Affect and strategy use in independent language learning

Affect is about emotions and feelings, moods and attitudes, anxiety, tolerance of ambiguity and motivation. For some it is also connected with dispositions and preferences (Oatley & Jenkins, 1996). It is generally accepted that the affective domain encompasses a wide range of elements which reflect the human side of being, and play a part in conditioning behaviour and influencing learning. We are becoming more knowledgeable about the importance of attention to affective factors, but there is still a huge gap in terms of our knowledge of the affective strategies that students use or could use to promote more effective language learning. Moreover, the research that has been carried out into affect over several years has largely concentrated on language learning in the classroom (Arnold, 1999; Ehrman, 1996; MacIntyre, 1999; Young, 1999) with very few studies devoted to independent learning settings. Independent language learners, whether learning through self-access, distance or other modes, are a fast-growing group, and we need to know more about them, in particular the ways in which their affective needs differ from those of classroom learners (Harris, 2003; Hurd, 2002; White, 2003). This chapter investigates affect and strategy use in independent settings. It looks first at the concept of affect and its interrelationships with other domains, continues with an exploration of strategy definitions and classification schemes in relation to affect, and concludes with a study carried out with a small group of distance language learners using think-aloud verbal protocols

Investigating affect in a distance language learning context: approaches and methods

The investigation of affect has been moving (somewhat quietly) up the second language acquisition (SLA) research agenda for a number of years and is now beginning to make a wider impact as the place of emotions becomes more firmly embedded in theories of learning and language learning (Beard et al., 2007; Putwain, 2007; Oxford, 1999; Young, 1999; Arnold, 1999). The distance language learning environment is unique in that learners have to manage to a much larger extent on their own than in classroom settings, and this can have major impact on the way they feel, sometimes exacerbating negative emotions as there is no one to give immediate feedback and reassurance (Hurd, 2006, 2007a; White, 2003, 2005). This paper gives a brief overview of affect in a distance language context in conjunction with the literature relating to classroom contexts and discusses and evaluates research methods for investigating the affective domain

Context and the development of metaphor comprehension

Running title: Metaphoric understandingIncludes bibliographical references (leaves 9-10)Supported in part by the Office of Educational Research and Improvement under cooperative agreement no. OEG 0087-C100

Imperfect justice : Fritz Lang's Fury (1936) and cinema's use of the trial form

This essay examines Fritz Lang's portrayal and use of justice in his first Hollywood film, Fury (1936) a film in which the main character, Joe Wilson (played by Spencer Tracy) is mistakenly arrested for a crime he did not commit. Lang was one of many notable German émigrés who fled Nazi Germany for America and eventually Hollywood. He returned on several occasions to the theme of justice, which is my starting point for this article. Before analysing Fury in detail, in particular its final trial scene, the article compares the film briefly to other Lang films about the law such as Beyond a Reasonable Doubt. Lang's conception of justice differs from the dominant Hollywood view of the law, a realisation that is discussed in relation to other depictions of the law in Hollywood (such as Twelve Angry Men, To Kill a Mockingbird). In Lang's cinema, the law is not a fixed, stable and trustworthy institution, but rather one that is gullible and open to abuse. Lang places more faith in notions of personal moral justice, which win out in the end in Fury. This article also contextualises Fury and the work of Fritz Lang within existing discussions of the law and film, from which Lang is largely and notably absent

The Relativistic Precession Model for QPOs in Low Mass X-ray Binaries

The relativistic precession model for quasi periodic oscillations, QPOs, in low mass X-ray binaries is reviewed. The behaviour of three simultaneous types of QPOs is well matched in terms of the fundamental frequencies for geodesic motion in the strong field of the accreting compact object for reasonable star masses and spin frequencies. The model ascribes the higher frequency kHz QPOs, the lower frequency kHz QPOs and the horizontal branch oscillations to the Keplerian, periastron precession and nodal precession frequencies of matter inhomogeneities orbiting close to the inner edge of the accretion disk. The remarkable correlation between the centroid frequency of QPOs in both neutron star and black hole candidate low mass X-ray binaries is very well fit by the model. QPOs from low mass X-ray binaries might provide an unprecedented laboratory to test general relativity in the strong field regime.Comment: 12 pages, 2 embedded figures, Proceedings of X-ray Astronomy '999 - Stellar Endpoints, AGN and the Diffuse Background, 2000. G. Malaguti, G. Palumbo & N. White (eds), Gordon & Breach (Singapore

Distance language learners and learner support: beliefs, difficulties and use of strategies

Evidence is mounting from a number of studies undertaken with groups of learners of all ages and all abilities that there is a particular factor common to successful language learners: strategic competence involving the use of appropriate learning strategies. The growing body of research into this area has not, however, had much to say so far about the special situation of those learning a language at a distance. Based on the findings of surveys and discussions carried out with students enrolled in the final year of the Diploma in French at the Open University, this paper investigates learner beliefs about learning a language at a distance, difficulties encountered, attitudes to learner support and the use of strategies. It concludes that metacognitive strategies may have an enhanced role for the learner of a language at a distance, but that further research is needed to determine more clearly the nature of this role, how metacognitive strategies relate to learner variables and the specific implications for learner autonomy, tutor support and course design

Megacylops viridis Jurine, abyssal form in Lake Maggiore. [Translation of: Memorie dell'Istituto Italiano di Idrobiologia Dott.Marco de Marchi 17 57-79, 1964]

Megacyclops viridis Jurine, noticed in Lago Maggiore in 1912 by De Marchi from the littoral vegetation of Pallanza, is a normal member of the littoral plankton of the lake. The subgenus Megacyclops, created by Kiefer in his revision of the viridis-vernalis group, contains european and american species some of which are today considered as varieties of the species viridis. This paper examines morphology and of the distribution of the Italian viridis in Lake Maggiore

Managing and supporting language learners in open and distance learning environments

This chapter explores the nature of support for the language learner within the context of open and distance learning. It argues that, in order to be in a position to advise and support appropriately and effectively, it is necessary to address the many variables that exist in any body of learners, including beliefs and attitudes, styles and strategies, and to take these into account when designing a course for distance learners. Preliminary work in this area is reported through the findings of a study into the beliefs, strategies and attitudes to support carried out with a group of Open University (OU) students of French. Finally, it is proposed that if we are to promote an autonomous approach to distance language learning, we need to extend our research into the kinds of strategies that prove particularly effective in this context, and the links that these may have with other learner variables. Tutors and course writers should also embrace the potential of the Internet to advise and support distance learners on-line, to offer new opportunities for knowledge gathering and language practice, and to encourage mutual support

The interplay between representable functionals and derivations on Banach quasi *-algebras

This note aims to highlight the link between representable functionals and derivations on a Banach quasi *-algebra, i.e. a mathematical structure that can be seen as the completion of a normed *-algebra in the case the multiplication is only separately continuous. Representable functionals and derivations have been investigated in previous papers for their importance concerning the study of the structure properties of a Banach quasi *-algebra and applications to quantum models.Comment: Contribution Proceedings of International Conference on Topological Algebras and Applications 201