Home  About us  Contact
 

Novice Learners (novice + learner)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Humanities and Social Sciences66%

Selected Abstracts

Literature, the Interpretive Mode, and Novice Learners

MODERN LANGUAGE JOURNAL, Issue 1 2007
VIRGINIA M. SCOTT
The qualitative study reported in this article analyzes how novice learners develop the interpretive mode (as outlined in Standard 1.2 of the Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century, 1996, 1999) in a classroom setting when reading a literary text in a foreign language (FL). Using unmotivated looking through conversation analysis, we examined transcripts from video- and audiorecordings of students' discussions in a teacher-moderated classroom setting and in small groups of 3 to 4 students. Our findings indicate that novice learners were able to interpret and understand a challenging literary text (in this case, a poem) if they were in the teacher-moderated group. In addition, our findings suggest that use of the first language was effective in encouraging interpretive talk among students in the teacher-moderated classroom but not among students in small groups. Ultimately, these findings indicate that the nature of the teacher-moderated, yet distinctly student-centered, interaction had a clear impact on developing the interpretive mode in novice learners. [source]

Writing in the Secondary Foreign Language Classroom: The Effects of Prompts and Tasks on Novice Learners of French

MODERN LANGUAGE JOURNAL, Issue 2 2000
Denise Paige Way
This study investigated the effects of 3 different writing tasks (descriptive, narrative, and expository) and 3 different writing prompts (bare, vocabulary, and prose model) on 937 writing samples culled from 330 novice learners enrolled in 15 classes of Levels 1 and 2 high school French. In order to assess the quality, fluency, syntactic complexity, and accuracy of the writing samples, the researchers employed 4 evaluation methods: holistic scoring, length of product, mean length of T-units, and percentage of correct T-units. Results indicate that the descriptive task was the easiest and the expository task the most difficult. The prose model prompts produced the highest mean scores, and the bare prompts produced the lowest mean scores. Based on these findings, the researchers question whether the description of a novice writer in the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines(1986) should be used as a blueprint for curriculum development and textbook construction for secondary novice foreign language learners. [source]

Teaching Mass Casualty Triage Skills Using Immersive Three-dimensional Virtual Reality

ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 11 2008
Dale S. Vincent MD
Abstract Objectives:, Virtual reality (VR) environments offer potential advantages over traditional paper methods, manikin simulation, and live drills for mass casualty training and assessment. The authors measured the acquisition of triage skills by novice learners after exposing them to three sequential scenarios (A, B, and C) of five simulated patients each in a fully immersed three-dimensional VR environment. The hypothesis was that learners would improve in speed, accuracy, and self-efficacy. Methods:, Twenty-four medical students were taught principles of mass casualty triage using three short podcasts, followed by an immersive VR exercise in which learners donned a head-mounted display (HMD) and three motion tracking sensors, one for their head and one for each hand. They used a gesture-based command system to interact with multiple VR casualties. For triage score, one point was awarded for each correctly identified main problem, required intervention, and triage category. For intervention score, one point was awarded for each correct VR intervention. Scores were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) for each student. Before and after surveys were used to measure self-efficacy and reaction to the training. Results:, Four students were excluded from analysis due to participation in a recent triage research program. Results from 20 students were analyzed. Triage scores and intervention scores improved significantly during Scenario B (p < 0.001). Time to complete each scenario decreased significantly from A (8:10 minutes) to B (5:14 minutes; p < 0.001) and from B to C (3:58 minutes; p < 0.001). Self-efficacy improved significantly in the areas of prioritizing treatment, prioritizing resources, identifying high-risk patients, and beliefs about learning to be an effective first responder. Conclusions:, Novice learners demonstrated improved triage and intervention scores, speed, and self-efficacy during an iterative, fully immersed VR triage experience. [source]

Data-Driven Learning: Taking the Computer Out of the Equation

LANGUAGE LEARNING, Issue 3 2010
Alex Boulton
Despite considerable research interest, data-driven learning (DDL) has not become part of mainstream teaching practice. It may be that technical aspects are too daunting for teachers and students, but there seems to be no reason why DDL in its early stages should not eliminate the computer from the equation by using prepared materials on paper,considerably easier for the novice learner to handle. This article reports on an experiment to see how lower level learners cope with such paper-based corpus materials and a DDL approach compared to more traditional teaching materials and practices. Pretests and posttests show that both are effective compared to control items, with the DDL items showing the greatest improvement, and questionnaire responses are more favorable to the DDL activities. The results are argued to show that printed materials can counter a number of potential barriers and may thus enable DDL to reach a wider audience. [source]

Literature, the Interpretive Mode, and Novice Learners

MODERN LANGUAGE JOURNAL, Issue 1 2007
VIRGINIA M. SCOTT
The qualitative study reported in this article analyzes how novice learners develop the interpretive mode (as outlined in Standard 1.2 of the Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century, 1996, 1999) in a classroom setting when reading a literary text in a foreign language (FL). Using unmotivated looking through conversation analysis, we examined transcripts from video- and audiorecordings of students' discussions in a teacher-moderated classroom setting and in small groups of 3 to 4 students. Our findings indicate that novice learners were able to interpret and understand a challenging literary text (in this case, a poem) if they were in the teacher-moderated group. In addition, our findings suggest that use of the first language was effective in encouraging interpretive talk among students in the teacher-moderated classroom but not among students in small groups. Ultimately, these findings indicate that the nature of the teacher-moderated, yet distinctly student-centered, interaction had a clear impact on developing the interpretive mode in novice learners. [source]

Patterns of Development in Spanish L2 Pragmatic Acquisition: An Analysis of Novice Learners' Production of Directives

MODERN LANGUAGE JOURNAL, Issue 4 2006
LYNN PEARSON
This article investigates from an acquisitional approach the development of pragmatic competence by novice learners of second language (L2) Spanish. Specifically, it examines the acquisition of various strategies (e.g., head acts, use of softeners, formality marking, and hearer-oriented directives) to realize Spanish directives. A quantitative and qualitative analysis of the data detected patterns in the learners' directive production. The analysis considered factors such as instruction, L2 grammatical competence, and the influence of the first language (L1) to illustrate the patterns of development of L2 pragmatics at lower proficiency levels. The results show (a) verb forms with increased morphological complexity replaced lower level directive strategies, possibly as a result of the expansion of L2 grammatical competence; (b) pragmatic competence seems to precede grammatical competence; and (c) the L1 pragmatic system appears to play a role in interpreting and processing new L2 data for use in production. [source]

Writing in the Secondary Foreign Language Classroom: The Effects of Prompts and Tasks on Novice Learners of French

MODERN LANGUAGE JOURNAL, Issue 2 2000
Denise Paige Way
This study investigated the effects of 3 different writing tasks (descriptive, narrative, and expository) and 3 different writing prompts (bare, vocabulary, and prose model) on 937 writing samples culled from 330 novice learners enrolled in 15 classes of Levels 1 and 2 high school French. In order to assess the quality, fluency, syntactic complexity, and accuracy of the writing samples, the researchers employed 4 evaluation methods: holistic scoring, length of product, mean length of T-units, and percentage of correct T-units. Results indicate that the descriptive task was the easiest and the expository task the most difficult. The prose model prompts produced the highest mean scores, and the bare prompts produced the lowest mean scores. Based on these findings, the researchers question whether the description of a novice writer in the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines(1986) should be used as a blueprint for curriculum development and textbook construction for secondary novice foreign language learners. [source]

Teaching Mass Casualty Triage Skills Using Immersive Three-dimensional Virtual Reality

ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 11 2008
Dale S. Vincent MD
Abstract Objectives:, Virtual reality (VR) environments offer potential advantages over traditional paper methods, manikin simulation, and live drills for mass casualty training and assessment. The authors measured the acquisition of triage skills by novice learners after exposing them to three sequential scenarios (A, B, and C) of five simulated patients each in a fully immersed three-dimensional VR environment. The hypothesis was that learners would improve in speed, accuracy, and self-efficacy. Methods:, Twenty-four medical students were taught principles of mass casualty triage using three short podcasts, followed by an immersive VR exercise in which learners donned a head-mounted display (HMD) and three motion tracking sensors, one for their head and one for each hand. They used a gesture-based command system to interact with multiple VR casualties. For triage score, one point was awarded for each correctly identified main problem, required intervention, and triage category. For intervention score, one point was awarded for each correct VR intervention. Scores were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) for each student. Before and after surveys were used to measure self-efficacy and reaction to the training. Results:, Four students were excluded from analysis due to participation in a recent triage research program. Results from 20 students were analyzed. Triage scores and intervention scores improved significantly during Scenario B (p < 0.001). Time to complete each scenario decreased significantly from A (8:10 minutes) to B (5:14 minutes; p < 0.001) and from B to C (3:58 minutes; p < 0.001). Self-efficacy improved significantly in the areas of prioritizing treatment, prioritizing resources, identifying high-risk patients, and beliefs about learning to be an effective first responder. Conclusions:, Novice learners demonstrated improved triage and intervention scores, speed, and self-efficacy during an iterative, fully immersed VR triage experience. [source]

Gesturing Saves Cognitive Resources When Talking About Nonpresent Objects

COGNITIVE SCIENCE - A MULTIDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL, Issue 4 2010
Raedy Ping
Abstract In numerous experimental contexts, gesturing has been shown to lighten a speaker's cognitive load. However, in all of these experimental paradigms, the gestures have been directed to items in the "here-and-now." This study attempts to generalize gesture's ability to lighten cognitive load. We demonstrate here that gesturing continues to confer cognitive benefits when speakers talk about objects that are not present, and therefore cannot be directly indexed by gesture. These findings suggest that gesturing confers its benefits by more than simply tying abstract speech to the objects directly visible in the environment. Moreover, we show that the cognitive benefit conferred by gesturing is greater when novice learners produce gestures that add to the information expressed in speech than when they produce gestures that convey the same information as speech, suggesting that it is gesture's meaningfulness that gives it the ability to affect working memory load. [source]