Authenticity in the Context of Technologically Enriched ESP

Purpose—to determine student attitudes towards authenticity and the interrelation between authenticity and the use of ICT in the ESP learning context.Design/methodology/approach—the research conducted in autumn 2011 was aimed at comparative analysis of students of two study modes—full-time and part-time. It followed research focusing on Bachelor study programme student attitudes (Business Informatics and Finance Economics) to authentic resources carried out in spring of 2010. The survey participants were Bachelor study cycle first year students from several faculties of MRU (Law, Politics and Management, Economics and Finance Management, Social Informatics, Social Policy). The paper discusses the ESP learning experience at Mykolas Romeris University and presents research findings obtained through the questionnaire survey.Findings—comparative analysis between full-time and part-time study mode student responses reveals similar learning patterns; however, certain differences can also be observed. The full-time students are motivated by more advanced authentic learning materials and they are more computer literate and able to access these materials, whereas the respondents from the part-time study mode appreciate more traditional Internet-based language learning tools.Research limitations/implications—the research sample was composed of first year Bachelor study programme students, therefore the results cannot be generalised and applied to Master level students.Practical implications—awareness of student needs and problems encountered in authentic learning environment may help improve ESP teaching methods.Originality/Value—gaining insight into student perception of authenticity in learning process and technological proficiency to access authentic resourcesKeywords: authenticity, student autonomy, ESP context, information communication technologies (ICT).Research type: research paper

ERASMUS Students Experiences in Linguistic Diversity and Multicultural Communication

The promotion of students’ mobility in the EU has had a huge impact in recent years in Lithuania, which has now become one of the countries with more students going abroad on an ERASMUS programme. Apart from being a means of studies and communication, languages offer access to cultural knowledge, diverse social and cultural identities and also contribute to cross-cultural communication both within Europe and with the rest of the world. The experiences gained while studying and living in another country give students a better sense of what it means to be a European citizen. The paper presents an analysis of the survey findings into MRU Erasmus Exchange students’ (20 respondents) reflections and communication experience through different languages in multicultural environment in host countries. The survey focuses both on students’ benefits and challenges they have encountered while applying their knowledge and language skills in the study process and everyday communication

Metakognityvinių strategijų taikymas skaitant elektroninius išteklius universitetinių užsienio kalbos studijų kontekste

Purpose – this research is aimed to identify the metacognitive online reading strategies employed by MRU students and assess the interrelation between online reading strategies and metacognitive awareness. Design/methodology/approach – the authors present and evaluate the findings obtained by using Online Survey of Reading Strategies (OSORS), the survey, which helped to identify MRU students’ metacognitive online reading strategies in a foreign language learning context. The methods applied in the research were the following ones: literature review and descriptive analysis of the obtained quantitative data. The quantitative research and descriptive analysis of the data received from the survey was applied. The target group of the study conducted at MRU consisted of 89 full-time students having different online reading experience. The sample was composed of students from five Bachelor study programmes studying in the academic year of 2012-2013. The instrument of the research (OSORS) was composed of 38 items. Findings – the findings obtained through the survey revealed that readers work directly with the text to solve problems while reading online. However, a low score on any of the subscales of the inventory (i.e. Support strategies use) indicates that there may be strategies in these parts that students might want to learn about and consider using them when reading online. By focusing students’ attention on the metacognitive reading strategies identified in the OSORS language, teachers could help students improve their online reading ability. Teachers should include strategy awareness as training component in their students’ online learning tasks. Research limitations/implications – the research sample is rather limited (89 participants).Practical implications – seeking to develop students’ online reading capacity, it is valuable for teachers to discover students’ preferences for online reading strategies and identify encountered problems before focussing on the online reading issues, in which MRU students need the most help. Originality/value – the findings in relation to the usage of metacognitive online reading strategies employed by MRU language learners imply that reading comprehension is not only a matter of language proficiency, but, in part, a matter of metacognitive reading online strategies

Europos dimensija ir daugiakalbis funkcionavimas aukštajame moksle : Erasmus studentų patirtis

Šio straipsnio autorių tikslas yra ištirti MRU Erasmus mainų programos studentų (20 respondentų) užsienio kalbos įsivertinimą ir jų požiūrį į profesinės užsienio kalbos kompetencijos lygį studijuoti užsienio universitetuose, gebėjimus suprasti ir atlikti užduotis žodžiu ir raštu, priimančios šalies studijų privalumus ir išbandymus, bendravimo su kitais mainų programos studentais ypatumus. Respondentai apklausti elektroniniu būdu, tyrimo duomenys nagrinėti taikant kokybinį tyrimo metodą. Tyrimo rezultatai atspindi Erasmus mobilumo programos naudą bendrinės ir profesinės užsienio kalbos žinių tobulinimui ir mokytis naujų kalbų. Kelių kalbų žinojimas ir kalbų mokėjimo įgūdžiai sąlygoja profesinių žinių lygį, geresnius įvertinimus studijų procese, padeda susipažinti su įvairiomis kultūromis ir pasisemti svarbios gyvenimiškos patirties. Gauti rezultatai išryškino problemas, su kuriomis studentai susiduria mokydamiesi užsienyje: nepakankama kalbos kompetencija; studijuojamo dalyko sudėtingumas; studijų reikalavimai ir taisyklės; nepažįstama ir nauja aplinka, taip pat nepakankamas technologijų naudojimas studijų procese. Tyrimo rezultatai pagrindžia profesinės užsienio kalbos svarbą, kaip studentų mobilumo pagrindą, siekiant profesinių žinių ir įgūdžių mokymosi proceseWe live in a global society where education goes beyond the boundaries of one educational institution or even one country. In the European Union (EU) context, mobility of university students and their multilingual competence have always been a major concern and are at the heart of the EU policy towards the integration of its country members. Today we have to assume that multilingualism has become students' mobility and employability increasing factor. Seeing that, communication in several languages is an urgent need for young people who search for new learning or work experiences. Students from different nationalities or cultures come together to study in teams bringing with them different levels of language skills as well as expectations and beliefs of how they should be taught together. In other words, they contribute to the whole with their own cultural and linguistic input. The promotion of students' mobility in the EU has also had a huge impact in recent years in Lithuania, which has now become one of the countries with more students going abroad on an Erasmus programme. The conducted research focuses on Erasmus Exchange Students' self-evaluation of their language competence and reflections about the challenges they have encountered while applying their knowledge and skills in study process. For collection of data the qualitative research method was applied. The instrument was an interview composed of 10 open-ended questions. The paper also addresses a very important issue of interrelation between students' language competence and their educational aim

Autentiškumas technologijomis praturtintame profesinės anglų kalbos studijų kontekste

Purpose – to determine student attitudes towards authenticity and the interrelation between authenticity and the use of ICT in the ESP learning context. Design/methodology/approach – the research conducted in autumn 2011 was aimed at comparative analysis of students of two study modes – full-time and part-time. It followed research focusing on Bachelor study programme student attitudes (Business Informatics and Finance Economics) to authentic resources carried out in spring of 2010. The survey participants were Bachelor study cycle first year students from several faculties of MRU (Law, Politics and Management, Economics and Finance Management, Social Informatics, Social Policy). The paper discusses the ESP learning experience at Mykolas Romeris University and presents research findings obtained through the questionnaire survey. Findings – comparative analysis between full-time and part-time study mode student responses reveals similar learning patterns; however, certain differences can also be observed.The full-time students are motivated by more advanced authentic learning materials and they are more computer literate and able to access these materials, whereas the respondents from the part-time study mode appreciate more traditional Internet-based language learning tools. Research limitations/implications – the research sample was composed of first year Bachelor study programme students, therefore the results cannot be generalised and applied to Master level students. Practical implications – awareness of student needs and problems encountered in authentic learning environment may help improve ESP teaching methods. Originality/Value – gaining insight into student perception of authenticity in learning process and technological proficiency to access authentic resources

Erasmus studentų patirtis kalbų įvairovės ir tarpkultūrinės komunikacijos aspektu

Article presents the results of a survey carried out by teachers of the Department of Foreign Languages of the Institute of Humanities at Mykolas Romeris University. The paper continues an analysis of the Erasmus exchange programme students’ cultural and language experience at universities in host countries. The first part of the research is presented in an article by Užpalienė and Vaičiūnienė (2012). The instrument of the conducted research was an interview composed of 20 open-ended questions delivered and collected online. For the analysis of the data, a qualitative research method (descriptive analysis) was applied. The target group of respondents were 20 Erasmus Exchange students of different Bachelor study programmes at MRU who studied in 13 exchange countries in 2010/2011. The study participants were coded by letters, therefore their names are not revealed in the paper. The aim of the paper is to present the results of a survey of 2010/11 Erasmus Exchange students’ experiences to study and live in multilingual and culturally diverse environment, on the basis of which to identify the languages of mobility, challenges and problems encountered during their studies in host countries due to the lack of language proficiency, subject requirements, unfamiliar or new environment, etc.The results of the survey imply that the European universities taking part in ERASMUS programmes are a good example of how the co-operation of higher education institutions of the EU Member States can benefit students in their professional studies. Multilingualism, skills of languages for specific purposes acquired at MRU lead to a higher level of professional competence, better assessments in study subjects, also help to learn about different cultures, enrich them personally, which influence students’ attitude to life and studies, improve cross-cultural understanding both in Europe and in the rest in the world. The obtained findings also suggest the demand and use of different languages both in study process and everyday communication which are closely related and complementary. In addition, the study shows that English was and is considered a global lingua franca

Metakognityvinių strategijų taikymas skaitant elektroninius išteklius universitenių užsienio kalbos studijų kontekste

Purpose – this research is aimed to identify the metacognitive online reading strategies employed by MRU students and assess the interrelation between online reading strategies and metacognitive awareness. Design/methodology/approach – the authors present and evaluate the findings obtained by using Online Survey of Reading Strategies (OSORS), the survey, which helped to identify MRU students’ metacognitive online reading strategies in a foreign language learning context. The methods applied in the research were the following ones: literature review and descriptive analysis of the obtained quantitative data. The quantitative research and descriptive analysis of the data received from the survey was applied. The target group of the study conducted at MRU consisted of 89 full-time students having different online reading experience. The sample was composed of students from five Bachelor study programmes studying in the academic year of 2012-2013. The instrument of the research (OSORS) was composed of 38 items. Findings – the findings obtained through the survey revealed that readers work directly with the text to solve problems while reading online. However, a low score on any of the subscales of the inventory (i.e. Support strategies use) indicates that there may be strategies in these parts that students might want to learn about and consider using them when reading online. By focusing students’ attention on the metacognitive reading strategies identified in the OSORS language, teachers could help students improve their online reading ability. Teachers should include strategy awareness as training component in their students’ online learning tasks. Research limitations/implications – the research sample is rather limited (89 participants). Practical implications – seeking to develop students’ online reading capacity, it is valuable for teachers to discover students’ preferences for online reading strategies and identify encountered problems before focussing on the online reading issues, in which MRU students need the most help. Originality/value – the findings in relation to the usage of metacognitive online reading strategies employed by MRU language learners imply that reading comprehension is not only a matter of language proficiency, but, in part, a matter of metacognitive reading online strategies.Straipsnyje analizuojami studentų strategijų pasirinkimo ir taikymo, skaitant internetinius šaltinius, tyrimo, taikant OSORS instrumentarijų, rezultatai. Gautų duomenų pagrindu buvo įvertintas studentų naudojamos strategijos ir metakognityvinio žinojimo ryšys elektroninių šaltinių skaitymo procese. Tyrimo duomenys analizuoti, taikant literatūros apžvalgos bei kiekybinį ir aprašomosios analizės tyrimo metodus. Tikslinę grupę sudarė 2012‒2013 metų 89 įvairių bakalauro studijų programų MRU studentai, taikantys įvairius skaitymo internete strategijas ir įgūdžius. Tyrimui taikyta OSORS anketa (Mokhtari ir Sheorey, 2002; Anderson, 2003), sudaryta iš 38 klausimų (Bendrosios strategijos – 18 klausimų, Problemų-sprendimo strategijos – 11 klausimų, Paramos strategijos ‒ 9 klausimai). Tyrimo duomenų analizei taikyta Mokhtari ir Reichard (2002) vertinimo skalių sistema, kuri rėmėsi penkių balų Likerto skale. Prieš atkreipiant dėmesį į problemas, su kuriomis susiduria studentai, skaitydami originalius straipsnius internete, naršydami internetinius puslapius ir t. t., užsienio kalbų dėstytojams yra tikslinga išsiaiškinti, kokias strategijas ir kokiu dažniu studentai naudoja skaitydami internete. Įvertinus MRU studentų pateiktus duomenis, buvo nustatyta, kad skaitymo internete pasiekimai priklauso ne vien nuo užsienio kalbos žinių ir gebėjimų, bet iš dalies ir nuo teisingai pasirenkamų bei taikomų metakognityvinių strategijų ir taktikų. Įvertinus, kokioms strategijoms studentai teikia prioritetus ir gavus trijų strategijų subskalių vidurkius, buvo nustatyta, kurios strategijos yra svarbiausios ir dažniausiai studentų taikomos skaitymo internete procese. Rezultatų analizė atskleidė, kad studentų mėgstamiausios skaitymo procese yra problemų sprendimo strategijos. Taip pat didžiausias studentų skaičius (46) nurodė, kad dažniausiai jie renkasi ir taiko būtent šias, problemų sprendimo strategijas, t. y. tiesiogiai dirba su tekstu ir sprendžia internetinių šaltinių skaitymo problemas, reguliuodami skaitymo greitį, skaitydami tekstą keletą kartų, atspėdami nežinomų žodžių prasmę, skaitydami garsiai, vizualizuodami informaciją ir t. t. Pagal strategijų naudojimo dažnį ir joms teikiamą svarbą nustatyta, kad studentai nelabai mėgsta ir retai naudoja paramos ir bendrąsias strategijas. Apibendrinant tyrimo rezultatus, galima teigti, jog, siekiant skaitymo efektyvumo ir spartesnio teksto suvokimo, užsienio kalbų dėstytojai turėtų supažindinti studentus su būtinybe naudoti įvairių tipų strategijas. Dėstytojų patirtis, mokymai ir pagalba pratybų metu gali padėti studentams tobulinti strategijų pasirinkimo ir taikymo įgūdžius. Studentai, valdantys metakognityvines strategijas internetinių šaltinių skaitymo procese, paprastai pasiekia geresnius studijų rezultatus

Antibiotic resistance of Streptococcus pneumoniae, isolated from nasopharynx of preschool children with acute respiratory tract infection in Lithuania

Background: Increasing pneumococcal resistance to commonly used antibiotics and multidrug resistance is a serious public health concern. Data on distribution of resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae (SPn) strains among children in Lithuania are limited. We evaluated the circulation of SPn serotypes and antimicrobial susceptibility among preschool children in Lithuania before the introduction of universal infant pneumococcal vaccination. Methods: A prospective study was carried out from February 2012 to March 2013 in five cities of Lithuania. A total of 900 children under six years of age who presented to primary care centre or a hospital emergency department with acute respiratory tract infection were enrolled in the study. Nasopharyngeal swabs were obtained and cultured for SPn. Positive samples (n = 367) were serotyped and tested for antimicrobial susceptibility. Associations of pneumococcal non-susceptibility with study site, season, age, sex, attendance of day care centre and treatment with antimicrobials (between one and six months prior the study) were evaluated. Results: About a half (56.7 %) of SPn strains were susceptible to all the antibiotics tested. Pneumococcal non-susceptibility to penicillin, erythromycin, clindamycin and trimethoprim–sulphamethoxazole was 15.8, 21.3, 16.9 and 27.3 %, respectively. None of the tested isolates was resistant to norfloxacin or vancomycin. We found a geographical variation of pneumococcal resistance within the cities of the country. Age, sex, the attendance of day care centre and treatment with antimicrobials prior the study was not significantly associated with a carriage of non-susceptible SPn strains. Among non-susceptible SPn serotypes 67.9 %–82.4 % were present in currently available pneumococcal conjugate vaccines. Conclusions: The rates of nasopharyngeal SPn susceptibility to penicillin and macrolides are still high among preschool children in Lithuania, however they are lower compared with previous studies. A strict policy with respect to antibiotic prescription together with widespread use of vaccination could potentially reduce the carriage rate of antibiotic-resistant pneumococci in our country

The influence of Streptococcus pneumoniae nasopharyngeal colonization on the clinical outcome of the respiratory tract infections in preschool children

Background: Streptococcus pneumoniae (SPn) is an important pathogen causing a variety of clinical manifestations. The effects of SPn nasopharyngeal colonization on respiratory tract infections are poorly studied. We evaluated the association of SPn colonization with features of respiratory tract infections. Methods: Children under the age of 6 years who visited a primary care physician because of respiratory tract infections were enrolled in the study. History was taken, children were clinically assessed by the physician, and nasopharyngeal swabs were obtained and cultured for SPn. Positive samples were serotyped. Associations of SPn colonization with clinical signs and symptoms, recovery duration, absence from day care centre, frequencies of specific diagnoses, and treatment with antimicrobials were evaluated. Results: In total 900 children were enrolled. The prevalence of SPn colonization was 40.8 % (n = 367). There were minor differences between male and female subjects (199 of 492, 40.4 % vs 168 of 408, 41.2 %, p = 0.825). Children with and without siblings had similar colonization rates (145 of 334, 43.4 % vs 219 of 562, 39.0 %, p = 0.187). Clinical signs and symptoms were not associated with SPn colonization. Children colonized with SPn had longer recovery duration compared to non-colonized children (114 of 367, 31.1 % vs 98 of 533, 18.4 %, p < 0.001) and were longer absent from day care (270 of 608, 44.4 % vs 94 of 284, 33.1 %, p = 0.001). Pneumonia, sinusitis, and acute otitis media were more frequently diagnosed in children colonized with SPn. Children attending day care centres had significantly higher prevalence of SPn colonization (270 of 367, 44.4 % vs 338 of 533, 33.1 %, p = 0.001). Children with pneumonia, sinusitis and acute otitis media were more frequently treated with antimicrobials than children with other diagnoses. Conclusions: SPn nasopharyngeal colonization has a negative impact on the course of respiratory tract infection, likely because of SPn being the cause of the disease or a complicating factor. It is also associated with and may be responsible for higher frequencies of bronchitis, pneumonia, acute otitis media, sinusitis and the need of antimicrobial treatment