Mediation Skills Research Articles

AUDIOVISUAL TRANSLATION AS A DIDACTIC RESOURCE IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE EDUCATION. A METHODOLOGICAL PROPOSAL

This paper presents a methodological proposal designed by the TRADILEX project, which stands for Audiovisual Translation as a Didactic Resource in Foreign Language Education. The main goal of TRADILEX is to determine the degree of improvement in the foreign language learning process after including the pedagogical use of audiovisual translation (AVT) as a didactic tool. To this end, a methodological proposal has been articulated including complete lesson plans which make use of diverse AVT modes (subtitling, voice-over, dubbing, audio description and subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing) in order to enhance communicative competence and mediation skills in an integrated and differentiated manner. The methodology designed by TRADILEX will be piloted with B1-B2-level English as a foreign language adult students in non-formal educational contexts, especially in language centres of the universities involved. Both the methodological proposal of didactic sequence, based on the pedagogical use of the main AVT modes, and a sample lesson plan on subtitling, will be described in this paper to present the basic elements that underlie this research project.

Exploring Audiovisual translation as a didactic tool in the Secondary school foreign language classroom

The aim of this research is to showcase the versatility of Audiovisual Translation (AVT) as a resource in the language classroom. Didactic AVT helps students improve their communicative competence and linguistic skills in the foreign language (L2). Students also develop their digital competence by working with online resources and AVT editing software, and their intercultural competence by being exposed to authentic material in their L2. Mediation skills, as promoted by the CEFR (2001), are also developed with the implementation of didactic AVT. The literary review first introduces general concepts of didactic AVT, and later breaks down different AVT modes to focus on the benefits and potential downsides as classroom resources inherent to each one: subtitling, dubbing, subtitling for the deaf and hard of hearing (SDH) audio description (AD), and creative AVT. With the intention of exemplifying some practical applications of AVT modes as central tasks in Secondary school EFL classrooms, this paper presents four learning sequences which are based on the theoretical principles reported in the reviewed literature. These learning sequences are not meant to be prescriptive, but rather an example of potential ways to implement AVT in the classroom.

Professional competence of experts in psychosocial work

The professional competence of experts in helping professions was investigated in centers for social work, Republika Srpska. Using a questionnaire, 100 experts from the fields of psychology, pedagogy and social work were questioned. Their communication skills, mediation skills, teamwork skills and the ability to empathize were investigated, as well as the connection between the level of professional competences and the level of education, age and length of professional experience. The results showed that experts in helping professions have a high level of professional competence for psychosocial work. Experts of older age and longer working experience have a lower level of competence, while the level of education does not affect their professional competence. Supervision is recommended as an efficient way to prevent professional burnout, but also to develop personal and professional competencies.

Rozwijanie sprawności mediacji w klasach dwu- i wielonarodowych

For several years now, there has been an increase in the number of foreign students in Polish schools. These are generally Ukrainian pupils. The article presents proposals to improve the competences of foreign students by developing mediation skills. Mediation in glottodidactics is understood as the ability to work with a text and its processing, communicate effectively in a two- and multinational group and having the ability to decode meanings in those groups.

Propedeutyka wiedzy o mediacji w szkole. Kompetencje mediacyjne nauczyciela i ucznia

The changes attendant to the social and political system had an impact on Polish schools. Due to these changes, teachers need to handle such challenges as a tarnished image of schools and teachers, hyperactive parents, excessively direct students’ behaviors and social problems, especially school violence; all of them are greatly deconstructive for the school system. An effective coping method is not only teachers’ lifelong development, especially in terms of social competencies, but also establishing students’ competencies from the very early stage of education. To achieve that, teachers should create a suitable atmosphere in the area of interpersonal relations, which can be achieved by creating a very effective internal communication system. A constructive dialog at school may importantly influence not only the development of students’ mediation skills, but also the mitigation of conflicts and tensions. This is also a key component of facilitating the mediation process.

Mediation and communication practices in education

In the sphere of education, mediation and communication practices help not only to resolve disputes and conflicts most effectively but also to protect the interests of children and minors. The study aims to explore and analyze the effectiveness of mediation and communication practices in resolving conflicts in educational organizations, as well as identify trends in the development of this institution. The importance and role of using mediation and communication practices in conflict resolution in the sphere of education are analyzed and the theoretical aspects of the effectiveness of mediation in educational organizations are studied. The reasons for the emergence of conflicts in educational organizations are identified and the need to improve the effectiveness of mediation and communication practice implementation in conflict resolution in the sphere of education is substantiated. The study results allow outlining trends in the development of the studied institution. Further research can address the effectiveness of mediation and communication practices and the feasibility of using various methods and techniques to improve the use of mediation and communication skills in educational legal relations.

Designing for robot-mediated interaction among culturally and linguistically diverse children

This qualitative study explored the design and implementation of a humanoid social robot that mediated collaborative interactions among culturally and linguistically diverse kindergarten children in a US school. The robotic mediation was designed to help children have positive interactions with one another. The study was grounded in theories of childhood development, intercultural communication, and culturally responsive pedagogy. Design research and ethnographic qualitative research methods were used to design, test, and improve the robot’s mediation skills over a ten-week period of active use in a real-world classroom setting. Findings describe the challenges we faced in designing robot-mediated interaction activities as well as the solutions we implemented through repeated ethnographic observations, summarized as (1) anticipating children’s communication styles with flexible design, (2) inviting children to participate with personalized, friend-like communication, (3) enhancing engagement with familiar contexts, and (4) embracing language diversity with a bilingual robot.

Language Mediation Development in Teaching a Foreign Language

The relevance of foreign language proficiency of university graduates led to the design and pilot study of the of non-linguistic students' language mediation development model. This model was implicated at the MGIMO of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, the Odintsovo branch (Moscow Region) in the I-IV courses, Plekhanov University of Economics and the Kuzbass Institute of the Federal Penal Service of Russia (Novokuznetsk, Kemerovo region, in the I-II courses) in 2019-2021. The authors have disclosed the components of the model based on a set of cultural, competence and communicative approaches. Besides, mediation training methods and amendments to the content of language education were presented here. The working concepts of the study are specified: types of mediation (interactive, noninteractive and hybrid), approaches and methods of developing mediation skills. The principles of selecting the content of language education (development and development of practice-, cultural- and professionally-oriented variable topics;priority of dialogical forms of communication in the language in the field of the studied concept with an emphasis on mediation;conducting negotiations in the language, etc.) based on the results of mediation are substantiated. The pilot study highlighted that the content of education and teaching methods were the most flexible components of the designed model, that were quite easily transformed into any type of training (standard, mixed, hybrid and/or distance). The analysis of the language teaching methods used (debates, case studies, etc.) proved their compliance with the requirements of the current standard. The presented results of the pilot study, under the implementation of the developed model, including the period during the COVID-19 pandemic, verified by the data of control and pilot groups and measurement procedures, proved the effectiveness of the non-linguistic students' language mediation development model.

The College Gets Its Act Together: Cutting the Costs of Disputes in Organizations

This case is framed around the personal experience of a faculty member whose dispute with supervisors lead to the resignation of a chair, the eventual firing of a dean, and the loss of good will with key community stakeholders. It focuses on the analysis of an internal grievance process that brings the student to two decision points, namely, (a) what shortcomings exist in the current internal grievance process and (b) what changes should be made to make them fairer and more effective? The case briefly addresses and illustrates the foundational skills of dispute resolution and mediation designed to resolve conflicts efficiently and fairly at the lowest cost.

The Gift of Corporate Mediation Skills

The Gift of Corporate Mediation Skills

Development and standardization of the DALI-DAB (dyslexia assessment for languages of India - dyslexia assessment battery).

A majority of Indian schoolchildren are biliterate in that they acquire literacy in at least two language systems, necessitating dyslexia assessment in both. The DALI-DAB assesses risk for dyslexia by evaluating reading ability and literacy-learning potential through a battery including literacy tests (letter and word reading, spelling, nonword reading, reading comprehension), and mediator skills (phonological awareness, processing automaticity and executive fluency, oral language) in multiple languages. DALI-DAB was developed in three languages - English, Hindi, and Marathi - and standardized on a sample of 1013 children. Reliability analyses revealed high internal consistency (α > 0.8) in most tests in all three languages. Low standard error of measurement values supported DALI-DAB score stability over repeated testing. Construct validity was variously reinforced through, (i) selection of culture-referenced, research-based tests, (ii) approval of test materials by schoolteachers (face validity) and (iii) grade-correlated performance increases on all DALI-DAB tests, besides robust correlations between (iv) literacy and mediator skill test scores (p < .001, concurrent validity), (v) equivalent tests across languages (p < .01, convergent validity), and (vi) DALI-DAB and WJ III ACH literacy scores (p < .01, criterion validity), in contrast to (vii) low correlation between DALI-DAB and WJ III ACH math scores (p > .05, discriminant validity). Overall, the DALI-DAB represents the first standardized dyslexia assessment tool for bilingual-biliterate children.

Maternal mediation strategies during interaction with toddlers- a comparison of dyads with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and dyads with typical development (TD)

IntroductionDuring interactions with toddlers, mothers use various mediation strategies to encourage mutual play. Such mediation skills play an important role in the development of toddlers’ communicative skills. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) introduces challenges to this interaction.ObjectivesTo study the use of maternal strategies during interaction with ASD and TD toddlers at early lexical levels.MethodsNine ASD and fifteen TD dyads participated. Toddlers were matched by lexical levels. The mean age in the ASD was 31.5 months and in TD - 17 months. Each dyad was video-recorded three times, during naturalistic interaction. Mothers’ verbal mediation strategies were divided into five main communicative categories.Results1. Exact repetition of toddler’s utterances was similarly used and increased in both groups across the three visits (f (2,44)=3.77, p&lt; 0.05). 2. Significant differences were found between the two groups regarding strategies associated with control of the interaction eg mothers of toddlers with ASD (MASD) made more frequent attempts to redirect their child’s attention (F (1,22)= 74.56, p&lt;0.01). 3. MASD had higher indices of overall talkativeness (F (1,22)= 5.43, p&lt;0.05); use of nonverbal means (F(1,22)= 9,51, p&lt;0.01); simultaneous use of different means of communication (F (1,22)=19.8, p&lt;0.01).ConclusionsOur results highlight that in some respects, maternal mediation strategies reflect the child’s lexical level. However, our main finding is a distinct interaction style expressed in MASD’s elevated use of verbal and nonverbal mediation strategies. This, in hope of maintaining continuous interaction that could not be otherwise achieved due to their toddlers’ difficultiesDisclosureNo significant relationships.

A survey of Korean elementary schoolteachers on their communication with students and parents from migrant backgrounds and the need for quality language services

This paper investigates communication problems facing teachers when they interact with students and parents from migrant backgrounds, and explores the need for quality language services in educational settings. According to a questionnaire-based survey of 142 elementary schoolteachers, about 20–25 per cent of respondents frequently experienced difficulties in communicating with students and parents who lacked Korean language proficiency. However, the teachers usually managed without outside assistance largely because of the lack of language support services. Effective communication is needed through the delivery of more language services to support children’s learning, school education and parents’ meaningful participation in both. Most teachers surveyed supported more effective language services in their schools, but were not very vocal in advocating for professional interpreting services. Instead, they tended to emphasise other forms of language and cultural training for multicultural students and their parents. This response may derive from their lack of experience with professional interpreting services, and a lack of awareness of the limited resources available for quality service provision or the influence of assimilation policies. The findings also indicate that teachers do not consider the interpreting and translation skills of language service providers as highly as cross-cultural mediation skills, understanding of the education system or interest in individual students’ needs. The results call for further research into what would constitute best practice in educational interpreting to effectively mediate cultural differences between schools and multicultural families, and address the needs and concerns of teachers, students and parents from multicultural backgrounds.

Развитие языковой медиации обучающихся неязыковых вузов в ходе изучения иностранного языка

The relevance of foreign language proficiency of university graduates led to the design and pedagogical testing of the model for the development of mediation of students. The model was implicated in the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (University) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation in the town of Odintsovo (Moscow Region) in the 1–4 courses and the Kuzbass Institute of the Federal Penal Service of Russia (Novokuznetsk, Kemero-vo Region, in the 1–2 courses) in 2019–2021. We clarify the components of the model based on a complex of cultural, competence-based and communicative approaches. The authors viewed mediation training methods and adjustment of the content of education. The working concepts of the study are specified: types of mediation (interactive, non-interactive and hybrid), approaches and methods of developing mediation skills. The principles of selecting the content of language education (development and development of practice-, cultural – and professionally-oriented variable topics; priority of dialogical forms of communication in the language in the field of the studied concept with an emphasis on mediation; conducting negotiations in the language, etc.) based on the results of mediation are substantiated. The experimental work showed that the content of education and teaching methods were the most flexible components of this model, which are quite easily transformed for any type of training (standard, mixed, hybrid and/or distance). The analysis of the language teaching methods used (debates, case studies, etc.) proved their compliance with the requirements of the current standard. The presented experience of the implementation of the developed model, including during the COVID-19 pandemic, is verified by the data of experimental control and measurement procedures that proved the effectiveness of our model for the development of mediation skills of students of non-linguistic universities.

Academic Mediation Programs Move – an Impact Report

This is a study of the impact of participating in an executive masters’ programs in mediation and conflict management. Former students from two programs - one at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, and the other at the European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder), Germany - filled in a questionnaire that combined a multiple choice-format (quantitative data) with free text answers (qualitative data). Our analysis of the quantitative data indicates that graduates consider the program content highly relevant both on the professional and personal levels. They describe numerous ways in which they have used their knowledge and skills in their everyday work-lives and multiple positive effects on their professional development. They feel more competent in handling their own conflicts and, in addition, detail a range of transfer activities beyond strict mediating such as using mediation skills in other types of activities, giving talks and publishing on mediation and conflict management, introducing and promoting mediation in a variety of settings and influencing decision-makers.

A Representação da Informação nas Plataformas Digitais dos Serviços de Arquivo alguns resultados

The purpose of this study is to understand the mediation strategies adopted in the representation of information in digital platforms, used in the Archive services, and especially if they are focused on the end user. So we started by addressing the organization and representation of information in the context of information mediation, equating how the infocomunicacional phenomenon, which occurs through digital platforms, can result in the design of a "digital mediation of information," according the current paradigm of Information Science. The mediation skills required of information professionals and the technological and digital user’s skills in information literacy were highlighted. Then, we tried to know the current state of use of digital platforms for Archives services, and software in use, in Portugal and other countries. Using an empirical study and a triangulation of information gathering techniques that consisted of surveys by interview and questionnaire and observation using the analysis grid, we were able to get the perspective of all concerned the theme under study. The results have shown us the main difficulties that users experience with some aspects of information representation on digital platforms of archives services.

Peace Education in State Building: Towards a Better Understanding of Post-War Sierra Leone

Peace building in post was countries have posed several challenges to an extent that the former war-torn countries stand the probability of relapsing into conflict if the very reasons for which they went to war were not addressed. Often and again, what characterizes negotiation and mediation skills to end a conflict are most times supply driven from the perspectives of the international community. In very rare circumstances, the parties to the conflict are involved in developing the framework for peace talks, rather the parties are brought to the negotiating table to discuss the framework developed by the peace experts. In this piece, it is argued that ignoring core competencies and skills of peace education and sensitization will continue to pose serious challenges to peace and stability especially if the very reasons for which the parties went to war are not included in an inclusive peace education framework.

KENDALA MEDIASI PERCERAIAN PADA MAHKAMAH SYARIAH DI PANTAI BARAT SELATAN ACEH TAHUN 2016 – 2017

Mediation is an alternative solution for a case that has been developing in the society. Mediation is seen as an effective and correct in solving a divorce case within the Shari'ah Court. The challenge faced by this method is the existing of mileage parties involved, judges who are too young (inexperienced), understand only in the local language, influence from the third party, lack of mediation skills, limited room for mediation to take place, overwhelming number of divorce cases to be handled, limited time for mediation as we as a compulsion to abide to the the procedure.

Use of translation and plurilingual practices in language learning

AbstractHere we will present a pedagogical framework for the implementation of an Integrated Plurilingual Approach (IPA) to language learning that has emerged from research and observation of best practices in primary, secondary, and higher education. Researchers, teachers, and students collaborated in three interconnected projects (2012–2015; 2015–2019) whose main aims were to help teachers and learners move towards acknowledging and explicitly connecting their linguistic repertoires to reframe their current classroom practices and engage in new ones. This implied a reformulation of their pedagogical practices, including the use of translation to acquire interlinguistic, intercultural and mediation skills in contexts other than professional translator training (TOLC). Two instruments resulted: one to help the teachers transform their perceptions and, so, their performance, regarding the plurilingual paradigm, afour-phase collaborative reflective cycle; and another to guide their instructional design, thefive-dimensional instructional framework (IPA-5DIF). Some classroom examples will be presented here, with special reference to a high-complexity secondary school context (118 students, 4 teachers).

Teaching mediation skills at technology-enhanced ESP classes at technical universities

Mediation is a new trend in the language teaching methodology that has been disregarded at English language classes at technical universities. While teaching ESP students is crucial to develop and improve their complex communicative competence, it should not be limited to reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills because reallife communication involves more sophisticated language skills such as mediation. Linguistic mediation is a dual-nature phenomenon with cognitive and linguistics domains. The present study demonstrates some practical recommendations on how to implement mediation teaching into ESP courses with the integration of online educational technologies. Our study was carried out among ESP teachers at a technical university and outlines the findings of an empirical study on teachers’ perception of language mediation. Our evidence-based findings and personal experience confirm that mediation can enrich the ESP syllabus and bridge the gap between the university and real professional life.