Children’s Visual Scanning of Textual Documents: Effects of Document Organization,Search Goals,and Metatextual Knowledge

This study examines children’s strategies when scanning a document to answer a specific question. More specifically, we wanted to know whether they make use of organizers (i.e., headings) when searching and whether strategic search is related to their knowledge of reading strategies. Twenty-six French fifth graders were asked to search single-page documents presented on the screen of an eye tracker in order to respond to questions requiring the location of information in either a single paragraph (Location questions) or multiple paragraphs (Comparison questions). Location questions were easier and faster to answer than Comparison questions. The presence of headers led to more selective reading strategies but did not significantly speed up the search. Strong individual differences were observed in children’s scanning strategies: Some systematically fixated headers, whereas others did not. These differences were not significantly related to the participants’ decoding or comprehension skills but rather to their knowledge of reading strategies.     

A questionnaire on mathematics learning strategies (CEAMA): measurement and properties of an adaptation into Spanish / Cuestionario de Estrategias de Aprendizaje para las Matemáticas (CEAMA): medida y propiedades de una adaptación en lengua castellana

Learning strategies are an essential tool to enable the autonomous and active learning of mathematics and it is therefore necessary to identify these strategies correctly. The objective of this research is to analyse the factorial structure of the Spanish version of a questionnaire that measures the use of these strategies in the subject of mathematics (Cuestionario de Estrategias de Aprendizaje para las Matemáticas [CEAMA]). We adapt a questionnaire based on the MSLQ (Motivated Strategy for Learning Questionnaire), since it is focused on the context of mathematics learning. The study has been conducted in different schools located in the Basque Country and collects data from 631 students of the second, third and fourth years of compulsory secondary education (ESO). The results show a hepta-scale structure compared to the six-scale structure proposed by the original English version. The difference is detected in the division of metacognitive strategies into two factors: planning and monitoring/regulation. This finding improves data on metacognition in mathematics teaching and learning, making it richer and more exhaustive. The suitability of certain items is discussed.     

The English Translation of Arabic Puns in the Holy Quran

The pun is a tricky use of a word or phrase which has very different meanings that are closely interrelated, or of words with the same sound but different meanings. The Pun is a term with a dual meaning: “close” using obvious reference, and “far” using obscure reference. The hidden is usually meant. The close meaning is the sooner that comes to the listener’s mind. However, the speaker targets at the far one yet use the close to hide it. Translating the Quran text always raises several serious challenges in translation; these challenges are due to the different translations of puns and the misinterpretations between the intended meanings of a pun with their basic concepts, which could result in a certain amount of ambiguity. The study examines the Quranic corpus and its three versions of English translations. The study utilizes the typology of Delabastita?s for horizontal puns, Nida’s techniques of dynamic and formal equivalent and Newmark’s translation methods. This research attempts to investigate the semantic meaning of puns in the Quran translation and to define the translation techniques applied in translating the Quranic puns from Arabic into English.     

Homework and academic achievement across Spanish Compulsory Education

Homework (HW) is one of the most common school-related activities among parents, students and teachers. However, the need to assign HW to students has been extensively debated. The present investigation examines the relationship between specific HW variables (i.e. amount of HW completed, time spent on HW and perceived quality of HW time management) and academic achievement, while controlling for students’ gender and grade level. Participants included 454 students (ranging from 10 to 16?years of age) from three schools in northern Spain. A multivariate analyses of variance and path analyses showed that the amount of HW completed decreased with increased schooling, as did students’ perceived quality of HW time management. Data from hierarchical regression analyses completed by path analyses provided evidence that time spent on HW conjointly with perceived quality of HW time management explains how academic achievement is mediated by the amount of HW completed. These findings deepen the understanding of the complex impact of time spent on HW and on academic achievement.