Effects of task goal orientation on learner engagement in task performance

The study investigated the potential impact of task goal orientation on cognitive, social and emotional aspects of task performance through the lens of learner engagement. Sixteen EFL learner dyads completed a convergent decision-making task and a divergent opinion-exchange task. Their audio-recorded interactions were transcribed and coded for evidence of engagement, including idea units and language-related-episodes (cognitive engagement), instances of explicit task enjoyment, reported emotions (emotional engagement), and responsiveness (social engagement). To determine the effects of task goal orientation on learner engagement, scores for engagement types were compared between two tasks. To understand learners’ perception about their engagement, posttask exit questionnaire responses were analyzed using content-analysis approach. Findings showed that learners showed greater cognitive and social engagement in the convergent than divergent tasks. No differences were observed in learners’ emotional engagement. Results are discussed in terms of the role of task goal orientation in promoting learners’ cognitive and social engagement

Learner engagement in peer task-based interaction: Identifying the effect of interlocutor proficiency and task outcome

The goal of current peer interaction research is to develop an in-depth understanding of how peer task-based interaction promotes second language (L2) learning. Situated in this line of research, this dissertation investigated peer task-based interaction in light of learner engagement conceptualized as a multifaceted construct that manifests in cognitive, emotional and social dimensions. Specifically, the dissertation investigated how interlocutor proficiency and task outcome affected learner engagement in tasks during peer interaction, and whether leaner engagement in tasks was predictive of L2 question development during peer interaction. Study 1 investigated whether learners engaged differently during peer interaction when they were paired with peers from different proficiency levels. Fifteen Vietnamese core learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) were asked to work with a peer of higher proficiency and another peer of lower proficiency. The core learners’ degree of engagement when interacting with the lower proficiency partner and a higher proficiency partner was compared. The results revealed that the core learners showed greater cognitive and social engagement as reflected in their behavior. The core learners also reported greater emotional engagement when working with higher proficiency partners, although their preferences did not show explicitly in their interaction. Study 2 examined the impact of task outcome on learner engagement. This study compared learner engagement in the tasks that have convergent outcome as opposed to divergent outcome. A convergent task was the one that required learners to agree on an outcome whereas a divergent task did not have this requirement. The degree of learner engagement between the two tasks was compared to determine whether task outcome affected how learners engaged in tasks during peer interaction. The results showed that learners demonstrated greater cognitive and social engagement in the convergent task than the divergent task. Their emotional engagement in both tasks was not significantly different. Different from Study 1 and Study 2, the last study in this dissertation set out to make a link between learner engagement and L2 question development. Twenty-seven learners carried out five tasks that were designed to elicit L2 questions. A logistic regression was conducted to establish whether learner engagement was predictive of L2 question development, which was operationalized as a stage increase in Pienemann and Johnston’s (1987) development sequence of question formation. The predictor variables included in this logistic regression were cognitive, emotional and social engagement operationalized as question idea units, laugh episodes, and instances of responsiveness, respectively. The results revealed that only cognitive engagement was a significant predictor of L2 question development

Analysis of circadian rhythms from online communities of individuals with affective disorders

The circadian system regulates 24 hour rhythms in biological creatures. It impacts mood regulation. The disruptions of circadian rhythms cause destabilization in individuals with affective disorders, such as depression and bipolar disorders. Previous work has examined the role of the circadian system on effects of light interactions on mood-related systems, the effects of light manipulation on brain, the impact of chronic stress on rhythms. However, such studies have been conducted in small, preselected populations. The deluge of data is now changing the landscape of research practice. The unprecedented growth of social media data allows one to study individual behavior across large and diverse populations. In particular, individuals with affective disorders from online communities have not been examined rigorously. In this paper, we aim to use social media as a sensor to identify circadian patterns for individuals with affective disorders in online communities.We use a large scale study cohort of data collecting from online affective disorder communities. We analyze changes in hourly, daily, weekly and seasonal affect of these clinical groups in contrast with control groups of general communities. By comparing the behaviors between the clinical groups and the control groups, our findings show that individuals with affective disorders show a significant distinction in their circadian rhythms across the online activity. The results shed light on the potential of using social media for identifying diurnal individual variation in affective state, providing key indicators and risk factors for noninvasive wellbeing monitoring and prediction

Exploring fluctuations in the relationship between learners’ positive emotional engagement and their interactional behaviours

This study investigated the nature of learners’ positive emotional engagement during a task-based interaction and its relationship with their interactional behaviours. Vietnamese learners of English as a foreign language (EFL; n = 74) performed a communicative task in dyads in 15 minutes. Their positive emotional engagement was gauged using an Experience Sampling Method via a questionnaire that the participants completed after every five-minute interval of the interaction, capturing three timepoints of learners’ emotional engagement. Learners’ cognitive and social interactional behaviours were examined in light of the amount of second language production (words and turns), language-related episodes (LREs), and the degree of collaboration. Results showed that learners’ positive emotional engagement fluctuated over the course of a 15-minute interaction. Also, learners’ levels of positive emotional engagement were positively correlated with the amount of second language production and the degree of collaboration, but these relationships varied across the three intervals. No relationship was observed between learners’ emotional engagement and LREs. The results indicate that although learners’ positive emotional engagement may not be linked with their attention to form, relationships exist between learners’ positive emotional engagement and their language production, as well as their social relationships. These relationships can be, however, subject to change over the course of a short interaction

Exploring L2 structural convergence in peer task-based interaction

This study explored the occurrence and characteristics of structural convergence, defined as speakers’ propensity to reuse an underlying syntactic structure to which they have been exposed in recent discourse, and its link to production accuracy in L2 unscripted task-based interactions. Twenty-two English university learners (eleven dyads) with diverse language backgrounds completed two versions of a problem-solving discussion task in two separate sessions. Their video-recorded interactions were transcribed and coded for structural convergence (occurrence, structure types and accuracy). The results showed that participants demonstrated structural convergence in unscripted L2 task-based interactions. They also converged on different structures to varying degrees across the two interaction sessions. In addition, the results also showed an association between structural convergence and production accuracy, with participants producing more correct and incorrect targets when exposed to correct and incorrect primes respectively. These results are discussed in terms of impact of the nature of task interaction on occurrence and characteristics of structural convergence, and the role of structural convergence in L2 production accuracy

Effect of proficiency on Vietnamese EFL learners’ engagement in peer interaction

To expand previous interaction research that investigated only the impact of proficiency on occurrence of language related episodes or pair dynamics, this study explored the effect of proficiency on a range of cognitive, social and emotional features of interaction through the lens of engagement. Fifteen core EFL learners interacted with peers of higher and lower proficiency to complete picture sequencing tasks. The core learners’ degree of engagement when interacting with the lower and the higher proficiency partners was compared. Results revealed that the core learners showed greater cognitive and social engagement and reported higher emotional engagement when interacting with higher proficiency partners. The results are discussed in terms of the role of proficiency pairing in fostering learner engagement in interaction

The effect of task role on Vietnamese EFL learners' collaboration in mixed proficiency dyads

Previous peer interaction research has shown that proficiency not only plays a role in how second language (L2) learners talk about language form, but also influences their pair dynamics. The current study focuses on peer interaction involving mixed-proficiency dyads, specifically whether task role affects the nature of L2 learners' discussions or their pair dynamics. Sixty English L2 learners at a Vietnamese university were assigned to mixed-proficiency dyads to carry out a story retell task. Task role was manipulated by assigning either information holder or information receiver status to the lower-proficiency learner. After retelling the story, the learners worked together to create a story ending and then collaboratively wrote the entire story. Audio-recordings of their interactions were transcribed and analyzed in terms of the amount, type, and resolution of language-related episodes (LREs) and pair dynamics. The results indicated that the learners produced more LREs and engaged in interactions with greater mutuality when the lower-proficiency learner had the task role as information holder. The findings shed light on ways to promote attention to language form and collaborative interactions when L2 learners from different proficiency levels carry out communicative tasks

Effects of BaSO4 nano-particles on the enhancement of the optical performance of white LEDs

The usage of BaSO4 nanoparticles on WLEDs luminous flux and color uniformity improvements have been analyzed and demonstrated in this manuscript. The mixture of BaSO4 and silicone placed on the yellow phosphor layer benefits the internal light scattering and thus enhances the angular correlated color temperature (CCT) homogeneity. Specifically, the blue-light intensity at large angles tend to increase and results in light intensity discrepancy, which can be corrected with added BaSO4. In addition to this, the BaSO4-silicone composite modifies the refractive index of the air-phosphor layer interface to an appropriate value, and thus, the luminous efficiency increases. The results show that the CCT deviations is reduced by 580 K, from 1000 K to 420 K, within the angle range from -700 to +700 with BaSO4 in the phosphor structure. The increase in luminous flux is also recorded by 2.25%, in comparison with that of the non-BaSO4 traditional structure, at the 120-mA driving current. Hence, integrating BaSO4 nanoparticles into the remote phosphor structure can contributes to the enhancement of both lumen output and CCT uniformity

Design and analysis of a displacement sensor-integrated compliant microgripper based on parallel structure

This study evaluates the displacement sensitivity of a new compliant microgripper. The microgripper is designed based on a four-bar mechanism and the concept of a compliant mechanism. The effects of the width of the right circular hinge, the thickness of microgripper, and the material properties on the dis-placement sensitivity are considered via using the finite element method. In the beginning, the stress and deformation of the compliant microgripper are evaluated. Subsequently, the displacement of the microgripper is then analyzed. The results showed that the design parameter and the displacement sensitivity have a close relationship. To increase the grasping reliability and measure the displacement or force, a micro-displacement sensor is integrated with the proposed microgripper. Finally, the modeling and analysis of the proposed sensor are conducted

Online social capital : mood, topical and psycholinguistic analysis

Social media provides rich sources of personal information and community interaction which can be linked to aspect of mental health. In this paper we investigate manifest properties of textual messages, including latent topics, psycholinguistic features, and authors\u27 mood, of a large corpus of blog posts, to analyze the aspect of social capital in social media communities. Using data collected from Live Journal, we find that bloggers with lower social capital have fewer positive moods and more negative moods than those with higher social capital. It is also found that people with low social capital have more random mood swings over time than the people with high social capital. Significant differences are found between low and high social capital groups when characterized by a set of latent topics and psycholinguistic features derived from blogposts, suggesting discriminative features, proved to be useful for classification tasks. Good prediction is achieved when classifying among social capital groups using topic and linguistic features, with linguistic features are found to have greater predictive power than latent topics. The significance of our work lies in the importance of online social capital to potential construction of automatic healthcare monitoring systems. We further establish the link between mood and social capital in online communities, suggesting the foundation of new systems to monitor online mental well-being