FOSTERING EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL SUSTAINABILITY WITHIN THE ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES COURSE IN THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

The paper aims to explore sustainability from both the external and internal perspectives underpinning the implementation of the empirical study within an English for Academic Purposes course at a Master level in the COVID-19 pandemic. The research is based on the methodology of the development of the system of the external and internal perspectives. The exploratory type of the case study was employed. The interpretive paradigm was used in the research. The observation was conducted on the 23rd August 2020. The sample was composed of the 10 international students of the Master programme “Information and Electrical Engineering” at Hochschule Wismar, Germany. The theoretical research defines the external and internal sustainability. The empirical finding is that the COVID-19 pandemic has influenced the organizational aspect of the English for Academic Purposes course (timetable, classroom arrangements, group work organization). Another finding is that the implemented English for Academic Purposes course is partially sustainable and requires its dynamic equilibrium and localized robustness to be adjusted. Implications for higher education aimed at increasing both the external and internal sustainability in education imply the implementation of the combination of evaluation, namely external evaluation, mutual evaluation, and self-evaluation, jointly carried out by all the process participants.

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Understanding the use of mediational means in academic writing

Revista Española de Lingüística Aplicada/Spanish Journal of Applied Linguistics ◽

10.1075/resla.15038.yu ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 31 (1) ◽

pp. 378-407

Author(s):

Peisha Wu ◽

Shulin Yu

Keyword(s):

Academic Writing ◽

Primary Source ◽

English For Academic Purposes ◽

Journal Articles ◽

Content Type ◽

Master Level ◽

Mediational Means ◽

Novice Writers ◽

Present Case Study

Abstract While the majority of previous studies on EAP (English for academic purposes) writing have been devoted to professional or academic writing at a more advanced level (i.e., PhD students and scholars) in ESL contexts, little attention has been paid to the academic writing of master-level novice writers in EFL contexts. From a sociocultural perspective, the present case study examined the writing strategies of a master-level novice writer – Alice in Macau context. Non-structured, semi-structured and text-based interviews were used as the primary source of data, with document analysis used for triangulation. The study identified two major categories (i.e., artifacts and community) and five subcategories of mediational means (i.e., journal articles and theses, languages, online writing materials, peers and experts) as significant in the novice writer’s academic writing activities. It also unveiled double-edged features of mediational means and recognized their interplay with the writer’s goals and relatedness to her situated context.

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Coping with English for Academic Purposes Provision during COVID-19

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13158642 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (15) ◽

pp. 8642

Author(s):

Lucas Kohnke ◽

Andrew Jarvis

Keyword(s):

Hong Kong ◽

Collaborative Learning ◽

Online Teaching ◽

Qualitative Case Study ◽

English For Academic Purposes ◽

Teacher Perspectives ◽

Case Study Approach ◽

Study Approach ◽

University Studies

COVID-19 and the shift to online teaching necessitated a change in approach for English for Academic Purposes (EAP) teachers in preparing their students for university studies. This study explored how EAP instructors coped with and adapted their provision for emergency remote teaching. The study was conducted at an English-medium university in Hong Kong and a qualitative case study approach was adopted. The results revealed two overarching themes of opportunity and challenge. While the sudden shift to online teaching forced innovation and fostered collaborative learning and feedback, teachers experienced difficulties in communicating with students and monitoring their learning. The study voices teacher perspectives in delivering EAP courses online and highlights important implications for the successful delivery of future online EAP provisions.

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Toward a just and inclusive environmental archaeology of southwest Madagascar

Journal of Social Archaeology ◽

10.1177/1469605319862072 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 19 (3) ◽

pp. 307-332 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Kristina Douglass ◽

Eréndira Quintana Morales ◽

George Manahira ◽

Felicia Fenomanana ◽

Roger Samba ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Marine Protected Area ◽

Knowledge Exchange ◽

Power Sharing ◽

Environmental Archaeology ◽

Collaborative Partnerships ◽

Human Environment ◽

Self Evaluation ◽

Mutual Knowledge ◽

Equal Power

In this paper, we advocate a collaborative approach to investigating past human–environment interactions in southwest Madagascar. We do so by critically reflecting as a team on the development of the Morombe Archaeological Project, initiated in 2011 as a collaboration between an American archaeologist and the Vezo communities of the Velondriake Marine Protected Area. Our objectives are to assess our trajectory in building collaborative partnerships with diverse local, indigenous, and descendent communities and to provide concrete suggestions for the development of new collaborative projects in environmental archaeology. Through our Madagascar case study, we argue that contemporary environmental and economic challenges create an urgency to articulate and practice an inclusive environmental archaeology, and we propose that environmental archaeologists must make particular efforts to include local, indigenous, and descendent communities. Finally, we assert that full collaboration involves equal power sharing and mutual knowledge exchange and suggest an approach for critical self-evaluation of collaborative projects.

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Exploring the relationship between corporate social responsibility actions and employee retention: A human resource management perspective

Human Systems Management ◽

10.3233/hsm-211202 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-13

Author(s):

Hajar Boutmaghzoute ◽

Karim Moustaghfir

Keyword(s):

Job Satisfaction ◽

Organizational Identification ◽

Employee Retention ◽

Employee Commitment ◽

Theoretical Framework ◽

Theoretical Research ◽

Future Research ◽

Behavioral Factors ◽

The Relationship

BACKGROUND: This study builds on the little guidance in the existing literature to analyze the relationship between employee-oriented CSR actions and employee retention in a business context, while using Freeman stakeholders’ model as a theoretical research framework. This research also aims to shed light on significant behavioral factors facilitating the relationship between CSR endeavors and turnover rate. OBJECTIVE: This paper builds on the existing research gap in the literature and suggests that behavioral factors, including job satisfaction, organizational identification, and motivation facilitate the relationship between employee-oriented CSR actions and employee retention, which contributes to laying the foundations of a theoretical framework that has the potential to advance both theoretical and practitioner debates and disentangle the complexity of such a relationship, while offering strategically-focused development venues in CSR and HRM fields. METHODS: This research uses a single case study design to ensure an in-depth and detailed analysis of the phenomenon under scrutiny, while relying on a triangulation methodology for data collection, including a questionnaire used as exploratory approach, interviews to generate explanatory data, and archival data to bring confirmatory insights. Data analysis followed the procedures of a deductive approach. RESULTS: The research results show a positive relationship between employee-oriented CSR actions and employee retention, while demonstrating the facilitating role of job satisfaction, organizational identification, and motivation in moderating such a relationship. The findings also stress the importance of framing CSR interventions within the organization’s strategy and goals, while ensuring employee participation in such decision making processes to maximize the effect of CSR interventions on employee commitment and reduce turnover. CONCLUSIONS: This research has the potential to better clarify the nature of the relationship involving CSR interventions, from an employee perspective, retention, and turnover, while laying the foundations of a theoretical framework linking such constructs and other behavioral factors that underpin and support such a relationship. Building on the study’s findings and assumptions, future research is needed to gain a more comprehensive understanding of how HR-related CSR actions affect behavioral performance dimensions, resulting in employee commitment and retention. Future research should also consider multiple case study, multicultural, and ethnographic approaches for the sake of generalizability and theory building.

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Assessment of destressing drilling efficiency using numerical methods: A case-study of Oktyabrsky deposit

Gornyi Zhurnal ◽

10.17580/gzh.2021.02.03 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 26-31

Author(s):

M. P. Sergunin ◽

T. P. Darbinyan ◽

T. S. Mushtekenov ◽

V. V. Balandin

Keyword(s):

Rock Mass ◽

Theoretical Research ◽

Labor Input ◽

Efficiency Criterion ◽

Strength And Deformation ◽

Low Efficiency ◽

Full Scale Tests ◽

Time Required ◽

Polar Division

Mineral mining in rockburst-hazardous conditions should involve various precautions in compliance with federal regulations and standards. One of the main methods to prevent rock bursts is destressing drilling. In this method, a yielding zone is artificially created. The strength and deformation characteristics in this zone differ from the same characteristics of enclosing rock mass, and redistribution of stresses takes place as a result. Efficiency of destressing drilling is estimated in terms of ore body S-2 in Komsomolsky Mine. The efficiency criterion is selected to be the safety factor of rock mass with and without destressing drilling. Low efficiency of destressing drilling means that this method is readily replaceable by the other techniques of lesser labor input, for example, by reduction in the rate of mining, or by seasoning of underground excavations for some time required for redistribution of stresses to take place. Based on the theoretical research and the conclusions drawn at NorNickel’s Polar Division, the full-scale tests are scheduled for the implementation in order to gradually abandon destessing drilling in rockburst-hazardous Talnakh and Oktyabrsky ore fields. The authors appreciate participation of V. P. Marysyuk from NorNickel’s Polar Division in this study.

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An FPGA-based quantum circuit emulation framework using heisenberg representation

International Journal of Quantum Information ◽

10.1142/s0219749918500521 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 16 (06) ◽

pp. 1850052

Author(s):

Y. H. Lee ◽

M. Khalil-Hani ◽

M. N. Marsono

Keyword(s):

Large Scale ◽

Scale Up ◽

Quantum Circuit ◽

Theoretical Research ◽

Resource Requirement ◽

Heisenberg Representation ◽

Speed Up ◽

Computing Platforms ◽

Classical Computing

While physical realization of practical large-scale quantum computers is still ongoing, theoretical research of quantum computing applications is facilitated on classical computing platforms through simulation and emulation methods. Nevertheless, the exponential increase in resource requirement with the increase in the number of qubits is an inherent issue in classical modeling of quantum systems. In the effort to alleviate the critical scalability issue in existing FPGA emulation works, a novel FPGA-based quantum circuit emulation framework based on Heisenberg representation is proposed in this paper. Unlike previous works that are restricted to the emulations of quantum circuits of small qubit sizes, the proposed FPGA emulation framework can scale-up to 120-qubit on Altera Stratix IV FPGA for the stabilizer circuit case study while providing notable speed-up over the equivalent simulation model.

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Monte Carlo ice flow modeling projects a new stable configuration for Columbia Glacier, Alaska, by c. 2020

The Cryosphere Discussions ◽

10.5194/tcd-6-893-2012 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 6 (2) ◽

pp. 893-930 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

W. Colgan ◽

W. T. Pfeffer ◽

H. Rajaram ◽

W. Abdalati

Keyword(s):

Monte Carlo ◽

Dynamic Equilibrium ◽

Stable Configuration ◽

Ice Flow ◽

Wide Range ◽

Ensemble Mean ◽

Iceberg Calving ◽

Calving Rate ◽

Parameter Values

Abstract. Due to the abundance of observational datasets collected since the onset of its retreat (c. 1983), Columbia Glacier, Alaska, provides an exciting modeling target. We perform Monte Carlo simulations of the form and flow of Columbia Glacier, using a 1-D (depth-integrated) flowline model, over a wide range of parameter values and forcings. An ensemble filter is imposed following spin-up to ensure that only simulations which accurately reproduce observed pre-retreat glacier geometry are retained; all other simulations are discarded. The selected ensemble of simulations reasonably reproduces numerous highly transient post-retreat observed datasets with a minimum of parameterizations. The selected ensemble mean projection suggests that Columbia Glacier will achieve a new dynamic equilibrium (i.e. "stable") ice geometry c. 2020, by which time iceberg calving rate will have returned to approximately pre-retreat values. Comparison of the observed 1957 and 2007 glacier geometries with the projected 2100 glacier geometry suggests that, by 2007, Columbia Glacier had already discharged ∼83 % of its total sea level rise contribution expected by 2100. This case study therefore highlights the difficulties associated with the future extrapolation of observed glacier mass loss rates that are dominated by iceberg calving.

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Elementary English Language School Teachers Self Evaluation: A Case Study from Real Life Application

Studies in Social Science Research ◽

10.22158/sssr.v2n1p64 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. p64

Author(s):

Salwa H. Al Darwish

Keyword(s):

English Language ◽

Real Life ◽

Target Language ◽

Female Teacher ◽

Self Evaluation ◽

Teacher Trainees ◽

Public Elementary Schools ◽

Teacher Trainee ◽

Central Tool

Self- evaluation is a central “tool” to express how we know what we do when we teach, and as we make decisions on our own while we teach, self- evaluation has the power to help us link knowledge and theoretical information and to use each area of expertise more professionally. This paper will discuss primary school English Language teacher trainee’s self- evaluation which will be carried out between the instructor (researcher/ mentor) and the student teacher trainees. This study aims to explore the benefits of the process of self-evaluation during the student trainees while teaching English as a foreign language in public elementary schools in the form of the practice classes (Practicum Course). Another purpose of this research will be to find out more about students’ perceptions, problems and difficulties of teaching the target language (English) to young learners in order to find the instrument that will help the teacher trainees to better prepare, monitor and evaluate their own teaching through the self-evaluation and peer evaluation. The chosen instrument for this research will be observation for each individual by the instructor (mentor) and the teacher trainees, followed by a questionnaire distributed among the teacher trainees. The sample will consist of 30 female teacher trainees. Each participant is assigned four classmates to be observed and evaluated; followed by the mentor observation and evaluation for each teacher trainee. The results were not similar between the teacher trainees and the mentor.

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