scholarly journals From Rote Learning to Motivation: A Cognitive-linguistic Approach to L2 Acquisition of English Idioms by Chinese EFL Learners

10.29007/2gjs ◽  
2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wangmeng Jiang
Keyword(s):  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Cognitive Linguistics ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Based Instruction ◽  
Experimental Group

Idioms are non-compositional expressions where the meaning of the whole is different from the literal meaning of their constituent elements (Cooper, 1999). Because of this special nature, idioms can become a serious “bottleneck” for second language acquisition. In the traditional view, idioms can only be learned through blind memorization, since their meaning is considered arbitrary (e.g. Hamblin & Gibbs, 1999). By contrast, in cognitive linguistics (CL), idioms are considered to be motivated (Boers, 2004). It is further argued that such cognitive motivation could facilitate the learning of figurative idioms (Kovecses, 2002) and experimental evidence in this respect is gradually accumulating (Boers 2013, 2015).In this connection, the situation of Chinese learners of English as an L2 has not yet been fully examined. This study aims to fill this research gap through the experimental exploration of the effects of classroom instruction based on cognitive linguistics (CL) on the learning of idioms by Chinese EFL learners. The specific purpose of this study is to verify three hypotheses that involve the short-term and long-term effects of this approach to idiom comprehension and retention and the different effects of metaphor and metonymy. In order to test their validity, an experiment was conducted with fifty Chinese freshmen, including one pre-test, the teaching activity, and two post-tests.The experiment results provided support for CL-based instruction on English idioms. Both of the two classes perform better after teaching activities, but the experimental group has a higher score and actually acquires more knowledge within the same time limit. In the posttest 2, the experimental group memorized the idioms much better than the control group after two weeks and the difference between the two groups widened to a great extent. Comparing the accuracy rates reveals better short-term and long-term learning for metonymy-based than metaphor-based idioms.

Short- and Long-Term Effects of Auxiliary Labels on Patient Knowledge of Precautionary Drug Information

1988 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 470-474 ◽  
Author(s):  
Candace S. Brown ◽  
Brenda L. Solovitz ◽  
Stephen G. Bryant ◽  
Brock G. Guernsey ◽  
Seymour Fisher
Keyword(s):  
Drug Information ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Short And Long Term ◽  
Time Periods ◽  
Experimental Group ◽  
Over Time

The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of auxiliary prescription labels in educating outpatients about medicines at two different time periods. Five hundred fifty-nine patients were randomly assigned either to an experimental group or a control group; each person in the experimental group received a prescription bottle to which one study auxiliary label (“sticker”) had been affixed, and those in the control group received bottles with no study sticker attached. Patients were interviewed by telephone approximately one week or two months after prescription pick up. Patients who had the study sticker affixed to their prescription bottle were significantly more knowledgeable after one week about precautionary information than those patients who did not receive stickers; however, sticker-group patients receiving the delayed interview incorrectly attributed many precautions to their medication. This is the first controlled study to document that auxiliary labels increase short-term knowledge about medications, and to suggest that the same labels may result in an inappropriate generalization over time.

Effects of a Perceptual-Motor Training Program on Kindergarten Children

1976 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 428-430 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zema Schaney ◽  
Beverly Brekke ◽  
Richard Landry ◽  
Jacob Burke
Keyword(s):  
Training Program ◽  
Kindergarten Children ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Motor Training ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Experimental Group

The immediate and long-term effects of perceptual-motor training on kindergarten children (6 girls, 4 boys) were measured by the Gesell Copy Forms Test. A significant increase from the pretest to the first posttest was made by the experimental group but none by the control group ( ns = 5). The second posttest showed that these gains were relatively long-term rather than short-term.

Low Mortality of Larval Lampreys from Electrofishing, Suction-pumping, Anesthesia, and Handling

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 640-647 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey C. Jolley ◽  
Christina T. Uh ◽  
Gregory S. Silver ◽  
Timothy A. Whitesel
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Northwest ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Important Species ◽  
Pacific Lamprey ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Delayed Mortality

Abstract Native lamprey populations are declining worldwide. In the Pacific Northwest focus on conservation and management of these ecologically and culturally important species has increased. Concern has emerged regarding the effects of sampling and handling of lamprey, with little to no attention given to the larval lifestage. We monitored the survival of larval Pacific Lamprey Entosphenus tridentatus and Lampetra spp. after backpack electrofishing, deepwater electrofishing and suction-pumping, anesthesia, and handling. We performed survival trials on wild-caught lamprey (n = 15 larvae in each trial) collected from the Clackamas River drainage in Oregon, USA, coupled with control group trials from lamprey sourced from a hatchery (n = 10 larvae). Short-term (96 h) survival was >98% with only one observed mortality. Delayed mortality (1 wk) was observed for four individuals that had fungus; two of those were positive for the bacteria Aeromonas hyrdrophila. We recorded blood hematocrit as a secondary measure of stress. The baseline, nonstressed larvae hematocrit levels did not differ from those of fish that had undergone stress through electrofishing, suction-pumping, and handling without anesthesia. Electrofishing, suction-pumping, and anesthesia showed no short-term negative effects on larval lamprey although potential long-term effects remain unstudied. These techniques appear to provide efficient and relatively safe methods for collecting and surveying larval lamprey.

scholarly journals Short- and long-term effects of using shooting straps on free-throw accuracy of young female basketball players

Kinesiology ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 225-234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel-Ángel Gómez ◽  
Jaime Sampaio
Keyword(s):  
Basketball Player ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Basketball Players ◽  
Intervention Training ◽  
Free Throw ◽  
Short And Long Term ◽  
One Year ◽  
Experimental Group

This study identified the short- and long-term effects of using a shooting strap on the accuracy of freethrows performed by U15 female basketball players during training and competition. Thirty six female<br>basketball player volunteers (aged 14.3±0.5 years) from the Lithuanian Schoolchildren Basketball League were randomly assigned to either an experimental or control group. The experimental group used a shooting strap that immobilized movements of the supporting hand while shooting. The control group performed freethrows without any training aid. Learning and transfer of performance was assessed before and after the intervention training sessions (4-week intervention program applied 4 times per week), and on a retention test after one year. Results showed that: (a) free-throw accuracy was higher after one month and after one year of intervention than before the intervention training program in both practice and competition; (b) the experimental group scored better in practice and competition than the control group after one month and one year of the intervention; and (c) free-throw accuracy was higher during training sessions than during&nbsp;competition. The identified short-term and long-term improvements in free-throw shooting accuracy support the usage of shooting straps. The use of shooting straps and external assisting devices might allow adjusting programs of training to provide fluent free-throw accuracy progresses from youth to senior categories.

Pushed output in a multi-stage dictogloss task

2015 ◽  
Vol 166 (2) ◽  
pp. 307-329
Author(s):  
María Basterrechea
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Target Feature ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Multi Stage ◽  
Subsequent Exposure ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Age Range ◽  
Experimental Group

The present study set out to determine how learners’ written production would affect their noticing and production of a specific language form (the English 3rd person singular present tense marker -s) upon receiving relevant input subsequently, in an attempt to contribute to the ongoing debate about how production affects noticing of linguistic forms. One hundred and eighteen (118) English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) learners (age range 15–6) in two educational contexts (Content and Language Integrated Learning and mainstream EFL) carried out a multi-stage dictogloss task. They followed the usual steps in this type of task (listen and jot down key words, text reconstruction). Then the experimental group (EG) listened to the text once again and compared it with their reconstructed version of the original passage. Their production of the target feature was compared to that of a control group (CG) who did not receive input after their own reconstruction. Results showed that the difference between the EG and the CG in the amount of instances of the target feature produced in the dictogloss task did not reach statistical significance. In other words, the act of producing and subsequent exposure to relevant input did not affect the noticing and production of the morpheme under study. In addition, no interaction between the pushed output condition and the educational context was found.

scholarly journals The effect of instructing critical thinking through debate on the EFL learners’ reading comprehension

2015 ◽  
pp. 21-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maryam Danaye Tous ◽  
Abdorreza Tahriri ◽  
Sara Haghighi
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Post Test ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Experimental Group

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of instruction through debate on the male and female EFL learners’ reading comprehension, and to examine the difference between male and female EFL learners’ perception towards instructing critical thinking (CT) through debate. 88 learners, out of 120, were selected through convenience sampling method. Using a quantitative research method with experimental pre-and post-tests design, this study consisted of 44 participants in the experimental group and 44 participants in the control group. The experimental group received some treatment in the form of “the Meeting-House Debate” strategy, while the control group received no such treatment. After one month and a half treatment of experimental group, both groups participated in the post-test. Data analysis was done using descriptive and inferential statistics procedures. Findings showed that the debate strategy had statistically significant effect on the students’ reading comprehension. Also, results revealed that there was no significant difference between male and female EFL learners’ perception towards instructing CT through debate. It was concluded that instructing CT skills through debate strategy resulted in better understanding of reading texts.

scholarly journals Clinical efficacy of plasma exchange therapy for treatment of autoimmune bullous skin disease

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoxu Shi ◽  
Lanying Qin ◽  
Jun Peng ◽  
Zishen Zhao ◽  
Haixiang Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Exchange ◽  
Clinical Efficacy ◽  
Skin Disease ◽  
Treatment Method ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Plasma Exchange Therapy ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Experimental Group

Objective: To investigate the clinical efficacy of plasma exchange therapy for autoimmune bullous skin disease. METHODS: Fifty patients with autoimmune bullous skin disease enrolled in our hospital from January 2018 to January 2019 were selected. The patients were grouped by treatment method: 25 control group patients were given conventional hormone therapy, while 25 experimental group patients were treated with plasma exchange therapy; efficacy of treatment was compared between two groups of patients. RESULTS: Initial dose, maximum dose, and cumulative dose of glucocorticoids were lower in experimental group patients than those in control group (P<0.05). Incidence of complication was lower in experimental group patients than those in control group (P<0.05); the difference was significant. There was no significant difference in short-term efficacy between the two groups (P>0.05). Conclusion: The application of plasma exchange therapy was effective for treatment of autoimmune bullous skin disease. It could reduce dosage amount of glucocorticoids and incidence of complications; its application can be promoted.

A Behavioral Workshop for Training Immediate Supervisors: The Key to Neck and Back Injuries?

1991 ◽  
Vol 73 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 1159-1170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven James Linton
Keyword(s):  
Musculoskeletal Injuries ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Course Content ◽  
Target Behaviors ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Railroad System ◽  
And Behavior

This study investigated the short-term effects of a workshop for 22 immediate supervisors designed to reduce musculoskeletal pain injuries. One group of supervisors received training on how to deal with musculoskeletal injuries, while the control group of 14 received no training. 36 male immediate supervisors and 171 male employees within the Swedish railroad system completed questionnaires before and after the intervention. The trained supervisors' ratings showed that they enjoyed the workshop and believed that it improved their skills. Moreover, trained supervisors significantly more often than the controls showed target behaviors and attitudes compatible with course content. Finally, employees of the trained supervisors reported significantly more often than the control group that their supervisor used target behaviors. It is concluded that an educational program for immediate supervisors is viable and may lead to changes in attitude and behavior. Teaching supervisors to work with employees is a rich field for future investigation; the long-term effects of such programs need to be studied.

scholarly journals Doxorubicin induced histomorphometric changes in testes of albino rat

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Surendra Kumar Sah ◽  
Saroj Khatiwada ◽  
Deepak Chaudhary ◽  
Chandra Bhushan Jha ◽  
Soumya Bhattacharya
Keyword(s):  
Seminiferous Tubules ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Albino Rats ◽  
Testis Weight ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Albino Rat ◽  
Left Testis ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Experimental Group

Anticancer drugs like doxorubicin have been found to affect male gonads thereby leading to infertility. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of doxorubicin over short, mid and long term on testes of male albino rats. Sixty male albino rats aged 6-8 weeks were taken for study. The rats were randomly divided into 3 groups of experimental (each group containing 10 rats) and 3 groups of control (each group containing 10 rats). The experimental groups were given a single dose of doxorubicin i.e. 10 mg/kg body weight intra-peritoneally and sacrificed after 3 different duration for each group (second week, eighth week and sixteenth week). All rats under 3 control groups were given a single intra-peritoneal dose of 2.5 ml/kg body weight normal saline and sacrificed with their respective experimental groups. Significant difference in diameters (p=0.029) and cross-sectional area (p=0.028) of seminiferous tubules was observed between short term experimental and short term control rats. For both between midterm experimental and midterm control group, and between long term experimental and long term control group, a significant difference in right testis weight (p<0.001 for both), left testis weight (p<0.001 for both), volume of testis (p<0.001 and p=0.038), diameter (p<0.001 for both) and area (p<0.001 for both) of seminiferous tubules was observed. As compared to short term experimental group, midterm experimental group and long term experimental group had significantly lower right testis weight (p<0.001 for both), left testis weight (p<0.001 for both), diameter of seminiferous tubule (p<0.001 for both) and cross-sectional area of seminiferous tubule (p<0.001 both). Cross-sections of the seminiferous tubules of all the control groups had normal architecture. However, there was progressive destruction of seminiferous tubules structure across the experimental groups. Doxorubicin has deleterious effect on seminiferous tubules of albino rat testis.Nepal Journal of Biotechnology. Dec. 2015 Vol. 3, No. 1: 10-14

Pedagogical utility of oral discussion versus collaborative drafting

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 464-477
Author(s):  
Laya Heidari Darani ◽  
Nafiseh Hosseinpour
Keyword(s):  
Small Group ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
The Social ◽  
Oral Discussion ◽  
Writing Skill ◽  
Whole Student ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Experimental Group

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate and compare the effects of group-to-whole student-led oral discussion and small-group collaborative drafting as pre-writing tasks on Iranian intermediate English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ writing performance. Additionally, the difference between the writing components was examined. Design/methodology/approach To achieve these objectives, a group of 120 intermediate EFL learners participated in a pretest–posttest study in which they were randomly assigned into two experimental groups and one control group. The students in all three groups were tasked with writing a textbook evaluation report for the pretest and posttest. The pre-writing process in the first experimental group consisted of a group-to-whole student-led oral discussion, while the second experimental group engaged in small-group collaborative drafting. Findings The results indicate that both pre-tasks were effective in improving the participants’ writing skill, while collaborative drafting was even more efficient. Furthermore, it was observed that more writing components improved through collaborative drafting. It is concluded, therefore, that the social atmosphere created through oral discussion and the scaffolding resulting from collaborative drafting can help in writing improvement. Research limitations/implications The findings herein can have implications for first language (L1) composition instruction and second language (L2) writing teaching and, thus, underscoring the utility of the social constructivist approach to writing instruction. Originality/value As there has been no study conducted to explore the effects of group-to-whole student-led oral discussion on EFL learners’ writing skill and to compare its impacts to those of small-group collaborative drafting, the results of this study fill this gap in the literature.

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