Individualized Teaching and Autonomous Learning: Developing EFL Learners' CLA in a Web-Based Language Skills Training System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lu, Zhihong; Wen, Fuan; Li, Ping

2012-01-01

Teaching listening and speaking in English in China has been given top priority on the post-secondary level. This has lead to the question of how learners develop communicative language ability (CLA) effectively in computer-assisted language learning (CALL) environments. The authors demonstrate a self-developed language skill learning system with…

Autonomous Learning through Task-Based Instruction in Fully Online Language Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Lina

2016-01-01

This study investigated the affordances for autonomous learning in a fully online learning environment involving the implementation of task-based instruction in conjunction with Web 2.0 technologies. To that end, four-skill-integrated tasks and digital tools were incorporated into the coursework. Data were collected using midterm reflections,…

Impact of Contextuality on Mobile Learning Acceptance: An Empirical Study Based on a Language Learning App

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Böhm, Stephan; Constantine, Georges Philip

2015-01-01

The mobility of both the device and the learner will determine how mobile learning takes place. Mobile learning offers new educational opportunities that allow for autonomous, personalized and context aware learning. This paper focuses on contextualized features for mobile language learning apps. Context-awareness is seen as a particularly…

Self-Access Language Learning for Malaysian University Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tse, Andrew Yau Hau

2012-01-01

Just a few Malaysian universities offer self-access language learning activities to students. The objective of this study is to investigate if self-access learning can promote self-directed or autonomous learning in a public Malaysian technical university. Data collection is by means of interviewing the Director, lecturers, and students in a…

Female Arab EFL Students Learning Autonomously beyond the Language Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kocatepe, Mehtap

2017-01-01

Benson's (2011a; 2011b) identification of out-of-class learning as constituted by contexts, resources, levels of formality and more and less intentional pedagogic outcomes was used as a framework to investigate a group of tertiary level female Emirati EFL students' autonomous out-of-class learning experiences. Data collected via a survey, learner…

Perspectives from the European Language Portfolio: Learner Autonomy and Self-Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kuhn, Barbel, Ed.; Cavana, Maria Luisa Perez, Ed.

2012-01-01

Using constructivist principles and autonomous learning techniques the ELP has pioneered innovative and cutting edge approaches to learning languages that can be applied to learning across the spectrum. Although articles on the success of the ELP project have appeared in some academic journals, "Perspectives from the European Language…

Developing Autonomous Learning for Oral Proficiency Using Digital Storytelling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, SoHee

2014-01-01

Since online educational technology can support a ubiquitous language learning environment, there are many ways to develop English learners' autonomy through self-access learning. This study investigates whether English as a second language (ESL) learners can improve their oral proficiency through independent study by using online self-study…

Learning Autonomously: Contextualising Out-of-Class English Language Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hyland, Fiona

2004-01-01

This paper examines the out-of-class English language learning activities of student teachers in Hong Kong, using questionnaires, interviews and learner diaries. The study found that while many of the students devoted considerable time to studying and practising English outside the classroom, much of this time was spent on more receptive…

Videogame-Like Applications to Enhance Autonomous Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berns, Anke; Valero-Franco, Concepción

2013-01-01

This paper presents the results of an ongoing study which has been carried out with a group of German Foreign Language students at the University of Cadiz since 2012. The purpose of the study was to analyze the impact of videogame-like applications on foreign language learning and their motivational potential to increase learning beyond the…

Computer-Mediated Communication as an Autonomy-Enhancement Tool for Advanced Learners of English

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wach, Aleksandra

2012-01-01

This article examines the relevance of modern technology for the development of learner autonomy in the process of learning English as a foreign language. Computer-assisted language learning and computer-mediated communication (CMC) appear to be particularly conducive to fostering autonomous learning, as they naturally incorporate many elements of…

The Effect of iPad Assisted Language Learning on Developing EFL Students' Autonomous Language Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Albadry, Haifa

2015-01-01

This paper will present the experience of using iPads with a group of 21 students in a Saudi university over a period of one semester. The purpose of this ongoing study is to explore how students learn to collaborate and interact in English by participating in a teacher-designed English as a Foreign Language (EFL) course. The course aimed at…

Self-Regulation in the Learning Process: Actions through Self-Assessment Activities with Brazilian Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Punhagui, Giovana Chimentão; de Souza, Nadia Aparecida

2013-01-01

Learning a foreign language is, among other factors, based on the perception of one's own development and on undertaking strategies for greater communicative competence, which are founded in autonomous procedures that span the necessity for greater responsibility. As learning a language demands constant study, even after the school period--when…

Autonomous Language Learning against All Odds

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gao, Xuesong

2010-01-01

Conceptualizing learners' individuality as dynamic and contextually situated, this paper reports on an inquiry that examined the genesis of a disabled learner's success in learning foreign languages on the Chinese mainland. Using source texts such as the learner's published diaries, letters and her autobiography, the inquiry revealed that language…

Tracking Students' Autonomization through Emotion Traces in Logbooks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chateau, Anne; Candas, Peggy

2015-01-01

Until relatively recently the impact of emotions on language learning has often been ignored and "the nature and contribution of positive emotions and beneficial emotional states deserves further attention" (Bown & White, 2010, p. 433). Our study focuses on a flexible language learning system that combines different elements: work in…

Supporting Learner Autonomy: Developing Practice through the Production of Courses for Distance Learners of French, German and Spanish

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murphy, Linda

2008-01-01

The development of autonomous learners is an important goal for language teaching programmes. However, achievement of this goal depends on teachers creating an environment where learners can experience autonomy in order to become more autonomous, a process referred to by Little (2003) as "autonomization". In distance learning, course…

Dynamical Integration of Language and Behavior in a Recurrent Neural Network for Human-Robot Interaction.

PubMed

Yamada, Tatsuro; Murata, Shingo; Arie, Hiroaki; Ogata, Tetsuya

2016-01-01

To work cooperatively with humans by using language, robots must not only acquire a mapping between language and their behavior but also autonomously utilize the mapping in appropriate contexts of interactive tasks online. To this end, we propose a novel learning method linking language to robot behavior by means of a recurrent neural network. In this method, the network learns from correct examples of the imposed task that are given not as explicitly separated sets of language and behavior but as sequential data constructed from the actual temporal flow of the task. By doing this, the internal dynamics of the network models both language-behavior relationships and the temporal patterns of interaction. Here, "internal dynamics" refers to the time development of the system defined on the fixed-dimensional space of the internal states of the context layer. Thus, in the execution phase, by constantly representing where in the interaction context it is as its current state, the network autonomously switches between recognition and generation phases without any explicit signs and utilizes the acquired mapping in appropriate contexts. To evaluate our method, we conducted an experiment in which a robot generates appropriate behavior responding to a human's linguistic instruction. After learning, the network actually formed the attractor structure representing both language-behavior relationships and the task's temporal pattern in its internal dynamics. In the dynamics, language-behavior mapping was achieved by the branching structure. Repetition of human's instruction and robot's behavioral response was represented as the cyclic structure, and besides, waiting to a subsequent instruction was represented as the fixed-point attractor. Thanks to this structure, the robot was able to interact online with a human concerning the given task by autonomously switching phases.

Reading Strategies and Reading Diaries for Autonomous Learning in a Turkish Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Course, Simla

2017-01-01

This paper reports the findings of an action research that was conducted over the course of two years. The research investigated the role of using reading diaries and strategy instruction with English Language Teaching trainees to foster greater learner autonomy and looked into the language learning strategies used by these students. The findings…

Motivation and Autonomy in Learning English as Foreign Language: A Case Study of Ecuadorian College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bravo, Jorge Cevallos; Intriago, Eder A.; Holguín, Jhonny Villafuerte; Garzon, Gustavo Molina; Arcia, Luis Ortega

2017-01-01

This quantitative research aims to examine how different levels of motivation relate to frequency of occurrence of autonomous language learning activities undertaken by undergraduate students. Eight hundred and sixty-two college students from 10 vocational training programs of a public university located in Ecuador, South America, participated in…

The Religion of Learning English in "English": A Language Educator's Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gao, Xuesong

2011-01-01

This essay is my reading of "English," a novel based on author Wang Gang's experiences in Urumqi, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, Northwest China during the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976). As a language educator, I was particularly interested in the way that Wang describes learning English in the novel. The essay focuses on three…

Error Awareness and Recovery in Conversational Spoken Language Interfaces

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-05-01

portant step towards constructing autonomously self -improving systems. Furthermore, we developed a scalable, data-driven approach that allows a system...prob- lems in spoken dialog (as well as other interactive systems) and constitutes an important step towards building autonomously self -improving...implicitly-supervised learning approach is applicable to other problems, and represents an important step towards developing autonomous, self

Towards New Ideologies and Pedagogies of Multilingualism: Innovations in Interdisciplinary Language Education in Luxembourg

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

De Korne, Haley

2012-01-01

Language is both a means and an end in educational systems. As a means to learning, it manifests itself in countless, shifting modalities; while as an end or objective of learning, it is often perceived as an autonomous, formal entity. Through a case study of an interdisciplinary secondary school project in Luxembourg, this paper explores the…

A Peer-Assisted Learning Experience in Computer Programming Language Learning and Developing Computer Programming Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Altintas, Tugba; Gunes, Ali; Sayan, Hamiyet

2016-01-01

Peer learning or, as commonly expressed, peer-assisted learning (PAL) involves school students who actively assist others to learn and in turn benefit from an effective learning environment. This research was designed to support students in becoming more autonomous in their learning, help them enhance their confidence level in tackling computer…

Self-Direction in On-Line Language Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rappel, L.

2017-01-01

This paper presents design based research on the role of self-direction in online learning by exploring elements of both individual and collective engagement as significant aspects of learning. By making the claim that online instruction draws on autonomous and social aspects of learning, this paper examines how online teaching environments are…

Language Immersion in the Self-Study Mode E-Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sobolev, Olga

2016-01-01

This paper assesses the efficiency of the "Language Immersion e-Course" developed at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) Language Centre. The new self-study revision e-course, promoting students' proficiency in spoken and aural Russian through autonomous learning, is based on the Michel Thomas method, and is…

Pedagogical Conditions of Multilevel Foreign Languages Teaching in Pedagogical Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kadakin, Vasily V.; Shukshina, Tatiana I.; Piskunova, Svetlana I.; Babushkina, Larisa E.; Falileev, Alexander E.

2016-01-01

This article is devoted to pedagogical conditions of multilevel foreign languages teaching in pedagogical higher education. The purpose of the study is to form the students' skills in foreign language mastering, to form the ability to operate independently and autonomously in this activity, both in the specific learning situation, and in the…

From Autonomous to Peer E-Learning: How the FReE Team Turned ePortfolio Into a Social Network Between First and Final-Year Modern Languages Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Penet, Jean-Christophe

2015-01-01

In this case study, I will show how I redesigned the curriculum of a post-A Level French module in order to improve students' career awareness and their soft--interpersonal and transferable--skills through autonomous e-learning. In the first phase of the project (2012/13), students were encouraged to start thinking in French about their career…

Grammatical Accuracy and Learner Autonomy in Advanced Writing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vickers, Caroline H.; Ene, Estela

2006-01-01

This paper aims to explore advanced ESL learners' ability to make improvements in grammatical accuracy by autonomously noticing and correcting their own grammatical errors. In the recent literature in SLA, it is suggested that classroom tasks can be used to foster autonomous language learning habits (cf. Dam 2001). Therefore, it is important to…

Cultural Contrasts and Commonalities in Inspiring Language Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lamb, Martin; Wedell, Martin

2015-01-01

Inspiring teaching is the kind of pedagogy that motivates pupils to study autonomously, in their own time, of their own volition beyond the classroom, and may be particularly important for long-term endeavours such as learning a second language. This study aimed to find out the prevalence and nature of inspiring English language teaching in the…

Autonomous Language Learning with Technology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Forsythe, Edward

2013-01-01

Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) wants English language education to be more communicative. Japanese teachers of English (JTEs) need to adapt their instructional practices to meet this goal; however, they may not feel confident enough to teach speaking themselves. Using technology, JTEs have the ability…

Can Apple's iPhone Help to Improve English Pronunciation Autonomously? State of the App

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

González, Jonás Fouz

2012-01-01

This paper is part of a larger project that examines some of the best-selling iPhone apps designed to learn English pronunciation. Informed by the literature on pronunciation teaching/acquisition, Computer Assisted Pronunciation Teaching (CAPT), Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) and Mobile-learning (M-learning), it provides a critical…

M-Kinyarwanda: Promoting Autonomous Language Learning through a Robust Mobile Application

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bikorimana, Emmanuel; Rutayisire, Joachim; Omar, Mwana Said; Sun, Yi

2017-01-01

Kinyarwanda, the national official language used by the population of Rwanda, was greatly affected by the tragic history that faced the country. The 13th annual national dialogue held at Kigali from 21st to 22nd December 2015, recommended the government of Rwanda, to put in place all measures to enhance and maintain the above mentioned language.…

Telecollaboration in Online Communities for L2 Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Malerba, Maria Luisa; Appel, Christine

2016-01-01

This paper reports on a PhD study about informal second language learning in online communities (Livemocha and Busuu). In these communities learners autonomously seek opportunities for telecollaboration with Native Speakers (NSs) in the absence of teachers and pedagogical tasks, and in an informal context. This paper focuses on learning and social…

Learning autonomy in writing class: Implementation of project-based learning in english for spesific purposes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ayu Sukerti, G. N.; Yuliantini, Ny

2018-01-01

This research was aimed to analyze students’ attitude on learning autonomy through the implementation of project-based learning (PBL). Writing has been considered one of the most difficult competencies to master as it incorporates several integrated language skills. Thus, teaching writing in English for Specific Class posts a huge challenge as students often feel discouraged by the complex series of processes involved in producing a well-structured piece of writing. This research implemented PBL as the learning model to boost students’ learning outcomes and construct self-directed learning. Participants were 25 second semester students enrolled in a three-year undergraduate program in Informatics Management. The implementation of PBL in writing class contributed real advantages since it allowed students to collaboratively arrange outline in order to produce individual drafts and final essays. The study revealed that students were able to be involved in a more deep and autonomous learning as they helped each other during group discussion. The students autonomously engaged in the completion of the project in a more positive attitude. They also acquired more knowledge in the aspect of grammar and learned how to use language in proper context based on the feedbacks they got during revising their writing.

Evidencing the Passion of Language Teachers' Research Engagement: The Case of a University Pedagogy ALMS Course Module

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vaattovaara, Johanna

2017-01-01

This paper presents a case example of a University Pedagogy course module carried out in ALMS (Autonomous Learning Modules) format. The participants of the course were mainly in-service language teachers of the University of Helsinki Language Centre, and the author of this report is a module instructor and counsellor. The motivation for the ALMS…

"Parlez-Vous Bien Francais?" No Comment!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dale, Mark; Liss, Mimi

1996-01-01

Describes an experience of introducing a "Records of Achievement" scheme in university extramural language courses. The article discusses the effectiveness of existing teaching/learning styles and examines the way in which records of achievement could foster autonomous learning. Student reaction to recording progress as a means of sustaining…

Immigrant Adolescents Investing in Korean Heritage Language: Exploring Motivation, Identities, and Capital

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Jung-In

2017-01-01

The current study examined the perspectives of seven immigrant adolescents on aspects of their lives that informed their determined and autonomous motivations to learn Korean as a heritage language (HL) in the United States. Constant comparative analyses of interview data showed that, although all of the students experienced determined motivations…

Student Perspectives of Self-Directed Language Learning: Implications for Teaching and Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Du, Fengning

2013-01-01

This article presents findings from a qualitative study examining students' perspectives of engaging in an autonomous learning project at a community college. Through the conceptual prism of self-directed learning, this study describes how students view the benefits of SDL as well as the roles of teachers. It also touches on factors contributing…

Autonomous Pluralistic Learning Strategies among Mexican Indigenous and Minority University Students Learning English

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Despagne, Colette

2015-01-01

This critical ethnographic case study draws on Indigenous and minority students' process of learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in Mexico. The study specifically focuses on students who enrolled in a program called "A Wager with the Future." The aim of the study is to identify and understand contributing factors in these…

A Taxonomy of Vocabulary Learning Strategies Used in Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bytheway, Julie

2015-01-01

Initiated in response to informal reports of vocabulary gains from gamers at universities in New Zealand and the Netherlands, this qualitative study explored how English language learners autonomously learn vocabulary while playing massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs). Using research processes inherent in Grounded Theory, data…

Applying Information and Communication Technologies to Language Teaching and Research: An Overview

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pareja-Lora, Antonio; Rodríguez-Arancón, Pilar; Calle-Martínez, Cristina

2016-01-01

Currently, there is an international change in education that includes the development of new learning programmes and policies, such as (a) bilingual education programmes, (b) the Bologna process, with an emphasis on a more autonomous way of learning, or (c) the systematic evaluation and assessment of students and educational results. These…

Taking English outside of the Classroom through Social Networking: Reflections on a Two-Year Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ohashi, Louise

2016-01-01

In Japan, like most English as a Foreign Language (EFL) contexts, students have few opportunities to use English in daily life, and this limits their ability to develop their language skills. To address this, many teachers provide homework tasks and guide students towards autonomous learning. In an effort to do the latter, a private Facebook group…

The e-Generation: The Use of Technology for Foreign Language Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gonzalez-Vera, Pilar

2016-01-01

After the Bologna Process, European Higher Education was reformulated as a response to a change of roles in higher education in a globalised society. The implementation of a new system of credits, the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS), implied an enormous increase of autonomous learning hours. The high percentage of student workload reflected…

The Use of Learner Autonomy in English as a Foreign Language Context among Saudi Undergraduates Enrolled in Preparatory Year Deanship at Najran University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alzubi, Ali Abbas Falah; Singh, Manjet Kaur Mehar; Pandian, Ambigapathy

2017-01-01

This paper explores the current practices of learner autonomy among Saudi undergraduates at Preparatory Year, Najran University. The Short List questionnaire developed by Dixon (2011) was administered to measure the use of autonomous learning in English as a foreign language (EFL) context. Quantitative data were gathered from 208 male students in…

Apprentissage auto-dirige: Quand les chiffres parlent (Self-Directed Learning: Figures Speak for Themselves).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abe, Daniele; Gremmo, Marie-Jose

The functioning of the semi-autonomous learning system (SAAS) at the Centre de Recherches et d'Applications Pedagogiques en Langues (CRAPEL) was surveyed for the academic year 1980-81. Detailed data were collected about learners' aims, language level, and their assessment of the SAAS, as well as about the way they actually used the system. This…

Developing Collaborative Autonomous Learning Abilities in Computer Mediated Language Learning: Attention to Meaning among Students in Wiki Space

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kessler, Greg; Bikowski, Dawn

2010-01-01

This study reports on attention to meaning among 40 NNS pre-service EFL teachers as they collaboratively constructed a wiki in a 16-week online course. Focus is placed upon the nature of individual and group behavior when attending to meaning in a long-term wiki-based collaborative activity as well as the students' collaborative autonomous…

Value of Web-based learning activities for nursing students who speak English as a second language.

PubMed

Koch, Jane; Salamonson, Yenna; Du, Hui Yun; Andrew, Sharon; Frost, Steven A; Dunncliff, Kirstin; Davidson, Patricia M

2011-07-01

There is an increasing need to address the educational needs of students with English as a second language. The authors assessed the value of a Web-based activity to meet the needs of students with English as a second language in a bioscience subject. Using telephone contact, we interviewed 21 Chinese students, 24 non-Chinese students with English as a second language, and 7 native English-speaking students to identify the perception of the value of the intervention. Four themes emerged from the qualitative data: (1) Language is a barrier to achievement and affects self-confidence; (2) Enhancement intervention promoted autonomous learning; (3) Focusing on the spoken word increases interaction capacity and self-confidence; (4) Assessment and examination drive receptivity and sense of importance. Targeted strategies to promote language acculturation and acquisition are valued by students. Linking language acquisition skills to assessment tasks is likely to leverage improvements in competence. Copyright 2011, SLACK Incorporated.

Motivation to Speak English: A Self-Determination Theory Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dincer, Ali; Yesilyurt, Savas

2017-01-01

Based on a modern motivation theory of learning, self-determination theory (SDT), this study aimed to investigate the relationships between English as a foreign language (EFL) learners' motivation to speak, autonomous regulation, autonomy support from teachers, and classroom engagement, with both quantitative and qualitative approaches. The…

Robots as Language Learning Tools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Collado, Ericka

2017-01-01

Robots are machines that resemble different forms, usually those of humans or animals, that can perform preprogrammed or autonomous tasks (Robot, n.d.). With the emergence of STEM programs, there has been a rise in the use of robots in educational settings. STEM programs are those where students study science, technology, engineering and…

Instruction dialogues: Teaching new skills to a robot

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Crangle, Colleen; Suppes, P.

1989-01-01

Extended dialogues between a human user and a robot system are presented. The purpose of each dialogue is to teach the robot a new skill or to improve the performance of a skill it already has. The particular interest is in natural language dialogues but the illustrated techniques can be applied to any high level language. The primary purpose is to show how verbal instruction can be integrated with the robot's autonomous learning of a skill.

Machine-learned and codified synthesis parameters of oxide materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Edward; Huang, Kevin; Tomala, Alex; Matthews, Sara; Strubell, Emma; Saunders, Adam; McCallum, Andrew; Olivetti, Elsa

2017-09-01

Predictive materials design has rapidly accelerated in recent years with the advent of large-scale resources, such as materials structure and property databases generated by ab initio computations. In the absence of analogous ab initio frameworks for materials synthesis, high-throughput and machine learning techniques have recently been harnessed to generate synthesis strategies for select materials of interest. Still, a community-accessible, autonomously-compiled synthesis planning resource which spans across materials systems has not yet been developed. In this work, we present a collection of aggregated synthesis parameters computed using the text contained within over 640,000 journal articles using state-of-the-art natural language processing and machine learning techniques. We provide a dataset of synthesis parameters, compiled autonomously across 30 different oxide systems, in a format optimized for planning novel syntheses of materials.

Working and Learning with Knowledge in the Lobes of a Humanoid's Mind

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ambrose, Robert; Savely, Robert; Bluethmann, William; Kortenkamp, David

2003-01-01

Humanoid class robots must have sufficient dexterity to assist people and work in an environment designed for human comfort and productivity. This dexterity, in particular the ability to use tools, requires a cognitive understanding of self and the world that exceeds contemporary robotics. Our hypothesis is that the sense-think-act paradigm that has proven so successful for autonomous robots is missing one or more key elements that will be needed for humanoids to meet their full potential as autonomous human assistants. This key ingredient is knowledge. The presented work includes experiments conducted on the Robonaut system, a NASA and the Defense Advanced research Projects Agency (DARPA) joint project, and includes collaborative efforts with a DARPA Mobile Autonomous Robot Software technical program team of researchers at NASA, MIT, USC, NRL, UMass and Vanderbilt. The paper reports on results in the areas of human-robot interaction (human tracking, gesture recognition, natural language, supervised control), perception (stereo vision, object identification, object pose estimation), autonomous grasping (tactile sensing, grasp reflex, grasp stability) and learning (human instruction, task level sequences, and sensorimotor association).

Technology assessment of advanced automation for space missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1982-01-01

Six general classes of technology requirements derived during the mission definition phase of the study were identified as having maximum importance and urgency, including autonomous world model based information systems, learning and hypothesis formation, natural language and other man-machine communication, space manufacturing, teleoperators and robot systems, and computer science and technology.

An Investigation of Scaffolded Reading on EFL Hypertext Comprehension

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shang, Hui-Fang

2015-01-01

With the rapid growth of computer technology, some printed texts are designed as hypertexts to help EFL (English as a foreign language) learners search for and process multiple resources in a timely manner for autonomous learning. The purpose of this study was to design a hypertext system and examine if a 14-week teacher-guided print-based and…

Social Networking: Developing Intercultural Competence and Fostering Autonomous Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vurdien, Ruby

2014-01-01

With the emergence of Web 2.0, the incorporation of internet-based social networking tools is becoming increasingly popular in the foreign language classes of today. This form of social interaction provides students with the opportunity to express and share their views with their peers, and to create profiles as well as online communities of…

The Short Readings Project: A CALL Reading Activity Utilizing Vocabulary Recycling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Andrew; Heffernan, Neil

2006-01-01

In 2003 multimedia-based English Trailers (www.english-trailers.com) joined the vast array of web sites dedicated to language learning enabling students, either autonomously or in a CALL classroom, to study English via movie commercials. To assist students in comprehending 10 trailers found on the site, the authors created the Short Readings…

An Approach to Integration: The Integration of Language and Content to Promote L2 Learner Autonomy at the College Level (Un Acercamiento a la Integración: El Aprendizaje Integrado de Lengua y Contenidos para Promover la Autonomía del Estudiante de Lengua Extranjera en la Universidad)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oliva Parera, Pablo M.; Núñez Delgado, María Pilar

2015-01-01

This article reports the preliminary findings of an action research on the effects of autonomy on a group of university students at the post-graduate level taking their first Spanish course through the Content and Language Learning (CLIL) methodology. The participants, whose Spanish was at the low/mid intermediate level (ACTFL, 2012), were exposed…

Collaborating with Autonomous Agents

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Trujillo, Anna C.; Cross, Charles D.; Fan, Henry; Hempley, Lucas E.; Motter, Mark A.; Neilan, James H.; Qualls, Garry D.; Rothhaar, Paul M.; Tran, Loc D.; Allen, B. Danette

2015-01-01

With the anticipated increase of small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) entering into the National Airspace System, it is highly likely that vehicle operators will be teaming with fleets of small autonomous vehicles. The small vehicles may consist of sUAS, which are 55 pounds or less that typically will y at altitudes 400 feet and below, and small ground vehicles typically operating in buildings or defined small campuses. Typically, the vehicle operators are not concerned with manual control of the vehicle; instead they are concerned with the overall mission. In order for this vision of high-level mission operators working with fleets of vehicles to come to fruition, many human factors related challenges must be investigated and solved. First, the interface between the human operator and the autonomous agent must be at a level that the operator needs and the agents can understand. This paper details the natural language human factors e orts that NASA Langley's Autonomy Incubator is focusing on. In particular these e orts focus on allowing the operator to interact with the system using speech and gestures rather than a mouse and keyboard. With this ability of the system to understand both speech and gestures, operators not familiar with the vehicle dynamics will be able to easily plan, initiate, and change missions using a language familiar to them rather than having to learn and converse in the vehicle's language. This will foster better teaming between the operator and the autonomous agent which will help lower workload, increase situation awareness, and improve performance of the system as a whole.

Cooperative Control of Distributed Autonomous Vehicles in Adversarial Environments

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-08-14

COOPERATIVE CONTROL OF DISTRIBUTED AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES IN ADVERSARIAL ENVIRONMENTS Grant #F49620–01–1–0361 Final Report Jeff Shamma Department of...CONTRACT NUMBER F49620-01-1-0361 5b. GRANT NUMBER 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE COOPERATIVE CONTROL OF DISTRIBUTED AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES IN...single dominant language or a distribution of languages. A relation to multivehicle systems is understanding how highly autonomous vehicles on extended

A Study of Problems and Responses in the Development of Dual-Language Education Models in Tibetan Regions: Taking Xiahe County in Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture as an Example

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hongzhi, Long

2017-01-01

Dual-language education models are theoretical and practical systems formed through the process of dual-language education and centered on study and teaching. The language environment is the basis for developing and reforming dual-language education models. The author takes Xiahe County in Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture as an example and…

Natural Language Direction Following for Robots in Unstructured Unknown Environments

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-01-15

Looking back, I can safely say my most fruitful research was the result of these collaborations. Seeing peers learn and struggle alongside me has been...performance gains on such diverse problems as autonomous driving, playing Super Mario, handwriting recogni- tion, helicopter control, and image...similarity metric between what the direction says and what the robot sees. These are useful to describe the landmark field of the Spatial Description

Learning Orthographic Structure With Sequential Generative Neural Networks.

PubMed

Testolin, Alberto; Stoianov, Ivilin; Sperduti, Alessandro; Zorzi, Marco

2016-04-01

Learning the structure of event sequences is a ubiquitous problem in cognition and particularly in language. One possible solution is to learn a probabilistic generative model of sequences that allows making predictions about upcoming events. Though appealing from a neurobiological standpoint, this approach is typically not pursued in connectionist modeling. Here, we investigated a sequential version of the restricted Boltzmann machine (RBM), a stochastic recurrent neural network that extracts high-order structure from sensory data through unsupervised generative learning and can encode contextual information in the form of internal, distributed representations. We assessed whether this type of network can extract the orthographic structure of English monosyllables by learning a generative model of the letter sequences forming a word training corpus. We show that the network learned an accurate probabilistic model of English graphotactics, which can be used to make predictions about the letter following a given context as well as to autonomously generate high-quality pseudowords. The model was compared to an extended version of simple recurrent networks, augmented with a stochastic process that allows autonomous generation of sequences, and to non-connectionist probabilistic models (n-grams and hidden Markov models). We conclude that sequential RBMs and stochastic simple recurrent networks are promising candidates for modeling cognition in the temporal domain. Copyright © 2015 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

Collaborative autonomous sensing with Bayesians in the loop

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmed, Nisar

2016-10-01

There is a strong push to develop intelligent unmanned autonomy that complements human reasoning for applications as diverse as wilderness search and rescue, military surveillance, and robotic space exploration. More than just replacing humans for `dull, dirty and dangerous' work, autonomous agents are expected to cope with a whole host of uncertainties while working closely together with humans in new situations. The robotics revolution firmly established the primacy of Bayesian algorithms for tackling challenging perception, learning and decision-making problems. Since the next frontier of autonomy demands the ability to gather information across stretches of time and space that are beyond the reach of a single autonomous agent, the next generation of Bayesian algorithms must capitalize on opportunities to draw upon the sensing and perception abilities of humans-in/on-the-loop. This work summarizes our recent research toward harnessing `human sensors' for information gathering tasks. The basic idea behind is to allow human end users (i.e. non-experts in robotics, statistics, machine learning, etc.) to directly `talk to' the information fusion engine and perceptual processes aboard any autonomous agent. Our approach is grounded in rigorous Bayesian modeling and fusion of flexible semantic information derived from user-friendly interfaces, such as natural language chat and locative hand-drawn sketches. This naturally enables `plug and play' human sensing with existing probabilistic algorithms for planning and perception, and has been successfully demonstrated with human-robot teams in target localization applications.

EFL/ESL Textbook Selection in Korea and East Asia - Relevant Issues and Literature Review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meurant, Robert C.

EFL/ESL departments periodically face the problem of textbook selection. Cogent issues are that non-native speakers will use L2 English mainly to communicate with other non-native English speakers, so an American accent is becoming less important. L2 English will mainly be used in computer-mediated communication, hence the importance of L2 Digital Literacy. The convergence of Information Communication Technologies is radically impacting Second Language Acquisition, which is integrating web-hosted Assessment and Learning Management Systems. EFL/ESL textbooks need to be compatible with blended learning, prepare students for a globalized world, and foster autonomous learning. I summarize five papers on EFL/ESL textbook evaluation and selection, and include relevant material for adaptation. Textbooks are major sources of contact with the target language, so selection is an important decision. Educators need to be systematic and objective in their approach, adopting a selection process that is open, transparent, accountable, participatory, informed and rigorous.

Autonomous development and learning in artificial intelligence and robotics: Scaling up deep learning to human-like learning.

PubMed

Oudeyer, Pierre-Yves

2017-01-01

Autonomous lifelong development and learning are fundamental capabilities of humans, differentiating them from current deep learning systems. However, other branches of artificial intelligence have designed crucial ingredients towards autonomous learning: curiosity and intrinsic motivation, social learning and natural interaction with peers, and embodiment. These mechanisms guide exploration and autonomous choice of goals, and integrating them with deep learning opens stimulating perspectives.

Developing Autonomous Vehicles That Learn to Navigate by Mimicking Human Behavior

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-09-28

navigate in an unstructured environment to a specific target or location. 15. SUBJECT TERMS autonomous vehicles , fuzzy logic, learning behavior...ANSI-Std Z39-18 Developing Autonomous Vehicles That Learn to Navigate by Mimicking Human Behavior FINAL REPORT 9/28/2006 Dean B. Edwards Department...the future, as greater numbers of autonomous vehicles are employed, it is hoped that lower LONG-TERM GOALS Use LAGR (Learning Applied to Ground Robots

Types of verbal interaction with instructable robots

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Crangle, C.; Suppes, P.; Michalowski, S.

1987-01-01

An instructable robot is one that accepts instruction in some natural language such as English and uses that instruction to extend its basic repertoire of actions. Such robots are quite different in conception from autonomously intelligent robots, which provide the impetus for much of the research on inference and planning in artificial intelligence. Examined here are the significant problem areas in the design of robots that learn from vebal instruction. Examples are drawn primarily from our earlier work on instructable robots and recent work on the Robotic Aid for the physically disabled. Natural-language understanding by machines is discussed as well as in the possibilities and limits of verbal instruction. The core problem of verbal instruction, namely, how to achieve specific concrete action in the robot in response to commands that express general intentions, is considered, as are two major challenges to instructability: achieving appropriate real-time behavior in the robot, and extending the robot's language capabilities.

E-learning on antibiotic prescribing-the role of autonomous motivation in participation: a prospective cohort study.

PubMed

Caris, Martine G; Sikkens, Jonne J; Kusurkar, Rashmi A; van Agtmael, Michiel A

2018-05-10

E-learning is increasingly used in education on antimicrobial stewardship, but participation rates are often low. Insight into factors that affect participation is therefore needed. Autonomous motivation is associated with higher achievements in medical education and could also play a role in e-learning participation. We therefore aimed to investigate the role of residents' autonomous motivation in their participation in e-learning on antibiotic prescribing. We performed a multicentre cohort study in two academic and two teaching hospitals. Residents who filled out questionnaires on antibiotic knowledge, the perceived importance of antibiotics and motivation [Self-Regulation Questionnaire - Academic (SRQ-a)] received e-learning access. We used the SRQ-a to calculate relative autonomous motivation (RAM), an index that estimates the amount of autonomous motivation compared with the amount of controlled motivation. We then analysed associations between RAM and participation in e-learning with logistic regression. Eighty-six residents participated (74% female, mean age 30 years). Overall e-learning participation was 58% (n = 50). Participation was 41% in residents with negative RAM (i.e. more controlled motivation) and 62% in residents with positive RAM (i.e. more autonomous motivation). RAM was positively associated with participation, adjusted for residency in an academic hospital (adjusted OR 2.6, 95% CI 1.5-4.6). Participation in non-obligatory e-learning on antibiotic prescribing is higher in residents with more autonomous motivation. Interventions to increase autonomous motivation could improve participation. Preceding e-learning on antibiotic prescribing with face-to-face education, to explain the importance of the subject, could enhance autonomous motivation and thus optimize e-learning efficiency.

Developing Autonomous Learning in First Year University Students Using Perspectives from Positive Psychology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Macaskill, Ann; Denovan, Andrew

2013-01-01

Autonomous learning is a commonly occurring learning outcome from university study, and it is argued that students require confidence in their own abilities to achieve this. Using approaches from positive psychology, this study aimed to develop confidence in first-year university students to facilitate autonomous learning. Psychological character…

Writing Disabilities in Spanish-Speaking Children: Introduction to the Special Series.

PubMed

Jiménez, Juan E

This special issue of the Journal of Learning Disabilities focuses on studies of writing disabilities in Spanish-speaking children. The World Health Organization (2001) included writing difficulties as one of the problems considered to constitute an impediment to school participation, a significant element in the normal developmental process of the child. In this introduction, I describe the background of a larger project promoted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). This special series offers recent findings on writing disabilities in Spanish-Speaking children within the UNESCO project. The pilot study was carried out in the Canary Islands, an autonomous Spanish region located between three continents and composed of seven islands in the Atlantic Ocean. Most of the current empirical evidence on writing disabilities comes from English, a language with deep orthography; therefore, it is very relevant to investigate the writing process in Spanish, a language with shallow, fine-grained orthography. Included are a number of articles that form a conspectus on writing disabilities in the Spanish language. Topics center on early grade writing assessment, prevalence of writing disabilities, handwriting and keyboarding, transcription and text generation, graphonomic and handwriting analysis, and instructional practices with an learning disabled population.

Component-Oriented Behavior Extraction for Autonomic System Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bakera, Marco; Wagner, Christian; Margaria,Tiziana; Hinchey, Mike; Vassev, Emil; Steffen, Bernhard

2009-01-01

Rich and multifaceted domain specific specification languages like the Autonomic System Specification Language (ASSL) help to design reliable systems with self-healing capabilities. The GEAR game-based Model Checker has been used successfully to investigate properties of the ESA Exo- Mars Rover in depth. We show here how to enable GEAR s game-based verification techniques for ASSL via systematic model extraction from a behavioral subset of the language, and illustrate it on a description of the Voyager II space mission.

Information and Language for Effective Communication

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pitoy, Sammy P.

2012-01-01

Information and Language for Effective Communication (ILEC) is a language teaching approach emphasizing learners' extensive exposure in different language communicative sources. In ILEC, the language learners will first receive instructions of ILEC principles and application. Afterwards, they will receive autonomous, direct, purposeful, and…

Amplifying human ability through autonomics and machine learning in IMPACT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dzieciuch, Iryna; Reeder, John; Gutzwiller, Robert; Gustafson, Eric; Coronado, Braulio; Martinez, Luis; Croft, Bryan; Lange, Douglas S.

2017-05-01

Amplifying human ability for controlling complex environments featuring autonomous units can be aided by learned models of human and system performance. In developing a command and control system that allows a small number of people to control a large number of autonomous teams, we employ an autonomics framework to manage the networks that represent mission plans and the networks that are composed of human controllers and their autonomous assistants. Machine learning allows us to build models of human and system performance useful for monitoring plans and managing human attention and task loads. Machine learning also aids in the development of tactics that human supervisors can successfully monitor through the command and control system.

How to Develop College Students' Autonomous English Learning Skills--Take Reading Course in Joint-Program in HCFT as an Example

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Jihui

2010-01-01

The studies on autonomous learning based on the theories of constructivism and the advantages of technology propose valuable ideas for modern teaching theories and practices. In this paper, we put forward ways and methods in developing learner awareness, learning strategies and habits of autonomous learning in Henan College of Finance and Taxation…

Real-Time Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-02-01

Postgraduate School Autonomous Under Vehicle (AUV) are then examined. Autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), hard real-time system, real - time operating system , real-time programming language, real-time system, soft real-time system.

The Continuity of College Students' Autonomous Learning Motivation and Its Predictors: A Three-Year Longitudinal Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pan, Yingqiu; Gauvain, Mary

2012-01-01

This study examined change in Chinese students' autonomous learning motivation in the first three years of college and how this change is accounted for by intra- and inter-individual variables. The sample included 633 (328 female) college freshmen. Results showed that students' autonomous learning motivation decreased over years in college.…

Schema-based learning of adaptable and flexible prey- catching in anurans II. Learning after lesioning.

PubMed

Corbacho, Fernando; Nishikawa, Kiisa C; Weerasuriya, Ananda; Liaw, Jim-Shih; Arbib, Michael A

2005-12-01

The previous companion paper describes the initial (seed) schema architecture that gives rise to the observed prey-catching behavior. In this second paper in the series we describe the fundamental adaptive processes required during learning after lesioning. Following bilateral transections of the hypoglossal nerve, anurans lunge toward mealworms with no accompanying tongue or jaw movement. Nevertheless anurans with permanent hypoglossal transections eventually learn to catch their prey by first learning to open their mouth again and then lunging their body further and increasing their head angle. In this paper we present a new learning framework, called schema-based learning (SBL). SBL emphasizes the importance of the current existent structure (schemas), that defines a functioning system, for the incremental and autonomous construction of ever more complex structure to achieve ever more complex levels of functioning. We may rephrase this statement into the language of Schema Theory (Arbib 1992, for a comprehensive review) as the learning of new schemas based on the stock of current schemas. SBL emphasizes a fundamental principle of organization called coherence maximization, that deals with the maximization of congruence between the results of an interaction (external or internal) and the expectations generated for that interaction. A central hypothesis consists of the existence of a hierarchy of predictive internal models (predictive schemas) all over the control center-brain-of the agent. Hence, we will include predictive models in the perceptual, sensorimotor, and motor components of the autonomous agent architecture. We will then show that predictive models are fundamental for structural learning. In particular we will show how a system can learn a new structural component (augment the overall network topology) after being lesioned in order to recover (or even improve) its original functionality. Learning after lesioning is a special case of structural learning but clearly shows that solutions cannot be known/hardwired a priori since it cannot be known, in advance, which substructure is going to break down.

Towards a Warfighter’s Associate: Eliminating the Operator Control Unit

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-10-01

ABSTRACT This paper introduces the long-term concept of a supervised autonomous Warfighter’s Associate, which uses a natural-language interface for...paper introduces the long-term concept of a supervised autonomous Warfighter’s Associate, which employs a natural-language interface for communication...results to date. The primary application discussed is military, but the concept also applies to law enforcement, space exploration, and search-and

A Critique of Botswana's Language Policy from a Translanguaging Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bagwasi, Mompoloki Mmangaka

2017-01-01

This paper critiques the language practices and language-in-education policy of Botswana from a translanguaging perspective. By so doing, it revisits our commonly held perceptions about multilingualism, bilingualism and language and its boundary. We commonly perceive languages as autonomous and as having boundaries and we perceive bilingualism or…

Evaluation in an Autonomous Learning Scheme. Melanges Pedagogiques, 1977.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Henner-Stanchina, C.; Holec, H.

This document consists of a discussion of the place and nature of evaluation within the autonomous learning scheme developed by the Centre de Recherches et d'Applications Pedagogiques en Langues (C.R.A.P.E.L.). The center's commitment to the development of an autonomous learning scheme dates back several years. It is the outcome of an attempt to…

G2 Autonomous Control for Cryogenic Delivery Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dito, Scott J.

2014-01-01

The Independent System Health Management-Autonomous Control (ISHM-AC) application development for cryogenic delivery systems is intended to create an expert system that will require minimal operator involvement and ultimately allow for complete autonomy when fueling a space vehicle in the time prior to launch. The G2-Autonomous Control project is the development of a model, simulation, and ultimately a working application that will control and monitor the cryogenic fluid delivery to a rocket for testing purposes. To develop this application, the project is using the programming language/environment Gensym G2. The environment is an all-inclusive application that allows development, testing, modeling, and finally operation of the unique application through graphical and programmatic methods. We have learned G2 through training classes and subsequent application development, and are now in the process of building the application that will soon be used to test on cryogenic loading equipment here at the Kennedy Space Center Cryogenics Test Laboratory (CTL). The G2 ISHM-AC application will bring with it a safer and more efficient propellant loading system for the future launches at Kennedy Space Center and eventually mobile launches from all over the world.

Semantic Likelihood Models for Bayesian Inference in Human-Robot Interaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sweet, Nicholas

Autonomous systems, particularly unmanned aerial systems (UAS), remain limited in au- tonomous capabilities largely due to a poor understanding of their environment. Current sensors simply do not match human perceptive capabilities, impeding progress towards full autonomy. Recent work has shown the value of humans as sources of information within a human-robot team; in target applications, communicating human-generated 'soft data' to autonomous systems enables higher levels of autonomy through large, efficient information gains. This requires development of a 'human sensor model' that allows soft data fusion through Bayesian inference to update the probabilistic belief representations maintained by autonomous systems. Current human sensor models that capture linguistic inputs as semantic information are limited in their ability to generalize likelihood functions for semantic statements: they may be learned from dense data; they do not exploit the contextual information embedded within groundings; and they often limit human input to restrictive and simplistic interfaces. This work provides mechanisms to synthesize human sensor models from constraints based on easily attainable a priori knowledge, develops compression techniques to capture information-dense semantics, and investigates the problem of capturing and fusing semantic information contained within unstructured natural language. A robotic experimental testbed is also developed to validate the above contributions.

Knowledge/geometry-based Mobile Autonomous Robot Simulator (KMARS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cheng, Linfu; Mckendrick, John D.; Liu, Jeffrey

1990-01-01

Ongoing applied research is focused on developing guidance system for robot vehicles. Problems facing the basic research needed to support this development (e.g., scene understanding, real-time vision processing, etc.) are major impediments to progress. Due to the complexity and the unpredictable nature of a vehicle's area of operation, more advanced vehicle control systems must be able to learn about obstacles within the range of its sensor(s). A better understanding of the basic exploration process is needed to provide critical support to developers of both sensor systems and intelligent control systems which can be used in a wide spectrum of autonomous vehicles. Elcee Computek, Inc. has been working under contract to the Flight Dynamics Laboratory, Wright Research and Development Center, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio to develop a Knowledge/Geometry-based Mobile Autonomous Robot Simulator (KMARS). KMARS has two parts: a geometry base and a knowledge base. The knowledge base part of the system employs the expert-system shell CLIPS ('C' Language Integrated Production System) and necessary rules that control both the vehicle's use of an obstacle detecting sensor and the overall exploration process. The initial phase project has focused on the simulation of a point robot vehicle operating in a 2D environment.

Effects of teacher autonomy support and students' autonomous motivation on learning in physical education.

PubMed

Shen, Bo; McCaughtry, Nate; Martin, Jeffrey; Fahlman, Mariane

2009-03-01

This study applied self-determination theory to investigate the effects of students' autonomous motivation and their perceptions of teacher autonomy support on need satisfaction adjustment, learning achievement, and cardiorespiratory fitness over a 4-month personal conditioning unit. Participants were 253 urban adolescents (121 girls and 132 boys, ages = 12-14 years). Based on a series of multiple regression analyses, perceived autonomy support by teachers significantly predicted students'need satisfaction adjustment and led to learning achievement, especially for students who were not autonomously motivated to learn in physical education. In turn, being more autonomous was directly associated with cardiorespiratory fitness enhancement. The findings suggest that shifts in teaching approaches toward providing more support for students' autonomy and active involvement hold promise for enhancing learning.

Autonomic and Emotional Responses of Graduate Student Clinicians in Speech-Language Pathology to Stuttered Speech

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guntupalli, Vijaya K.; Nanjundeswaran, Chayadevie; Dayalu, Vikram N.; Kalinowski, Joseph

2012-01-01

Background: Fluent speakers and people who stutter manifest alterations in autonomic and emotional responses as they view stuttered relative to fluent speech samples. These reactions are indicative of an aroused autonomic state and are hypothesized to be triggered by the abrupt breakdown in fluency exemplified in stuttered speech. Furthermore,…

Socioeconomic Patterns and Educational Performance Based on Language-of-Instruction Models in the Basque Autonomous Community

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elosua, Paula; Egaña, Maria

2017-01-01

One of the focuses of language revitalisation policies is to incorporate minority languages into education. Evaluation of new language-of-instruction models is usually based on the increase of minority language speakers. However, it is also important from an educational perspective to study the possible relationship between performance and…

Web-Based Reading Annotation System with an Attention-Based Self-Regulated Learning Mechanism for Promoting Reading Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Chih-Ming; Huang, Sheng-Hui

2014-01-01

Due to the rapid development of information technology, web-based learning has become a dominant trend. That is, learners can often learn anytime and anywhere without being restricted by time and space. Autonomic learning primarily occurs in web-based learning environments, and self-regulated learning (SRL) is key to autonomic learning…

Self-Assessment Exercises in Continuum Mechanics with Autonomous Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marcé-Nogué, Jordi; Gil, LLuís; Pérez, Marco A.; Sánchez, Montserrat

2013-01-01

The main objective of this work is to generate a set of exercises to improve the autonomous learning in "Continuum Mechanics" through a virtual platform. Students will have to resolve four exercises autonomously related to the subject developed in class and they will post the solutions on the virtual platform within a deadline. Students…

Reinforcement Learning with Autonomous Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Cluttered Environments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tran, Loc; Cross, Charles; Montague, Gilbert; Motter, Mark; Neilan, James; Qualls, Garry; Rothhaar, Paul; Trujillo, Anna; Allen, B. Danette

2015-01-01

We present ongoing work in the Autonomy Incubator at NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) exploring the efficacy of a data set aggregation approach to reinforcement learning for small unmanned aerial vehicle (sUAV) flight in dense and cluttered environments with reactive obstacle avoidance. The goal is to learn an autonomous flight model using training experiences from a human piloting a sUAV around static obstacles. The training approach uses video data from a forward-facing camera that records the human pilot's flight. Various computer vision based features are extracted from the video relating to edge and gradient information. The recorded human-controlled inputs are used to train an autonomous control model that correlates the extracted feature vector to a yaw command. As part of the reinforcement learning approach, the autonomous control model is iteratively updated with feedback from a human agent who corrects undesired model output. This data driven approach to autonomous obstacle avoidance is explored for simulated forest environments furthering autonomous flight under the tree canopy research. This enables flight in previously inaccessible environments which are of interest to NASA researchers in Earth and Atmospheric sciences.

Formative and Summative Assessment in Veterinary Pathology and Other Courses at a Mexican Veterinary College.

PubMed

Valero, Germán; Cárdenas, Paula

The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) uses the Moodle learning management system for formative and summative computer assessment. The authors of this article-the teacher primarily responsible for Moodle implementation and a researcher who is a recent Moodle adopter-describe and discuss the students' and teachers' attitudes to summative and formative computer assessment in Moodle. Item analysis of quiz results helped us to identify and fix poorly performing questions, which greatly reduced student complaints and improved objective assessment. The use of certainty-based marking (CBM) in formative assessment in veterinary pathology was well received by the students and should be extended to more courses. The importance of having proficient computer support personnel should not be underestimated. A properly translated language pack is essential for the use of Moodle in a language other than English.

Embodied cognition for autonomous interactive robots.

PubMed

Hoffman, Guy

2012-10-01

In the past, notions of embodiment have been applied to robotics mainly in the realm of very simple robots, and supporting low-level mechanisms such as dynamics and navigation. In contrast, most human-like, interactive, and socially adept robotic systems turn away from embodiment and use amodal, symbolic, and modular approaches to cognition and interaction. At the same time, recent research in Embodied Cognition (EC) is spanning an increasing number of complex cognitive processes, including language, nonverbal communication, learning, and social behavior. This article suggests adopting a modern EC approach for autonomous robots interacting with humans. In particular, we present three core principles from EC that may be applicable to such robots: (a) modal perceptual representation, (b) action/perception and action/cognition integration, and (c) a simulation-based model of top-down perceptual biasing. We describe a computational framework based on these principles, and its implementation on two physical robots. This could provide a new paradigm for embodied human-robot interaction based on recent psychological and neurological findings. Copyright © 2012 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

Task Description Language

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Simmons, Reid; Apfelbaum, David

2005-01-01

Task Description Language (TDL) is an extension of the C++ programming language that enables programmers to quickly and easily write complex, concurrent computer programs for controlling real-time autonomous systems, including robots and spacecraft. TDL is based on earlier work (circa 1984 through 1989) on the Task Control Architecture (TCA). TDL provides syntactic support for hierarchical task-level control functions, including task decomposition, synchronization, execution monitoring, and exception handling. A Java-language-based compiler transforms TDL programs into pure C++ code that includes calls to a platform-independent task-control-management (TCM) library. TDL has been used to control and coordinate multiple heterogeneous robots in projects sponsored by NASA and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). It has also been used in Brazil to control an autonomous airship and in Canada to control a robotic manipulator.

Considerations on command and response language features for a network of heterogeneous autonomous computers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Engelberg, N.; Shaw, C., III

1984-01-01

The design of a uniform command language to be used in a local area network of heterogeneous, autonomous nodes is considered. After examining the major characteristics of such a network, and after considering the profile of a scientist using the computers on the net as an investigative aid, a set of reasonable requirements for the command language are derived. Taking into account the possible inefficiencies in implementing a guest-layered network operating system and command language on a heterogeneous net, the authors examine command language naming, process/procedure invocation, parameter acquisition, help and response facilities, and other features found in single-node command languages, and conclude that some features may extend simply to the network case, others extend after some restrictions are imposed, and still others require modifications. In addition, it is noted that some requirements considered reasonable (user accounting reports, for example) demand further study before they can be efficiently implemented on a network of the sort described.

Unsupervised feature learning for autonomous rock image classification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shu, Lei; McIsaac, Kenneth; Osinski, Gordon R.; Francis, Raymond

2017-09-01

Autonomous rock image classification can enhance the capability of robots for geological detection and enlarge the scientific returns, both in investigation on Earth and planetary surface exploration on Mars. Since rock textural images are usually inhomogeneous and manually hand-crafting features is not always reliable, we propose an unsupervised feature learning method to autonomously learn the feature representation for rock images. In our tests, rock image classification using the learned features shows that the learned features can outperform manually selected features. Self-taught learning is also proposed to learn the feature representation from a large database of unlabelled rock images of mixed class. The learned features can then be used repeatedly for classification of any subclass. This takes advantage of the large dataset of unlabelled rock images and learns a general feature representation for many kinds of rocks. We show experimental results supporting the feasibility of self-taught learning on rock images.

Developmental Changes between Childhood and Adulthood in Passive Observational and Interactive Feedback-Based Categorization Rule Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hammer, Rubi; Kloet, Jim; Booth, James R.

2016-01-01

As children start attending school they are more likely to face situations where they have to autonomously learn about novel object categories (e.g. by reading a picture book with descriptions of novel animals). Such autonomous observational category learning (OCL) gradually complements interactive feedback-based category learning (FBCL), where a…

A Passive Learning Sensor Architecture for Multimodal Image Labeling: An Application for Social Robots.

PubMed

Gutiérrez, Marco A; Manso, Luis J; Pandya, Harit; Núñez, Pedro

2017-02-11

Object detection and classification have countless applications in human-robot interacting systems. It is a necessary skill for autonomous robots that perform tasks in household scenarios. Despite the great advances in deep learning and computer vision, social robots performing non-trivial tasks usually spend most of their time finding and modeling objects. Working in real scenarios means dealing with constant environment changes and relatively low-quality sensor data due to the distance at which objects are often found. Ambient intelligence systems equipped with different sensors can also benefit from the ability to find objects, enabling them to inform humans about their location. For these applications to succeed, systems need to detect the objects that may potentially contain other objects, working with relatively low-resolution sensor data. A passive learning architecture for sensors has been designed in order to take advantage of multimodal information, obtained using an RGB-D camera and trained semantic language models. The main contribution of the architecture lies in the improvement of the performance of the sensor under conditions of low resolution and high light variations using a combination of image labeling and word semantics. The tests performed on each of the stages of the architecture compare this solution with current research labeling techniques for the application of an autonomous social robot working in an apartment. The results obtained demonstrate that the proposed sensor architecture outperforms state-of-the-art approaches.

Latin American students and language learning in Catalonia: what does the linguistic interdependence hypothesis show us?

PubMed

Huguet, Ángel

2014-01-01

The massive arrival in Spain of students of immigrant origin has visibly altered the traditional configuration of schools, where ethnic, cultural and linguistic diversity is becoming increasingly manifest. This situation is worth being mentioned insofar as it affects all the different autonomous communities in the country, even more clearly Catalonia, where the educational system is organized under the parameters of bilingual education. One of the theoretical constructs supporting this educational model is the Linguistic Interdependence Hypothesis, developed by Jim Cummins at the beginning of the 1980s. According to the author, whenever the instruction in a given language (Lx) takes place under certain conditions, competence acquired in this language can be transferred onto another (Ly). Bearing this theoretical construct in mind, our study focuses on a sample of 237 Spanish-speaking subjects (123 native and 114 immigrant students) who completed a series of parallel tests evaluating their skills in Catalan and Spanish. Drawing on the data analyzed we can conclude that the Hypothesis accounts for the results in both native and immigrant students with the same L1.

An architecture for an autonomous learning robot

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tillotson, Brian

1988-01-01

An autonomous learning device must solve the example bounding problem, i.e., it must divide the continuous universe into discrete examples from which to learn. We describe an architecture which incorporates an example bounder for learning. The architecture is implemented in the GPAL program. An example run with a real mobile robot shows that the program learns and uses new causal, qualitative, and quantitative relationships.

Assessment on Language Rights in Education Domain: Shift-Oriented, Maintenance-Oriented or Something Else?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ping, Wang

2016-01-01

There is a trend towards the shift of the Uyghur language as the language of instruction in schools in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China. This article presents several examples of such a shift first and then it reviews the concept of language rights (LR) and applies them to the current situation of the Uyghur language in education…

The effect of learning climate on snack consumption and ego depletion among undergraduate students.

PubMed

Magaraggia, Christian; Dimmock, James A; Jackson, Ben

2013-10-01

We explored the effect of controlled and autonomous learning choices on the consumption of a high-energy snack food, and also examined whether snack consumption during a controlled choice learning activity could 'up-regulate' subsequent performance on a self-regulation task. Participants were randomly assigned to a controlled choice learning condition in which food was provided, a controlled choice learning condition in which food was not provided, or an autonomous choice learning condition in which food was provided. Results indicated that the autonomous choice group consumed significantly less snack food than the controlled-choice-and-food group. Participants in the autonomous choice condition also performed better on the subsequent self-regulation task than the controlled-choice-and-food group, even after controlling for the amount of food consumed. Furthermore, within the controlled-choice-and-food condition, there was no association between food consumption and subsequent self-regulation task performance. Discussion focuses on the potential impact of a controlled learning climate on snack food consumption and on the degradation of self-regulation capacities. Crown Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Learning tactile skills through curious exploration

PubMed Central

Pape, Leo; Oddo, Calogero M.; Controzzi, Marco; Cipriani, Christian; Förster, Alexander; Carrozza, Maria C.; Schmidhuber, Jürgen

2012-01-01

We present curiosity-driven, autonomous acquisition of tactile exploratory skills on a biomimetic robot finger equipped with an array of microelectromechanical touch sensors. Instead of building tailored algorithms for solving a specific tactile task, we employ a more general curiosity-driven reinforcement learning approach that autonomously learns a set of motor skills in absence of an explicit teacher signal. In this approach, the acquisition of skills is driven by the information content of the sensory input signals relative to a learner that aims at representing sensory inputs using fewer and fewer computational resources. We show that, from initially random exploration of its environment, the robotic system autonomously develops a small set of basic motor skills that lead to different kinds of tactile input. Next, the system learns how to exploit the learned motor skills to solve supervised texture classification tasks. Our approach demonstrates the feasibility of autonomous acquisition of tactile skills on physical robotic platforms through curiosity-driven reinforcement learning, overcomes typical difficulties of engineered solutions for active tactile exploration and underactuated control, and provides a basis for studying developmental learning through intrinsic motivation in robots. PMID:22837748

A Survey Study of Autonomous Learning by Chinese Non-English Major Post-Graduates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Xu, Jianping

2009-01-01

This thesis reports a survey study of the autonomous L2 learning by 100 first-year non-English-major Chinese post-graduates via the instruments of a questionnaire and semi-structured interview after the questionnaire. It attends to address the following research question: To what extent do Chinese postgraduate students conduct autonomous L2…

Critically Reflective Work Behaviour within Autonomous Professionals' Learning Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Groot, Esther; van den Berg, B. A. M.; Endedijk, M. D.; van Beukelen, P.; Simons, P. R. J.

2011-01-01

Informal learning communities in which participants show critically reflective work behaviour (CRWB) have the potential to support lifelong learning. In practice this behaviour does not always occur in groups of autonomous professionals. This study explores design principles (DPs) that could act as social affordances for CRWB, within the context…

Autonomous Learning from a Social Cognitive Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ponton, Michael K.; Rhea, Nancy E.

2006-01-01

The current perspective of autonomous learning defines it as the agentive exhibition of resourcefulness, initiative, and persistence in self-directed learning. As a form of human agency, it has been argued in the literature that this perspective should be consistent with Bandura's (1986) Social Cognitive Theory (SCT). The purpose of this article…

Parallel-distributed mobile robot simulator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Okada, Hiroyuki; Sekiguchi, Minoru; Watanabe, Nobuo

1996-06-01

The aim of this project is to achieve an autonomous learning and growth function based on active interaction with the real world. It should also be able to autonomically acquire knowledge about the context in which jobs take place, and how the jobs are executed. This article describes a parallel distributed movable robot system simulator with an autonomous learning and growth function. The autonomous learning and growth function which we are proposing is characterized by its ability to learn and grow through interaction with the real world. When the movable robot interacts with the real world, the system compares the virtual environment simulation with the interaction result in the real world. The system then improves the virtual environment to match the real-world result more closely. This the system learns and grows. It is very important that such a simulation is time- realistic. The parallel distributed movable robot simulator was developed to simulate the space of a movable robot system with an autonomous learning and growth function. The simulator constructs a virtual space faithful to the real world and also integrates the interfaces between the user, the actual movable robot and the virtual movable robot. Using an ultrafast CG (computer graphics) system (FUJITSU AG series), time-realistic 3D CG is displayed.

LABRADOR: a learning autonomous behavior-based robot for adaptive detection and object retrieval

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamauchi, Brian; Moseley, Mark; Brookshire, Jonathan

2013-01-01

As part of the TARDEC-funded CANINE (Cooperative Autonomous Navigation in a Networked Environment) Program, iRobot developed LABRADOR (Learning Autonomous Behavior-based Robot for Adaptive Detection and Object Retrieval). LABRADOR was based on the rugged, man-portable, iRobot PackBot unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) equipped with an explosives ordnance disposal (EOD) manipulator arm and a custom gripper. For LABRADOR, we developed a vision-based object learning and recognition system that combined a TLD (track-learn-detect) filter based on object shape features with a color-histogram-based object detector. Our vision system was able to learn in real-time to recognize objects presented to the robot. We also implemented a waypoint navigation system based on fused GPS, IMU (inertial measurement unit), and odometry data. We used this navigation capability to implement autonomous behaviors capable of searching a specified area using a variety of robust coverage strategies - including outward spiral, random bounce, random waypoint, and perimeter following behaviors. While the full system was not integrated in time to compete in the CANINE competition event, we developed useful perception, navigation, and behavior capabilities that may be applied to future autonomous robot systems.

Autonomous reinforcement learning with experience replay.

PubMed

Wawrzyński, Paweł; Tanwani, Ajay Kumar

2013-05-01

This paper considers the issues of efficiency and autonomy that are required to make reinforcement learning suitable for real-life control tasks. A real-time reinforcement learning algorithm is presented that repeatedly adjusts the control policy with the use of previously collected samples, and autonomously estimates the appropriate step-sizes for the learning updates. The algorithm is based on the actor-critic with experience replay whose step-sizes are determined on-line by an enhanced fixed point algorithm for on-line neural network training. An experimental study with simulated octopus arm and half-cheetah demonstrates the feasibility of the proposed algorithm to solve difficult learning control problems in an autonomous way within reasonably short time. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Functional Grammar in the Context of Linguistic Applications in Turkish Language Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Epcacan, Cahit

2013-01-01

In the last century, language researches adopted the scientific method and linguistics became an autonomous discipline. Linguistics is a framework concept that analyzes all languages in the world in various contexts according to its own rules and draws conclusions using the systematic approach. Functional linguistics is a linguistic trend that…

An Application of Artificial Intelligence to the Implementation of Electronic Commerce

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Srivastava, Anoop Kumar

In this paper, we present an application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to the implementation of Electronic Commerce. We provide a multi autonomous agent based framework. Our agent based architecture leads to flexible design of a spectrum of multiagent system (MAS) by distributing computation and by providing a unified interface to data and programs. Autonomous agents are intelligent enough and provide autonomy, simplicity of communication, computation, and a well developed semantics. The steps of design and implementation are discussed in depth, structure of Electronic Marketplace, an ontology, the agent model, and interaction pattern between agents is given. We have developed mechanisms for coordination between agents using a language, which is called Virtual Enterprise Modeling Language (VEML). VEML is a integration of Java and Knowledge Query and Manipulation Language (KQML). VEML provides application programmers with potential to globally develop different kinds of MAS based on their requirements and applications. We have implemented a multi autonomous agent based system called VE System. We demonstrate efficacy of our system by discussing experimental results and its salient features.

A traffic priority language for collision-free navigation of autonomous mobile robots in dynamic environments.

PubMed

Bourbakis, N G

1997-01-01

This paper presents a generic traffic priority language, called KYKLOFORTA, used by autonomous robots for collision-free navigation in a dynamic unknown or known navigation space. In a previous work by X. Grossmman (1988), a set of traffic control rules was developed for the navigation of the robots on the lines of a two-dimensional (2-D) grid and a control center coordinated and synchronized their movements. In this work, the robots are considered autonomous: they are moving anywhere and in any direction inside the free space, and there is no need of a central control to coordinate and synchronize them. The requirements for each robot are i) visual perception, ii) range sensors, and iii) the ability of each robot to detect other moving objects in the same free navigation space, define the other objects perceived size, their velocity and their directions. Based on these assumptions, a traffic priority language is needed for each robot, making it able to decide during the navigation and avoid possible collision with other moving objects. The traffic priority language proposed here is based on a set of primitive traffic priority alphabet and rules which compose pattern of corridors for the application of the traffic priority rules.

Students' Perceptions of Autonomous Out-of-Class Learning through the Use of Computers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Xianghu

2014-01-01

This study investigates the attitudes towards, and practices of, computer-assisted autonomous learning in learning English of 160 students from three different higher education institutions in China. To do this, a questionnaire was completed by 160 participants, and follow-up in-depth interviews were undertaken with six participants and six of…

Gaussian Processes for Data-Efficient Learning in Robotics and Control.

PubMed

Deisenroth, Marc Peter; Fox, Dieter; Rasmussen, Carl Edward

2015-02-01

Autonomous learning has been a promising direction in control and robotics for more than a decade since data-driven learning allows to reduce the amount of engineering knowledge, which is otherwise required. However, autonomous reinforcement learning (RL) approaches typically require many interactions with the system to learn controllers, which is a practical limitation in real systems, such as robots, where many interactions can be impractical and time consuming. To address this problem, current learning approaches typically require task-specific knowledge in form of expert demonstrations, realistic simulators, pre-shaped policies, or specific knowledge about the underlying dynamics. In this paper, we follow a different approach and speed up learning by extracting more information from data. In particular, we learn a probabilistic, non-parametric Gaussian process transition model of the system. By explicitly incorporating model uncertainty into long-term planning and controller learning our approach reduces the effects of model errors, a key problem in model-based learning. Compared to state-of-the art RL our model-based policy search method achieves an unprecedented speed of learning. We demonstrate its applicability to autonomous learning in real robot and control tasks.

Pluralistic Approaches to Languages in the Curriculum: The Case of French-Speaking Switzerland, Spain and Austria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daryai-Hansen, Petra; Gerber, Brigitte; Lörincz, Ildikó; Haller, Michaela; Ivanova, Olga; Krumm, Hans-Jürgen; Reich, Hans H.

2015-01-01

While the idea of plurilingual competence is widely established theoretically and promoted in European language policies, it is not implemented in educational practice, where separate plurilingualism is still dominant. The idea of languages as autonomous entities is e.g. reflected in the "Common European Framework of Reference for…

Language Competition in an Ethnic Autonomous Region: A Case of Ethnic Mongol Students in Inner Mongolia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ojijed, Wuyuncang

2010-01-01

This study examines language attitudes among Mongols in Inner Mongolia, using an extensive questionnaire. Forty Mongolian students who are studying at Inner Mongolia Normal University participated in this study. The results show that Mongols hold more positive attitudes toward putonghua and English than toward the Mongolian language in many…

The Languages of the Valencian Educational System: The Results of Two Decades of Language Policy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arroyo, Jose Luis Blas

2002-01-01

The compulsory education system in the autonomous Spanish region known as the Comunidad Valenciano has offered a varied program of bilingual education. Spanish and Valenciano, an autochthonous variety of Catalan, alternate according to various curricular programs as the main teaching languages. Examines the objectives of each of these programs, as…

Directional Communication in Evolved Multiagent Teams

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-06-10

decentralized localization proposed by Franchi et al. [9]. Overall, the significant advantage of directional communication over non- directional...reception benefits the evolution of communicating autonomous agents because it simplifies the language required to express positional information, which...systems. This paper hypothesizes that such directional reception benefits the evolution of communicating autonomous agents because it simplifies the

ACCA College English Teaching Mode

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ding, Renlun

2008-01-01

This paper elucidates a new college English teaching mode--"ACCA" (Autonomous Cooperative Class-teaching All-round College English Teaching Mode). Integrated theories such as autonomous learning and cooperative learning into one teaching mode, "ACCA", which is being developed and advanced in practice as well, is the achievement…

Multilingual education for European minority languages: The Basque Country and Friesland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gorter, Durk; Cenoz, Jasone

2011-12-01

Over the last three decades, regional minority languages in Europe have regained increased recognition and support. Their revitalisation is partly due to their being taught in schools. Multilingualism has special characteristics for speakers of minority languages and it poses unique challenges for learning minority languages. This article looks at the cases of Basque and Frisian, comparing and contrasting their similarities and differences. The educational system in the Basque Autonomous Community underwent an important transformation, starting in 1979 from a situation where less than 5 per cent of all teachers were capable of teaching through Basque. Today this figure has changed to more than 80 per cent. An innovative approach was chosen for teaching the minority language, Basque, alongside the dominant language, Spanish, and the international language, English. The outcome is a substantial increase in the proficiency in the minority language among the younger age groups. The decline of the minority language has thus been successfully reversed and one of the major challenges now is to uphold a sustainable educational system. By contrast, the Frisian language has fared less well in the Netherlands, where developments over the last 30 years have been much slower and the results more modest. Here policy-making for education and for language is caught in a continuous debate between a weak provincial level and a powerful central state level. Overall, multilingualism as a resource for individuals is valued for "bigger" languages such as English, French and German, but not for a "small" language such as Frisian. Nevertheless, a few trilingual experiments have been carried out in some schools in Friesland in teaching Frisian, Dutch and English. These experiments may also be instructive for other cases of minority languages of a "moderate strength". In the cases of both Basque and Frisian multilingualism is generally perceived as an important resource.

Distributed Learning and Information Dynamics In Networked Autonomous Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-11-20

2009 to June 30, 2015 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE DISTRIBUTED LEARNING AND INFORMATION DYNAMICS IN NETWORKED AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b...AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS AFOSR Grant #FA9550–09–1–0538 PI: Eric Feron (current) Jeff S. Shamma (former) Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta, GA 30332 1...Control. Design of event-based optimal remote estimation systems : We have proposed two new for- mulations to study the design of optimal remote

Tele-assistance for semi-autonomous robots

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rogers, Erika; Murphy, Robin R.

1994-01-01

This paper describes a new approach in semi-autonomous mobile robots. In this approach the robot has sufficient computerized intelligence to function autonomously under a certain set of conditions, while the local system is a cooperative decision making unit that combines human and machine intelligence. Communication is then allowed to take place in a common mode and in a common language. A number of exception-handling scenarios that were constructed as a result of experiments with actual sensor data collected from two mobile robots were presented.

Designing Assessment for Autonomous Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hay, Marie; Mathers, Lucy

2012-01-01

This paper aims to disseminate and evaluate an autonomous learning framework developed through collaborative research with first- and second-year undergraduate students at De Montfort University. Central to the framework is the involvement of students in the assessment of their peers and themselves using dialogue about the assessment and feedback…

Seamless Language Learning: Second Language Learning with Social Media

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wong, Lung-Hsiang; Chai, Ching Sing; Aw, Guat Poh

2017-01-01

This conceptual paper describes a language learning model that applies social media to foster contextualized and connected language learning in communities. The model emphasizes weaving together different forms of language learning activities that take place in different learning contexts to achieve seamless language learning. it promotes social…

Advances in Autonomous Systems for Missions of Space Exploration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gross, A. R.; Smith, B. D.; Briggs, G. A.; Hieronymus, J.; Clancy, D. J.

New missions of space exploration will require unprecedented levels of autonomy to successfully accomplish their objectives. Both inherent complexity and communication distances will preclude levels of human involvement common to current and previous space flight missions. With exponentially increasing capabilities of computer hardware and software, including networks and communication systems, a new balance of work is being developed between humans and machines. This new balance holds the promise of meeting the greatly increased space exploration requirements, along with dramatically reduced design, development, test, and operating costs. New information technologies, which take advantage of knowledge-based software, model-based reasoning, and high performance computer systems, will enable the development of a new generation of design and development tools, schedulers, and vehicle and system health monitoring and maintenance capabilities. Such tools will provide a degree of machine intelligence and associated autonomy that has previously been unavailable. These capabilities are critical to the future of space exploration, since the science and operational requirements specified by such missions, as well as the budgetary constraints that limit the ability to monitor and control these missions by a standing army of ground- based controllers. System autonomy capabilities have made great strides in recent years, for both ground and space flight applications. Autonomous systems have flown on advanced spacecraft, providing new levels of spacecraft capability and mission safety. Such systems operate by utilizing model-based reasoning that provides the capability to work from high-level mission goals, while deriving the detailed system commands internally, rather than having to have such commands transmitted from Earth. This enables missions of such complexity and communications distance as are not otherwise possible, as well as many more efficient and low cost applications. One notable example of such missions are those to explore for the existence of water on planets such as Mars and the moons of Jupiter. It is clear that water does not exist on the surfaces of such bodies, but may well be located at some considerable depth below the surface, thus requiring a subsurface drilling capability. Subsurface drilling on planetary surfaces will require a robust autonomous control and analysis system, currently a major challenge, but within conceivable reach of planned technology developments. This paper will focus on new and innovative software for remote, autonomous, space systems flight operations, including flight test results, lessons learned, and implications for the future. An additional focus will be on technologies for planetary exploration using autonomous systems and astronaut-assistance systems that employ new spoken language technology. Topics to be presented will include a description of key autonomous control concepts, illustrated by the Remote Agent program that commanded the Deep Space 1 spacecraft to new levels of system autonomy, recent advances in distributed autonomous system capabilities, and concepts for autonomous vehicle health management systems. A brief description of teaming spacecraft and rovers for complex exploration missions will also be provided. New software for autonomous science data acquisition for planetary exploration will also be described, as well as advanced systems for safe planetary landings. Current results of autonomous planetary drilling system research will be presented. A key thrust within NASA is to develop technologies that will leverage the capabilities of human astronauts during planetary surface explorations. One such technology is spoken dialogue interfaces, which would allow collaboration with semi-autonomous agents that are engaged in activities that are normally accomplished using language, e.g., astronauts in space suits interacting with groups of semi-autonomous rovers and other astronauts. This technology will be described and discussed in the context of future exploration missions and the major new capabilities enabled by such systems. Finally, plans and directions for the future of autonomous systems will be presented.

‘Civilising’ Deaf people in Tibet and Inner Mongolia: governing linguistic, ethnic and bodily difference in China

PubMed Central

Hofer, Theresia; Sagli, Gry

2017-01-01

Abstract The People’s Republic of China is home to over 20 million d/Deaf and hard-of-hearing people, many among them belonging to ethnic minorities. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork in two minority regions, the Tibet Autonomous Region and the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region, this article comparatively discusses findings on sign language use, education and state welfare policies. The situation in these domains is analysed through the framework of the ‘civilising project’, coined by Harrell, and its impacts on the d/Deaf and hard-of-hearing among ethnic minorities are shown. For instance, through the promotion of Chinese and Chinese Sign Language over and above the use of local sign and written languages as well as through education and the medicalisation of disabilities. PMID:28553018

Incidental acquisition of foreign language vocabulary through brief multi-modal exposure.

PubMed

Bisson, Marie-Josée; van Heuven, Walter J B; Conklin, Kathy; Tunney, Richard J

2013-01-01

First language acquisition requires relatively little effort compared to foreign language acquisition and happens more naturally through informal learning. Informal exposure can also benefit foreign language learning, although evidence for this has been limited to speech perception and production. An important question is whether informal exposure to spoken foreign language also leads to vocabulary learning through the creation of form-meaning links. Here we tested the impact of exposure to foreign language words presented with pictures in an incidental learning phase on subsequent explicit foreign language learning. In the explicit learning phase, we asked adults to learn translation equivalents of foreign language words, some of which had appeared in the incidental learning phase. Results revealed rapid learning of the foreign language words in the incidental learning phase showing that informal exposure to multi-modal foreign language leads to foreign language vocabulary acquisition. The creation of form-meaning links during the incidental learning phase is discussed.

Native-language N400 and P600 predict dissociable language-learning abilities in adults

PubMed Central

Qi, Zhenghan; Beach, Sara D.; Finn, Amy S.; Minas, Jennifer; Goetz, Calvin; Chan, Brian; Gabrieli, John D.E.

2018-01-01

Language learning aptitude during adulthood varies markedly across individuals. An individual’s native-language ability has been associated with success in learning a new language as an adult. However, little is known about how native-language processing affects learning success and what neural markers of native-language processing, if any, are related to success in learning. We therefore related variation in electrophysiology during native-language processing to success in learning a novel artificial language. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded while native English speakers judged the acceptability of English sentences prior to learning an artificial language. There was a trend towards a double dissociation between native-language ERPs and their relationships to novel syntax and vocabulary learning. Individuals who exhibited a greater N400 effect when processing English semantics showed better future learning of the artificial language overall. The N400 effect was related to syntax learning via its specific relationship to vocabulary learning. In contrast, the P600 effect size when processing English syntax predicted future syntax learning but not vocabulary learning. These findings show that distinct neural signatures of native-language processing relate to dissociable abilities for learning novel semantic and syntactic information. PMID:27737775

Enhancing the Autonomous Use of CALL: A New Curriculum Model in EFL

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Karen; Craig, Hana

2013-01-01

This action research study evaluates the effectiveness of a CALL Learner Autonomy (CALL LA) course at a Japanese university. The "C course" blends face-to-face instruction and independent study in a CALL environment. It aims to enhance learners' autonomous use of CALL in the acquisition of English as a Foreign Language (EFL). In this…

On the design of neuro-controllers for individual and social learning behaviour in autonomous robots: an evolutionary approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pini, Giovanni; Tuci, Elio

2008-06-01

In biology/psychology, the capability of natural organisms to learn from the observation/interaction with conspecifics is referred to as social learning. Roboticists have recently developed an interest in social learning, since it might represent an effective strategy to enhance the adaptivity of a team of autonomous robots. In this study, we show that a methodological approach based on artifcial neural networks shaped by evolutionary computation techniques can be successfully employed to synthesise the individual and social learning mechanisms for robots required to learn a desired action (i.e. phototaxis or antiphototaxis).

A Collaborative Knowledge Plane for Autonomic Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mbaye, Maïssa; Krief, Francine

Autonomic networking aims to give network components self-managing capabilities. Several autonomic architectures have been proposed. Each of these architectures includes sort of a knowledge plane which is very important to mimic an autonomic behavior. Knowledge plane has a central role for self-functions by providing suitable knowledge to equipment and needs to learn new strategies for more accuracy.However, defining knowledge plane's architecture is still a challenge for researchers. Specially, defining the way cognitive supports interact each other in knowledge plane and implementing them. Decision making process depends on these interactions between reasoning and learning parts of knowledge plane. In this paper we propose a knowledge plane's architecture based on machine learning (inductive logic programming) paradigm and situated view to deal with distributed environment. This architecture is focused on two self-functions that include all other self-functions: self-adaptation and self-organization. Study cases are given and implemented.

Using a Genetic Algorithm to Learn Behaviors for Autonomous Vehicles,

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-08-12

Truly autonomous vehicles will require both projective planning and reactive components in order to perform robustly. Projective components are...long time period. This work addresses the problem of creating reactive components for autonomous vehicles . Creating reactive behaviors (stimulus

A learning-based semi-autonomous controller for robotic exploration of unknown disaster scenes while searching for victims.

PubMed

Doroodgar, Barzin; Liu, Yugang; Nejat, Goldie

2014-12-01

Semi-autonomous control schemes can address the limitations of both teleoperation and fully autonomous robotic control of rescue robots in disaster environments by allowing a human operator to cooperate and share such tasks with a rescue robot as navigation, exploration, and victim identification. In this paper, we present a unique hierarchical reinforcement learning-based semi-autonomous control architecture for rescue robots operating in cluttered and unknown urban search and rescue (USAR) environments. The aim of the controller is to enable a rescue robot to continuously learn from its own experiences in an environment in order to improve its overall performance in exploration of unknown disaster scenes. A direction-based exploration technique is integrated in the controller to expand the search area of the robot via the classification of regions and the rubble piles within these regions. Both simulations and physical experiments in USAR-like environments verify the robustness of the proposed HRL-based semi-autonomous controller to unknown cluttered scenes with different sizes and varying types of configurations.

What kind of motivation drives medical students' learning quests?

PubMed

Sobral, Dejano T

2004-09-01

To describe the patterns of medical students' motivation early in the undergraduate programme and to examine their relationships with learning features and motivational outcomes. The Academic Motivation Scale (AMS) was administered after the first medical year to 297 students of both sexes from consecutive classes within a 4-year timeframe. Measures of learner orientation and reflection in learning were also obtained. Academic achievement and peer tutoring experience were recorded during a 2-year follow-up. Quantitative approaches included analysis of variance, correlational and classificatory analyses of the data. The profile of the students' responses revealed higher levels of autonomous motivation than of controlled motivation although such measures were positively related. Correlation analysis showed significant association of autonomous motivation with higher levels of meaning orientation, reflection in learning, academic achievement, cross-year peer-tutoring experience, and intention to continue with studies. Classificatory analysis identified 4 student groups with distinct patterns of motivation. Analysis of variance revealed significant and consistent differences in learning features and outcomes among such groups. The findings indicate that medical students portray distinct patterns of autonomous and controlled motivation that seem to relate to the learners' frame of mind towards learning as well as the educational environment. Autonomous motivation had closer relationships than controlled motivation with measures of self-regulation of learning and academic success in the context of a demanding medical programme.

Autonomous learning by simple dynamical systems with a discrete-time formulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bilen, Agustín M.; Kaluza, Pablo

2017-05-01

We present a discrete-time formulation for the autonomous learning conjecture. The main feature of this formulation is the possibility to apply the autonomous learning scheme to systems in which the errors with respect to target functions are not well-defined for all times. This restriction for the evaluation of functionality is a typical feature in systems that need a finite time interval to process a unit piece of information. We illustrate its application on an artificial neural network with feed-forward architecture for classification and a phase oscillator system with synchronization properties. The main characteristics of the discrete-time formulation are shown by constructing these systems with predefined functions.

Mother Tongue as a Determining Variable in Language Attitudes. The Case of Immigrant Latin American Students in Spain

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huguet, Angel; Janes, Judit

2008-01-01

Bearing in mind the relevance of immigration in Spain, we consider the linguistic idiosyncrasy of the autonomous community of Catalonia in the present study to describe and analyse language attitudes to Catalan and Spanish in a sample of 225 students of immigrant origin living in different parts of the region. We focus on language attitudes in so…

An overview of the multi-database manipulation language MDSL

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Litwin, W.; Abdellatif, A.

With the increase in availability of databases, data needed by a user are frequently in separate autonomous databases. The logical properties of such data differ from the classical ones with a single database. In particular, they call for new functions for data manipulation. MDSL is a new data manipulation language providing such functions. Most of the MDSL functions are not available in other languages.

Translanguaging in the Borderlands: Language Function in Theatre for Young Audiences Written in Spanish and English in the United States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schildkret, Elizabeth

2017-01-01

In the United States, we tend to understand linguistic systems as separate and autonomous, and by this understanding, bilinguals are people who speak two different languages and switch between them. This understanding of bilingualism, however, does not reflect the reality of the way many bilinguals use language. Rather than "code-switch"…

The effects of different learning environments on students' motivation for learning and their achievement.

PubMed

Baeten, Marlies; Dochy, Filip; Struyven, Katrien

2013-09-01

Research in higher education on the effects of student-centred versus lecture-based learning environments generally does not take into account the psychological need support provided in these learning environments. From a self-determination theory perspective, need support is important to study because it has been associated with benefits such as autonomous motivation and achievement. The purpose of the study is to investigate the effects of different learning environments on students' motivation for learning and achievement, while taking into account the perceived need support. First-year student teachers (N= 1,098) studying a child development course completed questionnaires assessing motivation and perceived need support. In addition, a prior knowledge test and case-based assessment were administered. A quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test design was set up consisting of four learning environments: (1) lectures, (2) case-based learning (CBL), (3) alternation of lectures and CBL, and (4) gradual implementation with lectures making way for CBL. Autonomous motivation and achievement were higher in the gradually implemented CBL environment, compared to the CBL environment. Concerning achievement, two additional effects were found; students in the lecture-based learning environment scored higher than students in the CBL environment, and students in the gradually implemented CBL environment scored higher than students in the alternated learning environment. Additionally, perceived need support was positively related to autonomous motivation, and negatively to controlled motivation. The study shows the importance of gradually introducing students to CBL, in terms of their autonomous motivation and achievement. Moreover, the study emphasizes the importance of perceived need support for students' motivation. © 2012 The British Psychological Society.

Native-language N400 and P600 predict dissociable language-learning abilities in adults.

PubMed

Qi, Zhenghan; Beach, Sara D; Finn, Amy S; Minas, Jennifer; Goetz, Calvin; Chan, Brian; Gabrieli, John D E

2017-04-01

Language learning aptitude during adulthood varies markedly across individuals. An individual's native-language ability has been associated with success in learning a new language as an adult. However, little is known about how native-language processing affects learning success and what neural markers of native-language processing, if any, are related to success in learning. We therefore related variation in electrophysiology during native-language processing to success in learning a novel artificial language. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded while native English speakers judged the acceptability of English sentences prior to learning an artificial language. There was a trend towards a double dissociation between native-language ERPs and their relationships to novel syntax and vocabulary learning. Individuals who exhibited a greater N400 effect when processing English semantics showed better future learning of the artificial language overall. The N400 effect was related to syntax learning via its specific relationship to vocabulary learning. In contrast, the P600 effect size when processing English syntax predicted future syntax learning but not vocabulary learning. These findings show that distinct neural signatures of native-language processing relate to dissociable abilities for learning novel semantic and syntactic information. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Motivational Profiles and Motivation for Lifelong Learning of Medical Specialists.

PubMed

van der Burgt, Stéphanie M E; Kusurkar, Rashmi A; Wilschut, Janneke A; Tjin A Tsoi, Sharon L N M; Croiset, Gerda; Peerdeman, Saskia M

2018-05-22

Medical specialists face the challenge of maintaining their knowledge and skills and continuing professional development, that is, lifelong learning. Motivation may play an integral role in many of the challenges facing the physician workforce today including maintenance of a high performance. The aim of this study was to determine whether medical specialists show different motivational profiles and if these profiles predict differences in motivation for lifelong learning. An online questionnaire was sent to every medical specialist working in five hospitals in the Netherlands. The questionnaire included the validated Multidimensional Work Motivation Scale and the Jefferson Scale of Physician Lifelong Learning together with background questions like age, gender, and type of hospital. Respondents were grouped into different motivational profiles by using a two-step clustering approach. Four motivational profiles were identified: (1) HAMC profile (for High Autonomous and Moderate Controlled motivation), (2) MAMC profile (for Moderate Autonomous and Moderate Controlled motivation), (3) MALC profile (for Moderate Autonomous and Low Controlled motivation), and (4) HALC profile (for High Autonomous and Low Controlled motivation). Most of the female specialists that work in an academic hospital and specialists with a surgical specialty were represented in the HALC profile. Four motivational profiles were found among medical specialists, differing in gender, experience and type of specialization. The profiles are based on the combination of autonomous motivation (AM) and controlled motivation (CM) in the specialists. The profiles that have a high score on autonomous motivation have a positive association with lifelong learning.This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives License 4.0 (CCBY-NC-ND), where it is permissible to download and share the work provided it is properly cited. The work cannot be changed in any way or used commercially without permission from the journal.

Autonomy support for autonomous motivation in medical education.

PubMed

Kusurkar, Rashmi A; Croiset, Gerda

2015-01-01

Medical students often study only to fare well in their examinations or pursue a specific specialty, or study only those topics that they perceive to be useful in medical practice. The motivation for study in these cases comes from external or internal pressures or from the desire to obtain rewards. Self-determination theory (SDT) classifies this type of motivation as controlled motivation and the type of motivation that comes from genuine interest or personal value as autonomous motivation. Autonomous motivation, in comparison with controlled motivation, has been associated with better learning, academic success, and less exhaustion. SDT endorses autonomous motivation and suggests that autonomy support is important for autonomous motivation. The meaning of autonomy is misinterpreted by many. This article tries to focus on how to be autonomy-supportive in medical education. Autonomy support refers to the perception of choice in learning. Some of the ways of supporting autonomy in medical education are small group teaching, problem-based learning, and gradual increase in responsibility of patients. Autonomy-supportive teaching behavior is not a trait and can be learned. Autonomy support in medical education is not limited to bringing in changes in the medical curriculum for students; it is about an overall change in the way of thinking and working in medical schools that foster autonomy among those involved in education. Research into autonomy in medical education is limited. Some topics that need to be investigated are the ideas and perceptions of students and teachers about autonomy in learning. Autonomy support in medical education can enhance autonomous motivation of students for medical study and practice and make them autonomy-supportive in their future medical practice and teaching.

Autonomy support for autonomous motivation in medical education.

PubMed

Kusurkar, Rashmi A; Croiset, Gerda

2015-01-01

Background Medical students often study only to fare well in their examinations or pursue a specific specialty, or study only those topics that they perceive to be useful in medical practice. The motivation for study in these cases comes from external or internal pressures or from the desire to obtain rewards. Self-determination theory (SDT) classifies this type of motivation as controlled motivation and the type of motivation that comes from genuine interest or personal value as autonomous motivation. Autonomous motivation, in comparison with controlled motivation, has been associated with better learning, academic success, and less exhaustion. SDT endorses autonomous motivation and suggests that autonomy support is important for autonomous motivation. The meaning of autonomy is misinterpreted by many. This article tries to focus on how to be autonomy-supportive in medical education. Discussion Autonomy support refers to the perception of choice in learning. Some of the ways of supporting autonomy in medical education are small group teaching, problem-based learning, and gradual increase in responsibility of patients. Autonomy-supportive teaching behavior is not a trait and can be learned. Autonomy support in medical education is not limited to bringing in changes in the medical curriculum for students; it is about an overall change in the way of thinking and working in medical schools that foster autonomy among those involved in education. Research into autonomy in medical education is limited. Some topics that need to be investigated are the ideas and perceptions of students and teachers about autonomy in learning. Conclusion Autonomy support in medical education can enhance autonomous motivation of students for medical study and practice and make them autonomy-supportive in their future medical practice and teaching.

Autonomy support for autonomous motivation in medical education

PubMed Central

Kusurkar, Rashmi A.; Croiset, Gerda

2015-01-01

Background Medical students often study only to fare well in their examinations or pursue a specific specialty, or study only those topics that they perceive to be useful in medical practice. The motivation for study in these cases comes from external or internal pressures or from the desire to obtain rewards. Self-determination theory (SDT) classifies this type of motivation as controlled motivation and the type of motivation that comes from genuine interest or personal value as autonomous motivation. Autonomous motivation, in comparison with controlled motivation, has been associated with better learning, academic success, and less exhaustion. SDT endorses autonomous motivation and suggests that autonomy support is important for autonomous motivation. The meaning of autonomy is misinterpreted by many. This article tries to focus on how to be autonomy-supportive in medical education. Discussion Autonomy support refers to the perception of choice in learning. Some of the ways of supporting autonomy in medical education are small group teaching, problem-based learning, and gradual increase in responsibility of patients. Autonomy-supportive teaching behavior is not a trait and can be learned. Autonomy support in medical education is not limited to bringing in changes in the medical curriculum for students; it is about an overall change in the way of thinking and working in medical schools that foster autonomy among those involved in education. Research into autonomy in medical education is limited. Some topics that need to be investigated are the ideas and perceptions of students and teachers about autonomy in learning. Conclusion Autonomy support in medical education can enhance autonomous motivation of students for medical study and practice and make them autonomy-supportive in their future medical practice and teaching. PMID:25953033

Public Libraries as Places for Empowering Women through Autonomous Learning Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yoshida, Yuko

2013-01-01

Introduction. The purpose of this research is to investigate the significance of public libraries as educational institutions. The meaning of lifelong learning in public libraries from the perspective of women's autonomous activities is re-examined. Method. The literature of the grassroots library movement and that of the empowerment of women is…

The Correlation between Learner Autonomy and English Proficiency of Indonesian EFL College Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Myartawan, I. Putu Ngurah Wage; Latief, Mohammad Adnan; Suharmanto

2013-01-01

The present study aimed to investigate the correlation between learner autonomy psychologically defined in the study as a composite of behavioral intentions to do autonomous learning and self-efficacy in relation to autonomous learning, and English proficiency. The sample comprised 120 first semester English-majored students of a state university…

Portfolio as a Means of Promoting Autonomous Learning in Teacher Education: A Quasi-Experimental Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meeus, Wil; Van Petegem, Peter; Meijer, Joost

2008-01-01

Background: The predominant dissertation model used in teacher education courses in Flanders is the "literature study with practical processing". Despite the practical supplement, this traditional model does not fit sufficiently well with autonomous learning as the objective of modern teacher education dissertations. This study reports on the…

Implementing Reflective Portfolios for Promoting Autonomous Learning among EFL College Students in Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lo, Ya-Fen

2010-01-01

This article depicts challenges for students and teachers involved in developing a reflective portfolio to promote autonomous learning in Taiwan. One hundred and one students in a Taiwan university completed their individual portfolio projects. A pre-course questionnaire, post-course self-evaluation, and the instructor's field notes were the data…

The Trans-Contextual Model: Perceived Learning and Performance Motivational Climates as Analogues of Perceived Autonomy Support

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barkoukis, Vassilis; Hagger, Martin S.

2013-01-01

The trans-contextual model of motivation (TCM) proposes that perceived autonomy support in physical education (PE) predicts autonomous motivation within this context, which, in turn, is related to autonomous motivation and physical activity in leisure-time. According to achievement goal theory perceptions of learning and performance, motivational…

A Double-Blind Atropine Trial for Active Learning of Autonomic Function

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fry, Jeffrey R.; Burr, Steven A.

2011-01-01

Here, we describe a human physiology laboratory class measuring changes in autonomic function over time in response to atropine. Students use themselves as subjects, generating ownership and self-interest in the learning as well as directly experiencing the active link between physiology and pharmacology in people. The class is designed to…

Toward a tactile language for human-robot interaction: two studies of tacton learning and performance.

PubMed

Barber, Daniel J; Reinerman-Jones, Lauren E; Matthews, Gerald

2015-05-01

Two experiments were performed to investigate the feasibility for robot-to-human communication of a tactile language using a lexicon of standardized tactons (tactile icons) within a sentence. Improvements in autonomous systems technology and a growing demand within military operations are spurring interest in communication via vibrotactile displays. Tactile communication may become an important element of human-robot interaction (HRI), but it requires the development of messaging capabilities approaching the communication power of the speech and visual signals used in the military. In Experiment 1 (N = 38), we trained participants to identify sets of directional, dynamic, and static tactons and tested performance and workload following training. In Experiment 2 (N = 76), we introduced an extended training procedure and tested participants' ability to correctly identify two-tacton phrases. We also investigated the impact of multitasking on performance and workload. Individual difference factors were assessed. Experiment 1 showed that participants found dynamic and static tactons difficult to learn, but the enhanced training procedure in Experiment 2 produced competency in performance for all tacton categories. Participants in the latter study also performed well on two-tacton phrases and when multitasking. However, some deficits in performance and elevation of workload were observed. Spatial ability predicted some aspects of performance in both studies. Participants may be trained to identify both single tactons and tacton phrases, demonstrating the feasibility of developing a tactile language for HRI. Tactile communication may be incorporated into multi-modal communication systems for HRI. It also has potential for human-human communication in challenging environments. © 2014, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.

Turning a remotely controllable observatory into a fully autonomous system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Swindell, Scott; Johnson, Chris; Gabor, Paul; Zareba, Grzegorz; Kubánek, Petr; Prouza, Michael

2014-08-01

We describe a complex process needed to turn an existing, old, operational observatory - The Steward Observatory's 61" Kuiper Telescope - into a fully autonomous system, which observers without an observer. For this purpose, we employed RTS2,1 an open sourced, Linux based observatory control system, together with other open sourced programs and tools (GNU compilers, Python language for scripting, JQuery UI for Web user interface). This presentation provides a guide with time estimates needed for a newcomers to the field to handle such challenging tasks, as fully autonomous observatory operations.

Security Enhancement of Littoral Combat Ship Class Utilizing an Autonomous Mustering and Pier Monitoring System

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-03-01

allows the programmer to use the English language in an expressive manor while still maintaining the logical structure of a programming language ( Pressman ...and Choudhury Tanzeem. 2000. Face Recognition for Smart Environments, IEEE Computer, pp. 50–55. Pressman , Roger. 2010. Software Engineering A

Languages, Minorities and Education in Spain: The Case of Catalonia.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ferrer, Ferran

2000-01-01

Examines Catalan's remarkable revival in Catalonia (Spain) in the past 20 years. Discusses the 1978 referendum designating "autonomous communities," their languages having co-official status with Spanish; increases in Catalan usage in many sectors and among the young; Catalan usage in education; and challenges related to bilingual…

Minority Languages and Curriculum: The Case of Spain

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huguet, Angel

2007-01-01

From a legal and institutional point of view, the current situation of the different languages in Spain has a double basis: the fact that the Spanish Constitution acknowledges the country's multilingual and multicultural character, and the country's organisation into Autonomous Communities. Such a constitutional framework has made it possible for…

A Critical Appraisal of Foreign Language Research in Content and Language Integrated Learning, Young Language Learners, and Technology-Enhanced Language Learning Published in Spain (2003-2012)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dooly, Melinda; Masats, Dolors

2015-01-01

This state-of-the-art review provides a critical overview of research publications in Spain in the last ten years in three areas of teaching and learning foreign languages (especially English): context and language integrated learning (CLIL), young language learners (YLL), and technology-enhanced language learning (TELL). These three domains have…

Language Learning Strategies and Beliefs about Language Learning in High-School Students and Students Attending English Institutes: Are They Different?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saeb, Fateme; Zamani, Elham

2013-01-01

This paper reports a comparative study exploring language learning strategy use and beliefs about language learning of high-school students and students attending English institutes. Oxford's (1990) strategy inventory for language learning (SILL) and Horwitz's (1987) beliefs about language learning inventory (BALLI), were used to collect data.…

Reinforcement learning: Solving two case studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duarte, Ana Filipa; Silva, Pedro; dos Santos, Cristina Peixoto

2012-09-01

Reinforcement Learning algorithms offer interesting features for the control of autonomous systems, such as the ability to learn from direct interaction with the environment, and the use of a simple reward signalas opposed to the input-outputs pairsused in classic supervised learning. The reward signal indicates the success of failure of the actions executed by the agent in the environment. In this work, are described RL algorithmsapplied to two case studies: the Crawler robot and the widely known inverted pendulum. We explore RL capabilities to autonomously learn a basic locomotion pattern in the Crawler, andapproach the balancing problem of biped locomotion using the inverted pendulum.

Spatial abstraction for autonomous robot navigation.

PubMed

Epstein, Susan L; Aroor, Anoop; Evanusa, Matthew; Sklar, Elizabeth I; Parsons, Simon

2015-09-01

Optimal navigation for a simulated robot relies on a detailed map and explicit path planning, an approach problematic for real-world robots that are subject to noise and error. This paper reports on autonomous robots that rely on local spatial perception, learning, and commonsense rationales instead. Despite realistic actuator error, learned spatial abstractions form a model that supports effective travel.

The Predisposition of Adult ESOL Learners in a FE College Towards Autonomy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ade-ojo, Gordon O.

2005-01-01

The paper reports a small-scale research on the predisposition of adult ESOL learners in a further education college to the components of autonomous learning. The research is based on the perception that there is an untested assumption that all students will react positively to the concept of autonomous learning and by implication are positively…

Neural network regulation driven by autonomous neural firings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cho, Myoung Won

2016-07-01

Biological neurons naturally fire spontaneously due to the existence of a noisy current. Such autonomous firings may provide a driving force for network formation because synaptic connections can be modified due to neural firings. Here, we study the effect of autonomous firings on network formation. For the temporally asymmetric Hebbian learning, bidirectional connections lose their balance easily and become unidirectional ones. Defining the difference between reciprocal connections as new variables, we could express the learning dynamics as if Ising model spins interact with each other in magnetism. We present a theoretical method to estimate the interaction between the new variables in a neural system. We apply the method to some network systems and find some tendencies of autonomous neural network regulation.

Tracked robot controllers for climbing obstacles autonomously

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vincent, Isabelle

2009-05-01

Research in mobile robot navigation has demonstrated some success in navigating flat indoor environments while avoiding obstacles. However, the challenge of analyzing complex environments to climb obstacles autonomously has had very little success due to the complexity of the task. Unmanned ground vehicles currently exhibit simple autonomous behaviours compared to the human ability to move in the world. This paper presents the control algorithms designed for a tracked mobile robot to autonomously climb obstacles by varying its tracks configuration. Two control algorithms are proposed to solve the autonomous locomotion problem for climbing obstacles. First, a reactive controller evaluates the appropriate geometric configuration based on terrain and vehicle geometric considerations. Then, a reinforcement learning algorithm finds alternative solutions when the reactive controller gets stuck while climbing an obstacle. The methodology combines reactivity to learning. The controllers have been demonstrated in box and stair climbing simulations. The experiments illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach for crossing obstacles.

The Role of Mother Tongue Literacy in Language Learning and Mathematical Learning: Is There a Multilingual Benefit for Both?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dahm, Rebecca; De Angelis, Gessica

2018-01-01

The present study examines the multilingual benefit in relation to language learning and mathematical learning. The objective is to assess whether speakers of three or more languages, depending on language profile and personal histories, show significant advantages in language learning and/or mathematical learning, and whether mother tongue…

A learning-based autonomous driver: emulate human driver's intelligence in low-speed car following

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Junqing; Dolan, John M.; Litkouhi, Bakhtiar

2010-04-01

In this paper, an offline learning mechanism based on the genetic algorithm is proposed for autonomous vehicles to emulate human driver behaviors. The autonomous driving ability is implemented based on a Prediction- and Cost function-Based algorithm (PCB). PCB is designed to emulate a human driver's decision process, which is modeled as traffic scenario prediction and evaluation. This paper focuses on using a learning algorithm to optimize PCB with very limited training data, so that PCB can have the ability to predict and evaluate traffic scenarios similarly to human drivers. 80 seconds of human driving data was collected in low-speed (< 30miles/h) car-following scenarios. In the low-speed car-following tests, PCB was able to perform more human-like carfollowing after learning. A more general 120 kilometer-long simulation showed that PCB performs robustly even in scenarios that are not part of the training set.

Electronic Tandem Language Learning (eTandem): A Third Approach to Second Language Learning for the 21st Century

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cziko, Gary A.

2004-01-01

Tandem language learning occurs when two learners of different native languages work together to help each other learn the other language. First used in face-to-face contexts, Tandem is now increasingly being used by language-learning partners located in different countries who are linked via various forms of electronic communication, a context…

Language Attitudes in Catalan Multilingual Classrooms: Educational Implications

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Madariaga, José-María; Huguet, Ángel; Janés, Judit

2016-01-01

Catalonia is the Autonomous Community of Spain with the highest proportion of immigrant students. This study analyses the language attitudes of Catalan, as well as the possible explanatory variables for such attitudes, for a large sample with a high proportion of immigrant students and a great linguistic diversity. A questionnaire was given to…

Iraq: Country Status Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McFerren, Margaret

A survey of the status of language usage in Iraq begins with an overview of the usage patterns of Arabic and Kurdish, especially in the context of recent political events and the agreement to make Kurdish a second official language in the Kurdish autonomous region, and to allow limited use of Kurdish in instruction and public communication. A…

English Language Learners' Perceptions of Autonomy Support in a Literacy Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taboada, A.; Kidd, J. K.; Tonks, S. M.

2010-01-01

In this study, we explored 3 Grade 4 English Language Learners' (ELLs) perceptions of teacher autonomy-supporting practices in literacy instruction in science. The support of autonomy in literacy classes is central to students' internal motivation for reading. Given that many ELLs are at risk for reading failure, understanding autonomous learning…

Pedagogy and Related Criteria: The Selection of Software for Computer Assisted Language Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Samuels, Jeffrey D.

2013-01-01

Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) is an established field of academic inquiry with distinct applications for second language teaching and learning. Many CALL professionals direct language labs or language resource centers (LRCs) in which CALL software applications and generic software applications support language learning programs and…

An Evaluation of a Counseling-Community Learning Approach to Foreign Language Teaching or Counseling-Learning Theory Applied to Foreign Language Learning. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gallagher, Rosina Mena

This study evaluates the counseling-learning approach to foreign language instruction as compared with traditional methods in terms of language achievement and change in personal orientation and in attitude toward learning. Twelve students volunteered to learn Spanish or German under simultaneous exposure to both languages using the…

Learning Styles and Individual Differences in Learning English Idioms via Computer Assisted Language Learning in English as a Second Language.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Viteli, Jarmo

The purpose of this study was to determine the learning styles of English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students and individual differences in learning English idioms via computer assisted language learning (CALL). Thirty-six Hispanic students, 26 Japanese students, and 6 students with various language backgrounds from the Nova University Intensive…

Lessons Learned from Autonomous Sciencecraft Experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chien, Steve A.; Sherwood, Rob; Tran, Daniel; Cichy, Benjamin; Rabideau, Gregg; Castano, Rebecca; Davies, Ashley; Mandl, Dan; Frye, Stuart; Trout, Bruce;

Enriching the hierarchical model of achievement motivation: autonomous and controlling reasons underlying achievement goals.

PubMed

Michou, Aikaterini; Vansteenkiste, Maarten; Mouratidis, Athanasios; Lens, Willy

2014-12-01

The hierarchical model of achievement motivation presumes that achievement goals channel the achievement motives of need for achievement and fear of failure towards motivational outcomes. Yet, less is known whether autonomous and controlling reasons underlying the pursuit of achievement goals can serve as additional pathways between achievement motives and outcomes. We tested whether mastery approach, performance approach, and performance avoidance goals and their underlying autonomous and controlling reasons would jointly explain the relation between achievement motives (i.e., fear of failure and need for achievement) and learning strategies (Study 1). Additionally, we examined whether the autonomous and controlling reasons underlying learners' dominant achievement goal would account for the link between achievement motives and the educational outcomes of learning strategies and cheating (Study 2). Six hundred and six Greek adolescent students (Mage = 15.05, SD = 1.43) and 435 university students (Mage M = 20.51, SD = 2.80) participated in studies 1 and 2, respectively. In both studies, a correlational design was used and the hypotheses were tested via path modelling. Autonomous and controlling reasons underlying the pursuit of achievement goals mediated, respectively, the relation of need for achievement and fear of failure to aspects of learning outcomes. Autonomous and controlling reasons underlying achievement goals could further explain learners' functioning in achievement settings. © 2014 The British Psychological Society.

Autonomic Correlates of Speech Versus Nonspeech Tasks in Children and Adults

PubMed Central

Arnold, Hayley S.; MacPherson, Megan K.; Smith, Anne

2015-01-01

Purpose To assess autonomic arousal associated with speech and nonspeech tasks in school-age children and young adults. Method Measures of autonomic arousal (electrodermal level, electrodermal response amplitude, blood pulse volume, and heart rate) were recorded prior to, during, and after the performance of speech and nonspeech tasks by twenty 7- to 9-year-old children and twenty 18- to 22-year-old adults. Results Across age groups, autonomic arousal was higher for speech tasks compared with nonspeech tasks, based on peak electrodermal response amplitude and blood pulse volume. Children demonstrated greater relative arousal, based on heart rate and blood pulse volume, for nonspeech oral motor tasks than adults but showed similar mean arousal levels for speech tasks as adults. Children demonstrated sex differences in autonomic arousal; specifically, autonomic arousal remained high for school-age boys but not girls in a more complex open-ended narrative task that followed a simple sentence production task. Conclusions Speech tasks elicit greater autonomic arousal than nonspeech tasks, and children demonstrate greater autonomic arousal for nonspeech oral motor tasks than adults. Sex differences in autonomic arousal associated with speech tasks in school-age children are discussed relative to speech-language differences between boys and girls. PMID:24686989

Imitative Robotic Control: The Puppet Master

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-07-09

puppet style control device and the lessons learned while implementing such a device. 15. SUBJECT TERMS 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17...mission to be completed in a quick, accurate and efficient manner. This paper outlines the potential features of a puppet style control device and the...lessons learned while implementing such a device. INTRODUCTION As ground robotics moves towards autonomous and semi- autonomous operations, the

A Working Model for Intercultural Learning and Engagement in Collaborative Online Language Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lawrence, Geoff

2013-01-01

Given the emerging focus on the intercultural dimension in language teaching and learning, language educators have been exploring the use of information and communications technology ICT-mediated language learning environments to link learners in intercultural language learning communities around the globe. Despite the potential promise of…

Learning for autonomous navigation : extrapolating from underfoot to the far field

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Matthies, Larry; Turmon, Michael; Howard, Andrew; Angelova, Anelia; Tang, Benyang; Mjolsness, Eric

2005-01-01

Autonomous off-road navigation of robotic ground vehicles has important applications on Earth and in space exploration. Progress in this domain has been retarded by the limited lookahead range of 3-D sensors and by the difficulty of preprogramming systems to understand the traversability of the wide variety of terrain they can encounter. Enabling robots to learn from experience may alleviate both of these problems. We define two paradigms for this, learning from 3-D geometry and learning from proprioception, and describe initial instantiations of them we have developed under DARPA and NASA programs. Field test results show promise for learning traversability of vegetated terrain, learning to extend the lookahead range of the vision system, and learning how slip varies with slope.

Language Revitalization and Language Pedagogy: New Teaching and Learning Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hinton, Leanne

2011-01-01

Language learning and teaching of endangered languages have many features and needs that are quite different from the teaching of world languages. Groups whose languages are endangered try to turn language loss around; many new language teaching and learning strategies are emerging, to suit the special needs and goals of language revitalization.…

Language Transfer in Language Learning. Issues in Second Language Research.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gass, Susan M., Ed.; Selinker, Larry, Ed.

Essays on language transfer in language learning include: excerpts from "Linguistics across Cultures" (Robert Lado); "Language Transfer" (Larry Selinker); "Goofing: An Indication of Children's Second Language Learning Strategies" (Heidi C. Dulay, Marina K. Burt); "Language Transfer and Universal Grammatical Relations" (Susan Gass); "A Role for the…

Language Evolution by Iterated Learning with Bayesian Agents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Griffiths, Thomas L.; Kalish, Michael L.

2007-01-01

Languages are transmitted from person to person and generation to generation via a process of iterated learning: people learn a language from other people who once learned that language themselves. We analyze the consequences of iterated learning for learning algorithms based on the principles of Bayesian inference, assuming that learners compute…

Synthetic Modeling of Autonomous Learning with a Chaotic Neural Network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Funabashi, Masatoshi

We investigate the possible role of intermittent chaotic dynamics called chaotic itinerancy, in interaction with nonsupervised learnings that reinforce and weaken the neural connection depending on the dynamics itself. We first performed hierarchical stability analysis of the Chaotic Neural Network model (CNN) according to the structure of invariant subspaces. Irregular transition between two attractor ruins with positive maximum Lyapunov exponent was triggered by the blowout bifurcation of the attractor spaces, and was associated with riddled basins structure. We secondly modeled two autonomous learnings, Hebbian learning and spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) rule, and simulated the effect on the chaotic itinerancy state of CNN. Hebbian learning increased the residence time on attractor ruins, and produced novel attractors in the minimum higher-dimensional subspace. It also augmented the neuronal synchrony and established the uniform modularity in chaotic itinerancy. STDP rule reduced the residence time on attractor ruins, and brought a wide range of periodicity in emerged attractors, possibly including strange attractors. Both learning rules selectively destroyed and preserved the specific invariant subspaces, depending on the neuron synchrony of the subspace where the orbits are situated. Computational rationale of the autonomous learning is discussed in connectionist perspective.

Learning bias, cultural evolution of language, and the biological evolution of the language faculty.

PubMed

Smith, Kenny

2011-04-01

The biases of individual language learners act to determine the learnability and cultural stability of languages: learners come to the language learning task with biases which make certain linguistic systems easier to acquire than others. These biases are repeatedly applied during the process of language transmission, and consequently should effect the types of languages we see in human populations. Understanding the cultural evolutionary consequences of particular learning biases is therefore central to understanding the link between language learning in individuals and language universals, common structural properties shared by all the world’s languages. This paper reviews a range of models and experimental studies which show that weak biases in individual learners can have strong effects on the structure of socially learned systems such as language, suggesting that strong universal tendencies in language structure do not require us to postulate strong underlying biases or constraints on language learning. Furthermore, understanding the relationship between learner biases and language design has implications for theories of the evolution of those learning biases: models of gene-culture coevolution suggest that, in situations where a cultural dynamic mediates between properties of individual learners and properties of language in this way, biological evolution is unlikely to lead to the emergence of strong constraints on learning.

The Relationship between Iranian EFL Learners' Beliefs about Language Learning and Their Use of Learning Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Azar, Fereshteh Khaffafi; Saeidi, Mahnaz

2013-01-01

The present study investigated the relationship between Iranian EFL learners' learning strategies use and their language learning beliefs. A sample of 200 Iranian EFL learners who were all English language learners at different language institutes participated in this study. Two instruments, Beliefs about Language Learning Inventory (BALLI) and…

Language Learning Strategies Used by Distance Learners of English: A Study with a Group of Turkish Distance Learners of EFL

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Altunay, Dilek

2014-01-01

Use of language learning strategies is important for language learning. Some researchers state that language learning strategies are important because their use affects the development of communicative competence (Lessard-Clouston, 1997 & Oxford, 1990). Effective use of language learning strategies has particular importance for distance…

Language Learning Strategies and Styles among Iranian Engineering and Political Science Graduate Students Studying Abroad

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alireza, Shakarami; Abdullah, Mardziha H.

2010-01-01

Language learning strategies are used with the explicit goal of helping learners improve their knowledge and understanding of a target language. They are the conscious thoughts and behaviors used by students to facilitate language learning tasks and to personalize language learning process. Learning styles on the other hand, are "general…

Mobile-Assisted Second Language Learning: Developing a Learner-Centered Framework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leow, Choy Khim; Yahaya, Wan Ahmad Jaafar Wan; Samsudin, Zarina

2014-01-01

The Mobile Assisted Language Learning concept has offered infinite language learning opportunities since its inception 20 years ago. Second Language Acquisition however embraces a considerably different body of knowledge from first language learning. While technological advances have optimized the psycholinguistic environment for language…

Intelligent Computer-Assisted Language Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harrington, Michael

1996-01-01

Introduces the field of intelligent computer assisted language learning (ICALL) and relates them to current practice in computer assisted language learning (CALL) and second language learning. Points out that ICALL applies expertise from artificial intelligence and the computer and cognitive sciences to the development of language learning…

Language Views on Social Networking Sites for Language Learning: The Case of Busuu

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Álvarez Valencia, José Aldemar

2016-01-01

Social networking has compelled the area of computer-assisted language learning (CALL) to expand its research palette and account for new virtual ecologies that afford language learning and socialization. This study focuses on Busuu, a social networking site for language learning (SNSLL), and analyzes the views of language that are enacted through…

Autonomy support environment and autonomous motivation on nursing student academic performance: An exploratory analysis.

PubMed

Bronson, Sevilla

2016-09-01

In the U.S., enrollment and graduation rates of baccalaureate nursing programs are slowly increasing. Rigorous program requirements can be overwhelming for students who may have difficulty adjusting to curriculum demands. Faculty who help students to adjust may also build a supportive learning environment that promotes autonomous motivation, improves engagement, and strengthens academic performance. Students may also experience well-being and autonomy when they feel supported and when their needs are met. The aim of this study was to investigate nursing students' autonomy support environments and autonomous motivation (measured as spirituality), and the influence on engagement and academic performance. A cross-sectional correlational design using a convenience sample of 150 nursing students in the last year of a baccalaureate nursing program was used. Participants were recruited from four universities in Florida and data collection occurred over three months. All participants were enrolled in the last year of their baccalaureate nursing program with an average Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.36. The learning climate alone was moderately supportive of student motivation (M=70.60, SD=18.99). No significant relationship between the autonomy support environment and autonomous motivation (r=.034, p=.676) was found. Correlations and regression analysis of autonomous motivation and work engagement were significant (F (2, 147)=28.28, p=.000). Comparison of participant groups from each university independently revealed supportive learning environments. Strategies to promote autonomy must be developed and implemented as a means of ensuring a favorable learning environment. Future research may include the investigation of spirituality and autonomous motivation as two separate variables. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The dynamic network subserving the three phases of cognitive procedural learning.

PubMed

Hubert, Valérie; Beaunieux, Hélène; Chételat, Gaël; Platel, Hervé; Landeau, Brigitte; Danion, Jean-Marie; Viader, Fausto; Desgranges, Béatrice

2007-12-01

Cognitive procedural learning is characterized by three phases (cognitive, associative, and autonomous), each involving distinct processes. We performed a behavioral study and a positron emission tomography (PET) activation study using the Tower of Toronto task. The aim of the behavioral study was to determine cognitive predictors for the length of each of the three learning phases, in order to preselect subjects for the PET study. The objective of the second study was to describe the cerebral substrates subtending these three phases. Contrasted with a reference (motor) task, the cognitive phase activated the prefrontal cortex, cerebellum, and parietal regions, all of which became less active as learning progressed. The associative phase was characterized by the activation of the occipital regions, right thalamus, and caudate nucleus. During the autonomous phase, new regions were involved, including the left thalamus and an anterior part of the cerebellum. These results, by employing a direct comparison between phases, provide the first evidence of the involvement and the time course of activation of different regions in each learning phase, in accordance with current models of cognitive procedural learning. The involvement of a frontoparietal network suggests the use of strategies in problem solving during the cognitive phase. The involvement of the occipital regions during the associative and autonomous phase suggests the intervention of mental imagery. Lastly, the activation of the cerebellum during the autonomous phase is consistent with the fact that performance in this phase is determined by psychomotor abilities. (copyright) 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

From Bilingualism to Multilingualism in the Workplace: The Case of the Basque Autonomous Community

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van der Worp, Karin; Cenoz, Jasone; Gorter, Durk

2017-01-01

In this article we discuss the outcomes of a study into the languages of the workplace of internationally operating companies. Our aim is to contribute to studies of multilingualism in the workplace by adopting a holistic approach that focuses on several languages and relates the competences and attitudes of multilingual professionals to the…

Assessment of the Autonomous Learning Competence in Engineering Degree Courses at the Universitat Politècnica De Catalunya

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Olmedo-Torre, Noelia; Farrerons Vidal, Oscar

2017-01-01

We present a strategy for the acquisition and assessment of autonomous learning conducted as part of the Graphic Expression in Engineering (GE) degree course during the first quarter at the Escola Universitària d'Enginyeria Tècnica Industrial de Barcelona (EUETIB). The strategy employed is the puzzle technique in the classroom and multiple-choice…

Bilinguals' Existing Languages Benefit Vocabulary Learning in a Third Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bartolotti, James; Marian, Viorica

2017-01-01

Learning a new language involves substantial vocabulary acquisition. Learners can accelerate this process by relying on words with native-language overlap, such as cognates. For bilingual third language learners, it is necessary to determine how their two existing languages interact during novel language learning. A scaffolding account predicts…

Computational Investigations of Multiword Chunks in Language Learning.

PubMed

McCauley, Stewart M; Christiansen, Morten H

2017-07-01

Second-language learners rarely arrive at native proficiency in a number of linguistic domains, including morphological and syntactic processing. Previous approaches to understanding the different outcomes of first- versus second-language learning have focused on cognitive and neural factors. In contrast, we explore the possibility that children and adults may rely on different linguistic units throughout the course of language learning, with specific focus on the granularity of those units. Following recent psycholinguistic evidence for the role of multiword chunks in online language processing, we explore the hypothesis that children rely more heavily on multiword units in language learning than do adults learning a second language. To this end, we take an initial step toward using large-scale, corpus-based computational modeling as a tool for exploring the granularity of speakers' linguistic units. Employing a computational model of language learning, the Chunk-Based Learner, we compare the usefulness of chunk-based knowledge in accounting for the speech of second-language learners versus children and adults speaking their first language. Our findings suggest that while multiword units are likely to play a role in second-language learning, adults may learn less useful chunks, rely on them to a lesser extent, and arrive at them through different means than children learning a first language. Copyright © 2017 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

Motor-response learning at a process control panel by an autonomous robot

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Spelt, P.F.; de Saussure, G.; Lyness, E.

1988-01-01

The Center for Engineering Systems Advanced Research (CESAR) was founded at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) by the Department of Energy's Office of Energy Research/Division of Engineering and Geoscience (DOE-OER/DEG) to conduct basic research in the area of intelligent machines. Therefore, researchers at the CESAR Laboratory are engaged in a variety of research activities in the field of machine learning. In this paper, we describe our approach to a class of machine learning which involves motor response acquisition using feedback from trial-and-error learning. Our formulation is being experimentally validated using an autonomous robot, learning tasks of control panel monitoring andmore » manipulation for effect process control. The CLIPS Expert System and the associated knowledge base used by the robot in the learning process, which reside in a hypercube computer aboard the robot, are described in detail. Benchmark testing of the learning process on a robot/control panel simulation system consisting of two intercommunicating computers is presented, along with results of sample problems used to train and test the expert system. These data illustrate machine learning and the resulting performance improvement in the robot for problems similar to, but not identical with, those on which the robot was trained. Conclusions are drawn concerning the learning problems, and implications for future work on machine learning for autonomous robots are discussed. 16 refs., 4 figs., 1 tab.« less

Ego Is a Hurdle in Second Language Learning: A Contrastive Study between Adults and Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abdullah, Shumaila; Akhter, Javed

2015-01-01

The aim of this research paper is to find out by comparing and contrasting between the adults and children in second language learning process how language ego of adult learners affects them to learn second language, and how it becomes a barrier for them in second language learning process. Nowadays learning English as foreign and second language…

Autonomous Motivation for Teaching: How Self-Determined Teaching May Lead to Self-Determined Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roth, Guy; Assor, Avi; Kanat-Maymon, Yaniv; Kaplan, Haya

2007-01-01

This study examined teachers' experience of autonomous motivation for teaching and its correlates in teachers and students. It was hypothesized that teachers would perceive various motivations posited by E. L. Deci and R. M. Ryan's (2000) self-determination theory as falling along a continuum of autonomous motivation for teaching. Autonomous…

The Effects of Instructors' Autonomy Support and Students' Autonomous Motivation on Learning Organic Chemistry: A Self-Determination Theory Perspective.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Black, Aaron E.; Deci, Edward L.

2000-01-01

Applies self-determination theory to investigate the effects of students' course-specific self-regulation and their perceptions of their instructors' autonomous support on adjustment and academic performance in a college-level organic chemistry course. Hypothesizes that students taking the organic chemistry course for relatively autonomous reasons…

Using Language Learning Conditions in Mathematics. PEN 68.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stoessiger, Rex

This pamphlet reports on a project in Tasmania exploring whether the "natural learning conditions" approach to language learning could be adapted for mathematics. The connections between language and mathematics, as well as the natural learning processes of language learning are described in the pamphlet. The project itself is…

Developmental Comparisons of Implicit and Explicit Language Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lichtman, Karen

2013-01-01

Conventional wisdom holds that children learn languages implicitly whereas older learners learn languages explicitly, and some have claimed that after puberty only explicit language learning is possible. However, older learners often receive more explicit instruction than child L2 learners, which may affect their learning strategies. This study…

Beliefs about Learning English as a Second Language among Native Groups in Rural Sabah, Malaysia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Krishnasamy, Hariharan N.; Veloo, Arsaythamby; Lu, Ho Fui

2013-01-01

This paper identifies differences between the three ethnic groups, namely, Kadazans/Dusuns, Bajaus, and other minority ethnic groups on the beliefs about learning English as a second language based on the five variables, that is, language aptitude, language learning difficulty, language learning and communicating strategies, nature of language…

Language Learning in Wittgenstein and Davidson

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kotzee, Ben

2014-01-01

In this paper, I discuss language learning in Wittgenstein and Davidson. Starting from a remark by Bakhurst, I hold that both Wittgenstein and Davidson's philosophies of language contain responses to the problem of language learning, albeit of a different form. Following Williams, I hold that the concept of language learning can explain…

Examining Emotions in English Language Learning Classes: A Case of EFL Emotions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pishghadam, Reza; Zabetipour, Mohammad; Aminzadeh, Afrooz

2016-01-01

Emotions play a significant role in learning in general, and foreign language learning in particular. Although with the rise of humanistic approaches, enough attention has been given to the affective domain in language learning, the emotions English as a foreign language (EFL) learners experience regarding English language skills in listening,…

The Use of Prosodic Cues in Learning New Words in an Unfamiliar Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Sahyang; Broersma, Mirjam; Cho, Taehong

2012-01-01

The artificial language learning paradigm was used to investigate to what extent the use of prosodic features is universally applicable or specifically language driven in learning an unfamiliar language, and how nonnative prosodic patterns can be learned. Listeners of unrelated languages--Dutch (n = 100) and Korean (n = 100)--participated. The…

Creating an Authentic Learning Environment in the Foreign Language Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nikitina, Larisa

2011-01-01

Theatrical activities are widely used by language educators to promote and facilitate language learning. Involving students in production of their own video or a short movie in the target language allows a seamless fusion of language learning, art, and popular culture. The activity is also conducive for creating an authentic learning situation…

Rocking & Rolling: Supporting Infants, Toddlers, and Their Families. One Language, Two Languages, Three Languages . . . More?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prieto, H. Victoria

2009-01-01

The belief that a child has to abandon his home language to learn English implies that the young brain has limited learning capacity. Early childhood teachers need to help families understand that children can learn two languages at the same time. What matters is that the infant/toddler is in an effective language-learning environment, whether it…

Is CALL Obsolete? Language Acquisition and Language Learning Revisited in a Digital Age

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jarvis, Huw; Krashen, Stephen

2014-01-01

In this article, Huw Jarvis and Stephen Krashen ask "Is CALL Obsolete?" When the term CALL (Computer-Assisted Language Learning) was introduced in the 1960s, the language education profession knew only about language learning, not language acquisition, and assumed the computer's primary contribution to second language acquisition…

Language Alternation and Language Norm in Vocational Content and Language Integrated Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kontio, Janne; Sylvén, Liss Kerstin

2015-01-01

The present article deals with language choice as communicative strategies in the language learning environment of an English-medium content and language integrated learning (CLIL) workshop at an auto mechanics class in a Swedish upper secondary school. The article presents the organisation and functions of language alternations (LAs) which are…

A Whole-School Approach to Promoting Languages

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lane, Nathan

2015-01-01

Languages teachers are all aware of the significant advantages and benefits learning a language provides, and believe in the importance of second language acquisition. However, why is it that languages teachers need to justify learning a second language and work hard to encourage more students to see the importance of learning a language and to…

Vision Based Autonomous Robotic Control for Advanced Inspection and Repair

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wehner, Walter S.

2014-01-01

The advanced inspection system is an autonomous control and analysis system that improves the inspection and remediation operations for ground and surface systems. It uses optical imaging technology with intelligent computer vision algorithms to analyze physical features of the real-world environment to make decisions and learn from experience. The advanced inspection system plans to control a robotic manipulator arm, an unmanned ground vehicle and cameras remotely, automatically and autonomously. There are many computer vision, image processing and machine learning techniques available as open source for using vision as a sensory feedback in decision-making and autonomous robotic movement. My responsibilities for the advanced inspection system are to create a software architecture that integrates and provides a framework for all the different subsystem components; identify open-source algorithms and techniques; and integrate robot hardware.

The relationship between autonomous motivation and autonomy support in medical students' academic achievement.

PubMed

Feri, Rose; Soemantri, Diantha; Jusuf, Anwar

2016-12-29

This study applied self-determination theory (SDT) to investigate the relationship between students' autonomous motivation and tutors' autonomy support in medical students' academic achievement. This was a cross-sectional study. Out of 204 students in a fundamental medical science course, 199 participated in the study. Data was collected using two questionnaires: the Learning Self-Regulation and Learning Climate Questionnaires. The score of the course assessment was the measure of academic achievement. Data was analyzed and reported with descriptive and inferential statistics (mean, standard deviation and multiple regression analysis). Mean score (±standard deviation) of the autonomous motivation, tutors' autonomy support, and academic achievement were 5.48±0.89, 5.22±0.92, and 5.22±0.92. Multiple regression results reported students' autonomous motivation was associated with improvement of students' academic achievement (β=15.2, p=0.004). However, augmentation of tutors' autonomy support was not reflected in the improvement of students' academic achievement (β = -12.6, p = 0.019). Both students' autonomous motivation and tutors' autonomy support had a contribution of about 4.2% students' academic achievement (F = 4.343, p = 0.014, R 2 = 0.042). Due to the unique characteristic of our medical students' educational background, our study shows that tutors' autonomy support is inconsistent with students' academic achievement. However, both autonomous motivation and support are essential to students' academic achievement. Further study is needed to explore students' educational background and self-regulated learning competence to improve students' academic achievement.

[Learning strategies of autonomous medical students].

PubMed

Márquez U, Carolina; Fasce H, Eduardo; Ortega B, Javiera; Bustamante D, Carolina; Pérez V, Cristhian; Ibáñez G, Pilar; Ortiz M, Liliana; Espinoza P, Camila; Bastías V, Nancy

2015-12-01

Understanding how autonomous students are capable of regulating their own learning process is essential to develop self-directed teaching methods. To understand how self-directed medical students approach learning in medical schools at University of Concepción, Chile. A qualitative and descriptive study, performed according to Grounded Theory guidelines, following Strauss & Corbin was performed. Twenty medical students were selected by the maximum variation sampling method. The data collection technique was carried out by a semi-structured thematic interview. Students were interviewed by researchers after an informed consent procedure. Data were analyzed by the open coding method using Atlas-ti 7.5.2 software. Self-directed learners were characterized by being good planners and managing their time correctly. Students performed a diligent selection of contents to study based on reliable literature sources, theoretical relevance and type of evaluation. They also emphasized the discussion of clinical cases, where theoretical contents can be applied. This modality allows them to gain a global view of theoretical contents, to verbalize knowledge and to obtain a learning feedback. The learning process of autonomous students is intentional and planned.

Age and Language Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Collard, Lucien

1977-01-01

An investigation of the differences between first and second language acquisition and the relationship between age and second language learning. The stages in native language acquisition and the advantages of an early start in second language learning are discussed. (AMH)

Language learning, language use and the evolution of linguistic variation

PubMed Central

Perfors, Amy; Fehér, Olga; Samara, Anna; Swoboda, Kate; Wonnacott, Elizabeth

2017-01-01

Linguistic universals arise from the interaction between the processes of language learning and language use. A test case for the relationship between these factors is linguistic variation, which tends to be conditioned on linguistic or sociolinguistic criteria. How can we explain the scarcity of unpredictable variation in natural language, and to what extent is this property of language a straightforward reflection of biases in statistical learning? We review three strands of experimental work exploring these questions, and introduce a Bayesian model of the learning and transmission of linguistic variation along with a closely matched artificial language learning experiment with adult participants. Our results show that while the biases of language learners can potentially play a role in shaping linguistic systems, the relationship between biases of learners and the structure of languages is not straightforward. Weak biases can have strong effects on language structure as they accumulate over repeated transmission. But the opposite can also be true: strong biases can have weak or no effects. Furthermore, the use of language during interaction can reshape linguistic systems. Combining data and insights from studies of learning, transmission and use is therefore essential if we are to understand how biases in statistical learning interact with language transmission and language use to shape the structural properties of language. This article is part of the themed issue ‘New frontiers for statistical learning in the cognitive sciences’. PMID:27872370

Language learning, language use and the evolution of linguistic variation.

PubMed

Smith, Kenny; Perfors, Amy; Fehér, Olga; Samara, Anna; Swoboda, Kate; Wonnacott, Elizabeth

2017-01-05

Linguistic universals arise from the interaction between the processes of language learning and language use. A test case for the relationship between these factors is linguistic variation, which tends to be conditioned on linguistic or sociolinguistic criteria. How can we explain the scarcity of unpredictable variation in natural language, and to what extent is this property of language a straightforward reflection of biases in statistical learning? We review three strands of experimental work exploring these questions, and introduce a Bayesian model of the learning and transmission of linguistic variation along with a closely matched artificial language learning experiment with adult participants. Our results show that while the biases of language learners can potentially play a role in shaping linguistic systems, the relationship between biases of learners and the structure of languages is not straightforward. Weak biases can have strong effects on language structure as they accumulate over repeated transmission. But the opposite can also be true: strong biases can have weak or no effects. Furthermore, the use of language during interaction can reshape linguistic systems. Combining data and insights from studies of learning, transmission and use is therefore essential if we are to understand how biases in statistical learning interact with language transmission and language use to shape the structural properties of language.This article is part of the themed issue 'New frontiers for statistical learning in the cognitive sciences'. © 2016 The Authors.

Is Native-Language Decoding Skill Related to Second-Language Learning?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meschyan, Gayane; Hernandez, Arturo

2002-01-01

Investigated the mechanisms through which native-language (English) word decoding ability predicted individual differences in native- and second-language (Spanish) learning. Results are consistent with the hypothesis that second-language learning is founded on native-language phonological-orthographic ability among college-age adults, especially…

Thinking and Content Learning of Mathematics and Science as Cognitional Development in Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL): Teaching Through a Foreign Language in Finland

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jappinen, Aini-Kristiina

2005-01-01

This paper presents a study on thinking and learning processes of mathematics and science in teaching through a foreign language, in Finland. The entity of thinking and content learning processes is, in this study, considered as cognitional development. Teaching through a foreign language is here called Content and Language Integrated Learning or…

Opportunistic Behavior in Motivated Learning Agents.

PubMed

Graham, James; Starzyk, Janusz A; Jachyra, Daniel

2015-08-01

This paper focuses on the novel motivated learning (ML) scheme and opportunistic behavior of an intelligent agent. It extends previously developed ML to opportunistic behavior in a multitask situation. Our paper describes the virtual world implementation of autonomous opportunistic agents learning in a dynamically changing environment, creating abstract goals, and taking advantage of arising opportunities to improve their performance. An opportunistic agent achieves better results than an agent based on ML only. It does so by minimizing the average value of all need signals rather than a dominating need. This paper applies to the design of autonomous embodied systems (robots) learning in real-time how to operate in a complex environment.

Cooperative Learning for Distributed In-Network Traffic Classification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joseph, S. B.; Loo, H. R.; Ismail, I.; Andromeda, T.; Marsono, M. N.

2017-04-01

Inspired by the concept of autonomic distributed/decentralized network management schemes, we consider the issue of information exchange among distributed network nodes to network performance and promote scalability for in-network monitoring. In this paper, we propose a cooperative learning algorithm for propagation and synchronization of network information among autonomic distributed network nodes for online traffic classification. The results show that network nodes with sharing capability perform better with a higher average accuracy of 89.21% (sharing data) and 88.37% (sharing clusters) compared to 88.06% for nodes without cooperative learning capability. The overall performance indicates that cooperative learning is promising for distributed in-network traffic classification.

Beliefs and Out-of-Class Language Learning of Chinese-Speaking ESL Learners in Hong Kong

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wu, Manfred Man-fat

2012-01-01

Background: There has been a lack of research on exploring how beliefs about language learning (BALLs) and out-of-class language-learning activities are related. BALLs and out-of-class language-learning activities play an important role in influencing the learning behaviours of learners and learning outcomes. Findings of this study provide useful…

Transformation of the System of Values of Autonomous Learning for English Acquisition in Blended E-Studies for Adults: A Holistic Fractal Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bojare, Inara; Skrinda, Astrida

2016-01-01

The present study is aimed at creating a holistic fractal model (HFM) of autonomous learning for English acquisition in a blended environment of e-studies in adult non-formal education on the basis of the theories and paradigms of philosophy, psychology and education for sustainable development to promote the development of adult learners'…

The Role That Socioaffective Practices Play in Third Graders' Autonomous Learning (El papel de las prácticas socioafectivas en el aprendizaje autónomo de estudiantes de tercer grado)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perdomo Toro, Jhonatan; Rico González, Ángela Milena; Huepa Salcedo, Nury Catherine

2011-01-01

In this article we describe and analyze how autonomous learning emerges in third graders' socioaffective practices as reconstructed in written narratives. Results were obtained by analyzing and reflecting on classroom observation, interviews and written narratives done by the students which let us appreciate different behaviors and reactions the…

Scheduling lessons learned from the Autonomous Power System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ringer, Mark J.

1992-01-01

The Autonomous Power System (APS) project at NASA LeRC is designed to demonstrate the applications of integrated intelligent diagnosis, control, and scheduling techniques to space power distribution systems. The project consists of three elements: the Autonomous Power Expert System (APEX) for Fault Diagnosis, Isolation, and Recovery (FDIR); the Autonomous Intelligent Power Scheduler (AIPS) to efficiently assign activities start times and resources; and power hardware (Brassboard) to emulate a space-based power system. The AIPS scheduler was tested within the APS system. This scheduler is able to efficiently assign available power to the requesting activities and share this information with other software agents within the APS system in order to implement the generated schedule. The AIPS scheduler is also able to cooperatively recover from fault situations by rescheduling the affected loads on the Brassboard in conjunction with the APEX FDIR system. AIPS served as a learning tool and an initial scheduling testbed for the integration of FDIR and automated scheduling systems. Many lessons were learned from the AIPS scheduler and are now being integrated into a new scheduler called SCRAP (Scheduler for Continuous Resource Allocation and Planning). This paper will service three purposes: an overview of the AIPS implementation, lessons learned from the AIPS scheduler, and a brief section on how these lessons are being applied to the new SCRAP scheduler.

Computer Assisted Language Learning. Routledge Studies in Computer Assisted Language Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pennington, Martha

2011-01-01

Computer-assisted language learning (CALL) is an approach to language teaching and learning in which computer technology is used as an aid to the presentation, reinforcement and assessment of material to be learned, usually including a substantial interactive element. This books provides an up-to date and comprehensive overview of…

Beyond the Four Walls: Community-Based Learning and Languages

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Connor, Anne

2012-01-01

At a time when languages in universities are under pressure, community-based learning language courses can have many positive benefits: they can increase interest in language learning, they can foster greater engagement with learning, and they can encourage active learning, creativity and teamwork. These courses, which link the classroom and the…

Minority Languages Learned Informally: The Social Construction of Language Skills through the Discourse of Ontario Employers. NALL Working Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldberg, Michelle; Corson, David

Many immigrants, refugees, and aboriginal Canadians learn their own languages in the normal, informal way. These minority languages learned informally are not valued as a skill that yields returns in the labor market in the same way the official languages or formally learned languages do. What counts as a skill in a society, in a given point in…

The Relationship between Iranian EFL Learners' Beliefs about Language Learning and Language Learning Strategy Use

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zarei, Abbas Ali; Rahmani, Hanieh

2015-01-01

The present study investigated the relationship between Iranian EFL learners' beliefs about language learning and language learning strategy use. A sample of 104 B.A and M.A Iranian EFL learners majoring in English participated in this study. Three instruments, the Michigan Test of English Language Proficiency (MTELP), Beliefs about Language…

The Internet, Language Learning, and International Dialogue: Constructing Online Foreign Language Learning Websites

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kartal, Erdogan; Uzun, Levent

2010-01-01

In the present study we call attention to the close connection between languages and globalization, and we also emphasize the importance of the Internet and online websites in foreign language teaching and learning as unavoidable elements of computer assisted language learning (CALL). We prepared a checklist by which we investigated 28 foreign…

"So They're Actually Real?" Integrating E-Tandem Learning into the Study of Language for International Business

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bruen, Jennifer; Sudhershan, Aleksandra

2015-01-01

Tandem learning involves learners with complementary target and native languages communicating for the purpose of learning each other's languages and cultures. Studies indicate that it can function as a powerful complement to formal language learning classes with regard to the development of both language proficiency and cultural intelligence.…

Learning to Learn a Foreign Language. Principles of Second Language Acquisition: An Orientation for Foreign Language Teachers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pfannkuche, Anthony; And Others

The manual designed to accompany an orientation seminar for students concerning language learning processes and strategies and the design of their program includes materials for five sessions, in three sections. The first section covers language learning and acquisition in general and contains a survey of the participants' foreign language…

Investigating the Language Learning Strategies of Students in the Foundation Program of United Arab Emirates University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ismail, Sadiq Abdulwahed Ahmed; Al Khatib, Ahmad Z.

2013-01-01

Recently, language learning strategies have gained a lot of importance in different parts of the world, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Successful foreign or second language learning attempts are viewed in the light of using appropriate and effective language learning strategies. This study investigated the patterns of language learning…

Integrating Culture into Language Teaching and Learning: Learner Outcomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nguyen, Trang Thi Thuy

2017-01-01

This paper discusses the issue of learner outcomes in learning culture as part of their language learning. First, some brief discussion on the role of culture in language teaching and learning, as well as on culture contents in language lessons is presented. Based on a detailed review of previous literature related to culture in language teaching…

The Impact of Language Experience on Language and Reading: A Statistical Learning Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seidenberg, Mark S.; MacDonald, Maryellen C.

2018-01-01

This article reviews the important role of statistical learning for language and reading development. Although statistical learning--the unconscious encoding of patterns in language input--has become widely known as a force in infants' early interpretation of speech, the role of this kind of learning for language and reading comprehension in…

Language-Learning Holidays: What Motivates People to Learn a Minority Language?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Rourke, Bernadette; DePalma, Renée

2017-01-01

In this article, we examine the experiences of 18 Galician language learners who participated in what Garland [(2008). "The minority language and the cosmopolitan speaker: Ideologies of Irish language learners" (Unpublished PhD thesis). University of California, Santa Barbara] refers to as a "language-learning holiday" in…

The Correlation between Early Second Language Learning and Native Language Skill Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caccavale, Terry

2007-01-01

It has long been the assumption of many in the field of second language teaching that learning a second language helps to promote and enhance native language skill development, and that this correlation is direct and positive. Language professionals have assumed that learning a second language directly supports the development of better skills,…

The Autonomous Student: A Footnote.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Long, Jancis

1987-01-01

An argument that rationality is a learned behavior, rather than a natural facility, is developed vis-a-vis certain educational theories. The difficulties students face in maintaining a rational stance in an autonomous classroom are also discussed. (JL)

Important Constructs in Literacy Learning across Disciplines

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Foorman, Barbara R.; Arndt, Elissa J.; Crawford, Elizabeth C.

2011-01-01

Currently students who struggle with language and literacy learning are classified with various labels in different states--language learning disabilities, dyslexia, specific language impairment, and specific learning disability--in spite of having similar diagnostic profiles. Drawing on the research on comprehension of written language, we…

Studying the mechanisms of language learning by varying the learning environment and the learner

PubMed Central

Goldin-Meadow, Susan

2015-01-01

Language learning is a resilient process, and many linguistic properties can be developed under a wide range of learning environments and learners. The first goal of this review is to describe properties of language that can be developed without exposure to a language model – the resilient properties of language – and to explore conditions under which more fragile properties emerge. But even if a linguistic property is resilient, the developmental course that the property follows is likely to vary as a function of learning environment and learner, that is, there are likely to be individual differences in the learning trajectories children follow. The second goal is to consider how the resilient properties are brought to bear on language learning when a child is exposed to a language model. The review ends by considering the implications of both sets of findings for mechanisms, focusing on the role that the body and linguistic input play in language learning. PMID:26668813

Studying the mechanisms of language learning by varying the learning environment and the learner.

PubMed

Goldin-Meadow, Susan

Language learning is a resilient process, and many linguistic properties can be developed under a wide range of learning environments and learners. The first goal of this review is to describe properties of language that can be developed without exposure to a language model - the resilient properties of language - and to explore conditions under which more fragile properties emerge. But even if a linguistic property is resilient, the developmental course that the property follows is likely to vary as a function of learning environment and learner, that is, there are likely to be individual differences in the learning trajectories children follow. The second goal is to consider how the resilient properties are brought to bear on language learning when a child is exposed to a language model. The review ends by considering the implications of both sets of findings for mechanisms, focusing on the role that the body and linguistic input play in language learning.

Autonomous planning and scheduling on the TechSat 21 mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sherwood, R.; Chien, S.; Castano, R.; Rabideau, G.

2002-01-01

The Autonomous Sciencecraft Experiment (ASE) will fly onboard the Air Force TechSat 21 constellation of three spacecraft scheduled for launch in 2006. ASE uses onboard continuous planning, robust task and goal-based execution, model-based mode identification and reconfiguration, and onboard machine learning and pattern recognition to radically increase science return by enabling intelligent downlink selection and autonomous retargeting.

Learning and Development of Second and Foreign Language Pragmatics as a Higher-Order Language Skill: A Brief Overview of Relevant Theories. Research Report. ETS RR-16-35

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Timpe-Laughlin, Veronika

2016-01-01

The development of effective second and foreign (L2) language learning materials needs to be grounded in two types of theories: (a) a theory of language and language use and (b) a theory of language learning. Both are equally important, insofar as an effective learning environment requires an understanding of the knowledge, skills, and abilities…

The Relationship Between Artificial and Second Language Learning.

PubMed

Ettlinger, Marc; Morgan-Short, Kara; Faretta-Stutenberg, Mandy; Wong, Patrick C M

2016-05-01

Artificial language learning (ALL) experiments have become an important tool in exploring principles of language and language learning. A persistent question in all of this work, however, is whether ALL engages the linguistic system and whether ALL studies are ecologically valid assessments of natural language ability. In the present study, we considered these questions by examining the relationship between performance in an ALL task and second language learning ability. Participants enrolled in a Spanish language class were evaluated using a number of different measures of Spanish ability and classroom performance, which was compared to IQ and a number of different measures of ALL performance. The results show that success in ALL experiments, particularly more complex artificial languages, correlates positively with indices of L2 learning even after controlling for IQ. These findings provide a key link between studies involving ALL and our understanding of second language learning in the classroom. Copyright © 2015 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

Why segmentation matters: experience-driven segmentation errors impair “morpheme” learning

PubMed Central

Finn, Amy S.; Hudson Kam, Carla L.

2015-01-01

We ask whether an adult learner’s knowledge of their native language impedes statistical learning in a new language beyond just word segmentation (as previously shown). In particular, we examine the impact of native-language word-form phonotactics on learners’ ability to segment words into their component morphemes and learn phonologically triggered variation of morphemes. We find that learning is impaired when words and component morphemes are structured to conflict with a learner’s native-language phonotactic system, but not when native-language phonotactics do not conflict with morpheme boundaries in the artificial language. A learner’s native-language knowledge can therefore have a cascading impact affecting word segmentation and the morphological variation that relies upon proper segmentation. These results show that getting word segmentation right early in learning is deeply important for learning other aspects of language, even those (morphology) that are known to pose a great difficulty for adult language learners. PMID:25730305

Learning Theories and Skills in Online Second Language Teaching and Learning: Dilemmas and Challenges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Petersen, Karen Bjerg

2014-01-01

For decades foreign and second language teachers have taken advantage of the technology development and ensuing possibilities to use e-learning facilities for language training. Since the 1980s, the use of computer assisted language learning (CALL), Internet, web 2.0, and various kinds of e-learning technology has been developed and researched…

Community Language Learning and Counseling-Learning. TEAL Occasional Papers, Vol. l, 1977.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Soga, Lillian

Community Language Learning (CLL) is a humanistic approach to learning which emphasizes the learner and learning rather than the teacher and teaching. In some situations where the teacher is not fluent in the various languages spoken by the students, such as in the English as a second language (ESL) classroom, advanced students may serve as…

Content and Language Integrated Learning with Technologies: A Global Online Training Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cinganotto, Letizia

2016-01-01

The focus of this report is the link between CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) and CALL (Computer-Assisted Language Learning), and in particular, the added value technologies can bring to the learning/teaching of a foreign language and to the delivery of subject content through a foreign language. An example of a free online global…

"Seamlessly" Learning Chinese: Contextual Meaning Making and Vocabulary Growth in a Seamless Chinese as a Second Language Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wong, Lung-Hsiang; King, Ronnel B.; Chai, Ching Sing; Liu, May

2016-01-01

Second language learners are typically hampered by the lack of a natural environment to use the target language for authentic communication purpose (as a means for "learning by applying"). Thus, we propose MyCLOUD, a mobile-assisted seamless language learning approach that aims to nurture a second language social network that bridges…

Perceptions of Turkish EFL Students on Online Language Learning Platforms and Blended Language Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Istifci, Ilknur

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study is to examine the perceptions of EFL students studying English at the School of Foreign Languages, Anadolu University (AUSFL) on blended language learning and online learning platforms. The participants of the study consisted of 167 students whose English language proficiency level was B2 according to the Common European…

Should Bilingual Children Learn Reading in Two Languages at the Same Time or in Sequence?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berens, Melody S.; Kovelman, Ioulia; Petitto, Laura-Ann

2013-01-01

Is it best to learn reading in two languages simultaneously or sequentially? We observed second- and third-grade children in two-way "dual-language learning contexts": (a) 50:50 or Simultaneous dual-language (two languages within same developmental period) and (b) 90:10 or Sequential dual-language (one language, followed gradually by the other).…

Improving Science and Vocabulary Learning of English Language Learners. CREATE Brief

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

August, Diane; Artzi, Lauren; Mazrum, Julie

2010-01-01

This brief reviews previous research related to the development of science knowledge and academic language in English language learners as well as the role of English language proficiency, learning in a second language, and first language knowledge in science learning. It also describes two successful CREATE interventions that build academic and…

An Integrative Approach to Foreign Language Teaching: Choosing Among the Options. ACTFL Foreign Language Education Series, Vol. 8.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jarvis, Gilbert A., Ed.

This volume on foreign language teaching and learning concerns the following topics: lifelong learning, small-group learning, the minicourse, student attitudes toward foreign languages, problems in secondary schools, humanistic education, curricula in uncommonly taught languages, foreign languages in elementary and adolescent-centered education,…

Statistical Learning in a Natural Language by 8-Month-Old Infants

PubMed Central

Pelucchi, Bruna; Hay, Jessica F.; Saffran, Jenny R.

2013-01-01

Numerous studies over the past decade support the claim that infants are equipped with powerful statistical language learning mechanisms. The primary evidence for statistical language learning in word segmentation comes from studies using artificial languages, continuous streams of synthesized syllables that are highly simplified relative to real speech. To what extent can these conclusions be scaled up to natural language learning? In the current experiments, English-learning 8-month-old infants’ ability to track transitional probabilities in fluent infant-directed Italian speech was tested (N = 72). The results suggest that infants are sensitive to transitional probability cues in unfamiliar natural language stimuli, and support the claim that statistical learning is sufficiently robust to support aspects of real-world language acquisition. PMID:19489896

Statistical learning in a natural language by 8-month-old infants.

PubMed

Pelucchi, Bruna; Hay, Jessica F; Saffran, Jenny R

2009-01-01

Numerous studies over the past decade support the claim that infants are equipped with powerful statistical language learning mechanisms. The primary evidence for statistical language learning in word segmentation comes from studies using artificial languages, continuous streams of synthesized syllables that are highly simplified relative to real speech. To what extent can these conclusions be scaled up to natural language learning? In the current experiments, English-learning 8-month-old infants' ability to track transitional probabilities in fluent infant-directed Italian speech was tested (N = 72). The results suggest that infants are sensitive to transitional probability cues in unfamiliar natural language stimuli, and support the claim that statistical learning is sufficiently robust to support aspects of real-world language acquisition.

Cross-Cultural Learning: The Language Connection.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Axelrod, Joseph

1981-01-01

If foreign language acquisition is disconnected from the cultural life of the foreign speech community, the learning yield is low. Integration of affective learning, cultural learning, and foreign language learning are essential to a successful cross-cultural experience. (MSE)

Language Learning in Virtual Reality Environments: Past, Present, and Future

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lin, Tsun-Ju; Lan, Yu-Ju

2015-01-01

This study investigated the research trends in language learning in a virtual reality environment by conducting a content analysis of findings published in the literature from 2004 to 2013 in four top ranked computer-assisted language learning journals: "Language Learning & Technology," "CALICO Journal," "Computer…

Language Learning Strategies and Its Training Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Jing

2010-01-01

This paper summarizes and reviews the literature regarding language learning strategies and it's training model, pointing out the significance of language learning strategies to EFL learners and an applicable and effective language learning strategies training model, which is beneficial both to EFL learners and instructors, is badly needed.

Learning Spanish the Fenix Way

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wholey, Jane

1977-01-01

The Instituto Fenix, a language learning school in Cuernavaca, Mexico, features oral language learning and a creative teaching technique to help language students to learn Spanish both effectively and quickly. (RK)

Bilinguals’ Existing Languages Benefit Vocabulary Learning in a Third Language

PubMed Central

Bartolotti, James; Marian, Viorica

2017-01-01

Learning a new language involves substantial vocabulary acquisition. Learners can accelerate this process by relying on words with native-language overlap, such as cognates. For bilingual third language learners, it is necessary to determine how their two existing languages interact during novel language learning. A scaffolding account predicts transfer from either language for individual words, whereas an accumulation account predicts cumulative transfer from both languages. To compare these accounts, twenty English-German bilingual adults were taught an artificial language containing 48 novel written words that varied orthogonally in English and German wordlikeness (neighborhood size and orthotactic probability). Wordlikeness in each language improved word production accuracy, and similarity to one language provided the same benefit as dual-language overlap. In addition, participants’ memory for novel words was affected by the statistical distributions of letters in the novel language. Results indicate that bilinguals utilize both languages during third language acquisition, supporting a scaffolding learning model. PMID:28781384

Bilinguals' Existing Languages Benefit Vocabulary Learning in a Third Language.

PubMed

Bartolotti, James; Marian, Viorica

2017-03-01

Learning a new language involves substantial vocabulary acquisition. Learners can accelerate this process by relying on words with native-language overlap, such as cognates. For bilingual third language learners, it is necessary to determine how their two existing languages interact during novel language learning. A scaffolding account predicts transfer from either language for individual words, whereas an accumulation account predicts cumulative transfer from both languages. To compare these accounts, twenty English-German bilingual adults were taught an artificial language containing 48 novel written words that varied orthogonally in English and German wordlikeness (neighborhood size and orthotactic probability). Wordlikeness in each language improved word production accuracy, and similarity to one language provided the same benefit as dual-language overlap. In addition, participants' memory for novel words was affected by the statistical distributions of letters in the novel language. Results indicate that bilinguals utilize both languages during third language acquisition, supporting a scaffolding learning model.

Teacher-Student Interaction and Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hall, Joan Kelly; Walsh, Meghan

2002-01-01

Reviews literature on recent developments in teacher-student interaction and language learning. Based on a sociocultural perspective of language and learning, draws from three types of classrooms: first language, second language, and foreign language. Attention is given to studies that investigate the specific means used in teacher-student…

Autonomous Data Collection Using a Self-Organizing Map.

PubMed

Faigl, Jan; Hollinger, Geoffrey A

2018-05-01

The self-organizing map (SOM) is an unsupervised learning technique providing a transformation of a high-dimensional input space into a lower dimensional output space. In this paper, we utilize the SOM for the traveling salesman problem (TSP) to develop a solution to autonomous data collection. Autonomous data collection requires gathering data from predeployed sensors by moving within a limited communication radius. We propose a new growing SOM that adapts the number of neurons during learning, which also allows our approach to apply in cases where some sensors can be ignored due to a lower priority. Based on a comparison with available combinatorial heuristic algorithms for relevant variants of the TSP, the proposed approach demonstrates improved results, while also being less computationally demanding. Moreover, the proposed learning procedure can be extended to cases where particular sensors have varying communication radii, and it can also be extended to multivehicle planning.

Comparing Local and International Chinese Students' English Language Learning Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anthony, Margreat Aloysious; Ganesen, Sree Nithya

2012-01-01

According to Horwitz (1987) learners' belief about language learning are influenced by previous language learning experiences as well as cultural background. This study examined the English Language Learning Strategies between local and international Chinese students who share the same cultural background but have been exposed to different…

Infant Statistical-Learning Ability Is Related to Real-Time Language Processing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lany, Jill; Shoaib, Amber; Thompson, Abbie; Estes, Katharine Graf

2018-01-01

Infants are adept at learning statistical regularities in artificial language materials, suggesting that the ability to learn statistical structure may support language development. Indeed, infants who perform better on statistical learning tasks tend to be more advanced in parental reports of infants' language skills. Work with adults suggests…

Metacognition and Second/Foreign Language Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Raoofi, Saeid; Chan, Swee Heng; Mukundan, Jayakaran; Rashid, Sabariah Md

2014-01-01

Metacognition appears to be a significant contributor to success in second language (SL) and foreign language (FL) learning. This study seeks to investigate empirical research on the role metacognition plays in language learning by focusing on the following research questions: first, to what extent does metacognition affect SL/FL learning? Second,…

Self-Regulated Out-of-Class Language Learning with Technology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lai, Chun; Gu, Mingyue

2011-01-01

Current computer-assisted language learning (CALL) research has identified various potentials of technology for language learning. To realize and maximize these potentials, engaging students in self-initiated use of technology for language learning is a must. This study investigated Hong Kong university students' use of technology outside the…

Do Language Proficiency Levels Correspond to Language Learning Strategy Adoption?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gharbavi, Abdullah; Mousavi, Seyyed Ahmad

2012-01-01

The primary focus of research on employment of language learning strategies has been on identification of adoption of different learning strategies. However, the relationship between language learning strategies and proficiency levels was ignored in previous research. The present study was undertaken to find out whether there are any relationship…

Pre-Service EFL Teachers' Beliefs about Foreign Language Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Altan, Mustafa Zulkuf

2012-01-01

Beliefs are central constructs in every discipline which deals with human behaviour and learning. In addition to learner beliefs about language learning, language teachers themselves may hold certain beliefs about language learning that will have an impact on their instructional practices and that are likely to influence their students' beliefs…

76 FR 54283 - 30-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collections: Language Learning Survey Questions

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-08-31

...: Language Learning Survey Questions ACTION: Notice of request for public comment and submission to OMB of... the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. Title of Information Collection: Language Learning Programs: Pre... critical language learning instruction. Estimated Number of Respondents: 1,400 annually Estimated Number of...

Teachers' and Students' Beliefs regarding Aspects of Language Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis, Adrian

2003-01-01

The similarities and dissimilarities between teachers' and students' conceptions of language learning were addressed through a questionnaire survey concerning the nature and methods of language learning. The results indicate points of congruence between teachers' and students' beliefs about language learning in respect of eight main areas.…

Associations between Chinese EFL Graduate Students' Beliefs and Language Learning Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tang, Mailing; Tian, Jianrong

2015-01-01

This study, using Horwitz's Beliefs about Language Learning Inventory and Oxford's Strategy Inventory for Language Learning, investigated learners' beliefs about language learning and their choice of strategy categories among 546 graduate students in China. The correlation between learners' beliefs and their strategy categories use was examined.…

Pedagogy of Language Learning in Higher Education: An Introduction. Advances in Foreign Language Pedagogy, Volume 2.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brauer, Gerd, Ed.

This second volume in the series "Advances in Foreign and Second Language Pedagogy" is an introduction to the pedagogy of language learning in higher education focusing on learner motivation, classroom environments, relationships for learning, and the future of language education. The book reveals numerous links to language education on the…

Improving Language Learning Strategies and Performance of Pre-Service Language Teachers through a CALLA-TBLT Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guapacha Chamorro, Maria Eugenia; Benavidez Paz, Luis Humberto

2017-01-01

This paper reports an action-research study on language learning strategies in tertiary education at a Colombian university. The study aimed at improving the English language performance and language learning strategies use of 33 first-year pre-service language teachers by combining elements from two models: the cognitive academic language…

Which Methodology Works Better? English Language Teachers' Awareness of the Innovative Language Learning Methodologies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kurt, Mustafa

2015-01-01

The present study investigated whether English language teachers were aware of the innovative language learning methodologies in language learning, how they made use of these methodologies and the learners' reactions to them. The descriptive survey method was employed to disclose the frequencies and percentages of 175 English language teachers'…

Language Acquisition and Language Learning: A Plea for Syncretism.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Higgs, Theodore V.

1985-01-01

Discusses the apparent opposition between the concepts of language learning and language acquisition in the context of adult second-language study. Proposes that these two concepts are mutually supportive, not mutually exclusive. Demonstrates how the implications of learning vs. acquisition can be integrated into a communicative…

The Use of Vocabulary Learning Strategies in Teaching Turkish as a Second Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baskin, Sami; Iscan, Adem; Karagoz, Beytullah; Birol, Gülnur

2017-01-01

Vocabulary learning is the basis of the language learning process in teaching Turkish as a second language. Vocabulary learning strategies need to be used in order for vocabulary learning to take place effectively. The use of vocabulary learning strategies facilitates vocabulary learning and increases student achievement. Each student uses a…

Should bilingual children learn reading in two languages at the same time or in sequence?

PubMed Central

Berens, Melody S.; Kovelman, Ioulia; Petitto, Laura-Ann

2013-01-01

Is it best to learn reading in two languages simultaneously or sequentially? We observed 2nd and 3rd grade children in two-way dual-language learning contexts: (i) 50:50 or Simultaneous dual-language (two languages within same developmental period) and (ii) 90:10 or Sequential dual-language (one language, followed gradually by the other). They were compared to matched monolingual English-only children in single-language English schools. Bilinguals (home language was Spanish only, English-only, or Spanish and English in dual-language schools), were tested in both languages, and monolingual children were tested in English using standardized reading and language tasks. Bilinguals in 50:50 programs performed better than bilinguals in 90:10 programs on English Irregular Words and Passage Comprehension tasks, suggesting language and reading facilitation for underlying grammatical class and linguistic structure analyses. By contrast, bilinguals in 90:10 programs performed better than bilinguals in the 50:50 programs on English Phonological Awareness and Reading Decoding tasks, suggesting language and reading facilitation for surface phonological regularity analysis. Notably, children from English-only homes in dual-language learning contexts performed equally well, or better than, children from monolingual English-only homes in single-language learning contexts. Overall, the findings provide tantalizing evidence that dual-language learning during the same developmental period may provide bilingual reading advantages. PMID:23794952

Gradient language dominance affects talker learning.

PubMed

Bregman, Micah R; Creel, Sarah C

2014-01-01

Traditional conceptions of spoken language assume that speech recognition and talker identification are computed separately. Neuropsychological and neuroimaging studies imply some separation between the two faculties, but recent perceptual studies suggest better talker recognition in familiar languages than unfamiliar languages. A familiar-language benefit in talker recognition potentially implies strong ties between the two domains. However, little is known about the nature of this language familiarity effect. The current study investigated the relationship between speech and talker processing by assessing bilingual and monolingual listeners' ability to learn voices as a function of language familiarity and age of acquisition. Two effects emerged. First, bilinguals learned to recognize talkers in their first language (Korean) more rapidly than they learned to recognize talkers in their second language (English), while English-speaking participants showed the opposite pattern (learning English talkers faster than Korean talkers). Second, bilinguals' learning rate for talkers in their second language (English) correlated with age of English acquisition. Taken together, these results suggest that language background materially affects talker encoding, implying a tight relationship between speech and talker representations. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The relationship between autonomous motivation and autonomy support in medical students’ academic achievement

PubMed Central

Soemantri, Diantha; Jusuf, Anwar

2016-01-01

Objectives This study applied self-determination theory (SDT) to investigate the relationship between students’ autonomous motivation and tutors’ autonomy support in medical students’ academic achievement. Methods This was a cross-sectional study. Out of 204 students in a fundamental medical science course, 199 participated in the study. Data was collected using two questionnaires: the Learning Self-Regulation and Learning Climate Questionnaires. The score of the course assessment was the measure of academic achievement. Data was analyzed and reported with descriptive and inferential statistics (mean, standard deviation and multiple regression analysis).  Results Mean score (±standard deviation) of the autonomous motivation, tutors’ autonomy support, and academic achievement were 5.48±0.89, 5.22±0.92, and 5.22±0.92. Multiple regression results reported students’ autonomous motivation was associated with improvement of students’ academic achievement (β=15.2, p=0.004). However, augmentation of tutors’ autonomy support was not reflected in the improvement of students’ academic achievement (β = -12.6, p = 0.019). Both students’ autonomous motivation and tutors’ autonomy support had a contribution of about 4.2% students’ academic achievement (F = 4.343, p = 0.014, R2 = 0.042). Conclusions Due to the unique characteristic of our medical students’ educational background, our study shows that tutors’ autonomy support is inconsistent with students’ academic achievement. However, both autonomous motivation and support are essential to students’ academic achievement. Further study is needed to explore students’ educational background and self-regulated learning competence to improve students’ academic achievement.               PMID:28035054

Robot Competence Development by Constructive Learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meng, Q.; Lee, M. H.; Hinde, C. J.

This paper presents a constructive learning approach for developing sensor-motor mapping in autonomous systems. The system’s adaptation to environment changes is discussed and three methods are proposed to deal with long term and short term changes. The proposed constructive learning allows autonomous systems to develop network topology and adjust network parameters. The approach is supported by findings from psychology and neuroscience especially during infants cognitive development at early stages. A growing radial basis function network is introduced as a computational substrate for sensory-motor mapping learning. Experiments are conducted on a robot eye/hand coordination testbed and results show the incremental development of sensory-motor mapping and its adaptation to changes such as in tool-use.

Robot Competence Development by Constructive Learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meng, Q.; Lee, M. H.; Hinde, C. J.

This paper presents a constructive learning approach for developing sensor-motor mapping in autonomous systems. The system's adaptation to environment changes is discussed and three methods are proposed to deal with long term and short term changes. The proposed constructive learning allows autonomous systems to develop network topology and adjust network parameters. The approach is supported by findings from psychology and neuroscience especially during infants cognitive development at early stages. A growing radial basis function network is introduced as a computational substrate for sensory-motor mapping learning. Experiments are conducted on a robot eye/hand coordination testbed and results show the incremental development of sensory-motor mapping and its adaptation to changes such as in tool-use.

The Relationship between Artificial and Second Language Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ettlinger, Marc; Morgan-Short, Kara; Faretta-Stutenberg, Mandy; Wong, Patrick C. M.

2016-01-01

Artificial language learning (ALL) experiments have become an important tool in exploring principles of language and language learning. A persistent question in all of this work, however, is whether ALL engages the linguistic system and whether ALL studies are ecologically valid assessments of natural language ability. In the present study, we…

The Role of Consciousness in Second Language Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schmidt, Richard W.

1990-01-01

Summarizes recent psychological research and theory on the topic of consciousness, and looks at three questions in second-language learning related to the role of consciousness in input processing. The discussion involves the requirement in learning a second language of subliminal learning, implicit learning, and incidental learning. (142…

TATAR MANUAL, DESCRIPTIVE GRAMMAR AND TEXTS WITH A TATAR-ENGLISH GLOSSARY. URALIC AND ALTAIC SERIES, VOLUME 25.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

POPPE, NICHOLAS

THIS MANUAL PRESENTS A COMPREHENSIVE GRAMMAR OF TATAR, ONE OF THE TURKIC LANGUAGES BELONGING TO THE NORTH-WESTERN (KIPCHAK) BRANCH. IT IS SPOKEN BY NEARLY FIVE MILLION PEOPLE IN THE AUTONOMOUS TATAR SOVIET REPUBLIC OF THE USSR. A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE LANGUAGE AND ITS MAIN DIALECTS IS GIVEN IN THE INTRODUCTION, WHICH ALSO INCLUDES A SELECTED…

Learning Languages: The Journal of the National Network for Early Language Learning, 1998-1999.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosenbusch, Marcia H., Ed.

1999-01-01

These three journals include articles on issues related to language learning. The fall 1998 journal presents: "Attention! Are You Seeking a Position with Excellent Long-Term Benefits? Be an Advocate!" (Mary Lynn Redmond); "National Town Meeting Energizes Support for Early Language Learning" (Marcia Harmon Rosenbusch);…

Competence Visualisation: Making Sense of Data from 21st-Century Technologies in Language Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bull, Susan; Wasson, Barbara

2016-01-01

This paper introduces an open learner model approach to learning analytics to combine the variety of data available from the range of applications and technologies in language learning, for visualisation of language learning competences to learners and teachers in the European language context. Specific examples are provided as illustrations…

Child-Adult Differences in Implicit and Explicit Second Language Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lichtman, Karen Melissa

2012-01-01

Mainstream linguistics has long held that there is a fundamental difference between adult and child language learning (Bley-Vroman, 1990; Johnson & Newport, 1989; DeKeyser, 2000; Paradis, 2004). This difference is often framed as a change from implicit language learning in childhood to explicit language learning in adulthood, which is…

Visualization Analytics for Second Language Vocabulary Learning in Virtual Worlds

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hsiao, Indy Y. T.; Lan, Yu-Ju; Kao, Chia-Ling; Li, Ping

2017-01-01

Language learning occurring in authentic contexts has been shown to be more effective. Virtual worlds provide simulated contexts that have the necessary elements of authentic contexts for language learning, and as a result, many studies have adopted virtual worlds as a useful platform for language learning. However, few studies so far have…

A Preliminary Survey of the Preferred Learning Methods for Interpretation Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heinz, Michael

2013-01-01

There are many different methods that individuals use to learn languages like reading books or writing essays. Not all methods are equally successful for second language learners but nor do all successful learners of a second language show identical preferences for learning methods. Additionally, at the highest level of language learning various…

High School Foreign Language Students' Perceptions of Language Learning Strategies Use and Self-Efficacy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Capital Language Resource Center, Washington, DC.

This study investigated the relationship of language learning strategies use and self-efficacy of high school students learning Chinese, German, Russian, Japanese, and Spanish. Through two questionnaires, The Language Learning Strategies Questionnaire and The Self-Efficacy Questionnaire, researchers were able to collect and analyze data on…

Cooperative Language Learning: Increasing Opportunities for Learning in Teams

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wichadee, Saovapa; Orawiwatnakul, Wiwat

2012-01-01

This paper conceptualizes cooperative language learning, group instruction which is under the learner-centered approach where the groups are formed in such a way that each member performs his or her task to achieve the goal. Previous research indicates that cooperative language learning doesn't only improve learners' language skills, but also…

A Program That Acquires Language Using Positive and Negative Feedback.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brand, James

1987-01-01

Describes the language learning program "Acquire," which is a sample of grammar induction. It is a learning algorithm based on a pattern-matching scheme, using both a positive and negative network to reduce overgeneration. Language learning programs may be useful as tutorials for learning the syntax of a foreign language. (Author/LMO)

Students with Learning Disabilities in the Foreign Language Learning Environment and the Practice of Exemption

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wight, Mary Caitlin S.

2015-01-01

This examination of the literature on foreign, or second, language learning by native English-speaking students with disabilities addresses the benefits of language learning, the practices and policies of language exemption, the perceptions of students and educators regarding those practices, and available resources for supporting students with…

Beliefs about Language Learning of Thai Upper Secondary School Students in Different Educational Contexts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Apairach, Sirawit; Vibulphol, Jutarat

2015-01-01

Beliefs about language learning are considered key for success in language learning. These beliefs can be shaped by contextual factors (Amuzie & Winke, 2009; Dole & Sinatra, 1994; Negueruela-Azarola, 2011). This paper explores the beliefs about language learning of Thai secondary school students in two educational contexts: in the…

The Role of Language Learning Progressions in Improved Instruction and Assessment of English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bailey, Alison L.; Heritage, Margaret

2014-01-01

This article addresses theoretical and empirical issues relevant for the development and evaluation of language learning progressions. The authors explore how learning progressions aligned with new content standards can form a central basis of efforts to describe the English language needed in school contexts for learning, instruction, and…

Teaching and Learning Vocabulary: What English Language Learners Perceive to Be Effective and Ineffective Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sa'd, Seyyed Hatam Tamimi; Rajabi, Fereshte

2018-01-01

Vocabulary constitutes an essential part of every language-learning endeavour and deserves scholarly attention. The objective of the present study was three-fold: 1) exploring Iranian English language learners' Vocabulary Learning Strategies (VLSs), 2) examining language learners' perceptions of vocabulary learning, and 3) exploring Iranian…

Variability in Second Language Learning: The Roles of Individual Differences, Learning Conditions, and Linguistic Complexity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tagarelli, Kaitlyn M.; Ruiz, Simón; Vega, José Luis Moreno; Rebuschat, Patrick

2016-01-01

Second language learning outcomes are highly variable, due to a variety of factors, including individual differences, exposure conditions, and linguistic complexity. However, exactly how these factors interact to influence language learning is unknown. This article examines the relationship between these three variables in language learners.…

Sleep Disorders as a Risk to Language Learning and Use. EBP Briefs. Volume 10, Issue 1

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGregor, Karla K.; Alper, Rebecca M.

2015-01-01

Clinical Question: Are people with sleep disorders at higher risk for language learning deficits than healthy sleepers? Method: Scoping Review. Study Sources: PubMed, Google Scholar, Trip Database, ClinicalTrials.gov. Search Terms: sleep disorders AND language AND learning; sleep disorders language learning--deprivation--epilepsy; sleep disorders…

An Intelligent Computer Assisted Language Learning System for Arabic Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shaalan, Khaled F.

2005-01-01

This paper describes the development of an intelligent computer-assisted language learning (ICALL) system for learning Arabic. This system could be used for learning Arabic by students at primary schools or by learners of Arabic as a second or foreign language. It explores the use of Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques for learning…

Exploring Prospective EFL Teachers' Perceived Self-Efficacy and Beliefs on English Language Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Genç, Gülten; Kulusakli, Emine; Aydin, Savas

2016-01-01

Learners' perceived self-efficacy and beliefs on English language learning are important in education. Taking into consideration the important impact of individual variables on language learning, this study seeks to highlight the relationship between Turkish EFL learners' beliefs about language learning and their sense of self-efficacy. The…

Applications of Cognitive Load Theory to Multimedia-Based Foreign Language Learning: An Overview

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, I-Jung; Chang, Chi-Cheng; Lee, Yen-Chang

2009-01-01

This article reviews the multimedia instructional design literature based on cognitive load theory (CLT) in the context of foreign language learning. Multimedia are of particular importance in language learning materials because they incorporate text, image, and sound, thus offering an integrated learning experience of the four language skills…

Neural associative memories for the integration of language, vision and action in an autonomous agent.

PubMed

Markert, H; Kaufmann, U; Kara Kayikci, Z; Palm, G

2009-03-01

Language understanding is a long-standing problem in computer science. However, the human brain is capable of processing complex languages with seemingly no difficulties. This paper shows a model for language understanding using biologically plausible neural networks composed of associative memories. The model is able to deal with ambiguities on the single word and grammatical level. The language system is embedded into a robot in order to demonstrate the correct semantical understanding of the input sentences by letting the robot perform corresponding actions. For that purpose, a simple neural action planning system has been combined with neural networks for visual object recognition and visual attention control mechanisms.

How relevant is social interaction in second language learning?

PubMed Central

Verga, Laura; Kotz, Sonja A.

2013-01-01

Verbal language is the most widespread mode of human communication, and an intrinsically social activity. This claim is strengthened by evidence emerging from different fields, which clearly indicates that social interaction influences human communication, and more specifically, language learning. Indeed, research conducted with infants and children shows that interaction with a caregiver is necessary to acquire language. Further evidence on the influence of sociality on language comes from social and linguistic pathologies, in which deficits in social and linguistic abilities are tightly intertwined, as is the case for Autism, for example. However, studies on adult second language (L2) learning have been mostly focused on individualistic approaches, partly because of methodological constraints, especially of imaging methods. The question as to whether social interaction should be considered as a critical factor impacting upon adult language learning still remains underspecified. Here, we review evidence in support of the view that sociality plays a significant role in communication and language learning, in an attempt to emphasize factors that could facilitate this process in adult language learning. We suggest that sociality should be considered as a potentially influential factor in adult language learning and that future studies in this domain should explicitly target this factor. PMID:24027521

How relevant is social interaction in second language learning?

PubMed

Verga, Laura; Kotz, Sonja A

2013-09-03

Verbal language is the most widespread mode of human communication, and an intrinsically social activity. This claim is strengthened by evidence emerging from different fields, which clearly indicates that social interaction influences human communication, and more specifically, language learning. Indeed, research conducted with infants and children shows that interaction with a caregiver is necessary to acquire language. Further evidence on the influence of sociality on language comes from social and linguistic pathologies, in which deficits in social and linguistic abilities are tightly intertwined, as is the case for Autism, for example. However, studies on adult second language (L2) learning have been mostly focused on individualistic approaches, partly because of methodological constraints, especially of imaging methods. The question as to whether social interaction should be considered as a critical factor impacting upon adult language learning still remains underspecified. Here, we review evidence in support of the view that sociality plays a significant role in communication and language learning, in an attempt to emphasize factors that could facilitate this process in adult language learning. We suggest that sociality should be considered as a potentially influential factor in adult language learning and that future studies in this domain should explicitly target this factor.

Language Anxiety and Achievement.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Horwitz, Elaine K.

2001-01-01

Considers the literature on language learning anxiety in an effort to clarify the relationship between anxiety and second language learning. Suggests that anxiety is indeed a cause of poor language learning in some individuals and discusses possible sources of this anxiety. (Author/VWL)

A Critical Theory Perspective on Accelerated Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brookfield, Stephen D.

2003-01-01

Critically analyzes accelerated learning using concepts from Herbert Marcuse (rebellious subjectivity) and Erich Fromm (automaton conformity). Concludes that, by providing distance and separation, accelerated learning has more potential to stimulate critical autonomous thought. (SK)

Autonomous learning based on cost assumptions: theoretical studies and experiments in robot control.

PubMed

Ribeiro, C H; Hemerly, E M

2000-02-01

Autonomous learning techniques are based on experience acquisition. In most realistic applications, experience is time-consuming: it implies sensor reading, actuator control and algorithmic update, constrained by the learning system dynamics. The information crudeness upon which classical learning algorithms operate make such problems too difficult and unrealistic. Nonetheless, additional information for facilitating the learning process ideally should be embedded in such a way that the structural, well-studied characteristics of these fundamental algorithms are maintained. We investigate in this article a more general formulation of the Q-learning method that allows for a spreading of information derived from single updates towards a neighbourhood of the instantly visited state and converges to optimality. We show how this new formulation can be used as a mechanism to safely embed prior knowledge about the structure of the state space, and demonstrate it in a modified implementation of a reinforcement learning algorithm in a real robot navigation task.

Mobile robots IV; Proceedings of the Meeting, Philadelphia, PA, Nov. 6, 7, 1989

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wolfe, W.J.; Chun, W.H.

1990-01-01

The present conference on mobile robot systems discusses high-speed machine perception based on passive sensing, wide-angle optical ranging, three-dimensional path planning for flying/crawling robots, navigation of autonomous mobile intelligence in an unstructured natural environment, mechanical models for the locomotion of a four-articulated-track robot, a rule-based command language for a semiautonomous Mars rover, and a computer model of the structured light vision system for a Mars rover. Also discussed are optical flow and three-dimensional information for navigation, feature-based reasoning trail detection, a symbolic neural-net production system for obstacle avoidance and navigation, intelligent path planning for robot navigation in an unknown environment,more » behaviors from a hierarchical control system, stereoscopic TV systems, the REACT language for autonomous robots, and a man-amplifying exoskeleton.« less

How Does Anxiety Affect Second Language Learning? A Reply to Sparks and Ganschow.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

MacIntyre, Peter D.

1995-01-01

Advocates that language anxiety can play a significant causal role in creating individual differences in both language learning and communication. This paper studies the role of anxiety in the language learning process and concludes that the linguistic coding deficit hypothesis errs in assigning epiphenomenal status to language anxiety. (57…

Task-Based EFL Language Teaching with Procedural Information Design in a Technical Writing Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roy, Debopriyo

2017-01-01

Task-based language learning (TBLL) has heavily influenced syllabus design, classroom teaching, and learner assessment in a foreign or second language teaching context. In this English as foreign language (EFL) learning environment, the paper discussed an innovative language learning pedagogy based on design education and technical writing. In…

Literacy through Languages: Connecting with the Common Core

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sandrock, Paul

2013-01-01

The Common Core Standards have defined literacy and outlined the mission for English Language Arts in a way that provides a natural fit with the National Standards for Language Learning. Taking advantage of this connection, language teachers can showcase the importance of learning languages by demonstrating how literacy is learned, practiced, and…

Nahuatl as a Classical, Foreign, and Additional Language: A Phenomenological Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

De Felice, Dustin

2012-01-01

In this study, participants learning an endangered language variety shared their experiences, thoughts, and feelings about the often complex and diverse language-learning process. I used phenomenological interviews in order to learn more about these English or Spanish language speakers' journey with the Nahuatl language. From first encounter to…

Assessment of Language Learning Strategies Used by Palestinian EFL Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Khalil, Aziz

2005-01-01

This article assesses the language learning strategies (LLSs) used by 194 high school and 184 university English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) learners in Palestine, using Oxford's (1990) Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL). It also explores the effect of language proficiency and gender on frequency of strategy use. The findings show…

A Project for Everyone: English Language Learners and Technology in Content-Area Classrooms.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Egbert, Joy

2002-01-01

Discussion of student participation in classroom projects when learning English as a second language highlights conditions that support language and content learning; approaches that can facilitate language and content learning; and what technology and other resources support English language learners in content-area classrooms. Uses a project on…

Effects of Community Service-Learning on Heritage Language Learners' Attitudes toward Their Language and Culture

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pascual y Cabo, Diego; Prada, Josh; Lowther Pereira, Kelly

2017-01-01

This study examined the effects of participation in a community service-learning experience on Spanish heritage language learners' attitudes toward their heritage language and culture. Quantitative and qualitative data from heritage language learners demonstrated that engagement in community service-learning activities as part of the Spanish…

The Use of the First Language in Second Language Learning Reconsidered

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Halasa, Najwa Hanna; Al-Manaseer, Majeda

2012-01-01

This paper aims to study new techniques in second language learning involving the active use of the mother tongue in classroom situations. Several teaching methods will be discussed such as The Alternating Approach, The New Concurrent Method, and Community Language Learning method. These methods of employing the first language recognise the link…

The Relationships among Group Size, Participation, and Performance of Programming Language Learning Supported with Online Forums

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shaw, Ruey-Shiang

2013-01-01

This study examined the relationships among group size, participation, and learning performance factors when learning a programming language in a computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) context. An online forum was used as the CSCL environment for learning the Microsoft ASP.NET programming language. The collaborative-learning experiment…

Surveying and Modeling Students' Motivation and Learning Strategies for Mobile-Assisted Seamless Chinese Language Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chai, Ching Sing; Wong, Lung-Hsiang; King, Ronnel B.

2016-01-01

Seamless language learning promises to be an effective learning approach that addresses the limitations of classroom-only language learning. It leverages mobile technologies to facilitate holistic and perpetual learning experiences that bridge different locations, times, technologies or social settings. Despite the emergence of studies on seamless…

Statistical learning and language acquisition

PubMed Central

Romberg, Alexa R.; Saffran, Jenny R.

2011-01-01

Human learners, including infants, are highly sensitive to structure in their environment. Statistical learning refers to the process of extracting this structure. A major question in language acquisition in the past few decades has been the extent to which infants use statistical learning mechanisms to acquire their native language. There have been many demonstrations showing infants’ ability to extract structures in linguistic input, such as the transitional probability between adjacent elements. This paper reviews current research on how statistical learning contributes to language acquisition. Current research is extending the initial findings of infants’ sensitivity to basic statistical information in many different directions, including investigating how infants represent regularities, learn about different levels of language, and integrate information across situations. These current directions emphasize studying statistical language learning in context: within language, within the infant learner, and within the environment as a whole. PMID:21666883

Learning a Language with Web 2.0: Exploring the Use of Social Networking Features of Foreign Language Learning Websites

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stevenson, Megan P.; Liu, Min

2010-01-01

This paper presents the results of an online survey and a usability test performed on three foreign language learning websites that use Web 2.0 technology. The online survey was conducted to gain an understanding of how current users of language learning websites use them for learning and social purposes. The usability test was conducted to gain…

Autonomous Soil Assessment System: A Data-Driven Approach to Planetary Mobility Hazard Detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raimalwala, K.; Faragalli, M.; Reid, E.

2018-04-01

The Autonomous Soil Assessment System predicts mobility hazards for rovers. Its development and performance are presented, with focus on its data-driven models, machine learning algorithms, and real-time sensor data fusion for predictive analytics.

How Successful Learners Employ Learning Strategies in an EFL Setting in the Indonesian Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Setiyadi, Ag. Bambang; Sukirlan, Muhammad; Mahpul

2016-01-01

Numerous studies have been conducted to correlate the use of language learning strategies and language performance and the studies have contributed to different perspectives of teaching and learning a foreign language. Some studies have also revealed that the students learning a foreign language in Asian contexts have been proved to use different…

Vocabulary Instruction: Software Flashcards vs. Word Clouds

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mansouri, Vahid

2015-01-01

When it comes to language learning, vocabulary learning is the main activity focused on. Vocabulary learning is the main problem and also the goal of new language learners. It is one of the major problems that language learners encounter during learning a new language. Krashen (1989) (cited in Tokac, 2005) points out the role of vocabulary in a…

Paradoxes of Social Networking in a Structured Web 2.0 Language Learning Community

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Loiseau, Mathieu; Zourou, Katerina

2012-01-01

This paper critically inquires into social networking as a set of mechanisms and associated practices developed in a structured Web 2.0 language learning community. This type of community can be roughly described as learning spaces featuring (more or less) structured language learning resources displaying at least some notions of language learning…

Understanding the Nature of Learners' Out-of-Class Language Learning Experience with Technology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lai, Chun; Hu, Xiao; Lyu, Boning

2018-01-01

Out-of-class learning with technology comprises an essential context of second language development. Understanding the nature of out-of-class language learning with technology is the initial step towards safeguarding its quality. This study examined the types of learning experiences that language learners engaged in outside the classroom and the…

On Using Intelligent Computer-Assisted Language Learning in Real-Life Foreign Language Teaching and Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Amaral, Luiz A.; Meurers, Detmar

2011-01-01

This paper explores the motivation and prerequisites for successful integration of Intelligent Computer-Assisted Language Learning (ICALL) tools into current foreign language teaching and learning (FLTL) practice. We focus on two aspects, which we argue to be important for effective ICALL system development and use: (i) the relationship between…

Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) in Support of (Re)-Learning Native Languages: The Case of Runyakitara

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Katushemererwe, Fridah; Nerbonne, John

2015-01-01

This study presents the results from a computer-assisted language learning (CALL) system of Runyakitara (RU_CALL). The major objective was to provide an electronic language learning environment that can enable learners with mother tongue deficiencies to enhance their knowledge of grammar and acquire writing skills in Runyakitara. The system…

Cultural Conceptualisations in Learning English as an L2: Examples from Persian-Speaking Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sharifian, Farzad

2013-01-01

Traditionally, many studies of second language acquisition (SLA) were based on the assumption that learning a new language mainly involves learning a set of grammatical rules, lexical items, and certain new sounds and sound combinations. However, for many second language learners, learning a second language may involve contact and interactions…

Exploring Effectiveness and Moderators of Language Learning Strategy Instruction on Second Language and Self-Regulated Learning Outcomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ardasheva, Yuliya; Wang, Zhe; Adesope, Olusola O.; Valentine, Jeffrey C.

2017-01-01

This meta-analysis synthesized recent research on strategy instruction (SI) effectiveness to estimate SI effects and their moderators for two domains: second/foreign language and self-regulated learning. A total of 37 studies (47 independent samples) for language domain and 16 studies (17 independent samples) for self-regulated learning domain…

Language Learning Strategies of Language e-Learners in Turkey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Solak, Ekrem; Cakir, Recep

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the use of language learning strategies of e-learners and to understand whether there were any correlations between language learning strategies and academic achievement. Participants of the study were 274?e-learners, 132 males and 142 females, enrolled in an e-learning program from various majors and…

Language Learning and Its Impact on the Brain: Connecting Language Learning with the Mind through Content-Based Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kennedy, Teresa J.

2006-01-01

Cognitive sciences are discovering many things that educators have always intuitively known about language learning. However, the important point is actively using this new information to improve both students learning and current teaching practices. The implications of neuroscience for educational reform regarding second language (L2) learning…

Synchronous and Asynchronous E-Language Learning: A Case Study of Virtual University of Pakistan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perveen, Ayesha

2016-01-01

This case study evaluated the impact of synchronous and asynchronous E-Language Learning activities (ELL-ivities) in an E-Language Learning Environment (ELLE) at Virtual University of Pakistan. The purpose of the study was to assess e-language learning analytics based on the constructivist approach of collaborative construction of knowledge. The…

The Relationship between Instructor Humor Orientation and Students' Report on Second Language Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ziyaeemehr, Ali; Kumar, Vijay

2014-01-01

Humor is an integral component of any language and therefore has an impact on the way languages are acquired/learned. Numerous studies have investigated the role of instructor humor in teaching/learning processes; however, there is little empirical research on the relationship between instructor humor and learning of a second language. This paper…

Future Directions for the Learning of Languages in Universities: Challenges and Opportunities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pauwels, Anne

2011-01-01

The place of foreign language learning in education has a rich and diverse history since the introduction of compulsory schooling, with some countries including the learning of a foreign language as a compulsory part of the curriculum, whilst in others foreign language learning is seen as an optional subject suited for more academically minded…

The Relationship between Socio-Economic Status, General Language Learning Outcome, and Beliefs about Language Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ariani, Mohsen Ghasemi; Ghafournia, Narjes

2016-01-01

The objective of this study is to explore the probable relationship between Iranian students' socioeconomic status, general language learning outcome, and their beliefs about language learning. To this end, 350 postgraduate students, doing English for specific courses at Islamic Azad University of Neyshabur participated in this study. They were…

Child first language and adult second language are both tied to general-purpose learning systems.

PubMed

Hamrick, Phillip; Lum, Jarrad A G; Ullman, Michael T

2018-02-13

Do the mechanisms underlying language in fact serve general-purpose functions that preexist this uniquely human capacity? To address this contentious and empirically challenging issue, we systematically tested the predictions of a well-studied neurocognitive theory of language motivated by evolutionary principles. Multiple metaanalyses were performed to examine predicted links between language and two general-purpose learning systems, declarative and procedural memory. The results tied lexical abilities to learning only in declarative memory, while grammar was linked to learning in both systems in both child first language and adult second language, in specific ways. In second language learners, grammar was associated with only declarative memory at lower language experience, but with only procedural memory at higher experience. The findings yielded large effect sizes and held consistently across languages, language families, linguistic structures, and tasks, underscoring their reliability and validity. The results, which met the predicted pattern, provide comprehensive evidence that language is tied to general-purpose systems both in children acquiring their native language and adults learning an additional language. Crucially, if language learning relies on these systems, then our extensive knowledge of the systems from animal and human studies may also apply to this domain, leading to predictions that might be unwarranted in the more circumscribed study of language. Thus, by demonstrating a role for these systems in language, the findings simultaneously lay a foundation for potentially important advances in the study of this critical domain.

Modeling the language learning strategies and English language proficiency of pre-university students in UMS: A case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kiram, J. J.; Sulaiman, J.; Swanto, S.; Din, W. A.

2015-10-01

This study aims to construct a mathematical model of the relationship between a student's Language Learning Strategy usage and English Language proficiency. Fifty-six pre-university students of University Malaysia Sabah participated in this study. A self-report questionnaire called the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning was administered to them to measure their language learning strategy preferences before they sat for the Malaysian University English Test (MUET), the results of which were utilised to measure their English language proficiency. We attempted the model assessment specific to Multiple Linear Regression Analysis subject to variable selection using Stepwise regression. We conducted various assessments to the model obtained, including the Global F-test, Root Mean Square Error and R-squared. The model obtained suggests that not all language learning strategies should be included in the model in an attempt to predict Language Proficiency.

Timeliner: Automating Procedures on the ISS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brown, Robert; Braunstein, E.; Brunet, Rick; Grace, R.; Vu, T.; Zimpfer, Doug; Dwyer, William K.; Robinson, Emily

2002-01-01

Timeliner has been developed as a tool to automate procedural tasks. These tasks may be sequential tasks that would typically be performed by a human operator, or precisely ordered sequencing tasks that allow autonomous execution of a control process. The Timeliner system includes elements for compiling and executing sequences that are defined in the Timeliner language. The Timeliner language was specifically designed to allow easy definition of scripts that provide sequencing and control of complex systems. The execution environment provides real-time monitoring and control based on the commands and conditions defined in the Timeliner language. The Timeliner sequence control may be preprogrammed, compiled from Timeliner "scripts," or it may consist of real-time, interactive inputs from system operators. In general, the Timeliner system lowers the workload for mission or process control operations. In a mission environment, scripts can be used to automate spacecraft operations including autonomous or interactive vehicle control, performance of preflight and post-flight subsystem checkouts, or handling of failure detection and recovery. Timeliner may also be used for mission payload operations, such as stepping through pre-defined procedures of a scientific experiment.

Technology and Second Language Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lin, Li Li

2009-01-01

Current technology provides new opportunities to increase the effectiveness of language learning and teaching. Incorporating well-organized and effective technology into second language learning and teaching for improving students' language proficiency has been refined by researchers and educators for many decades. Based on the rapidly changing…

Empirical Validation of the Importance of Employees' Learning Motivation for Workplace E-Learning in Taiwanese Organisations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Hsiu-Ju; Kao, Chia-Hung

2012-01-01

E-learning systems, adopted by organisations for employee training to enhance employees' performance, are characterised by self-directed, autonomous learning. Learning motivation is then of importance in the design of e-learning practices in workplace. However, empirical study of the alignment of e-learning with individual learning needs and…

Social Interaction in Infants' Learning of Second-Language Phonetics: An Exploration of Brain-Behavior Relations.

PubMed

Conboy, Barbara T; Brooks, Rechele; Meltzoff, Andrew N; Kuhl, Patricia K

2015-01-01

Infants learn phonetic information from a second language with live-person presentations, but not television or audio-only recordings. To understand the role of social interaction in learning a second language, we examined infants' joint attention with live, Spanish-speaking tutors and used a neural measure of phonetic learning. Infants' eye-gaze behaviors during Spanish sessions at 9.5-10.5 months of age predicted second-language phonetic learning, assessed by an event-related potential measure of Spanish phoneme discrimination at 11 months. These data suggest a powerful role for social interaction at the earliest stages of learning a new language.

Some Questions Answered About "Right Brain" Language Learning and Teaching.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lawlor, Michael

1987-01-01

Centers on the opinions of Michael Lawlor of the Society for Effective Affective Learning (S.E.A.L.) about "right brain" language learning and includes suggestions (with examples presented about learning Greek) for developing one's power of suggestion and applying it to foreign language learning. (CB)

Overcoming Learning Time and Space Constraints through Technological Tool

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zarei, Nafiseh; Hussin, Supyan; Rashid, Taufik

2015-01-01

Today the use of technological tools has become an evolution in language learning and language acquisition. Many instructors and lecturers believe that integrating Web-based learning tools into language courses allows pupils to become active learners during learning process. This study investigates how the Learning Management Blog (LMB) overcomes…

A Context-Aware Ubiquitous Learning Environment for Language Listening and Speaking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, T.-Y.

2009-01-01

This paper reported the results of a study that aimed to construct a sensor and handheld augmented reality (AR)-supported ubiquitous learning (u-learning) environment called the Handheld English Language Learning Organization (HELLO), which is geared towards enhancing students' language learning. The HELLO integrates sensors, AR, ubiquitous…

Is Online Learning Suitable for All English Language Students?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kuama, Settha; Intharaksa, Usa

2016-01-01

This study aimed to examine online language learning strategies (OLLS) used and affection in online learning of successful and unsuccessful online language students and investigate the relationships between OLLS use, affection in online learning and online English learning outcomes. The participants included 346 university students completing a…

Second Language Experience Facilitates Statistical Learning of Novel Linguistic Materials

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Potter, Christine E.; Wang, Tianlin; Saffran, Jenny R.

2017-01-01

Recent research has begun to explore individual differences in statistical learning, and how those differences may be related to other cognitive abilities, particularly their effects on language learning. In this research, we explored a different type of relationship between language learning and statistical learning: the possibility that learning…

Strategies for Better Learning of English Grammar: Chinese vs. Thais

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Supakorn, Patnarin; Feng, Min; Limmun, Wanida

2018-01-01

The success of language learning significantly depends on multiple sets of complex factors; among these are language-learning strategies of which learners in different countries may show different preferences. Needed areas of language learning strategy research include, among others, the strategy of grammar learning and the context-based approach…

Playing with the Language: Investigating the Role of Communicative Games in an Arab Language Teaching System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al-Bulushi, Ali H.; Al-Issa, Ali S.

2017-01-01

Language learning games combine a number of linguistic, psychological and social elements that have been found to have considerable advantages and powerfully impact language learning and teaching. They are incorporated into language curricula to promote interactive engaging learning. This study investigates the role of games in the Omani ELT…

Language Learning and the Raising of Cultural Awareness through Internet Telephony: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Polisca, Elena

2011-01-01

This article seeks to assess the impact of V-Pal (Virtual Partnerships for All Languages) on the student language learning experience within a conventional UK higher education (HE) curriculum. V-Pal is an innovative computer-mediated language scheme, based on a reciprocal, distance-learning language project, run by the University of Manchester in…

Implementing Mobile-Assisted Language Learning (MALL) in an EFL Context: Iranian EFL Teachers' Perspectives on Challenges and Affordances

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dashtestani, Reza

2013-01-01

The implementation of computer-assisted language learning (CALL) has provided tremendous opportunities for language teachers to promote their computer literacy and adopt a learner-centered approach to teaching. Accordingly, with the rising advent of language learning technologies, language teachers would occupy a fundamental role in preparing and…

Adaptation of Communicative Language Teaching Methodology to an English Textbook for English Language Learning of NIDA Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

West, Andrew J.

2016-01-01

In this paper, the researcher focuses on assessing the language learning benefits for students of adapting the communicative language teaching (CLT) methodology to an English textbook, a methodology that, according to Richards (2006), Littlewood (2008) and others, is influential in shaping second language learning worldwide. This paper is intended…

Career Adventures from Learning Languages

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaye, Paul

2016-01-01

Learning and using languages has been a central feature of most of Paul Kaye's working life. In his current job, he helps to promote multilingualism, language learning, and the language industry in the UK, as well as to raise awareness of careers in the EU civil service for those with language knowledge. He is on temporary secondment from the…

Toward Mobile Assisted Language Learning Apps for Professionals That Integrate Learning into the Daily Routine

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pareja-Lora, Antonio; Arús-Hita, Jorge; Read, Timothy; Rodríguez-Arancón, Pilar; Calle-Martínez, Cristina; Pomposo, Lourdes; Martín-Monje, Elena; Bárcena, Elena

2013-01-01

In this short paper, we present some initial work on Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL) undertaken by the ATLAS research group. ATLAS embraced this multidisciplinary field cutting across Mobile Learning and Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) as a natural step in their quest to find learning formulas for professional English that…

My Personal Mobile Language Learning Environment: An Exploration and Classification of Language Learning Possibilities Using the iPhone

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perifanou, Maria A.

2011-01-01

Mobile devices can motivate learners through moving language learning from predominantly classroom-based contexts into contexts that are free from time and space. The increasing development of new applications can offer valuable support to the language learning process and can provide a basis for a new self regulated and personal approach to…

Adult Learners' Perceptions of the Significance of Culture in Foreign Language Teaching and Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brooks-Lewis, Kimberly Anne

2014-01-01

Is learning about culture important when learning a foreign language? One would think that after its long history in the field of foreign language teaching this question had been answered with a resounding "yes". However, I saw little evidence of this in the classroom when I returned to the university to learn a foreign language or when…

The Learning of Grammar: An Experimental Study. Experimental Studies on the Learning of Language, Progress Report II, Revised.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Torrey, Jane W.

An experiment in language behavior comparing two methods of learning grammatical word order in a new language presents scientific evidence supporting the use of pattern drills in foreign language teaching. The experiment reviews the performance of three groups attempting to learn small segments of Russian "microlanguage": (1) a drill group learned…

The Exploring Nature of Definitions and Classifications of Language Learning Strategies (LLSs) in the Current Studies of Second/Foreign Language Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fazeli, Seyed Hossein

2011-01-01

This study aims to explore the nature of definitions and classifications of Language Learning Strategies (LLSs) in the current studies of second/foreign language learning in order to show the current problems regarding such definitions and classifications. The present study shows that there is not a universal agreeable definition and…

Service-Learning as a Means of Vocabulary Learning for Second Language and Heritage Language Learners of Spanish

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tocaimaza-Hatch, C. Cecilia; Walls, Laura C.

2016-01-01

Service-Learning (SL) has been defined as an experiential teaching methodology. Through SL, students participate in activities that benefit their community and enhance their learning experience. In the current study, Spanish as a second language (L2) and heritage language learners (HLLs) engaged in a SL project in which they translated English…

Influence of Grade Level on Perceptual Learning Style Preferences and Language Learning Strategies of Taiwanese English as a Foreign Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Mei-Ling

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate relationships between grade level, perceptual learning style preferences, and language learning strategies among Taiwanese English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students in grades 7 through 9. Three hundred and ninety junior high school students participated in this study. The instruments for data…

Integrating CALL into Language Teaching: Implementing WBLL Technique to Teach English Language to EFL Learners in a Secondary School in Kurdistan Region

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hamamorad, Atta

2016-01-01

The rapid advance in technological tools and their expansiveness, has made their impact on different aspects of life undeniable. Education has also been a field in which technology has found a fertile ground to grow. Technology has made education much easier for both teachers and learners and provided a more autonomous and amusing ambiance for…

AGILE: Autonomous Global Integrated Language Exploitation

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-04-01

training is extending the pronunciation dictionary to cover any additional words. For many languages this is relatively straightforward via grapheme-to...into one or more word sequences and look up the constituent parts in the Master dictionary or apply Buckwalter to them. The Buckwalter prefix table was...errors involve the article ’Al’. As a result of this analysis, the pronunciation dictionary was extended to add alternate pronunciations for the

The Multilingual Classroom in Primary Education in the Basque Country and Friesland: Beliefs of Teachers and Their Language Practices. A Research Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arocena, Eli; Gorter, Durk

2013-01-01

The project "The educational value of various aspects of multilingualism in the classroom of the Basque Country and of Friesland" concerns a comparative study of the languages in the schools in the Basque Autonomous Community and in the Province of Friesland. It is part of the agreement between the general administration of the Basque…

A Stroke of Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blaisdell, Bob

2011-01-01

The author reflects on foreign-language learning by his EFL students as well as his own foreign-language learning. He concludes by musing on the possible and fantastical devastation on language-ability wrought by strokes.

When It Hurts (and Helps) to Try: The Role of Effort in Language Learning

PubMed Central

Finn, Amy S.; Lee, Taraz; Kraus, Allison; Hudson Kam, Carla L.

2014-01-01

Compared to children, adults are bad at learning language. This is counterintuitive; adults outperform children on most measures of cognition, especially those that involve effort (which continue to mature into early adulthood). The present study asks whether these mature effortful abilities interfere with language learning in adults and further, whether interference occurs equally for aspects of language that adults are good (word-segmentation) versus bad (grammar) at learning. Learners were exposed to an artificial language comprised of statistically defined words that belong to phonologically defined categories (grammar). Exposure occurred under passive or effortful conditions. Passive learners were told to listen while effortful learners were instructed to try to 1) learn the words, 2) learn the categories, or 3) learn the category-order. Effortful learners showed an advantage for learning words while passive learners showed an advantage for learning the categories. Effort can therefore hurt the learning of categories. PMID:25047901

When it hurts (and helps) to try: the role of effort in language learning.

PubMed

Finn, Amy S; Lee, Taraz; Kraus, Allison; Hudson Kam, Carla L

2014-01-01

Compared to children, adults are bad at learning language. This is counterintuitive; adults outperform children on most measures of cognition, especially those that involve effort (which continue to mature into early adulthood). The present study asks whether these mature effortful abilities interfere with language learning in adults and further, whether interference occurs equally for aspects of language that adults are good (word-segmentation) versus bad (grammar) at learning. Learners were exposed to an artificial language comprised of statistically defined words that belong to phonologically defined categories (grammar). Exposure occurred under passive or effortful conditions. Passive learners were told to listen while effortful learners were instructed to try to 1) learn the words, 2) learn the categories, or 3) learn the category-order. Effortful learners showed an advantage for learning words while passive learners showed an advantage for learning the categories. Effort can therefore hurt the learning of categories.

Desirable Difficulties in Vocabulary Learning

PubMed Central

BJORK, ROBERT A.; KROLL, JUDITH F.

2016-01-01

In this article we discuss the role of desirable difficulties in vocabulary learning from two perspectives, one having to do with identifying conditions of learning that impose initial challenges to the learner but then benefit later retention and transfer, and the other having to do with the role of certain difficulties that are intrinsic to language processes, are engaged during word learning, and reflect how language is understood and produced. From each perspective we discuss evidence that supports the notion that difficulties in learning and imposed costs to language processing may produce benefits because they are likely to increase conceptual understanding. We then consider the consequences of these processes for actual second-language learning and suggest that some of the domain-general cognitive advantages that have been reported for proficient bilinguals may reflect difficulties imposed by the learning process, and by the requirement to negotiate cross-language competition, that are broadly desirable. As Alice Healy and her collaborators were perhaps the first to demonstrate, research on desirable difficulties in vocabulary and language learning holds the promise of bringing together research traditions on memory and language that have much to offer each other. PMID:26255443

Desirable Difficulties in Vocabulary Learning.

PubMed

Bjork, Robert A; Kroll, Judith F

2015-01-01

In this article we discuss the role of desirable difficulties in vocabulary learning from two perspectives, one having to do with identifying conditions of learning that impose initial challenges to the learner but then benefit later retention and transfer, and the other having to do with the role of certain difficulties that are intrinsic to language processes, are engaged during word learning, and reflect how language is understood and produced. From each perspective we discuss evidence that supports the notion that difficulties in learning and imposed costs to language processing may produce benefits because they are likely to increase conceptual understanding. We then consider the consequences of these processes for actual second-language learning and suggest that some of the domain-general cognitive advantages that have been reported for proficient bilinguals may reflect difficulties imposed by the learning process, and by the requirement to negotiate cross-language competition, that are broadly desirable. As Alice Healy and her collaborators were perhaps the first to demonstrate, research on desirable difficulties in vocabulary and language learning holds the promise of bringing together research traditions on memory and language that have much to offer each other.

Autonomic arousal and learning in Web-based simulation: a feasibility study.

PubMed

Gorrindo, Tristan; Chevalier, Lydia; Goldfarb, Elizabeth; Hoeppner, Bettina B; Birnbaum, Robert J

2014-01-01

Autonomic arousal is an important component of understanding learning as it is related to cognitive effort, attention, and emotional arousal. Currently, however, little is known about its relationship to online education. We conducted a study to determine the feasibility of measuring autonomic arousal and engagement in online continuing medical education (CME). Using the Computer Simulation Assessment Tool (CSAT) platform, health care providers were randomly assigned to either high- or low-valence versions of a Web-based simulation on risk assessment for a returning veteran. Data were collected on participants' actions within the simulation, self-reported cognitive engagement, knowledge retention, and autonomic arousal measured using galvanic skin response (GSR). Participants in the high-valence condition (n = 7) chose a lower percentage of critical actions (M = 79.2, SD = 4.2) than participants in the low valence (n = 8) condition (M = 83.9, SD = 3.6, t(1,14) = 2.44, p = .03). While not statistically significant, high-valence participants reported higher cognitive engagement. Participants in the high-valence condition showed a larger increase in physiologic arousal when comparing mean tonic GSR during the orientation simulation to the study simulation (high-valence mean difference = 4.21 μS, SD = 1.23 vs low-valence mean difference = 1.64 μS, SD = 2.32, t(1,13) = -2.62, p = .01). In addition to being consistent with previous engagement research, this experiment functioned as a feasibility study for measuring autonomic arousal in online CME. The current study provides a framework for future studies, which may use neurophysiology to identify the critical autonomic and engagement components associated with effective online learning. © 2014 The Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions, the Society for Academic Continuing Medical Education, and the Council on Continuing Medical Education, Association for Hospital Medical Education.

Toward Self-Referential Autonomous Learning of Object and Situation Models.

PubMed

Damerow, Florian; Knoblauch, Andreas; Körner, Ursula; Eggert, Julian; Körner, Edgar

2016-01-01

Most current approaches to scene understanding lack the capability to adapt object and situation models to behavioral needs not anticipated by the human system designer. Here, we give a detailed description of a system architecture for self-referential autonomous learning which enables the refinement of object and situation models during operation in order to optimize behavior. This includes structural learning of hierarchical models for situations and behaviors that is triggered by a mismatch between expected and actual action outcome. Besides proposing architectural concepts, we also describe a first implementation of our system within a simulated traffic scenario to demonstrate the feasibility of our approach.

Manifold traversing as a model for learning control of autonomous robots

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Szakaly, Zoltan F.; Schenker, Paul S.

1992-01-01

This paper describes a recipe for the construction of control systems that support complex machines such as multi-limbed/multi-fingered robots. The robot has to execute a task under varying environmental conditions and it has to react reasonably when previously unknown conditions are encountered. Its behavior should be learned and/or trained as opposed to being programmed. The paper describes one possible method for organizing the data that the robot has learned by various means. This framework can accept useful operator input even if it does not fully specify what to do, and can combine knowledge from autonomous, operator assisted and programmed experiences.

25 CFR 39.131 - What is a Language Development Program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... learning their Native language for the purpose of maintenance or language restoration and enhancement; (d) Are being instructed in their Native language; or (e) Are learning non-language subjects in their...

Aptitude for Learning a Foreign Language.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sparks, Richard; Ganschow, Leonore

2001-01-01

Review research on foreign language aptitude and its measurement prior to 1990. Describes research areas in the 1990s, including affective variables, language learning strategies, learning styles as contributors to aptitude and aptitude as a cognitive construct affected by language variables. Reviews research on individual differences and the…

Second Language Experience Facilitates Statistical Learning of Novel Linguistic Materials.

PubMed

Potter, Christine E; Wang, Tianlin; Saffran, Jenny R

2017-04-01

Recent research has begun to explore individual differences in statistical learning, and how those differences may be related to other cognitive abilities, particularly their effects on language learning. In this research, we explored a different type of relationship between language learning and statistical learning: the possibility that learning a new language may also influence statistical learning by changing the regularities to which learners are sensitive. We tested two groups of participants, Mandarin Learners and Naïve Controls, at two time points, 6 months apart. At each time point, participants performed two different statistical learning tasks: an artificial tonal language statistical learning task and a visual statistical learning task. Only the Mandarin-learning group showed significant improvement on the linguistic task, whereas both groups improved equally on the visual task. These results support the view that there are multiple influences on statistical learning. Domain-relevant experiences may affect the regularities that learners can discover when presented with novel stimuli. Copyright © 2016 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

Second language experience facilitates statistical learning of novel linguistic materials

PubMed Central

Potter, Christine E.; Wang, Tianlin; Saffran, Jenny R.

2016-01-01

Recent research has begun to explore individual differences in statistical learning, and how those differences may be related to other cognitive abilities, particularly their effects on language learning. In the present research, we explored a different type of relationship between language learning and statistical learning: the possibility that learning a new language may also influence statistical learning by changing the regularities to which learners are sensitive. We tested two groups of participants, Mandarin Learners and Naïve Controls, at two time points, six months apart. At each time point, participants performed two different statistical learning tasks: an artificial tonal language statistical learning task and a visual statistical learning task. Only the Mandarin-learning group showed significant improvement on the linguistic task, while both groups improved equally on the visual task. These results support the view that there are multiple influences on statistical learning. Domain-relevant experiences may affect the regularities that learners can discover when presented with novel stimuli. PMID:27988939

A Resource-Oriented Functional Approach to English Language Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Jia

2018-01-01

This article reports on a case study that investigates the learning preferences and strategies of Chinese students learning English as a second language (ESL) in Canadian school settings. It focuses on the interaction between second language (L2) learning methods that the students have adopted from their previous learning experience in China and…

Enculturating Seamless Language Learning through Artifact Creation and Social Interaction Process

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wong, Lung-Hsiang; Chai, Ching Sing; Aw, Guat Poh; King, Ronnel B.

2015-01-01

This paper reports a design-based research (DBR) cycle of MyCLOUD (My Chinese ubiquitOUs learning Days). MyCLOUD is a seamless language learning model that addresses identified limitations of conventional Chinese language teaching, such as the decontextualized and unauthentic learning processes that usually hinder reflection and deep learning.…

E?ffects of English Language Proficiency on the Choice of Language Learning Strategies by Saudi English-Major Undergraduates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Javid, Choudhary Z.; Al-thubaiti, Turki S.; Uthman, Awwadh

2013-01-01

It is reported that language learning is a creative and dynamic process and the learners are active partners in this process. This trend in language teaching motivated the researchers to investigate the learners' individual differences and the identification of language learning strategies (LLS) has become a major area of interest in this regard…

Nonadjacent Dependency Learning in Cantonese-Speaking Children With and Without a History of Specific Language Impairment.

PubMed

Iao, Lai-Sang; Ng, Lai Yan; Wong, Anita Mei Yin; Lee, Oi Ting

2017-03-01

This study investigated nonadjacent dependency learning in Cantonese-speaking children with and without a history of specific language impairment (SLI) in an artificial linguistic context. Sixteen Cantonese-speaking children with a history of SLI and 16 Cantonese-speaking children with typical language development (TLD) were tested with a nonadjacent dependency learning task using artificial languages that mimic Cantonese. Children with TLD performed above chance and were able to discriminate between trained and untrained nonadjacent dependencies. However, children with a history of SLI performed at chance and were not able to differentiate trained versus untrained nonadjacent dependencies. These findings, together with previous findings from English-speaking adults and adolescents with language impairments, suggest that individuals with atypical language development, regardless of age, diagnostic status, language, and culture, show difficulties in learning nonadjacent dependencies. This study provides evidence for early impairments to statistical learning in individuals with atypical language development.

Emerging Approach of Natural Language Processing in Opinion Mining: A Review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Tai-Hoon

Natural language processing (NLP) is a subfield of artificial intelligence and computational linguistics. It studies the problems of automated generation and understanding of natural human languages. This paper outlines a framework to use computer and natural language techniques for various levels of learners to learn foreign languages in Computer-based Learning environment. We propose some ideas for using the computer as a practical tool for learning foreign language where the most of courseware is generated automatically. We then describe how to build Computer Based Learning tools, discuss its effectiveness, and conclude with some possibilities using on-line resources.

The Pedagogical, Linguistic, and Content Features of Popular English Language Learning Websites in China: A Framework for Analysis and Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kettle, Margaret; Yuan, Yifeng; Luke, Allan; Ewing, Robyn; Shen, Huizhong

2012-01-01

As increasing numbers of Chinese language learners choose to learn English online, there is a need to investigate popular websites and their language learning designs. This paper reports on the first stage of a study that analyzed the pedagogical, linguistic, and content features of 25 Chinese English Language Learning (ELL) websites ranked…

An Analysis of Social Network Websites for Language Learning: Implications for Teaching and Learning English as a Second Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, M.; Abe, K.; Cao, M. W.; Liu, S.; Ok, D. U.; Park, J.; Parrish, C.; Sardegna, V. G.

2015-01-01

Although educators are excited about the potential of social network sites for language learning (SNSLL), there is a lack of understanding of how SNSLL can be used to facilitate teaching and learning for English as Second language (ESL) instructors and students. The purpose of this study was to examine the affordances of four selected SNSLL…

The Significance of the Poetic in Early Childhood Education: Stanley Cavell and Lucy Sprague Mitchell on Language Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frank, Jeff

2012-01-01

This paper begins with a discussion of Stanley Cavell's philosophy of language learning. Young people learn more than the meaning of words when acquiring language: they learn about (the quality of) our form of life. If we--as early childhood educators--see language teaching as something like handing some inert thing to a child, then we unduly…

Ecologia: The Assumptions, Expectations, and Strategies of Modern Language Students Working in a Self-Access Learning Environment for the First Time.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Piper, Alison

1994-01-01

This study examined 29 second-year undergraduate students of Spanish using a self-access learning environment for the first time, focusing on their language attitudes and learning strategies. The results show that, even as modern languages majors, the students possessed a model of language and strategies for learning that were significantly…

Social Interaction in Infants’ Learning of Second-Language Phonetics: An Exploration of Brain-Behavior Relations

PubMed Central

Conboy, Barbara T.; Brooks, Rechele; Meltzoff, Andrew N.; Kuhl, Patricia K.

2015-01-01

Infants learn phonetic information from a second language with live-person presentations, but not television or audio-only recordings. To understand the role of social interaction in learning a second language, we examined infants’ joint attention with live, Spanish-speaking tutors and used a neural measure of phonetic learning. Infants’ eye-gaze behaviors during Spanish sessions at 9.5 – 10.5 months of age predicted second-language phonetic learning, assessed by an event-related potential (ERP) measure of Spanish phoneme discrimination at 11 months. These data suggest a powerful role for social interaction at the earliest stages of learning a new language. PMID:26179488

Evolving autonomous learning in cognitive networks.

PubMed

Sheneman, Leigh; Hintze, Arend

2017-12-01

There are two common approaches for optimizing the performance of a machine: genetic algorithms and machine learning. A genetic algorithm is applied over many generations whereas machine learning works by applying feedback until the system meets a performance threshold. These methods have been previously combined, particularly in artificial neural networks using an external objective feedback mechanism. We adapt this approach to Markov Brains, which are evolvable networks of probabilistic and deterministic logic gates. Prior to this work MB could only adapt from one generation to the other, so we introduce feedback gates which augment their ability to learn during their lifetime. We show that Markov Brains can incorporate these feedback gates in such a way that they do not rely on an external objective feedback signal, but instead can generate internal feedback that is then used to learn. This results in a more biologically accurate model of the evolution of learning, which will enable us to study the interplay between evolution and learning and could be another step towards autonomously learning machines.

The Complexity of Language Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nelson, Charles

2011-01-01

This paper takes a complexity theory approach to looking at language learning, an approach that investigates how language learners adapt to and interact with people and their environment. Based on interviews with four graduate students, it shows how complexity theory can help us understand both the situatedness of language learning and also…

The Journal of the Imagination in Language Learning, 1997.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coreil, Clyde, Ed.; Napoliello, Mihri, Ed.

1997-01-01

Articles on second language teaching and learning include: "Creativity with a Small 'c'" (Alan Maley); "National Standards & the Role of the Imagination in Foreign Language Learning" (Rebecca M. Valette); "Who Am I in English? Developing a Language Ego" (Jean Zukowski/Faust); "Steps to Dance in the Adult EFL…

Spanish-Speaking English Language Learners' Experiences in High School Chemistry Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flores, Annette; Smith, K. Christopher

2013-01-01

This article reports on the experiences of Spanish-speaking English language learners in high school chemistry courses, focusing largely on experiences in learning the English language, experiences learning chemistry, and experiences learning chemistry in the English language. The findings illustrate the cognitive processes the students undertake…

Language Learning Strategies of Multilingual Adults Learning Additional Languages

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dmitrenko, Violetta

2017-01-01

The main goal consisted in identifying and bringing together strategies of multilinguals as a particular learner group. Therefore, research was placed in the intersection of the three fields: language learning strategies (LLS), third language acquisition (TLA), and the didactics of plurilingualism. First, the paper synthesises the major findings…

The Distance Learning of Foreign Languages: A Research Agenda

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

White, Cynthia

2014-01-01

Research into the distance learning of languages is now established as a significant avenue of enquiry in language teaching, with evident research trajectories in several domains. This article selects and analyses significant areas of investigation in distance language learning and teaching to identify new and emerging gaps, along with research…

Student Modeling and Ab Initio Language Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heift, Trude; Schulze, Mathias

2003-01-01

Provides examples of student modeling techniques that have been employed in computer-assisted language learning over the past decade. Describes two systems for learning German: "German Tutor" and "Geroline." Shows how a student model can support computerized adaptive language testing for diagnostic purposes in a Web-based language learning…

Students' Motivation towards Computer Use in EFL Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Genc, Gulten; Aydin, Selami

2010-01-01

It has been widely recognized that language instruction that integrates technology has become popular, and has had a tremendous impact on language learning process whereas learners are expected to be more motivated in a web-based Computer assisted language learning program, and improve their comprehensive language ability. Thus, the present paper…

Informal Language Learning Setting: Technology or Social Interaction?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bahrani, Taher; Sim, Tam Shu

2012-01-01

Based on the informal language learning theory, language learning can occur outside the classroom setting unconsciously and incidentally through interaction with the native speakers or exposure to authentic language input through technology. However, an EFL context lacks the social interaction which naturally occurs in an ESL context. To explore…

A Study of Flow Theory in the Foreign Language Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Egbert, Joy

2003-01-01

Focuses on the relationship between flow experiences and language learning. Flow theory suggests that flow experiences can lead to optimal learning. Findings suggest flow does exist in the foreign language classroom and that flow theory offers an interesting and useful framework for conceptualizing and evaluating language learning activities.…

Applications of artificial intelligence 1993: Knowledge-based systems in aerospace and industry; Proceedings of the Meeting, Orlando, FL, Apr. 13-15, 1993

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fayyad, Usama M. (Editor); Uthurusamy, Ramasamy (Editor)

1993-01-01

The present volume on applications of artificial intelligence with regard to knowledge-based systems in aerospace and industry discusses machine learning and clustering, expert systems and optimization techniques, monitoring and diagnosis, and automated design and expert systems. Attention is given to the integration of AI reasoning systems and hardware description languages, care-based reasoning, knowledge, retrieval, and training systems, and scheduling and planning. Topics addressed include the preprocessing of remotely sensed data for efficient analysis and classification, autonomous agents as air combat simulation adversaries, intelligent data presentation for real-time spacecraft monitoring, and an integrated reasoner for diagnosis in satellite control. Also discussed are a knowledge-based system for the design of heat exchangers, reuse of design information for model-based diagnosis, automatic compilation of expert systems, and a case-based approach to handling aircraft malfunctions.

Recent CESAR (Center for Engineering Systems Advanced Research) research activities in sensor based reasoning for autonomous machines

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pin, F.G.; de Saussure, G.; Spelt, P.F.

1988-01-01

This paper describes recent research activities at the Center for Engineering Systems Advanced Research (CESAR) in the area of sensor based reasoning, with emphasis being given to their application and implementation on our HERMIES-IIB autonomous mobile vehicle. These activities, including navigation and exploration in a-priori unknown and dynamic environments, goal recognition, vision-guided manipulation and sensor-driven machine learning, are discussed within the framework of a scenario in which an autonomous robot is asked to navigate through an unknown dynamic environment, explore, find and dock at the panel, read and understand the status of the panel's meters and dials, learn the functioningmore » of a process control panel, and successfully manipulate the control devices of the panel to solve a maintenance emergency problems. A demonstration of the successful implementation of the algorithms on our HERMIES-IIB autonomous robot for resolution of this scenario is presented. Conclusions are drawn concerning the applicability of the methodologies to more general classes of problems and implications for future work on sensor-driven reasoning for autonomous robots are discussed. 8 refs., 3 figs.« less

Neurobiological Basis of Language Learning Difficulties.

PubMed

Krishnan, Saloni; Watkins, Kate E; Bishop, Dorothy V M

2016-09-01

In this paper we highlight why there is a need to examine subcortical learning systems in children with language impairment and dyslexia, rather than focusing solely on cortical areas relevant for language. First, behavioural studies find that children with these neurodevelopmental disorders perform less well than peers on procedural learning tasks that depend on corticostriatal learning circuits. Second, fMRI studies in neurotypical adults implicate corticostriatal and hippocampal systems in language learning. Finally, structural and functional abnormalities are seen in the striatum in children with language disorders. Studying corticostriatal networks in developmental language disorders could offer us insights into their neurobiological basis and elucidate possible modes of compensation for intervention. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Domain-specific and domain-general constraints on word and sequence learning.

PubMed

Archibald, Lisa M D; Joanisse, Marc F

2013-02-01

The relative influences of language-related and memory-related constraints on the learning of novel words and sequences were examined by comparing individual differences in performance of children with and without specific deficits in either language or working memory. Children recalled lists of words in a Hebbian learning protocol in which occasional lists repeated, yielding improved recall over the course of the task on the repeated lists. The task involved presentation of pictures of common nouns followed immediately by equivalent presentations of the spoken names. The same participants also completed a paired-associate learning task involving word-picture and nonword-picture pairs. Hebbian learning was observed for all groups. Domain-general working memory constrained immediate recall, whereas language abilities impacted recall in the auditory modality only. In addition, working memory constrained paired-associate learning generally, whereas language abilities disproportionately impacted novel word learning. Overall, all of the learning tasks were highly correlated with domain-general working memory. The learning of nonwords was additionally related to general intelligence, phonological short-term memory, language abilities, and implicit learning. The results suggest that distinct associations between language- and memory-related mechanisms support learning of familiar and unfamiliar phonological forms and sequences.

At the Crossroads of Learning and Culture: Identifying a Construct for Effective Computer-Assisted Language Learning for English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shaw, Yun

2010-01-01

Many of the commercial Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) programs available today typically take a generic approach. This approach standardizes the program so that it can be used to teach any language merely by translating the content from one language to another. These CALL programs rarely consider the cultural background or preferred…

A Study of Language Learning Strategy Use in the Context of EFL Curriculum and Pedagogy Reform in China

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yu, Yuanfang; Wang, Bing

2009-01-01

Language learning strategy (LLS) use is not only an individual attribute of language users, but also a group behaviour reflecting the learning culture and language pedagogy in a particular social context. This article reports a study on the LLS use of Chinese secondary school students of English as a foreign language (EFL) in Northeast China from…

Oral Interaction in Task-Based EFL Learning: The Use of the L1 as a Cognitive Tool

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de la Colina, Ana Alegria; Mayo, Maria del Pilar Garcia

2009-01-01

The role of the first language (L1) in the learning of a second language (L2) has been widely studied as a source of cross-linguistic influence from the native system (Gass and Selinker, "Language Transfer in Language Learning," John Benjamins, 1992). Yet, this perspective provides no room for an understanding of language as a cognitive tool…

Korean University EFL Student Perspectives of Smartphone Applications (Apps) as Tools for Language Learning: An Action Research Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jackson, Bernedette S.

2017-01-01

Learning a second or foreign language may be a daunting task for anyone; however, learning a language that is vastly different from a person's native language can be extremely difficult. This is especially true in South Korea where English is taught and spoken as a foreign language. For Korean students, who typically study English from a young…

Student Perception of Language Achievement and Learner Autonomy in a Blended Korean Language Course: The Case Study of Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ahn, Misook

2017-01-01

The blended learning model, which combines the traditional face-to-face learning method with an online application such as a learning management system (LMS), became popular and more practical for both teachers and learners in foreign and second language education because of its effective methodology for course delivery and socialization…

Multilingual Effects on EFL Learning: A Comparison of Foreign Language Anxiety Experienced by Monolingual and Bilingual Tertiary Students in the Lao PDR

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Phongsa, Manivone; Mohamed Ismail, Shaik Abdul Malik; Low, Hui Min

2018-01-01

Foreign language anxiety is common among adult learners, especially those who lack exposure to the language that they are learning. In this study, we compared the foreign language anxiety experienced by monolingual and bilingual tertiary students in the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) who were learning English as a Foreign Language. The…

Language Learning Shifts and Attitudes towards Language Learning in an Online Tandem Program for Beginner Writers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tolosa, Constanza; Ordóñez, Claudia Lucía; Guevara, Diana Carolina

2017-01-01

We present findings of a project that investigated the potential of an online tandem program to enhance the foreign language learning of two groups of school-aged beginner learners, one learning English in Colombia and the other learning Spanish in New Zealand. We assessed the impact of the project on students' learning with a free writing…

Data-Driven Learning of Speech Acts Based on Corpora of DVD Subtitles

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kitao, S. Kathleen; Kitao, Kenji

2013-01-01

Data-driven learning (DDL) is an inductive approach to language learning in which students study examples of authentic language and use them to find patterns of language use. This inductive approach to learning has the advantages of being learner-centered, encouraging hypothesis testing and learner autonomy, and helping develop learning skills.…

Mobile-Assisted Language Learning: Student Attitudes to Using Smartphones to Learn English Vocabulary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davie, Neil; Hilber, Tobias

2015-01-01

This project examines mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) and in particular the attitudes of undergraduate engineering students at the South Westphalia University of Applied Sciences towards the use of the smartphone app Quizlet to learn English vocabulary. Initial data on attitudes to learning languages and to the use of mobile devices to do…

Self-Determination, Engagement, and Identity in Learning German: Some Directions in the Psychology of Language Learning Motivation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Noels, Kimberly A.; Chaffee, Kathryn; Lou, Nigel Mantou; Dincer, Ali

2016-01-01

Drawing from Self-Determination Theory and diverse theories of language learning motivation, we present a framework that (1) represents a range of orientations that students may take towards learning German, and (2) explains how these orientations are connected to language learning engagement and diverse linguistic and non-linguistic outcomes. We…

Co-Creation Learning Procedures: Comparing Interactive Language Lessons for Deaf and Hearing Students.

PubMed

Hosono, Naotsune; Inoue, Hiromitsu; Tomita, Yutaka

2017-01-01

This paper discusses co-creation learning procedures of second language lessons for deaf students, and sign language lessons by a deaf lecturer. The analyses focus on the learning procedure and resulting assessment, considering the disability. Through questionnaires ICT-based co-creative learning technologies are effective and efficient and promote spontaneous learning motivation goals.

Iranian EFL Learners' Emotional Intelligence, Learning Styles, Strategy Use, and Their L2 Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Afshar, Hassan Soodmand; Tofighi, Somayyeh; Hamazavi, Raouf

2016-01-01

The idea that language learning is facilitated or inhibited by a multitude of factors has prompted scholars in the field to investigate variables considered to be crucial in the process of second or foreign language learning. This study investigated relationships between emotional intelligence, learning style, language learning strategy use, and…

Object Familiarity Facilitates Foreign Word Learning in Preschoolers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sera, Maria D.; Cole, Caitlin A.; Oromendia, Mercedes; Koenig, Melissa A.

2014-01-01

Studying how children learn words in a foreign language can shed light on how language learning changes with development. In one experiment, we examined whether three-, four-, and five-year-olds could learn and remember words for familiar and unfamiliar objects in their native English and a foreign language. All age groups could learn and remember…

The Alignment of CMC Language Learning Methodologies with the Bridge21 Model of 21C Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bauer, Ciarán; Devitt, Ann; Tangney, Brendan

2015-01-01

This paper explores the intersection of learning methodologies to promote the development of 21st century skills with the use of Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) tools to enhance language learning among adolescent learners. Today, technology offers a greater range of affordances in the teaching and learning of second languages while research…

Cognitive Learning Strategy of BIPA Students in Learning the Indonesian Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Suyitno, Imam; Susanto, Gatut; Kamal, Musthofa; Fawzi, Ary

2017-01-01

The study outlined in this article aims to describe and explain the cognitive learning strategies used by foreign students in learning the Indonesian language. The research was designed as a qualitative study. The research participants are foreign students who were learning the Indonesian language in the BIPA program. The data sources of the…

A Teacher’s Guide for Using Learning Strategies in English-as-a-Second- Language Instruction

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-11-01

learner strategies used in the acquisition of English as a second language (ESL). The Teacher’s Guide demonstrates for ESL...strategies to apply to a wide range of language learning tasks are far more likely to be effective language learners . The language lessons in this section...skills in the acquisition of English as a second language (ESL). This study completed a review of the literature on learning strategies in

Learning to Swim in New Waters: A Meta-Narrative about the Design and Implementation of a Virtual Learning Environment for Language Learning and Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

MacKinnon, Teresa

2015-01-01

In the past 5 years, the Language Centre at the University of Warwick has designed and implemented a blended learning environment in order to meet two important challenges to our Institution-Wide Language Programme (IWLP) language teaching mission. These were to connect teachers and learners together online in order to better support progress…

The Adaptation Study of the Questionnaires of the Attitude towards CALL (A-CALL), the Attitude towards CAL (A-CAL), the Attitude towards Foreign Language Learning (A-FLL) to Turkish Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erdem, Cahit; Saykili, Abdullah; Kocyigit, Mehmet

2018-01-01

This study primarily aims to adapt the Foreign Language Learning (FLL), Computer assisted Learning (CAL) and Computer assisted Language Learning (CALL) scales developed by Vandewaetere and Desmet into Turkish context. The instrument consists of three scales which are "the attitude towards CALL questionnaire" ("A-CALL")…

Academic language and the challenge of reading for learning about science.

PubMed

Snow, Catherine E

2010-04-23

A major challenge to students learning science is the academic language in which science is written. Academic language is designed to be concise, precise, and authoritative. To achieve these goals, it uses sophisticated words and complex grammatical constructions that can disrupt reading comprehension and block learning. Students need help in learning academic vocabulary and how to process academic language if they are to become independent learners of science.

Learning Sequences of Actions in Collectives of Autonomous Agents

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Turner, Kagan; Agogino, Adrian K.; Wolpert, David H.; Clancy, Daniel (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

In this paper we focus on the problem of designing a collective of autonomous agents that individually learn sequences of actions such that the resultant sequence of joint actions achieves a predetermined global objective. We are particularly interested in instances of this problem where centralized control is either impossible or impractical. For single agent systems in similar domains, machine learning methods (e.g., reinforcement learners) have been successfully used. However, applying such solutions directly to multi-agent systems often proves problematic, as agents may work at cross-purposes, or have difficulty in evaluating their contribution to achievement of the global objective, or both. Accordingly, the crucial design step in multiagent systems centers on determining the private objectives of each agent so that as the agents strive for those objectives, the system reaches a good global solution. In this work we consider a version of this problem involving multiple autonomous agents in a grid world. We use concepts from collective intelligence to design goals for the agents that are 'aligned' with the global goal, and are 'learnable' in that agents can readily see how their behavior affects their utility. We show that reinforcement learning agents using those goals outperform both 'natural' extensions of single agent algorithms and global reinforcement, learning solutions based on 'team games'.

Why is number word learning hard? Evidence from bilingual learners.

PubMed

Wagner, Katie; Kimura, Katherine; Cheung, Pierina; Barner, David

2015-12-01

Young children typically take between 18 months and 2 years to learn the meanings of number words. In the present study, we investigated this developmental trajectory in bilingual preschoolers to examine the relative contributions of two factors in number word learning: (1) the construction of numerical concepts, and (2) the mapping of language specific words onto these concepts. We found that children learn the meanings of small number words (i.e., one, two, and three) independently in each language, indicating that observed delays in learning these words are attributable to difficulties in mapping words to concepts. In contrast, children generally learned to accurately count larger sets (i.e., five or greater) simultaneously in their two languages, suggesting that the difficulty in learning to count is not tied to a specific language. We also replicated previous studies that found that children learn the counting procedure before they learn its logic - i.e., that for any natural number, n, the successor of n in the count list denotes the cardinality n+1. Consistent with past studies, we found that children's knowledge of successors is first acquired incrementally. In bilinguals, we found that this knowledge exhibits item-specific transfer between languages, suggesting that the logic of the positive integers may not be stored in a language-specific format. We conclude that delays in learning the meanings of small number words are mainly due to language-specific processes of mapping words to concepts, whereas the logic and procedures of counting appear to be learned in a format that is independent of a particular language and thus transfers rapidly from one language to the other in development. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Autonomous learning in humanoid robotics through mental imagery.

PubMed

Di Nuovo, Alessandro G; Marocco, Davide; Di Nuovo, Santo; Cangelosi, Angelo

2013-05-01

In this paper we focus on modeling autonomous learning to improve performance of a humanoid robot through a modular artificial neural networks architecture. A model of a neural controller is presented, which allows a humanoid robot iCub to autonomously improve its sensorimotor skills. This is achieved by endowing the neural controller with a secondary neural system that, by exploiting the sensorimotor skills already acquired by the robot, is able to generate additional imaginary examples that can be used by the controller itself to improve the performance through a simulated mental training. Results and analysis presented in the paper provide evidence of the viability of the approach proposed and help to clarify the rational behind the chosen model and its implementation. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Learning for Life, a Structured and Motivational Process of Knowledge Construction in the Acquisition/Learning of English as a Foreign Language in Native Spanish Speakers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mino-Garces, Fernando

2009-01-01

As language learning theory has shifted from a highly guided to a more open learning process, this paper presents the teaching/learning philosophy called Learning for Life (L for L) as a great way to motivate native Spanish speaker students learning English as a foreign language, and to help them be the constructors of their own knowledge. The…

Own-Language Use in Language Teaching and Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hall, Graham; Cook, Guy

2012-01-01

Until recently, the assumption of the language-teaching literature has been that new languages are best taught and learned monolingually, without the use of the students' own language(s). In recent years, however, this monolingual assumption has been increasingly questioned, and a re-evaluation of teaching that relates the language being taught to…

Internet Relay Chat as a Tool in the Autonomous Development of ESL Learners' English Language Ability: An Exploratory Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coniam, David; Wong, Richard

2004-01-01

This pilot study explores the use of Internet Relay Chat facilities such as ICQ in an independent-use mode, as a vehicle for potential English language enhancement. In a small-scale study, a number of Hong Kong secondary school students (Grades 7-10) agreed to participate in an on-line "chatting" programme (in a text-only mode) for a minimum of 20…

Lorma: A Reference Handbook of Phonetics, Grammar, Lexicon and Learning Procedures.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dwyer, David James

The grammar, phonetics, and lexicon of Lorma, one of the Mande languages of Liberia, are described for the use of Peace Corps volunteers learning the language without teacher assistance. This handbook includes an introduction to the languages of Liberia, procedures for learning a language without assistance, guidelines for tutors, a reference…

Traces of an Early Learned Second Language in Discontinued Bilingualism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sadat, Jasmin; Pureza, Rita; Alario, F.-Xavier

2016-01-01

Can an early learned second language influence speech production after living many years in an exclusively monolingual environment? To address this issue, we investigated the consequences of discontinued early bilingualism in heritage speakers who moved abroad and switched language dominance from the second to the primary learned language. We used…

E-Learning Turkish Language and Grammar: Analyzing Learners' Behavior

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Georgalas, Panagiotis

2012-01-01

This study analyses the behavior and the preferences of the Greek learners of Turkish language, who use a particular e-learning website in parallel with their studies, namely: http://turkish.pgeorgalas.gr. The website offers free online material in Greek and English language for learning the Turkish language and grammar. The traffic of several…

The Linguistic Landscape as a Learning Space for Contextual Language Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aladjem, Ruthi; Jou, Bibiana

2016-01-01

One of the challenges of teaching and learning a foreign language is that students are not being sufficiently exposed to the target language. However, it is quite common to find linguistic and cultural exponents of different foreign languages in authentic contexts (termed the "Linguistic landscape"). Using the Linguistic landscape as a…

From Pedagogically Relevant Corpora to Authentic Language Learning Contents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Braun, Sabine

2005-01-01

The potential of corpora for language learning and teaching has been widely acknowledged and their ready availability on the Web has facilitated access for a broad range of users, including language teachers and learners. However, the integration of corpora into general language learning and teaching practice has so far been disappointing. In this…

Language Learning Strategy Use among Iranian Engineering EFL Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nahavandi, Naemeh; Mukundan, Jayakaran

2014-01-01

The present study aimed at understanding the language learning strategy use of Iranian EFL learners' about learning a foreign language. The main purpose of the study was to understand if there was any relationship between proficiency level, gender and extra education in language institutes and strategy use. To achieve this end, 369 engineering…

Language Learning of Gifted Individuals: A Content Analysis Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gokaydin, Beria; Baglama, Basak; Uzunboylu, Huseyin

2017-01-01

This study aims to carry out a content analysis of the studies on language learning of gifted individuals and determine the trends in this field. Articles on language learning of gifted individuals published in the Scopus database were examined based on certain criteria including type of publication, year of publication, language, research…

Web-Based Language Learning Perception and Personality Characteristics of University Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mirzaee, Meisam; Gharibeh, Sajjad Gharibeh

2016-01-01

The significance of learners' personality in language learning/teaching contexts has often been cited in literature but few studies have scrutinized the role it can play in technology-oriented language classes. In modern language teaching/learning contexts, personality differences are important and should be taken into account. This study…

Why Aren't All Children in the Nordic Countries Bilingual?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Skutnabb-Kangas, Tove

1984-01-01

Examines three Nordic bilingual programs: (1) immersion, where majority children with a high status mother tongue learn a second language; (2) submersion, where minority children with a low status mother tongue are forced to learn the majority language; and (3) language shelter, where minority children learn the majority language as a second…

The Discourse of Language Learning Strategies: Towards an Inclusive Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Alexander Harris

2016-01-01

This paper critiques discourse surrounding language learning strategies within Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) and argues for the creation of new definitions of language learning strategies that are rooted in the socio-political and socio-economic contexts of the marginalized. Section one of this paper describes linguistic…

Formulaic Sequences and the Implications for Second Language Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Xu, Qi

2016-01-01

The present paper is a review of literature in relation to formulaic sequences and the implications for second language learning. The formulaic sequence is a significant part of our language, and plays an essential role in both first and second language learning. The paper first introduces the definition, classifications, and major features of…

A Virtual Space for Children to Meet and Practice Chinese

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Si, Mei

2015-01-01

Second language acquisition after the students have learned their first language is a unique process. One major difference between learning a foreign language and one's mother tongue is that second language learning is often facilitated with digital media, and in particular, through interacting with computers. This project is aimed at leveraging…

Language Learning and Control in Monolinguals and Bilinguals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bartolotti, James; Marian, Viorica

2012-01-01

Parallel language activation in bilinguals leads to competition between languages. Experience managing this interference may aid novel language learning by improving the ability to suppress competition from known languages. To investigate the effect of bilingualism on the ability to control native-language interference, monolinguals and bilinguals…

Language experience changes subsequent learning

PubMed Central

Onnis, Luca; Thiessen, Erik

2013-01-01

What are the effects of experience on subsequent learning? We explored the effects of language-specific word order knowledge on the acquisition of sequential conditional information. Korean and English adults were engaged in a sequence learning task involving three different sets of stimuli: auditory linguistic (nonsense syllables), visual non-linguistic (nonsense shapes), and auditory non-linguistic (pure tones). The forward and backward probabilities between adjacent elements generated two equally probable and orthogonal perceptual parses of the elements, such that any significant preference at test must be due to either general cognitive biases, or prior language-induced biases. We found that language modulated parsing preferences with the linguistic stimuli only. Intriguingly, these preferences are congruent with the dominant word order patterns of each language, as corroborated by corpus analyses, and are driven by probabilistic preferences. Furthermore, although the Korean individuals had received extensive formal explicit training in English and lived in an English-speaking environment, they exhibited statistical learning biases congruent with their native language. Our findings suggest that mechanisms of statistical sequential learning are implicated in language across the lifespan, and experience with language may affect cognitive processes and later learning. PMID:23200510

A Review of Integrating Mobile Phones for Language Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Darmi, Ramiza; Albion, Peter

2014-01-01

Mobile learning (m-learning) is gradually being introduced in language classrooms. All forms of mobile technology represent portability with smarter features. Studies have proven the concomitant role of technology beneficial for language learning. Various features in the technology have been exploited and researched for acquiring and learning…

Conceptualizing Learning Style Modalities for ESL/EFL Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wintergerst, Ann C.; DeCapua, Andrea; Verna, Marilyn Ann

2003-01-01

Reports results of testing a newly developed learning styles instrument on three groups of language learners: Russian English-as-a-Foreign-Language students, Russian English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students, and Asian ESL students to determine their learning style preference. Results indicate that these students learn English under three…

Students' Evaluation of Their English Language Learning Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maizatulliza, M.; Kiely, R.

2017-01-01

In the field of English language teaching and learning, there is a long history of investigating students' performance while they are undergoing specific learning programmes. This research study, however, focused on students' evaluation of their English language learning experience after they have completed their programme. The data were gathered…

Malaysian Gifted Students' Use of English Language Learning Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yunus, Melor Md; Sulaiman, Nur Ainil; Embi, Mohammed Amin

2013-01-01

Many studies have been done on language learning strategies employed by different type of learners and in various contexts. However, very little studies have been done on gifted students regarding language learning. Gifted students have unique characteristics and have different ways of thinking and learning. These characteristics affect how they…

Awareness and Learning under Incidental Learning Conditions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rogers, John

2017-01-01

Recent years have witnessed a strong and increasing interest in the incidental learning of second language grammar. While much of this research has focused on the acquisition of second language word order or noun-determiner systems, relatively fewer studies have examined the learning of second language morphology. Results of studies that have…

Second-Language Learning in Early Childhood: Some Thoughts for Practitioners.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McLaughlin, Barry

There is much that can be done in early childhood education programs to foster second language learning in young children. The research literature on early childhood bilingualism clearly indicates that children can learn two languages simultaneously without apparent effort, without cognitive strain or interference in learning either language…

Collaboration and Computer-Assisted Acquisition of a Second Language.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Renie, Delphine; Chanier, Thierry

1995-01-01

Discusses how collaborative learning (CL) can be used in a computer-assisted learning (CAL) environment for language learning, reviewing research in the fields of applied linguistics, educational psychology, and artificial intelligence. An application of CL and CAL in the learning of French as a Second Language, focusing on interrogative…

Profiling Language Learners in Hybrid Learning Contexts: Learners' Perceptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lintunen, Pekka; Mutta, Maarit; Pelttari, Sanna

2017-01-01

This article discusses formal and informal foreign language learning before university level. The focus is on beginning university students' perceptions of their earlier learning experiences, especially in digital contexts. Language learners' digital competence is a part of their everyday lives, but its relationship to learning in and outside…

Cooperative Learning and Second-Language Teaching: Frequently-Asked Questions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jacobs, George M.; Gilbert, Charles C.; Lopriore, Lucilla; Goldstein, Sue; Thiyagarajali, Rosy

1998-01-01

Summarizes a discussion about cooperative learning in second-language teaching by 45 teachers, highlighting six issues: how to cover the syllabus, how long cooperative groups should stay together, how cooperative learning is affected by competition in society, using cooperative learning with low language proficiency students, using cooperative…

Investigation the Relationship among Language Learning Strategies, English Self-Efficacy, and Explicit Strategy Instructions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yang, Pei-Ling; Wang, Ai-Ling

2015-01-01

The present study aims to investigate the relationship among EFL college learners' language learning strategies, English self-efficacy, and explicit strategy instruction from the perspectives of Social Cognitive Theory. Three constructs, namely language learning strategies, English learning self-efficacy, and explicit strategy instruction, were…

Cultilingualism--Papers in Cultural and Communicative In(Competence). ROLIG-papir 28.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Phillipson, Robert; Skutnabb-Kangas, Tove

Three papers discuss intercultural communication and second language learning in Scandinavia. The first paper, "Good Learning Strategies in Foreign and Second Language Learning--The Case of English in Denmark," discusses principles and strategies for learning second languages for the purpose of effective intercultural communication.…

The potential of transnational language policy to promote social inclusion of immigrants: An analysis and evaluation of the European Union's INCLUDE project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bian, Cui

2017-08-01

Language issues and social inclusion consistently remain two major concerns for member countries of the European Union (EU). Despite an increasing awareness of the importance of language learning in migrants' social inclusion, and the promotion of language policies at European and national levels, there is still a lack of common actions at the European level. Challenged by questions as to whether language learning should be prioritised as a human right or as human capital building, how host/mainstream language learning can be reinforced while respecting language diversity, and other problems, member countries still need to find solutions. Confronting these dilemmas, this study analyses the relationship and interactions between language learning and immigrants' social inclusion in different contexts. It explores the potential of enhancing the effectiveness of language policies via a dialogue between policies and practices in different national contexts and research studies in the field of language and social inclusion. The research data are derived from two databases created by a European policy for active social inclusion project called INCLUDE. This project ran from 2013 to 2016 under the EU's lifelong learning programme, with funding support from the European Commission. Through an analysis of these two project databases, the paper reviews recent national language policies and their effect on the social inclusion of migrants. In the second part of her article, the author interprets the process of language learning and social inclusion using poststructuralist theories of language and identity.

A Comparative Analysis of Student Engagement, Learning, and Satisfaction in Lecture Hall and Online Learning Settings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rabe-Hemp, Cara; Woollen, Susan; Humiston, Gail Sears

2009-01-01

The current study involves a comparison of student levels of engagement, ability to learn autonomously, and interaction with peers and faculty in two different learning settings: a large lecture hall and online. Results suggest that learning mechanism drives the styles of learning and teaching practiced in traditional and online learning settings.…

Musical Experience Influences Statistical Learning of a Novel Language

PubMed Central

Shook, Anthony; Marian, Viorica; Bartolotti, James; Schroeder, Scott R.

2014-01-01

Musical experience may benefit learning a new language by enhancing the fidelity with which the auditory system encodes sound. In the current study, participants with varying degrees of musical experience were exposed to two statistically-defined languages consisting of auditory Morse-code sequences which varied in difficulty. We found an advantage for highly-skilled musicians, relative to less-skilled musicians, in learning novel Morse-code based words. Furthermore, in the more difficult learning condition, performance of lower-skilled musicians was mediated by their general cognitive abilities. We suggest that musical experience may lead to enhanced processing of statistical information and that musicians’ enhanced ability to learn statistical probabilities in a novel Morse-code language may extend to natural language learning. PMID:23505962

Language, reading, and math learning profiles in an epidemiological sample of school age children.

PubMed

Archibald, Lisa M D; Oram Cardy, Janis; Joanisse, Marc F; Ansari, Daniel

2013-01-01

Dyscalculia, dyslexia, and specific language impairment (SLI) are relatively specific developmental learning disabilities in math, reading, and oral language, respectively, that occur in the context of average intellectual capacity and adequate environmental opportunities. Past research has been dominated by studies focused on single impairments despite the widespread recognition that overlapping and comorbid deficits are common. The present study took an epidemiological approach to study the learning profiles of a large school age sample in language, reading, and math. Both general learning profiles reflecting good or poor performance across measures and specific learning profiles involving either weak language, weak reading, weak math, or weak math and reading were observed. These latter four profiles characterized 70% of children with some evidence of a learning disability. Low scores in phonological short-term memory characterized clusters with a language-based weakness whereas low or variable phonological awareness was associated with the reading (but not language-based) weaknesses. The low math only group did not show these phonological deficits. These findings may suggest different etiologies for language-based deficits in language, reading, and math, reading-related impairments in reading and math, and isolated math disabilities.

Language, Reading, and Math Learning Profiles in an Epidemiological Sample of School Age Children

PubMed Central

Archibald, Lisa M. D.; Oram Cardy, Janis; Joanisse, Marc F.; Ansari, Daniel

2013-01-01

Dyscalculia, dyslexia, and specific language impairment (SLI) are relatively specific developmental learning disabilities in math, reading, and oral language, respectively, that occur in the context of average intellectual capacity and adequate environmental opportunities. Past research has been dominated by studies focused on single impairments despite the widespread recognition that overlapping and comorbid deficits are common. The present study took an epidemiological approach to study the learning profiles of a large school age sample in language, reading, and math. Both general learning profiles reflecting good or poor performance across measures and specific learning profiles involving either weak language, weak reading, weak math, or weak math and reading were observed. These latter four profiles characterized 70% of children with some evidence of a learning disability. Low scores in phonological short-term memory characterized clusters with a language-based weakness whereas low or variable phonological awareness was associated with the reading (but not language-based) weaknesses. The low math only group did not show these phonological deficits. These findings may suggest different etiologies for language-based deficits in language, reading, and math, reading-related impairments in reading and math, and isolated math disabilities. PMID:24155959

An Investigation into the Relationship of Foreign Language Learning Motivation and Sign Language Use among Deaf and Hard of Hearing Hungarians

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kontra, Edit H.; Csizer, Kata

2013-01-01

The aim of this study is to point out the relationship between foreign language learning motivation and sign language use among hearing impaired Hungarians. In the article we concentrate on two main issues: first, to what extent hearing impaired people are motivated to learn foreign languages in a European context; second, to what extent sign…

The Overall Relationships between the Use of English Language Learning Strategies and Personality Traits among the Female University Level Learners of English Language as a University Major

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fazeli, Seyed Hossein

2012-01-01

The current study aims to explore the overall relationships between use of English language learning strategies and personality traits of the female university level learners of English language as a university major. Four instruments were used, which were Adapted Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) of Rebecca L. Oxfords, A Background…

Motivation in Second Language Learning: A Historical Overview and Its Relevance in a Public High School in Pasto, Colombia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guerrero, Mario

2015-01-01

Motivation has a significant role in the process of language learning. It is important to understand its theoretical evolution in this field to be able to consider its relevance in the learning and teaching of a foreign language. Motivation is a term that is commonly used among language teachers and language learners but perhaps many are not aware…

First Language Proficiency and Successful Foreign Language Learning: The Case of High School Students Learning French as a Foreign Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gnintedem, Antoine

2014-01-01

This study investigated whether there was a correlation between first language proficiency as measured by the Mississippi Curriculum Test (MCT II) Reading and Language Arts and foreign language proficiency as measured by the French Language Proficiency Test. Data for the independent variable, first language proficiency, was collected from the…

Formation Learning Control of Multiple Autonomous Underwater Vehicles With Heterogeneous Nonlinear Uncertain Dynamics.

PubMed

Yuan, Chengzhi; Licht, Stephen; He, Haibo

2017-09-26

In this paper, a new concept of formation learning control is introduced to the field of formation control of multiple autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), which specifies a joint objective of distributed formation tracking control and learning/identification of nonlinear uncertain AUV dynamics. A novel two-layer distributed formation learning control scheme is proposed, which consists of an upper-layer distributed adaptive observer and a lower-layer decentralized deterministic learning controller. This new formation learning control scheme advances existing techniques in three important ways: 1) the multi-AUV system under consideration has heterogeneous nonlinear uncertain dynamics; 2) the formation learning control protocol can be designed and implemented by each local AUV agent in a fully distributed fashion without using any global information; and 3) in addition to the formation control performance, the distributed control protocol is also capable of accurately identifying the AUVs' heterogeneous nonlinear uncertain dynamics and utilizing experiences to improve formation control performance. Extensive simulations have been conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed results.

Design of a biochemical circuit motif for learning linear functions

PubMed Central

Lakin, Matthew R.; Minnich, Amanda; Lane, Terran; Stefanovic, Darko

2014-01-01

Learning and adaptive behaviour are fundamental biological processes. A key goal in the field of bioengineering is to develop biochemical circuit architectures with the ability to adapt to dynamic chemical environments. Here, we present a novel design for a biomolecular circuit capable of supervised learning of linear functions, using a model based on chemical reactions catalysed by DNAzymes. To achieve this, we propose a novel mechanism of maintaining and modifying internal state in biochemical systems, thereby advancing the state of the art in biomolecular circuit architecture. We use simulations to demonstrate that the circuit is capable of learning behaviour and assess its asymptotic learning performance, scalability and robustness to noise. Such circuits show great potential for building autonomous in vivo nanomedical devices. While such a biochemical system can tell us a great deal about the fundamentals of learning in living systems and may have broad applications in biomedicine (e.g. autonomous and adaptive drugs), it also offers some intriguing challenges and surprising behaviours from a machine learning perspective. PMID:25401175

Design of a biochemical circuit motif for learning linear functions.

PubMed

Lakin, Matthew R; Minnich, Amanda; Lane, Terran; Stefanovic, Darko

2014-12-06

Learning and adaptive behaviour are fundamental biological processes. A key goal in the field of bioengineering is to develop biochemical circuit architectures with the ability to adapt to dynamic chemical environments. Here, we present a novel design for a biomolecular circuit capable of supervised learning of linear functions, using a model based on chemical reactions catalysed by DNAzymes. To achieve this, we propose a novel mechanism of maintaining and modifying internal state in biochemical systems, thereby advancing the state of the art in biomolecular circuit architecture. We use simulations to demonstrate that the circuit is capable of learning behaviour and assess its asymptotic learning performance, scalability and robustness to noise. Such circuits show great potential for building autonomous in vivo nanomedical devices. While such a biochemical system can tell us a great deal about the fundamentals of learning in living systems and may have broad applications in biomedicine (e.g. autonomous and adaptive drugs), it also offers some intriguing challenges and surprising behaviours from a machine learning perspective.

Development and training of a learning expert system in an autonomous mobile robot via simulation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Spelt, P.F.; Lyness, E.; DeSaussure, G.

1989-11-01

The Center for Engineering Systems Advanced Research (CESAR) conducts basic research in the area of intelligent machines. Recently at CESAR a learning expert system was created to operate on board an autonomous robot working at a process control panel. The authors discuss two-computer simulation system used to create, evaluate and train this learning system. The simulation system has a graphics display of the current status of the process being simulated, and the same program which does the simulating also drives the actual control panel. Simulation results were validated on the actual robot. The speed and safety values of using amore » computerized simulator to train a learning computer, and future uses of the simulation system, are discussed.« less

The Importance of Strategies of Social Language Learning and Cooperative Learning in the Process of Teaching Turkish as a Foreign Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Varisoglu, Mehmet Celal

2016-01-01

In order to implement the teaching of a foreign language at a desired level and quality, and to offer some practical arrangements, which stand for to the best use of time, efforts, and cost, there is a need for a road map. The road map in teaching is a learning strategy. This article shows how strategies of social language learning and cooperative…

Let the Music Play!--A Short-Term but No Long-Term Detrimental Effect of Vocal Background Music with Familiar Language Lyrics on Foreign Language Vocabulary Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Groot, Annette M. B.; Smedinga, Hilde E.

2014-01-01

Participants learned foreign vocabulary by means of the paired-associates learning procedure in three conditions: (a) in silence, (b) with vocal music with lyrics in a familiar language playing in the background, or (c) with vocal music with lyrics in an unfamiliar language playing in the background. The vocabulary to learn varied in concreteness…

How Much of Language Acquisition Does Operant Conditioning Explain?

PubMed

Sturdy, Christopher B; Nicoladis, Elena

2017-01-01

Since the 1950s, when Chomsky argued that Skinner's arguments could not explain syntactic acquisition, psychologists have generally avoided explicitly invoking operant or instrumental conditioning as a learning mechanism for language among human children. In this article, we argue that this is a mistake. We focus on research that has been done on language learning in human infants and toddlers in order to illustrate our points. Researchers have ended up inventing learning mechanisms that, in actual practice, not only resemble but also in fact are examples of operant conditioning (OC) by any other name they select. We argue that language acquisition researchers should proceed by first ruling out OC before invoking alternative learning mechanisms. While it is possible that OC cannot explain all of the language acquisition, simple learning mechanisms that work across species may have some explanatory power in children's language learning.

How Much of Language Acquisition Does Operant Conditioning Explain?

PubMed Central

Sturdy, Christopher B.; Nicoladis, Elena

2017-01-01

Since the 1950s, when Chomsky argued that Skinner’s arguments could not explain syntactic acquisition, psychologists have generally avoided explicitly invoking operant or instrumental conditioning as a learning mechanism for language among human children. In this article, we argue that this is a mistake. We focus on research that has been done on language learning in human infants and toddlers in order to illustrate our points. Researchers have ended up inventing learning mechanisms that, in actual practice, not only resemble but also in fact are examples of operant conditioning (OC) by any other name they select. We argue that language acquisition researchers should proceed by first ruling out OC before invoking alternative learning mechanisms. While it is possible that OC cannot explain all of the language acquisition, simple learning mechanisms that work across species may have some explanatory power in children’s language learning. PMID:29163295

Papers in Language Learning and Language Acquisition. AFinLA Yearbook 1980. No. 28.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sajavaara, Kari, Ed.; And Others

Papers include: (1) "Language Acquisitional Universals: L1, L2, Pidgins, and FLT" (Henning Wode); (2) "Language Acquisition, Language Learning and the School Curriculum" (Norman F. Davies); (3) "Language Teaching and Acquisition of Communication" (Kari Sajavaara, Jaakko Lehtonen); (4) "On the Distinction between…

Mathematics for Language, Language for Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prochazkova, Lenka Tejkalova

2013-01-01

The author discusses the balance and mutual influence of the language of instruction and mathematics in the context of CLIL, Content and Language Integrated Learning. Different aspects of the relationship of language and Mathematics teaching and learning are discussed: the benefits of using a foreign language of instruction, as well as the…

An evaluation of a training placement in general practice for paramedic practitioner students: improving patient-centred care through greater interprofessional understanding and supporting the development of autonomous practitioners.

PubMed

Ruston, Annmarie; Tavabie, Abdol

2011-01-01

To report the extent to which the placement of paramedic practitioner students (PPSs) in accredited general practice (GP) training practices supported their development as autonomous, patient-centred practitioners and fostered interprofessional learning. A case study method was used. Sources of data included semi-structured telephone interviews (eight PPSs, eight GP trainers), an online end of placement survey and placement and assessment documentation. Interview data were transcribed and analysed using the constant comparative method. Accredited training practices in South East England. All respondents were positive that the placement provided a high-quality interprofessional learning environment which provided PPSs with learning opportunities based on assessed need, the support of experienced trainers and access to a wide range of patients and learning situations. The placement enabled PPSs to acquire the appropriate skills, knowledge and understanding to act as autonomous, patient-centred practitioners. The placement provides a sound model for expanding the skills of paramedic practitioners in order to meet the increasing demands for patient-centred, community based health care. It provided them with the skills to treat patients closer to home rather than automatically transporting them to hospital.

Sleep Disorders as a Risk to Language Learning and Use.

PubMed

McGregor, Karla K; Alper, Rebecca M

2015-05-01

Are people with sleep disorders at higher risk for language learning deficits than healthy sleepers? Scoping Review. PubMed, Google Scholar, Trip Database, ClinicalTrials.gov. sleep disorders AND language AND learning; sleep disorders language learning -deprivation -epilepsy; sleep disorders AND verbal learning. 36. Children and adults with sleep disorders were at a higher risk for language problems than healthy sleepers. The language problems typically co-occurred with problems of attention and executive function (in children and adults), behavior (in children), and visual-spatial processing (in adults). Effects were typically small. Language problems seldom rose to a level of clinical concern but there were exceptions involving phonological deficits in children with sleep-disordered breathing and verbal memory deficits among adults with sleep-disordered breathing or idiopathic REM sleep behavior disorder. Case history interviews should include questions about limited sleep, poor-quality sleep, snoring, and excessive daytime sleepiness. Medical referrals for clients with suspected sleep disorders are prudent.

Learning through an Aboriginal Language: The Impact on Students' English and Aboriginal Language Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Usborne, Esther; Peck, Josephine; Smith, Donna-Lee; Taylor, Donald M.

2011-01-01

Aboriginal communities across Canada are implementing Aboriginal language programs in their schools. In the present research, we explore the impact of learning through an Aboriginal language on students' English and Aboriginal language skills by contrasting a Mi'kmaq language immersion program with a Mi'kmaq as a second language program. The…

Learning Additional Languages as Hierarchical Probabilistic Inference: Insights From First Language Processing.

PubMed

Pajak, Bozena; Fine, Alex B; Kleinschmidt, Dave F; Jaeger, T Florian

2016-12-01

We present a framework of second and additional language (L2/L n ) acquisition motivated by recent work on socio-indexical knowledge in first language (L1) processing. The distribution of linguistic categories covaries with socio-indexical variables (e.g., talker identity, gender, dialects). We summarize evidence that implicit probabilistic knowledge of this covariance is critical to L1 processing, and propose that L2/L n learning uses the same type of socio-indexical information to probabilistically infer latent hierarchical structure over previously learned and new languages. This structure guides the acquisition of new languages based on their inferred place within that hierarchy, and is itself continuously revised based on new input from any language. This proposal unifies L1 processing and L2/L n acquisition as probabilistic inference under uncertainty over socio-indexical structure. It also offers a new perspective on crosslinguistic influences during L2/L n learning, accommodating gradient and continued transfer (both negative and positive) from previously learned to novel languages, and vice versa.

Learning Additional Languages as Hierarchical Probabilistic Inference: Insights From First Language Processing

PubMed Central

Pajak, Bozena; Fine, Alex B.; Kleinschmidt, Dave F.; Jaeger, T. Florian

2015-01-01

We present a framework of second and additional language (L2/Ln) acquisition motivated by recent work on socio-indexical knowledge in first language (L1) processing. The distribution of linguistic categories covaries with socio-indexical variables (e.g., talker identity, gender, dialects). We summarize evidence that implicit probabilistic knowledge of this covariance is critical to L1 processing, and propose that L2/Ln learning uses the same type of socio-indexical information to probabilistically infer latent hierarchical structure over previously learned and new languages. This structure guides the acquisition of new languages based on their inferred place within that hierarchy, and is itself continuously revised based on new input from any language. This proposal unifies L1 processing and L2/Ln acquisition as probabilistic inference under uncertainty over socio-indexical structure. It also offers a new perspective on crosslinguistic influences during L2/Ln learning, accommodating gradient and continued transfer (both negative and positive) from previously learned to novel languages, and vice versa. PMID:28348442

Systems autonomy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lum, Henry, Jr.

1988-01-01

Information on systems autonomy is given in viewgraph form. Information is given on space systems integration, intelligent autonomous systems, automated systems for in-flight mission operations, the Systems Autonomy Demonstration Project on the Space Station Thermal Control System, the architecture of an autonomous intelligent system, artificial intelligence research issues, machine learning, and real-time image processing.

Learning for autonomous navigation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Angelova, Anelia; Howard, Andrew; Matthies, Larry; Tang, Benyang; Turmon, Michael; Mjolsness, Eric

2005-01-01

Autonomous off-road navigation of robotic ground vehicles has important applications on Earth and in space exploration. Progress in this domain has been retarded by the limited lookahead range of 3-D sensors and by the difficulty of preprogramming systems to understand the traversability of the wide variety of terrain they can encounter.

Reducing cost with autonomous operations of the Deep Space Network radio science receiver

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Asmar, S.; Anabtawi, A.; Connally, M.; Jongeling, A.

2003-01-01

This paper describes the Radio Science Receiver system and the savings it has brought to mission operations. The design and implementation of remote and autonomous operations will be discussed along with the process of including user feedback along the way and lessons learned and procedures avoided.

Examining Learner Autonomy Dimensions: Students' Perceptions of Their Responsibility and Ability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gamble, Craig; Yoshida, Keiko; Aliponga, Jonathan; Ando, Shirley; Koshiyama, Yasuko; Wilkins, Michael

2012-01-01

This paper was written to clarify misconceptions that East Asian students are somehow less autonomous than learners from other cultural backgrounds. Specifically, based on motivational levels, it examines Japanese university students' perceptions of their responsibility and ability of autonomous English learning and what they can do inside and…

The Effects of Frequency, Distribution, Mode of Presentation, and First Language on Learning an Artificial Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miyata, Munehiko

2011-01-01

This dissertation presents results from a series of experiments investigating adult learning of an artificial language and the effects that input frequency (high vs. low token frequency), frequency distribution (skewed vs. balanced), presentation mode (structured vs. scrambled), and first language (English vs. Japanese) have on such learning.…

The Impact of Adventure Video Games on Foreign Language Learning and the Perceptions of Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Hao-Jan Howard; Yang, Ting-Yu Christine

2013-01-01

Several researchers have highlighted the potential of applying adventure video games in second language acquisition; however, few studies have investigated the impact of adventure games on foreign language learning. This study aimed to examine the effects of a commercial adventure video game on foreign language learning and learners' perceptions…

Video and Second Language Learning. Special Issue.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gillespie, Junetta B., Ed.

1985-01-01

The extent to which video has come of age with respect to language learning is the focus of this special issue, which provides information on sources of materials and offers practical ideas for the effective and creative use of those materials in second language instruction. Articles include: "Video and Language Learning: A Medium Comes of Age"…

Language Learning Motivation through a Small Lens: A Research Agenda

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ushioda, Ema

2016-01-01

In this paper I propose an agenda for researching language learning motivation "through a small lens", to counteract our tendency in the second language (L2) motivation field to engage with language learning and teaching processes at a rather general level. I argue that by adopting a more sharply focused or contextualized angle of…

Prediction in processing is a by-product of language learning.

PubMed

Chang, Franklin; Kidd, Evan; Rowland, Caroline F

2013-08-01

Both children and adults predict the content of upcoming language, suggesting that prediction is useful for learning as well as processing. We present an alternative model which can explain prediction behaviour as a by-product of language learning. We suggest that a consideration of language acquisition places important constraints on Pickering & Garrod's (P&G's) theory.

Teaching-and-Learning Language-and-Culture. Multilingual Matters: 100.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Byram, Michael; And Others

A discussion of the cultural dimension in foreign/second language learning focuses on the need for research and theory development in this area. The first chapter addresses the role of culture in language learning and proposes areas in which theory may be developed. The second chapter looks at methodologies for teaching language and culture in…

Let Me Learn with My Peers Online!: Foreign Language Learning through Reciprocal Peer Tutoring

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dekhinet, Rayenne; Topping, Keith; Duran, David; Blanch, Silvia

2008-01-01

Rayenne Dekhinet, Keith Topping, David Duran, and Silvia Blanch describe a pilot project on the use of Internet-assisted reciprocal peer tutoring in foreign-language learning. The eight-week project connected Spanish-speaking English-language learners at a primary school in Catalonia with English-speaking Spanish-language learners at a Scottish…

Personality Traits as Predictors of the Social English Language Learning Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fazeli, Seyed Hossein

2012-01-01

The present study aims to find out the role of personality traits in the prediction use of the Social English Language Learning Strategies (SELLSs) for learners of English as a foreign language. Four instruments were used, which were Adapted Inventory for Social English Language Learning Strategies based on Social category of Strategy Inventory…