Type Of Education Research Articles

Telicity judgments in L2 English by L1 Slovak speakers

Abstract The study investigates the acquisition of telicity in L2 English by L1 Slovak speakers as a function of L2 proficiency (measured by a cloze test score), exposure (operationalized as length of stay in an English-speaking country) and instruction type (monolingual vs. bilingual). Telicity judgments were collected from Slovak learners of L2 English (n = 50) and a control group of American English native speakers (n = 15) in two offline acceptability judgment tasks. Two types of telicity encoding were examined: (1) the contribution of the [±quantized] feature of the object argument to predicate telicity, which involves processes in narrow syntax; and (2) the contribution of adverbial modifiers to telicity interpretations, including coercion contexts, which involve processes of aspectual reinterpretation. Based on previous research, it was hypothesized that the contribution of the [±quantized] feature of the object argument to predicate telicity, which is a syntactic phenomenon, will be easier to acquire than aspectual coercion by means of adverbial modifiers, which relies on pragmatic cues. The results indicate that the most significant predictor of telicity judgments based on syntactic cues is L2 proficiency, while length of stay affects telicity judgments in predicate categories involving coercion contexts.

Eye Movements, Pupil Dilation, and Conflict Detection in Reasoning: Exploring the Evidence for Intuitive Logic

AbstractA controversial claim in recent dual process accounts of reasoning is that intuitive processes not only lead to bias but are also sensitive to the logical status of an argument. The intuitive logic hypothesis draws upon evidence that reasoners take longer and are less confident on belief–logic conflict problems, irrespective of whether they give the correct logical response. In this paper, we examine conflict detection under conditions in which participants are asked to either judge the logical validity or believability of a presented conclusion, accompanied by measures of eye movement and pupil dilation. The findings show an effect of conflict, under both types of instruction, on accuracy, latency, gaze shifts, and pupil dilation. Importantly, these effects extend to conflict trials in which participants give a belief‐based response (incorrectly under logic instructions or correctly under belief instructions) demonstrating both behavioral and physiological evidence in support of the logical intuition hypothesis.

A Comparison of Cognitive and Social Presence in Online Graduate Courses: Asynchronous vs. Synchronous Modalities

Over the last decade, online courses have continued to expand, and students in higher education are being offered increased access to technology and communication tools in online learning programs. This action research study analyzed the impact of two distinct types of online course instruction (100% asynchronous and weekly online synchronous meetings) on learning outcomes, including cognitive and social presence, knowledge gained, and student perceptions. Study participants consisted of graduate students enrolled in online sections of a course on program evaluation. Four sections of the course were available: two included a synchronous meeting using web-conferencing, and two used an asynchronous format. A quasi-experimental design was used and included a pre-post test knowledge assessment, a modified version of the Community of Inquiry questionnaire (CoI), and end-of-course student evaluations. The mean ratings of the CoI in this study ranged from 3.75–4.60 out of 5. There was a significant difference in the cognitive presence scores for synchronous (M=4.26, SD=.529 asynchronous (M=4.47, SD=.454) conditions; t(97)=-2.07, p =.041. Our results suggest when students learn in an asynchronous format, they have a higher cognitive presence. The average scores on the knowledge pre-test were the same for both sections but post-test scores were slightly higher in the asynchronous section. Instructor ratings were high for all courses. These findings may offer valuable implications to higher education programs that have recently transitioned to online teaching modalities.

Building an elicited imitation task as a measure of implicit grammatical knowledge

Elicited imitation tests (EIT) are often used to measure the effects of a form?focused intervention on the development of L2 learners’ implicit grammatical knowledge, which is intuitive and retrieved without conscious awareness. This study investigated the relationship between an EIT focused on the English past tense and a set of other tests; it also examined whether the past-tense morpheme type, grammaticality of the verbs, their position in the stimulus utterances, and the explicitness of the test instructions influence learners’ imitation accuracy. Forty-four university-level students, all native speakers of Mandarin and enrolled in an English for academic purposes program in Canada, completed an EIT along with four other tests over two consecutive sessions. Results revealed that only the imitation of irregular verbs was significantly correlated with the other tests. In addition, the participants were more accurate in repeating the grammatical and correcting the ungrammatical regular verbs but neither the position of the verbs nor the type of instructions significantly influenced imitation. These findings suggest that several factors can influence learners’ performance and the knowledge that they draw upon during an EIT.

The efficacy of the type of instruction on second language pronunciation acquisition

This study investigates the efficacy of the type of instruction (i.e., perception-based vs. production-based) on second language (L2) pronunciation acquisition in an English as a foreign language (EFL) context. To achieve this objective, 60 tertiary-level Jordanian learners of English were recruited and put into two groups (30 learners in each group). Group A received 6 weeks of perception-based instruction on both segmental and suprasegmental aspects of English pronunciation, and Group B received production-based instruction over the same period and on the same aspects of pronunciation. Progress in L2 pronunciation was assessed at three time points (i.e., week 1, week 6, and week 14). Pre-, post- and delayed post-tests were run to achieve the study’s objective. A statistical analysis was conducted to analyse the data. The results show that both groups demonstrated a significant improvement in L2 pronunciation accuracy; in particular, Group A which received perception-based instruction demonstrated higher gains in segmental, syllabic, and prosodic aspects while Group B which received production-based instruction demonstrated more improvement in both global (i.e., comprehensibility) and temporal (i.e., fluency) aspects of pronunciation. However, both groups demonstrated similar gains on the delayed post-test. The findings provide implications for L2 pronunciation learners and teachers on the impact of the type of instruction on the addressed aspects of pronunciation.

Exploring lemology teaching with “internet plus” flipped classroom pedagogy

BackgroundTo investigate the use of flipped classroom pedagogy based on “Internet plus” in teaching viral hepatitis in the lemology course during the COVID-19 epidemic.MethodsThis study included students from the clinical medicine general practitioner class at Nanjing Medical University’s Kangda College, with the observation group consisting of 67 students from the 2020–2021 school year and the control group consisting of 70 students from the 2019–2020 school year. The observation group used “Internet plus” flipped classroom pedagogy, while the control group used conventional offline instruction. The theory course and case analysis ability scores from the two groups were compared and analyzed, and questionnaire surveys were administered to the observation group.ResultAfter the flipped classroom, the observation group had significantly higher theoretical test scores (38.62 ± 4.52) and case analysis ability scores (21.08 ± 3.58) than the control group (37.37 ± 2.43) (t = 2.024, P = 0.045) and (19.16 ± 1.15) (t = 4.254, P < 0.001), respectively. The questionnaire survey in the observation group revealed that the “Internet plus” flipped classroom pedagogy approach can help enhance students’ enthusiasm to learn, clinical thinking ability, practical application ability, and learning efficiency, with satisfaction rates of 81.7%, 85.0%, 83.3%, and 78.8%, respectively; 89.4% of students expressed hope that whenever physical classes resumed, the offline courses could be combined with this pedagogy approach.ConclusionThe use of the “Internet plus” flipped classroom pedagogy technique for teaching viral hepatitis in a lemology course boosted students’ theory learning ability as well as their case analysis ability. The majority of students were pleased with this type of instruction and hoped that whenever physical classes resumed, the offline courses may be integrated with the “Internet plus” flipped classroom pedagogical approach.

Prior math achievement and inventive production predict learning from productive failure

A frequent concern about constructivist instruction is that it works well, mainly for students with higher domain knowledge. We present findings from a set of two quasi-experimental pretest-intervention-posttest studies investigating the relationship between prior math achievement and learning in the context of a specific type of constructivist instruction, Productive Failure. Students from two Singapore public schools with significantly different prior math achievement profiles were asked to design solutions to complex problems prior to receiving instruction on the targeted concepts. Process results revealed that students who were significantly dissimilar in prior math achievement seemed to be strikingly similar in terms of their inventive production, that is, the variety of solutions they were able to design. Interestingly, it was inventive production that had a stronger association with learning from PF than pre-existing differences in math achievement. These findings, consistent across both topics, demonstrate the value of engaging students in opportunities for inventive production while learning math, regardless of prior math achievement.

PROFESSIONAL METHODOLOGICAL TRAINING ACTIVITIES FOR DEVELOPING PRE-SERVICE ENGLISH TEACHERS’ PROJECT COMPETENCY

A modern foreign language teacher is expected to practice using skillfully a variety of teaching approaches, methods, forms, techniques, and tools, including project-based learning method. Practical application of project-based instruction is emphasised in Ukrainian national educational standards and teacher training curricula. According to the Ukrainian national curriculum of external independent evaluation of in-service primary teachers’ professional development, a school teacher needs to know about the projectbased pedagogy, project-based instructional methodology, teaching techniques at project-based model steps, and be able to engage pupils into project work, make up driving questions, use Socratic discussion method, prepare project-based lesson plans, assess pupil project works, i.e. must be ready to implement project-based learning in school. In this regard, the problem of developing foreign language teachers’ project competency as an integral part of their professional methodological expertise is a current isssue. The aim of the elective course “English language teaching through pupils’ project-based learning” from the curriculum for students majoring in specialty 014 Secondary education is to familiarise pre-service English teachers with the theory and practice of project-based teaching methodology and to develop their professional methodological skills of planning, organising, coordinating, and assessing pupil project works. This publication briefly describes the objectives and contents of the elective course, specifies suggested instructional types, teaching and assessment methods. Examples of theoretical and practical professional methodological training activities are given.

Testing the effects of time-on-task and instructions to “be creative” on gifted students

Divergent thinking (DT) tests are sometimes used to select students for gifted programs. Studies on these tests, mostly conducted on non-gifted students, suggest that performance is influenced by the type of instruction given (standard vs. hybrid “be fluent AND original”) and time-on-task. The current study aimed to examine the effect of instructions and time-on-task on divergent thinking performance in gifted and non-gifted students in a 2 [gifted versus non-gifted] × 2 [standard versus hybrid instructions] design. The results showed that gifted students outperformed non-gifted students in fluency, while no significant difference was found between the two groups in originality. Creativity instructions improved both originality and fluency scores in verbal but not figural tests. As for time-on-task, gifted students took more time when completing DT tests as well as when they were given explicit instructions to “be creative.” Implications for gifted identification are discussed.

Predictive Power of Teachers’ Perceptions of Autonomy on High School Students’ Term Grade

This study aims to investigate the predictive power of teachers’ perceptions of autonomy on the term grade of high school students and differences in terms of school type and field of instruction. The study groups of this research, which was carried out with a predictive design and survey design among the quantitative research methods, included 230 teachers working in state high schools in affiliated with the Turkish Ministry of National Education in Battalgazi and Yeşilyurt in Malatya Province and 3005 students enrolled in the 11th grade at those schools. The teachers’ data were obtained via the Teacher Autonomy Perception Scale developed by the researchers. The students’ data consisted of term grade for 11th grade students in the 2020-2021 academic year. According to multiple regression analysis, the scale factors of autonomy in the classroom, autonomy at school and professional autonomy together explained 7% of the change in students’ term grade. While the autonomy at school score was a significant predictor of students’ term grade, autonomy in the classroom and professional autonomy were not significant predictors. Regarding to Kruskal-Wallis H test findings, while there was a significant difference in teachers’ perceptions of autonomy at school in terms of school type, there was no significant difference in their perceptions of autonomy in the classroom or professional autonomy. According to MANOVA findings, there was a significant difference in teachers’ perceptions of autonomy in the classroom in terms of field of instruction but no significant difference in their perceptions of autonomy at school or professional autonomy. The findings of this research might provide guidance for researchers, curriculum development experts, policymakers, academics in teacher training institutions, and other relevant stakeholders.

The effects of instruction type on the pragmatic development of compliments and compliment responses in L2 English learners

Despite the wide array of previous research in the area of interventional pragmatics studies, the question of what type of instruction best promotes learners’ pragmatic interlanguage development has yet to be explored. With the aim of exploring L2 English learners’ speech act behavior in complimenting and compliment responding, the present study sought to determine the relative effects of inductive and deductive instruction using structured input activities within the framework of Processing Instruction. To accomplish this goal, three intact classes of the same proficiency level were randomly assigned to inductive instruction, deductive instruction, and a control group with no instruction. Data were collected through a written Discourse Completion Task followed by a Self-Assessment Questionnaire for Compliments and a multiple-choice Metapragmatic Assessment Questionnaire for compliment responses administered using a pre-, post-, and delayed post-test design. Findings revealed that both experimental groups showed improvement compared to the control group; however, the effects of instructional treatment varied across test types.

An analysis of teachers' instructions and feedback at a contemporary dance university.

Given the demands posed by excessive practice quantities in modern dance, physical and mental health can be compromised. Therefore, there is a need to consider how quality of practice may be improved and possibly even reduce training times. Sports literature has shown that instructions and feedback given by coaches can have an effect on the quality of training and influence self-regulation and the performance of athletes. However, currently little is known about the use of instructions and feedback by dance teachers. The aim of the current study was, therefore, to examine the type of instructions and feedback given by dance teachers during various dance classes. A total of six dance teachers participated in this study. Video and audio recordings were made of six dance classes and two rehearsals at a contemporary dance university. The dance teacher's coaching behavior was analyzed using the modified Coach Analysis and Intervention System (CAIS). Additionally, feedback and instructions were also examined in terms of their corresponding focus of attention. Absolute numbers, as well as times per minute (TPM) rates were calculated for each behavior before, during, and after an exercise. Absolute numbers were also used to calculate ratios of positive-negative feedback and open-closed questions. Most feedback comments were given after an exercise (472 out of 986 total observed behaviors). Improvisation had the highest positive-negative feedback ratio (29) and open-closed questions ratio (1.56). Out of the focus of attention comments, internal focus of attention comments were used most frequently (572 out of 900). The results make clear that there is a large variability in instructions and feedback over teachers and classes. Overall, there is room for improvement toward a higher positive-negative feedback ratio, a higher open-closed question ratio and producing more comments eliciting an external focus of attention.

Influence of Modified Instructions on Locomotion Subtest Scores Using the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales, Second Edition.

The current study assessed whether changes in verbal and visual cues used to clarify requirements of the task would result in significant score differences on the Locomotion subtest of the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales, Second Edition (PDMS-2), in children aged 2.5 to 5 years. The Locomotion subtest of the PDMS-2 was administered twice, 2 to 10 days apart, to 37 children. Age-matched and gender-matched groups received instructions in both standardized and modified formats, where order depended on group assignment. Instruction type resulted in a significant change in Locomotion scores with a medium effect size and no significant interactions between instruction type and age or between instruction type and test order. Findings suggest instruction modifications using altered verbal and visual cues change PDMS-2 Locomotion subtest scores in children with typical development. These results support previous literature indicating that normative scores should not be reported if modifications were used during testing.

Optimizing second language pronunciation instruction: Replications of Martin and Sippel (2021), Olson and Offerman (2021), and Thomson (2012)

AbstractAn important shift in language learning research is the understanding that pronunciation instruction is necessary to ensure learners’ balanced development in pronunciation and second language (L2) speech. Research focusing on understanding what types of pronunciation instruction are effective and what makes them most effective has grown dramatically over the past decade. Given the methodological heterogeneity apparent in this body of literature, however, many questions remain to understand the specific effects of pronunciation training paradigms on learners’ L2 development. In this article, we make the case that replication is a productive means of validating findings and assessing the strength of existing evidence in L2 pronunciation research. As prime targets for replication, we review three studies that offer different perspectives on how L2 pronunciation instruction can be optimized. We have chosen each of these studies because they significantly advance the field conceptually, have broken new ground empirically, and point to areas in which replication studies can have a large impact. We describe a series of close and/or approximate replications of each initial study that would add detail to existing knowledge and provide a more comprehensive understanding of how and why L2 pronunciation instruction is effective, for whom, and under what conditions.

Working memory and second language writing: A systematic review

AbstractThis article reports on a comprehensive synthesis of the literature on the role of working memory in second language (L2) writing. It starts with an overview and clarification of the construct and measurement of working memory, followed by an elaboration of major theoretical models informing the synthesized research. The article then presents a synthesis of the methods and results of the 16 studies that have been conducted on the associations between working memory and L2 writing. The methodological synthesis encompasses research design, methods of working memory, measurement of writing performance, methods of data elicitation for writing processes, and data analysis and reporting. The results of the synthesized studies demonstrate that (1) working memory is largely unrelated to overall writing proficiency; (2) it is predictive of specific aspects of L2 composition such as complexity, accuracy, and fluency; (3) the role of working memory varies as a function of genre, proficiency, target structure, instruction type, and task demands; and (4) verbal working memory, phonological short-term memory, visual-spatial working memory, and executive functions (inhibiting, shifting, and updating) have differential associations with the process and product aspects of L2 writing. The methods and results are discussed by identifying trends, accounting for disparities, clarifying confusion, recommending solutions, and proposing new directions.

Integrating social determinants of health principles into the preclinical medical curriculum via student-led pedagogical modalities

BackgroundDismantling structural inequities in health care requires that physicians understand the impacts of social determinants of health (SDH). Although many medical schools incorporate SDH education, integration of these principles into the preclinical curriculum remains challenging.MethodsStudents and faculty at the University of Vermont, Larner College of Medicine developed the Social Medicine Theme of the Week (SMTW), a peer-teaching approach to integrating SDH topics across the preclinical curriculum as part of a broader social medicine curriculum. Students created objectives to link SDH-related topics to the weekly curriculum and presented them to the class. Student innovation led to the incorporation of creative online infographics that were published in the curriculum calendar. First year medical students and faculty members were surveyed to assess preferences and educational impact of the SMTW announcements with accompanying infographics.ResultsOf the 40 student respondents, 77.5% reported that their knowledge of SDH had improved due to the SMTW. Most students (82.5%) preferred the infographic modality over traditional teaching modalities. Faculty respondents reported limited engagement with the SMTW and, although they supported the need for these objectives, many (61%) found it difficult to integrate SDH content into their class materials.ConclusionStudent-led infographics are a popular method of integrating SDH content in the preclinical curriculum that can be optimized through faculty orientation and support. Success for this type of instruction requires opportunities for student developers, integration and formal assessment of objectives, faculty engagement and training, and institutional support for creating and delivering a robust social medicine curriculum.

The effect of instruction enriched with simple or complex visuals on developing visual literacy skills

The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of instruction enriched with either simple or complex graphics on perception, interpretation of visuals in terms of the visual language used, and on the orientation of attention on visuals during perception and interpretation of visuals. The study was designed based on the randomised pre-test-posttest control group experimental research method to explore the learnable structure of visual literacy skills. The research focussed on visual language knowledge, one of the basic visual reading skills. According to the results of the research conducted at the level of higher education, the use of simple or complex graphics in teaching did not make a difference in terms of perception of visual language knowledge, but simple graphics had a significant effect on the interpretation. It appears that the use of simple graphics is more effective in the development of visual language knowledge. These findings will make an important contribution to research and practice regarding the improvable structure of visual literacy. In future studies, visual literacy skills can be examined by adding visual writing as a dimension to examine the relationship between instruction types.

The Influence of Learners’ Reading-Related Hope or Hopelessness and Recue Instructions on Text Comprehension and Metacomprehension

Abstract: In this experimental study with 62 university students, we examined to what extent the hope or hopelessness they experience during reading a text affect their comprehension as well as the magnitude and accuracy of their predictions and postdictions. Moreover, we investigated whether the impact of the emotional state varies with a recue instruction that explicitly indicates the limited validity of emotions as judgment cues. The results showed that the students used their experienced hope or hopelessness to make predictions and postdictions. This effect did not differ depending on whether they had received the recue or a control instruction. However, when students received the control instruction, greater hopelessness impaired comprehension, whereas this was not the case with the recue instruction. Finally, the instruction type did not play a moderating role in the influence of the emotional state on prediction and postdiction accuracy. Yet, concerning postdiction accuracy, students who received the recue instruction were more accurate.

Mediation Effects of Character-related Tasks between Instruction Type and Character Writing in Delayed Character Introduction for Chinese as a Foreign Language Learners

Delayed Character Introduction (DCI) is commonly used in curricula for Chinese as a Foreign Language (CFL) Learners. This study further divides DCI into two sub-types: Listening/Speaking-Reading/Writing (LS-RW) - delay literacy skills (reading and writing) after acquiring oral language (listening and speaking), and Listening/Speaking/Reading-Writing (LSR-W) - delay writing skills after mastering listening, speaking, and reading skills (LSR-W). Results suggested that the LSR-W model was more effective for beginning CFL learners to acquire Chinese characters. Moreover, it was found that radical awareness and pinyin and meaning production together mediated the relationship between the type of DCI model and character writing, and pinyin and meaning production made unique contributions to character writing outcomes as a mediator.

Top-down and bottom-up approaches to teaching English verb-particle constructions

Abstract The present study examines two cognitive linguistics approaches to foreign language teaching. One draws on the conventionality of language use that a variety of expressions can be understood as instances of more general patterns, e.g., kick them out and eat it up as verb-object-particle, whereas the other centers on linguistic creativeness such as novel combinations or associations, e.g., chest down the ball. Noting that English verb-particle constructions (VPCs) exemplify both linguistic conventionality and creativeness, two types of instruction have been developed–namely, top-down instruction and bottom-up instruction. The top-down instruction presents VPCs as instances of conventional argument structures such as motion and resultative constructions (Goldberg, 2015), whereas the bottom-up instruction focuses on creative compositions of literal and metaphorical meanings (Lakoff &amp; Johnson, 1980). The two types of instruction were provided for Korean EFL learners, and their knowledge of VPCs was measured by a pretest, an immediate posttest, and a four-week delayed posttest. Results of the immediate posttest showed that both types of instruction were effective in improving the learners’ knowledge of literal and figurative VPCs. In the delayed posttest, significantly greater retention was observed for the construction-based top-down instruction. This finding highlights the importance of argument structures as super-constructions in teaching VPCs to EFL learners.