scholarly journals Lexical richness in adolescent writing, insights from the classroom: An L1 vocabulary development study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Rebecca Hamilton White
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
School Context ◽  
Vocabulary Development ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
School Curriculum ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Vocabulary Size ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Lexical Development ◽  
Lexical Richness

<p>This thesis constitutes a mixed-methods enquiry into how vocabulary develops across adolescence, within the context of New Zealand secondary schools. A quantitative approach was adopted to investigate vocabulary use in authentic written essays produced by secondary school English students (N=141) belonging to three age groups: 13-14, 15-16, and 17-18, from eight schools. Essays were analysed for the following three lexical richness features: lexical variation, lexical sophistication, and lexical density. With links between these lexical richness features and vocabulary size/skill in vocabulary use (Vermeer, 2000; Ravid & Zilberbuch, 2003; Malvern, Richards, Chipere, & Durán, 2009), signs of development were studied through comparison of scores across the three age groups. Quantitative findings indicate significant lexical development across year levels in the data set. Furthermore, the findings suggest that within the period of adolescence there is an even more specific period in which substantial development takes place: 15-18 years, or later adolescence.  The qualitative aspect of this study focussed on identifying teacher perspectives on influences from within the secondary school context impacting on vocabulary development during this significant period of acquisition. Seven secondary school English teachers were interviewed on the subject of lexical development as it occurs within the schooling environment. Contributions from the school curriculum to vocabulary acquisition were observed, with spikes in curriculum difficulty from year 11 (age 15-16) onward corresponding with the developmental spike observed in the quantitative data further supporting this observation. Non-schooling related influences were also identified, including cognitive development, reading habits, and attitude and orientation toward vocabulary.  The present study contributes to the growing field of later language acquisition through identification of a possible period of heightened development within the adolescent years. Importantly, it also highlights factors in students’ everyday school lives which may contribute to their lexical development, raising implications both for those wishing to promote lexical development within the secondary school population, and more globally for our understanding of how heightened development occurs during this period. The study concludes with implications for theory, research and practice, together with limitations of the study and future research directions arising from this research.</p>

scholarly journals Lexical richness in adolescent writing, insights from the classroom: An L1 vocabulary development study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Rebecca Hamilton White
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
School Context ◽  
Vocabulary Development ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
School Curriculum ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Vocabulary Size ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Lexical Development ◽  
Lexical Richness

<p>This thesis constitutes a mixed-methods enquiry into how vocabulary develops across adolescence, within the context of New Zealand secondary schools. A quantitative approach was adopted to investigate vocabulary use in authentic written essays produced by secondary school English students (N=141) belonging to three age groups: 13-14, 15-16, and 17-18, from eight schools. Essays were analysed for the following three lexical richness features: lexical variation, lexical sophistication, and lexical density. With links between these lexical richness features and vocabulary size/skill in vocabulary use (Vermeer, 2000; Ravid & Zilberbuch, 2003; Malvern, Richards, Chipere, & Durán, 2009), signs of development were studied through comparison of scores across the three age groups. Quantitative findings indicate significant lexical development across year levels in the data set. Furthermore, the findings suggest that within the period of adolescence there is an even more specific period in which substantial development takes place: 15-18 years, or later adolescence.  The qualitative aspect of this study focussed on identifying teacher perspectives on influences from within the secondary school context impacting on vocabulary development during this significant period of acquisition. Seven secondary school English teachers were interviewed on the subject of lexical development as it occurs within the schooling environment. Contributions from the school curriculum to vocabulary acquisition were observed, with spikes in curriculum difficulty from year 11 (age 15-16) onward corresponding with the developmental spike observed in the quantitative data further supporting this observation. Non-schooling related influences were also identified, including cognitive development, reading habits, and attitude and orientation toward vocabulary.  The present study contributes to the growing field of later language acquisition through identification of a possible period of heightened development within the adolescent years. Importantly, it also highlights factors in students’ everyday school lives which may contribute to their lexical development, raising implications both for those wishing to promote lexical development within the secondary school population, and more globally for our understanding of how heightened development occurs during this period. The study concludes with implications for theory, research and practice, together with limitations of the study and future research directions arising from this research.</p>

scholarly journals Gossip and Reputation in Adolescent Networks

2019 ◽  
pp. 358-379 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorottya Kisfalusi ◽  
Károly Takács ◽  
Judit Pál
Keyword(s):  
Social Network ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Peer Relations ◽  
School Context ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Network Methods ◽  
Good Reputation ◽  
Practical Implications

Adolescence is an important age of development when collective norms emerge, social exclusion often takes place, and competition for reputation is relatively intense. Negative gossip is used with increasing intentionality to interfere in these processes. At the same time, being the object of negative gossip undermines chances to obtain good reputation. This chapter reviews the role of gossiping in the formation of informal status relations of adolescents. It provides an overview of theoretical explanations and empirical findings on how reputation and gossip are related with a special focus on the school context. It presents recent methodological advancements of social network methods used for analyzing the complex interrelated dynamics of gossip, reputation, and peer relations among adolescents. As an illustration, the chapter shows that malicious gossip leads to disdain while disdain induces malicious gossip in a longitudinal analysis of Hungarian secondary school classes. Finally, it discusses the theoretical and practical implications of our illustrative analysis and formulate suggestions for future research.

scholarly journals The role of culture in student discipline of secondary schools in cross-cultural context: a systematic literature review and future research agenda

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nirma Sadamali Jayawardena
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Secondary Schools ◽  
Systematic Literature Review ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
School Context ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Student Discipline ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type

PurposeThe present study is a systematic review that identifies future research avenues on culture and discipline in secondary schools in a cross-cultural context.Design/methodology/approachThe literature, as published in top management, education and psychology journals, was reviewed around culture and discipline in secondary schools. This systematic literature review (SLR) used several preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and categorised the studies published during the period 2014–2020.FindingsThe author identified six major themes: (1) punishment, (2) restorative practices (RPs), (3) racial disparities, (4) competitiveness, (5) school climate and (6) secondary school student discipline in a cross-cultural context. Further, the author suggested several future research avenues under these emerging themes.Research limitations/implicationsThe scope of this study is limited to culture and discipline in a secondary school context. The findings provide a solid foundation for researchers in the areas of culture and discipline in secondary schools.Originality/valueTo the best of the author's knowledge, this study can be considered as the first SLR conducted using PRISMA guidelines to identify several under-researched areas in the field of culture and discipline in secondary schools in a cross-cultural context. The study provides several future research insights.

Peer assistance among mixed-age pairs in mixed-age EFL secondary school classrooms in Germany

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomas Kos
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Peer Interactions ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Language Classrooms ◽  
Peer Assistance ◽  
Major Factors ◽  
Mixed Age

AbstractDrawing from a sociocultural framework, this paper reports a study which investigated peer assistance among 10 mixed-age pairs (n=20) in mixed-age English as a foreign language (EFL) secondary school classrooms in Germany which are simultaneously mixed-ability classrooms. Mixed-age is increasingly used (Kallery and Loupidou 2016; Kuhl et al. 2013; Thurn 2011), but is under-researched in language classrooms. Although some research has been conducted in L2 mixed-proficiency settings, there has been no study conducted on peer-interactions within mixed-age groups/pairs in L2 contexts. This study aims to lay the foundations for future research of peer interactions among M-A second language learners. Results show that mixed-age pairs assisted one another in ways similar to those found in teacher-learner interactions, while some in ways which resemble to what Donato (1988, 1994) called collective scaffolding. However, the extent that this assistance benefited learning varied across learners. The findings also suggest that rather than age, the relationship between learners seems to be one of the major factors mediating the extent and quality of assistance.

scholarly journals Effectiveness of Digital Tools to Support Pupils' Reading in Secondary School

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Danlei Chen ◽  
Gale Macleod
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Reading Skills ◽  
School Context ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Digital Tools ◽  
Younger Age ◽  
Facilitators And Barriers ◽  
Age Range ◽  
Reading Interest

Engagement with reading falls around the age of 11 or 12, and there is widespread concern with levels of literacy amongst adolescents. Most research examines how digital tools facilitate preschoolers' reading or reading motivation outside school. Less research is conducted in the school context, particularly with older pupils. This article reports a systematised review to investigate the effectiveness of digital tools for supporting reading in secondary schools. Two thousand three hundred ninety-six articles were screened with 10 selected for review. The empirical evidence is examined, definitions of effectiveness, and facilitators and barriers are identified. Findings show the evidence base is varied, but robust; digital tools are effective in motivating adolescents' reading interest, and improving their reading skills and test scores; teachers are key facilitators in the process. Findings are in line with research with younger age-groups suggesting the transferability of research across a wide age-range. Implications for practice and suggestions for developing research in this area are identified.

Primary–secondary transition: Differences between teachers’ and children’s perceptions

2011 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 268-285 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keith Topping
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Peer Relations ◽  
School Curriculum ◽  
External Support ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Parental Encouragement ◽  
Children With Disability ◽  
Special Groups ◽  
Secondary School Curriculum

Transition from primary to secondary school is an important but neglected topic. For this review, 88 studies were selected from 325 possible studies, as including substantive data related to transition. The teacher’s perspective and the child’s perspective were very different, the former principally concerned with attainment and the latter principally concerned with socio-emotional issues. Children were concerned with peer relations and bullying, self-esteem and external support networks. Teachers were concerned with the attainment dip on entry to secondary school, curriculum problems, school strategies to ameliorate these, special groups and children with disability. The secondary school was a problem for all children at first, but after a term many children adjusted, though 40 percent still struggled after a year. The difficulty was greater for children from homes in poverty or ethnic minorities, particularly where parental encouragement was lacking. The quality of the evidence was critiqued and evidence-based implications for practice and policy and future research were outlined.

scholarly journals Constructing and enacting normality online across generations

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 282-300 ◽  
Author(s):  
Niki Panteli ◽  
Ben Marder
Keyword(s):  
Focus Groups ◽  
Social Networking ◽  
User Interfaces ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how different age groups construct and enact normality within social networking sites (SNS) and consequently extend theory in the area of online interactions. Design/methodology/approach The chosen research site was Facebook and research design involved focus groups across three different age groups: teenagers, young adults and the middle-aged. In total, there were 78 participants. The focus groups explored the metaphoric images of Facebook interactions. In doing so, participants were asked to draw a picture to represent their metaphor and following this, to position themselves and other characters within the picture. The drawings as well as the facilitators’ records provided the main data set for the study. Findings Connective and protective encounters were found to be used by different age groups when constructing and enacting normality on SNS. Further, it emerged that the interpretation and enactment of normality across the different age groups significantly varied. The metaphorical images have transpired as being a resourceful way of unpacking these differences. Research limitations/implications The study relied on focus groups in order to capture metaphorical images across generations. It did not include interviews with individual participants to elicit the extent to which they agreed with the group metaphor or whether there was anything else they might have presented in the drawings. This could be on the agenda for future research. Practical implications The findings of the study suggest that SNS managers and designers should sympathise with the view that users of different ages engage in different ways with SNS and as a result, user interfaces should be customised according to the age of the user. Social implications The study has implications for those interested in cross- and inter-generational research. Originality/value This is the first study in which the concept of normality has been adopted as a theoretical lens for understanding the interactions on SNS. Further, this work adds to the limited body of research on SNS use across different generations whilst it expands on the range of methodologies used within the information systems field.

scholarly journals Aging Men and Masculinity Ideologies: Variance Composition of the MRNS-BF and Measurement Invariance by Men's Age

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 917-917
Author(s):  
Edward Thompson ◽  
Ronald Levant
Keyword(s):  
Measurement Invariance ◽  
Common Factor ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Age Cohorts ◽  
Cohort Differences ◽  
Aging Men ◽  
Gender Practices

Abstract The construct traditional masculinity ideology (TMI, Levant & Richmond, 2016), like the construct dominant masculinities (Coles, 2009; Messerschmidt, 2019), refers to culturally-based principles about proper gender practices for men. The present study aimed to create a briefer and psychometrically stronger form of the Male Role Norms Scale (MRNS), a long-standing and important measure of TMI. Using an archival data set (N = 626) with men age 25 and older, the MRNS was shortened using a set of recommended practices. Confirmatory factor analysis and assessment of measurement invariance showed the resulting MRNS-BF satisfies good fit principles with configural, metric, yet not reliable scalar invariance for age. It is a 6-item measure whose common factor measures TMI through two dimensions that mimic tenets Brannon (1976) and Connell (1995) theorized as underlying principles of masculinity ideologies in Western cultures: Earning and maintaining Respect/status, and No sissy stuff/avoidance of femininity in gender practices. Mean scores importantly show perhaps generational, certainly age cohort differences – aging men differed from established and middle-aged men by more moderately endorsing norms that specify men must strive to earn others’ respect and the cultural emphasis on no sissy stuff. Younger age cohorts strongly adopted principles of gender equality. These observed differences must be interpreted with great caution, since the men in the three age groups did not seem to have a common zero point. Still, the MRNS-BF has good psychometric properties, and its brevity can assist future research on how gender guidelines influence aging men’s health decisions and behavior.

Age and marital status predictors of binge alcohol use among adults with major depressive episode

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Areen Omary
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Alcohol Use ◽  
Marital Status ◽  
Depressive Episode ◽  
Major Depressive Episode ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Major Depressive ◽  
Never Married ◽  
At Risk Populations

Aims: This study aims to examine if age and marital status can predict the risk for binge alcohol use (BAU) among adults with a major depressive episode (MDE). Methods: Data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) 2018 National Survey for Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) were analyzed. The unweighted sample included 6,999 adults representing a weighted population size of 33,900,452.122 in the US. Results and Conclusions: The findings of this retrospective research confirmed that age and marital status significantly predicted BAU in the past month among adults with MDE. Adults with MDE at higher risk for BAU were adults under the age of 50, adults who were never married, and adults who were divorced/separated. Special attention must be paid to those in age groups under 50, never married, and have been separated/divorced who are particularly at-risk for future alcohol abuse. Future research should consider examining additional potential confounders for BAU among other at-risk populations.

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