Sample records for exploratory language program

  1. Middle School Exploratory Foreign Language Programs: A Position Paper.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Council of State Supervisors of Foreign Language.

    Four types of exploratory foreign language programs are described: (1) the language overview course, (2) the trial-study course, (3) the Level I offering, and (4) the course for the non-college bound. It is largely in the middle schools (grades 6-8) and junior high schools (grades 7-9) that exploratory programs are being used. The language…

  2. Annotated Bibliography of Materials for Elementary Foreign Language Programs.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dobb, Fred

    An annotated bibliography contains about 70 citations of instructional materials and materials concerning curriculum development for elementary school foreign language programs. Citations are included for Arabic, classical languages, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish. Items on exploratory language courses and general works on…

  3. Language and Man: An Exploratory Foreign-Language Program for Grade Six.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bartos, Marilyn; And Others

    This curriculum guide presents a program introducing sixth-grade children to the study of language, of languages other than English, and specifically of French. An initial section includes a variety of activities designed to interest students in the study of language, its peculiarties, complexities, and importance in life. Prior to the first…

  4. Around the World: Japan. An Exploratory Unit for Middle School Students.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Galloway, Vicki; And Others

    One of the units developed as part of the "Around the World" exploratory language program in South Carolina, this unit on Japan aims to develop in students an awareness of Japanese culture through experiential language and cultural activities. The guide has the following components: (1) a list of general and special interest books, and…

  5. Around the World: Peru. An Exploratory Unit for Middle School Students.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Galloway, Vicki; And Others

    One of the units developed as part of the "Around the World" exploratory language program in South Carolina, this unit on Peru aims to develop in students an awareness of Peruvian culture through experiential language and cultural activities. The unit guide has six components: (1) a list of resource books, special interest areas, and…

  6. The English in Public Elementary Schools Program of a Mexican State: A Critical, Exploratory Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Perales Escudero, Moises Damian; Reyes Cruz, Maria del Rosario; Loyo, Griselda Murrieta

    2012-01-01

    The quality of English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) instruction in elementary schools worldwide is an issue of concern for language policy and planning (LPP) scholars, as are examinations of power and ideologies operating in policy creation and implementation. This critical, exploratory study blends these two strands of inquiry by examining…

  7. Around the World: India. An Exploratory Unit for Middle School Students.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Galloway, Vicki; And Others

    One of the units developed as part of the "Around the World" exploratory language program in South Carolina, this unit on India aims to develop in students an awareness of the culture of the country through experiential language and cultural activities. The guide has the following components: (1) a list of resource books and films; (2)…

  8. Multidimensional Language Performance in Training Teachers for Secondary Content Instruction through English

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Feryok, Anne

    2013-01-01

    This exploratory study focuses on four non-native English speaking secondary content teachers in a short-term immersion program aimed at introducing them to language teaching methods for secondary school content instruction through the medium of English. Such programs have been found to have largely mixed results for language performance. This may…

  9. Latino Parental Access to Biliteracy Programs in Selected Latino-Majority Schools Based on the "Castaneda" Guidelines: Exploratory Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Palma, Griselda

    2017-01-01

    An exploratory study of Latino majority elementary (LME) schools was launched to investigate if parents of English Language Learners (ELLs) are provided due process to biliteracy programs in low-income schools in San Diego County. The main research question of the study asked: How are the instructional programs in LME schools preparing Latino ELLs…

  10. Impacts of a Discussion-Based Academic Language Program on Classroom Interactions in 4th through 7th Grades

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    LaRusso, Maria; Jones, Stephanie M.; Kim, Ha Yeon; Kim, James; Donovan, Suzanne; Snow, Catherine

    2016-01-01

    This paper presents an exploratory analysis of treatment-control differences in the quality of classroom interactions in 4th through 7th grade urban classrooms. Word Generation (WG) is a research-based academic language program for middle school students designed to teach novel vocabulary and literacy through language arts, math, science, and…

  11. Metacognitive Language in Bilingual Children.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Campoverde, Cecilia

    An exploratory study was conducted to identify the degree of language performance in native and bilingual English- and Spanish-speaking children under circumstances of native and bilingual language instruction. The study is a first step in testing the hypothesis that the underachievement of children in English-as-a-second-language programs and…

  12. Integrating Mobile Technologies into Very Young Second Language Learners' Curriculum

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sadykova, Gulnara; Gimaletdinova, Gulnara; Khalitova, Liliia; Kayumova, Albina

    2016-01-01

    This report is based on an exploratory case study of a private multilingual preschool language program that integrated a Mobile-Assisted Language Learning (MALL) project into the curriculum of five/six year-old children whose native language(s) is/are Russian and/or Tatar. The purpose of the study was to reveal teachers' and parents' perceptions…

  13. Exploratory Comparisons from the Field: Study of Students from Two Teacher Credentialing Programs of Cross-Cultural, Language, and Academic Development (Professional Development Schools and Regular Teacher Education Programs).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Torrez, Nena

    This paper discusses development of the Crosscultural, Language, and Academic Development (CLAD) credential in California's preservice teacher education. CLAD focuses on first and second language development, educational equity, linguistic and cultural diversity, equal access to core curriculum, respect for cultural and linguistic issues,…

  14. Promising Instructional Practices for English Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Prince, Johanna

    2018-01-01

    Aim/Purpose: The purpose of this exploratory case study was to understand how teachers, working with English Language Learners (ELLs), expanded their knowledge and instructional practices as they implemented a one-to-one iPad® program. Background: English Language Learners experience linguistic, cultural, and cognitive shifts that can be…

  15. Predicting Participation in Dual Language Immersion Using Theory of Planned Behavior

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Call, Andrea; Domenech Rodríguez, Melanie M.; Vázquez, Alejandro L.; Corralejo, Samantha M.

    2018-01-01

    Dual language immersion programs are increasing in popularity. Yet little is known about what motivates parents to enroll their children in dual language immersion. The theory of planned behavior posits that behavior is based on attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control. The current study was an exploratory evaluation of the…

  16. Language Use in Six Study Abroad Programs: An Exploratory Analysis of Possible Predictors

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dewey, Dan P.; Bown, Jennifer; Baker, Wendy; Martinsen, Rob A.; Gold, Carrie; Eggett, Dennis

    2014-01-01

    A common predictor of language gains during study abroad (SA) is amount of language use. Yet little attention has been given to determining what factors influence the extent of language use while abroad. Studies in this area have mainly been case studies of learners in single locations. In this larger study, we seek to determine variables…

  17. English-as-a-Second-Language Programs for Matriculated Students in the United States: An Exploratory Survey and Some Issues. Research Report. ETS RR-14-11

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ling, Guangming; Wolf, Mikyung Kim; Cho, Yeonsuk; Wang, Yuan

    2014-01-01

    Although English-as-a-second-language (ESL) programs for matriculated students have been a presence in U.S. higher education since the 1940s, little has been documented in the literature concerning ESL courses, ESL placement tests, and the procedures in which incoming students are placed into appropriate classes.The present study takes three…

  18. TEACHER TRAINING AND THE CLASSICS.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    REXINE, JOHN E.

    WITH THE STUDY OF MODERN FOREIGN LANGUAGES FAR OUTSTRIPPING THE STUDY OF LATIN, IT BEHOOVES LATIN TEACHERS TO REVITALIZE THEIR TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS. MORE SPECIFICALLY, NEW PROGRAMS SHOULD REFLECT THE IDEAS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF JAMES B. CONANT, THE PLANS OF FIVE EXPLORATORY PROGRAMS IN TEACHER PREPARATION INITIATED BY THE N.Y. STATE…

  19. An engineering approach to automatic programming

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rubin, Stuart H.

    1990-01-01

    An exploratory study of the automatic generation and optimization of symbolic programs using DECOM - a prototypical requirement specification model implemented in pure LISP was undertaken. It was concluded, on the basis of this study, that symbolic processing languages such as LISP can support a style of programming based upon formal transformation and dependent upon the expression of constraints in an object-oriented environment. Such languages can represent all aspects of the software generation process (including heuristic algorithms for effecting parallel search) as dynamic processes since data and program are represented in a uniform format.

  20. The Markings of a New Pencil: Introducing Programming-as-Writing in the Middle School Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Burke, Quinn

    2012-01-01

    Using the setting of a writing-workshop to facilitate a deliberate process to learn computer programming, this exploratory study investigates (a) where there is a natural overlap between programming and writing through the storytelling motif, and (b) to what extent existing language arts coursework and pedagogy can be leveraged to introduce this…

  1. Esperanto: Threat or Ally?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Goodman, Thomas H.

    1978-01-01

    In 1975, Maryland began training teachers who wished to experiment with Esperanto in their classes, usually as part of an exploratory course in a foreign language appreciation program. Teachers have observed a marked increase in motivation among students exposed to Esperanto. (Author/KM)

  2. Empirical Network Model of Human Higher Cognitive Brain Functions

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1990-03-31

    If applicable) AFOSR j’ F49620-87-0047 8c. ADDRESS (City, State, and ZIP Code) 10. SOURCE OF FUNDING NUMBERS USAF/AFSC, AIR FORCE OFFICE OF PROGRAM ...8217 Workbench", an interactive exploratory data analysis and display program . Other technical developments include development of methods and programs ...feedback. Electroencephalogr. clin. Neurophysiol., 74:147-160. 11. Illes, J. (1989) Neurolinguistic features of spontaneous language production

  3. Foreign Language Exploratory (French, German, Spanish), (6-8), Resource Guide and Handbook.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kennedy, Dora F.; And Others

    The guide focuses on a rationale for exploratory foreign language courses in middle or junior high school, and on the goals and objectives for such courses. An exploratory course may serve a number of purposes regardless of whether or not a pupil elects a foreign language at a later time. These purposes include: (1) acquainting pupils with a…

  4. Exploring Languages and Cultures--An Exploratory Foreign Language Course. A Guide for Teachers.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Milwaukee Public Schools, WI. Div. of Curriculum and Instruction.

    A working guide for teachers in planning and teaching an exploratory course in foreign language and culture presents the basic course structure for nine weeks. Instructional materials are not provided. Course objectives include: (1) exploration of foreign languages and cultures; (2) sensitization to value systems and customs of one's own and other…

  5. Self-Esteem in Children with Speech and Language Impairment: An Exploratory Study of Transition from Language Units to Mainstream School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rannard, Anne; Glenn, Sheila

    2009-01-01

    Little is known about the self-perceptions of children moving from language units to mainstream school. This longitudinal exploratory study examined the effects of transition on perceptions of competence and acceptance in one group of children with speech and language impairment. Seven children and their teachers completed the Pictorial Scale of…

  6. Establishing a Common Language: The Meaning of Research-Based and Evidence-Based Programming (in the Human Sciences)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sellers, Debra M.; Schainker, Lisa M.; Lockhart, Peggy; Yeh, Hsiu Chen

    2017-01-01

    This article describes the development, implementation, and exploratory evaluation of a professional development series that addressed educators' knowledge and use of the terms "research-based" and "evidence-based" within Human Sciences Extension and Outreach at one university. Respondents to a follow-up survey were more likely…

  7. Context as Mediator: Teaching Residents' Opportunity and Learning in High-Need Urban Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kolman, Joni S.; Roegman, Rachel; Goodwin, A. Lin

    2016-01-01

    This article presents findings from an exploratory empirical study of teaching residents' opportunities and learning within the overlapping contexts of English as a Second Language (ESL)/special education classrooms and high-need urban schools. Utilizing documentation from the first year of a teacher residency program, our findings illustrate the…

  8. Examining Current and Proposed Home Language Surveys in California in Relation to Initial English Language Proficiency Assessment Results: An Exploratory Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Haas, Eric; Tran, Loan; Linquanti, Robert; Bailey, Alison

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the extent to which a proposed home language survey in California could better identify possible English learner and multilingual students than the current home language survey. The responses to a proposed and current survey were examined for students registering for kindergarten through grade…

  9. "My Purpose Was to Help Them with Accounting, Not English": An Exploratory Study of Languages Other than English in Peer Assisted Study Sessions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Supple, Briony J.; Best, Gill; Pearce, Amanda

    2016-01-01

    This paper considers when and for what purposes Peer Assisted Study Session (PASS) Leaders at an English medium university use their first language (when that language is not the dominant language of instruction) to facilitate PASS sessions in an English speaking university. This small qualitative exploratory study examines the experiences of…

  10. TOEFL and IELTS as Measures of Academic Reading Ability: An Exploratory Study.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Buell, James G.

    This paper discusses research conducted in the spring of 1991 that measured the relationship of reading subtest scores to teacher ratings of students' reading abilities. Sixty-eight advanced-level students in an intensive English program took an institutional version of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and a specimen reading…

  11. The Effects of Meaning-Focused Pre-Tasks on Beginning-Level L2 Writing in German: An Exploratory Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Abrams, Zsuzsanna; Byrd, David R.

    2017-01-01

    Most studies on task-based language learning focus on the oral performance of advanced level learners of English as a second language (ESL), while little research examines the written performance of beginning language learners in non-ESL contexts. This exploratory study aims to address this gap, by examining the effect of pre-writing tasks on…

  12. Participant outcomes, perceptions, and experiences in the Internationally Educated Engineers Qualification Program, University of Manitoba: An exploratory study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Friesen, Marcia R.

    Immigration, economic, and regulatory trends in Canada have challenged all professions to examine the processes by which immigrant professionals (international graduates) achieve professional licensure and meaningful employment in Canada. The Internationally Educated Engineers Qualification Program (IEEQ) at the University of Manitoba was developed as an alternate pathway to integrate international engineering graduates into the engineering profession in Manitoba. However, universities have the neither mandate nor the historical practice to facilitate licensure for immigrant professionals and, thus, the knowledge base for program development and delivery is predominantly experiential. This study was developed to address the void in the knowledge base and support the program's ongoing development by conducting a critical, exploratory, participant-oriented evaluation of the IEEQ Program for both formative and summative purposes. The research questions focussed on how the IEEQ participants perceived and described their experiences in the IEEQ Program, and how the participants' outcomes in the IEEQ Program compared to international engineering graduates pursuing other licensing pathways. The study was built on an interpretivist theoretical approach that supported a primarily qualitative methodology with selected quantitative elements. Data collection was grounded in focus group interviews, written questionnaires, student reports, and program records for data collection, with inductive data analysis for qualitative data and descriptive statistics for quantitative data. The findings yielded rich understandings of participants' experiences in the IEEQ Program, their outcomes relative to international engineering graduates (IEGs) pursuing other licensing pathways, and their perceptions of their own adaptation to the Canadian engineering profession. Specifically, the study suggests that foreign credentials recognition processes have tended to focus on the recognition and translation of human and/or institutional capital. Yet, access to and acquisition of social and cultural capital need to receive equal attention. Further, the study suggested that, while it is reasonable that language fluency is a pre-requisite for successful professional integration, there is also a fundamental link between language and cognition in that international engineering graduates are challenged to understand and assimilate information for which they may not possess useful language or the underlying mental constructs. The findings have implications for our collective understanding of the scope of the professional engineering body of knowledge.

  13. "Remember to Hand out Medals": Peer Rating and Expertise in a Question-and-Answer Study Group

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ponti, Marisa

    2015-01-01

    This article reports on an exploratory study of giving medals as part of a peer rating system in a question-and-answer (Q&A) study group on Python, a programming language. There are no professional teachers tutoring learners. The study aimed to understand whether and how medals, awarded to responses in a peer-based learning environment, can…

  14. Differences in fruit and vegetable intake by race/ethnicity and by Hispanic origin and nativity among women in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, 2015

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    The objective of this exploratory study was to determine whether fruit and vegetable consumption differed by race/ethnicity, by origin and nativity among Hispanics, and by language preference (as an indicator of acculturation) among foreign-born Hispanics. We recruited 723 women enrolled in the Spec...

  15. ICT and an Exploratory Pedagogy for Classroom-Based Chinese Language Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zhao, XingLong; Wang, MinJuan; Wu, Juan; He, KeKang

    2011-01-01

    This paper reports on a new pedagogy for Chinese language teaching and learning at elementary schools through exploratory classroom instruction using Information and Communication Technologies. The study used quantitative method to collect data from two elementary schools of China. The results showed that: (1) the three-in-one pedagogy of…

  16. Code-Switching in Iranian Elementary EFL Classrooms: An Exploratory Investigation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rezvani, Ehsan; Street, Hezar Jerib; Rasekh, Abbass Eslami

    2011-01-01

    This paper presents the results of a small-scale exploratory investigation of code-switching (CS) between English and Farsi by 4 Iranian English foreign language (EFL) teachers in elementary level EFL classrooms in a language school in Isfahan, Iran. Specifically, the present study aimed at exploring the syntactical identification of switches and…

  17. Critical Geragogy and Foreign Language Learning: An Exploratory Application

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ramírez Gómez, Danya

    2016-01-01

    This article proposes an exploratory application of the principles of critical geragogy (Formosa, 2002, 2011, 2012) to foreign language (FL) education (i.e., L2 learning in the L1 community). Critical geragogy is an educational, practical framework intended to empower older adults and lead them to emancipate from age strictures (Glendenning &…

  18. Making the Case for Exploratory World Language Instruction in Catholic Elementary Schools through University Partnerships

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Burke, Brigid M.; Howard, Eric D.

    2017-01-01

    As a result of a university partnership, elementary students at two midwest Catholic elementary schools have been provided with exploratory world language instruction (FLEX) from pre-service teachers. To investigate students' attitudes and learning of Spanish, researchers interviewed second and fourth graders. The students' parents and pre-service…

  19. High School Teachers' Perspectives on the English Language Arts Common Core State Standards: An Exploratory Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ajayi, Lasisi

    2016-01-01

    This was an exploratory study that examined high school teachers' perspectives about their early experiences with the English language arts Common Core State Standards. The sources of data for the study included a survey and structured interviews. Twenty-three high school ELA teachers from one unified school district in Southern California…

  20. Characteristics of Effective Pedagogy of Third Grade English Learners in Language Arts: An Exploratory Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Merwin, Gregory J.

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to identify pedagogical and non-pedagogical factors that affect the academic achievement of English Learner (EL) students in the area of language arts at Dr. Albert Schweitzer Elementary School in Anaheim, California. The researcher conducted an exploratory multiple case study to develop a comprehensive, contextual…

  1. Language Brokering and Self-Concept: An Exploratory Study of Latino Students' Experiences in Middle and High School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Niehaus, Kate; Kumpiene, Gerda

    2014-01-01

    This exploratory study examined the relationships among individual characteristics, language brokering experiences and attitudes, and multiple dimensions of self-concept among a sample of Latino adolescents. The sample was comprised of 66 Latino students in 6th through 11th grades who were proficient in both Spanish and English. Results from…

  2. The Development of Bilingual Narrative Retelling Among Spanish-English Dual Language Learners Over Two Years.

    PubMed

    Lucero, Audrey

    2018-05-25

    This exploratory study investigates the development of oral narrative retell proficiency among Spanish-English emergent bilingual children longitudinally from kindergarten to second grade in Spanish and English as they learned literacy in the 2 languages concurrently. Oral narrative retell assessments were conducted with children who spoke Spanish at home and were enrolled in a dual language immersion program (N = 12) in the spring of kindergarten and second grade. Retells were transcribed and coded for vocabulary and grammar at the microlevel (Miller, 2012) and story structure at the macrolevel (Heilmann, Miller, Nockerts, & Dunaway, 2010). In microstructure paired-sample t tests, children showed significant improvements in vocabulary in both languages (Spanish total number of words η2 = .43, Spanish number of different words η2 = .44, English total number of words η2 = .61, English number of different words η2 = .62) but not grammar by second grade. At the macrostructure level, children showed significantly higher performance in English only (English narrative scoring scheme η2 = .47). The finding that children significantly improved in vocabulary in both languages but in overall story structure only in English suggests that discourse skills were being facilitated in English whereas Spanish discourse development may have stagnated even within a dual language immersion program. Results contribute to what is currently known about bilingual oral narrative development among young Spanish speakers enrolled in such programs and can inform assessment and instructional decisions.

  3. Prince George's County Public Schools Recommended Exploratory Outline and Guidelines for the Middle School Plus Detailed Plans for the First Six (6) Weeks.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Barr-Harrison, Pat

    The recommended syllabus for an exploratory course about Spanish and French languages and cultures and their relationship to English is presented. The guide provides suggestions for approaching course planning and teaching; a list of areas of instruction, material resources, and methods of instruction for the specific linguistic, general language,…

  4. Language Learning over 50 at the Open University in Poland: An Exploratory Study of Needs and Emotions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Klimczak-Pawlak, Agata; Kossakowska-Pisarek, Sylwia

    2018-01-01

    This exploratory, retrospective study, which focuses on the needs, attitudes, and emotions of learners attending English as a foreign language courses at the Open University of the University of Warsaw is part of a larger scale project which aims at answering calls voiced, among others, by Boulton-Lewis (2010) to gather more data from older adults…

  5. Language Ideology Dimensions of Politically Active Arizona Voters: An Exploratory Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fitzsimmons-Doolan, Shannon

    2011-01-01

    In conjunction with other linguistic constructs, language ideologies are thought to be both components and determinants of language policies--decisions about language use at micro and macro levels. Although much work has been done towards identifying language ideology constructs in localised educational settings, the existence of such constructs…

  6. Foreign Language Planning in Saudi Arabia: Beyond English

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Payne, Mark; Almansour, Maram

    2014-01-01

    This paper presents findings from an exploratory study of foreign language planning in Saudi Arabia. In terms of official policy, the sole foreign language taught in Saudi public schools is English. Therefore, researching foreign languages there is often limited to researching the area of English as a Foreign Language. However, evidence shows that…

  7. FLEX: A Foreign Language Experience.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Raven, Patrick T.

    An exploratory course was designed to give secondary school students exposure to all languages in the foreign language curriculum, in sequence, so they may decide which, if any, to enroll in. This course was begun in 1979 to counter an elitist image of foreign language courses. Course topics encouraged students to explore the languages fully by:…

  8. An Exploratory Study of Translanguaging Practices in an Online Beginner-Level Foreign Language Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Adinolfi, Lina; Astruc, Lluïsa

    2017-01-01

    Translanguaging, the movement between communicative modes and features of different languages, is becoming an established research tradition in content-focused second language learning contexts. Pedagogic translanguaging practices nevertheless remain under-applied and under-researched in foreign language instructional settings, whether…

  9. Factors Associated with Expressive and Receptive Language in French-Speaking Toddlers Clinically Diagnosed with Language Delay

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sylvestre, Audette; Desmarais, Chantal; Meyer, Francois; Bairati, Isabelle; Rouleau, Nancie; Merette, Chantal

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine child and environmental factors known to be associated to language development and how they relate to results in expressive vocabulary, expressive language, and receptive language in language-delayed toddlers. The cross-sectional data on 96 French-speaking children aged 18-36 months were…

  10. Using Primary Language Support via Computer to Improve Reading Comprehension Skills of First-Grade English Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rodriguez, Cathi Draper; Filler, John; Higgins, Kyle

    2012-01-01

    Through this exploratory study the authors investigated the effects of primary language support delivered via computer on the English reading comprehension skills of English language learners. Participants were 28 First-grade students identified as Limited English Proficient. The primary language of all participants was Spanish. Students were…

  11. The Impact of Powerful Oral Language Lab on Chilean EFL Preservice Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ward, Hsuying Chiou; Andruske, Cynthia Lee

    2013-01-01

    This exploratory qualitative case study reports the impact of using a public-speaking structure (Powerful Oral Language Lab [POLL]) in teaching preservice Chilean English pedagogy students. It describes how this task-based method of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teacher training is related to language strategic competence. Twenty students…

  12. Language Education in Elementary Schools: Meeting the Needs of the Nation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rubio, Fernando

    2018-01-01

    This article briefly reviews the social, political, and economic context that explains the present status of elementary language education in the United States and addresses the challenges identified by recent reports on the state of language education in the United States. Different curricular models of world language education--exploratory,…

  13. Classroom Management in Foreign Language Education: An Exploratory Review

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Macías, Diego Fernando

    2018-01-01

    This review examines studies in the area of classroom management in foreign language education. It is organized into three large areas: The first area focuses on the distinctive characteristics of foreign language instruction that are more likely to impact classroom management in foreign language classes. The second area provides a description of…

  14. A Teacher's Exploratory Inquiry of Language Awareness: Language Learner Perceptions from Oral Presentations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Leichsenring, Andrew

    2015-01-01

    This paper presents a teacher-led inquiry into learner language awareness and learner perceptions of: oral presentations using first language (L1) support when using a second language (L2); and L2 learner and user identity. The quantitative-based results of this preliminary inquiry represent a source of understanding for the researcher, who later,…

  15. Accommodations for English Language Learners with Disabilities in Federally-Mandated Statewide English Language Proficiency Assessments

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kuti, Laura M.

    2011-01-01

    The purpose of this research study was to conduct exploratory research to examine federally-mandated annual English language proficiency (ELP) assessment of English language learners (ELLs) and their use of accommodations on the assessment. First the researcher provides a review of the literature regarding accommodations provided for ELLs,…

  16. Language Development in School-Age Girls with Fragile X Syndrome

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sterling, A.; Abbeduto, L.

    2012-01-01

    Background: Girls with fragile X syndrome (FXS) have a wide range of cognitive and language abilities. The range of language outcomes experienced by girls with FXS, however, has been relatively unexplored. The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine receptive and expressive language, with a focus on vocabulary and syntax, in a group of…

  17. Syntactic Markedness and Language Acquisition.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mazurkewich, Irene

    1985-01-01

    Argues that Chomsky's theory of generative grammar provides a model for second language acquisition that meets the criteria of descriptive and exploratory adequacy in accounting for the language learning process. Illustrates this by presenting data on the acquisition of dative complements and dative questions in a passive context by second…

  18. The First Language in the Foreign Language Classroom: Teacher Model and Student Language Use--An Exploratory Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chavez, Monika

    2016-01-01

    This study investigates how three teachers differed in the amount of first language (L1; here, English) they used during teacher-led instruction in a foreign language (FL; here, German) class and whether differences in the three teachers' L1 were associated with similar differences in their respective students' L1 use, both during teacher-led…

  19. Language Diversity and Bilingual Processing

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Athanasopoulos, Panos; Treffers-Daller, Jeanine

    2015-01-01

    This special issue on language diversity and bilingual processing is based on papers presented at the "Exploratory Workshop on Speaking, Thinking and Gesturing in Two Languages," at the University of Reading, UK, in September 2012, sponsored by the European Science Foundation (IM/SCH/EW11-145). The workshop brought together a…

  20. Narrative Skills in Children with Selective Mutism: An Exploratory Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McInnes, Alison; Fung, Daniel; Manassis, Katharina; Fiksenbaum, Lisa; Tannock, Rosemary

    2004-01-01

    Selective mutism (SM) is a rare and complex disorder associated with anxiety symptoms and speech-language deficits; however, the nature of these language deficits has not been studied systematically. A novel cross-disciplinary assessment protocol was used to assess anxiety and nonverbal cognitive, receptive language, and expressive narrative…

  1. Educating Educators about Second Language Idiomaticity through Action Research

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Liontas, John I.

    2013-01-01

    Idiomaticity is central to linguistic theory. Despite the pervasiveness of idioms in language, pedagogical articles in professional journals have yet to pay attention to the benefits of idiom instruction in the second language (SL) classroom. Addressing this concern, this article reports the results of an exploratory qualitative research study…

  2. An Investigation of School Counselor Self-Efficacy with English Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Johnson, Leonissa V.; Ziomek-Daigle, Jolie; Haskins, Natoya Hill; Paisley, Pamela O.

    2017-01-01

    This exploratory quantitative study described school counselors' self-efficacy with English language learners. Findings suggest that school counselors with exposure to and experiences with English language learners have higher levels of self-efficacy. Statistically significant and practical differences in self-efficacy were apparent by race, U.S.…

  3. Reimagining English Language Learners from a Translingual Perspective

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Anderson, Jason

    2018-01-01

    This article explores the potential implications of theorizing in translingualism and translanguaging for foreign language teaching and learning. I discuss key terminology and introduce a translingual continuum as a potential way to understand language use practices both within and across communities. I report on an exploratory study into the…

  4. Stakeholders' Qualitative Perspectives of Effective Telepractice Pedagogy in Speech-Language Pathology

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Overby, Megan S.

    2018-01-01

    Background: Academic programmes in speech-language pathology are increasingly providing telehealth/telepractice clinical education to students. Despite this growth, there is little information describing effective ways to teach it. Aims: The current exploratory study analyzed the perceptions of speech-language pathology/therapy (SLP/SLT) faculty,…

  5. Dubbing Projects for the Language Learner: A Framework for Integrating Audiovisual Translation into Task-Based Instruction

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Danan, Martine

    2010-01-01

    This article describes a series of exploratory L1 to L2 dubbing projects for which students translated and used editing software to dub short American film and TV clips into their target language. Translating and dubbing into the target language involve students in multifaceted, high-level language production tasks that lead to enhanced vocabulary…

  6. The Impact of the "First Language First" Model on Vocabulary Development among Preschool Bilingual Children

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schwartz, Mila

    2014-01-01

    The aim of this exploratory study was to examine the role of the "First Language First" model for preschool bilingual education in the development of vocabulary depth. The languages studied were Russian (L1) and Hebrew (L2) among bilingual children aged 4-5 years in Israel. According to this model, the children's first language of…

  7. Composing a Narrative Story in a Third Language: Multilinguals' Reliance on Multiple Languages in an L3 Linguistic Task

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pap, Emese Boksay

    2016-01-01

    This paper reports on the results of an exploratory study that employed the concurrent think-aloud method to investigate narrative text-creating strategies of multilingual Transylvanian-Hungarians in English, their third language. The study explored the participants' reliance on their different languages as they composed a story in English based…

  8. Measuring Digital Competence and ICT Literacy: An Exploratory Study of In-Service English Language Teachers in the Context of Saudi Arabia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Al Khateeb, Ahmed Abdulteeef M.

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this research is to measure in-service English language teachers' digital competence, particularly for the enhancement of teaching English as a second/foreign language in schools in Saudi Arabia. Information and communication technology (ICT) knowledge is currently considered as a vital skill for foreign language teachers in…

  9. Flipping between Languages? An Exploratory Analysis of the Usage by Spanish-Speaking English Language Learner Tertiary Students of a Bilingual Probability Applet

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lesser, Lawrence M.; Wagler, Amy E.; Salazar, Berenice

    2016-01-01

    English language learners (ELLs) are a rapidly growing part of the student population in many countries. Studies on resources for language learners--especially Spanish-speaking ELLs--have focused on areas such as reading, writing, and mathematics, but not introductory probability and statistics. Semi-structured qualitative interviews investigated…

  10. Students' Views regarding the Use of the First Language: An Exploratory Study in a Tertiary Context Maximizing Target Language Use

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rolin-Ianziti, Jeanne; Varshney, Rachel

    2008-01-01

    The present study investigates the functions that language learners attribute to the first language (L1) within a teaching context that maximizes the target language (TL). Beginners of French in an Australian university (N = 52) completed a questionnaire consisting of 21 closed questions on their views on L1/TL use and two open questions on the…

  11. Optimizing Interactive Development of Data-Intensive Applications

    PubMed Central

    Interlandi, Matteo; Tetali, Sai Deep; Gulzar, Muhammad Ali; Noor, Joseph; Condie, Tyson; Kim, Miryung; Millstein, Todd

    2017-01-01

    Modern Data-Intensive Scalable Computing (DISC) systems are designed to process data through batch jobs that execute programs (e.g., queries) compiled from a high-level language. These programs are often developed interactively by posing ad-hoc queries over the base data until a desired result is generated. We observe that there can be significant overlap in the structure of these queries used to derive the final program. Yet, each successive execution of a slightly modified query is performed anew, which can significantly increase the development cycle. Vega is an Apache Spark framework that we have implemented for optimizing a series of similar Spark programs, likely originating from a development or exploratory data analysis session. Spark developers (e.g., data scientists) can leverage Vega to significantly reduce the amount of time it takes to re-execute a modified Spark program, reducing the overall time to market for their Big Data applications. PMID:28405637

  12. Examining Academic Writing Motivation of Prospective Indonesian Language Teachers Using Exploratory Factor Analysis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Surastina; Dedi, Fransisca S. O.

    2018-01-01

    Motivation determines students' success in academic writing. The current study adopted 28 items of the academic writing motivation questionnaire by Payne (2012) translated into Indonesian language to explore students' motivation in academic writing. This study involved 120 prospective Indonesian language teachers at STKIP PGRI Bandar Lampung that…

  13. Learning to Communicate in a Virtual World: The Case of a JFL Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yamazaki, Kasumi

    2015-01-01

    The proliferation of online simulation games across the globe in many different languages offers Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) researchers an opportunity to examine how language learning occurs in such virtual environments. While there has recently been an increase in the number of exploratory studies involving learning experiences of…

  14. Teachers' Implicit Theories and Use of ICTs in the Language Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cárdenas-Claros, Mónica; Oyanedel, Marianna

    2016-01-01

    This qualitative and exploratory case study sought to examine if and how implicit theories influence the implementation of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in the language classroom in Chile. To achieve this goal, data was gathered from nine experienced university instructors in English as a Second Language. Based on…

  15. Classifying Language-Minority Students: A Closer Look at Individual Student Data

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Okhremtchouk, Irina S.

    2014-01-01

    This article presents an exploratory case study of site-level classification practices for language-minority students. The study examines individual classification data of 439 language-minority student cases from one California urban school district and two of its schools. The review process involved a thorough examination of data integrity,…

  16. Function, Type, and Distribution of Teacher Questions in Dual-Language Preschool Read Alouds

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gort, Mileidis; Pontier, Ryan W.; Sembiante, Sabrina F.

    2012-01-01

    This exploratory study investigated the nature and distribution of dual-language preschool teachers' questions across parallel Spanish- and English-medium read-aloud activities. The notions of comprehensible input (Krashen, 1985) and language output (Swain, 1985), along with a reciprocal interaction model of teaching (Cummins, 2000), guided our…

  17. The Effects of Mobile Collaborative Activities in a Second Language Course

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ilic, Peter

    2015-01-01

    This research is designed to explore the areas of collaborative learning and the use of smartphones as a support for collaborative learning through a year-long exploratory multiple case study approach integrating both qualitative and quantitative data analysis. Qualitative exploratory interviews are combined with Multidimensional Scaling Analysis…

  18. English Language Learners in Higher Education: An Exploratory Conversation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Harrison, Jamie; Shi, Hong

    2016-01-01

    This article discusses an exploratory conversation between a newly hired assistant professor of ESOL Education and one of her graduate level students taking the methods and materials course. The graduate student was an English learner (international student), and therefore offered this new professor an opportunity to explore her practice of…

  19. Exploratory Practice and Soft Systems Methodology

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tajino, Akira; Smith, Craig

    2005-01-01

    This paper aims to demonstrate that Soft Systems Methodology (SSM), a soft systems approach developed in management studies (see Checkland, 1981), can be usefully linked with Exploratory Practice (EP), a form of practitioner research for language classrooms. Some compatible SSM and EP characteristics, in tandem, could enhance continual efforts to…

  20. Language Teachers Making Sense of Exploratory Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hanks, Judith

    2015-01-01

    This article critically examines the implementation of Exploratory Practice in an English for academic purposes (EAP) context in a British university. The innovation involved challenges as well as opportunities for uniting learning, teaching and research. Particular emphasis is given to two teachers, who are the focus of this article: the story of…

  1. "Education Is Not Just Teaching": Learner Thoughts on Exploratory Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hanks, Judith

    2015-01-01

    Exploratory Practice (EP) has recently been established as an innovative form of practitioner research in language education, one which includes learners alongside their teachers as co-researchers. However, to date, little attention has been given to learners' perspectives on this approach. This article focuses on the experiences of learners…

  2. Support like a walking stick: parent-buddy matching for language and culture in the NICU.

    PubMed

    Ardal, Frida; Sulman, Joanne; Fuller-Thomson, Esme

    2011-01-01

    (1) To explore the experience of non-English-speaking mothers with preterm, very low birth weight (VLBW) infants (,1,500 g); and (2) to examine mothers' assessment of a peer support program matching them with linguistically and culturally similar parent-buddies. An exploratory, qualitative analysis based on grounded theory. A convenience sample of eight mothers from four of the most prevalent non-English-speaking cultures (Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, and Tamil) in an urban Canadian-teaching hospital. Non-Anglophone mothers' experience and support in the NICU. Study mothers experienced intense role disequilibrium during the unanticipated crisis of preterm birth of a VLBW infant; situational crises owing to the high-tech NI CU environment and their infant's condition; and developmental crises with feelings of loss, guilt, helplessness, and anxiety. Language barriers compounded the difficulties. Parent-buddies helped non-English-speaking mothers mobilize their strengths. Culture and language are important determinants of service satisfaction for non-English-speaking mothers. Linguistically congruent parent-to-parent matching increases access to service.

  3. Healthy Eating Exploratory Program for the Elderly: Low Salt Intake in Congregate Meal Service.

    PubMed

    Seo, S; Kim, O Y; Ahn, J

    2016-03-01

    This study reported on an exploratory program to help the low income elderly improve healthy eating behavior, specifically by reducing salt intake. We conducted an exploratory program for 4 weeks for this study. The exploratory program involved offering menus with reduced salt and providing education on healthy eating. After the exploratory program, a survey of the elderly and in-depth interviews allowed us to evaluate the program for foodservice providers (dietitian, social workers, and volunteer workers). This study included both foodservice workers and elderly who actually used the foodservice in a congregate meal service system. This is a unique approach. A congregate meal service center in Seoul, Korea. Seventy four elderly in a congregate meal service center. Demographics were collected, and the healthy eating program and healthy eating education for elderly respondents were evaluated. The elderly showed high satisfaction with the exploratory program for healthy eating. We found no significant differences in satisfaction with the program between the elderly who attended education sessions and those who did not, but more of the elderly from the education sessions showed positive behavioral change intentions. The exploratory program influenced to reduce the salt intake of the elderly in congregate meal service. This study suggests cooperation of foodservice providers and the support of administrators is critical to the success of such programs.

  4. EXPLORATORY STUDIES IN THE USE OF PICTURES AND SOUND FOR TEACHING FOREIGN LANGUAGE VOCABULARY.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    GROSSLIGHT, J.H.; KALE, S.V.

    THE EFFECTS OF A NUMBER OF VARIABLES BASIC TO THE LEARNING OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE VOCABULARY WERE REPORTED. THE LANGUAGE SELECTED FOR LEARNING WAS RUSSIAN. SUBJECTS IN THE FIRST EXPERIMENT WERE 409 STUDENTS FROM AN INTRODUCTORY PSYCHOLOGY COURSE. FROM AN ENGLISH-RUSSIAN DICTIONARY, A PRELIMINARY LIST OF COMMON VERBS WAS SELECTED WHICH REPRESENTED AN…

  5. Towards the Characterization of Academic Language in Upper Elementary Science Classrooms. CSE Report 621

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bailey, Alison, L.; Butler, Frances A.; LaFramenta, Charmien; Ong, Christine

    2004-01-01

    This report details an exploratory study that employs qualitative methods to characterize the academic language used by teachers and students in 4th and 5th grade mainstream science classrooms. Teacher oral language, and to some degree student talk, was observed during content instruction. This type of data allows for a broad descriptive…

  6. Reading Intervention Using Interactive Metronome in Children with Language and Reading Impairment: A Preliminary Investigation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ritter, Michaela; Colson, Karen A.; Park, Jungjun

    2013-01-01

    This exploratory study examined the effects of Interactive Metronome (IM) when integrated with a traditional language and reading intervention on reading achievement. Forty-nine school-age children with language and reading impairments were assigned randomly to either an experimental group who received the IM treatment or to a control group who…

  7. English and French Journal Abstracts in the Language Sciences: Three Exploratory Studies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Van Bonn, Sarah; Swales, John M.

    2007-01-01

    This article compares French and English academic article abstracts from the language sciences in an attempt to understand how and why language choice might affect this part-genre--both in actual use and according to authors' linguistic and rhetorical perceptions. Two corpora are used: Corpus A consists of abstracts from a French linguistics…

  8. Learners' Preferences regarding Types of Language School: An Exploratory Market Research

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cristobal, E.; Llurda, E.

    2006-01-01

    The use of multimedia technologies in language teaching and learning has become very popular in the last few years. In the case of countries like Spain, multimedia language schools have experienced a great boom and a dramatic fall in the last 10 years. This study applies marketing research techniques to the study of Catalan learners' preferences…

  9. Teachers' Conceptions of Motivation and Motivating Practices in Second-Language Learning: A Self-Determination Theory Perspective

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Muñoz, Ana; Ramirez, Marta

    2015-01-01

    Based on self-determination theory, we conducted an exploratory study aimed at identifying teachers' beliefs about motivation and motivating practices in second-language teaching at a private language center in Medellin, Colombia. To gather data, 65 teachers were surveyed; from this initial group, 11 were interviewed and observed in class during…

  10. Hispanic Faces: An Exploratory Study of How University-Level Spanish Language Instruction Impacts Perceptions of Hispanics

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    de Gordon, Maria Teresa; McDonough, Colleen; Palmerio-Roberts, Ramona

    2016-01-01

    Immigration and globalization have dramatically changed the ethnic landscape of the United States, yet stereotypes about race continue to exist. Foreign language classrooms are at the heart of teaching about diversity. We investigated whether undergraduates (with varying exposure to Spanish language education) could accurately identify the race of…

  11. Promoting International Posture through History as Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) in the Japanese Context

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lockley, Thomas

    2015-01-01

    This article uses the conceptual framework of second language willingness to communicate (L2 WTC), and in particular the contributory construct of international posture (IP; Yashima, 2002), to report on a content and language integrated learning (CLIL) course taught in the Japanese university context. The research follows up an exploratory,…

  12. What Really Makes Students like a Web Site? What Are the Implications for Designing Web-Based Language Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hughes, Jane; McAvinia, Claire; King, Terry

    2004-01-01

    Faced with reduced numbers choosing to study foreign languages (as in England and Wales), strategies to create and maintain student interest need to be explored. One such strategy is to create "taster" courses in languages, for potential university applicants. The findings presented arise from exploratory research, undertaken to inform…

  13. English as an Additional Language (EAL) "viva voce": The EAL Doctoral Oral Examination Experience

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carter, Susan

    2012-01-01

    Is the doctoral "viva voce" a reasonable method of examination? This exploratory paper proposes that the doctoral "viva voce" (oral examination) is a slightly different hurdle for doctoral candidates for whom English is an additional language (EAL, also termed ESL) than for those whose first language is English. It investigates…

  14. On Becoming a Good English Language Learner: An Exploratory Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Panzachi Heredia, Damaris Ana Ruth; Luchini, Pedro Luis

    2015-01-01

    This paper reports a case study that explores the cognitive process and the language learning strategies and styles that one Spanish trainee used to become a good English language learner. The participant held an in-depth, semi-structured interview and completed a learning style survey. Results show that the conscious use of multiple…

  15. An exploratory longitudinal study of social and language outcomes in children with autism in bilingual home environments.

    PubMed

    Zhou, Vanessa; Munson, Jeffrey A; Greenson, Jessica; Hou, Yan; Rogers, Sally; Estes, Annette M

    2017-12-01

    Little is known about outcomes of early intervention for children with autism spectrum disorder reared in bilingual homes. There are concerns that social communication deficits among children with autism spectrum disorder may reduce the developmental benefits of early intervention for children with autism spectrum disorder raised in bilingual environments. We conducted an exploratory analysis of cross-sectional and longitudinal data from a larger study to explore associations between home language environment and language ability and social skills in response to early autism spectrum disorder intervention. Participants, aged 12-26 months when recruited, were a subset of a larger 2-year, randomized intervention trial (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00698997). Children from bilingual homes ( n = 13) began intervention with lower gesture use but otherwise demonstrated equal baseline language and social abilities as compared with age and nonverbal IQ-matched children from monolingual homes ( n = 24). Significant language growth was exhibited by children from both language groups and there was no moderating effect of home language environment. The bilingual home group demonstrated increased gesture use over the course of intervention as compared with the monolingual home group. Preliminary data revealed no basis for concerns regarding negative impact of a bilingual home environment on language or social development in young children with autism spectrum disorder.

  16. Academic and Personal Development through Group Work: An Exploratory Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Steen, Sam

    2011-01-01

    This exploratory study linked academic and personal development within a group counseling intervention. A pre-test post-test research design compared social skills, learning behaviors, and achievement with a convenience sample and control group of students from three elementary schools. For the treatment group, grade point average in Language Arts…

  17. Therapeutic Writing: An Exploratory Speech-Language Pathology Counseling Technique

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Isaki, Emi; Brown, Betty G.; Alemán, Sara; Hackstaff, Karla

    2015-01-01

    This exploratory qualitative study investigated the use of therapeutic writing for counseling long-term caregivers of spouses with brain injury and neurogenic communication disorders. Three participants wrote an average of six single-spaced pages of text. After analysis of the written text, the common themes of onset of diagnosis, anger, grief,…

  18. Understanding the Development of Chinese EFL Learners' Email Literacy through Exploratory Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chen, Yuan-shan

    2016-01-01

    While many empirical studies demonstrate the effects of instruction on enhancing second language (L2) learners' pragmatic competence (Rose, 2005), few have attempted to gain an understanding of the quality of classroom life in addition to instructional efficacy. Drawing on the framework of Exploratory Practice (Allwright, 2005), the present study…

  19. Object-oriented Technology for Compressor Simulation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Drummond, C. K.; Follen, G. J.; Cannon, M. R.

    1994-01-01

    An object-oriented basis for interdisciplinary compressor simulation can, in principle, overcome several barriers associated with the traditional structured (procedural) development approach. This paper presents the results of a research effort with the objective to explore the repercussions on design, analysis, and implementation of a compressor model in an object oriented (OO) language, and to examine the ability of the OO system design to accommodate computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code for compressor performance prediction. Three fundamental results are that: (1) the selection of the object oriented language is not the central issue; enhanced (interdisciplinary) analysis capability derives from a broader focus on object-oriented technology; (2) object-oriented designs will produce more effective and reusable computer programs when the technology is applied to issues involving complex system inter-relationships (more so than when addressing the complex physics of an isolated discipline); and (3) the concept of disposable prototypes is effective for exploratory research programs, but this requires organizations to have a commensurate long-term perspective. This work also suggests that interdisciplinary simulation can be effectively accomplished (over several levels of fidelity) with a mixed language treatment (i.e., FORTRAN-C++), reinforcing the notion the OO technology implementation into simulations is a 'journey' in which the syntax can, by design, continuously evolve.

  20. Strategies for Foreign Language Teaching: Communication, Technology, Culture. Report of the Central States Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (Chicago, Illinois, April 26-28, 1984).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Westphal, Patricia B., Ed.; And Others

    The 13 selected papers included in this conference report are: "Achieving Curriculum Fit for That 'Horrible' Second Year" (Lorraine A. Strasheim); "Project Partnership: French Culture and Language in the Elementary School" (Susan Turner); "A Middle School Exploratory Course" (Kay Thorp); "Creative and…

  1. "Why Do We Know Hebrew and They Do Not Know Arabic?" Children's Meta-Linguistic Talk in Bilingual Preschool

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schwartz, Mila; Gorbatt, Naomi

    2016-01-01

    Language-focused listening to young children's talk provides insight into their internal thinking mechanisms regarding language as they engage in language learning. The aim of this exploratory longitudinal study was to examine and analyze children's meta-linguistic talk and its main characteristics in a bilingual Arabic-Hebrew-speaking preschool.…

  2. Learning about Language Learning on a MOOC: How Massive, Open, Online and "Course"?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Orsini-Jones, Marina; Pibworth-Dolinski, Laura; Cribb, Mike; Brick, Billy; Gazeley-Eke, Zoe; Leinster, Hannah; Lloyd, Elwyn

    2015-01-01

    This paper reports on an exploratory research project on the evaluation of the engagement with a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) carried out by six members of staff and two "expert students" involved in the MA in English Language Teaching (ELT) in the Department of English and Languages at Coventry University (CU), United Kingdom,…

  3. The Use of Arabic in Kuwaiti EFL Classrooms: An Exploratory Study on the Patterns and Functions of Language Choice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bader Alghasab, Maha

    2017-01-01

    This study examines the relationship between the functions and patterns of language choice in EFL classrooms in a Kuwaiti primary school. It applies the overall order model, specifically the medium of classroom interaction, to identify three patterns of language choice: an English monolingual medium, an Arabic monolingual medium and a bilingual…

  4. Reading Strategies That Motivate English as a Second Language Learners: An Examination of English as a Second Language Teacher Perceptions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Howell, Kristine Nicole

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine teachers' perceptions of motivational literacy instructional strategies for use with English as a second language learners (ESLs). Self-determination theory's basic psychological needs theory and organismic integration theory acted as the lens through which this topic was explored. A Likert-type…

  5. Learning about Literacy outside the Classroom: Pre-Service Teachers Reflect on Learning a Second Language through Cultural Immersion

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gutierrez, A. Renee; Hunter, Cheryl A.

    2012-01-01

    This qualitative case study examined the perceived impact of immersion language study for pre-service teachers. The focus of the case was a month-long exploratory language and cultural immersion project in Costa Rica. The guiding questions were: what knowledge of teaching literacy do pre-service teachers reflect upon during a linguistic and…

  6. Learner Variables in Second Language Listening Comprehension: An Exploratory Path Analysis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vandergrift, Larry; Baker, Susan

    2015-01-01

    Listening comprehension plays a key role in language acquisition, yet little is known about the variables that contribute to the development of second language (L2) listening ability. This study sought to obtain empirical evidence for the impact of some of the learner variables and the degree to which they might predict success in L2 listening.…

  7. Social inclusion for children with hearing loss in listening and spoken Language early intervention: an exploratory study.

    PubMed

    Constantinescu-Sharpe, Gabriella; Phillips, Rebecca L; Davis, Aleisha; Dornan, Dimity; Hogan, Anthony

    2017-03-14

    Social inclusion is a common focus of listening and spoken language (LSL) early intervention for children with hearing loss. This exploratory study compared the social inclusion of young children with hearing loss educated using a listening and spoken language approach with population data. A framework for understanding the scope of social inclusion is presented in the Background. This framework guided the use of a shortened, modified version of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC) to measure two of the five facets of social inclusion ('education' and 'interacting with society and fulfilling social goals'). The survey was completed by parents of children with hearing loss aged 4-5 years who were educated using a LSL approach (n = 78; 37% who responded). These responses were compared to those obtained for typical hearing children in the LSAC dataset (n = 3265). Analyses revealed that most children with hearing loss had comparable outcomes to those with typical hearing on the 'education' and 'interacting with society and fulfilling social roles' facets of social inclusion. These exploratory findings are positive and warrant further investigation across all five facets of the framework to identify which factors influence social inclusion.

  8. Using Exploratory Talk to Enhance Problem-Solving and Reasoning Skills in Grade-7 Science Classrooms

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Webb, Paul; Treagust, David F.

    2006-01-01

    This study investigates whether the generation of exploratory talk in grade seven, second-language science classrooms in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa, has a positive effect on learners in terms of their problem-solving and reasoning skills and whether socio-cultural "milieus" (urban, peri-urban and rural settings of schools)…

  9. Understanding Practitioner Research as a Form of Life: An Eastern Interpretation of Exploratory Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wu, Zongjie

    2006-01-01

    Allwright and colleagues around the world have been developing Exploratory Practice as an approach to practitioner research different from the familiar notion of teacher research. EP offers a set of principles devoted to understanding, in a collaborative mode, the quality of language classroom life. Several underlying points, such as "quality of…

  10. Reasoning Words as Linguistic Features of Exploratory Talk: Classroom Use and What It Can Tell Us

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Boyd, Maureen; Kong, Yiren

    2017-01-01

    Reasoning words are linguistic features associated with classroom exploratory talk as students talk-to-learn, explore ideas, and probe each other's thinking. This study extends established research on use of reasoning words to a fourth- to fifth-grade literature-based English language learning context. We examined frequency and patterning of…

  11. The Chinese Input Challenges for Chinese as Second Language Learners in Computer-Mediated Writing: An Exploratory Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wong, Lung-Hsiang; Chai, Ching-Sing; Gao, Ping

    2011-01-01

    This paper reports an exploratory study on Singapore secondary and primary school students' perceptions and behaviors on using a variety of Chinese input methods for Chinese composition writing. Significant behavioral patterns were uncovered and mapped into a cognitive process, which are potentially critical to the training of students in…

  12. Exploratory Programing in Georgia's Middle Schools.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Warren, Louis L.; Allen, Michael G.

    This study surveyed the nature and extent of exploratory programming in intermediate schools. A 22-item questionnaire was sent to all 285 of the state's middle and junior high schools. Of the 163 respondents, 160 indicated that they had some form of exploratory programming. The latter number included: (1) 155 schools with traditional exploratory…

  13. 77 FR 11492 - Notice of Availability of a Draft Environmental Assessment for the Issuance of Incidental...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-02-27

    ... Shell for the take of marine mammals incidental to offshore oil and gas exploratory drilling programs in... Mammals by Harassment Incidental to Conducting Exploratory Drilling Programs in the U.S. Beaufort and... take of marine mammals incidental to conducting offshore exploratory drilling programs in the U.S...

  14. Evaluation Study of the Exploratory Visit: An Innovative Outreach Activity of the ILGWU's Friendly Visiting Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wright, Holly; And Others

    1977-01-01

    The exploratory visit to recent retirees, an outreach component of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union Friendly Visiting Program, was evaluated. A post-test only control group effect study revealed exploratory visits were effective in establishing a link between the program and the retiree. (Author)

  15. How School Staff Understand the Relationship between Problem Behaviours and Language Difficulties

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ramsay, Janet; Cowell, Naina; Gersch, Irvine

    2018-01-01

    This exploratory study adopted a mixed methods methodology, a critical realist ontological stance and a constructionist epistemological position to consider how special educational needs coordinators and pastoral managers in mainstream high schools understand the relationship between problem behaviours and language development. Semi-structured…

  16. Resettlement experiences and resilience in refugee youth in Perth, Western Australia.

    PubMed

    Earnest, Jaya; Mansi, Ruth; Bayati, Sara; Earnest, Joel Anthony; Thompson, Sandra C

    2015-06-10

    In Australia, the two major pathways of refugee entry are the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees resettlement programme and irregular maritime arrivals (IMAs) seeking asylum. The Australian Government's policies towards IMAs since July 2013 are controversial, uncompromising and consistently harsh, with asylum seekers held in detention centres for prolonged periods. Refugees and asylum seekers have distinct and unique stressors that make resettlement difficult. This exploratory study examines resettlement experiences for refugee youth in Western Australia using the psychosocial conceptual framework and qualitative methods. Focus group discussions and key informant interviews were undertaken with verbatim transcripts analysed using thematic analysis to identify themes. Themes documented that language and its impact, and experience with education, health, and social activities, support structures provided to youth and supporting future aspirations as critical to successful resettlement. This exploratory study contributes to developing a broader understanding of the resettlement experiences of refugee youth, drawing on their current and past experiences, cultural differences and mechanisms for coping. Fluency in English language, especially spoken, was a facilitator of successful resettlement. Our results align with previous studies documenting that support programs are vital for successful resettlement. Although faced with immense difficulties refugee youth are resilient, want to succeed and have aspirations for the future. Strategies and recommendations suggested by refugee youth themselves could be used for developing interventions to assist successful resettlement.

  17. Exploring the Value of Bilingual Language Assistants with Japanese English as a Foreign Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Macaro, Ernesto; Nakatani, Yasuo; Hayashi, Yuko; Khabbazbashi, Nahal

    2014-01-01

    We report on a small-scale exploratory study of Japanese students' reactions to the use of a bilingual language assistant on an EFL study-abroad course in the UK and we give an insight into the possible effect of using bilingual assistants on speaking production. First-year university students were divided into three groups all taught by a…

  18. An Exploratory Study of Selected Aspects of the Relationship Between Family Interaction and Language Development in Children.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hubbell, Robert Denton

    Sixteen middle class, four-person families were used in a study comparing communicative behavior of parents interacting with a younger child (3 or 4 years old) whose language skills were developing, and with an older child (6 or 7 years old) whose basic language skills were established. Combinations of sex of siblings and sibling position were…

  19. Matching Vocabulary Learning Process with Learning Outcome in L2 Academic Writing: An Exploratory Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ma, Qing

    2013-01-01

    This exploratory case study of two undergraduates links vocabulary learning approaches with lexical quality measured in academic writing. Employing an array of qualitative data, it is shown that in a "semi-language-rich" learning context, Chinese learners may dispense with rote learning and engage in a more natural learning approach in which…

  20. Oral Reading Fluency in Second Language Reading

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jeon, Eun Hee

    2012-01-01

    This study investigated the role of oral reading fluency in second language reading. Two hundred and fifty-five high school students in South Korea were assessed on three oral reading fluency (ORF) variables and six other reading predictors. The relationship between ORF and other reading predictors was examined through an exploratory factor…

  1. Voice Blog: An Exploratory Study of Language Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sun, Yu-Chih

    2009-01-01

    This study uses voice blogs as a platform for an extensive study of language learners' speaking skills. To triangulate the findings, the study collected data by surveying the learners' blogging processes, investigating learning strategies, and conducting retrospective interviews. The results revealed that students (a) developed a series of…

  2. Integrating Technology Tools for Students Struggling with Written Language

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fedora, Pledger

    2015-01-01

    This exploratory study was designed to assess the experience of preservice teachers when integrating written language technology and their likelihood of applying that technology in their future classrooms. Results suggest that after experiencing technology integration, preservice teachers are more likely to use it in their future teaching.

  3. Problem-Based Learning: An Experiential Strategy for English Language Teacher Education in Chile

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Muñoz Campos, Diego

    2017-01-01

    The Chilean education system requires English language teachers to be equipped with non-conventional teaching strategies that can foster meaningful learning and assure successful learners' performances in diverse and complex settings. This exploratory, descriptive, research study aimed at discovering the perceptions of 54 pre-service teachers…

  4. Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Practices in Psychoeducational Reports for English Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Harris, Bryn; Sullivan, Amanda L.; Oades-Sese, Geraldine V.; Sotelo-Dynega, Marlene

    2015-01-01

    Past researchers suggested there are a number of shortcomings in the psychoeducational evaluation process and practices used with English language learners (ELLs). In the present exploratory study, the authors descriptively examined the assessment practices used in the special education eligibility determination process for ELLs as documented in…

  5. (Re)Conceptualizing Design Approaches for Mobile Language Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hoven, Debra; Palalas, Agnieszka

    2011-01-01

    An exploratory study conducted at George Brown College in Toronto, Canada between 2007 and 2009 investigated language learning with mobile devices as an approach to augmenting ESP learning by taking learning outside the classroom into the real-world context. In common with findings at other community colleges, this study identified inadequate…

  6. Closing the Summer Learning Gap for Vulnerable Learners: An Exploratory Study of a Summer Literacy Programme for Kindergarten Children At-Risk for Reading Difficulties

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Graham, Ashley; McNamara, John K.; Van Lankveld, Jackie

    2011-01-01

    School summer vacation may create a significant gap in the learning cycle. Such a gap may be particularly detrimental for vulnerable children such as those with lower academic achievement due to learning and language disabilities, lower socio-economic environments or learning in a language other than their native language. The current exploratory…

  7. An Exploratory Study of Teaching Tasks in English as a Foreign Language Education. Research Report. ETS RR-17-56

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Turkan, Sultan; Timpe-Laughlin, Veronika; Papageorgiou, Spiros

    2017-01-01

    Due to rising demand for qualified teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL), interest in issues pertaining to the language proficiency of these teachers has increased. However, research focusing on the teaching tasks that EFL teachers engage in for the purposes of EFL instruction is scant. The present study aims to address this gap in the…

  8. Highlights of X-Stack ExM Deliverable: MosaStore

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

    Ripeanu, Matei

    2016-07-20

    This brief report highlights the experience gained with MosaStore, an exploratory part of the X-Stack project “ExM: System support for extreme-scale, many-task applications”. The ExM project proposed to use concurrent workflows supported by the Swift language and runtime as an innovative programming model to exploit parallelism in exascale computers. MosaStore aims to support this endeavor by improving storage support for workflow-based applications, more precisely by exploring the gains that can be obtained from co-designing the storage system and the workflow runtime engine. MosaStore has been developed primarily at the University of British Columbia.

  9. Native Chinese-Speaking K-12 Language Teachers' Beliefs and Practices

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lü, Chan; Lavadenz, Magaly

    2014-01-01

    This study investigated the relationships between the beliefs and practices of K-12 native Chinese teachers on Chinese language and literacy instruction. Using a descriptive-exploratory design, this study employed a mixed-methods approach consisting of three steps: (1) a teacher beliefs questionnaire, (2) classroom observations and videotaping,…

  10. Approach to the Phenomenon of M-Learning in English Teaching

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    García, Sergio; Fombona, Javier

    2015-01-01

    This research analyzes the situation of mobile devices and some specific options of support for the teaching of the English language. The features of this complex and novel phenomenon of Mobile-Assisted Language Learning (MALL) are addressed with an exploratory descriptive methodology. The article is part of a more extensive research which deals…

  11. Diversity and Inclusion of Sociopolitical Issues in Foreign Language Classrooms: An Exploratory Survey.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kubota, Ryuko; Austin, Theresa; Saito-Abbott, Yoshiko

    2003-01-01

    Investigated diversity in the classroom, student background and learning experiences, and perceptions about the relationship between foreign language learning and issues of race, gender, class, and social justice among university students studying Spanish, Japanese, and Swahili. Found more racial diversity in Japanese and Swahili classes and in…

  12. Enhancing the Communication Abilities of Preschoolers at Risk for Behavior Problems: Effectiveness of a Parent-Implemented Language Intervention

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brassart, Elise; Schelstraete, Marie-Anne

    2015-01-01

    Communication deficits are frequently associated with externalizing behavior problems in preschoolers but, in most cases, unsuspected in clinical practice. This exploratory study evaluated the effectiveness of a relatively brief parent-implemented language intervention on preschoolers at risk for behavior problems. Participants were randomly…

  13. The Creation and Support of Dialogic Discourse in a Language Arts Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sosa, Teresa; Sullivan, Mary Pat

    2013-01-01

    This exploratory study examined the complexity and interrelatedness of dialogic discourse, disciplinary literacy, and the social environment necessary for student learning. Taking place in an urban school in a large Midwestern city, analysis of three 8th grade language arts lessons indicated that dialogic discussion was sustained and supported by…

  14. Language Teacher Identity and the Domestication of Dissent: An Exploratory Account

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Morgan, Brian

    2016-01-01

    In this article, the notion of dissent refers to a more critical, ideological orientation to advocacy for and by TESOL professionals. The notion of domestication refers to identity-forming practices in the knowledge base of language teacher education (LTE) and in professional certification processes that potentially displace this critical…

  15. Using Web 2.0 to Design Meaningful Language Learning Environments

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Feng, Jiuguang; Wang, Wei

    2012-01-01

    This article reports on an exploratory study that examines how social networks can be used in foreign language teaching and learning. Qualitative data including interviews, online observations, and students' responses to open-ended survey questions was collected. The data suggests that there are both advantages and challenges associated with using…

  16. EFL Writing Revision with Blind Expert and Peer Review Using a CMC Open Forum

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wu, Wen-Chi Vivian; Petit, Emily; Chen, Ching-Huei

    2015-01-01

    This exploratory computer assisted-language learning (CALL) study used a computer-mediated communication (CMC) interface to allow English as a foreign language (EFL) writing students in classes at two universities to give each other anonymous peer feedback about essay-writing assignments reacting to selected news stories. Experts also provided…

  17. Metalinguistic Knowledge and Cognitive Style in Polish Classroom Learners of English

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zietek, Agnieszka A.; Roehr, Karen

    2011-01-01

    In this exploratory study, we investigated the relationship between level of English metalinguistic knowledge, or explicit knowledge about the English language, and cognitive style on the wholist/analytic dimension in an intact group of young adult Polish learners of English as a foreign language. Contrary to expectation, metalinguistic knowledge…

  18. Mother-Infant Activities: The Initial Step in Language Development in the Deaf-Blind Child.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vitagliano, James; Purdy, Susan

    1987-01-01

    The exploratory study examined the effectiveness of the Van Dijk method of developing language skills with four deaf-blind infants and their mothers over a two-month period. Findings indicated increased expressive/elocutionary communicative output with concomitant reduction in self-stimulatory, abusive, and tantrum-like behaviors. (DB)

  19. New Frontiers in Foreign Language Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Conner, Maurice W., Ed.; And Others

    The following essays are presented on the theme of exploring new areas in foreign language education: (1) "Between the Promised Land and the Woozles: Working the Frontier of Articulation," by L. Bosworth and others; (2) "The Exploratory Course: College Students in Elementary Schools," by K. Hardy and D. McAlpine; (3) "Women's Studies and Foreign…

  20. A Review of CEFA Software: Comprehensive Exploratory Factor Analysis Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lee, Soon-Mook

    2010-01-01

    CEFA 3.02(Browne, Cudeck, Tateneni, & Mels, 2008) is a factor analysis computer program designed to perform exploratory factor analysis. It provides the main properties that are needed for exploratory factor analysis, namely a variety of factoring methods employing eight different discrepancy functions to be minimized to yield initial…

  1. An exploratory trial of the effectiveness of an enhanced consultative approach to delivering speech and language intervention in schools.

    PubMed

    Mecrow, Carol; Beckwith, Jennie; Klee, Thomas

    2010-01-01

    Increased demand for access to specialist services for providing support to children with speech, language and communication needs prompted a local service review of how best to allocate limited resources. This study arose as a consequence of a wish to evaluate the effectiveness of an enhanced consultative approach to delivering speech and language intervention in local schools. The purpose was to evaluate an intensive speech and language intervention for children in mainstream schools delivered by specialist teaching assistants. A within-subjects, quasi-experimental exploratory trial was conducted, with each child serving as his or her own control with respect to the primary outcome measure. Thirty-five children between the ages of 4;2 and 6;10 (years; months) received speech and/or language intervention for an average of four 1-hour sessions per week over 10 weeks. The primary outcome measure consisted of change between pre- and post-intervention scores on probe tasks of treated and untreated behaviours summed across the group of children, and maintenance probes of treated behaviours. Secondary outcome measures included standardized tests (Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals - Preschool(UK) (CELF-P(UK)); Diagnostic Evaluation of Articulation and Phonology (DEAP)) and questionnaires completed by parents/carers and school staff before and after the intervention period. The primary outcome measure showed improvement over the intervention period, with target behaviours showing a significantly larger increase than control behaviours. The gains made on the target behaviours as a result of intervention were sustained when reassessed 3-12 months later. These findings were replicated on a second set of targets and controls. Significant gains were also observed on CELF-Preschool(UK) receptive and expressive language standard scores from pre- to post-intervention. However, DEAP standard scores of speech ability did not increase over the intervention period, although improvements in raw scores were observed. Questionnaires completed before and after intervention showed some significant differences relating to how much the child's speech and language difficulties affected him/her at home and at school. This exploratory study demonstrates the benefit of an intensive therapy delivered by specialist teaching assistants for remediating speech and language difficulties experienced by young children in mainstream schools. The service delivery model was perceived by professionals as offering an inclusive and effective practice and provides empirical support for using both direct and indirect intervention in the school setting.

  2. Object exploration in extremely preterm infants between 6 and 9 months and relation to cognitive and language development at 24 months.

    PubMed

    Zuccarini, Mariagrazia; Guarini, Annalisa; Savini, Silvia; Iverson, Jana M; Aureli, Tiziana; Alessandroni, Rosina; Faldella, Giacomo; Sansavini, Alessandra

    2017-09-01

    Although early object exploration is considered a key ability for subsequent achievements, very few studies have analyzed its development in extremely low gestational age infants (ELGA- GA <28 weeks), whose early motor skills are delayed. Moreover, no studies have examined its developmental relationship with cognitive and language skills. The present study examined developmental change in Motor Object Exploration (MOE) and different types of MOE (Holding, Oral, Manual and Manual Rhythmic Exploration) in 20 ELGA and 20 full term (FT) infants observed during mother-infant play interaction at 6 and 9 months. It also explored whether specific types of MOE were longitudinally related to 24-month language and cognitive abilities (GMDS-R scores). ELGA infants increased MOE duration from 6 to 9 months, eliminating the initial difference with FT infants. In addition, ELGA infants showed a different pattern of Oral Exploration, that did not increase at 6 months and decrease at 9 months. Oral and Manual Exploration durations at 6 months were longitudinally related to 24-month GMDS-R language and cognitive performance scores respectively. We discuss the relevance of assessing early exploratory abilities in ELGA infants in order to implement customized intervention programs for supporting the development of these skills. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Design Considerations of Help Options in Computer-Based L2 Listening Materials Informed by Participatory Design

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cárdenas-Claros, Mónica Stella

    2015-01-01

    This paper reports on the findings of two qualitative exploratory studies that sought to investigate design features of help options in computer-based L2 listening materials. Informed by principles of participatory design, language learners, software designers, language teachers, and a computer programmer worked collaboratively in a series of…

  4. Teaching Interprofessional Practice: An Exploratory Course Assignment in Social Work and Speech Language Pathology

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Edwards, Claire M.; Newell, Jason M.; Rich, Danielle Waldrep; Hitchcock, Laurel I.

    2015-01-01

    The professions of social work (SWK) and speech language pathology (SLP) often involve the provision of services to a diverse group of client populations in a variety of settings; this is particularly true when meeting the complex needs of children and their families. It is widely accepted that collaborative treatment approaches utilizing…

  5. The Importance of Language in Students' Reasoning about Heat in Thermodynamic Processes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brookes, David T.; Etkina, Eugenia

    2015-01-01

    Researchers believe that the way that students talk, specifically the language that they use, can offer a window into their reasoning processes. Yet the connection between what students are saying and what they are actually thinking can be ambiguous. We present the results of an exploratory interview study with 10 participants, designed to…

  6. "Are You Able to Access This Website at All?"--Team Negotiations and Macro-Level Challenges in Telecollaboration

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fuchs, Carolin

    2016-01-01

    This exploratory study contributes to the underexplored area of collaborative task formats in telecollaboration. The study investigates how English as a second language (ESL) student teachers in the US and English as a foreign language (EFL) student teachers in Turkey negotiated the design, implementation, and evaluation of technology-based…

  7. Latino English Language Learners' Writing during Literacy-Enriched Block Play

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Snow, Marianne; Eslami, Zohreh R.; Park, Jeong Hyun

    2015-01-01

    Although growing numbers of young English language learners (ELLs) from low-income homes enroll in U.S. schools, there remains a lack of research on how they respond to common school literacy practices including a literacy-enriched play. This exploratory study aims to examine the writing behaviors of six kindergarteners in their classroom's…

  8. The "UIC German" Game App for the Enhancement of Foreign Language Learning--Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ryder, Robert; Machajewski, Szymon

    2017-01-01

    This qualitative case study reports the adoption of gamification in a college level foreign language courses. An exploratory approach allows the authors to describe how gamification was applied and what results were documented. A custom mobile app was adopted to increase engagement and interest of students in the specific field of study. External…

  9. Connectivity: A Framework for Understanding Effective Language Teaching in Face-to-Face and Online Learning Communities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Senior, Rose

    2010-01-01

    This is an exploratory paper that uses the construct of connectivity to examine the nature of effective language teaching and learning in both face-to-face and online learning environments. Broader in scope than Siemens' notion of connectivism, the term connectivity accommodates both transmission approaches to teaching and learning and social…

  10. Secondary EFL School Teachers' Perceptions of CLT Principles and Practices: An Exploratory Survey

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Anani Sarab, Mohammad Reza; Monfared, Abbas; Safarzadeh, Mohammad Meisam

    2016-01-01

    Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) is advocated by many applied linguists as a common vehicle to curriculum innovation in many ELT contexts. It represents a change of focus in language teaching from linguistic structures to learners' need for developing communication skills. In recent years, the Iranian Ministry of Education has introduced the…

  11. Exploration of the Attitudes of Freshman Foreign Language Students toward Using Computers at a Turkish State University

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Akbulut, Yavuz

    2008-01-01

    The present study expands the design of Warschauer (1996) surveying freshman foreign language students at a Turkish university. Motivating aspects of computer assisted instruction in terms of writing and e-mailing are explored through an exploratory factor analysis conducted on the survey developed by Warschauer (1996). Findings suggest that…

  12. An Exploratory Study of the Idea of an Auxiliary Universal Language

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Majidi, Mojdeh

    2007-01-01

    We live in an increasingly interconnected world where the growing movements of ideas, goods, information, money and people across national boundaries and technological advancements have led to the urgent need to have a common secondary language to partake in the global community. This study intends to extend the literature on the idea of an…

  13. Investigating Mobile-Assisted Oral Feedback in Teaching Chinese as a Second Language

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Xu, Qi; Peng, Hongying

    2017-01-01

    This article reports on an exploratory study investigating mobile-assisted oral feedback in teaching Chinese as a second language (CSL). It is aimed at exploring the characteristics of mobile-assisted feedback on oral production with the smartphone social communication app WeChat as a case in point and examining learners' perceptions of…

  14. The Challenges of Chinese: A Preliminary Study of UK Learners' Perceptions of Difficulty

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hu, Bo

    2010-01-01

    This study aims to highlight aspects of difficulty encountered by Chinese as a Foreign Language (CFL) learners and to explore the factors underlying these aspects. Data were gathered through a Chinese Language Learning Difficulty Survey from 164 CFL learners, mostly in British higher education. The survey data provided useful exploratory findings.…

  15. Texas Papers in Foreign Language Education: Contemporary Issues in Foreign and Second Language Learning and Teaching, Fall 1999.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fox, Amy L., Ed.; Karam, Morris A., Ed.; Reese, Curt L., Ed.

    1999-01-01

    This journal presents the following four papers: "Begin with Beliefs: Exploring the Relationship Between Beliefs and Learner Autonomy Among Advanced Students" (Beverly-Anne Carter); "An Exploratory Comparison of Oral Narrative Styles in Korea and the U.S." (Jungmin Ko); "Rethinking the Red Ink: Audio-Feedback in the ESL…

  16. Functional Convergence in the Tense, Evidentiality and Aspectual Systems of Quechua Spanish Bilinguals

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sanchez, Liliana

    2004-01-01

    In this paper, I present an exploratory study on cross-linguistic interference among Quechua-Spanish bilingual children living in a language contact situation. The study focuses on convergence in the tense, aspectual and evidentiality systems of the two languages. While in Quechua past tense features are strongly linked to evidentiality in the…

  17. A Spanish Language Narrative Simulation to Prevent Horseback Riding Head Injury among Rural Youth

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Arrowsmith, Heather E.; Cole, Henry P.; Mazur, Joan M.

    2009-01-01

    Objective: A Spanish language version of an exercise about adolescent horseback riders' exposure to traumatic brain injuries was integrated into the Spanish curriculum in a rural Kentucky high school. Design: An exploratory case study design with two groups of students. Setting and Method: Thirty-eight students, enrolled in intermediate Spanish IV…

  18. The Woodcock Johnson III Tests of Achievement in Foreign Language Course Substitution Decisions for University Students with Learning Disabilities: An Exploratory Analysis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Madaus, Joseph W.

    2005-01-01

    Selected subtests from the Woodcock Johnson III Tests of Achievement (Woodcock, McGrew, & Mather, 2001) were administered to three groups of university students. The groups included students with learning disabilities who received course substitutions for the institution's foreign language requirement, students with learning disabilities who…

  19. Code-Switching in Higher Education in a Multilingual Environment: A Lebanese Exploratory Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bahous, Rima N.; Nabhani, Mona Baroud; Bacha, Nahla Nola

    2014-01-01

    Research has shown that code-switching (CS) between languages in spoken discourse is prevalent in multilingual contexts and is used for many purposes. More recently, it has become the subject of much concern in academic contexts in negatively affecting students' language use and learning. However, while the concern has been increasing, no rigorous…

  20. Narratives of Second Language Identity amongst Young English Learners in Hong Kong

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Besser, Sharon; Chik, Alice

    2014-01-01

    This article reports on an exploratory study responding to the problem of understanding how young learners position themselves as speakers of a foreign language. A group of 24 Hong Kong primary-school children (ages 10-12) who are in the process of simultaneously learning English and developing narratives of identities as English speakers,…

  1. The development of a Chinese-language instrument to measure social smoking motives among male Taiwanese smokers.

    PubMed

    Huang, Chih-Ling; Cheng, Chung-Ping; Huang, Hui-Wen

    2013-10-01

    The purpose of this study was to develop a scale to measure the social smoking motives of adult male smokers using a Chinese social context. Three phases were conducted between February 2006 and May 2009. First, the initial instrument development was guided by a literature review, interviews with smokers, and item analysis. Second, the validity and reliability of the refined scale were tested. The factor structures of the Social Smoking Measures (SSM-12) scale were validated. The final scale consists of 12 items. Two factors that account for 49.2% of the variance emerged from the exploratory factor analysis. Cronbach's alpha was .88, and test-retest reliability was .82. The results of the confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the SSM model was a two-correlated factor. Field testing revealed the SSM-12 to be a reliable and valid Chinese-language instrument to measure social smoking motives, which can be used to guide nursing interventions that support culturally and socially appropriate smoking cessation programs.

  2. Charles C. Fries in Japan: A Case Study in Methodological Reform.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Henrichsen, Lynn E.

    The success of Charles C. Fries' Oral Approach to teaching English as a second language (ESL) as promoted in Japan by the English Language Exploratory Committee in the late 1950s and early 1960s is examined according to Jack Richards' four major factors that affect the course of a teaching method: appeals to facts; appeals to authority; form of…

  3. Gender and Bilingual Education: An Exploratory Study of the Academic Achievement of Latina and Latino English Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lapayese, Yvette; Huchting, Karen; Grimalt, Olga

    2014-01-01

    Although biliteracy plays a vital role in academic achievement, there has been little research on the unique needs of female and male English language learners. Becoming biliterate is a complex process, compounded by other variables such as 1st-language background, class, culture, and gender. Among these variables, gender has been the least…

  4. Using Google as a Super Corpus to Drive Written Language Learning: A Comparison with the British National Corpus

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sha, Guoquan

    2010-01-01

    Data-driven learning (DDL), or corpus-based language learning, involves the learner in an exploratory task to discover appropriate expressions or collocates regarding his writing. However, the problematic units of meaning in each learner's writing are so diverse that conventional corpora often prove futile. The search engine Google with the…

  5. Code-Switching: L1-Coded Mediation in a Kindergarten Foreign Language Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lin, Zheng

    2012-01-01

    This paper is based on a qualitative inquiry that investigated the role of teachers' mediation in three different modes of coding in a kindergarten foreign language classroom in China (i.e. L2-coded intralinguistic mediation, L1-coded cross-lingual mediation, and L2-and-L1-mixed mediation). Through an exploratory examination of the varying effects…

  6. Exploring the Affordances of WeChat for Facilitating Teaching, Social and Cognitive Presence in Semi-Synchronous Language Exchange

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wang, Yuping; Fang, Wei-Chieh; Han, Julia; Chen, Nian-Shing

    2016-01-01

    This research is an exploratory study that evaluates the affordances of WeChat for the development of a community of inquiry (CoI) in semi-synchronous language exchange supported by WeChat. WeChat is an instant messenger that facilitates a multimodal environment in which interaction can happen synchronously, semi-synchronously and asynchronously…

  7. An Exploratory Study into Trade-Off Effects of Complexity, Accuracy, and Fluency on Young Learners' Oral Task Repetition

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sample, Evelyn; Michel, Marije

    2014-01-01

    Studying task repetition for adult and young foreign language learners of English (EFL) has received growing interest in recent literature within the task-based approach (Bygate, 2009; Hawkes, 2012; Mackey, Kanganas, & Oliver, 2007; Pinter, 2007b). Earlier work suggests that second language (L2) learners benefit from repeating the same or a…

  8. Expressive Language Profiles of Verbally Expressive Adolescents and Young Adults with Down Syndrome or Fragile X Syndrome

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Finestack, Lizbeth H.; Abbeduto, Leonard

    2010-01-01

    Purpose: In this study, the authors examined the expressive language abilities of a subset of highly verbally expressive adolescents and young adults with Down syndrome (DS) and those with fragile X syndrome (FXS) for evidence of syndrome-related differences. FXS gender differences were also examined in an exploratory fashion. Method: The authors…

  9. Sustaining Expertise through Collaborative/Peer-Mediated and Individual Reflections: The Experiences of Chinese English Language Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pawan, Faridah; Fan, Wenfang

    2014-01-01

    This exploratory investigation of the professional development of Chinese English Language teachers (ELTs) was part of a collaboration between two teacher educators, one from the U.S. and the other from China, during the 2011-2012 academic year. We were involved in the professional development in three schools (elementary, middle and high schools)…

  10. English Language Proficiency and Test Performance: An Evaluation of Bilingual Students with the Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Cognitive Abilities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sotelo-Dynega, Marlene; Ortiz, Samuel O.; Flanagan, Dawn P.; Chaplin, William F.

    2013-01-01

    In this article, we report the findings of an exploratory empirical study that investigated the relationship between English Language Proficiency (ELP) on performance on the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Abilities-Third Edition (WJ III) when administered in English to bilingual students of varying levels of ELP. Sixty-one second-grade…

  11. An Exploratory Trial of the Effectiveness of an Enhanced Consultative Approach to Delivering Speech and Language Intervention in Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mecrow, Carol; Beckwith, Jennie; Klee, Thomas

    2010-01-01

    Background: Increased demand for access to specialist services for providing support to children with speech, language and communication needs prompted a local service review of how best to allocate limited resources. This study arose as a consequence of a wish to evaluate the effectiveness of an enhanced consultative approach to delivering speech…

  12. Dimensions of Discourse Level Oral Language Skills and Their Relation to Reading Comprehension and Written Composition: An Exploratory Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kim, Young-Suk Grace; Park, Cheahyung; Park, Younghee

    2015-01-01

    We examined the relations of discourse-level oral language skills [i.e., listening comprehension, and oral retell and production of narrative texts (oral retell and production hereafter)] to reading comprehension and written composition. Korean-speaking first grade students (N = 97) were assessed on listening comprehension, oral retell and…

  13. Planning representation for automated exploratory data analysis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    St. Amant, Robert; Cohen, Paul R.

    1994-03-01

    Igor is a knowledge-based system for exploratory statistical analysis of complex systems and environments. Igor has two related goals: to help automate the search for interesting patterns in data sets, and to help develop models that capture significant relationships in the data. We outline a language for Igor, based on techniques of opportunistic planning, which balances control and opportunism. We describe the application of Igor to the analysis of the behavior of Phoenix, an artificial intelligence planning system.

  14. Developing Information Power Grid Based Algorithms and Software

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dongarra, Jack

    1998-01-01

    This exploratory study initiated our effort to understand performance modeling on parallel systems. The basic goal of performance modeling is to understand and predict the performance of a computer program or set of programs on a computer system. Performance modeling has numerous applications, including evaluation of algorithms, optimization of code implementations, parallel library development, comparison of system architectures, parallel system design, and procurement of new systems. Our work lays the basis for the construction of parallel libraries that allow for the reconstruction of application codes on several distinct architectures so as to assure performance portability. Following our strategy, once the requirements of applications are well understood, one can then construct a library in a layered fashion. The top level of this library will consist of architecture-independent geometric, numerical, and symbolic algorithms that are needed by the sample of applications. These routines should be written in a language that is portable across the targeted architectures.

  15. The students' reasons to choose a nursing degree program: an Italian exploratory study.

    PubMed

    Arrigoni, C; Micheletti, P; Grugnetti, A M; Ferrari, P; Borrelli, P; Montomoli, C; Pelissero, G

    2014-01-01

    From the international literature very interesting cues emerge about students' motivations to choose a Nursing Degree Program. Unfortunately, this phenomenon is largely unexplored in Italy. An observational study was conducted at the University of Pavia, with the aim to investigate the reasons underpinning the students' choice to enter a Nursing Degree Program. A semi-structured, self-administrated questionnaire was used for this single-center cross-sectional study. The questionnaire was aimed to investigate the reasons underpinning the students' choice to enter a Nursing Degree Program, using both open-ended and close-ended multiple choice questions. Descriptive statistics have been used to describe collected data. Open-ended response analysis was conducted through an exploratory and qualitative analysis of language. Response rate was 71% (196/275). Our study results highlighted a variety of reasons that encourage students to begin a Nursing Degree Program: the feeling of usefulness (80%), the desire to help and to care people (78%), the interest in the sciences (71%), the compassion to the suffering people (66%). We also identified 4 categories that describe which characteristics a nurse should have according to the students' point of view: expertise; personal characteristics; to experience the professional life as a social function and to have interest in the health field. Students' answers indicate that often the choice to enter a Nursing Degree Program is not supported by clear ideas and strong motivations. We consider it crucial to provide a realistic image of the nursing role and opportunities for career development, so that students can have the right elements to make a conscious choice. There is a need for more qualitative research to explore the reasons why students choose the Nursing Degree Program; moreover, to identify, from the beginning of the course, those students who are in crisis of motivation, in order to adopt support strategies that could enable them to successfully achieve academic career.

  16. Word Association in L1 and L2: An Exploratory Study of Response Types, Response Times, and Interlingual Mediation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fitzpatrick, Tess; Izura, Cristina

    2011-01-01

    Word association responses in first-language (L1) Spanish and second-language (L2) English were investigated by means of response latencies and types of associative response produced. The primary aims were to establish whether (a) some response types are produced more often or faster than others, (b) participants' L2 response time profiles mirror…

  17. Task-Based Language Teaching for Beginner-Level Learners of L2 French: An Exploratory Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Erlam, Rosemary; Ellis, Rod

    2018-01-01

    This study investigated the effect of input-based tasks on the acquisition of vocabulary and grammar by beginner-level learners of L2 French and reported the introduction of task-based teaching as an innovation in a state secondary school. The experimental group (n = 19) completed a series of focused input-based language tasks, taught by their…

  18. Content and Language Symbiosis in a Maieutic, Translanguaging Pattern (CLSL): An Exploratory Practice in Italy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Agolli, Renata

    2015-01-01

    This paper aims to introduce pre-CLIL through the CLSL (content & languages [L1/L2] shared learning) model, which operates as a bridge for a full CLIL immersion. It analyses the characteristics of this new learning model that springs up from immanent needs of Italian educational reality by reporting results on the way content and language…

  19. A Surface-based Analysis of Language Lateralization and Cortical Asymmetry

    PubMed Central

    Greve, Douglas N.; Van der Haegen, Lise; Cai, Qing; Stufflebeam, Steven; Sabuncu, Mert R.; Fischl, Bruce; Bysbaert, Marc

    2013-01-01

    Among brain functions, language is one of the most lateralized. Cortical language areas are also some of the most asymmetrical in the brain. An open question is whether the asymmetry in function is linked to the asymmetry in anatomy. To address this question, we measured anatomical asymmetry in 34 participants shown with fMRI to have language dominance of the left hemisphere (LLD) and 21 participants shown to have atypical right hemisphere dominance (RLD). All participants were healthy and left-handed, and most (80%) were female. Gray matter (GM) volume asymmetry was measured using an automated surface-based technique in both ROIs and exploratory analyses. In the ROI analysis, a significant difference between LLD and RLD was found in the insula. No differences were found in planum temporale (PT), pars opercularis (POp), pars triangularis (PTr), or Heschl’s gyrus (HG). The PT, POp, insula, and HG were all significantly left lateralized in both LLD and RLD participants. Both the positive and negative ROI findings replicate a previous study using manually labeled ROIs in a different cohort [Keller, S. S., Roberts, N., Garcia-Finana, M., Mohammadi, S., Ringelstein, E. B., Knecht, S., et al. Can the language-dominant hemisphere be predicted by brain anatomy? Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 23, 2013–2029, 2011]. The exploratory analysis was accomplished using a new surface-based registration that aligns cortical folding patterns across both subject and hemisphere. A small but significant cluster was found in the superior temporal gyrus that overlapped with the PT. A cluster was also found in the ventral occipitotemporal cortex corresponding to the visual word recognition area. The surface-based analysis also makes it possible to disentangle the effects of GM volume, thickness, and surface area while removing the effects of curvature. For both the ROI and exploratory analyses, the difference between LLD and RLD volume laterality was most strongly driven by differences in surface area and not cortical thickness. Overall, there were surprisingly few differences in GM volume asymmetry between LLD and RLD indicating that gross morphometric asymmetry is only subtly related to functional language laterality. PMID:23701459

  20. Narrative skills in children with selective mutism: an exploratory study.

    PubMed

    McInnes, Alison; Fung, Daniel; Manassis, Katharina; Fiksenbaum, Lisa; Tannock, Rosemary

    2004-11-01

    Selective mutism (SM) is a rare and complex disorder associated with anxiety symptoms and speech-language deficits; however, the nature of these language deficits has not been studied systematically. A novel cross-disciplinary assessment protocol was used to assess anxiety and nonverbal cognitive, receptive language, and expressive narrative abilities in 7 children with SM and a comparison group of 7 children with social phobia (SP). The children with SM produced significantly shorter narratives than children with SP, despite showing normal nonverbal cognitive and receptive language abilities. The findings suggest that SM may involve subtle expressive language deficits that may influence academic performance and raise additional questions for further research. The assessment procedure developed for this study may be potentially useful for language clinicians.

  1. Exploratory Advanced Research Program

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2013-08-20

    The Exploratory Advanced Research Program strives to develop partnerships with the public and private sectors because the very nature of EAR is to apply ideas across traditional fields of research and stimulate new approaches to problem solving. Thro...

  2. Data Science Programs in U.S. Higher Education: An Exploratory Content Analysis of Program Description, Curriculum Structure, and Course Focus

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tang, Rong; Sae-Lim, Watinee

    2016-01-01

    In this study, an exploratory content analysis of 30 randomly selected Data Science (DS) programs from eight disciplines revealed significant gaps in current DS education in the United States. The analysis centers on linguistic patterns of program descriptions, curriculum requirements, and DS course focus as pertaining to key skills and domain…

  3. Validation of the Italian version of the Movement Disorder Society--Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale.

    PubMed

    Antonini, Angelo; Abbruzzese, Giovanni; Ferini-Strambi, Luigi; Tilley, Barbara; Huang, Jing; Stebbins, Glenn T; Goetz, Christopher G; Barone, Paolo; Bandettini di Poggio, Monica; Fabbrini, Giovanni; Di Stasio, Flavio; Tinazzi, Michele; Bovi, Tommaso; Ramat, Silvia; Meoni, Sara; Pezzoli, Gianni; Canesi, Margherita; Martinelli, Paolo; Maria Scaglione, Cesa Lorella; Rossi, Aroldo; Tambasco, Nicola; Santangelo, Gabriella; Picillo, Marina; Morgante, Letterio; Morgante, Francesca; Quatrale, Rocco; Sensi, MariaChiara; Pilleri, Manuela; Biundo, Roberta; Nordera, Giampietro; Caria, Antonella; Pacchetti, Claudio; Zangaglia, Roberta; Lopiano, Leonardo; Zibetti, Maurizio; Zappia, Mario; Nicoletti, Alessandra; Quattrone, Aldo; Salsone, Maria; Cossu, Gianni; Murgia, Daniela; Albanese, Alberto; Del Sorbo, Francesca

    2013-05-01

    The Movement Disorder Society-sponsored revision of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) has been available in English since 2008. As part of this process, the MDS-UPDRS organizing team developed guidelines for development of official non-English translations. We present here the formal process for completing officially approved non-English versions of the MDS-UPDRS and specifically focus on the first of these versions in Italian. The MDS-UPDRS was translated into Italian and tested in 377 native-Italian speaking PD patients. Confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses determined whether the factor structure for the English-language MDS-UPDRS could be confirmed in data collected using the Italian translation. To be designated an 'Official MDS translation,' the Comparative Fit Index (CFI) had to be ≥0.90 relative to the English-language version. For all four parts of the Italian MDS-UPDRS, the CFI, in comparison with the English-language data, was ≥0.94. Exploratory factor analyses revealed some differences between the two datasets, however these differences were considered to be within an acceptable range. The Italian version of the MDS-UPDRS reaches the criterion to be designated as an Official Translation and is now available for use. This protocol will serve as outline for further validation of this in multiple languages.

  4. An Exploratory Study of the Impacts of an Employer-Supported Child Care Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Morrissey, Taryn W.; Warner, Mildred E.

    2011-01-01

    Although employer-sponsored child care programs have become more common, there is little empirical research on whether these programs affect employees' satisfaction with child care or their work-life balance, and if effects vary across employee characteristics. In this exploratory study, we administered a survey to employees with children at one…

  5. Seeing the Forest Despite the Trees: The Benefit of Exploratory Data Analysis to Program Evaluation Research.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sinacore, James M.; And Others

    1992-01-01

    It is argued that there is a benefit to applying techniques of exploratory data analysis (EDA) to program evaluation. The evaluation of a rehabilitation program for people with rheumatoid arthritis (20 subjects and 21 comparisons) through EDA supports the argument, indicating outcomes more precisely than conventional analysis of variance. (SLD)

  6. 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…

  7. Interoperable Open-Source Sensor-Net Frameworks with Sensor-Package Workbench Capabilities: Motivation, Survey of Resources, and Exploratory Results

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2010-06-01

    Military Scenario Definition Language (MSDL) for Nontraditional Warfare Scenarios," Paper 09S- SIW -001, Proceedings of the Spring Simulation...Update to the M&S Community," Paper 09S- SIW -002, Proceedings of the Spring Simulation Interoperability Workshop, Simulation Interoperability...Multiple Simulations: An Application of the Military Scenario Definition Language (MSDL)," Paper 09S- SIW -003, Proc. of the Spring Simulation

  8. Employing mobile technology to improve language skills of young students with language-based disabilities.

    PubMed

    Rodríguez, Cathi Draper; Cumming, Therese M

    2017-01-01

    This exploratory study investigated the effects of a language building iPad application on the language skills (i.e., receptive vocabulary, expressive vocabulary, and sentence formation) of young students with language-based disabilities. The study utilized a pre-test-post-test control group design. Students in the treatment group used the iPad language building application, Language Builder, for 30 minutes a day. Participants were 31 first-grade to third-grade students with identified language-based disabilities. Students were assigned to two groups for the 8-week intervention. Data indicated that students in the treatment group made significantly greater gains in the area of sentence formation than the control group. Results revealed no significant difference between the two groups in the areas of expressive and receptive vocabulary. A short intervention of using Language Builder via the iPad may increase the sentence formation skills of young students with language delays. Additionally, discussion regarding the usefulness of iPad applications in education is presented.

  9. Hybrid automated reliability predictor integrated work station (HiREL)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bavuso, Salvatore J.

    1991-01-01

    The Hybrid Automated Reliability Predictor (HARP) integrated reliability (HiREL) workstation tool system marks another step toward the goal of producing a totally integrated computer aided design (CAD) workstation design capability. Since a reliability engineer must generally graphically represent a reliability model before he can solve it, the use of a graphical input description language increases productivity and decreases the incidence of error. The captured image displayed on a cathode ray tube (CRT) screen serves as a documented copy of the model and provides the data for automatic input to the HARP reliability model solver. The introduction of dependency gates to a fault tree notation allows the modeling of very large fault tolerant system models using a concise and visually recognizable and familiar graphical language. In addition to aiding in the validation of the reliability model, the concise graphical representation presents company management, regulatory agencies, and company customers a means of expressing a complex model that is readily understandable. The graphical postprocessor computer program HARPO (HARP Output) makes it possible for reliability engineers to quickly analyze huge amounts of reliability/availability data to observe trends due to exploratory design changes.

  10. Digital Badges for Teacher Mastery: An Exploratory Study of a Competency-Based Professional Development Badge System. CCT Reports

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Diamond, James; Gonzalez, Pilar Carmina

    2014-01-01

    This study contributes knowledge about how a digital badge system integrated into an online, subject-matter-specific, and competency-based professional development (PD) program affected teachers' experiences with and perceptions of the program activities. The report presents findings from a one-year exploratory study of an online PD program, and…

  11. Componential skills of beginning writing: An exploratory study

    PubMed Central

    Kim, Young-Suk; Al Otaiba, Stephanie; Puranik, Cynthia; Folsom, Jessica Sidler; Greulich, Luana; Wagner, Richard K.

    2011-01-01

    The present study examined the components of end of kindergarten writing, using data from 242 kindergartners. Specifically of interest was the importance of spelling, letter writing fluency, reading, and word- and syntax-level oral language skills in writing. The results from structural equation modeling revealed that oral language, spelling, and letter writing fluency were positively and uniquely related to writing skill after accounting for reading skills. Reading skill was not uniquely related to writing once oral language, spelling, and letter writing fluency were taken into account. These findings are discussed from a developmental perspective. PMID:22267897

  12. Writing styles of a Korean sample by age: an exploratory study.

    PubMed

    Lee, Chang Hwan; Park, Jongmin; Park, Jaejin

    2010-02-01

    This descriptive study concerned whether language use differs across age groups of Korean participants. Language use by Koreans in their 20s, 40s, and 60s were compared using the Korean Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count. Analysis showed that Koreans in their 60s used as many phrases and morphemes per sentence as younger people, which reflects similar complexity of language. In addition, those in their 40s showed the strongest use of words related to emotion, cognition, work, and leisure. These results show interesting differences from studies conducted with Western subjects.

  13. Connecting Hispanic Women in Baltimore to the Mercy Medical Center Sexual Assault Forensic Examiners/Forensic Nurse Examiners Program: A Preliminary Assessment of Service Utilization and Community Awareness.

    PubMed

    Adams, Margaret; Fitzgerald, Sheila; Holbrook, Debra

    2016-01-01

    Sexual violence and gender-based violence represent a major public health problem causing significant negative mental, physical, and social outcomes for victims. The rapidly growing population of Hispanic women in Baltimore are both more vulnerable to sexual assault and less able to access postassault services. In an effort to assess service utilization and community awareness of the Mercy Medical Center Sexual Assault Forensic Examiners/Forensic Nurse Examiners Program, we conducted a retrospective chart review of 2,322 women who were seen by the program between 2010 and 2013 and found that only 2.5% of the women were identified as Hispanic, about half of what Baltimore City demographic data would predict. This exploratory pilot project, augmented by key informant interviews, reveals that Hispanic women are underutilizing sexual assault services. Multiple barriers exist for Hispanic women in obtaining victim services, including lack of awareness within the community that the services exist, cultural factors, language barriers, lack of awareness of legal rights, and a fear of deportation.

  14. Subway emergency preparedness in Shanghai: A focused group and interview study exploring the perceived experiences of senior citizens and the disabled.

    PubMed

    Baffoe, Benjamin Ohene Kwapong; Shiyuan, Zheng

    As Shanghai's population increases and currently being boosted by an influx of foreigners, there has been pressure on the subway system and this has led to a great concern for the aged and disabled people (including foreigners) who use the subway during emergency situations. The present study uses an exploratory research approach including a focus group discussion (FGD) and interviews to uncover the experiences, safety concerns, and challenges that the aged and disabled faces when using the subway. A total of 38 participants were involved in the study, which comprises of three FGDs and interviews conducted in the city of Shanghai. The findings reveal that most aged and disabled subway riders have little or no knowledge about emergency safety measures or safety symbols, the administering of first aid and have language barrier concerns. This study recommends that policy makers and sub-way operators should get the aged and disabled people involved in developing more educational programs that will help them to better the concept of safety prevention measures and it also suggests holding more emergency drills involving the aged and disabled. Braille language symbols, sign languages on TV screens, specially designed sub-way maps, low-frequency alarms with flashing lights, and information printed in multiple international languages should also be provided to help foreigners understand the instructions and information in the subways. Additionally, these measures could help all commuters to feel safer when using the subway.

  15. 77 FR 5027 - Food and Drug Administration Transparency Initiative: Exploratory Program To Increase Access to...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-02-01

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Food and Drug Administration [Docket No. FDA-2009-N-0247] Food and Drug Administration Transparency Initiative: Exploratory Program To Increase Access to the... responsible for a broad range of compliance and enforcement activities. Increasing the transparency of these...

  16. MORTALITY RISK VALUATION AND STATED PREFERENCE METHODS: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY

    EPA Science Inventory

    The purposes of this project are: (1) to improve understanding of cognitive processes involved in the valuation of mortality risk reductions that occur in an environmental pollution context, and (2) to translate this understanding into survey language appropriate for future stat...

  17. Vocational Exploratory Programs: Career Selections and Attitudes.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Reynolds, Alfred

    More research is needed on the effect of summer vocational exploratory programs for disadvantaged youth. Because of the limited number of high schools which offer a wide range of vocational courses, only one out of every five high school students has the opportunity to pursue viable technical or occupationally specific goals. However, research…

  18. An Exploratory Study of the Impact of College Student Leadership Programs upon the Construct of Mindfulness

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Horowitz, Rich

    2012-01-01

    Mindfulness is a key skill that produces the greater psychological awareness identified by most leadership scholars as being essential to effective leadership. This study conducted an exploratory assessment of the effectiveness of mindfulness-based cocurricular collegiate leadership programs through pre- and post-participation application of the…

  19. Problematic Students of NASP-Approved Programs: An Exploratory Study of Graduate Student Views

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Trimble, Leasha D.; Stroebel, Sandra S.; Krieg, Fred Jay; Rubenstein, Robert L.

    2012-01-01

    This study reports the findings of an electronic exploratory survey of National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) Student Representatives. The purpose of the survey was to gather information about the perspective of graduate students concerning problematic peers and their experiences with them in school psychology training programs.…

  20. A Progress Report on an Exploratory Mathematics Course: Incorporating a Programming Component

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Goldberg, Robert; Waxman, Jerry

    2004-01-01

    This paper reports on an ongoing effort to incorporate a programming component into exploratory mathematics courses and analyzes some of the many practical considerations required for successfully managing such a course in large lecture hall classes. Two pedagogical paradigms (top-down and bottom-up) are compared and contrasted for teaching Visual…

  1. Mentoring Matters: An Exploratory Survey of Educational Leadership Doctoral Students' Perspectives

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Welton, Anjalé D.; Mansfield, Katherine Cumings; Lee, Pei-Ling

    2014-01-01

    There is limited research on quantitative differences between men and women's experiences in doctoral programs. We aim to fill that gap by sharing findings from a web-based exploratory survey of perceived gender differences on quality mentoring in educational leadership doctoral programs. According to survey results, there is limited…

  2. An Exploratory Study of the Curricular Integration of Ethics in Executive MBA Programs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Franco, Jaime M.

    2011-01-01

    An Exploratory Study of the Curricular Integration of Ethics in Executive MBA Programs News headlines of corporate scandals have unleashed a contentious debate of whether or not graduate management education has contributed to corporate collapses and the resultant financial crisis. In particular, questions abound as to the willingness of…

  3. Validation of an instrument for assessing teacher knowledge of basic language constructs of literacy.

    PubMed

    Binks-Cantrell, Emily; Joshi, R Malatesha; Washburn, Erin K

    2012-10-01

    Recent national reports have stressed the importance of teacher knowledge in teaching reading. However, in the past, teachers' knowledge of language and literacy constructs has typically been assessed with instruments that are not fully tested for validity. In the present study, an instrument was developed; and its reliability, item difficulty, and item discrimination were computed and examined to identify model fit by applying exploratory factor analysis. Such analyses showed that the instrument demonstrated adequate estimates of reliability in assessing teachers' knowledge of language constructs. The implications for professional development of in-service teachers as well as preservice teacher education are also discussed.

  4. What about Writing? A National Exploratory Study of Writing Instruction in Teacher Preparation Programs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Myers, Joy; Scales, Roya Q.; Grisham, Dana L.; Wolsey, Thomas DeVere; Dismuke, Sherry; Smetana, Linda; Yoder, Karen Kreider; Ikpeze, Chinwe; Ganske, Kathy; Martin, Susan

    2016-01-01

    This small scale, exploratory study reveals how writing instruction is taught to preservice teachers across the United States in university-based preservice teacher education programs based on online survey results from 63 teacher educators in literacy from 50 institutions. Despite the growing writing demands and high stakes writing sample testing…

  5. The School Counseling Program Implementation Survey: Initial Instrument Development and Exploratory Factor Analysis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Clemens, Elysia V.; Carey, John C.; Harrington, Karen M.

    2010-01-01

    This article details the initial development of the School Counseling Program Implementation Survey and psychometric results including reliability and factor structure. An exploratory factor analysis revealed a three-factor model that accounted for 54% of the variance of the intercorrelation matrix and a two-factor model that accounted for 47% of…

  6. Action Research as an Approach to Integrating Sustainability into MBA Programs: An Exploratory Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Benn, Suzanne; Dunphy, Dexter

    2009-01-01

    This article reports on an exploratory project that employed an action research approach to integrating sustainability into core subjects in the MBA program at an Australian university. It documents the change methodology used, the theoretical basis for this choice, and the project outcomes. It then identifies some key enabling factors and…

  7. FACTOR 9.2: A Comprehensive Program for Fitting Exploratory and Semiconfirmatory Factor Analysis and IRT Models

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lorenzo-Seva, Urbano; Ferrando, Pere J.

    2013-01-01

    FACTOR 9.2 was developed for three reasons. First, exploratory factor analysis (FA) is still an active field of research although most recent developments have not been incorporated into available programs. Second, there is now renewed interest in semiconfirmatory (SC) solutions as suitable approaches to the complex structures are commonly found…

  8. Children and Adults Reading Interactively: The Social Benefits of an Exploratory Intergenerational Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Isaki, Emi; Harmon, Mary Towle

    2015-01-01

    This exploratory Intergenerational Program (IGP) focused on reading to determine whether it affects mood and communication in older adults with mild dementia and neurocognitive deficits, and if it influences school-aged children's perceptions of older adults over time. Six older adults with cognitive-communication deficits and 12 school-aged…

  9. The Impact of Accounting Education Research

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sangster, Alan; Fogarty, Tim; Stoner, Greg; Marriott, Neil

    2015-01-01

    This paper presents an exploratory study into the nature and patterns of usage of accounting education research. The study adopts the most accessible metric, "Google Advanced Scholar" citations, to analyse the impact of research published in the six principal English-language accounting education journals. The analysis reveals a global…

  10. Phonological Awareness and Speech Comprehensibility: An Exploratory Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Venkatagiri, H. S.; Levis, John M.

    2007-01-01

    This study examined whether differences in phonological awareness were related to differences in speech comprehensibility. Seventeen adults who learned English as a foreign language (EFL) in academic settings completed 14 tests of phonological awareness that measured their explicit knowledge of English phonological structures, and three tests of…

  11. Formative Assessment in EFL Writing: An Exploratory Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lee, Icy

    2011-01-01

    In second-language writing, assessment has traditionally focused on the written products and how well (or badly) students perform in writing. Teachers dominate the assessment process as testers, while students remain passive testees. Assessment is something teachers "do to" rather than '"with" students, mainly for…

  12. International Adaptation: Psychosocial and parenting experiences of caregivers who travel to the United States to obtain acute medical care for their seriously ill child

    PubMed Central

    Margolis, Rachel; Ludi, Erica; Pao, Maryland; Wiener, Lori

    2013-01-01

    Despite the increasing trend of travel for medical purposes, little is known about the experience of parents and other caregivers who come to the United States specifically to obtain medical treatment for their seriously ill child. In this exploratory, descriptive qualitative study, we used a semi-structured narrative guide to conduct in-depth interviews with 22 Spanish or English-speaking caregivers about the challenges encountered and adaptation required when entering a new medical and cultural environment. Caregivers identified the language barrier and transnational parenting as challenges while reporting hospital staff and their own families as major sources of support. Using the results of the study as a guide, clinical and program implications are provided and recommendations for social work practice discussed. PMID:23947542

  13. Language-Through-Literature; A Literary Language/Language Arts Program for Bilingual Education, ESL and Other Activities in Early Childhood. Books 1 and 2.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    King, Paul; King, Eva

    This language-through-literature program is designed to be used as a native language program (language arts/reading readiness), as a second language program, or as a combined native and second language program in early childhood education. Sequentially developed over the year and within each unit, the program is subdivided into 14 units of about…

  14. Consortium for Planning, Developing, and Implementing Exploratory Industrial Career Development Models (Phase I of Three Phases). Interim Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Oregon State Univ., Corvallis.

    The report describes the organizational phase of a project designed to create program models and supporting literature for exploratory industrial career development programs for grades seven to ten. The project was undertaken by Oregon State University in cooperation with the Oregon State Department of Education and involved the formation of a…

  15. How Do Pre-Service Teachers Understand Intercultural Competence during a Short-Term Student Teaching Abroad Program: An Exploratory, Collective Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Barrow, Elizabeth Cynthia

    2017-01-01

    This dissertation explores how four pre-service teachers (PSTs) came to define and understand intercultural competence (ICC) during a short-term student teaching abroad program. In this exploratory, collective case study I highlight the participants' voice by analyzing their definitions of ICC before, during, and after their experience in Germany…

  16. Reciprocal Learning in Partnership Practice: An Exploratory Study of a Home Visiting Program for Mothers with Depression

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fowler, Cathrine; Dunston, Roger; Lee, Alison; Rossiter, Chris; McKenzie, Jo

    2012-01-01

    This paper reports on a small exploratory study that investigates the place and role of reciprocal learning within a partnership-based home visiting program for mothers experiencing depression. The study is one important example of an increased focus on reciprocal learning within practice that has significant implications for the development of…

  17. Educators in Industry: An Exploratory Study to Determine How Teacher Externships Influence K-12 Classroom Practices

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bowen, Bradley; Shume, Teresa

    2018-01-01

    This exploratory study investigates the impacts of industry-based externships for K-12 teachers, and reports teachers' perspectives on how these experiences influenced K-12 classroom practices. The program of focus in this research study is the Educators in Industry: K-12 Externship Program. For four weeks in the summer, teacher-participants are…

  18. The Value of Tuition Assistance Programs: A Multiple Exploratory Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tlapa, Margie

    2017-01-01

    Organizations invest billions annually in the form of Tuition Assistance Programs (TAP) with little knowledge as to the reasons why employees choose to participate. The purpose of this multiple exploratory case study was to explore the perceptions of employees with access to a TAP of at least $5,250 per year. Interviews were conducted with 17…

  19. Awakening the Languages. Challenges of Enduring Language Programs: Field Reports from 15 Programs from Arizona, New Mexico and Oklahoma.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Linn, Mary S.; Naranjo, Tessie; Nicholas, Sheilah; Slaughter, Inee; Yamamoto, Akira; Zepeda, Ofelia

    The Indigenous Language Institute (ILI) collaborates with indigenous language communities to combat language decline. ILI facilitates community-based language programs, increases public awareness of language endangerment, and disseminates information on language preservation and successful language revitalization programs. In response to numerous…

  20. Factor analysis of the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale in Korean learners of English as a foreign language.

    PubMed

    Park, Gi-Pyo

    2014-08-01

    This study examined the latent constructs of the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) using two different groups of Korean English as a foreign language (EFL) university students. Maximum likelihood exploratory factor analysis with direct oblimin rotation was performed among the first group of 217 participants and produced two meaningful latent components in the FLCAS. The two components of the FLCAS were closely examined among the second group of 244 participants to find the extent to which the two components of the FLCAS fit the data. The model fit indexes showed that the two-factor model in general adequately fit the data. Findings of this study were discussed with the focus on the two components of the FLCAS, followed by future study areas to be undertaken to shed further light on the role of foreign language anxiety in L2 acquisition.

  1. The prevalence of synaesthesia depends on early language learning.

    PubMed

    Watson, Marcus R; Chromý, Jan; Crawford, Lyle; Eagleman, David M; Enns, James T; Akins, Kathleen A

    2017-02-01

    According to one theory, synaesthesia develops, or is preserved, because it helps children learn. If so, it should be more common among adults who faced greater childhood learning challenges. In the largest survey of synaesthesia to date, the incidence of synaesthesia was compared among native speakers of languages with transparent (easier) and opaque (more difficult) orthographies. Contrary to our prediction, native speakers of Czech (transparent) were more likely to be synaesthetes than native speakers of English (opaque). However, exploratory analyses suggested that this was because more Czechs learned non-native second languages, which was strongly associated with synaesthesia, consistent with the learning hypothesis. Furthermore, the incidence of synaesthesia among speakers of opaque languages was double that among speakers of transparent languages other than Czech, also consistent with the learning hypothesis. These findings contribute to an emerging understanding of synaesthetic development as a complex and lengthy process with multiple causal influences. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  2. Failure to replicate the structure of a Spanish-language brief Wisconsin Inventory of Smoking Dependence Motives across three samples of Latino smokers.

    PubMed

    Castro, Yessenia; Correa-Fernández, Virmarie; Cano, Miguel Á; Mazas, Carlos; Gonzalez, Karla; Vidrine, Damon J; Vidrine, Jennifer I; Wetter, David W

    2014-09-01

    Research in smoking is hindered by a lack of validated measures available in languages other than English. Availability of measures in languages other than English is vital to the inclusion of diverse groups in smoking research. To help address this gap, this study attempted to validate a Spanish-language version of the brief Wisconsin Inventory of Smoking Dependence Motives (Brief WISDM). Data from 3 independent, diverse samples of Spanish-speaking Latino smokers seeking cessation counseling were utilized. Confirmatory factor analyses of 3 known structures of the Brief WISDM were examined for fit within each sample. A separate analysis was also conducted with the 3 samples combined. A post-hoc exploratory factor analyses with the combined sample was also conducted. Across 12 confirmatory factor analyses, none of the 3 structures demonstrated good fit in any of the samples independently or in the combined sample. Across the 3 samples, high intercorrelations (>.90) were found among the Loss of Control, Craving, Tolerance, and Cue Exposure scales, suggesting great redundancy among these scales. An exploratory factor analyses (EFAs) further supported these high intercorrelations. Some subscales remained intact in the EFA but accounted for little variance. Overall, this study was unable to replicate the structure of a Spanish-language Brief WISDM in 3 independent samples of smokers. Possible explanations include inadequate translation of the measure and/or true and meaningful differences in the construct of dependence among Spanish-speaking Latino smokers. Both possibilities merit further research. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  3. Exploratory Advanced Research Program

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2014-12-31

    Exploratory advanced research focuses on longer-term, higher-risk research with a high payoff potential. It matches opportunities from discoveries in science and technology with the needs of specific industries. The uncertainties in the research appr...

  4. Exploratory Advanced Research Program

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2016-12-15

    Exploratory advanced research focuses on longer term, higher risk research with a high payoff potential. It matches opportunities from discoveries in science and technology with the needs of specific industries. The uncertainties in the research appr...

  5. From Exploratory Talk to Abstract Reasoning: A Case for Far Transfer?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Webb, Paul; Whitlow, J. W., Jr.; Venter, Danie

    2017-01-01

    Research has shown improvements in science, mathematics, and language scores when classroom discussion is employed in school-level science and mathematics classes. Studies have also shown statistically and practically significant gains in children's reasoning abilities as measured by the Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices test when employing…

  6. Overcoming the Grammar Deficit: The Role of Information Technology in Teaching German Grammar to Undergraduates.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hall, Christopher

    1998-01-01

    Examines how application of computer-assisted language learning (CALL) and information technology can be used to overcome "grammar deficit" seen in many British undergraduate German students. A combination of explicit, implicit, and exploratory grammar teaching approaches uses diverse resources, including word processing packages,…

  7. An Exploratory Study of Demographic Characteristics, Retention, and Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Kindergarten.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zepeda, Marlene

    1993-01-01

    Explored demographic characteristics and retention status of kindergarten children and curricular practices of kindergarten teachers. Retained children appeared to come from low-income, female-headed households; had no preschool experience; and were disproportionately from ethnic and language minorities. Teachers from high-retaining school sites…

  8. The International Student's Experience: An Exploratory Study of Students from Vietnam

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wearring, Andrew; Le, Huong; Wilson, Rachel; Arambewela, Rodney

    2015-01-01

    International students are an important part of today's global university sector. This paper explores, through 10 in-depth interviews, the perceptions of Vietnamese international students studying with regard to their experience of teaching and learning in Australia. The findings indicate that Vietnamese students struggle with language,…

  9. Syntactic Development in the L1 of Spanish-English Bilingual Children

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Austin, Jennifer; Blume, Maria; Sanchez, Liliana

    2013-01-01

    In this exploratory study of subtractive bilingualism in Spanish-English bilingual children, we present evidence that crosslinguistic influence has a selective effect on heritage first language loss. Differences in feature strength between English and Spanish in interrogative and negative polarity item (NPI) sentences seem to affect the…

  10. Higher Education and Linguistic Dualism in the Arab Gulf

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Findlow, Sally

    2006-01-01

    This paper examines the spread of English as a medium of higher education in the Arab world, addressing questions about the relationship between higher education, language shift and cultural (re)production through such post-colonial educational bilingualism. Drawing on exploratory ethnographic research, it documents how both Arabic and English…

  11. World Language Teacher Candidate Performance on Edtpa: An Exploratory Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hildebrandt, Susan A.; Swanson, Pete

    2014-01-01

    Federal and state legislation continues to promote teacher accountability in the United States. The new edTPA, a subject-specific teacher performance assessment, is purported to measure beginning teacher readiness and is being pilot tested and implemented for licensure and certification decisions across the country. In this exploratory…

  12. A Tale of English Polytechnic Lecturers' Decision Making

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Abdullah, Suhaily; Majid, Faizah Abd

    2016-01-01

    Teacher decision making involves a selection of options that leads to thinking processes, underlying teaching in language classroom contexts. Due to this, as a small part of an on-going postgraduate research, this exploratory case study shares the initial findings on the lecturers' decision-making effects on their classroom orientation. Four…

  13. Statistical Methods of Latent Structure Discovery in Child-Directed Speech

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Panteleyeva, Natalya B.

    2010-01-01

    This dissertation investigates how distributional information in the speech stream can assist infants in the initial stages of acquisition of their native language phonology. An exploratory statistical analysis derives this information from the adult speech data in the corpus of conversations between adults and young children in Russian. Because…

  14. How Engineering Standards Are Interpreted and Translated for Middle School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Judson, Eugene; Ernzen, John; Krause, Stephen; Middleton, James A.; Culbertson, Robert J.

    2016-01-01

    In this exploratory study we examined the alignment of Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) middle school engineering design standards with lesson ideas from middle school teachers, science education faculty, and engineering faculty (4-6 members per group). Respondents were prompted to provide plain language interpretations of two middle…

  15. A Look at Simultaneous Interpretation. Working Papers on Bilingualism, No. 4.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Barik, Henri C.

    This paper summarizes the findings of an exploratory study concerned with certain temporal and qualitative aspects of simultaneous interpretation. Six French-English interpreters (2 professionals, 2 students and 2 amateurs) translated tape-recorded passages representing different types of materials from their weaker into their dominant language or…

  16. Breaking the Sound Barrier

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brown, Tom; Boehringer, Kim

    2007-01-01

    Students in a fourth-grade class participated in a series of dynamic sound learning centers followed by a dramatic capstone event--an exploration of the amazing Trashcan Whoosh Waves. It's a notoriously difficult subject to teach, but this hands-on, exploratory approach ignited student interest in sound, promoted language acquisition, and built…

  17. Researching Learner Self-Efficacy and Online Participation through Speech Functions: An Exploratory Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sánchez-Castro, Olga; Strambi, Antonella

    2017-01-01

    This study explores the potential contribution of Eggins and Slade's (2004) Speech Functions as tools for describing learners' participation patterns in Synchronous Computer-Mediated Communication (SCMC). Our analysis focuses on the relationship between learners' self-efficacy (i.e. personal judgments of second language performance capabilities)…

  18. Enhancing Listening with Captions and Transcripts: Exploring Learner Differences

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Danan, Martine

    2016-01-01

    Through an analysis of students' reactions to transcription exercises, this exploratory study examined some of the differences between two forms of written help enhancing listening passages--second language (L2) captions and transcripts. This primarily qualitative analysis highlighted the role that student proficiency levels may have played in…

  19. Teaching Visual Texts with the Multimodal Analysis Software

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lim Fei, Victor; O'Halloran, Kay L.; Tan, Sabine; E., Marissa K. L.

    2015-01-01

    This exploratory study introduces the systemic approach and the explicit teaching of a meta-language to provide conceptual tools for students for the analysis and interpretation of multimodal texts. Equipping students with a set of specialised vocabulary with conventionalised meanings associated with specific choices in multimodal texts empowers…

  20. Exploring German Preservice Teachers' Electronic and Professional Literacy Skills

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fuchs, Carolin

    2006-01-01

    This article presents findings from an exploratory pilot project which aimed at fostering electronic and professional literacy skills of preservice language teachers through computer-mediated peer collaboration. The research context is a qualitative case study involving cooperation via the email and chat functions of "FirstClass" among…

  1. Exploratory Factor Analysis of Reading, Spelling, and Math Errors

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    O'Brien, Rebecca; Pan, Xingyu; Courville, Troy; Bray, Melissa A.; Breaux, Kristina; Avitia, Maria; Choi, Dowon

    2017-01-01

    Norm-referenced error analysis is useful for understanding individual differences in students' academic skill development and for identifying areas of skill strength and weakness. The purpose of the present study was to identify underlying connections between error categories across five language and math subtests of the Kaufman Test of…

  2. Double threshold in bi- and multilingual contexts: preconditions for higher academic attainment in English as an additional language

    PubMed Central

    Lechner, Simone; Siemund, Peter

    2014-01-01

    Bi- and multilingualism has been shown to have positive effects on the attainment of third and additional languages. These effects, however, depend on the type of bi- and multilingualism and the status of the languages involved (Cenoz, 2003; Jessner, 2006). In this exploratory trend study, we revisit Cummins' Threshold Hypothesis (1979), claiming that bilingual children must reach certain levels of attainment in order to (a) avoid academic deficits and (b) allow bilingualism to have a positive effect on their cognitive development and academic attainment. To this end, we examine the attainment of English as an academic language of 16-years-old school children from Hamburg (n = 52). Our findings support the existence of thresholds for literacy attainment. We argue that language external factors may override positive effects of bilingualism. In addition, these factors may compensate negative effects attributable to low literacy attainment in German and the heritage languages. We also show that low attainment levels in migrant children's heritage languages preempt high literacy attainment in additional languages. PMID:24926277

  3. Beowawe Geothermal Area evaluation program. Final report

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

    Iovenitti, J. L

    Several exploration programs were conducted at the Beowawe Geothermal Prospect, Lander and Eureka County, Nevada. Part I, consisting of a shallow temperature hole program, a mercury soil sampling survey, and a self-potential survey were conducted in order to select the optimum site for an exploratory well. Part II consisted of drilling a 5927-foot exploratory well, running geophysical logs, conducting a drill stem test (2937-3208 feet), and a short-term (3-day) flow test (1655-2188 feet). All basic data collected is summarized.

  4. Unmanned Multiple Exploratory Probe System (MEPS) for Mars observation. Volume 2: Calculations and derivations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Adams, Daniel E.; Crumbly, Christopher M.; Delp, Steve E.; Guidry, Michelle A.; Lisano, Michael E.; Packard, James D.; Striepe, Scott A.

    1988-01-01

    This volume of the final report on the unmanned Multiple Exploratory Probe System (MEPS) details all calculations, derivations, and computer programs that support the information presented in the first volume.

  5. Conversational Language Use as a Predictor of Early Reading Development: Language History as a Moderating Variable

    PubMed Central

    DeThorne, Laura Segebart; Petrill, Stephen A.; Schatschneider, Chris; Cutting, Laurie

    2010-01-01

    Purpose The present study examined the nature of concurrent and predictive associations between conversational language use and reading development during early school-age years. Method Language and reading data from 380 twins in the Western Reserve Reading Project were examined via phenotypic correlations and multilevel modeling on exploratory latent factors. Results In the concurrent prediction of children’s early reading abilities, a significant interaction emerged between children’s conversational language abilities and their history of reported language difficulties. Specifically, conversational language concurrently predicted reading development above and beyond variance accounted for by formal vocabulary scores, but only in children with a history of reported language difficulties. A similar trend was noted in predicting reading skills 1 year later, but the interaction was not statistically significant. Conclusions Findings suggest a more nuanced view of the association between spoken language and early reading than is commonly proposed. One possibility is that children with and without a history of reported language difficulties rely on different skills, or the same skills to differing degrees, when completing early reading-related tasks. Future studies should examine the causal link between conversational language and early reading specifically in children with a history of reported language difficulties. PMID:20150410

  6. 25 CFR 39.132 - Can a school integrate Language Development programs into its regular instructional program?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 25 Indians 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Can a school integrate Language Development programs into... Language Development Programs § 39.132 Can a school integrate Language Development programs into its regular instructional program? A school may offer Language Development programs to students as part of its...

  7. 25 CFR 39.132 - Can a school integrate Language Development programs into its regular instructional program?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... 25 Indians 1 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Can a school integrate Language Development programs into... Language Development Programs § 39.132 Can a school integrate Language Development programs into its regular instructional program? A school may offer Language Development programs to students as part of its...

  8. Software for Displaying Data from Planetary Rovers

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Powell, Mark; Backers, Paul; Norris, Jeffrey; Vona, Marsette; Steinke, Robert

    2003-01-01

    Science Activity Planner (SAP) DownlinkBrowser is a computer program that assists in the visualization of processed telemetric data [principally images, image cubes (that is, multispectral images), and spectra] that have been transmitted to Earth from exploratory robotic vehicles (rovers) on remote planets. It is undergoing adaptation to (1) the Field Integrated Design and Operations (FIDO) rover (a prototype Mars-exploration rover operated on Earth as a test bed) and (2) the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) mission. This program has evolved from its predecessor - the Web Interface for Telescience (WITS) software - and surpasses WITS in the processing, organization, and plotting of data. SAP DownlinkBrowser creates Extensible Markup Language (XML) files that organize data files, on the basis of content, into a sortable, searchable product database, without the overhead of a relational database. The data-display components of SAP DownlinkBrowser (descriptively named ImageView, 3DView, OrbitalView, PanoramaView, ImageCubeView, and SpectrumView) are designed to run in a memory footprint of at least 256MB on computers that utilize the Windows, Linux, and Solaris operating systems.

  9. 25 CFR 39.136 - What is the WSU for Language Development programs?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... 25 Indians 1 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false What is the WSU for Language Development programs? 39.136... EQUALIZATION PROGRAM Indian School Equalization Formula Language Development Programs § 39.136 What is the WSU for Language Development programs? Language Development programs are funded at 0.13 WSUs per student. ...

  10. Leveraging a Sorting Task as a Measure of Knowledge Structure in Bilingual Settings

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tang, Hengtao; Clariana, Roy

    2017-01-01

    This descriptive exploratory study considers whether a simple sorting task can elicit readers' knowledge structure in learners' first and second language. In this investigation, knowledge structure is considered from a symbolic connectionist viewpoint as the fundamental pre-meaningful aspect of knowledge, where structure is the precursor of…

  11. Evaluation of Oral Performance in Outsourced Call Centres: An Exploratory Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Friginal, Eric

    2013-01-01

    This case study discusses the development and use of an oral performance assessment instrument intended to evaluate Filipino agents' customer service transactions with callers from the United States (US). The design and applications of the instrument were based on a longitudinal, qualitative observation of language training and customer service…

  12. Investigating Deaf Students' Apologies: An Exploratory Study.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Keenan, Susan K.

    1993-01-01

    Written apologies of deaf students were examined from data obtained from a discourse completion test. Results show that both word choice and word order give a routinized feel to the apologies, in part attributable to American Sign Language; and that strategy choices may reflect a culture-specific view of social offenses. (Contains 44 references.)…

  13. Black Stylization and Implications for Child Welfare. Final Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dodson, Jualynne; And Others

    This three year exploratory research study investigated the cultural behaviors of Afro-Americans. Results of the study include: 1) A set of historical data on the continuous existence of cultural behaviors by Afro-Americans in the areas of music, language, food and dance. 2) A set of empirical data which explores contemporary expressions of…

  14. Voice Blogging and L2 Speaking Performance

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hsu, Hsiu-Chen

    2016-01-01

    This paper reports on an exploratory study that investigated the effect of extensive speaking practice on the development of L2 speaking complexity, accuracy, and fluency in voice blogging. The participants were 30 college EFL (English as a foreign language) learners in Taiwan. As a supplement to the insufficient speaking practice in class, each…

  15. Transition to School from Pacific Islands Early Childhood Services.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sauvao, Le'autuli'ilagi M.; Mapa, Lia; Podmore, Valerie N.

    Noting the need for additional information on the transition of children from Pacific Islands early childhood services to primary school, this exploratory study was designed to provide an account of the experiences of children, parents, and teachers, focusing on language and other aspects of children's move from Pacific Islands early childhood…

  16. American Learners' Comprehension of Russian Textual Humor

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shardakova, Maria

    2016-01-01

    Over the past decade, second language (L2) humor has attracted scholarly attention as both a means and a goal of L2 development. Much of this research, however, has focused on oral communication, whereas virtually no studies address humor as an aspect of reading comprehension. This exploratory study combines these two areas of inquiry, examining…

  17. Talk to Me: An Exploratory Study of Audiotaped Dialogue Journals.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Egbert, Joy

    1992-01-01

    A study of the role of audiotape dialogue journals (ADJ) in the second-language classroom examined patterns in form and nature of the conversations and in relationships between participants. Results are reported for two teachers and two students, one Japanese and one Latin American. Structuring such taped conversations is recommended. (MSE)

  18. Examining the Language Skills of Children with ADHD Following a Play-Based Intervention

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Docking, Kimberley; Munro, Natalie; Cordier, Reinie; Ellis, Prudence

    2013-01-01

    Communication and play skills are important aspects of development yet are largely uncharted in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This exploratory study examined whether changes in pragmatic skills and problem-solving skills were observed in children with ADHD pre- and post-participation in a play-based intervention…

  19. The Nature of Discourse as Students Collaborate on a Mathematics WebQuest

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Orme, Michelle P.; Monroe, Eula Ewing

    2005-01-01

    Students were audio taped while working in teams on a WebQuest. Although gender-segregated, each team included both fifth- and sixth-graders. Interactions from two tasks were analyzed according to categories (exploratory, cumulative, disputational, tutorial) defined by the Spoken Language and New Technology (SLANT) project (e.g., Wegerif &…

  20. Mathematical Language Development and Talk Types in Computer Supported Collaborative Learning Environments

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Symons, Duncan; Pierce, Robyn

    2015-01-01

    In this study we examine the use of cumulative and exploratory talk types in a year 5 computer supported collaborative learning environment. The focus for students in this environment was to participate in mathematical problem solving, with the intention of developing the proficiencies of problem solving and reasoning. Findings suggest that…

  1. Pattern and Meaning across Genres and Disciplines: An Exploratory Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Groom, Nicholas

    2005-01-01

    Work in corpus linguistics has led to the development of a theory of language as "phraseology" [Hunston, S., & Francis, G. (1999). "Pattern grammar: A corpus-driven approach to the lexical grammar of English." Amsterdam: John Benjamins. Sinclair, J. M. (1991). "Corpus, concordance, collocation." Oxford: Oxford University Press. Sinclair, J. M.…

  2. Auditory Processing Disorder and Auditory/Language Interventions: An Evidence-Based Systematic Review

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fey, Marc E.; Richard, Gail J.; Geffner, Donna; Kamhi, Alan G.; Medwetsky, Larry; Paul, Diane; Ross-Swain, Deborah; Wallach, Geraldine P.; Frymark, Tobi; Schooling, Tracy

    2011-01-01

    Purpose: In this systematic review, the peer-reviewed literature on the efficacy of interventions for school-age children with auditory processing disorder (APD) is critically evaluated. Method: Searches of 28 electronic databases yielded 25 studies for analysis. These studies were categorized by research phase (e.g., exploratory, efficacy) and…

  3. Word Processing in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Evidence from Event-Related Potentials

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sandbank, Michael; Yoder, Paul; Key, Alexandra P.

    2017-01-01

    Purpose: This investigation was conducted to determine whether young children with autism spectrum disorders exhibited a canonical neural response to word stimuli and whether putative event-related potential (ERP) measures of word processing were correlated with a concurrent measure of receptive language. Additional exploratory analyses were used…

  4. An Exploration of the Phonology of Lexical Chunks in L2 Speech

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Astruc, Lluïsa; Adinolfi, Lina

    2015-01-01

    It is widely accepted that pauses and correspondence with intonation units are among the phonological cues that identify lexical chunks (conventionalised multiword sequences) in spoken first and second language, although conclusive empirical evidence is scant. This article reports on an exploratory study which seeks to identify the main…

  5. AN APPLICATION OF REINFORCEMENT PRINCIPLES TO CLASSROOM TEACHING.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    PORTER, DOUGLAS

    THIS RESEARCH CONSIDERED THE TEACHING OF SPELLING AS A PHENOMENON MORE OR LESS ISOLATED FROM THE OTHER AREAS OF LANGUAGE ARTS INSTRUCTION THAT PROBABLY CONTRIBUTE TO SPELLING PERFORMANCE. THE MAJOR OBJECTIVES WERE--(1) TO DESIGN, CONSTRUCT, AND TEST MECHANICAL DEVICES FOR THE TEACHING OF SPELLING, AND (2) TO CARRY OUT AN EXPLORATORY INVESTIGATION…

  6. Supporting English Language Learners in the Science Classroom through Critical Pedagogy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alegria, Adelina

    2014-01-01

    This article presents an exploratory case study of a teacher's knowledge, understanding, and practice of critical pedagogy in a sheltered instruction high school biology classroom. This case study relied on the use of fieldnotes, videotape recordings, interviews, and transcripts to showcase the practices and activities taking place in the…

  7. Factors Affecting Pre-Service Teachers' Participation in Asynchronous Discussion: The Case of Iran

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ebrahimi, Alice; Faghih, Esmail; Marandi, Seyyedeh Susan

    2016-01-01

    This study reports on a qualitative small-scale exploratory study which examined the factors influencing 32 Iranian pre-service language teachers' participation in online asynchronous text-based discussion forums. By adopting a multiple case study design and analysing data gathered through semi-structured interviews and participants' online…

  8. Motivating High School Latina/o English Learners to Engage in Reading: An Exploratory Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Griffin, Robert Andrew

    2016-01-01

    This qualitative dominant mixed-methods study explored reading motivation among high school English learners whose first language was Spanish. Latina/o English learners (N = 87) from four southeastern, suburban high schools took part. The study utilized survey data to test for significant differences across demographic sectors and to group…

  9. Home Environments and Young Latino Children's School Readiness

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Farver, Jo Ann M.; Xu, Yiyuan; Eppe, Stefanie; Lonigan, Christopher J.

    2006-01-01

    This exploratory study examined the relations among characteristics of children's home environments and two school readiness skills: their oral language and social functioning. Low SES Latino mothers of 122 (65 girls; 57 boys) preschoolers (39-49 months (M=45.00; S.D.=5.40) completed questionnaires about their family demography, their home…

  10. Play at the Art Table: A Study of Children's Play Behaviors while Drawing.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Escobedo, Theresa H.

    This descriptive study examined children's drawings and related language episodes to differentiate drawings exhibiting play from those exhibiting exploratory behavior. Drawings categorized as play were further analyzed to identify constructive and imaginary play. The play theory used as the basis of the study proposes that exploration and…

  11. Self and Peer Evaluation of Writing in the Interactive ESL Classroom: An Exploratory Study.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rothschild, Dennie; Klingenberg, Felicia

    1990-01-01

    Investigates self- and peer evaluation of writing in the English-as-a-Second-Language classroom. The investigation is examined in two parts: (1) adapting and implementing an appropriate evaluation scale, and (2) studying the various end-of-term effects use of the scale had on students. (17 references) (GLR)

  12. What Puzzles Teachers in Rio de janeiro, and What Keeps Them Going?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lyra, Isolina; Fish, Solange; Braga, Walewska Gomes

    2003-01-01

    Focuses on the key mechanism of "puzzling" in Exploratory Practice (EP), a form of practitioner research, and the critical issue of sustainability in the context of volunteer teacher development work in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Investigated puzzles (concerns) of language teachers and grouped them into six categories; motivation, anxiety,…

  13. Vocabulary Learning in Massively Multiplayer Online Games: Context and Action before Words

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zheng, Dongping; Bischoff, Michael; Gilliland, Betsy

    2015-01-01

    Drawing on ecological and dialogical perspectives on language and cognition, this exploratory case study examines how vocabulary learning occurs during a quest-play mediated in English between a Japanese undergraduate student and a native speaker of English. Understanding embodiment as coaction between the player-avatar and player-player relations…

  14. Assessing Foreign Language Proficiency of Undergraduates. Issues in Language Program Direction: A Series of Annual Volumes.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Teschner, Richard V., Ed.

    This collection of papers includes: "Foreign Language Testing Today: Issues in Language Program Direction" (Frank Nuessel); "Assessing the Problems of Assessment" (M. Peter Hagiwara); "Testing in Foreign Language Programs and Testing Programs in Foreign Language Departments: Reflections and Recommendations" (Elizabeth…

  15. [Gender perspective in health care teaching: a pending task].

    PubMed

    Arcos, Estela; Poblete, Johanna; Molina Vega, Irma; Miranda, Christian; Zúñiga, Yanira; Fecci, Ester; Rodríguez, Laura; Márquez, Myriam; Ramírez, Miguel

    2007-06-01

    Gender must be considered in the design and implementation of health policies to safeguard equity and accomplish sanitary objectives. To identify gender perspective in the curricula of five health care careers in the Universidad Austral de Chile. To identify the situation of women in the teaching profile of such curricula. An exploratory and descriptive study with a critical reading of the structure of the programs of 217 courses. Revision of official academic registries. Gender is usually not included in the curricula of health care careers. The generic language conceals female academics and students. There was a scarce inclusion of cross sectional issues such as collaborative work, interpersonal and democratic relationship, equity and critical analysis. There were no differences in academic achievements between female and male students. The contractual profile of female academics reproduces the gender inequity of the work market. The inclusion of gender is a pending task in the training of health care professionals.

  16. IESIP - AN IMPROVED EXPLORATORY SEARCH TECHNIQUE FOR PURE INTEGER LINEAR PROGRAMMING PROBLEMS

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fogle, F. R.

    1994-01-01

    IESIP, an Improved Exploratory Search Technique for Pure Integer Linear Programming Problems, addresses the problem of optimizing an objective function of one or more variables subject to a set of confining functions or constraints by a method called discrete optimization or integer programming. Integer programming is based on a specific form of the general linear programming problem in which all variables in the objective function and all variables in the constraints are integers. While more difficult, integer programming is required for accuracy when modeling systems with small numbers of components such as the distribution of goods, machine scheduling, and production scheduling. IESIP establishes a new methodology for solving pure integer programming problems by utilizing a modified version of the univariate exploratory move developed by Robert Hooke and T.A. Jeeves. IESIP also takes some of its technique from the greedy procedure and the idea of unit neighborhoods. A rounding scheme uses the continuous solution found by traditional methods (simplex or other suitable technique) and creates a feasible integer starting point. The Hook and Jeeves exploratory search is modified to accommodate integers and constraints and is then employed to determine an optimal integer solution from the feasible starting solution. The user-friendly IESIP allows for rapid solution of problems up to 10 variables in size (limited by DOS allocation). Sample problems compare IESIP solutions with the traditional branch-and-bound approach. IESIP is written in Borland's TURBO Pascal for IBM PC series computers and compatibles running DOS. Source code and an executable are provided. The main memory requirement for execution is 25K. This program is available on a 5.25 inch 360K MS DOS format diskette. IESIP was developed in 1990. IBM is a trademark of International Business Machines. TURBO Pascal is registered by Borland International.

  17. 25 CFR 39.131 - What is a Language Development Program?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... EQUALIZATION PROGRAM Indian School Equalization Formula Language Development Programs § 39.131 What is a Language Development Program? A Language Development program is one that serves students who either: (a...

  18. 25 CFR 39.131 - What is a Language Development Program?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... EQUALIZATION PROGRAM Indian School Equalization Formula Language Development Programs § 39.131 What is a Language Development Program? A Language Development program is one that serves students who either: (a...

  19. 25 CFR 39.131 - What is a Language Development Program?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... EQUALIZATION PROGRAM Indian School Equalization Formula Language Development Programs § 39.131 What is a Language Development Program? A Language Development program is one that serves students who either: (a...

  20. Research Issues and Language Program Direction. Issues in Language Program Direction: A Series of Annual Volumes.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Heilenman, L. Kathy, Ed.

    This collection of papers is divided into two parts. After "Introduction" (L. Kathy Heilenman), Part 1, "Research and Language Program Directors: The Relationship," includes "Research Domains and Language Program Direction" (Bill VanPatten); "Language Program Direction and the Modernist Agenda" (Celeste…

  1. A survey of functional programming language principles

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Holloway, C. M.

    1986-01-01

    Research in the area of functional programming languages has intensified in the 8 years since John Backus' Turing Award Lecture on the topic was published. The purpose of this paper is to present a survey of the ideas of functional programming languages. The paper assumes the reader is comfortable with mathematics and has knowledge of the basic principles of traditional programming languages, but does not assume any prior knowledge of the ideas of functional languages. A simple functional language is defined and used to illustrate the basic ideas. Topics discussed include the reasons for developing functional languages, methods of expressing concurrency, the algebra of functional programming languages, program transformation techniques, and implementations of functional languages. Existing functional languages are also mentioned. The paper concludes with the author's opinions as to the future of functional languages. An annotated bibliography on the subject is also included.

  2. 25 CFR 39.137 - May schools operate a language development program without a specific appropriation from Congress?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 25 Indians 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false May schools operate a language development program... Formula Language Development Programs § 39.137 May schools operate a language development program without a specific appropriation from Congress? Yes, a school may operate a language development program...

  3. 34 CFR 658.1 - What is the Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language Program?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... Foreign Language Program? 658.1 Section 658.1 Education Regulations of the Offices of the Department of... STUDIES AND FOREIGN LANGUAGE PROGRAM General § 658.1 What is the Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language Program? The Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language Program is designed...

  4. 34 CFR 669.1 - What is the Language Resource Centers Program?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 34 Education 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false What is the Language Resource Centers Program? 669.1... POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION LANGUAGE RESOURCE CENTERS PROGRAM General § 669.1 What is the Language Resource Centers Program? The Language Resource Centers Program makes awards, through grants or...

  5. 34 CFR 658.1 - What is the Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language Program?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... Foreign Language Program? 658.1 Section 658.1 Education Regulations of the Offices of the Department of... STUDIES AND FOREIGN LANGUAGE PROGRAM General § 658.1 What is the Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language Program? The Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language Program is designed...

  6. 34 CFR 669.1 - What is the Language Resource Centers Program?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 34 Education 3 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false What is the Language Resource Centers Program? 669.1... POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION LANGUAGE RESOURCE CENTERS PROGRAM General § 669.1 What is the Language Resource Centers Program? The Language Resource Centers Program makes awards, through grants or...

  7. Early augmented language intervention for children with developmental delays: potential secondary motor outcomes.

    PubMed

    Whitmore, Ani S; Romski, Mary Ann; Sevcik, Rose A

    2014-09-01

    This exploratory study examined the potential secondary outcome of an early augmented language intervention that incorporates speech-generating devices (SGD) on motor skill use for children with developmental delays. The data presented are from a longitudinal study by Romski and colleagues. Toddlers in the augmented language interventions were either required (Augmented Communication-Output; AC-O) or not required (Augmented Communication-Input; AC-I) to use the SGD to produce an augmented word. Three standardized assessments and five event-based coding schemes measured the participants' language abilities and motor skills. Toddlers in the AC-O intervention used more developmentally appropriate motor movements and became more accurate when using the SGD to communicate than toddlers in the AC-I intervention. AAC strategies, interventionist/parent support, motor learning opportunities, and physical feedback may all contribute to this secondary benefit of AAC interventions that use devices.

  8. Speech and language development in six infants adopted from China

    PubMed Central

    PRICE, JOHANNA R.; POLLOCK, KAREN E.; OLLER, D. KIMBROUGH

    2012-01-01

    Children adopted from China currently represent the largest group of newly internationally adopted children in the US. An exploratory investigation of the communicative development of six young females adopted at ages 9 to 17 months from China by US families was conducted. Children were followed longitudinally from approximately three months post-adoption to age three years. English language skills were assessed at approximately three-month intervals, detailed communicative analyses were conducted at six months post-adoption, and outcomes were measured at three years of age. Results indicated wide variability in rates of English language development. Phonological, social-communicative, and lexical bases of communication were intact for each child at six months post-adoption. At age three years, four of the children demonstrated speech and language skills within one standard deviation of standardized test norms, one child demonstrated skills above the normal range, and one child’s skills were below the normal range. This study provides evidence of the resiliency of children’s language learning abilities. PMID:23204925

  9. Speech and language development in six infants adopted from China.

    PubMed

    Price, Johanna R; Pollock, Karen E; Oller, D Kimbrough

    2006-07-01

    Children adopted from China currently represent the largest group of newly internationally adopted children in the US. An exploratory investigation of the communicative development of six young females adopted at ages 9 to 17 months from China by US families was conducted. Children were followed longitudinally from approximately three months post-adoption to age three years. English language skills were assessed at approximately three-month intervals, detailed communicative analyses were conducted at six months post-adoption, and outcomes were measured at three years of age. Results indicated wide variability in rates of English language development. Phonological, social-communicative, and lexical bases of communication were intact for each child at six months post-adoption. At age three years, four of the children demonstrated speech and language skills within one standard deviation of standardized test norms, one child demonstrated skills above the normal range, and one child's skills were below the normal range. This study provides evidence of the resiliency of children's language learning abilities.

  10. Flight program language requirements. Volume 2: Requirements and evaluations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1972-01-01

    The efforts and results are summarized for a study to establish requirements for a flight programming language for future onboard computer applications. Several different languages were available as potential candidates for future NASA flight programming efforts. The study centered around an evaluation of the four most pertinent existing aerospace languages. Evaluation criteria were established, and selected kernels from the current Saturn 5 and Skylab flight programs were used as benchmark problems for sample coding. An independent review of the language specifications incorporated anticipated future programming requirements into the evaluation. A set of detailed language requirements was synthesized from these activities. The details of program language requirements and of the language evaluations are described.

  11. Exploring the Potential Relationship between Eye Gaze and English L2 Speakers' Responses to Recasts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McDonough, Kim; Crowther, Dustin; Kielstra, Paula; Trofimovich, Pavel

    2015-01-01

    This exploratory study investigated whether joint attention through eye gaze was predictive of second language (L2) speakers' responses to recasts. L2 English learners (N = 20) carried out communicative tasks with research assistants who provided feedback in response to non-targetlike (non-TL) forms. Their interaction was audio-recorded and their…

  12. Nonverbal Vocal Communication of Emotions in Interviews with Child and Adolescent Psychoanalysts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tokgoz, Tuba

    2014-01-01

    This exploratory study attempted to examine both the words and the prosody/melody of the language within the framework of Bucci's Multiple Code Theory. The sample consisted of twelve audio-recorded, semi-structured interviews of child and adolescent psychoanalysts who were asked to describe their work with patients. It is observed that emotionally…

  13. An Exploration of Learners' Conceptions of Language, Culture, and Learning in Advanced-Level Spanish Courses

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Drewelow, Isabelle; Mitchell, Claire

    2015-01-01

    This article reports on an exploratory study, which examines learners' rating of culture in relation to other concepts in advanced Spanish courses and their justification of the ratings attributed. Open-ended responses, elicited from a questionnaire completed by 179 respondents, were analysed line by line using an interpretive approach. Data…

  14. Perspectives on Teacher Quality: Bilingual Education and ESL Teacher Certification, Test-Taking Experiences, and Instructional Practices

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lemberger, Nancy; Reyes-Carrasquillo, Angela

    2011-01-01

    This descriptive exploratory study looked at the certification process, test-taking experiences, and instructional practices of a group of graduate bilingual education (BE) and English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) teachers to understand why some had problems passing teacher certification tests after completing their degrees. The study surveyed 63 BE…

  15. Digital Storytelling in ESL Instruction: Identity Negotiation through a Pedagogy of Multiliteracies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vinogradova, Polina

    2011-01-01

    This qualitative descriptive exploratory study investigated how a pedagogy of multiliteracies can be introduced to the ESL curriculum using digital stories and explored the ways ESL learners negotiate their identities through the multimodality of this narrative genre. The study was based on the premise that in language education it is crucial to…

  16. Transformational Processes and Learner Outcomes for Online Learning: An Activity Theory Case Study of Spanish Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Terantino, Joseph M.

    2009-01-01

    The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the actions of online language learners from an activity theoretical perspective. It also attempted to explain how the students' learning outcomes evolved from their online learning experiences. This explanation placed an emphasis on the learners' previous experiences, defining their activity…

  17. "Because Sometimes Your Failures Can Also Teach You Certain Skills": Lecturer and Student Perceptions of Employability Skills at a Transnational University

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Paterson, Richard

    2017-01-01

    This exploratory study investigates lecturers' and students' understanding of the concepts and language underpinning higher education strategies of developing employability skills. While a solid grounding in discipline-specific knowledge and skills is what most graduate degrees aim at providing, employability skills are increasingly becoming an…

  18. Double Object Constructions in L3 English: An Exploratory Study of Morphological and Semantic Constraints

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Agirre, Ainara Imaz; García Mayo, María del Pilar

    2014-01-01

    The present study examines the acquisition of double object constructions (DOCs) ("Susan gave Peter an apple") by 90 Basque/Spanish learners of English as a third language (L3). The aim of this study was to explore whether (i) learners established a distinction when accepting DOCs vs. prepositional phrase constructions (PPCs)…

  19. The ALPHA Interactive Microcomputer System for Teaching Reading, Writing, and Communication Skills to Hearing-Impaired Children.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Prinz, Philip M; And Others

    1985-01-01

    A total of 79 hearing-impaired children (3-14 years old) participated in the project involving microcomputer assisted instruction and exploratory learning. Ss learned to write text sentences that were highly accurate interpretations of either animated pictured action sequences or sign language sentence animations. Moreover, Ss made significant…

  20. EFL Doctoral Students' Conceptions of Authorial Stance in Academic Research Writing: An Exploratory Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chang, Peichin

    2016-01-01

    English as foreign language (EFL) writers are often found to have weaker control of their academic writing, among which presenting an effective authorial stance has been reported as particularly challenging (Hyland, 1998a; Schleppegrell, 2004). In particular, student writers tended to deploy a stronger stance and be less effective with tentative…

  1. An Exploratory Essay on Listening Instruction in the K-12 Curriculum

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hopper, Joanne E.

    2007-01-01

    Even though the importance of effective listening skills is well recognized and many K-12 language arts standards include listening skills, the amount of time devoted to the teaching of listening and the quality of instructional resources that will enable the effectiveness of teaching listening as a two-way communication process are in question.…

  2. Investigating L2 Spoken English through the Role Play Learner Corpus

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nava, Andrea; Pedrazzini, Luciana

    2011-01-01

    We describe an exploratory study carried out within the University of Milan, Department of English the aim of which was to analyse features of the spoken English of first-year Modern Languages undergraduates. We compiled a learner corpus, the "Role Play" corpus, which consisted of 69 role-play interactions in English carried out by…

  3. An Exploratory Study of a Measure of Vocational Identity for Spanish-Speaking Persons

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tosado, Luis Antonio, II

    2012-01-01

    Two overlapping issues have given rise to this study: the need for assessment instruments to use with Spanish-speaking Latinos and the need for normative data on current and future Spanish-language instruments. Numerous career assessment instruments exist for the English-speaking population. These instruments may be administered on computer-based…

  4. Maternal Reports of Home Literacy Experiences in Multilingual Mauritius: A Case Study of Pre-Schoolers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Auleear Owodally, Ambarin Mooznah

    2014-01-01

    While the extant literature has highlighted the important contribution of home literacy experiences to early literacy development, limited research has been carried out among children living in postcolonial contexts, where there is a mismatch between the home and school language. Such is the case of Mauritius. The present exploratory case study…

  5. Exploring the Roles of Parents and Students in EFL Literacy Learning: A Colombian Case

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hurtado Torres, Sergio Aldemar; Castañeda-Peña, Harold Andrés

    2016-01-01

    There is little scholarly information about parent involvement in their children's English as a Foreign Language (EFL henceforth) literacy learning in the Colombian context. This exploratory-qualitative study looks into the possible roles of parents and children in EFL literacy learning at home, with special emphasis on parental roles and…

  6. Improving Reading Fluency and Comprehension in Adult ESL Learners Using Bottom-Up and Top-Down Vocabulary Training

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Oliver, Rhonda; Young, Shahreen

    2016-01-01

    The current research examines the effect of two methods of vocabulary training on reading fluency and comprehension of adult English as second language (ESL) tertiary-bound students. The methods used were isolated vocabulary training (bottom-up reading) and vocabulary training in context (top-down reading). The current exploratory and…

  7. Sexual Abuse Experiences of Women in Peru: An Exploratory Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Deboer, Rebekah E.; Tse, Luke M.

    2010-01-01

    This ethnographic study relied primarily on case notes and interviews with the president of Centro Prenatal Vida Nueva, a pregnancy center in Lima, Peru, to study the sexual abuse experiences of 33 Peruvian women. Given the language limitations of the researchers, the analyses were completed in collaboration with the president of the center, a…

  8. An Exploratory Study on How Children Interact with Pedagogic Conversational Agents

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pérez-Marín, Diana; Pascual-Nieto, Ismael

    2013-01-01

    A pedagogic conversational agent (PCA) can be defined as a computer system that interacts with the student in natural language assuming the role of the instructor, a student or a companion. It can have a personality and can generate different sentences according to the agent or the student mood. Empathy with the students' feelings seems to…

  9. Exploring Students' Perceptions about English Learning in a Public University

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jiménez, Patricia Kim

    2018-01-01

    This manuscript reports the final findings of an exploratory, descriptive case study that aimed at exploring the perceptions of a group of English as a foreign language students in a public university regarding their English learning and the commitment level through the process. A questionnaire, a survey, and the teacher's diary were the…

  10. Foreign Language Learning Conceptualisations of Distance Learners in New Zealand: Goals, Challenges and Responses

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Walker, Ute; Haddon, Rosemary

    2011-01-01

    This article reports on a collaborative research project which involved first-year distance learners of Chinese, French, German, Japanese and Spanish at a New Zealand university. Drawing on the principles of Allwright's exploratory practice, the study aimed to gain an insight into the learners' experiences and conceptualisations in terms of their…

  11. What Are the Perceived Effects of Telecollaboration Compared to Other Communication-Scenarios with Peers?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nissen, Elke

    2016-01-01

    What are the perceived effects of Telecollaboration (TC), compared to other types of communication-scenarios with peers (i.e. local peers in small groups and Erasmus students abroad)? This is the question this exploratory study tackles within a blended language learning course. The analysis of students' perceptions paints a rather contrastive…

  12. Social-Cultural-Historical Contradictions in an L2 Listening Lesson: A Joint Activity System Analysis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cross, Jeremy

    2011-01-01

    Informed and inspired by neo-Vygotskian theory, this article outlines a study exploiting a contemporary conceptualization of Wells's (2002) joint activity system model as an exploratory framework for examining and depicting the social-cultural-historical contradictions in second-language (L2) learners' joint activity. The participants were a pair…

  13. Understanding and Addressing the Challenges of Learning Computer-Mediated Dynamic Assessment: A Teacher Education Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McNeil, Levi

    2018-01-01

    Although the second language literature on Dynamic Assessment (DA)--the unity of assessment and instruction into a singular activity to promote cognitive development--shows promising results, very little has been written about how to educate teachers to use it. This two-cycle, exploratory action research study aimed to understand and address the…

  14. Role of Assessment Conversations in a Technology-Aided Classroom with English Language Learners: An Exploratory Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Menon, Preetha

    2018-01-01

    This article is drawn from a study conducted to explore how assessment conversations, a type of informal formative assessment, can support science learning in a technology-aided seventh-grade classroom in Northern California. The classroom setting where the study took place used interactive whiteboards in conjunction with the inquiry-based…

  15. Attitudes towards Online Feedback on Writing: Why Students Mistrust the Learning Potential of Models

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Strobl, Carola

    2015-01-01

    This exploratory study sheds new light on students' perceptions of online feedback types for a complex writing task, summary writing from spoken input in a foreign language (L2), and investigates how these correlate with their actual learning to write. Students tend to favour clear-cut, instructivist rather than constructivist feedback, and guided…

  16. Individual Differences in Rater Decision-Making Style: An Exploratory Mixed-Methods Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Baker, Beverly Anne

    2012-01-01

    Researchers of high-stakes, subjectively scored writing assessments have done much work to better understand the process that raters go through in applying a rating scale to a language performance to arrive at a score. However, there is still unexplained, systematic variability in rater scoring that resists rater training (see Hoyt & Kerns,…

  17. Five Minutes a Day to Improve Comprehension Monitoring in Oral Language Contexts: An Exploratory Intervention Study with Prekindergartners from Low-Income Families

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kim, Young-Suk Grace; Phillips, Beth

    2016-01-01

    Comprehension monitoring has received substantial attention as a reading comprehension strategy. However, comprehension monitoring is not limited to the reading context, but applies to the oral context for children's listening comprehension, which is a critical foundation for reading comprehension. Therefore, a systematic and explicit…

  18. Perceptions of Co-Teaching: Closing the Achievement Gap between English Language Learners and Their English Monolingual Peers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ford-DeWaters, Carrie

    2017-01-01

    This qualitative exploratory single case research study used observations, semi-structured interviews, and document analysis to explore co-teachers' perceptions of the implementation of a co-teaching instructional model in elementary school general education classrooms with clusters of English learners (EL) in attendance. A total of four…

  19. Enhancing Student Experiences Abroad: The Potential of Dynamic Assessment to Develop Student Interculturality

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Harsch, Claudia; Poehner, Matthew E.

    2016-01-01

    Educational institutions are acknowledging the requirements of a globalized world on students' mobility, interculturality, and language skills by offering study-abroad programmes. These need to be accompanied by procedures to assess student needs prior to and during their time abroad as well as upon their return. In the exploratory study reported…

  20. Exploring the Amount and Type of Writing Instruction during Language Arts Instruction in Kindergarten Classrooms

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Puranik, Cynthia S.; Al Otaiba, Stephanie; Sidler, Jessica Folsom; Greulich, Luana

    2014-01-01

    The objective of this exploratory investigation was to examine the nature of writing instruction in kindergarten classrooms and to describe student writing outcomes at the end of the school year. Participants for this study included 21 teachers and 238 kindergarten children from nine schools. Classroom teachers were videotaped once each in the…

  1. Negotiating Science and Engineering: An Exploratory Case Study of a Reform-Minded Science Teacher

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Guzey, S. Selcen; Ring-Whalen, Elizabeth A.

    2018-01-01

    Engineering has been slowly integrated into K-12 science classrooms in the United States as the result of recent science education reforms. Such changes in science teaching require that a science teacher is confident with and committed to content, practices, language, and cultures related to both science and engineering. However, from the…

  2. What EFL Student Teachers Think about Their Professional Preparation: Evaluation of an English Language Teacher Education Programme in Spain

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Martinez Agudo, Juan de Dios

    2017-01-01

    Given the importance of programme evaluation in the EFL teacher education, this research paper of exploratory-interpretive nature mainly focuses on both strengths and weaknesses identified through the analysis and/or critical evaluation of an EFL teacher education programme carried out in Spain. Both quantitative and qualitative research…

  3. ASL Handshape Stories, Word Recognition and Signing Deaf Readers: An Exploratory Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gietz, Merrilee R.

    2013-01-01

    The effectiveness of using American Sign Language (ASL) handshape stories to teach word recognition in whole stories using a descriptive case study approach was explored. Four profoundly deaf children ages 7 to 8, enrolled in a self-contained deaf education classroom in a public school in the south participated in the story time five-week…

  4. Teachers' Language in Interactions: An Exploratory Examination of Mental State Talk in Early Childhood Education Classrooms

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    King, Elizabeth; La Paro, Karen

    2015-01-01

    Research Findings: This study examined 34 Head Start teachers' use of four categories of mental state talk (verbalizations of mental processes using emotion terms, cognition terms, desire terms, and perception terms) during naturally occurring classroom interactions. Transcriptions from classroom videos were coded for mental state talk…

  5. An Empirical Analysis of Chinese College Learners' Obstacles to MOOC Learning in an English Context

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Liu, Liangxing

    2017-01-01

    This article reports a study applying an exploratory factor analysis to discovering the underlying factor structure of Chinese college students' obstacles to learning MOOC in an English context. Seven obstacle factors are identified: 1. academic and language skills; 2. internet skills; 3. course instruction/management; 4. learning motivations; 5.…

  6. Understanding Relevance in the Language Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rose, Jane

    2007-01-01

    This paper reports on a study into course relevance conducted using some of the principles of Exploratory Practice (EP). I wanted to gain an understanding about how relevant the students taking my English courses perceived them to be in terms of their own lives. I also hoped to resolve some of the tensions experienced due to the differences in…

  7. Crossing Boundaries in Facebook: Students' Framing of Language Learning Activities as Extended Spaces

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lantz-Andersson, Annika; Vigmo, Sylvi; Bowen, Rhonwen

    2013-01-01

    Young people's interaction online is rapidly increasing, which enables new spaces for communication; the impact on learning, however, is not yet acknowledged in education. The aim of this exploratory case study is to scrutinize how students frame their interaction in social networking sites (SNS) in school practices and what that implies for…

  8. Comparisons of Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Daniel, Larry G.

    Historically, most researchers conducting factor analysis have used exploratory methods. However, more recently, confirmatory factor analytic methods have been developed that can directly test theory either during factor rotation using "best fit" rotation methods or during factor extraction, as with the LISREL computer programs developed…

  9. 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…

  10. A brief description and comparison of programming languages FORTRAN, ALGOL, COBOL, PL/1, and LISP 1.5 from a critical standpoint

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mathur, F. P.

    1972-01-01

    Several common higher level program languages are described. FORTRAN, ALGOL, COBOL, PL/1, and LISP 1.5 are summarized and compared. FORTRAN is the most widely used scientific programming language. ALGOL is a more powerful language for scientific programming. COBOL is used for most commercial programming applications. LISP 1.5 is primarily a list-processing language. PL/1 attempts to combine the desirable features of FORTRAN, ALGOL, and COBOL into a single language.

  11. 28 CFR 544.52 - Levels of Occupational Education Programs.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... include the following types of training: (a) Exploratory Training. Exploratory training is a study of... and the world of work, rather than specific skill development. (b) Marketable Training. Marketable training provides specific entry-level or advanced job skills. Marketable training may include “live work...

  12. Dynamic assessment of narrative ability in English accurately identifies language impairment in English language learners.

    PubMed

    Peña, Elizabeth D; Gillam, Ronald B; Bedore, Lisa M

    2014-12-01

    To assess the identification accuracy of dynamic assessment (DA) of narrative ability in English for children learning English as a 2nd language. A DA task was administered to 54 children: 18 Spanish-English-speaking children with language impairment (LI); 18 age-, sex-, IQ- and language experience-matched typical control children; and an additional 18 age- and language experience-matched comparison children. A variety of quantitative and qualitative measures were collected in the pretest phase, the mediation phase, and the posttest phase of the study. Exploratory discriminant analysis was used to determine the set of measures that best differentiated among this group of children with and without LI. A combination of examiner ratings of modifiability (compliance, metacognition, and task orientation), DA story scores (setting, dialogue, and complexity of vocabulary), and ungrammaticality (derived from the posttest narrative sample) classified children with 80.6% to 97.2% accuracy. DA conducted in English provides a systematic means for measuring learning processes and learning outcomes, resulting in a clinically useful procedure for identifying LIs in bilingual children who are in the process of learning English as a second language.

  13. Flight program language requirements. Volume 1: Executive summary

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1972-01-01

    The activities and results of a study for the definition of flight program language requirements are described. A set of detailed requirements are presented for a language capable of supporting onboard application programming for the Marshall Space Flight Center's anticipated future activities in the decade of 1975-85. These requirements are based, in part, on the evaluation of existing flight programming language designs to determine the applicability of these designs to flight programming activities which are anticipated. The coding of benchmark problems in the selected programming languages is discussed. These benchmarks are in the form of program kernels selected from existing flight programs. This approach was taken to insure that the results of the study would reflect state of the art language capabilities, as well as to determine whether an existing language design should be selected for adaptation.

  14. 25 CFR 39.130 - Can ISEF funds be used for Language Development Programs?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... INDIAN SCHOOL EQUALIZATION PROGRAM Indian School Equalization Formula Language Development Programs § 39.130 Can ISEF funds be used for Language Development Programs? Yes, schools can use ISEF funds to... 25 Indians 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Can ISEF funds be used for Language Development Programs...

  15. 25 CFR 39.130 - Can ISEF funds be used for Language Development Programs?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... 25 Indians 1 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Can ISEF funds be used for Language Development Programs... INDIAN SCHOOL EQUALIZATION PROGRAM Indian School Equalization Formula Language Development Programs § 39.130 Can ISEF funds be used for Language Development Programs? Yes, schools can use ISEF funds to...

  16. C++ Programming Language

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Shaykhian, Gholam Ali

    2007-01-01

    C++ Programming Language: The C++ seminar covers the fundamentals of C++ programming language. The C++ fundamentals are grouped into three parts where each part includes both concept and programming examples aimed at for hands-on practice. The first part covers the functional aspect of C++ programming language with emphasis on function parameters and efficient memory utilization. The second part covers the essential framework of C++ programming language, the object-oriented aspects. Information necessary to evaluate various features of object-oriented programming; including encapsulation, polymorphism and inheritance will be discussed. The last part of the seminar covers template and generic programming. Examples include both user defined and standard templates.

  17. Do the symptoms of language disorder align with treatment goals? An exploratory study of primary-grade students' IEPs.

    PubMed

    Schmitt, Mary Beth; Justice, Laura M; Logan, Jessica A R; Schatschneider, Christopher; Bartlett, Christopher W

    2014-01-01

    Individual Education Plans (IEPs) are legal documents that guide the treatment of students with language disorder (LD). This exploratory study investigated the extent to which students' symptoms of LD align with goals on their IEPs. A total of 99 kindergarten and first-grade students receiving treatment for LD in the public schools participated. IEPs were collected and coded for each student and norm-referenced measures were used to assess students' grammar, vocabulary, listening comprehension, and literacy skills in the fall of the academic year. Results showed there to be alignment between students' symptoms and IEP goals only in the area of vocabulary, such that students who had an IEP goal for vocabulary had lower scores on a vocabulary assessment than those without a goal. In general, there is limited alignment between observed symptoms of LD and treated symptoms as identified on students' IEPs. The limited alignment found in this study suggests more investigation is needed to understand the extent to which IEP goals, as potential indicators of treatment foci, should map on to students' symptoms. Readers will be able to: (1) explain the theoretical and practical relevance of treatment goals aligning to symptoms for children with language impairment; (2) identify three analytic methods used to investigate alignment between treatment goals and symptoms; and (3) describe the extent to which IEP goals align to children's symptoms in a sample of children receiving services in the public schools. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. The Trajectory of Language Policy: The First Language Maintenance and Development Program in South Australia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Liddicoat, Anthony J.; Curnow, Timothy Jowan; Scarino, Angela

    2016-01-01

    This paper examines the development of the First Language Maintenance and Development (FLMD) program in South Australia. This program is the main language policy activity that specifically focuses on language maintenance in government primary schools and has existed since 1986. During this time, the program has evolved largely as the result of ad…

  19. Exploring Fashion Design.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Arata, Barbara

    The purpose of the curriculum guide is to introduce the exploratory student to the fundamental skills and knowledge necessary for employment in the garment industry, from factory to design room. It was developed for a six or seven-week exploratory program for ninth or tenth grade students. The manual provides an introduction to the different areas…

  20. Emotional Reactions of Students in Field Education: An Exploratory Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Litvack, Andrea; Mishna, Faye; Bogo, Marion

    2010-01-01

    An exploratory study using qualitative methodology was undertaken with recent MSW graduates (N=12) from 2 graduate social work programs to identify and describe the students' emotional reactions to experiences in field education. Significant and interrelated themes emerged including the subjective and unique definitions of emotionally charged…

  1. Teaching Writing in the Shadow of Standardized Writing Assessment: An Exploratory Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brimi, Hunter

    2012-01-01

    This exploratory study results from interviews with five high school English teachers regarding their writing instruction. The researcher sought to answer these questions: (1) How had the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program's (TCAP) Writing Assessment affected their teaching as gauged by the teachers' statements regarding the assessment,…

  2. Effects of Social Persuasion from Parents and Teachers on Chinese Students' Self-Efficacy: An Exploratory Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lam, Yuen Yi; Chan, Joanne Chung Yan

    2017-01-01

    This study compared the effects of social persuasion from parents and teachers on students' self-efficacy in reading comprehension in English as a foreign language. Ninety-nine Grade 8 Chinese students in a secondary school in Hong Kong completed a questionnaire with six scenarios which tapped their self-efficacy after receiving positive and…

  3. The Effect of Online Peer Feedback on the Academic Writing Ability of Iranian EFL Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Moradi, Mohammad Reza; Karimpour, Zahra

    2012-01-01

    This paper reports an exploratory study of 60 English as a foreign language (EFL) student's experiences of online peer feedback in an essay writing course at Islamic Azad University, Dezful Branch. They were required to comment on their peers' writing essays using the checklist to whom had been made available, but in different ways. The groups…

  4. Methodological Synthesis in Quantitative L2 Research: A Review of Reviews and a Case Study of Exploratory Factor Analysis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Plonsky, Luke; Gonulal, Talip

    2015-01-01

    Research synthesis and meta-analysis provide a pathway to bring together findings in a given domain with greater systematicity, objectivity, and transparency than traditional reviews. The same techniques and corresponding benefits can be and have been applied to examine methodological practices in second language (L2) research (e.g., Plonsky,…

  5. The Cognitive Predictors of Computational Skill with Whole versus Rational Numbers: An Exploratory Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Seethaler, Pamela M.; Fuchs, Lynn S.; Star, Jon R.; Bryant, Joan

    2011-01-01

    The purpose of the present study was to explore the 3rd-grade cognitive predictors of 5th-grade computational skill with rational numbers and how those are similar to and different from the cognitive predictors of whole-number computational skill. Students (n=688) were assessed on incoming whole-number calculation skill, language, nonverbal…

  6. An Exploratory Factor Analysis of the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol as an Evaluation Tool to Measure Teaching Effectiveness

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Polat, Nihat; Cepik, Saban

    2016-01-01

    To narrow the achievement gap between English language learners (ELLs) and their native-speaking peers in K-12 settings in the United States, effective instructional models must be identified. However, identifying valid observation protocols that can measure the effectiveness of specially designed instructional practices is not an easy task. This…

  7. Collectivistic Values and Individualistic Language as Predictors of Endorsement of Citizenship Activities among High School Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Williamson, Ian; Gonzales, Marti Hope; Avery, Patricia G.; Sullivan, John L.; Riedel, Eric; Bos, Angela

    2003-01-01

    This is an exploratory study to determine whether the way in which attitudes about citizenship actions were measured would predict American students' endorsement of those actions. In a split-half design, half of the student respondents completed a questionnaire in which they rated the extent to which various citizenship actions were important; the…

  8. Presence and Image of Women in the Information Media Aimed at Adolescents Aged 10 to 16.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dansereau, Stephanie; Maranda, Jeanne

    An exploratory study identified the areas of information most commonly featured in the printed and electronic media designed specifically for adolescents aged 10-16 and also identified the presence and role of women in the information targeted to this age group. A content analysis was made of both French- and English-language television programs…

  9. Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analyses in Reading-Related Cognitive Component among Grade Four Students in Thailand

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Liao, Chen-Huei; Kuo, Bor-Chen; Deenang, Exkarach; Mok, Magdalena Mo Ching

    2016-01-01

    This study aimed to investigate the structure and the validity of the cognitive components of reading in Thai, which is a language with a high degree of grapheme-phoneme correspondence. The participants were 1181 fourth-grade students in 29 schools in Thailand, divided into two subsamples for data analysis. Phoneme isolation, rapid colour naming,…

  10. Walk a Mile in My Shoes: Stakeholder Accounts of Testing Experience with a Computer-Administered Test

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fox, Janna; Cheng, Liying

    2015-01-01

    In keeping with the trend to elicit multiple stakeholder responses to operational tests as part of test validation, this exploratory mixed methods study examines test-taker accounts of an Internet-based (i.e., computer-administered) test in the high-stakes context of proficiency testing for university admission. In 2013, as language testing…

  11. Argumentation Skills: A Peer Assessment Approach to Discussions in the EFL Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ubaque Casallas, Diego Fernando; Pinilla Castellanos, Freddy Samir

    2016-01-01

    This paper presents an exploratory action research study carried out by two English as a foreign language teachers in a private, non-profit institution in Bogota, Colombia, with a group of 12 learners in a B1 English course. These students faced difficulties elaborating on their ideas when discussing issues in class. The study placed emphasis on…

  12. Individual Differences in Auditory Sentence Comprehension in Children: An Exploratory Event-Related Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Investigation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yeatman, Jason D.; Ben-Shachar, Michal; Glover, Gary H.; Feldman, Heidi M.

    2010-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to explore changes in activation of the cortical network that serves auditory sentence comprehension in children in response to increasing demands of complex sentences. A further goal is to study how individual differences in children's receptive language abilities are associated with such changes in cortical…

  13. An Exploratory Study of ICT Use in English Language Learning among EFL University Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tri, Dang Hoang; Nguyen, Nhung Hong Thi

    2014-01-01

    There has been a large volume of published studies describing the attitudes of teachers and students towards ICT usage to study English; nevertheless, limited research has been conducted to examine the use of ICT in terms of frequency of use, purposes, perceptions, and expectations among EFL students. Thus, the purpose of the current study was to…

  14. An Exploratory Study on the Digital Identity Formation of Korean University EFL Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lee, Jang Ho; Kim, Heyoung

    2014-01-01

    The present study aims to sketch the contours of new media ecology for Korean university students as well as to examine how these learners shape and negotiate their digital identity by using social networking services and digital devices. It also investigates their use of digital media for learning English as a foreign language (EFL). In total,…

  15. Switches to English during French Service Encounters: Relationships with L2 French Speakers' Willingness to Communicate and Motivation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McNaughton, Stephanie; McDonough, Kim

    2015-01-01

    This exploratory study investigated second language (L2) French speakers' service encounters in the multilingual setting of Montreal, specifically whether switches to English during French service encounters were related to L2 speakers' willingness to communicate or motivation. Over a two-week period, 17 French L2 speakers in Montreal submitted…

  16. Using a Blog to Facilitate Extensive Reading: An Exploratory Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chew, Magdalene Meow Khee; Lee, Catherine Cheng Kiat

    2013-01-01

    Research shows that extensive reading (ER) has many benefits for language acquisition. The challenge today is making ER appealing to the digital generation. For a possible solution, it is pertinent to look to the social media embraced by today's youths. This study was conducted to explore the use of the blog as a space for sharing peer-selected…

  17. Understanding Discrepancies in Rater Judgement on National-Level Oral Examination Tasks

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ang-Aw, Hui Teng; Goh, Christine Chuen Meng

    2011-01-01

    The oral examination is an important component of the high-stakes "O" Level examination in Singapore taken by 16-17 year olds whose first language may or may not be English. In spite of this, there has been sparse research into the examination. This paper reports findings of an exploratory study which attempted to determine whether there…

  18. "Fortis/Lenis" Revisited One More Time: The Aerodynamics of Some Oral Stop Contrasts in Three Continents

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Butcher, Andrew

    2004-01-01

    The terms "fortis" and "lenis" are variously regarded as having one single underlying phonetic correlate or many. An exploratory analysis of acoustic and aerodynamic data on contrasting stop series in a number of European and non-European languages confirms that a significant variation in peak intra-oral pressure and in articulatory stricture…

  19. Skype-Based English Activities: A Case for Compelling Input? Correlational Changes before and after Skype Exchanges

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ockert, David

    2015-01-01

    This paper reports the results of a small, longitudinal study involving a group of Japanese elementary school students (N = 29) involved in exploratory research using foreign language activities, including two Skype exchanges between these students and students in Australia. The purpose of the research was to test for the impact of a series of…

  20. The Impact of Resilience on L2 Learners' Motivated Behaviour and Proficiency in L2 Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kim, Tae-Young; Kim, Yoon-Kyoung

    2017-01-01

    This exploratory study focused on the factors that constitute second language (L2) learners' resilience, and how these factors are related to L2 learning by investigating what relation resilience may have to motivated behaviour and proficiency in English learning. A total of 1620 secondary school learners of English participated in a questionnaire…

  1. Examining the Effects of Independent MALL on Vocabulary Recall and Listening Comprehension: An Exploratory Case Study of Preschool Children

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Terantino, Joe

    2016-01-01

    In recent years scholars have explored the use of mobile devices as potential sources for language learning and teaching. Mobile phones and tablets, especially, have been researched with a focus on effectively building vocabulary primarily among university-level students. Comparable research in other age groups has not been as widespread. This…

  2. Cognitive and Personality Components Underlying Spoken Idiom Comprehension in Context. An Exploratory Study.

    PubMed

    Cacciari, Cristina; Corrardini, Paola; Ferlazzo, Fabio

    2018-01-01

    In this exploratory study, we investigated whether and to what extent individual differences in cognitive and personality variables are associated with spoken idiom comprehension in context. Language unimpaired participants were enrolled in a cross-modal lexical decision study in which semantically ambiguous Italian idioms (i.e., strings with both a literal and an idiomatic interpretation as, for instance, break the ice ), predictable or unpredictable before the string offset, were embedded in idiom-biasing contexts. To explore the contributions of different cognitive and personality components, participants also completed a series of tests respectively assessing general speed, inhibitory control, short-term and working memory, cognitive flexibility, crystallized and fluid intelligence, and personality. Stepwise regression analyses revealed that online idiom comprehension was associated with the participants' working memory, inhibitory control and crystallized verbal intelligence, an association modulated by idiom type. Also personality-related variables (State Anxiety and Openness to Experience) were associated with idiom comprehension, although in marginally significant ways. These results contribute to the renewed interest on how individual variability modulates language comprehension, and for the first time document contributions of individual variability on lexicalized, high frequency multi-word expressions as idioms adding new knowledge to the existing evidence on metaphor and sarcasm.

  3. Standards Participation Guidance : ITS Standards Program

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2018-04-15

    The Intelligent Transportation System Joint Program Office (ITS JPO) focuses on research projects, exploratory studies and deployment support for the intelligent transportation system. The ITS Architecture and Standards Programs are foundational to t...

  4. Spanish-language community-based mental health treatment programs, policy-required language-assistance programming, and mental health treatment access among Spanish-speaking clients.

    PubMed

    Snowden, Lonnie R; McClellan, Sean R

    2013-09-01

    We investigated the extent to which implementing language assistance programming through contracting with community-based organizations improved the accessibility of mental health care under Medi-Cal (California's Medicaid program) for Spanish-speaking persons with limited English proficiency, and whether it reduced language-based treatment access disparities. Using a time series nonequivalent control group design, we studied county-level penetration of language assistance programming over 10 years (1997-2006) for Spanish-speaking persons with limited English proficiency covered under Medi-Cal. We used linear regression with county fixed effects to control for ongoing trends and other influences. When county mental health plans contracted with community-based organizations, those implementing language assistance programming increased penetration rates of Spanish-language mental health services under Medi-Cal more than other plans (0.28 percentage points, a 25% increase on average; P < .05). However, the increase was insufficient to significantly reduce language-related disparities. Mental health treatment programs operated by community-based organizations may have moderately improved access after implementing required language assistance programming, but the programming did not reduce entrenched disparities in the accessibility of mental health services.

  5. Spanish-Language Community-Based Mental Health Treatment Programs, Policy-Required Language-Assistance Programming, and Mental Health Treatment Access Among Spanish-Speaking Clients

    PubMed Central

    McClellan, Sean R.

    2013-01-01

    Objectives. We investigated the extent to which implementing language assistance programming through contracting with community-based organizations improved the accessibility of mental health care under Medi-Cal (California’s Medicaid program) for Spanish-speaking persons with limited English proficiency, and whether it reduced language-based treatment access disparities. Methods. Using a time series nonequivalent control group design, we studied county-level penetration of language assistance programming over 10 years (1997–2006) for Spanish-speaking persons with limited English proficiency covered under Medi-Cal. We used linear regression with county fixed effects to control for ongoing trends and other influences. Results. When county mental health plans contracted with community-based organizations, those implementing language assistance programming increased penetration rates of Spanish-language mental health services under Medi-Cal more than other plans (0.28 percentage points, a 25% increase on average; P < .05). However, the increase was insufficient to significantly reduce language-related disparities. Conclusions. Mental health treatment programs operated by community-based organizations may have moderately improved access after implementing required language assistance programming, but the programming did not reduce entrenched disparities in the accessibility of mental health services. PMID:23865663

  6. Nociones de la programacion de lenguas extranjeras (Ensayo metodologico) (Programming Foreign Languages [A Methodological Study])

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Feldman, David

    1975-01-01

    Stresses the importance of language laboratories and other technical devices used in foreign language teaching, particularly in programed language instruction. Illustrates, by means of taxonomies, the various stages a foreign language learning program should follow. (Text is in Spanish.) (DS)

  7. The Contribution of Two Categories of Parent Verbal Responsiveness to Later Language for Toddlers and Preschoolers on the Autism Spectrum

    PubMed Central

    Haebig, Eileen; McDuffie, Andrea; Weismer, Susan Ellis

    2013-01-01

    Purpose Longitudinal associations between two categories of parent verbal responsiveness and language comprehension and production one year later were examined in 40 toddlers and preschoolers with a diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Method Parent-child play samples using a standard toy set were digitally captured and coded for child engagement with objects and communication acts and for parent verbal responses to play and communication. Results After controlling for parent education, child engagement and initial language level, only parent directives for language that followed into the child's focus of attention accounted for unique variance in predicting both comprehension and production one year later. A series of exploratory analyses revealed that parent comments that followed into the child's focus of attention also accounted for unique variance in later comprehension and production for children who were minimally verbal at the initial time period. Conclusions Child developmental level may warrant different types of linguistic input to facilitate language learning. Children with ASD who have minimal linguistic skills may benefit from parent language input that follows into the child’s focus of attention. Children with ASD who are verbally fluent may need more advanced language input to facilitate language development. PMID:22878512

  8. Exploratory Advanced Research Program : Research Associates Program 2014

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2014-12-31

    Since 1954, the National Research Council (NRC) has conducted the Research Associateship Program (RAP) in cooperation with sponsoring Federal laboratories and other approved participating research organizations. RAP provides highly skilled and exceed...

  9. Exploratory Advanced Research Program : Research Associates Program 2016

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2017-02-01

    Since 1954, the National Research Council (NRC) has conducted the Research Associateship Program (RAP) in cooperation with sponsoring Federal laboratories and other approved participating research organizations. RAP provides highly skilled and exceed...

  10. An IBM 370 assembly language program verifier

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Maurer, W. D.

    1977-01-01

    The paper describes a program written in SNOBOL which verifies the correctness of programs written in assembly language for the IBM 360 and 370 series of computers. The motivation for using assembly language as a source language for a program verifier was the realization that many errors in programs are caused by misunderstanding or ignorance of the characteristics of specific computers. The proof of correctness of a program written in assembly language must take these characteristics into account. The program has been compiled and is currently running at the Center for Academic and Administrative Computing of The George Washington University.

  11. Educator Language Ideologies and a Top-Down Dual Language Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fitzsimmons-Doolan, Shannon; Palmer, Deborah; Henderson, Kathryn

    2017-01-01

    Dual language bilingual education (DLBE) programs are framed to reflect pluralist discourses (de Jong, E. [2013]. "Policy Discourses and U.S. Language in Education Policies." "Peabody Journal of Education" 88 (1): 98-111) and affiliated language ideologies. The continued expansion of DLBE programs not surprisingly brings to…

  12. Teaching Adaptability of Object-Oriented Programming Language Curriculum

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zhu, Xiao-dong

    2012-01-01

    The evolution of object-oriented programming languages includes update of their own versions, update of development environments, and reform of new languages upon old languages. In this paper, the evolution analysis of object-oriented programming languages is presented in term of the characters and development. The notion of adaptive teaching upon…

  13. Innovative Second Language Education: Bilingual Immersion Programs.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Snow, Marguerite Ann

    Bilingual immersion programs combine second language immersion for language majority children and bilingual education for language minority children. The programs are based on the underlying assumption of the immersion model: that a second language is best learned as a medium of instruction, not as the object of instruction. However, they are not…

  14. The BASIC Instructional Program: Conversion into MAINSAIL Language.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dageforde, Mary L.

    This report summarizes the rewriting of the BASIC Instructional Program (BIP) (a "hands-on laboratory" that teaches elementary programming in the BASIC language) from SAIL (a programming language available only on PDP-10 computers) into MAINSAIL (a language designed for portability on a broad class of computers). Four sections contain…

  15. NATAL-74; Towards a Common Programming Language for CAL.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brahan, J. W.; Colpitts, B. A.

    NATAL-74 is a programing language designed for Canadian computer aided learning (CAL) programs. The language has two fundamental elements: the UNIT provides the interface between the student and the subject matter, and the PROCEDURE element embodies teaching strategy. Desirable features of several programing languages have been adapted to cope…

  16. A high level language for a high performance computer

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Perrott, R. H.

    1978-01-01

    The proposed computational aerodynamic facility will join the ranks of the supercomputers due to its architecture and increased execution speed. At present, the languages used to program these supercomputers have been modifications of programming languages which were designed many years ago for sequential machines. A new programming language should be developed based on the techniques which have proved valuable for sequential programming languages and incorporating the algorithmic techniques required for these supercomputers. The design objectives for such a language are outlined.

  17. Exploring the relationship between client perspectives, clinical expertise and research evidence.

    PubMed

    Roulstone, Sue

    2015-06-01

    This paper examines the relationship between components of evidence-based practice (clinical expertise, patient perspective and research evidence). Findings are examined from two research programs: the Better Communication Research Program and Child Talk, including exploratory studies of the views of parents and children regarding speech-language pathology and studies of current practice by SLPs in England. Systematic reviews of the research literature were also undertaken. The paper analyses relationships between outcomes valued by children and parents and those reported in the literature and in practice, parents' perspectives regarding intervention in comparison with clinicians' reports of practice and the extent to which research evidence underpins current practice is examined. Parents and children value functional outcomes and positive experiences; these are not routinely measured in research or practice. Therapy is perceived positively by most parents; however, some are ambivalent and less clear about the rationale. Commonly used interventions are supported by evidence, but there are gaps regarding some critical therapy components. The paper discusses four challenges to evidence-based practice: the consistency and clarity of descriptions of interventions; consensus based models of practice; understanding of the mechanisms of change; and, finally, the operationalization of client preferences within an evidence-based practice framework.

  18. Survey of Speech-Language Pathology Graduate Program Training in Outer and Middle Ear Screening.

    PubMed

    Serpanos, Yula C; Senzer, Deborah

    2015-08-01

    The purpose of this study was to determine the national training practices of speech-language pathology graduate programs in outer and middle ear screening. Directors of all American Speech-Language-Hearing Association-accredited speech-language pathology graduate programs (N = 254; Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology, 2013) were surveyed on instructional formats in outer and middle ear screening. The graduate speech-language pathology program survey yielded 84 (33.1%) responses. Results indicated that some programs do not provide any training in the areas of conventional screening otoscopy using a handheld otoscope (15.5%; n = 13) or screening tympanometry (11.9%; n = 10), whereas close to one half (46.4%; n = 39) reported no training in screening video otoscopy. Outcomes revealed that approximately one third or more of speech-language pathology graduate programs do not provide experiential opportunities in screening handheld otoscopy (36.9%) or tympanometry (32.1%), and most (78.6%) do not provide experiential opportunities in video otoscopy. The implication from the graduate speech-language pathology program survey findings is that some speech-language pathologists will graduate from academic programs without the acquired knowledge or experiential learning required to establish skill in 1 or more areas of screening otoscopy and tympanometry. Graduate speech-language pathology programs should consider appropriate training opportunities for students to acquire and demonstrate skill in outer and middle ear screening.

  19. Investigating Principals' Knowledge and Perceptions of Second Language Programs for English Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Padron, Yolanda N.; Waxman, Hersh C.

    2016-01-01

    This study examined principals' knowledge and perceptions of second language programs for English language learners (ELLs) operating in their schools. An open-ended survey and in-depth interviews were used to examine elementary school principals' knowledge of the second language programs implemented at their schools. The survey asked principals…

  20. Teachers' Perspectives on Academic Achievement and Educational Growth of U.S.-Born Hispanic Students in a Midwestern Spanish Language Immersion Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Salgado, Herlinda Arlene Galve

    2016-01-01

    Elementary Spanish language immersion programs have become more popular in the educational field in the United States to support the academic achievement of minority students. The final goal of immersion programs is to develop proficiency in the home language and dominant language, identified as first language (L1) and second language (L2), to…

  1. Alternative Energy Curriculum for Trade and Industry Exploratory. Final Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    University of Central Arkansas, Conway.

    This study was a descriptive curriculum research project covering the development of learning packets on alternative energy. The purpose of the project was to improve instruction in trades and industry exploratory programs by providing alternative energy materials. It was anticipated that the use of a prepared learning package would facilitate the…

  2. 50 CFR 680.40 - Crab Quota Share (QS), Processor QS (PQS), Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ), and Individual...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... exclude any deadloss, test fishing, fishing conducted under an experimental, exploratory, or scientific..., education, exploratory, or experimental permit, or under the Western Alaska CDQ Program. (iv) Documentation... information is true, correct, and complete to the best of his/her knowledge and belief. If the application is...

  3. 50 CFR 680.40 - Crab Quota Share (QS), Processor QS (PQS), Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ), and Individual...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... exclude any deadloss, test fishing, fishing conducted under an experimental, exploratory, or scientific..., education, exploratory, or experimental permit, or under the Western Alaska CDQ Program. (iv) Documentation... information is true, correct, and complete to the best of his/her knowledge and belief. If the application is...

  4. 50 CFR 680.40 - Crab Quota Share (QS), Processor QS (PQS), Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ), and Individual...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... exclude any deadloss, test fishing, fishing conducted under an experimental, exploratory, or scientific..., education, exploratory, or experimental permit, or under the Western Alaska CDQ Program. (iv) Documentation... information is true, correct, and complete to the best of his/her knowledge and belief. If the application is...

  5. 50 CFR 680.40 - Crab Quota Share (QS), Processor QS (PQS), Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ), and Individual...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... exclude any deadloss, test fishing, fishing conducted under an experimental, exploratory, or scientific..., education, exploratory, or experimental permit, or under the Western Alaska CDQ Program. (iv) Documentation... information is true, correct, and complete to the best of his/her knowledge and belief. If the application is...

  6. Applying Threshold Concepts Theory to an Unsettled Field: An Exploratory Study in Criminal Justice Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wimshurst, Kerry

    2011-01-01

    Criminal justice education is a relatively new program in higher education in many countries, and its curriculum and parameters remain unsettled. An exploratory study investigated whether threshold concepts theory provided a useful lens by which to explore student understandings of this multidisciplinary field. Eight high-performing final-year…

  7. Ignition potential of muzzle-loading firearms: An exploratory investigation

    Treesearch

    David V. Haston; Mark A. Finney; Andy Horcher; Philip A. Yates; Kahlil Detrich

    2009-01-01

    The National Technology and Development Program of the Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, was asked to conduct an exploratory study on the ignition potential of muzzle-loading firearms. The five independent variables investigated include projectile type, powder type, powder load, patch thickness, and patch lubricant treatment. Indoor testing was performed...

  8. Consumer Rights and Accountability in Postsecondary Vocational-Technical Education: An Exploratory Study.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fitzgerald, Brian; Harmon, Lisa

    Beginning in October 1987, Pelavin Associates conducted an exploratory study of consumer rights and accountability in postsecondary vocational-technical (PVT) programs for the U.S. Department of Education. The study focused on how effectively the governance structure--accreditation and federal and state regulation--ensures that consumer rights are…

  9. Emergent literacy profiles of preschool-age children with specific language impairment.

    PubMed

    Cabell, Sonia Q; Lomax, Richard G; Justice, Laura M; Breit-Smith, Allison; Skibbe, Lori E; McGinty, Anita S

    2010-12-01

    The primary aim of the present study was to explore the heterogeneity of emergent literacy skills among preschool-age children with specific language impairment (SLI) through examination of profiles of performance. Fifty-nine children with SLI were assessed on a battery of emergent literacy skills (i.e., alphabet knowledge, print concepts, emergent writing, rhyme awareness) and oral language skills (i.e., receptive/expressive vocabulary and grammar). Cluster analysis techniques identified three emergent literacy profiles: (1) Highest Emergent Literacy, Strength in Alphabet Knowledge; (2) Average Emergent Literacy, Strength in Print Concepts; and (3) Lowest Emergent Literacy across Skills. After taking into account the contribution of child age, receptive and expressive language skills made a small contribution to the prediction of profile membership. The present findings, which may be characterized as exploratory given the relatively modest sample size, suggest that preschool-age children with SLI display substantial individual differences with regard to their emergent literacy skills and that these differences cannot be fully determined by children's age or oral language performance. Replication of the present findings with a larger sample of children is needed.

  10. Python to learn programming

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bogdanchikov, A.; Zhaparov, M.; Suliyev, R.

    2013-04-01

    Today we have a lot of programming languages that can realize our needs, but the most important question is how to teach programming to beginner students. In this paper we suggest using Python for this purpose, because it is a programming language that has neatly organized syntax and powerful tools to solve any task. Moreover it is very close to simple math thinking. Python is chosen as a primary programming language for freshmen in most of leading universities. Writing code in python is easy. In this paper we give some examples of program codes written in Java, C++ and Python language, and we make a comparison between them. Firstly, this paper proposes advantages of Python language in relation to C++ and JAVA. Then it shows the results of a comparison of short program codes written in three different languages, followed by a discussion on how students understand programming. Finally experimental results of students' success in programming courses are shown.

  11. Usability Issues in the Design of Novice Programming Systems,

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1996-08-01

    lists this as a design principle for novice programming environments. In traditional compiled languages, beginners are also confused by the need to...programming task external knowledge that might interfere with correct under- standing of the language. Most beginner programming errors can be...language for text editing, but [Curtis 1988] found that a textual pseudocode and graphical flowcharts were both bet- ter than natural language in program

  12. Programming Languages.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tesler, Lawrence G.

    1984-01-01

    Discusses the nature of programing languages, considering the features of BASIC, LOGO, PASCAL, COBOL, FORTH, APL, and LISP. Also discusses machine/assembly codes, the operation of a compiler, and trends in the evolution of programing languages (including interest in notational systems called object-oriented languages). (JN)

  13. A Common Programming Language for the Department of Defense--Background and Technical Requirements

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1976-06-01

    Method Findings I. Introduction A. The Problem 1. Software Costs 2. Programming Language 3. Lack of Comrr.onality 4. Common Language 5...accessible soft- ware tools and aids. There are a number of widely held perceptions about the ill effects of the lack of programming language ...cost- effective (at lea~t during development) than de- velopi~g a new programming language specialized to the project. On the other hand,

  14. Improving working memory in children with low language abilities

    PubMed Central

    Holmes, Joni; Butterfield, Sally; Cormack, Francesca; van Loenhoud, Anita; Ruggero, Leanne; Kashikar, Linda; Gathercole, Susan

    2015-01-01

    This study investigated whether working memory training is effective in enhancing verbal memory in children with low language abilities (LLA). Cogmed Working Memory Training was completed by a community sample of children aged 8–11 years with LLA and a comparison group with matched non-verbal abilities and age-typical language performance. Short-term memory (STM), working memory, language, and IQ were assessed before and after training. Significant and equivalent post-training gains were found in visuo-spatial short-term memory in both groups. Exploratory analyses across the sample established that low verbal IQ scores were strongly and highly specifically associated with greater gains in verbal STM, and that children with higher verbal IQs made greater gains in visuo-spatial short-term memory following training. This provides preliminary evidence that intensive working memory training may be effective for enhancing the weakest aspects of STM in children with low verbal abilities, and may also be of value in developing compensatory strategies. PMID:25983703

  15. Compound nouns in spoken language production by speakers with aphasia compared to neurologically healthy speakers: an exploratory study.

    PubMed

    Eiesland, Eli Anne; Lind, Marianne

    2012-03-01

    Compounds are words that are made up of at least two other words (lexemes), featuring lexical and syntactic characteristics and thus particularly interesting for the study of language processing. Most studies of compounds and language processing have been based on data from experimental single word production and comprehension tasks. To enhance the ecological validity of morphological processing research, data from other contexts, such as discourse production, need to be considered. This study investigates the production of nominal compounds in semi-spontaneous spoken texts by a group of speakers with fluent types of aphasia compared to a group of neurologically healthy speakers. The speakers with aphasia produce significantly fewer nominal compound types in their texts than the non-aphasic speakers, and the compounds they produce exhibit fewer different types of semantic relations than the compounds produced by the non-aphasic speakers. The results are discussed in relation to theories of language processing.

  16. STANSBURY ROADLESS AREAS, UTAH.

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Sorensen, Martin L.; Kness, Richard F.

    1984-01-01

    A mineral-resource survey of the Stansbury Roadless Areas, Utah was conducted and showed that there is little likelihood for the occurrence of metallic mineral resources in the areas. Limestone and dolomite underlie approximately 50 acres in the roadless areas and constitute a nonmetallic mineral resource of undetermined value. The oil and gas potential is not known and cannot be assessed without exploratory geophysical and drilling programs. There are no known geothermal resources. An extensive program of geophysical exploration and exploratory drilling would be necessary to determine the potential for oil and gas in the Stansbury Roadless Areas.

  17. What Is a Programming Language?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wold, Allen

    1983-01-01

    Explains what a computer programing language is in general, the differences between machine language, assembler languages, and high-level languages, and the functions of compilers and interpreters. High-level languages mentioned in the article are: BASIC, FORTRAN, COBOL, PILOT, LOGO, LISP, and SMALLTALK. (EAO)

  18. Technology Education. Vocational Education Program Courses Standards.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Florida State Dept. of Education, Tallahassee. Div. of Vocational, Adult, and Community Education.

    This document contains vocational education program course standards for technology education programs in Florida. Standards are provided for a total of 32 exploratory courses, practical arts courses, and pretechnical programs offered at the secondary or postsecondary level. Each program course standard consists of a curriculum framework and…

  19. Venezuela offshore oil and gas production development: Past, present and future

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

    Perez La Salvia, H.; Schwartz, E.; Contreras, M.

    1995-12-01

    This paper presents a short history of offshore oil and gas production in Venezuela starting in Lake Maracaibo in 1923. The main emphasis has been the results of the recent R and D and the exploratory offshore programs in areas like Orinoco Delta located in the Atlantic Ocean, Northeast and Northwest Venezuela in the Caribbean sea. In the R and D offshore program the main objectives were: (1) To establish the local environmental, oceanographical, geotechnical and seismicity conditions for the Venezuelan Continental Platform. (2) To give a technical support to the PDVSA Operating Affiliates during the exploratory programs including: (a)more » to develop accurate drilling vessel positioning systems; (b) evaluation of sea bottom geotechnical conditions for safely operating the jack-ups and drilling vessels involved in the exploratory wells and (c) to identify those areas which because of their special nature require further investigation to establish preliminary type of platforms required for the areas to be developed or to evaluate other solutions proposed by Foreign Consultant Engineering Companies to the PDVSA Operating Affiliated Companies. The main objective of PDVSA for the coming future will be to develop the North of Paria Gas Field through the initially named Christopher Columbus Project now Sucre Gas, S.A., a consortium conformed by LaGoven, S.A. Shell, Exxon and Mitsubishi. objective of this paper is to give an idea of the history of the Venezuelan Oil and Gas Offshore development giving emphasis to the results of the INTEVEP S.A. Red offshore program and to show some results of the particular characteristics of oceanographical, environmental, geotechnical and seismic conditions in the main areas evaluated during the exploratory program: Orinoco Delta, Gulf of Paria and North of Paria.« less

  20. Pilot Study Evaluating the Impact of Dialogic Reading and Shared Reading at Transition to Primary School: Early Literacy Skills and Parental Attitudes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pillinger, Claire; Wood, Clare

    2014-01-01

    Previous studies have demonstrated the positive impact of shared reading (SR) and dialogic reading (DR) on young children's language and literacy development. This exploratory study compared the relative impact of parental DR and shared reading interventions on 4-year-old children's early literacy skills and parental attitudes to reading…

  1. An Exploratory Study of Criticism Realization Strategies Used By NS and NNS of New Zealand English

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nguyen, Thi Thuy Minh

    2013-01-01

    This study explores how a group of learners of English as a second language (ESL) criticize in everyday situations compared to the native speaker (NS) with a view to expanding the range of speech acts under inquiry in the interlanguage pragmatics (ILP) literature. Data were collected from five NSs of New Zealand English and five intermediate…

  2. Use of Automated Scoring in Spoken Language Assessments for Test Takers with Speech Impairments. Research Report. ETS RR-17-42

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Loukina, Anastassia; Buzick, Heather

    2017-01-01

    This study is an evaluation of the performance of automated speech scoring for speakers with documented or suspected speech impairments. Given that the use of automated scoring of open-ended spoken responses is relatively nascent and there is little research to date that includes test takers with disabilities, this small exploratory study focuses…

  3. A Latent Variable Investigation of the Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening-Kindergarten Assessment: Construct Identification and Multigroup Comparisons between Spanish-Speaking English-Language Learners (ELLs) and Non-ELL Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Huang, Francis L.; Konold, Timothy R.

    2014-01-01

    Psychometric properties of the Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening for Kindergarten (PALS-K) instrument were investigated in a sample of 2844 first-time public school kindergarteners. PALS-K is a widely used English literacy screening assessment. Exploratory factor analysis revealed a theoretically defensible measurement structure that was…

  4. The Language Factor in Elementary Mathematics Assessments: Computational Skills and Applied Problem Solving in a Multidimensional IRT Framework

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hickendorff, Marian

    2013-01-01

    The results of an exploratory study into measurement of elementary mathematics ability are presented. The focus is on the abilities involved in solving standard computation problems on the one hand and problems presented in a realistic context on the other. The objectives were to assess to what extent these abilities are shared or distinct, and…

  5. Exploring Bilingual Teachers' Beliefs about Academic Language Development in Mathematics Teaching: Implications for Bilingual Teachers' Professional Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Canales-Vela, Viola

    2017-01-01

    The achievement of mathematics within Hispanic youth is of great concern across the nation. In order to improve student achievement in mathematics, the nature of a mathematics teacher's complex belief system must be understood (McGee & Wang, 2014). The purpose of this exploratory qualitative study is to investigate the K-5 bilingual teachers'…

  6. L'environnement institutionnel: occupations pour un bon usage des institutions (Institutional Environment: Activities to Make the Best Use of Institutions).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Richterich, Rene

    1982-01-01

    Fifteen exploratory tasks are proposed to help the reader "invent" his or her solidarity with the environment. They are intended to make the person more aware of the influences of the environment on one's native and/or second language learning in order to take charge of them and increase one's independence. (AMH)

  7. An Exploratory Study of the Language-Learning Style Preferences of Iranian EFL High School Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ramezani, Afsaneh Effatdokht; Dehgahi, Meysam; Hashemi, Hanie

    2015-01-01

    This study explored the learning style preferences of 40 Iranian students at Marefat Iranian high school in Kuala Lumpur of which, 20 are females and 20 are males. To this end, this study used structured interview to elicit in-depth information from the students. The results of the study showed that learning style preferences of Iranian students…

  8. Validation of an Adapted French Form of the Career Adapt-Abilities Scale in Four Francophone Countries

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Johnston, Claire S.; Broonen, Jean-Paul; Stauffer, Sarah D.; Hamtiaux, Armanda; Pouyaud, Jacques; Zecca, Gregory; Houssemand, Claude; Rossier, Jerome

    2013-01-01

    This study presents the validation of a French version of the Career Adapt-Abilities Scale in four Francophone countries. The aim was to re-analyze the item selection and then compare this newly developed French-language form with the international form 2.0. Exploratory factor analysis was used as a tool for item selection, and confirmatory factor…

  9. Total Immersion Language Program: A New Approach to Foreign Language Instruction. Technical Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Morel, Stefano

    A three-year experimental program established in 1966 in Spanish language instruction at the secondary level is reported in this study. Students at Commack High School North, New York, participated in a total immersion language program in Spanish, taking two to four classes of instruction in the target language per day. Classes included regular…

  10. 34 CFR 658.4 - What definitions apply to the Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language Program?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... International Studies and Foreign Language Program? 658.4 Section 658.4 Education Regulations of the Offices of... UNDERGRADUATE INTERNATIONAL STUDIES AND FOREIGN LANGUAGE PROGRAM General § 658.4 What definitions apply to the Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language Program? The definitions in 34 CFR 655.4 apply to this...

  11. 34 CFR 658.4 - What definitions apply to the Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language Program?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... International Studies and Foreign Language Program? 658.4 Section 658.4 Education Regulations of the Offices of... UNDERGRADUATE INTERNATIONAL STUDIES AND FOREIGN LANGUAGE PROGRAM General § 658.4 What definitions apply to the Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language Program? The definitions in 34 CFR 655.4 apply to this...

  12. Students' Perspective on the First Programming Language: C-Like or Pascal-Like Languages?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Xinogalos, Stelios; Pitner, Tomáš; Ivanovic, Mirjana; Savic, Miloš

    2018-01-01

    The choice of the first programming language (FPL) has been a controversial issue for several decades. Nearly everyone agrees that the FPL is important and affects students' subsequent education on programming. The study presented in this article investigates the suitability of various C-like and Pascal-like programming languages as a FPL.…

  13. HAL/SM language specification. [programming languages and computer programming for space shuttles

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Williams, G. P. W., Jr.; Ross, C.

    1975-01-01

    A programming language is presented for the flight software of the NASA Space Shuttle program. It is intended to satisfy virtually all of the flight software requirements of the space shuttle. To achieve this, it incorporates a wide range of features, including applications-oriented data types and organizations, real time control mechanisms, and constructs for systems programming tasks. It is a higher order language designed to allow programmers, analysts, and engineers to communicate with the computer in a form approximating natural mathematical expression. Parts of the English language are combined with standard notation to provide a tool that readily encourages programming without demanding computer hardware expertise. Block diagrams and flow charts are included. The semantics of the language is discussed.

  14. Marketing Education. Vocational Education Program Courses Standards.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Florida State Dept. of Education, Tallahassee. Div. of Vocational, Adult, and Community Education.

    This document contains vocational education program courses standards (curriculum frameworks and student performance standards) for exploratory courses, practical arts courses, and job preparatory programs in marketing offered at the secondary or postsecondary level as a part of Florida's comprehensive vocational education program. Each standard…

  15. Marketing Education. Vocational Education Program Courses Standards.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Florida State Dept. of Education, Tallahassee. Div. of Vocational, Adult, and Community Education.

    This document contains vocational education program courses standards (curriculum frameworks and student performance standards) for exploratory courses, practical arts courses, and job preparatory programs in marketing education offered at the secondary or postsecondary level as a part of Florida's comprehensive vocational education program.…

  16. Technology Education. Vocational Education Program Courses Standards.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Florida State Dept. of Education, Tallahassee. Div. of Vocational, Adult, and Community Education.

    This document contains vocational education program courses standards (curriculum frameworks and student performance standards) for exploratory courses, practical arts courses, and job preparatory programs in technology education offered at the secondary or postsecondary level as a part of Florida's comprehensive vocational education program.…

  17. Construction and Validation of Afterlife Belief Scale for Muslims.

    PubMed

    Ghayas, Saba; Batool, Syeda Shahida

    2017-06-01

    The purpose of this study was to develop a scale in Urdu language for measuring different dimensions of afterlife belief. The scale was subjected to exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis on a sample of 504 individuals (235 men and 269 women) recruited from different cities in the Punjab, Pakistan. After exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, 16 items were retained with three well-defined factor structures of afterlife belief: positive, negative, and extinction. The alpha coefficients of the subscales ranged from .65 to .78. Convergent and discriminant validity of the subscales of Afterlife Belief Scale was determined by finding its relationship with the Pleasant Afterlife Belief Scale, the Unpleasant Afterlife Belief Scale, the Anxiety Subscale of DASS, and the Belief in Equitable World Scale. The results support that the newly developed scale has promising validity.

  18. Artificial intelligence programming languages for computer aided manufacturing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rieger, C.; Samet, H.; Rosenberg, J.

    1979-01-01

    Eight Artificial Intelligence programming languages (SAIL, LISP, MICROPLANNER, CONNIVER, MLISP, POP-2, AL, and QLISP) are presented and surveyed, with examples of their use in an automated shop environment. Control structures are compared, and distinctive features of each language are highlighted. A simple programming task is used to illustrate programs in SAIL, LISP, MICROPLANNER, and CONNIVER. The report assumes reader knowledge of programming concepts, but not necessarily of the languages surveyed.

  19. An exploratory study of linguistic-colour associations across languages in multilingual synaesthetes.

    PubMed

    Barnett, Kylie J; Feeney, Joanne; Gormley, Michael; Newell, Fiona N

    2009-07-01

    In one of the most common forms of synaesthesia, linguistic-colour synaesthesia, colour is induced by stimuli such as numbers, letters, days of the week, and months of the year. It is not clear, however, whether linguistic-colour synaesthesia is determined more by higher level semantic information--that is, word meaning--or by lower level grapheme or phoneme structure. To explore this issue, we tested whether colour is consistently induced by grapheme or phoneme form or word meaning in bilingual and trilingual linguistic-colour synaesthetes. We reasoned that if the induced colour was related to word meaning, rather than to the acoustic or visual properties of the words, then the induced colours would remain consistent across languages. We found that colours were not consistently related to word meaning across languages. Instead, induced colours were more related to form properties of the word across languages, particularly visual structure. However, the type of inducing stimulus influenced specific colour associations. For example, colours to months of the year were more consistent across languages than were colours to numbers or days of the week. Furthermore, the effect of inducing stimuli was also associated with the age of acquisition of additional languages. Our findings are discussed with reference to a critical period in language acquisition on synaesthesia.

  20. Predicting the mental health of college students with psychological capital.

    PubMed

    Selvaraj, Priscilla Rose; Bhat, Christine Suniti

    2018-06-01

    Behavioral health treatment is grounded in the medical model with language of deficits and problems, rather than resources and strengths. With developments in the field of positive psychology, re-focusing on well-being rather than illness is possible. The primary purpose of this study was to examine relationships and predictions that exist between levels of mental health in college students, i.e., flourishing, moderate mental health, and languishing, and psychological capital (PsyCap). For this cross-sectional, exploratory study survey method was used for data collection and for analyses of results a series of descriptive, correlation, ANOVA, and multiple regression analyses were done. Results indicated that developing positive psychological strengths such as hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism (acronym HERO) within college students significantly increased their positive mental health. Based on the predictive nature of PsyCap, mental health professionals may engage more in creating programs incorporating PsyCap development intervention for college students. Implications for counseling and programmatic services for college students are presented along with suggestions for future research.

  1. German Validation of the Conners 3® Rating Scales for Parents, Teachers, and Children.

    PubMed

    Christiansen, Hanna; Hirsch, Oliver; Drechsler, Renate; Wanderer, Sina; Knospe, Eva-Lotte; Günther, Thomas; Lidzba, Karen

    2016-01-01

    Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) rating scales such as the Conners’ Rating Scales (CRS) are valuable adjuncts for diagnosis, since they offer parent, teacher, and self-ratings of children susceptible for ADHD. Even though the scales are widely used internationally, cross-cultural comparability has rarely been verified, and culture and language invariance have only been presumed. The Conners 3(®) rating scales are the updated version of the CRS, though hardly any studies report the psychometric properties apart from the results published in the test edition itself. To our knowledge there are no studies on the various adaptations of the Conners 3(®) in other languages. The German translations of the Conners 3(®) were completed by 745 children, 953 parents, and 741 teachers (children’s age range: 6–18 years, mean: 11.74 years of age). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses on content scale items were conducted to obtain the factor structure for the German version and to replicate the factor structure of the original American models. Cronbach’s α was calculated to establish internal consistency. The exploratory analyses for the German model resulted in factor structures globally different from the American model, though confirmatory analyses revealed very good model fi ts with highly satisfying Cronbach’s αs. We were able to provide empirical evidence for the subscale Inattention which had only hypothetically been derived by Conners (2008). Even though the exploratory analyses resulted in different factor structures, the confirmatory analyses have such excellent psychometric properties that use of the German adaptation of the Conners 3(®) is justifi ed in international multicenter studies.

  2. Health Occupations Education. Vocational Education Program Courses Standards.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Florida State Dept. of Education, Tallahassee. Div. of Vocational, Adult, and Community Education.

    This document contains vocational education program course standards for health occupations programs in Florida. Standards are provided for a total of 71 exploratory courses, practical arts courses, and job preparatory programs offered at the secondary or postsecondary level. Each program courses standard consists of a curriculum framework and…

  3. Enacting Diversity in Dual Certification Programs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pugach, Marleen C.; Blanton, Linda P.

    2012-01-01

    This exploratory study, based on a content analysis of program descriptions, course syllabi, and related program documents, examined the curricula of three fully merged teacher education programs that were redesigned to better prepare teachers for the full range of diversity in their student populations. In these programs, graduates earn a general…

  4. Heritage Language Education: Valuing the Languages, Literacies, and Cultural Competencies of Immigrant Youth

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Seals, Corinne A.; Peyton, Joy Kreeft

    2017-01-01

    This article argues for the value of heritage language programs and the micro-level language policies that support them, focusing on a case study of a program in the USA to make this argument. We also argue for the importance of recognizing students' heritage languages, cultures, and individual goals and identities in mainstream school programs.…

  5. Do They Make a Difference? The Impact of English Language Programs on Second Language Students in Canadian Universities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fox, Janna; Cheng, Liying; Zumbo, Bruno D.

    2014-01-01

    Few studies have investigated the impact of English language programs on second language (L2) students studying in Canadian universities (Cheng & Fox, 2008; Fox, 2005, 2009). This article reports on questionnaire responses of 641 L2 students studying in 36 English language programs in 26 Canadian universities. The researchers identified…

  6. An Evaluation Framework and Comparative Analysis of the Widely Used First Programming Languages

    PubMed Central

    Farooq, Muhammad Shoaib; Khan, Sher Afzal; Ahmad, Farooq; Islam, Saeed; Abid, Adnan

    2014-01-01

    Computer programming is the core of computer science curriculum. Several programming languages have been used to teach the first course in computer programming, and such languages are referred to as first programming language (FPL). The pool of programming languages has been evolving with the development of new languages, and from this pool different languages have been used as FPL at different times. Though the selection of an appropriate FPL is very important, yet it has been a controversial issue in the presence of many choices. Many efforts have been made for designing a good FPL, however, there is no ample way to evaluate and compare the existing languages so as to find the most suitable FPL. In this article, we have proposed a framework to evaluate the existing imperative, and object oriented languages for their suitability as an appropriate FPL. Furthermore, based on the proposed framework we have devised a customizable scoring function to compute a quantitative suitability score for a language, which reflects its conformance to the proposed framework. Lastly, we have also evaluated the conformance of the widely used FPLs to the proposed framework, and have also computed their suitability scores. PMID:24586449

  7. An evaluation framework and comparative analysis of the widely used first programming languages.

    PubMed

    Farooq, Muhammad Shoaib; Khan, Sher Afzal; Ahmad, Farooq; Islam, Saeed; Abid, Adnan

    2014-01-01

    Computer programming is the core of computer science curriculum. Several programming languages have been used to teach the first course in computer programming, and such languages are referred to as first programming language (FPL). The pool of programming languages has been evolving with the development of new languages, and from this pool different languages have been used as FPL at different times. Though the selection of an appropriate FPL is very important, yet it has been a controversial issue in the presence of many choices. Many efforts have been made for designing a good FPL, however, there is no ample way to evaluate and compare the existing languages so as to find the most suitable FPL. In this article, we have proposed a framework to evaluate the existing imperative, and object oriented languages for their suitability as an appropriate FPL. Furthermore, based on the proposed framework we have devised a customizable scoring function to compute a quantitative suitability score for a language, which reflects its conformance to the proposed framework. Lastly, we have also evaluated the conformance of the widely used FPLs to the proposed framework, and have also computed their suitability scores.

  8. Knowledge, programming, and programming cultures: LISP, C, and Ada

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rochowiak, Daniel

    1990-01-01

    The results of research 'Ada as an implementation language for knowledge based systems' are presented. The purpose of the research was to compare Ada to other programming languages. The report focuses on the programming languages Ada, C, and Lisp, the programming cultures that surround them, and the programming paradigms they support.

  9. Industrial Education. Vocational Education Program Courses Standards.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Florida State Dept. of Education, Tallahassee. Div. of Applied Tech., Adult, and Community Education.

    This document contains vocational education program course standards for exploratory courses, practical arts courses, and job preparatory programs offered at the secondary and postsecondary level as part of the industrial education component in Florida. Curriculum frameworks are provided for 144 programs/clusters; representative topics are as…

  10. Public Service Education. Vocational Education Program Courses Standards.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Florida State Dept. of Education, Tallahassee. Div. of Vocational, Adult, and Community Education.

    This document contains vocational education program courses standards (curriculum frameworks and student performance standards) for exploratory courses, practical arts courses, and job preparatory programs in public service education offered at the secondary or postsecondary level as a part of Florida's comprehensive vocational education program.…

  11. Industrial Education. Vocational Education Program Courses Standards.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Florida State Dept. of Education, Tallahassee. Div. of Vocational, Adult, and Community Education.

    This document contains vocational education program courses standards (curriculum frameworks and student performance standards) for exploratory courses, practical arts courses, and job preparatory programs offered at the secondary or postsecondary level in Florida. Each program courses standard is composed of two parts: a curriculum framework and…

  12. An Exploratory Study of Women in the Health Professions Schools. Volume VII: Women in Podiatry.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Urban and Rural Systems Associates, San Francisco, CA.

    In an exploratory study conducted for the Women's Action Program of HEW, the aims were to identify and explore the barriers to success that women face as MODVOPPP (Medicine, Osteopathic medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary medicine, Optometry, Podiatry, Pharmacy, and Public health) school applicants and students, and to describe the discrimination…

  13. An Exploratory Study of Women in the Health Professions Schools: Volume VIII: Women in Pharmacy.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Urban and Rural Systems Associates, San Francisco, CA.

    In an exploratory study conducted for the Women's Action Program of HEW, the aims were to identify and explore the barriers to success that women face as MODVOPPP (Medicine, Osteopathic medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary medicine, Optometry, Podiatry, Pharmacy, and Public health) school applicants and students and to describe the discrimination…

  14. An Exploratory Study of Women in the Health Professions Schools. Volume VI: Women in Optometry.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Urban and Rural Systems Associates, San Francisco, CA.

    In an exploratory study conducted for the Women's Action Program of HEW, the aims were to identify and explore the barriers to success that women face as MODVOPPP (Medicine, Osteopathic medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary medicine, Optometry, Podiatry, Pharmacy, and Public health) school applicants and students and to describe the discrimination…

  15. Building Virtually Free Subject Area Expertise through Social Media: An Exploratory Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kooy, Brian K.

    2016-01-01

    Central to the ongoing success of the liaison model is the need for liaison librarians to stay informed and up-to-date about recent developments in the subject areas of their assigned academic departments and programs. This article describes an exploratory study conducted to determine whether information obtained from the social media accounts of…

  16. Four-Quarter School Year. Results of an Exploratory Study of the Four-Quarter School Year in Metropolitan Atlanta.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bentley, Ernest L; And Others

    Six Atlanta, Georgia, school systems initiated a four-quarter school year program in 1968-69. An exploratory study was conducted to develop procedures and instruments for a comprehensive examination of the plan. Strong support exists in all groups interviewed -- superintendents and steering committee members, students, parents, teachers,…

  17. The African Language Program at Michigan State University.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dwyer, David

    1979-01-01

    Describes the African language program at Michigan State University, which provides (1) supervised, individualized instruction for high-demand languages, on two levels; (2) regular classroom instruction for Swahili and Hausa; and (3) non-credit, self-instructional programs for low-demand languages. Sample forms are appended. (AM)

  18. Computer Programming Languages for Health Care

    PubMed Central

    O'Neill, Joseph T.

    1979-01-01

    This paper advocates the use of standard high level programming languages for medical computing. It recommends that U.S. Government agencies having health care missions implement coordinated policies that encourage the use of existing standard languages and the development of new ones, thereby enabling them and the medical computing community at large to share state-of-the-art application programs. Examples are based on a model that characterizes language and language translator influence upon the specification, development, test, evaluation, and transfer of application programs.

  19. Flight program language requirements. Volume 3: Appendices

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1972-01-01

    Government-sponsored study and development efforts were directed toward design and implementation of high level programming languages suitable for future aerospace applications. The study centered around an evaluation of the four most pertinent existing aerospace languages. Evaluation criteria were established, and selected kernels from the current Saturn 5 and Skylab flight programs were used as benchmark problems for sample coding. An independent review of the language specifications incorporated anticipated future programming requirements into the evaluation. A set of language requirements was synthesized from these activities.

  20. Praxis language reference manual

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

    Walker, J.H.

    1981-01-01

    This document is a language reference manual for the programming language Praxis. The document contains the specifications that must be met by any compiler for the language. The Praxis language was designed for systems programming in real-time process applications. Goals for the language and its implementations are: (1) highly efficient code generated by the compiler; (2) program portability; (3) completeness, that is, all programming requirements can be met by the language without needing an assembler; and (4) separate compilation to aid in design and management of large systems. The language does not provide any facilities for input/output, stack and queuemore » handling, string operations, parallel processing, or coroutine processing. These features can be implemented as routines in the language, using machine-dependent code to take advantage of facilities in the control environment on different machines.« less

  1. Visual Programming: A Programming Tool for Increasing Mathematics Achivement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Swanier, Cheryl A.; Seals, Cheryl D.; Billionniere, Elodie V.

    2009-01-01

    This paper aims to address the need of increasing student achievement in mathematics using a visual programming language such as Scratch. This visual programming language facilitates creating an environment where students in K-12 education can develop mathematical simulations while learning a visual programming language at the same time.…

  2. ObsPy: A Python toolbox for seismology - Current state, applications, and ecosystem around it

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lecocq, Thomas; Megies, Tobias; Krischer, Lion; Sales de Andrade, Elliott; Barsch, Robert; Beyreuther, Moritz

    2016-04-01

    ObsPy (http://www.obspy.org) is a community-driven, open-source project offering a bridge for seismology into the scientific Python ecosystem. It provides * read and write support for essentially all commonly used waveform, station, and event metadata formats with a unified interface, * a comprehensive signal processing toolbox tuned to the needs of seismologists, * integrated access to all large data centers, web services and databases, and * convenient wrappers to third party codes like libmseed and evalresp. Python, in contrast to many other languages and tools, is simple enough to enable an exploratory and interactive coding style desired by many scientists. At the same time it is a full-fledged programming language usable by software engineers to build complex and large programs. This combination makes it very suitable for use in seismology where research code often has to be translated to stable and production ready environments. It furthermore offers many freely available high quality scientific modules covering most needs in developing scientific software. ObsPy has been in constant development for more than 5 years and nowadays enjoys a large rate of adoption in the community with thousands of users. Successful applications include time-dependent and rotational seismology, big data processing, event relocations, and synthetic studies about attenuation kernels and full-waveform inversions to name a few examples. Additionally it sparked the development of several more specialized packages slowly building a modern seismological ecosystem around it. This contribution will give a short introduction and overview of ObsPy and highlight a number of use cases and software built around it. We will furthermore discuss the issue of sustainability of scientific software.

  3. ObsPy: A Python toolbox for seismology - Current state, applications, and ecosystem around it

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Krischer, L.; Megies, T.; Sales de Andrade, E.; Barsch, R.; Beyreuther, M.

    2015-12-01

    ObsPy (http://www.obspy.org) is a community-driven, open-source project offering a bridge for seismology into the scientific Python ecosystem. It provides read and write support for essentially all commonly used waveform, station, and event metadata formats with a unified interface, a comprehensive signal processing toolbox tuned to the needs of seismologists, integrated access to all large data centers, web services and databases, and convenient wrappers to third party codes like libmseed and evalresp. Python, in contrast to many other languages and tools, is simple enough to enable an exploratory and interactive coding style desired by many scientists. At the same time it is a full-fledged programming language usable by software engineers to build complex and large programs. This combination makes it very suitable for use in seismology where research code often has to be translated to stable and production ready environments. It furthermore offers many freely available high quality scientific modules covering most needs in developing scientific software.ObsPy has been in constant development for more than 5 years and nowadays enjoys a large rate of adoption in the community with thousands of users. Successful applications include time-dependent and rotational seismology, big data processing, event relocations, and synthetic studies about attenuation kernels and full-waveform inversions to name a few examples. Additionally it sparked the development of several more specialized packages slowly building a modern seismological ecosystem around it.This contribution will give a short introduction and overview of ObsPy and highlight a number of us cases and software built around it. We will furthermore discuss the issue of sustainability of scientific software.

  4. Differences in Fruit and Vegetable Intake by Race/Ethnicity and by Hispanic Origin and Nativity Among Women in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, 2015.

    PubMed

    Di Noia, Jennifer; Monica, Dorothy; Cullen, Karen Weber; Pérez-Escamilla, Rafael; Gray, Heewon Lee; Sikorskii, Alla

    2016-08-25

    The objective of this exploratory study was to determine whether fruit and vegetable consumption differed by race/ethnicity, by origin and nativity among Hispanics, and by language preference (as an indicator of acculturation) among foreign-born Hispanics. We recruited 723 women enrolled in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) and orally administered a questionnaire containing demographic items, validated measures of food security status and social desirability trait, and the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System fruit and vegetable module. Differences in intakes of 100% fruit juice, fruit, cooked or canned beans, and dark green, orange-colored, and other vegetables were assessed by using analysis of covariance with Bonferroni post hoc tests. Analyses were controlled for age, pregnancy status, breastfeeding status, food security status, educational attainment, and social desirability trait. The frequency of vegetable intake differed by race/ethnicity (cooked or canned beans were consumed more often among Hispanic than non-Hispanic black and non-Hispanic white or other participants, orange-colored vegetables were consumed more often among Hispanics than non-Hispanic black participants, and other vegetables were consumed more often among non-Hispanic white or other than among non-Hispanic black and Hispanic participants), origin (other vegetables were consumed more often among Columbian and other Hispanics than Dominican participants) and nativity (orange-colored vegetables were consumed more often among foreign-born than US-born Hispanics). Fruit and vegetable intake did not differ by language preference among foreign-born Hispanics. Differences in fruit and vegetable consumption among WIC participants by race/ethnicity and by Hispanic origin and nativity may have implications for WIC nutrition policies and nutrition education efforts.

  5. Differences in Fruit and Vegetable Intake by Race/Ethnicity and by Hispanic Origin and Nativity Among Women in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, 2015

    PubMed Central

    Monica, Dorothy; Cullen, Karen Weber; Pérez-Escamilla, Rafael; Gray, Heewon Lee; Sikorskii, Alla

    2016-01-01

    Introduction The objective of this exploratory study was to determine whether fruit and vegetable consumption differed by race/ethnicity, by origin and nativity among Hispanics, and by language preference (as an indicator of acculturation) among foreign-born Hispanics. Methods We recruited 723 women enrolled in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) and orally administered a questionnaire containing demographic items, validated measures of food security status and social desirability trait, and the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System fruit and vegetable module. Differences in intakes of 100% fruit juice, fruit, cooked or canned beans, and dark green, orange-colored, and other vegetables were assessed by using analysis of covariance with Bonferroni post hoc tests. Analyses were controlled for age, pregnancy status, breastfeeding status, food security status, educational attainment, and social desirability trait. Results The frequency of vegetable intake differed by race/ethnicity (cooked or canned beans were consumed more often among Hispanic than non-Hispanic black and non-Hispanic white or other participants, orange-colored vegetables were consumed more often among Hispanics than non-Hispanic black participants, and other vegetables were consumed more often among non-Hispanic white or other than among non-Hispanic black and Hispanic participants), origin (other vegetables were consumed more often among Columbian and other Hispanics than Dominican participants) and nativity (orange-colored vegetables were consumed more often among foreign-born than US-born Hispanics). Fruit and vegetable intake did not differ by language preference among foreign-born Hispanics. Conclusion Differences in fruit and vegetable consumption among WIC participants by race/ethnicity and by Hispanic origin and nativity may have implications for WIC nutrition policies and nutrition education efforts. PMID:27560723

  6. Problems for a Sign Language Planning Agency

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Covington, Virginia

    1977-01-01

    American Sign Language is chiefly untaught and nonstandardized. The Communicative Skills Program of the National Association of the Deaf aims to provide sign language classes for hearing personnel and to increase interpreting services. Programs, funding and aims of the Program are outlined. A government sign language planning agency is proposed.…

  7. A Year-Round Professional Development Model for World Language Educators

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Steele, Tracy M.; Peterson, Margaret D.; Silva, Duarte M.; Padilla, Amado M.

    2009-01-01

    The Bay Area Foreign Language Program (BAFLP), one of nine regional sites of the California Foreign Language Project, offers ongoing, year-round professional development programs for world language educators. In addition, its leadership program prepares selected educators to assume leadership positions at their school sites, building capacity for…

  8. Quantitative Model for Choosing Programming Language for Online Instruction

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sherman, Steven J.; Shehane, Ronald F.; Todd, Dewey W.

    2018-01-01

    Colleges are increasingly offering online courses, including computer programming courses for business school students. Programming languages that are most useful to students are those that are widely used in the job market. However, the most popular computer languages change at least every three years. Therefore, the language used for instruction…

  9. Foreign Language K-12. Program Evaluation 1991-92.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wadden, Jerry M.

    The Des Moines (Iowa) Public Schools foreign language program for K-12 is described and evaluated. The evaluation report focuses on six areas, including: (1) school district mission and philosophy of foreign language instruction; (2) context (state policies and standards, foreign language program overview and enrollment, fiber-optic communication…

  10. Les programmes de base: des principes a la realite (Core Programs: From Principles to Reality).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Calve, Pierre

    1985-01-01

    The recent evolution of second language teaching theory regarding language, learning, communication, and teaching is summarized, and factors contributing to resistance to core second language programs are examined. They include tradition, school programs, time of instruction, language of instruction, teacher training, attitudes, and…

  11. 77 FR 30045 - 30-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: English Language Evaluation Surveys

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-05-21

    ...] 30-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: English Language Evaluation Surveys ACTION: Notice... clearance will allow ECA/P/V, as part of the English Language Evaluation, to conduct surveys of participants in the ETA Program, E-Teacher Scholarship program, and the English Language Specialist Program...

  12. Listen! Native Radio Can Save Languages.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Martin, Kallen

    1996-01-01

    In the United States and Canada, the number of radio stations operated by Native Americans has greatly increased in recent years, as have the amount of programming in native languages and the number of native language instructional programs. Such programming can play a role in maintaining vigorous native languages and revitalizing endangered…

  13. Synchronization in Scratch: A Case Study with Education Science Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nikolos, Dimitris; Komis, Vassilis

    2015-01-01

    The Scratch programming language is an introductory programming language for students. It is also a visual concurrent programming language, where multiple threads are executed simultaneously. Synchronization in concurrent languages is a complex task for novices to understand. Our research is focused on strategies and methods applied by novice…

  14. EAR Program Research Results

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2013-01-01

    The Exploratory Advanced Research (EAR) Program addresses the need for longer term, higher risk research with the potential for longterm improvements to transportation systems-improvements in planning, building, renewing, and operating safe, congesti...

  15. 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…

  16. ObsPy: A Python toolbox for seismology - Sustainability, New Features, and Applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Krischer, L.; Megies, T.; Sales de Andrade, E.; Barsch, R.; MacCarthy, J.

    2016-12-01

    ObsPy (https://www.obspy.org) is a community-driven, open-source project dedicated to offer a bridge for seismology into the scientific Python ecosystem. Amongst other things, it provides Read and write support for essentially every commonly used data format in seismology with a unified interface. This includes waveform data as well as station and event meta information. A signal processing toolbox tuned to the specific needs of seismologists. Integrated access to the largest data centers, web services, and databases. Wrappers around third party codes like libmseed and evalresp. Using ObsPy enables users to take advantage of the vast scientific ecosystem that has developed around Python. In contrast to many other programming languages and tools, Python is simple enough to enable an exploratory and interactive coding style desired by many scientists. At the same time it is a full-fledged programming language usable by software engineers to build complex and large programs. This combination makes it very suitable for use in seismology where research code often must be translated to stable and production ready environments, especially in the age of big data. ObsPy has seen constant development for more than six years and enjoys a large rate of adoption in the seismological community with thousands of users. Successful applications include time-dependent and rotational seismology, big data processing, event relocations, and synthetic studies about attenuation kernels and full-waveform inversions to name a few examples. Additionally it sparked the development of several more specialized packages slowly building a modern seismological ecosystem around it. We will present a short overview of the capabilities of ObsPy and point out several representative use cases and more specialized software built around ObsPy. Additionally we will discuss new and upcoming features, as well as the sustainability of open-source scientific software.

  17. Towards the Automatic Generation of Programmed Foreign-Language Instructional Materials.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Van Campen, Joseph A.

    The purpose of this report is to describe a set of programs which either perform certain tasks useful in the generation of programed foreign-language instructional material or facilitate the writing of such task-oriented programs by other researchers. The programs described are these: (1) a PDP-10 assembly language program for the selection from a…

  18. Programming Language Use in US Academia and Industry

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ben Arfa Rabai, Latifa; Cohen, Barry; Mili, Ali

    2015-01-01

    In the same way that natural languages influence and shape the way we think, programming languages have a profound impact on the way a programmer analyzes a problem and formulates its solution in the form of a program. To the extent that a first programming course is likely to determine the student's approach to program design, program analysis,…

  19. Teacher and Student Language Practices and Ideologies in a Third-Grade Two-Way Dual Language Program Implementation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Henderson, Kathryn I.; Palmer, Deborah K.

    2015-01-01

    This article provides an in-depth exploration of the language ecologies of two classrooms attempting to implement a two-way dual language (TWDL) program and its mediating conditions. Drawing on ethnographic methods and a sociocultural understanding of language, we examined both teachers' and students' language ideologies and language practices,…

  20. Chief Dull Knife Community Is Strengthening the Northern Cheyenne Language and Culture.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Littlebear, Richard E.

    2003-01-01

    Language revitalization programs should focus on whether they want to teach the language, teach about the language, teach with the language, or teach the language for academic credit. A program at Chief Dull Knife College (Montana) teaches the Cheyenne language using the Total Physical Response method, which replicates the manner in which first…

  1. Language plus for international graduate students in nursing.

    PubMed

    Julian, M A; Keane, A; Davidson, K

    1999-01-01

    To provide information about an English-language support program that focuses on the needs of international graduate nursing students. The growing presence of these students coincides with the increasing numbers of universities committed to world health. Crucial social and language competence affect the success and progress of international students in graduate nursing programs. Reviewed literature was 1980 to 1998, in nursing and applied linguistic research including second-language acquisition, phonology, discourse analysis, and language pragmatics to identify social and language phenomena. Investigators suggest essential elements such as conventions of academic writing, reading comprehension, vocabulary, and pronunciation skills be included in the supportive Language Plus program. Ongoing development of the Language Plus program can promote collaboration between nurses and linguists and increase the success of international graduate nursing students.

  2. Mentoring in a Distributed Learning Social Work Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jensen, Donna

    2017-01-01

    Students in alternative education programs often experience differential access to faculty, advisors, university support systems, and the supportive culture established by being on campus. This study is a descriptive-exploratory program evaluation of the distributed learning social work mentoring program at California State University, Chico. The…

  3. Health Occupations Education. Vocational Education Program Courses Standards.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Florida State Dept. of Education, Tallahassee. Div. of Vocational, Adult, and Community Education.

    This document contains vocational education program courses standards for exploratory courses, practical arts courses, and job preparatory programs offered at the secondary or postsecondary level. Each program standard is composed of two parts: a curriculum framework and student performance standards. The curriculum framework includes four major…

  4. Development of a North American paleoclimate pollen-based reconstruction database application

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ladd, Matthew; Mosher, Steven; Viau, Andre

    2013-04-01

    Recent efforts in synthesizing paleoclimate records across the globe has warranted an effort to standardize the different paleoclimate archives currently available in order to facilitate data-model comparisons and hence improve our estimates of future climate change. It is often the case that the methodology and programs make it challenging for other researchers to reproduce the results for a reconstruction, therefore there is a need for to standardize paleoclimate reconstruction databases in an application specific to proxy data. Here we present a methodology using the open source R language using North American pollen databases (e.g. NAPD, NEOTOMA) where this application can easily be used to perform new reconstructions and quickly analyze and output/plot the data. The application was developed to easily test methodological and spatial/temporal issues that might affect the reconstruction results. The application allows users to spend more time analyzing and interpreting results instead of on data management and processing. Some of the unique features of this R program are the two modules each with a menu making the user feel at ease with the program, the ability to use different pollen sums, select one of 70 climate variables available, substitute an appropriate modern climate dataset, a user-friendly regional target domain, temporal resolution criteria, linear interpolation and many other features for a thorough exploratory data analysis. The application program will be available for North American pollen-based reconstructions and eventually be made available as a package through the CRAN repository by late 2013.

  5. The extent to which Latina/o preservice teachers demonstrate culturally responsive teaching practices during science and mathematics instruction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hernandez, Cecilia M.

    2011-12-01

    Complex social, racial, economic, and political issues involved in the practice of teaching today require beginning teachers to be informed, skilled, and culturally responsive when entering the classroom. Teacher educators must educate future teachers in ways that will help them teach all children regardless of language, cultural background, or prior knowledge. The purpose of this study was to explore the extent to which culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) novice teachers described and demonstrated culturally responsive teaching strategies using their students' cultural and academic profiles to inform practice in science and mathematics instruction. This qualitative exploratory case study considered the culturally responsive teaching practices of 12, non-traditional, Latina/o students as they progressed through a distance-based collaborative teacher education program. Qualitative techniques used throughout this exploratory case study investigated cultural responsiveness of these student teachers as they demonstrated their abilities to: a) integrate content and facilitate knowledge construction; b) illustrate social justice and prejudice reduction; and c) develop students academically. In conclusion, student teachers participating in this study demonstrated their ability to integrate content by: (1) including content from other cultures, (2) building positive teacher-student relationships, and (3) holding high expectations for all students. They also demonstrated their ability to facilitate knowledge construction by building on what students knew. Since there is not sufficient data to support the student teachers' abilities to assist students in learning to be critical, independent thinkers who are open to other ways of knowing, no conclusions regarding this subcategory could be drawn. Student teachers in this study illustrated prejudice reduction by: (1) using native language support to assist students in learning and understanding science and math content, (2) fostering positive student-student interactions, and (3) creating a safe learning environment. Results also indicated that these student teachers demonstrated their ability to develop students academically by creating opportunities for learning in the classroom through their knowledge of students and by the use of research-based instructional strategies. However, based on the data collected as part of this study, the student teachers' abilities to illustrate or model social justice during science and math instruction were not demonstrated.

  6. A strategy for automatically generating programs in the lucid programming language

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Johnson, Sally C.

    1987-01-01

    A strategy for automatically generating and verifying simple computer programs is described. The programs are specified by a precondition and a postcondition in predicate calculus. The programs generated are in the Lucid programming language, a high-level, data-flow language known for its attractive mathematical properties and ease of program verification. The Lucid programming is described, and the automatic program generation strategy is described and applied to several example problems.

  7. Task Repetition and Its Impact on EFL Children's Negotiation of Meaning Strategies and Pair Dynamics: An Exploratory Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    del Pilar García Mayo, Maria; Imaz Agirre, Ainara

    2016-01-01

    Little research has been carried out on the effect of task repetition on young learners' negotiation of meaning (NoM) strategies and on pair dynamics. The present study aims to fill this gap by analysing the interaction of 60 dyads of third- and fourth-year primary English as a foreign language learners (8-9, 9-10 years old, respectively) while…

  8. Man as an Information Processor: A Bibliography (1972-1976).

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1977-09-01

    Alloway (Eds.), Communication and affect: Language and thought. New York, MY: Academic Press, 1973, 200. Craik , F. I., & Lockhart , R. S. Levels of...Mazuryk, G. F., & Lockhart , R. S. Negative recency and levels of processing in free recall. Canadian Journal of Psychology, 1974, 28(1), 114-123...capability -- to accomplish work in the area of information and decision processes at both the exploratory development and advanced development levels

  9. Using Real-Time Data and Corrective Teacher-Feedback as a Mechanism to Improve Children's Reading Skills: An Exploratory Study in the Millennium Village Site of Bonsaaso, Ghana

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Iyengar, Radhika; Muffly, Sarah; Akomaning-Mensah, Charles; Karim, Alia; Pokharel, Prabhas; Adeni, Sarayu

    2016-01-01

    Educational outcomes across multiple countries show large gaps between children's grade level curricular expectations and the actual learning levels of children. This paper discusses findings from an early grades literacy study and attempts to explore factors that potentially improve the English language learning results of Grades 3 and 4 learners…

  10. Award-Winning Foreign Language Programs: Prescriptions for Success.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sims, William D.; Hammond, Sandra B.

    The study reviews 50 foreign language programs in the United States that are said to be both inspirational and useful for providing concrete information about the creation and preservation of successful language programs. The programs cited are exemplary and can serve as models for educators and administrators to study and visit. Program selection…

  11. Laboratory automation in a functional programming language.

    PubMed

    Runciman, Colin; Clare, Amanda; Harkness, Rob

    2014-12-01

    After some years of use in academic and research settings, functional languages are starting to enter the mainstream as an alternative to more conventional programming languages. This article explores one way to use Haskell, a functional programming language, in the development of control programs for laboratory automation systems. We give code for an example system, discuss some programming concepts that we need for this example, and demonstrate how the use of functional programming allows us to express and verify properties of the resulting code. © 2014 Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening.

  12. [Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the PROMIS Global Health scale in the Portuguese language].

    PubMed

    Zumpano, Camila Eugênia; Mendonça, Tânia Maria da Silva; Silva, Carlos Henrique Martins da; Correia, Helena; Arnold, Benjamin; Pinto, Rogério de Melo Costa

    2017-01-23

    This study aimed to perform the cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Global Health scale in the Portuguese language. The ten Global Health items were cross-culturally adapted by the method proposed in the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy (FACIT). The instrument's final version in Portuguese was self-administered by 1,010 participants in Brazil. The scale's precision was verified by floor and ceiling effects analysis, reliability of internal consistency, and test-retest reliability. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used to assess the construct's validity and instrument's dimensionality. Calibration of the items used the Gradual Response Model proposed by Samejima. Four global items required adjustments after the pretest. Analysis of the psychometric properties showed that the Global Health scale has good reliability, with Cronbach's alpha of 0.83 and intra-class correlation of 0.89. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses showed good fit in the previously established two-dimensional model. The Global Physical Health and Global Mental Health scale showed good latent trait coverage according to the Gradual Response Model. The PROMIS Global Health items showed equivalence in Portuguese compared to the original version and satisfactory psychometric properties for application in clinical practice and research in the Brazilian population.

  13. An Exploratory Study of Reading Comprehension in College Students After Acquired Brain Injury.

    PubMed

    Sohlberg, McKay Moore; Griffiths, Gina G; Fickas, Stephen

    2015-08-01

    This exploratory study builds on the small body of existing research investigating reading comprehension deficits in college students with acquired brain injury (ABI). Twenty-four community college students with ABI completed a battery of questionnaires and standardized tests to characterize self-perceptions of academic reading ability, performance on a standardized reading comprehension measure, and a variety of cognitive functions of this population. Half of the participants in the sample reported traumatic brain injury (n = 12) and half reported nontraumatic ABI (n = 12). College students with both traumatic and nontraumatic ABI cite problems with reading comprehension and academic performance postinjury. Mean performance on a standardized reading measure, the Nelson-Denny Reading Test (Brown, Fischo, & Hanna, 1993), was low to below average and was significantly correlated with performance on the Speed and Capacity of Language Processing Test (Baddeley, Emslie, & Nimmo-Smith, 1992). Injury status of traumatic versus nontraumatic ABI did not differentiate results. Regression analysis showed that measures of verbal attention and suppression obtained from the California Verbal Language Test-II (Delis, Kramer, Kaplan, & Ober, 2000) predicted total scores on the Nelson-Denny Reading Test. College students with ABI are vulnerable to reading comprehension problems. Results align with other research suggesting that verbal attention and suppression problems may be contributing factors.

  14. Cognitive and Personality Components Underlying Spoken Idiom Comprehension in Context. An Exploratory Study

    PubMed Central

    Cacciari, Cristina; Corrardini, Paola; Ferlazzo, Fabio

    2018-01-01

    In this exploratory study, we investigated whether and to what extent individual differences in cognitive and personality variables are associated with spoken idiom comprehension in context. Language unimpaired participants were enrolled in a cross-modal lexical decision study in which semantically ambiguous Italian idioms (i.e., strings with both a literal and an idiomatic interpretation as, for instance, break the ice), predictable or unpredictable before the string offset, were embedded in idiom-biasing contexts. To explore the contributions of different cognitive and personality components, participants also completed a series of tests respectively assessing general speed, inhibitory control, short-term and working memory, cognitive flexibility, crystallized and fluid intelligence, and personality. Stepwise regression analyses revealed that online idiom comprehension was associated with the participants' working memory, inhibitory control and crystallized verbal intelligence, an association modulated by idiom type. Also personality-related variables (State Anxiety and Openness to Experience) were associated with idiom comprehension, although in marginally significant ways. These results contribute to the renewed interest on how individual variability modulates language comprehension, and for the first time document contributions of individual variability on lexicalized, high frequency multi-word expressions as idioms adding new knowledge to the existing evidence on metaphor and sarcasm. PMID:29765350

  15. A comparison of common programming languages used in bioinformatics.

    PubMed

    Fourment, Mathieu; Gillings, Michael R

    2008-02-05

    The performance of different programming languages has previously been benchmarked using abstract mathematical algorithms, but not using standard bioinformatics algorithms. We compared the memory usage and speed of execution for three standard bioinformatics methods, implemented in programs using one of six different programming languages. Programs for the Sellers algorithm, the Neighbor-Joining tree construction algorithm and an algorithm for parsing BLAST file outputs were implemented in C, C++, C#, Java, Perl and Python. Implementations in C and C++ were fastest and used the least memory. Programs in these languages generally contained more lines of code. Java and C# appeared to be a compromise between the flexibility of Perl and Python and the fast performance of C and C++. The relative performance of the tested languages did not change from Windows to Linux and no clear evidence of a faster operating system was found. Source code and additional information are available from http://www.bioinformatics.org/benchmark/. This benchmark provides a comparison of six commonly used programming languages under two different operating systems. The overall comparison shows that a developer should choose an appropriate language carefully, taking into account the performance expected and the library availability for each language.

  16. A comparison of common programming languages used in bioinformatics

    PubMed Central

    Fourment, Mathieu; Gillings, Michael R

    2008-01-01

    Background The performance of different programming languages has previously been benchmarked using abstract mathematical algorithms, but not using standard bioinformatics algorithms. We compared the memory usage and speed of execution for three standard bioinformatics methods, implemented in programs using one of six different programming languages. Programs for the Sellers algorithm, the Neighbor-Joining tree construction algorithm and an algorithm for parsing BLAST file outputs were implemented in C, C++, C#, Java, Perl and Python. Results Implementations in C and C++ were fastest and used the least memory. Programs in these languages generally contained more lines of code. Java and C# appeared to be a compromise between the flexibility of Perl and Python and the fast performance of C and C++. The relative performance of the tested languages did not change from Windows to Linux and no clear evidence of a faster operating system was found. Source code and additional information are available from Conclusion This benchmark provides a comparison of six commonly used programming languages under two different operating systems. The overall comparison shows that a developer should choose an appropriate language carefully, taking into account the performance expected and the library availability for each language. PMID:18251993

  17. Language Program Evaluation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Norris, John M.

    2016-01-01

    Language program evaluation is a pragmatic mode of inquiry that illuminates the complex nature of language-related interventions of various kinds, the factors that foster or constrain them, and the consequences that ensue. Program evaluation enables a variety of evidence-based decisions and actions, from designing programs and implementing…

  18. Testing as a Way to Monitor English as a Foreign Language Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Becker, Anthony; Nekrasova-Beker, Tatiana; Petrashova, Tamara

    2017-01-01

    This study was conducted at a large technical university in Russia, which offers English language courses to students majoring in nine different degree programs. Each degree program develops and delivers its own English language curriculum. While all degree programs followed the same curriculum development model to design language courses, each…

  19. 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)

  20. The English Language in the School Program.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hogan, Robert F., Ed.

    The 22 papers in this publication, drawn from the 1963 and 1964 NCTE Spring Institutes on Language, Linguistics, and School Programs, concentrate on the relevance of recent scholarship for English language programs in elementary and secondary schools. Language theory is the focus of articles by Harold B. Allen, Sumner Ives, Albert H. Marckwardt,…

  1. A Career-Oriented Foreign Language Program for Keystone Oaks School District, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Grubesky, Marcia R.

    A career-oriented foreign language program is discussed that takes into account marketable skills of foreign language majors for a number of careers. The program is threefold. First, it recognizes the need for language skills to supplement technical, business, and professional skills to expand educational knowledge; capabilities in diplomacy and…

  2. Developing Leadership for Life: Outcomes from a Collegiate Student-Alumni Mentoring Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Priest, Kerry L.; Donley, Sarah

    2014-01-01

    This application brief describes the exploratory assessment of a mentoring program between current students and alumni of a leadership studies minor program. We connect leadership education research and practice in two ways: first, we describe a process of qualitative program evaluation to inform program best practices and improvement. In doing…

  3. The Use of Adventure Programming in Traditional Substance Abuse Treatment Programs: An Exploratory Investigation.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Moraes, Ricardo

    As a valuable addition to substance abuse treatment, adventure programming can have positive impacts on clients' self-efficacy, social behavior, and problem solving. A study explored the extent to which traditional substance abuse treatment programs use adventure programming, the level of adventure training and experience among substance abuse…

  4. The Effects of Web 2.0 Technologies Usage in Programming Languages Lesson on the Academic Success, Interrogative Learning Skills and Attitudes of Students towards Programming Languages

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gençtürk, Abdullah Tarik; Korucu, Agah Tugrul

    2017-01-01

    It is observed that teacher candidates receiving education in the department of Computer and Instructional Technologies Education are not able to gain enough experience and knowledge in "Programming Languages" lesson. The goal of this study is to analyse the effects of web 2.0 technologies usage in programming languages lesson on the…

  5. Where to Go from Here? An Exploratory Meta-Analysis of the Most Promising Approaches to Depression Prevention Programs for Children and Adolescents

    PubMed Central

    Hetrick, Sarah E.; Cox, Georgina R.; Merry, Sally N.

    2015-01-01

    Objective: To examine the overall effect of individual depression prevention programs on future likelihood of depressive disorder and reduction in depressive symptoms. In addition, we have investigated whether Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Interpersonal Therapy (IPT) and other therapeutic techniques may modify this effectiveness. Methods: This study is based on and includes the trial data from meta-analyses conducted in the Cochrane systematic review of depression prevention programs for children and adolescents by Merry et al. (2011). All trials were published or unpublished English language randomized controlled trials (RCTs) or cluster RCTs of any psychological or educational intervention compared to no intervention to prevent depression in children and adolescents aged 5–19 years. Results: There is some evidence that the therapeutic approach used in prevention programs modifies the overall effect. CBT is the most studied type of intervention for depression prevention, and there is some evidence of its effectiveness in reducing the risk of developing a depressive disorder, particularly in targeted populations. Fewer studies employed IPT, however this approach appears promising. To our knowledge, this is the first study to have explored how differences in the approach taken in the prevention programs modify the overall treatment effects of prevention programs for children and adolescents. Conclusions: More research is needed to identify the specific components of CBT that are most effective or indeed if there are other approaches that are more effective in reducing the risk of future depressive episodes. It is imperative that prevention programs are suitable for large scale roll-out, and that emerging popular modes of delivery, such as online dissemination continue to be rigorously tested. PMID:25941844

  6. The Australian Language Levels (ALL) Project--A Response to Curriculum Needs in Australia.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Scarino, Angela; McKay, Penny

    Australia has a unique range of language communities and language education needs. A variety of languages is currently offered to different groups of learners through diverse programs. Language teaching may be provided through bilingual education, limited-exposure programs, or compulsory language instruction. Federal and state education agencies,…

  7. Achieving Dramatic School Improvement: An Exploratory Study. A Cross-Site Analysis from the Evaluation of Comprehensive School Reform Program Implementation and Outcomes Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Aladjem, Daniel K.; Birman, Beatrice F.; Orland, Martin; Harr-Robins, Jenifer; Heredia, Alberto; Parrish, Thomas B.; Ruffini, Stephen J.

    2010-01-01

    This exploratory study describes approaches to improving schools through retrospective, in-depth qualitative case studies. To select schools to be examined, the authors sought to identify Comprehensive School Reform (CSR) schools demonstrating two distinctive patterns of improved student achievement between 2000 and 2005, rapid-improvement (i.e.,…

  8. Predictive Ability from ePortfolios of Student Achievement Associated with Professional Teaching Standards: An Exploratory Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Payne, Phillip; Burrack, Frederick

    2017-01-01

    This exploratory case study, focused on a music teacher preparation program, examined the coursework ePortfolios of pre-service music teachers to determine if any parts of the ePortfolio process predicted teaching effectiveness in the classroom during the student teaching semester. Sixty-five undergraduate pre-service music teachers made up the…

  9. Toward Reflective Judgment in Exploratory Factor Analysis Decisions: Determining the Extraction Method and Number of Factors To Retain.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Knight, Jennifer L.

    This paper considers some decisions that must be made by the researcher conducting an exploratory factor analysis. The primary purpose is to aid the researcher in making informed decisions during the factor analysis instead of relying on defaults in statistical programs or traditions of previous researchers. Three decision areas are addressed.…

  10. An Exploratory Examination of Literacy Assessment Practices of Adult Programs in North Carolina's Piedmont-Triad Region

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Byrd, Eboni Nikita; Comer, Marcus M.

    2007-01-01

    It is estimated that 22 percent, of adults in the Piedmont Triad of North Carolina have poor literacy skills, meaning that they have difficulty with tasks involving simple texts and documents. Purpose: Given this low level of adult literacy, the purpose of this exploratory research study was to analyze the perceptions of North Carolina's adult…

  11. A HyperCard Program for Business German.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Paulsell, Patricia R.

    Although the use of computer-assisted language instruction software has been mainly limited to grammatical/syntactical drills, the increasing number of language professionals with programming skills is leading to the development of more sophisticated language education programs. This report describes the generation of such a program using the…

  12. Programming languages for synthetic biology.

    PubMed

    Umesh, P; Naveen, F; Rao, Chanchala Uma Maheswara; Nair, Achuthsankar S

    2010-12-01

    In the backdrop of accelerated efforts for creating synthetic organisms, the nature and scope of an ideal programming language for scripting synthetic organism in-silico has been receiving increasing attention. A few programming languages for synthetic biology capable of defining, constructing, networking, editing and delivering genome scale models of cellular processes have been recently attempted. All these represent important points in a spectrum of possibilities. This paper introduces Kera, a state of the art programming language for synthetic biology which is arguably ahead of similar languages or tools such as GEC, Antimony and GenoCAD. Kera is a full-fledged object oriented programming language which is tempered by biopart rule library named Samhita which captures the knowledge regarding the interaction of genome components and catalytic molecules. Prominent feature of the language are demonstrated through a toy example and the road map for the future development of Kera is also presented.

  13. Business Technology Education. Vocational Education Program Courses Standards.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Florida State Dept. of Education, Tallahassee. Div. of Applied Tech., Adult, and Community Education.

    This document contains vocational education program course standards (curriculum frameworks and student performance standards) for exploratory courses, practical arts courses, and job preparatory programs offered at the secondary and postsecondary level as part of the business technology education component of Florida's comprehensive vocational…

  14. Marketing Education. Vocational Education Program Courses Standards.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Florida State Dept. of Education, Tallahassee. Div. of Applied Tech., Adult, and Community Education.

    This document contains vocational education program course standards (curriculum frameworks and student performance standards) for exploratory courses, practical arts courses, and job preparatory programs offered at the secondary and postsecondary level as part of the marketing education component of Florida's comprehensive vocational education…

  15. Health Science Education. Vocational Education Program Courses Standards.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Florida State Dept. of Education, Tallahassee. Div. of Applied Tech., Adult, and Community Education.

    This document contains vocational education program course standards (curriculum frameworks and student performance standards) for exploratory courses, practical arts courses, and job preparatory programs offered at the secondary and postsecondary level as part of the health science education component of Florida's comprehensive vocational…

  16. Public Service Education. Vocational Education Program Courses Standards.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Florida State Dept. of Education, Tallahassee. Div. of Applied Tech., Adult, and Community Education.

    This document contains vocational education program course standards (curriculum frameworks and student performance standards) for exploratory courses, practical arts courses, and job preparatory programs offered at the secondary and postsecondary level as part of the public service education component of Florida's comprehensive vocational…

  17. Guide for Establishing Programs of Vocational Exploration.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    West Virginia State Dept. of Education, Charleston. Bureau of Vocational, Technical, and Adult Education.

    Developed to assist local educational agencies in developing vocational exploratory programs for ninth and tenth grade students, the document outlines activities that emphasize self-exploration and occupational information. Information needed to assess the direction and limits of individual programs, identification of occupational groupings, and…

  18. Technology Education. Vocational Education Program Courses Standards.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Florida State Dept. of Education, Tallahassee. Div. of Applied Tech., Adult, and Community Education.

    This document contains vocational education program course standards (curriculum frameworks and student performance standards) for exploratory courses, practical arts courses, and job preparatory programs offered at the secondary and postsecondary level as part of the technology education component of Florida's comprehensive vocational education…

  19. EAR Program Research Results : Updated through 2013

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2013-12-31

    The Exploratory Advanced Research (EAR) Program addresses the need for longer term, higher risk research with the potential for long-term improvements to transportation systemsimprovements in planning, building, renewing, and operating safe, conge...

  20. EAR Program Research Results: Updated through 2014

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2014-12-31

    The Exploratory Advanced Research (EAR) Program addresses the need for longer term, higher risk research with the potential for long-term improvements to transportation systemsimprovements in planning, building, renewing, and operating safe, conge...

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