The role of self-concept and expectations in academic achievement: A preliminary study

As early career students face new challenges at university, the relationship between L2 skills and academic success depends upon self-perception to a greater extent than previously assumed. Up to the moment, most levelling courses have focused on developing students’ skills in specific subjects in order to bridge the gap between the knowledge that the high school alumni have and university teachers expect them to possess. Yet, early academic failure remains elevated. For this reason, we have decided to focus our English Degree levelling course on academic strategies, expectations and procedures with the aim to disclose the role of students’ self-perception on L2 performance in an academic context. We have designed a two-staged method consisting of a survey and a standardized placement test to measure learners’ self-perception. The results of both stages are measured by following a mixed method procedure, combining quantitative and qualitative analyses. Results show that there is a close relationship between students’ self-concepts, academic expectations, and final outcomes. When the learning of new contents occurs by means of a foreign language, the implications of learners’ confidence and their academic awareness are even clearer. Therefore, we conclude that learners’ self-concepts, and awareness of their academic expectations should play a key role in initial undergraduate training.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía TEC

Interlanguage in undergraduates’ academic English : preliminary results from written script analysis

The following article aims to revisit Selinker’s theory of Interlanguage by analysing a group of undergraduates’ written scripts in L2. The initial outcomes of the study establish a linguistic parallelism between students’ Interlingua and English as a lingua franca in the academic world. In the light of this comparison, certain theoretical standpoints can be determined for the analysis of students’ written production in English. Consequently, the practice of scaffolding by the teacher can be more productively directed towards their individual needs.Este artículo pretende retomar la teoría de la Interlengua de Selinker a través del análisis de exámenes escritos en lengua extranjera por un grupo de estudiantes de universidad. Los resultados iniciales del estudio establecen un paralelismo lingüístico entre la Interlengua de los estudiantes y una lengua franca en el ámbito académico. A la luz de esta comparación, determinados aspectos teóricos pueden ser esclarecedores para el análisis de la producción escrita en inglés. Como consecuencia, la práctica de apoyo pedagógico por el docente podrá ser más productiva si es dirigida en base a las necesidades individuales de los estudiantes

La terminología en el campo de los Trastornos del Espectro Autista (TEA) de la heterodenominación a la autodenominación

En aquest article es pretén analitzar, des d’una perspectiva socioterminològica, el comportament de la terminologia referida als Trastorns de l’Espectre Autista (TEA) encunyada en les últimes dues dècades. Al llarg de l’anàlisi s’identifiquen i contrasten tendències encunyadores heterodenominatives (a càrrec de professionals), autodenominatives (creades pels al·ludits: persones amb síndrome d’Asperger). S’aconsegueix demostrar les dues hipòtesis de treball. Els col·lectius especialitzats utilitzen entre els recursos d’encunyació proactius la reetiquetació neutralitzadora, igual que la resemantització i, entre els reactius, la cosificació. Per contra, els col·lectius conformats per persones o familiars de persones amb autisme fan ús de recursos d’encunyació fonamentalment proactius i inclusius.ResumenEn este artículo se pretende analizar, desde una perspectiva socioterminológica, el comportamiento de la terminología referida a los Trastornos del Espectro Autista (TEA) acuñada en las últimas dos décadas. A lo largo del análisis se identifican y contrastan tendencias acuñadoras heterodenominativas (a cargo de profesionales), autodenominativas (creadas por los aludidos: personas con síndrome de Asperger). Se logra demostrar las dos hipótesis de trabajo. Los colectivos especializados utilizan entre los recursos de acuñación proactivos  la reetiquetación neutralizadora, al igual que la resemantización y, entre los reactivos, la cosificación.  Por el contrario, los colectivos conformados  por personas o familiares de personas con autismo hacen uso de recursos de acuñación fundamentalmente proactivos e inclusivos. Palabras clave: terminología proactiva, terminología heterodenominativa, terminología autodenominativa.AbstractThis article attempts to analyse, from a socio-terminological perspective, the behaviour of terminology used to describe autism spectrum disorders (ASD) that has been coined in the last two decades. Throughout, the analysis identifies and contrasts trends in the coining of heterodenominative terms (by professionals), autodenominative terms (created by those to which they alude: (people with Asperger's syndrome or the parents of those with autism spectrum disorders) and autoheterodenominative terms. Two working hypotheses are shown. The proactive resources for coining new terms used by specialist collectives include normalised relabelling and resemantisation, with reification among the reactive resources.  In contrast, collectives made up of people with autism or their families make use of resources that are fundamentally proactive and inclusive. Key words: Proactive terminology, reactive terminology, heteroperception, autodenominative terminology, heterodenominative terminology, autoheterodenominative terminology, normalised relabelling, reification

Topological Vertex, String Amplitudes and Spectral Functions of Hyperbolic Geometry

We discuss the homological aspects of the connection between quantum string generating function and the formal power series associated to the dimensions of chains and homologies of suitable Lie algebras. Our analysis can be considered as a new straightforward application of the machinery of modular forms and spectral functions (with values in the congruence subgroup of $SL(2,{\mathbb Z})$) to the partition functions of Lagrangian branes, refined vertex and open string partition functions, represented by means of formal power series that encode Lie algebra properties. The common feature in our examples lies in the modular properties of the characters of certain representations of the pertinent affine Lie algebras and in the role of Selberg-type spectral functions of an hyperbolic three-geometry associated with $q$-series in the computation of the string amplitudes.Comment: Revised version. References added, results remain unchanged. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:hep-th/0701156, arXiv:1105.4571, arXiv:1206.0664 by other author

Geohumanidades. El papel de la cultura creativa en la intersección entre la geografía y las humanidades

L'experiència geogràfica i del saber geohumanístic s'articula al voltant de la geograficitat que Eric Dardel va plantejar fa ja més de mig segle. Aquest concepte recull una reflexió ontològica sobre “l'ésser geogràfic” com allò més essencial de la geografia (i també de les humanitats). En el present article s'analitzen les diferents perspectives que sota el nom de les geohumanitats han anat apareixent: les geografies creatives, la geoliteratura, la geohistòria o les geografies visuals entre d'altres. En aquest article presentem exemples concrets de l'experiència geogràfica en cada un d'aquests àmbits per traçar un discurs de com aquest conjunt de noves perspectives més que crear una nova orientació epistemològica planteja obrir nous horitzons en el coneixement geogràfic que integri diferents àmbitsdins i fora de la geografia acadèmica i traça nous ponts amb disciplines humanistes i de les arts creatives.The geographic experience and the geohumanistic knowledge are articulated around the the concept of geograficity that Eric Dardel raised more than half a century ago. This concept includes an ontological reflection on the “geographical being” as the most essential part of geography (and also of the humanities). In the present article the different perspectives of the geohumanities are analyzed: the creative geographies, the geoliterature, the geohistory or the visual geographies among others. In this article we present concrete examples of the geographical experience in each of these areas to draw a discourse on how this set of new perspectives, rather than creating a new epistemological orientation, aims to open new horizons in geographical knowledge that integrates different areas inside and outside of academic geography and draw new links with humanistic disciplines and the creative arts.La experiencia geográfica y del saber geohumanístico se articula alrededor de la geograficidad que Eric Dardel planteó hace ya más de medio siglo. Dicho concepto recoge una ontológica reflexión sobre “el ser geográfico” como aquello más esencial de la geografía (y también de las humanidades). En el presente artículo se analizan las diferentes perspectivas que bajo el nombre de las geohumanidades han ido apareciendo: las geografías creativas, la geoliteratura, la geohistoria o las geografías visuales entre otras. En este artículo presentamos ejemplos concretos de la experiencia geográfica en cada uno de estos ámbitos para trazar un discurso de cómo este conjunto de nuevas perspectivas más que crear una nueva orientación epistemológica plantea abrir nuevos horizontes en el conocimiento geográfico que integre diferentes ámbitos dentro y fuera de la geografía académica y traza nuevos puentes con disciplinas humanistas y de las artes creativas

Borrowing and Working of Low-Income Students: The Impact of a Summer Transition Program

This study focuses on how low-income students determine employment and student loan borrowing options before they begin college, as part of the final stages of their college choice process. More specifically, this study asks, “during a six-week summer transition program, what choices are made by low-income students with employment or borrowing student loans at a public, four-year urban university?” Results of the study demonstrate low-income students are less likely to expect support from parents, more likely to commit themselves to employment and minimal borrowing and yet, view financial challenges as less difficult