Oral language and socioeconomic status: the Irish context

International studies have documented large effects of SES on oral language competence and researchers have suggested that differences in oral language competence at school entry may be one factor contributing to educational disadvantage. The current study made use of data provided by the Growing Up in Ireland survey in order to quantify the association between SES and oral language competence in a nationally representative sample of young Irish children. Specifically, the association between SES (operationalised as income, occupational status and education) and expressive vocabulary was quantified in samples of 3 and 5-year-old children. In order to place the Irish figures within an international context, parallel analyses were performed using data provided through the UK-based Millennium Cohort Study. The results revealed a statistically significant association between SES and vocabulary within the Irish sample, which was linear in nature, small in magnitude and which declined in strength from the 3-year to the 5-year sample. Parallel analyses with the UK data revealed a stronger association and it was concluded that the association between SES and oral language competence may be weaker in the Irish context than that reported internationally.     

Assessment in special schools: national early assessment procedures and pupils attending special schools in England

An implicit assumption that fostering inclusion means having shared systems encompassing the needs of all children is evident in many aspects of policy development over the past decade. Reflecting this, the implementation of ‘baseline assessment’ schemes (i.e. testing at around age 5 years) is a statutory requirement on all state-maintained special and mainstream schools in England since 1998. Our argument is that the enthusiasm for commonality has obscured the need to question the value and validity of baseline assessment schemes for children with special educational needs (and possibly some others such as children having English as an additional language). We illustrate this position with reference to data from our recent study on baseline assessment in England. The study encompassed survey data from a national sample of 982 schools, of which 107 were special schools. Between them, these special schools used 42 different baseline assessment schemes. Comparisons between our mainstream and special school respondents indicated that there were similarities in the nature and perceived value of the schemes used. However, special schools were less satisfied with their schemes. We suggest that a reappraisal of the nature and purpose of baseline assessment for pupils with special educational needs warrants greater critical debate. Without this, there is a danger that a stress on commonality, veiling an inclusion orthodoxy, will ultimately be counterproductive.     

Developing learner autonomy for oral language on the base of emergent metacognition

This paper conducted on an empirical study among 466 first-year semester diploma students of Wenzhou University, contemplates some metacognitive strategies for facilitating learners＇ self-autonomy for oral language learning. Oral language appropriateness and procuration within the context of globality and lifelong learning are essential to the Chinese college students. To support the improvement, we initiated a ＂Four-dimensional-cycle＂ Approach （Four-d-c Approach） to examine the result of metacognitive strategy training, and we produced a ＂Four-dimensional-cycle＂ oral communicative test. To pledge ＂Four-dimensional-cycle＂ oral communication, ＂the NTP English Learning Model＂, ＂the SCARF English Teaching Enlightened Procedure＂ and ＂SLS-focus Infiltration English Teaching Mode＂ have been in succession designed. Results of this paper are expected to provoke a depth research on how to heighten learners＇ self-autonomy for oral language by effectively utilizing metacognitive knowledge, metacognitive experience and metacognitive monitoring.     

基于语觉的言语理解与生成模型的高校英语口语教学改革

从语觉的言语理解与生成模型出发,阐释英语口语教学中交际者的重要性,并从政策法规改革的必要性入手,从教学考试模式、课堂教学方法、教师教学理念及教学辅助途径等几方面详细阐述了提高高校英语口语教学的策略。     

The silent politics of educational disadvantage and the National Anti-poverty Strategy

Educational disadvantage is an essentially contested, political concept. At the same time there is a ‘phoney consensus’ surrounding the issue, i.e., policy debates on the topic often fail to reflect this contestation. This lack of awareness of the political context to the debate is evident in relation to the targets and measures set for addressing educational disadvantage. While Lynch has pointed out the political undertones of ‘comparative’ targets and measures, the conservative political position inherent in the ‘outputs-led’ model has not properly been explored. Indeed, the apparently technical and value-free nature of targets and measures has enabled this conservative political perspective to become embedded in public educational policy without debate.     

从词块法视角探究大学英语口语教学中的语言输入

大学英语口语教学越来越受到广泛关注,然而学生的口语表达能力却不尽人意,存在诸如话语不连贯、用词不准确、表达不顺畅等问题。究其原因主要是由于语言输入量的不足。本文从词块法的角度,探讨了在口语教学中如何通过组织性词块和内容性词块的强化输入,帮助学生提高口语表达的流利性、准确性和得体性。     

广告语言的顺应性和跨文化能力培养

在经济全球化的国际大环境下,广告语言作为一种时代产物,蕴含着特定的民族文化底蕴.广告语言的跨国传播只有与当地受众的文化观念相一致,与受众文化相吻合,才能对受众产生无形的和潜在的影响,从而影响受众的购买决策.     

浅谈农村小学语文教师的语文素养及其提升策略

文章以文献研究的方法梳理了语文素养的内涵,得出语文素养包含人文素养、语文知识、语文技能等内容。同时,文章分析了农村小学语文教师群体存在的问题：语文教师群体结构不良、语文素养内涵不足、缺乏竞争压力和自我发展意识,进而提出提升其语文素养的策略：将年轻高学历毕业生充实到农村教师队伍中、对现有教师进行适当的在职培训、建立合理的考核与退出机制,保障高素养教师从事农村语文教育。     

试论二语习得理论的主要流派

二语习得理论流派众多,观点各异,本文主要对几个有代表性的、影响较大的且与教学相关度较高的理论作一简要介绍,希望能为二语习得研究以及外语教学提供一些有益的参考。     

English language teaching in public primary schools in Mexico: the practices and challenges of implementing a national language education program

Over the past 15?years, many state governments in Mexico have initiated local programs to introduce English at the primary school level. In 2009, the Mexican Ministry of Education formalized the Programa Nacional de Inglés en Educación Básica (PNIEB) as part of the national curriculum, based on the argument that increasing the number of English speakers in Mexico is necessary for the country to be globally competitive and to follow the trend in other developing economies of augmenting English instruction in public education. This paper focuses on the implementation of PNIEB and the state programs that preceded it. The authors document the practices and challenges associated with the program based on data collected from interviews with the main stakeholders involved (students and parents, teachers, school principals, and program coordinators) and from classroom observations. The total data-set consisted of over 200 interviews and classroom observations spread over several years from 2008 to 2012. Several challenges are described, including the development of materials, the role of English in relation to other subject areas, and the training of teachers who often speak English but have uneven formal preparation. The status of the teachers, both as second-class citizens within the schools and the instability and irregularities with their contracts, was identified as the most significant challenge to the successful implementation of the programs.     

Technologically enhanced language learning in primary schools in England,France and Spain: developing linguistic competence in a technologically enhanced classroom environment

This paper reports on an EU-funded project (Ref: 134244-2007-UK-COMENIUS-CMP) that explored the impact of technology, notably video-conferencing, on primary school children's language learning in England, France and Spain. Data were gathered from the children in the project, their teachers and also from trainee teachers placed in the schools. The findings suggest that this technology offers real benefits in the development of intercultural understanding, increases motivation and has interesting implications for language learning processes.     

皖北方言对农村幼儿口语表达能力的影响及对策

幼儿期是语言发展尤其是口语发展的关键期。以长期在幼儿园的观察记录为基础,找出皖北地区农村幼儿口语表达能力存在的问题,根据当地的方言特点和幼教发展情况具体分析,揭示了当地方言对农村幼儿口语表达能力的影响及产生原因,并结合当地实际情况提出相关建议,以促进当地幼儿语言发展。     

Teaching English language learner students in US mainstream schools: intersections of language,pedagogy, and power

This study explored to what extent two groups of mainstream teachers in the Midwestern region of the USA with differing degrees of English language learner‐specific university preparation reportedly engaged in practices that incorporated the native languages of English language learner students in instruction. The study further examined specific strategies reported by mainstream teachers in promoting native language use in instruction as well as challenges identified in implementing this practice. The study used a mixed‐method design that included analyses of survey data from a quantitative study (n = 227) and qualitative analyses of teacher discourse from course documents and open‐ended survey questions. Findings indicated that while both groups of teachers reportedly engaged in practices that promoted native language use in instruction to some extent, teachers with at least three courses of English language learner‐specific university preparation appeared to engage in these practices to a much greater extent than those without such preparation. This paper explores the implications of results from this study for teacher education programmes in the USA with the responsibility of preparing teachers effectively to serve growing numbers of culturally and linguistically diverse student populations.     

The influence of research within religious education: the Westhill Seminars,RE professionals,pupils and schools

This article investigates the educational value of research studied by exploring the influence on a range of religious education professionals from a set of research seminars. The seminar series, sponsored by the Westhill Endowment Trust, has been running since 2004, bringing together teachers, advisors and higher education professionals working on religious education in UK schools and internationally. The seminars have been intended to develop the relationship between research and professionals, and they have generated a number of publications. Eleven seminars involving a total of 167 participants are analysed in terms of what participation in the seminars may have influenced (the professionals, pupils, schools), which aspects of the seminars were influential and why the seminars were influential. This article describes the process of developing appropriate methods to investigate both the influence of research seminars and the results of their use. The research includes a questionnaire and follow-up interviews. The most significant indications show that the seminars influenced pupils in schools and professionals; the publications from the seminars had a distinctive influence, and spending time to think and discuss about religious education was at least as influential as the presentations by researchers.     

An examination of digital game-based situated learning applied to Chinese language poetry education

By gradually placing more importance on game-based education and changing learning motivation by applying game-playing characteristics, students’ learning experiences can be enhanced and a better learning effect can be achieved. When teaching the content of Chinese poetry in Taiwanese junior high schools, most teachers only explain the meaning of Chinese poetry, while it is difficult for students to understand why poets write these poems, resulting in learning confusion. This paper implemented a digital game-based situated learning system based on Tang Dynasty poems for learning Chinese poetry to simulate the situations of hardship encountered by poets when writing poetry in animated form to help junior high school students in Taiwan to have greater understanding when learning the content of Chinese poetry. The research results show that students who used the Gourd Tang Dynasty system in game-based instruction had significantly better learning achievements than students who underwent traditional narrative instruction. Among them, students in the low learning ability group improved in their grades significantly more than students in the high learning ability group in terms of their Tang Dynasty poetry learning. Furthermore, the authors examined the predictive relationships between perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness and behavioural intention related to the digital game-based situated learning system for Chinese language poetry. The factor of perceived usefulness was a key factor in the students’ positive attitudes towards the digital game-based situated learning system. There were no significant differences with respect to individual characteristics (i.e. gender, online game experience and digital learning experience). The results demonstrate that this type of system can be widely accepted by students with different learning experiences.     

The impact of placing pupils with special educational needs in mainstream schools on the achievement of their peers

Background Over the past 20 years or so policy and practice on the education of children with special educational needs (SEN) has been aimed at placing increasing numbers of children in a mainstream school environment. Although this policy has been supported in principle by many teachers, parents and local authority officers, there has been much less agreement about whether this principle can be realized in practice, and even if it can, about what the impacts might be on the achievements of pupils with SEN in mainstream schools and, in particular, on their peers.

Purpose This paper discusses the key findings from a systematic review of the literature carried out by the Inclusion Review Group, on behalf of the Evidence for Policy and Practice Information (EPPI)-Centre, the purpose of which was to review research evidence on whether the placement of pupils with special educational needs (SEN) within mainstream schools has an impact on academic and social outcomes for pupils without SEN.

Design and methods The methodology followed the procedures adopted by the EPPI-Centre. Having agreed on the inclusion and exclusion criteria for studies that could be included in the review, an initial pool of 7137 papers were identified through electronic databases. After having screened all their titles and/or abstracts and having marked out possible papers to be included in the review, 119 paper copies were obtained—all of which were read by one or more of the authors of this paper. This led to a further reduction to 26 studies that were subjected to the EPPI data extraction process and synthesis.

Conclusions Overall, the findings suggest that there are no adverse effects on pupils without SEN of including pupils with special needs in mainstream schools, with 81% of the outcomes reporting positive or neutral effects. Despite concerns about the quality of some of the studies that were reviewed and the fact that the great majority were carried out in the USA, these findings should bring some comfort to headteachers, parents and local authority officers around the world at a time when concerns have been raised about the problems that schools face in responding to the twin agenda of becoming more inclusive and, at the same time, raising the achievements of all their pupils.     

Understanding the role of the Teaching Assistant: comparing the views of pupils with SEN and TAs within mainstream primary schools

The number of teaching assistants (TAs) in schools in the UK has risen in recent years, but there remains a lack of clarity about the roles being undertaken by these support staff. This article reports findings from a study investigating how the TA role is understood both by the pupils being supported and by TAs themselves. Eleven students with SEN were interviewed regarding the support received from TAs within school. Following this, the TAs were also interviewed and asked to explain how they viewed their main support role. The data suggest a difference in the understanding of the role between the two groups, with pupils primarily focused on academic support and TAs focusing instead on behavioural support. Implications for practice include the need to clarify the TA role to support consistency across settings, and the importance of ensuring that pupils with SEN are supported to understand the role of TAs within schools.