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Full-Text Articles in Education
Teaching Young Second Language Learners In Lote Contexts, Honglin Chen, Janica Nordstrom
Teaching Young Second Language Learners In Lote Contexts, Honglin Chen, Janica Nordstrom
Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)
The study of languages has long been considered to have important social, cognitive and economic benefits for individuals and the nation. In Australia, however, despite its growing strength in linguistic resources and the various Government initiatives, there has been a disturbing decline in languages study by school-aged children in Australia. For example, in the 1940s and 50s, over 40 percent of students graduated with a language (Teese & Polesol, 2003) which had declined to only 12 percent in 2012. In primary schools, aggregated cross-sectoral data from government, private and catholic systems in Sydney and Wollongong indicate that 30-40 percent of …
An Early Years Toolbox For Assessing Early Executive Function, Language, Self-Regulation, And Social Development: Validity, Reliability, And Preliminary Norms, Steven J. Howard, Edward Melhuish
An Early Years Toolbox For Assessing Early Executive Function, Language, Self-Regulation, And Social Development: Validity, Reliability, And Preliminary Norms, Steven J. Howard, Edward Melhuish
Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)
Several methods of assessing executive function (EF), self-regulation, language development, and social development in young children have been developed over previous decades. Yet new technologies make available methods of assessment not previously considered. In resolving conceptual and pragmatic limitations of existing tools, the Early Years Toolbox (EYT) offers substantial advantages for early assessment of language, EF, self-regulation, and social development. In the current study, results of our large-scale administration of this toolbox to 1,764 preschool and early primary school students indicated very good reliability, convergent validity with existing measures, and developmental sensitivity. Results were also suggestive of better capture of …
Feedback On Second Language Pronunciation: A Case Study Of Eap Teachers' Beliefs And Practices, Amanda Ann Baker, Michael Burri
Feedback On Second Language Pronunciation: A Case Study Of Eap Teachers' Beliefs And Practices, Amanda Ann Baker, Michael Burri
Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)
In the modern English language classroom, teachers are often faced with the challenging task of supporting students to achieve comprehensible pronunciation, but many teachers limit or neglect giving students feedback on their pronunciation for a variety of reasons. This paper examines the case of five experienced English for Academic Purposes (EAP) instructors who strive to provide feedback on specific features of pronunciation that negatively affect students' comprehensibility. Results derived from semi-structured interviews, classroom observations and stimulated recall interviews reveal that the teachers use similar approaches to select and provide feedback on problematic features of pronunciation. Naturally, these approaches sometimes differed …
Exploring Engagement In Tasks In The Language Classroom, Jenefer Philp, Susan Duchesne
Exploring Engagement In Tasks In The Language Classroom, Jenefer Philp, Susan Duchesne
Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)
This article explores how learners engage in tasks in the context of language classrooms. We describe engagement as a multidimensional construct that includes cognitive, behavioral, social, and emotional dimensions of engagement among second and foreign language learners in the classroom. We discuss key concepts and indicators of engagement in current research on task-based interaction and outline some of the issues in researching engagement in this context.
Playing With Grammar: A Pedagogical Heuristic For Orientating To The Language Content Of The Australian Curriculum: English, Beryl Exley, Lisa K. Kervin, Jessica Mantei
Playing With Grammar: A Pedagogical Heuristic For Orientating To The Language Content Of The Australian Curriculum: English, Beryl Exley, Lisa K. Kervin, Jessica Mantei
Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)
In this article we introduce a heuristic for orientating to the language content of the Australian Curriculum: English. Our pedagogical heuristic, called 'Playing with Grammar', moves through three separate but interwoven stages: (i) an introduction to the learning experience, (ii) a focus on learning, and (iii) an application of new knowledge where students read and/or write with grammar in mind. We draw on aspects of Bernstein's sociological theories to consider the implications of keeping the content of the Language, Literature and Literacy strands together or apart. We also theorise different pedagogical approaches where teachers or learners control the sequence and …
The Struggle For Legitimacy: Language Provision In Two 'Residual' Comprehensive High Schools In Australia, Stephen Black, Jan Wright, Kenneth E. Cruickshank
The Struggle For Legitimacy: Language Provision In Two 'Residual' Comprehensive High Schools In Australia, Stephen Black, Jan Wright, Kenneth E. Cruickshank
Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)
Despite the contemporary policy rhetoric of global citizenry and the importance of languages and intercultural capabilities, language learning in Australian schools struggles for recognition and support. The curriculum marginalisation of languages, however, is uneven, affecting some school sectors more than others. In this article, we examine the provision of languages in two government comprehensive high schools, both low socio-economic status, located in urban areas in New South Wales, Australia's largest state. They are termed 'residual' high schools because they cater for the students remaining in the local schools while others attend either private or selective government high schools. We provide …
Effects Of Integrated Physical Exercises And Gestures On Preschool Children's Foreign Language Vocabulary Learning, Myrto F. Mavilidi, Anthony D. Okely, Paul A. Chandler, Dylan P. Cliff, Fred Paas
Effects Of Integrated Physical Exercises And Gestures On Preschool Children's Foreign Language Vocabulary Learning, Myrto F. Mavilidi, Anthony D. Okely, Paul A. Chandler, Dylan P. Cliff, Fred Paas
Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)
Research suggests that integrating human movement into a cognitive learning task can be effective for learning due to its cognitive and physiological effects. In this study, the learning effects of enacting words through whole-body movements (i.e., physical exercise) and part-body movements (i.e., gestures) were investigated in a foreign language vocabulary task. Participants were 111 preschool children of 15 childcare centers, who were randomly assigned to one of four conditions. Participants had to learn 14 Italian words in a 4-week teaching program. They were tested on their memory for the words during, directly after, and 6 weeks after the program. In …
Preschool Children's Foreign Language Vocabulary Learning By Embodying Words Through Physical Activity And Gesturing, Konstantina Toumpaniari, Sofie M. M Loyens, Myrto F. Mavilidi, Fred Paas
Preschool Children's Foreign Language Vocabulary Learning By Embodying Words Through Physical Activity And Gesturing, Konstantina Toumpaniari, Sofie M. M Loyens, Myrto F. Mavilidi, Fred Paas
Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)
Research has demonstrated that physical activity involving gross motor activities can lead to better cognitive functioning and higher academic achievement scores. In addition, research within the theoretical framework of embodied cognition has shown that embodying knowledge through the use of more subtle motor activities, such as task-relevant gestures, has a positive effect on learning. In this study, we investigated whether combining both physical activities and gestures could improve learning even more in a 4-week intervention program on foreign language vocabulary learning in preschool children. The main hypothesis that learning by embodying words through task-relevant enactment gestures and physical activities would …
"Teachers Are Not Empty Vessels": A Reception Study Of Freeman And Johnson's (1998) Reconceptualization Of The Knowledge Base Of Second Language Teacher Education, Joseph J. Lee, John Murphy, Amanda Ann Baker
"Teachers Are Not Empty Vessels": A Reception Study Of Freeman And Johnson's (1998) Reconceptualization Of The Knowledge Base Of Second Language Teacher Education, Joseph J. Lee, John Murphy, Amanda Ann Baker
Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)
This study traces the reception history of Freeman and Johnson's (1998) widely cited article dedicated to theory and practices of second language teacher education (SLTE). It illuminates the degree to which that article has impacted SLTE theory, research, and potentially instructional practices. The reception study analysis is based on a data set of 413 journal articles, books, book chapters, master's theses, and doctoral dissertations that cited Freeman and Johnson (F&J) between 1999 and 2014. Using an innovative analytical approach combining both Hyland's (1999, 2004) citation categories and Coffin's (2009) stance framework, we investigate the citation analytics of F&J within this …
Sticks And Stones: How Words And Language Impact Upon Social Inclusion, Kathy Mckay, Stuart Wark, Virginia Mapedzahama, Tinashe Dune, Saifur Rahman, Catherine L. Mac Phail
Sticks And Stones: How Words And Language Impact Upon Social Inclusion, Kathy Mckay, Stuart Wark, Virginia Mapedzahama, Tinashe Dune, Saifur Rahman, Catherine L. Mac Phail
Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)
Language framed as derogatory names and symbols can have implications for people and their life experiences. Within a Saussurian-inspired frame, and looking at ideas of stigma and social inclusion, this paper examines the use of language as a weapon within a social context of (changing) intent and meaning. Three examples of language use in mainstream society are analysed: 'retarded' which evolved from scientific diagnosis to insult; 'gay' as a derogatory adjective within popular culture; and, the way language around suicide is used to both trivialise and stigmatise those who are suicidal, as well as those who are bereaved.
The Effects Of Fathers' And Mothers' Reading To Their Children On Language Outcomes Of Children Participating In Early Head Start In The United States, Anna E. Duursma
The Effects Of Fathers' And Mothers' Reading To Their Children On Language Outcomes Of Children Participating In Early Head Start In The United States, Anna E. Duursma
Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)
It is well known that reading aloud affects children 's language and literacy development. Little is known though, about fathers reading to their children. This study examined paternal and maternal bookreading frequency among 430 low-income families and investigated whether paternal bookreading and maternal bookreading predicted children 's early language and cognitive development and emergent literacy skills. Results demonstrated that mothers read more frequently to their toddlers than fathers but approximately 55% of fathers reported reading at least weekly to their children. Paternal bookreading at 24 and 36 months significantly predicted children's language and cognitive skills at age 36 months as …
Investigation Of Chinese University Students' Attributions Of English Language Learning, Jinjin Lu, Stuart Woodcock, Han Jiang
Investigation Of Chinese University Students' Attributions Of English Language Learning, Jinjin Lu, Stuart Woodcock, Han Jiang
Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)
Despite the importance of developing students' learning autonomy in Chinese schools similar to Western cultured schools, many concerns are raised regarding the influence and effectiveness that learner autonomy has on students' academic achievements. The aim of this study was to identify the attribution patterns of Chinese university students for success and failure toward students who learnt through autonomy learning (student-centered approaches) compared with students who learnt through teacher-centered approaches. Within this study, mixed research methods were adopted, and students used a reflective method to distinguish whether they were taught English through a traditional or student-centered method. The findings of the …
Knowledge About Language In The Australian Curriculum: English, Beverly Derewianka
Knowledge About Language In The Australian Curriculum: English, Beverly Derewianka
Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)
Somewhat surprisingly, an explicit knowledge about language has been often absent from English curricula. The new Australian Curriculum: English (ACARA, 2012) has taken a fairly radical step in placing knowledge about language at the core of classroom practice, thereby raising the issue of an appropriate model of language to inform the Language Strand of the Curriculum. This paper will outline the rationale behind the Language Strand, and will then make explicit its underlying model of language. The paper thus provides a context for the ensuing articles in this Special Focus Issue of AJLL, which take up various concerns in relation …
New Technologies To Support Language Learning, Lisa K. Kervin, Beverly M. Derewianka
New Technologies To Support Language Learning, Lisa K. Kervin, Beverly M. Derewianka
Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)
Language classrooms have always used technologies of various kinds, from the blackboard through to the language laboratory. In recent decades, however, there has been an explosion in the resources available to teachers, to the point where many feel overwhelmed. This chapter therefore, does not attempt to provide a comprehensive review of 'state of the art' technologies - primarily because the ground is shifting so rapidly that any such endeavour would soon be out of date. Rather, we have kept in mind an audience who are not necessarily interested in the finer points of technological innovations but who are seeking some …
Venturing Beyond Youtube: Learning The Language Of Appraisal, Beverly M. Derewianka
Venturing Beyond Youtube: Learning The Language Of Appraisal, Beverly M. Derewianka
Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)
A major function of language is to enable the expression of interpersonal meanings - feelings, opinions, judgements, humour, and so on. Generally, however, this important aspect of language competency is not taught explicitly, possibly because such meanings are so deeply embedded in the culture that even native speakers are not consciously aware of how they employ these subtle resources. Drawing on the tools provided by appraisal theory, the paper considers the interpersonal demands made on English as an additional language or dialect (EAL/D) students as they learn to write responses to popular media texts, in this case, Summer Heights High. …
C. Coffin, Historical Discourse: The Language Of Time, Cause And Evaluation, Honglin Chen
C. Coffin, Historical Discourse: The Language Of Time, Cause And Evaluation, Honglin Chen
Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)
Published as part of the Discourse Studies series edited by Ken Hyland, Coffin's Historical Discourse provides a systematic, informative and insightful description of the nature of historical discourse, its function and role, and of its pedagogic potential in the context of secondary schools. The book draws on and expands the scholarship Coffin has developed over some ten years, which includes her work in the 'Write it Right' Project of the disadvantaged Schools Program (xiii), her PhD (Coffin 2000) and her later work on historical discourse (Coffin 2002; 2003; 2004). The book makes a significant contribution to understanding the value of …
F. Christie & J.R. Martin (Eds), Language, Knowledge And Pedagogy: Functional Linguistic And Sociological Perspectives, Pauline Jones
F. Christie & J.R. Martin (Eds), Language, Knowledge And Pedagogy: Functional Linguistic And Sociological Perspectives, Pauline Jones
Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)
Arising from the productive dialogue between systemic functional linguistics and sociology begun earlier by Michael Halliday (1995), Basil Bernstein (1990) and Ruqaiya Hasan (1999), this edited volume is concerned with the nature of knowledge. Readers familiar with Bernstein's sociological theory will know the trajectory of his work from its early emphasis on code, through classification and framing of curriculum to his later interest in the structuring of knowledge. Throughout, his interest in the relationship between social relations and semiotic practice is evident as he attended firstly to the form taken by pedagogic discourse (the relay) and then later to the …
Nsw High School Students Construction Of Democratic Citizenship Through Language Learning: A Case Study Of Japanese Language Learning Experience, Yuko Ramzan
Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)
This study reports on the perceptions of five high school students in NSW who have been studying Japanese language since their primary schooling. The study examines how the students construct their self and others within their Japanese language classes and how the classes contribute to citizenship education. The discussion, based on data derived from in-depth and semi-structured interviews is focused on perceptions of language learning, interculturality and citizenship education. The results suggest that language learning contributes to the students’ construction of interculturality, which in turn provides a focus for meting the students’ needs for citizenship education.