Academic Texts Research Articles

Student Versus Expert Outlines in Reading Comprehension: The Effect of Collaborative Construction

Reading comprehension is a basic skill that influences the outcomes of language learning. The role played by using different cognitive organizers and collaboration as well in the improvement of reading comprehension of academic texts has been a subject of recent literature. Hence, this study employed the experimental 2 × 2 factorial design to identify the difference in effect of two types of outlines, student-constructed versus expert-constructed, on EFL learners’ reading comprehension across two modes of learning, collaborative and individual. Participants were 161 English majors from a reading intact English course at a Saudi university. They were randomly assigned into four treatment groups, two student-constructed and two expert-constructed outlines groups. After ensuring a homogenous level of the four groups in reading comprehension, the groups had the reading comprehension test on one mode of application; collaborative student-constructed, collaborative expert-constructed, individual student-constructed, and individual expert-constructed outlines. The findings revealed that there was a significant main effect among the four groups in reading comprehension scores favoring the student-constructed outlines groups. Besides that, the findings indicated that the collaborative student-constructed outlining is the most effective mode. The implications are discussed in terms of the efficacy of student-construction of outlines in a collaborative context and recommend its significance in supporting EFL learners’ reading comprehension of academic texts.

INDIVIDUALIZATION OF THE TERM FORMATION PROCESS

The relevance of the article under review is due to the appeal to the latest research paradigms of modern linguistics to study the industry-specific terminology. The research was carried out within the framework of the integrative application of the research potential of terminology, cognitive science and linguistics, which ensured the transition to a new interpretation of the term as a means of obtaining, storing, processing and transmitting academic knowledge. The problems of term formation considered in the article in the author’s dictionary proposed by L.N. Gumilyov attract the attention of experts not only by systematizing the structural principles of the study of terminological systems, but also by the problematic ambiguous presentation of the issues under consideration. The author’s cognitive analysis of the ethnological terminological system made it possible to establish the semantics of terms and their place in scientific discourse. The authors managed to show the need to study the mechanisms of direct and metaphorical nomination of special terminological systems within the framework of the cognitive direction, taking into account the anthropocentric research paradigm. The conducted linguo-cognitive analysis of the ethnology for terminology system served as evidence of the prospects of the linguistic study of academic texts by L.N. Gumilyov and allows us to consider the ethnology terminology as a model of the cognitive space of one of the socially significant areas. The individual terms created by the famous scientist L.N. Gumilyov are grouped in the article. As a result of the study, the features of the functioning of these terms in specialized dictionaries and in the context of the author’s works are determined.

Managing compulsory school experiences and educational theory as a basis for student teachers’ reflections

ABSTRACT This article explores the significance of educational theory in student teachers’ reflections on former compulsory school experiences. The student teachers participating in this study were given a two-part assignment: (1) to create a digital pictorial narrative about one of their former teachers, (2) to write an academic text based on their narratives. We ask what kind of shifts can be observed in student teachers’ reflections when they reflect on their prior experiences from compulsory school alone as opposed to reflecting on their prior experiences in light of educational theory. The student teachers’ language in the two texts was significantly different, and we found it valuable to use Vygotsky's theory of language and thinking in the analysis. The text highlights two findings: when utilising educational theory, the student teachers’ focus shifted (1) from the teacher’s traits to the teacher’s actions and (2) from the pupil’s perspective to the teacher’s perspective.

Government statement as a genre of political discourse(on the example of the speeches of the German chancellors A. Merkel and O. Scholz)

The article examines the genre of a government statement in Germany in terms of political content and linguopragmatic specificities. It should be noted that this genre can be described as orientational-ritual, which is characterized by informing and integration strategies, as well as self-praise and tactics of promises. The texts of the speeches follow a virtually set structure. The authors’ aim is to analyze linguopragmatic specificities of the government statements made by German chancellors on taking office using the examples of speeches by A. Merkel in 2018 and O. Scholz in 2021. During the research, the following methods were used: academic literature analysis, discursive analysis, text analysis, contextual analysis, quantitative method, comparison, and generalization. The study is quite relevant due to the fact that the German chancellors’ government statements were practically not analyzed from the linguistic point of view. This approach was partially used in the works of E. Hermann, but at the same time, it is typical of German authors to consider mostly political content and the influence of government statements, which can be seen in the book edited by K. F. Korte. Among Russian researchers, D. S. Slyusarev focused on linguistic analysis of government statements. The work is logically divided into two major parts, namely political and linguistic analysis. In analyzing the political component, the authors examined the political situation in Germany at the time of the Bundestag elections of 2018 and 2021 and the assumption of power by A. Merkel and O. Scholz. In the process of linguopragmatic and discursive analysis of the speeches, the following features were noted: the use of gender-symmetric forms, idioms and metaphors, intertextuality, wordplay. Government statements are characterized by plenty of culturally marked vocabulary, which can be explained by the topic of the speeches.

Retracted: An Algorithm for Automatic Recognition of Chinese Spatial Prepositional Phrases for Academic Texts

Retracted: An Algorithm for Automatic Recognition of Chinese Spatial Prepositional Phrases for Academic Texts

“Gruelling to read”: Swedish university students’ perceptions of and attitudes towards academic reading in English

Students around the world are expected to read, comprehend and learn from growing numbers of English texts in higher educational contexts where the official medium of instruction is the local language. Despite this language shift, relatively little attention has been paid to the challenges academic texts in English present for students. The present paper provides insights into first-year university students’ perceptions of and attitudes towards academic reading in English in Sweden through a sequential explanatory design with questionnaires and follow-up interviews. Sweden is often seen as a model country in terms of second-language proficiency in English, but as this study shows, a majority of first-year university students expressed negative attitudes towards academic reading in English. Student responses suggested more than one third of first-year Swedish university students in social science subjects struggled to comprehend and keep up with their assigned reading, with vocabulary and reading speed cited as their biggest challenges. This paper further shows that a considerable number of students entered higher education unaware that they were going to be required to read academic texts in English, with some questioning this common practice. Finally, implications for teachers are discussed.

The Different Learning Modes and Their Relation to Reading Comprehension Achievement Among ESL Tertiary Learners

Reading is an important language skill for second-language learners. Effective reading is essential for undergraduates to understand academic texts and become critical thinkers in identifying and evaluating opinions and arguments. This study examines students' achievement in reading tests conducted in three different modes: physical face-to-face, online and blended learning platforms. The selection of respondents was made using purposive sampling. The data for this study consist of secondary data obtained from 392 participants from three different faculties in a local university. The data were analyzed using the SPSS version 20 tool. The results indicate significant differences in teaching and learning modes and students' achievement in reading tests. The findings show that physical face-to-face mode produced the highest test scores, while blended learning produced the lowest test scores. Next, the findings also showed that girls performed better in reading tests than boys. This study suggests that face-to-face mode is still preferred in teaching and learning reading as students need the monitoring, interaction, attention, and discussion done in real-time learning in a physical classroom set-up compared to blended and online modes. Further research needs to be conducted, involving more samples, faculties, and private and public universities to examine if similar results prevail.

Co-operatives, media and journalism

Private ownership is central to the contemporary history of the media, but other models of governance have thrived on the margins of the industry. Recent shifts in the media sector, caused by a multi-factorial crisis, spur interest in these alternative structures, among which the co-operative stands out. This article identifies and characterizes the different types of co-operatively-owned journalistic organizations. Using the scoping review as a research method, we collect, select and examine academic and institutional texts. As a result of this analysis, we infer five types of co-op in the media business, which respond to the needs of a variety of actors: journalists, media, the public and the co-operative movement. Thus, the article contributes to conceptual clarification and provides a theoretical basis for the emerging field of study of co-operatives in media and journalism.

School Teachers’ Creativity and Self-efficacy in Writing an Academic Text: A Rasch-Based Survey Analysis

The present study aimed to examine the academic writing creativity and self-efficacy of Indonesian school teachers. Under a survey design, a five-point Likert scale of Academic Writing Creativity and Self-Efficacy (ACSE) questionnaire was distributed to school teachers in Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi, of whom 262 voluntarily completed it. Rasch analysis was conducted on the quantitative data, with the results showing that almost half of Indonesian school teachers possess a low level of academic writing creativity and self-efficacy (N = 112, or 48.7%), some with a moderate level (N = 88, or 38.3%), and a few with a high level (N = 30, or 13%). Although teachers were found to have a strong ability to seek feedback on their writing from their colleagues and to make decisions about whether to accept or reject it, they lacked creativity in their academic writing, particularly their skill to express original ideas using a wide range of words and expressions in a grammatically correct manner. Moreover, their competence in utilizing technology for writing resources and assistance, such as researching pertinent literature, referencing accurately, paraphrasing effectively, and addressing spelling and other language errors, was limited. A discussion of the findings was presented in the article, and recommendations were offered regarding further academic writing training and research.

Lithuanian academic discourse revisited: Features and patterns of scientific communication

Abstract Over the past several decades, there has been an increasing interest in academic discourse investigations with a specific focus on disciplinary, cultural, and generic aspects of academic text construction. Studies of Spanish, Italian, Greek, Portuguese, French, German, and Russian (inter alia) academic discourse have revealed not only the universal features characteristic of many writing cultures, but also unique rhetorical features, typical of only some of them. In this article, we focus on academic discourse investigations in scientific texts written in one of the lesser-studied languages, Lithuanian. We review here studies of Lithuanian scientific discourse and what those studies reveal about the specific features of Lithuanian academic discourse. The first part of the article identifies how rhetorical structures differ between English and Lithuanian academic texts, whereas the second part presents a comprehensive overview of the functional groups of linguistic units, such as metadiscourse markers, stance and engagement markers, and conceptual metaphors, and how these are different or similar to English academic discourse. The overview of the empirical studies shows the current state of knowledge about Lithuanian academic discourse and highlights some of the items that distinguish Lithuanian writing. Furthermore, we highlight the importance of identifying academic writing traditions of other languages to acknowledge diversity.

Using SFL-based text analysis to inform instruction for emergent bilingual learners

Emergent Bilingual Learners (EBs) need language-focused instructional support if they are to access content, make meaning, and engage critically with academic texts in English. Text analysis informed by systemic functional linguistics (SFL) helps teachers identify “the language of schooling” (Schleppegrell, 2004) which they will need to make visible to their students. The authors, both teacher educators in an ESOL endorsement program, recognize that both the teacher candidates who are analyzing texts and the students whose instruction will be informed by the analysis engage in literacy practices that may not be recognized and valued by all teachers or aligned with the language demands of mandatory, high-stakes assessments. With that in mind, we envision a text analysis assignment that promotes language as meaning based, rather than rule based, and additive, rather than subtractive (Garcia, 2009) in terms of the language resources of teachers and students in language learning settings. Additionally, we look for ways to support our teacher candidates in interrogating texts critically as part of their analysis to uncover dominant perspectives. This practice-based article models the process of SFL-based text analysis facilitated by a text analysis tool we designed. The goal is that teachers can apply what they have learned from their analysis to create language-focused instruction that both supports academic language learning and promotes critical stances towards the connections between language choices and meaning making in specific academic contexts/disciplines. Additionally, we encourage teachers to use a variation of this text analysis format with students to explore how language is used in the text to develop all languages in the students' linguistic repertoire.

The Conformity Of Articles Published On Teaching Turkish As A Foreign Language With Academic Text Writing Rules

Çalışmanın amacı Türkçenin yabancı dil olarak öğretilmesi alanında 2005-2019 yıllarında yayımlanmış makale türündeki çalışmaların akademik metin yazma ilkelerine uygunluğunu belirlemektir. Çalışmada nitel araştırma tekniklerinden doküman taraması/incelemesi kullanılmıştır. Çalışmanın materyalini, Türkçenin yabancı dil olarak öğretimi alanında yayımlanmış ve tam metnine ulaşılan 582 araştırma makalesi oluşturmuştur. Çalışmada incelenen dokümanlar, DergiPark, Google, Google Akademik veri tabanlarından tam metnine ulaşılan araştırma makaleleri ile sınırlı tutulmuştur. Makalelerin akademik metin yazma ilkelerine uygunluğunu belirlemek için araştırmacı tarafından uzman görüşleri alınarak geliştirilen, 12 boyut (başlık, yazar bilgileri, özet, anahtar sözcükler, giriş, yöntem, bulgular, sonuç, tartışma, öneriler, kaynakça, atıf) ve 56 maddeden oluşan “Makale Kontrol Formu” kullanılmıştır. Toplanan verilerin analizinde nitel analiz tekniklerinden betimsel analiz kullanılmıştır. Çalışmanın sonunda; incelenen makale metinlerinin başlıklarında, yazarların kurum ve iletişim bilgilerinde, çalışmaların özet ve giriş bölümlerinde, yöntemlerinde, bulgular, sonuç ve tartışma bölümlerinde akademik metin yazma ilkelerine önemli düzeyde uyulmadığı belirlenmiştir. Akademik metin yazım kurallarının en yoğun olarak göz ardı edildiği bölümler sırasıyla özet, giriş ve tartışma bölümleri olduğu belirlenmiştir. Sonuçlardan hareketle aynı disiplinde akademik metin hazırlayan alan araştırmacıları ve araştırmaları yayımlayan akademik dergilerin ortak olarak esas aldığı akademik metin yazma ilkelerinin belirlenmesi ve belirlenen ilkeler doğrultusunda tüm araştırmacılara akademik metin yazma eğitiminin verilmesi gerektiği doğrultusunda ilgililere önerilerde bulunulmuştur.

Lydia Maria Child: A Radical American Life

Lydia Maria Child: A Radical American Life

Sexuality, Disability, and Aging: Queer Temporalities of the Phallus

Sexuality, Disability, and Aging: Queer Temporalities of the Phallus

Pengembangan Kurikulum Dan Pendekatan Pembelajaran Pendidikan Agama Islam Kontekstual

The Learning Curriculum needs to keep up with the times so the academic texts in it need to be updated. The research explains the concept of curriculum development and Islamic education learning with a contextual approach. This study uses the type of library research (Library Research). This research was conducted by conducting an in-depth analysis of various sources relevant to the issues to be discussed. Data collection was carried out by collecting reference books, scientific journals, and e-book online media information. The results of the study stated that several things such as the curriculum and the development of Islamic education learning must be returned to their philosophical roots with consideration of supporting and inhibiting factors for success. Factors that must be considered are curriculum content, curriculum implementation models, and curriculum evaluation tailored to the needs of students, the world of work, and society. To realize this, PAI teachers must be able to apply a contextual approach by following the principles of constructivist learning, implementing active learning strategies, and using sophisticated technological media and facilities.

Work organization and learning processes: A reflection on the concept of competences

ABSTRACT The review of the literature on organizational learning argues that the process of competence acquisition and development is a crucial dimension of work organization. Currently, it is essential to foster their development in order to achieve competitiveness in a changing environment, especially in the context of new or small and medium-sized enterprises. The objective of this article is to analyze the concept of competences and its relevance for understanding changes in the organization of work and the generation of learning processes in firms. For the analysis, an exhaustive review of different academic texts is made, whose reflection on the evolution of the concept based on the idea of qualitative “leaps” in its construction, contributes to the understanding of the changes that occur at the intracompany level, and in the learning processes that they deploy.

Negative Transfer in Chinese College Students' English Reading

Contrary to what most Chinese higher education researchers believe, teaching practice shows that Chinese university students still have some difficulty in reading academic literature in English, and this is not caused by a lack of vocabulary. To investigate the impact that Chinese-based reading habits produce on Chinese university students understanding of the logic of English academic texts, 23 students were given a standardized English reading test covering ecology, zoology, economics, and cartography. Test results and post-test interviews reveal that most Chinese students were significantly better at understanding the meaning of single sentences than at sorting out the logic of the texts. When reading English literature, some students fail to correctly understand the role of logical adverbs and conjunctions, and even ignored logical words in the texts. As a result, the speed of reading English literature slows down and students fail to correctly understand the central content of the texts. This is caused by the different meanings and functions of different logical words in Chinese and English. The results of this study point out that there is a lack of training in the ability to sort out the logic of texts in Chinese higher English education and provide new teaching ideas for teachers who are struggling to improve students' ability to read English literature.

Community college discourses of sustainability in an academic and professional corpus

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to identify discourses of sustainability of community colleges and how they related to sustainability imaginaries.Design/methodology/approachThis study used a combination of research strategies associated with corpus linguistics and critical discourse analysis. Data included 57 issues of Community College Journal, a professional magazine published by the American Association of Community Colleges, and 2,972 abstracts of dissertations about community colleges. Publication dates ranged from 2010 to 2020.FindingsCommunity college discourse of sustainability coheres around six themes: careers and fields of study; curriculum and credentialing; campus ecological sustainability; administrative roles and processes; external organizations, partnerships and processes; and fiscal sustainability. There is little evidence of a sustainable living imaginary found.Research limitations/implicationsThe analysis is limited to a specific set of professional and academic texts about community colleges. Future researchers should explore discourses of sustainability in other contexts.Originality/valueThere has been no research associated with critical discourse analysis and corpus linguistics to explore community college discourses of sustainability, specifically in the field of community college leadership. The findings of this study situate the community college within contests over sustainability competencies in the practice of community college leadership development.

First-year English majors' reading habits, reading skills and strategies from EFL and English literature tutors' perspective: An interview study

AbstractPreparing English as a foreign language (EFL) students for final exams and language exams has become more and more significant in secondary education. However, those students who continue their studies as English majors have to live up to new expectations and rise to different challenges such as reading and discussing literary texts written in English. Thus, they would need help, nevertheless it is generally believed in many university courses that students have already reached the needed language proficiency level and they are able to read academic texts in English without having difficulties (Paran, 2008). Therefore, first-year English majors are often unprepared to cope with the demands made on them in literature courses. The main objective of this interview study, involving four EFL and four English literature tutors from a university in Hungary, is to explore the tutors' perceptions on first-year English majors' reading habits, what reading skills and strategies are required in literature courses. The findings provide an insight into some of the issues related to reading texts in English, what demands English majors have to meet when they enter tertiary education, and some possible solutions.

A comparative study of abstraction and informational density in higher and lower Indonesian graduate students' L2 English academic texts

AbstractThe language features of the second language (L2) English academic texts written by Indonesian graduate students enrolled in Hungarian higher education are employed in the present study. The study focuses on the level of abstraction and informational density in student assignments in particular. Seven high-stakes essays were collected from seven Indonesian graduate students registered in the faculty of Social Sciences at three different Hungarian universities. Coh-Metrix, a corpus-based computational tool, was used in this study to examine indices of content words and abstraction. As for the comparison between higher and lower proficiency level students, parametric statistics were used to conduct a quantitative analysis of the selected linguistic features, including nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, and concreteness and abstraction. The results show that C1 English proficiency level students outnumber B2 students in terms of informational density. Their texts are more abstract than those of B2 students.