Academic Context Research Articles

Exploring Alternative Writing Styles: A Journey into Free-Writing and Bilingualism

This digital media composition explores two alternative writing styles: free-writing, a term coined by Peter Elbow, and translanguaging, the practice in which writers incorporate different languages into their writing. This project’s significance lies in helping college writers become more comfortable with the writing process and expressing their ideas more clearly. Doing so will promote inclusivity in bilingual education by creating an environment where students don’t have to limit which language they use for their writing. Traditional writing practices emphasize writing in a structured and formal manner, often discouraging individuals from exploring their thoughts and ideas freely. Additionally, bilingual education often prioritizes one language over the other, neglecting the benefits of incorporating multiple languages into writing. There is a lack of research exploring alternative writing styles, such as free-writing and translanguaging, as well as their potential benefits for college writers; while some research exists, there is a need to explore these topics further and to promote the benefits of incorporating alternative writing styles in education and daily life. This project aims to fill the gap by providing firsthand experiences with free-writing in both creative and academic contexts and exploring the potential benefits of incorporating different languages into writing. Through personal reflections, examples of free-writing in Spanish, and scholarly articles, this project aims to encourage writers to try new writing techniques, promote inclusivity in bilingual education, and bring awareness to the many unique ways of engaging with translanguaging in the classroom.

Contributions of Reading Support from Teachers, Parents, and Friends to Reading Related Variables in Academic and Recreational Contexts

Contributions of Reading Support from Teachers, Parents, and Friends to Reading Related Variables in Academic and Recreational Contexts

Academic register anxiety? – How language ideologies influence university students’ oral participation

Abstract This paper deals with the registers of spoken language in university classes, their prestige, and the language ideologies linked to them. I will show that, due to these ideologies, the academic registers can trigger strong emotions that hinder oral participation. Previous research on language anxiety has revealed that formal situations are an important trigger. Therefore, the academic context is an interesting research site for language or register anxiety, as it offers a range of highly formal communicative situations. Academic language can be conceptualized as a set of distinctive registers that must be acquired by students. However, it is seldom made explicit which linguistic competences are expected and that their acquisition is a process. This might trigger feelings of anxiety in the classroom, especially for students who perceive themselves as not mastering these registers or who have already experienced unbelonging or exclusion due to their linguistic repertoire. Based on qualitative interviews with students from a German university, I will show that proficiency in the academic registers is often perceived as competence and knowledge in the respective discipline. This ideology together with other factors can lead to less or no oral participation in class.

The impact of ChatGPT on learners in English academic writing: opportunities and challenges in education

Abstract This study attempts to explore the impact of ChatGPT on EFL learners’ English writing and how this benefits from it. The three research objectives are to explore the reasons why EFL learners choose to use ChatGPT for their academic English writing, to examine how it affects EFL learners’ academic English writing and define the challenges and opportunities for EFL learners using ChatGPT as an academic English writing tool. This study employed semi-structured and open-ended interviews to collect qualitative data. By thematic analysis, we found that EFL learners use ChatGPT for their academic English writing as it is convenient and caters to their needs. It also assists them since it scaffolds literacy in terms of writing fluency, content, and knowledge. Challenges for learners include: 1) possible academic plagiarism and a lack of critical thinking due to their over-reliance on the information provided by ChatGPT; 2) bias in English academic writing from the English-dominant context and pressure to pay; 3) considering and scrutinizing the authenticity of information generated in academic contexts. With its ease of use and undeniable efficiency, ChatGPT has emerged as a revolutionary tool in the realm of language learning and academic writing. However, English learners should be cautious and reflect on using this AI tool, especially for academic writing purposes.

Evaluating the factor structure, reliability and validity of the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory-Student Survey (CBI-SS) among faculty of arts students of Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria

The Copenhagen burnout inventory-student survey (CBI-SS) has shown promising psychometric properties in diverse student populations. This study aims to investigate the psychometric properties of the Nigerian version of the CBI-SS. This was a cross-sectional study of 635 students from Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was utilized to assess the CBI-SS validity. The reliability score of the CBI-SS was 0.957, ranging from 0.862 to 0.914 for the subscales. Correlation coefficients among the four CBI-SS factors ranged from 0.507 to 0.713. The CFA indicated an adequate goodness-of-fit for the four-factor model of the CBI-SS with the sample data. However, Item 10 was removed due to unacceptably low Average Variance Extracted score. The four factors demonstrated a negative correlation with both General Academic Self-Efficacy Scale and Cumulative Grade Point Average. Furthermore, both self-reported burnout and perceived course stress showed associations with the CBI-SS, where lower levels of burnout corresponded with lower median scores on the CBI-SS scales. This study underscores the significance of the CBI-SS in evaluating student burnout within our student population. The findings indicate that the CBI-SS is a highly reliable and valid instrument for assessing student burnout, suggesting its potential for effective utilization in the Nigerian academic context.

Emotional Intelligence in Academic Decision-Making: A Systematic Review of Sentiment Mining Approaches

This study aims to investigate and understand the importance of the intersection of Emotional Intelligence and academic decision-making through a systematic review of sentiment mining approaches. Recognizing the pivotal role of emotions in shaping educational choices, this paper explores the theoretical foundations of emotional intelligence and the integration of sentiment-mining methodologies within academic contexts. In this study, an extensive literature review is conducted focusing on emotional intelligence within the education sector, as well as exploring sentiment mining approaches. In the existing literature review, the researchers have introduced various machine learning and lexicon-based techniques, significantly contributing to the advancement of emotional intelligence in the education sector for higher studies. The findings contribute to the role of emotional intelligence in shaping academic decisions, providing valuable insights for educational practitioners. This study shows a direct relationship between emotional intelligence and decision-making within the educational sector

Introduction to the Special Issue: Foregrounding social movement futures: collective action, imagination, and methodology

ABSTRACT The future – as a theme, research orientation, and mode of framing societal challenges – is becoming important in the social sciences. Yet the absence of collective action in many such accounts makes clear the potential contribution of social movement studies. In social movement studies, meanwhile, the future has been discussed directly and indirectly. Assumptions about timing, activist orientations towards the future, and causation are embedded in understandings of strategy, agency, mobilisation, tactical choice, consequences, and in concepts of waves, cycles and diffusion. Conceptual developments around temporalities, real utopias and grassroots initiatives, imagination, and prefiguration offer some alternative perspectives and promising new directions. Foregrounding social movement futures also has implications for protesters themselves: ideas and emotions relating to the future are central to activist debates about goals, winning, utopia, hope and burnout. This introduction reviews the societal and academic context for the renewed interest in futures that are relevant for social movement studies, before outlining three major movement areas or debates where futures are implicated, and which need to form part of future research. These areas, and the subdiscipline as a whole, it is argued, may also benefit from a more direct analysis of movement futures.

Key Insights on Academic Procrastination for Global Scholars

This study investigates the relationship between self-efficacy, self-control, and academic procrastination among students in the Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences at Muhammadiyah University of Sidoarjo (UMSIDA). Utilizing a quantitative correlational design, data from 327 participants were collected using three psychological scales previously tested for reliability and validity on a sample of 30 individuals. Results from multiple linear regression analysis show that both self-efficacy and self-control significantly predict academic procrastination, collectively explaining 45.8% of the variance, with self-efficacy contributing 24% and self-control 21%. Understanding these dynamics has implications for targeted interventions to mitigate academic procrastination and enhance student success and well-being in this academic context. Highlight: Psychological Factors' Impact: Self-efficacy, self-control crucial in academic procrastination. Quantitative Correlational Design: Enhances understanding of variable relationships. Student Support Implications: Inform targeted interventions for student success and well-being. Keyword: self-efficacy, self-control, academic procrastination, psychology education, Muhammadiyah University

To fight, to confront, and to resist: exploring the representation of Chinese Zhangjie in sister

ABSTRACT Numerous studies have explored the multifaceted portrayal of Chinese women, yet limited attention has been given to older sisters, specifically “zhangjie (长姐),” both in social and academic contexts. This study employs intersectionality as a theoretical framework within which a three-dimensional model of critical discourse analysis (CDA) is used to decode the representation of zhangjie identity in the recent Chinese blockbuster Sister. By closely examining both verbal and nonverbal elements, the study aims to elucidate the triple set of jeopardy that zhangjie encounter, as well as their resistance to three layers of deprivileged identities (in relation to gender, class and social infrastructures) in contemporary China. Furthermore, we argue that centralising the intersectional predicaments of Chinese older sisters highlights critical questions about the effectiveness of neoliberalism in the face of structural oppressions.

Improving accuracy in predictions about future performance

AbstractWithin the academic context, students often expect to perform significantly better on an upcoming exam when compared to their actual performance. Unfortunately, students who are least accurate in their performance predictions are also the most at risk of being underprepared compared to their peers. Thus, efforts to enhance accuracy in performance predictions would benefit the student population that is most at risk of academic shortcomings and failure. Two studies examined whether incentives improve accuracy of academic performance predictions. In Study 1, 126 students in a 200-level undergraduate course provided estimates of how well they would perform on an upcoming exam. Two weeks later, the same students were randomly assigned to receive a reward incentive, punishment incentive, or no incentive for accuracy in performance predictions and their exam performance estimates were reassessed then compared to their actual scores on an exam completed one week later. In Study 2, 144 students from multiple 300-level courses provided performance predictions for an upcoming exam that were then compared to their actual exam scores for accuracy. For a subsequent exam, the same students were randomly assigned to varying levels of reward incentives (no incentive, modest incentive, large incentive) for prediction accuracy and their performance estimates were examined and compared to actual performance on a second exam. Findings from both studies indicated performance estimates are malleable and with the appropriate incentives, accuracy in predictions may be improved and contribute to better actual performance.

UNRAVELLING THE FACTORS THAT IMPEDE STUDENTS’ ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING: FROM TEACHERS’ VIEWPOINT

Students’ effective learning and course learning outcomes (CLOs) are of constant concern for teachers, students, parents, and institutions, regardless of academic levels and contexts. To this end, teachers employ varied techniques and methods in soliciting the expected learning outcomes and students’ academic skill developments, but very often some factors are found to be liable and barriers to the success of this mission. Behind such a teaching and learning perspective, this paper attempts to explore the factors that impede students’ English language learning (ELL) and CLOs at Jazan University, Saudi Arabia, with the intent of finding new vantage points that augment students’ effective learning outcomes. To this end, the present study devised a survey questionnaire for teachers (Appendix 1) to collect data and observations to determine the ground reality of the issue undertaken for this study. The population participants were 25 EFL teachers. The collected data were analyzed qualitatively. Finally, the analytical result of this paper unveils that teachers should drive “needs analysis” to diagnose the learners’ lack of motivation, TBLT practice in the classroom, and their training for techno-pedagogical professional skill development. It also reveals some other implications and effective recommendations for making a learnercentric EFL teaching and learning curriculum. The findings of this paper contribute to the fields of ELT, TEFL, learning outcomes, curriculum design, pragmatics, and ELL paradigms.

The role of digital tools in improving academic reading skills

This article examines the pivotal role of digital tools in enhancing academic reading skills. Through a comprehensive analysis of contemporary’ literature and empirical studies, it delves into various digital platforms, such as e-books, online libraries, and annotation tools, highlighting their efficacy in fostering comprehension, critical thinking, and information synthesis. Additionally, it discusses the integration of multimedia elements, adaptive learning algorithms, and interactive interfaces, which cater to diverse learning styles and abilities, thus promoting engagement and retention. Moreover, the article addresses challenges associated with digital literacy and access disparities, emphasizing the need for equitable implementation strategies. Ultimately, it underscores the transformative potential of digital tools in empowering learners and cultivating lifelong reading proficiency in academic contexts.

Profile of Electronic Scientific Journals in Angola

Scientific journals play an important role as a channel for communicating scientific research results around the world. In recent years, the number of electronic scientific journals in Angola has increased, despite their low visibility internationally. The objective of this article is to describe the profile of electronic scientific journals in Angola. This is an exploratory and documentary research, in which a total of 14 web pages of scientific journals were observed, using a form, containing a control list with the following items: year of creation, responsible institution, area of knowledge, periodicity of publications, last publication, indexing in databases, use of ORCiD by authors and information on the date of submission, acceptance and publication of originals. The results indicate that more than half of the scientific journals are multidisciplinary in nature and were created between 2012 and 2019; They are linked to Higher Education Institutions and are indexed in at least one database, with biannual publications. However, the study also shows that the majority have not published for at least a year. It is concluded that the profile of electronic scientific journals in Angola reflects the country's academic and scientific context, with many challenges to be overcome in this area.

Rethinking Plagiarism in the Era of Generative AI

The emergence of generative artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, such as large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, has precipitated a paradigm shift in the realms of academic writing, plagiarism, and intellectual property. This article explores the evolving landscape of English composition courses, traditionally designed to develop critical thinking through writing. As AI becomes increasingly integrated into the academic sphere, it necessitates a reevaluation of originality in writing, the purpose of learning research and writing, and the frameworks governing intellectual property (IP) and plagiarism. The paper commences with a statistical analysis contrasting the actual use of LLMs in academic dishonesty with educator perceptions. It then examines the repercussions of AI-enabled content proliferation, referencing the limitation of three books self-published per day in September 2023 by Amazon due to a suspected influx of AI-generated material. The discourse extends to the potential of AI in accelerating research akin to the contributions of digital humanities and computational linguistics, highlighting its accessibility to the general public. The article further delves into the implications of AI on pedagogical approaches to research and writing, contemplating its impact on communication and critical thinking skills, while also considering its role in bridging the digital divide and socio-economic disparities. Finally, it proposes revisions to writing curricula, adapting to the transformative influence of AI in academic contexts. 

Examining Performance on an Integrated Writing Task from a Canadian English Language Proficiency Test

Many English language proficiency (ELP) tests used for university admissions and placement now include integrated writing tasks that require examinees to use external sources when writing. Integrated writing tasks improve test authenticity and impact, but they raise several validity questions, such as what academic language skills they engage and whether performance on these tasks varies with examinee ELP level. This study addresses these questions with reference to an integrated writing task from the Canadian Academic English Language (CAEL) Test that involves reading, listening, and writing in academic contexts. Responses by 59 students to one of the CAEL integrated writing tasks are analyzed in terms of various grammatical, discourse, sociolinguistic, strategic, content, and source use aspects and compared across ELP levels (high and low) and score levels. The findings indicate that both ELP level and score level had significant effects on most writing features examined in the study, except for syntactic complexity. Additionally, except for syntactic complexity, all writing dimensions examined in the study were significantly associated with writing scores. The findings and their implications for the validity argument of source-based writing tasks are discussed.

Problems of Citation in the Study of Religion: Who Do We Cite and Why?

This special issue introduction contributes to emerging discussions on citation in studies of religion. What particular issues of citation arise in cultural, historical, and textual research on religious traditions? What can the study of religion contribute to the study of citation? Weaving together references to the four articles of the special issue, we identify four citational themes that are particularly relevant to the study of religion: the continuing reverberations of colonization; relations to and in canonical traditions; the conjunction of morality and economy in neoliberal academic contexts; and the knowledge that comes from naming and interacting with a wider range of sources, such as ancestors. Finally, in the conclusion we argue for a relational ethics of citation in the study of religion.

Unveiling Gendered 3MT Presentations: A Corpus-based Analysis of Evaluative Language Important

Originating at the University of Queensland (UQ), the 3 Minute Thesis (3MT) has evolved into a pivotal form of academic communication. The linguistic resource important is often employed by presenters to underscore the significance of specific concepts, discoveries, or viewpoints, revealing their epistemic and evaluative stance. By constructing a corpus encompassing all award-winning 3MT presentations from UQ, with a particular focus on the usage of important and its related words, we found that (1) there was no statistically significant gender-based discrepancy in the frequency of employing important; (2) male presenters employed important in isolation, while their female counterparts opted for more expansive terms such as significant or crucial, encompassing a broader range of interpretations; (3) in terms of contexts, female speakers tended to extend their use of these terms beyond academic contexts, linking them with lived experiences more often than male presenters. The observed patterns related to how male and female presenters convey the importance of their research can enhance our comprehension of the subtle ways in which language mirrors and perpetuates gendered norms and expectations. More importantly, they may facilitate progress towards fostering more inclusive and equitable academic environments.

Judicial Libraries in the Information Era: In the 21st Century, Role-Smart Law Librarians

The majority of legal studies take place in libraries. This paper discussed the services the judicial library helps legal practitioners render to members of the bar and bench. In the 21st century, information law plays a vital role and is the lifeblood of legal professionals. The "information age," also referred to as the "computer age," is defined by an explosion of information and fast technical innovation. This technological progress is the trend that is currently influencing legal research, teaching, and study. There are many social media platforms available today, but legal librarians in academic contexts face significant hurdles when users of their libraries find and use these technologies. In order to keep the library up-to-date and maintain a positive rapport with patrons, a librarian working in a library needs to possess a variety of skills, including curation, leadership, subject expertise in law, and research and technology abilities. The author outlines the competencies needed for a legal librarian in the digital age in this paper. This paper centers on them. On the issues raised, recommendations were made.

International students creating comedy to foster wellbeing and connectedness

It is well established that international students attending higher education institutions in Australia and other parts of the world face challenges that can affect their state of well-being and connectedness. Higher education institutions have attempted to counter these issues by providing specifically designed programs with varying success. This study builds on some of the more successful programs that draw on the relationship between creativity and collaboration. The program aimed to foster international students’ well-being by teaching them how to harness their creative potential and explore through stand-up comedy the funny side of life as international student in Australia. The analysis shows that the program positively enhanced well-being by fostering a sense of connectedness and by providing a space to take risks in a safe and supportive fashion. Data also indicated that the program contributed to the development of knowledge and skills transferrable to other academic and non-academic contexts. 

Transnational Voices in Academia

In this paper, two transnational doctoral students and language educators of color engage in a reflexive dialogic conversation focusing on intersectional aspects of their identities and positionalities. Utilizing duoethnography research methodology, they explored their academic and professional journeys in post-secondary education both in their home countries and in an Anglophone context. A discussion on the negotiation of their positionalities in their immediate academic, professional, and sociocultural contexts is provided. We argue that unveiling one’s positionality requires a prolonged reflexive engagement that assists in establishing quality in qualitative research as well as exploring fluidity in positionality. We close with implications and invitations to use duoethnography as a path to self-exploration, solidarity, and allyship.