Theoretical Uncertainties in Proton Lifetime Estimates

We recapitulate the primary sources of theoretical uncertainties in proton lifetime estimates in renormalizable, four-dimensional and non-supersymmetric grand unifications that represent the most conservative framework in which this question may be addressed at the perturbative level. We point out that many of these uncertainties are so severe that there are only very few scenarios in which an NLO approach, as crucial as it is for a real testability of any specific model, is actually sensible. Among these, the most promising seems to be the minimal renormalizable SO(10) GUT whose high-energy gauge symmetry is spontaneously broken by the adjoint and the five-index antisymmetric irreducible representations.Comment: 6 pages, 1 figure, prepared for the proceedings of the CETUP* 2015 program (Neutrinos and Beyond Standard Model Physics session: July 6 - July 17, 2015), Lead, South Dakot

Teachers’ Perceived Beliefs and Reported Practices in Two Distinct EFL Contexts: Turkey and Macedonia

Bu çalışmanın amacı beşinci sınıf İngilizce öğretmenlerinin algılanan inançlarını ve belirtilen uygulamalarını yabancı dil olarak İngilizce olan Türkiye ve Makedonya gibi iki ayrı ortamda incelemektir. Kuramsal çerçeve Ulusal Genç Çocukları Eğitim Derneği’nin (NAEYC) gelişimsel olarak uygun olan ve olmayan uygulamalar ile ilgili politika beyanına dayanmaktadır (Johnson ve Ivrendi, 2002). Çalışmaya devlet okullarında çalışan yüz otuz iki (n=132) Türk ve yüz otuz dört (n=134) Makedon beşinci sınıf İngilizce öğretmeni katılmıştır. Veriler Öğretmen İnanç Ölçeği (TBS) ile bir odak grup görüşmesinden elde edilmiştir. Çalışma yabancı dil öğrenme sürecine dair farklı dil öğrenme ortamlarında beşinci sınıf İngilizce müfredat tasarlarken Milli Eğitim Bakanlığı tarafından dikkate alınması gereken önemli sonuçlar ortaya çıkarmıştırThe aim of this study is to investigate the perceived beliefs and reported practices of the fifth grade English teachers at two distinct EFL contexts: Turkey and Macedonia. The theoretical framework is based on the National Association for the Education of Young Children’s (NAEYC) policy statement for developmentally appropriate and inappropriate reported practices (Johnson and Ivrendi, 2002). One hundred and thirty two (n=132) Turkish and one hundred and thirty four (n=134) Macedonian fifth grade English teachers working in public schools participated in the study. The data came from a Teacher Belief Scale (TBS) and a focus group interview. The results revealed important implications in relation to the process of foreign language learning, which should be closely considered by the Ministry of Education while designing the fifth grade English curricula across different EFL contexts

İngilizcenin yabancı dil olduğu iki farklı bağlamda öğretmenlerin inançları ve uygulamaları: Türkiye ve Makdeonya

The aim of this study is to investigate the perceived beliefs and reported practices of the fifth grade English teachers at two distinct EFL contexts: Turkey and Macedonia. The theoretical framework is based on the National Association for the Education of Young Children’s (NAEYC) policy statement for developmentally appropriate and inappropriate reported practices (Johnson and Ivrendi, 2002). One hundred and thirty two (n=132) Turkish and one hundred and thirty four (n=134) Macedonian fifth grade English teachers working in public schools participated in the study. The data came from a Teacher Belief Scale (TBS) and a focus group interview. The results revealed important implications in relation to the process of foreign language learning, which should be closely considered by the Ministry of Education while designing the fifth grade English curricula across different EFL contexts.Bu çalışmanın amacı beşinci sınıf İngilizce öğretmenlerinin algılanan inançlarını ve belirtilen uygulamalarını yabancı dil olarak İngilizce olan Türkiye ve Makedonya gibi iki ayrı ortamda incelemektir. Kuramsal çerçeve Ulusal Genç Çocukları Eğitim Derneği’nin (NAEYC) gelişimsel olarak uygun olan ve olmayan uygulamalar ile ilgili politika beyanına dayanmaktadır (Johnson ve Ivrendi, 2002). Çalışmaya devlet okullarında çalışan yüz otuz iki (n=132) Türk ve yüz otuz dört (n=134) Makedon beşinci sınıf İngilizce öğretmeni katılmıştır. Veriler Öğretmen İnanç Ölçeği (TBS) ile bir odak grup görüşmesinden elde edilmiştir. Çalışma yabancı dil öğrenme sürecine dair farklı dil öğrenme ortamlarında beşinci sınıf İngilizce müfredat tasarlarken Milli Eğitim Bakanlığı tarafından dikkate alınması gereken önemli sonuçlar ortaya çıkarmıştır

Science-related populism: Conceptualization, empirical investigation, and implications for science communication (Dissertation Summary)

Populist criticism has become a significant challenge for science and science communication. Such criticism maintains that allegedly corrupt academic elites and their expertise are inferior to allegedly virtuous “ordinary people” and their common sense. It suggests that the people, rather than elites, should have authority over how “true knowledge” is produced and communicated. This dissertation provides a conceptual and empirical analysis of populist science criticism against the backdrop of science communication scholarship and practice. It develops a theoretical framework for populist demands toward science, conceptualizing them as science-related populism. It also introduces a novel measure to investigate science-related populism in surveys – the SciPop Scale – and provides empirical evidence on populist science criticism in Switzerland and beyond. Moreover, the dissertation discusses implications of science-related populism for public discourse about science as well as science communication practice and proposes ways to respond to it

EFFICACY OF MULTI-LEVEL EXTENSIVE READING IN YOUNG LEARNERS’ READING MOTIVATION

Reading has always been open to research and development of new theories in the field of English language education. Many language teachers find it hard to tailor the level of any reading text to a common level that can appeal to every single L2 learner and each language level in the classroom. The hard-copy reading materials or the course books at hand are mostly unbreakable or unable to provide the teachers with the ease of editing the content to tailor it for each individual student. The present study, therefore, aims to investigate the effect of extensive reading lessons through the use of tablets and designed on the grounds of differentiated instruction (DI) on students’ motivation and comprehension skills. The participants were 24 fifth grade Turkish EFL learners studying in a private k-12 school in Turkey. Data were collected from two questionnaires, Motivation for Reading Questionnaire (Wigfield & Guthrie, 1997) and Favourite Book Types (www.raz-plus.com) as well as semi-structured interviews. The findings revealed that there was a positive relationship between a students’ motivation for reading and multi-level extensive reading lessons. Besides, there was an improvement in the comprehension skills of the participants as well. Keywords: differentiated instruction, extensive reading, reading motivation, using tablets

Using Digital Differentiation to Improve EFL Achievement and Selfregulation of Tertiary Learners: The Turkish Context

Purpose: The current study examines the impact of Differentiated Instruction (DI) on students’ EFL speaking proficiency and Self- Regulated Learning (SRL) during online learning at a Turkish higher education institution’s English preparatory program. Design/methodology/approach: Carried out as a sequential explanatory mixed-methods approach, this quasi-experimental study first collected quantitative data from two intact classrooms, experimental group (n = 16), control group (n = 15), through a speaking proficiency test and the Turkish translation of a Likert-type Online Self-Regulation Questionnaire (OSRLQ) as pre-/post-test; and qualitative data through a semistructured focus group interview with six students. The qualitative data were coded and interpreted through content analysis. Findings: Based on Tomlinson’s (2001) DI framework, the intervention plan of this study involved differentiating the process, product and learning environment of the online learners based on their readiness levels and interests. The results revealed that the DI-group improved its speaking significantly higher than the non-DI group whereas the overall SRL of the both groups did not differ meaningfully. The DI-group improved its help-seeking strategy use significantly. The analysis of qualitative data indicated that the students held positive views of online practices used for DI purposes such as formative assessment, differentiated speaking tasks while questioning group work arrangements. The participants also stated that they improved their use of target setting, help seeking and self-assessment. Originality/value: This study contributes to the literature in providing insight into the effects of differentiation practices during online learning and suggests implications for designing innovative differentiated EFL learning experiences during remote learning

Variations of science-related populism in comparative perspective: A multilevel segmentation analysis of supporters and opponents of populist demands toward science

Many countries worldwide have seen populist resentment against scientists, which can manifest as “science-related populist attitudes” among the population. These attitudes can be assumed to divide populations into multiple segments—each endorsing or rejecting different facets of science-related populism, with segment sizes and characteristics varying between countries and cultural contexts. This study tests this with a secondary analysis of four public opinion surveys from Austria, Germany, Switzerland, and Taiwan (total N = 4598), combining a Most Similar Systems Design (MSSD) and a Most Different Systems Design (MDSD). It uses fixed-effects latent class analysis to demonstrate that Austrian, German, Swiss, and Taiwanese publics can be grouped into three segments: Full-Fledged Populists, People-Centric Non-Populists, and Deferent Anti-Populists. A large majority in all countries can be classified as Non-Populist or Anti-Populists, whereas Populists, who support the entire spectrum of science-related populism, make up the smallest segment. Bayesian regression shows that Populists are older and more likely to support right-leaning political views. Cross-country and cross-cultural comparisons reveal differences in segment sizes and characteristics: For example, Populists are more prevalent in Austria, while Germany has a large proportion of Anti-Populists. These are less widespread in Taiwan, where Non-Populists form a particularly big segment. The findings can be explained with national political, cultural, and historical contexts to some degree. Eventually, they are discussed against the backdrop implications for science communication and future scholarship on public science skepticism

Science communication in the face of skepticism, populism, and ignorance: what ‘Don’t Look Up’ tells us about science denial — and what it doesn’t

‘Don’t Look Up’ tells the story of a team of astrophysicists whose efforts to warn politicians, media makers, and the public about an apocalyptic comet impact on planet Earth are undermined by fundamental skepticism toward their expertise. On the one hand, the film offers a rich portrayal of contemporary anti-science sentiments, their societal conditions, and the media and communication ecology surrounding them. But on the other hand, ‘Don’t Look Up’ ignores and exaggerates several facets of those sentiments and the communicative settings in which they spread. This commentary analyzes this contrast through a science communication lens: it scrutinizes the (mis)representation of science denial and science communication in ‘Don’t Look Up’ — and aims to inspire further debate about portrayals of anti-science phenomena and potential remedies within popular medi

The Place of learner autonomy in language preparatory programs: a case study

Conference: International Conference on Education and Social Sciences (INTCESS) -- Location: Istanbul, TURKEY -- Date: FEB 03-05, 2014The concept of autonomy is not new in the field of foreign language teaching but recently there has been an increasing interest in learner autonomy in particular, as new trends in foreign language teaching support a learning environment which enables learners to take control of their own learning. In other words, language classrooms have become more learner-centered than they used to be. The purpose of this study is to find out how language teachers perceive learner autonomy based on their classroom practice. The study was conducted at an English Preparatory Program of a foundation university located in Istanbul. Data were collected through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. The findings of the study revealed significant implications in terms of learner autonomy in language classrooms.Int Org Ctr Acad Re