Treatment Strategies for Language Problems in ESL Academic Writing: Teachersâ and Studentsâ Preferences

Aptly put by Dana R. Ferris (2014), the purpose of English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) teachers giving feedback to their students in academic writing courses is ânot just about eradicating errors in writing but also about helping their students to develop control of academic languageâ (p. 69). However, are the present strategies for giving feedback on language problems in academic writing moving towards this goal? Do the end-users of these strategies - the students - see their writing improve over time? If not, what kind of guidance are students looking for? This study aims at addressing these questions by doing a comparative study of the feedback strategies used by teachers and those preferred by students. Their responses are further analyzed to study whether the preferences change with types, frequency, and timing of language problems, and whether there are other modes of feedback that are equally if not more effective. Drawing on the responses received from teachers and students, the study presents critical implications of such a comparison between the preferences on ESL academic writing pedagogy and provides practical suggestions for the teaching faculty

âThe Problem of Pocahontasâ: Colonialism, Stereotypes, and Personal Identity in Janet Campbell Haleâs Bloodlines: Odyssey of a Native Daughter

As a genre, traditional autobiography has historically been an exclusive domain, most accessible to the male writer. In contrast, the memoir genre has broadened the field of life writing and has granted a voice to members of marginalized groups. As acknowledged by various literary critics, the memoir form, which is less ego-focused, has been especially important to female writers who often express personal identity in relation to their surrounding communities. However, this link between the self and the communal can be damaging, especially in a dominant culture that perpetuates stereotypes about minorities. In this research paper, I analyze the manifestation of racial stereotypes in Janet Campbell Haleâs memoir Bloodlines: Odyssey of a Native Daughter (1993) and explore the ways in which the author, who comes from a mixed blood family, attempts to discover a strong sense of personal identity in a culture dominated by images of the Indian Princess and her reviled, darker twin, The Squaw

TRU Student Motivations to Volunteer

The purpose of this study is to try to determine what main factors motivate a university student to engage in volunteer activities and with what frequency they will volunteer. University campuses have always been a good place to find volunteers; however, it is commonly known that students have little extra time for extracurricular activities, and must also juggle with work, family, studying and assignments, among many other variables. This study has been done to gain a better insight into why students are so willing to volunteer their time. This study looks into 8 different motivation factors based on a sample size of 88 university student volunteers. An analysis has also been done against certain demographic features of the respondents such as gender, year of study, academic program, and residential status (international or domestic student status). By discovering the characteristics of the student volunteers we may be able to support them and encourage more students to participate in volunteerism. If we discover that volunteering is based on a certain motivation, we may be able to reduce barriers and support the volunteers, thereby sustaining them and encouraging them to continue to provide assistance as volunteers. This study found that second -year students are more predisposed to volunteering based on overall samples, international samples, domestic samples and female samples. International students increase their volunteer frequency during the second and fourth years of study. The motivation factor âValueâ scored high for the overall sample and male sample categories, and the motivation factor âCareerâ scored high for females. These results should be considered when volunteer activities are being created to increase the likelihood of volunteer frequency

Development of a Student Lab Experiment: 1H NMR Characterization and Synthesis of Substituted 2,2â-Bipyridines

This paper describes an undergraduate research project focused on the creation of a laboratory experiment that crosses the fields of green, biomimetic, inorganic, organic, and organometallic chemistry. Research involved investigation of the synthesis and NMR characterization of a series of Water oxidation catalysts for providing a rich learning experience for students. A goal of this project was to consider the implementation of a greener student laboratory where learning outcomes across multiple years of undergraduate laboratories could be proposed. The experimental progress and results to date will be presented