scholarly journals The Status of English in Morocco: Lessons from Spontaneous Debates in Social Media

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 187-208
Author(s):  
Abdelmajid Bouziane ◽  
Mohamed Saoudi
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Attitudes ◽  
Frequent Patterns ◽  
Language Awareness ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
The Status ◽  
Do So

Morocco, a multilingual country with historical and geo-political legacies, has opened a hot debate on languages recently. Within this debate, this article investigates spontaneous comments in social media on languages in Morocco, especially adopting English as a first foreign language. It aims to bring this topic to the surface and thus discuss it in the light of research on language attitudes and language awareness. To do so, it analyses the reactions to texts about the declarations by the Minister of Higher Education shared in social networks and sites. The data consisting of 2,018 comments is classified according to 12 frequent patterns whose frequencies are calculated. The findings show that most of Moroccans have positive attitudes towards English while some show opposing reactions towards French. These participants hold ambivalent opinions about the rest of languages used in Morocco; however, they tend to insist on Morocco having a clear language policy which, seemingly, prioritises the mother tongues, Arabic and Amazigh. The discussions show that some investigated reactions are mitigated as they may be illusionary.

Institutional Plagiarism Policy (Georgian higher education institutions’ case)

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Natela DOGHONADZE ◽  
Ekaterine PIPIA ◽  
Nikoloz PARJANADZE
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Survey Questionnaire ◽  
Existing Problems ◽  
Copyright Violation ◽  
University Policies

The article deals with various aspects of plagiarism: definition (discriminating it from cheating and copyright violation), types (intended / unintended), involved people, causes, prevention, detection and punishment of plagiarism. A survey (questionnaire containing 42 items to be assessed in a 5-point Likert scale and one open- ended item) was conducted in Georgia. The questionnaire developed based on the literature review was uploaded on social media in three variants (to analyze the results separately and compare them): for students, for researchers and for assessors. The obtained results revealed that the opinions of the three groups of respondents differed to a certain degree, but were quite similar, eventually. The survey disclosed the existing problems, such as: lack of academic writing (in the native and especially foreign language) and research skills, lack of training in avoiding plagiarism, insufficiently clear university policies in the area, the emphasis on punishment instead of prevention, etc. Based on the obtained results recommendations for universities are given concerning plagiarism policies. 

The Implementation of CLIL and Attitudes Towards Trilingualism

2009 ◽  
Vol 157 ◽  
pp. 23-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Lasagabaster
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Secondary Students ◽  
Language Attitudes ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Minority Language ◽  
Educational Systems ◽  
Autonomous Community ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Inherent Feature ◽  
Official Languages

Abstract Linguistic and cultural diversity is becoming an inherent feature of most schools in Europe. This is specially so in contexts such as the Basque Autonomous Community in Spain, where the presence of two official languages (Basque and Spanish) is complemented by the early teaching of English, which sets out as early as the age of four in the majority of schools. Nevertheless, the low foreign language command of Spanish students in general and the Basque students in particular has led to the implementation of CLIL experiences, which have been mushrooming in the last decade. Some voices have been raised though against the ever increasing presence of English due to its probable negative impact on language attitudes, especially on attitudes towards Basque. Many efforts have been made to normalize the situation of Basque at school and some scholars consider that these achievements can be jeopardized if the minority language yields too much space to the two international languages (Spain and English). In this paper the effect of CLIL programmes on attitudes towards trilingualism is examined through a holistic questionnaire completed by 277 secondary students. The results obtained demonstrate that CLIL can help to boost positive attitudes towards trilingualism at school, a matter of the utmost importance due to the ever increasing number of multilingual educational systems in Europe.

scholarly journals Social Media Addiction and Personality: A Review of Research

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 607-630
Author(s):  
Viktor P. Sheinov
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Way Of Life ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Social Media Addiction ◽  
Physical Health Problems ◽  
Negative Links

Social networks are taking up more and more place in the daily life of modern people, becoming an integral part of our existence. At the same time, the role of social networks is constantly growing along with the rapid growth in the number of their active users. As online interaction for many has become more used than face-to-face communication, social networks have begun to seriously affect the way of life, communication, interests and psychology of people. The use of social networks is growing exponentially and has covered more than a third of the worlds population; therefore, researchers from different countries are actively studying social networks. Considerable empirical data has been accumulated that requires generalization and understanding, which is the purpose of this review. We found positive links between social media addiction and depression, anxiety, stress, neuroticism, emotional problems, low self-esteem, cyber-victimization, physical health problems, mental disorders, loneliness, procrastination, smartphone and internet addiction, and infidelity in relationships. Negative links were revealed between social media addiction and life satisfaction, academic performance of schoolchildren and students, labor productivity and commitment to the organization of its employees, social capital, and age. The main reason for social media addiction is the need for communication, and women are generally more active in social networks than men. This review provides only those links of social media addiction that have been established in a number of studies conducted in different countries. The presented results were obtained abroad using foreign language questionnaires that determine social media addiction. The lack of such a reliable and valid tool among Russian-speaking psychologists has become a serious factor hindering the conduct of similar domestic research. With this in view, the author developed a specially designed social media addiction questionnaire.

scholarly journals The Implementation of Collaborative Learning via Virtual Communities in Moroccan Higher Education

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 60-73
Author(s):  
ABDELOUAHED LAACHIR
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Collaborative Learning ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Data Gathering ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Problem Solving Skills ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Teaching Learning

This paper focuses on the implementation of using collaborative learning via virtual communities in EFL (English as a Foreign Language) with a vision to identify three things: students’ perception, their active participation in virtual learning groups, students’ satisfaction with this new strategy of learning, and the relationship between gender and the latter. To answer these questions, the present research adopts a quantitative method using a questionnaire for data gathering and the use of IBM SPSS for data analysis. The findings of the present study demonstrate that students hold positive attitudes towards online collaborative learning, students are active participants in the online learning process; students are satisfied and able to develop many skills like, problem solving skills, communication skills, and critical thinking skills. Last but not least, the findings also show that gender does not affect the effectiveness of using collaborative learning in virtual communities. Thus, the implementation of this up-dated strategy of learning is useful and needed to fulfill the missing gaps in the traditional ways of teaching/learning English as a foreign language in the Moroccan higher education.

Using enterprise social networks as a knowledge management tool in higher education

2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (4) ◽  
pp. 555-570 ◽  
Author(s):  
Niall Corcoran ◽  
Aidan Duane
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Conceptual Model ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Management Tool ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Enterprise Social Networks ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The management of organisational knowledge and the promotion of staff knowledge sharing are largely neglected in higher education institutions. The purpose of this study is to examine how enterprise social networks can enable staff knowledge sharing in communities of practice in that context. Design/methodology/approach The study is framed as an Action Research project, covering three cycles over a 12-month period. During the Diagnosing phase, a conceptual model was developed for empirical testing. Data were collected through 30 semi-structured interviews and a number of focus groups. This was supplemented by content analysis and reflective journaling. Findings The findings support the conceptual model and provide insight into the antecedents necessary for the creation of an enterprise social network-enabled knowledge-sharing environment, the motivators for and barriers to participation, and the perceived organisational and individual benefits of increased staff knowledge-sharing activity. Research limitations/implications As the study has a higher education focus, all of the findings may not be generalizable to other types of organisation. Further development of the conceptual model and testing in other contextual settings will yield greater generalizability. Practical implications A number of findings have practical implications for the management of higher education institutions, such as the evidence of a divide between faculty and other staff. In general, the study findings provide an opportunity for educationalists to better understand the scope and impact of employing social media platforms for knowledge sharing. Originality/value This paper adds to the growing body of work on organisational implementations of social media, and should be of interest to practitioners and researchers undertaking similar projects.

Students’ Privacy Concerns on the Use of Social Media in Higher Education

2014 ◽  
pp. 54-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Aymerich-Franch ◽  
Maddalena Fedele
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Privacy Concerns ◽  
Use Of Social Media ◽  
The University ◽  
Video Calling ◽  
Correct Implementation

Social media is principally used by students in the private sphere. However, its implementation for educational purposes in higher education is rapidly expanding. This chapter looks into undergraduate students’ perceptions of using social media in the university context. In particular, it examines students’ privacy concerns regarding faculty use of social networks to support classroom work and video calling or online chats to meet for work discussion. Two-hundred-forty-four undergraduate students completed a survey and four focus groups were carried out. The results reveal that although students generally accept using social media in the instructional arena, privacy concerns can easily emerge. Educational institutions are encouraged to take these concerns seriously. Using applications specifically created for learning purposes and developing some guidelines for a correct implementation of these resources for the faculty to follow might contribute to alleviate these concerns.

The Role of Social Media in Creating and Maintaining Social Networks Including its Impact on Enhancing Competitive Positioning within the Education Sector

2015 ◽  
pp. 212-230
Author(s):  
Adam Raman
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Communication Strategies ◽  
Strategy Development ◽  
Interactive Communication ◽  
Strategic Goals ◽  
Future Strategy

Social media is being increasingly utilised within society as an interactive communication platform. It has revolutionised the manner in which organisations communicate with their stakeholders, from the old way of simply designing messages and transmitting them across a desired medium, described as a static, one-way communication channel. Communications are the means by which organisations achieve their strategic goals through influencing their stakeholders. Social media allows stakeholders to connect to one another in relational, interactional networks. This means that stakeholders can now interact with organisations and each other and have a greater influence on the outcomes of communication strategies, which was impossible with traditional media. Organisations have less power dictating communications to stakeholders who in turn have more power in co-creating communication with each other. Social media is likely to have a major competitive impact on higher education institutions and these institutions should be accounting for these changes in their future strategy development. This chapter explores how social media is being utilized in organisations.

On the Privacy and Utility of Anonymized Social Networks

2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Song ◽  
Xuesong Lu ◽  
Sadegh Nobari ◽  
Stéphane Bressan ◽  
Panagiotis Karras
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Media ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Social Groups ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Private Lives ◽  
The Social ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Do So

One is either on Facebook or not. Of course, this assessment is controversial and its rationale arguable. It is nevertheless not far, for many, from the reason behind joining social media and publishing and sharing details of their professional and private lives. Not only the personal details that may be revealed, but also the structure of the networks are sources of invaluable information for any organization wanting to understand and learn about social groups, their dynamics and members. These organizations may or may not be benevolent. It is important to devise, design and evaluate solutions that guarantee some privacy. One approach that reconciles the different stakeholders’ requirement is the publication of a modified graph. The perturbation is hoped to be sufficient to protect members’ privacy while it maintains sufficient utility for analysts wanting to study the social media as a whole. In this paper, the authors try to empirically quantify the inevitable trade-off between utility and privacy. They do so for two state-of-the-art graph anonymization algorithms that protect against most structural attacks, the k-automorphism algorithm and the k-degree anonymity algorithm. The authors measure several metrics for a series of real graphs from various social media before and after their anonymization under various settings.

How Web 3.0 Tourism Students See the 1.0 Higher Education System

2020 ◽  
pp. 252-268
Author(s):  
José Alexandre Martins ◽  
Romeu Lopes ◽  
Vitor Roque
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Education System ◽  
Cultural Resistance ◽  
Higher Education System ◽  
Web 3.0 ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Use Of Social Media ◽  
Portuguese Higher Education

Social media does not seem to easily fit in the higher education system. The Web 3.0 students use social networks on a daily basis, however, 1.0 higher education institutions are not taking advantage of these tools. There are some institutional constraints, pedagogical issues, and cultural resistance for its adoption. A survey directed to Portuguese Higher Education students was held, aiming to identify social networks' use either in a personal and academic context. Results show that social networks are under-exploited in the teaching-learning process, both by students and also their teachers. They are both aware of the platforms and applications but are rarely used for an academic purpose. The study raises important issues and gives practical examples for effective use of social media in education. In order to address these challenges and opportunities wisely, it is necessary an effective engagement in social media by students, professors, and all the academic staff.

scholarly journals Libraries of pedagogical institutions of higher education on social media

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (47) ◽  
pp. 197-206
Author(s):  
Anna Shelestova ◽  
Alla Solianyk ◽  
Nadiia Bachynska ◽  
Tetyana Novalska ◽  
Oleksii Kobieliev
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Library Services ◽  
Institutions Of Higher Education ◽  
Current State ◽  
Information Products ◽  
Maximum Content

The article aims to explore nowadays promoting conditions of libraries of pedagogical institutions of higher education on social media and define effectiveness criteria of this process. Content analysis of official accounts of 19 libraries of pedagogical institutions of higher education in Ukraine is provided. Based on the results of content analysis the authors explore the current state of representing their information products and services on social networks, specify the factors that contribute to the effectiveness of promoting library services among users. The authors indicate the following factors which influence the followers number: correct use of hashtags, authenticity and frequency of content updating, maximum content synchronization of the library profiles on various social networks for uniform information and involvement of their target audiences; insight and successful use of functionality of various social networks by librarians.

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