Sticking with Spanish: Reasons for Study and Motivation Maintenance in Adult Beginner Distance Language Learners

This paper examines the reasons for study of adult beginner distance learners of Spanish and the relationships between those reasons and motivation maintenance. A survey of 563 Open University UK students found motivational orientations distinct from those of young people in earlier studies. Adult learners who maintained their motivation also demonstrated a greater number of reasons for study. Their motivation embraced intrinsic and extrinsic, integrative and instrumental orientations, short-term and long-term ambitions, and an L2 self both ideal and realistically attainable. During their course module they focused more consistently than others on the language skills they had targeted, and expressed increased enjoyment of the learning experience. This study suggests that achieving ‘softer’ short-term goals encourages persistence towards longer-term goals which reflect the ideal L2 self

The Structure of Stellar Coronae in Active Binary Systems

A survey of 28 stars using EUV spectra has been conducted to establish the structure of stellar coronae in active binary systems from the EMD, electron densities, and scale sizes. Observations obtained by the EUVE during 9 years of operation are included for the stars in the sample. EUVE data allow a continuous EMD to be constructed in the range log T~5.6-7.4, using iron emission lines. These data are complemented with IUE observations to model the lower temperature range. Inspection of the EMD shows an outstanding narrow enhancement, or ``bump'' peaking around log T~6.9 in 25 of the stars, defining a fundamental coronal structure. The emission measure per unit stellar area decreases with increasing orbital (or photometric) periods of the target stars; stars in binaries generally have more material at coronal temperatures than slowly rotating single stars. High electron densities (Ne>10^12 cm^-3) are derived at ~10 MK for some targets, implying small emitting volumes. The observations suggest the magnetic stellar coronae of these stars are consistent with two basic classes of magnetic loops: solar-like loops with maximum temperature around log T~6.3 and lower electron densities (Ne>10^9-10.5), and hotter loops peaking around log T~6.9 with higher electron densities (Ne>10^12). For the most active stars, material exists at much higher temperatures (log T>6.9) as well. However, current ab initio stellar loop models cannot reproduce such a configuration. Analysis of the light curves of these systems reveals signatures of rotation of coronal material, as well as apparent seasonal changes in the activity levels.Comment: 45 pages, 9 figures (with 20 eps files). Accepted for its publication in ApJ

Graphite and Hexagonal Boron-Nitride Possess the Same Interlayer Distance. Why?

Graphite and hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) are two prominent members of the family of layered materials possessing a hexagonal lattice. While graphite has non-polar homo-nuclear C-C intra-layer bonds, h-BN presents highly polar B-N bonds resulting in different optimal stacking modes of the two materials in bulk form. Furthermore, the static polarizabilities of the constituent atoms considerably differ from each other suggesting large differences in the dispersive component of the interlayer bonding. Despite these major differences both materials present practically identical interlayer distances. To understand this finding, a comparative study of the nature of the interlayer bonding in both materials is presented. A full lattice sum of the interactions between the partially charged atomic centers in h-BN results in vanishingly small monopolar electrostatic contributions to the interlayer binding energy. Higher order electrostatic multipoles, exchange, and short-range correlation contributions are found to be very similar in both materials and to almost completely cancel out by the Pauli repulsions at physically relevant interlayer distances resulting in a marginal effective contribution to the interlayer binding. Further analysis of the dispersive energy term reveals that despite the large differences in the individual atomic polarizabilities the hetero-atomic B-N C6 coefficient is very similar to the homo-atomic C-C coefficient in the hexagonal bulk form resulting in very similar dispersive contribution to the interlayer binding. The overall binding energy curves of both materials are thus very similar predicting practically the same interlayer distance and very similar binding energies.Comment: 18 pages, 5 figures, 2 table

Exploring intercultural communicative competence in a distance language learning environment

This study explores intercultural communicative competence in a distance language learning programme at the Open University in the UK. The research was based on two cohorts of distance language students of German, one at beginner and one at advanced level. This study uses an approach that combines quantitative and qualitative research methods through the use of questionnaires and in-depth, semi-structured telephone interviews. It was established that the conceptual framework of intercultural communicative competence developed by Byram (1997b) and his collaborators is the most comprehensive and viable framework for this project. There is evidence in the literature that this framework has been used successfully in different contexts (Byram & Morgan, 1994; O’Dowd, 2006; Sercu et al., 2005a). Little research has been conducted on the development of intercultural communicative competence in adults, with the exception of Aarup Jensen et al. (1995). So this project addresses a gap in the research into intercultural communicative competence among adults. Furthermore, it focuses on a programme of language study at a distance, which is another area for which only limited research evidence could be found. The findings of the project, both the quantitative and qualitative aspects, demonstrate that these learners gained knowledge through the study of a prescribed package of course materials, and that there is evidence of the acquisition of intercultural communicative competence of varying degrees, as stipulated in Byram’s conceptual framework. The findings also demonstrate that the framework of intercultural communicative competence would benefit from the addition of a sixth dimension to encapsulate the experiences and diverse backgrounds that specifically adult learners bring to the study of a modern foreign language: experience of life or savoir s’appuyer sur son expérience.</i

Some experiments with giving a computer program the ability to learn to play a simple game by asking advice of a human teacher

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.A model of learning in a simple game playing context is simulated with the aim of gaining insight into a pattern learning process rather than the subtleties of the particular game. The simulation consists of a model of a learning player able to ask help of a (human) teacher when unable to make its own decisions on the basis of previously learned knowledge. An opponent is provided by either a human player or another example of a simulated player. To begin with, the learning player is new to the game and asks many questions of its teacher. As its playing experience increases, so it relies less on external advice, making more of its own decisions based on advice given in similar game situations encountered previously. The system can be set up to allow fully automated trials between simulated players with varying learning experience in order to compare their performance. The difficulty of conveying to the learning model the intention of the teacher's advice, even in the context of a simple game, highlights more general problems in Artificial Intelligence. The problem is a fundamental difference in the mechanisms of human and computer activity. Having done this work it is possible to conclude that the world of a computer, and the natural world, impose such different constraints that they encourage the development of very different mechanisms.Science Research Counci

On Leibniz cohomology

In this paper we prove the Leibniz analogue of Whitehead's vanishing theorem for the Chevalley-Eilenberg cohomology of Lie algebras. As a consequence, we obtain the second Whitehead lemma for Leibniz algebras. Moreover, we compute the cohomology of several Leibniz algebras with adjoint or irreducible coefficients. Our main tool is a Leibniz analogue of the Hochschild-Serre spectral sequence, which is an extension of (the dual of) a spectral sequence of Pirashvili for Leibniz homology from symmetric bimodules to arbitrary bimodules.Comment: We correct here an error in an earlier versio

The economic situation of miners in Siberia in the late XIX – early XX century

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THE USE OF SONGS TO INCREASE ENGLISH VOCABULARY TO THE FIRST GRADE STUDENTS OF SDN TUGU JEBRES NO.120 SURAKARTA

This report is written based on the job training activities done by the writer as an English Teacher in SDN Tugu Jebres No.120 Surakarta. The purpose of this report is to describe the use of songs to improve English vocabulary to the first grade student. Using songs can be good alternation to teach English to young learners because children like songs. In many cultures, songs are used to introduce or practice mother tongue to young children. By implementing the songs, the students are easier in understanding the meaning of the words and memorizing the vocabulary. It happened because first, songs are consisted of special rhythm that stimulates the brain to catch the lyrics. Second, there are many word repetitions in songs that is very helpful for young learners to memorize the new vocabulary. Third, singing is a happy and stress-free activity that brings different atmosphere in theclassroom so that the students feel more interested in learning English vocabulary. Songs are a motivating and enjoyable aid to learn language. Singing many English songs could add the students’ vocabularies. As the result, the scores of English is increasing well. Songs increase English vocabulary students

Learner characteristics and learning outcomes on a distance Spanish course for beginners

Much Second Language Acquisition research focuses on young learners in the conventional classroom. Instructed adult learners, and in particular those who are learning at a distance, have attracted less attention. This group is substantial and growing: the Open University, the largest higher education language provider in the UK, alone recruits some 8000 language students a year. The present large-scale study was undertaken to explore the learner characteristics and learning experience of adult distance language learners at beginner level, the relationship of these factors with successful language learning, and the outcomes of face-to-face or online tuition. A longitudinal, quantitative design was adopted, involving pre-course and post-course questionnaires, and incorporating data on student profiles and learning outcomes. The questionnaire covered biographical variables, self-assessed initial proficiency, enjoyment and perceived achievement. This article profiles the learners and identifies factors related to successful distance language learning. Success is shown to relate to enjoyment and a sense of achieving goals. A comparison of results following online and face-to-face tuition demonstrates for the first time at scale that different modes of tuition do not necessarily lead to different learning outcomes: online language learning can be as effective as face-to-face teaching