SELF-EFFICACY-BASED INSTRUCTIONAL METHOD FOR STRATEGIC SELF-REGULATION OF RUSSIAN AT THE NOVICE LEVEL

The purpose of the present research is to investigate novice students’ strategic self-regulated learning of Russian as a foreign language and the role of the proposed self-efficacy-based instructional method in fostering the students’ strategic self-regulated language learning. Developing self-regulated skills in foreign language learners is an endeavor that leads to better control over personal goals, goal-achieving strategies, self-reflection, self-efficacy, and eventually performance (Zimmerman, 1990). Acquiring and developing strategies for better self-regulation in the process of a foreign language learning is viewed through the lenses of Oxford’s (2011) Strategic Self-Regulation framework (S2R). The framework outlines certain metastrategies that help regulate the cognitive, affective, and sociocultural-interactive dimensions of foreign language learning. In the present study, S2R is used as a conceptual model for analyzing the studying techniques of higher and lower self-regulated students of Russian at the novice level. A learner’s sense of self-efficacy plays an important role in the amount of effort the learner puts into studying and regulating the approaches to studying (Bandura, 1997). Thus, the proposed self-efficacy-based instructional method aims to foster the students’ planning, goal setting, effort management, monitoring, and self-evaluating throughout the language learning process. The study employs the sequential exploratory mixed-methods design that incorporates a quantitative phase for identifying higher and lower self-regulated students and a qualitative phase for investigating their approaches to studying Russian at the novice level and their perceptions of the proposed instructional method. The findings demonstrate that the higher self-regulated students rely more on metacognitive strategies whereas the lower self-regulated students mostly employ cognitive strategies; both groups of students expressed positive attitudes toward the proposed instructional method that helped them become more metacognitively aware in the learning process and reduced anxiety as they felt more confident in their content knowledge and language skills

The self-perception of adult educators in Eastern Europe in the post-Soviet transitional period

This article addresses the self-images of adult educators in view of exercising their professional agency in contexts of social transformation after the fall of the communist regimes. It draws on research undertaken in Poland, Ukraine and Russia in 2009 which investigated the self-perception and self-evaluation of adult educators with regard to their own educational practice—vis-à-vis the challenges of transition in general and of the need of rethinking the dictatorial past in particular. The interviews with 91 adult educators in three countries illustrate the impact of socio-political change in the period of democratization on the concept of one’s professional identity. They also demonstrate how transition policies create dilemmas for practice which adult educators accommodate or resist. The article discusses how different self-images are linked to socio-political challenges of society in the transition times. It analyses the possibilities, challenges, impacts and constraints of different perception and forms of educational practice in the light of the current situation in three countries. (DIPF/Orig.

Military Instructors\u27 Perspectives of Integrating Instructional Multimedia Into Military Classrooms

The United States Army has made efforts to meet the demand for digital technology. There is a continued need to train Soldiers with integrated multimedia instruction products to ensure soldiers are combat-ready. The purpose of this study was to investigate military instructors\u27 lived experiences and perspectives on interactive multimedia instructional (IMI) product integrations\u27 influence on students learning experiences and knowledge transfer and to understand the challenges instructors face, the strategies, needs, barriers, and the resources they use when integrating IMI products at a U.S. Army School of Excellence. The study uses a qualitative research design using a phenomenological approach. The participants of this study composed of seven certified military instructors. The researcher used Semi-structured interviews as a means of data collection. The researcher performed a qualitative content analysis. The analysis yielded five themes related to military instructors\u27 perspectives on integrating interactive multimedia instruction products into military classrooms. The findings of this study suggest that foundational technology experiences are critical to military instructors\u27 integration of IMI products. Military Instructors are integrating an array of IMI products into military instructional settings that are most useful to them. Military Instructors must be aware of available IMI product professional development training opportunities. Software licensing, wireless connectivity, multicultural learners, visual assessments of learning comprehension, and interpersonal struggles with support staff where identified as inhibitors that impact military instructors\u27 abilities to integrate IMI products. Finally, military instructors’ perceptions of learners’ experiences with IMI products skills transfer to future job requirements

Investigating Cultural Values and Educational Technology Adoption in Central Asia: A Case Study

Although the adoption of new tools for communication and learning could reasonably be expected to influence culture, little is known about the relationship between cultural values and the adoption or diffusion of Web 2.0 technologies. This case study examines the way in which the cultural values of 59 teachers in four Central Asian countries influenced and were influenced by Web 2.0 technologies during five to eighteen months of online professional development. Data was collected through self-introductions, Likert-scale and open-ended prompts on initial and final surveys, online forum discussions, and capstone projects. This allows an examination of changes in the participants’ expressed attitudes toward and use of Web 2.0 educational technology as well as the identification of cultural values (Hofstede, 1980b) associated with these patterns of adoption and diffusion. The findings are especially beneficial to decision-makers who care about the way the use of Web 2.0 educational technologies could impact educational systems and cultures

How Do Tor Users Interact With Onion Services?

Onion services are anonymous network services that are exposed over the Tor network. In contrast to conventional Internet services, onion services are private, generally not indexed by search engines, and use self-certifying domain names that are long and difficult for humans to read. In this paper, we study how people perceive, understand, and use onion services based on data from 17 semi-structured interviews and an online survey of 517 users. We find that users have an incomplete mental model of onion services, use these services for anonymity and have varying trust in onion services in general. Users also have difficulty discovering and tracking onion sites and authenticating them. Finally, users want technical improvements to onion services and better information on how to use them. Our findings suggest various improvements for the security and usability of Tor onion services, including ways to automatically detect phishing of onion services, more clear security indicators, and ways to manage onion domain names that are difficult to remember.Comment: Appeared in USENIX Security Symposium 201

Multi-Level Considerations for Optimal Implementation of Long-Acting Injectable Antiretroviral Therapy to Treat People Living with HIV: Perspectives of Health Care Providers Participating in Phase 3 Trials

BACKGROUND: Long-acting injectable antiretroviral therapy (LA ART) has been shown to be non-inferior to daily oral ART, with high patient satisfaction and preference to oral standard of care in research to date, and has recently been approved for use in the United States and Europe. This study examined the perspectives of health care providers participating in LA ART clinical trials on potential barriers and solutions to LA ART roll-out into real world settings. METHODS: This analysis draws on two data sources: (1) open-ended questions embedded in a structured online survey of 329 health care providers participating in the ATLAS-2 M trial across 13 countries; and (2) in-depth interviews with 14 providers participating in FLAIR/ ATLAS/ATLAS-2 M trials in the United States and Spain. Both assessments explored provider views and clinic dynamics related to the introduction of LA ART and were analyzed using thematic content analysis. The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) was drawn on as the conceptual framework underpinning development of a model depicting study findings. RESULTS: Barriers and proposed solutions to LA ART implementation were identified at the individual, clinic and health system levels. Provider perceptions of patient level barriers included challenges with adhering to frequent injection appointments and injection tolerability. Proposed solutions included patient education, having designated staff for clinic visit retention, and clinic flexibility with appointment scheduling. The main provider concern was identifying appropriate candidates for LA ART; proposed solutions focused on patient provider communication and decision making. Clinic level barriers included the need for additional skilled individuals to administer injections, shifts in workflow as demand increases and the logistics of cold-chain storage. Proposed solutions included staff hiring and training, strategic planning around workflow and logistics, and the possibility of offering injections in other settings, including the home. Health system level barriers included cost and approvals from national regulatory bodies. Potential solutions included governments subsidizing treatment, ensuring cost is competitive with oral ART, and offering co-pay assistance. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest the importance of multi-level support systems to optimize patient-provider communication and treatment decision-making; clinic staffing, workflow, logistics protocols and infrastructure; and cost-related factors within a given health system

Citizen-centric governance indicators : measuring and monitoring governance by listening to the people and not the interest groups

Governance indicators are now widely used as tools for conducting development dialogue, allocating external assistance, and influencing foreign direct investment. This paper argues that available governance indicators are not suitable for these purposes as they do not conceptualize governance and fail to capture how citizens perceive the governance environment and outcomes in their countries. The paper attempts to fill this void by conceptualizing governance and implementing a uniform and consistent framework for measuring governance quality across countries and over time based on citizens'evaluations. Using data from the World Values Survey (and other sources) we implement this framework into practice and build citizen-centric governance indicators for 120 countries over the period 1994 to 2005.Governance Indicators,National Governance,Public Sector Corruption&Anticorruption Measures,Banks&Banking Reform,Economic Policy, Institutions and Governance

Teaching languages online: Professional vision in the making

This experimental study examined the design and effectiveness of embodied interactions for learning. The researchers designed a digital learning environment integrating body joint mapping sensors to teach novice learners Chinese characters, and examined whether the embodied interaction would lead to greater knowledge acquisition in language learning compared to the conventional mouse-based interaction. Fifty-three adult learners were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The study adopted a pretest, an immediate posttest, and a delayed posttest on knowledge acquisition. Although higher scores were found for the embodied interaction group in both posttests, only the delayed posttest showed a statistically significant group difference. The findings suggested that active embodied actions lead to better knowledge retention compared with the passive visual embodiment. The body-moving process works as an alternative and complementary encoding strategy for character understanding and memorization by associating the semantic meaning of a character with the construction of a body posture

Non-Native Foreign Language Instructors’ Teaching Expectations Concerning Intercultural Communication Competence: Communicative Practices in the Classroom.

Universities within China recruit thousands of foreign experts to teach Chinese college Students. Generally, institutions require foreigners to be native speakers of languages taught and possess a bachelor’s degree. In the 1980s and 1990s, international teachers were hired so students could master native like pronunciation in foreign languages such as English. Institutions within China are now discussing the current status and future of foreign language teaching in university classrooms. Essentially, department heads are debating if students should learn foreign languages for the purposes of communication with foreigners. In the case of Chinese college students, communicative language teaching may need to be supplemented by intercultural language teaching approach. Foreign experts have the opportunity to play a unique role in such discussions, and indeed are stakeholders themselves. In order to find out instructors’ opinions concerning Intercultural Communication Competence (ICC) as a learning aim, and the placement of ICC in instruction, this study was designed. Overall, international instructors were favorable towards the inclusion of ICC in their syllabus and weekly lesson plans. However, most pedagogical choices revealed a situational approach to foreign language teaching. In order to make sense of findings, Communication Accommodation Theory (Giles, 2008) was used to analyze and interpret findings

Teachers\u27 perceptions on formulaic language

Formulaic sequences (FS) are being increasingly recognized in second language learning as a key language component that has a direct impact on language proficiency. A key aspect of FS are how it can be effectively integrated within language teaching and what practices could be used to present FS and introduce it to students. Recently, researchers have reported a growing interest in using FS in teaching language in classrooms. A mixed method of data analysis was adopted in this study where both qualitative and quantitative data were collected using three instruments “questionnaire, observations and interviewsâ€. 75 Arabic teachers participated in the current study, 72 of them responded to the questionnaire and the others were abstained to access the questionnaire and they were only observed in their classrooms and interviewed afterwards. The study revealed that 72 % of the participants perceive FS as important cultural language components that have direct impact on language proficiency. The participants recommended several practices and tools used to introduce FS in classrooms. Moreover, the majority of teachers acclaimed that FS should be introduced to elementary Arabic language learners. Conclusively, FS should be considered as essential cultural language components