Washback of a high-stakes English exam on teachers’ perceptions and practices

The First Certificate in English (Cambridge ESOL) is a well-known language exam in Greece intended to have positive influence on teaching and learning. However, local practitioners believe that the FCE has negative consequences on the curriculum, teaching and learning.   This paper explores the relationship between the intended influence of the FCE exam, teachers’ perceptions towards the exam and their classroom practices. The paper also identifies the existence of factors that seem to influence teaching and learning beyond the exam itself. It concludes by making recommendations for future research and for teachers and teacher educators on avoiding negative effects from high-stakes exams

Disleksija in angleščina kot tuji jezik v norveškem osnovnošolskem izobraževanju: intervencijska študija kombiniranega raziskovalnega pristopa

Τhe current study explored the effect of specific teaching accommodations for English language learners with dyslexia in a Norwegian primary school. Specifically, this single group intervention project investigated the impact of a range of multisensory techniques on spelling skills and motivation. Participants included a special education teacher and five dyslexic pupils from the fifth and sixth grades. Pre- and post-tests were administered to observe development in spelling, while data were also collected via a pupil evaluation questionnaire and a teacher interview after the intervention. The findings revealed that the intervention was quite successful. The group exhibited substantial differences in mean scores between the pre- and post-test. However, there were individual differences in scores and comorbid disorders appeared to impact the effectiveness of the intervention. Nonetheless, all of the pupils reported gains in their motivation and improvement in their attitude towards learning English, which was confirmed by their special education teacher. The paper concludes by offering specific didactic suggestions regarding accommodations for English language learners with dyslexia. (DIPF/Orig.

Cross-country comparison of EFL teacher preparedness to include dyslexic learners: Validation of a questionnaire

The aim of this study was to validate a 24-item TEPID (Teachers of EFL Preparedness to Include Dyslexics) scale measuring the beliefs of 546 pre-service and in-service teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL) across three countries (Cyprus, Greece, and Poland) on their preparedness to include learners with dyslexia in mainstream foreign language (FL) classes. Principal component analysis of the scale led to a two-factor structure, that is, knowledge and self-efficacy in implementing inclusive instructional practices with dyslexic EFL learners, and stance towards inclusion. The analysis of measurement invariance confirmed the generalizability of the TEPID across all subgroups and allowed valid comparisons between factor variances and covariances. The scale is a useful tool for investigating perceived teacher preparedness to include dyslexic learners and variables that influence TEPID, comparing the results across countries, and designing tailored pre-service and in-service training schemes on inclusion

Exploring EFL teachers’ perceptions of the use of peer assessment in external exam-dominated writing classes

Several studies on peer assessment (PA) have highlighted significant benefits for the learning process such as increased student motivation, enhanced collaborative learning (especially in terms of EFL writing) and improved reflection skills. Research on secondary school teachers’ perceptions of PA is lacking, particularly in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) external-examination-dominated contexts. The current study presents an in-depth exploration of 40 EFL Greek Cypriot teachers’ perceptions of the use of PA in secondary education to address adolescent learners’ poor writing performance, low motivation, and exam failure. Teachers used PA of writing for one whole school year with more than 400 students after receiving training in PA methods and continuous support throughout this implementation. The researcher used semi-structured interviews to explore EFL teachers’ attitudes towards PA after implementing it in their classes. Findings indicated that teachers were initially reluctant to use PA with their students but changed their minds during its implementation and reported that PA facilitated learning by making the educational process easier for learners. Given teachers’ favourable attitudes towards PA after experimenting with it for a whole year and the benefits that they believe students (especially low-achieving) may gain from the implementation of PA of EFL writing in their classes, this study suggests that PA is a promising inclusive assessment method that caters to diverse learners’ needs and fosters autonomy

Effects of Climate Change on Vegetation in Mediterranean Forests: A review

A systematic literature review was undertaken to analyze the effects of climate change concerning the forests in the Mediterranean region as it is a climate and a global hot spot of biological diversity and the richest biodiversity region in Europe. Climate change threatens several eco-systems (e.g. forests) with ecological and socioeconomic importance. It is noteworthy that all warming scenarios in the Mediterranean predict an increase of drought and heat events, and a reduction in precipitation within the next hundred years in the Mediterranean basin with im-portant consequences in local vegetation communities. Forests can therefore be used as a tool in developing so-lutions to the problem of climate change. Nowadays, is considered necessary firstly to continue monitoring and research concerning climate change patterns and impacts on regional scales and secondly to implement manage-ment strategies in order to preserve Mediterranean habi-tats

The Impact of a SIG on Assessment Literacy

A major aim of professional associations is to provide opportunities for professionals to interact with others, share ideas and develop in their chosen profession. Professional associations exist to provide specialized networking and development opportunities to a specific profession, group of individuals or field of study. To promote and support specialized research and communication, smaller subgroups within an association are often chartered or developed. These subgroups are typically known as Special Interest Groups. According to Jacob et al. (2013), association members join SIGs because they want to go deeper into a specialized content area and they enjoy networking with others who ‘speak the same language.’ The TESOL Arabia Testing, Assessment and Evaluation SIG (TAE SIG) has focused their professional development activities on an important trend in the field, that of language assessment literacy (LAL). Language assessment literacy has been a critical topic in English language teaching since the late 1990s. Unfortunately, this is mainly due to the fact that so many English language teachers are not assessment literate. In other words, many English language teachers lack the knowledge and skills to write effective language tests, evaluate the effectiveness of their tests, and use their test results in meaningful ways. The purpose of this chapter is to critically examine the status of LAL in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and report on activities that the TAE SIG has implemented to increase LAL

Photon-induced Nucleosynthesis: Current Problems and Experimental Approaches

Photon-induced reactions play a key role in the nucleosynthesis of rare neutron-deficient p-nuclei. The paper focuses on (gamma,alpha), (gamma,p), and (gamma,n) reactions which define the corresponding p-process path. The relation between stellar reaction rates and laboratory cross sections is analyzed for photon-induced reactions and their inverse capture reactions to evaluate various experimental approaches. An improved version S_C(E) of the astrophysical S-factor is suggested which is based on the Coulomb wave functions. S_C(E) avoids the apparent energy dependence which is otherwise obtained for capture reactions on heavy nuclei. It is found that a special type of synchrotron radiation available at SPring-8 that mimics stellar blackbody radiation at billions of Kelvin is a promising tool for future experiments. By using the blackbody synchrotron radiation, sufficient event rates for (gamma,alpha) and (gamma,p) reactions in the p-process path can be expected. These experiments will provide data to improve the nuclear parameters involved in the statistical model and thus reduce the uncertainties of nucleosynthesis calculations.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figures, EPJA, accepte