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This paper reports on a research project in a university English as Foreign Language (EFL) program in Japan which explored ways to sustain active participation in e-learning tasks. The tasks were intended to improve students' scores on the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC), a test used by businesses to make hiring decisions. The research adopted a Flipped Learning (FL) approach to Blended Learning (BL). A web-based courseware, ATR CALL BRIX (http://www.atr-lt.jp/products/brix/index.html), which featured e-learning materials for the TOEIC Test, was used. The students used mobile devices to access the courseware before class in order to prepare for in-class teacher-student analysis of their performance on the learning tasks. The teaching methodology integrated the online and in-class tasks in a single learning environment by means of an e-mentoring system used in conjunction with an in-class student self-evaluation task. The findings of pre- and post-TOEIC testing showed a significant degree of TOEIC score improvement in the experimental group. Post-course evaluations revealed that the combination of e-mentoring and the in-class self-evaluation system had encouraged sustained engagement in outside-of-class learning activities. [For full proceedings, see ED564162.]

This paper reports on the use of an English-language reading practice application for an android tablet computer operating system with students who are not native speakers of English. The application materials for vocabulary learning in reading-passage contexts were created to include words from a database of low-frequency and technical noun-verb collocations which occurred frequently in certain documents related to the study of international affairs: thirty English-language annual reports of United Nations organizations found on official websites; and English-language annual reports and other articles from the websites of twenty international non-governmental organizations. The learning materials were used in an English for specific purposes course intended to support the reading skill development of students studying international affairs at a university in Japan. Research showed that use of the learning materials had three positive influences on students' study behavior: the students' reading speed increased without a loss in comprehension; the students reported that they enjoyed the reading practice with the mobile tablet computer; and they appreciated that it had some merits that differed from reading practice in hard copy formats that may help improve reading skills. [For the full proceedings, see ED562140.]

This paper reports on the use of can-do statements (CDS) for the development of learning materials to prepare Japanese university students for the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC). These learning materials have been made available on ATR CALL BRIX (http://www.atr-lt.jp/products/brix/index.html), a wwwbased courseware with a learning management system (LMS) which contains study logs, achievement rate reports on student-set goals, the identification of students' weak points, and advice on test-taking strategies. CDS, the specific behaviors that an examinee at a certain score level can be expected to be able to perform in English (Chauncey Group International, 2000) have been conventionally used as descriptors to explain test scores to educators and employers who use TOEIC scores to assess the English proficiency levels of students and prospective employees. Official CDS published for the TOEIC 600-score level, and the CDS, at comparable levels, for the Society for Testing English Proficiency test (STEP), and for the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) were used to compile this study's CDS set. The CDS were given to 592 students as a self-report inventory immediately after they took a TOEIC test. The CDS were then used to develop TOEIC learning materials which were trialed in a TOEIC skill-building course for 22 students. According to comparisons of pre- and postcourse TOEIC scores, it was concluded that the use of CDS-based TOEIC learning tasks, which include advice on test-taking strategies, in a www-based course may help students improve their TOEIC scores. [For the complete volume, see ED574893.]

A total of 224 college students participated in a study of the relationships between dogmatism and authoritarianism and the characteristics of written discourse. Early in the semester each class completed a public opinion poll which included a combination of the Rokeach Dogmatism Scale and the California F Scale. In a seemingly unrelated task assigned later in the semester, students were asked to write a two-page message to a hostile audience on a topic about which they felt strongly. Three thematic, two logical, and three stylistic content analyses were carried out on the compositions. Analyses of results for the 148 students for whom complete data were available indicated that dogmatism and authoritarianism were related but discriminable entities. Authoritarianism was not reflected in the various measures of aspects of written discourse, while dogmatism, although highly correlated with authoritarianism, was related to communicative behavior. When persuading others, the low scorers sought more factual judgments, made more assertions, and asked more questions than did the high scorers. In addition, high and low scorers tended to use more qualifiers than did moderate scorers. (AA)

This paper presents two research studies on the use of dogmatism as a predictor of verbal communication behavior. The studies examined the effects of dogmatism on the formulation of written and oral persuasive messages by comparing college students' scores on the Rokeach D and California F Scales with a content analysis of the written or oral persuasive messages that the students prepared. The results show that dogmatism is inconsistent as a predictor of communication behavior, suggesting that some intervening variable is more important to encoding behavior than dogmatism. Thirty-seven hypotheses for future research in this area are proposed, and a list of references is attached. (RL)

We have developed and evaluated a new approach to fast neutron and neutron-gamma detection based on largearea multilayer composite heterogeneous detection media consisting of dispersed granules of small-crystalline scintillators contained in a transparent organic (plastic) matrix. Layers of the composite material are alternated with layers of transparent plastic scintillator material serving as light guides. The resulting detection medium - designated as ZEBRA - serves as both an active neutron converter and a detection scintillator which is designed to detect both neutrons and gamma-quanta. The composite layers of the ZEBRA detector consist of small heavyoxide scintillators in the form of granules of crystalline BGO, GSO, ZWO, PWO and other materials. We have produced and tested the ZEBRA detector of sizes 100x100x41 mm and greater, and determined that they have very high efficiency of fast neutron detection (up to 49% or greater), comparable to that which can be achieved by large sized heavy-oxide single crystals of about Ø40x80 cm3 volume. We have also studied the sensitivity variation to fast neutron detection by using different types of multilayer ZEBRA detectors of 100 cm2 surface area and 41 mm thickness (with a detector weight of about 1 kg) and found it to be comparable to the sensitivity of a 3He-detector representing a total cross-section of about 2000 cm2 (with a weight of detector, including its plastic moderator, of about 120 kg). The measured count rate in response to a fast neutron source of 252Cf at 2 m for the ZEBRA-GSO detector of size 100x100x41 mm3 was 2.84 cps/ng, and this count rate can be doubled by increasing the detector height (and area) up to 200x100 mm2. In summary, the ZEBRA detectors represent a new type of high efficiency and low cost solid-state neutron detector that can be used for stationary neutron/gamma portals. They may represent an interesting alternative to expensive, bulky gas counters based on 3He or 10B neutron detection technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose to employ small orbit perturbations, induced by photon pressure from ground-based laser illumination, for collision avoidance in space. Possible applications would be a) protecting space assets from impacts with debris and b) stabilizing the orbital debris environment. In comparison to schemes aimed at de-orbiting debris using laser ablation, collision avoidance requires much less force and hence needs less sophisticated laser/telescope systems. In earlier research we concluded that a system consisting of a 10kW class laser, directed by a 1.5m telescope with adaptive optics, could avoid a significant fraction of collisions in low earth orbit. This paper describes our recent efforts which include refining our original analysis, employing higher fidelity simulations and presenting our planned experimental approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]