1,720,971 research outputs found
Dialogic Reading in Infancy and Early Childhood Education: Setting the Stage for a Preliminary Analysis of Educational Materials in Specific EFL conTexts
No full textDialogic Reading refers to a multi-faceted approach to reading picture books with young children that
revolves around the selection of appropriate materials, “scaffolded adult-child interactions”, and
carefully constructed feedback [12]. The diverse initial conditions for this approach to be implemented
in an EFL context may require careful assessment, possibly resulting in adaptations to match the age
and language skills of the relevant actors and target audience. Studies have already outlined the need
for adjustments to traditional Dialogic Reading activities under certain conditions [7]. An ideal context
for selected inquiries into Dialogic Reading has been provided by Hearing and Feeling English (and
Other Languages) in Infancy and Early Childhood, an ongoing three-year action-research project
funded by the Region Emilia-Romagna and the University of Bologna (Italy). The project is now in its
second year, and its main aim is to extend free language education to a growing number of children
(6-36 months) by bringing the sounds of English—and, to a lesser extent, other languages—into the
daily routines of public and private nurseries by means of Dialogic Reading activities. Firstly, this
analysis aims to pinpoint the variables involved in choosing picture books and crafting reading guides
for Dialogic Reading experiences in English conducted by Italian nursery staff with little or no
knowledge of the language and aimed at children whose receptive skills in English tend to be equally
limited. To support effectual decisions, this paper will explore assessment criteria including agespecific constraints, local factors, issues to do with the native language and culture of the actors
involved, and their personal, linguistic, and professional sets of skills, thus sketching one possible
approach to adapting Dialogic Reading activities for an Early Years EFL environment [8]. Finally,
further developments and research questions will be outlined to offer an initial contribution in shaping
a comprehensive framework supporting the real-life application of EFL Dialogic Reading in Italian
context
“Hearing and Feeling” English in Infancy and Early Childhood” (0-3-6) : Self-Efficacy and Satisfaction among Crèche and Daycare Staff Trained to Introduce ‘Foreign’ Sounds
No full textIn response to the ever-growing need for large-scale programs to introduce foreign languages at a very early age (MIUR, 2018; European Commission, 2011), the region Emilia-Romagna and the University of Bologna (Italy) have developed a three-year action-research project titled "Hearing/feeling” English, and other languages, in infancy and early childhood (0-3-6)” aiming to bring the sounds of English and other languages into the daily routines of public and private crèches and daycares (5-36 months). In its first year (2021/2022), the project involved 73 schools, over 220 classes, 400 daycare staff and 3000 children. To provide consistent exposure, and to capitalise on pedagogical and interpersonal skills, daycare staff were identified as agents for carefully planned foreign language introduction, expanding upon the paradigm which sees language experts as the main source of reliable linguistic input. Regardless of foreign language (FL) proficiency, daycare staff were thus trained to deliver guided listening experiences based on structured performances of authentic children’s books and action rhymes, with the support of ad hoc audio recordings aiming to broaden children’s perception of less familiar sounds (Masoni, 2019; O'Grady, 2005; Sorace and Ladd, 2004). Since Italian policies and practices rely heavily on expert intervention (Favaro, 2016), the underlying shift in agency poses challenges in terms of daycare staff’s willingness and perceived ability to be effective FL vehicles, generating variables that may affect the level of satisfaction and compliance with the suggested approach (Tschannen-Moran and Woolfolk Hoy, 2001; Garvis and Pendergast 2016). By analysing self-reported data from questionnaires, this study reports on daycare staff’s perceived sense of self-efficacy, as well as on project evaluation from the point of view of both daycare staff and families involved. After the first year, findings suggest that daycare staff and families see carefully designed staff-mediated FL introduction as a viable option for early childhood language exposure
Education speaks many languages. Una Ricerca-Formazione sull’introduzione dell’inglese e di altre lingue nei servizi per l’infanzia della Regione Emilia-Romagna
No full textEducation speaks many languages. Una Ricerca-Formazione sull’introduzione dell’inglese e di altre lingue nei servizi per l’infanzia della Regione Emilia-Romagna
Full text linkIl contributo verte sul Progetto “Sentire l’inglese nella fascia d’età 0-3-6”, nato da una convenzione tra la Regione Emilia-Romagna e il Dipartimento di Scienze dell’Educazione dell’Università di Bologna per promuovere l’introduzione dell’inglese e di altre lingue nei servizi 0-3-6 ad opera del personale educativo. Si tratta di un progetto di Ricerca-Formazione di durata triennale, con impianto pre-sperimentale, che intende accompagnare il personale educativo a comprendere l’importanza di un approccio educativo bilingue e a implementare specifiche strategie per introdurre la lingua inglese nelle attività educative. Il focus del contributo verte sui primi esiti dello studio esplorativo realizzato nella prima annualità del progetto (a.s. 2021-22), che ha coinvolto più di 500 educatrici/tori appartenenti a 75 nidi dislocati in Emilia-Romagna. I risultati emersi dai questionari somministrati al personale educativo hanno fornito spunti di riflessione utili ai fini di una parziale riprogettazione dell’intervento per l’annualità successiva.The paper focuses on the Project “Feeling English in the 0-3-6 age group”, which originated from an agreement between the Emilia-Romagna Region and the Department of Education Studies of the University of Bologna to enable educational staff to introduce English and other languages in the 0-3-6 day care services and
nurseries. This is a three-year Professional Development Research, with a pre-experimental design, which aims to accompany the educational staff to gain an understanding of the importance of a bilingual educational approach and to implement specific strategies to introduce English in daily educational activities. The focus of the contribution is particularly on the first results of the study carried out in the first year of the project (2021-22), which involved more than 500 day-care staff belonging to 75 day-cares and nurseries located in Emilia-Romagna. The results that
emerged from the questionnaires administered to the educational staff provided useful suggestions for the purpose of partly redesigning the intervention for the following year
Positive Narrative Group Psychotherapy: the use of traditional fairy tales to enhance psychological well-being and growth
Full text linkBackground: Oral narrative strategies have rarely been applied in the positive psychology domain. Traditional folk and fairy tales are concerned with several concepts that are now scientifically investigated by research on positive psychology, such as resilience, self-realization, personal growth and meaning in life. The aim of this pilot study was to apply a new narrative approach based on fairy tales (Märchen, tales of magic, rise tales) told, discussed, and written in a group context for the purpose of promoting psychological well-being and growth.
Methods: A group intervention consisting of 7 sessions was delivered to 21 women who reported adjustment disorder. The group was conducted by a folklorist and a clinical psychologist. Each session consisted of an introduction to a number of themes recurring in fairy tales as well as references to the social uses of narratives, followed by a discussion with the participants. In two concluding workshops, participants were asked to work as a group to write their own original fairy tale. Assessment pre- and post-intervention was performed with the Ryff Psychological Well-being Scale, the Kellner Symptom Questionnaire and 2 subscales of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (Appreciation of Life and personal strengths).
Results: Participants reported increased personal growth, self-acceptance, and an enhanced sense of appreciation of life and personal strengths, together with decreased levels of anxiety.
Conclusions: This pilot investigation suggests the feasibility and positive effect of a group intervention based on narrative strategies for promoting well-being and growth in stressed women. Considering its promising results, clinical implications and possible further applications are discussed
Storytelling with Young Foreign Language Learners of English
Full text linkA book review of Licia Masoni\u27s book \u27Tale, Performance, and Culture in EFL Storytelling with Young
Learners\u27. The book was published in 2019 by Cambridge Scholars Publishing in Newcastle upon Tyne
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
L'Inglese oggi alla primaria: la formazione in e pre-servizio
No full textL'articolo analizza lo stato dell'insegnamento della lingua inglese alla primaria in Italia e della formazione delle insegnanti in e pre-servizio, avanzando l'ipotesi che un approccio generativo all'apprendimento della lingua possa essere la soluzione per formare insegnanti sempre più competenti e motivati
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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