Trilingual education in China: perspectives from a university programme for minority students

Attention to trilingual education programmes in China has tended to focus on basic education; there had been little attention to date on the higher education sector. The present paper will attempt to bridge this gap by exploring a Yi-English-Chinese (YEC) trilingual education programme through case studies of three Yi students. We will start by briefly exploring multilingualism and minority participation in higher education in China, contextual issues important for an understanding of trilingual education. We will then describe the methodology employed to collect data from the students before analysing the life events which steer them to the programme, the ways in which they position themselves in relation to the three languages, and the implications for the delivery of the programme and the learning outcomes of students

New herbal bitter liqueur with high antioxidant activity and lower sugar content: innovative approach to liqueurs formulations

Herbal liqueurs are spirits with numerous functional properties, due to the presence of bioactive extractable compounds deriving from herbs. The aim of this study was to obtain new herbal bitter liqueur (HBL) on the basis of twelve selected bitter and aromatic plants extracts, with an optimal sensory profile for consumer acceptance. Also, the determination of optimal sugar content in HBL was done. Furthermore, antioxidant (AO) capacity and total phenolic content (TPC) of HBL was evaluated and compared to similar commercial herbal spirits. Among five tested formulations, assessed by 9-point hedonic scale, HBL with the ratio of bitter and aromatic plants 1:4 was the most acceptable. Ideal concentration of sugar in HBL, determined using a just-about-right scale, was found to be 80.32 g/l of sucrose, which is approximately 20% less than the minimum stipulated by European Union Regulation and several times lower than in the majority of commercial liqueurs. Obtained result indicates the possibility of sugar reduction in liqueurs, and suggests the need to carry out sensory analysis before production of these high-calorie beverages. Radical scavenging ability against DPPH and ABTS radicals, as well as ferric reducing antioxidant power and TPC of HBL were convincingly superior in comparison to similar commercial herbal alcoholic beverages. High correlation coefficients between TPC and other assays applied strongly support the significant role of the polyphenols in the total AO capacity of the HBL and other tested commercial herbal spirits. Headspace GC/MS revealed that the most abundant terpenes were menthone (3.75%), eucalyptol (3.42%) and menthol (3.10%), whereas methanol was present in a small amount (4.97 mg/l)

Development of student teachers' beliefs about learning and teaching in the context of a one-year Postgraduate Certificate of Education programme in modern foreign languages

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:DXN030076 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

Professional development through action research: Impact on self-efficacy

This paper reports on a study that adopted a mixed method research design to explore the impact of action research on English language teacher candidates' self-efficacy beliefs in a 14-week course in which action research was utilised. The course was designed to help prospective teachers understand and improve their classroom practice and adopt an inquiry-based approach to learning and teaching while contributing to their knowledge base. The participants were given the opportunity and encouraged to take a more active role in their professional development. The study involved the use of self-efficacy scales, reflective journals and a course evaluation form to collect data about the participants' self-efficacy belief changes and learning experiences in the course. The results showed that the participants experienced growth in teaching efficacies, increased self-awareness, improved problem-solving skills and enhanced autonomous learning. These results show that action research is a valuable tool to develop pre-service English language teacher candidates' self-efficacy. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd.I would like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments and suggestions on an earlier draft of this paper. I also would like to thank all student teachers who willingly set aside their time to participate in the study. I am grateful to Dr. Sabahattin Cam (Cukurova University), Dr. Brian J. Richards (The University of Reading), and in particular, to Pier Roberts (Cukurova University) for their editorial review, invaluable comments and contributions. This research was funded by the Academic Research Project Unit of Cukurova University , Adana, Turkey

Teacher educator dilemmas: A concept to study pedagogy

To disclose the inner process of teacher educators' dealing with their different roles and their coping with conflicting demands, the study of dilemmas encountered in practice may offer a promising perspective. Building on previous research on teaching dilemmas, this study uses a comparative approach to disclose teacher educators' views on pedagogy. Qualitative interview data from within the Turkish context are contrasted with datasets from Israel and The Netherlands to gauge common notions on the pedagogy of teaching student teachers. The findings indicate shared dilemmas across contexts acting as key constraints to the teaching of teacher educators, which are mainly related to implementing pedagogy, while differences across contexts found mainly had to do with orientations and views on teaching. In this respect, the concept of dilemmas is a fruitful way of disclosing these constraints and perspectives. © 2011 Taylor & Francis.This research was financially supported by the Academic Research Project Unit of Cukurova University, Adana, Turkey

A comparison between the occurrence of pauses, repetitions and recasts under conditions of face-to-face and computer-mediated communication: A preliminary study

This study compares pauses, repetitions and recasts in matched task interactions under face-to-face and computer-mediated conditions. Six first-year English undergraduates at a Turkish University took part in Skypebased voice chat with a native speaker and face-to-face with their instructor. Preliminary quantitative analysis of transcripts showed that there were frequent instances of pauses, repetitions and recasts under both conditions. One-way variance analysis of the data demonstrated that the comparative frequency of pauses, repetitions and recasts did not differ statistically significantly under the two conditions. A semi-structured interview with the participants on perceived causes of such frequent elements suggested social and emotional reasons for hesitation, pauses, recasts and repetitions. These small-scale and preliminary findings suggest that further exploration of these modes of communication is merited, and that social and emotional factors may exert a common influence on the linguistic elements studied under both conditions. © The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology

Effect of terroir on the phenolic compounds of Muscat of Bornova Wines from 3 different sub-regions of Aegean, Turkey

Characterization of the phenolic compounds of wines from Muscat of Bornova, a native aromatic white grape variety (Vitis vinifera) grown in the Aegean region of Turkey and the influence of terroir (Menderes, Halilbeyli and Kemaliye sub- regions) on these compounds were investigated. From Muscat of Bornova growing sub regions, Menderes/İzmir has a typical Mediterranean climate at around 90 m altitude which is located Eagean cost area with a fertile sandy-loamy soil; Halilbeyli/İzmir sub-region is located in inner İzmir, close to Manisa with 115 m altitude with same soil structure of Menderes. Kemaliye/Manisa has a transition climate between Mediterranean and continental climate at about 245 m altitude. Its soil is pale with a distinct amount of lime (∼30%) and sandy-loamy, as well. High performance liquid chromatography-diode array dedector (HPLC-DAD) and mass spectrometry (MS) were used for the phenolic compounds analysis. Four flavanols, eight phenolic acids and a flavonol were identified and quantified. It was observed that the total phenolic content in the Halilbeyli sub-region was the highest, fol- lowed by the Menderes and Kemaliye sub-regions. Procyanidin B4 was the most abundant flavanol and quercetin-3-O-glucoside was the only flavonol identified in all regions’ wines. Sensory analysis was also used to investigate the influences of terroir. Statistically significant (0.05) regional differences were observed. Based upon sensory analysis, the wine obtained from Halilbeyli was darker in color, and had more astringency and bitterness than the others, and was the least popular wine. Kemaliye and Menderes were both preferred due to their better coloring, flavour, less astringency and bitterness attributes

Effect of terroir on the phenolic compounds of Muscat of Bornova Wines from 3 different sub-regions of Aegean, Turkey

38th World Congress of Vine and Wine -- JUL 05-10, 2015 -- Mainz, GERMANYWOS: 000359945200040Characterization of the phenolic compounds of wines from Muscat of Bornova, a native aromatic white grape variety (Vitis vinifera) grown in the Aegean region of Turkey and the influence of terroir (Menderes, Halilbeyli and Kemaliye sub-regions) on these compounds were investigated. From Muscat of Bornova growing sub regions, Menderes/Izmir has a typical Mediterranean climate at around 90 m altitude which is located Eagean cost area with a fertile sandy-loamy soil; Halilbeyli/Izmir sub-region is located in inner Izmir, close to Manisa with 115 m altitude with same soil structure of Menderes. Kemaliye/Manisa has a transition climate between Mediterranean and continental climate at about 245 m altitude. Its soil is pale with a distinct amount of lime (similar to 30%) and sandy-loamy, as well. High performance liquid chromatography-diode array dedector (HPLC-DAD) and mass spectrometry (MS) were used for the phenolic compounds analysis. Four flavanols, eight phenolic acids and a flavonol were identified and quantified. It was observed that the total phenolic content in the Halilbeyli sub-region was the highest, followed by the Menderes and Kemaliye sub-regions. Procyanidin B4 was the most abundant flavanol and quercetin-3-O-glucoside was the only flavonol identified in all regions' wines. Sensory analysis was also used to investigate the influences of terroir. Statistically significant (0.05) regional differences were observed. Based upon sensory analysis, the wine obtained from Halilbeyli was darker in color, and had more astringency and bitterness than the others, and was the least popular wine. Kemaliye and Menderes were both preferred due to their better coloring, flavour, less astringency and bitterness attributes