Second Language Learning with the Story Maze Task: Examining the Training Effect of Weaving Through Stories

The maze task is a psycholinguistic experimental procedure that measures real-time incremental sentence processing. The task has recently been tested as a language learning tool with promising results. Therefore, the present study examines the merits of a contextualized version of this task: the story maze. The findings are consistent with previous research results (Enkin & Forster, 2014), and highlight the merits of using the contextualized maze version for language (Spanish) learning. Specifically, a story maze training-test paradigm revealed that learners trained on structures differing from their native language (English) showed little difference in reaction times between similar-to-English and different-from-English structures as compared to learners who were trained on structures similar to English, thus showing that the story maze task may help students learn constructions that may pose processing difficulty. Quantitative and qualitative survey data further showed that learners found the task highly engaging, thereby emphasizing its promising usefulness. Résumé La tâche des labyrinthes est une procédure expérimentale en psycholinguistique qui mesure en temps réel la compréhension croissante de phrases. La tâche a récemment été testée comme outil d’apprentissage d’une langue seconde et offre des résultats prometteurs. Par conséquent, la présente étude examine les mérites d’une version contextualisée de cette tâche : le labyrinthe d’histoires. Les résultats sont compatibles avec les conclusions d’une étude antérieure (Enkin et Forster, 2014) et mettent en lumière les mérites de l’utilisation de la version contextualisée des labyrinthes pour l’apprentissage d’une langue étrangère (l’espagnol). Spécifiquement, un paradigme de test formation de labyrinthe d’histoires a révélé que les apprenants formés à des structures différentes de leur langue maternelle (l’anglais) ont montré peu de différence en temps de réaction entre des structures similaires à l’anglais ou différentes de l’anglais, comparé à des apprenants formés à des structures similaires à l’anglais. Ces résultats montrent ainsi que la tâche des labyrinthes d’histoires peut aider les étudiants à apprendre des constructions posant des difficultés de compréhension. Par ailleurs, des résultats de recherche quantitative et qualitative ont montré que les apprenants trouvaient cette tâche très captivante, soulignant ainsi son utilité prometteuse

The Ecopopulism Movement of the Samin Community against Cement Companies in The Kendeng Mountains

The focus of this study is on the movement of the Samin group (indigenous people) in Bombong Hamlet, Sukolilo, Pati, Central Java, who are able to mobilize the masses, especially Kendeng farmers to oppose the establishment of a cement factory in the Kendeng mountainous area, because if a cement factory is established. will damage the environment which also has an impact on the local economy, especially the disruption of the profession of farmers due to loss of agricultural land and damage to springs that have supported them for their daily needs and to fertilize agriculture and feed and drink livestock. The theory and paradigm used in the discussion this time is to use the concept of ecopopulism, which is a social movement that focuses more on environmental sustainability because in it there is local livelihood which has been the mainstay of society, one of which is agriculture. so that this movement seeks to maintain the position of natural resources in the hands of local communities. The research method used was observation and in-depth interviews with Samin Bombong community leaders and there were also elements from Kendeng farmers. The results showed that there were three things that became the main focus of the birth of the ecopopulism movement, namely environmental, economic and legal factors. These three things form a movement ideology, namely ecopopulism, which has been able to attract many masses, especially Kendeng farmers, which eventually formed a movement organization, has a wide network, and resistance is open. Fokus penelitian ini adalah pada gerakan komunitas Samin di Dusun Bombong, Pati, Jawa Tengah, yang mampu melakukan mobilisasi massa, terutama petani Kendeng untuk melawan pendirian pabrik semen di area pegunungan Kendeng, hal tersebut karena adanya kekhawatiran jika pendirian pabrik semen terlaksana maka akan merusak lingkungan yang berimbas pula pada perekonomian lokal, khususnya terganggunya profesi petani. Teori yang digunakan dalam pembahasan kali ini adalah menggunakan konsep ekopopulisme, yaitu sebuah gerakan sosial yang lebih menitik beratkan kepada kelestarian lingkungan karena di dalamnya terdapat penghidupan lokal yang selama ini menjadi andalan masyarakat, salah satunya pertanian, sehingga gerakan ini berupaya mempertahankan kedudukan sumber daya alam tetap berada di tangan masyarakat lokal. Metode penelitian yang digunakan adalah etnografi. Hasil penelitian menunjukan bahwa Ada tiga hal yang menjadi sorotan utama lahirnya gerakan ekopopulisme, yaitu faktor lingkungan, ekonomi dan hukum. Ketiga hal inilah yang membentuk sebuah ideologi gerakan yaitu ekopopulisme, yang telah mampu menarik banyak massa terutama petani Kendeng yang pada akhirnya terbentuklah organisasi gerakan, memiliki jejaring yang luas, dan perlawananpun terbuka

The Maze Task: Training Methods for Second Language Learning

The maze task was created for psycholinguistic experimental testing (Forster et al., 2009). However, this paper explores the merits of this task as a language training program for beginning Spanish learners. The attributes of providing ample comprehensible input and immediate corrective feedback allow the maze task to be considered as a potential supplemental pedagogical tool. Moreover, transfer effects to implicit and explicit measures as well as students’ perception of such a task are examined. The maze task is a psycholinguistic technique used in experimental testing that records reaction times as subjects read (and comprehend) sentences. The task asks subjects to “weave” their way through a sentence word by word by choosing the correct grammatical alternative from two choices (Forster, Guerrera, & Elliot, 2009). The current study’s main question asks if the maze task can be applied to a teaching program. In other words, could training on particular sentence types using the maze task help late L2 learners to better their foreign language performance? If the maze task does in fact yield training effects and learning benefits, is it a task that is enjoyable for students, and why? Thus, it is the intention of this paper to provide a psycholinguistic framework from which to draw pedagogical implications. The foundation for this paper rests on the implicit and explicit learning dichotomy and explores the merits of integrating both types of instruction within a late L2 learning curriculum. Explicit learning is associated with selectivity, which presupposes a deductive, concept-driven mode of learning; on the other hand, implicit learning is associated with unselectivity and assumes an inductive, data-driven mode of learning (Gasparini, 2004; N. Ellis, 1994). One of the main questions in second language learning is what type of instruction is best for L2 acquisition. Implicit learning is the retrieval and use of memories that have been formed without conscious awareness, whereas grammar rules and guided instruction are illustrative of explicit learning. Similarly, implicit knowledge is the intuitive understanding of the manner in which a language works; whereas explicit knowledge is conscious awareness of the grammatical rules of a language (R. Ellis, 2009a). Within the constructs of both connectionist and generative accounts of linguistic competence, there is general agreement that linguistic knowledge is primarily comprised of intuitive and tacit knowledge (N. Ellis, 2005; R. Ellis, 1993). It may be the case, however, that adult L2 learners necessitate explicit knowledge due to the role of the L1 and its transfer effects (DeKeyser & Juffs, 2005; R. Ellis, 1993). The question then becomes what is the best mixture of implicit and explicit learning for late learners in order to build the implicit knowledge base

KONSEP VOLUNTARISME DALAM GERAKAN SAMIN TOLAK PABRIK SEMEN: (The Concept of Voluntarism in The Samin Movement Rejects The Cement Factory)

The Kendeng Mountains, which are rich of limestone, clay, spring and other varying mining sources, are a strategic choice for establishing a cement factory. The plan to establish a cement factory was supported by government but was opposed by the Samin community along with Kendeng farmers. This study aims to discuss the resistance of the Samin (Sedulur Sikep) indigenous people to extractive companies. To discuss this article, we need a theory that can be used to analyze how these volunteers grow and work. This theory is Parsons’ volunteer Action theory. Meanwhile, the research method used was an ethnographic approach. The results showed that the strength gained by the Samin community is the awareness of striving to uphold the maturity of its members through the spirit of a volunteer. This voluntary spirit is developed by cultivating farmer solidarity. Some actors have good rhetorical abilities so that the JMPPK is established to move with an active and open line of resistance

Perception and Production of Phonetic Stress in Spanish: An Investigation of Native Speakers and Non-native Learners

In recent years, foreign language studies have become an area of great interest, given that students must be prepared to take on a career in a globalized world. Consequently, there is a growing incentive to learn a second language, and especially Spanish given that it is the most-studied foreign language in the United States. Language courses designed for majors and minors generally center on the analysis and discussion of sounds, morphological processes and grammatical constructions. However, little is known about the nature of specific difficulties that may arise for native speakers of English when they interpret spoken speech in Spanish. Both native speakers of Spanish and non-native learners of Spanish were recruited at UNL to participate in a stress perception study to investigate these difficulties. Results show that learners and native speakers of Spanish differ in their ability to perceive stress patterns in non-words, with native speakers being better than learners in all categories. Syllabic structures do affect non-native learners’ ability to perceive stress, as has been shown with the penultimate stress placement. Possible explanations include syllable length, pitch differences, and comparisons to English syllabic structure. Additional research can explore these possible explanations

Perception and Production of Phonetic Stress in Spanish: An Investigation of Native Speakers and Non-native Learners

In recent years, foreign language studies have become an area of great interest, given that students must be prepared to take on a career in a globalized world. Consequently, there is a growing incentive to learn a second language, and especially Spanish given that it is the most-studied foreign language in the United States. Language courses designed for majors and minors generally center on the analysis and discussion of sounds, morphological processes and grammatical constructions. However, little is known about the nature of specific difficulties that may arise for native speakers of English when they interpret spoken speech in Spanish. Both native speakers of Spanish and non-native learners of Spanish were recruited at UNL to participate in a stress perception study to investigate these difficulties. Results show that learners and native speakers of Spanish differ in their ability to perceive stress patterns in non-words, with native speakers being better than learners in all categories. Syllabic structures do affect non-native learners’ ability to perceive stress, as has been shown with the penultimate stress placement. Possible explanations include syllable length, pitch differences, and comparisons to English syllabic structure. Additional research can explore these possible explanations

The Power of a Leader in the Samin People’s Opposition Movement to the Development of a Cement Factory in the North Kendeng Mountains

This paper explores the role of a leader in the Samin people’s opposition movement to the construction of a cement factory in the Kendeng Mountains, Java, Indonesia, using Agency Theory. Using Agency Theory can readily explain why the Samin people, who undertook passive opposition to state hegemony, were later able to undertake active and open opposition. Agency became an important factor enabling the Samin people to mount an opposition that was active, open and organized. This agency is about the person of Gunretno. Data were collected using the interview and participation‒observation methods. Interviews were conducted regarding a leader who acted as an agent for opposition actions, and with informants drawn from Samin residential circles and stakeholders who supported the Samin people’s opposition movement. The results revealed that agency is a major contributor to interpreting an opposition movement’s ideological formulation, development of networks, stakeholder support, opposition movement actions of advocacy, and peaceful demonstrations. The Samin people’s opposition actions enhanced their credibility, thus contributing to their movement’s victories through the courts. These findings contribute to social movement theory, particularly in relation to farmers’ movements and traditional communities