Students' communicative behaviour in a foreign language classroom

The purpose of this paper is to give a description of the communicativity in a foreign language classroom and also of students’ communicative behaviour. Since the beginning of the 80s communication has been widely discussed as one of the main features in instructed language learning. The focus on form, that traditionally has been dominant in the language classroom, was combined or even replaced by focus on meaning and situations similar to authentic learning settings. Immersion classrooms were created to fulfil this need for natural communication and students learned the new language by using it as a means to communicate other subjects. After some time, however, several studies in the immersion classrooms showed that although the students’ communicative competence was highly developed, their grammatical skills did not measure up to those of a native speaker (Harley & Swain 1984). The traditional methods, however, did not provide students with the communicative skills that are necessary for the use of their second language outside the classroom. It is therefore necessary to find a balance between authentic communication and instruction in the classroom for the students to reach the highest possible level of L2 proficiency. Typical behaviours in traditional instruction are error correction, simplified input and a limited range of language discourse types while in more communicative settings, meaning is emphasized over form with a limited amount of error correction as a result, input is simplified by the use of contextual cues and a larger variety of discourse types is used (Lightbown & Spada 1993). The teaching situation in Swedish upper secondary schools (senior high school, Swedish gymnasium), as far as foreign languages are concerned, is still quite traditional in many places and there is generally a lack of authentic communication, even though the curriculum emphasizes the importance of communicative competence and intercultural understanding (Skolverket 1996). The purpose of this study is, therefore, to describe communication in these classrooms and establish the students’ communicative behaviour. In the classroom, several different kinds of activities occur where communication varies considerably. Typical activities will, therefore, be categorised with the intention to describe the students’ communication as distinctly as possible. It is also relevant to compare the communicative level in these different groups of activities as it will be of importance in future studies of the role of communication in the acquisition of a foreign language. The method that has been used for this purpose is an observation scheme referred to as COLT. The scheme has been adjusted for the present study as its original intention did not include the categorisation and comparison of different classroom activities

All Happy Emotions Are Alike but Every Unhappy Emotion Is Unhappy in Its Own Way : A Network Perspective to Academic Emotions

Quantitative research into the nature of academic emotions has thus far been dominated by factor analyses of questionnaire data. Recently, psychometric network analysis has arisen as an alternative method of conceptualizing the composition of psychological phenomena such as emotions: while factor models view emotions as underlying causes of affects, cognitions and behavior, in network models psychological phenomena are viewed as arising from the interactions of their component parts. We argue that the network perspective is of interest to studies of academic emotions due to its compatibility with the theoretical assumptions of the control value theory of academic emotions. In this contribution we assess the structure of a Finnish questionnaire of academic emotions using both network analysis and exploratory factor analysis on cross-sectional data obtained during a single course. The global correlational structure of the network, investigated using the spinglass community detection analysis, differed from the results of the factor analysis mainly in that positive emotions were grouped in one community but loaded on different factors. Local associations between pairs of variables in the network model may arise due to different reasons, such as variable A causing variation in variable B or vice versa, or due to a latent variable affecting both. We view the relationship between feelings of self-efficacy and the other emotions as causal hypotheses, and argue that strengthening the students' self-efficacy may have a beneficial effect on the rest of the emotions they experienced on the course. Other local associations in the network model are argued to arise due to unmodeled latent variables. Future psychometric studies may benefit from combining network models and factor models in researching the structure of academic emotions.Peer reviewe

Impact of Gaps on Resource Efficiency in Heavy Welding Industry.

This paper describes a study investigating the current situation concerning plate gaps in welding operations at a company producing welded products. A varying gap between the plates has been identified as a root cause for quality issues and unnecessary costly welds, hence affecting resource efficiency. The result showed signs of vast variations of gaps, both concerning the size of gaps and presence of an extra weld. The investigation indicates a large potential, possible to achieve without heavy investments

Kattungens behov och rådgivning till dess ägare

The cat has become a popular pet. To secure a prosperous cat-human relationship, the cat owner has to understand what kind of animal the cat is and what requirements need to be fulfilled. The purpose of this literature review is to summarize kittens’ needs of socialization, anthelmintics, nutrition, vaccination and gonadectomy, until the age of six months and to give the cat owner information on how to care for the cat during this period. Articles were search for in ScienceDirect, Primo and Scopus. The criteria for the articles to be in this study were that they should be peer-reviewed. The result shows that neonatal kitten is mostly taken care of by the queen however, the owner has to make sure the kitten is healthy and developing correctly. As the kitten grows older it requires more of the surroundings. The socialization period is an important part of the kittens’ life. This period will determine the character of the cat as an adult. It is the breeders’ responsibility to stimulate the kitten during the socialization period that occurs between three to nine weeks of age, when the kitten needs to be handled and exposed to different situations. Environmental enrichment, stimulating all the cats’ senses, is important for both kittens and older cats to avoid behavioral problems. Even small kittens can get infected by endoparasites. There is especially one species of nematodes that infect the young kitten, Toxocara cati. This nematode infects the kitten through the colostrum. To make sure the kitten stays healthy it needs to get anthelmintics, unless the queen doesn’t have outdoor access. Nutrition is an important factor for the growing kitten. It requires energy enough to grow and become a healthy adult. The weaning starts at approximately three to four weeks of age. In the beginning the kitten only eats small amounts of food. Gradually it becomes more and more independent until the kitten is ready to leave the queen at twelve weeks of age. To protect the kitten from infectious diseases it needs to get vaccinated. In Sweden the kittens’ core vaccines protect against Feline herpesvirus (FHV), Feline calicivirus (FCV) and Feline Panleukopenia virus (FPV). The kitten will get three injections at the age of approximately eight weeks, twelve weeks and one year. Vaccination against FHV and FCV should be repeated every year if the cat resides in an area where the virus is common and every third year for FPV. For cats that are not going to be part of a breeding program, a gonadectomy is recommended at the age of six months. A gonadectomy will prevent that unwanted kittens are born as well as lower the risk of the cat developing diseases inflicting the reproductive organ

Detecting the Variability in Student Learning in Different Disciplines-A Person-Oriented Approach

This paper examines disciplinary differences in the combinations of approaches to learning (i.e., learning profiles) among students, and how those combinations are related to academic achievement. In addition, the study focuses on how different learning profiles are related to students' self-efficacy beliefs in different disciplines. Data consist of HowULearn survey responses from 4,294 full-time students from six different disciplines. We used a person-oriented approach; that is, the latent profile analysis (LPA) with various functions. The results showed that it is possible to detect different learning profiles of students in different disciplines. The study highlights that students who struggle in almost every discipline have a dissonant learning profile or the deep unorganised profile. Therefore, special attention should be paid to identifying the students with dissonant learning profiles and to support them in recognising their own learning processes. Moreover, students' time and effort management skills should be fostered during university studies.Peer reviewe

HOW CHANGES IN COGNITIVE AUTOMATION CAN AFFECT OPERATOR PERFORMANCE AND PRODUCTIVITY

To predict system performance, understanding what affects operator performance and productivity is important. This notion was tested in a LEGO experiment including 40 students. After introducing changes in assembly instructions and material fa\ue7ade operator performance and productivity was increased. The aggregated results gave an indication of how cognitive automation affects the operators’ initial assembly performance. Industrial studies are needed to ensure observed trends and to further study the impact of cognitive automation characteristics. The trends however point toward that cognitive support has an impact on the final assembly and it is therefore possible to achieve better operator performance if instructions and material fa\ue7ade are improved

HOW CHANGES IN COGNITIVE AUTOMATION CAN AFFECT OPERATOR PERFORMANCE AND PRODUCTIVITY

To predict system performance, understanding what affects operator performance and productivity is important. This notion was tested in a LEGO experiment including 40 students. After introducing changes in assembly instructions and material fa\ue7ade operator performance and productivity was increased. The aggregated results gave an indication of how cognitive automation affects the operators’ initial assembly performance. Industrial studies are needed to ensure observed trends and to further study the impact of cognitive automation characteristics. The trends however point toward that cognitive support has an impact on the final assembly and it is therefore possible to achieve better operator performance if instructions and material fa\ue7ade are improved

Infectious Aortitis: Could Early Radiology Improve Patient Outcome?

Aortitis is a rare condition and easily overlooked. It is defined as infectious or non-infectious inflammation of the aortic wall. This report describes two cases of aortitis, demonstrating the diagnostic difficulty and how diagnostic delay could have been reduced if early radiology had been performed. Due to the nature of aortitis, patient outcome can be improved considerably by timely diagnosis and treatment

Svensk plantskoleproduktion 2003

This work consists of two studies. One is based on an inquiery to nurseries with production of woody plants, and the other on visits to gardencenters, primarily in Skåne but also in Stockholm. Inquieries where sent to 87 nurseries, 48 of them replied. The purpous of the inquiery was to make a thorough investigation of the ligneous production at the Swedish nurseries, what is produced and in what quantities. Within the inquiery was also a thorough look at the fruit tree production. This to be able to conclude what cultivars that are produced and how large part of that production that is certified according to the Swedish Board of Agriculture (SJV). All companies that deal with professional production and sales of nursery plants shall be register and approved by SJV to have a certified production. The companies then participate in a yearly controll that SJV stands for (2). The inquiery shows that the outdoor production mainly consists of hedge-, landscapeplants and ornamental shrubs grown in containers. The result also shows that that the production of solitary shrubs has increased in 2002 compared to 1999. 50% of the companies that produce fruit trees use 76- 100% certified, improved material and 35% of the companies use 76- 100% certfied root-stocks in their production. Nine gardencenters were visited in Skåne and three in Stockholm. The intention of the quality controll was to investigate the quality and the price of plants and if there was any difference between the gardencenters. The variety of fruittrees and roses was noted and a check was done to see if price and quality correlated. The investigation shows that there is a large variation in price and quality between different gardencenters. Furthermore the investigation shows that price and quality does not allways correlate. There are also a larger number of different varieties for sale in the nurseries than in the gardencenters. The litterature study describe the nurserybranch during the 20th century and the system of regulation that applies to Sweden concerning woody plants and how that system is adapted to EU.Detta arbete innehåller två undersökningar. En är baserad på en enkätundersökning av plantskolor inriktade på vedartad produktion och en på besök på gardencenter främst i Skåne men även i Stockholm. Enkäter skickades ut till 87 plantskolor, varav 48 svarade. Syftet med enkätundersökningen var att göra en fördjupad undersökning av den vedartade produktionen hos de svenska plantskolorna, vad som produceras och i vilken mängd. I enkätundersökningen gjordes även en fördjupning med inriktning mot fruktträdsproduktionen. Detta för att få fram vilka sorter som produceras och hur stor del av produktionen som är certifierade enligt jordbruksverkets fastställda regler. Enkäten visar att produktionen på friland till största delen består av häck- och landskapsväxter samt av prydnadsbuskar i container. Det framgår att produktionen av solitärbuskar har ökat markant 2002 jämfört med 1999. Detta till skillnad mot rosorna som visar en vikande tendens. 50 % av företagen som har fruktträdsproduktion använder 76-100 % certifierat förädlingsmaterial och 35 % av företagen använder 76-100 % certifierade grundstammar i sin produktion. Nio gardencenter besöktes i Skåne och tre i Stockholm. Kvalitetsundersökningens syfte var att undersöka kvalitet och pris på plantorna och om det var stor skillnad mellan olika gardencenter. Utbudet av fruktträd och rosor noterades samt om pris och kvalitet följdes åt. Undersökningen visar att det är stor pris- och kvalitetsskillnad mellan olika gardencenter. Dessutom framgår att kvalitet och pris inte alltid följs åt. Det finns också ett större sortiment av fruktträd ute i plantskolorna än vad som är till försäljning hos gardencenter. I litteraturstudierna beskrivs plantskolenäringen under 1900-talet och det regleringssystem som råder inom Sverige för vedartade växter och hur det är anpassat till EU