What Happens With Local Survey Findings? A Study of how Adolescent School Surveys are Disseminated and Utilized in Swedish Schools

This paper aimed at examining the barriers to and facilitators of disseminating and utilizing the results of a local Swedish school survey. Interviews with 21 school district managers/principals were performed. Results showed that dissemination and utilization of local survey data appeared as two interrelated processes. With those processes, various barriers and facilitators were mentioned. The barriers and facilitators were not merely the opposites of each other; instead they qualitatively differed from each other depending on what phase in the process the manager/principal referred to. The results also showed that the dissemination phase was both a prerequisite for and interwoven with the utilization phase, e.g. dissemination efforts were important for how the survey results were utilized.     

A Contrastive Study of Semantic Prosody between English Native Speak ers and Chinese English Learners——Case Study of “Avoid”

In this paper,the author uses data-driven and contrastive interlanguage analysis approach,applying AntConc 3.2.1 as the tool,to make a comparison between corpus FLOB and CLEC on the using of the word avoid.The result shows that the se mantic prosodic tendency between the two communities is in great similarities but also have differences.Through comparison and analysis,the author finds the hidden reason and summarizes how to improve.     

Strategy Use in the Comprehension of English Idioms——A Comparative Study of Good and Poor Chinese English Learners

This study investigates whether L2 learners of English rely on their L1 (in this case Chinese) when attempting to comprehend an idiom in English and whether the student’s level of proficiency has any effect on L1 use in understanding L2 idioms. Using think-aloud protocol, the following conclusions were reached: 1) Almost all subjects translated English idioms into Chinese and searched a match, i.e. there exist transfer and interference of L1 in understanding L2 idioms.2) When the L1 was unable to help for understanding different idioms, good students were able to use conceptual strategies (i.e. metaphors and schema) better than poor students. This paper concludes with a suggestion that metaphor instruction be used to teach L2 idioms since a student cannot get very far when relying solely on his L1.     

A Contrastive Study of the “Subject” in English and Chinese

Because of the differences in language,culture and mode of thinking between East and West there exist dissimilarities in the use of the subject of a sentence between English and Chinese.The essay tries to explore respectively the different characteristics and uses of the subject between the two languages which include some differences both in morphology and syntax.     

A Cognitive Study of “Rabbit” in English Idioms

This paper adopts a cognitive linguistic approach and especially draws on conceptual metaphor and metonymy theories to analyze linguistic forms concerning the concept of rabbit in English with an aim to find out what attributes of rabbit are especially emphasized in English linguistic form so as to shed some light on how people perceive the same animal differently.     

Comparative Study of “red” Metaphor in English and Chinese

This paper concerns itself with "red" metaphor in English and Chinese with a cognitive view so as to account for how red is used to indicate abstract concepts and verify the universality and cultural variation of red metaphor.     

Science Laboratory Classroom Environments at Schools and Universities: A Cross‐National Study∗

ABSTRACT

Because already existing classroom environment scales are unsuitable for science laboratory classes, a new instrument was developed and validated in a Class form (student's perceptions of the class as a whole) and a new Personal form (student's perceptions of his/her own role within the class). The instrument was cross‐nationally field tested with 5,447 students in 269 classes in six countries, and cross‐validated with 1,594 students in 92 classes in Australia. Each scale exhibited satisfactory internal consistency reliability, discriminant validity, and factorial validity, and differentiated between the perceptions of students in different classes. Use of the new instrument revealed that: science laboratory classes are dominated by closed‐ended activities; Class form means consistently were more favorable than Personal form means; associations existed between attitudinal outcomes and laboratory environment; and the Class and Personal form each accounted for unique variance in student attitudes.     

Gender Gap in Mathematics and Physics in Chinese Middle Schools: A Case Study of a Beijing’s District

This study examines the gender gaps in mathematics and physics in Chinese middle schools. The data is from the Education Bureau management database which includes all middle school students who took high school entrance exam in a district of Beijing from 2006–2013. The ordinary least square model and quantile regression model are applied. This study consistently shows that the gender gap is unfavorable toward female students in mathematics and physics while favorable toward female students in Chinese and English. Gender gaps favoring males in math and physics become more noticeable among the students who receive the top tier scores in math and physics testing. However, females’ students’ advantage in Chinese and English decreases along the distribution from the bottom to the top percentiles. There are significant intersections between rural residency and gender. Rural students (regardless of gender) perform less well than urban students in all subjects and rural female student show the worst testing scores compared with the other subgroups in mathematics and physics.     

Equity for English Learners: Evidence from Four Years of California’s Local Control Funding Formula

This study examined evidence of equity for English Learners-one of the three targeted student groups–in the early implementation of California’s Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) across data sets from seven studies. We used social justice inquiry methods and data integration analytic approaches that included purposeful sampling of districts’ Local Control and Accountability Plans (LCAPs), and data integration analyses of interviews with education leaders to examine how equity was advanced for English Learners. Our findings reveal that the quest for equity for English Learners is elusive and requires multilevel efforts to reverse the national, state, and local histories of unequal treatment, deficit orientations, socio-political dynamics, and legacies of unequal funding that still permeate many schools. Further advances in equity will require greater systemic coherence that sharpens the focus on educational outcomes for English Learners. California’s most recent policy shifts–including the passage of Proposition 58 and the English Learner Roadmap–show promise of systemic coherence and alignment to an assets-based approach for English Learners in the state and nation, as tangible evidence of equity in services and outcomes are still works in progress.     

A Comparative Study on “Dog” Cultures in English and Chinese

Both English and Chinese are rich in "dog" cultures. In order to learn English well and communicate successfully with foreigners in cross-cultural communication, it is necessary to make a comparative study on "dog" cultures in both languages. This thesis makes a com parative study on two language-speaking people’s attitudes and feelings toward dog, histories, customs and stories about dog in both Eng lish and Chinese cultures .Through the comparative study, the thesis reveals the differences and similarities of "dog" cultures in both lan guages.     

A Survey of Adverbial Connectors in EFL Learners’ Writing:A Comparative Study

Through a comparative study of the use of ACs (ACs) in EFL learners’ writing at different English writing proficiency, Chinese EFL learners’ use of ACs are analyzed with the hope to provide valuabe suggestions in Enligh writing teaching and learning.     

A Cloistered Ethos? Landscapes of Learning and English Secondary Schools for Girls: an Historical Perspective

The nineteenth‐century founders of academic girls’ secondary schools in England often used an existing building, frequently a former dwelling‐house, adding to it as resources increased and curricula developed, before moving to a purpose‐built school as the venture prospered. As municipal secondary schools for girls developed in England in the wake of the 1902 Education Act, and girls’ grammar schools flourished in the wake of the 1944 Act, new buildings were increasingly provided. The newer state‐maintained schools drew on longer‐standing patterns in the siting of girls’ schools related to both gender and class, which saw schools sited in former stately homes, around rail and bus networks, and in ‘healthy’ locations. The paper analyses entries in the Girls’ School Yearbook from 1906 to 1995, to demonstrate the ‘healthy’ siting of many girls’ schools on the brow of a hill. Well into the second half of the twentieth century, the height of a school’s position above sea level and the type of soil on which the school was built were frequently cited as significant features, taking pride of place before the aims of the school, its curriculum, examination and admission policy. For many state‐educated girls today, longstanding Victorian and Edwardian concerns that girls’ education was detrimental to health have a legacy in a trudge up hills in all weathers as the prelude to a day’s academic work at school.     

Communication apprehension in a first language and self‐perceived competence as predictors of communication apprehension in a second language: A study of speakers of English as a second language

This study addresses the communication apprehension of the non‐native English speaker in the U.S. Previous studies which have examined the implications of communication apprehension (CA) for bilingual, non‐native communicators have generated results which indicate that trait‐like CA is consistent across first and second language‐speaking situations. However, none of these studies have probed the cause of the cross‐linguistic consistency of CA. This research is designed to provide a scientific explanation for the etiology of CA by applying the communibiological paradigm to CA theory and research. By selecting the situational constraints of international students, this study tests a theory based on proposition 4 of the communibiological paradigm (Beatty & McCroskey w/Valencic, 2001, p. 128): “Environment or ‘situation’ has only a negligible effect on interpersonal behavior.” The results of this study replicate the strong relationship previously observed between CA in a first language and CA in a second language. It also found that the genetic markers employed (Eysenck's Big 3 temperament variables) predicted first and second language CA approximately equally. The results indicate that, although both first and second languages are learned, the CA associated with them most likely is not.     

A National Investigation of Teachers’ Environmental Literacy as a Reference for Promoting Environmental Education in Taiwan

Taiwan's government enacted the Environmental Education Act in June 2011. In the beginning of the implementation of the Act, a national assessment of schoolteachers’ environmental literacy was performed in order to establish the baseline for evaluating the effectiveness of environmental education policy. This large-scale assessment involved a large sample size of in-service teachers across schools at all levels and regions in Taiwan using the stratified random sampling method. Data showed that the teachers have satisfactory levels of environmental knowledge and attitudes, but presented low degrees of environmental action. Differing from previous research results, elementary teachers performed better than high school teachers on this assessment, which may be attributed to their teacher training experiences. Results from this study may provide implications for teacher professional development programs and school environmental education policy.     

A Study on Teachers’ Occupational Belief in Local Universities and Colleges: Based on the Survey of a College in Xiamen

Abstract:

In higher education institutions (HEI), teachers’ occupational belief is an important factor to promote teachers’ development and maintain their occupational stability, so the research of teachers’ occupational belief has become more and more significant. This study took the teachers in a local college as samples. The following four aspects were analyzed: living conditions, occupational reputation, role expectation, and development expectation. According to the results of the survey, there are some new findings. For living conditions, the salary satisfaction of teacher is low and many of them show the tendency to resign. For occupational reputation, the overall evaluation of their reputation is at a general level. For role expectation, these teachers face different difficulties and also suffer the pressure in various aspects, especially in school requirements and their own demands. For development expectation, their satisfaction with promotion opportunities and working environment conditions is also low. Male and female teachers show noticeable discrepancy on public evaluation of teachers’ occupational reputation. Teachers with different discipline background and teaching ages have obviously different attitudes on public evaluation and individual evaluation of teachers’ occupational reputation. Teachers with different education background vary with each other on the issue of working pressure.     

The Role of Teachers and Schooling Experiences in Learners’ Adult Life Quality: A Senegalese Case Study

School attended, Qur’anic education attendance, fathers’ occupation, and some aspects of teachers’ classroom actions make a difference for the adult life of the former learners. This paper presents findings from a longitudinal study of the career and life situations of Senegalese individuals who were of school age in the beginning of the 1980s. Data was collected on teacher ratings and predictions of school success as well as absenteeism during the academic year 1980/1981. In a follow up study in 1999/2000 the individuals were 25-32 years old and they were interviewed and tested on a simple life-skills test.     

A Study of Teachers’ Views on Practical Work in Secondary Schools in England and Wales

Many teachers view practical work as an essential feature of science education. This study examined whether there had been any changes in the relative importance of the aims science teachers assign to the use of practical work, across the full secondary age range (11–18), since the last such national survey undertaken by Kerr 46 years ago. A stratified sample of representative schools was used in which 912 teachers were sent a questionnaire on their views towards the use of practical work in science with a total of 393 responses (42.5%) being received. The coefficient of concordance of the various rankings and their significance were calculated, as too were the z‐scores. The findings suggest that whilst there have been substantial changes in teachers’ views about the use of practical work at Key Stages 4 and 5 (age 15–18) there have been no substantial changes at Key Stage 3 (age 11–14). Furthermore, the results are remarkably similar across subject specialism, teacher gender, and years of teaching experience although this paper will only focus on subject specialism. It appears that changes to the assessment criteria, notably the introduction of Science Investigation (Sc1) at Key Stage 4, and a growing desire amongst educational policy‐makers to improve the image of science, have had an effect on how those in the teaching profession perceive the value and aims of practical work particularly at Key Stages 4 and 5.