46,689 research outputs found
Dynamic properties of language anxiety
This article begins by examining previous empirical studies to demonstrate that language anxiety, or the negative emotional reaction learners experience when using a second language (MacIntyre & Gardner, 1999), is a dynamic individual difference learner variable. I show that it forms part of an interconnected, constantly-in-flux system that changes unpredictably over multiple time scales. While at certain times this system might settle into an attractor state that accommodates contradictory conditions, perturbations that arise may lead to development and change with the curious possibility that minor disruptions generate large effects while major alterations go unnoticed. In essence, language anxiety (LA) is part of a continuous complex system in which each state evolves from a previous one. After I establish LA as a dynamic variable using the aforementioned criteria, I outline the implications and challenges for researching LA using a dynamic paradigm, which include focusing on individuals, transforming LA research questions, designing interventions and re-thinking data gathering methodologies. I conclude with implications for language teaching that emphasize: 1) raising awareness of the importance of decoding nonverbal behavior to identify moment-by-moment shifts in learner emotion; 2) remaining vigilant concerning variables that are interacting with LA that make this factor part of a cyclical process; 3) understanding that anxiety co-exists with positive emotions to varying degrees and that language tasks are not unanimously enjoyed or universally anxiety-provoking; and 4) incorporating positive psychology activities that proactively encourage buoyancy and resilience for moment-by-moment daily perturbations as well as debilitating disruptions that result in long-lasting influences
Orthography and Identity in Cameroon
The tone languages of sub-Saharan Africa
raise challenging questions for the design
of new writing systems. Marking too much or too little tone can have
grave consequences for the usability of an orthography.
Orthography development, past and present, rests on a
raft of sociolinguistic issues having little to do with the
technical phonological concerns that usually preoccupy orthographers.
Some of these issues
are familiar from the spelling reforms which have taken place
in European languages. However, many of the issues faced in
sub-Saharan Africa are
different, being concerned with the creation of new writing systems
in a multi-ethnic context: residual colonial influences, the
construction of new nation-states, detribalization versus
culture preservation and language reclamation, and so on.
Language development projects which crucially rely on creating
or revising orthographies may founder if they do not attend to
the various layers of identity that are indexed by orthography:
whether colonial, national, ethnic, local or individual identity.
In this study, I review the history and politics
of orthography in Cameroon, with a focus on tone marking.
The paper concludes by calling present-day orthographers to
a deeper and broader understanding of orthographic issues
A NPC Behaviour Definition System for Use by Programmers and Designers
In this paper we describe ZBL/0, a scripting system for defining NPC (Non Player Character) behaviour in FPS (First Person Shooter) games. ZBL/0 has been used to illustrate the use of scripting systems in computer games in general and the scripting of NPC behaviour in particular in the context of a book on game development. Many novice game designers
have clear ideas about how the computer game they imagine should work but have little knowledge â if any â about how their ideas can be implemented. This is why books on game creation (design, programming etc.), as well as all-in-one game creation systems â especially designed for ease of use and intended for an amateur audience â enjoy great popularity. A large proportion of these books however merely present solutions in the form of descriptions and explanations of specific implementations with inadequate
explanations of principles. While this may benefit rapid application development it often does not lead to a deeper understanding of the underlying concepts. The understanding of rule-based behaviour definition through simple scripting in computer games and the development of such scripts by programmers and designers is what we aim to address with the ZBL/0 system
Working memory and second language development: A complex, dynamic future?
Working memory (WM) is inherently dynamic and complex, being a multi-faceted system that links storage and processing components; yet it is widely understood as internal. Hence, in second language (L2) research, its connection to complex dynamic systems theory (CDST) remains underspecified. This paper seeks to bridge a gap between CDST and WM in L2 research. First, definitions of WM are reviewed, along with evidence for its relationship to L2 outcomes. Next, a brief overview of CDST highlights its metatheoretical and methodological implications. Three perspectives are presented to illustrate how WM can be viewed in terms of major tenets in CDST. These consider WM effects as: (1) context-dependent, (2) interrelated with those of other variables, and (3) amenable to change across the lifespan. Despite this reappraisal, numerous challenges remain. Thus, in addition to noting research opportunities, the paper also considers measurement issues, such as the determination of boundaries and selection of appropriate timescales. In closing, while WM studies have shown its influence on L2 proficiency and processing, to more fully understand its dynamic nature, what is needed is further research on the reciprocal influences of bilingual development and changes in WM components, such as control of attention
Growing up Overseas: Perceptions of Second Language Attrition and Retrieval Amongst Expatriate Children in India
This study involves expatriate children whose first language (L1) is English and who learned Hindi as their second language (L2) while their parents worked in India. The purpose of the study was to investigate the linguistic experiences of the children after they had left India, particularly experiences with L2 attrition. Through semi-structured interviews, subjects shared their stories of L2 acquisition and attrition. Common experiences which contributed to the attrition of the L2 included periods of non-use of the L2, social responses to the use of the L2, the lack of development of Hindi literacy and subjectsâ attitude toward using the L2. Some of the subjects were able to retrieve the L2 on return trips to India and an examination is made of their perceptions of what supported this retrieval process. These include exposure to the âenvironmentâ of India and personal motivation. The conclusion provides questions and suggestions for further research to contribute to a better understanding of the linguistic experiences of expatriate children.
Cette Ă©tude concerne les enfants expatriĂ©s de langue maternelle anglaise qui ont appris le hindi comme deuxiĂšme langue (L2) alors que leurs parents travaillaient en Inde. Le but de cette Ă©tude Ă©tait dâenquĂȘter sur les pratiques linguistiques usuelles de ces enfants une fois quâils avaient quittĂ© lâInde, avec un accent particulier sur lâĂ©rosion de la L2. Au cours dâentrevues semistructurĂ©es, les participants ont racontĂ© comment ils ont acquis et oubliĂ© la deuxiĂšme langue (L2). Les facteurs usuels dâĂ©rosion de la L2 comprennent des pĂ©riodes de non utilisation de la L2, les rĂ©actions sociales Ă lâutilisation de la L2, le manque de dĂ©veloppement de lâalphabĂ©tisation des participants en hindi, et leur attitude envers lâusage de la L2. Certains des participants ont pu rĂ©cupĂ©rer la langue suite Ă un retour en Inde; ils attribuent cette rĂ©cupĂ©ration Ă plusieurs facteurs, notamment lâexposition Ă un environnement indien et la motivation personnelle. La conclusion formule des questions et des suggestions pour mener dâautres recherches afin de mieux comprendre les expĂ©riences linguistiques des enfants expatriĂ©s
Transforming New Zealand Employment Relations: At the Intersection of Institutional Dispute Resolution and Workplace Conflict Management
In New Zealand, the contemporary shift from highly regulated, collectivist employment rights to individual employment relationships included statutory direction to mediation. Good faith negotiation in the workplace and state provision of mediation were to be the primary mechanisms for resolution of âemployment relationship problemsâ (ERP). This paper investigates the intersection between workplace conflict management and institutional provision of mediation. We investigated ERP resolution by drawing on empirical evidence from 38 narrative interviews where participants recounted experiences of employment relationship problem (ERP) resolution. We analysed 243 ERP by comparing settlements to end employment relationships with resolution of ERP where relationships endured. We sought to understand why some ERP remained unresolved and/or escalated. We found that collaborative reflective sense-making had a positive impact on early workplace problem resolution while investigation and confidential settlement negotiations risked injustice. We present, therefore, some suggestions for embedding collaborative conflict management in the workplace
Challenges in Collaborative HRI for Remote Robot Teams
Collaboration between human supervisors and remote teams of robots is highly
challenging, particularly in high-stakes, distant, hazardous locations, such as
off-shore energy platforms. In order for these teams of robots to truly be
beneficial, they need to be trusted to operate autonomously, performing tasks
such as inspection and emergency response, thus reducing the number of
personnel placed in harm's way. As remote robots are generally trusted less
than robots in close-proximity, we present a solution to instil trust in the
operator through a `mediator robot' that can exhibit social skills, alongside
sophisticated visualisation techniques. In this position paper, we present
general challenges and then take a closer look at one challenge in particular,
discussing an initial study, which investigates the relationship between the
level of control the supervisor hands over to the mediator robot and how this
affects their trust. We show that the supervisor is more likely to have higher
trust overall if their initial experience involves handing over control of the
emergency situation to the robotic assistant. We discuss this result, here, as
well as other challenges and interaction techniques for human-robot
collaboration.Comment: 9 pages. Peer reviewed position paper accepted in the CHI 2019
Workshop: The Challenges of Working on Social Robots that Collaborate with
People (SIRCHI2019), ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing
Systems, May 2019, Glasgow, U
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