Multilingual Information Access (MLIA) Tools on Google and WorldCat: Bi/Multilingual University Students’ Experience and Perceptions

Abstract

This article reports on the results of an exploratory user-centered study that examined how technological advancements in natural language processing (NLP) such as the availability of multilingual information access (MLIA) tools impact the information searching behavior of bi/multilingual academic users. Thirty-one bi/multilingual students participated in a controlled lab-based user experiment in which they carried out two assigned tasks each on Google and WorldCat for a total of four tasks, and then completed a post experiment questionnaire. The captures from the experiment showed 86.7% of the participants using multilingual information access tools. Further analyses of the captures also showed that participants were more likely to use MLIA tools when the instructions for the task were stated in their native language. An independent samples t-test revealed that participants spent less time on their searches when they used MLIA tools. The study revealed considerable diversity in the information searching behavior of the participants, even within the same pair of languages, and even for the same user. Diversity was noted for instance, on which tasks MLIA tools were used and in how these tools were used. User-centered designed, personalized multilingual information retrieval (PMLIR) models could hold promise for best representing the information searching behavior of bi/multilingual users.     

The New Geography

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ENHANCING SELF‐REGULATORY SKILLS THROUGH AN INTERVENTION EMBEDDED IN A MIDDLE SCHOOL MATHEMATICS CURRICULUM

We investigated the effects of a self‐regulatory intervention strategy designed to improve middle‐school students’ calibration accuracy, self‐regulatory skills, and math achievement. Focusing on self‐monitoring and self‐reflection as the two key processes of this intervention in relation to improving students’ math achievement and overall self‐regulation, we randomly assigned 30 sixth‐and seventh‐grade students to either a treatment or a delayed‐treatment control group. At the conclusion of the intervention, we conducted interviews to unearth students’ sources of calibration judgments. Results showed that participants who received the intervention had significantly higher math performance and predictive/postdictive calibration accuracy than did the control group. We provided educational implications of our findings for psychologists and educators.     

Different moves,similar outcomes: a comparison of Chinese and Swedish preschool teacher education programmes and the revisions

A Chinese and a Swedish preschool teacher education programme were examined in search for commonalities and differences of the curriculum decision-making considerations involved in the respective programme revision process. Findings include: (1) the two programmes have shifted orientations and become similar, yet there was no fundamental paradigmatic shift after the revisions; (2) the Swedish programme has been heavily influenced by political agenda and national curriculum guidelines, while the Chinese one gives considerable attention to the opinions from the preschool circle; (3) the discussion of programme revision revolved around the diverse views of quality preschool education and teacher education; and (4) a strong relationship between the institutional/organisational features identified and the programme orientations was found. The empirical data suggested teacher educators’ professional views of quality preschool education and organisational/institutional characteristics are critical to the curriculum decision-making in the specific contexts.     

EMPLOYED CAREGIVERS: A MULTIDISCIPLINARY ISSUE FOR GERONTOLOGICAL EDUCATION

The importance of the employed caregiver in the maintenance of functional independence has only recently begun to be recognized. The demographic changes that will shape the next few decades will require a deeper understanding of the issues surrounding caregiving than is currently available in the curricula of existing gerontology programs. By incorporating course offerings aimed specifically at the caregiver role, gerontological education could extend its influence into the business community and attract students from a wide variety of other disciplines. Providing future corporate executives with a basic gerontological education could broaden the scope of gerontology and, ultimately, improve the quality of the lives of older care receivers.