scholarly journals Moroccan Students’ Attitudes Towards Local and Foreign Languages: The Role of Self-Directed and Language Policy Forces

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 295-320
Author(s):  
Abdelmajid Bouziane
Keyword(s):  
Language Policy ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Foreign Languages ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Official Policy ◽  
Frequency Of Use ◽  
Empirical Perspective ◽  
Students Attitudes ◽  
Do So

Ths article contributes to the hot debate on language preferences and choice at schools and society at large in Morocco from an empirical perspective. It investigates the Moroccan students’ attitudes towards the languages they use in their daily interactions and those that are widely used in the Moroccan education system and attempts to explain whether these attitudes are driven by intrinsic forces or by the language policy orientations set by decision makers. To do so, 1,477 respondents belonging to different school levels and disciplines completed a survey about their frequency of use and mastery of languages, as well as their preferences of language use in the future. Findings show that Moroccan students have positive attitudes towards all languages and would like to use foreign languages for instrumental purposes. They also show that such positive attitudes do not depend on the level of mastery of these languages, nor on their use as mediums of instruction or communication. The findings imply that attitudes towards languages in Morocco are rooted in factors beyond the official policy orientations.

scholarly journals Listening Skills: Important but Difficult to Learn

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jwahir Alzamil
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Speech Rate ◽  
Background Information ◽  
Listening Skills ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Spoken English ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Frequency Of Use ◽  
Students Attitudes ◽  
Learning To Listen

This study of 87 Saudi female university students aimed to discover whether they experience difficulties learning to listen to spoken English. Acknowledging that listening is an important part not just of learning a new language but also of day-to-day communication, data was collected using an online questionnaire. Participants were asked to respond to a series of statements designed to test four constructs relating to their attitudes to learning English language skills in general (a); learning listening skills specifically (b); their attitudes towards listening activities (c); and (d) their attitudes towards improving their listening skills. The results showed that most of participants felt that speaking and listening were the most important skills to learn, but listening was also the most challenging. Reading was felt to be the most effortless skill to learn, as well as the most commonly used, suggesting that frequency of use contributes to students’ perceptions of the ease of learning a skill. Participants’ difficulties with learning to listen to English were associated with speech rate, pronunciation, nervousness, limited vocabulary, and lack of background information. However, students also expressed positive attitudes towards improving their listening skills. Understanding students’ attitudes to listening skills and their problems with listening may help teachers improve the way they teach these skills. This may in turn improve students’ listening comprehension not only in universities but also in schools.

scholarly journals MOOCs and their Influence on Higher Education Institutions: Perspectives from the Insiders

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuel León-Urritia ◽  
Ruth Cobos ◽  
Kate Dickens
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Massive Open Online Courses ◽  
Strategic Decision ◽  
Educational Approach ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
The University

Since Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) became a global phenomenon in 2012, there has been constant evolution in the way Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) make sense of them. HEIs embracing MOOCs have dedicated a variety of human resource to this venture. Only in a minority of cases, staff have been appointed exclusively to this role. In all other cases, MOOC related tasks have been allocated to professionals who were already performing other educational tasks. This article contains a study that captures the experiences of these professionals in a Spanish university and a British university, as relates to their involvement in MOOCs. Interviews and group sessions were conducted to ascertain the influence of MOOCs in their practice, and in their opinions about the role of MOOCs in their institutions. The results seem to suggest that participants have positive attitudes towards incorporating MOOCs at the university, although they demand a serious bet for this educational approach from the strategic decision makers in the institutions.

scholarly journals Listening Skills: Important but Difficult to Learn

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 366-374
Author(s):  
Jwahir Alzamil
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Speech Rate ◽  
Background Information ◽  
Listening Skills ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Spoken English ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Frequency Of Use ◽  
Students Attitudes ◽  
Learning To Listen

This study of 87 Saudi female university students aimed to discover whether they experience difficulties learning to listen to spoken English. Acknowledging that listening is an important part not just of learning a new language but also of day-to-day communication, data was collected using an online questionnaire. Participants were asked to respond to a series of statements designed to test four constructs relating to their attitudes to learning English language skills in general (a); learning listening skills specifically (b); their attitudes towards listening activities (c); and (d) their attitudes towards improving their listening skills. The results showed that most of participants felt that speaking and listening were the most important skills to learn, but listening was also the most challenging. Reading was felt to be the most effortless skill to learn, as well as the most commonly used, suggesting that frequency of use contributes to students’ perceptions of the ease of learning a skill. Participants’ difficulties with learning to listen to English were associated with speech rate, pronunciation, nervousness, limited vocabulary, and lack of background information. However, students also expressed positive attitudes towards improving their listening skills. Understanding students’ attitudes to listening skills and their problems with listening may help teachers improve the way they teach these skills. This may in turn improve students’ listening comprehension not only in universities but also in schools.

The Relationship between Empathy and Personality in Undergraduate Students’ Attitudes toward Nonhuman Animals

2012 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann C. Eckardt Erlanger ◽  
Sergei V. Tsytsarev
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Animal Rights ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Personality Factors ◽  
Negative Beliefs ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Attitudes Toward Animals ◽  
Nonhuman Animals ◽  
Students Attitudes

Abstract The majority of research investigating beliefs toward nonhuman animals has focused on vivisection or utilized populations with clear views on animal issues (e.g., animal rights activists). Minimal research has been conducted on what personality factors influence a nonclinical or nonadjudicated population’s beliefs about the treatment of animals. The purpose of the present study was to examine the role of empathy and personality traits in attitudes about the treatment of animals in 241 undergraduate students. Results indicated that those with high levels of empathy held more positive attitudes toward animals and more negative beliefs about animal cruelty than those with low levels of empathy. Some differences in participants’ specific attitudes toward animals were found. Limitations and implications for future research are reviewed.

scholarly journals The Willingness to Employ Immigrants in Polish Organizations

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 106-133
Author(s):  
Jolanta Maj ◽  
Sabina Kubiciel-Lodzińska ◽  
Katarzyna Widera
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Foreign Workers ◽  
Foreseeable Future ◽  
Significant Group ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Do So

AbstractObjective: For a long time Poland has been perceived as a rather homogenous society. However, cultural diversity and differences started to become visible after 1989 and have gained on importance since then. Combined with an increasing shortage of native workforce, the question of immigrants’ employment by Polish organisations becomes a burning issue. We have therefore decided to determine whether the fact of employing immigrants or the intention to do so in the foreseeable future affects the perception of foreign workers and the necessity of hiring themMethodology: For this purpose, we conducted a survey among 263 entrepreneurs from the Opolskie Voivodship.Findings: The study has demonstrated a very strong, statistically-relevant correlation between the willingness to employ immigrants and the attitude towards an employee’s country of origin. Also correlations between other analysed variables have been found statistically relevantValue Added: The paper is an introduction to a debate on the role of immigrants on the Polish labour-market as it presents the point-of view of employers and their willingness to employ immigrants.Recommendations: It is recommended for decision-makers to facilitate access of a wider group of immigrants to the Polish labour market, especially since a significant group of employees recognises the upcoming issue of workforce shortages and the necessity to reach for foreign employees in order to stay competitive.

Acting by persuasion— values and rhetoric in medical certificates of work incapacity: A qualitative document analysis

2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guri Aarseth ◽  
Bård Natvig ◽  
Eivind Engebretsen ◽  
Anne Kveim Lie
Keyword(s):  
Social Role ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Disability Benefit ◽  
Social Actors ◽  
National Insurance ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Specific Skill ◽  
Selection Of ◽  
Positive Character

When the patient applies for disability benefit in Norway, the general practitioner (GP) is required by the National Insurance Administration (NAV) to confirm that the patient is unfit for work due to disease. Considering the important social role of medical certificates, they have been given surprisingly little attention by the medical critique. They may make essential differences to peoples’ lives, legitimise large social costs and, in addition, the GPs report that issuing certificates can be problematic. This article explores values, attitudes and persuasive language in a selection of medical certificates written by GPs. We direct attention to such texts as significant social actors using a mixed rhetoric including certain values and attitudes. When arguing for granting the patient disability benefit, some GPs emphasised the ‘worthiness’ of the patient by pointing to positive attitudes approved by the national insurance: a will to work and participate, to cooperate and be motivated. Others pointed out the patient’s positive character in terms of universally accepted values, called for the reader’s (the NAV official) sympathy , understanding and helpfulness or appealed to his/her willingness to be realistic and pragmatic and grant disability benefit (DB). The dialogic style varied: some certifiers—although they argued for disability benefit—showed openness to possible opposing or alternative voices by displaying their own uncertainty. Others addressed the reader to share responsibility, demanding or urging for DB. This shifting rhetoric, we believe, mirrors that the GPs see themselves as the patient’s advocate, and that they may find themselves conflicted. We propose further studies within qualitative research to investigate the effect of this rhetoric on the reader, the decision-makers. In addition, to improve the quality and accuracy of these important documents, we suggest that medical schools introduce students to the making of text as a specific skill of medical practice.

A Re-Appraisal of the Role of Blood Coagulation and Platelets in the Generalized Shwartzman Phenomenon

1966 ◽  
Vol 15 (03/04) ◽  
pp. 519-538 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Levin ◽  
E Beck
Keyword(s):  
Blood Coagulation ◽  
The State ◽  
Coagulation System ◽  
Renal Lesions ◽  
Intravascular Coagulation ◽  
Renal Glomeruli ◽  
Coagulation Mechanism ◽  
Shwartzman Phenomenon ◽  
Do So

SummaryThe role of intravascular coagulation in the production of the generalized Shwartzman phenomenon has been evaluated. The administration of endotoxin to animals prepared with Thorotrast results in activation of the coagulation mechanism with the resultant deposition of fibrinoid material in the renal glomeruli. Anticoagulation prevents alterations in the state of the coagulation system and inhibits development of the renal lesions. Platelets are not primarily involved. Platelet antiserum produces similar lesions in animals prepared with Thorotrast, but appears to do so in a manner which does not significantly involve intravascular coagulation.The production of adrenal cortical hemorrhage, comparable to that seen in the Waterhouse-Friderichsen syndrome, following the administration of endotoxin to animals that had previously received ACTH does not require intravascular coagulation and may not be a manifestation of the generalized Shwartzman phenomenon.

Michael Kelly, Hilary Footitt, Myriam Salama-Carr (eds.): The Palgrave Handbook of Languages and Conflict

2020 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ľubomír Zvada
Keyword(s):  
International Relations ◽  
Foreign Languages ◽  
Military Operations ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
War And Peace ◽  
Interdisciplinary Field ◽  
Speakers Of Other Languages ◽  
War And Conflict ◽  
Almost All

This Handbook maps the contours of an exciting and burgeoning interdisciplinary field concerned with the role of language and languages in situations of conflict. It explores conceptual approaches, sources of information that are available, and the institutions and actors that mediate language encounters. It examines case studies of the role that languages have played in specific conflicts, from colonial times through to the Middle East and Africa today. The contributors provide vibrant evidence to challenge the monolingual assumptions that have affected traditional views of war and conflict. They show that languages are woven into every aspect of the making of war and peace, and demonstrate how language shapes public policy and military strategy, setting frameworks and expectations. The Handbook's 22 chapters powerfully illustrate how the encounter between languages is integral to almost all conflicts, to every phase of military operations and to the lived experiences of those on the ground, who meet, work and fight with speakers of other languages. This comprehensive work will appeal to scholars from across the disciplines of linguistics, translation studies, history, and international relations; and provide fresh insights for a broad range of practitioners interested in understanding the role and implications of foreign languages in war.

Adjectives and their keyness: a corpus-based analysis of tourism discourse in English

Corpora ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 351-378 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabel Durán-Muñoz
Keyword(s):  
Domain Specific ◽  
Adventure Tourism ◽  
Frequency Of Use ◽  
Relevant Reference ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Do So

This paper attempts to shed some light on the importance of adjectives in the linguistic characterisation of tourism discourse in English in general and in adventure tourism in particular as well as to prove how significant the difference in usage is compared to the general language. It seeks to understand the role that adjectives play in this specific subdomain and to contribute to the linguistic characterisation of tourism discourse in this respect. It also aims to confirm or reject previous assumptions regarding the use, and frequency of use, of adjectives and adjectival patterns in this specialised domain and, in general, to promote the study of adjectivisation in domain-specific discourses. To do so, it proposes a corpus-based study that measures the keyness of adjectives in promotional texts of the adventure tourism domain in English by comparing their usage in the compiled corpus to the two most relevant reference corpora of English (coca and the bnc).

‘Wheels have been set in motion’: Geocentrism and Relativity in Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liliane Campos
Keyword(s):  
20Th Century ◽  
Film Adaptation ◽  
Frames Of Reference ◽  
Quantum Uncertainty ◽  
Galilean Relativity ◽  
Modern Physics ◽  
20Th Century Physics ◽  
Time Specific ◽  
Do So

By decentring our reading of Hamlet, Stoppard’s tragicomedy questions the legitimacy of centres and of stable frames of reference. So Liliane Campos examines how Stoppard plays with the physical and cosmological models he finds in Hamlet, particularly those of the wheel and the compass, and gives a new scientific depth to the fear that time is ‘out of joint’. In both his play and his own film adaptation, Stoppard’s rewriting gives a 20th-century twist to these metaphors, through references to relativity, indeterminacy, and the role of the observer. When they refer to the uncontrollable wheels of their fate, his characters no longer describe the destruction of order, but uncertainty about which order is at work, whether heliocentric or geocentric, random or tragic. When they express their loss of bearings, they do so through the thought experiments of modern physics, from Galilean relativity to quantum uncertainty, drawing our attention to shifting frames of reference. Much like Schrödinger’s cat, Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are both dead and alive. As we observe their predicament, Campos argues, we are placed in the paradoxical position of the observer in 20th-century physics, and constantly reminded that our time-specific relation to the canon inevitably determines our interpretation.

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