The Development of L2 Intuitions

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/90314/1/3586654.pd

Review

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/98179/1/j.1467-1770.1980.tb00334.x.pd

Diversity and not dilution: Enriching undergraduate science education through internationalizing the curriculum

More than any other time in the past, in part because of technology and in part because of ease of global travel, students are facing a world of diverse and rich cultures upon which there is superimposed a global culture. Internationalizing the curriculum involves maintaining this balance of the global with the local, rather than aiming for homogeneity. Indeed, many of our current pressing problems are global in nature and solving them will take concerted efforts across disciplines, and throughout the world. Our science students increasingly work in a world where multicultural teams and concerns are the norm, understanding of Others’ ways of viewing the world matters and has value. Yet are we doing everything we should to integrate cultural competencies or global awareness, understanding, and respect of otherness, both in terms of societal culture, but also in terms of the culture around science, into our undergraduate curricula? Do we have a responsibility to do so? Should we assume because science is objective, there is a universality to how it is done, so a common understanding exists? If we accept that this is not true at least on the more nuanced levels, then we must find ways to integrate global perspectives into our programs. In this presentation, we examine the concept of internationalizing the curriculum and consider possibilities for greater inclusivity within the classroom. We present a number of ways in which we have adapted our respective curricula to include diverse perspectives. Following our short presentation, participants are invited to explore possibilities in their own disciplinary settings through small group activity and discussion. We aim to have each participant leave with one change they can make to both the content and to the delivery of their course that would integrate global awareness and increase cultural competency

The effects of captioning videos used for foreign language listening activities

This study investigated the effects of captioning during video-based listening activities. Second- and fourth-year learners of Arabic, Chinese, Spanish, and Russian watched three short videos with and without captioning in randomized order. Spanish learners had two additional groups: one watched the videos twice with no captioning, and another watched them twice with captioning. After the second showing of the video, learners took comprehension and vocabulary tests based on the video. Twenty-six learners participated in interviews following the actual experiment. They were asked about their general reactions to the videos (captioned and noncaptioned). Results from t-tests and two-way ANOVAs indicated that captioning was more effective than no captioning. Captioning during the first showing of the videos was more effective for performance on aural vocabulary tests. For Spanish and Russian, captioning first was generally more effective than captioning second; while for Arabic and Chinese, there was a trend toward captioning second being more effective. The interview data revealed that learners used captions to increase their attention, improve processing, reinforce previous knowledge, and analyze language. Learners also reported using captions as a crutch

Conducting Research at Language Centers: Practical Perspectives from the Field

The focus in this article is on research in language centers. Four center directors provide examples of the place of research in language centers and focus on how teachers and researchers work together to facilitate large action research projects. The first section describes a survey of instructors in U.S.‐based intensive English programs (IEPs). The other sections then illustrate how research is encouraged and developed through clear frameworks, incentives, and the involvement of teaching faculty in research projects of different scales

How captions help people learn languages: A working-memory, eye-tracking study

Captions provide a useful aid to language learners for comprehending videos and learning new vocabulary, aligning with theories of multimedia learning. Multimedia learning predicts that a learner’s working memory (WM) influences the usefulness of captions. In this study, we present two eye-tracking experiments investigating the role of WM in captioned video viewing behavior and comprehension. In Experiment 1, Spanish-as-a-foreign-language learners differed in caption use according to their level of comprehension and to a lesser extent, their WM capacities. WM did not impact comprehension. In Experiment 2, English-as-a-second-language learners differed in comprehension according to their WM capacities. Those with high comprehension and high WM used captions less on a second viewing. These findings highlight the effects of potential individual differences and have implications for the integration of multimedia with captions in instructed language learning. We discuss how captions may help neutralize some of working memory’s limiting effects on learning

The proficiency profile of language students: Implications for programs

In this article we provide an overall picture of the level of language proficiency attained by undergraduate students learning six languages in postsecondary language programs. Specifically, we address the curricular and pedagogical implications of the proficiency assessments on the programs that emerged from this large-scale study, which took place over a three-year span at Michigan State University, the University of Utah, and the University of Minnesota. We collected speaking, reading, and listening proficiency test data from students enrolled at all levels of instruction in Arabic, Chinese, French, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. We present the results and divide them by students’ heritage status, the students’ number of years of kindergarten through twelfth grade learning of the target language, and the students’ postsecondary curricular level (first, second, third, or fourth) of instruction. We also investigate junior and senior upper-division students’ proficiency attainments by their language major or minor status. We build on issues and questions raised by Teschner in 1991 and the Modern Language Association in 2007

Australia and New Zealand applied linguistics (ANZAL): Taking stock

This paper reviews some emerging trends in applied linguistics in both Australia and New Zealand. It sketches the current scene of (selected) postgraduate applied linguistics programs in higher education and considers how various university programs define applied linguistics through the classes (titles) they have postgraduate students complete to be awarded a degree. Evidence of program requirements and topics reveal not only what applied linguistics generally entails, but offers insights into how applied linguistics is defined and practiced. Additionally, some of the salient research topics (titles) being published in the journals from the two countries' applied linguistics associations are sketched

Notes for a Political Ecology of Non-Sedentary People

The research group Political Ecology of Non-Sedentary Communities encompasses three research projects examining archaeological remains from various time periods in the Nile Delta, the foothills of the Kopet Dag and in the steppe region of western Eurasia; a fourth project in the group consists of climate and ecological modeling for Europe over the past 6000 years. The researchers in this group are investigating processes and dynamics which played out in different geographic spaces and different chronological periods between 9000 and 300 BCE. We propose a triad of three terms, Umgebung, Umwelt, and Mitwelt to serve as a conceptual basis for all of these projects, which vary greatly in terms of the chronological period, location and the way of life of the populations under study, as well as with respect to the archaeological database. The projects can be described on the basis of evidence of multifaceted practical actions. These actions on the part of the populations under study, revealed only fragmentarily in the archaeological record, are being investigated using the research strategies presented here. The strategies have been developed from the discussion on political ecology associated with discourses in the social sciences and humanities

Exploring engagement in tasks in the language classroom

This article explores how learners engage in tasks in the context of language classrooms. We describe engagement as a multidimensional construct that includes cognitive, behavioral, social, and emotional dimensions of engagement among second and foreign language learners in the classroom. We discuss key concepts and indicators of engagement in current research on task-based interaction and outline some of the issues in researching engagement in this context