Language Faculty of the University

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kondrateva, Irina G.; Safina, Minnisa S.; Valeev, Agzam A.

    2016-01-01

    Learning a foreign language is becoming an increasingly important with Russia's integration into the world community. In this regard, increased requirements for the educational process and the development of new innovative teaching methods meet the requirements of the time. One of the important aspects of learning a foreign language is listening…

  13. Digital phonocardiographic experiments and signal processing in multidisciplinary fields of university education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nagy, Tamás; Vadai, Gergely; Gingl, Zoltán

    2017-09-01

    Modern measurement of physical signals is based on the use of sensors, electronic signal conditioning, analog-to-digital conversion and digital signal processing carried out by dedicated software. The same signal chain is used in many devices such as home appliances, automotive electronics, medical instruments, and smartphones. Teaching the theoretical, experimental, and signal processing background must be an essential part of improving the standard of higher education, and it fits well to the increasingly multidisciplinary nature of physics and engineering too. In this paper, we show how digital phonocardiography can be used in university education as a universal, highly scalable, exciting, and inspiring laboratory practice and as a demonstration at various levels and complexity. We have developed open-source software templates in modern programming languages to support immediate use and to serve as a basis of further modifications using personal computers, tablets, and smartphones.

  14. Digital phonocardiographic experiments and signal processing in multidisciplinary fields of university education

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nagy, Tamás; Vadai, Gergely; Gingl, Zoltán

    2017-01-01

    Modern measurement of physical signals is based on the use of sensors, electronic signal conditioning, analog-to-digital conversion and digital signal processing carried out by dedicated software. The same signal chain is used in many devices such as home appliances, automotive electronics, medical instruments, and smartphones. Teaching the theoretical, experimental, and signal processing background must be an essential part of improving the standard of higher education, and it fits well to the increasingly multidisciplinary nature of physics and engineering too. In this paper, we show how digital phonocardiography can be used in university education as a universal, highly scalable, exciting, and inspiring laboratory practice and as a demonstration at various levels and complexity. We have developed open-source software templates in modern programming languages to support immediate use and to serve as a basis of further modifications using personal computers, tablets, and smartphones. (paper)

  15. The Role of Language in Adult Education and Poverty Reduction in Botswana

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bagwasi, Mompoloki

    2006-05-01

    This study examines the role of language in reducing poverty in Botswana through adult-education programs. Because language is the medium through which human beings communicate and grow intellectually and socially, it should form the basis of any discussion involving the relation between development and education. In order best to respond to societal changes and bridge the gap between the less privileged and the more privileged, adult-education programs should be guided by language policies that are sensitive to this pivotal role that language plays. Language is important in any discussion of poverty reduction because it determines who has access to educational, political and economic resources. The author recommends that adult-education programs in Botswana take account of the multilingual nature of society and so allow learners to participate freely, make use of their indigenous knowledge, and enhance their self-esteem and identity.

  16. The Iranian Foreign Language Practitioners‟ Perspectives about Iran‟s Foreign Language Education Policy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Naser Rashidi

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available The present study was conducted to identify the perceptions of the Iranian foreign language practitioners about Iran‟s foreign language education policy within a systemic functional linguistics approach. To this end, 8 Iranian male and female foreign language practitioners were interviewed and asked to talk about what they thought about Iran‟s foreign language policy. The findings obtained from analysing the process types and participants employed by the Iranian foreign language practitioners within a systemic functional linguistics approach point out that the FLEP document is heavily influenced by and draws on well entrenched ideological, historical, religious, economic, and political discourses. Further investigations within a systemic functional linguistics approach indicate that the Iranian teachers believed that while English is a tool for understanding cultural exchanges and transferring technological advances, achieving these goals through the teaching of English is sometimes problematic within an absolute Islamic framework. The findings obtained from a transitivity analysis for the Iranian foreign language practitioners by subjecting their responses to the questions on the interviews to a systemic functional linguistics approach are also indicative of the Iranian foreign language teachers‟ loyalty to the “the younger, the better” belief. Likewise, course content was a topic for controversy. Some of the practitioners believed that course content should be developed around a variety of topics. Whereas others asserted that the inclusion of different topics in the foreign language education policy document may increase the workload on the part of the teachers. Other issues such as culture, the Islamic ideology, and imperialism were identified as causes of different understandings among the Iranian foreign language practitioners as well.

  17. The UK education of overseas students in speech and language therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marshall, J; Goldbart, J; Phillips, J; Evans, R

    2001-01-01

    Informal evidence suggests that many overseas speech and language therapists (SLTs) either do not return to their home country on qualification or do not work as SLTs in the public sector. Many factors may contribute to this situation. However, concern that it may result in part from a poor match between UK SLT education and the demands of the role in other countries, led the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT) to fund a study of overseas SLT students' experiences of UK qualifying courses. The study involved questionnaires and interviews with current students and those qualifying since May 1994. The focus of this paper is the respondents' experiences of studying and working in the UK, their views of the advantages and disadvantages of working in their home countries and the UK and supportive strategies that UK universities and other agencies might adopt. Implications of the findings are discussed.

  18. EDUCATING TEACHERS FOR CONTENT AND LANGUAGE INTEGRATED LEARNING IN KAZAKHSTAN: DEVELOPING POSITIVE ATTITUDES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Artyom Sergeyevich Dontsov

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available The aim of the present research is to identify whether teachers' attitudes towards the use of Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL in the Republic of Kazakhstan can undergo significant changes if they study a course introducing them to the fundamentals of CLIL. Despite the country's plans to adopt English as one of the languages of education, stakeholders’ attitudes towards teaching through the medium of this language remain rather skeptical. A survey was held among Master’s degree students majoring in Education (n = 59 at Pavlodar State University before the course and after its completion. Since it is the affective component that largely determines the quality of attitudes, the levels of participants' anxiety, self-esteem and motivation were used as the indicators. The tools for measuring these variables were the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Dembo-Rubinstein's Method of Self-esteem Measurement and Dubovitskaya's Diagnostics of Learning Motivation Orientation. The end-of-course results show a marked reduction in the level of participants' state anxiety, a growth in self-esteem in terms of the readiness to use CLIL, and a shift towards intrinsic motivation. It is argued that for attitudes shift to take place, it is necessary to adopt a constructivist approach to teaching and learning.

  19. Bilingual Children as Policy Agents: Language Policy and Education Policy in Minority Language Medium Early Childhood Education and Care

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bergroth, Mari; Palviainen, Åsa

    2017-01-01

    The current study examines bilingual children as language policy agents in the interplay between official language policy and education policy at three Swedish-medium preschools in Finland. For this purpose we monitored nine Finnish-Swedish bilingual children aged 3 to 5 years for 18 months. The preschools were located in three different parts of…

  20. Computer simulation as an important approach to explore language universal. Comment on "Dependency distance: a new perspective on syntactic patterns in natural languages" by Haitao Liu et al.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Qian

    2017-07-01

    Exploring language universal is one of the major goals of linguistic researches, which are largely devoted to answering the ;Platonic questions; in linguistics, that is, what is the language knowledge, how to get and use this knowledge. However, if solely guided by linguistic intuition, it is very difficult for syntactic studies to answer these questions, or to achieve abstractions in the scientific sense. This suggests that linguistic analyses based on the probability theory may provide effective ways to investigate into language universals in terms of biological motivations or cognitive psychological mechanisms. With the view that ;Language is a human-driven system;, Liu, Xu & Liang's review [1] pointed out that dependency distance minimization (DDM), which has been corroborated by big data analysis of corpus, may be a language universal shaped in language evolution, a universal that has profound effect on syntactic patterns.

  1. Applying the Flipped Classroom Model to English Language Arts Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Young, Carl A., Ed.; Moran, Clarice M., Ed.

    2017-01-01

    The flipped classroom method, particularly when used with digital video, has recently attracted many supporters within the education field. Now more than ever, language arts educators can benefit tremendously from incorporating flipped classroom techniques into their curriculum. "Applying the Flipped Classroom Model to English Language Arts…

  2. Grammar Is the Heart of Language: Grammar and Its Role in Language Learning among Finnish University Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saaristo, Pekka

    2015-01-01

    This article presents and discusses views on grammar and its role in formal language learning amongst Finnish university students. The results are based on a questionnaire which was distributed to students at the University of Jyväskylä as part of institutional action research. The background to the project was a feeling amongst some teachers of…

  3. A case study of the language in education complaints received by ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies ... have his child's language in education rights acknowledged and implemented within the ... to the School Governing Body (SGB), the provincial Department of Education and finally ...

  4. Language promotion for educational purposes: The example of Tanzania

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rubagumya, Casmir M.

    1991-03-01

    Kiswahili is one of the most widely used languages in East and Central Africa. In Tanzania, where it is the national language, attempts have been made to develop it so that it can be used as an efficient tool of communication in all sectors of the society, including education. This paper shows that although Kiswahili has successfully been promoted as the medium of primary and adult education, at secondary and tertiary levels of education, its position is still precarious. The notion that English and Kiswahili are in complementary distribution is rejected. It is argued that the two languages are in conflict, and that those who are in a better socio-political/economic position have more control of, and better access to, English. In such a situation the right question to ask is not in which domains English is used, but why it is used in such domains and who uses it. The paper further argues that the present sociolinguistic environment makes the use of English as a viable medium unsustainable. For this reason, insistence on the use of English adversely affects the learning process. It is suggested that if Kiswahili became the medium of education at secondary school level and English was taught well as a foreign language, this would help to promote both languages without jeopardising the learning process.

  5. Multilingual Dyslexia in University Students: Reading and Writing Patterns in Three Languages

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lindgren, Signe-Anita; Laine, Matti

    2011-01-01

    We investigated reading and writing in two domestic languages (Swedish and Finnish) and one foreign language (English) among multilingual university students with (n = 20) versus without dyslexia (n = 20). Our analyses encompassed overall speed and accuracy measures and an in-depth analysis of grapheme-phoneme-grapheme errors and inflectional…

  6. Reawakening the Irish language through the ırish education system: Challenges and priorities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    T.J. Ó Ceallaigh

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available As a language, Irish is unique to Ireland and is, therefore, of crucial importance to the identity of the Irish people, to Irish culture and to world heritage. The Irish language however has had a turbulent and traumatic history and has endured a complex and varied relationship with the Irish people. Since the foundation of the Irish Free State, the education system has been targeted as an agency and model for Irish language planning, education and language revitalisation and has had a critical role in generating linguistic ability in the Irish language. This paper reviews the complex and controversial relationship between the Irish language, the State and the education system from an historical perspective. Some key acts of recent legislation and government initiatives, which impact on the status of the Irish language are considered and barriers and challenges to progress in the education system are outlined. The paper concludes with a discussion on significant positive factors which may revolutionise and reawaken the Irish language through our education syste

  7. Multilingualism and Specific Language Impairment

    OpenAIRE

    Engel de Abreu, Pascale

    2014-01-01

    Is a multilingual education beneficial for children? What are the optimal conditions under which a child can become perfectly multilingual? When should we be concerned about a multilingual child's language skills? What are the signs of Specific Language Impairment in a child who speaks more than one language? Developmental psychologist and Associate Professor in multilingual cognitive development at the University of Luxembourg Pascale Engel de Abreu will address these questions based on what...

  8. Learner Beliefs about Sociolinguistic Competence: A Qualitative Case Study of Four University Second Language Learners

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Jinsuk; Rehner, Katherine

    2015-01-01

    This article explores the beliefs about second language (L2) sociolinguistic competence of four university-level advanced L2 learners. It places particular emphasis on 1) how these university learners conceptualized L2 sociolinguistic competence; 2) how they thought about two different language learning contexts (viz., the L2 classroom versus…

  9. Trends, Issues and Challenges in English Language Education in Pakistan

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shamim, Fauzia

    2008-01-01

    This paper aims to critically examine the trends, issues and challenges in policy and practice of English language education in Pakistan. This is done first by historically reviewing the English language education policies since Pakistan's independence in 1947, looking particularly at policy objectives, implementation strategies and outcomes, and…

  10. The odd couple: Diverging paths in language policy and educational ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This paper examines the divergences between what educational policy calls for in South African schools with regard to language and learning and what takes place in schools. It argues that South African constitutional and education policy statements employ an idea of languages as bound entities and systems, and ...

  11. The Impact of YouTube and Facebook on the Achievement of Jordan University Students in English Language Course

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammad Faraj Saleh Al-Abdallat

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available This study aimed to investigate the impact of YouTube and Facebook on the Achievement of Jordan University students in the English Language course, and the impact of the variables of GPA and the experience in e-learning. The study was conducted in the first semester of the academic year 2016/2017. The participants of the study were classified into three groups: two groups were experimental; the first group, of 16 participants, was taught using YouTube, and the second group, of 27 participants, was taught using Facebook whereas and the third one, of 34 participants, was set as a control group. Quasi-experimental method was used, and the two tools of the study were: an educational material designed in a manner consistent with the ways of the YouTube and Facebook, and an achievement test consisting of (25 items to measure the results of Jordan University students in the English Language. The validity and reliability of the study tools were checked and verified using standard. The results showed that there was a statistically significant effect in the results of the English language course at the Jordan University students due to the teaching method in favor of the two experimental groups, which were taught using the methods of the YouTube and Facebook. There were also statistically significant differences (α = 0.05 attributed to the GPA, and in favor of those with the Pass grade. Finally, there were statistically significant differences (α= 0.05 attributed to variables of limited experience, moderate experience and extensive experience, and in favor of those extensive experience. Keywords: Achievement, English language, Facebook, YouTube.

  12. Language Planning for the 21st Century: Revisiting Bilingual Language Policy for Deaf Children

    Science.gov (United States)

    Knoors, Harry; Marschark, Marc

    2012-01-01

    For over 25 years in some countries and more recently in others, bilingual education involving sign language and the written/spoken vernacular has been considered an essential educational intervention for deaf children. With the recent growth in universal newborn hearing screening and technological advances such as digital hearing aids and…

  13. English language-in-education: A lesson planning model for subject ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    English language-in-education: A lesson planning model for subject teachers. ... lack of critical academic language skills in English as the Language of Learning and ... process of lesson design and the 'forward' process of lesson presentation.

  14. Communicative, Educational, Pedagogical Objectives and Planning in Russian Language Teaching

    Science.gov (United States)

    Evtyugina, Alla A.; Hasanova, Irina I.; Kotova, Svetlana S.; Sokolova, Anastasia N.; Svetkina, Irina A.

    2016-01-01

    The relevance of the problem stems from the necessity to distinctly plan educational process and set the goals for successful mastering of Russian language by foreign students in Russian higher educational institutions. The article is aimed at defining the foreign students' objectives for Russian language training, allowing them to get involved…

  15. How the Goethe-Institut Finland Promotes Its Services to Finnish University Students of German Language

    OpenAIRE

    Venho, Alexandra

    2013-01-01

    This study analyzes how the Goethe-Institut Finnland, a nonprofit cultural German institution, promotes its services to Finnish university students of German language, by focusing on the perspectives of students in HAAGA-HELIA University of Applied Sciences. The objective of the study is to identify the degree of familiarity of the Goethe-Institut Finnland among students of German language in HAAGA-HELIA University of Applied Sciences, to recognize the demand for its services for learners...

  16. Non-native educators in English language teaching

    CERN Document Server

    Braine, George

    2013-01-01

    The place of native and non-native speakers in the role of English teachers has probably been an issue ever since English was taught internationally. Although ESL and EFL literature is awash, in fact dependent upon, the scrutiny of non-native learners, interest in non-native academics and teachers is fairly new. Until recently, the voices of non-native speakers articulating their own concerns have been even rarer. This book is a response to this notable vacuum in the ELT literature, providing a forum for language educators from diverse geographical origins and language backgrounds. In addition to presenting autobiographical narratives, these authors argue sociopolitical issues and discuss implications for teacher education, all relating to the theme of non-native educators in ETL. All of the authors are non-native speakers of English. Some are long established professionals, whereas others are more recent initiates to the field. All but one received part of the higher education in North America, and all excep...

  17. An Ethnographic Study of Chinese Heritage Language Education and Technological Innovations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Minjuan Wang

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available Research has increasingly uncovered the cognitive, cultural, and economic advantages of bilingualism and the positive impact of heritage language on children's second language acquisition (M:cLaughlin, 1995. As one type of heritage language education organizations, Chinese language schools have been in existence for decades in the U.S., but their practices have remained informal and not readily accessible to people from other cultures. In order to bridge this gap, this ethnographic study illustrates family and community involvement in promoting language proficiency in heritage language populations and explores language education methods practiced in Chinese community language schools in an urban Southern California area. The study examines the intricate issues affecting heritage language learning and explores the potential uses of technology in assisting young learners in acquiring their heritage language (Chinese. In addition, the study generates guidelines for adapting existing technology-assisted language programs (e.g., the Chinese Cultural Crystals for instructional uses.

  18. The Work of Ideology: Examining Class, Language Use, and Attitudes among Moroccan University Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chakrani, Brahim; Huang, Jason L.

    2014-01-01

    This article investigates overt language attitudes and linguistic practices among French-taught university students in Morocco, showing the relationship between language behavior and attitudes. The results reveal a class-based divide in respondents' patterns of language use, in their support of the French monolingual sanitized classroom, and in…

  19. Classroom Management in Foreign Language Education: An Exploratory Review

    Science.gov (United States)

    Macías, Diego Fernando

    2018-01-01

    This review examines studies in the area of classroom management in foreign language education. It is organized into three large areas: The first area focuses on the distinctive characteristics of foreign language instruction that are more likely to impact classroom management in foreign language classes. The second area provides a description of…

  20. LANGUAGE AND CULTURE INTERFERENCE IN PLURILINGUAL EDUCATION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hackett-Jones, A.V.

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available The article deals with interlingual phenomena that occur in the process of multiple language acquisition in a learning environment. The notions of language interference and transfer put forward by the theories of bilingualism, give useful insights when applied to the modern day educational trends. Language and culture interference is an important aspect to be considered with regard to teaching of plurilingual learners, whose communicative competence is formed on the basis of several linguistic and cultural systems that interact with each other and exert mutual influence.

  1. A Study of the Inter-Cultural Sensitivity among the Faculty of English Language Centre of Jazan University, Saudi Arabia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Saeed Ahmad

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available study explored intercultural sensitivity of 103 faculty members of the English Language Centre (ELC of Jazan University, Saudi Arabia. A quantitative and non-experimental design was adopted for this study in which intercultural sensitivity of the English language teachers was evaluated on five demographic variables (e.g. gender, education, religion, total teaching experience, and experience of teaching in intercultural context. The results revealed that the international faculty of ELC abreast the basic canons of Intercultural adjustments. This suggests that the teachers are not only familiar with different cultural patterns (like beliefs, values and communication styles they are willing to minimize these differences and adopt universal set of values for effective educational practices. The results indicate the participants’ higher level of empathy, respect for others’ culture, tolerance on differences and high willingness to integrate with other cultures. The data reveals no statistically significant difference between the two groups in three variables, i.e. gender (Male & Female, qualification (Masters' & Ph.D and religion (Muslims & Non-Muslims. However, there was found a statistically significant difference in the two groups (Less than ten years & More than ten years in two variables, i.e. total teaching experience and teaching experience in intercultural context.

  2. Distance Education at Conventional Universities in Germany

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hans-Henning Kappel

    2002-01-01

    Full Text Available Germany’s educational system has undergone a series of transformations during the last 40 years. In recent years, marked increases in enrolment have occurred. In response, admission requirements have been relaxed and new universities have been established.Academic distance education in the former Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany was ushered in by the educational radio broadcasts around the end of the 1960s. Aside from the formation of the FernUniversität (Open University in West Germany in 1975, there were significant developments in distance education occurring at the major universities in the German Democratic Republic (East Germany. After German reunification in 1990, the new unitary state launched programs to advance the development of distance education programs at conventional universities.Germany’s campus-based universities (Präsenzuniversitäten created various entities, including central units and consortia of universities to design and market distance education programs. Hybridisation provides the necessary prerequisites for dual mode delivery, such as basic and continuing education programs, as well as for the combination of distance and campus-based education (Präsenzstudium. Hybridisation also has also opened the door for the creation of new programs.Following an initial phase in which distance education research is expected to centralize a trend towards decentralisation is likely to follow. The German Association for Distance Education (AG-F offers a viable research network in distance education. Two dual mode case studies are also be surveyed: The Master of Arts degree, offered by the University of Koblenz-Landau, with Library Science as the second major, and the University of Kaiserslautern, where basic education will continue to be captured within the domain of the Präsenzstudium or campus-based education.The area in which distance education is flourishing most is within the field of academic continuing

  3. Language ownership in multilingual settings: Exploring attitudes ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    KATEVG

    among students entering the University of KwaZulu-Natal ... languages in education and in other domains that open up opportunities for ..... little contact with people from overseas and they seemed eager to travel ... in conversations about language, identity, and power relations in the context ..... Cross cultural interviewing.

  4. Discourse in Adult Education: The Language Education of Adult Immigrants in Sweden.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hill, Hannah

    1990-01-01

    A shortcoming of adult education theories is lack of attention to social, historical, and institutional contexts. A case study of language education programs for adult immigrants in Sweden illustrates how assumptions about participant-centered, needs-based education justified and legitimated the use of these programs as a tool for employment…

  5. University of Maryland MRSEC - Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Educational Education Pre-College Programs Homeschool Programs Undergraduate & Graduate Programs Teacher MRSEC Templates Opportunities Search Home » Education Education Outreach University of Maryland MRSEC : Championing Service-based Education Outreach Since 1996 Program Areas Pre-college Programs Project Lead the

  6. The relationship between English language learning strategies and gender among pre-university students: An overview of UMS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kiram, Johannah Jamalul; Sulaiman, Jumat; Swanto, Suyansah; Din, Wardatul Akmam

    2014-06-01

    This study aims to analyze the effects psychological gender differences on the relationship between language learning strategies and their proficiency in English language for pre-university students. Previous researchers found that the more employment of language learning strategies, the more successful the learners are and those with higher level of strategy use are female rather than male. In this study, fifty-six pre-university students (22 males, 34 females) of University Malaysia Sabah participated in this study. Oxford's Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) self-report questionnaire was adopted to identify the students' language learning strategies, whereas their proficiencies were based on their Malaysian University English Test (MUET) results. Pearson's correlation coefficient, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the t-test were utilized to make statistical interpretation about the relationship. The knowledge obtained from this study will be helpful for future studies on how to improve the quality of learning and proficiency in English.

  7. Language Policies, Identities, and Education in Refugee Resettlement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feuerherm, Emily

    2013-01-01

    This dissertation explores the creation and development of a community based language and health program for Iraqi refugees. The need for the program is contextualized by international, national and local policies of refugee resettlement, policies for language and education, and the interpretation of these policies on the ground. Ideologies…

  8. Remedial early numeracy education: can children identified as having a language deficiency benefit?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van Luit, Johannes E H; Toll, Sylke W M

    2015-01-01

    Growing attention has been paid to the possibility of supporting early numeracy in at-risk kindergartners. Furthermore, it is assumed that language proficiency is an important prerequisite in early maths skills. To examine whether remedial early numeracy education in kindergarten, which has been proven to be effective in general, is also beneficial for children with a language deficiency. Based on intensive selection, four different conditions were included: two groups received remedial education, one consisting of children being language proficient (N = 86) and one of children with a language deficiency (N = 26), and two groups followed the regular curriculum, one consisting of children being language proficient (N = 51) and one of children with a language deficiency (N = 24). Remedial education was for 1.5 school years (90 sessions, 30 min per session, twice per week), following the programme 'The Road to Mathematics'. During this period, the children receiving remedial education did not attend the regular maths lessons in the classroom, which were offered for at least 1 h per week. Effects were assessed for early numeracy and mathematical skills (operationalized as basic calculation fluency) in kindergarten and first grade. Three analyses of covariance (ANCOVAs) revealed that, when accounting for achievement at pre-test, children with a language deficiency who received remedial numeracy education performed better on early numeracy skills in kindergarten and first grade than kindergartners with a language deficiency that followed the regular curriculum. Furthermore, they were able to catch up with their language proficient peers in early numeracy. However, children with a language deficiency who received remedial numeracy education did not differ from children who followed the regular curriculum on mathematical skills, suggesting that benefits for numeracy did not generalize to more advanced skills of addition and subtraction. Since, in general, it can be

  9. The Language Policy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the Field of Education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Botakoz A. Zhekibaeva

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available The results of the study of normative and conceptual documents that define the strategic objectives and the language policy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the field of education are presented in the article. The main trends in the development of foreign language and multilingual education, the necessity of which is determined by the fact that Kazakhstan's education system must provide a complete, high quality, competitive education, focused on results, through the formation and development of core competencies: trilingualism, Eurasian multiculturalism, communication are reflected in the contents of the research. Analysis of the key areas of language policy, its core ideas show that language policy in education is based on the recognition of the importance of all languages development and creation of the necessary conditions for the development of multilingualism, following its general line ensures equal and free development of the languages and cultures of all ethnic groups living within our state

  10. Teaching in a foreign language

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Preisler, Bent

    2008-01-01

    to teach in English, after always teaching in their mother tongue in the past? This paper introduces some of the issues in a presentation of three "teacher voices of the international university" in Denmark - pointing out, in particular, some of the theoretical and methodological difficulties......The internationalization of universities puts pressure on all educational programs to use English as the language of instruction. Therefore research on the internationalization of universities in EFL countries[1] should obviously include a strong (though far from exclusive) focus on the impact...... of English. This paper is an example of this, focusing specifically on teacher discourse in an English-language context at a Danish university. It is part of the preparation for a project investigating the relationship between linguistic performance and academic authority for university teachers teaching...

  11. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES IN MODERN LANGUAGE EDUCATION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N. Y. Gutareva

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available This article develops the sources of occurrence and the purposes of application of information technologies in teaching of foreign languages from the point of view of linguistics, methods of teaching foreign languages and psychology. The main features of them have been determined in works of native and foreign scientists from the point of view of the basic didactic principles and new standards of selection for working with computer programs are pointed out. In work the author focuses the main attention to modern technologies that in language education in teaching are especially important and demanded as answer the purpose and problems of teaching in foreign languages are equitable to interests of students but they should be safe.Purpose:  to determine advantages of using interactive means in teaching foreign languages.Methodology: studying and analysis of psychological, pedagogical and methodological literature on the theme of investigation.Results: the analysis of the purpose and kinds of interactive means has shown importance of its application in practice.Practical implications:  it is possible for us to use the results of this work in courses of theory of methodology of teaching foreign languages.

  12. Innovative Language Teaching and Learning at University: Enhancing Employability

    Science.gov (United States)

    Álvarez-Mayo, Carmen, Ed.; Gallagher-Brett, Angela, Ed.; Michel, Franck, Ed.

    2017-01-01

    This second volume in this series of papers dedicated to innovative language teaching and learning at university focuses on enhancing employability. Throughout the book, which includes a selection of 14 peer-reviewed and edited short papers, authors share good practices drawing on research; reflect on their experience to promote student…

  13. Language and Development in Multilingual Settings: A Case Study of Knowledge Exchange and Teacher Education in South Africa

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rassool, Naz; Edwards, Viv; Bloch, Carole

    2006-12-01

    The quality of a country's human-resource base can be said to determine its level of success in social and economic development. This study focuses on some␣of the major human-resource development issues that surround the implementation of South Africa's policy of multilingualism in education. It begins by discussing the relationship between knowledge, language, and human-resource, social and economic development within the global cultural economy. It then considers the situation in South Africa and, in particular, the implications of that country's colonial and neo-colonial past for attempts to implement the new policy. Drawing on the linguistic-diversity-in-education debate in the United Kingdom of the past three decades, it assesses the first phase of an in-service teacher-education programme that was carried out at the Project for Alternative Education in South Africa (PRAESA) based at the University of Cape Town. The authors identify key short- and long-term issues related to knowledge exchange in education in multilingual societies, especially concerning the use of African languages as mediums for teaching and learning.

  14. Modern Languages in the United Kingdom

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coleman, James A.

    2011-01-01

    The article supplies an overview of UK modern languages education at school and university level. It attends particularly to trends over recent years, with regard both to numbers and to social elitism, and reflects on perceptions of language learning in the wider culture and the importance of gaining wider recognition of the value of languages…

  15. Improving Language Learning Strategies and Performance of Pre-Service Language Teachers Through a CALLA-TBLT Model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria Eugenia Guapacha Chamorro

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available This paper reports an action-research study on language learning strategies in tertiary education at a Colombian university. The study aimed at improving the English language performance and language learning strategies use of 33 first-year pre-service language teachers by combining elements from two models: the cognitive academic language learning approach and task-based language teaching. Data were gathered through surveys, a focus group, students’ and teachers’ journals, language tests, and documentary analysis. Results evidenced that the students improved in speaking, writing, grammar, vocabulary and in their language learning strategies repertoire. As a conclusion, explicit strategy instruction in the proposed model resulted in a proper combination to improve learners’ language learning strategies and performance.

  16. Analytical Review of Universal Grammar (UG) Approach on Second Language Acquisition (SLA)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Irwandy

    2015-01-01

    The aim of this paper is to explore the analysis of Universal Grammar (UG) approach on Second Language Acquisition (SLA). This paper is significant as the sources for teacher or researcher of the second language since this elaboration is deeply focusing on the use of UG on SLA. The method used in this academic writing is inductive method of…

  17. DESTRUCTIVE EDUCATIONAL PRACTICES AT UNIVERSITY

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    Андрей Владимирович Феоктистов

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available The article is devoted to problems of origin and development of destructive educational practices at university. The authors focus on complex of interactions that disturb the existing in the academic environment norms and ethical principles. The most vivid evidence of destructive educational practice is the corruption issue. On the basis of the analyzed publications dealing with dynamics of corruption in the Russian higher education and the results of the survey by questionnaire, carried out at the technical university, the complex of recommendations has been prepared and suggested that is directed at minimization of destructive behavior at university.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.12731/2218-7405-2013-4-28

  18. Impacts of an In-Service Education Program on Promoting Language Development in Young Children: A Pilot Study with Early Childhood Educators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scarinci, Nerina; Rose, Tanya; Pee, Jerrine; Webb, Kylie

    2015-01-01

    Early childhood educators (ECEs) play an important role in fostering language development in young children. In-service education, led by speech-language pathologists (SLPs), has a potential role in educating ECEs about language development. In this pilot study, 42 ECEs attended an in-service education program and completed pre- and…

  19. Struggling Authorial Identity of Second Language University Academic Writers in Mexico

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    Troy Crawford

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper explores the different factors that appear to affect the on-going construction of second language authorial identity in a professional academic environment in Mexico. Through narrative research methodology from a qualitative paradigm, the everyday struggles of two university professors to maintain their professional status in second language writing are explored. The areas of study for these two are chemistry and penal law. With data the learning processes of entering into a community of second language writers are studied as well as the problems they faced and how they resolved them. Finally, the process of negotiating an authorial identity in a second language seems to be a constant underlying struggle composed of a variety of psychological factors.

  20. Field of Study, Learning Styles, and Language Learning Strategies of University Students: Are There Any Relations?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sahragard, Rahman; Khajavi, Yaser; Abbasian, Reza

    2016-01-01

    The present study aimed to investigate the possible relationships between field of study, learning style preferences, and language learning strategies among university students majoring in the fields of arts and humanities, science, engineering, social sciences, and English as a foreign language. To this end, 376 university students completed the…

  1. Indigenous Language Revitalization, Promotion, and Education: Function of Digital Technology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Galla, Candace Kaleimamoowahinekapu

    2016-01-01

    Within the last two decades, there has been increased interest in how technology supports Indigenous language revitalization and reclamation efforts. This paper considers the effect technology has on Indigenous language learning and teaching, while conceptualizing how language educators, speakers, learners, and technology users holistically…

  2. CONSTRUCTIVE EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT SCHOOL-UNIVERSITY

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    Natalya Petrovna Shatalova

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available The article presents the results of the study the key components of the development of constructive thinking of students on the basis of model building constructive educational environment school-University. It was conducted from a position of constructive approach in education, as a process of systemic-structural methodology of cognitive and creative activity of the student, promotes development and formation of various constructive qualities of the individual. The functions of constructive educational environment school-University aimed at developing constructive thinking of students, defined by its structural components and connections, shows the consistency of self-development of constructive thinking and job satisfaction the development of constructive skills. The findings reveal innovative possibilities of cooperation of schools and universities in the design and functioning model of constructive educatio-nal space that contributes to the development of constructive thinking of all its stakeholders.Purpose: measuring the effectiveness of the model constructive educational environment school-University aimed at the development of students.Methodology: the Programme of research included: (1 diagnosis of the development level of constructive thinking on the questionnaire developed in the context of the constructive theory of education, (2 augmented and revised by the author the diagnosis of satisfaction and importance model of constructive educational environment school-University by the method of G.A. Gagarin, as well as theoretical modeling, method of involved observation, formal teaching method.Results. The article introduces the concept of «constructive learning environments», which are considered in relation to the organization and conduct of joint activities of teachers, teachers and students. The authors give a theoretical comparative analysis of scientific works of colleagues in the context of the problem. Offer a brief

  3. The Ideology of Interculturality in Japanese Language-in-Education Policy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liddicoat, Anthony J.

    2007-01-01

    Language learning is frequently justified as a vehicle for promoting intercultural communication and understanding, and language-in-education policies have increasingly come to reflect this preoccupation in their rhetoric. This paper will examine the ways in which concepts relating to interculturality are constructed in Japanese language policy…

  4. NETWORK UNIVERSITIES: INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE AND TRENDS

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    Г А Краснова

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available The article is devoted to networking foreign universities, in particular, it considers the experience of cooperation of Vietnamese and Chinese universities with the leading universities of the world and the implementation of joint educational projects. The article deals with the basic characteristics of university networks that emerged in the last decade in developing countries. The authors analyzed the model, sources of financing, the organization of educational process, teaching of languages and the number of students in the university network, as well as the main mechanisms that allow open network structure of education in different countries of the world. The authors also address the main reasons for encouraging networking of foreign universities.

  5. Nordic Language Policies for Higher Education and Their Multi-Layered Motivations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saarinen, Taina; Taalas, Peppi

    2017-01-01

    Language policies have been drafted in Nordic higher education with the obvious, but unproblematised and unchallenged motivation caused by internationalisation. In this article, we analyse the various motivations for drafting language policies in Nordic higher education and the ideological implications of those motivations. We do this by…

  6. Entrepreneurial universities in a world educational system

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    Iryna Kalenyuk

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available This article analyzes modern development tendencies of university activities, it proved establishing of a global educational system, which shows increase of university education role, competition escalating and transformation of modern universities functions. It comprehensively studies the process when universities, both traditional and modern – business ones, are extending their functions. The article studied the development of scientists’ beliefs related to the essence and forms of entrepreneurial universities. On a basis of generalization of existing approaches, the authors give definition of the essence of entrepreneurial university as a subject of educational, scientific and other allied activities, which receives financial resources from diversified sources, extends fields of its activities and services. The foundation of the system of extended and main criteria for definition of entrepreneurial universities was laid. The main ones are the following: considerable financial autonomy and receiving of significant funding from non-governmental and diversified sources. Amounts and financial funding structure of the world leading universities were analyzed. It was proved that income from activities, which are allied with the main one (educational activity, increase. The article provides the amounts and the significance of international grants that ensure financial firmness, financial motivation of personnel, upgrades of facilities and resources, initiation and effectiveness of scientific-research activities of universities. Special attention was paid to research of such financial resources of the world leading universities as endowment funds, their scales, features and importance to boost economic capacities of higher education establishments. It was proved that it is important to consider world experience of entrepreneurial universities’ work within development and improving of competitive performance of Ukrainian higher education

  7. From Language Learner to Language User in English-Medium Higher Education: Language Development Brokers outside the Language Classroom

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blaj-Ward, Lia

    2017-01-01

    This article explores, from within the social constructivist paradigm and drawing on data from twenty-one semi-structured interviews with international postgraduate university students approaching the end of a one-year full-time taught Masters degree in the UK, the range of language development brokers that have had an impact on these students'…

  8. The Empirical Dimension of Communicative Language Tests: The Case of Selected Philippine Universities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bernardo, Alejandro S.

    2011-01-01

    This study examined the "communicativeness" of 22 English language tests designed and administered by 22 English instructors from 22 different colleges and universities in the Philippines. Its key objective was to answer the question "How communicative are the language tests used in assessing students' competence (knowledge of the…

  9. University Science and Mathematics Education in Transition

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Skovsmose, Ole; Valero, Paola; Christensen, Ole Ravn

    configuration poses to scientific knowledge, to universities and especially to education in mathematics and science. Traditionally, educational studies in mathematics and science education have looked at change in education from within the scientific disciplines and in the closed context of the classroom....... Although educational change is ultimately implemented in everyday teaching and learning situations, other parallel dimensions influencing these situations cannot be forgotten. An understanding of the actual potentialities and limitations of educational transformations are highly dependent on the network...... of educational, cultural, administrative and ideological views and practices that permeate and constitute science and mathematics education in universities today. University Science and Mathematics Education in Transition contributes to an understanding of the multiple aspects and dimensions of the transition...

  10. Clinical improvisation and the universe of musical idioms

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bergstrøm-Nielsen, Carl

    2001-01-01

    (please choose Danish language to see a German summary) The music therapy education at Aalborg University, Denmark, takes five years of full-time study to accomplish and contains many special disciplines. One of these is called intuitive music. It deals with improvisation training and with the cr......(please choose Danish language to see a German summary) The music therapy education at Aalborg University, Denmark, takes five years of full-time study to accomplish and contains many special disciplines. One of these is called intuitive music. It deals with improvisation training...

  11. DEVELOPMENT OF STUDENTS’ INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATIVE TOLERANCE IN THE UNIVERSITY MULTILINGUAL EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT

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    A. P. Beketova

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction. Higher education involves a complex process for the development of cognitive, social, emotional and cultural characteristics of the individual of future specialists; including forming special behavior patterns that in the future will provide competitiveness and success of employment of the university graduates. Intercultural communicative tolerance is considered to be one of the individual’s significant social and professional qualities which are in demand of the modern society. The importance of intercultural communicative tolerance formation is caused not only by the processes of globalization of professional mobility in the modern world, but also the need to create comfortable coexistence of students in the university multilingual educational environment, to reduce conflicts and to prevent the clash of cultures – bearers of various systems of values and standards.The aim of the research is to reveal the role of intercultural communicative tolerance in the formation of the individual as well as to present a specially designed technology as part of “Foreign Language” learning. The relevance of this research highlights the necessity to shift the emphasis in the foreign language learning process towards practical-oriented learning targeting the development of personal qualities.Methodology and research methods. Methodological framework of the publication is based on the key conceptions of communication-oriented learning. In the process of designing and application of the authors’ technology, experimental methods and the method of comparative analysis were used.Results and scientific novelty.The authors’ definition to intercultural communicative tolerance is given. The urgency of formation of values and semantic attitudes towards improvement of communicative skills and corresponding world outlook objectives among students is proved. The authors described own technology of development of intercultural communicative

  12. Repositioning Nigeria University Education for Economic Development through Entrepreneurship Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adamu, L. E.

    2015-01-01

    Nigerians have always realized that education is the singular factor that brings about national development. The central goal of university education is to prepare one for productive employment. Such employment can be a paid one or a self-employed one. This paper examines the problem militating against university education, its implications for…

  13. Investigating the Language of Engineering Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Variawa, Chirag

    A significant part of professional communication development in engineering is the ability to learn and understand technical vocabulary. Mastering such vocabulary is often a desired learning outcome of engineering education. In promoting this goal, this research investigates the development of a tool that creates wordlists of characteristic discipline-specific vocabulary for a given course. These wordlists explicitly highlight requisite vocabulary learning and, when used as a teaching aid, can promote greater accessibility in the learning environment. Literature, including work in higher education, diversity and language learning, suggest that designing accessible learning environments can increase the quality of instruction and learning for all students. Studying the student/instructor interface using the framework of Universal Instructional Design identified vocabulary learning as an invisible barrier in engineering education. A preliminary investigation of this barrier suggested that students have difficulty assessing their understanding of technical vocabulary. Subsequently, computing word frequency on engineering course material was investigated as an approach for characterizing this barrier. However, it was concluded that a more nuanced method was necessary. This research program was built on previous work in the fields of linguistics and computer science, and lead to the design of an algorithm. The developed algorithm is based on a statistical technique called, Term Frequency-Inverse Document Frequency. Comparator sets of documents are used to hierarchically identify characteristic terms on a target document, such as course materials from a previous term of study. The approach draws on a standardized artifact of the engineering learning environment as its dataset; a repository of 2254 engineering final exams from the University of Toronto, to process the target material. After producing wordlists for ten courses, with the goal of highlighting characteristic

  14. A University–Industry Collaborative Entrepreneurship Education Program as a Trading Zone: The Case of Osaka University

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    Koichi Nakagawa

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Two complementary problems are that busy practitioners find it difficult to access academic knowledge and university students lack practical experience. University–industry collaborative education is a potential solution for both of these problems by bringing together theoretical insights from universities and experiential know-how from industry. However, university–industry collaborative education has not been sufficiently studied to offer clear frameworks and mechanisms to foster effective knowledge exchanges between these two groups. In this article, we propose the metaphor of a “trading zone” as a potential analytical framework for implementing this method of education. Applying this framework to the analysis of a university–industry collaborative education program, this study proposes that the exchange of knowledge between students and practitioners is the essential learning experience and that it is made more meaningful by the heterogeneity between students and practitioners. The shared language provided by the program and those who deliver it make the exchanges efficient, and the temporary and extraordinary nature of the program accelerate those exchanges. Here, we analyze the case of Osaka University in Japan to illustrate the framework and develop associated propositions to encourage further study and validation of the framework.

  15. English Language Teacher Educator Interactional Styles: Heterogeneity and Homogeneity in the ELTE Classroom

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lucero, Edgar; Scalante-Morales, Jeesica

    2018-01-01

    This article presents a research study on the interactional styles of teacher educators in the English language teacher education classroom. Two research methodologies, ethnomethodological conversation analysis and self-evaluation of teacher talk were applied to analyze 34 content- and language-based classes of nine English language teacher…

  16. From Opposition to Transcendence: The Language Practices and Ideologies of Students in a Multilingual University

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gu, Mingyue

    2014-01-01

    This article explores language ideologies and language uses in a multilingual university in Hong Kong by exploring the voices and experiences of both mainland Chinese and Hong Kong students. Drawing on the notions of language ideologies, separate multilingualism, and translanguaging, the research illustrates how students' linguistic ideologies are…

  17. A Lesson Study of Internet Usage to Enhance the Development of English Language Teaching in a Libyan University

    OpenAIRE

    El Abbar, Magda

    2016-01-01

    The research discussed in this thesis is based upon a programme of study in a Libyan university, which focused on the use of the Internet in the classroom in order to enhance English language teaching and learning. In the last few decades, information and communication technology (ICT) has strongly influenced society as well as education as it has become a part of daily life, offering access to a world of knowledge. This thesis describes, through a single case study, how three teachers at the...

  18. Education and language: A human right for sustainable development in Africa

    Science.gov (United States)

    Babaci-Wilhite, Zehlia; Geo-JaJa, Macleans A.; Lou, Shizhou

    2012-10-01

    Pre-colonial Africa was neither an educationally nor a technologically unsophisticated continent. While education was an integral part of the culture, issues of language identification and standardisation which are subject to contentious debate today were insignificant. Children learned community knowledge and history by asking questions instead of being taught in a hegemonic alien language. This article argues that education and development should take place in a broader context of human rights, and explores the links between three areas often dealt with separately, namely: language, education and development. The authors of this paper demonstrate that changing the face of the multi-dimensionalities of poverty within societies is possible only when education is constructed in a rights perspective over the favoured colonial languages, which are not an integral part of the culture and resources of a community. The authors make a distinction between the right to education and rights in education, the latter of which are found to be more significant for the challenges Africa faces. It is argued here that the elements of Amartya Sen's "threshold" conditions for inclusion in human rights and self-development in education are essential, and that a more promising architecture of education would include what the authors term meta-narrative frameworks, i.e. interrelated policies. The authors contend that the neoliberal commodification of the knowledge sector has only exacerbated human rights and capabilities deprivation - which encompasses both human and income poverty.

  19. The Effect of Peer Support on University Level Students' English Language Achievements

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sari, Irfan; Çeliköz, Nadir; Ünal, Süleyman

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of the study is to investigate the effect of peer support on university level students' English language achievements. An experimental model with pretest-posttest experimental and control group was used with 800 students who were studying at a university in Istanbul vicinity. As experiment group, 400 students (200 of whom…

  20. MEDITATION IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE CLASSROOM

    OpenAIRE

    Pegan, Tjaša

    2016-01-01

    The practical action research study in this diploma thesis, Meditation in the English Language Classroom, was performed as a mini-experiment which was initially set up to explore meditation and assess its potential and use in education. Regarding English as a foreign language, language learning combined visual and auditory information, and it was based on visual and verbal memory. One of the objectives in the theoretical part was to find a ‘universal formula’ which could help bring meditation...

  1. The Education Consequences of Language Proficiency for Young Children

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Yao, Yuxin; Ohinata, Asako; van Ours, Jan

    2016-01-01

    This paper studies the educational consequences of language proficiency by investigating the relationship between dialect-speaking and academic performance of 5-6 year old children in the Netherlands. We find that dialect-speaking has a modestly negative effect on boys' language test scores. In

  2. The educational consequences of language proficiency for young children

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Yao, Yuxin; Ohinata, Asako; van Ours, Jan

    2016-01-01

    Our paper studies the educational consequences of language proficiency by investigating the relationship between dialect-speaking and academic performance of 5–6 year old children in the Netherlands. We find that dialect-speaking has a modestly negative effect on boys’ language test scores. In

  3. Multilingual education for European minority languages: The Basque Country and Friesland

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gorter, Durk; Cenoz, Jasone

    2011-12-01

    Over the last three decades, regional minority languages in Europe have regained increased recognition and support. Their revitalisation is partly due to their being taught in schools. Multilingualism has special characteristics for speakers of minority languages and it poses unique challenges for learning minority languages. This article looks at the cases of Basque and Frisian, comparing and contrasting their similarities and differences. The educational system in the Basque Autonomous Community underwent an important transformation, starting in 1979 from a situation where less than 5 per cent of all teachers were capable of teaching through Basque. Today this figure has changed to more than 80 per cent. An innovative approach was chosen for teaching the minority language, Basque, alongside the dominant language, Spanish, and the international language, English. The outcome is a substantial increase in the proficiency in the minority language among the younger age groups. The decline of the minority language has thus been successfully reversed and one of the major challenges now is to uphold a sustainable educational system. By contrast, the Frisian language has fared less well in the Netherlands, where developments over the last 30 years have been much slower and the results more modest. Here policy-making for education and for language is caught in a continuous debate between a weak provincial level and a powerful central state level. Overall, multilingualism as a resource for individuals is valued for "bigger" languages such as English, French and German, but not for a "small" language such as Frisian. Nevertheless, a few trilingual experiments have been carried out in some schools in Friesland in teaching Frisian, Dutch and English. These experiments may also be instructive for other cases of minority languages of a "moderate strength". In the cases of both Basque and Frisian multilingualism is generally perceived as an important resource.

  4. APPROACHES TO ICT TERMINOLOGY IN THE SCIENTIFIC AND PEDAGOGICAL REGISTER OF CROATIAN UNIVERSITY EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniela Matić

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper analyzes examples of ICT terminology sampled from Croatian university textbooks and educational materials published from the year 2001 to 2015 and recommended for undergraduate and graduate students at Croatian universities. The collection includes: Croatian calques; standalone neologisms and those followed by an English equivalent; translated English metaphorical expressions; hybrids without translations; orthographically, phonologically/phonetically and morphologically adapted Anglicisms and those which can be integrated into the Croatian standard without any adaptation; and multi-word Croatian equivalents with single-word English and with multi-word English equivalents. Some of the English expressions were italicized or bolded and some not. The aim of our analysis was to describe current practices in writing educational materials, to establish the nature of the university materials authors’ relation towards English and Croatian expressions, and to find out if there was some pattern in the use of Croatian and English ICT terms which the authors had followed. During the analysis, we observed a lack of consistent and systematic approach to the creation of materials, a shift from the norms of the standard Croatian language and resorting to non-adapted or slightly adapted English terms which seem to be often favored over the Croatian ones. We are of the opinion that corpus planning and better management of terminology, adaptation and integration processes within a more modern language policy framework could bring much needed stability to the Croatian scientific and pedagogical register.

  5. Mother-Tongue Diversity in the Foreign Language Classroom: Perspectives on the Experiences of Non-Native Speakers of English Studying Foreign Languages in an English-Medium University

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bruen, Jennifer; Kelly, Niamh

    2017-01-01

    This paper considers the position of university language students whose mother tongue is other than the medium of instruction. Specifically, it investigates the attitudes and experiences of non-native English speakers studying either German or Japanese as foreign languages at an English-medium university. The findings indicate that the non-native…

  6. DIFFICULTIES OF SPEAKING THAT ARE ENCOUNTERED BY ENGLISH LANGUAGE STUDENTS AT AL MARGEB UNIVERSITY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohamed Dalem

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to explore the speaking difficulties encountered by English language students at Al Margeb University, and to discover the causes of such difficulties. Speaking English has been a vital importance in international communication. Speaking fluent English is a common problem among the nonnative speakers. The second language learners have gone through a variety of cases to learn how to speak not only correct grammar and using the right vocabulary but with correct accent and pronunciation. Many obstacles, therefore, have been known as the predictors of such a problem among the language learners.  According to the review of literature, appropriate speaking instruction was found to be the learners' priority and a field in which they need more attention. In this paper the writer highlight the speaking difficulties encountered by English language students at Al Margeb University, which are considered to be the most urgent for every teacher, such as fear of mistakes, shyness, anxiety, lack of confidence and lack of motivation. This paper can be useful to teachers to consider their language learners' speaking needs in English language teaching and learning context.

  7. The Need To Improve Language Arts Education by Means of Esperanto.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jones, R. Kent

    Education helps children select and progress toward appropriate goals. One of the impediments to education for American students is their lack of skill in English. Clear insight into the essentials of language comes from observing how the variables function in a model language such as Esperanto. Once children understand the basic anatomy of…

  8. Using International Accreditation in Higher Education to Effect Changes in Organisational Culture: A Case Study from a Turkish University

    Science.gov (United States)

    Collins, Ian

    2015-01-01

    International accreditation is now a significant yet controversial issue in global higher education. This case study looked at the experience of an intensive English language preparatory programme within a university in Turkey going through an accreditation by a foreign institution, and assessed to what extent the project managed to foster changes…

  9. Classroom Management in Foreign Language Education: An Exploratory Review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Diego Fernando Macías

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available This review examines studies in the area of classroom management in foreign language education. It is organized into three large areas: The first area focuses on the distinctive characteristics of foreign language instruction that are more likely to impact classroom management in foreign language classes. The second area provides a description of classroom management issues that foreign language teachers usually encounter in their practice; and the third area centers on the different alternatives to reduce the negative impact of classroom management on foreign language classes. Conclusions suggest a need for more research particularly on the relationship between classroom management and aspects such as target language use and teaching methods.

  10. Using digital game-based technologies in a system of studying russian as aforeign language in modern university

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. V. Matokhina

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available According to the State Educational Standard of the Russian Federation, the main objectives of teaching Russian as a foreign language are training communication and independent working skills, learning neutral and scientific styles of speech, motivating to study at Russian universities, preparing to pass certification and qualification examinations, adapting to live in Russia, etc. One of the promising trends in teaching foreign languages is the use of educational computer games. By now, digital gamebased technologies for studying Russian as a foreignlanguage have been implemented in a number of desktop and mobile applications, however, they are all intended for teaching Russian language as a discipline, and are not focused on adapting international students who have come to a new language environment. In this article, a learning game is presentedfor studying Russian as a foreign language with immersing a user into a virtual language environment in different life situations. The game includes seven game levels; each level consists of several sections, devoted to a specific real life situation with a set of assignments of increasing complexity for writing or translating some words, phrases or sentences. For each type of assignment a template with empty text fields is used, for importing files with corresponding data and their on-screen display special functions are implemented. Such approach allows to use the same template several times for the same type of assignment or to load different files for filling out the assignment text fields, depending on the number of player’s attempts. The database of tasks, level scripts and graphical content for each section are developed. Each level is matched with a game character, accompanying the player and helping him to complete the assignments. The player can choose a character, andchoose any section of the level. The assignments are stored in a coded format, for uploading files with data matched to

  11. Unlocking the Grid: Language-in-Education Policy Realisation in Post-Apartheid South Africa

    Science.gov (United States)

    Plüddemann, Peter

    2015-01-01

    This paper reflects on the state of educational language policy two decades into a post-Apartheid South Africa caught between official multilingualism and English. The focus is on the national language-in-education policy (LiEP) that advocates additive bi/multilingualism, and a provincial counterpart, the language transformation plan (LTP). Using…

  12. A NEW CONCEPT IN LANGUAGE LEARNING: APPLICATION OF EUROPEAN LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ahmet GÜNEYLI

    2006-12-01

    Full Text Available This study aims to adapt European Language Portfolio (ELP to teaching Turkish as a foreign languagewhose application has been planned since 2005 in all European countries. With the European Language Passport programEuropean Validity Committee aims to set a langugage learning standard and encourage multi-culturalism among EUcountries. This program targets to find out which langugages the individuals speak and to discover where, how and whenthey have learnt the language. It also provides an opportunity for them to travel, reside and work in European countries.Today, ELP is in progress of becoming a common purpose in Europe. Therefore, ELP must be utilized in teaching Turkishas a foreign language. ELP must be piloted in laboratory schools through experimental studies with an approprietlydeveloped portfolio. Pilot projects must be applied in elementary, secondary, high schools and universities with acollaboration with the Ministry of Education. This study was conducted in TOMER ( the language center of AnkaraUniversity. For this study an experimental design was used. The sample includes 20 students in the control group and 20students in the experimental group. In this study students’ proficiency level of Turkish related to four basic language skills(reading, writing, listening and speaking and their attitude towards ELP application were examined.

  13. Philippines: The Role of Language and Education in Globalization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Quijano, Consuelo A.

    2012-01-01

    International education has never been discussed in-depth by many citizens of the Philippines. International education refers to a study abroad program or an approach to prepare students to function in a global society. The focus of discussion is more on primary, secondary, and tertiary education. In any level of education, language plays a vital…

  14. English Language Education in Primary Schooling in Argentina

    Science.gov (United States)

    Porto, Melina

    2016-01-01

    This article describes public primary English language education in Argentina. I begin with background information about the country and a brief historical overview of education in general, accompanied by a portrait of primary schooling in particular. This overview involves local, political and economic considerations but also international…

  15. Language equity and assessment in South African education | Barry ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    ... assessment are closely linked and that the Language-in-Education policy and other additive bilingual initiatives have failed to address educational equity in South African schools. Despite the aspirations of politicians to move towards a policy of multiculturalism through the additive approach to bilingualism in education, ...

  16. Language ideologies in Danish Higher Education

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mortensen, Janus; Fabricius, Anne

    2014-01-01

    This chapter presents a qualitative analysis of attitudes towards different forms of English held by four students at an international study programme in Denmark. The students belong to a transient multilingual community in which historically-accrued language ideologies cannot necessarily be assu...... ideologies that favour ‘native’ English varieties and accents over other kinds of English. This could be seen as a contradiction between practice and ideology, but we argue that the contradiction is only apparent.......This chapter presents a qualitative analysis of attitudes towards different forms of English held by four students at an international study programme in Denmark. The students belong to a transient multilingual community in which historically-accrued language ideologies cannot necessarily...... be assumed to be shared by all members. Our analysis suggests that the students see competence and effectiveness as important parameters in their evaluation of different forms of English in the university context, irrespective of the provenance of the speaker, but they also subscribe to familiar language...

  17. Language in education and the role of applied linguistics in Kenya ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Language in education and the role of applied linguistics in Kenya. ... Several problems that Africa and Kenya in particular, faces are closely tied to the language of education. What is the nature of ... Although no solutions are suggested to these problems, a list of questions is formulated for the applied linguist to research on.

  18. English Language Teachers and Technology Education = Ingilizce Ögretmenleri ve Teknoloji

    Science.gov (United States)

    Basal, Ahmet

    2015-01-01

    Today, the rapid advances in technology have been drastically changing and shaping the way humans live.In line with these developments, the use of technology in education has been on the increase and language education is no exception. Therefore, the expectations from language teachers have been changing. As expected from all teachers of other…

  19. Educational Contribution of RPG Video Games: Modern Media in Modern Education

    OpenAIRE

    Kratochvíl, Martin

    2014-01-01

    TITLE OF WORK: The Educational Contribution of RPG Video Games: Modern Media in Modern Education AUTHOR: Martin Kratochvíl KEY WORDS: video games, RPG genre, modern education, critical thinking, language learning, student's motivation DEPARTMENT: Department of English Language and Literature Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Education SUPERVISOR: Mark Robert Farrell ABSTRACT: The subject of this topic is to research the potential contribution of RPG video games in the field of modern e...

  20. Challenges posed by diversity: looking at language and assessment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kari Smith

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available It is common in many institutions of higher education to have a diverse student population with respect to language and culture in addition to diversity in ability and talent. For many students the language of instruction is not their first language, a situation which offers numerous challenges for the students as well as for the hosting universities. Students have different reasons to undertake an education in a foreign language, a fact which requires higher education institutions to be flexible in addressing the needs of these students. Thus assessment becomes a major challenge. This presentation discusses gains and losses related to studying in an additional language with a special focus on assessment issues. A small study carried out in Israel among Arab and Jewish students of English as a foreign language is presented to illustrate issues discussed. The presentation concludes with a few recommendations.

  1. The Use of an Educational Social Networking Site for English Language Learning beyond the Classroom in a Japanese University Setting

    Science.gov (United States)

    Okumura, Shinji

    2016-01-01

    This study describes an attempt of using an educational social networking platform, which is called Edmodo, for English language learning outside classrooms at tertiary level. Considering the notion of communicative competence, the instructor incorporated Edmodo into his English classes as a project which is a formal assignment. In the project,…

  2. Impact of family language and testing language on reading performance in a bilingual educational context.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elosua Oliden, Paula; Mujika Lizaso, Josu

    2014-01-01

    When different languages co-exist in one area, or when one person speaks more than one language, the impact of language on psychological and educational assessment processes can be considerable. The aim of this work was to study the impact of testing language in a community with two official languages: Spanish and Basque. By taking the PISA 2009 Reading Comprehension Test as a basis for analysis, four linguistic groups were defined according to the language spoken at home and the test language. Psychometric equivalence between test forms and differences in results among the four language groups were analyzed. The comparison of competence means took into account the effects of the index of socioeconomic and cultural status (ISEC) and gender. One reading unit with differential item functioning was detected. The reading competence means were considerably higher in the monolingual Spanish-Spanish group. No differences were found between the language groups based on family language when the test was conducted in Basque. The study illustrates the importance of taking into account psychometric, linguistic and sociolinguistic factors in linguistically diverse assessment contexts.

  3. Language Policy in Puerto Rico's Higher Education: Opening the Door for Translanguaging Practices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carroll, Kevin S.; Mazak, Catherine M.

    2017-01-01

    This paper investigates the relationship between meso university language policies in Puerto Rico and their micro instantiations in an undergraduate psychology classroom. We describe a typology of language policies used by 38 universities and campuses in Puerto Rico where their openness allows for flexible implementation of everyday micro policy.…

  4. English language education in Jordan: Some recent trends and challenges

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammad Madallh Alhabahba

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is to map out the status of English language teaching (ELT as practised in the Arab World and, specifically, in Jordan today. The study also aims to bring into focus significant issues that need to be addressed in ELT in the Arab World. This paper presents a review of the current status of English language education, with an emphasis on the need for urgent reforms in the teaching of English in the Arab World. Further, longitudinal data in respect to classroom and workplace English proficiency are presented. English language education seems to be up-to-date teacher-centred and bound to other issues such as teaching the textbook rather than focusing on developing lifelong strategies. There is a critical need for writing national standards for English language professional development programmes that should be based on the findings of sound research. The paper highlights the significance of teaching English language through observing and reviewing the current practices.

  5. Five hundred years of foreign language teaching in the Netherlands 1450-1950

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Noordegraaf, J.; Vonk, F.

    1993-01-01

    This collection of studies on the history of foreign language teaching was published in 1993. Dutch scholars from different universities outline different traditions in Dutch second language education from 1500 till 1970. The studies deal with different ways of teaching foreign languages and their

  6. Challenges of the introduction of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages at foreign-language universities in Vietnam

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Viet anh Nguyen

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available In today’s globalized world, it seems necessary, or even indispensable for the teaching/learning of foreign languages to be based on international standards proposed by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL. The present article deals with issues of integration of the CEFRL in the Vietnamese context by analyzing the results of a study of training programs at six universities specializing in foreign languages, which are based in three regions of the country (Northern, Central and Southern Vietnam. Despite some positive changes and the dynamism characteristic of the approach, a mechanical and rigid introduction of CEFRL in foreign-language universities in Vietnam has actually caused several problems. These include (1 the inconsistency between the levels established by the CEFRL and the organization of teaching/learning; (2 the risk of teaching/learning becoming too “utilitarian” and too function-oriented and (3 excessive attention given to the evaluation and assessment of linguistic knowledge and of performance level  rather than on the ability to use various resources as well as to long-term process of competence development. The study results show some possible ways for the development of a referential frame for learning/teaching French in Vietnam.

  7. University Students' Attitudes toward Physical Education Teaching

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Fengjuan; Chen, Junjun; Baker, Miles

    2014-01-01

    While there have been many studies into students' attitudes toward Physical Education at the school level, far fewer studies have been conducted at the university level, especially in China. This study explored 949 students' attitudes toward their university Physical Education experiences in four Chinese universities. An intercorrelated model of…

  8. Students’ Views of Distance Education Provision at One University

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nalan YILMAZ

    2005-10-01

    Full Text Available Students’ Views of Distance Education Provision at One University Assist. Prof. Dr. Binnur Genç ILTERAkdeniz University, Faculty of Education Prof. Dr. Mualla Bilgin AKSUInönü University, Faculty of Education Lecturer. Nalan YILMAZAkdeniz University, Faculty of Education ABSTRACT Providing university students with distance education is of great importance in the global world. Distance education provides advantages and benefits especially for students who don’t have the chance to meet lecturers from other universities face to face. Distance education connects the learner and teacher to resources that are difficult to access otherwise. It is not necessary to gather students in one classroom at the same time in a distance program. Through distance education facilities students and lecturers can store, update and transfer information very quickly. Furthermore, distance education helps save money in terms of accommodation and travel expenses. This paper describes students’ perceptions and attitudes towards distance education based on their gender, school types attended, age and access to educational technology such as computer and internet. This paper also describes the specific program used by the faculty of Law at Akdeniz University,Turkey.

  9. Motivating Learners at South Korean Universities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Niederhauser, Janet S.

    2012-01-01

    Students at many universities often fail to reach their full potential as English language learners due to low motivation. Some of the factors that affect their motivation relate to the country's education system in general. Others reflect institutional and cultural views of language learning in particular. Using a problem-solution format, this…

  10. Quality Assurance of University Education: Whose Responsibility?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ibijola, Elizabeth Yinka

    2015-01-01

    This study sought the opinion of stakeholders in university education, to know who should be responsible for quality assurance of university education in Nigeria. Descriptive research of survey design was employed in the study. The population consisted of all public university staff members, students and the employers of Nigerian university…

  11. Quality of university education – starting points and objectives

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Floreková ¼ubica

    2002-12-01

    Full Text Available Quality of university education as a service for clients (students, potential employers, and society is presently a very important goal for university and their faculties.International agreements (Bologna appeal of Ministries of Education from 1998, international institutions (OECD– a list of internationally validated universities and study branches, and the Slovak legislation (Act No 131/2002 on universities, Act No 132/2002 on scientist and techniques must be implemented in the context of the self–evaluation process of educational institutions and of the European Foundation Quality Model of Excellence (EFQM.The given documents allow making an internal analysis by any university oriented to the process and consumer approach and to the objectives, forms, content and organization of university education.The quality of education is a subsystem of the quality of the educational institution. This quality determines the competitive status of this institution on the market of postsecondary and part-time education.The quality of university education is however connected not only with the material and information sources, but also especially with the human factor. Ethos, pathos and logos, i.e. the soft factors of universities as providers of education are necessary part of every Alma Mater.

  12. Policy Discourses and U.S. Language in Education Policies

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Jong, Ester J.

    2013-01-01

    Language in education policy for English language learners in the United States has varied significantly over time and has been shaped by policy discourses that could broadly be described as assimilationist (monolingual) and pluralist (multilingual) views of the role of linguistic and cultural diversity in schools. This article outlines the main…

  13. Perfecting the Partnership: Revitalising the Maori Language in New Zealand Education and Society 1987-2014

    Science.gov (United States)

    Benton, Richard A.

    2015-01-01

    This paper looks at aspects of Maori language revitalisation since the passage of the Maori Language Act, 1987 which gave official status to the language. It is a sequel to an article on Maori language in education published in this journal the following year [Benton, R. A. (1988). "The Maori language in New Zealand education."…

  14. LANGUAGE: BETWEEN POWER AND EDUCATION IN MEXICO

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    Jorge Armando Espinoza-Osorio

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper illustrates the plot of the happenings that live in the school, proposing three elements as a structural part of the educational institution that enables peaceful or violent education from, power fluctuations, training and language. The thought of Castoriadis, Foucault, Jeager, are taken up as a central element to analyze events with the prospect of direct violence, cultural violence and structural violence. Also they intertwine elements from a qualitative design based on the ethnographic method, with the proposal to address the gap from the perspective of education for peace and harmonious coexistence in the Mexiquense education.

  15. On the Relationship among Critical Thinking, Language Learning Strategy Use and University Achievement of Iranian English as a Foreign Language Majors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Afshar, Hassan Soodmand; Movassagh, Hossein

    2017-01-01

    The study investigated the relationship among critical thinking, strategy use and university achievement. To this end, 76 English major students sat the California Critical Thinking Skills Test and filled out Oxford's Strategy Inventory for Language Learning. Participants' Grade Point Averages were regarded as their university achievement. The…

  16. Language in education: The case of Indonesia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nababan, P. W. J.

    1991-03-01

    Although over 400 languages are spoken in Indonesia, by 1986 60% of the population had some competence in the Indonesian national language, a substantial increase over 1971. Bahasa Indonesia was declared the state language in the 1945 constitution, and reformed spelling was agreed in 1972. It is the sole medium of instruction, except in the first three grades of elementary school in nine regions, where vernaculars may be used transitionally. Thereafter vernaculars are taught as school subjects. Bilingualism, and even multilingualism in Indonesian and one or more vernaculars and/or foreign languages is increasing, and despite the use of Indonesian for official documentary purposes at all levels it does not appear that vernaculars are dying out, although their spheres of use are restricted. Bahasa Indonesia fulfils the four functions: cognitive, instrumental, integrative and cultural, while vernaculars are only integrative and cultural. The curriculum of Indonesian, established centrally, is pragmatic or communicative. It is expressed in a standard syllabus for course books. This approach equally applies to foreign languages, which are introduced at secondary level, although here receptive reading is given more weight than productive skills. A full description of the syllabus organization of the various languages is given. Nonformal language learning also takes place, in the national basic education and literacy programme, which teaches Bahasa Indonesia, and in vocational courses in foreign languages for commerce.

  17. The Importance of Principals Supporting Dual Language Education: A Social Justice Leadership Framework

    Science.gov (United States)

    DeMatthews, David; Izquierdo, Elena

    2018-01-01

    Recent calls for social justice to be a key aspect of principal preparation have been made, but content related to the efficacy of dual language education has been a neglected area of educational leadership research, coursework, and principal preparation standards. We draw on scholarship focused on dual language education, social justice…

  18. Teaching Popular Culture in a Second Language University Context

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pierson-Smith, Anne; Chik, Alice; Miller, Lindsay

    2014-01-01

    This article examines an established course on Popular Culture which is framed within the general educational model in an English-medium university. The article is organized into three parts: the underlining educational rationale for general educational courses, the course description, and the students' perspectives of their learning experience.…

  19. Do English Teaching Materials Foster Foreign Language Education Affectively?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Isik, Ali

    2018-01-01

    The paper investigates the role of English language teaching materials in the creation of a classroom atmosphere conducive to foreign language education. In this study, teachers and students were given a questionnaire and later interviewed to elicit their ideas about the materials. The data was analyzed and the responses of teachers and students…

  20. The acculturation, language and learning experiences of international nursing students: Implications for nursing education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mitchell, Creina; Del Fabbro, Letitia; Shaw, Julie

    2017-09-01

    International or foreign students are those who enrol in universities outside their country of citizenship. They face many challenges acculturating to and learning in a new country and education system, particularly if they study in an additional language. This qualitative inquiry aimed to explore the learning and acculturating experiences of international nursing students to identify opportunities for teaching innovation to optimise the experiences and learning of international nursing students. Undergraduate and postgraduate international nursing students were recruited from one campus of an Australian university to take part in semi-structured interviews. A purposive and theoretically saturated sample of 17 students was obtained. Interviews were audio-recorded and field notes and interview data were thematically analysed. Expressing myself and Finding my place were the two major themes identified from the international student data. International nursing students identified that it took them longer to study in comparison with domestic students and that stress negatively influenced communication, particularly in the clinical setting. Additionally international nursing students identified the need to find supportive opportunities to speak English to develop proficiency. Clinical placement presented the opportunity to speak English and raised the risk of being identified as lacking language proficiency or being clinically unsafe. Initially, international nursing students felt isolated and it was some time before they found their feet. In this time, they experienced otherness and discrimination. International nursing students need a safe place to learn so they can adjust and thrive in the university learning community. Faculty and clinical educators must be culturally competent; they need to understand international nursing students' needs and be willing and able to advocate for and create an equitable environment that is appropriate for international nursing

  1. Learner Autonomy in Foreign Language Education and in Cultural Context

    OpenAIRE

    Ivanovska, Biljana

    2015-01-01

    The present paper is a brief review of the theoretical concepts about learner autonomy focusing on highlighting the main themes on learner autonomy in foreign language education and in cultural context as a globalized construct. These themes are based on the concepts of learner responsibility and independence, the importance of the autonomy in foreign language education in both the Western and Eastern style and the role of the culture in the concept of learner independence. The present study ...

  2. Critical Capability Pedagogies and University Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walker, Melanie

    2010-01-01

    The article argues for an alliance of the capability approach developed by Amartya Sen with ideas from critical pedagogy for undergraduate university education which develops student agency and well being on the one hand, and social change towards greater justice on the other. The purposes of a university education in this article are taken to…

  3. English as a foreign language teacher education current perspectives and challenges

    CERN Document Server

    de Dios Martínez Agudo,Juan

    2014-01-01

    The field of Second Language Teacher Education (SLTE) is mainly concerned with the professional preparation of L2 teachers. In order to improve teaching in the multilingual and multicultural classroom of the 21st century, both pre- and in-service L2 teachers as well as L2 teacher educators must be prepared to meet the new challenges of education under the current circumstances, expanding their roles and responsibilities so as to face the new complex realities of language instruction. This volume explores a number of key dimensions of EFL teacher education. The sixteen chapters discuss a wide

  4. Academic writing for business students: a case for a content and language integrated approach

    OpenAIRE

    Van Houtven, Tine; Kerkhofs, Goele; Peters, Elke

    2012-01-01

    Research has shown that many students (Dutch L1/L2) do not meet academic language requirements upon entering Flemish higher education (Peters, Van Houtven, El Morabit, 2010). Many universities feel compelled to help their first-year students bridge the gap between secondary and tertiary education. This paper reports on a case study at the Integrated Faculty of Business and Economics of the University of Leuven that investigated how a language-sensitive instructional approach could improve bus...

  5. Universal Design: Implications for Computing Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burgstahler, Sheryl

    2011-01-01

    Universal design (UD), a concept that grew from the field of architecture, has recently emerged as a paradigm for designing instructional methods, curriculum, and assessments that are welcoming and accessible to students with a wide range of characteristics, including those related to race, ethnicity, native language, gender, age, and disability.…

  6. Towards a Multilingual Future: The Ecology of Language at a University in Eastern Ukraine

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goodman, Bridget Ann

    2013-01-01

    In Ukraine, the Russian and Ukrainian languages have historically alternated in policy and practice in their official status and social prestige. As in many areas of the world, English is emerging in Ukraine as a language of economic value, social prestige, and education though it is not a language of wider communication. The goal of the research…

  7. LANGUAGE POLICIES AND MULTILINGUAL EDUCATION IN MINORITY SCHOOLS IN OTTOMAN EMPIRE: OUTCOMES AND FUTURE INSIGHTS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Emrah DOLGUNSOZ

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available Language is the spirit of nations; the cement of the culture mosaic. Its education has a critical role especially for multi-national societies and states. According to Human Rights, every individual has the right to develop, teach and learn his native language in any setting. But this democratic right is required to be regularized with a healthy, efficient and long term multilingual education policy. As one of the most powerful multi-ethnic empires of history, Ottoman Empire embraced numerous cultures and several unique languages. As a policy, the Empire followed a relatively flexible and irregular language policy which fostered national homogeneity and unity in time. On the other hand, the Empire always kept the gap between Anatolian Turkish language by employing Ottoman language as official language. The imbalanced policies of multilingual education and Porte’s distance to Anatolian Turkish contributed a lot to the disintegration of the Empire. This study focuses on why Ottoman language policies adversely affected the unity of the multilingual Empire, scrutinizes the insufficient multilingual education models among Muslim society with its outcomes and discusses how multilingual education in minority schools contributed the disintegration process.

  8. Perspectives of Increase of University Education Effectiveness: Use of Private Educational Resources

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tyurina, Yulia; Troyanskaya, Maria

    2017-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to determine the perspectives of increase of effectiveness of university education, related to the use of private educational resources. Design/Methodology/ Approach: In order to determine the dependence of effectiveness of university education on the use of private educational resources, this work uses the…

  9. Managing Innovation in English Language Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Waters, Alan

    2009-01-01

    Innovation in English language education (ELE) has become a major "growth area" in recent years. At the same time, an ELE innovation management literature has also developed, based on insights from innovation theory and their application, both from outside and within ELE, and concerned with attempting to critically evaluate and inform ELE…

  10. Attitudes and Attained English Language Proficiency of University Students in Thailand: A Sociolinguistic Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boykin, Arsene; Trungamphai, Arunthadee

    English proficiency of Thai university students studying English as a Foreign Language (EFL) was studied in relation to attitudinal scores on social, economic, travel, or prestige scales. Secondarily, the subjects' attitudes toward their native group and toward the target language group, and their motives for learning English were studied in…

  11. Thinking, Language and Learning in Initial Teacher Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taylor, Nick

    2016-01-01

    Initial teacher education (ITE) serves as a bridge between prospective teachers exiting the school system to enrol in teacher education faculties, on the one hand and newly qualified teachers (NQTs) who are embarking on a career in schooling on the other. The present paper describes the language and thinking skills student teachers bring to their…

  12. Globalisation, Language and Education: A Comparative Study of the United States and Tanzania

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roy-Campbell, Zaline M.

    2001-07-01

    Educational language choice has been one of the most provocative issues of the 20th century and continues to be a dominant issue at the turn of the new millennium. Efforts to naturalize English as the only suitable language for post primary school education persist in many African countries, including Tanzania. In the United States the campaign for "English only" in the schools is gaining momentum, despite the increasing multilingual population in the schools. Focusing on Tanzania and the United States, this article examines the fallacy of a monolingual, English only, policy in education. It examines the ethos surrounding the debate about the language of instruction, and considers some of the detrimental effects upon students of attempting to impose a monolingual policy. Finally, the paper suggests possible roles of educators and researchers in fostering international understanding of educational language issues as one aspect of the quest for global peace and social justice in the 21st century.

  13. Challenges facing primary school educators of English Second (or Other Language learners in the Western Cape

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    Julie O'Connor

    2009-05-01

    Full Text Available We were prompted by the prevalence of English Second or Other Language (ESOL learners identified by educators as having language disorders and being referred for Speech-Language Therapy. We describe challenges faced by Grade 1, 2 and 3 educators at government schools in the Cape Metropolitan area who were working with such learners. Applying a mixed-methods descriptive design, a self-administered questionnaire and three focus groups were used for data collection. Educator perceptions and experiences regarding ESOL learners were described. Some participant educators at schools that were not former Model C schools had large classes, including large proportions of ESOL learners. Fur­thermore, there was a shortage of educators who were able to speak isiXhosa, the most frequently occurring first (or home language of the region's ESOL learners. Challenges faced by educators when teaching ESOL learners included learners' academic and socio-emotional difficulties and a lack of parent in­volvement in their children's education. Participant educators indicated a need for departmental, professional and parental support, and additional training and resources. Implications and recommendations for speech-language thera­pist and educator collaborations and speech-language therapists' participation in educator training were identified.

  14. Probing Language Teacher Accountability in Utilizing Self-developed Language Teaching Resources

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    Marjan Vosoughi

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available This study was aimed at recognizing constraints on the way of some Iranian language teachers' utilization of self-developed, localized, English language teaching resources. To this aim, three sets of teacher variables on pedagogical and personal accounts were examined including Language teachers' experience (novice/experienced, their educational level (BA/MA/PhD and their gender. Data were collected in two phases. In the first phase, through stratified sampling, some eighty-three volunteering, English language teachers (Male and Female, who were indulged in the Iranian Ministry of Education (MoE, university settings (public and private and language institutes were randomly selected.  Teachers’ responses to a validated researcher-made questionnaire on language teacher curriculum autonomy revealed an overall significant Multiple R with F (3, 80 =.88, (0.04 but each individual above-cited predictors could not significantly predict teacher curriculum autonomy score. In the second phase for triangulation aims, three above-cited teacher variables were mapped over the insights gained through written interview sessions with some fourteen English language teachers.  Language teachers' self-reported 'challenges' and 'opportunities' for using self-developed language teaching resources for class use were content analyzed. It became evident that teaching experience was mystified in some respects in terms of its influence over interviewed teachers since diverse intentions on the part of the language teachers in this research might have deterred them not to use their full potential over using their own materials in class. Possible reasons for this situation have been fully discussed in the end.

  15. Universal Style Sheet Language Environment Modification for the Business Use

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jiří Brázdil

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper deals with the description of USSL – Universal Style Sheet Language environment. USSL style sheet language is platform-independent and its primary focus is the declarative notation of the appearance of GUI libraries used by imperative programming languages. The implementation of the software support for wxWidgets library is made, because this library has no support for the separate declarative notation of the appearance via style sheet language. The separation of the appearance enables us to reuse and standardize the appearance notation and the independent development of the appearance. In this way it is possible to achieve consistent appearance of applications of specific set or even all of company software products. However, the first proposal of the USSL has several disadvantages which restrict the possibilities for practical use in business or other environment. These disadvantages are: the lack of @import rule for importing other style sheets, USSL only supports basic set of selectors compared with selectors of other style sheet languages for desktop environment such as Qt QSS and GTK+ GtkCssProvider, the lack of styling of the cursors, it is impossible to put down URL. The placement of widgets and its borders are not solved either. This paper contains suggestions for solving these issues.

  16. Giving Learners a Multicultural Voice: An English Speaking University Context

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nunan, Anna

    2017-01-01

    Difficulties establishing support for English speakers taking second language electives in postsecondary education in Ireland led to research on how language classes could be more accessible, multicultural, plurilingual and relevant for students in a university language centre. It is important to try and discover why students choose a foreign…

  17. Education in the nuclear sciences at Japanese universities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Takashima, Y.

    1990-01-01

    Though there are 430 government and private universities in Japan, only a limited number of them have the department associated with nuclear science education. And the education is one-sided to government universities because mainly of financial problem. Nuclear engineering departments are installed at only 7 big universities. In addition, there are 3 institutes associated with a nuclear reactor. In these facilities, education on reactor physics, radiation measurement, electromagnetics and material sciences are conducted. For education on safety handling of radioactive materials, 10 radioisotope centers and 7 radiochemistry laboratories attached to big government universities act an important role. Almost all of the financial support for the above nuclear education come from the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture. However, some other funds are introduced by the private connection of professors

  18. Unemployment, Entrepreneurial Education and Mega Universities: Challenges to Expanding Access in Education in Nigeria University

    Science.gov (United States)

    Undie, John Atewhoble; Okafor, Victor

    2014-01-01

    In fundamental economics, individuals acquired education for two broad reasons, as an investment and as consumption. The investment function of education has continued to create tension for job search leading to cases of unemployment. Entrepreneurship education and establishment of mega universities have been identified as panaceas. This paper…

  19. Strangers in Stranger Lands: Language, Learning, Culture

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hong Li

    2007-02-01

    Full Text Available This study investigates international students’ perceptions of the issues they face using English as a second language while attending American higher education institutions. In order to fully understand those challenges involved in learning English as a Second Language, it is necessary to know the extent to which international students have mastered the English language before they start their study in America. Most international students experience an overload of English language input upon arrival in the United States. Cultural differences influence international students’ learning of English in other ways, including international students’ isolation within their communities and America’s lack of teaching listening skills to its own students. Other factors also affect international students’ learning of English, such as the many forms of informal English spoken in the USA, as well as a variety of dialects. Moreover, since most international students have learned English in an environment that precluded much contact with spoken English, they often speak English with an accent that reveals their own language. This study offers informed insight into the complicated process of simultaneously learning the language and culture of another country. Readers will find three main voices in addition to the international students who “speak” (in quotation marks throughout this article. Hong Li, a Chinese doctoral student in English Education at the University of Missouri-Columbia, authored the “regular” text. Second, Roy F. Fox’s voice appears in italics. Fox is Professor of English Education and Chair of the Department of Learning, Teaching, and Curriculum at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Third, Dario J. Almarza’s voice appears in boldface. Almarza, a native of Venezuela, is an Assistant Professor of Social Studies Education at the same institution.

  20. Students and Teachers’ Perceptions into the Viability of Mobile Technology Implementation to Support Language Learning for First Year Business Students in a Middle Eastern University

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bilal M. Tayan

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Advancements in technology have enabled us to learn, adapt and exploit our skills and knowledge in new ways.  Appreciating the potential of technology may yet give growth and enrich the process of language education, particularly through a student-centred mobile learning environment. Consequently, a constructivist approach to learning can create tremendous possibilities for both language learners and teachers. By exploiting the affordances of mobile technologies and the Internet, a new platform of learning or Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL can be realised, through which learners truly learn to learn.  Yet, while many of today’s language institutions and places of learning have begun to understand the potential presented by mobile technology as a tool and resource to content and language development, apprehension may still exist among educational practitioners, learners and senior management.  Such apprehension may stem from a lack of understanding in fully appreciating the opportunities and affordances posed by MALL in creating a support structure to learning and teaching excellence. This may be particularly true within developing countries such as those found in the Middle East. Consequently, set in a Saudi university context, the purpose of this study is to investigate learners’ and teachers’ perceptions towards the proposed implementation of a MALL programme, while exploring whether the promotion of mobile technologies could assist learning and become a viable support structure in teaching English as a second language.  Interviews were conducted with three English instructors who teach on the first year Business English programme at the university. The study also analysed 191 student participants who completed a Likert scale questionnaire designed to explore their mobile learning experiences, attitudes and perceptions towards the proposed MALL programme in their educational context. The findings from the student

  1. Pre-Service EFL Teachers’ Attitudes towards ‘Language Acquisition Courses’

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nalan Kızıltan

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available This study discusses the attitudes of pre-service English language teachers towards „Language Acquisition Courses‟ in English Language Teacher Education Programs. The data have been collected through a developed questionnaire of 20 questions given to 324 students in the department of Pre-service English Language Teacher Education at Ondokuz Mayıs University. SPSS has been used for the evaluation of the data. The results indicate that the pre-service teachers of English believe in the importance of language acquisition courses for their career. However, they think that they need some preliminary courses on linguistics before they take “Language Acquisition Courses”. Otherwise, since they may not have any background knowledge in linguistics, they may have some problems in the comprehension competence.

  2. Language-in-Education Policies, Immigration and Social Cohesion in Catalonia: The Case of Vic

    Science.gov (United States)

    Edwards, Catrin Wyn

    2016-01-01

    This paper analyses the language-in-education policies implemented to integrate international immigrants into the Catalan language community in Vic, Catalonia. It focuses on the Catalan Government's "Languages and Social Cohesion Plan" (LIC) plan, Vic city council's local education plans, which were adopted as part of LIC plan, and the…

  3. Towards a Pattern Language for Hybrid Education

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Köppe, Christian; Nørgård, Rikke Toft; Pedersen, Alex Young

    2018-01-01

    In this paper we offer an initial framework for a pattern language of hybrid education. With the term hybrid education, we imply the use of educa- tional design patterns that actively strive to cut across, circumventing or upheave traditional dichotomies within education such as physical-digital......, academic-nonacademic, online-offline, formal-informal, learning-teaching and individual-collective. In doing so, hybrid education invites uncertainty, open-endedness, risk-taking, experimentation, critical creativity, disruption, dialogue and democracy (back) into the heart of education. Accordingly we see...... on teaching to the test, playing it safe, rankings or gaming the system approaches. Rather, hybrid education focuses on open-endedness, risk-taking, relational entanglements, experimentation, exploration and empathy. In this way, designing for hybrid education is in this paper achieved, partly by taking...

  4. ATTITUDES OF STUDENTS TOWARDS LEARNING OBJECTS IN WEB-BASED LANGUAGE LEARNING

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ahmet BASAL

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Language education is important in the rapidly changing world. Every year much effort has spent on preparing teaching materials for language education. Since positive attitudes of learners towards a teaching material enhance the effectiveness of that material, it is important to determine the attitudes of learners towards the material used. Learning objects (LOs are a new type of material on which many studies have been conducted in recent years. The aim of this study is to determine the attitudes of students towards LOs in web-based language learning. To this end, the study was conducted in English I Course at the Department of Computer Programming in Kırıkkale University in 2010-2011 Fall Semester. Seventy LOs appropriate for six-week long lecture program were integrated into the Learning Management System (LMS of Kırıkkale University. The study group consisted of 38 students. After the six weeks long implementation period of the study, an attitude scale was administered to the students. The findings indicated that students in web based language education have positive attitudes towards LOs.

  5. Clinical educators' experiences of facilitating learning when speaking a different language from both the student and client.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keeton, Nicola; Kathard, Harsha; Singh, Shajila

    2017-11-02

    Worldwide there is an increasing responsibility for clinical educators to help students from different language backgrounds to develop the necessary skills to provide health care services to a linguistically diverse client base. This study describes the experiences of clinical educators who facilitate learning in contexts where they are not familiar with the language spoken between students and their clients. A part of the qualitative component of a larger mixed methods study is the focus of this paper. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight participants recruited from all audiology university programmes in South Africa. Thematic analysis allowed for an in depth exploration of the research question. Member checking was used to enhance credibility. It is hoped that the findings will inform training programmes and in so doing, optimize the learning of diverse students who may better be able to provide appropriate services to the linguistically diverse population they serve. Participants experienced challenges with fair assessment of students and with ensuring appropriate client care when they were unable to speak the language shared between the client and the student. In the absence of formal guidelines, clinical educators developed unique coping strategies that they used on a case-by-case basis to assess students and ensure adequate client management when they experienced such language barriers while supervising. Coping strategies included engaging other students as interpreters, having students role-play parts of a session in English in advance and requesting real-time translations from the student during the session. They expressed concern about the fairness and efficacy of the coping strategies used. While clinical educators use unique strategies to assess students and to ensure suitable client care, dilemmas remain regarding the fairness of assessment and the ability to ensure the quality of client care.

  6. Languages for Specific Academic Purposes or Languages for General Academic Purposes? A Critical Reappraisal of a Key Issue for Language Provision in Higher Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krekeler, Christian

    2013-01-01

    The debate about the subject specificity of university language tuition has been going on for decades; it has mostly been discussed in the context of English for Academic Purposes. This paper considers the case for disciplinary specificity with regard to languages other than English. Few, if any, developed curricula, syllabuses, suitable textbooks…

  7. Algerian EFL University Teachers’ Attitudes towards Computer Assisted Language Learning: The Case of Djilali Liabes University

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Miloud Bouchefra

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL is still groping its way into Algerian English as a Foreign Language (EFL classroom, where Information Communications Technologies (ICTs are defined in terms of occasional use of computers and data projectors for material presentation in the classroom. Though major issues in the image of the lack of training and absence of facilities are clearly apparent, stakeholders’ attitudes are a decisive aspect that needs to be mapped out if we are to alter the current situation. Thus, the present work aims at investigating EFL university teachers’ attitudes towards CALL at Djilali Liabes University (western Algeria. The current work is a cross-sectional descriptive study that explores teachers’ attitudes across the three domains (affective, cognitive, and behavioural and investigates other related aspects that may help indicate teachers’ likelihood to adopt CALL in the future. The results are promising as the investigated population not only demonstrated a clearly positive attitude towards CALL but also manifested a number of signs that indicate their likelihood to adopt CALL in the future if circumstances are favourable.

  8. Teaching Monologue Type of Language in a Technical University

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aleksandras Velička

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available The article deals with a very urgent issue of the methods of teaching foreign languages – teaching monologue type of language in a technical university. The author analyses psychological and linguistic aspects of monologue as a subject of teaching and what could influence scientifically motivated selection of teaching methods. There are three stages of teaching monologue. They comprise the ability to speak monologue as well as the process of gaining the skills – from elementary to intermediate and advanced. The article presents a number of recommendations for practice. The main principles of the article are based on the author‘s practical experience in the teaching process as well as on the analysis of scientific data in the field. The findings could be useful for practice and theory in the field.

  9. The language barrier education in Africa: The challenge of learning ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The issues relating to language of instruction, mathematical language and interaction with mathematics education have remained unresolved. The interaction between these variables have attracted research understandings in recent years. This paper reports a study of the level of understanding of mathematical terms and ...

  10. Ethnolinguistically Relevant Pedagogy: Empowering English Language Learners in Physical Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burden, Joe W., Jr.; Columna, Luis; Hodge, Samuel R.; Mansilla, Patricia Martinez de la Vega

    2013-01-01

    People from diverse cultures interpret languages and gestures differently (Columna & Lieberman, 2011). It is not surprising, therefore, that communication differences may have negative implications for teachers and English language learners in K-12 physical education environments. To address this issue, we advocate preparing physical education…

  11. Navigating Complexities: An Integrative Approach to English Language Teacher Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ryan, Phillip; Glodjo, Tyler; Hobbs, Bethany; Stargel, Victoria; Williams, Thad

    2015-01-01

    This article is an analysis of one undergraduate English language teacher education program's integrative theoretical framework that is structured around three pillars: interdisciplinarity, critical pedagogy, and teacher exploration. First, the authors survey the unique complexities of language teaching and learning. Then, they introduce this…

  12. TEACHING DIALOGUES IN THE PROCESS OF PROFESSIONALLY ORIENTED AND FOREIGN LANGUAGE EDUCATION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zvyagintseva Elena Petrovna

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available The article is devoted to the problems in acquisition of speaking skills among students in such a subject as Foreign Language basing on the technologies used at the university of economics. Relying on theoretical knowledge the authors describe different forms of teaching dialogues (e.g. role plays, discussions, brainstorming, case-study, situational tasks, conferences, etc.. Basing on empirical research the authors prove that using these teaching technologies helps student to reach significant progress in learning foreign languages. The research results are being introduced in the teaching methods of English language at Finance University under the Government of the Russian Federation (Moscow. They may also be used in teaching other foreign languages demanded among financiers and economists to be. As a result utilization of these methods in teaching dialogues can help to prepare the competitive specialists for Russian industries, to develop cooperation and collaboration among students, to motivate them for foreign language studying, to create the skills of critical thinking and social behaviour.

  13. Educational Status of Dental Basic Science Course and its Correlation with Students' Educational Background in Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mozafar Khazaei

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Basic science course plays a pivotal role in the academic achievement of the students. The scientific background and educational performance of the students are also influential in this period. The aim of the present study was to investigate the educational status of dental basic science course in the first three admissions (2009-2011 and its association with students’ educational background in Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences (KUMS. Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, all dental students admitted to school of dentistry in 2009-2011 years were included. The students’ academic background (scores, grade point average, score of comprehensive basic sciences examination (CBSE were recorded. Data were analyzed by SPSS 16 using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA and independent t-test. Results: Kermanshah dental students admitted to university in 2009-2011 were mostly female (59.2%, belonged to regions 2 and 3 (81.6% of university entrance exam, had sciences diploma (89.8% and their grade point average of diploma was nearly 18. There was a significant difference between the three groups of students admitted to university in Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Arabic, English language and Theology lessones of entrane exam (P<0.05. The students’ failure rate was 1.5% in university coureses. They all (100% passed CBSE and were ranked second nationally in the year. There was no significant difference between male and female students in terms of age, diploma grade point average, grade point average of basic sciences and score of CBSE. Conclusion: Basic science courses of dentistry in Kermanshah enjoyed a rather constant status and students had a good academic level in these courses.

  14. The relationship between English language learning strategies and proficiency of pre-university students: A study case of UMS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kiram, Johannah Jamalul; Sulaiman, Jumat; Swanto, Suyansah; Din, Wardatul Akmam

    2014-07-01

    This paper seeks to investigate the relationship between language learning strategies and proficiency in English. Fifty-six pre-university students (22 males, 34 females) of University Malaysia Sabah participated in this study. Oxford's Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) self-report questionnaire was adopted to identify the students' language learning strategies, whereas their proficiencies were judged based on their Malaysian University English Test (MUET) Results. Pearson's correlation coefficient, Spearman's rank correlation coefficient and the t-test were utilized to make statistical interpretation about the relationship. The knowledge obtained from this study will be helpful for future studies on how to improve the quality of learning and proficiency in English.

  15. Multilingual universities: A national and international overview | van ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This article focuses on language planning and management in higher education, specifically at comprehensive research-oriented universities, with a view to comparing and analysing implementation processes and issues at different national and international institutions. Universities included in the study were the

  16. What is your educational philosophy? Modern and postmodern approaches to foreign language education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Levent Uzun

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available The present study discusses the concepts of education and training, while also highlighting the paradigm wars of the positivistic and naturalistic views, beginning with the age of ancient philosophies and continuing to the latest era of postmodernism. Additionally, language education is examined considering the linguistic and educational fundamentals which all need to be based on and combined by a philosophy. The research in foreign language (FL education is evaluated from both the teaching and learning perspectives in order to reach conclusions concerning the current situation and the requisites of futuristic and innovative FL education. What is my educational philosophy? is proposed as a key question that not only FL teachers but also all educators should ask themselves; a question that will guide teachers throughout their entire lives and illuminate their minds throughout their teaching practice. Teacher and learner roles are discussed in order to determine whether teachers or learners should come first in the process of education. It is emphasised that the philosophical perspectives of education urgently need to be built into the minds of educators prior to asking them to convey knowledge of any kind or to apply the materials of a specific teaching method. The study concludes with the observation that there exists a serious discrepancy between the needs, preferences and interests of the learners and the views held by educational decision makers, who seem to fail to catch up with the trends in technology and globalisation.

  17. University education: From Humbolt's model to the Bologna process

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bodroški-Spariosu Biljana

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The characteristics of the European university education in the context of the Bologna process are the topic of this article. The aim is to analyze the key issues in university education in comparison to the classic or Humbolt's model. In the periods of extensive reforms of high education it is important to review the place and role of the university from the standpoint of institutional characteristics, a dominant educational orientation and attitudes towards society. The Bologna process initiated three key changes in the European system of university education: a the change of institutional framework - from the binary to the so called uniquely diversified system; b dominant orientation - instead of science the student is in the centre of education; c the social role of the university - from the development of science and impartial critique of the society towards providing educational services to the market. The pedagogic implications of these changes open the questions of the purpose of education, relations between professors and students and the identity of the modern university itself.

  18. Language, Identity, and Citizenship in a U.S. University: Immigrant English Learners' Identity (Re)positioning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fuentes, Ronald

    2016-01-01

    In response to growing linguistic diversity, many U.S. universities have implemented language policies that include procedures for English learner (EL) identification. Institutional labels such as "English learner" and "limited English proficiency" are regularly used to identify students who may need English language support;…

  19. Annotated Bibliography of Dr Salmani Nodoushan's Research on Education and Language Teaching

    Science.gov (United States)

    Etemadfar Kashani, Abbas Ali

    2016-01-01

    This is an annotated bibliography of the research conducted on education and language teaching and assessment by Dr. Mohammad Ali Salmani Nodoushan in the past 25 years. This bibliography is a precise picture of the current state of education and language teaching and assessment in Iran. Dr. Salmani Nodoushan is the most distinguished Iranian…

  20. Bilingual Education and Language Use among the Shipibo of the Peruvian Amazon.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tacelosky, Kathleen

    2001-01-01

    Investigates how language choice for education contributes to changes in the way a society views and uses language in the context of the Peruvian Amazon. Oral surveys were administered to Shipibo people in 13 communities along the Ucayali River of eastern Peru where a transition type bilingual education program was introduced several decades ago.…

  1. Partnership Studies: A New Methodological Approach to Literary Criticism in World Literatures, Languages and Education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Antonella Riem Natale

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available This article briefly describes the innovative research undertaken by the Partnership Studies Group based at the University of Udine (Italy, which, since 1998, has been investigating the possible configurations of a partnership model within contemporary world literatures, language, and education. Partnership Studies draw upon non-binary and trans-disciplinary paradigms as propounded by Riane Eisler, and have been demonstrating their strength and potentialities as epistemological and methodological instruments of transcultural consciousness and awareness, capable of fostering harmonious understanding and relations of reciprocity rather than domination among different cultures.

  2. Renewable energy education at the University level

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bhattacharya, S.C. [Asian Institute of Technology, Pathumthani (Thailand). Energy Program

    2001-03-01

    The rapid growth in global enrolment of students for higher education observed in recent decades is expected to continue in the early next century. However, the role of the universities and their approach to education may undergo substantial transformation in the future. The Internet is expected to play a significant role in university-level education in general and renewable energy education (REE) in particular. Currently, REE at different universities is characterized by a lack of uniformity in terms of duration, coursework, emphasis on research, etc. There is a need to establish guidelines and standards regarding academic programs and to establish a system of accreditation, preferably global, of REE in different academic disciplines and departments. (author)

  3. Universal brain signature of proficient reading: Evidence from four contrasting languages.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rueckl, Jay G; Paz-Alonso, Pedro M; Molfese, Peter J; Kuo, Wen-Jui; Bick, Atira; Frost, Stephen J; Hancock, Roeland; Wu, Denise H; Mencl, William Einar; Duñabeitia, Jon Andoni; Lee, Jun-Ren; Oliver, Myriam; Zevin, Jason D; Hoeft, Fumiko; Carreiras, Manuel; Tzeng, Ovid J L; Pugh, Kenneth R; Frost, Ram

    2015-12-15

    We propose and test a theoretical perspective in which a universal hallmark of successful literacy acquisition is the convergence of the speech and orthographic processing systems onto a common network of neural structures, regardless of how spoken words are represented orthographically in a writing system. During functional MRI, skilled adult readers of four distinct and highly contrasting languages, Spanish, English, Hebrew, and Chinese, performed an identical semantic categorization task to spoken and written words. Results from three complementary analytic approaches demonstrate limited language variation, with speech-print convergence emerging as a common brain signature of reading proficiency across the wide spectrum of selected languages, whether their writing system is alphabetic or logographic, whether it is opaque or transparent, and regardless of the phonological and morphological structure it represents.

  4. Language development in early childhood in relation to child's gender and parental education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Urška Fekonja

    2005-04-01

    Full Text Available Many studies show that parental education and child's gender are the factors that influence child's language development. The purpose of the longitudinal study was to examine the effect of parental education and child's gender on language competence of children aged 3 to 4 years. The sample included 80 randomly chosen children, 39 girls and 41 boys, who were included in one of 13 preschool institutions from different regions of Slovenia. The average age of the children was 3;1 years at the first assessment and 4;1 years at the second assessment, one year later. The characteristics of child'slanguage development were assessed by 3 assessors in 3 different social contexts, in test situation by a trained examiner, in child's home environment by his mother and in the preschool institution by his preschool teacher. Results show a positive effect of mother's educational level on some of the measures of child's language development, e.g. achievements on Language development scale; developmental level of storytelling, mother's estimation of child's language competence, while the father's educational level had no significant effect on any of the obtained measures. Child's gender had only a small effect on his achievements on language expression subscale at the age of 3 and 4 as well as on the preschool teacher's estimations of child's language competence at 4 years of age.

  5. Language Testing, "Integration" and Subtractive Multilingualism in Italy: Challenges for Adult Immigrant Second Language and Literacy Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Love, Stephanie V.

    2015-01-01

    Since Italy's unification in 1861, the establishment and diffusion of the standard Italian language at the expense of all other linguistic varieties has dominated language and education policy discourses. Today, as Italy has transformed from a country of mass "emigration" to a country of mass "immigration," the language…

  6. Canada's Industry-University Co-Op Education Accreditation System and Its Inspiration for the Evaluation of China's Industry-University-Institute Cooperative Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qiubo, Yang; Shibin, Wang; Zha, Qiang

    2016-01-01

    The high degree of interest that higher education systems around the world have in employability has driven the profound development of industry-university cooperative education. Canada's industry-university co-op education system has served as a model for global cooperative education, and its accreditation system guarantees the high quality of…

  7. “Mama does not speak that (language to me”: indigenous languages, educa-tional opportunity and black African preschoolers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vuyisile Msila

    2014-05-01

    The study’s findings show that there is much sociocultural influence on language acquisition and cognition. Parental choice of schools and how they socialise their children determine the kind of education their children have and this includes medium of instruction. The children preferred English to IsiXhosa and parental goals of education supported this as they fostered the English language. Yet one of the aspects captured by the article is how aspects such as cultural capital affect parental choice of the indigent parents. Learning a second language might not be simply seen as a pedagogic issue; it can also be perceived as a political issue, and children from a young age become passive participants in a political process.

  8. EDUCATING THE PEOPLE AS A DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHER AND CAMERA OPERATOR VIA OPEN EDUCATION SYSTEM STUDIES FROM TURKEY: Anadolu University Open Education Faculty Case

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Huseyin ERYILMAZ

    2010-04-01

    Full Text Available Today, Photography and visual arts are very important in our modern life. Especially for the mass communication, the visual images and visual arts have very big importance. In modern societies, people must have knowledge about the visual things, such as photographs, cartoons, drawings, typography, etc. Briefly, the people need education on visual literacy.In today’s world, most of the people in the world have a digital camera for photography or video image. But it is not possible to give people, visual literacy education in classic school system. But the camera users need a teaching medium for using their cameras effectively. So they are trying to use internet opportunities, some internet websites and pages as an information source. But as the well known problem, not all the websites give the correct learning or know-how on internet. There are a lot of mistakes and false information. Because of the reasons given above, Anadolu University Open Education Faculty is starting a new education system to educate people as a digital photographer and camera person in 2009. This program has very importance as a case study. The language of photography and digital technology is in English. Of course, not all the camera users understand English language. So, owing to this program, most of the camera users and especially people who is working as an operator in studios will learn a lot of things on photography, digital technology and camera systems. On the other hand, these people will learn about composition, visual image's history etc. Because of these reasons, this program is very important especially for developing countries. This paper will try to discuss this subject.

  9. The Optimum Conditions of Foreign Languages in Primary Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Giannikas, Christina Nicole

    2014-01-01

    The aim of the paper is to review the primary language learning situation in Europe and shed light on the benefits it carries. Early language learning is the biggest policy development in education and has developed in rapid speed over the past 30 years; this article considers the effects and advantages of the optimum condition of an early start,…

  10. Language Choice and Use of Malaysian Public University Lecturers in the Education Domain

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mei, Tam Lee; Abdullah, Ain Nadzimah; Heng, Chan Swee; Kasim, Zalina Binti Mohd

    2016-01-01

    It is a norm for people from a multilingual and multicultural country such as Malaysia to speak at least two or more languages. Thus, the Malaysian multilingual situation resulted in speakers having to make decisions about which languages are to be used for different purposes in different domains. In order to explain the phenomenon of language…

  11. Language of Instruction: Unlocking Effectiveness of Education and Sustainable Development in Sub-Saharan Africa

    Science.gov (United States)

    Truong, Natasha

    2012-01-01

    The choice of the language of instruction in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is a fundamental educational issue with ramifications for educational access and effectiveness and ultimately national development. Indigenous SSA languages have suffered devaluation in colonial and post-colonial SSA education, and this devaluation alienates the majority of SSA…

  12. The historical evolution of university and technikon education and ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The article discusses articulation between university and technikon LIS education and training in the context of the historical evolution and traditional purposes of university and technikon education and training; major similarities and differences between university and technikon LIS education and training and current ...

  13. Redesigning Technology Integration into World Language Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodríguez, Julio C.

    2018-01-01

    This article describes how a multi-institutional, proficiency-based program engages stakeholders in design thinking to discover and explore solutions to perennial problems in technology integration into world language education (WLE). Examples of replicable activities illustrate the strategies used to fuel innovation efforts, including fostering…

  14. English as Medium of Instruction in Economic University Education: Problems and Challenges

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anna Y. Polenova

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available The paper attempts to analyze several approaches to learning a foreign language based on using English as Medium of Instruction (EMI in High School. Special attention is given to the «content and language integrated learning» (CLIL as the most progressive approach to defining the scope of professional education. The author classifies the models of language teaching within the statedapproaches that promote the efficiency of professional training of future economists in solving professional problems on the basis of implementation of foreign language competence. The paper defines the conditions of subject and language integrated models implementation into the learning process. In conclusion, it is noted that the integration of subject and language experience contributes to the optimization of foreign language training and a significant improvement in the quality of the educational process.

  15. Dictionary Culture of University Students Learning English as a Foreign Language in Turkey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baskin, Sami; Mumcu, Muhsin

    2018-01-01

    Dictionaries, one of the oldest tools of language education, have continued to be a part of education although information technologies and concept of education has changed over time. Until today, with the help of the developments in technology both types of dictionaries have increased, and usage areas have expanded. Therefore, it is possible to…

  16. Developing the Basic English Language Skills in Nigerian Colleges of Education: A Case Study of Three Colleges of Education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Oris Tom-Lawyer

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available This paper examines the pedagogies employed in developing the Basic English language skills in Nigerian Colleges of Education, with particular reference to three colleges. It investigates the adequacy of the English language skills in the preparation of the Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE English language teachers as the poor performance of Nigerian students in external English language examinations has become a source of concern to educational stakeholders (Patrick, Sui, Didam & Ojo, 2014. The Nigeria Certificate in Education is the principal qualification for teaching in Nigeria (National Policy Brief, 2005. The paper constitutes a section of a larger study that evaluated the implementation of the NCE English Language curriculum. The Context, Input, Process and Product (CIPP Evaluation model is the theoretical framework in the study. A mixed methods approach was adopted within the CIPP framework, while utilizing a case study. Twenty lecturers and one hundred and twenty students from three Colleges of Education comprise the sample drawn through multistage and purposive sampling. The instruments were documentary reviews, observation checklists, interviews, questionnaires and field notes. The methods of analysis were thematic content analysis and descriptive/ inferential analysis. The study revealed that lecturers do not adopt contemporary and appropriate pedagogy for the teaching of the four language skills. It recommends this aspect should be re-considered. Similarly, an immediate review of the Practical Listening Skills and Speech work aspect of the course outline is required as the lecturers have noted that it is abstract.

  17. The idea of university in a cosmopolitan perspective

    OpenAIRE

    Kemp, Peter

    2012-01-01

    The aim of this paper is to show why the humanities are more necessary than ever as part of the university education in our contemporary cosmopolitan age. We need the humanities if our educational institutions are to overcome the threats from narrow-minded politicians and business people to reduce education in schools and universities to simple instruction in management without guidance from the cultures of the world as expressed in art and literature, knowledge of languages, history, and phi...

  18. Dialects and standard language: the language education of the italians living in Italy, and contexts of immigration (1861-2015

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paula Garcia de Freitas

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available This paper aims to present the relationship existent between the standard Italian language, and the dialects used both in the language education of Italians living in Italy, and of Italians living in Brazil, to where they emigrated in search of better opportunities from the middle of the century XIX. This relationship is analyzed under the prism of different political and educational measures sanctioned by both countries, which somehow represent a subjective position on the language concept. Initially, the analysis was focused on how unstable such a relationship has been in Italy, varying from phases of great antagonism to phases of cooperation, since the dialects were used as a complementary tool in the teaching/learning process of the standard Italian language. Secondly, the analysis was focused on how this same relationship happened in the immigration context, particularly with regards to Brazil, where the Italian language and its dialects were mixed with Portuguese. Our conclusion offers an overview on the current stage, and the perspectives for the teaching of the Italian language both in Italy and in Brazil.

  19. English Language Proficiency Tests and Academic Achievement: A Study on the Malaysian University English Test as a Predictor of Technical Programme Undergraduates Academic Achievement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nurhazlini Rahmat

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available In the Malaysian education system, English has always played an important role. In acknowledging its importance, Malaysian University English Test (MUET has been introduced to enable continued emphasis on this role.  MUET has been made compulsory for those who wish to pursue a first degree programme in local universities. This study aims to examine the relationship between English language proficiency test (as measured by MUET bands to predict the undergraduates academic achievement (as measured by Cumulative Grade Point Average score. It also aims to determine the recommended MUET band as an entry requirement for prospective technical programme undergraduates in Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM. The study was carried out among 225 final year undergraduates of five different faculties in UPM, namely Faculty of Engineering, Faculty of Forestry, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular, Faculty of Food Science and Technology, and Faculty of Veterinary Medicine.  The data used were obtained by administering a brief questionnaire and were quantitatively analysed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS version 19.  The study revealed that there is a medium positive correlation between English language proficiency and academic achievement where students who have scored higher bands for MUET are the ones who obtained higher CGPA in their study. Based on the findings, it is recommended that UPM and other local universities make changes towards the minimum MUET entry requirement to help prospective undergraduates excel in their academic study. Keywords: English language proficiency, academic achievement, technical programme, MUET, CGPA

  20. The university, social education and the education of social educator

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Irandi Pereira

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available This article discusses the relations between university and social education and their developments in the social educator education supported by an education conception linked to the collective rights. This article emphasizes the relations between theory and the social education actions, the social educator continual education, according to three focus: Brazilian higher education aspects, the call for a more general education towards the demands resulting from the contemporary context, in which the formal education, in its different levels, cannot answer the low income adults, youngsters and children solicitations and yet the requests needed for the social educator continual education. The readings have shown that the debate is insufficient in face of the social education experiences carried out in national and international scenarios. It is a field to be effectively established.

  1. Research in the Doctoral Program in Second Language Acquisition at the University of Wisconsin-Madison

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Costa, Peter I.; Bernales, Carolina; Merrill, Margaret

    2011-01-01

    Faculty and graduate students in the Doctoral Program in Second Language Acquisition (SLA) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison engage in a broad spectrum of research. From Professor Sally Magnan's research on study abroad and Professor Monika Chavez's work in foreign language policy through Professor Richard Young's examination of…

  2. Creating an Authentic Learning Environment in the Foreign Language Classroom

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Larisa Nikitina

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Theatrical activities are widely used by language educators to promote and facilitate language learning. Involving students in production of their own video or a short movie in the target language allows a seamless fusion of language learning, art, and popular culture. The activity is also conducive for creating an authentic learning situation where the real world becomes a part of the educational experience and necessitates the use of an authentic language by the learners. This article describes a video project carried out by Russian language learners at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS. It examines how the work on the project created and supported authenticity of the learning experience. Though the article focuses on the video project done in the context of language learning and teaching this activity could be successfully implemented in teaching various subjects at both secondary and tertiary levels.

  3. Elizabeth Usher Memorial Lecture: Language is literacy is language - Positioning speech-language pathology in education policy, practice, paradigms and polemics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Snow, Pamela C

    2016-06-01

    This paper is concerned with the fundamental and intrinsic links between early receptive and expressive oral language competence on the one hand and the transition to literacy in the early school years and achievement of academic (and life) success on the other. Consequently, it also concerns the professional knowledge base of two key disciplines whose work is central to children's early language and literacy success: teachers and speech-language pathologists (SLPs). Oral language competence underpins the transition to literacy, which in turn underpins academic achievement. Academic achievement is significant in its own right, conferring opportunities for further education and training post-secondary school, contributing to psychological health and mitigating some of the mental health risks and adversities that can be associated with adolescence and early adulthood. The central thesis is that the linguistic basis of the transition to literacy makes early reading success core business for SLPs. Further, SLPs need a firm grasp of the political and ideological factors that have exerted historical and continuing influence on reading instruction in western nations such as Australia, the US and the UK. This will facilitate the establishment of meaningful working relationships with teaching colleagues, to achieve optimal education outcomes for all children.

  4. Language Interpretation for Diverse Families: Considerations for Special Education Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    More, Cori M.; Hart, Juliet E.; Cheatham, Gregory A.

    2013-01-01

    The special education field is challenged by a lack of attention to and recruitment of well-trained language interpreters in schools. As such, special education teachers need to take a leadership role in working with interpreters to ensure diverse families are collaborative members of individualized education program (IEP) teams. Using the…

  5. Educating nuclear engineers at German universities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Knorr, J.

    1995-01-01

    Nuclear technology is a relatively young university discipline. Yet, as a consequence of the declining public acceptance of the peaceful use of nuclear power, its very existence is already being threatened at many universities. However, if Germany needs nuclear power, which undoubtedly is the case, highly qualified, committed experts are required above all. Nuclear technology develops internationally. Consequently, also university education must meet international standards. Generally, university education has been found to be the most effective way of increasing the number of scientific and engineering personnel. Nuclear techniques have meanwhile found acceptance in many other scientific disciplines, thus advancing those branches of science. Teaching needs research; like research in nucelar technology at the national research centers, also the universities are suffering massive financial disadvantages. Research is possible only if outside funds are solicited, which increase dependency and decreases basic research. (orig.) [de

  6. English Language Constructs Preceding Communication Effectiveness

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jenifer Raymond R. Tallungan

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Educational managers transport information, thoughts and attitudes through a system of verbal and nonverbal language. What differs across diverse personalities is the level of communication effectiveness which ascertains the success in the flow of messages not only at the organizational level but also in the classroom where learning takes place. This study, which aimed to disclose correlations between language constructs and communication effectiveness, puts the light to the randomly selected educational management students of a state university in Cagayan Valley. Using a language test and a questionnaire, it was revealed that the level of language proficiency of the respondents as to correct usage, presentation and writing is very satisfactory, and as to subject-verb agreement, vocabulary, reading comprehension, listening comprehension, and action research, satisfactory; while their level of communication effectiveness along using non-verbal language, transmitting messages and receiving messages is high. At 0.05 level analysis, significant correlations exist between communication effectiveness (along using nonverbal language and receiving messages and language proficiency along reading. These findings provided insights in enhancing communication in classroom management, organizational management as well as in communication management instruction..

  7. Medical universities educational and research online services: benchmarking universities' website towards e-government.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farzandipour, Mehrdad; Meidani, Zahra

    2014-06-01

    Websites as one of the initial steps towards an e-government adoption do facilitate delivery of online and customer-oriented services. In this study we intended to investigate the role of the websites of medical universities in providing educational and research services following the E-government maturity model in the Iranian universities. This descriptive and cross- sectional study was conducted through content analysis and benchmarking the websites in 2012. The research population included the entire medical university website (37). Delivery of educational and research services through these university websites including information, interaction, transaction, and Integration were investigated using a checklist. The data were then analyzed by means of descriptive statistics and using SPSS software. Level of educational and research services by websites of the medical universities type I and II was evaluated medium as 1.99 and 1.89, respectively. All the universities gained a mean score of 1 out of 3 in terms of integration of educational and research services. Results of the study indicated that Iranian universities have passed information and interaction stages, but they have not made much progress in transaction and integration stages. Failure to adapt to e-government in Iranian medical universities in which limiting factors such as users' e-literacy, access to the internet and ICT infrastructure are not so crucial as in other organizations, suggest that e-government realization goes beyond technical challenges.

  8. Language Education and ELT Materials in Turkey from the Path Dependence Perspective

    Science.gov (United States)

    Isik, Ali

    2011-01-01

    This paper examines the role of traditional language teaching methodology on the current language teaching methodology in Turkey from the Path Dependence Theory perspective. Path Dependence claims that the past continues shaping the present. Similarly, traditional approaches still shape foreign/second language education. Turkey has inherited a…

  9. Translingualism and Second Language Acquisition: Language Ideologies of Gaelic Medium Education Teachers in a Linguistically Liminal Setting

    Science.gov (United States)

    Knipe, John

    2017-01-01

    Scottish Gaelic, among the nearly 7,000 languages spoken in the world today, is endangered. In the 1980s the Gaelic Medium Education (GME) movement emerged with an emphasis on teaching students all subjects via this ancient tongue with the hope of revitalizing the language. Concomitantly, many linguists have called for problematizing traditional…

  10. Locating the global: culture, language and science education for indigenous students

    Science.gov (United States)

    McKinley, Elizabeth

    2005-02-01

    The international literature suggests the use of indigenous knowledge (IK) and traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) contexts in science education to provide motivation and self-esteem for indigenous students is widespread. However, the danger of alienating culture (as knowledge) from the language in which the worldview is embedded seems to have been left out of the philosophical and pedagogical debates surrounding research and comment in the field. This paper argues that one of the main ways in which indigenous knowledge systems will survive and thrive is through the establishment of programmes taught through indigenous languages so that a dialectal relationship between language and knowledge is established that continues to act as the wellspring. The article concludes by reviewing the situation in Aotearoa New Zealand with respect to the indigenous population, Maori, and the recent science education initiatives in te reo Maori (Maori language).

  11. Multilingual Education: The Role of Language Ideologies and Attitudes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liddicoat, Anthony J.; Taylor-Leech, Kerry

    2015-01-01

    This paper overviews issues relating to the role of ideologies and attitudes in multilingual education (MLE). It argues that ideologies and attitudes are constituent parts of the language planning process and shape the possibilities for multilingualism in educational programmes in complex ways, but most frequently work to constrain the ways that…

  12. English Language Instruction in the Philippine Basic Education Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vizconde, Camilla

    2006-01-01

    The study discusses the dynamics English language instruction in the Philippine basic education curriculum. Although English enjoyed immense popularity as early as 1900s during the American entry to the country, its role in Philippine education has transformed gradually as the country undergoes political, social and economic reconstruction in the…

  13. Rights in Education and Self-Identity: Education and Language of Instruction in Namibia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chavez, Andres

    2016-01-01

    In 1992, the Ministry of Education and Culture in Namibia created a new language policy for schools that presented the possibility of using English as the sole medium of instruction for students starting in Grade 1. The resulting increase in schools that offer only English instruction has been detrimental to education. In order to improve the…

  14. Students' Attitudes and Motivation for Learning English at Dokuz Eylul University School of Foreign Languages

    Science.gov (United States)

    Öztürk, Kadim

    2014-01-01

    Attitudes and motivation are two of the key factors in second language learning since positive attitudes and high levels of motivation are considered as the predictors of a successful learning process. This study aims to reveal the relation between university preparatory students' attitudes towards learning English and their language learning…

  15. enhancing employability through university education

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    PROF EKWUEME

    engineered to achieve these skills for the benefit of our students and society at large through the role of. National ... S. O. Onyeagbako, Department of Life Science Education, Faculty of Education, Imo State University, ... examination malpractice and unmotivated work ..... functions are met, NUC should ensure an orderly.

  16. Entrepreneurship Education in Malaysian Universities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahmad, Syed Zamberi; Buchanan, Robert Frederick

    2015-01-01

    Entrepreneurship education in the strongly emerging market of Malaysia was examined throughout the country's 20 public universities. A broad based interview process amongst multiple stakeholders profiled educational policies as well as revealing shortcomings in practice. Observers noted that students showed a preference for salaried jobs after…

  17. Alternative Sources of Funding University Education in Nigeria

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Nekky Umera

    university students view some alternative sources of funding university education ... Education Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) programme is still ... questionnaire centred on eliciting information on the 15 earlier stated alternate ...

  18. Developing Standards for Language Teacher Education Programs in Indonesia: Professionalizing or Losing in Complexity?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luciana Luciana

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available Setting standards for language teacher education programs, materials, and evaluation sparks some hope in attempts to improve the quality of the programs. Yet, this very fact augmented by my examination of ten language teacher education programs in Java, Bali, and Lampung (FKIP and PGRI triggers a critical look at the idea of standard development. In particular, I would like to explore whether it can lead to a better professionalism or we are just lost in the complexity of the standardization itself. This paper consists of four sections. Departing from an overview of language teacher education programs in Indonesia and the theoretical foundations, some major problems in this area are identified. Following this, the discussion is focused on the idea of standard development for language teacher education programs in Indonesia. Eventually, some suggestions are put forth to highlight the need for establishing coherent curriculum framework bridging the two realms of language teacher education and school milieu as well as providing learners with knowledge base that enables them to cope with complex demands of school settings and more essentially, to act as an agent in the social change process.

  19. UNIVERSITY TEACHERS’ READINESS TO APPLY THE MODERN EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGIES

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    Irina O. Kotlyarova

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The aim of the research is to investigate the readiness of the university teachers to apply the modern educational technologies. Methods. The methods include theoretical: analysis of existing modern educational technologies, the concept «readiness» and its components, abstraction of signs and kinds of modern educational technologies based on the scientific literature and in the Federal State Educational Standards (FSES; empirical: questionnaires and testing methods for detecting levels of university teachers’ skills and readiness to use modern educational technology. Results. The main features of modern educational technologies are identified and justified that are to comply with modern methodology of the theory and practice of education study and the latest FSES requirements; the level of science, manufacturing, and modern rules of human relations. The components of readiness of university teachers to use modern educational technology are structured. The linguistic component is included along with the cognitive, psychological, operational, connotative components; its necessity is proved. The average level of readiness for the use of modern educational technology by university teachers is identified. Scientific novelty. The author specifies the features of the modern educational technology. The most significant components of higher-education teaching personnel readiness to use technological innovations are identified. As a whole, these results form the indicative framework for the development and measurement of readiness of the university teachers to use the modern educational technology. The development of the readiness of the university teachers to apply the modern educational technologies is proved to be an issue of current interest. Practical significance. The research findings can be used as the basis of techniques and methods designing for its further development and measurement of the training, retraining and advanced training of

  20. Narrative Inquiry: A Dynamic Relationship between Culture, Language and Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chan, Esther Yim Mei

    2017-01-01

    Human development is a cultural process, and language serves as a cultural tool is closely related to virtually all the cognitive changes. The author addresses issues of language in education, and suggests that changing the medium of instruction should not be understood as purely a pedagogical decision. The connection between culture and language…

  1. SOME ASPECTS OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE COMPETENCE DEVELOPMENT IN THE SYSTEM OF CONTINUED PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. G. Gorbunov

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction. The system of continued professional education in modern Russia is aimed at raising the level of professional workers’ ability for competition at the global vocational market. Among the most required competences we put an emphasis on the ability for efficient communication in the native and foreign languages pursuing social, cultural and professional interaction. The practical experience proves that students of various courses of study within the system of continued professional education have difficulties while communicating in a foreign language because of a low level of their foreign language communication competence that is based on ability for decoding and producing a discourse. Aim. The article considers the factors to develop students’ ability for decoding and producing a discourse in the format of reflexive positional discussion. Methodology and research methods. Development of the advanced and high level of foreign language competence is possible via introduction of institutional discursive practices into the educational process. Development of foreign language competence in the system of continued professional education is being discussed from the point of synergy of pedagogical science and applied linguistics. System-synergetic, communicative-activity, discursive and technological approaches have been chosen as the methodological base to develop the system of criteria of students’ preparedness and ability to communicate in a foreign language. Methods of analysis and synthesis have been used during the work as well. Results and scientific novelty. The materials presented in the publication make a contribution to the theory and methodology of continued professional education regarding effective experts’ foreign language mastering, and skills acquisition for the most productive interpersonal and professional-oriented communication. Methodologically-based definition and description of the components of subject and

  2. Education Course Syllabus Development, Thai Language Major According to Buddhism Way of Thailand

    Science.gov (United States)

    Waree, Chaiwat

    2016-01-01

    This research aims to develop Education Course Syllabus, Thai language major, according to Buddhism way of Thailand by using Taba's Approach and to evaluate the efficiency of Education Course Syllabus, Thai language major, according to Buddhism way of Thailand. This research was conducted according to research and development format and its…

  3. The idea of university in a cosmopolitan perspective

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Peter Kemp

    2012-05-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to show why the humanities are more necessary than ever as part of the university education in our contemporary cosmopolitan age. We need the humanities if our educational institutions are to overcome the threats from narrow-minded politicians and business people to reduce education in schools and universities to simple instruction in management without guidance from the cultures of the world as expressed in art and literature, knowledge of languages, history, and philosophy.

  4. From elite to mass to universal higher education: from distance to open education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Larry Cooperman

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available In 1970, Martin Trow, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, identified a transition “underway in every advanced society, from elite to mass higher education and subsequently to universal access.” This article adapts this framework of the historical and structural development of higher education as a phased process in which absolute and relative growth of university enrollment transforms the institutions of higher education and alters its functions. The transition to universal access may support economic development, social mobility and greater income equality, in turn buttressing even the institution of democracy. Arriving at those optimal social outcomes is not automatic, however, because of a variety of remaining issues: how universality of higher education translates to economic growth and social equality. The problem of the ‘next 1%,’ shorthand for the continued entrance of new social layers into higher education presents novel challenges that ‘access’ alone may not solve.

  5. Ukraine Open University: Its prospects in distance education development

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bohdan Shunevych

    2002-01-01

    Full Text Available The genesis, initiation, and expansion of distance education at the Ukraine Open International University for Human Development, located in Kyiv, will be examined in this case study, starting with a brief look at the positive changes taking place in Ukraine's traditional educational system, as well as recent developments in the country's distance education (DE system. To help readers understand the University's development from an insider's perspective, societal factors that currently influence its inter- and extra-institutional environment will also be examined. Next, the history, organizational structure, institutional activities, and background of the Ukraine Open International University for Human Development, along with the reasons driving the University's dual mode activities - both traditional and distance education - will be briefly analyzed. Included in this analysis is a summary of the challenges surrounding the application of both traditional and distance education models.The author concludes his case study by reflecting upon Ukraine Open International University for Human Development's experiences within the context of its being both a traditional education provider and new dual-mode distance education provider. Also discussed are some key indicators and predictions about what the future may hold for the University.

  6. Implementation of multiple intelligences theory in the English language course syllabus at the University of Nis Medical School.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bakić-Mirić, Natasa

    2010-01-01

    Theory of multiple intelligences (MI) is considered an innovation in learning the English language because it helps students develop all eight intelligences that, on the other hand, represent ways people understand the world around them, solve problems and learn. They are: verbal/linguistic, logical/mathematical, visual/spatial, bodily/kinaesthetic, musical/rhythmic, interpersonal, intrapersonal and naturalist. Also, by focusing on the problem-solving activities, teachers, by implementing theory of multiple intelligences, encourage students not only to build their existing language knowledge but also learn new content and skills. The objective of this study has been to determine the importance of implementation of the theory of multiple intelligences in the English language course syllabus at the University of Nis Medical School. Ways in which the theory of multiple intelligences has been implemented in the English language course syllabus particularly in one lecture for junior year students of pharmacy in the University of Nis Medical School. The English language final exam results from February 2009 when compared with the final exam results from June 2007 prior to the implementation of MI theory showed the following: out of 80 junior year students of pharmacy, 40 obtained grade 10 (outstanding), 16 obtained grade 9 (excellent), 11 obtained grade 8 (very good), 4 obtained grade 7 (good) and 9 obtained grade 6 (pass). No student failed. The implementation of the theory of multiple intelligences in the English language course syllabus at the University of Nis Medical School has had a positive impact on learning the English language and has increased students' interest in language learning. Genarally speaking, this theory offers better understanding of students' intelligence and greater appreciation of their strengths. It provides numerous opportunities for students to use and develop all eight intelligences not just the few they excel in prior to enrolling in a

  7. Unemployment, Entrepreneurial Education and Mega Universities ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Individuals acquire education for two broad fundamental reasons, as an investment and as consumption. The investment function of education has continued to create tension for job search leading to cases of unemployment. Entrepreneurship education and establishment of mega universities have being identified as ...

  8. French language: A basic G.S course for Nnamdi Azikiwe University ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Descriptive method was adopted for the study and data were collected from articles, internet sources and interview. The finding indicated that some universities have adopted French as one of the GS courses. It suggested that French language be taught in UNIZIK as a GS course. The work was based on NUC benchmark ...

  9. On Present State of Teaching Russian Language in Russia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tekucheva, Irina V.; Gromova, Liliya Y.

    2016-01-01

    The article discusses the current state of teaching Russian language, discovers the nature of philological education, outlines the main problems of the implementation of the standard in school practice, analyzes the problems of formation of universal educational actions within the context of the implementation of cognitive-communicative approach,…

  10. ENGLISH LANGUAGE FOR SUCCESSFUL INTEGRATION: LEARNING FROM THE BOLOGNA PROCESS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hernandez - Carrion Jose Rodolfo

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available The Bologna Process aims to provide tools to connect the European national educational systems. The purpose of this paper is to analyze what we have learned and what challenges remain today. Since the beginning all participating countries had to agree on a comparable three cycle degree system for undergraduates (Bachelor degrees or Grades and graduates (Master and PhD degrees in order to create compatibility and comparability for achieving international competitiveness and a worldwide degree of attractiveness in higher education. The Bologna Declaration, originally signed by 29 countries, has now reached 47 countries, engaged in the process of creating a European Higher Education Area (EHEA, searching to be competitive to launch the European Academia of the 21st Century. The European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS has turned out to be the perfect tool to design, describe, and deliver programs and award higher education qualifications. Markets and European universities are going to be able to compete overseas in the future if the new regulations let them to create profitable business in the education area. As expected, European Universities have responded promptly and actively to the call. In the case of small countries like Spain, it is an opportunity to internationalize Spanish universities; moreover, there is the opportunity for the expansion and consolidation of the Spanish language as the second most important foreign language. The 2009 Report highlights that early teaching of a foreign language is advancing in Europe. In lower secondary education, earlier teaching of English is becoming widespread; and the three Nordic countries, Germany, and the UK are the highest innovation performers. The result is a system of higher education more competitive and more attractive for Europeans and non-Europeans students and scholars. Reform is needed today if Europe wants to match the performance of the best performing higher education

  11. Investigating Foreign Language Learning Anxiety among Students Learning English in a Public Sector University, Pakistan

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gopang, Illahi Bux; Bughio, Faraz Ali; Pathan, Habibullah

    2015-01-01

    The present study investigated foreign language anxiety among students of Lasbela University, Baluchistan, Pakistan. The study adopted the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (Horwitz et al., 1986). The respondents were (N = 240) including 26 female and 214 male. The data was run through the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS)…

  12. Investigating Attitude and Motivation of Iranian University Learners toward English as a Foreign Language

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sayadian, Sima; Lashkarian, Anita

    2010-01-01

    This paper discusses the attitudes and motivation Iranian learners have toward learning EFL at their university level. Although research of a similar nature has been done in other countries, the present study complements others by following 500 university learners and it provides another avenue for examining the language situation in Iran. To…

  13. Teachers' Use of ICTs in Public Language Education: Evidence from Second Language Secondary-School Classrooms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Izquierdo, Jesús; de-la-Cruz-Villegas, Verónika; Aquino-Zúñiga, Silvia-Patricia; Sandoval-Caraveo, María-del-Carmen; García-Martínez, Verónica

    2017-01-01

    Worldwide, curricular changes and financial investments are currently underway to promote the integration of technology in public education and English language learning at a young age. This study examines the ICTs that have become part of the daily instructional practices and educational settings of teachers of English who work with young…

  14. USE DIFFERENT LANGUAGES OF KNOWLEDGE REPRESENTATION AS A FACTOR OF MATHEMATICS EDUCATION HUMANIZATION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E. Sagan

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available A lot of educational projects get no further development primarily due to the lack of competent academic staff. It is not only the professional knowledge, abilities and skills, but also the ability to perceive educational innovations and ability to implement them. With regard to the mathematics education the most urgent is the problem of humanization, which appears in the ratio of scientific knowledge, national and cultural revival, issues of values and new type of education content. The problem of humanizing of mathematical education isexamined in the article, in particular in the field of training ofpedagogical personnels. As for the serve of mathematicalmaterial the language of formal logic, that is regulated by thesecond alarm system, is used, it results in the deficit ofinformation of the first alarm system, that is responsible forperception, imagination, supervision, experience. Logical isthe use of such methods serves of information, thatmaximally use both сигнальних systems of man. It issuggested one of directions of upgrading of educating tomathematics of future teachers except the traditionallanguage of formal logic to use the alternative languages ofserve of material : language of semantic networks, languageof the system of frames, language of productional.

  15. A Global Change in Higher Education: Entrepreneurial University Model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Süreyya SAKINÇ

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Universities are affected by the social and economic diversity stemmed from globalization and internationalization, and its functions, area of responsibility, organizational structure, funding capability respond this diversity. In today's knowledge society, different new concepts regarding the university education system such as Entrepreneur University, Corporation University, virtual university etc. have been emerged with wave of globalization effect. The rising competition in academic education and the mass demands for education prompt to universities to get seeking new funds for fixing their financial situation, and hit them transforming into entrepreneurial identity. The reflections of neoliberal approach in education have transformed the universities into the corporations which are much more focused on entrepreneurial, student-oriented and aimed to appropriate education and producing creative human resources for global development. In this study, a comprehensive evaluation will be carried on regarding the entrepreneur university model through the litterateur research to investigate its causes and factors that impact and improve it. The aim of the paper is to generate a framework that identifies dynamic processes of entrepreneur university model, dependently the litterateur syntheses. The contribution of the paper will depend on its consequent argument that entrepreneur university model is viable for Turkey. In this paper, the entrepreneur university model will be analyzed by Triple Helix phenomenon with the comparative approach.

  16. Universal Basic Education Policy: Impact on Enrolment and Retention

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iddrisu, Issah

    2016-01-01

    The universal basic education policy enshrined in the constitution of Ghana is aimed at making education accessible and affordable for all Ghanaian citizens. This paper sought to assess whether the universal basic education policy really have an impact on access at the basic level. The study was carried out on the premise that the universal basic…

  17. Not Plain Sailing: Malaysia's Language Choice in Policy and Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hashim, Azirah

    2009-01-01

    This paper focusses on language and education issues in Malaysia as they have unfolded in the context of nation building, societal multilingualism and globalization from independence to the present day. The paper first examines the origin and nature of language and medium-of-instruction policies in Malaysia and the rationale for them. Secondly, it…

  18. THE WEB IS THE LIMIT: LANGUAGE, CULTURE AND MOOCS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Silvia FLOREA

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available MOOCs remain the buzzwords of the current landscape of higher education (HE provision. In the context of the ever growing use of technology through e - Learning and OpenCourseWare and of the new generation of tablet - toting, hyper - connected youth, the university will continue to extend its reach to students around the world, unbounded by geography and time zones, at a fast pace and at a fraction of the cost of a traditional college education. In this context, “To Mooc or not to Mooc” remains a question that several universities are beginning to con sider against more pressing critical reflections on issues pertaining to their language and culture. Our paper aims to examine the role of language and culture in online learning, particularly the hegemony of English and Western cultures against the rising “politics of marginality” that other languages are forced to adopt in a dominant, non - negotiable, disruptive online competition space.

  19. Interlinguistics and Esperanto studies at universities: The experience at the University of Turin

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Gobbo, F.

    2014-01-01

    After 2010, following the Bologna process and the so-called ‘Gelmini reform’, universities in Italy were subjected to deep changes in administration, in research and education. The course in ‘Language Planning and Planned Languages’ was established in 2011-2012, under the initiative of the Istituto

  20. Trans-Cultural, Trans-Language Practices: Potentialities for Rethinking Doctoral Education Pedagogies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sarojni Choy

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Over the last decade, there has been a rapid increase in doctoral enrolments of Asian international students in Australian universities. While policies have been developed to meet the needs of these students, there seems to be some confusion around the terms internationalisation, globalisation, bi-cultural, inter-cultural, multi-cultural, and trans-cultural within these policies. In this paper, we define these terms and advocate for a policy position which orients to a futurist definition of culture. We then review the work of Michael Singh and his research team at Western Sydney University who have responded to this rapid increase in Asian international student doctoral enrolments in Australian universities by developing pedagogic principles around notions of trans-language and trans-cultural practices. In the final section of the paper, we then draw on our own experiences of doctoral supervision in Australian universities to reflect on our positioning within the pedagogic principles around trans-language and trans-cultural practices.

  1. Tensions between entrepreneurship and a university education

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Robinson, Sarah

    beyond narrow definitions of entrepreneurship. The findings suggest that students appear to achieve a transformation of self that touches on previous (forgotten) goals of education and learning that are linked to ‘bildung.’ The transmission of knowledge is acknowledged in university settings as being......The notion that a university education is a public good and the key to national economic growth is widely accepted. Universities have two core activities, one to research and the other to teach. Balancing these core activities is articulated and legitimised through discourses that seek to establish...... the value and goals of university education. As academics the combination of these activities leads us to pose questions about the goals of our teaching and whether what we teach is of value to our students. Whose values are legitimised through our teaching? On the other hand discourses about encouraging...

  2. NEW TRENDS IN LEGAL EDUCATION AT BANGLADESH OPEN UNIVERSITY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nahid FERDOUSI

    2008-04-01

    Full Text Available In Bangladesh, Formal legal education is provided by either a department of a university or an affiliated college. There are four public universities and above twenty six private universities in our country with law as a regular subject of teaching. Besides, the National University imparts teaching of law through law colleges in the country. All public and private universities providing law graduate degree by conventional system but many people deprived from this opportunities. Thus to increase equitable access to education and to develop the human resources of the country the Bangladesh Open University playing significant role. Large numbers of students of rural areas, particularly women, out of school and adults who must do work to support their families are include with the university. Bangladesh Open University is the only institution in Bangladesh which imparts education in open and distance mode and offers 23 formal programmes, the demand for the introduction of LL.B programme for the benefit of those who have been, for various reasons, deprived of the opportunity of undertaking graduate course in law in conventional mode of education. The decision to offer the programme in distance mode is being taken in response to the earnest desire of the relevant quarters expressed in various dailies and formal applications submitted to the university authority as the learners in the open and distance mode learn at his own place and any time whenever he feels convenient to learn and is not for restricted by time, space or age. Distance learning is, indeed, presently considered as a viable alternative of the conventional system of education to fulfill the growing demand for legal education.This paper presents the new academic trends in Bangladesh Open University by distance learning Bachelor of Laws (LL.B. degree and modern aspects of the legal education at School of Law in Bangladesh Open University.

  3. The Accelerator Markup Language and the Universal Accelerator Parser

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sagan, D.; Forster, M.; Cornell U., LNS; Bates, D.A.; LBL, Berkeley; Wolski, A.; Liverpool U.; Cockcroft Inst. Accel. Sci. Tech.; Schmidt, F.; CERN; Walker, N.J.; DESY; Larrieu, T.; Roblin, Y.; Jefferson Lab; Pelaia, T.; Oak Ridge; Tenenbaum, P.; Woodley, M.; SLAC; Reiche, S.; UCLA

    2006-01-01

    A major obstacle to collaboration on accelerator projects has been the sharing of lattice description files between modeling codes. To address this problem, a lattice description format called Accelerator Markup Language (AML) has been created. AML is based upon the standard eXtensible Markup Language (XML) format; this provides the flexibility for AML to be easily extended to satisfy changing requirements. In conjunction with AML, a software library, called the Universal Accelerator Parser (UAP), is being developed to speed the integration of AML into any program. The UAP is structured to make it relatively straightforward (by giving appropriate specifications) to read and write lattice files in any format. This will allow programs that use the UAP code to read a variety of different file formats. Additionally, this will greatly simplify conversion of files from one format to another. Currently, besides AML, the UAP supports the MAD lattice format

  4. Intensive Language Training for Multinational Business

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jordan, Gerda

    1977-01-01

    A two-year master's degree program in international business studies was initiated by the College of Business Administration at the University of South Carolina to educate the business manager who will deal with foreign countries. The language component comprises an important part of the program. (SW)

  5. APPLICATION OF THE EUROPEAN EXPERIENCE IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHERS’ TRAINING

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Victoria Barkasi

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available The article defines the role of the European experience in the foreign language teachers` training in the modern society, the use of International relations in education. The concept of common European education is analyzed. Due to this concept teaching and learning standards, educational models, and teaching objectives are brought together with the aim to create the common all-European educational system. In order to join this all-European scheme Ukraine needs to make modifications in its educational system. The fundamental idea is to use blended learning as the dominant instructional mode in higher education. The authors examine how the study of the leading European powers` educational experience helps to approach the problems of education in Ukraine critically. English Language Department of Mykolaiv V. Sukhomlynsky National University as a part of the consortium, composed of ten higher education institutions, takes part in the TEMPUS-project «Improving teaching European languages through the introduction of on-line technology (blended learning to train teachers." Blended learning is a powerful technology to be implemented into the modern model of Ukrainian education in order to get the level of European educational system. The article highlights how participation in the implementation of TEMPUS-project can be an effective tool for improving the training of the foreign languages teachers.

  6. Facebook for informal language learning: Perspectives from tertiary language students

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Antonie Alm

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available This paper investigates the use of Facebook for out-of-class, informal language learning. 190 New Zealand university language students (Chinese, German, French, Japanese and Spanish completed an anonymous online questionnaire on (1 their perceptions of Facebook as a multilingual environment, (2 their online writing practices and (3 their views on the educational value of their experiences. Findings indicate that language students are using a range of Facebook features to expose themselves to the languages they study (L2 and to communicate in their L2 with native speaker Facebook friends. The use of the social networking site varied according to proficiency-levels of the participants (beginner, intermediate and advanced levels, strength of social ties with native speaker Facebook friends and personal attitudes towards the site. Learning experiences on Facebook were not perceived as useful for the formal language learning context which suggests the need for bridging strategies between informal and formal learning environments.

  7. An Exploration of Linguistic Neo-Colonialism through Educational Language Policy--An Irish Perspective

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dillon, Anna

    2016-01-01

    In this paper, educational language policy is explored through the lens of linguistic neo-colonialism in Ireland in the case of learners of English as an Additional Language. The perspective of Ireland as a decolonized nation may have an impact on current language policy. Arguments for an additive approach to language and identity, language…

  8. Business English in the Eyes of Economics and Management Students at the University of Białystok

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dzięcioł-Pędich Agnieszka

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available According to the regulations of the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education, university graduates should have to know a foreign language at B2 level, as described in The Common European Framework of Reference, and they should know its specialized variety. These are the only recommendations concerning general language courses and their specialized varieties. It is up to schools of foreign languages or other institutions providing language courses for institutions of higher education to determine requirements concerning language for specific purposes. However, students are rarely asked to contribute to the development of curricula and syllabi. This article presents the results of a survey conducted among students of Economics and Management at the University of Białystok. The survey was devoted to students’ perceptions of Business English in English courses conducted by the School of Foreign Languages at the University of Białystok. The aim of the survey was to answer the following questions:

  9. Corporate Universities and Corporation- University Partnerships in Thailand: Complimenting Education in Learning, Leadership and Change

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Oliver S. Crocco

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available With an estimated workforce of 285 million and the establishment of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN Economic Community in 2015, ASEAN faces vast challenges in human resource development (HRD and higher education. These challenges in Thailand have resulted in the rise of corporate universities and corporation-university partnerships. Corporate partnerships in education adapt quickly to industry needs and are increasingly popular and complimentary to traditional higher education. This research looks at one corporate university and one corporation-university partnership to investigate how, if at all, corporate universities and partnerships address HRD issues such as adult learning, leadership development, organisational change, corporate social responsibility (CSR, as well as ethical and global issues. This research finds initial evidence that corporate educational strategies address a variety of HRD issues and have the potential to revolutionise and compliment higher education in Thailand in a way that drives the nation toward a more sustainable future.

  10. Early Heritage-Language Education and the Abrupt Shift to a Dominant-Language Classroom: Impact on the Personal and Collective Esteem of Inuit Children in Arctic Quebec

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bougie, Evelyne; Wright, Stephen C.; Taylor, Donald M.

    2003-01-01

    This research explored the impact of the abrupt shift from heritage-language to dominant-language education on Inuit children's personal and collective self-esteem. Specifically, the following question was addressed: will early heritage-language education serve as an inoculation against the potential negative impact of being submerged in a…

  11. Educated parent as a key member of rehabilitation team.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mikelić, Valentina Matijević; Bartolović, Jelena; Kosicek, Tena; Crnković, Maja

    2011-12-01

    Involvement of children with minor motor impairments in early intervention programs is becoming a positive trend. Rehabilitation of young children is usually performed in family environment with continuous monitoring by a team of experts including a physiatrist, speech therapist, psychologist, and rehabilitator. For this reason, it is important to educate parents in proper procedures designed to encourage the child's global and language development. Parental competence in encouraging the child's language development and providing home learning environment is associated with the level of parental education. We performed a retrospective analysis of data on 50 children aged 1-3 years, hospitalized during 2010 at Department of Pediatric Rehabilitation, University Department of Rheumatology, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Sestre milosrdnice University Hospital Center in Zagreb. The aim was to determine the percentage of children included in an early intervention program according to the level of parental education and to assess the impact of the program on the children's language development. The results showed a higher percentage of parents to have high school education and a smaller percentage of parents to have university degree. These data indicated the need of educational programs for parents on the procedures of encouraging child development, including language development.

  12. The Prospect and Challenge of Textbook Research in English Language Education

    OpenAIRE

    王, 林鋒

    2014-01-01

    This paper respectively illustrates the development of generic textbook research and English language textbook research. The review of generic textbook research starts with the establishment of the field, then moves to the emergence of New Sociology of Education, and finally describes its research methodology as well. The development of English language textbook research is traced back to teaching material development in English-speaking countries. Following that, a survey of English language...

  13. Association of African Universities : Education and Research ...

    International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

    Association of African Universities : Education and Research Networking Unit. The Association of African Universities (AAU), headquartered in Accra, Ghana, is an international nongovernmental organization (NGO) that promotes cooperation between African universities and with the international community.

  14. An Investigation into the Current State and Direction of the Development of the Russian Language as a Specialty in China’s Comprehensive Universities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Guo Lijun

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Chinese comprehensive universities will face the stern tenet of the development of Russian as a specialty. Connecting this specialty with the advantage of the development of university disciplines and taking one’s own path of building the Russian language specialty using one’s own know-hows and accomplishments is an important issue instructors of Russians are going to have to tackle. This article analyzes the major tenet of the development of the Russian language specialty in comprehensive universities. The article provides the author’s speculations and proposes a countermeasure in respect of the development of the Russian language specialty in comprehensive universities, which, the author hopes, will help the cause of the development of the Russian language specialty in comprehensive universities.

  15. An advocacy project for multicultural education: The case of the Shiyeyi language in Botswana

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nyati-Saleshando, Lydia

    2011-12-01

    Multicultural education respects cultural differences and affirms pluralism which students, their communities and teachers bring to the learning process. It is founded on the belief that a school curriculum which promotes the ideals of freedom, justice, equality, equity and human dignity is most likely to result in high academic achievement and quality education. In Botswana, English is the official language and medium of instruction and Setswana is the national lingua franca which is used for formal occasions in the villages and other informal settings. Any other languages spoken by unrecognised tribes are banned from use in schools or the media, including minority languages taught before independence in 1966, This paper describes the Shiyeyi Language Project, initiated by the Wayeyi tribe, which advocates for a multicultural model of education where children learn in their mother tongue and about their local culture at an early stage, then add the national language, and eventually an international language as medium of instruction. The project operates within an unfriendly political and legal context, but has achieved some results. Continued efforts, especially as supported by similar language projects, have the potential to change the situation in Botswana.

  16. Interdisciplinary Approach in Engineering Education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anda Zeidmane

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">The analysis of the scientific literature available on the types of general competences and their classification caused the authors to conclude that it is necessary to implement interdisciplinary approach in engineering education to develop competences necessary for engineers to make them competitive in the labour market. The attention should be paid to a professional foreign language, computer literacy and educational psychology recommendations. To improve professional foreign language skills, CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning method should be integrated in the study process of engineering education. In order to develop information literacy competence, it is important to create a single e-study environment. The academic staff, developing study subjects for engineering programmes, should focus on the study content and study methods. As regards the content, the compromise should be sought between fundamental acquisition of the knowledge of the subject matter, the know-how of the application of this knowledge as well as the use of brand new software in the calculations. The paper presents the examples of the application of the interdisciplinary approach in the universities, where the authors of the paper are affiliated: the LUA (Latvia University of Agriculture and the RTU (Riga Technical University, respectively.

  17. A Comparison of Inter-Professional Education Programs in Preparing Prospective Teachers and Speech and Language Pathologists for Collaborative Language-Literacy Instruction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilson, Leanne; McNeill, Brigid; Gillon, Gail T.

    2016-01-01

    Ensuring teacher and speech and language pathology graduates are prepared to work collaboratively together to meet the diverse language literacy learning needs of children is an important goal. This study investigated the efficacy of a 3-h inter-professional education program focused on explicit instruction in the language skills that underpin…

  18. The Digital Archiving of Endangered Language Oral Traditions: Kaipuleohone at the University of Hawai‘i and C’ek’aedi Hwnax in Alaska

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrea L. Berez

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available This essay compares and contrasts two small-scale digital endangered language archives with regard to their relevance for oral tradition research. The first is a university-based archive curated at the University of Hawai‘i, which is designed to house endangered language materials arising from the fieldwork of university researchers. The second is an indigenously-administered archive in rural Alaska that serves the language maintenance needs of the Ahtna Athabaskan Alaska Native community.

  19. Foreign language classroom anxiety : A study of Chinese university students of Japanese and English over time

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Jin, Yinxing

    2016-01-01

    This PhD project mainly aimed at exploring the relationship between foreign language (FL) anxiety and FL proficiency development, the sources of FL anxiety, and the stability of FL anxiety over time and across target languages. To this end, 146 L1 Chinese university students, who had been learning

  20. Academic language use in science education in Kindergarten

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Menninga, Astrid; van Dijk, Marijn; Wetzels, Anna; Steenbeek, Henderien; van Geert, Paul

    2015-01-01

    This study aims at gaining insight into the academic language use of teachers and their pupils in science education in Kindergarten. Using videotaped classroom observations of a video feedback coaching intervention study (Author Citation, 2012), teachers’ (intervention n = 5, controls n = 5) and

  1. REVIEW OF MOODLE PLUGINS FOR DESIGNING MULTIMEDIA ELECTRONIC EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES FROM LANGUAGE DISCIPLINES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anton M. Avramchuk

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Today the problem of designing multimedia electronic educational resources from language disciplines in Moodle is very important. This system has a lot of different, powerful resources, plugins to facilitate the learning of students with language disciplines. This article presents an overview and comparative analysis of the five Moodle plugins for designing multimedia electronic educational resources from language disciplines. There have been considered their key features and functionality in order to choose the best for studying language disciplines in the Moodle. Plugins are compared by a group of experts according to the criteria: efficiency, functionality and easy use. For a comparative analysis of the plugins it is used the analytic hierarchy process.

  2. Multilingualism in South Africa with Particular Reference to the Role of African Languages in Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Desai, Zubeida

    2001-07-01

    In this paper it is argued that language policy can play a central role in enabling citizens of a country to participate in the political, educational, social and economic life of that country. Or it can deny them that right. In discussions on the role of African languages, there is a tendency to confine the discussion to language in education. I argue that unless we locate the discussion in a broader context, we are not going to make much progress in extending the use of African languages beyond the home domain. The paper therefore consists of three sections. The first section looks broadly at the domains where language has an impact. The second section briefly outlines a process underway in South Africa to develop a framework for a national language policy, whilst the final section looks at the implications of this for education. Here I look at language in Education Policy in Practice. I give examples from a piece of primary research that I have conducted with Xhosa -speaking Grade 4 and Grade 7 learners who have been given pictures to describe first in Xhosa and then in English. The examples show the rich vocabulary children have when they express themselves in Xhosa and the poor vocabulary they have when they express themselves in English.

  3. English Language Education in Jordan: Some Recent Trends and Challenges

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alhabahba, Mohammad Madallh; Pandian, Ambigapathy; Mahfoodh, Omer Hassan Ali

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to map out the status of English language teaching (ELT) as practised in the Arab World and, specifically, in Jordan today. The study also aims to bring into focus significant issues that need to be addressed in ELT in the Arab World. This paper presents a review of the current status of English language education,…

  4. Multilingual Interaction and Minority Languages: Proficiency and Language Practices in Education and Society

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gorter, Durk

    2015-01-01

    In this plenary speech I examine multilingual interaction in a number of European regions in which minority languages are being revitalized. Education is a crucial variable, but the wider society is equally significant. The context of revitalization is no longer bilingual but increasingly multilingual. I draw on the results of a long-running…

  5. Making sense of syntax – Innate or acquired? Contrasting universal grammar with other approaches to language acquisition

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christian Kliesch

    2012-05-01

    Full Text Available Proponents of a Universal Grammar argue that humans are born with a dedicated language system that shapes and restricts the number of grammars found in human languages (Chomsky, 2005. It is essentially innate and has a genetic manifestation. Such an innate system is necessary because human grammars are too complex to be passed on through social interactions and probabilistic learning alone. However, this view is contested by a combination of emergentist approaches and a number of studies suggest that many of the core assumptions of Universal Grammar are either unnecessary or do not hold. Furthermore, this review will explore theoretical criticism of the Universal Grammar research programme.

  6. The Art of Language in Teaching Theoretical Basics of Education (A Case Study: Russian Literature

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Masoumeh Motamednia

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available The nature of teaching foreign language literature, especially the Russian literature which is formed by a great wealth of Russian culture based on the learning of the stable communication principles, so providing its facilities is charged on the foreign language departments of universities. This communicational method is of high importance because it is a good way for students to become acquainted with the spiritual and cultural values of the other nations and the mutual understanding between people. Literature, in any forms and shapes, reflects the life and expresses the values, criteria and characteristics affecting the individual and collective life. Literary works occasionally connect to life from the ethnic and national perspectives, and sometimes from the viewpoint of sensation and emotion, and at times, through rationality and morality, it guides and instructs its audiences. The use of literature in enhancing reading skills and the way it is used to create mental peace as well as its use as a means of gaining new experiences are the strategies which have been investigated in this article. The use of language and literature in the formation of educational beliefs in individuals constitutes the final section of this study.

  7. EXPERIENCE NETWORKING UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION TRAINING MASTERS SAFETY OF LIFE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elvira Mikhailovna Rebko

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available The article discloses experience networking of universities (Herzen State Pedagogical University and Sakhalin State University in the development and implementation of joint training programs for master’s education in the field of life safety «Social security in the urban environment». The novelty of the work is to create a schematic design of basic educational training program for master’s education in the mode of networking, and to identify effective instructional techniques and conditions of networking.Purpose – present the results of the joint development of a network of the basic educational program (BEP, to identify the stages of networking, to design a generalized scheme of development and implementation of a network of educational training program for master’s education in the field of life safety.Results generalized model of networking partner institutions to develop and implement the basic educational program master.Practical implications: the education process for Master of Education in the field of health and safety in Herzen State Pedagogical University and Sakhalin State University.

  8. Learner Autonomy in Language Education : A Cross-Cultural Perspective

    OpenAIRE

    Kojima, Hideo

    2006-01-01

    In recent years, the importance of developing learner autonomy in language education hasbeen one of its more prominent themes in Japan as well as in the West. In spite of agreementconcerning its importance, there remains a good deal of uncertainty about its meaning inteaching and learning English as a foreign language (EFL). This paper aims to consider theconcept of learner autonomy amongst different cultures. Autonomy has a social as well as anindividual dimension. The promotion of learner a...

  9. Nuclear education and international nuclear university

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kang, C.S.

    2000-01-01

    In this paper author deals with the concept of establishing the International Nuclear University (INU) would be one of the most viable options. The INU would provide young professionals with not only university-level education but also high-skill training in the fields of nuclear technology. The program will emphasize on global and multi- disciplinary perspectives, which should offer our young generation broader opportunities of advanced education and motivate professional staffs in the enhancement of their knowledge and skills. The 'World Council of Nuclear Education' could be formed to steer the INU for close international cooperation under the auspices of the IAEA. The INU would organize a world network of existing nuclear- related educational organizations and training centers which already exist in Member States. Existing facilities and can be utilized at maximum. Use of cyber-lecturing through Internet, cross-approval of credits among educational organizations in degree work, certification of credits by the authorized body like IAEA, human resources placement services, etc. are some of the activities that the INU could provide in addition to its professional training and higher education. (authors)

  10. Alternative Assessment in Engineering Language Education: The Case of the Technical University of Madrid

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pierce, Joana; Duran, Pilar; Ubeda, Paloma

    2011-01-01

    Engineering institutions across Europe are currently involved in a major process of reform and restructuring as a part of the Bologna Process, which stresses the role of competencies and outcomes in curriculum design. In the field of languages, the Council of Europe has developed the CEFR (Common European Framework of References) for languages,…

  11. Rights to Language

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Phillipson, Robert

    This work brings together cutting-edge scholarship in language, education and society from all parts of the world. Celebrating the 60th birthday of Tove Skutnabb-Kangas, it is inspired by her work in minority, indigenous and immigrant education; multilingualism; linguistic human rights; and global...... language and power issues. Drawn from all parts of the world, the contributors are active in a range of scientific and professional areas including bilingual education; sociolinguistics; the sociology of education, law and language; economics and language; linguistics; sign language; racism; communication......; discourse analysis; language policy; minority issues; and language pedagogy. The book situates issues of minorities and bilingual education in broader perspectives of human rights, power and the ecology of language. It aims at a distillation of themes that are central to an understanding of language rights...

  12. An Exploration of Language Anxiety in L2 Academic Context for Chinese International Students in U.S. Universities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Qing

    2013-01-01

    This mix-methods study examined the language anxiety levels that the Chinese international students perceived in second language (L2) academic context at four universities in the northeastern region of the United States of America; it explored the impact of language anxiety that these students perceived on their academic learning; it also…

  13. An analysis of the language of attribution in university students ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Certificate in Education (PGCE) students at Rhodes University, as a microcosm of ... academic writing and publishing which derives from English's unrivalled status as a global lingua franca. ... (2003:32) note that at university level, “…disciplinary knowledge and ...... Chinese International Graduate Students' Views of English.

  14. The Relationship between Applied Linguistic Research and Language Policy for Bilingual Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, David Cassels

    2010-01-01

    Currently, restrictive-language policies seem to threaten bilingual education throughout the USA. Anti-bilingual education initiatives have passed easily in California, Arizona, and Massachusetts, while one was closely defeated in Colorado, and federal education policy has re-invigorated the focus on English education for English language…

  15. The Effects of Global Education in the English Language Conversation Classroom

    Science.gov (United States)

    Omidvar, Reza; Sukumar, Benjamin

    2013-01-01

    Global education is the backbone of balanced teaching. This is also applicable in the second language teaching domain where its application could result in enhancing global awareness and the linguistic competence of learners. It is, however, important to consider the platform of teaching English to speakers of other languages where the…

  16. Questions of professional-oriented teaching of foreign language for students of economic specialty

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sibul Victoria Vladimirovna

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available The article discusses the problem of the content of professional-oriented teaching of a foreign language to students of non-linguistic specialties, which is particularly relevant from the viewpoint of the increasing role of foreign language communication in the professional activity of modern professionals. The purpose of foreign language teaching in non-linguistics universities is to achieve a level that is sufficient for practical use of a foreign language in future career. Thus, if foreign language at linguistic university is a special base, at non-linguistic universities it is an application to general professional knowledge base and skills, so at non-linguistic universities the statement of ultimate goal requires specification. Thus, it is sufficient to consider the contents of foreign language teaching at non-linguistic faculties as the totality of what students should learn in the education process, the quality and level of foreign language should correlate with their needs and goals, as well as the goals and objectives of this level of training. Selection of the content is intended to promote the broad development of the student’s personality, its preparation for future careers.

  17. (Critical) Language Awareness in Business Communication

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weninger, Csilla; Kan, Katy Hoi-Yi

    2013-01-01

    In the last 20 years, critical approaches to language and literacy education have established themselves as an academic field, with an abundance of empirical studies applying Critical Literacy principles in classes and curricula at schools and universities. Noticeably absent from the contexts of implementation are courses in Business English and…

  18. The Transformation of Traditional Universities into Entrepreneurial Universities to Ensure Sustainable Higher Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bikse, Veronika; Lusena-Ezera, Inese; Rivza, Baiba; Volkova, Tatjana

    2016-01-01

    This paper aims to investigate the experience and to identify the drivers of transforming traditional universities into Entrepreneurial Universities for ensuring sustainable higher education in Latvia. Due to the wide scope, Entrepreneurial University characteristics, the present research study is limited and focuses on the university providing…

  19. Language and Literacy in Workplace Education: Learning at Work. Language in Social Life Series.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mawer, Giselle; Fletcher, Lee; McCall, Julia; O'Grady, Catherine; Ong, Bee Jong

    Interweaving theory and commentary with case studies, this book explores a multifaceted approach to workplace education that develops workers' skills and integrates learning, language, and cross-cultural issues into work, communication, and management practices. Chapter 1 explores the changing world of work and implications for workforce skill…

  20. Cognitive Neuroscience of Foreign Language Education: Myths and Realities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ali Nouri

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available This paper summarizes the educational implications of current research on cognitive neuroscience for foreign-language learning to provide an overview of myths and realities in this appealing area of research. Although the potential benefits of neuroscientific research into language acquisition are great, there are a number of popular myths that none of which are supported by scientific evidence. In this paper, three prominent examples of these myths are introduced and discussed how they are based on misinterpretation and misapplication from neuroscience research. The first pervasive example of such misconception is the prevalent belief of being the certain critical periods for learning a second language. It implies that the opportunity to acquire foreign languages is lost forever by missing these biological windows. In fact, however, extensive research shows that there are sensitive periods, but not critical periods, during which an individual can acquire certain aspects of language with greater ease than at other times. Another example of myths is a false conclusion implies that exposing children to a foreign language too early interrupts knowledge of their first language. The reality is that learning a second language not only improves language abilities in the first language, but also positively affects reading abilities and general literacy in school. Like the other myths, there is also a popular conception about ability to learn second language during sleep. It is demonstrated that previously acquired memories are consolidated and new association are learned during sleep, but learning a foreign language requires conscious effort and available data do not support this hypothesis that second language acquire during sleep. The main conclusion arising from this argument is that, while our understanding of the neural bases of language learning is continually evolving, our interpretation of the implications of these findings for foreign language

  1. Researcher’s Academic Culture in the Educational Space of the University: Linguo-Axiological Approach

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    Olena Semenog

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available The article is devoted to the nature of the concepts “classic University”, “cultural and educational space of the University”, “research activity of future professional”, “researcher’s academic culture” and approach to academic culture as the basis of research culture in a university. It is defined that the concept of academic culture is complex. We are talking in general about the culture at the university, values, traditions, norms, rules of scientific research, and the scientific language culture, the culture of spirituality and morality, the culture of communication between science tutors and students, a culture of unique pedagogical action of master and his social, moral responsibility for the studying results. The formation of academic culture and own style, is better to develop on the positions of personal-activity, competence, axiological, cultural, acmeological approaches.

  2. Contemporary Cinema in Language Learning: From Linguistic Input to Intercultural Insight

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pegrum, Mark; Hartley, Linda; Wechtler, Veronique

    2005-01-01

    Foreign-language cinema has generally been relegated to a minor role in language education. This paper reports on and analyses the results of a survey of attitudes towards foreign film among UK university students of French, German and Spanish. The findings reveal students' limited exposure to and relative lack of familiarity with non-anglophone…

  3. A North and Far North Queensland Initiative: Rethinking the "Why" When Promoting Languages Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boulard, Florence

    2015-01-01

    Despite the recent Australian Government commitment to supporting schools in growing students into global citizens, language educators cannot rely on this alone to attract new language students. The Young Language Ambassador Program is a new initiative that started in August 2014. The Young Language Ambassador Program is a partnership between…

  4. Emotion and language learning: an exploration of experience and motivation in a Mexican university context

    OpenAIRE

    Méndez López, Mariza Guadalupe

    2011-01-01

    Although there have been numerous studies on motivation in foreign language learning and on emotions in general education, little research in foreign language learning have focused on the relation between motivation and learners' emotions (Maclntyre, 2002), as this shift to the affective side of motivation has only recently been suggested. Thus, this study aims to contribute to the body of knowledge on how foreign language learning motivation is shaped by emotional experiences. In order t...

  5. Mechatronics Engineers’ Perception of Code Mixing: Philadelphia University and Hashemite University as a Case Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mustafa Al-Khawaldeh

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available It has recently been widely recognized that code-switching is prevalent in Jordanians' daily conversation in various situations such as home, cafés, universities, restaurants and clubs. Abalhassan and Alshalawi (2000: 183 made a very related observation on code switching behavior among Arab speakers of English that “without exception, all respondents switched into English to some degree”. This could be referred to the increase number of technological advances and people travelling across countries for pleasure or for pursuing further education. In light of this observation, the crucial role of language in people's life, ambivalent attitudes towards code-switching (Akbar, 2007, the dearth of research in this area, such a present study is required to explore Jordanian university students’ and instructors’ perceptions of code-switching in their daily classroom conversation and its expected impact on their language proficiency. In particular, it investigates the factors leading them to code mix and their underlying attitudes towards its expected future impact on their language proficiency. To the best knowledge of the present researcher, this study is the first of its kind in Jordan. Data was collected via semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire from 70 university students and 30 instructors from both Philadelphia University and the Hashemite University. Data revealed that code mixing between English and Arabic is a common phenomenon in lectures they have attended in their academic institutions. The participants also show that they find code mixing fascinating and believe that though code switching might have a positive impact on their learning as it helps them better understand the topic. The instructors revealed that code mixing fulfill a set of functions that serve the educational process.

  6. Analyzing writing in english-medium instruction at university

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    María Sagrario Salaberri Ramiro

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The number of bilingual and English-Medium-Instruction (EMI degree programmes has grown significantly in Spanish universities during the last few years, becoming a new trend within the Bologna system. The implementation of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA led to changes in Spanish universities, promoting a shift in the teaching methods and enhancing the improvement in quality and international competitiveness pursuing an increase in mobility opportunities and the employability of the European graduates. The command of the English language in specialized university contexts became thus crucial. Research conducted at university level reveals that university students often have difficulty in performing the cognitive and discursive operations involved in the comprehension and production of written texts. These difficulties aggravate when the written performance has to be conducted in a nonnative language. The present paper analyses the written production of Chemistry students following an EMI approach at the University of Almería (Spain from a qualitative perspective. Results show the differences in the performance of certain areas of written language competence, which evidences the need to adopt methodologies that solve the problems and difficulties faced by students in order to help them integrate the global features of the writing ability within their own course contents in a second language.

  7. Pedagogical Conditions of Multilevel Foreign Languages Teaching in Pedagogical Higher Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kadakin, Vasily V.; Shukshina, Tatiana I.; Piskunova, Svetlana I.; Babushkina, Larisa E.; Falileev, Alexander E.

    2016-01-01

    This article is devoted to pedagogical conditions of multilevel foreign languages teaching in pedagogical higher education. The purpose of the study is to form the students' skills in foreign language mastering, to form the ability to operate independently and autonomously in this activity, both in the specific learning situation, and in the…

  8. Organizational Issues in International and Second Language Education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adelman, Clifford

    One of 10 studies commissioned to investigate research needs and to stimulate planning activities, this paper concerns the structures, processes, interrelationships, governance, finance, and workforces of institutions and organizations as they are engaged in international and second language education. After noting the field of instruction and…

  9. Redrawing the Boundaries of Language Teacher Cognition: Language Teacher Educators' Emotion, Cognition, and Activity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Golombek, Paula R.

    2015-01-01

    This article, grounded in a Vygotskian sociocultural perspective, details the self-inquiry of a language teacher educator who examined her "emotional dissonance" regarding her mediation of the reflection journals of a teacher learner teaching an ESL class during an internship. Data from the teacher learner's reflection journals and the…

  10. Emerging Literacy in Spanish among Hispanic Heritage Language University Students in the USA: A Pilot Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fairclough, Marta; Belpoliti, Flavia

    2016-01-01

    This pilot study identifies some lexical aspects of the emerging writing skills in Spanish among receptive English/Spanish bilingual students with little or no exposure to formal study of the home language upon entering a Spanish Heritage Language Program at a large public university in the Southwestern United States. The 200+ essays analyzed in…

  11. A Review of Research on Universal Design Educational Models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rao, Kavita; Ok, Min Wook; Bryant, Brian R.

    2014-01-01

    Universal design for learning (UDL) has gained considerable attention in the field of special education, acclaimed for its promise to promote inclusion by supporting access to the general curriculum. In addition to UDL, there are two other universal design (UD) educational models referenced in the literature, universal design of instruction (UDI)…

  12. University Teacher Educators' Research Engagement: Perspectives from Saudi Arabia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Borg, Simon; Alshumaimeri, Yousif

    2012-01-01

    This paper examines university teacher educators' engagement with and in educational research. Survey results collected from eighty-two teacher educators at a leading university in Saudi Arabia pointed to modest levels of research activity and also suggested that these individuals held largely technical views of what research is. Their assessments…

  13. Critical Issues in Language and Education Planning in Twenty First Century in South Africa

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brook Napier, Diane

    2011-01-01

    Language and education planning issues and democratic policy implementation in the post-apartheid era in South Africa encompass a range of language-related issues and dilemmas that have counterparts in many countries, within the emerging global education system. The issues in South Africa were and continue to be shaped by the historical legacy of…

  14. English in Education Policy Shift in Senegal: From Traditional Pedagogies to Communicative Language Teaching

    Science.gov (United States)

    Diallo, Ibrahima

    2014-01-01

    Despite its allegiance to French, language-in-education planning in Senegal has given top priority to English in its education system. In the 1980s, policy-makers shifted English language teaching pedagogy from the Centre de Linguistique Appliquée de Dakar (CLAD) [Centre for Applied Linguistics of Dakar] teaching methods to Communicative Language…

  15. Preparing for the European Language Portfolio: Internet connections

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mualla Bilgin AKSU

    2005-01-01

    Full Text Available Preparing for the European Language Portfolio: Internet connections Lectures Philip GLOVER Asst. Prof. Dr. Ismail Hakký MIRICI Akdeniz University Faculty of Education, ELT Department Antalya-TURKEY Prof. Dr. Mualla Bilgin AKSU Inonu University, Faculty of Education, Educational Sciences Department Malatya, TURKEY ABSTRACT The European Language Portfolio (ELP is a tool for developing learner responsibility and autonomy through reflection and self-awareness. The ELP is based on the Common European Framework (CEF Reference Levels that enable learners to describe what they can do in different languages. The CEF is a Council of Europe initiative aimed at improving the learning of foreign languages. This paper uses the internet to look at how the ELP has been implemented in different settings and to suggest how the ELP may be approached. The paper introduces a small-scale case study of ELP pilot implementation in a university preparatory school. The results from this institution show many similarities with responses in other places, and demonstrate the importance of integrating the ELP with the existing programme, providing teacher training and clarifying the status and purpose of the ELP. Analysis of documents on the internet shows a number of important factors. The most successful examples of ELP use involved integration of the ELP in the institution’s programme, training for teachers and students and a high level of commitment of time and financial resources by teachers and administrators. Responses from teachers were often extremely positive, others showed interest but many also expressed reservations about the ELP. Student responses were generally but not universally positive and a number of criticisms were raised concerning the status and purpose of the ELP. The paper provides full internet links so readers can access the same documents. The paper concludes firstly that future ELP use could exploit the internet for teacher training and

  16. The Meanings of Hebrew: Defining Bilingual Education in a Dual-Language Charter School

    Science.gov (United States)

    Avni, Sharon

    2015-01-01

    Using a discourse analytic framework that draws on theories of language ideologies, this paper analyzes the semiotics of a heritage language as it moves from the context of parochial education to the realm of public schooling. Specifically, it examines how Hebrew undergoes resemioticization when a Hebrew language charter school in the District of…

  17. Reading Logs and Literature Teaching Models in English Language Teacher Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ochoa Delarriva, Ornella; Basabe, Enrique Alejandro

    2016-01-01

    Reading logs are regularly used in foreign language education since they are not only critical in the development of reading comprehension but may also be instrumental in taking readers beyond the referential into the representational realms of language. In this paper we offer the results of a qualitative analysis of a series of reading logs…

  18. PREPARING STUDENTS FOR BUSINESS LANGUAGE EXAMINATION WITH SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON DEVELOPING SPEAKING SKILLS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mária Czellér

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Today public awareness of technical language knowledge and the social demand for related language skills are on the rise, and the Hungarian labour market requires an increasingly competent command of foreign languages from professionals involved in business and economics; compliance with these growing demands is reflected in the nature and structure of teaching foreign languages in the Hungarian higher education institutions Due to the high degree of institutional autonomy each Hungarian university has the right to work out its own language teaching policy and adopt it in its training programme. This paper will show that foreign language study at Hungarian universities can be devoted either to general language or language for specific purposes. These criteria can differ according to the field of study. Given that obtaining a language exam certificate is a pre-requisite of graduation, the role of academic education in providing students with the required knowledge base and successfully preparing them for language exams has become more important. The structure and content of modern business language exams reflect the need to meet the demands of the labour market. There has been a definite shift from grammar-oriented, translation-based tasks towards a more communicative approach which involves testing reading comprehension, writing skills and performance in situational role plays. However, while students generally cope well with understanding written business texts, many of them frequently fail in oral communication. Consequently, the question arises of whether it is possible to bridge the obvious gap between reading and speaking skills. This paper aims to give a possible example of how a descriptive text can be adapted to prepare students for the situational role play tasks in business language exams at the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, University of Debrecen

  19. Tradition, globalisation and language dilemma in education: African options for the 21st century

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rwantabagu, Hermenegilde

    2011-08-01

    This paper addresses the dilemma of language in education in African countries with particular reference to Burundi. African languages are still marginalised by colonial languages such as French and English. Looking at other African countries in general and at the case of Burundi in detail, an analysis is made of the adopted policies aimed at promoting the use of the mother tongue as a basis for knowledge acquisition and cultural integration. Burundi has gone through a series of educational reforms both before and after gaining independence in 1962, with French and Kirundi competing as curricular teaching languages. After the integration of Burundi into the East African Community in July 2007, English and Kiswahili were added to the curriculum, complicating education policies. This article places particular emphasis on the contextual challenges that tend to impair the full implementation of the adopted policy reforms. The paper concludes by advocating for a multilingual approach in which the indigenous mother tongue serves as the basis for the acquisition of other languages in the curriculum.

  20. Globalization and Language and Education Reform in Colombia: A Critical Outlook

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jaime Usma

    2009-05-01

    Full Text Available This paper explores the connection between economic, political, and cultural globalization processes and recent education and language reforms in Colombia. Throughout the article, the author attempts to demonstrate that current education and language policies in Colombia are tightly connected to transnational agendas and models of reform that do not necessarily represent a real benefit for the majority of the population, but, instead, may render privileges for a few. With this analysis, the author insists on the need for an equitable plan for the improvement of language teaching and learning in Colombia in a way that considers local priorities of economic development, respects local knowledge and culture, and accounts for a systemic and fundamental improvement of the public system based on the dissimilar conditions that affect schools, teachers, and students in both the private and the public sectors in the country.

  1. Institutional Problems and Solutions of General Education in Chinese Universities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meng, Weiqing; Huang, Wei

    2018-01-01

    Embedding general education in the Chinese university education system is a considerably complex systemic project, and a lack of institutional arrangements beneficial to general education has always been a key barrier in implementation. Currently, the main institutional restricting factors for university general education include substantial…

  2. ANALYSIS OF MODERN REQUIREMENTS FOR THE LEVEL OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY OF ENGINEERING SPECIALISTS

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    K. M. Inozemtseva

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction. At present, in Russian higher professional education we can observe a shift to the new educational paradigm based on Professional Standards (PS. According to the Federal Law of 02.05.2015 № 122 «About amendments to the Labour Code of Russian Federation and the articles 11 and 73 of «The Law on Education in Russian Federation» formation of the Federal State Educational Standards of Higher Education requirements for expected learning outcomes on universities’ main educational programs is implemented on the basis of relevant Professional Standards. This causes necessity of work on conjunction of Professional Standards, Federal State Educational Standards and universities’ main educational programs.The aim of this article is to demonstrate the influence of a new educational paradigm on the choice of contents, technologies and activities used in foreign language teaching at Russian technical universities.Methodology and research methods. The research methodology is based on the concept of diversification of engineers’ continuous professional foreign language training (T. Yu. Polyakova. In view of priority value of PS for developing universities’ main educational programs the updating of the above concept needs thorough analysis of both PS requirements for the level of foreign language proficiency of engineering specialists and study of scientific literature on the above problem.Results. This research results in interpretation and clarification of generalized PS requirements for the actual needs of industries and individuals in foreign language proficiency. The research also causes Language for Specific Purposes (LSP program developers’ and LSP teachers’ pedagogical reflection about their readiness to form foreign language (FL professional communicative competence of an engineer. It is concluded that a teacher needs to consider axiological aspects of engineering activity in order to understand the nature of the work

  3. Science &Language Teaching in Hands-on Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gehlert, Sylvia

    2002-01-01

    As announced in the paper presented in Toulouse, a trinational teacher training program addressing school teachers from France, Germany and Italy on teaching foreign languages together with science and history through Space related projects has been implemented and launched successfully. Supported by the French Ministry of Education (Académie de Nice), the bigovernmental French-German Youth Office (Office franco- allemand pour la Jeunesse) and the European Space Agency the first session was held in Cannes in October 2001 and brought together 36 language, science and history teachers, 12 from each country. Through different workshops, presentations and visits this five-day training encounter initiated the participants with Space activities and exploration as well as offering them back-up information on astronomy. It gave them furthermore the opportunity of improving their linguistic skills and of exchanging their teaching experience. The program was highly welcomed by all the participants who will meet this year in Germany for the second session devoted to establishing together bi- or trinational projects for future class encounters based on the same subjects. My paper will deal with the results of the program which have been beyond expectation and will encourage us to continue this pluridisciplinary approach of language &science teaching and extend it to other language combinations.

  4. Foreign Language Education: Principles of Teaching English to Adults at Commercial Language Schools and Centers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tarnopolsky, Oleg

    2016-01-01

    The ever-increasing spread of English as the language of global communication leads to ever-increasing demand for learning it among adult populations of non-English-speaking countries. If such people did not have a chance of acquiring English during their school or university years but urgently need it for professional or personal purposes, they…

  5. Sign language in dental education-A new nexus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jones, T; Cumberbatch, K

    2017-08-14

    The introduction of the landmark mandatory teaching of sign language to undergraduate dental students at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona Campus in Kingston, Jamaica, to bridge the communication gap between dentists and their patients is reviewed. A review of over 90 Doctor of Dental Surgery and Doctor of Dental Medicine curricula in North America, the United Kingdom, parts of Europe and Australia showed no inclusion of sign language in those curricula as a mandatory component. In Jamaica, the government's training school for dental auxiliaries served as the forerunner to the UWI's introduction of formal training of sign language in 2012. Outside of the UWI, a couple of dental schools have sign language courses, but none have a mandatory programme as the one at the UWI. Dentists the world over have had to rely on interpreters to sign with their deaf patients. The deaf in Jamaica have not appreciated the fact that dentists cannot sign and they have felt insulted and only go to the dentist in emergency situations. The mandatory inclusion of sign language in the Undergraduate Dental Programme curriculum at The University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, sought to establish a direct communication channel to formally bridge this gap. The programme of two sign language courses and a direct clinical competency requirement was developed during the second year of the first cohort of the newly introduced undergraduate dental programme through a collaborating partnership between two faculties on the Mona Campus. The programme was introduced in 2012 in the third year of the 5-year undergraduate dental programme. To date, two cohorts have completed the programme, and the preliminary findings from an ongoing clinical study have shown a positive impact on dental care access and dental treatment for deaf patients at the UWI Mona Dental Polyclinic. The development of a direct communication channel between dental students and the deaf that has led to increased dental

  6. The Career Trajectories of English Language Teachers. Oxford Studies in Comparative Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haworth, Penny, Ed.; Craig, Cheryl, Ed.

    2016-01-01

    This volume identifies, illustrates, compares, contrasts and provides informed reflective commentary on the diverse career trajectories of English language teachers, teacher educators and researchers. Increased migration and globalisation pressures have led to dramatic changes in English language teaching over the last few decades. The resulting…

  7. Translanguaging Pedagogies for Positive Identities in Two-Way Dual Language Bilingual Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    García-Mateus, Suzanne; Palmer, Deborah

    2017-01-01

    Research suggests that identity matters for school success and that language and identity are powerfully intertwined. A monolingual solitudes understanding of bilingualism undermines children's bilingual identities, yet in most bilingual education classrooms, academic instruction is segregated by language and children are encouraged to engage in…

  8. Primary English Language Education Policy in Vietnam: Insights from Implementation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nguyen, Hoa Thi Mai

    2011-01-01

    The introduction of English in primary education curricula is a phenomenon occurring in many non-English-speaking countries in Asia, including Vietnam. Recently, the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) in Vietnam issued guidelines for the piloting of an English as a foreign language (EFL) primary curriculum in which English is taught as a…

  9. The Role of "Outside" Organizations in Foreign Language Teacher Education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Love, William D., Ed.

    A short review of the various "revolutions" in methodology which foreign language instruction has undergone since its inception as an area of study leads into an appraisal of the role of government and private foundations in the education of teachers. The four-point program of the Washington Fourth Draft plan for teacher education and…

  10. Teaching Computer Languages and Elementary Theory for Mixed Audiences at University Level

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christiansen, Henning

    2004-01-01

    Theoretical issues of computer science are traditionally taught in a way that presupposes a solid mathematical background and are usually considered more or less unaccessible for students without this. An effective methodology is described which has been developed for a target group of university...... into a learning-by-doing approach having the students to develop such descriptions themselves from an informal introduction....... students with different backgrounds such as natural science or humanities. It has been developed for a course that integrates theoretical material on computer languages and abstract machines with practical programming techniques. Prolog used as meta-language for describing language issues is the central...... instrument in the approach: Formal descriptions become running prototypes that are easy and appealing to test and modify, and can be extended into analyzers, interpreters, and tools such as tracers and debuggers. Experience shows a high learning curve, especially when the principles are extended...

  11. Education in the nuclear sciences in Japanese universities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Takashima, Y.

    1993-01-01

    Although there are 430 governmental and private universities in Japan, only a limited number of them have departments associated with nuclear science education. Moreover, mainly because of financial pressures, this association is often limited to government universities. Nuclear engineering departments are incorporated with only seven of larger universities, and there are three institutes with nuclear reactors. In these facilities, education in reactor physics, radiation measurements, electromagnetic and material sciences, are conducted. In terms of radiation safety and radiological health physics, ten radioisotope centers and seven radiochemistry laboratories in universities play an important role. (author) 8 figs.; 5 tabs

  12. Feminist Teaching in University Physical Education Programs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bain, Linda L.; And Others

    1991-01-01

    Examines feminist teaching in university physical education. Three articles describe the personal experiences of physical educators who try to teach in ways that promote equality. The articles focus on social diversity and justice and feminist pedagogy in the sport sciences and physical education. (SM)

  13. New Educational Services Development: Framework for Technology Entrepreneurship Education at Universities in Egypt

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abou-Warda, Sherein Hamed

    2016-01-01

    Purpose: The overall objective of the current study is to explore how universities can better developing new educational services. The purpose of this paper is to develop framework for technology entrepreneurship education (TEPE) within universities. Design/Methodology/Approach: Qualitative and quantitative research approaches were employed. This…

  14. Comparing the Language Policies and the Students' Perceptions of CLIL in Tertiary Education in Spain and Japan

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsuchiya, Keiko; Pérez Murillo, María D.

    2015-01-01

    Content and language integrated learning (CLIL) has been widely implemented in educational systems in Europe since the mid-1990s based on their multilingual education policy. CLIL integrates acquisition of subject knowledge with language learning, either a second or foreign language, simultaneously. Recently, CLIL in English has been introduced in…

  15. Student Language Production, Second Language Tasks, and Instructional Scaffolding in an English-Based Curriculum in Vietnam: Realities and Hopes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pham, Thuong T. M.

    2017-01-01

    This dissertation investigates L2 student language production, task-based instruction, and teachers' scaffolding strategies in two special EFL classes in a Vietnamese university. Two English teachers and 73 students were studied as they participated in a nationwide educational project known as the Advanced Curriculum (AC), an initiative launched…

  16. ACTUALIZING HUMANITARIAN VALUES OF FOREIGN CULTURE IN THE PROCESS OF TEACHING SCHOOLCHILDREN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE IN THE SYSTEM OF ADDITIONAL EDUCATION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lyudmila Nicholaevna Shcherbatykh

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available In this article the author describes the experience of working with linguistically gifted pupils accumulated by the teachers of the faculty of foreign languages in Elets State University in the branches of Elets secondary schools in Lipetsk region. The researcher describes the elective course in detail "Humanistic tendencies in the English and American literature," which was worked out and tested by her while teaching pupils. Additional foreign language education, according to the author’s opinion allows teachers to form humanitarian culture in pupils, it promotes their mastery of specific values, their personal development, which ultimately enriches the inner world of linguistically gifted pupils.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.12731/2218-7405-2013-8-17

  17. Digital Technologies as Education Innovation at Universities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kryukov, Vladimir; Gorin, Alexey

    2017-01-01

    This paper analyses the use of digital technology-based education innovations in higher education. It demonstrated that extensive implementation of digital technologies in universities is the main factor conditioning the acceleration of innovative changes in educational processes, while digital technologies themselves become one of the key…

  18. The Interaction of Language-Specific and Universal Factors During the Acquisition of Morphophonemic Alternations With Exceptions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baer-Henney, Dinah; Kügler, Frank; van de Vijver, Ruben

    2015-09-01

    Using the artificial language paradigm, we studied the acquisition of morphophonemic alternations with exceptions by 160 German adult learners. We tested the acquisition of two types of alternations in two regularity conditions while additionally varying length of training. In the first alternation, a vowel harmony, backness of the stem vowel determines backness of the suffix. This process is grounded in substance (phonetic motivation), and this universal phonetic factor bolsters learning a generalization. In the second alternation, tenseness of the stem vowel determines backness of the suffix vowel. This process is not based in substance, but it reflects a phonotactic property of German and our participants benefit from this language-specific factor. We found that learners use both cues, while substantive bias surfaces mainly in the most unstable situation. We show that language-specific and universal factors interact in learning. Copyright © 2014 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

  19. Language Education in a Multilingual City: The Case of Limassol

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nicolaou, Anna; Parmaxi, Antigoni; Papadima-Sophocleous, Salomi; Boglou, Dimitrios

    2016-01-01

    This paper aims to provide an overview of the current situation of multilingualism and language education in the city of Limassol, Cyprus. The multicultural character of Limassol is reflected in every aspect of city life, and is notably reflected in the sector of education.Therefore,there is a need to delve into the situation of language…

  20. Students of Today Changing English Language Studies of Yesterday

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Irena Vodopija-Krstanović

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available In recent times, concern has been expressed as to whether English Language Studies are in tune with the wider social, political, technological and economic trends, and the latest developments in applied linguistics and English language education. In line with these views, the aim of this study is to explore – by means of interviews with 25 English majors from the University of Rijeka – the students’ expectations with respect to the skills and competencies (to be developed in their course of English studies, their relevance to the job market, as well as the teaching approaches and methods used to reach these learning outcomes. By comparing and contrasting the emerging educational trends triggered by the Bologna Process with primary data collected in our interviews, we focus on the implications that our results might have in terms of introducing changes to traditional English Language Studies educational paradigms.