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1. Distinction, Integration and Identity: Motivations for Local Language Literacy in Senegalese Communities (EJ863654)
Author(s):
Trudell, Barbara; Klaas, Anthony R.
Source:
International Journal of Educational Development, v30 n2 p121-129 Mar 2010
Pub Date:
2010-03-00
Pub Type(s):
Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Peer-Reviewed:
Yes
Descriptors: Literacy Education; Motivation; Foreign Countries; Adult Literacy; Educational Objectives; Self Concept; Developing Nations; Educational Environment; Educational Development; Educational Policy; Policy Analysis; Educational Needs; African Languages; Native Language Instruction; Native Speakers; Ethnic Groups; Educational Strategies; Adult Education
Abstract: Successful adult literacy and basic education programs are notoriously difficult to achieve. One reason for this has to do with how the question, "literacy for what?" is answered for a given program. All too frequently, the answer to that question is shaped more by the goals of the literacy provider than it is by learners' own goals and desires. Accurate assessment of people's motivations for participating in literacy programs can uncover motivations beyond the economic or development-related outcomes so often given as reasons for becoming literate. One type of motivation which has received limited attention is that related to cultural identity and cultural expression. Such motivations do not figure strongly for many of the target populations of literacy programs; yet for the minority language speakers of sub-Saharan Africa and elsewhere, the issues of cultural and linguistic identity are significant and could easily give rise to this type of motivation. This paper addresses the question of whether cultural identity and expression, linked to the development and use of the mother tongue, are really a reliable motivation for adult literacy. Based on research done in five language communities of Senegal, the paper argues that two strong motivations exist among these communities for literacy: (1) the drive for internal social cohesion, solidarity and cultural uniqueness and (2) the drive towards citizenship, acceptance and equality in the larger national society. These two motivations, while apparently in opposition to each other, actually complement and enhance each other in the literacy programs under study. (Contains 1 table.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract
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2. Speaking Rate and Information Content in English Lingua Franca Oral Presentations (EJ863015)
Hincks, Rebecca
English for Specific Purposes, v29 n1 p4-18 Jan 2010
2010-01-00
Descriptors: Speech Communication; Foreign Countries; Native Speakers; Second Language Learning; Second Language Instruction; Language Research; Content Analysis; Comparative Analysis; Teaching Methods; Public Speaking; Language Patterns; Language of Instruction; English for Special Purposes; Higher Education
Abstract: This paper quantifies differences in speaking rates in a first and second language, and examines the effects of slower rates on the speakers' abilities to convey information. The participants were 14 fluent (CEF B2/C1) English L2 speakers who held the same oral presentation twice, once in English and once in their native Swedish. The temporal variables of mean length of runs and speaking rate in syllables per second were calculated for each language. Speaking rate was found to be 23% slower when using English. The slower rate of speech was found to significantly reduce the information content of the presentations when speaking time was held constant. Implications for teaching as European universities adopt English as a medium of instruction are discussed. (Contains 5 figures and 2 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract
3. Limits on Bilingualism Revisited: Stress Deafness in Simultaneous French-Spanish Bilinguals (EJ869943)
Dupoux, Emmanuel; Peperkamp, Sharon; Sebastian-Galles, Nuria
Cognition, v114 n2 p266-275 Feb 2010
2010-02-00
Descriptors: Control Groups; Language Dominance; Short Term Memory; Language Processing; Spanish; French; Native Speakers; Bilingualism; Phonology; Auditory Perception; Task Analysis; Vocabulary; Decision Making; Correlation
Abstract: We probed simultaneous French-Spanish bilinguals for the perception of Spanish lexical stress using three tasks, two short-term memory encoding tasks and a speeded lexical decision. In all three tasks, the performance of the group of simultaneous bilinguals was intermediate between that of native speakers of Spanish on the one hand and French late learners of Spanish on the other hand. Using a composite stress "deafness" index measure computed over the results of the three tasks, we found that the performance of the simultaneous bilinguals is best fitted by a bimodal distribution that corresponds to a mixture of the performance distributions of the two control groups. Correlation analyses showed that the variables explaining language dominance are linked to early language exposure. These findings are discussed in light of theories of language processing in bilinguals. (Contains 3 tables and 2 figures.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract
4. Sign Language: An Effective Strategy to Reduce the Gap between English Language Learners Native Language and English (ED507994)
Nicholson, Sheryl; Graves, Emily
Online Submission
Reports - Descriptive
N/A
Descriptors: Sign Language; Oral Language; Second Language Learning; Language Skills; Minority Groups; English (Second Language); Limited English Speaking; Language Minorities; Language of Instruction; Native Speakers; Teaching Methods; Faculty Development; Teacher Competencies
Abstract: Linguistic diversity provides even greater challenges for our educational system. English Language Learners (ELLs) are a diverse population of students who are learning English in school. They come from numerous cultural and economic backgrounds, and live throughout the country. The task of the classroom teacher is to find a way to reach these children. Language minority students and limited English proficient students are one of the fastest growing groups of students in the United States. About 50% of all public school teachers will teach an ESL student sometime in their career (Samway & McKeon, 1999). Allowing students to use their native language facilitates cognitive and academic growth. Research has shown that children who learn using their native language and also English did not delay their acquisition of English language skills (Samway & McKeon, 1999). Sign language provides a bridge between their native language and English as their spoken language. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract
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5. Ambivalence and Commitment, Liberation and Challenge: Investigating the Attitudes of Young Japanese People towards the Learning of English (EJ866846)
Ryan, Stephen
Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, v30 n5 p405-420 Sep 2009
2009-09-00
Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Descriptors: Language Attitudes; Second Language Learning; Learning Motivation; Foreign Countries; Social Environment; Learning Experience; English (Second Language); Qualitative Research; Japanese; Native Speakers; Questionnaires; Educational Policy; College Students; Secondary School Students
Abstract: This article has emerged from a large-scale, nationwide attitudinal study (n=2397) into the motivation of learners of English in Japan, which initially found that enjoyment of the learning experience seemed to be the major factor in the motivation of English learners. However, subsequent examination of the data revealed several incongruities in this initial analysis, which prompted further investigation of these issues using qualitative data. The qualitative investigation suggests that for many Japanese learners "liking English" is essentially nothing more than an intentionally vague, socially conditioned response but in other cases it represents a genuine commitment to learning. The article concludes that this sense of commitment derives not so much from the values associated with English and an English-speaking community or a desire to interact with that community, but rather from factors in the learner's immediate social environment or personal experience that mediate these surface attractions of the language. (Contains 4 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract
6. Choosing a School in a "Double-Minority" Context: Language, Migration and Ideologies in French Ontario (EJ866845)
Forlot, Gilles
Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, v30 n5 p391-403 Sep 2009
Descriptors: Educational Philosophy; Ideology; Foreign Countries; Migration; Immigrants; English (Second Language); Second Language Learning; School Choice; Ethnography; Parent Attitudes; Language Minorities; French; Native Speakers; Language Maintenance; Acculturation
Abstract: Based on ethnographic fieldwork carried out in Toronto, Ontario, this article examines the schooling behaviour of parents who have migrated from France to Canada. The population under study, engaged in a "northern" kind of migration, generally benefits from an education acquired in the pre-migration period and from the legitimacy of possessing an international language. On the other hand, these immigrants from France are faced with a reversed status within their host society: while they used to belong to the majority in their country of origin, they have become a minority in English Canada, as well as a minority within the Francophone minority of the province. The central argument of this article is that for immigrant families, language acquisition and maintenance, educational philosophy and renewed identifications are key to the decisionmaking process of choosing a school. This is particularly true in the context of a diverse "educational market" (such as this urban Canadian one) which offers programmes ranging from an ethno-centred kind of education to a non-ethnic, student-centred, multicultural approach of learning. The study reveals that educational choices contribute to immigrants' adaptation processes, and that opting for a school may both reflect ideology and identity choices and participate in their reproduction. (Contains 2 notes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract
7. Language in the Workplace Project and Workplace Communication for Skilled Migrants Course at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand (EJ866682)
de Bres, Julia; Holmes, Janet; Joe, Angela; Marra, Meredith; Newton, Jonathan; Riddiford Nicky; Vine, Bernadette
Language Teaching, v42 n4 p519-524 Oct 2009
2009-10-00
Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Descriptors: Language Research; Applied Linguistics; Foreign Countries; Native Speakers; Migrants; Higher Education; Second Language Learning; Second Language Instruction; Instructional Effectiveness; Teaching Methods; Program Evaluation; Vocational English (Second Language); Skilled Workers; Migrant Adult Education
Abstract: The School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies (LALS) at Victoria University of Wellington conducts research and teaching in Linguistics, Applied Linguistics, Writing and Deaf Studies. It incorporates a Deaf Studies Research Unit, which undertakes research on topics relating to deaf people and their language in New Zealand, and the New Zealand Dictionary Centre, set up in partnership with Oxford University Press, which provides a base for research into New Zealand lexicography and aspects of language in New Zealand. It also incorporates an English Language Institute, which specialises in teaching English language courses and teacher education programmes. A particular strength of the School's makeup is the opportunity to engage in research which benefits and is benefited by both theoretical and practical approaches to issues in linguistics and applied linguistics. This report describes one of a number of examples of the productive integration of language teaching and language research at LALS. We describe an ongoing research project that has developed organically over the past twelve years. The research involved first collecting and analysing authentic workplace interaction between native speakers, and then making use of it in explicit instruction aimed at developing socio-pragmatic proficiency in the workplace among skilled migrants with English as an Additional Language (EAL). We are now engaged in evaluating the results of the instruction, not only in the classroom, but also in workplaces where the migrants have been placed as interns. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract
8. Effects of Adding Interword Spacing on Chinese Reading: A Comparison of Chinese Native Readers and English Readers of Chinese as a Second Language (EJ866625)
Bassetti, Benedetta
Applied Psycholinguistics, v30 n4 p757-775 Oct 2009
Descriptors: Reading Comprehension; Sentences; Written Language; Second Language Learning; English; Chinese; Native Speakers; Task Analysis; Pictorial Stimuli; Comparative Analysis
Abstract: English is written with interword spacing, and eliminating it negatively affects English readers. Chinese is written without interword spacing, and adding it does not facilitate Chinese readers. "Pinyin" (romanized Chinese) is written with interword spacing. This study investigated whether adding interword spacing facilitates reading in Chinese native readers and English readers of Chinese as a second language. Participants performed two sentence-picture verification tasks with sentences written with "pinyin" or "hanzi" (characters). Interword spacing facilitated pinyin reading in English readers but not in Chinese readers; it did not affect hanzi reading in either group. The effects of interword spacing on second language reading appear to be determined by characteristics of both readers' first language writing system and the writing system being read. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract
9. The Processing and Comprehension of "Wh"-Questions among Second Language Speakers of German (EJ866619)
Jackson, Carrie N.; Bobb, Susan C.
Applied Psycholinguistics, v30 n4 p603-636 Oct 2009
Descriptors: German; Native Speakers; Phrase Structure; Reading Strategies; Applied Linguistics; Psycholinguistics; Language Processing; Sentences; Reading Processes; Second Language Learning; Morphology (Languages); Second Languages; Language Patterns; Syntax; Comparative Analysis
Abstract: Using the self-paced reading paradigm, the present study examines whether highly proficient second language (L2) speakers of German (English first language) use case-marking information during the on-line comprehension of unambiguous "wh"-extractions, even when task demands do not draw explicit attention to this morphosyntactic feature in German. Results support previous findings, in that both the native and the L2 German speakers exhibited an immediate subject preference in the matrix clause, suggesting they were sensitive to case-marking information. However, only among the native speakers did this subject preference carry over to reading times in the complement clause. The results from the present study are discussed in light of current debates regarding the ability of L2 speakers to attain nativelike processing strategies in their L2. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract
10. How Social and Critical Constructivism Can Inform Science Curriculum Design: A Study from South Africa (EJ865757)
Stears, Michele
Educational Research, v51 n4 p397-410 Dec 2009
2009-12-00
Descriptors: National Curriculum; Constructivism (Learning); Curriculum Design; Racial Segregation; Democracy; Scientific Principles; Focus Groups; Disadvantaged; Interviews; Foreign Countries; Citizenship; Guidelines; African Languages; Native Speakers; Case Studies; Qualitative Research; Outcomes of Education; Ownership; Grade 6; Student Attitudes
Abstract: Background: The introduction of a new National Curriculum in post-apartheid South Africa heralded a different approach in education. This curriculum not only advocated the development of knowledge and skills, but also emphasised education for democracy and citizenship. It seeks to balance central control (and a single curriculum) with local design, by requiring educators to design curricula according to central guidelines and set outcomes. A science curriculum informed by principles of social, as well as critical constructivism, is more likely to meet the criteria as set out by policy makers. Purpose: The article reports on research conducted to probe learners' responses to a science curriculum informed by social and critical constructivist principles, and discusses the possible implications of such curricula for science education. Sample: A grade 6 class of 45 isiXhosa-speaking learners from a former black township in the Western Cape of South Africa were purposely selected for the case study. Participants were aged from 11 to 12. Most of them came from disadvantaged backgrounds. Design and methods: The article reports on a case study of one class of learners who were taught a science lesson series. The researcher taught the lesson series while the class teacher acted as observer in the classroom. The lesson series was based on the principles of social and critical constructivism. The lesson series was taught over four days for three hours every day. Data were collected as the series was taught. The entire lesson series was video-taped and focus group interviews were conducted with five different learners at the end of each day. Results: In this small scale, qualitative study, pupils' responses suggested that this approach allowed for greater participation by learners, as they had considerable input with regard to the chosen theme. Activities were learner-centred and drew on learners' everyday experiences. Although this was a series of science lessons, it was clear that the social issues also needed to be addressed in the lessons The strategy allowed learners to take ownership of their learning, as they could make choices regarding the curriculum. The response of the learners to this type of science curriculum raises questions about curriculum design, the nature of science and purpose of science education. Conclusion: A science curriculum informed by social and critical constructivist principles has the potential to facilitate the achievement of outcomes other than science outcomes. It allows for the personal and social needs of learners to be met and this may enable them to function more effectively in broader society. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract
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