Strategy Use Among Chinese as Second Language Learners in Mainland China From the Mediation Theory Perspective

This paper reports a mixed-methods study that explored the strategy use of a cohort of Chinese as second language learners in mainland China from the perspective of mediation theory. Data sources include a questionnaire survey (N = 189) and a semi-structured interview (N = 12). The findings revealed that the participants orchestrated a repertoire of language learning strategies and frequently used social and meta-cognitive strategies. Analysis of the qualitative data suggested that the participants' strategy use was shaped by the learners' self agentic power (their beliefs and Ideal L2 self), and the socio-cultural environment. Specifically, their strategy use was mediated by a host of socio-cultural factors, including learner beliefs, social agents, cultural artifacts, and learning environment. Considered together, the findings illuminate the socially situated nature of the use of language learning strategy. That is, strategy use of the participants stems from the interplay of learner agency and socio-cultural factors. The findings also imply the necessity of strategy-based instruction and highlight the importance of a Chinese-speaking environment for Chinese learning.

A Matter of Feelings: Mediators’ Perceptions of Emotion in Hierarchical Workplace Conflicts

Emotions play a central role in the process of conflict and resolution. For a mediator, it is important to recognize emotions correctly and act upon them. Whether interventions are appropriate depends to a large extent on the ability of mediators to accurately perceive the emotions of conflict parties. Particularly in hierarchical labor conflicts, this can be challenging, since subordinates tend to hide emotions while supervisors tend to express them. In this study, we investigated if subordinates and supervisors differ in their emotional experience during mediation and whether mediators perceive these emotions accurately. To this end, we compared the extent to which disputants experienced certain emotions with the extent to which mediators perceived these emotions. Data were collected through surveys of mediation clients and mediators in hierarchical labor conflicts in the Netherlands. As expected, subordinates experienced a higher level of negative emotions during the mediation than supervisors did. Positive emotions, however, were experienced to a similar extent by both supervisors and subordinates in mediation. Mediators perceived supervisors’ emotions more accurately than they did subordinates’ emotions. While supervisors’ emotions were positively related with mediators’ perceptions, this was not the case for subordinates’ emotions. Furthermore, mediators were more accurately perceiving supervisors’ negative emotions than their positive emotions. Implications for mediation theory and practice are discussed.

Peer mediation — conflict management in a class of its own

Peer mediation is a process whereby students learn how to manage conflict for themselves. Peer mediation theory recognises that some conflict in young people’s lives can be resolved with the help of other students and so provides the tools of conflict resolution without imposing solutions. Implemented correctly, peer mediation can promote positive influences on school cultures, improve learning environments and enhance student development. This article aims to provide an overview of the practical implementation aspects involved in setting up a peer mediation programme. It will outline some theoretical concepts of peer mediation, describe the curricular context in Ireland through which programmes can be integrated and the types of programme suited to primary and secondary schools. It will also make some key recommendations for future research and the development of peer mediation in Ireland.

Making out with the world and valuing relationships with humans

This paper aims to analyze the effects of the introduction of teledildos on our sexual lives according to postphenomenology and mediation theory. Digital technologies are getting very intimate by mediating even our sexual intercourse, as in the case of teledildonics. According to postphenomenology and mediation theory, technologies are never neutral, but they change how we live and how we relate to the world around us. Thus, we need to ask how these intimate technologies are going to affect us in the way we live our intimacy and relationships. This paper will show how teledildonics will allow human beings to have sexual intercourse with every object around by turning them into sexually interactive "quasi-others", and how this change will affect the way we give meanings and values to love and sex in general. The first part of this paper will show the introduction of teledildonics will affect how we perceive the world around us and how we are tempted by it. The second part will highlight how even the meanings and values we give to sex and love will be shaped according to the new potentialities provided by teledildos.

PROSES PARENTAL MEDIATION TERHADAP ANAK USIA PRASEKOLAH DALAM MENGGUNAKAN GADGET

ABSTRAK Gadget merupakan salah satu media yang digunakan oleh masyarakat Indonesia sebagai sumber informasi, hiburan dan pendidikan sehingga gadget dapat memberikan dampak yang postif dan negatif. Pemakaian gadget pada sekarang ini sudah digunakan mulai dari anak usia dini hingga orang dewasa. Persepsi efek positif anak terhadap gadget sangat penting untuk dikembangkan karena dapat membantu anak sebagai khalayak aktif untuk membedakan antara tontonan yang positif dan negative bagi anak.Dalam menggunakan g adget tentunya anak memerlukan dukungan dengan dilakukannya pendampingan dari orang tua untuk mengarahkan serta memberikan pemahaman-pemahaman mengenai media yang ditonton sehingga dapat meminimalisir dampak negatif. Pendampingan penggunaan media dan teknologi serta perangkatnya dikenal dengan istilah parental mediation . Tujuan dari penelitian ini yaitu untuk mengetahui bagaimana pengawasan orangtua (parental mediation) terhadap anak usia dini dalam menggunakan gadget . Metode penelitian yang digunakan dalam penelitian adalah kajian pustaka dan literatur yang berisi teori. Untuk menjawab permasalahan tersebut digunakan Teori Parental Mediation. Hasil dari kajian yang telah dilakukan terdapat tipe mediasi yang dilakukan orangtua untuk melakukan pengawasan terhadap anak usia prasekolah dalam menggunakan gadget yaitu mediasi restriktif (restrictive mediation), mediasi aktif (active mediation) , mediasi penggunaan bersama (co - use) ABSTRACK The gadget is one of the media used by Indonesian people as a source of information, education and education so that gadgets can have positive and negative impacts. The use of gadgets at this time has been used starting from early childhood to adults. Percepti on of positive effects of children on gadgets is very important to be developed because it can help children as active audiences to distinguish between positive and negative shows for children. In using gadgets, make sure children support by supporting the assistance of parents to support providing media supports watched so that it can minimize negative impacts. Assistance in the use of media and technology known as parental mediation. The purpose of this study is to learn how to supervise parents of early childhood using gadgets. The research method used in the research is lit e r a t u r e r e vie w a n d lit e r a t u r e w hic h c o n t ain s t h e o r y . T o a n s w e r t h e s e q u e s tio n s u s e t h e P a r e n t al Mediation Theory. Restrictive mediation (restrictive mediation), active mediation (activ e mediation), co - use mediation.

Assessing the Astana Peace Process for Syria: Actors, Approaches, and Differences

Since 2011, numerous peace initiatives have been initiated out by several actors to end the Syrian civil war in a peaceful way. This article presents the “Astana Peace Process” brokered by Russia, Turkey, and Iran in early 2017 as a case study of a mediation and examines its predecessors to understand the reasons for the failures of those attempts and develops an assessment of the Astana peace process itself. To gain a better understanding of the Astana peace process, this article incorporates the efforts of main actors, their approaches, and the context of the war. In doing so, the article begins by describing the background of the civil war and then uses traditional concepts in mediation theory to elucidate the limitations of the unsuccessful attempts. Next, it investigates how the Astana peace process was different and the driving factors that encouraged the states to engage in this process and argues that Astana peace process’s overall effectiveness is likely to remain limited due to the conflicting interests of the mediators.

The Purpose of Theory

This paper zooms in on a recent development in the discussion between postphenomenology and critical constructivism: the attempt at working out a political philosophy in the framework of postphenomenology, specifically Peter-Paul Verbeek’s. Verbeek contrasts mediation theory to critical theory, arguing that critical theorists only “talk”; they don’t “do.” While the latter reproach postphenomenology/mediation theory for its lack of politics, Verbeek actually poses that “real” politics cannot be done by critical theorists—indeed exactly because of their not doing, that is, doing in the sense of helping to design and develop good real-world technological solutions. But this brings up pertinent questions, about whether a theory should “do” something, what that means, and whether calls for “doing” do not carry their own presuppositions with them that, if not made explicit, will bias the theory and its “use” toward certain directions. These issues are explored by way of among others an excursion into Rortyan pragmatism. Eventually, I conclude, it is perfectly acceptable that critical constructivism should “talk” and postphenomenology “do”—as long as we keep the meanings of those terms sufficiently clear.