Good Language Teachers: Divergent Perspectives between University Language Teachers and Learners

Teachers assume several key roles in the language classroom: as educators transmitting knowledge, as facilitators assisting students with their learning, and as motivators inspiring students to achieve their language goals, to name a few. As any one teacher is unlikely to possess the full range of characteristics suggested in the literature, it seems important to explore what individual class groups of learners believe are the characteristics most beneficial to their language learning. In addition, how about these language learning group teachers’ perspectives? Do language learners and their teachers hold similar views? Are there any discrepancies in their viewpoints? If so, would these discrepancies affect learning effectiveness? These are some questions this research project aims to answer.9 language teachers and their class groups (a total of 10 groups, 287 students) from a language university in southern Taiwan participated in this study. Questionnaire results from student questionnaire were collated with data from their language teachers to discover points of agreement and divergence. The result shows that both language learners and their teachers believe in the importance of good command of L2. However, language learners care more about their relationship with the teachers (e.g., whether they are treated fairly, with respect), whereas language teachers believe that their professional teaching knowledge and the ability to update and reflect most important. This gap in the viewpoints may cause unmet expectations which ultimately affect learning effectiveness. This research ends with some practical suggestions for language teachers in the classroom

Group influences on individual learners' motivation : a study of group dynamics in EFL classrooms

Attention to how groups of students at university influence an individual learner's motivation within the group is the focus of this research. The uniqueness of this research lies in shifting the focus from an analysis of the individual's experience seen as being apart from the group to considering the individual's experience in relation to the social interactions within the group. This thesis begins with the examinations of the theoretical framework, including major issues in learning motivation and group dynamics, an area that has been gaining more and more attention in second language research. Then, it discusses the selection of a mixed methods approach, the employment of three research instruments (the classroom observation, the questionnaire, and the interview), and the research procedure. After presenting the findings from each research instrument, this study will integrate all the data and present key findings from the integration. Questionnaires were administered to 127 Taiwan university students from the Applied English Department of National Kaohsiung First University of Science and Technology (NKFUST). The results from the questionnaires show that there is a slight to moderate correlation between group processes (group cohesiveness and group norms) and students' level of motivation (self-efficacy and level of autonomy). A dozen students who participated in this study were asked to give further information during semi-structured in-depth interviews. During those interviews, several students commented that their classmates are indeed important to their learning, as being around more motivated classmates positively influences their own motivation and autonomy. Other relevant findings, such as what is a 'good' and 'bad' group, the importance of a mixed methods approach, and the role of culture aspects, will also be discussed

Promoting the Autonomy of Taiwanese EFL Learners in Higher Education by Using Self-Assessment Learning Logs

This study revealed how the classroom teaching practice of self-assessment learning logs helps to promote the autonomy of L2 learners in the context of higher education in Taiwan. L2 learners completed a self-assessment learning log entry on a biweekly basis, reflecting on what they had done outside of the classroom to improve their English. These learners then shared their learning log entries in class approximately once a month. Data from 30 participants were collected using a questionnaire containing both closed and open-ended questions. The results indicated that most participants believed that learning logs facilitated language learning; in particular, sharing what they had done with their classmates was a strong motivation to continue out-of-class learning activities. This paper offers specific suggestions for teachers regarding effective techniques for promoting learner autonomy

Group influences on individual learners' motivation : a study of group dynamics in EFL classrooms

Attention to how groups of students at university influence an individual learner's motivation within the group is the focus of this research. The uniqueness of this research lies in shifting the focus from an analysis of the individual's experience seen as being apart from the group to considering the individual's experience in relation to the social interactions within the group. This thesis begins with the examinations of the theoretical framework, including major issues in learning motivation and group dynamics, an area that has been gaining more and more attention in second language research. Then, it discusses the selection of a mixed methods approach, the employment of three research instruments (the classroom observation, the questionnaire, and the interview), and the research procedure. After presenting the findings from each research instrument, this study will integrate all the data and present key findings from the integration. Questionnaires were administered to 127 Taiwan university students from the Applied English Department of National Kaohsiung First University of Science and Technology (NKFUST). The results from the questionnaires show that there is a slight to moderate correlation between group processes (group cohesiveness and group norms) and students' level of motivation (self-efficacy and level of autonomy). A dozen students who participated in this study were asked to give further information during semi-structured in-depth interviews. During those interviews, several students commented that their classmates are indeed important to their learning, as being around more motivated classmates positively influences their own motivation and autonomy. Other relevant findings, such as what is a 'good' and 'bad' group, the importance of a mixed methods approach, and the role of culture aspects, will also be discussed.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Análisis del comportamiento de las revistas científicas cubanas de Cultura Física y Deportes

Objetivo: analizar el comportamiento de la producción, gestión editorial y la visibilidad de las revistas científicas cubanas de la cultura física, durante el período comprendido entre enero de 2019 y diciembre de 2021. Metodología: se realizó un estudio, descriptivo y transversal, utilizando como muestra todas las revistas de cultura física certificadas por el Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología y Medio Ambiente (CITMA) de Cuba, que visibilizan las publicaciones de profesionales nacionales e internacionales del ámbito. Se analizaron variables de producción, gestión editorial y visibilidad de la producción científica. Resultados y discusión: Existe una tendencia al mejoramiento editorial y la visibilidad de las publicaciones, con diferentes niveles y ritmos de desarrollo. Se valoran indicadores para dar seguimiento al progreso de las publicaciones. Es de fácil aplicación en otras esferas de la gestión de la ciencia, la innovación y la comunicación científica, atendidas metodológicamente por el Ministerio de Educación Superior de Cuba.  Conclusiones: Las revistas de cultura física y deportes certificadas por el CITMA, muestran un comportamiento estable durante el período estudiado, pese a la heterogeneidad en su progreso y desarrollo, atendiendo a diferentes factores. La presente investigación constituye uno de los primeros estudios cubanos en las ciencias de la cultura física y sirve de herramienta para evaluar la productividad científica, calidad editorial y visibilidad de las revistas del ámbito

Brain immune interactions and air pollution: macrophage inhibitory factor (MIF), prion cellular protein (PrPC), Interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin 1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra), and interleukin-2 (IL-2) in cerebrospinal fluid and MIF in serum differentiate urban children exposed to severe vs. low air pollution

Mexico City Metropolitan Area children chronically exposed to high concentrations of air pollutants exhibit an early brain imbalance in genes involved in oxidative stress, inflammation, innate and adaptive immune responses along with accumulation of misfolded proteins observed in the early stages of Alzheimer and Parkinson's diseases. A complex modulation of serum cytokines and chemokines influences children's brain structural and gray/white matter volumetric responses to air pollution. The search for biomarkers associating systemic and CNS inflammation to brain growth and cognitive deficits in the short term and neurodegeneration in the long-term is our principal aim. We explored and compared a profile of cytokines, chemokines (Multiplexing LASER Bead Technology) and Cellular prion protein (PrP(C)) in normal cerebro-spinal-fluid (CSF) of urban children with high vs. low air pollution exposures. PrP(C) and macrophage inhibitory factor (MIF) were also measured in serum. Samples from 139 children ages 11.91 ± 4.2 years were measured. Highly exposed children exhibited significant increases in CSF MIF (p = 0.002), IL6 (p = 0.006), IL1ra (p = 0.014), IL-2 (p = 0.04), and PrP(C) (p = 0.039) vs. controls. MIF serum concentrations were higher in exposed children (p = 0.009). Our results suggest CSF as a MIF, IL6, IL1Ra, IL-2, and PrP(C) compartment that can possibly differentiate air pollution exposures in children. MIF, a key neuro-immune mediator, is a potential biomarker bridge to identify children with CNS inflammation. Fine tuning of immune-to-brain communication is crucial to neural networks appropriate functioning, thus the short and long term effects of systemic inflammation and dysregulated neural immune responses are of deep concern for millions of exposed children. Defining the linkage and the health consequences of the brain / immune system interactions in the developing brain chronically exposed to air pollutants ought to be of pressing importance for public health

Copper-containing mesoporous bioactive glass promotes angiogenesis in an in vivo zebrafish model

The osteogenic and angiogenic responses of organisms to the ionic products of degradation of bioactive glasses (BGs) are being intensively investigated. The promotion of angiogenesis by copper (Cu) has been known for more than three decades. This element can be incorporated to delivery carriers, such as BGs, and the materials used in biological assays. In this work, Cu-containing mesoporous bioactive glass (MBG) in the SiO2-CaO-P2O5 compositional system was prepared incorporating 5% mol Cu (MBG-5Cu) by replacement of the corresponding amount of Ca. The biological effects of the ionic products of MBG biodegradation were evaluated on a well-known endothelial cell line, the bovine aorta endothelial cells (BAEC), as well as in an in vivo zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryo assay. The results suggest that ionic products of both MBG (Cu free) and MBG-5Cu materials promote angiogenesis. In vitro cell cultures show that the ionic dissolution products of these materials are not toxic and promote BAEC viability and migration. In addition, the in vivo assay indicates that both exposition and microinjection of zebrafish embryos with Cu free MBG material increase vessel number and thickness of the subintestinal venous plexus (SIVP), whereas assays using MBG-5Cu enhance this effect.The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support provided by the Andalusian Ministry of Economy, Science and Innovation (Proyectos Excelencia Grants no. P10-CTS-6681 and no. P12-CTS-1507) and Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitivity (BIO2014-56092-R). LBRS acknowledges the CONACYT-Mexico Fellowship PhD Program

The causal relationship between natural gas consumption and economic growth : evidence from the G7 countries

This article re-examines the nature of the causality between natural gas consumption and economic growth in G7 countries over the period from 1965 to 2011. We employ the Granger causality procedure proposed by Emirmahmutoglu and Kose (2011) which takes into account cross-sectional dependency and heterogeneity across countries. Our overall empirical results support the neutrality hypothesis for the panel while the individual country results confirm the same result with the exception of the case of UK, where the conservation hypothesis is confirmed, showing that GDP causes natural gas consumption in the country. These results make policies that promote the consumption of natural gas risk-free with regard to their effects to the economic growth and development levels.http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rael202017-06-30hb201

Uma revisão do uso do óleo de rícino proveniente da Mamona (Ricinus communis L.), em diversos setores industriais e combustíveis

Pensando em energias renováveis, biocombustíveis e seu avanço nos últimostempos, chegamos a cultura da mamona. Essa oleaginosa tem toda uma cadeia produtiva jáestabelecida, devido sua grande versatilidade e valor econômico referentes ao óleo damamona. Mas se tratando da produção do biodiesel, ela ainda é pouco representativa, mesmocom seus pontos positivos, sua adaptabilidade e introdução na agricultura familiar comoalternativa, principalmente na região Nordeste. Sua oferta é menor do que a demanda o queaumenta muito o preço do óleo de mamona utilizado em várias áreas como matéria-prima,principalmente na indústria ricinoquímica. A falta de incentivo financeiro com novaspesquisas e investimento adiam seu desenvolvimento tecnológico para área debiocombustíveis. Diante da importância da mamona, o objetivo do presente trabalho é trazerum panorama da cultura, do uso do seu óleo na indústria e sua utilização como matéria-primapara produção de biodiesel