《好人难寻》的叙述声音研究

弗兰纳里·奥康纳是20世纪美国南方文学杰出的女作家,她的作品笔锋犀利,见解独特且富有诗意。本文主要从叙述声音的角度,通过她的著名短篇小说《好人难寻》的叙述声音的具体分析,充分展示该小说叙述的复杂性以及叙述者与小说审美之间的关系。     

英语商务信函语言风格研究

随着全球经济贸易一体化进程的不断推进及我国对外商务活动的日益增多,英文商务信函成为一种重要的信息传递手段。商务写作力求言简意赅,简明扼要。英语商务信函的语言风格表现在语气、语态、词语三个方面。     

黑人女性的自我成长之路——对简妮·克罗福德的成长之路简析

《他们仰望上苍》是哈莱姆文艺复兴时期著名作家赫斯顿的代表作。作者在作品中引入话语概念,解析了女主人公——黑人妇女简妮从＂失语状态＂到＂发出声音＂,最终争取到话语权力,达到自我成长的过程。从一个侧面描绘了一个黑人女性争取生存权、反对种族歧视、男权主义的曲折成长过程,从而开启了探索黑人女性生存状态的先河。     

Foundation degrees

Despite numerous criticisms of the UK National Student Survey (NSS) institutional managers still strongly support its use in informing student choice, quality and assurance and quality enhancement activities. This article outlines a granular and nuanced benchmarking system for the NSS which provides both a ‘raw’ score (weighted student satisfaction score) and a normalised quotient (weighted student satisfaction quotient) to enable users to take a more considered approach to the absolute and relative strengths and weaknesses of individual course programmes.     

Thinking allowed: use of egocentric speech after acquired brain injury (ABI)

This paper explores the use of thinking aloud made by young people who have sustained a severe acquired brain injury (ABI). The phenomenon is compared with the concepts of egocentric speech and inner speech before the form of thinking aloud by pupils with ABI is examined. It is suggested that by using thinking aloud, this group of pupils is able to engage in internally persuasive dialogue and is therefore enabled to take part in classroom learning.     

Metacognitive activities in text-studying and problem-solving: Development of a taxonomy

This article describes the construction of a hierarchical taxonomy of metacognitive activities for the interpretation of thinking-aloud protocols of students in secondary education, who studied texts on history and physics. After testing an initial elaborate taxonomy on a restricted number of protocols by multiple raters, it appeared that the interrater correspondence was well below par. The categories in the taxonomy were too highly specified. Categories were combined and tested on new protocols in a cyclic fashion. The revised taxonomy was then used for coding 16 history protocols and 16 physics protocols. Frequencies of occurrence of metacognitive activities were obtained, as well as judgements of the quality of the metacognitive activities of the participants. There is a reasonable correlation between the frequency method and the quality method for coding thinking-aloud protocols. Also, there is a substantial covariation of the number of metacognitive activities across both tasks.     

Home book reading and reading achievement in EU countries: the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study 2011 (PIRLS)

Home shared book reading during the preschool years is a strong predictor of students’ reading achievement in primary school, and, according to Sénéchal (2012), it can benefit more children from low socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds. This study examines the association between frequency of book reading before the start of compulsory education and the reading achievement of 4th-grade students whose parents have high and low education levels in 22 European countries. Using data from the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS 2011), we show that the contribution of shared reading for the achievement of students from distinct SES backgrounds is different in different countries and that shared reading does not always benefit more children from low-SES backgrounds. Results are discussed in light of Sénéchal's home literacy model, the dynamics of cultural capital, and current policy efforts to support children's literacy development in European countries.     

Teacher Appraisal,Professional Development and School Improvement: a case study

The paper argues that in respect of the day‐to‐day work activities required in being a headteacher, and in the work relationships involved in running schools, the occupational culture of headship has changed fundamentally. Using the accounts of 20 headteachers, interviewed in respect of their career histories in 1990 and followed up by means of a postal questionnaire in 1992, the paper illustrates the changes experienced and identified by this group of heads. It is argued that a new headteacher is required; that aspects of educational leadership have diminished dramatically in the work culture of headship.     

Parental perspectives of the role of school factors in school refusal

The aim of this study was to explore parents’ perspectives on the role of school factors in school refusal (SR). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 parents who had experienced SR with their own child. They identified several school factors related to SR. Some of these findings suggest that students who are prone to SR need more predictability and more teachers’ support than they sometimes get in school. Their need for predictability seems to occur particularly during less structured activities and during transitions in school. Findings also imply that disruptive behavior among classmates and harsh management from teachers affects perceived predictability and support for SR-prone students. All parents expressed concern about bullying, and roughly a third of them reported that their child had been a victim of bullying. Insufficient adaptation of schoolwork was also mentioned relatively frequently. Parents emphasized that adaptation of schoolwork needs to be done in close cooperation with the student and parents to avoid negative differentiation from classmates or stigma. Finally, several parents commented that teachers and schools need more knowledge about SR and felt that schools needed a more coordinated approach to supporting students who are at risk of SR.     

Capturing the Nurture approach: experiences of young pupils with SEBD

In the UK, children with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD) may engage with the Nurture approach: a therapeutic model of educational intervention. Despite growing evidence that this approach can promote the developmental and educational attainment of these children, there has been little emphasis on how children might relate their own experiences here. In focusing on a group of young children with SEBD, this study used a combination of drawings and interviews to explore how these unique children perceived their immersion in this particular approach. Most children discerned differences in their past and present personal classroom experiences, and their understanding of the Nurture approach was of a positive nature. It is suggested that a combination of methods may be useful in helping to gauge pupil response and progress regarding this type of intervention. The benefits of acknowledging the perceptions of ‘challenging’ pupils and how this might inform future principles and practice are considered.