Expanding educational access in Eastern Turkey: A new initiative

Academic reading skills are very vital for university students. This paper aimed at investigating the role of the deep approach to learning in utilizing English ESP higher-order reading skills among engineering students. Sixty three participants from first year students at Benha Faculty of Engineering were randomly assigned into two groups: an experimental group (n=33) and a control group (n=30). Two main instruments were used: an academic reading pre-test, and an academic reading post-test. Quantitative data analyses were conducted. Using T-test to compare the mean scores of the control group and the experimental group in the pre-post application. Results showed that the experimental group students have developed their EFL higher-order reading skills. It was concluded that the “the deep approach to learning” was effective in utilizing ESP higher-order reading skills of the participants. It was also recommended that the deep approach to learning is very effective in developing language learning in general and in developing EFL higher-order reading skills in specific. The deep approach to learning should be integrated into ESP higher-order reading skills approachs.

The relevance of the article is determined by the insufficient level of critical thinking development among students of higher educational institutions. It is known that the key principle of success is the development of a critical thinker who is able to adapt to an ever-increasing flow of information; There is a certain contradiction between the potential of the English language as a means to develop students’ critical thinking and the insufficient development of the theory and practice of its implementation. Developing critical thinking in foreign language classes is important for several reasons. First, if language learners can take responsibility for their thinking, they can more successfully monitor and evaluate their own ways of learning. Second, critical thinking enhances students’ learning practices and makes language more meaningful to them. Third, critical thinking is highly correlated with student achievement. And finally, today the emphasis in education has shifted towards the ‘4K’ model: the development of critical thinking, creativity, communication, and cooperation. Therefore, in order to make students more competitive in modern society, we attempted to elaborate a model and course of exercises for developing students’ critical thinking skills in English classes. The results of the study, its main provisions and results can be used in the development of theoretical courses on language teaching methods. Keywords: critical thinking, creativity, communication, higher order skills, cognitive abilities.

<p><em>This work assesses the effects of</em><em> </em><em>family background of second language learners on their academic writing competence in English. A cursory</em><em> </em><em>study of some examination scripts of first-year students reveals some poor writing skills of students in areas such as concord, spelling, capitalization, and fragmentation errors.30 participants were selected from a class of 121 students</em><em> </em><em>from the Ghana Baptist University College, a private</em><em> </em><em>institution in Kumasi, Ghana. Initially, the class of 121 was sorted out into three groups—those who said they used only English at home, those who said they used only Ghanaian language(s) at home, and those who said they used both English and Ghanaian language(s) at home. Each group was further divided along gender lines and 5 students from each of the 6 sub-groups were picked randomly. The participants</em><em> </em><em>were then made to write a sit-in assessment on a topic and were graded by an independent assessor. The findings of the study reveal that the performance of the bilingual English and</em><em> </em><em>Ghanaian language learners outweighed those of their contemporaries. The study also revealed a positive correlation between attitudes of parents about English and learners’ academic writing skills. These have pedagogical and theoretical implications for the teaching and learning of English as a second language in Ghana. Language proficiency involves the development of skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. All these four aspects of language development are equally vital in the language learning process, but the current paper focuses on the development of writing skills by second language learners of English in Ghana.</em></p><p><em><br /></em><em></em></p>

Efforts to address inequities in medical education are centered on a dialogue of deficits that highlight negative underrepresented in medicine (UIM) learner experiences and lower performance outcomes. An alternative narrative explores perspectives on achievement and equity in assessment. This study sought to understand UIM learner perceptions of successes and equitable assessment practices. Using narrative research, investigators selected a purposeful sample of self-identified UIM fourth-year medical students and senior-level residents and conducted semistructured interviews. Questions elicited personal stories of achievement during clinical training, clinical assessment practices that captured achievement, and equity in clinical assessment. Using re-storying and thematic analysis, investigators coded transcripts and synthesized data into themes and representative stories. Twenty UIM learners (6 medical students and 14 residents) were interviewed. Learners often thought about equity during clinical training and provided personal definitions of equity in assessment. Learners shared stories that reflected their achievements in patient care, favorable assessment outcomes, and growth throughout clinical training. Sound assessments that captured achievements included frequent observations with real-time feedback on predefined expectations by supportive, longitudinal clinical supervisors. Finally, equitable assessment systems were characterized as sound assessment systems that also avoided comparison to peers, used narrative assessment, assessed patient care and growth, trained supervisors to avoid bias, and acknowledged learner identity. UIM learners characterized equitable and sound assessment systems that captured achievements during clinical training. These findings guide future efforts to create an inclusive, fair, and equitable clinical assessment experience.

The purpose of the chapter is twofold: to review the research concerning the needs analysis of Chinese language learners in tertiary settings by examining historical and contemporary contexts for this work; and to provide a cross-curricular perspective to complement the scholarship in the area by examining whether and how Chinese learners’ needs differ according to students’ family backgrounds (i.e. CHL and CFL learners) and across different learning contexts (TL-removed and TL-embedded). A case study was conducted at three universities from Australia, China, and the US with a focus on Chinese students’ profiles and learning needs reveals that learners’ self-assessments of their language learning needs are context-dependent and grounded in their own learning experiences and expectations from the curriculum and the sociolinguistic environments within which they live. Family background, a vital element in Chinese language learning, proves to be facilitative for CHL students especially lower-level students in Chinese-removed contexts (e.g. in Australia or US) for their speaking and listening abilities. However, such family backgrounds do not necessarily impose a positive impact on the perceptions of those CHL learners studying in a Chinese-embedded area (e.g. in China), where students’ language needs derive from not merely the request of the curriculum, but also the necessity to survive in a new sociocultural environment. Additionally, the study testifies that the immersion experience is not necessarily conducive to the development of students’ language confidence and competence but the length and depth that students could engage in the environment makes a difference. It suggests that the needs analysis in the context of Chinese language teaching should consider the complexity of Chinese language learners and their learning environments, which involve various layers of contact to TL and its culture.

This systematic review study synthesizes research findings pertaining to the use of augmented reality (AR) in language learning. Published research from 2014 to 2019 has been explored and specific inclusion and exclusion criteria have been applied resulting in 54 relevant publications. Our findings determined: (a) devices and software employed for mastering AR; languages and contexts in which AR had been applied; theoretical perspectives adopted for guiding the use of AR; the number of participants in AR activities and benefits from using AR as an educational tool in the language classroom; (b) alignment of the affordances of Augmented Reality with the KSAVE (Knowledge, Skills, Attitudes, Values, Ethics) 21st‐century skills framework; (c) future directions in AR research and practice. The main findings from this review demonstrate the popularity of mobile‐based AR for supporting vocabulary (23.9%), reading (12.7%), speaking (9.9%) writing (8.5%) or generic language skills (9.9%). Our findings also uncovered areas that merit future attention in the application of AR in language learning – for instance learning theories were not often considered in the implementation of AR. The study concludes with suggestions for future research especially in the areas of instructional design and user experience.

In Hungary, the academic achievement of schoolchildren is very strongly influenced by their family background, a statement often quoted in connection with PISA surveys (Róbert, 2004). Although the effects of family background have mostly been studied in connection with key competences, it is easy to see that they are also likely to influence foreign language learning, possibly to an even greater extent (Csapó, 2001). The aim of our paper is to provide an overview of theoretical and empirical findings related to the family background of Hungarian schoolchildren on different aspects of language learning: language choice, individual differences and success in language learning. We hope to provide a meta-analysis of empirical studies and their results, however it needs to be noted that their number is relatively scarce. We would also like to inspire future studies exploring similar, under-researched topics. Research into the effects of family background is imperative, as it appears to play a pivotal role in ensuring equal opportunities in language education.

This research aims to investigate the relationship amongst three concepts: language use, linguistic competence, and critical thinking. Pedagogical and cognitive aspects of language learning are evident in the implications of this research concerning how thought influences learning, and how learning influences thought. The sample of the study consisted of 52 students from Mutah University in Jordan who are enrolled in the BA program in the department of English language and literature. The instruments used in the study included the LEAP-Q to measure the multilingual level of participants to determine language use, a critical thinking test to measure the participants’ level of reasoning, and a TOEFL proficiency test to measure the participants’ level of linguistic competence. The findings show significant positive correlations between language use and critical thinking, between linguistic competence and critical thinking, and between language use and linguistic competence. We conclude that language use enhances the linguistic abilities and possibly enhances the cognitive capabilities of the participants. We recommend encouraging students to use the second language inside and outside the classroom to enhance their linguistic and cognitive abilities.

This study investigates the convergence and divergence of democratic school culture and open classroom climate in mitigating the influence of students’ family backgrounds on their civic outcomes. Utilizing data from the International Civic and Citizenship Education Study 2016, the research first analyzes how students’ family backgrounds affect their civic aspirations and civic efficacy in Finland and South Korea, highlighting key similarities and differences between the two nations. This study also explores the impact of schooling on the relationship between students’ family backgrounds and their civic outcomes. I conceptualize schooling with a focus on school culture and classroom climate, as these factors provide relatively equitable access to learning opportunities for students, regardless of their voluntary participation. Ultimately, the results highlight the compensating role of schooling in mitigating students’ civic gap from their family background. This research offers implications on the intersectionality among students’ family, schooling and their development of civic outcomes as well as the roles of schooling in mitigating civic gaps in students’ civic outcomes.

Although research into emotions has flourished in second language (L2) / foreign language (FL) learning in recent decades, few attempts have been made to examine learners as clusters based on their emotional profiles. The current study set out to first investigate the nature of 98 Grade-4-to-5 English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ emotional profiles, as represented by classroom anxiety, boredom, and enjoyment. The hierarchical clustering analysis revealed three distinct profiles: Negative Emotion (NE; 21.43%), High Enjoyment (HE; 46.93%), and high in both Enjoyment and Anxiety (EA; 31.63%). We then analysed FL motivation and family background (household income and parental education) between the three groups. We also compared the FL proficiency levels (listening, reading, speaking, and writing) between the three groups from three perspectives: baseline scores (T1), scores one year later (T2), and growth (from T1 to T2). Multiple significant differences were found. The most common pattern was HE demonstrated higher scores than NE (e.g. in various aspects of language proficiency). EA also had higher scores than NE in some areas. HE and EA were largely similar, the only significant difference being HE having higher listening and speaking motivation than EA did. Interestingly, no significant differences were found in family background between the three groups.

Understanding abstract concepts and ideas in mathematics, if instruction takes place in the first language of the student, is difficult. Yet worldwide students often have to master mathematics via a second or third language. The majority of students in South Africa — a country with eleven official languages — has to face this difficulty. In a quantitative study of first year calculus students, we investigated two groups of students. For one group tuition took place in their home language; for the second group, tuition was in English, a second or even a third language. Performance data on their secondary mathematics and first year tertiary calculus were analysed. The study showed that there was no significant difference between the adjusted means of the entire group of first language learners and the entire group of second language learners. Neither was there any statistically significant difference between the performances of the two groups of second language learners (based on the adjusted means). Yet, there did seem to be a significant difference between the achievement of Afrikaans students attending Afrikaans lectures and Afrikaans students attending English lectures.

21st-century requires citizens in the world to adapt with all changes in the economic system that occurs. Therefore, entrepreneurship skills become an important thing that hopes to be developed in education to grow creative industries that can increase the number of jobs. This paper outlines student’s entrepreneurship skills in biology classroom employing visible creative thinking skills as a learning framework that can give an overview to students about the role of the field of Biology to advance the nation’s economy. Visible creative thinking skills itself has the meaning of clarifying or showing the stages of student thinking in solving a problem creatively. The visible creative thinking skills is done using creative thinking diagrams to generate entrepreneurial ideas that apply the concept of Biology in solving a problem. Students entrepreneurship skills were measured by technical skills in adaptability, listening skills, work organizing skills, and personal skills in inner-control, self-discipline, risk-taking. To identify those indicators, this paper administrated one group pre-posttest design and mixed-method approach using questionnaires, reflective essays, and interviews. The study was conducted at SMAN 9 Malang and the participants consisted of 33 tenth grade students, specifically 15 men and 18 women. Interestingly, students showed not different results for entrepreneurship skills after visible creative thinking skills framework applied in explaining that ethnography, family background, and individual factors have a big impact. So, the next learning must be analyzed individual culture and habit in the school environment which can influence the learning process.

For any applications to be performance conscious, its performance must be monitored continuously. Monitoring performance is a necessary part of the preventive maintenance of the application. By monitoring, we obtain performance data which are useful in diagnosing performance problems under operational conditions. Based on data collected through monitoring, one can define a baseline — a range of measurements that represent acceptable performance under typical operating conditions. This baseline provides a reference point that makes it easier to spot problems when they occur. In addition, during troubleshooting system problems, performance data give information about the behavior of system resources at the time the problem occurs, which is useful in pinpointing the cause. In order to monitor the system, the operational environment provides various parameters implemented through counters for collection of performance data. Applications developed must ultimately be installed and run on a specific operating system. Hence, applications performance also depends on factors that govern the operating system. Each operating system has its own set of performance parameters to monitor and tune for better performance. Performance of applications also depends on the architectural level monitoring and tuning. However, architectural design depends on specific technology. Hence, technology level monitoring and tuning must be addressed for better results. To achieve all these, proper guidelines must be enforced at various stages for monitoring and tuning. All the previous chapters, together, described the performance testing from concept to reality whereas this chapter highlights aspects of monitoring and tuning to specific technologies. This chapter provides an overview of monitoring and tuning applications with frameworks in Java and Microsoft .NET technologies. Before addressing the technology specific performance issues, we need to know the overall bottlenecks that arise in Web applications.

Teleseismic phase readings from the Eastern Turkey Seismic Experiment (ETSE) have been inverted using teleseismic tomography in order to create a 3-D image of the underlying mantle beneath Eastern Turkey. The aim was to investigate the existence of an upper mantle negative velocity anomaly that is used to explain the uplift of Eastern Anatolian plateau and the potential pieces of detached oceanic slabs related to Neo-Tethyan subduction suggested by previous studies. Using teleseismic waveforms from the 29 stations of the Eastern Turkey Seismic Experiment, 2926 direct P phases from 146 events were picked by using adaptive stacking techniques. In order to increase the station coverage and resolve the surrounding area, the phase readings from the International Seismological Center (ISC) Bulletin have also been added. The data set consists of 9571 P and PKP phase readings of 79 stations from 503 teleseismic events. This study develops the first high-resolution 3-D upper mantle P-wave tomographic model for this region. The tomographic results show the existence of an upper mantle negative velocity anomaly to a depth of ∼200 km beneath the eastern Anatolian accreationary complex (EAAC) as commonly observed in the previous studies that suggest a shallow partially molten asthenosphere. The slab-like high velocity anomalies beneath the EAAC, Pontides and Caucasus are interpreted as the detached southern and northern Neo-Tethys slabs.

The aim of the present study is twofold: (1) to assess the degree of register flexibility in advanced second language (L2) learners of English and (2) to determine whether and to what extent this flexibility is impacted by inter-individual variability in experiential factors and personality traits. Register flexibility is quantitatively measured as the degree of differentiation in the use of linguistic complexity – gauged by a range of lexical, syntactic, and information-theoretic complexity measures – across three writing tasks. At the methodological level, we aim to demonstrate how a corpus-based approach combined with natural language processing (NLP) techniques and a within-subjects design can be a valuable complement to experimental approaches to language adaptation.