Readers reading practices of EFL Yemeni students: recommendations for the 21st century

This paper investigates the reading practices of forty-five second year EFL Yemeni undergraduate students using the Four Resources Model of multiliteracy practices. The Four Resources Model of multiliteracy practices organizes reading practices into four key practices: code breaking, text participating, text uses and text analysing levels. Quantitative and qualitative methods, designed based on the Four Resources Model constructs, were used to collect data from a sample of students studying English as a Foreign Language at a university in Yemen. Quantitative data was collected through a questionnaire, while qualitative data was gathered using semi-structured interviews guided by the research objectives. The findings reveal that Yemeni students were medium users of the code breaker and text user practices whereas the meaning making and text analysis practices were reported to be used in low usage. On the whole, these early findings suggest that the reading practices and reading abilities of the Yemeni students are still limited even at the tertiary level and have not developed fully with regard to reading in English. This paper reports in detail, the use of the Four Resources Model as a tool to determine reading efficacy while examining the aforementioned findings. Discussion is put forward on the implications for teaching of reading and its approaches in a Yemeni context, especially in view of the students‟ reading needs at the tertiary level in Yemen

The effect of cultivating diagram use on the quality of EFL students’ written explanations

This study investigated how an intervention that promoted the use of diagrams might affect quality features of written explanations produced by EFL (English as a foreign language) students in an undergraduate education studies course taught entirely in English. At the beginning (Pre-instruction) and end (Post-instruction) of the semester, the 19 student participants were administered a task that required reading a passage and writing an explanation of it. During the semester they had a weekly homework task of writing an explanation of what they had learned in the course. They were additionally provided workshop instruction and practice in using diagrams. Analyses of the students’ homework and Pre- and Post-instruction explanations revealed increases in quantity and types of diagrams the students included in explanations they produced. Analysis of Post-instruction explanations also showed that number of diagrams included in the explanations negatively correlated with both word- and verb-counts. However, despite the reduction in use of words, the number of key points the students were able to include in their explanations did not decrease. These findings suggest diagram inclusion may enable students to construct more concise and simpler explanations without having to sacrifice inclusion of important points. Especially for foreign language students who may not be as proficient in the use of the language, the cultivation of competencies in appropriate use of diagrams may be beneficial as it could provide a means to more creatively and efficaciously communicating what they know

System upgrade: realising the vision for UK education

A report summarising the findings of the TEL programme in the wider context of technology-enhanced learning and offering recommendations for future strategy in the area was launched on 13th June at the House of Lords to a group of policymakers, technologists and practitioners chaired by Lord Knight. The report – a major outcome of the programme – is written by TEL director Professor Richard Noss and a team of experts in various fields of technology-enhanced learning. The report features the programme’s 12 recommendations for using technology-enhanced learning to upgrade UK education

Building a Curriculum for the English Language Learning Program at a New University

Turkish learners entering university for the first time have high expectations that a university education will be vastly different in its approach from their previous educational experiences. The hope is that learners will learn the skills needed to become independent, lifelong learners. While this may be true in their faculties, it is often not the case for learners attending English language preparatory programs (ELPP) where the course content is often dictated by textbooks. This use of the course books illustrates Krahnke\u27s (1987) concern that while course books are not intended to be syllabi, they often become so. Many current English language course books take a structural approach to their design that does not meet the learning needs of learners intending to study in an English language medium. This material development project aims to investigate the various approaches to curriculum design and use the tools found there to create the framework for an explicit four-module curriculum that provides student-centered learning, fosters learner autonomy, develops communication skills and prepares learners to study in their faculties in English. This project proposes to reach these goals through a systems approach to curriculum design (Nation & Macalister, Graves, 2000) utilizing the critical ideas of understanding by design (UbD) (Wiggins & McTighe, 2006) and Bloom\u27s Taxonomy

EFFECTS OF SCHEMA-BASED INSTRUCTION DELIVERED THROUGH COMPUTER-BASED VIDEO INSTRUCTION ON MATHEMATICAL WORD PROBLEM SOLVING OF STUDENTS WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER AND MODERATE INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY

The Common Core State Standards initiative calls for all students to be college and career ready with 21st century skills by high school graduation, yet the question remains how to prepare students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and moderate intellectual disability (ID) with higher order mathematical concepts. Mathematical problem solving is a critical, higher order skill that students need to have in order to solve real-world problems, but there is currently limited research on teaching problem solving to students with ASD and moderate ID. This study investigated the effects of schema- based instruction (SBI) delivered through computer-based video instruction (CBVI) on the acquisition of mathematical problem solving skills, as well as the ability to discriminate problem type, to three elementary-aged students with ASD and moderate ID using a single-case multiple probe across participants design. The study also examined participant’s ability to generalize skills to a paper-and-pencil format. Results showed a functional relation between SBI delivered through CBVI and the participants’ mathematical word problem solving skills, ability to discriminate problem type, and generalization to novel problems in paper-and-pencil format. The findings of this study provide several implications for practice for using CBVI to teach higher order mathematical content to students with ASD and moderate ID, and offers suggestions for future research in this area

Reading Children's Drawings Through Analysis of Three Metafunctions

For researchers, early childhood educators, and art educators, the contribution of this article is to expand meaning in drawing activities. Perspective in reading pictures using visual culture theory, especially visual grammar. This study aims to share knowledge and experiences in reading early childhood pictures from different perspectives. This research method uses a qualitative descriptive approach through visual material data collection techniques and analysis of three metafunctions. The objects of research are three pictures of children aged 7-8 years, namely the works of winners of the I-III children's painting competition held by PP-IPTEK TMII in 2018. Aspects of the representation structure, interaction system, and composition of each image are analyzed. The research findings conclude that the ideational function of the three images shows a narrative structure of representation and raises the discourse of resistance to the actual situation. The interpersonal function of the three images places the image maker in the real world and as an object of display impersonally. The textual functions of the three images position social life on other planets as a reflection of hope for real social life.Keywords: children's drawings, visual culture, visual system, three metafunctions References: Butler, S., Gross, J., & Hayne, H. (1995). The Effect of Drawing on Memory Performance in Young Children. Developmental Psychology, 12. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.31.4.597 Creswell, J. W. (2015). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (Fifth edition). Pearson. de Lautour, N. (2020). The Visual Arts and Children’s Thinking and Theorising in Early Childhood. Www.Elp.Co. Nz/Articles, 13. Driessnack, M., & Furukawa, R. (2012). Arts-based data collection techniques used in child research. Journal for Specialists in Pediatric Nursing, 17(1), 3–9. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6155.2011.00304.x Elliot W, E., & D. Day, M. (2004). Handbook of Research and Policy in Art Education (1st Edition). Routledge. Everts, H., & Withers, R. (2006). A Practitioner Survey of Interactive Drawing Therapy as Used in New Zealand. 16. Freedman, K. J., & Stuhr, P. L. (2004). Curriculum Change for the 21st Century: Visual Culture in Art Education. Funch, B. S. (1996). The aesthetic experience as a transcendent phenomenon. Nordisk Psykologi, 48(4), 266–278. https://doi.org/10.1080/00291463.1996.11863884 Gernhardt, A., Rübeling, H., & Keller, H. (2013). “This Is My Family”: Differences in Children’s Family Drawings Across Cultures. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 44(7), 1166–1183. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022022113478658 Hirsh-Pasek, K., Zosh, J. M., Golinkoff, R. M., Gray, J. H., Robb, M. B., & Kaufman, J. (2015). Putting Education in “Educational” Apps: Lessons from the Science of Learning. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 16(1), 3–34. https://doi.org/10.1177/1529100615569721 Hwang, G.-J., Lai, C.-L., & Wang, S.-Y. (2015). Seamless flipped learning: A mobile technology-enhanced flipped classroom with effective learning strategies. Journal of Computers in Education, 2(4), 449–473. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40692-015-0043-0 Jolley, R. P. (2009). Children and Pictures: Drawing and Understanding. Wiley. https://books.google.co.id/books?id=QpGS9s9zqMoC Kellogg, R. (1973). Misunderstanding Children’s Art. Art Education, 26(6), 7–9. https://doi.org/10.1080/00043125.1973.11652137 Knight, L. (2008). Communication and Transformation through Collaboration: Rethinking Drawing Activities in Early Childhood. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 9(4), 306–316. https://doi.org/10.2304/ciec.2008.9.4.306 Kress, G. R., van Leeuwen, T., & Van Leeuwen, D. H. S. S. T. (1996). Reading Images: The Grammar of Visual Design. Routledge. https://books.google.co.id/books?id=vh07i06q-9AC Kucirkova, N. (2017). IRPD—A framework for guiding design-based research for iPad apps. British Journal of Educational Technology, 48(2), 598–610. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12389 Lowenfeld, V. (1949). Creative and Mental Growth. Macmillan. https://books.google.co.id/books?id=x7tRAQAAMAAJ Mamur, N. (2012). The Effect of Modern Visual Culture on Children’s Drawings. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 47, 277–283. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.06.651 Moerdisuroso, I. (2017). Social Semiotics and Visual Grammar: A Contemporary Approach to Visual Text Research. International Journal of Creative and Arts Studies, 1(1), 80. https://doi.org/10.24821/ijcas.v1i1.1574 Nielsen, A. M. (2012). Forskeres arbejde med oplevelser af børns tegninger som forskningsmetode [The researcher’s work with children’s experiences of drawing as a research method]. Psyke & Logos. Papadakis, S., & Kalogianakis, M. (2020). A Research Synthesis of the Real Value of Self-Proclaimed Mobile Educational Applications for Young Children. In Mobile Learning Applications in Early Childhood Education (pp. 1–19). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-1486-3.ch001 Quaglia, R., Longobardi, C., Iotti, N. O., & Prino, L. E. (2015). A new theory on children’s drawings: Analyzing the role of emotion and movement in graphical development. Infant Behavior and Development, 39, 81–91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infbeh.2015.02.009 Santrock, J. W. (2011). Educational Psychology. McGraw-Hill Medical Publishing. https://books.google.co.id/books?id=M8S4kgEACAAJ Vygotski, L. S. (2004). Imagination and Creativity in Childhood. Journal of Russian & East European Psychology, 42(1), 7–97. https://doi.org/10.1080/10610405.2004.11059210 &nbsp

Coding learning model in speaking courses as an innovation to improve 21st century skills

Integrating coding into learning is one of the opportunities afforded by technology in education. However, the use of coding in tertiary institutions is still underutilized in the field of language learning. The purpose of this research is to develop a coding learning model for the speaking course that suits the needs of lecturers and students in the teaching and learning process. This research involves Research and Development using the ADDIE model. The subjects in this study consisted of three lecturers and seventy-eight students from five universities in Bengkulu Province, as well as three experts in the fields of materials, media, and language. The results of the study reveal that this model has three main activities: pre-learning, learning, and post-learning, which have five main phases: perception, exploration, collaboration, coding, and publication. The validation test results obtained ‘very good’ qualifications from material experts and were appropriated by linguists and media experts. The validation results indicate that this model is considered feasible to use so that it meets the standardization of product development testing

The Impact of a Visual Approach Used in the Teaching of Grammar When Embedded into Writing Instruction: A Study on the Writing Development of Chinese First Year University Students in a British University in China

Born into a visual culture, today’s generation of learners generally prefer a visually-rich multimodal learning environment. Tapping into the potential of visuals in language pedagogy, this study was aimed at discovering the impact of a visual presentation of grammatical concepts related to sentence structure on student writing. The study used a mixed methods design to analyse the impact of the visual approach first by statistically measuring sentence variety and syntactic complexity of student pre and post intervention texts and then using interviews to explain the nature of the impact of visuals on student conceptual understanding and its effect on their writing development. Statistical findings reveal that the experimental groups of Chinese students who were taught grammatical concepts in the context of writing instruction using a visual approach outperformed the students in the control groups who were given similar lessons in the context of writing instruction but using traditional printed hand-outs. Qualitative findings suggest that the visuals seems to have increased these students’ conceptual understanding of grammatical items that were taught, and this resulted in more sophisticated and syntactically complex texts after the intervention. The study supports the theory of contextualized teaching of grammar and proposes the use of external visuals that lead to internal visualization based on the cognitive theory of multimodal learning. In so doing, it extends the use of visual learning to grammar pedagogy. However, the findings also suggest that the visual approach would not work effectively in cultures that promote rote learning and decontextualized exercises in grammar with the sole aim of passing the exams. A shift in attitude towards grammar pedagogy in China is deemed necessary

Investigation of the Font Composition in Billboard Design in Ilorin Metropolis

Availability of design equipment/design software has afforded designers the ability to create and design with unprecedented speed and ease. Researches conducted in the area of graphic design software application and effective campaign materials have shown that design packages are often abused by untrained persons who produce billboard and other forms of graphic designs that do not communicate adequately. The paper examined the effective use of typographic in billboard with reference to the principles of typography usage; investigated the category of graphic designers of the billboard identified with typography problems in Ilorin metropolis; re-encoded the typography of the identified billboard for comparison and evaluated the efficacy of the identified and re-encoded billboard in term of its message delivery to the target audience. Survey research design was adopted for the study and the findings revealed that most of the billboards found with typographic problem were not designed by professional graphic designers; recommendations on encoding standard of typography were made. Keywords: Graphic design, Typography, Standard, Professionals, Non-professionals DOI: 10.7176/ADS/105-01 Publication date:May 31st 202