Previous Learning Experiences Research Articles

Foreign Language Anxiety: A Study on Spanish Learners

Foreign Language Anxiety: A Study on Spanish Learners

Study on the Causes and Effects of Foreign Language Learning Anxiety among Chinese College Students

This study delves into the causes and impacts of foreign language learning anxiety among Chinese university students, a topic of significant relevance in the context of China's increasingly globalized educational landscape. Recognizing the crucial role of language proficiency in both academic and professional arenas, this research aims to unravel the multifaceted nature of anxiety experienced by students in learning foreign languages, particularly focusing on the Chinese higher education environment. The research identifies several key factors contributing to language learning anxiety. High-stakes testing culture, traditional pedagogical approaches focusing on rote memorization, and societal emphasis on academic perfection emerge as primary contributors. These elements, coupled with limited opportunities for practical language application, create an environment where anxiety can thrive. The study also notes the influence of personal factors such as students' self-perceptions and previous language learning experiences on their anxiety levels. In terms of impact, the study finds that language learning anxiety significantly hampers students' academic performance, particularly in language proficiency and participation in language classes. Moreover, it extends beyond academic ramifications, affecting students' motivation, attitude towards language learning, and overall psychological well-being. The anxiety experienced in the classroom can lead to broader issues of social withdrawal and diminished self-confidence, with potential long-term implications for students' professional development and global competency. The study's findings underscore the need for educational reforms and the introduction of teaching methods that emphasize interactive learning and communication skills, aimed at reducing anxiety and enhancing language proficiency. The research also highlights the importance of psychological support for students, suggesting that addressing emotional and psychological factors is as crucial as improving pedagogical strategies in foreign language education. In conclusion, this study provides a comprehensive understanding of the causes and impacts of foreign language learning anxiety among Chinese university students. It offers insights for educators, policymakers, and mental health professionals, suggesting a holistic approach to language education that addresses both the academic and emotional needs of students, thereby enhancing the overall quality of language learning experiences in China.

(223) Specific Training Needs of Student Midwives in Sexual Health and Clinical Sexology

Abstract Introduction According to the WHO, sexuality is an integral part of human life, encompassing all dimensions of human beings: physical, emotional, mental, and social well-being associated with sexuality, involving a positive and respectful approach. It is essential to educate and train health professionals such as midwives to address sexual problems and provide the necessary information to their clients, in order to ensure comprehensive and quality care. There is still a lack of specific sexual health training programs in the midwifery curriculum in several countries worldwide. Objective This study aims to assess the student midwives’ training needs in sexual health and clinical sexology. Methods It is a knowledge, attitudes, and practices cross-sectional online study that took place over 5 weeks starting March 1st, 2023. All enrolled student midwives in public and private midwifery schools in the country were contacted through the schools’ social media groups. The online questionnaire was a 29-item Google form elaborated in concertation with the Frequency, Gravity Problem (FGP) grid of questions. Results The study included 206 student midwives (answer rate: 87%). The participants were representative of the population of student midwives (31% 1st, 33% 2nd, and 36% 3rd year and 31% from the North, 38% from the center, and 31% from the South of the country). The participants’ mean age was 22,1± 1,04 years and 96% were single. When asked about their experience with sexual interviews, 60.7% felt uncomfortable. The reasons for that feeling were the absence of previous learning simulations and experiences (84%), the lack of confidence in their knowledge (70%), the fear of a potential lack of interest of the clients about sexual health (59%), sexuality is taboo (28%). Regarding their training and education in sexual health and clinical sexology, 94% declared that it was only theoretical, 47% considered it as unorganized and 68,5% thought that there was a lack of correlation between the time allowed and the content of the sessions. The instructors were judged as qualified by 36% of the participants. The resources were considered useful by 19%. And 23.3% of the students enrolled in other non-academic training in sexology during the previous year. The expressed need for specific sexology training was expressed in 94%. The needs were regarding knowledge in 55%, Attitudes in 80%, and practices in 55%. Conclusions A specific academic curriculum in sexual health and clinical sexology is a necessity within the student midwives' training. This educational program needs to reinforce some knowledge and practices and mainly address the attitudes of healthcare professionals toward clients asking for information and/or help regarding their sexual health. Prevention has also to be integrated into this program. Role-playing and simulations in small groups seem the most adapted pedagogical techniques to re-enforce attitudes within students. Disclosure No.

Relationship between science teachers’ teaching motivations and career development aspirations

ABSTRACT While science teachers play a pivotal role in schools in fostering students’ scientific literacy, interest, and aspirations, many countries face a lack of motivated pre-service teachers (PSTs) for science education. Accordingly, this study aims to explore science PSTs’ motivations for choosing a teaching profession and how these motivations are associated with their aspirations to remain in the teaching profession. The study chose seven factors that were relevant to the Social Cognitive Career Theory framework and investigated the relationships among those factors. The results indicated a positive relationship between the PSTs’ motivation to work with children and career development aspiration, while those who stated having more time for family as the key motivation to choose the teaching profession presented a negative association. Also, this study revealed the critical role of previous learning experiences and perceived teaching ability in increasing the science PST’s planned effort and persistence in the teaching profession.

Are we really Bayesian? Probabilistic inference shows sub-optimal knowledge transfer.

Numerous studies have found that the Bayesian framework, which formulates the optimal integration of the knowledge of the world (i.e. prior) and current sensory evidence (i.e. likelihood), captures human behaviours sufficiently well. However, there are debates regarding whether humans use precise but cognitively demanding Bayesian computations for behaviours. Across two studies, we trained participants to estimate hidden locations of a target drawn from priors with different levels of uncertainty. In each trial, scattered dots provided noisy likelihood information about the target location. Participants showed that they learned the priors and combined prior and likelihood information to infer target locations in a Bayes fashion. We then introduced a transfer condition presenting a trained prior and a likelihood that has never been put together during training. How well participants integrate this novel likelihood with their learned prior is an indicator of whether participants perform Bayesian computations. In one study, participants experienced the newly introduced likelihood, which was paired with a different prior, during training. Participants changed likelihood weighting following expected directions although the degrees of change were significantly lower than Bayes-optimal predictions. In another group, the novel likelihoods were never used during training. We found people integrated a new likelihood within (interpolation) better than the one outside (extrapolation) the range of their previous learning experience and they were quantitatively Bayes-suboptimal in both. We replicated the findings of both studies in a validation dataset. Our results showed that Bayesian behaviours may not always be achieved by a full Bayesian computation. Future studies can apply our approach to different tasks to enhance the understanding of decision-making mechanisms.

Efficient Multi-Domain Text Recognition Deep Neural Network Parameterization With Residual Adapters

Recent advancements in deep neural networks have markedly enhanced the performance of computer vision tasks, yet the specialized nature of these networks often necessitates extensive data and high computational power. Addressing these requirements, this study presents a novel neural network model adept at optical character recognition (OCR) across diverse domains, leveraging the strengths of multi-task learning to improve efficiency and generalization. The model is designed to achieve rapid adaptation to new domains, maintain a compact size conducive to reduced computational resource demand, ensure high accuracy, retain knowledge from previous learning experiences, and allow for domain-specific performance improvements without the need to retrain entirely. Rigorous evaluation on open datasets has validated the model’s ability to significantly lower the number of trainable parameters without sacrificing performance, indicating its potential as a scalable and adaptable solution in the field of computer vision, particularly for applications in optical text recognition

Impact Of The Germane Load On Students’ Behavioral Intention On Online Courses During Covid-19: Mediating Role Of Instructional Design And Moderating Role Of E-Learning Personalization

The study is carried out to examine the impact of the germane load on the Students’ Behavioral Intention of students studying in the public universities of China. Meanwhile, the study has also examined the mediating role of instructional design and moderating role of e-learning personalization. The study has used the SEM-PLS is to examine the relationship between and among the variable. The current study has investigated the relationship between germane load and instructional design, future behavioral intentions and instructional design, and future behavioral intentions with the germane load. The survey was conducted among the university students of China who participated in online learning programs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, the mediation influence of germane load on the relationship of future behavioral intentions and instructional design has been studied. It was found that all the relationships were positively correlated. The mediation influence of instructional design was found between the relationship of future behavioral intentions and instructional design. The study has examined the instructional design as a mediator. The analysis of an instructional design focusing on setting course plans results in improved germane load, which improves the process of learning, and future behavioral intentions among students are increased. It is important to note that usage intention and germane load are benefited through an effective instructional design. Therefore, the association between usage intention and germane load is important to be examined for analyzing a good understanding of the content among students and their plan for continuing e-learning in the future. In literature, studies have worked on instructional design, which results in improved learning and intention to continue e-learning and among students. However, there is a need to explore instructional design that focuses on general course planning to improve behavioral intention in the future based on the previous learning experience. The study is among the pioneers on the issues related to e-learning mechanisms in eastern Malaysia.

Self-Efficacy of Students Taking the English Writing 3 Course in an Online Learning Setting

The aim of this study was to examine the self-efficacy of students taking the English Writing 3 online tutorials at Universitas Terbuka. This study applied a quantitative approach and survey method was used to collect data. A single-stage sampling procedure was adopted to collect information about student self-efficacy. Using a questionnaire to collect data, a thorough understanding of student self-efficacy was developed. Student self-efficacy was scored on a five-point scale. The research participants were students taking the English Writing 3 online tutorials. Of 650 students, 233 students completed and returned the questionnaires. Descriptive analytics were used to describe and summarize the data in order to provide the ground for finding new facts. The findings indicated that the majority of students had high self-efficacy. The students demonstrated sufficient ability, confidence, and resilience to accomplish certain tasks that were necessary for their learning This study confirmed that male and female students did not significantly differ in self-efficacy. It was found that there may be a link between age (maturity) and self-efficacy. In addition, self-efficacy could be attributed to previous learning experience. It was apparent from this study that self-efficacy was dynamic; self-efficacy development and growth were likely influenced by student learning progressions. The present study has provided a deeper insight into the nature of students learning English writings in an online distance learning environment.

Envisioning Future Elementary School Teachers’ Practices in The Post-Pandemic Era: A Visual Narrative Inquiry

The COVID-19 pandemic has revolutionised the educational landscape massively, including the way teachers enact their roles both inside and outside the classroom context. The abrupt changes also influence pre-service teachers’ way of envisioning themselves as future teachers in the post-pandemic era. The aims of this study is to analyze the underlying influences and concerns for their choice of future projection as post-pandemic elementary school teachers. This study using the photo-narrative frame construct of visual narrative inquiry, this study explored the way three first-year pre-service elementary school teachers imagined their. The data were collected from students’ self-portraits and written narratives narrating their past, current, and future projection as post-pandemic teachers. The multimodal narrative analysis was applied to analyse both the visual and written narratives. The findings suggest that technology integration and student-centred pedagogy became the most common themes when the pre-service teachers projected their future selves. At the same time, their previous schooling experiences and future concerns about becoming a teacher had certain impacts on the way they projected themselves as future teachers. Therefore, it is recommended that future pre-service teachers should be given opportunities to reflect on their previous teaching and learning experiences and project what they wish to emulate and enhance for their future teaching practices.

The perception of foreign languages and culture for early childhood

Language acquisition is a multifaceted process that often intertwines with acculturation. When a child encounters a foreign language and culture at an early age, they start to gain an understanding of both their native cultural values and the values of the other culture. As young learners gradually become aware of the world beyond their immediate surroundings, their cultural awareness undergoes a profound expansion. This research endeavors to delve into the perceptions of language learning and the assimilation of the target culture among very young language learners, irrespective of whether they have received formal language education. In pursuit of this objective, a semi-structured qualitative study was designed. The study included interviews with ten kindergarten students of age 5 in Antalya, Turkey. Participants were divided into two: one group had received foreign language education for three years, while the other had not received any. The conversations were recorded and subsequently subjected to an in-depth analysis carried out. The compelling findings of this research reveal that young language learners who have been exposed to previous language learning experiences are significantly better equipped to discern and appreciate the distinctions presented by a foreign language and culture. Moreover, it becomes evident that very young learners, even at the tender age of five, can grasp the lifestyles, needs, and interests of individuals from foreign cultures when they are immersed in a communicative language-rich environment. This underscores the pivotal role of early language exposure in fostering not only linguistic proficiency but also cultural awareness and understanding among children.

One Mind, Many Languages: Czech as an Additional Language in Plurilingual Repertoires

Abstract Plurilingualism goes beyond the mere ability to use multiple languages; it emphasizes the interconnected nature of languages within an individual's linguistic competence. In line with the European language policy, university students are becoming users of several languages, and international university students in Czech universities often learn Czech as their fourth language or beyond (L4+). Understanding how their linguistic competencies interact can impact their language acquisition experience. Learners may perceive interactions among the languages within their linguistic repertoire. The concept of Perceived Positive Language Interaction (PPLI, Thompson, 2016) pertains to the perception that languages previously studied are interrelated in a positive way, ultimately enhancing a plurilingual's ability to acquire additional languages. This study explores the relationships between Czech as an additional language and the learners' prior languages. The research aims to answer three main questions: Do learners of Czech as L4+ perceive positive interactions among their learned languages? In what areas do these interactions manifest? How does Czech relate to their other languages? The study was conducted at a Czech university that provides optional introductory Czech courses (A1/A2), primarily to students in the Erasmus+ program. Fifty-four international students filled in an open-ended online questionnaire over two consecutive semesters. The analysis revealed that while students perceived positive interactions among some of the languages they had learned, especially within language families, interactions across typologically different languages occurred, particularly between Czech and German. The participants' mother tongue also emerged as a significant factor. While language instruction often follows a monolingual approach, where the target language is the primary mode of classroom interaction (Woll, 2020), learners may significantly benefit from their previous language learning experiences when learning an additional language. Despite the relatively limited research sample, this study suggests the didactic potential of positive language interaction in language teaching and learning and highlights further research opportunities.

Measurement invariance of the English reading motivational structure of bilingual and multilingual university students

Self-related beliefs can influence language learning motivation. In turn, reading motivation can facilitate self-related beliefs in influencing English reading comprehension (ERC). Additionally, past language learning experience affects future language learning. Thus, this study examined the motivational structure in English reading of 1170 first-year students of 13 universities from nine Indonesian provinces (Mage = 19.3, SD = 0.85). Data were collected at one measurement point using the Motivation for Reading Questionnaire to measure reading self-efficacy, extrinsic motivation, and intrinsic motivation (IM); a four-item self-concept questionnaire; the English Reading Behavior Questionnaire, and an ERC. The study developed and evaluated two hypothesized models on the moderating role of past second language (L2) learning experience. The results of structural equation modeling corroborated the moderating influence of being bilingual and multilingual learners on the motivational variables, although not each of the expected paths fit the model. Among the variables, intrinsic motivation exerted the highest effect on the ERC of Indonesian university students. A difference analysis using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) on the motivational variables between the two groups demonstrated that multilingual groups outperformed the bilingual group in nearly all motivational variables. The results implied that categorizing students according to their previous learning experience with a foreign language can help teachers to prioritize their teaching to improve the reading comprehension achievement of students.

Exploring English Major Students’ Pronunciation Anxiety

This paper reports a descriptive account of English language learners’ perceived pronunciation anxiety, which is a relatively underexplored area of foreign language learning anxiety. The participants of the study were English Language and Literature students studying at a public university in Türkiye in the 2022-2023 academic year. The research data were collected through a questionnaire survey form consisting of the Measure of Pronunciation Anxiety in Foreign Language Classroom (MPA-FLC) and a personal information section and were analyzed via statistical tests in SPSS. The findings indicated that the students felt mild-to-moderate levels of pronunciation anxiety and that the pronunciation anxiety component with the highest rating was beliefs about pronunciation and its importance as a communicative skill. The study also sought to examine the effects of some learner characteristics on pronunciation anxiety. The findings demonstrated that the students’ gender, perceived English proficiency and previous language learning experiences influenced their anxiety levels whereas the variables of age and year of study in the department had no significant effects on student responses. The females, those students with lower levels of perceived proficiency, and those who received intensive English language education at the foreign language departments at high school reported higher pronunciation anxiety. The results are discussed in the light of available literature providing implications and recommendations for further research.

The transformative cognition of English as a Foreign Language student teachers' personal practical knowledge.

This study investigates the process by which English as a Foreign Language (EFL) student teachers transmute their Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) into Personal Practical Knowledge (PPK) within a blended learning community. Data sources, including conversation transcripts, reflective journals, and field notes, were meticulously examined utilizing the commonplaces of temporality, sociality, and place. Several key findings were unveiled: (1) the volume and focal points of transformed PPK varied across participants; (2) the metamorphosis of PCK into PPK was found to be selectively partial, filtered by factors such as previous learning experiences, course expectations, and levels of engagement; and (3) the selection process was molded within the dynamic interplay of the internal components of the blended learning community and the external socio-cultural conditions. The study concludes that the cognition mechanism of EFL student teachers' PPK is characterized by elements of variation, selection, and dynamism.

Spanish for Veterinarians Part 2: A Survey Gauging Student Perspectives on a Profession-Specific Language Learning Experience.

This article describes the distribution and results of a survey that was disseminated among students enrolled in Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) programs in the United States. It is a critical component to a substantial effort being undertaken at Colorado State University (CSU) to overhaul their current Spanish for Veterinarians offerings (outlined and discussed in Spanish for Veterinarians Part 1: An Approach to Weaving Spanish Language Education into DVM Curricula) into a cohesive Spanish language program that offers consistent synchronous exposure to the language and guided practice over several semesters of instruction. The information obtained in this survey informs on veterinary student interest in and availability to engage in Spanish coursework created specifically for the veterinary field, as well as students' previous Spanish language learning experience. Additionally, it investigates the reasons motivating students' desire to participate in a Spanish for Veterinarians program, and their expectations and perspectives about receiving credit and paying for enrollment. It also includes students' online learning preferences and overall suggestions for optimal engagement in a Spanish language learning experience offered during DVM School. The anonymous results indicated that most respondents had taken Spanish only in high school, followed by those with one or two college-level courses. Interest in learning Spanish for the veterinary field is high and most students are willing to dedicate 2 to 4 hours weekly to language learning. This information guides curricular design decisions for a new Spanish for Veterinarians program that is currently being developed at CSU.

Activation of prefrontal cortex and striatal regions in rats after shifting between rules in a T-maze.

Prefrontal cortical and striatal areas have been identified by inactivation or lesion studies to be required for behavioral flexibility, including selecting and processing of different types of information. In order to identify these networks activated selectively during the acquisition of new reward contingency rules, rats were trained to discriminate orientations of bars presented in pseudorandom sequence on two video monitors positioned behind the goal sites on a T-maze with return arms. A second group already trained in the visual discrimination task learned to alternate left and right goal arm visits in the same maze while ignoring the visual cues still being presented. In each experimental group, once the rats reached criterion performance, the brains were prepared after a 90-min delay for later processing for c-fos immunohistochemistry. While both groups extinguished a prior strategy and acquired a new rule, they differed by the identity of the strategies and previous learning experience. Among the 28 forebrain areas examined, there were significant increases in the relative density of c-fos immunoreactive cell bodies after learning the second rule in the prefrontal cortex cingulate, the prelimbic and infralimbic areas, the dorsomedial striatum and the core of the nucleus accumbens, the ventral subiculum, and the central nucleus of the amygdala. These largely correspond to structures previously identified in inactivation studies, and their neurons fire synchronously during learning and strategy shifts. The data suggest that this dynamic network may underlie reward-based selection for action-a type of cognitive flexibility.

Student Perceptions of Online-Based Chemistry Learning Implementation during the Covid-19 Pandemic

This study explains chemistry students' perceptions of online-based chemistry learning during the Covid-19 pandemic. The descriptive quantitative survey method was used for the research. The research was carried out at 16 universities in Indonesia in the Chemistry Education Study Program involving 311 students. A survey technique with a Likert scale was used to collect data. The survey form was created using a Google Forms questionnaire, making it easier for students to access. The data analysis technique utilized in this study was to determine the percentage of data from each questionnaire indication from the disseminated Google form, then interpret it into a data presentation score and analyze each indicator in depth. The results showed that students' perceptions of online-based chemistry learning in chemistry education study programs at 16 universities in Indonesia were in poor criteria, this was obtained from the percentage score on the online enjoy learning indicator by 50%, the content presentation strategy indicator 40%, online media indicators used are 65%, indicators are constrained when online learning is 20%, student readiness indicators are 21% and online learning evaluation indicators are 60%. This research is expected to be a reference for evaluating various parties in online-based chemistry learning, especially regarding students' perceptions of fun learning activities. This study also discusses the problematic tendencies of online-based chemistry learning, namely (1) students' motivation decreases due to boring learning, (2) students' understanding of concepts is reduced because the presentation of learning content is less than optimal, (3) students' readiness to participate in online learning is very lacking because have no previous online learning experience. As a result, the findings of this study can be used as evaluation material in analyzing and developing online learning models during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Understanding challenges, investment, and strategic language use of postgraduate students in an English-medium university in Kazakhstan

ABSTRACT This qualitative study documents six postgraduate Kazakh students’ challenges, language learning strategies (LLSs), and future vision while studying at a highly selective English medium instruction (EMI) university in Kazakhstan. It also aims to capture the influence of the participants’ past English learning experiences and contextual factors on their LLS deployment. The study found that all participants exhibited greater agency, using a host of appropriate LLSs to complete their master’s programmes successfully. However, the two participants who studied in schools for the gifted encountered fewer challenges than the other participants from mainstream schools after joining the EMI university. The former exercising their agency and their positive previous English language learning experiences enabled them to use diverse voluntary strategies to accomplish both personal and national goals. This study reveals how educational policy and distribution of enabling language learning resources in similar contexts can affect individuals’ LLS choices and use, and their identity improvement.

Plurilingual Chinese learners of French Lx: agentic assembling of semiotic resources for learning

Abstract This paper reports an interview study with Chinese international students in an Anglophone university in Quebec, Canada, exploring their use of language and cross-language learning strategies to support their learning of French Lx (third language and beyond). Drawing on plurilingualism, Dynamic Model of Multilingualism, and language learning strategies, this article examines how Chinese learners made dynamic, creative, and, at times, unexpected links among Chinese and other additional languages and mobilized previous learning and professional experience to strategically enhance their French language learning. As a logographic language, Chinese is typologically distant from Latin-based languages. The focal participants, however, generated multilingual, multidirectional, and multimodal connections among the languages they knew. Their agentic assemblage of communicative repertoires for language learning contests the abyssal thinking behind the deficit-oriented label of “allophones” (those whose mother tongue is neither French nor English) that is used widely in the country. The study urges teachers and researchers to rethink language pedagogies that respond to and take full advantage of these student-directed strategies for better learning. Particularly, the paper argues for greater attention to students of non-alphabetic language backgrounds to recognize and co-learn with them about these self-initiated plurilingual strategies in order to build on their metalinguistic resources and create equitable classroom spaces for more effective teaching and learning.

Resilient Coping is More Important Than Previous Virtual Learning Experience: Predicting Pharmacy Student Stress During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic precipitated a swift transition to online learning in medical and health sciences. This study investigated the associations of previous experience with online learning, current confidence with online learning, and resilient coping skills with perceived stress reported by pharmacy students during the emergency transition to online learning. Undergraduate pharmacy students (N=113, response rate = 41%) completed an online, self-report, cross-sectional survey during April-June 2020. Measures included Likert items measuring prior experience and current comfort levels with online learning, the Brief Resilient Coping Scale (BRCS), and the Perceived Stress Scale 10-Item Version (PSS-10). Experience, comfort with online learning, reported scores, and internal consistency for the BRCS and PSS-10 were summarized. A linear regression model examined the associations of prior experience with online education, gender, and resilient coping with perceived stress. Of the 113 respondents (78% female, mean age 22.3 years), > 50% had only occasional prior experience with online learning, coursework, and examinations, but 63% expressed confidence with online learning. Mean PSS-10 and BRCS scores were 23.8 and 13.3, respectively, and both scales demonstrated good internal consistency (α > 0.80). BRCS score was the single predictor of the PSS-10 score (r2 = 0.18, p < 0.001). Female gender was not a significant predictor (p = 0.11). A multiple regression model explained moderate variation in perceived stress (adjusted R2 = 0.19). PSS-10 and BRCS scores indicated moderate levels of stress and coping skills among students during online teaching. Most students had some prior exposure to online learning, coursework, and examinations. Higher resiliency scores, but not prior online learning experience, predicted lower perceived stress.