“That’s not evolving, that’s devolving!”:incidental vocabulary learning through watching TikTok videos

Abstract. The term “digital natives” was coined in 2001 (Prensky) to illustrate a common narrative that modern teenagers are acclimatised to digital environments. In recent years, the debate has focused on social media. One of the claims made in favour of allowing teenagers to use platforms such as TikTok is that it broadens their English vocabulary. TikTok is a social media platform that has recently gained popularity especially amongst youth. As an application, TikTok provides versatile content in various different overlapping forms. This thesis examines whether Finnish ninth grade pupils are able to learn new L2 English vocabulary from watching TikTok videos with no intentional vocabulary teaching. Hence, the focus of this study is on incidental L2 vocabulary learning through social media platform TikTok. The aim of this study is to understand how the context in which unfamiliar vocabulary appears impacts the learning, and how consuming media content such as TikTok videos might broaden pupils’ vocabulary. In order to achieve this goal, the study defined three research questions concerning 1) the size of the participants’ English vocabulary, 2) what impact does watching TikTok videos have on vocabulary knowledge and 3) how the contexts in which the vocabulary appear in affect the learning of the individual words. The data for this study consist of material from a pre-test, intervention, and a post-test. The pre-test consists of an adapted version of the Vocabulary Size Test (VST) by Paul Nation that incorporates the test vocabulary from the chosen TikTok videos. The test consists of 140 test items in a form on multiple-choice questions and determines the receptive vocabulary sizes of the participants. The intervention consists of showing the participants a selection of six different TikTok videos in a variety of syntactic and semantic contexts. After the intervention, the retention of the chosen test items was investigated by using an adapted version of the Vocabulary Knowledge Test (VKT) by Paribakth and Wesche (1997). The analyses of the data from the VST consist of calculating the vocabulary sizes for each participant as well as analysing the distribution of those vocabulary sizes. The VKT analysis includes calculating the VKT scores of each participant and well as calculating and comparing the VKT results of the individual test items. After, the contexts of the test items were analysed to reveal the impact context has on retention of the test items. The vocabulary sizes of the participants ranged from 3,300 word families to 9,900 word families, indicating that most of the participants’ vocabulary belonged to what Schmitt and Schmitt (2014) refer to as the “mid-frequency” range. That is, the participants had sufficiently advanced vocabulary to manage basic situations but were not able to handle advanced academic or specialist vocabulary. The results of the study revealed that watching TikTok videos can lead to recognition of the previously unfamiliar words. However, only the retention of one test item was statistically significant, which implies that incidental vocabulary learning alone is not a sufficient way of re-taining new L2 English vocabulary, but that deliberate vocabulary teaching is required as well. The contexts of the test items were found to affect the vocabulary learning, and the most influential contextual aspects found in this study were repetition and humour.Sanaston oheisoppiminen TikTok videoiden katsomisen kautta. Tiivistelmä. Termi ”diginatiivit” keksittiin vuonna 2001 (Prensky) kuvaamaan kuvatakseen yleistä käsitystä siitä, kuinka nykypäivän nuoret ovat sopeutuneet digitaalisiin ympäristöihin. Viime vuosina keskustelu on keskittynyt erityisesti sosiaaliseen mediaan. Yhden nuorten sosiaalisen median käyttöä puoltavan väitteen mukaan esimerkiksi TikTokin kaltaiset alustat laajentaisivat nuorten englannin kielen sanavarastoa. TikTok on sosiaalisen median alusta, joka on kasvattanut viime aikoina nopeasti suosiotaan erityisesti nuorten keskuudessa tarjoten monipuolista sisältöä tekstien eri muodoissa. Tässä tutkielmassa tarkastellaan sitä, että oppivatko suomalaiset yhdeksäsluokkalaiset uutta englannin kielen sanastoa TikTokin kautta ilman tarkoituksellista englannin kielen opetusta. Tutkielmassa täten keskitytään englannin sanaston oheisoppimiseen TikTokin kautta. Tutkielman tavoitteena on ymmärtää kuinka tuntemattomien sanojen konteksti vaikuttaa oppimiseen ja kuinka TikTok-videoiden katsominen saattaa laajentaa osallistujien englannin sanavarastoa. Tämän tavoitteen saavuttamiseksi määritettiin kolme tutkimuskysymystä koskien 1) osallistujien englannin kielen sanavaraston kokoa, 2) sitä, miten TikTok-videoiden katselu vaikuttaa sanaston tietämykseen ja 3) sitä, miten sanojen konteksti vaikuttaa yksittäisten sanojen oppimiseen. Tutkielman aineisto koostuu esitestistä, interventiosta, sekä jälkitestistä. Esitestinä toimi muokattu versio Paul Nationin sanavarastoa mittaavasta testistä (engl. Vocabulary Size Test (VST)), johon on sisällytetty valittujen TikTok-videoiden sanastoa. Testiin sisältyi 140 monivalintakysymystä, jotka määrittivät osallistujien reseptiivisen sanavaraston koon. Interventio koostui kuuden eri TikTok-videon katsomisesta. Videot sisälsivät materiaalia monessa eri syntaktisessa ja semanttisessa kontekstissa. Intervention jälkeen koesanojen oppimista tutkittiin Paribakhtin ja Weschen (1997) sanaston osaamista mittaavalla testillä (engl. Vocabulary Knowledge Test (VKT)). VST:n analyysi koostui jokaisen osallistujan sanavaraston koon laskemisesta sekä tulosten jakauman analysoimisesta. VKT:n analyysi puolestaan koostui kokeeseen osallistujien pisteiden laskemisesta sekä yksittäisten koesanojen pisteytyksen laskemisesta ja analysoinnista. Viimeisessä vaiheessa koesanojen konteksteja analysoitiin, jotta saataisiin selville, miten konteksti vaikuttaa tuntemattomien sanojen oppimiseen. Osallistujien sanavarastojen koot vaihtelivat 3,300 sanaperheestä 9,900 sanaperheeseen, mikä osoittaa, että suurin osa osallistujien sanavarastosta on toistumistiheydeltään keskitasoa (Schmitt ja Schmitt, 2014). Tämä tarkoittaa sitä, että osallistujien sanavarasto oli riittävän edistyksellistä jokapäiväisen kielen ymmärtämiseksi, mutta ei tarpeeksi laajaa akateemisen sanaston tai asiantuntijasanaston ymmärtämiseksi. TikTok-videoiden katsominen voi tutkimustulosten perusteella johtaa aikaisemmin tuntemattomien sanojen tunnistamiseen. Kuitenkin vain yksi koesanojen tuloksista oli tilastollisesti merkittävä. Oheisoppiminen ei siis yksin ole riittävä tapa uuden englannin kielen sanaston oppimiselle, vaan tarkoituksellinen opettaminen on myös tarpeellista. Tutkimuksen tulosten mukaan tuntemattomien sanojen konteksti vaikuttaa sanaston oppimiseen. Merkittävimmiksi kontekstuaalisiksi vaikuttajiksi osoittautuivat sanojen toistojen määrä sekä huumori

MWCNTs of different physicochemical properties cause similar inflammatory responses, but differences in transcriptional and histological markers of fibrosis in mouse lungs

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are extensively produced and used in composite materials and electronic applications, thus increasing risk of worker and consumer exposure. MWCNTs are an inhomogeneous group of nanomaterials that come in various lengths, shapes and with different metal contaminations, which makes hazard evaluation difficult. However, several studies suggest that length plays an important role in the toxicity induced by MWCNTs. How the length influences toxicity at the molecular level is yet to be characterized. Female C57BL/6 mice were exposed by single intratracheal instillation to 18, 54 or 162 µg/mouse of a short MWCNT (NRCWE-026, 847±102 nm in length) or long MWCNT (NM-401, 4048±366 nm in length). The two MWCNTs were extensively characterized. Lung tissues were harvested 24 h, 3 d and 28 d after exposure. We employed DNA microarrays, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid analysis, comet assay and dichlorodihydrofluorescein assay in order to profile the pulmonary responses. Bioinformatics tools were then applied to compare and contrast the expression profiles and to build a length dependent property-response matrix for gene-by-gene comparison. The toxicogenomic analysis of the global mRNA changes after exposure to the short, entangled NRCWE-026 or the longer, stiffer NM-401 showed high degree of similarities. The toxicity of both MWCNTs was driven by strong inflammatory and acute phase responses, which peaked at day 3 and was observed both in bronchoalveolar lavage cell influx and in gene expression profiles. The inflammatory response was sustained at post-exposure day 28. Also, at the sub-chronic level, we identified a sub-set of 14 fibrosis related genes that were uniquely differentially regulated after exposure to NM-401. Acellular ROS production occurred almost exclusively with NRCWE-026, however the longer NM-401 induced in vivo DNA strand breaks and differential regulation of genes involved in free radical scavenging more readily than NRCWE-026. Our results indicate that the global mRNA response after exposure to MWCNTs is length independent at the acute time points, but that fibrosis may be length dependent sub-chronic end point.JRC.H.6-Digital Earth and Reference Dat

Longitudinal Metabolome-Wide Signals Prior to the Appearance of a First Islet Autoantibody in Children Participating in the TEDDY Study

Children at increased genetic risk for type 1 diabetes (T1D) after environmental exposures may develop pancreatic islet autoantibodies (IA) at a very young age. Metabolic profile changes over time may imply responses to exposures and signal development of the first IA. Our present research in The Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young (TEDDY) study aimed to identify metabolome-wide signals preceding the first IA against GAD (GADA-first) or against insulin (IAA-first). We profiled metabolomes by mass spectrometry from children's plasma at 3-month intervals after birth until appearance of the first IA. A trajectory analysis discovered each first IA preceded by reduced amino acid proline and branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), respectively. With independent time point analysis following birth, we discovered dehydroascorbic acid (DHAA) contributing to the risk of each first IA, and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABAs) associated with the first autoantibody against insulin (IAA-first). Methionine and alanine, compounds produced in BCAA metabolism and fatty acids, also preceded IA at different time points. Unsaturated triglycerides and phosphatidylethanolamines decreased in abundance before appearance of either autoantibody. Our findings suggest that IAA-first and GADA-first are heralded by different patterns of DHAA, GABA, multiple amino acids, and fatty acids, which may be important to primary prevention of T1D

Early probiotic supplementation and the risk of celiac disease in children at genetic risk

Abstract Probiotics are linked to positive regulatory effects on the immune system. The aim of the study was to examine the association between the exposure of probiotics via dietary supplements or via infant formula by the age of 1 year and the development of celiac disease autoimmunity (CDA) and celiac disease among a cohort of 6520 genetically susceptible children. Use of probiotics during the first year of life was reported by 1460 children. Time-to-event analysis was used to examine the associations. Overall exposure of probiotics during the first year of life was not associated with either CDA (n = 1212) (HR 1.15; 95%CI 0.99, 1.35; p = 0.07) or celiac disease (n = 455) (HR 1.11; 95%CI 0.86, 1.43; p = 0.43) when adjusting for known risk factors. Intake of probiotic dietary supplements, however, was associated with a slightly increased risk of CDA (HR 1.18; 95%CI 1.00, 1.40; p = 0.043) compared to children who did not get probiotics. It was concluded that the overall exposure of probiotics during the first year of life was not associated with CDA or celiac disease in children at genetic risk