scholarly journals Language through literature through language: An action research report on the English 100 course at the University of North West

Literator ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 33-50
Author(s):  
I. Butler
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
First Language ◽  
Research Report ◽  
First Year ◽  
North West ◽  
Language And Literature ◽  
Roman Jakobson ◽  
Poetic Function ◽  
Linguistic Methods ◽  
The University

In this article the writer surveys attitudes to the integration of language and literature in ESL/EFL teaching, noting the reservations that have been expressed about it in the past, and which still continue to linger in some quarters. Against this background he then describes the development and implementation of an integrated English syllabus at the University of North West, focusing on his current action research in teaching the first year modules. Using examples from the material he has developed for these modules, he demonstrates how the principles of language/literature integration, as articulated by writers in the field, can be translated into practice in a number of ways. Since this is an on-going project the writer presents his findings as a report on work in progress. The article does, however, conclude with a brief summary of the positive responses received from lecturers and students in response to questionnaires and surveys conducted in 2000 and 2001. A linguist deaf to the poetic function of language and a literary scholar indifferent to linguistic problems and unconversant with linguistic methods, are equally flagrant anachronisms. Roman Jakobson (in Simpson, 1997:ii) I imagined how it would be like to study literature alone. This would be tough especially if English is not your first language. Just tough. (From the journal of an English 100 student, University of North West)

scholarly journals Teacher to Researcher: Reflections on a New Action Research Program for University EFL Teachers

2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Burns ◽  
Anne Westmacott
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Research Programme ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
First Year ◽  
Foreign Language Teachers ◽  
Research Publication ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
The University ◽  
Relevant Factors

One of the current challenges facing many universities is how to support teachers in becoming researchers. This article discusses the experiences at a small private Chilean university of a new action research programme that was developed as a vehicle for helping teachers to become involved in research and write a research publication for peer-reviewed journals. We present findings from research into similar programmes about relevant factors for their success, describe the programme developed at the university with five English as a Foreign Language teachers in 2016, and discuss some reflections on this first year of the programme.

scholarly journals An emergency flipped classroom intervention in an L2 Dutch course: An action research study

2021 ◽  
Vol 31 ◽  
pp. 107-119
Author(s):  
Mikołaj Buczak
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Flipped Classroom ◽  
Emergency Situation ◽  
First Year ◽  
Instructional Time ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Emergency Situations ◽  
New Material ◽  
Flexible Management ◽  
The University

The flipped classroom has been gaining increasing popularity over the last decade, especially in the university context. This pedagogical approach not only contributes to students’ engagement and motivation, but also enables a more flexible management of instructional time in class, which makes it a promising option for emergency situations. In October 2020, a ‘Women’s Strike’ took place in Poland, influencing the teaching schedule in numerous higher education institutions. Since these circumstances caused a problem with managing the course and making it possible for the students to catch up with the new material, an action research investigation was undertaken to explore the applicability of the flipped classroom in an emergency situation. Hence, this article describes the evaluation of a flipped classroom emergency intervention with one group of first-year students of Dutch Studies at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań.

scholarly journals Impact of mother tongue on construction of notes and first-year academic performance

2016 ◽  
Vol Volume 112 (Number 11/12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shalini Dukhan ◽  
Ann Cameron ◽  
Elisabeth Brenner ◽  
◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Academic Performance ◽  
Second Language ◽  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Academic Success ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
First Language ◽  
First Year ◽  
Language Students ◽  
The University

Abstract The purpose of this study was to identify whether there are any differences in the quality of the notes constructed in English between students for whom English is a first language and those for whom it is a second language. Subsequently we assessed whether this difference, if any, affected their grades. Unsurprisingly, the first-language students produced better structured and more detailed notes; they also performed better academically than their second-language peers. However, when students were provided with training that focused on using writing as a means to promote critical thinking, there was an improvement in the personalisation of their notes. The improvement in grades was significant for second-language students. Thus the university has a pivotal role to play in preparing students for academic success by providing them with supportive measures to aid their transition into first year.

scholarly journals Interdisciplinary Learning for Pre-service Teachers

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1Sup1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Simona Laurian Fitzgerald ◽  
Carmen Popa ◽  
Carlton Fitzgerald ◽  
Adina Vesa
Keyword(s):  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Action Research ◽  
Physical Therapy ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
First Year ◽  
Physical Therapy Students ◽  
Action Research Project ◽  
Learning Groups ◽  
Young Students ◽  
The University

In this action research study, the researchers worked collaboratively to integrate curriculum in four ways: 1. Professors engaged students in an interdisciplinary project, 2. Students performed a real-world task, 3. Students worked in small cooperative learning groups, and 4. Students engaged in helping young students experience a positive holiday season. The purpose of this study was to review how these integrative principles effected the preservice teachers academically, socially, and emotionally. Two cohorts of preservice teachers were enrolled in the same three courses during this study. One cohort of physical therapy (PT) majors were enrolled in a course developed to assist PT professionals with their communication skills, understanding of basic psychology, and special needs principles. The preservice teachers were learning how to teach: (a) penmanship, (b) letter writing, and, (c) promotive small group social skills for their future students. Seventy-nine students (54 pre-ervice teachers and 25 physical therapy students) participated in this action research project by engaging in a Santa writing experience. Young students in four schools wrote letters to Santa, and the university student participants responded to the letters of young students. Four professors collaborated in this project. The teachers included: a language and didactics professor, a curriculum professor, a writing (penmanship) professor, and an adjunct professor working with first year physical therapy students. Results of the study indicated that students: 1. found the process to be more difficult than they first thought; 2. appreciated the opportunity to help young students celebrate their holiday dreams; 3. felt they learned more deeply the goals of their classes; and 4. were proud to help young people enjoy their holidays. This process was fairly complex and, in spite of that complexity, the majority of students found the experience worthwhile from a teaching and learning perspective and from an existential perspective.

Concerns and Expectations of Bangladeshi Parents as their Children Start School

2005 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 45-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Prathyusha Sanagavarapu ◽  
Bob Perry
Keyword(s):  
First Language ◽  
Linguistically Diverse ◽  
First Year ◽  
Transition To School ◽  
School Settings ◽  
Parents And Children ◽  
Transitional Experiences ◽  
School Research ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
The University

This study aimed to examine views, concerns and expectations of immigrant Bangladeshi parents and children in Sydney concerning transition to kindergarten (the first year of school). This study builds on the previous work of the Starting School Research Project at the University of Western Sydney by: • deriving data from families and children for whom English is not the first language; and • exploring the transitional experiences of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) children from prior-to-school to school settings. Ten parents and four children were interviewed on the topic of transition to school. In particular, parents were asked to indicate their concerns and expectations that would assist schools in meeting the needs of Bangladeshi children and would make transition to school a positive experience for all concerned. The results revealed issues specific to families and children of non-English-speaking background regarding transition to school.

scholarly journals NEW APPROACHES TO TEACHING FOREIGN INFORMATION RESOURCES AT THE UNIVERSITY

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 167-180
Author(s):  
V. A. Vasilyeva ◽  
V. S. Vasilyeva
Keyword(s):  
Public Administration ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
First Year ◽  
North West ◽  
New Methods ◽  
New Approaches ◽  
The North ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

Purpose. The present work investigates the impact of the pedagogy approaches in the teaching e-resource of low-motivated students.Materials and Methods. The pilot study involves about 1000 first-year undergraduates of the North-West Institute of Management of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (NWIM RANEPA). Introductory part of the lecture is traditional. “Motivational” part varies depending on e-resource and includes a demonstration of all possible advantages for target audience — uniqueness, quality, advantages over open resources. In addition, the material is organized so as to provide multiple entries into the interface.Results. We studied statistics of visits to e-resources for 2 calendar years (before the introduction of new methods in 2016 and after — in 2017), and conducted surveys of students at the end of training. We got the apparent increase of visits when the pedagogical approach and the methods of training are changed.Discussion and conclusions. Research findings have illustrated the importance of support to the low-motivated students in their educational process by new approaches to the training. The librarian-teacher in this role is the link between the e-resource and the consumer, and their role is important for achieving the best results for both the organization and students. The authors are conscious that the interest in subscription resources would probably decline in the future. The keeping this interest is beyond the scope of this study. The data obtained and the conclusions made can be useful at all stages of the students’ training at any year of study. 

scholarly journals Overview of the Usage of Some Turkicisms from Albanian Language Students at the University of Prizren “Ukshin Hoti” in Prizren

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 46
Author(s):  
Albulena Pllana Breznica ◽  
Fisnike Pllana ◽  
Zana Pllana
Keyword(s):  
Social Life ◽  
Balkan Peninsula ◽  
First Year ◽  
Military Officers ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Language And Literature ◽  
Almost All ◽  
The University ◽  
Turkish Language ◽  
The City

The Albanian language, as well as the other Balkan languages, have received a large number of Turkish language elements, first of them being the acceptance of Turkish words. These words, respectively the Turkicisms, have penetrated in almost all spheres in the fields of social life. In Albanian, there are many words in these social spheres: religious spheres, administrative spheres, military spheres, crafts, construction, home environment, names etc. The historical and linguistic conditions of the borrowing of Turkicisms are known. Albanians and Turks (Ottomans) got into contact in the wars and battles between them, as well as during the reign of the Turkish Empire in the Balkan Peninsula, and in the Albanian territories as well. Turkicisms began to enter the Albanian language from the time the Turks deployed military officers and clerks in several Albanian cities. The ruling period of the foreign invaders and the typology of the communicating languages had a huge influence on linguistic borrowings. The Albanian language is typologically quite remote from Turkish and has therefore assumed relatively few Turkicisms compared to the long period of Turkish rule in the Albanian area. For this purpose, this research and analysis method has been used: A survey was carried out with 60 students of the Department of Albanian Language and Literature at the University of Prizren "Ukshin Hoti" in Prizren, with first year students of the second semester and with second year students of the second semester. In the analysis of the tests, graphical presentations of the use of some Turkish words (Turkicisms) have been created, which are used by students in conversations with each other, in the family and in society, in the city and around Prizren.

scholarly journals Personal Librarian for Aboriginal Students: A Programmatic Assessment

2016 ◽  
Vol 77 (2) ◽  
pp. 184-196 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jérôme Melançon ◽  
Nancy Goebel
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Academic Libraries ◽  
First Year ◽  
Programmatic Assessment ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Aboriginal Students ◽  
Registration Process ◽  
The University ◽  
Academic Year

The Personal Librarian for Aboriginal Students (PLAS) program at the University of Alberta (UofA) is a creative outgrowth of the growing Personal Librarian programs in academic libraries, in which a student is partnered with an individual librarian for the academic year. In the case of the UofA’s PLAS program, first-year undergraduate students who self-identified as Aboriginal during the registration process were selected as participants. The first year of the program saw many successes. This paper provides background on the initiative and the associated action research indicating a creative approach to engaging Aboriginal students.

SEM and TEM observations of sperm development in the testis of the freshwater fish Oreochromis mossambicus

1990 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 58-59
Author(s):  
Daryl A. Cornish ◽  
George L. Smit
Keyword(s):  
Morphological Characteristics ◽  
Oreochromis Mossambicus ◽  
Breeding Cycle ◽  
Limited Information ◽  
North West ◽  
The North ◽  
Sem And Tem ◽  
Sperm Development ◽  
Ultrastructural Characteristics ◽  
The University

Oreochromis mossambicus is currently receiving much attention as a candidater species for aquaculture programs within Southern Africa. This has stimulated interest in its breeding cycle as well as the morphological characteristics of the gonads. Limited information is available on SEM and TEM observations of the male gonads. It is known that the testis of O. mossambicus is a paired, intra-abdominal structure of the lobular type, although further details of its characteristics are not known. Current investigations have shown that spermatids reach full maturity some two months after the female becomes gravid. Throughout the year, the testes contain spermatids at various stages of development although spermiogenesis appears to be maximal during November when spawning occurs. This paper describes the morphological and ultrastructural characteristics of the testes and spermatids.Specimens of this fish were collected at Syferkuil Dam, 8 km north- west of the University of the North over a twelve month period, sacrificed and the testes excised.

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