Digital Commons Network^™

Insights- December 2003, Erika Malek

Insights

No abstract provided.

Ethnohistory And Paleopathology Of A Late Woodland Dog, Brendan Burke

Theses & Honors Papers

In this paper, the author approaches a dog burial in the same aspect humans treat their burials. With this, the author was able to uncover what the pathological life history of the dog was. The author was able to support their hypothesis that dogs in the Late-Woodland culture served the role of high relative importance and also as symbols of religious meaning.

Toward A Lutheran "Delight In The Law Of The Lord": Church And State In The Context Of Civil Society, Gary M. Simpson

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Stretching Conceptual Structures In Classifications Across Languages And Cultures., Barbara H. Kwasnik, Victoria L. Rubin

School of Information Studies - Faculty Scholarship

The authors describe the difficulties of translating classifications from a source language and culture to another language and culture. To demonstrate these problems, kinship terms and concepts from native speakers of fourteen languages were collected and analyzed to find differences between their terms and structures and those used in English. Using the representations of kinship terms in the Library of Congress Classification (LCC) and the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) as examples, the authors identified the source of possible lack of mapping between the domain of kinship in the fourteen languages studied and the LCC and DDC. Finally, some preliminary suggestions …

Translation Events In Cross-Language Information Retrieval: Lexical Ambiguity, Lexical Holes, Vocabulary Mismatch, And Correct Translations, Anne Roel Diekema

School of Information Studies - Faculty Scholarship

Cross-Language Information Retrieval (CLIR) systems enable users to formulate queries in their native language to retrieve documents in foreign languages. Because queries and documents in CLIR do not necessarily share the same language, translation is needed before matching can take place. This translation step tends to cause a reduction in the retrieval performance of CLIR as compared to monolingual information retrieval. The prevailing CLIR approach and the focus of this study is query translation. The translation of queries is inherently difficult due to the lack of a one-to-one mapping of a lexical item and its meaning, which creates lexical ambiguity. …

What Do You Mean? Finding Answers To Complex Questions, Anne R. Diekema, Ozgur Yilmazel, Jiangping Chen, Sarah Harwell, Elizabeth D. Liddy, Lan He

School of Information Studies - Faculty Scholarship

This paper illustrates ongoing research and issues faced when dealing with real-time questions in the domain of Reusable Launch Vehicles (aerospace engineering). The question- answering system described in this paper is used in a collaborative learning environment with real users and live questions. The paper describes an analysis of these more complex questions as well as research to include the user in the question-answering process by implementing a question negotiation module based on the traditional reference interview.

Young Children’S Close Relationships Outside The Family: Parental Ethnotheories In Four Communities In Norway, United States, Turkey, And Korea, Vibeke G. Aukrust, Carolyn Pope Edwards, Asiye Kumru, Lisa Knoche, Misuk Kim

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

Parents, preschools, and schools in different cultures vary greatly in the extent to which children are encouraged to develop long-term relationships with people outside the family circle—peers and teachers. In contemporary societies, parents face complex choices as they bridge children’s transitions to a wider world. This exploratory cross-cultural study used a newly developed questionnaire, Parental Concerns for Preschool Children Survey, to assess parental beliefs, values, and judgments. The sample included 521 parents from four cities: Oslo, Norway; Lincoln (Nebraska), United States; Ankara, Turkey; Seoul, Korea. Strong cultural community differences were found in parental descriptions of their own child’s friendships and …

Centralizing Politics And The Growth Of The Maoist Insurgency In Nepal, Mahendra Lawoti

HIMALAYA, the Journal of the Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies

No abstract provided.

University Of Southern Maine Undergraduate Catalog 2003-2004, University Of Southern Maine

Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Using L1 And L2 Effectively In The Foreign Language Classroom, Claire Millous

MA TESOL Collection

Drawing on research and the author's experience, this paper presents descriptions and prescriptions regarding the controversial issue of use of L1 (first language) and of L2 (target language) in the foreign language classroom. In the context of her own practice, the author discusses and evaluates techniques and principles that include the use of the use of L1 as well as those that exclude it. This project will examine various interactions among the teacher, the learner, and the content as they relate to LllL2 use in the classroom. Awareness of the variables involved is the foundation for the teacher’s continual adjustment …

Making Connections With Dialogue Journals, Catherine Elliott

MA TESOL Collection

This paper makes a case for the use of dialogue journals in the second language classroom. In Part One the author examines the research of experts in the fields of second language acquisition and writing instruction and presents their findings as a rationale which supports the use of dialogue journals. In Part Two the author draws from her own experience in the classroom to illustrate how dialogue journals can be used effectively with second language learners.

Listen To The Beat: Activities For English Pronunciation, Victor Yevmenov

MA TESOL Collection

Suggested in this work is a set of activities for learners of English as a foreign language developed with a special focus on suprasegmentals of connected speech such as rhythm, stress patterning, weak forms, linking, assimilation and elision of sounds. It is designed to meet the needs of teachers of English working with groups of adult and young adult learners whose native language is syllable-timed.

Praxis: Do I Practice What I Believe? A Course In Research In The Language Classroom For The English Language Teacher Education Program At Universidad Centroamericana, Nicaragua, Sarah Renata Wright

MA TESOL Collection

I have asked myself to describe my teaching beliefs and analyze my teaching practice in order to see if the two are congruent and if in fact I do have a teaching praxis. This is a professional paper about course development based on a classroom research project. First, through a discussion of theories, experiences, and observations I describe my teaching beliefs. Second, I describe the Research in English Language Teaching course that I designed and taught to a group fourth year student teachers at the Universidad Centroamericana in Nicaragua. This description is based on a selection of student writings, lesson …

Let’S Play Cards. Grammar Is Fun. (How And Why I Have Taught English To My Students), Tomi Yukimune

MA TESOL Collection

In Japan, most students have to memorize grammar rules to pass entrance examinations to high schools as well as universities. As speaking skills are not required in those exams, many students regard grammar as nothing but rote learning. However, grammar is not dried bones but a vivid creature, which can be formed by students. Grammar can be learned with the four skills (speaking, listening, reading, writing), which is addressing diverse learning styles. It can be taught with stories, poems, plays, songs, games, puppets, picture books, and playing cards. Once students learn the rules of grammar, they will be able to …

Multiple Intelligences In The Efl Classroom: A Perspective In Context, Irena Vodopija- Krstanoviæ

MA TESOL Collection

This paper examines the implication of Multiple Intelligences Theory for learning styles in the EFL classroom. The multiple intelligence profiles of students and teachers at two secondary schools were obtained in order to determine their strengths and weaknesses in the different intelligences. In addition, the teachers’ and learner’s preferences for EFL activities catering for the intelligences were defined. Furthermore, the frequency of use of the EFL activities was examined in order to determine how the various intelligences were actually addressed in the teaching and learning processes. The research was conducted in Rijeka, Croatia, thus providing insights into a specific cultural …

Designing And Teaching A Culture Course In Korea: Developing Cultural Awareness In The Korean University Classroom, Melanie Van Den Hoven

MA TESOL Collection

This Independent Professional Project outlines my process of becoming aware of the interrelationship of language and culture in the Korean University language classroom and the issues surrounding teaching culture in Korea at the turn of the millenium. My decisions, reflections and realizations made as an expatriate EFL teacher based in Seoul, Korea, which helped to address these concerns, are fully presented. This paper reflects on the “culture bumps” inherent in my living and teaching context, and the cultural adjustments made both in the classroom and out. It also explores the major theoretical influences that have been helpful in designing a …

Promoting Student Self-Evaluation Of Their Learning Process, Diane Steigerwald

MA TESOL Collection

This paper describes classroom research on promoting student initiative through self and peer correction, record keeping, goal setting and evaluation. Promoting Student Self-Evaluation of Their Learning Process starts with a look at the author’s experience of self-initiative and authentic interaction among her students which sparked her awareness and began the transformation of her teaching beliefs and approaches. The old belief centered on the need to be the authority in control. The new belief focuses on empowering the students to see themselves as authorities. The paper then describes the forms and activities used in an adult high-intermediate English as a Second …

Dilemmas Of Politics And Spontaneity In The Contemporary Teaching Of Languages “La Sal De La Vida”, Patricia Pedroza

MA TESOL Collection

This document describes my philosophy of teaching. My primary interests are in Pedagogical Psychodrama and Feminist Pedagogy. This document is a compilation of my experiences, insights, and dilemmas in my practice of teaching Spanish as a second language and also in teaching feminist classes.

The Effects Of Acculturation On The L2 Learner, Raya C. Longto

MA TESOL Collection

This paper deals with the deconstruction of a novel (A Sprig of Lemon Blossom) written on the subject of Acculturation. Since the latter half of the twentieth century the world has traveled at an incredible speed towards globalization. Given this reality the number of people who constantly travel abroad for a variety of career and work related purposes is growing by the hour. Under the circumstances the theme of acculturation has become crucial as without an adequate form of this phenomenon people cannot function to the best of their abilities. The deconstruction of this novel addresses the three-fold process of …

Their Own Best Resources: Students And Real-World Interaction, Observation, And Reflection, Brenda Ferreira

MA TESOL Collection

Students can use their experiences outside the ESL classroom to facilitate their own learning of culture and communicative competency. In a course I continue to design, students prepare for real-world interactions and learning. They practice communication strategies and discuss topics largely of their own choosing in a multi-cultural context. They then go out into the community to make cultural and communicative observations, and interact with native- and non-native speakers of English. This IPP presents various definitions of culture and communicative competency and gives suggestions for in-class and real-world activities, including communication tasks, observations, and reflections through journal writing.

Catering To Learner Needs Using Cards, Lisa M. Corbin

MA TESOL Collection

Catering to the needs of a learner is of great concern in a whole learning approach to language instruction. This paper will explore what is intended by whole learning, outline the needs of a learner, and provide a series of tasks and activities to use with cards. The first chapter introduces the topic and briefly describes the author’s classroom situation. The second chapter describes my initial experiences and discoveries while using cards in the classroom. The third chapter outlines the theoretical principles behind whole learning, details the needs of a learner and parallels how cards comply with these needs. The …

Lingualib: Linguistic Liberation For The First Year Spanish Student, M. Theresa Cordell

MA TESOL Collection

LinguaLib: Linguistic Liberation for the First Year Spanish Student This variation of Mad Libs (a popular party game in the United States) is best suited for middle high school and first year Spanish students who are learning basic vocabulary and grammatical structures. This supplemental material focuses on vocabulary and form; it also elaborates on the culture lessons introduced in most textbooks of this level. The student’s interest and self-expression is piqued when they are invited to alter the authentic meaning of an incomplete text, into their own text, which conveys an improbable message. Students are encouraged to choose from acquired …

Connecting With Elementary School Esl Students Through Dialogue Journals, Amelia Myers Collins

MA TESOL Collection

This paper presents my experiences using dialogue journals with English as a Second Language students at Ephesus Road Elementary School in Chapel Hill, NC. The history and background of dialogue journals is discussed, as well as my philosophy of teaching. The practical aspects of using dialogue journals with elementary school non-native English-speaking students and the benefits and difficulties associated with them are described using student material. In addition, the work covers how my experience using dialogue journals differed from my expectations when I began using them. Excerpts of written dialogues between students and teacher are included.

A Process Approach To The Teaching Of Literature In An Efl Context, Stefan Colibaba

MA TESOL Collection

The paper takes a process approach to exploring ways in which the study of literature in the foreign language classroom can be made into a significant experience for both learners and teacher.

A rationale for the integration of cultural, linguistic, and personal growth models in teaching literature is developed with the avowed aim of facilitating learners’ engagement with, interpretation of, and response to the literary text. Complementary to that, coherent sets of classroom activities designed around the sample literary texts provide the practical component of the paper. Besides relevant practice in the four skills, these sets of activities offer opportunities …

Terrorism, A History: Stage One, Sharon Harzenski

Florida State University Journal of Transnational Law & Policy

No abstract provided.

Allen D. Breck Award Winner: The Presence Of The Past: Shakespeare In South Africa, Natasha Distiller

Quidditas

In what ways has Shakespeare—as a collection of texts, as cultural capital, as a tool of a colonial education system as powerful as the bible and the gun—manifest in South African culture? Today I will sketch the presence of the past in a way which aims to draw out the South African in Shakespeare as much as the Shakespearean in South Africa. I do this following the post-colonial call to redress the imbalance of knowledges between the West and the Rest, and in order to break a simplistic cultural binary which posits “African,” colonized culture on one side and “European,” …

Monarchy, Democracy, Donors, And The Cpn-Maoist Movement In Nepal: A Lesson For Infant Democracies, Meena Acharya

HIMALAYA, the Journal of the Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies

No abstract provided.

Genre And The Invention Of The Writer: Reconsidering The Place Of Invention In Composition, Anis S. Bawarshi

All USU Press Publications

In a focused and compelling discussion, Anis Bawarshi looks to genre theory for what it can contribute to a refined understanding of invention. In describing what he calls "the genre function," he explores what is at stake for the study and teaching of writing to imagine invention as a way that writers locate themselves, via genres, within various positions and activities. He argues, in fact, that invention is a process in which writers are acted upon by genres as much as they act themselves. Such an approach naturally requires the composition scholar to re-place invention from the writer to the …

Book Review Of 'Rejoinders: Sensory Biographies: Lives And Deaths Among Nepal's Yolmo Buddhists' By Robert Desjarlais, Sara Shneiderman

HIMALAYA, the Journal of the Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies

No abstract provided.

Translating Καταβραβευέτω [“Disqualify,” Nrsv] In Colossians 2.18, Kent Yinger

Faculty Publications - Portland Seminary

Available lexical evidence argues for a translation such as ‘condemn,’ ‘injure,’ ‘victimize,’ rather than with glosses connected to athletic imagery as in most translations, commentaries, and lexical aids.