Volume 8, Issue 1 , Winter and Spring 2020
Volume 8, Issue 1 , Winter and Spring 2020
Farrokh Heidari; Alireza Jalilifar; Anayatollah Salimi
Volume 8, Issue 1 , Winter and Spring 2020, Pages 1-15
Abstract
The present corpus-based lexical study reports the development of a Pharmacy Academic Word List (PAWL); a list of the most frequent words from a corpus of 3,458,445 tokens made up of 800 most recent pharmacy texts including research articles, review articles, and short communications in four sub-disciplines ...
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The present corpus-based lexical study reports the development of a Pharmacy Academic Word List (PAWL); a list of the most frequent words from a corpus of 3,458,445 tokens made up of 800 most recent pharmacy texts including research articles, review articles, and short communications in four sub-disciplines of pharmacy. WordSmith (Scott, 2017) and AntWordProfiler (Anthony, 2014) were used to screen words based on frequency, range, dispersion, and specialized occurrence. The developed PAWL contains 750 word families covering 17.69% of the corpus under study. The findings of the current investigation confirm the necessity to compile domain-specific academic word lists to address the needs of non-native researchers and postgraduate students over various disciplines. Such a word list can function as a reference for an EAP lexical syllabus. Pedagogical implications are made for pharmacy researchers, postgraduate students, and material designers, who can use PAWL as a lexical repertoire to set their vocabulary learning/teaching goals.
Jose Fernandez
Volume 8, Issue 1 , Winter and Spring 2020, Pages 16-24
Abstract
John Searle’s theory of social ontology posits that there are indispensable normative components in the linguistic apparatuses termed status functions, collective intentionality, and collective recognition, all of which, he argues, make the social world. In this paper, I argue that these building ...
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John Searle’s theory of social ontology posits that there are indispensable normative components in the linguistic apparatuses termed status functions, collective intentionality, and collective recognition, all of which, he argues, make the social world. In this paper, I argue that these building blocks of Searle’s social ontology are caught in a petitio of constitutive circularity. Moreover, I note how Searle fails to observe language in reciprocal relation to the institutions which not only are shaped by it but also shape language’s practical applications. According to Searle, social theorists that tried to show a connection between society, culture, and language all failed to see the constitutive role of language in the making of social reality. Consequently, I believe that Searle is himself guilty of a certain kind of blind presumption, and argue that Hegel’s philosophy of culture, which Searle dismisses as implausible, offers a more cohesive account of the normative transactions between human beings and their social world.
Mehri Firoozalizadeh; Hassan Ashayeri; Yahya Modarresi; Mohammad Kamali; Azra Jahanitabesh
Volume 8, Issue 1 , Winter and Spring 2020, Pages 25-43
Abstract
This study explores the metaphoric comprehension of normal Persian-speaking children, as well as theories of cognitive development and cultural and social impacts. The researchers discuss the improvement of the understanding of ontological conceptual metaphors through age growth and cognitive development, ...
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This study explores the metaphoric comprehension of normal Persian-speaking children, as well as theories of cognitive development and cultural and social impacts. The researchers discuss the improvement of the understanding of ontological conceptual metaphors through age growth and cognitive development, and how it helps to expand children’s thoughts and knowledge of the world. In this study, 121 normal native Persian-speaking children from the age of 5 to 13 with no language and cognitive disorders participated. Pearson correlation and one-way ANOVA were used to examine the relationships between pairs of variables. The results showed that children start to comprehend abstract concepts and primary ontological metaphors at about 5 years of age, which is in contrast with what Piaget has implied. Children’s metaphorical comprehension improved progressively with age, social, and cognitive development as other studies have also implied, and they understood more complex types of metaphors by age growth.
Christopher McKinley; Yam Limbu; Long Pham
Volume 8, Issue 1 , Winter and Spring 2020, Pages 44-59
Abstract
Strong doctor-patient relationships generate greater patient satisfaction and compliance with physician recommendations. Although prior research has explored distinct factors driving favorable patient outcomes, investigations have yet to comprehensively address the efficacy of different communication ...
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Strong doctor-patient relationships generate greater patient satisfaction and compliance with physician recommendations. Although prior research has explored distinct factors driving favorable patient outcomes, investigations have yet to comprehensively address the efficacy of different communication styles. Furthermore, it is critical to explore the full impact communication approaches have on perceptions of medical services. This investigation addressed two patient-centered communication approaches – empathy and nonverbal immediacy – as antecedents to Vietnamese patients’ impressions of physicians and hospital services. Results showed that these two factors were powerful, independent predictors of satisfaction and trust. Conversely, patient participation was a less robust predictor of judgments toward physicians as well as a weak mediator between patient-centered communication skills and favorable physician impressions. In addition, results showed that patient satisfaction in physicians was a key intervening factor in the relationship between patient-centered communication skills and hospital satisfaction. Overall, the findings highlight the critical importance of physician connectedness with patients as central to patients' global judgments of medical services.
Mahmood Reza Ghorban Sabbagh
Volume 8, Issue 1 , Winter and Spring 2020, Pages 60-69
Abstract
Thomas Kuhn’s model of paradigm shift as an intra-systemic framework to account for changes within the scientific discourse has been adopted by scholars in different fields as diverse as sociology, theology, economy, and education, to name only a few. The present study argues that the same model ...
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Thomas Kuhn’s model of paradigm shift as an intra-systemic framework to account for changes within the scientific discourse has been adopted by scholars in different fields as diverse as sociology, theology, economy, and education, to name only a few. The present study argues that the same model can usefully be drawn upon to examine the relationship between ‘science’ and ‘religion’ with some reservations during the Renaissance. To further illustrate the interconnection, the study focuses on Francis Bacon’s utopian text New Atlantis and shows the way the author is attempting to emphasize the symbiotic co-existence of the two paradigms in an ideal society. However, viewing the work within a larger context, one can see how Bacon’s text seems to be an intermediary link between the Church- and science-controlled discourses. The study also shows that although towards the end of the Renaissance, the scientific paradigm gains in popularity, the religious discourse is also present and makes its presence strongly felt.
Shannon McCrocklin
Volume 8, Issue 1 , Winter and Spring 2020, Pages 70-81
Abstract
Research has shown that language teachers’ beliefs are often difficult to change through education. Experiential learning may help, but more research is needed to understand how experiential approaches shape perceptions. This study compares two approaches, conversation partners (CONV) and ...
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Research has shown that language teachers’ beliefs are often difficult to change through education. Experiential learning may help, but more research is needed to understand how experiential approaches shape perceptions. This study compares two approaches, conversation partners (CONV) and structured language learning experiences (SLLE), integrated into a course in language acquisition. Participants (n = 32) completed a pre- and post-questionnaire that included: demographic questions, Likert scales on beliefs, ranking of second language acquisition (SLA) factors, and open-ended questions. Results showed differences from pre- to post-questionnaire for both groups for four Likert scale items (e.g., the importance of exact pronunciation) and six language learning factors (e.g., motivation). Further, both groups grew to recognize more factors. Slight differences emerged between groups on two items, the importance of intelligence and dominance in SLA. Qualitative analysis showed that, while CONV reported no changes in beliefs, SLLE reported finding language learning to be more difficult than believed. Further, SLLE wished to have more of the project, while CONV did not.
Mohd Nazri Latiff Azmi; Isyaku Hassan; Engku Muhammad Tajuddin bin Engku Ali; Ahmad Taufik Hidayah; Mohd Hazli bin Yah@Alias; Muzammir bin Anas; Nur Izzati Suhaimi
Volume 8, Issue 1 , Winter and Spring 2020, Pages 82-91
Abstract
The relationship between Islamic values and foreign languages in the school environment offers a relatively good example of the challenging aspects of Islamic identity formation amongst the students. Via focused group interviews, this study aimed to explore the teachers’ perceptions with regard ...
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The relationship between Islamic values and foreign languages in the school environment offers a relatively good example of the challenging aspects of Islamic identity formation amongst the students. Via focused group interviews, this study aimed to explore the teachers’ perceptions with regard to the influence of English language learning and the environment in the process of Islamic self-identity formation among religious secondary school students in Terengganu, Malaysia. The study employed a qualitative approach in which 15 religious secondary school teachers in the Terengganu State of Malaysia were selected using purposive sampling technique. The study found that the school environment is influential in the process of Islamic self-identity formation among the students, and English language learning does not have a negative influence on the process. Instead, certain virtues, such as respect, self-confidence, diligence, and decency are inculcated in the students’ self-identity during the English language teaching and learning process. Teachers and educational administrators should put more effort toward the best educational provisions for the students’ religious identity through exposure to the values of self-identity beyond the scope of textbooks.
Mohamed Fathi Ahmed Othman
Volume 8, Issue 1 , Winter and Spring 2020, Pages 92-110
Abstract
This paper investigates service provisions in community languages offered by Manchester City Council and agencies working alongside to find out whether there is an explicit language policy in Manchester, how such a policy is formulated, how it functions, and how it is reflected in education. Data was ...
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This paper investigates service provisions in community languages offered by Manchester City Council and agencies working alongside to find out whether there is an explicit language policy in Manchester, how such a policy is formulated, how it functions, and how it is reflected in education. Data was collected through interviews with different personnel in MCC, focus group discussions with community language speakers, and the websites of various government agencies. The results show that there is an implicit rather than explicit language policy in Manchester. There exists also a language hierarchy in Manchester’s language policy whereby some community languages are given precedence over others, depending on the numerical strength of speakers. The results also show that there is usually a sort of articulation between the micro and macro-levels of language policy in multilingual contexts, which is evident in Manchester, particularly in the role that supplementary schools play in filling the gap in teaching community languages in mainstream schools.
Luke Lawrence
Volume 8, Issue 1 , Winter and Spring 2020, Pages 111-125
Abstract
Recent poststructuralist theories of identity posit identities as being discursively constructed in interactions with society, institutions, and individuals. This study used a Linguistic Ethnographic framework to investigate the discursive identity construction of two English teachers, one ‘non-native’ ...
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Recent poststructuralist theories of identity posit identities as being discursively constructed in interactions with society, institutions, and individuals. This study used a Linguistic Ethnographic framework to investigate the discursive identity construction of two English teachers, one ‘non-native’ English speaker, and one ‘native’ English speaker, teaching English in a tertiary institution in Japan. Using naturally occurring data taken from classroom observations as well as data from reflexive semi-structured interviews, a Membership Categorization Analysis approach was taken to analyze how the participating teachers are positioned and position themselves in relation to the institution itself as well as at the classroom level when interacting with students. The study found that a clear distinction between ‘native’ and ‘non-native’ speaker teachers was created at the institutional level, which the teachers had little control over. However, at the classroom level, the participants exercised greater agency, which was used by the teachers to resist straightforward identity ascriptions.
Fereshteh Azizmohammadi; Hamed Barjesteh
Volume 8, Issue 1 , Winter and Spring 2020, Pages 126-131
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