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Less grammar and more chunking? Implementing a lexico-grammar approach through tasks
Get PDFRecent usage-based theories in second language acquisition have stressed that there is no clear dividing line between grammar and lexis and that L2 learners should therefore be made aware of lexico-grammatical units such as chunks (Eskildsen 2009; Herbst 2017). In this context, grammar structures can be taught holistically as lexical chunks (cf. Selivan 2018) which students can use in task-based learning settings without analysing individual elements of the grammar structures. Especially in the secondary classroom, where grammar exercises often dominate other types of activities, chunks can consequently reduce the traditional grammar workload and leave more room for meaningful language use. However, there are hardly any empirical studies that investigate how lexico-grammar approaches can be integrated into a communicative classroom.
This presentation is based on findings of a PhD project in which five complex target-tasks were implemented in a class of the lower secondary level during a school year. Whenever possible, the grammar structures that were necessary to complete the tasks were presented as lexical chunks. The exploratory study particularly focuses on how the participants perceive the new TBLT setting and the integration of lexico-grammar as a focus on form. Semi-structured interviews with the teacher and her students (N=26, aged 12-14) were conducted prior, during and after the implementation of TBLT. These acceptance data were triangulated with written texts and interaction recordings to investigate how students use chunks to solve communicative tasks. The data analysis followed the sequential coding system advocated by grounded theory (Strauss/Corbin 1996). The research results suggest that chunks in TBLT settings challenge traditional teacher and student roles, and help learners to experience themselves as autonomous and competent
Frequency and framing: Emphasizing key concepts in English medium instruction
Get PDFEnglish medium instruction (EMI) courses can present challenges for both teachers and students, particularly because at least one side of the teaching-learning equation is operating in English as a second or additional language (Håkansson & Svensson, 2024). Previous research has documented challenges that students in EMI courses face with regards to lecture and listening comprehension (e.g., Ducker, 2022). Less attention, however, has been given to the teacher’s planning and delivery of lecture content, especially their spoken output.
This study focused on two EMI lectures from a Swedish university in relation to the key concepts the lecturers intended for student learning. In pre-lecture discussions with the researcher, lecturers indicated sets of key information they expected the students to attend to and learn during the lectures, which were recorded. The two lectures in focus were selected based on previous analysis of post-lecture student reports (Siegel, 2022), which indicated the teachers were either relatively successful at communicating key concepts to students (53%, based on student recognition of key words) or struggled to do so (16% key word reporting).
The lecture transcripts were then scrutinized in terms of key word frequency (Dang, et al., 2023; Puimége 2019) and in relation to Sinclair and Coulthard’s (1975) framework for understanding classroom discourse and speaker output, which allowed patterns of lecturer discourse to be identified and compared. To understand the teachers’ spoken strategies, lecture transcripts were analyzed in terms of the following:
(How) does word frequency differ between the two lectures?
How is key information framed in the two lectures?
Results related to frequency show that repetition and paraphrasing of key words and concepts occurred more often in the lecture in which students were more likely to acknowledge them. The majority of key words were framed as “informatives” and “comments”, generally adhering to expectations, since these are two of the main possible pragmatic functions speakers use to deliver and expand on new information. Practical advice for EMI lecturers in relation to spoken output is offered based on this investigation of isolated words embedded in academic discourse
Exploring rhyming and reading with ERPs
Get PDFLearning to read words in alphabetic languages like English or Swedish involves mapping the sounds of language to the print on the page. This is particularly challenging for languages with a “deep orthography” (in which the print-to-sound mappings are not simply 1:1), like English. A deep orthography makes deciding whether two written words rhyme or not more than just a visual matching task (e.g., boat and goat rhyme, but so do brain and cane). I will discuss some studies of the event-related potential (ERP) rhyming effect in children and adults suggesting that it is essentially a phonological priming effect, as well as a few studies with adults suggesting that it might reveal more about lexical processing. Within the frame of Educational Linguistics, language is foundational to reading and learning to read, yet reading involves many levels of analysis. Building educator knowledge at different levels of analysis is consistent with an evidence-informed, “science of reading” approach
The power of writing: and the bottlenecks
Get PDFThis talk highlights the dynamic interplay between writing, technology, and societal shifts, emphasizing the need to adapt and address emerging challenges.
In the digital age, writing wields immense power, shaping discourse, fostering critical thinking, and influencing democratic processes. Within educational contexts, writing plays a pivotal role, cultivating literacy, analytical skills, and empathy. However, the landscape is evolving rapidly. Writing, historically linked to technologies like pens, typewriters, and computers, now embraces digital tools that offer advanced affordances for both literacy and oral communication. This transformation impacts education and extends beyond its boundaries.
Notably, a significant shift has occurred: young people in Sweden (and possibly elsewhere) increasingly prefer listening to news over reading them. Simultaneously, AI language tools facilitate writing, feedback, and assessment. Yet, bottlenecks persist, hindering participation through literacy. These challenges raise questions about equality and democracy. In my discussion, I will explore the current and future literacy landscape, focusing on young people, education, and active engagement
Introduction: The Fantastic in Cultural History: Essays from a growing Interdisciplinary Research Field
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Evaluating the Replicability of Social Priming Studies
No full textTo assess the replicability of social priming findings we reviewed the extant close replication attempts in the field. In total, we found 70 close replications, that replicated 49 unique findings. Ninety-four percent of the replications had effect sizes smaller than the effect they replicated and only 17% of the replications reported a significant p-value in the original direction. The strongest predictor of replication success was whether or not the replication team included at least one of the authors of the original paper. Twelve of the 18 replications with at least one original author produced a significant effect in the original direction and the meta-analytic average of these studies suggest a significant priming effect (d = 0.40, 95% CI[0.23; 0.58]). In stark contrast, none of the 52 replications by independent research teams produced a significant effect in the original direction and the meta-analytic average was virtually zero (d = 0.002, 95% CI[-0.03; 0.03]). We argue that these results have shifted the burden of proof back onto advocates of social priming. Successful replications from independent research teams will likely be required to convince sceptics that social priming exists at all
Paper mills: a novel form of publishing malpractice affecting psychology
No full textWe first describe the phenomenon of the academic paper mill, a kind of large-scale fraud in which authors pay to have work published in reputable journals. We give examples of some known paper mills and discuss ‘red flags’ that characterise their outputs. Most of the early examples were in biomedical and computational sciences and so paper mills are less familiar to many psychologists. In the next section, we describe a broker company/paper mill, Tanu.pro, discovered by the first author, which was identified by the use of fake email addresses. This paper mill placed six outputs in the Journal of Community Psychology, a reputable journal from a mainstream publisher. We look in detail at these papers and describe the features that confirm that malpractice was involved in publication. In five cases there was circumstantial evidence of tampering with the peer review process coupled with lack of editorial oversight. These papers have now been retracted. In a final section, we discuss the need for editors of psychology journals to be aware of potential targeting by paper mills and recommend editorial procedures to counteract these
Responsible Research is also concerned with generalizability: Recognizing efforts to reflect upon and increase generalizability in hiring and promotion decisions in psychology
No full textWe concur with the authors of the two target articles that Open Science practices can help combat the ongoing reproducibility and replicability crisis in psychological science and should hence be acknowledged as responsible research practices in hiring and promotion decisions. However, we emphasize that another crisis is equally threatening the credibility of psychological science in Germany: The sampling or generalizability crisis. We suggest that scientists’ efforts to contextualize their research, reflect upon, and increase its generalizability should be incentivized as responsible research practices in hiring and promotion decisions. To that end, we present concrete suggestions for how efforts to combat the additional generalizability crisis could be operationalized within Gärtner et al. (2022) evaluation scheme. Tackling the replicability and the generalizability crises in tandem will advance the credibility and quality of psychological science and teaching in Germany
The many faces of early life adversity - Content overlap in validated assessment instruments as well as in fear and reward learning research
No full textThe precise assessment of childhood adversity is crucial for understanding the impact of aversive events on mental and physical development. However, the plethora of assessment tools currently used in the literature with unknown overlap in childhood adversity types covered hamper comparability and cumulative knowledge generation. In this study, we conducted two separate item-level content analyses of in total 35 questionnaires aiming to assess childhood adversity. These include 13 questionnaires that were recently recommended based on strong psychometric properties as well as additional 25 questionnaires that were identified through a systematic literature search. The latter provides important insights into the actual use of childhood adversity questionnaires in a specific, exemplary research field (i.e., the association between childhood adversity and threat and reward learning). Of note, only 3 of the recommended questionnaires were employed in this research field. Both item-wise content analysis illustrate substantial heterogeneity in the adversity types assessed across these questionnaires and hence highlight limited overlap in content (i.e., adversity types) covered by different questionnaires. Furthermore, we observed considerable differences in structural properties across all included questionnaires such as the number of items, age ranges assessed as well as the specific response formats (e.g., binary vs. continuous assessments, self vs. caregiver). We discuss implications for the interpretation, comparability and integration of the results from the existing literature and derive specific recommendations for future research. In sum, the substantial heterogeneity in the assessment and operationalization of childhood adversity emphasizes the urgent need for theoretical and methodological solutions to promote comparability, replicability of childhood adversity assessment and foster cumulative knowledge generation in research on the association of childhood adversity and physical as well as psychological health