English Language Reading Research Articles

Seeking Śākyamuni: South Asia in the Formation of Modern Japanese Buddhism by Richard M. Jaffe

Reviewed by: Seeking Śākyamuni: South Asia in the Formation of Modern Japanese Buddhism by Richard M. Jaffe Judith Snodgrass (bio) Seeking Śākyamuni: South Asia in the Formation of Modern Japanese Buddhism. By Richard M. Jaffe. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 2019. xvi, 309 pages. $97.50, cloth; $32.50, paper; $32.50, E-book. Richard Jaffe's new book is a brilliant addition to the series Buddhism and Modernity, adding a crucial dimension to our knowledge of the formation of Buddhism in modern Japan and, by extension, to the history of modern global Buddhism. It builds on and contributes substantially to earlier work documenting the domestic and East-West imperatives in that formation. While these tended to focus on the journeys to the West undertaken by Japanese Buddhist reformers, Jaffe instead focuses on those who traveled to India, arguing convincingly that the "road to conceptualizing Japanese Buddhism for the twentieth century ran through Colombo, Madras, Calcutta and Bombay as much as it did through Oxford, Cambridge, Paris and Heidelberg" (p. 238). Indeed, for some of the pioneering Japanese scholar priests such as Nanjō Bun'yū and Takakusu Junjirō, travel between Oxford and Japan took them through India, where the facility with Indic languages gained in Europe enabled them to study texts and work with South Asian scholars directly. And, it should not be forgotten, many of the Indian pandits with whom Japanese scholars studied, Indian scholars who would lead the Buddhist revival in South Asia, had previously worked with and been trained by British scholars. They studied in British colonial institutions. The Buddhist pilgrimage sites they visited had been reinserted into Indian memory and heritage by the colonial archaeological surveys. The Western factor is not denied, just resituated and complimented by Jaffe's Asia-centric perspective. Most of the Japanese Buddhists in this study, however, traveled directly to South Asia. Among the earliest of these was Zen Abbot Shaku Sōen, more familiar in Western scholarship for the time he would later spend in the United States. While much has been written of him, Jaffe's account, based on Sōen's diary of his journey to Ceylon and resulting publication on Southern Buddhism, greatly expands English-language knowledge of his life and work. Sōen studied Pāli, working with Theravāda scholars—Asian and European—including leaders of the Buddhist reform movement taking place in Ceylon and Siam at the time, the activity documented in Anne Blackburn's Locations of Buddhism: Colonialism and Modernity in Sri Lanka (Princeton University Press, 2001). A major contribution of the book is the way it links with earlier studies and fills gaps between them. Jaffe's Asia-centric focus also contributes significantly to research on modern Japanese Buddhism, introducing a number of important figures previously [End Page 132] unknown to English-language readers, people who should be more widely known. Among these are Kawaguchi Ekai, Akegarasu Haya, and Kimura Ryūkan. Their stories add much to our knowledge of twentiethcentury Japanese Buddhism and to intra-Asian relations in the early twentieth century. The chapters covering their journeys range from the early twentieth century to the 1930s, several decades of rapid and tumultuous change in both countries and in the relationship between them. But more of this below. The book is clearly the culmination of years of research. The diaries and personal publications of more than 20 Japanese Buddhist priests who spent substantial periods in South Asia provide a core archive (see list on p. 115). As well as revealing their observations and responses to South Asian and Southeast Asian Buddhism (Jaffe translates extensive passages on this material), the author identifies the places they visited and the people they met, studied with, and learned from. This evidence is contextualized and expanded on with reference to a comprehensive array of additional primary and secondary sources (including temple records, private papers, photographs, interviews, and a note on a business card) to reveal the networks and the historical contexts that conditioned their experiences. The result is an impressive compendium of erudite research. As the records show, the factors motivating and enabling the journeys varied greatly, but the travelers were united in seeking knowledge of the origins...

Rossana CampoNever Felt So Good by Adria Frizzi

companies, journalists, craft skills versus desk jobs, internet impact, mother/daughter relationships, recurring generational trauma, ancient warfare techniques, birthrights —and forgiveness. Descriptions of olive-picking traditions are lyrical. The novel’s title stems from James Baldwin ’s 1962 Progressive essay, “A Letter to My Nephew.” Discussing it with Nahr, a character says: “Reading Baldwin ought to be slow. Every sentence beckons not only the mind, but also one’s heart, history, and future.” They talk about surviving colonialism , loving ancestors, and relating to Israelis. Abulhawa sums it up: “This is what it meant to be exiled and disinherited—to straddle closed borders, never whole anywhere .” Against the Loveless World is a compelling novel by an author who’s lived Middle East headlines. Lanie Tankard Austin, Texas Rossana Campo Never Felt So Good Trans. Adria Frizzi. McLean, Illinois. Dalkey Archive Press. 2020. ROSSANA CAMPO (b. 1963) burst on the Italian literary scene in 1992 with a picaresque novel about underwear: her own. A movie version followed the success of In principio erano le mutande (In the beginning was underwear), and Campo, the daughter of Neapolitan parents who resettled in Genoa, was off and running. Like many Italian writers of her generation, especially those associated with the socalled Giovani cannibali (Young cannibals), her prose was a slangy, provocative narrative that explored female sexuality. Both Campo’s themes and stylistic choices may explain why it’s taken twentyeight years for English-language readers to get a taste of “what women talk about when men aren’t around.” In an essay that accompanies her translation of Campo’s third novel, Mai sentita così bene (Never felt so good), Adria Frizzi suggests some reasons for the neglect: “the American literary establishment’s (publishers and literary agents alike) perceptions of Campo’s writing appear to be largely based on the fact that it doesn’t fit familiar but rigid and often obsolete categories and expectations (literary vs. commercial; canonical vs. experimental; highbrow vs. lowbrow) or even established genres and subgenres (fiction vs. theatre or film script; romance, confessional, chick lit, etc.).” Frizzi quotes the novelist: “What I’m trying to do with my writing is to deliver maximum force and energy. In order to do this I’ve always tried to eliminate everything that sounds fake, cloying, sappy, literary and stuffy to me.” Campo’s project—and the source of her unique voice—is to transfer the immediacy of speech onto the page. I first met Campo’s hilarious, spot-on satire in her second novel, Il pieno di super (Full tank), in which adolescent girls facing discrimination as meridionali (southerners ) use humor as their protective shield. Few are spared in this send-up of racist teachers and dysfunctional families. (The title comes from a father’s sex boast to his wife—“Come here, let me fill you up”—as reported by their spying daughter.) Specifically, Campo’s teenagers are trying to free themselves of the tentacles of an entrenched patriarchy. Their girl gossip is itself a transgressive act, and Campo renders their dialogue without censorship or punctuation. The same boisterous idiom and obsessive intimacy characterize the female protagonists of Never Felt So Good, who might be the same girls ten years later and living in Paris. Their lives unfold in all their messiness during an endless dinner party, arranged to welcome back Lucia, who has fled her “veeerry square” life to run off with a German biker. “Anyway, we’ve been making fun of her forever,” the narrator explains. “Because she’s really ridiculous, the type who doesn’t drink, doesn’t smoke, suffers from gastritis, is afraid of flying and getting locked in the bathroom at a bar, can you imagine?” What defines the “crazy girlfriends” as much as their bad-ass jargon is their commitment to sexual freedom. Lucia is the butt of their jokes because she was married for five years without cheating on her husband. And cheating, as it turns out, provides the climactic bombshell that Betty is pregnant by Gianni, who is Beate’s husband and Ale’s lover. Confused? The evening is full of unusual twists, such as when the vengeful Beate, hell-bent to murder her rival Ale...

Editorial

Editorial M. Lynne Murphy This second issue of Dictionaries volume 42 includes work by lexicographers and scholars from five continents, in the form of one independent research article, two thematic forums incorporating five articles, three reports on reference works in progress, four book reviews, and the first installment of a new occasional feature, Teaching Dictionaries. Two obituaries honor important contributors to the field and to this journal. We start with Bing Tian’s “Jianhua Huang’s Lexicography and his Grand Dictionnaire Chinois–Français Contemporain (2014).” This article provides a historical and critical overview of a major work of Chinese bilingual lexicography, begun just as China started to re-engage with the West after decades of isolation. Tian’s article offers the English-language reader insights on the lexicographical challenges for Chinese bilingual lexicography while dissecting the contributions of its editor in chief. The two forums that follow present papers from the 23rd biennial meeting of the Dictionary Society of North America, held online on June 4, 2021. Ben Zimmer introduces the forum “How Global Events and Social Change Affect Modern Lexicography.” The forum’s three articles underscore how quickly everyday vocabulary has changed in recent years and examine ways in which lexicographers and publishers have adapted to give users much more up-to-date information than could have been possible in the print age. The theme of adaptation is also key to the two articles of the second forum, “The Future of Dictionaries and Lexicography,” introduced by Sarah Ogilvie. In Reference Works in Progress, three ongoing projects are described in some depth. Geert De Wilde reports on work toward the second [End Page ix] edition of the Anglo-Norman Dictionary, begun in the 1990s and online since 2006. The project is currently in its final push toward completion: adding new features and a fresh T–Z section by 2025. Next, María Betulia Pedraza Pedraza presents the principles and architecture of the Diccionario Panhispánico de la Administración Pública (DiPAP), a resource with a democratizing mission: to help citizens engage with public services and their varying terminologies in Argentina, Colombia, Mexico and Spain. Finally, Manfred Markus updates us on search-filtering features for source information in the current revision of the EDD (English Dialect Dictionary) Online. In recent decades, scholarly organizations in linguistics have created forums for more active discussions of pedagogy. As I took on editor-ship of Dictionaries this year, I imagined that at some point we’d want to develop a series on lexicography in higher education pedagogy. That “some point” was moved earlier when I got to hear Jack Lynch speak at an Oxford English Dictionary forum in Spring. Lynch’s contribution to our new Teaching Dictionaries series considers the kinds of guidance today’s students need in approaching the OED and using it for the study of literature. This feature will run on an occasional basis, and I welcome enquiries and suggestions from readers who know of innovative teaching of or with lexicography. On a sadder note, in this issue we memorialize two influential DSNA members who died in 2021. Jennifer Westerhaus Adams remembers Ron Butters for his contributions to lexicography and trademark law and his personal generosity. William Frawley, former editor of this journal, is paid tribute by Michael Adams. The back issues of Dictionaries serve as another kind of memorial. Frawley’s work behind the scenes and Butters’ articles on gay, X sucks, and trademarks in dictionaries will continue to serve lexicology and lexicography. Finally, we present reviews of two online dictionaries, a dictionary history, and an intriguing edited collection. Jason F. Siegel considers the Dictionnaire des Francophones “a laudable attempt” to represent the lexical variety of French worldwide, while identifying some glitches that need attention. Kyle Adams deems The Right Rhymes, Matt Kohl’s historical dictionary of hip-hop “an invaluable textbook” to complement the music itself. James Lambert enjoyed Pat Manser’s history of the Macquarie Dictionary, More than Words, “a deliberate paean” to the dictionary. Finally, David S. Azzolina is struck by the “interdisciplinary [End Page x] value” of the edited collection Dictionaries as Sources of Folklore Data, in which “each chapter has something significant to say...

What does Text Selection in the HKDSE Reading Comprehension Paper Say about the Exam?

The Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) examination is a high-stakes matriculation system that determines the opportunity for higher education and social mobility for most local students. This means that content featured in the tests poses strong washback effects on classroom teaching and learning. Despite the fact that the Hong Kong Examination and Assessment Authority (HKEAA) recognizes the effects of washback and the necessity to use it in a positive way, certain aspects within the HKDSE English Language Reading Comprehension paper might have been overlooked. This paper looks at the genres, text sources and topics featured by the HKDSE examination since its inception in 2011. It finds that while there is an effort to diversify the topics featured and ensure their appropriacy to local candidates, the Authority falls short in utilizing a wide enough range of text genres in its examinations, possibly leading to narrowed English reading abilities in the population. Additionally, texts are also usually selected from sources that favor affluent, professional demographics, which has possible implications for the fairness of the test.

From the teachers’ perspectives: resources used in teaching reading comprehension to English First Additional Language (EFAL) learners in the FET phase

ABSTRACT At most, schools in South Africa, the learners’ performances in English first additional language (EFAL) reading comprehension are a source of worry for stakeholders. The majority of these learners are EFAL speakers. To counteract this discomfort, effective and appropriate resources in the teaching of reading comprehension become handy. This study aimed to investigate the resources used in teaching reading comprehension to EFAL learners in the FET phase. The study employed a qualitative research design, semi-structured interview, to collect data. The sampling frame was six EFAL teachers in South Africa. The results of the study show that EFAL teachers in the FET phase use many resources to teach reading comprehension, which include the dictionary, textbooks, WhatsApp, the parents and videos. The challenges faced by learners in reading comprehension include overuse of the dictionary, a narrow vocabulary base and inability to skim and scan accordingly. It becomes imperative for EFAL to promote an enabling classroom environment so that learners’ reading comprehension skills are developed. Teachers need to understand that a deep comprehension is achieved when a reader progresses beyond literal comprehension to using the text combined with prior knowledge to construct understanding.

The Reading and Writing Connections in Developing Overall L2 Literacy: A Case Study

This study focused on the characteristics of an action-research study concerning an English language reading and writing intervention program in a primary state school, located in northeast Portugal (low-Socio Economic Status setting), where four groups of children (n = 92) participated in the academic year 2019–2020, after the National strategy for foreign languages was launched. The longitudinal study carried out in the action-research methodology, where the teacher, syllabus designer and researcher was the main author, was set out with two main aims. The first was to tackle and to overcome the lack of teacher training for teaching English to young learners in Portuguese primary schools. The second was to prompt intervention, through the design and implementation of a suitable pedagogic approach for teaching English to young learners, in line with Content for Language and Integrated Learning (CLIL) principles, namely English Across the Curriculum, thus fostering the interrelationships between English language reading and writing skills. The findings of the action-research reading intervention program demonstrate that it is possible to overcome such barriers as pupils’ negative attitudes and counteract the damaging effects of poverty in foreign language literacy development by exposing them to children’s picturebooks/storybooks, thus fostering the overall literacy development. The key concepts explored in these books, being associated with primary key curriculum themes are an effective way to establish clear positive connections among English language reading and writing relationships. In addition, the current study also sheds light on how primary English language school teachers can design suitable pedagogic approaches to foster overall literacy development, thus advancing innovative teacher training opportunities.

From Item Development to Analysis: The Development of a Computerised Entrance Placement Test Using a VLE

This paper reports using a virtual learning environment (VLE) for English language reading and writing competence testing as part of a higher education entrance placement test for a business college. The suitability of the VLE for computer-based testing, as well as the effect of its mode of delivery, including the perceptions of test-takers are discussed through the findings of quantitative and qualitative action research investigations. More specifically, within suitability, the transferability of specific tasks, security issues, user-friendliness and data processing are examined. It was found that prior computer-based test-taking experience is not an unfair advantage for applicants, but sample tests need to be made accessible to cater for the time needs of applicants with no prior computer-based experience. The VLE has proved to be a suitable platform for the purpose, in terms of test design, security, transferability and data processing, but only with the help of database engineers was some of the data retrievable. Thus, the paper seeks to emphasise the need for collaboration between information technology personnel and language testing professionals.

The Effect of the use of SQ4R Strategy on Freshmen Students’ Reading Comprehension in Al-Balqa Applied University

This study investigates the effect of the SQ4R strategy on English language reading comprehension for English freshmen students at Al-Balqa Applied University. The study employed pretest-postest control group design and the instrument of the study was a reading comprehension test. Eighty-nine EFL learners participated in the study at Ajloun College and were distributed into an experimental group of 45 students and a control group of 44students. To achieve the aim of the study, the researcher applied pre- and post-tests on both groups. The results showed the positivity of the SQ4R strategy in improving reading comprehension for the sample of the study. The study suggested several implications and recommendations for future research. Keywords: FL, SQ4R Strategy, Reading comprehension, Freshmen students, Balqa Applied University, Effect.

The Degrees of Practicing Intensive English Language Reading Comprehension Skills by Eleventh Grade Students in the Directorate of Education in Irbid Kasbah District from Their Points of View

This study aimed at identifying the degrees of practicing the Intensive Reading comprehension skills by students in the Directorate of Education in Irbid Kasbah District from their points of view. To achieve the aims of the study, a descriptive-analytical approach was used, and a questionnaire was prepared to collect data after verifying their validity and stability. The participants of the study included 101 students in the eleventh grade in the academic year (2020/2021). The results of the study showed that the use of Intensive English Reading skills by the students was moderate from their points of view. Furthermore, the results showed statistically significant differences in the use of Intensive English Reading skills by students due to the gender variable. In the light of the results, the researchers recommended some recommendations, such as the teachers should maintain the progress of the students in Intensive Reading and encourage them to read English texts more and balance the teaching-learning activities to achieve the students' competencies in mastering four skills of the language.

Age differences in item selection behaviors and subsequent memory for new foreign language vocabulary: Evidence for a region of proximal learning heuristic.

We examined younger and older adults' item selection behaviors to assess heuristics for self-regulating learning of English meanings of Chinese characters varying widely in figural complexity. Two study-test trials were used to assess whether (a) item selection behaviors on the first study opportunity would show evidence for a difficulty-based heuristic as posited by Metcalfe's (2002) region of proximal learning (RPL) theory, or alternatively, influences of habitual English-language reading order (i.e. left-to-right, top-to-bottom); (b) whether second-trial selection behaviors were better predicted by RPL or by the discrepancy reduction model (DRM; Dunlosky & Hertzog, 1998); and (c) whether Trial 1 test performance would alter Trial 2 study in a manner predicted by RPL. DRM stipulates people select any item for study at Trial 2 that was not previously recalled. RPL states that people study only items they believe they can learn, avoiding complex items above their subjective RPL. Stimuli were 36 Chinese-English vocabulary pairs randomly presented in six 2 × 3-element grids. Both habitual reading order and stimulus complexity at Trial 1 affected order of study, with participants of both age groups manifesting a preference to study less complex characters. However, older adults showed larger effects of stimulus complexity whereas younger adults had larger effects of habitual reading order. At Trial 2, older adults showed a greater tendency to avoid studying the most complex Chinese characters, consistent with RPL, which contributed to their lower rates of vocabulary acquisition. Older adults' more conservative RPLs appeared to constrain their degree of self-regulated learning. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Islam, Humanity, and Indonesian Identity: Reflections on History

Islam exists in global history with its richly variegated cultural and social realities. When these specific cultural contexts are marginalized, Islam is reduced to an ahistorical religion without the ability to contribute to humanity. This limited understanding of Islam has been a contributing factor in many of the violent conflicts in the present day. Reflecting on Islam in Indonesia, the world’s third largest democracy, supporting the largest Muslim population, Ahmad Syafii Maarif argues for an understanding that is both faithful to Islam’s essential teachings and open to constantly changing social and cultural contexts. Building on this, he then addresses critical contemporary issues such as democracy, human rights, religious freedom, the status of women, and the future of Islam. Through this book the breadth and depth of the ideas of one of Indonesia’s foremost Muslim scholars are made accessible for English language readership.

The Representation of ICT Competencies in English Language Reading Skill Modules for Open University

The current global and national issues require students to upgrade their level of ICT competencies in this 21st century. To meet the new standard, there is a need to upgrade the development of the learning materials. Therefore, this study is aimed to portray the ICT competencies covered in the reading skill modules as a concern in addressing the issue of ICT competencies development in education. The qualitative content analysis is used as the method of this study. The main source of data is reading skills modules which are taken from four reading courses (Reading I, II, III, and IV) in Open University English Education Study Program. The results of this study show that 90 representations of ICT competencies are found and mostly represented in the form of Hypermedia, followed by Hyperlink, Multimedia (graphs, tables, and diagrams) and Communication Media (e-mail). The analysis of the table of ISTE NETS (2016) shows that Knowledge Constructor is the most dominant standard (74%), followed by Computational Thinker (16%), and Creative Communicator (10%).

The Representation of ICT Competencies in English Language Reading Skill Modules for Open University

The current global and national issues require students to upgrade their level of ICT competencies in this 21st century. To meet the new standard, there is a need to upgrade the development of the learning materials. Therefore, this study is aimed to portray the ICT competencies covered in the reading skill modules as a concern in addressing the issue of ICT competencies development in education. The qualitative content analysis is used as the method of this study. The main source of data is reading skills modules which are taken from four reading courses (Reading I, II, III, and IV) in Open University English Education Study Program. The results of this study show that 90 representations of ICT competencies are found and mostly represented in the form of Hypermedia, followed by Hyperlink, Multimedia (graphs, tables, and diagrams) and Communication Media (e-mail). The analysis of the table of ISTE NETS (2016) shows that Knowledge Constructor is the most dominant standard (74%), followed by Computational Thinker (16%), and Creative Communicator (10%).

Book Review: Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee is a saga of the trials and tribulations, joys and sorrows of a Korean family spanning from 1910 to 1989. Lee is a Korean-American author whose work engages with themes of the diasporic Korean identity. Pachinko was published in 2017 to critical acclaim and it was in the running for the National Book Award for Fiction.
 Pachinko is a historical novel and its panoramic gaze encompasses twentieth century Korea giving us a terrifyingly real account of Korean society from the Japanese colonization of Korea to the Second World War. The Financial Times wrote in their review of the book: “We never feel history being spoon-fed to us; it is wholly absorbed into character and story, which is no mean feat for a novel covering almost a century of history.”
 It is the first novel about Korean history and culture written for English language readers.

Magsud Ibrahimbeyov’s Let Him Stay with Us Through the Post-Soviet Union and Western Lenses

It is easy to translate a work word for word into another language. The task becomes much moredifficult when one contemplates how the words of the translation will sound in the target languageand considers any cultural background that those words may have. In fact, an accurate literaltranslation may make no sense, or even be offensive in the target language. As Oksana Zabushkowrites, “in some cases, opting for vocabulary more recognizable to English-language readers mightlead not only to semantic but also ideological losses in translation” (88). In other words, one musttranslate meanings, not words.

Significación Sobre la Enseñanza de la Lectura en Inglés: Prácticas de Docentes en Educación Preescolar

El artículo que a continuación se presenta, demuestra la importancia que tienen las concepciones sobre la enseñanza de la lectura en inglés por parte de los profesores en educación pre-escolar, y cómo podrían estas influir en sus respectivas prácticas educativas. Se determinan, además, una serie de variables (categorías) que tienen que ver con el tema de la enseñanza de la lectura y sus diferentes formas de concebirla. Por otra parte, este estudio se acoge al paradigma cualitativo y se orienta bajo el tipo de investigación etnográfica; a su vez, se presentan una serie de resultados, producto de las técnicas de recogida de información (Encuestas, grupos focales y entrevistas). La investigación de la cual se deriva la escritura de este texto, tuvo la participación de la Universidad Católica Luis Amigó de Medellín, Colombia, la Universidad del Maule de Chile y la Red Iberoamericana de Pedagogía. Finalmente, entre los resultados más significativos, se resalta la falta de oferta de cursos enfatizados en la enseñanza del inglés en las primeras edades, para las maestras en formación de educación preescolar; y a su vez, la acentuación en la enseñanza de la pronunciación más allá de la comprensión del mensaje en inglés para los niños y niñas.

The Effect of a Program Based on Thinking Maps on Developing EFL Learners’ Reading Comprehension Skills and their Attitudes Towards Reading

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a program based on Thinking Maps on developing English language reading comprehension skills for first year college level students in the Integrated Technical Education Cluster at Al Ameeria (ITEC) and their attitude towards reading in general. The participants of the study consisted of 50 students who were equally divided into two groups; one experimental group and one control group. The two groups pre posttest quasi- experimental design was used. The instruments of the study included a checklist of reading comprehension skills, a pre post reading comprehension test and a scale to measure students’ attitude towards reading. The reading comprehension test and the reading attitude scale were administered to both groups before and after the period of instruction, respectively. The findings of the study revealed that the Thinking Maps based program significantly developed students’ English reading comprehension skills and their attitude towards reading when compared to the regular classroom experience.

Evidence-based practice competency and its related factors among healthcare students

Abstract Background Evidence-based practice today is a worldwide approach in optimizing quality of healthcare. This approach remains little known among Tunisian future healthcare professionals. This study aimed to describe health sciences students' competencies in Evidence-based practice (attitudes, skills and knowledge) and to determine factors associated with these competencies. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from February to March 2018, at the Higher School of Health Sciences and Techniques of Sousse (Tunisia) among health sciences students. Data were collected using the validated Evidence Based Practice Competencies Questionnaire (EBP-COQ) measuring students' knowledge, attitudes and skills in Evidence-based practice. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS.20) software was used to analyze data. Independent-Samples T test and One-way ANOVA test were performed to assess the differences between the different subgroups and their association with the Evidence-based practice components. Results Altogether, 365 students participated to the study (response rate: 93.11%). The overall Evidence Based Practice Competencies score was 3.26±0.53 out of 5. The attitude, skills and knowledge subscales received 4.04±0.41; 3.05±0.77 and 2.70±0.74 as mean scores respectively. Students' demographic and academic features were significantly associated with their competencies in Evidence-based practice including age (p < 10-6), gender (p < 10-3), academic degree (p < 10-6), English-language reading skills (p < 10-6), students' education in research methodology (p < 10-6) and statistics (p < 10-5), and their familiarity with the term “Evidence-based practice”(p < 10-6). Conclusions The reported knowledge and attitudes among the future caregivers is considered below the required competency standards. These findings highlight the urgent need for changes in the current educational strategies to ensure successful implementation of Evidence-based practice in Tunisia. Key messages The transition from studentship to a professional health-caring role requires that students are well equipped with EBP competencies to increase their likelihood of utilizing EBP in their future. Understanding the underlying factors that may influence Evidence based practice competencies is useful in developing teaching strategies for effective EBP.

When Literature Became Knowledge

With the development of British Sinology in the 19th century, a body of relatively comprehensive knowledge about Chinese literature became available to general English-language readers for the first time. How was this knowledge gradually produced and represented in the Anglophone world? This article looks at this history of knowledge production through the lens of encyclopaedias. It provides a focused study of this process by examining the writings on Chinese literature in English-language encyclopaedias. Through an analysis of their sources of information, categorisation schemes, discourses, and literary and intellectual frameworks, this article demonstrates the structural transformation of the understanding and representation of Chinese literature in Anglophone scholarship during the long 19th century.

Contingency in Context: A Study of Exemplary Reading Teachers’ Use of Planned Scaffolds in Secondary English Classes with Emergent Bilinguals

Planned instructional scaffolding—the temporary use of materials, routines and structures to support students in doing challenging academic work—is a critical component of English-language reading instruction with emergent bilinguals (students formally categorized as English Language Learners). Although scholars describe how scaffolds should be used to support language and literacy development in classes, no extant research describes how teachers actually choose and use a range of scaffolds that are responsive to the varied skills and needs of larger, diverse groups of emergent bilinguals, all within the complex and dynamic environment of a classroom. Drawing on Walqui’s conceptual framework for use of scaffolds with emergent bilinguals and Corno’s theories of adaptive teaching, this comparative case study of three exemplary teachers’ reading instruction in middle school sheltered English classes focuses on how teachers selected and used instructional scaffolding contingently, by adapting the support to the needs of an individual or the group. Following the call by van de Pol et al., this research also investigates how the teachers’ use of scaffolds was shaped by their immediate context. Data, which include 30 video-recorded reading lessons and 9 teacher interviews conducted over one school year, were analyzed using qualitative methods. Findings show that the teachers’ use of a range of whole-class and small-group planned scaffolds was shaped by their understandings of their class context, namely the heterogeneity of their classes and their adolescent students’ socioemotional needs. The study’s implications for teacher educators, coaches and researchers are discussed.