Critical reading and use of comics in teaching French as a foreign language

Adapting teaching to all learning styles is a very difficult feat. However, it is desirable for teachers to diversify learning methods as much as possible and to take into account individual differences to improve the chances of success for as many learners as possible. The present research provides a methodological proposal on the multiple possibilities of comics as a tool in the field of foreign languages, focusing on the possible uses of comics with French as a Foreign Language (FFL) students guided towards the reading, analysis and comprehension of academic texts mixed with concepts and expressions of the current society. The results indicate possible positive effects on vocabulary development and motivation towards reading and overcoming language barriers in reading authentic material using context and prior knowledge. Therefore, the comic book is an excellent tool for developing students' reading competence in a foreign language, which aims not only to serve as a way of learning the linguistic characteristics of the target language, but also to learn about the sociocultural reality of said language (both current and past) and to arouse curiosity towards its artistic and cultural representations. In addition, it is a format that increases students’ motivation by creating a relaxed atmosphere in the classroom in which teamwork and reflection are encouraged.Xunta de Galicia | Ref. ED431C 2021/5

The influence of phonological and morphological awareness in reading acquisition

El presente artículo pretende elaborar de forma resumida un estado de la cuestión sobre la influencia de la conciencia fonológica y morfológica en la adquisición de la lectura, repasando una gran parte de las investigaciones publicadas hasta la fecha tanto en lenguas opacas (inglés) como en lenguas transparentes (español). Se trata de un artículo teórico cuya metodología será la revisión y el análisis crítico de las investigaciones realizadas hasta la fecha en ambos tipos de lenguas. Si bien la mayoría de las investigaciones actuales se realizan en inglés, podemos concluir que tanto en inglés como en español ambos tipos de conciencia tienen un papel fundamental en el desarrollo de las habilidades lectoras, destacando el papel de la conciencia fonológica en el prendizaje inicial de la misma, y el de la conciencia morfológica en años posteriores.The present article aims to elaborate, in brief, a status of the issue regarding the influence of phonological and morphological awareness in reading acquisition through a revision of the main research published to-date in opaque languages (such as English) and transparent languages (such as Spanish). It is a theoretical article whose methodology consist of the revision and critical analysis of the main investigations published so far in both types of languages. Even though nowadays the majority of these investigations are in English, it can be concluded that these two types of awareness play a very important role in the development of reading in both English and Spanish, highlighting the role of honological awareness during the first steps of reading acquisition and the role of morphological awareness later o

Metadiscursive markers and text genre: a metareview

Given the interest in the study of metadiscourse as the communication of ideas and the way people use language in different communicative situations, this paper attempted to find the degree of confluence between metadiscourse markers from different studies and to show how patterns of metadiscourse analysis based on various written genres can be applied to a wider range. The mean values for the frequency of marker use and their respective deviations were determined by comparing a significant number of studies on metadiscourse elements. To ensure comparability, those following Hyland’s model were chosen. The units of analysis were grouped into two broad categories based on discursive characteristics: Academic genres (research articles, theses, and textbooks) and non-academic genres, which included documents ranging from newspaper editorials or opinion columns to Internet texts and other forms of digital communication. The results of our study highlight that the disparity in interactive markers between academic and non-academic texts is relatively small. This difference has been identified by previous studies, and it is confirmed herein that the difference may be related to the use of academic language, the topic, or the object of study. In contrast, the mean values of the interactive markers in non-academic texts are considerably higher than those in academic texts. At the same time, the texts seem to be organised along two axes (interactional and interactive) in distinct areas. Despite our initial assumptions that the data would be subject to individual variations, that differences would be found between different sections of the same genre within the same academic discipline, and that the results would vary if certain texts were added or excluded, we observed certain trends in the behaviour of the documents, although it prevailed that, within each category, the texts should be studied individually.Xunta de Galicia | Ref. ED431C 2021/52Xunta de Galicia | Ref. ED481A-2018/27

The Relationship between Metacomprehension and Reading Comprehension in Spanish as a Second Language

The importance of reading proficiency in a second language (L2) is growing worldwide. Reading in a L2 involves many questions about the abilities of reading comprehension, including metacomprehension, a core reading ability in native speakers (L1) that allows them to be aware of their reading comprehension level and to regulate their learning. However, its link to L2 has not been sufficiently researched. This study examines the relationship between the reading comprehension scores of diverse texts and metacomprehension, assessed by the ECOMPLEC test and PROLEC-R reading task, in Portuguese students studying Spanish as a L2. Similar to the results found in L1 research, we found a significant relationship between reading comprehension and metacomprehension in expository and discontinuous texts: students with low reading comprehension scores overestimated their metacomprehension while metacomprehension abilities of students with high reading comprehension abilities were more accurate. These results provide a frame of reference for future studies on metacomprehension in L2.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Relationships between phonological awareness and reading in Spanish: a meta‐analysis

Financiado para publicación en acceso aberto: Universidade de Vigo/CISUGPrevious meta-analyses of the relationship between phonological awareness (PA) and reading have been conducted mostly in children who speak English, a language with an opaque writing system. In this study, we present a meta-analysis that examined mean correlations between three PA tasks testing phonemic, syllabic, and intrasyllabic awareness and three reading tasks testing word reading, nonword reading, and reading comprehension in Spanish, a language with a near-transparent writing system. A random-effects model of 47 articles (N = 7,956) was used for a multiple correlation study that showed a significantly moderate correlation between some of the PA subcategories and the reading tasks in Spanish-speaking children. The largest correlation values were found between syllabic awareness and reading, which highlights the importance of syllable recognition during reading acquisition. In addition, we found that intrasyllabic awareness also plays an important role in reading in Spanish. The findings are discussed from a cross-linguistic perspective.Agencia Estatal de Investigación | Ref. FFI2017‐82752‐PXunta de Galicia | Ref. ED431C 2021/52Xunta de Galicia | Ref. ED481A‐2018/27

Preservice teachers’ perceptions of linguistic abilities and privacy policies in the use of visual materials during their own and their tutors’ lessons

This article analyzes the capacity for improvement of digital observation in initial teacher training to investigate whether the implementation of visual materials is effective for the reinforcement of previously taught content, the assessment of one’s own linguistic abilities and whether it motivates learners. To do so, the subjects analyzed classroom behavior and learning typology through the reflection of their own videos recorded with children and tutors. Data was collected through 12 closed-ended questions that follow the Likert scale and one open-ended question for general reflection. The questions focused on the motivation and interest of the students with respect to the videos viewed, comprehension, learning, perceived usefulness, and the problem arising with the privacy of the Students’ personal data. The responses were classified and their frequencies and percentages were calculated. The results show that implementing video tools in the classroom and reflecting on their content afterward can be an effective means of assessing one’s learning and language skills. In addition, the study highlights the inherent complexities posed by EU GDPR regulations and the significant barriers to integrating video technology into the classroom for schoolchildren in these contexts.Xunta de Galicia | Ref. ED431C-2021/5

La entonación del español de Cantabria de oriente a occidente. Las interrogativas absolutas

El presente trabajo presenta la descripción dialectal de la entonación de las variedades del español de Cantabria. Mediante la metodología de AMPER se analiza la entonación de las interrogativas absolutas desde el occidente hasta el oriente de la zona estudiada. Partiendo de los trabajos realizados previamente por el grupo AMPER-Cantabria, se estudian tres zonas nuevas y se contrastan los datos obtenidos. Se confirma la hipótesis de la existencia de un continuum prosódico que cruza todo el norte peninsular y se plantea una posible clave entonativa que sirve para la distinción entre las variedades dialectales de esta área peninsular.The work at hand presents the dialectal description of the intonation of the varieties of Spanish in Cantabria. By means of the AMPER methodology one analyzes the intonation of the absolute interrogatives from the West to the East in the area studied. Using the previous work carried out by the AMPER-Cantabria group as a starting point, three new areas are studied and contrasted to the data obtained. The hypothesis of the existence of a prosodic continuum that crosses the entire northern part the peninsula is confirmed and a possible intonation key that serves to distinguish between the dialectal varieties in that peninsular area is posed.Agencia Estatal de Investigación | Ref. FFI2017-88367-

El papel de las características textuales en la comprensión lectora de alumnado de Educación Primaria en lengua española

[Abstract] During the early grades of primary school, texts are mainly narrative and focus on technical aspects such as decoding words and understanding simple syntax. However, from 4th grade onwards, texts become increasingly more difficult and expository texts become the main source of knowledge from which children will have to extract and learn new information while creating their mental model. This article examined the influences of two main text characteristics: text genre and level of representation (text base and mental model), in the reading comprehension scores of 313 Spanish primary school children aged 8 to 11 to study the relationship between these variables as well as the differences between grades. Comprehension of each text genre was assessed through a validated multiple-choice questionnaire and each variable was compared through a series of correlational methods, such as Pearson s correlation, Spearman s rho and ANOVAs. The results showed that all grades obtained significant higher scores on the text base than the mental model but only the expository texts exhibited better results when passing from 4th to 5th and 6th grade. This study provides findings that may contribute to the topic of literacy education during primary school.[Resumen] Durante los primeros cursos de primaria, los textos son principalmente narrativos y se centran en aspectos técnicos como la decodificación y la comprensión de sintaxis simple. Sin embargo, a partir de 4º curso, los textos se vuelven cada vez más difíciles y los expositivos se convierten en la principal fuente de conocimiento a partir de la cual los estudiantes tendrán que extraer y aprender nueva información mientras crean su modelo mental. El presente artículo se centra en examinar las influencias de dos características principales de cualquier texto: el género textual y el nivel de representación (base textual y modelo mental) en las puntuaciones obtenidas en las pruebas de comprensión lectora de 313 estudiantes españoles de educación primaria con edades entre 8 y 11 años para averiguar la relación existente entre estas variables, así como las diferencias entre cursos. La comprensión de cada género textual se evaluó mediante un cuestionario de opción múltiple y cada variable se comparó mediante una serie de métodos correlacionales (correlación de Pearson, rho de Spearman y ANOVAs). Los resultados muestran que todos los cursos obtuvieron puntuaciones significativamente más altas en la base textual que en el modelo mental, pero solo se apreciaron mejores resultados con el paso de 4º a 5º y 6º curso en los textos expositivos. Los hallazgos de este estudio suponen una contribución relevante para la alfabetización en la educación primaria

An analysis of unconscious gender bias in academic texts by means of a decision algorithm

Inclusive language focuses on using the vocabulary to avoid exclusion or discrimination, specially referred to gender. The task of finding gender bias in written documents must be performed manually, and it is a time-consuming process. Consequently, studying the usage of non-inclusive language on a document, and the impact of different document properties (such as author gender, date of presentation, etc.) on how many non-inclusive instances are found, is quite difficult or even impossible for big datasets. This research analyzes the gender bias in academic texts by analyzing a study corpus of more than 12,000 million words obtained from more than one hundred thousand doctoral theses from Spanish universities. For this purpose, an automated algorithm was developed to evaluate the different characteristics of the document and look for interactions between age, year of publication, gender or the field of knowledge in which the doctoral thesis is framed. The algorithm identified information patterns using a CNN (convolutional neural network) by the creation of a vector representation of the sentences. The results showed evidence that there was a greater bias as the age of the authors increased, who were more likely to use non-inclusive terms; it was concluded that there is a greater awareness of inclusiveness in women than in men, and also that this awareness grows as the candidate is younger. The results showed evidence that the age of the authors increased discrimination, with men being more likely to use non-inclusive terms (up to an index of 23.12), showing that there is a greater awareness of inclusiveness in women than in men in all age ranges (with an average of 14.99), and also that this awareness grows as the candidate is younger (falling down to 13.07). In terms of field of knowledge, the humanities are the most biased (20.97), discarding the subgroup of Linguistics, which has the least bias at all levels (9.90), and the field of science and engineering, which also have the least influence (13.46). Those results support the assumption that the bias in academic texts (doctoral theses) is due to unconscious issues: otherwise, it would not depend on the field, age, gender, and would occur in any field in the same proportion. The innovation provided by this research lies mainly in the ability to detect, within a textual document in Spanish, whether the use of language can be considered non-inclusive, based on a CNN that has been trained in the context of the doctoral thesis. A significant number of documents have been used, using all accessible doctoral theses from Spanish universities of the last 40 years; this dataset is only manageable by data mining systems, so that the training allows identifying the terms within the context effectively and compiling them in a novel dictionary of non-inclusive terms

Preferencias lectoras del alumnado de Educación Primaria según el sexo y titularidad del centro educativo

Dada la relevancia de la lectura en el ámbito educativo, se presenta un estudio sobre las preferencias lectoras entre el alumnado de 6º curso de educación primaria. El objetivo es determinar las actitudes hacia la lectura y las preferencias lectoras de este alumnado, a partir de dos variables: sexo y titularidad del centro educativo. Para ello, se empleó un cuestionario con el que se evaluaron las actitudes hacia la lectura y las preferencias en la elección de géneros literarios y temáticas, así como el uso de nuevos soportes y la lengua frecuente de lectura. La muestra estuvo compuesta por 416 alumnos y alumnas de 6º curso de 9 centros educativos. Los resultados, que fueron analizados mediante un método no experimental descriptivo, indican que las niñas evidencian actitudes más favorables hacia la lectura recreativa, con intereses más diversos en cuanto al género, la temática y la lengua. Asimismo, los centros educativos públicos manifiestan resultados más alentadores en el conjunto de las dimensiones abordadas. Esta investigación pone de relieve la necesidad de revisar las prácticas lectoras existentes e implementar nuevas propuestas desde el paradigma de la educación literaria, lo que redundará en el desarrollo de la competencia lectora y de otros aprendizajes