The use of grounded theory in educational research: exploring the application of the methodology in an investigation on e-Learning in Maltese SMEs

Emergent researchers are faced with a plethora of research methodologies to choose from for their investigations. Deciding on which approach best fits their ontological and epistemological beliefs and requirements can be a daunting task. Many, indeed, shy away from the Grounded Theory (GT) method which is often considered to be much more labour intensive than other approaches. This paper attempts to make a case for this methodology, in its constructivist form, and as it is being applied in a current case study in Maltese SMEs.peer-reviewe

Combinatory logic: from philosophy and mathematics to computer science

In 1920, Moses Schönfinkel provided the first rough details of what later became known as combinatory logic. This endeavour was part of Hilbert’s program to formulate mathematics as a consistent logic system based on a finite set of axioms and inference rules. This program’s importance to the foundations and philosophical aspects of mathematics is still celebrated today. In the 1930s, Haskell Curry furthered Schönfinkel’s work on combinatory logic, attempting – and failing – to show that it can be used as a foundation for mathematics. However, in 1947, he described a high-level functional programming language based on combinatory logic. Research on functional programming languages continued, reaching a high point in the eighties. However, by this time, object-oriented programming languages began taking over and functional languages started to lose their appeal. Lately, however, a resurgence of functional languages is being noted. Indeed, many of the commonly-used programming languages nowadays incorporate functional programming elements in them, while functional languages such as Haskell, OCaml and Erlang are gaining in popularity. Thanks to this revival, it is appropriate to breathe new life into combinatory logic by presenting its main ideas and techniques in this paper.peer-reviewe

Perchlorate contamination of soils collected from the Maltese Islands

During the summer months, the Maltese Islands experience a large number of religious feasts, most of which are accompanied by firework activity. Between the 26th of January and the 8th of December, approximately 86 religious feasts are celebrated annually in different towns and villages in the Maltese Islands, accompanied by both aerial and ground fireworks displays. The pyrotechnical community counts several thousand enthusiasts who passionately and without any financial compensation produce fireworks. Perchlorate contamination in the environment is a worldwide problem, with high levels detected in dust fall collected from the Maltese Islands (Vella et al., 2015). During this study the levels of perchlorate in soil samples collected from 19 different locations were determined. Perchlorate was detected in 8 of 19 samples, with 3 of these samples having levels below detection limit. The levels ranged from BDL to 357 μg kg-1, with a mean value of 49.9 μg kg-1. The highest perchlorate concentrations were detected in soils collected from the South of the Maltese Islands, as was observed for dust samples. This was attributed to the predominant wind direction, being from the Northwest, causing the movement of contaminants from the North to the South of the Maltese Islands. These results and perchlorate levels in dust fall (Vella et al., 2015), clearly point out that the Maltese environment is contaminated with perchlorate, due to the excessive pyrotechnic activity.peer-reviewe

The use of blogs in the practical literary criticism classroom

Also published in Symposium Melitensia Vol. 15 (2019) p. 127-140This paper explores the use of blogs in the literary criticism classroom as a means of enhancing student interaction with unseen literary passages. Unfortunately, the majority of students find literary criticism challenging since it does not simply require the identification of the thematic concerns of the unseen passage, but also the ability to comment on various literary aspects such as, imagery, diction and figurative language. Therefore, one major barrier that students would need to overcome is that of effectively visualising what the poem or prose passage is depicting. This visualisation would lead to the proper identification of literary aspects and the effect the author or poet intends to create. In other words, students must first establish a sense of confidence with the passage - one that is normally lacking during their first months of experience with literary criticism of unseen poetry / prose passages. This research, based on a pilot project, seeks to address this lack of confidence by using a specifically-created blog where the students are free to express their thoughts and comments on a particular poem or prose passage in an online collaborative atmosphere which goes beyond the classroom setting. This fosters confidence, whilst concomitantly promoting other supplementary skills.peer-reviewe

Pear pressure – transient text as territoriality

Place-oriented practice has gained a more prominent position within the remit of contemporary art in recent years. This paper discusses how the exploration and recording of something as seemingly transient as inscribed ‘text’ on prickly pear leaves (classification - opuntia ficus-indica) might reveal surprising insights into place. The work interrogates the strollers’ tendency to inscribe words and symbols on the fleshy tissue of prickly pears growing abundantly in the Maltese countryside. Ingold (2007, p.43) asserts that when ‘text’ is formed by the removal of material, scored or etched, it can be described as reductive writing. This paper argues that ‘soft graffiti’ can further our understanding of fleeting territoriality and generate insight into the social and cultural aspects of place.1 Strollers succumb to the habit of their peers and with a pointed or sharp object and by applying some pressure they inscribe ‘text’ on fresh leaves. Hence the title: Pear Pressure. I photographed this habit over a number of years accumulating hundreds of photographs. Each photograph tells a story. The photographic archive emerging from such exploration developed into an artistic installation which was first exhibited at the University of Leeds in 2014 and at the newly established contemporary art space at the Junior college in 2018.peer-reviewe

The phases of the translation process: are they always three?

In general, there is agreement among translation scholars (e.g. Mossop, 2000; Jakobsen, 2002; Englund Dimitrova, 2005) that the translation process is divided into three clear-cut phases, which Mossop (2000) terms as pre-drafting, drafting and post-drafting. In the first phase, the translator gets acquainted with the source text; in the second phase, a full version of the translation is created; and the third phase commences after the translator has produced a first full draft of the translation. This contribution discusses the findings of a recently completed doctoral study (Borg, 2016) which investigated in-depth the coming into being of a whole literary translation. The detailed case study provided a rich description of the evolution of the translation from first draft to publication and analysed thoroughly the different phases the translation went through. It was found that the translation process was composed of five phases and that every phase has a specific pace and particular functions. Thus, it was suggested that Phases 3-5 are phases in their own right and not sub-phases of the post-drafting phase. The findings indicated that the number of phases in the translation process and their length might vary among translators and that this might be linked to their process profile. The results therefore challenge the subdivision of the translation process into three fixed phases.peer-reviewe

Communication as education: a study about the experiential factors that contribute towards low Maltese language examination performance amidst cultural contradictions between curricular priorities and teaching practice

This work gives a description of an on-going study that sets out to investigate the root causes of poor performance in formal Maltese Language examination by fifteen and sixteen years old pupils. As reported in recent years in the Matriculation and Secondary Education Certificate (MATSEC 2015, 2016, 2017) examination reports, results show that there has been minimal improvement in performance amongst pupils who sit for this Secondary Examination Certificate (SEC). These exam performance results are important on a National scale because they have a direct influence on the pupils’ progression into higher education and other career streams. Lack of pupils’ performance in the (SEC) Maltese Language Examination raises substantial amount of discourse within the Maltese learning community on how this subject should be taught, developed, managed and examined. To this effect, this study sees lack of pupils’ performance in this specific subject as a phenomenon that warrants a case study to investigate key factors that contribute towards the low performance results. It enquires about the nature of the current problem and why this is happening. The information gathered may seek to build foundations for future and further enquiries. The objective of this study is to go beyond the scope of the examiners’ statistical reports and to learn about the nature of this problem from the experiential views of the pupils and other learning stakeholders (parents/teachers/ examiners) of this specific SEC examination. The intended outcome of this study is to propose a series of action points that might help to improve pupils’ performance in the SEC Maltese Language examination.peer-reviewe

The case of the “Twin Writings”: a graphological study on the functional identifications of today’s teenagers

According to graphology, the graphic style we choose to reproduce or personalise our writing symbolizes our identity. Graphology is the science of handwriting analysis, which can develop a psychological portrait by analysing handwritten texts. A basic step of the developmental path which leads to the formation of our own identity is adolescence. In this period, the upgrade of social contacts is important, because teenagers can build new relationships with their mates and peer group and make new identifications in addition to the ones already created inside their family unit. Those identifications can be easily observed by studying teenagers’ handwriting. They can also become so meaningful that they produce “twin writings”, similar handwritings which seem to be written by the same hand. Their peculiar traits will be shown in this study through examples of handwritten texts and appropriate notes. More than a mere coincidence or a will of imitation, the “twin writings” reveal a sharing of values, likings, ambitions and attitudes due to love, friendship or inclusion needs. If analysed by graphological techniques, they allow a proper understanding of a delicate and very important transition to maturity. In this life step, the borderlines of one’s own identity fade to open passages to the other’s presence.peer-reviewe

Foreign languages within post-compulsory and tertiary institutions. What future?

An important sub-objective of the Lisbon Strategy states that there is a need to improve foreign language teaching at all levels of education throughout Europe. This is seen to be a key means of giving expression to the multilingual nature of the European Union. In the 21st century, foreign language competence and proficiency and intercultural understanding are no longer considered as optional but have become an essential part of being a citizen. Countries in the world have become more and more interdependent, and new technologies have erased many existing borders giving rise to an ever-increasing need for good communication skills in foreign languages. This has brought in turn new efforts aimed at improving foreign language education with many countries introducing well-articulated curriculum frameworks that motivate and guide the development of an effective system of foreign language education even at post-compulsory and at tertiary level. The same cannot be said, unfortunately, for Malta where the number of students studying foreign languages at post compulsory education is on the decline with the result that in the 3 most important institutions in Malta that offer tertiary education, the presence of foreign languages is negligible. This brings us to a very pertinent question. Do we need modern language graduates in a globalised world? Or better, do we need graduates who are also proficient in one or more foreign languages?peer-reviewe

Breaking the barriers of the genre: James Joyce’s Ulysses

Also published in Symposium Melitensia Vol. 15 (2019) p. 57-64When James Joyce’s novel Ulysses was published in 1922, it breached irrevocably the traditional barriers of narration that had previously contained the novel. It shattered the parameters of traditional mimesis of both the late Nineteenth Century Victorian novel, as well as the Naturalistic one. Joyce’s writing disarticulated and collided directly with the pretention that a novel could provide an objective representation of personal or collective narratives of reality. Joyce thus revisited the unified collocation of narrative space and time in traditional mimesis, and he simultaneously demonstrated their intrinsic instabilities. To exemplify these tendencies in Joyce’s writing, I shall be looking at two eloquent episodes of Ulysses that highlight this paradigm shift in narration: the transitioning from the objective spaces of narration to the mental ones of Joyce’s characters. I am particularly interested in the four possibilities of narration in the mental activity of Leopold Bloom in Calypso (Ch.4 of Ulysses), and in the mental space of Molly Bloom’s stream of consciousness in Penelope (Ch.18 of Ulysses).peer-reviewe