Principles for language tests within the 'discourse domains' theory of interlanguage: research, test construction and interpretation

This article considers an alternative framework for handling the language testing enterprise and proposes some tentative theoretical hypotheses concerning principles of language testing. It is the writers' view that taking account of the perspective of interlanguage domain engagement and contextualization in testing research, production and interpretation allows for a richer conceptualization of the language testing process.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/69012/2/10.1177_026553228500200208.pd

Imdeduya - Variants of a myth of love and hate from the Trobriand Islands of Papua New Guinea

This volume presents five variants of the Imdeduya myth: two versions of the actual myth, a short story, a song and John Kasaipwalova’s English poem “Sail the Midnight Sun”. This poem draws heavily on the Trobriand myth which introduces the protagonists Imdeduya and Yolina and reports on Yolina’s intention to marry the girl so famous for her beauty, on his long journey to Imdeduya’s village and on their tragic love story. The texts are compared with each other with a final focus on the clash between orality and scripturality. Contrary to Kasaipwalova’s fixed poetic text, the oral Imdeduya versions reveal the variability characteristic for oral tradition. This variability opens up questions about traditional stability and destabilization of oral literature, especially questions about the changing role of myth – and magic – in the Trobriand Islanders' society which gets more and more integrated into the by now “literal” nation of Papua New Guinea. This e-book is available under the Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 license

Narrative : an ontology, epistemology and methodology for pro-environmental psychology research

The actions of individuals are recognised as crucial in reducing energy demand and shifting people towards sustainable energy sources. Much of the work has occurred within environmental psychology and has been built upon a social cognitive paradigm which attempts to explain the drives, forces and processes which explain and determine individual behaviour. Despite the volume of this work the promotion of pro-environmental behaviour has not achieved broad transformations in energy conservation behaviours. Recently researchers working in the field of pro-environmental research have started to draw on narrative in their work as a framework to (re)integrate the individual into their historical, social and cultural settings. However, this work when applied to energy conservation remains in its infancy. This paper adds to the growing literature which is increasingly asserting the key role for narrative in the field of pro-environmental psychology research. The paper articulates the foundations of the narrative turn from its development within literary theory to its adoption by the social sciences, with particular reference to psychological theory. This paper provides a review of the ways in which taking a narrative perspective can offer rich insights into complex phenomena as well as potential ways to reconceptualise ways forward for energy research