Sustaining Language Learning through Social Interaction at a Japanese National University

The careful use of online learning can achieve a variety of goals in sustainable education, such as providing access for students, particularly in times of crisis, as well as providing them with opportunities to study interdependently. Also, it gives them the opportunity to develop thinking skills and awareness to become active in working towards sustainable societies, ones where the actions of the current society do not damage the abilities of future generations to address their own needs. In this small-scale study at a Japanese national university, the switch from classroom-based teaching to online study in language education is considered in relation to flipped learning. This involved videoconferencing software and the organization of “study buddy” groups, supported by materials on a learning management system. The effect of the change has been investigated using a mixed-methods approach with survey data from students and data from two classroom observations by external observers. The data has been analyzed and framed in relation to sustainable education goals, produced by Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), such as cooperation, interdependence, sense of responsibility, and international awareness. The author of this study found that the flipped learning approach was successful in building an online community and social interaction that provided the framework for achieving education for sustainability. In conclusion, the author considers how hybrid courses involving both classrooms and online technology may be the future for English language courses in Japanese universities.

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The Application Plan of Flipped Learning in Korean Language Education

Teaching Korean as a Foreign Language ◽

10.21716/tkfl.46.145 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 46 ◽

pp. 145-162

Author(s):

CHONGNAN CHIN ◽

Sungjo Kim ◽

Jaeho Oh ◽

EUN KYEONG LEE

Keyword(s):

Language Education ◽

Flipped Learning ◽

Korean Language

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Organizational and methodological support of preschoolers’ thinking skills development during problem foreign language teaching

Perspectives of science and education ◽

10.32744/pse.2021.1.20 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 49 (1) ◽

pp. 289-298

Author(s):

Valentina N. Kartashova ◽

◽

Natalia V. Volynkina ◽

Keyword(s):

Foreign Language ◽

Language Teaching ◽

Educational Institution ◽

Language Education ◽

Thinking Skills ◽

Foreign Language Teaching ◽

Experimental Program ◽

Skills Development ◽

Control Group ◽

Logical Thinking

Introduction. Contemporary requirements to quality improving organizational and methodological support of preschoolers’ thinking skills development in object spatial environment and insufficient development of technological aspect of the problem highlight the search for new pedagogical opportunities among them on the basis of developing potential of children foreign language education.Resolving the contradiction lies in multifunctional substantively rich program creation in this direction and its implementation in the pre-school educational institution. Materials and methods. The study covered 114 (the control group – 57 children, the experimental group – 57 children) Voronezh and Yelets (Russian Federation) preschoolers at the age of 5,5–7,5. To diagnose the development level of imaginatively logical, visibly active and verbally logical thinking skills we used the methods of L.A. Venger, M. I. Ilyina, R. S. Nemov, G. A. Uruntayeva. The results were proved by the χ2-Pearson statistical test. Research results. The quantitative and qualitative review of the experimental teaching statistical data proved the fact that implementation of the authors’ experimental program based on problem teaching and creation of certain pedagogical conditions for preschoolers’ thinking skills stimulation enhance significantly the level of children’s intellectual development during early foreign language education (χ2 = 13,376 > χ20,05). Discussion and conclusion. For the first time a program was created and implementation conditions on the basis of the problem approach were identified. They included different types of children’s’ activity for joint foreign language communicative task performance and stimulated greatly development of preschoolers’ imaginatively logical, visibly active and verbally logical thinking skillsduring problem foreign language teaching. On the basis of the program a tutorially methodical set may be developed which would contribute to improving organizational and methodological support of preschoolers’ thinking skills development.

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readiness of a student for constructive social interaction in relation to life safety

Linguistics and Culture Review ◽

10.21744/lingcure.v5ns2.1393 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (S2) ◽

pp. 588-598

Author(s):

Olena A. Leshchynska ◽

Volodymyr M. Firman ◽

Volodymyr M. Marych ◽

Yaroslav V. Ilchyshyn ◽

Yarema B. Velykyi

Keyword(s):

Factor Analysis ◽

Social Interaction ◽

Young People ◽

Human Factor ◽

Organisational Culture ◽

Life Safety ◽

National University ◽

Moral Attitudes ◽

Academic Year

One of the most important things about life safety is the implementation of appropriate means and measures to create and maintain healthy and safe living conditions and human activities both in everyday life and during emergencies. The human factor as a factor in life safety can be the main source of danger. A person's readiness for responsible constructive behaviour is formed due to the influence of organisational culture of the enterprise, as well as information space. The authors aimed to investigate the role of moral attitudes of young people and their readiness for constructive social interaction. The study took place in the 2019-2020 academic year at Lviv Polytechnic National University. The empirical study involved 535 students. The questionnaire was carried out. Factor analysis identified six factors. It was established that most students have consumeristic, authoritarian and destructive ideas, therefore their reactions to the actions of life safety specialists aimed at introducing labour safety technologies are reduced to formal observation.

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Education for Sustainability: Developing Ecocritical Literature Circles in the Student Teacher Classroom

Discourse and Communication for Sustainable Education ◽

10.2478/dcse-2019-0002 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 5-19

Author(s):

Lykke Guanio-Uluru

Keyword(s):

Science Fiction ◽

Student Teachers ◽

Young Adult Literature ◽

Literature Circles ◽

Student Feedback ◽

Education For Sustainability ◽

Literary Texts ◽

Small Scale ◽

The Core ◽

Literature Circle

Abstract How can student-teachers learn efficient ways to encourage sustainability thinking in their pupils and fulfil the competence aims on sustainability outlined in national subject curriculums as a response to UNESCO’s programme on Education for Sustainable Development, ESD? The core hypothesis of this project was that tailored literature circles, focused on the ecocritical aspects of literary texts, would make student-teachers aware of how they can use literature as a process to reflect on sustainability. This would enable them to incorporate sustainability thinking into their own teaching practices. The project’s tailoring of the standard literature circle roles (Daniels 1994, 2002, 2006) involved the design of reading roles that highlighted ecocritical and generic aspects of the studied texts and the application of an analytical matrix developed by literary scholars researching the representation of nature in children’s and young adult literature. This article presents the results of a small-scale study testing the ecocritical literature circles approach and its impact on student-teachers’ conception of their own ability to meet the competence aims on sustainability in their teaching. The intervention included lectures on ecocriticism and on the posthuman debate prior to the literature circles and student feedback through pre- and post-circle questionnaires. It was implemented in the teacher-training classroom, working with dystopian science fiction texts for young adults. These texts present the reader with visions of the future. The study showed that the ecocritical literature circles, and in particular the ecocritical reading roles, were considered useful by the participating student-teachers. The participants also reported a significant increase in confidence relative to their own ability to discuss sustainability issues with their pupils.

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Reflections and reflective practice to advance responsible management education for sustainability: the case of an Australian MBA programme

International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education ◽

10.1108/ijshe-04-2021-0135 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Ki-Hoon Lee ◽

Rob Hales

Keyword(s):

Content Analysis ◽

Curriculum Design ◽

Management Education ◽

Education For Sustainability ◽

Small Scale ◽

Content Type ◽

Reflective Journals ◽

Mba Students ◽

Responsible Management ◽

Wide Range

Purpose This paper aims to explore Master of Business Administration (MBA) students’ “reflections” and/or “reflection on practice” of sustainability into responsible management education using Bain et al.’s (2002) 5Rs (reporting, responding, relating, reasoning and reconstructing) reflective scale. Design/methodology/approach This study adopted a case study approach using content analysis and written reflective journals analysis from MBA students’ assignments. Findings This study revealed that responding and relating (emotionally-based reflections) scales are dominant reflections while reasoning (cognitively-based reflections) is a slightly less dominant reflection. The findings confirm that effective management education for sustainability should encourage and motivate students to reflect on their emotional learning to improve leadership values, attitudes and activities. Such reflection can lead to transformative experiences. Research limitations/implications This study adopted a small-scale content analysis using an Australian university’s MBA case. To increase validity and generalisation, researchers will benefit from a wide range of quantitative analyses in different countries and cultural contexts. Practical implications Curriculum design using reflections and reflective journals should be enhanced in management education for the practice of sustainability and/or sustainable development. Social implications Higher education should encourage socially and environmentally responsible management in programme and curriculum design with a reflective approach. Originality/value This study presents a conceptual framework and analysis approaches that can serve as some bases for the development of a more robust analysis in responsible management education.

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Intentional Communities of Practice, the Challenge of Interactivity

Interactivity in E-Learning - Advances in Game-Based Learning ◽

10.4018/978-1-61350-441-3.ch014 ◽

2012 ◽

pp. 305-325 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Aaron Wiatt Powell

Keyword(s):

Online Learning ◽

Social Interaction ◽

Literature Review ◽

Online Community ◽

Cultural Barriers ◽

Design And Technology ◽

Intentional Communities ◽

Intentional Community ◽

Community Portal

This chapter examines the support of social interaction in a cooperative, situated online learning environment, and the cultural barriers that hinder such intention and interactivity. The findings of a literature review suggest that the greatest challenge to intentional Community of Practice (CoP) is a sense of interdependence among CoP members, the authenticity of the practice or purpose, and a trajectory for the CoP’s future. This case study attends to these issues with a cohort of practicing teachers. It explores an initiative to nurture CoP with cooperative projects and with the support of an online community portal. The case challenges CoP theory from an intentional or instructional standpoint, and informs design and technology in support of CoP.

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University Students’ Self-Motivated Blogging and Development of Study Skills and Research Skills

Web 2.0-Based E-Learning ◽

10.4018/978-1-60566-294-7.ch008 ◽

2010 ◽

pp. 149-179 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Shailey Minocha ◽

Lucinda Kerawalla

Keyword(s):

Doctoral Students ◽

Academic Writing ◽

Time Management ◽

Study Skills ◽

Online Community ◽

Thinking Skills ◽

University Education ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Research Skills ◽

Academic Events

This chapter presents and analyzes an empirically grounded investigation into the self-motivated course-related blogging activities of undergraduate and Master’s-level students, and research-related blogging of doctoral students. It focuses on how blogging may help students to develop their study skills and research skills. Analysis of students’ blogs and semi-structured interviews with the participants shows that writing in the public domain can encourage networking, commitment to goals, articulation of research ideas, development of confidence in writing, and facilitation of critical and reflective thinking skills. The blog can be a useful repository of ideas and resources, and can be a public platform for the synthesis of ideas. Blogging can facilitate the creation and membership of an online community where academic events are flagged, resources are shared, research is advertised, and ideas and comments are exchanged. The authors conclude with a discussion of the ways in which blogging can support the development of key study and research skills, such as time management, academic writing, and effective communication. It is hoped that the findings will help in guiding students, educators, and institutions considering the use of blogging in university education.

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The Use of Weblogs in Language Education

Handbook of Research on Web 2.0 and Second Language Learning ◽

10.4018/978-1-60566-190-2.ch015 ◽

2009 ◽

pp. 274-291 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Thomas Raith

Keyword(s):

Social Interaction ◽

Foreign Language ◽

Web 2.0 ◽

Language Learning ◽

Foreign Language Learning ◽

Language Education ◽

Discourse Communities ◽

The Social ◽

Language Classroom ◽

The Relationship

This chapter explores in how far Web 2.0, Weblogs in particular, has changed foreign language learning. It argues that Weblogs, along with Web 2.0, have created new genres for which users need new forms of literacy. A qualitative study on the relationship between the online audience of Web 2.0 and learners’ writing processes is presented and the findings are discussed. The study supports the assumption that learners are aware of the social interaction taking place through weblogs and that this awareness of audience influences the writing process. The author’s intention is to point out that Web 2.0 has created new communities of language practice and that foreign language learning is happening in these discourse communities through social interaction. The challenge in foreign language education is to integrate these communities of practice into the foreign language classroom.

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THE CONTRIBUTION OF THE JOURNALS: JTEFS AND DCSE ON A SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF THE REGION

Via Latgalica ◽

10.17770/latg2017.9.2684 ◽

2017 ◽

pp. 62

Author(s):

Dzintra Ilisko ◽

Astrida Skrinda ◽

Anita Pipere

Keyword(s):

Teacher Education ◽

Sustainable Development ◽

Formal Education ◽

Education For Sustainable Development ◽

Education For Sustainability ◽

Cultural Economic ◽

Global Issues ◽

Sustainable Education ◽

Open Access Journals ◽

Global Action

The report reveals the contribution of two international UNESCO/ UNITWIN Chair’s peer-reviewed journals – “Discourse and Communication for Sustainable Education” (DCSE) and “Journal of Teacher Education for Sustainability” (JTEFS) to sustainable development of Latgale. They are international, cross-disciplinary, scholarly and open access journals focusing on diverse aspects of environmental, cultural, economic and social sustainability thus enabling one to constructively and creatively address present and future global challenges in creating more sustainable and resilient societies. Both journals aim to respond to the priorities set by the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development and the Global Action Programme as implemented in LATGALE and in the partner countries. The study reflects on the thematic scope of the two journals that centres on reorienting education towards the goal of sustainable education and sustainable community in Latgale, Latvia, Europe and beyond. In order to respond to the challenges of global community that we are facing today, the research published in both journals suggests how education can contribute to overcoming the current crises in education and community, as well as offers strategies and ways of dealing with it sustainably and responsibly in Latgale. Education for sustainable development (ESD) includes more than knowledge related to the environment, economy, culture and society. It also addresses learning perspectives, strategies and values that guide and motivate people to seek sustainable livelihoods, participate in a democratic society and live in a sustainable manner. ESD also involves studying both local and global issues. The research offers the study of JTEFS contribution to meeting different views, ideas and research to promote further development of studies and practice of teacher education in all areas of formal and non-formal education in relation to sustainability. DCSE is an international, peer-reviewed journal that provides a platform for examination of policies, theories and practices related to the discourse and communication for sustainable education. Since contemporary discourse study has extended its field to the study of multifaceted contexts of discourse, it integrates a broader study of the phenomena of communication in relation to sustainable education. The diversity of the journal is apparent in the variety of its theories, methods and approaches, thus avoiding the frequent limitation to one school, approach or academic branch.

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Online learning community software to support success in project teams

Global Journal of Information Technology Emerging Technologies ◽

10.18844/gjit.v5i2.197 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 5 (2) ◽

pp. 71 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Brian Patrick Thoms

Keyword(s):

Online Learning ◽

Social Interaction ◽

Social Networking ◽

Learning Community ◽

Online Community ◽

Project Teams ◽

Online Learning Community ◽

Before And After ◽

Networking Technologies ◽

Community Software

In this research we explore aspects of social interaction and community as they relate to success in project-based courses. Using specialized online community software consisting of social networking technologies and project-based wikis, project teams are able to collaborate and interact as they progress towards project milestones. Our study underscores the importance of sustained engagement as a means for fostering high levels of community and how these levels relate to project motivation and, ultimately, project success. Guided by a theoretical model that explains how individuals collaborate within online communities, we measure member perceptions of the software before and after our intervention. Survey results found that online learning community (OLC) software can successfully support learning and social interaction. These results are supported by a social network analysis (SNA), which shows high levels of individual engagement across the project lifecycle. Keywords: social networking, online learning community, wiki, project management, capstone project.

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