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Investigates the question, Can the mathematics students are taught be cast in such a form that it can be apprehended with the abilities they have and if so, how? Focuses on the language of student abilities, the nature of abilities, and individual differences. (MM)

The purpose of this research was to find the effect of various strategies of learning towards writing skill of scientific work. The study was conducted on students of Indonesian Language and Literature Faculty of Language and Literature, State University of Makassar. The type of research was experimental research. The population of the study was all students of the Department of Language and Literature Indonesia who were programmed course Scientific Writing academic year 2012/2013 which had 102 students. The number of students was distributed into three classes namely Class A total of 32 students, 34 students of class B, 36 students of class C. the Samples of the research were 36 students consisting of 18 students from class A as the first experimental class and 18 students of grade B as the second experimental class. The technique of data collection was an instrument. The instrument was a test description that was making papers. The data analysis technique was an analysis of variance (ANOVA). Before the data from this study was analyzed statistically, the data was tested by the requirements that included the test of normality and homogeneity test population. The result of the research showed that the samples of students who learned the techniques of cooperative used strategies Cooperative Integrated Reading and Composition (CIRC) got higher score significantly than the samples who learned by expository strategy toward the skills to write scientific papers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of nurses in identifying and responding to family violence and violence against women has long been established. However, nurses' readiness to fully assume this role remains low due to various barriers and the sensitive nature of the subject. As part of capacity building to address this problem, an additional national qualitative learning target, i.e., to "show knowledge about men's violence against women and violence in close relationships", was introduced into the Swedish Higher Education Ordinance for nursing and seven other educational programs between 2017 and 2018. The aim of this paper is to describe how the national qualitative learning target is incorporated into the undergraduate nursing curriculum at the Swedish Red Cross University College. An overview of relevant teaching and learning activities and how they are organized is first presented, followed by the presentation of a proposed didactic model: Dare to Ask and Act! The model details a step-by-step progression from facts and figures, including the role of gender norms, to recognizing signs of abuse in complex clinical situations, as well as developing skills that enhance the courage to ask and act. Due to the sensitive nature of violence victimization, the proposed model reflects the importance of making the subject a reoccurring theme in undergraduate nursing education in order to boost nursing students' interests and confidence to "Dare to Ask and Act!". The model also shows that making the subject a recurring theme can be achieved with minimal disruptions to and without overcrowding an existing curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the general agreement that the interdisciplinary model of physical education (PE), based on the incorporation of core academic subjects into the PE curriculum, stimulates the holistic development of students, there is still a lack of methods for its implementation. Therefore, Eduball was created, i.e., a method that uses educational balls with printed letters, numbers, and other signs. Numerous studies have shown that children participating in activities with Eduballs can develop their physical fitness while simultaneously improving their academic performance, particularly in math and language, including some writing skills. However, little is known about the effects of Eduball on children's graphomotor skills, which are key for the academic performance of students throughout the entire schooling process. Here, we investigate whether 6-month participation in PE with Eduball stimulates graphomotor skills in primary school students, such as drawing prehandwriting letter patterns on unlined or lined paper and rewriting text on unlined or lined paper. Our results show that the Eduball class (N = 28) significantly improved these skills compared to the control class (N = 26) participating in traditional PE. For example, students from the experimental group wrote with a lower pen pressure and better stability of the line, in contrast to those from the control group. Therefore, this study demonstrates that the Eduball method successfully supports teachers in developing graphomotor skills in children. More broadly, our findings make clear once again that there is the need to integrate physical and cognitive development in education, which can be achieved by using an interdisciplinary model of PE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There have been multiple calls made in the sport science literature for the promotion of interdisciplinarity to progress some of sports' most prevailing challenges. Designing practice environments that support learning represents one such challenge, particularly given contemporary perspectives of skill acquisition and motor learning calls for coaches to realign their role—progressing toward the designers of practice tasks that promote athlete-environment interactions. In doing so, performers learn through exploration, deepening a relationship with their performance environment as they solve problems based on changing and interacting constraints. This paper illustrates an interdisciplinary approach to the area of learning through sport practice by adapting established principles embedded in video game designs. Specifically, 13 principles common to good video game designs are described, with practical examples of each provided across different sports. Fundamentally, this paper aims to offer sports practitioners with an overview and application of key principles that could support learning by design. Beyond this, the ideas presented here should further illustrate the value of interdisciplinarity in sports research and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to explore a different, more relational worldview of skill, learning and education in sport. To do this, we turn to the work of social anthropologist, Tim Ingold, leaning on the notion of enskilment, which proposes that learning is inseparable from doing and place. From this worldview, what is learned is not an established body of knowledge, transmitted into the mind of a passive recipient from an authorised being, but is a progressively deepening embodied-embedded attentiveness, where an individual learns to self-regulate by becoming more responsive to people and environmental features by 'looking, listening and feeling'. As we discuss, Ingold's perspectives on enskilment are rooted in the etymological connotations of education—ex-ducere, which roughly means 'to lead out'. In applying this notion to sport, we unpack three of its entangled components, taskscapes, guided attention, and wayfinding, detailing the implications of each for the growth of enskilled sports performers. To promote the translation of these ideas, in addition to encouraging their inquiry beyond the scope of what is discussed here, sporting examples are threaded throughout the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This systematic literature review explored the general characteristics, validation, and reliability of pediatric simulation-based education (P-SBE). Methods: A literature search was conducted between May 23 and 28 using the PRISMA guidelines, which covered databases such as MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and Cochrane Library. In the third selection process, the original texts of 142 studies were selected, and 98 documents were included in the final content analysis. Results: A total of 109 papers have been published in the ten years since 2011. Most of the study designs were experimental studies, including RCT with 76 articles. Among the typologies of simulation, advanced patient simulation was the most common (92), and high-fidelity simulation was the second most common (75). There were 29 compatibility levels and professional levels, with 59 scenarios related to emergency interventions and 19 scenarios related to communication feasibility and decision making. Regarding the effect variable, 65 studies confirmed that skills were the most common. However, validity of the scenarios and effect variables was not verified in 56.1% and 67.3% of studies, respectively. Conclusion: Based on these findings, simulation based-education (SBE) is an effective educational method that can improve the proficiency and competence of medical professionals dealing with child. Learning through simulation provides an immersive environment in which learners interact with the presented patient scenario and make decisions, actively learning the attitudes, knowledge, and skills necessary for medical providers. In the future, it is expected that such research on SBE will be actively followed up and verified for its validity and reliability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is concerned with the motor skill learning from human demonstrations using the framework of dynamic regressive models (DRMs). The DRM-based motion planner is preferred as it generates the end-effector trajectory dynamically based on the current state of the end-effector. Within existing frameworks, a single DRM can learn a single motion profile. In addition, such learned DRMs from the data may not be stable. This paper addresses both these issues in a comprehensive manner. In this paper a single DRM has been used to encode human demonstrations involving multitask profiles and multiple task-equilibriums which is novel. We have introduced the idea that the learned DRM will generate human-like stable motion if the energy dissipation rate (EDR) of the generated trajectory follows that of the human demonstration. Thus, the DRM structure has been modified by adding a continuous guiding signal which can be called as the control signal. This signal has been derived using control theoretic principle to ensure asymptotic stability while maintaining the EDR equivalent to that of the human demonstration. The asymptotic stability of the learned DRM has been established by involving a nonmonotonic Lyapunov function consisting of first derivative of a quadratic function and the energy function associated with the DRM. The proposed framework can be learned using many existing regression techniques in this paper Gaussian mixture regression, locally weighted projection regression, and support vector regression techniques have been used successfully. During the pick and place tasks, human demonstrations involving multiple task profiles and multiple task-equilibriums are generated using a 7 DOF commercial robot manipulator. Experimental validations show that the DRMs learned using these three regression schemes are able to guide the robot along the multitask profiles in a stable manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The traditional approach to practice has focused on the physical structure of practice, manipulating parameters like duration, spacing, task variations, practice order, and whether tasks are practiced in parts or as a whole and physically or mentally. The emergence of the deliberate practice framework shifted the focus to the learner's attitude or mindset toward practice. It argues that the most effective practice involves a consciously effortful, workman-like approach to remedying weaknesses in performance. In the current paper, we build on the notion of deliberate play that arose in response to the deliberate practice framework. Rather than view deliberate play as a forerunner to deliberate practice, we argue that a playful approach to practice can benefit the learning process at any stage of learning or skill development. We draw on contemporary research in motor learning and development, in developmental and evolutionary psychology, and in education to highlight the benefits of a playful approach to practice on motor skill learning. We end with practical suggestions for encouraging a playful approach to practice and learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate the effect of Mobile-Assisted Language Learning (MALL) as compared to paper-based instruction in the development of Iranian EFL elementary learners' writing skills. The research purpose was threefold: 1) to investigate the effect of MALL on elementary learners' writing skills; 2) to make a comparison between the obtained results of MALL and pencil-and-paper methods, and 3) to assess elementary students' attitudes about learner involvement in collaborative learning (CL) settings through mobile phone (MPh) interactions. For this purpose, 30 Iranian EFL elementary students were selected and randomly assigned to two groups: one experimental and one control. While the experimental sample received mobile-based instructions on their writing assignments, the students in the placebo group were provided with only paper-based instruction. The findings revealed that the participants in both groups showed considerable improvement on the immediate and delayed writing post-tests; however, on average, those in the experimental MALL group were shown to have outperformed the students in the control group significantly. Not surprisingly, the learners in the treatment group had made fewer errors on the targeted grammatical structures like the use of adjectives, possessives and simple present tense compared to those in the control sample. Finally, the results of the post hoc interview reflected that MALL learners felt positively about the utility of mobile technology in writing classes. Essentially, the findings could be of great help to EFL teachers, EFL learners, and course designers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to investigate how digital tools, such as blogs, could be used by drama teachers, already qualified on a Drama teaching postgraduate study course, in teaching Theatre/Drama Education in schools in Greece, and to record the ways in which they could interact through blogging with their students and similarly ways in which their students could interact between themselves. In order to attain this, a small-scale case study was planned and developed, with an interdisciplinary approach. Drama teachers and their students were asked to build and develop their blogs concerning drama and theatre education and then use them in Theatre/Drama lessons. After applying this with their students for some time, drama teachers were asked to express their personal views and perceptions. Their responses showed in general a positive attitude towards the integration and use of blogs in teaching Theatre/Drama courses in schools, because they appear to increase the interactivity between teachers and their students and to provide them both with opportunities to further develop their dramatic and digital skills either within or outside a school environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autonomous learning of robotic skills seems to be more natural and more practical than engineered skills, analogous to the learning process of human individuals. Policy gradient methods are a type of reinforcement learning technique which have great potential in solving robot skills learning problems. However, policy gradient methods require too many instances of robot online interaction with the environment in order to learn a good policy, which means lower efficiency of the learning process and a higher likelihood of damage to both the robot and the environment. In this paper, we propose a two-phase (imitation phase and practice phase) framework for efficient learning of robot walking skills, in which we pay more attention to the quality of skill learning and sample efficiency at the same time. The training starts with what we call the first stage or the imitation phase of learning, updating the parameters of the policy network in a supervised learning manner. The training set used in the policy network learning is composed of the experienced trajectories output by the iterative linear Gaussian controller. This paper also refers to these trajectories as near-optimal experiences. In the second stage, or the practice phase, the experiences for policy network learning are collected directly from online interactions, and the policy network parameters are updated with model-free reinforcement learning. The experiences from both stages are stored in the weighted replay buffer, and they are arranged in order according to the experience scoring algorithm proposed in this paper. The proposed framework is tested on a biped robot walking task in a MATLAB simulation environment. The results show that the sample efficiency of the proposed framework is much higher than ordinary policy gradient algorithms. The algorithm proposed in this paper achieved the highest cumulative reward, and the robot learned better walking skills autonomously. In addition, the weighted replay buffer method can be made as a general module for other model-free reinforcement learning algorithms. Our framework provides a new way to combine model-based reinforcement learning with model-free reinforcement learning to efficiently update the policy network parameters in the process of robot skills learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To present and discuss options for upskilling registered nurse supervisors to ultimately improve the quality and consistency of nursing student placements. Background: Many studies have examined clinical learning in nursing, with evidence that student learning and registered nurse clinical supervision experiences can be improved. An independent review of nursing education in Australia confirmed gaps in the preparation and support of supervising registered nurses that may negatively impact students' learning. Study design and methods: This paper discusses contemporary insights around 1) the current situation in Australian nursing student clinical placements regarding learning, 2) registered nurse clinical supervisor experiences and 3) professional options for recognising role excellence, offered by Australian and international nursing and healthcare specialities. Discussion: Nursing students' placement experiences are at times sub-optimal. One way to improve learning experiences could be to offer clinical supervisors professional development programs. Now is the time to consider a certification process to recognise excellence in registered nurses' education capabilities and to better support students' clinical learning. Conclusion: Upskilling registered nurses for clinical supervision may be assisted through formal and informal education programs specific to the professional nursing context in Australia. Implications for research policy and practice: Upskilling registered nurse clinical supervisors should be a priority on the national agenda of improving students' clinical learning experiences. This commentary provides contemporary insights to the current situation regarding Australian students' clinical placement and supervisor experiences. The ways that some nursing specialities recognise excellence in practice are discussed as options for improving clinical supervision. What is already known about the topic * Nursing students' clinical placements need improvement; students continue to report less than optimal experiences. * There are no requirements in Australia for registered nurse clinical supervisors to undertake assessment of capability for the role. * National and international processes exist to recognise supervisor capabilities and role excellence. What this paper adds * Options for recognising capability and practice excellence in nursing clinical supervision. * A discussion around clinical supervisors engaging with formal and informal education and processes that recognise excellence in role capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Handwriting is a determining factor for academic success and autonomy for all children. Making knowledge accessible to all is a challenge in the context of inclusive education. Given the neurodevelopmental diversity within a classroom of children, ensuring that the handwriting of all pupils progresses is very demanding for education professionals. The development of tools that can take into account the variability of the profiles and learning abilities of children with handwriting difficulties offers a new potential for the development of specific and adapted remediation strategies. This narrative review aims to present and discuss the challenges of handwriting learning and the opportunities offered by new technologies involving AI for school and health professionals to successfully improve the handwriting skills of all children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Results from previous studies suggest that bodily movements, spanning from gestures to whole-body movements, integrated into academic lessons may benefit academic learning. However, only few studies have investigated the effects of movement integrated into reading practice. The PLAYMORE study aims to investigate the effects of two interventions focusing on a close and meaningful coupling between bodily movement and academic content on early pre-reading and word recognition skills in children. Further, the study aims to compare two interventions involving either hand movements (i.e. using arms and hands) or whole-body movements (i.e. using the whole body). Potential mediating factors underlying the link between bodily movement on early pre-reading and word recognition skills will be explored.Methods/design: The PLAYMORE study will be conducted as a three-armed randomized controlled trial including children aged five to six years recruited from four schools in the Copenhagen area, Denmark. Stratified by class, children will be randomly allocated to one of three 8-week intervention/control periods: 1) teaching involving whole-body movements, 2) teaching involving hand movements (i.e. arms and hands) or 3) teaching involving minimal motor movements (i.e. seated on a chair using paper and pencil). Outcome measurements, including pre-reading and word recognition skills, will be collected before and after the intervention period to assess the intervention effects. This study protocol follows the SPIRIT guidelines.Discussion: The PLAYMORE study will add to the current knowledge concerning the link between bodily movement and academic performance with important details about pre-reading and word recognition skills in preschool children. If effective, evaluation of the implementation of the PLAYMORE program should be conducted in order to investigate whether the effects can be transferred into standard school settings. The PLAYMORE study will lay the foundation for future research that have the potential to inform the political and scientific debate and importantly, to provide teachers with detailed information of how to implement movements effectively during teaching in order to support and motivate children in the process of learning to read.Trial Registration: The study was retrospectively registered in ClinicalTrials.gov ( NCT04618822 ) the 5th of November 2020. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Critical literacy is a skill needed for academic and intellectual achievement, lifelong learning, discourse, future job prospects and other endeavours. Although it is instrumental to developing social interactions and relationships, some students cannot think critically and contribute meaningfully to spoken/written discourse because they do not possess the necessary skills and strategies. One way of developing critical literacy is through argumentative writing. Often, some students perceive argumentative writing as a complex and complicated skill in spite of its importance to their academic and lifelong goals. This paper discusses the importance of critical literacy and explores how argumentative writing can help develop this skill to salvage this situation. The article concluded that students should be exposed to the rudiments of argumentation to become critical literates who can critically scrutinise, appraise, and interpret information for their academic and social transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Learners' success in language learning is affected by many factors, including age, aptitude, and intelligence, cognitive style, attitudes, motivation, and personality. Besides, learning strategies and learning styles also help to succeed in language learning. This paper discusses the learning style preferences of the first-year students at English Department Universitas Brawijaya Malang, Indonesia. There were two problems that attempted to be answered; first, what are the learning styles used by the students, and second, how influential is culture to the students' learning. Barsch Learning Styles Inventory (BLSI) was employed as an instrument for 73 respondents. The results showed that more than 50% of respondents prefer visual mode, and the remaining were auditory learners, kinesthetic, and bimodal learners who combine visual and auditory modes in learning English. This might be affected by the culture of Indonesian learners that, in general, are accustomed to listening and reading instead of giving spaces to practice knowledge. Understanding the styles of learning can be very useful for the students to learn in the way they learn best through the activities. It will enable them to understand the course contents more comfortably so it can improve their motivation and language abilities, enjoy the learning process, decrease stress, and eventually get better achievement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the use of subtitles as a learning tool for developing skills required for scientific translation, in the framework of the course "Scientific and Technical Translation" included in the Translation and Interpreting Studies degree at the University of Cordoba. For that purpose, in the present study we aim to discuss and describe the benefits provided by this modality of audiovisual translation by presenting an overview of the previous studies focused on the effectiveness of subtitling in foreign language (FL) learning. However, we intend to go deeper and propose the integration of subtitling not only in translation studies curriculum, but more specifically, in a scientific translation course. Furthermore, the documentary genre is postulated as an optimal audiovisual media to be used for FL specialised language learning. The subtitling activity consisted of three stages: viewing of an informational documentary short movie with original English subtitles, documentation, and translation into Spanish. In order to confirm whether this subtitling practice raises students' motivation and, as a result, brings positive learning results, this study is based on the responses obtained in a questionnaire completed by the participants in the experiment. The main questions are related to the role of multiple semiotic systems as a support for textual comprehension and learning, and the acquisition of specialised terminology, as well as the students' motivation towards a simulation of a professional translation assignment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research is a Classroom Action Research (CAR). It aimed at improving students' speaking skill of the 7th grade at SMP N 1 Kotabunan East Bolaang Mongondow through the snowball throwing technique. The subjects of this research were 31 students consisted of 21 girls and 10 boys. But, only 25 students who attended the classroom. In this research, the researchers used mixed method (quantitative and qualitative design). To collect the data, the researchers utilized by using tests and observation. The researchers conducted the tests by asking the questions that related to the lessons that students had previously learnt. Meanwhile, observation was accomplished in order to observe qualitatively about the students' learning process by the technique. The results showed that, in the first cycle, the mean score was 39.84 with percentage of students who passed the test was 52%. While in the second cycle, the mean score of post-test was 72.16 with the percentage of students who passed the test was 100%. According to the observation in the first cycle, it revealed that students could not carry out the technique properly and some students were not good in speaking such as having bad grammar and pronunciation. Furthermore, the researchers used the papers to construct as a ball in conducting the snowball throwing technique. In the second cycle, it indicated that the students were going better by carrying out the following technique. Based on the indication of the result, it can be said that there was an improvement of students' speaking skill through snowball throwing technique of the 7th grade at SMP N 1 Kotabunan East Bolang Mongondow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Engineering and technology are crucial domains both in colleges and in the industries as they play a vital role in the nations' economy and serve as the medium for the nations' active participation in the global competitiveness aiming at attaining industrial revolution 4.0 goals. These goals are only realized when graduates, particularly engineers and technologist are equipped with reasoning skills. In view of this, the paper highlighted the connections between reasoning skills in technology and engineering through game-based learning. The paper utilized systematic review format and synthesized the existing literature through search strategy, inclusion and exclusion criteria, framework analysis and quality assessment. It further analyzed and discussed types of games in learning with relevant descriptions and how its integration into teaching and learning technology and engineering courses would enhance reasoning skills among students and promote their problem-solving ability and likewise creativity to innovate new products, machines and services for societal development. The paper suggested for the integrating of suitable games in learning technology and engineering courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper develops a comprehensive framework for choosing teaching methods in accounting courses. Since teaching methods vary as to the conditions they can create and different types of learning objectives require different conditions for achievement, the premise guiding the framework is that the choice of teaching methods should be based primarily on the type of learning objective. The development of the framework yields two important conclusions. First, a single teaching method typically cannot create all the conditions necessary for a given learning objective. Second, learning objectives involving complex skills require teaching methods that promote active teaming on the part of students, while learning objectives involving simpler skills can be achieved with more passive teaching methods. In practical terms, an accounting instructor needs to carefully employ multiple teaching methods to achieve all the learning objectives of a given accounting course, since these objectives likely encompass the full range of types of objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial Intelligence and Language Technologies in the Field of Translation The present paper deals with the opportunities which language technologies and artificial intelligence might offer for translation professionals. The paper also examines and elucidates that these technologies might contain possible problems, hurdles and obstacles. But the researcher reinforces that they also possess the necessary skills, competencies and prerequisites for the successful implementation and use of these technologies as illustrated in the Literature Review and Discussion parts of this research. It has also been shown that the successful implementation of such tools requires both institutional and technical prerequisites. A not inconsiderable problem, however, is the question of the what extent to which and whether the significance of the digital translator can also be adequately illustrated and clarified in the non-institutional private sector. Current developments in this respect unfortunately tend to point to the opposite, i.e. to the degradation of his role to a mere "helper" of the machine that (apparently) does most of the translation work. Translators, then, will ultimately only be able to truly benefit from language technology and artificial intelligence if their status is not further compromised as a result. It is not very helpful if productivity and speed can be increased, but in inverse proportion to this, the fees constantly decrease, because it is made to appear that the computer is now doing most of the work. The end result of this development would be the digital slave rather than the highly professional digital language mediator. The paper projects that language technologies and artificial intelligence potentially offer benefits in the sense that they promote a better understanding and functioning of the symbiosis between humans and machines through the automation and streamlining of certain language-related workflow processes, i.e., a set of tasks that can be performed primarily - or even entirely - through workflow automation and with the help of content management software. Through the various past research on the subject and through secondary data analysis it has been analysed and stated in the paper that the potential acceleration of work processes improves overall efficiency by requiring less time to complete the same tasks. Therefore, this study evidently establishes the argument that artificial intelligence allows human actors to focus on more meaningful tasks associated with quality control, while routine and especially technical tasks are delegated (for the most part) to the machine. This also leaves more time for creative aspects. Artificial intelligence and language technology are not only relevant for translating, but also for interpreting, even if progress in this area is still somewhat slower and a paradigm shift has yet to occur. In this regard, conference interpreting is of particular interest. Problematically, the relevant software has so far lacked the cognitive, cultural, intellectual, and emotional skills that inevitably underlie qualitatively responsive interpretation. But at least it is possible to improve the interpreter's preparation for a meeting or conference. The relevant tools have so far only a supporting role to play. Language technologies and artificial intelligence potentially offer benefits in the sense that they promote a better understanding and functioning of the symbiosis between humans and machines through the automation and streamlining of certain language-related workflow processes, i.e., a set of tasks that can be performed mainly - or even entirely through workflow automation and with the help of content management software. Further development of artificial intelligence, machine translation has recently made significant progress. Nevertheless, it is common practice to first subject the machine-translated text to review or proofreading by a human translator. Post-editing is the process of using a machine-translated text as a basis and having it improved by a human translator. This means that the human translator ultimately creates the final translation.

Foreign language learning is often the key educational objective for non-English speakers in deprived background. The command of a foreign language represents aims, possibilities and a way-out. Moreover, the term of language aptitude has always been an extremely important value to predict how fast and effectively language learners can acquire foreign languages. However, the negative meta-linguistical prognosis (I have bad ears for/bad sense of the language) easily creates a ground for self-misconception for learners, which can lead to prolonged failures in language learning as well as a learner’s attitude, which will always put the blame on the difficulties or the impossibility of acquiring a foreign language. There have been countless studies on the education of pupils from disadvantaged background, however papers and research analysing foreign language learning among these pupils are scarce. In this article we hope to shed light upon current research findings, developments focusing on pupils from deprived background. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is extensive evidence showing that bilinguals activate the lexical and the syntactic representations of both languages in a nonselective way. However, the extent to which the lexical and the syntactic levels of representations interact during second language (L2) sentence processing and how those interactions are modulated by L2 proficiency remain unclear. This paper aimed to directly address these issues by using an online technique (eye-tracking) that is highly sensitive to the lexical and syntactic processes involved in sentence reading. To that purpose, native-speakers of European Portuguese (EP) learning English as L2 at intermediate and advanced levels of proficiency were asked to silently read temporally ambiguous L2 relative clause (RC) sentences disambiguated with a High-Attachment (HA) or Low-Attachment (LA) strategy while their eye-movements were monitored. Since EP and English native speakers differ in the way they process and comprehend this syntactic structure (EP: HA, English: LA), HA preferences were used as a marker of L1 RC syntax interference. Additionally, the cognate status of the complex NP that preceded the RC was manipulated to further analyze how the lexical co-activation of both languages would also affect the syntactic representations of the non-target (L1) language. Results showed cognate facilitation in early and late reading time measures regardless of L2 proficiency, and also that the cognate status of the complex NP impacted L2 reading performance, particularly at lower levels of L2 proficiency. These findings provide compelling evidence for a bilingual reading system that seems to be highly dynamic and interactive not only within each level of processing, but, importantly, across levels of representation. They also suggested that, as the level of L2 proficiency increases, L1 RC syntax interference becomes stronger, in a syntactic parser that seems to operate in a more integrated and nonselective way, with both strategies being equally available to guide L2 reading comprehension. Results are discussed attending to the current models of bilingual syntactic processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ePortfolios and other engaged learning experiences can have extensive impact on students in many facets of their lives, such as subject-area learning, skill and competence development, perspectives on "how the world works," and even students' own identities, confidence, and needs. Assessing these various impacts can be a challenge for faculty and program developers. Existing methods can determine students' attainment of competence, but very little guidance exists to help leaders determine the impact of their programs on the affective aspects of learning, such as changes in perspective and identity. This paper describes the Transformation Rubric for Engaged Learning, a tool and methodology for examining a program's impact beyond competency attainment in a systematic, replicable manner. The Rubric can be used in addition to existing program assessment methods to give a more complete assessment of a variety of programs, from reflective ePortfolios to community service projects to degree-granting programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teamwork and the ability to work collaboratively on a team are important skills in almost every industry or profession. The use of student teams in college courses is increasing and most academic programs require teamwork as part of the students' academic learning experience. While teamwork and other experiential collaborative learning opportunities are valuable pedagogical strategies, research suggests that little or no student instruction or preparation is provided to teach students how to be an effective team member. Without appropriate preparation from faculty, students focus only on accomplishing the products of the team or attending to the logistical considerations. Students may miss the opportunity to build the collaborative skills and relationships necessary to be an effective team member both in academic programs and in the workplace. The ability to serve as a collaborative team member is viewed as an important attribute in not just academic programs, but valuable in most careers, as well. Recognition of the value of improvisation or "Improv" is growing in the business world, yet literature on the use of Improv in college courses is limited. Improv is by nature very inclusive and interactive. Improv involves making the best use of the resources already available, especially human resources, by supporting each other and collaborating on ideas. This paper shares a case study exploring the use of four Improv exercises in a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) course with the intent of enhancing students' learning about teamwork skills. Based on the basic premises of Improv, the exercises are used to prepare students for engaging in effective teamwork. Students enrolled in a Management Theory and Application course are assigned a team project. Prior to working on the projects, students self-select teams and create a Team Agreement. The Team Agreement serves as the entrance to explore essential considerations in teamwork. MBA students participate in four Improv exercises. The Improv exercises, the purpose, and the students' reactions are shared. This paper further discusses the need for continued student preparation in teamwork. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the production of sustainable communities from an interdependency network perspective (Newton, 2001). Drawing on fieldwork that examined how planners worked collaboratively with other professionals to address the challenges of delivering New Labour's Growth Point Initiative, the paper fuses insights from Actor Network Theory with Figurational Sociology to examine the requirements of the skills agenda for building sustainable communities (ODPM, 2004). Through an exploration of the ways in which planners adapted their working practice to facilitate the dual task of delivering growth and sustainable development, we argue that the learning and skills agenda is problematic for understanding how new knowledge and learning emerges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper will put forward an argument that work-integrated learning (WIL) should be semi-formal in nature and will examine the characteristics of this proposed learning environment. When a student work placement is unstructured or informal a learning framework is absent, often resulting in tacit or implicit knowledge which creates difficulties. Although the expectation of accessing a fully formal educational framework cannot be completely achievable within a busy work environment, an opportunity can be created to integrate characteristics of formal education, which leaves space for individuals to learn from each other as well as accessing formal learning experiences. This perspective also suggests that the different modes of workplace learning should be combined so that formal training utilizes informal learning. In addition, the proposed structure embraces the emerging paradigm, which integrates education into workplace learning, allowing students to gain access to diverse learning opportunities, adequate assessment, constructive feedback and reflection on learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study the possible mediating mechanisms (human resource management (HRM), learning and innovation) that could exist in the relationship between transformational leadership and organizational performance. This topic has been studied only by a few groups of researchers and these researchers have not analyzed all these concepts jointly.Design/methodology/approach This research explores the relationships using partial least squares with data from 200 Spanish industrial companies. Analyzing the mentioned relationships in the Spanish context has been done by few researchers before.Findings The study reveals that the adoption of transformational leadership styles improves performance when specific systems of HRM practices, learning and innovation are developed in an organization.Originality/value This study, therefore, contributes to the understanding of the link between transformational leaders and performance by proposing a model in which it is evinced that this leadership style produces synergies between HRM, learning and innovation, which in the end, affect performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three mathematics and science educators reexamine and reflect on their teaching within the context of the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences (AAAS) and National Council of Mathematics 'call to make math and science education accessible to all. The paper highlights the importance of teachers reflecting on their teaching practices in order to create opportunities for their students especially those in the urban setting. The educators argue that teachers' reflection on their teaching can cause them to recognize and validate their students' ways of knowing as they identify the students' hidden/concealed abilities that are often masked by their behaviors. The educators discuss their experiences and highlight the lessons that they learned about ways to prepare teachers to successfully teach math and science students in urban settings. Culturally responsive pedagogy and cultural competency are critical skills that teachers need to develop in order to teach all children, especially those in the math and science classroom in the urban setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we discuss the role of observation in learning to write. We argue that the acquisition of skill in such a complex domain as writing relies on observation, the classical imitatio. An important phase in learning to write, at all ages, is learning to write by observing and evaluating relevant processes: writing processes, reading processes or communication processes between writers and readers. First, we present two practical cases: writing lessons in which observation and inquiry are amongst other key elements and where students participate in a community of learners. Then, we review research that may inspire and substantiate proposals for implementing observation as a learning activity in writing education. Two types of studies are discussed: studies in which learners acquire strategies by observing and evaluating writing and reading processes of peers, as a prewriting instructional activity, and studies in which learners are stimulated to "pre-test" and then revise their first draft, as a post writing instructional activity. The paper closes with some recommendations for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces the volume by considering what skill is and how archaeologists have looked at issues of skill in stone tool production, along with anthropological and archaeological approaches to the ways in which individuals become skilled craftworkers. Archaeological studies of flintknapping skill tend to be isolated from most larger debates, but both the archaeological and the nonarchaeological literature highlight how intimately skill and craft learning are woven into the fabric of society, although they also highlight significant methodological and interpretive issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reflective thinking and learning skills are essential for engineers in the knowledge economy. This paper describes an approach to develop these and other transferable skills through individual and collaborative reflective learning using open-source software. The learning activities and an open-source e-portfolio system called Dotfolio were tested by freshman engineering students. Findings from a survey-based study, which investigated students' beliefs about reflective learning and their expectations and experiences related to the task and open-source tool, are reported. From the be- ginning of the semester the students understood the significance of reflective learning and chose to work with the tool. However, they were less positive about the collaboration with peers during this activity. At the end of the semester, students were significantly more positive about the tool, but even more negative about the collaboration. The main problems encountered by the tutors and learners were plagiarism and a tension between the privacy of students' reflections and knowledge sharing. The open-source modular architecture allowed for the use of student and tutor feedback for the addition of new features that addressed their concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The English Learning and Skills Sector (LSS) contains a highly diverse range of learners and covers all aspects of post-16 learning with the exception of higher education. In the research on which this paper is based we are concerned with the effects of policy on three types of learners - unemployed adults attempting to improve their basic skills in community learning settings, younger learners on Level 1 and 2 courses in further education colleges, and employees in basic skills provision in the workplace. What is distinctive about all three groups is that they have historically failed in, or been failed by, compulsory education. What is interesting is that they are constructed as 'problem learners' in learning and skills sector policy documents. We use data from 194 learner interviews, conducted during 2004/5, in 24 learning sites in London and the North East of England, to argue that government policy assumptions about these learners may only be 'half right'. We argue that such assumptions might be leading to half-right policy based on incomplete understandings or surface views of learner needs that are more politically constructed than real. We suggest that policy-makers should focus more on systemic problems in the learning and skills sector and less on problematising groups of learners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers the tracking-control problem of a nonholonomic wheeled mobile robot with both parameter and nonparameter uncertainties. A robust adaptive controller is proposed with the aid of the adaptive backstepping technique and the learning ability of neural networks. The proposed controller guarantees that the tracking error converges to a small ball containing the origin. The ball's radius can be adjusted by control parameters. The proposed controller is successfully implemented in our simulator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing learning programmes to enhance the formation of generic skills is an international concern in education and training policy. This paper provides a broad survey of the development of generic skills policy in England from 1975 to 2002, drawing on both the economic and educational literature. It demonstrates that, despite an evident demand for generic skills in the English economy, successive waves of education and training policy intended to stimulate the supply of such skills have failed to deliver the desired results. Such failure is accounted for using a policy instruments and institutions framework. This suggests that the failure of generic skills policy can be attributed to a combination of weak policy design, the interaction of generic skills policy with other market-led reforms of education and training in England, and broader exogenous socio-economic trends. The paper concludes that current initiatives to develop key skills for all 16-19 learners in England are unlikely to succeed without substantial changes in the current education policy environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The analysis in this paper searches for individual and group determinants of learning behavior in Monty Hall's Three Door problem examined in Friedman (1998, American Economic Review. 88, 933–946). The results show that the size of monetary incentives, individuals' initial abilities, and social interactions with others are all important determinants of initial choices and subsequent learning in this problem: (i) More able students have a greater initial propensity to make the right choice than less able students, and their learning curves are initially steeper; (ii) Individual learning can also be enhanced through social interactions; (iii) Interestingly, less able students benefit more than more able students from social interactions in the sample. These findings support the argument that learning models that take into account individuals' abilities and that allow for social interactions where agents can exchange information hold a great deal of promise for enhancing our understanding of actual learning environments, learning processes, and the formation of rationality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper is concerned with dynamic job assignment when observed performance is an imperfect signal of the worker's type. Wizen the rate of learning from past performance depends upon the particular job performed, promotion can be due to good performance only at a job for which the resulting probability of mistaking a low-ability type for a high-ability type is higher than for the job the worker is upgraded to. Income risk can be greater for old workers than for young workers. The length of the worker's active life is relevant for job mobility notwithstanding optimal myopic procedures for job assignment The dynamic perspective induced by learning can generate new forms of opportunism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to present (1) a theoretical background on needs and needs analysis (2) and an account of an analysis of a questionnaire survey carried out among medical students. Data analysis revealed information on the students' current skills and language use; deficiencies in the area of language skills; effective and productive ways of learning, preferred teaching styles and methods. The authentic data show that course designers are advised to consider students' opinions and ideas when constructing ESP syllabus in order to design a realistic and practical course and thus enhance learning processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When it comes to writing, the sociological imagination generally fails. In response to this deficiency, researcher Kai Erikson introduced "The Sociologist's Craft: A Workshop on the Organization and Presentation of Sociological Materials" in the graduate program at Yale University in 1978. Now in its tenth year, this hopeful undertaking was based upon the premise that writing skills could be learned. Initially structured only by an assigned time and place, the class quickly developed a formal and informal organization peculiar to its mission. This ethnography, drawn from my own participation from 1979 to 1982, describes how the writing seminar became organized to teach sociologists to write. Regardless of the mysteries of self-selection processes and their effect on the culture, the awareness that differences may have existed between members and nonmembers is important in itself. Though enrollment was open, potential participants may have perceived that the class was open to certain kinds of people, not to everyone, as intended. Some, sensing or suspecting differences, may have stayed away. Others, attuned somehow to a subtle correspondence between themselves and seminar members, joined the class. Unwittingly, by virtue of the intangible similarities that drew them, the newcomers reinforced and perpetuated the collective solutions that were evolving.

Managing a western acquisition in a central east European country requires substantial learning on both sides, on the part of the western acquirer and the central east European acquire. While the research work underlying this paper deals with a variety of issues concerning post-acquisition management and learning in central east European organizations, the present paper focuses on aspects of individual, managerial learning following acquisitions in Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland. It is shown that the importance of appropriate cross-border management skills appears to be underestimated as compared to general business skills in the context of post-acquisition management efforts in central east Europe. The knowledge of the partner's language and a sensitivity towards cultural issues seem to be crucial, though undervalued factors for successful learning processes on both sides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Effective primary healthcare services have been identified by the World Health Organization as the most equitable approach to enhancing universal healthcare. Robust models of mentoring for registered nurses (RNs) transitioning to primary healthcare roles have yet to be described in the Australian context. A robust mentoring model can support RNs to fulfill their potential, bridging the gap between theory and practice. In 2015, the peak body for nurses in primary health care (PHC) began developing a transition to practice program, including embedded mentoring to support newly graduated and more experienced registered and enrolled nurses. This quality improvement study reports the experiences and perspectives of nurses participating as mentors in two separate offerings of the program delivered between 2019 and 2021. Method: A two-phase concurrent mixed methods evaluation utilized data from pre- and post online surveys and post program meetings. Quantitative items underwent descriptive analyses. Thematic analysis of free-text responses and comments was conducted independently by two researchers. Mentors voluntarily provided self-report data and were informed that data is routinely collected to support continuous quality improvement processes for all programs. An Information Sheet informed mentors of data usage, confidentiality, and options to withdraw without penalty from the program at any time. Results: Seventy-nine mentors were recruited to support two groups of nurses (N = 111). Mentor self-rated overall satisfaction with program participation was 86.67% (very or extremely satisfied). Mentors described being "witness to mentee growth," "having facilitated access to learning" and receiving "unexpected benefits" including personal and professional growth and enhanced enthusiasm for their role in PHC. Conclusion: The embedded mentoring reported in this article combined a focus on skills acquisition and professional identity with the provision of a range of resources and support activities. Sustainable mentoring programs will be an important mechanism for supporting the expanding roles required of nurses working in primary health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper is aimed at undergoing a contrasting analysis of two different types of trainees, represented by students and professionals, both categories having the same status as language learners of Business English training courses. Generally speaking, individualized teaching-learning strategies are shaped based on nonformal education content, which involves facilitating teamwork and an interdisciplinary approach. Learning through experience helps learners develop skills necessary to adapt in the work environment. Thus, simulated and real situations can be contrasted and turned into an object of analysis. My conclusion is that experiential learning opposes traditional education because it starts with practicing a skill, analyzes the practice and then repeats the practice at a more complex level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]