Investigating L2 learners’ writing self-efficacy as a complex dynamic system

There has been a growing interest in SLA in studying second language (L2) writing development and change from a complex perspective, taking into consideration the full combination of learning processes, learners and contexts of learning. Thus, the research reported here applies a Dynamic Systems Theory (DST) approach to investigate L2 writers’ sense of self-efficacy. Although self-efficacy is usually viewed as task-specific, and therefore measured in relation to specific situations, such an approach tends to lead to the production of cross-sectional research looking at one time and one context only. This study moves instead to consider L2 writing self-efficacy as a complex dynamic system that evolves in response to the environment as well as internal re-organisation. Changes in L2 learners’ writing self-efficacy were traced over a six-week period through the use of writing self-efficacy questionnaires and introspective journals. Results suggest that L2 writing self-efficacy is best perceived as a dynamic, rather than a fixed, construct, and as complex rather than one-dimensional. Students’ perception of their abilities to write is changeable, decentralised, open to influences from the environment and from other external factors, displays non-linear development and tends to settle down in attractor states

Hollowing out national agreements in the NHS? The case of "Improving Working Lives" under a "Turnaround" plan

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to consider the resilience of a national-level initiative (Improving Working Lives (IWL)) in the face of local-level initiative (Turnaround) in an NHS hospital and compare to Bach and Kessler’s (2012) model of public service employment relations. Design/methodology/approach: Case study research consisting of 23 in-depth semi-structured interviews from a range of participants. Findings: The principles behind IWL were almost entirely sacrificed in order to meet the financial objectives of Turnaround. This indicates the primacy of localised upstream performance management initiatives over the national-level downstream employee relations initiatives that form the basis of the NHS’ claim to model employer aspiration. Research limitations/implications: The case study was conducted between 2007 and 2009. While the case study falls under previous government regime, the dualised system of national-level agreements combined with localised performance management – and the continued existence of both Turnaround and IWL – makes the results relevant at the time of writing. Originality/value: Some studies (e.g. Skinner et al., 2004) indicated a perception that IWL was not trusted by NHS staff. The present study offers reasons as to why this may be the case

Tackling concentrated worklessness: integrating governance and policy across and within spatial scales

Spatial concentrations of worklessness remained a key characteristic of labour markets in advanced industrial economies, even during the period of decline in aggregate levels of unemployment and economic inactivity evident from the late 1990s to the economic downturn in 2008. The failure of certain localities to benefit from wider improvements in regional and national labour markets points to a lack of effectiveness in adopted policy approaches, not least in relation to the governance arrangements and policy delivery mechanisms that seek to integrate residents of deprived areas into wider local labour markets. Through analysis of practice in the British context, we explore the difficulties of integrating economic and social policy agendas within and across spatial scales to tackle problems of concentrated worklessness. We present analysis of a number of selected case studies aimed at reducing localised worklessness and identify the possibilities and constraints for effective action given existing governance arrangements and policy priorities to promote economic competitiveness and inclusion

Emerging themes: (D4.1) UK

Quality is an innovative, quantitative and qualitative research project that aims to examine how, in an era of major change, European citizens living in different national welfare state regimes evaluate the quality of their lives. The project will analyse international comparative data on the social well-being of citizens and collect new data on social quality in European workplaces in eight strategically selected partner countries: UK, Finland, Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Hungary and a candidate country for EU enlargement, Bulgaria

A new Tolman test of a cosmic distance duality relation at 21 cm

Under certain general conditions in an expanding universe, the luminosity distance (d_L) and angular diameter distance (d_A) are connected by the Etherington relation as d_L = d_A (1 + z)^2. The Tolman test suggests the use of objects of known surface brightness, to test this relation. In this letter, we propose the use of redshifted 21 cm signal from disk galaxies, where neutral hydrogen (HI) masses are seen to be almost linearly correlated with surface area, to conduct a new Tolman test. We construct simulated catalogs of galaxies, with the observed size-luminosity relation and realistic redshift evolution of HI mass functions, likely to be detected with the planned Square Kilometer Array (SKA). We demonstrate that these observations may soon provide the best implementation of the Tolman test to detect any violation of the Etherington relation.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, 1 table, v2: published versio

Innovation in the assessment of English for academic purposes

This project aims to develop an improved tool for the testing of academic writing skills of international students for use within the School of Languages English for academic Purposes programmes and beyond. At present, a lack of harmonisation of testing procedures on non-credit-bearing programmes within the School means that test results are difficult to compare and evaluate. Additionally, work within the EAP (English for Academic Purposes) and Writing Assessment communities has suggested that there is a need for a better fit between assessment procedures currently employed in many HEIs and the academic writing process (Hamp-Lyons 1991; Cushing Wiegle 2002). The project seeks to address these issues through the development and validation of more processed-based approaches to writing assessment (Cho 2003) to be used within the pre-sessional English for Academic Purposes programme. The experience gained in test development and evaluation will lead to the creation of a useful model for assessment development for other non-credit-bearing programmes within the School. Further benefits of the project are expected to include enhancement of student learning through greater understanding of their progress; a fuller diagnosis for teachers of student writing abilities; and clearer information to academic subject departments about their new students’ writing skills