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We propose an economic lexicon (EL) specifically designed for textual applications in economics. We construct the dictionary with two important characteristics: (1) to have a wide coverage of terms used in documents discussing economic concepts, and (2) to provide a human‐annotated sentiment score in the range [−1, 1]. We illustrate the use of the EL in the context of a simple sentiment measure and consider several applications in economics. The comparison to other lexicons shows that the EL is superior due to its wider coverage of domain relevant terms and its more accurate categorization of the word sentiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Aims Sample Methods Results Conclusion Learning to write the complex academic language (AL) associated with a discipline (like science) is a critical task in education, with middle school being a key developmental period. However, we need more research to guide how we assess students' learning to write AL, especially if we want to create assessment that guides more effective instruction.We evaluated middle school students' informational writing for six different measures of AL to determine which ones were most strongly related to writing quality and were most indicative of the unique features of informational writing. We also examined which metrics were sensitive to growth across middle school.Our sample consists of informational compositions from 285 students in Grade 5 (n = 175) and Grade 8 (n = 110) in a Midwestern state in the United States.Path modelling was used to determine the degree to which the AL metrics are associated with writing quality and narrativity in each grade.Overall, the six measures of AL explained 70% of the variance in students' writing quality. We found that a new measure, number of long words, outperformed other more established measures at the word level and should be used in assessment of informational writing quality. We also found that automated scores at the sentence level better detected development across middle school grade levels than typical rubrics of writing quality.Results provide promising avenues for the assessment of malleable aspects of AL in middle school informational writing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: For over 30 years, parental reports have been used to study the vocabulary of children under 4 years of age. Research exploring parental checklists as a measure of vocabulary in older children is very limited. Typically, authors of parental checklists report the reliability of the developed tools but do not explore validity in terms of the agreement between parental assessments and the children's actual word knowledge. Aims: We aimed to explore the reliability and validity of a parental checklist for assessing vocabulary in children aged between 3 and 6 years. Furthermore, we aimed to evaluate the agreement between indirect (parental checklist) and direct (picture naming and picture recognition tasks) assessments of children's vocabulary. Methods and Procedures: A group of 94 typically developing monolingual Polish‐speaking children aged between 3 and 6 years were first directly tested onsite with picture naming and picture recognition tasks (Cross‐Linguistic Lexical Tasks). Subsequently, the participants' parents completed an online checklist containing the same set of 128 items and marked all the words that they had ever heard in their child's spontaneous speech. Outcomes and Results: The parental checklist demonstrated very high internal consistency. The scores of the parental checklist and vocabulary tasks were moderately correlated. We compared the total number of words marked by parents and the number of items correctly identified by children in the picture naming and picture recognition tasks. In picture naming, we found no difference between the children's scores and the number of words selected by parents. However, parents selected significantly fewer words than children correctly recognised in the picture recognition task. When data were analysed at the level of individual items (i.e., whether parents selected exactly the same items that children answered correctly), we found that the level of agreement was low. The level of agreement correlated negatively with the children's vocabulary; that is, the more words a child knew, the lower the agreement between the direct measure and the parental checklist. Conclusions and Implications: Parental checklists should be used with caution in children aged between 3 and 6 years, especially if the assessed children have a large vocabulary and if item analysis is planned. Such checklists may be of more use in younger children or in children with limited vocabulary. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: What is already known on the subject: Parental checklists are commonly used to assess the vocabulary of children younger than 4 years of age. Previous research has indicated that parental checklists are reliable in terms of internal consistency and valid in terms of predictive and convergent validity. What this paper adds to the existing knowledge: This study introduces a parental checklist designed for assessing the vocabulary of monolingual Polish‐speaking children aged between 3 and 6 years. Statistical analyses reveal that while the parental checklist exhibits high reliability, and the scores on the checklist correlate with direct measures of vocabulary, the agreement between parental reports and direct vocabulary measures (i.e., validity) is notably low, particularly when examining individual test items. What are the clinical implications of this work?: These findings underscore the importance of exercising caution when using parental vocabulary checklists with children aged between 3 and 6 years. These checklists can serve as a replacement for direct vocabulary tests only when the general/overall score is needed. However, when specific words are the subject of interest, parental reports may not be a valid measure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Parental input plays a central role in typical language acquisition and development. In autism spectrum disorder (ASD), characterized by social communicative and language difficulties, parental input presents an important avenue for investigation as a target for intervention. A rich body of literature has identified which aspects of grammatical complexity and lexical diversity are most associated with child language ability in both typical development and autism. Yet, the majority of these studies are conducted with English‐speaking children, thus potentially overlooking nuances in parental input derived from cross‐linguistic variation. Aims: To examine the differences in verbal parental input to Bulgarian‐ and English‐speaking children with ASD. To examine whether aspects of verbal parental input found to be concurrent predictors of English‐speaking children's expressive language ability are also predictors of the expressive language of Bulgarian‐speaking children with ASD. Methods & Procedures: We compared parental input to Bulgarian‐speaking (N = 37; 2;7–9;10 years) and English‐speaking (N = 37; 1;8–4;9 years) children with ASD matched on expressive language. Parent–child interactions were collected during free play with developmentally appropriate toys. These interactions were transcribed, and key measures of parental input were extracted. Outcomes & Results: English‐speaking parents produced more word tokens and word types than Bulgarian‐speaking parents. However, Bulgarian parents produced more verbs in relation to nouns and used more statements and exclamations but asked fewer questions than English‐speaking parents. In addition, child age and parents' use of questions were significant concurrent predictors of child expressive vocabulary. Conclusions & Implications: This is one of the first studies to conduct a cross‐linguistic comparison of parental input in ASD. The differences found emphasize the need to further study parental input to Bulgarian children and adapt naturalistic parent‐mediated interventions to the local language and its specific characteristics. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: What is already known on the subject: A rich body of literature has identified the specific aspects of grammatical complexity, lexical diversity, and question‐asking that are concurrently and longitudinally associated with the language ability of children with typical development and of children with ASD. Yet, the majority of these studies are conducted with English‐speaking children. What this paper adds to the existing knowledge: The present study finds that there are specific differences in verbal parental input to Bulgarian‐ and English‐speaking children with autism in terms of lexical composition and question‐asking. Bulgarian parents used more verbs than nouns, and the opposite pattern was found for English‐speaking parents. In addition, Bulgarian parents asked fewer questions but used more statements and exclamations. Nevertheless, parental question use was significantly correlated with children's language ability across both groups, suggesting that question‐asking should be further examined as a potential target for parent‐mediated language interventions for Bulgarian children with autism. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?: Most language and social communication interventions for autism are designed and piloted with English‐speaking children. These interventions are often simply translated and used in different countries, with different populations and in different contexts. However, considering that one of the defining characteristics of autism is language difficulty, more studies should examine (1) how these language difficulties manifest in languages other than English, and (2) what characterizes verbal parental input in these other contexts. Such research investigations should inform future language and social communication interventions. The present study emphasizes the cross‐linguistic differences between Bulgarian‐ and English‐speaking parents' verbal input to their children with autism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Variability in the vocabulary outcomes of children with cochlear implants (CIs) is partially explained by child‐directed speech (CDS) characteristics. Yet, relatively little is known about whether and how mothers adapt their lexical and prosodic characteristics to the child's hearing status (before and after implantation, and compared with groups with normal hearing (NH)) and how important they are in affecting vocabulary development in the first 12 months of hearing experience. Aims: To investigate whether mothers of children with CIs produce CDS with similar lexical and prosodic characteristics compared with mothers of age‐matched children with NH, and whether they modify these characteristics after implantation. In addition, to investigate whether mothers' CDS characteristics predict children's early vocabulary skills before and after implantation. Methods & Procedures: A total of 34 dyads (17 with NH, 17 with children with CIs; ages = 9–32 months), all acquiring Italian, were involved in the study. Mothers' and children's lexical quantity (tokens) and variety (types), mothers' prosodic characteristics (pitch range and variability), and children's vocabulary skills were assessed at two time points, corresponding to before and 1 year post‐CI activation for children with CIs. Children's vocabulary skills were assessed using parent reports; lexical and prosodic characteristics were observed in semi‐structured mother–child interactions. Outcomes & Results: Results showed that mothers of children with CIs produced speech with similar lexical quantity but lower lexical variety, and with increased pitch range and variability, than mothers of children with NH. Mothers generally increased their lexical quantity and variety and their pitch range between sessions. Children with CIs showed reduced expressive vocabulary and lower lexical quantity and variety than their peers 12 months post‐CI activation. Mothers' prosodic characteristics did not explain variance in children's vocabulary skills; their lexical characteristics predicted children's early vocabulary and lexical outcomes, especially in the NH group, but were not related to later language development. Conclusions & Implications: Our findings confirm previous studies on other languages and support the idea that the lexical characteristics of mothers' CDS have a positive effect on children's early measures of vocabulary development across hearing groups, whereas prosodic cues play a minor role. Greater input quantity and quality may assist children in the building of basic language model representations, whereas pitch cues may mainly serve attentional and emotional processes. Results emphasize the need for additional longitudinal studies investigating the input received from other figures surrounding the child and its role for children's language development. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: What is already known on the subject: Mothers' CDS is thought to facilitate and support language acquisition in children with various language developmental trajectories, including children with CIs. Because children with CIs are at risk for language delays and have acoustic processing limitations, their mothers may have to produce a lexically simpler but prosodically richer input, compared to mothers of children with NH. Yet, the literature reports mixed findings and no study to our knowledge has concurrently addressed the role of mothers' lexical and prosodic characteristics for children's vocabulary development before implantation and in the first 12 months of hearing experience. What this study adds to the existing knowledge: The study shows that mothers of children with CIs produce input of similar quantity but reduced variety, and with heightened pitch characteristics, compared to mothers of children with NH. There was also a general increase in mothers' lexical quantity and variety, and in their pitch range, between sessions. Only their lexical characteristics predicted children's early vocabulary skills. Their lexical variety predicted children's expressive vocabulary and lexical variety only in the NH group. What are the practical and clinical implications of this work?: These findings expand our knowledge about the effects of maternal input and may contribute to the improvement of early family‐centred intervention programmes for supporting language development in children with CIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Writing skills, crucial for various forms of expression, depend on effective planning and self‐regulation. Competent writers emphasise pre‐writing activities and self‐regulation nevertheless students with Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) often struggle with writing, impacting their academic achievement. This study explored the efficacy of the STOP and DARE strategy, grounded in the Self‐Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) model, for teaching persuasive writing to four high school students diagnosed with SLD. The study employed a multiple probe across subjects design to assess the impact of STOP and DARE on various persuasive writing skills. The intervention involved rigorous implementation of the strategy over 12–21 sessions, occurring 3 days a week for 80–90 min each day. The results indicated a functional relation between the strategy's implementation and improvements in persuasive essay elements, text length, use of linking words and holistic quality. Moreover, participants expressed a high level of satisfaction with the intervention. Future research could consider investigating functional text elements in addition to basic persuasive text elements. Furthermore, the adaptability of the STOP and DARE strategy to different languages and its applicability in diverse writing types, as well as its effectiveness in varied linguistic and cultural contexts, should be explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to replicate previous research that examined the effects of tact and listener instruction on the emergence of bidirectional intraverbals, and to extend this research line to include teaching a foreign language to students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) via telehealth. The study participants were four Chinese native primary school‐aged students. An adaptive alternative treatment design was used to compare the effects of tact and listener instruction on bidirectional intraverbals, and pre‐probe and post‐probe data demonstrated that both forms of instruction led to bidirectional intraverbal relations, with tact instruction being relatively more effective. Maintenance and social validity were assessed for all participants, and booster instructions were provided as needed. The results were discussed in the context of inclusive education and improving foreign language instruction for students with special needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many psychologists currently assume that there is a psychologically real distinction to be made between concepts that are abstract and concepts that are concrete. It is for example largely agreed that concepts and words are more easily processed if they are concrete. Moreover, it is assumed that this is because these words and concepts are concrete. It is thought that interesting generalizations can be made about certain concepts because they are concrete. I argue that we have surprisingly little reason to believe that the abstract‐concrete distinction is psychologically real. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let Γ$\Gamma$ be a finitely generated group and N$N$ be a normal subgroup of Γ$\Gamma$. The fiber product of Γ$\Gamma$ with respect to N$N$ is the subgroup Γ×NΓ={(γ,γw):γ∈Γ,w∈N}$\Gamma \times _N \Gamma =\big \lbrace (\gamma, \gamma w): \gamma \in \Gamma, w \in N\big \rbrace$ of the direct product Γ×Γ$\Gamma \times \Gamma$. For every representation ρ:Γ×NΓ→GLd(k)$\rho:\Gamma \times _N \Gamma \rightarrow \mathsf {GL}_d(k)$, where k$k$ is a local field, we establish upper bounds for the norm of the Cartan projection of ρ$\rho$ in terms of a fixed word length function on Γ$\Gamma$. As an application, we exhibit examples of finitely generated and finitely presented fiber products P=Γ×NΓ$P=\Gamma \times _N \Gamma$, where Γ$\Gamma$ is linear and Gromov hyperbolic, such that P$P$ does not admit linear representations that are quasi‐isometric embeddings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability to compare plays a key role in how humans learn, but words that describe relations between objects, like comparisons, are difficult to learn. We examined how children learn size comparison words, and how their interpretations of these change across development. One‐hundred‐and‐forty children in England (36–107 months; 68 girls; majority White) were asked to build block structures that were bigger, longer, smaller, shorter, or taller than an experimenter's. Children were most successful with words that refer to size increases. Younger children were less accurate with smaller and shorter, often building bigger structures. The dimensional aspect of taller emerged gradually. These findings suggest that children's interpretation of the meaning of size comparison words changes and becomes more precise across development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous work has found that shy children show chance‐level disambiguation and retention of novel word meanings in a typical lab‐based word learning task. This effect could be explained in terms of shy children's aversion to unfamiliarity disrupting the requisite attentional processes, because the task is marked by a high degree of unfamiliarity. To test this argument, we examined whether increasing the familiarity of the task facilitates shy children's ability to form and retain word meanings. Two‐year‐old children (N = 23) took part in a word learning task in which their caregiver acted as the experimenter. On referent selection trials, children were presented with sets of three objects, one novel and two familiar, and were asked for either a familiar object using its known label, or a novel object using a novel word. Children were then tested on their retention of the previously formed novel word‐object mappings. In this context of increased familiarity, shyness was unrelated to performance on referent selection trials. However, shyness was positively related to children's retention of the word‐object mappings, meaning that shyer children outperformed less‐shy children on this measure of word learning. These findings show that context‐based familiarity interacts with intrinsic individual differences to affect word learning performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although most prevalent in childhood, the acquisition of new words in oral vocabulary takes place right across the lifespan. Of the many factors that influence oral vocabulary learning, one extrinsic factor is the listening environment. The current study aimed to examine whether the presence of noise impacts oral vocabulary learning in adult native speakers of English and, if so, whether this can be alleviated by the incidental presence of orthography when introducing new words. Methods: Sixty 18–35‐year‐old native speakers of English were divided into two groups: orthography present and orthography absent and were taught novel picture–word pairs either in quiet or in noise. Word learning was assessed using picture naming and picture–word‐matching tasks. Results: The results revealed that the presence of orthography during training reduced the negative impact of noise and supported word learning and retention in adults. Conclusion: These results are promising for vocabulary instruction practices in less‐than‐ideal listening environments where structural modifications are not a feasible option. Highlights: What is already known about the topic: Noise interferes with the ability to perform complex linguistic tasks and impacts learning.Many studies have shown that the presence of orthography improves spoken word learning in different populations. What this paper adds: Orthography supports spoken word learning in adults.Orthographic facilitation can be used to reduce the detrimental effects of noise on word learning. Implications for theory, policy or practice: Bimodal presentation of information may be beneficial for spoken word learning in adults.In learning, less‐than‐ideal learning environments, such as those with high ambient noise, providing spellings when introducing new words can improve word learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To better understand the intricate science of reading development, both cognitive and affective factors must be taken into consideration. This developmental study aims to enrich the literature by exploring how reading motivation – an affective factor – contributes to reading comprehension in Chinese elementary schoolers, beyond well‐accepted cognitive‐based reading skills, such as decoding and vocabulary. Methods: We used a cross‐sectional design with 420 native Mandarin‐Chinese‐speaking students (Grade 2: N = 95; Grade 3: N = 216; Grade 4: N = 109), with age‐appropriate materials to measure their decoding skills, vocabulary knowledge, reading motivation, and reading comprehension. Three sets of hierarchical regression analyses were run for the three grade samples to examine the unique contributions of reading motivation to reading comprehension while controlling children's demographic profiles, such as age and gender, and two cognitive‐based reading skills. Results: We replicated previous findings: children's decoding and vocabulary are robust predictors of reading achievement across Grades 2 to 4. Importantly, reading motivation contributed uniquely to reading comprehension in all three grades and explained an increasing amount of the variances in reading comprehension from Grades 2 to 4. Intrinsic reading motivation was critical in Grade 3, while extrinsic reading motivation became important in Grade 4. Conclusions: Taken together, our findings reveal the complexity of reading development and advance the existing cognitive‐based reading theories by including affective dimensions. Highlights: What is already known about this topic Reading motivation may explain primary schoolers' reading outcomes across languages, including Chinese.The link between reading motivation and reading outcomes may vary across different grades.The roles of intrinsic versus extrinsic reading motivation in reading outcomes may differ. What this paper adds Reading motivation uniquely contributed to reading comprehension beyond decoding and vocabulary skills.The unique variances in reading comprehension explained by reading motivation increased from Grades 2 to 4.Intrinsic reading motivation was critical in Grade 3, whereas extrinsic reading motivation became important in Grade 4. Implications for theory, policy or practice It is crucial to consider reading motivation in supporting children's reading development.Children's reading motivation and its contribution to reading development may vary across grades.There appears to be a shift from intrinsic to extrinsic reading motivation in explaining Chinese reading comprehension from Grades 3 to 4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The language that children are exposed to in their early years is enhanced by children's picture books. It is important to better characterise this input, and recent research has begun to explore corpora of narrative picture books. However, previous research has been restricted by methodological limitations that make it difficult to develop large datasets. Further, information texts become increasingly important as children progress through school, but little is known about the language of their earliest form, namely, informational picture books. The current study investigates how informational and narrative picture book exposure might change the language environment of children in a way that supports reading development. Methods: The study applies data science methods to build a larger language model than previously possible and investigates the lexical profile of over 2000 narrative and information picture books. Picture book vocabulary is innovatively derived from digital sources of books read‐aloud online, which pushes the field forward by providing researchers access to larger pools of data than previously possible. Detailed comparisons of informational and narrative picture books are reported regarding their lexical diversity, density, morphology, academic vocabulary and semantic clusters. Models are developed to estimate the additional word‐type exposure a child may encounter in their language environment from narrative and informational picture books. Results: The study demonstrates that information and narrative picture books expose children to substantially different semantic environments. It is demonstrated that information picture books provide extensive exposure to academic vocabulary, providing important input aligned with later reading needs. Further, computational models indicate that book reading once every day or second day over a year might boost unique‐word exposure by approximately 10% for some language environments. Conclusions: Combining informational and narrative picture books enhance the language environment of children more than narratives alone, providing more lexical diversity, density and complex morphology. Highlights: What is already known about this topic: Recent research has shown how picture books alter the language environment of children by adding lexical quality and quantity to their vocabulary input.Internationally, reading research and curricula have seen increased advocacy for early exposure to information texts to support later reading demands.The earliest form of informational texts is picture books; however, little is known about their lexical properties and how this might support reading development. What this paper adds: This study adds the first large‐scale analysis of the vocabulary in information and narrative picture books.It provides new data and methods for reading researchers, allowing access to larger pools of picture book language than previously possible.The paper demonstrates that vocabulary diversity, density and morphological complexity are enhanced in a child's language environment when information picture books and narratives are used, compared with reading narratives alone. Implications for theory, policy or practice: In line with current research and curriculum trends, increased early exposure to informational texts enhances the language environment of children.Information texts and narrative texts are both valuable inputs; however, incorporating regular reading of both information picture books and narratives enhances children's lexical input more than exposure only to narrative picture books.Information picture books should also be recommended as they provide substantial early exposure to content area academic vocabulary important for reading in the middle years and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Self‐determination refers to setting goals and making decisions regarding one's own life with support from others as needed. Research on people with intellectual and developmental disabilities has established the importance of self‐determination for quality of life outcomes, such as increased independence and life satisfaction. However, self‐determination has not been characterised specifically in fragile X syndrome (FXS), the leading inherited cause of intellectual disability. Relative to youth with other forms of intellectual and developmental disabilities, youth with FXS may face exceptional barriers to the development of self‐determined behaviour. In addition to intellectual disability, the FXS behavioural profile is characterised by high rates of autism and anxiety that may further limit opportunities for youth with FXS. The heritable nature of the condition can also yield a distinctive family environment, with siblings and parents also living with fragile X or its associated conditions. Considering these unique challenges, the present study examined self‐determination in young adult males and females with FXS and explored whether factors such as language skills, adaptive behaviour and autism traits were associated with self‐determination capacity and opportunities. Methods: The present study included 9 females and 36 males with FXS between the ages of 17 and 25 years. Caregivers (mothers or fathers) completed the American Institute for Research Self‐Determination Assessment, which is a questionnaire that yields three scores: self‐determination capacity, opportunities for self‐determination at home and opportunities for self‐determination at school. Results: Caregivers endorsed a wide range of self‐determination capacity and opportunities, with ratings for opportunities at home and school exceeding ratings of capacity. Better adaptive behaviour skills were associated with more self‐determination capacity, and the presence of more autism traits was associated with fewer opportunities at school. Conclusions: Results from this study contribute to our understanding of avenues to best support young adults with FXS as they transition to adulthood. Our findings also have implications for practice, such that interventions targeting adaptive behaviours and self‐determination may be an effective approach for promoting autonomy and independence for young adults with FXS. Additionally, caregivers and educators should continue to provide opportunities to practise self‐determination, regardless of their perception of capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT This content analysis explored children's fictional storybooks and informational science books to determine their differences in high‐quality text features that support oral language (OL) development. We also explored the opportunities for OL development in curricular books compared to trade books. Using systematic coding procedures, we evaluated the genre, vocabulary, syntactic variety, supportive visuals and cultural sensitivity in books from three kindergarten and Grade 1 reading curricula (n = 521) as well as a sample of commercially‐available trade books (n = 48). Descriptive information was averaged to determine the percentage of high‐quality text features included in each book type and genre. Results indicated that informational science trade books offered more opportunities for rich language experiences than their curricular counterparts or any of the fictional books. Thus, there is reason to believe that informational science trade books with high‐quality text features may promote OL development and enhance the learning of young students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT In this study, the relationship between gestures and vocabulary size in 177 Swedish‐learning 14‐month‐old children was examined. Gesture use, receptive, and expressive vocabulary were reported by caregivers with the Swedish version of the MacArthur Bates Communicative Developmental Inventory, words and gestures, SECDI‐1. Gesture types examined were referential gestures classified as either deictic gestures, conventional gestures, and object actions. A fine‐grained analysis of gestures and lexicon was performed. Results show that percentage of gestures used by children significantly predicts percentage of words in their receptive vocabulary. However, looking at gesture type, only use of object actions significantly predicts percentage of words in the receptive vocabulary whereas use of conventional gestures does not. Deictic gestures showed a ceiling effect and were therefore not further used for analysis. The relationship between gesture use and vocabulary size was not impacted by semantic category (food or clothes). Vocabulary in both semantic categories was statistically predicted by object actions in only one semantic category. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The MOF‐guest relationship is broken down in elementary phases, descriptors, and parameters. These descriptors and parameters allow precise descriptions of processes, whether they occur at the point when the guest enters the MOF, during the stay, or at the point of exiting. Description of these three phases is possible according to the location of the guest inside the MOF, the activity between MOF and guest, whether stimuli can be used, and whether a selective action can be exercised. The vocabulary provided herein can be useful to better formulate requirements when designing host‐guest interactions in, and building new classes of, intelligent materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many adolescent readers experience difficulties comprehending informational text, which may result from underlying difficulties with foundational skills (e.g., word recognition and fluency), knowledge demands (e.g., background, text structure, and vocabulary), and/or reading motivation. Supplemental interventions for adolescents targeting only foundational skills demonstrate mixed results, but multicomponent interventions that combine multisyllabic decoding, fluency, and comprehension strategies that build word and world knowledge to support complex text reading can improve foundational skills and comprehension for students in upper‐elementary and middle grades. In this article, we describe how prior research informed the design of Read STOP Write, a multicomponent intervention for students in grades 4–9. Read STOP Write integrates instruction in multisyllabic decoding, fluency, and vocabulary with comprehension instruction focused on building knowledge and using text structures to read and write about science and social studies texts. We summarize research conducted in culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms and discuss implications for teachers of adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated how repeating a video‐lecture‐based task affects second language (L2) learners’ processing and incidental acquisition of technical vocabulary as well as the relationship between processing and lexical gains. The participants were 75 Chinese learners of L2 English. Thirty participants performed the task once (control group), whereas another 30 participants did the same task three times (repetition group). The two groups then completed unannounced vocabulary posttests. The remaining participants engaged in stimulated recall after performing the task once, twice, or three times. The repetition group made greater gains in vocabulary knowledge than the control group, and the repetition group's visual attention to the target words declined during repeated viewing. The amount of attention to the target words emerged as a predictor of delayed meaning recall, with task repetition decreasing the strength of this relationship. Stimulated‐recall participants repeating the task reported increased awareness of specific aspects of the target words. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The left ventral occipitotemporal cortex (lvOT) has been consistently identified as a crucial structure in word reading, and its function varies across subregions. Nevertheless, the specific function of the lvOT and its subregions remains controversial because the obvious grapheme‐to‐phoneme correspondence rules of alphabetic languages make it difficult to disentangle the contributions of orthography and phonology to neural activations. To explore information processing in lvOT subregions, the present study manipulated the orthography and phonology in a factorial design and used the fMRI rapid adaptation paradigm. The results revealed a posterior‐to‐anterior functional gradient in lvOT in Chinese word reading and specified that the functional transition from sublexical to lexical processing occurred in the middle subregion close to the classic VWFA. More importantly, we found that the middle and posterior subregions of lvOT are responsible for processing both orthographic and phonological information during Chinese word reading. These results elaborated the function of the lvOT in Chinese word reading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a simple computational model that describes potential mechanisms underlying the organization and development of the lexical‐semantic system in 18‐month‐old infants. We focus on two independent aspects: (i) on potential mechanisms underlying the development of taxonomic and associative priming, and (ii) on potential mechanisms underlying the effect of Inter Stimulus Interval on these priming effects. Our model explains taxonomic priming between words by semantic feature overlap, whereas associative priming between words is explained by Hebbian links between semantic representations derived from co‐occurrence relations between words (or their referents). From a developmental perspective, any delay in the emergence of taxonomic priming compared to associative priming during infancy seems paradoxical since feature overlap per se need not be learned. We address this paradox in the model by showing that feature overlap itself is an emergent process. The model successfully replicates infant data related to Inter Stimulus Interval effects in priming experiments and makes testable predictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In what way does a mathematical proof depend on the notation used in its presentation? This paper examines this question by analysing the computational differences, in the sense of Larkin and Simon's 'Why a diagram is (sometimes) worth 10,000 words', between diagrammatic and sentential notations as a means for presenting geometric proofs. Wittgenstein takes up the question of mathematical notation and proof in Section III of Remarks on the Foundations of Mathematics. After discussing his observations on a proof's 'characteristic visual shape' in Section III with respect to arithmetical proofs, the paper shows how the notion of a characteristic visual shape illuminates the special effectiveness of diagrammatic notation in geometry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Daylong recordings provide an ecologically valid option for analyzing language input, and have become a central method for studying child language development. However, the vast majority of this work has been conducted in North America. We harnessed a unique collection of daylong recordings from Slovenian infants (age: 16–30 months, N = 40, 18 girls), and focus our attention on manually annotated measures of parentese (infant‐directed speech with a higher pitch, slower tempo, and exaggerated intonation), conversational turns, infant words, and word combinations. Measures from daylong recordings showed large variation, but were comparable to previous studies with North American samples. Infants heard almost twice as much speech and parentese from mothers compared to fathers, but there were no differences in language input to boys and girls. Positive associations were found between the social‐interactional features of language input (parentese, turn‐taking) and infants' concurrent language production. Measures of child speech from daylong recordings were positively correlated with measures obtained through the Slovenian MacArthur‐Bates Communicative Development Inventory. These results support the notion that the social‐interactional features of parental language input are the foundation of infants' language skills, even in an environment where infants spend much of their waking hours in childcare settings, as they do in Slovenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although links between knowledge and reading comprehension have been widely documented for decades, recent translational science publications (e.g., teacher journals, books, and podcasts) have increasingly referred to studies using baseball (a sport popular in the USA) as a proxy for knowledge to explain those links, especially within science of reading conversations. We conducted a systematic review of studies using baseball as a proxy for knowledge necessary for reading comprehension. After a comprehensive literature search, we found 19 “baseball studies” dating from 1978 to 2018, and we note that 13 of the studies used the same two measures of baseball knowledge. When analyzing the measures of baseball knowledge, we find that their measures of knowledge focused heavily on vocabulary and baseball trivia, and we found that the most common baseball comprehension text was deceptively complex. Finally, we analyzed recent research citations of baseball studies and found that even the oldest baseball studies are commonly cited in high‐impact journals even in the last 5 years. Ultimately, we interrogate the role of baseball knowledge studies in the body of research on knowledge and comprehension. We also call for reliance on non‐baseball studies to create a knowledge–comprehension translational science likely to positively impact systematic curricular improvement, move the science of reading conversation forward, and improve all students' reading comprehension at scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the levels of social language and vocabulary characteristics of three‐ to six‐year‐old children with autism in Vietnam. The research is based on analysis of the developmental assessment reports of 151 children with autism, and 42 parents' reports on their children's vocabulary (recorded using the Child Word Inventory form). The findings show that about 85% of participants have a language level that is below average. The rate of accumulation of words and social language by children with autism is slower than that of typically developing children of the same age. It is also found that the participants' number of production words is 2.4 times greater than their number of reception words. Nonetheless, their receptive words have little correlation with their overall development and social language development. This implies that parents and teachers of children with autism should make a point of assisting them in enlarging and comprehending their vocabulary, to enable them to use their language (words) for effective communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

My aim in this article is to elucidate the nature of a form of intellectual and practical neutrality that is not covered by existing accounts of suspension of judgment. After rejecting some inadequate characterizations of this attitude of neutrality, I provide a positive characterization of it: it is a successful effort to resist certain tendencies that are part of the dispositional profile of the doxastic state one is in on a given issue. I conclude by saying a few words about the reasons for which this effort can be made, and by answering in the negative the question of whether all the attitudes that can be characterized as attitudes of committed neutrality are of the same type. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We construct finitely generated Engel branch groups, answering a question of Fernández‐Alcober, Noce and Tracey on the existence of such objects. In particular, the groups constructed are not nilpotent, yielding the second known class of examples of finitely generated non‐nilpotent Engel groups following a construction by Golod from 1969. To do so, we exhibit groups acting on rooted trees with growing valency on which word lengths of elements are contracting very quickly under section maps. Our methods apply in principle to a wider class of iterated identities, of which the Engel words are a special case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents a list of 2022 Bulgarian‐Turkish cognate words that can be used to facilitate vocabulary acquisition and cross‐linguistic awareness. The list was created manually through a multi‐step process that involved scanning the database of an online dictionary to identify Bulgarian words that had the same or similar forms in Turkish. For each cognate word identified, its Bulgarian and Turkish forms and English meanings were recorded, and their accuracy was checked through additional sources and expert consultation. The final list of cognate words includes only those confirmed based on linguistic criteria and expert judgement. The use of cognate words in language teaching methods such as total physical response and teaching proficiency through reading and storytelling can enhance the effectiveness of these methods by helping students understand and remember new vocabulary and building their confidence in language learning. Additionally, this study highlights the potential of cognate awareness to promote peace in the world by emphasizing the commonalities among languages and cultures. By recognizing the abundance of cognates across different languages, we can reinforce the idea that we are all part of the same human family and share a common linguistic heritage. Moreover, the study demonstrates how a new and innovative multilingual education can be achieved through cognates, showing that language education does not necessarily have to be limited to bilingual instruction. The use of cognates as a tool for vocabulary acquisition and cross‐linguistic awareness can open up opportunities for multilingualism and facilitate communication across linguistic and cultural boundaries. Future research could explore the use of cognate words in other language teaching contexts and investigate the potential benefits and limitations of using cognates in language learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relatively little work has focused on why we are motivated to learn words. In adults, recent experiments have shown that intrinsic reward signals accompany successful word learning from context. In addition, the experience of reward facilitated long‐term memory for words. In adolescence, developmental changes are seen in reward and motivation systems as well as in reading and language systems. Here, in the face of this developmental change, we ask whether adolescents experience reward from word learning, and how the reward and memory benefit seen in adults is modulated by age. We used a naturalistic reading paradigm, which involved extracting novel word meanings from sentence context without the need for explicit feedback. By exploring ratings of enjoyment during the learning phase, as well as recognition memory for words a day later, we assessed whether adolescents show the same reward and learning patterns as adults. We tested 345 children between the ages of 10–18 (N > 84 in each 2‐year age‐band) using this paradigm. We found evidence for our first prediction: children aged 10–18 report greater enjoyment for successful word learning. However, we did not find evidence for age‐related change in this developmental period, or memory benefits. This work gives us greater insight into the process of language acquisition and sets the stage for further investigations of intrinsic reward in typical and atypical development. Research Highlights: We constantly learn words from context, even in the absence of explicit rewards or feedback.In adults, intrinsic reward experienced during word learning is linked to a dopaminergic circuit in the brain, which also fuels enhancements in memory for words.We find adolescents also report enhanced reward or enjoyment when they successfully learn words from sentence context.The relationship between reward and learning is maintained between the ages of 10 and 18.Unlike in adults, we did not observe ensuing memory benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study considers the relative benefits for vocabulary learning of exposure to two types of texts—literary or nonliterary—used with two teaching approaches. These approaches were termed functional and creative, respectively. In the former, learners' attention was drawn to factual information and linguistic features in order to develop their linguistic knowledge. In the latter, the aim was to stimulate learners' personal and emotional response, by drawing their attention to the text's emotional content and how language was used to express meaning. We analyzed data from 160 learners of French in eight schools in England. Learners in four schools studied French poems and those in another four studied French factual texts. Teachers in each text condition employed functional and creative methods of exploitation within a counterbalanced design. We assessed two types of vocabulary knowledge at pre‐ and posttest: meaning recall of vocabulary contained in the texts, and learners' general vocabulary size. Our results indicated learning gains across both text types. There were, however, important interactions between text type and teaching approach and between text type and the order in which the teaching approaches were used. Finally, we consider the implications of these findings for understanding of vocabulary learning through literature and for classroom practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The present study explored whether people with psoriasis display an attentional bias towards disease‐related threat words and whether this bias occurs relatively early during the phase of stimulus disengagement, or during a later maintained attention phase dominated by controlled strategic processes. We also explored the degree to which attentional bias is dependent on the emotional valence of control words. Methods: Individuals with psoriasis and matched controls took part in 4 online experiments. Participants completed a spatial cueing paradigm using disease‐related threat words and control words as cues, in order to obtain reaction time estimates of attentional bias. Results: We did not observe evidence for attentional bias when control words were matched with threat words for emotional valence, regardless of whether processing time for the cues was limited (Experiment 1: SOA = 250 ms) or extended (Experiment 2: SOA = 1050 ms). We also did not observe evidence for attentional bias when control words of positive valence were used, but processing time was limited (Experiment 3). An attentional bias was only observed (p =.012, Cohen's d =.37) when sufficient processing time was available and positively‐valanced control words were used (Experiment 4). Conclusion: Rather than showing large and generalized AB effects as predicted by previous accounts, our results tentatively suggest that AB in psoriasis is restricted to situations where participants have ample processing time and threat words are easily distinguishable from control words on the basis of emotional valence. The pattern of results suggests that attentional bias in psoriasis is best characterized as a relatively slow strategic process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies report that exposure to the Māori language on a regular basis allows New Zealand adults who cannot speak Māori to build a proto‐lexicon of Māori—an implicit memory of word forms without detailed knowledge of meaning. How might this knowledge feed into explicit language learning? Is it possible to "awaken" the proto‐lexicon in the context of overt language learning? We investigate whether implicit linguistic knowledge represented in a proto‐lexicon gives any advantages for intentional language learning in a tertiary educational environment. We conducted a three‐task experiment which: (a) assessed participants' Māori proto‐lexicon, (b) assessed their phonotactic knowledge, and (c) tested them on Māori vocabulary that they had been exposed to during the course at two time points. The results show that students with larger Māori proto‐lexicons learn more words in a classroom setting. This study shows that proto‐lexicon acquired from ambient exposure can lead to significant benefits in language learning. A one‐page Accessible Summary of this article in nontechnical language is freely available in the Supporting Information online and at https://oasis‐database.org [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is the first to explore microdevelopment in sociolinguistic evaluative judgments of standard German and Austro‐Bavarian dialect by adult second language learners of German by using dense time serial measurements. Intensive longitudinal data (10 observations per participant) were collected from four learners at approximately weekly intervals over 3 months. We employed generalized additive models with superimposed periods of significant change to identify rapid developmental phases in individual developmental trajectories. By triangulating these models with qualitative introspective and retrodictive interview data, we identified environmental and psychological stimuli for change. Learners evinced increasing and decreasing periods of significant change, independent of length of residence. Dynamic constellations of identity‐ and agency‐related variables alongside more intensive social interaction with target‐variety speakers contributed to significant changes. We discuss findings from a complexity perspective and advocate for microlongitudinal studies in variationist second language acquisition to better capture stimuli for change in learners' emerging multivarietal repertoires. A one‐page Accessible Summary of this article in nontechnical language is freely available in the Supporting Information online and at https://oasis‐database.org [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the relationship of linguistic complexity, captured using a set of lexical richness, syntactic complexity, and discoursal complexity indices, to second language (L2) learners' perception of text difficulty, captured using L2 raters' comparative judgment on text comprehensibility and reading speed. Testing materials were 180 texts abridged from college English coursebooks, and raters were 90 advanced Chinese learners of L2 English. Forty‐five raters read paired texts and determined which text was harder to understand in each pair, and another 45 raters read paired texts and determined which text they read faster in each pair. Two stepwise linear regression models containing lexical, syntactic, and discoursal features explained 48.1% and 54.6% of the variance in L2 learners' estimates of text comprehensibility and reading speed, respectively, outperforming four commonly used language readability models. These findings contribute useful insights into the relationship between linguistic complexity and L2 learners' perception of text difficulty. A one‐page Accessible Summary of this article in nontechnical language is freely available in the Supporting Information online and at https://oasis‐database.org [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of text length on the estimation of lexical diversity has captured the attention of the scientific community for more than a century. Numerous indices have been proposed, and many studies have been conducted to evaluate them, but the problem remains. This methodological review provides a critical analysis not only of the most commonly used indices in language learning studies, but also of the length problem itself, as well as of the methodology for evaluating the proposed solutions. Analysis of three data sets of texts produced by English language learners revealed that indices that reduce all texts to the same length using a probabilistic or an algorithmic approach solve the length‐dependency problem; however, all these indices failed to address the second problem, which is their sensitivity to the parameter that determines the length to which the texts are reduced. The paper concludes with recommendations for optimizing lexical diversity analysis. A one‐page Accessible Summary of this article in nontechnical language is freely available in the Supporting Information online and at https://oasis‐database.org [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To acquire language, learners have to map the language onto the environment, but languages vary as to how much information they include to constrain how a sentence relates to the world. We investigated the conditions under which information within the language and the environment is combined for learning. In a cross‐situational artificial language learning study, participants listened to transitive sentences and viewed two scenes, and selected which scene was described by the sentence. There were three conditions, involving different language variants. All variants had free word order but varied as to whether or not they contained morphosyntactic information that defined the subject and object roles of nouns in the sentence. We found that participants were able to learn information about word order and vocabulary from each variant, demonstrating that learners are not reliant on information within a language only, but can combine constraints from language and environment to support acquisition. Data and analyses are available at: https://osf.io/hxqzc/?view_only=ea6ba6fff6bb468e8de2e8596f029dca A one‐page Accessible Summary of this article in nontechnical language is freely available in the Supporting Information online and at https://oasis‐database.org [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the relationship between early parental treatment, specifically reading to young children and later cognitive development with a Bayesian perspective. Previous research established a positive link between parental reading to infants and their cognitive development, such as receptive vocabulary, reading comprehension and motivation to read. Using data from the Millennium Cohort Study, this study analysed individuals aged 9 months to 14 years to investigate the effects of early reading to young children on nine cognitive variables. Bayesian statistical analysis controlled for pre‐existing differences and covariates to establish a causal association between reading and cognitive development. The results indicated that reading to infants and toddlers positively impacted their cognitive development beyond reading skills. These findings demonstrate the usefulness of the Bayesian approach in determining scientific significance and underscore the importance of early literacy interventions in promoting cognitive development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the methodologies in 148 empirical data‐driven learning studies for L2 English in prestige journals to examine best practice. Manual coding and corpus analysis of key words and n‐grams from the past 5 years (2018–2022) explore the field as a whole and how methodologies have evolved, suggesting improvements and future avenues for research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article highlights the challenges and strategies for vocabulary acquisition among English language learners (ELLs) in higher education. Topics include the limitations of vocabulary activities that lack contextual application, the need for curriculum updates to better address the academic language development of ELLs, and the use of storytelling as a method to leverage what ELLs bring to the classroom rather than focusing on deficiencies.

Background: Our study analysed 46 articles on computer‐aided translation (CAT) and its educational uses. We explored two main areas: CAT technologies in learning and teaching, and the research methodologies of these studies. Objectives: Our review covered the types of CAT technologies used, their applications in different learning settings, theoretical backgrounds and their pros and cons. We also looked at the research designs, participant demographics and data collection methods used in these studies. Methods: We conducted an extensive search across academic databases using relevant keywords and employed open coding to analyse and categorize the content of identified articles, focusing on aspects related to CAT technologies in educational contexts. Results and Conclusions: Our findings showed the use of 22 distinct CAT technologies, with Google Translate being the most common. The studies mostly used empirical research methods and questionnaires. University students were the primary participants. CAT technologies were applied in various contexts, including language learning, translation teaching, cross‐cultural learning and foreign language lectures. We identified five key theoretical foundations for CAT use. Benefits included bridging language barriers, vocabulary enhancement, and grammar improvement as well as providing reference and feedback for writing and translation. Challenges included inaccuracies and inappropriate translations. However, most studies showed a positive impact of CAT on learning outcomes. Based on our analysis, we offer recommendations for educators and researchers in the field. This review provides a thorough understanding of CAT's applications and effects in education, guiding future advancements in this area. Lay Description: What is currently known about the subject matter: CAT tools enhance language learning and teaching.Inaccuracies in CAT translations affect learning.CAT tools are primarily used in language learning contexts. What this paper adds: Explores CAT tools in non‐language learning contexts.Identifies challenges and benefits of CAT technology.Highlights importance of theoretical foundations in CAT research The implications of study findings for practitioners: Guidance on effective and ethical CAT tool use is crucial.Need for strategies to improve CAT translation accuracy.Recommends expanding CAT applications in diverse contexts.Emphasizes developing machine translation literacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The use of computer‐assisted reading comprehension is of critical importance in the context of promoting effective and engaging literacy education in the digital age. It provides students with the opportunity to work at their own pace and convenience, thereby facilitating self‐directed learning and accommodating various learning preferences and schedules. Objectives: The objective of the study was to investigate the impact of computer‐assisted and direct strategy teaching on reading comprehension, reading comprehension self‐efficacy and reading comprehension metacognitive awareness. An experimental application based on the SQ4R strategy was conducted in the direct strategy teaching (DST) and computer‐assisted strategy teaching (CAST) programmes. In the DST group, the implementation of the SQ4R strategy was conducted through direct strategy teaching, whereas in the CAST group, the same activities were carried out with the assistance of computer‐based resources. The principal objective of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of computer‐assisted strategy instruction. Methods: This study employed a combined sequential descriptive design, integrating qualitative and quantitative research models. The study was conducted with 61 fourth‐grade students, enrolled in three classrooms of a public school situated in the central district of Kastamonu, Turkey, which is characterised by a moderate socioeconomic level. The quantitative component of the study was designed as a pre‐test–post‐test control group experimental study. The qualitative component of the study comprised focus group interviews and observation. Two experimental groups and one control group were established in the course of this study. In the quantitative dimension of the combined sequential descriptive model, the Reading Comprehension Test, Metacognitive Reading Comprehension Scale, and Reading Comprehension Self‐Efficacy Scale were employed as data collection instruments. In order to collect data in the qualitative dimension, semi‐structured interview and observation forms were employed. Furthermore, the researcher's diaries, maintained throughout the research process, were employed as a data source. The quantitative data were analysed using the following techniques: arithmetic mean, frequency, percentage, standard deviation, ANOVA and covariance analysis (ANCOVA). A descriptive analysis was employed for the evaluation of the qualitative data. Results and Conclusions: Upon examination of the post‐test scores of the CAST, DST and control group students in the Reading Comprehension Test, it was observed that the CAST group exhibited the highest average. A statistically significant difference was also identified between the CAST group and the control group. Nevertheless, no statistically significant difference was identified between the DST group and the control group. Nevertheless, an examination of the mean scores reveals that the DST group exhibited considerably higher Reading Comprehension Test scores. Lay Description: Computer aided tools can be used to teachvarious reading strategies.CAST can help students improve their readingcomprehension.CAST can contribute to students' reading andcomprehension motivation.CAST can offer customised learning materialsaccording to the individual needs of the students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Self‐regulated learning (SRL) is a predictive variable in students' academic performance, especially in virtual reality (VR) environments, which lack monitoring and control. However, current research on VR encounters challenges in effective interventions of cognitive and affective regulation, and visualising the SRL processes using multimodal data. Objectives: This study aimed to analyse multimodal data to investigate the SRL processes (behaviour, cognition and affective states) and learning performance in the VR environment. Methods: This study developed a VR‐based immersive learning system that supports SRL activities, and conducted a pilot study in an English for Geography course. A total of 21 undergraduates participated. Face tracker, electroencephalography, and learning logs were used to gather data for learning behaviour, cognition and affective states in the VR environment. Results and Conclusions: First, the study identified three categories of learners (HG, MG and LG) within the VR environment who presented different behavioural engagement and SRL strategies. The HG exhibited the highest level of cognition and affective states, which resulted in superior performance in terms of vocabulary acquisition and retention. The MG, despite possessing a higher level of cognition, performed inadequately in other aspects, leading to no difference in vocabulary acquisition and retention from the LG. By collecting and mining multimodal data, this study helps to enrich the visual analysis of SRL processes. In addition, the results of this study help to dissect the problems of students' SRL in a VR learning environment. Furthermore, this study provides a theoretical basis and reference for the study of SRL development in immersive learning environments. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic?: Self‐regulated learning (SRL) is a predictive variable in students' academic performance.Students in virtual reality (VR) environments may lack monitoring and control.SRL is a complex system influenced by multiple factors.SRL in VR environments needs multimodal data to analyse the process. What this paper adds?: A VR‐based immersive system that supports SRL activities is devised.Analysis of SRL processes and performance obtained from multimodal data are discussed.Students present different behavioural engagement and SRL strategies in the VR environment.Students with different SRL behaviours present different attention, affective state, and learning performance. Implications for practise and/or policy: Effective SRL interventions should be designed within the VR environments.The mining of SRL processes with multimodal data used in the study is recommended for explaining the SRL mechanisms in VR environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In Norway, games were introduced into the 2020 English curriculum; acknowledging games as language learning resources alongside other text‐based material. However, little is known about the type of games selected by English teachers, reasons for doing so, or how games are actually used in teaching. This is particularly relevant in gendered vocational classes, with mainly girls or boys respectively in different programmes, as national surveys show that while most teenage boys play digital games, comparatively few girls do. Objectives: The primary aim was to investigate how the digital commercial game Adventures with Anxiety was used during naturally occurring English teaching in four gendered vocational classes: one Technological and Industrial Production class (boys only) and three Healthcare, Childhood and Youth development classes (girls mainly). Methods: Participants involved 36 students (aged 16–17) and two English teachers. Using a mixed methods design (Brevik, 2022), we combined quantitative and qualitative analyses of classroom video recordings (5.5 h), student screen recordings during gameplay (8 h) and retrospective teacher interviews (1.5 h). Analyses relied on the validated PLATO observation protocol (Grossman, 2015) and reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2022). Results and Conclusions: English teachers expressed a dual aim in using the game for teaching English; to improve students' language skills and provide experiences of how to live with anxiety. Although the game offered relevant vocabulary and virtual experiences with anxiety; anxiety emerged as a professional component of caring professions in the girls‐mainly classes, while being used to help boys acknowledge anxiety in their own lives. Lay Summary: What is currently known about this topic: There is an increased emphasis on promoting digital games for classroom useDigital games used for classroom teaching are mainly researcher‐initiated interventionsDigital games in teaching are often educational and used to develop vocabularyA digital divide exists; boys play more digital games and more often than girls do What this paper adds: A commercial game was used in naturally occurring English teaching about mental healthWe identified gender bias in how the game was implemented differently in gendered vocational classesIn girls‐mainly classes, the game was used as a doorway into professional caring professionsIn boys‐only classes, the game was used as a doorway into a personal mental health sphere Implications for practitioners: Using a commercial game as a resource in English classes is relevant for teaching about mental healthIt is important to consciously consider potential gender bias when using the same game across gendered classesTeachers who consider using digital games for teaching English might face gendered equality challenges [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quasi‐realists are expressivists who say much of what realists say. To avoid making their view indistinguishable from realism, however, they usually stop short of saying everything realists say. Many realists therefore think that something important is missing from quasi‐realism. I argue that quasi‐realists can undermine this thought by defending a version of quasi‐realism that I call super‐quasi‐realism. This version seems indistinguishable from realism, but I argue that this is a mistaken impression that arises because we cannot believe super‐quasi‐realism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The body carries culture, with cultural concepts emerging from the dynamic interplay between the body and its environment. By integrating social representation theory and embodied cognition, we explored the use of embodied spatial metaphors in representing cultural tightness–looseness across three studies. In Study 1, 84 participants were randomly assigned to either a tight or loose culture group and tasked with placing cultural words within a spatial context. Participants positioned culturally compatible words closer to themselves and incompatible words farther away, illustrating the use of spatial distance metaphors to represent cultural tightness–looseness. Study 2 used an implicit task, demonstrating that people from both tight and loose cultures exhibited greater accuracy in judging culturally compatible concepts (vs. incompatible concepts) when these words were close to themselves. Study 3 unveiled distinct patterns of embodied spatial metaphors between tight and loose cultures when comparing cultural and irrelevant words. Notably, metaphors depicting nearness for culturally compatible words and farness for irrelevant words emerged exclusively in tight cultures, while such patterns were absent in loose cultures. Overall, our findings empirically support the notion that social representations are embodied, and provide embodied evidence for understanding and representing concepts related to cultural tightness–looseness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study revisits the roles of different aspects of phonological vocabulary knowledge in second language (L2) listening. Japanese learners of English (n = 114) completed the TOEIC Listening test and three phonological vocabulary tests assessing (a) ability to recognize the meanings of aural forms (meaning recognition), (b) ability to recall the meanings of aural forms (meaning recall), and (c) ability to spontaneously judge the appropriate use of word meanings in sentential contexts (lexicosemantic judgment task [LJT]). Among the three measures, the LJT best predicted the participants’ ability to access the target words during real‐life L2 listening comprehension of monologues and conversations (measured via TOEIC). Structural equation modeling demonstrated that the LJT was distinct from both meaning recognition and recall and revealed their different associations with listening comprehension scores. In line with the skill acquisition theory, we propose that the LJT reflects automatized knowledge, whereas meaning recognition and recall represent declarative knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

I argue that “general pejoratives” such as “jerk” or “bastard” differ crucially from items such as “that damn N”. While items such as the latter typically serve to give vent to one's attitudes, general pejoratives essentially involve judgments about a person's behaviour or character. This is particularly evident in cases where pejoratives occur not as epithets, but as predicate nominals. If we want to account for the overall contribution of words such as “jerk”, there are three kinds of content that ought to be distinguished: truth‐conditional contents, evaluative presuppositions, and expressive contents that are either at‐issue (in the case of expressive predicates) or non‐at‐issue (in the case of epithets). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The COVID‐19 pandemic created a unique learning experience, characterised by school closures and a shift to online learning. Research suggests that online learning during the pandemic negatively impacted the reading development of elementary school children. However, little is known about the challenges of learning a second language (L2) remotely. Therefore, this study investigates the impact of online learning during the pandemic on language and reading development among French immersion (FI) students who learn French as an L2. Methods: A total of 137 Grade 1 and Grade 2 students from two cohorts were included in the study. The in‐person cohort consisted of 72 students who attended school in person and were tested in person before the pandemic. The online cohort consisted of 65 students who received virtual instruction during the pandemic and were tested online. Measures of vocabulary, word reading accuracy and fluency, and phonological awareness were administered in English and French to both cohorts. Analyses of covariance (ANCOVAs) were carried out to assess the effects of cohort and grade on the measures, with guardian education as a covariate. Results: Students in the in‐person cohort performed significantly better on French vocabulary and English word reading accuracy than students online. The cohort effect was not significant for other French and English measures. Grade 2 students significantly outperformed Grade 1 students in both English and French vocabulary and word reading. Conclusions: The current results suggest that online learning may have had a moderately negative effect on French vocabulary but no impact on French phonological awareness or word reading. FI students' English skills were also largely unaffected. Therefore, FI students made progress on their language and literacy skills through online learning during the pandemic. The findings point to the importance of enhancing L2 vocabulary input during online learning. Highlights: What is already known about this topicElementary school children experienced learning losses in reading due to school closures and online learning.Learning losses were more pronounced for younger students, students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and immigrant children.The very few studies that have investigated the impact of online learning on reading development in bilinguals have focused primarily on English second language learners who are educated in the societal language with ample exposure to English at school and in the community. What this paper addsThis study examines how online learning during the pandemic affects the language and literacy skills of Grade 1 and Grade 2 French immersion students, who only learn French at school.This paper provides a comparison between an in‐person and online cohort in English and French vocabulary, word reading accuracy and fluency, and phonological awareness.Students in the in‐person cohort demonstrated significantly higher scores on French vocabulary than students educated online during the pandemic. Implications for theory, policy or practiceLower French vocabulary during the pandemic may be due to reduced French language exposure in an online setting.Language teachers should intentionally increase second language exposure to directly target vocabulary development in an online environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of computer‐mediated communication has resulted in a new form of written text called Microtext, which is very different from well‐written text. Most previous approaches deal with microtext at the character level rather than just words resulting in increased processing time. In this paper, we propose to transform static word vectors to dynamic form by modelling the effect of neighbouring words and their sentiment strength in the AffectiveSpace. To evaluate the approach, we crawled Tweets from diverse topics and human annotation was used to label their sentiments. We also normalized the tweets to fix phonetic variations, spelling errors, and abbreviations manually. A total of 1432 out‐of‐vocabulary (OOV) texts and their IV texts made it to the final corpus with their corresponding polarity. To assess the quality of the corpus, we used several OOV classifiers such as linear regression and observed over 90% accuracy. Next, we inferred word vectors using a novel four‐gram model based on sentiment intensity and reported accuracy on both open domain and closed domain sentiment classifiers. We observed an improvement in the range of 4–20 on Twitter, Movie and Airline reviews over baselines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]