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Reflections of Chinese International Postgraduates’ Conceptualisation of Critical Thinking in a UK university
No full textSome literature often highlights Chinese international students’ challenges in conceptualising critical thinking, contributing to a partial and stereotypical representation of them as deficient (Lomer & Mittelmeier, 2021; Moosavi, 2022). There is limited research on how Chinese international students conceptualise and develop their CT over time. The study aims to explore Chinese international students’ conceptualisation, development, and application of critical thinking at the master’s level at a UK university over time. Nineteen participants in the MA International Education program at a UK university are taken as an example. The participants are interviewed in three rounds, using their drawings and draft assignments as prompts. This longitudinal study can be an example for many global higher education institutes to strengthen their understanding of the largest international student group: Chinese students in a host institute
The need for alternative pedagogies
No full textOur ever-evolving societies have faced a myriad of changes in a relatively short span of time. From a heavy focus on globalization to its undesired effects in education across the Global South, from migratory movements, shifting political and ideological landscapes to technological innovations, the impacts on how our students learn and engage with the world has also been in flux. Considering these complexities, this chapter highlights the urgent need for alternative practices and perspectives in language education, and for adaptation in light of the context specific contingencies that teachers and learners face
Navigating Uncertainty: A Fulbright Scholar’s Journey
No full textThis critical autoethnography provides insights to a Fulbright U.S. Scholar’s experience amid financial and geopolitical uncertainty. It addresses being abroad as an academic ambassador while also navigating feelings of frustration and uncertainty in managing one’s living expenses and research protocol while trying to preserve research partnerships despite U.S. political rhetoric
Intercultural Interactions and Transcultural Competence in the Internationalized Classroom: A Mixed-Method Case Study
No full textThis study explores the relationship between intercultural interactions and the development of Transcultural Competence among first-year local and international undergraduates in a multi-dimensionally internationalized classroom at a university in Catalonia, Spain. Transcultural Competence accounts for cognitive, affective, linguistic, and identity dimensions within intercultural settings. It adopts a mixed-method approach, including three Transcultural Competence questionnaires, a contact generator, and individual interviews. Findings reveal that while students initially self-reported high levels of Transcultural Competence, they preferred interactions with classmates with a similar linguistic and cultural background. However, close intercultural friendships positively influenced Transcultural Competence and four patterns of the interaction between these two variables were identified. This research contributes to the field of comparative and international higher education by illustrating the complex and nuanced impact of intercultural interactions on Transcultural Competence and calling for tailored interventions that support students’ intercultural learning
Unpacking the Role of Virtual Exchange in Promoting Student Well-being
No full textEducational institutions and workplaces are grappling with the task of promoting the well-being of their students and employees. From 2021 to 2023, students from Brazil, Canada, Hong Kong, Mexico, The Netherlands, and the US participated in virtual exchange collaborations in the form of global virtual teams (GVTs) and were assessed pre (n=201) and post (n=251) their GVTs experience. We used structural equation modeling (SEM) to assess changes in learner well-being from participation in GVTs. Based on the impact to student perceived well-being from the GVT experience, we found important results that can be useful for both employers and academic institutions alike. Results showed that in the pre-GVT experience, an increase in resilience led to an increase in self-reported well-being. The pathway for learners was through their greater willingness to engage, leading to more self-efficacy. The greater self-efficacy led to a heightened resilience, and greater feelings of well-being for the learner. Post-GVT experience, greater resilience led to stronger feelings of well-being which meant that these pathways to improved mental health were experienced by learners regardless of cultural identity pre or post the GVT experience
The Relationship between Dyslexia and Resilience
No full textStudies of students with dyslexia have focused on reading and cognitive skills development and their relationship to academic outcomes. Yet, non-cognitive skills, such as resilience or grit, have been shown to positively contribute to life satisfaction, mental health, and academic success (e.g., Aro et al., 2023; Casali et al., 2023; Hossain et al., 2021; Kortteinen et al., 2020). However, this literature is small and inconclusive, with inconsistent definitions and measures of grit and resilience. Furthermore, prior studies have led to mixed results when investigating levels of resilience amongst people with and without dyslexia (Armfield et al., 2021; Kalka & Lockiewicz, 2017; Ghisi et al., 2016; Panicker & Chelliah, 2016; Stampoltzis et al., 2023; Walton-Peak, 2017). There is, hence, a need for more well-powered empirical research that utilizes validated measures.
To address some of the gaps in the literature we utilized a publicly available dataset, the Healthy Brain Network (HBN) biobank, which includes deep phenotyping of more than 4,000 children ages 5-21. In our study, we assess differences in grit comparing a sample of children with a diagnosis of dyslexia and sample without dyslexia, matched for age, sex assigned at birth, SES, and other diagnoses. Additionally, we assess the relationship between grit (GRIT short scale) and two measures of life outcomes in individuals with dyslexia: self-reported letter-grade academic achievement, as well as parent-reported positive development (from the Child Flourishing Scale). Continuous analyses control for the effects of age, sex assigned at birth, and SES.
The results reveal that there is no significant difference in grit between people with and without dyslexia, sex at birth nor socioeconomic status, but there is a negative significant relationship between grit and age. Results also indicate a positive association between grit and child flourishing but no relationship to self-reported grade average.
This study is grounded in a strength-based (rather than deficit-based) model of dyslexia, aiming to better support individuals with dyslexia through understanding and capitalizing on their strengths
Semantic Context Boosts Word Learning from Low-Informative Events
No full textWhen a toddler hears a new word, its meaning is rarely transparent from the situational context in which the word occurred. Prior work has illustrated the challenge of learning from these low informative naming events (Cartmill et al., 2013; Medina et al., 2011). We investigate whether another feature of the learning environment – the rich semantic structure in which words occur (Tamis-LeMonda et al. 2019; Custode & Tamis-LeMonda 2020) – may help learners overcome low informativity of individual naming events. To test this, we designed a modified version of the Human Simulation Paradigm (HSP) in which adult participants (N = 48) were tasked with learning a target word meaning from six low informative scenes. Importantly, half of the participants learned the target word while also learning words from the same semantic category; the other half learned the same target word from the same low informative scenes while learning words from different semantic categories. Participants were better at learning the target word when the low informative scenes occurred in a consistent semantic context, suggesting that semantic structure alleviates the challenge of learning from low informative naming events. Thus, the rich broader semantic context that has been reported in several recent studies (see Roy et al., 2015; Tamis-LeMonda et al., 2019) may prove key to children’s rapid word learning and to resolving the long-standing paradox of children’s word learning
Exploring Mobility: Phylogenetic and Structural Analysis of the Intein in the Helicase of Mycobacteriophage Alice
No full textThis paper investigates the intein insertion in the DNA helicase gene Alice_175 of the Mycobacterium phage Alice, exploring its evolutionary significance and potential propagation mechanisms. Using phylogenetic analysis, there is evidence for gene transfer as a driving force in intein dissemination in phage and bacterial genomes. Structural predictions of the Alice_175 intein that were generated through AlphaFold2 as well as a phylogeny generated using SeaView infer a timeline of the intein\u27s invasion and reveal key features that may influence protein functionality and host adaptation. Additionally, protein database searches suggest that intein mobility in this gene may not rely on prophages, raising questions about alternative transfer mechanisms. These findings contribute to understanding intein evolution, their role in conserved enzymes like helicases, and their potential applications in biotechnology and molecular biology
The Effects of a Helmet Cooling Fan on Productivity in Healthy Males During a Simulated Work Task in the Heat
No full textRising global temperatures and heatwaves are forcing labor workers to work in hot indoor and outdoor environments that can lead to life-threatening heat-related injuries. These injuries impair physical and cognitive performance, negatively affecting worker performance and efficiency. To help manage the adverse effects of heat stress on workers, cooling strategies have been implemented to prevent increase in body temperature and improve work performance. These strategies include heat acclimation, proper hydration, cooling garments, cooling helmets and more. However, research on helmet cooling fans on mannequins shows conflicting results regarding its effectiveness in improving work performance. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the efficiency of a novel helmet with a built-in fan on the work performance of labor workers in simulated heated environments. A multi-week randomized controlled study was conducted on 12 male participants aged 25-55. Productivity was measured through a simulated work activity, where the time it took to finish five repetitions of the activity as fast as possible was measured. The results of the study found that the helmet cooling fan did not change the physical work capacity for the simulated work activity of the participants during the different trials. There were no statistically significant differences with the performance to five repetitions at the end of the trials. The results emphasize the need for enhanced safety regulations for labor workers in hot environments. Further research is needed to explore the helmet cooling fan’s effectiveness on increasing productivity in different environments and optimize the product design to improve function