This book examines the applications of language learning motivation research theories and models from WEIRD (Western, educated, industrialized, rich, developed) contexts to the EFL situation in Asian ...countries. Themes include the use of L2 selves as a theoretical model of motivation, teacher motivation and demotivation in Asian educational systems.
This book synthesises current theory and research on L2 motivation in the EFL Japanese context covering topics such as the issues of cultural identity, demotivation, language communities, positive ...psychology, possible L2 selves and internationalisation within a key EFL context.
This purpose of this study was to examine the motivation of first-year female Japanese university students towards university study in general and towards the study of English as a Foreign Language ...(EFL) in particular. The study used Maehr’s multiple goal model of Personal Investment as its theoretical basis. Two forms of a bilingual Inventory of University Motivation (IUM) were created. One refers to university study in general, the IUM-Gen; the other refers specifically to the study of EFL, the IUM-Eng. The two forms of the IUM were adaptations of McInerney’s Inventory of School Motivation (ISM) and were also translated into Japanese and then back-translated. Data from these questionnaires were collected from 501 first year university students at a Japanese women’s university and analysed using four sets of exploratory Principal Components Analyses (PCA). These analyses produced clear scales with solid loadings, thus supporting the construct validity of the instrument. Each scale had strong reliability as measured by Cronbach’s alpha. Mean scales, based on the items loading on the derived factors, were used to develop an overall motivational profile of the students. Some features of this profile contradicted strongly held beliefs about Japanese university students’ lack of motivation, as well as about their supposed collectivist qualities. Other features provided support for the argument that the study of EFL is important to female Japanese university students, suggesting that English ability is perceived as a skill which can provide them with attractive personal and professional possibilities. Multiple regression analyses were performed using the resulting scales of the IUM-Gen and IUM-Eng separately against the above outcome measures. Significant relationships were found between some of the predictor variables, the scales of the two forms of the IUM, and some of the criterion variables, the outcome measures. The three IUM-Eng subscales of Sense of Competence in English, Competition in English, and Social Concern in English (negative), and the two IUM-Gen subscales of Affiliation at University and Self-esteem at University, were the predictor variables of most significance. The results of these analyses provide support for the applicability of the theoretical model and both forms of the measurement instrument in this socio-cultural context. They also show the instrument to be very useful at extracting important predictors of academic success at studying EFL at a Japanese university, and make some important contributions to the growing research agenda in motivation in EFL.
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Language Learning Motivation in Japan Okuniewski, Jan E; Da Silva, Dexter; Fellner, Terry [Ed])
Psychology of Language and Communication,
01/2014, Volume:
18, Issue:
1
Book Review
The interaction between the cumulative effect of psychosocial and structural factors (i.e. syndemic effect) and social networks among young Black transgender women and men who have sex with men ...(YBTM) remains understudied. A representative cohort of 16–29 year-old YBTM (n = 618) was assessed for syndemic factors i.e. substance use; community violence; depression; poverty; justice system involvement (JSI), social network characteristics, condomless anal sex (CAS), group sex (GS), and HIV-infection. The syndemic index significantly increased the odds of CAS, GS, and HIV-infection, and these effects were moderated by network characteristics. Network JSI buffered the effect on CAS, romantic network members buffered the effect on GS, and network age and proportion of family network members buffered the effect on HIV-infection. The proportion of friend network members augmented the effect on GS and HIV-infection. Future research to prevent HIV among YBTM should consider social network approaches that target both structural and psychosocial syndemic factors.
The impacts of soil properties and fire regime on Neotropical savannas are well-known, but the importance of hydrological regime for plant species assembly has received less attention. Here, we ...assessed changes in diversity patterns of herbaceous and woody communities along a water table gradient in a fire-excluded Neotropical savanna. We found that increased waterlogging of soils was associated with declines in both herbaceous and woody species richness. Woody species richness decreased once the water table depth is less than 4 m and no woody species occurred once water table depth was less than 23 cm. Herbaceous communities remained species rich until the shallowest water table depth, where there is flooding at some point in the year, and even there, over a dozen species occurred. Woody species that occurred in areas with shallower water tables were a nested subset of those in areas with deeper water tables. In contrast, herbaceous communities showed turnover over the hydrological gradient, with distinct species specialized for different water table levels. However, we found that those specialists are restricted to few evolutionary lineages, evidenced by increased phylogenetic clustering over the water table gradient in herbaceous communities. We suggest that evolutionarily conserved hydrological niches define the herbaceous layer over the hydrological gradient, whereas only generalist woody species persist under high water tables. Our findings show that the effect of soil waterlogging differs between the herbaceous and woody layer of savannas, indicating that these communities will respond differently to shifts in the hydrological regime under future environmental change.
No-tillage has been adopted worldwide as a strategy to reduce the negative effects of soil erosion in conventional tillage. However, no-tillage can lead to over-compaction of the soil, which can have ...detrimental effects on soil structure and on crop yield. The objective of this study was to evaluate the soil physical functionality of a Rhodic Ferrasol under long-term no-tillage. The following physical properties were measured: dry bulk density (Db), total porosity (Pt) and macroporosity as well as saturated hydraulic conductivity (
K
sat) and intrinsic air permeability (
K
a). Physical quality of the soil was also evaluated by the
S index at each depth increment. The study was carried out in a Rhodic Ferrasol under a 14-year old, no-tillage system in Ponta Grossa, Paraná, Brazil. Undisturbed soil samples were collected at depths of 0–0.10, 0.20–0.30, 0.40–0.50, and 0.60–0.70
m. The soil properties such as dry bulk density, total porosity and macroporosity showed the presence of a denser layer at a depth of 0.20–0.30
m. The Db and Pt values in this layer were significantly different from the other layers. However, the values of 1.23
Mg
m
−3 for Db, 0.52
m
3
m
−3 for Pt, and 0.17
m
3
m
−3 for macroporosity were all still adequate for the growth and development of roots at this layer. The values of
K
sat and
K
a were higher at the surface layer than deeper layers. The lowest values were around 80 and 70% in comparison with surface, respectively to the depths of 0.40–0.50, and 0.60–0.70
m
K
sat and
K
a values were 7.79
×
10
−5, 2.76
×
10
−5, 1.58
×
10
−5, and 1.91
×
10
−5
m
s
−1, and
K
a values were 3.70
×
10
−11, 2.04
×
10
−11, 7.69
×
10
−12, and 1.10
×
10
−11
m
2 for the depths of 0–0.10, 0.20–0.30, 0.40–0.50, and 0.60–0.70
m, respectively. This demonstrated that better conditions for the exchange of gases and water existed in the layers above 0.30
m. The
S index indicated that the soil had good structure in all layers studied, with values above 0.035, but that a small increase in Db in the 0.20–0.30
m layer could lead to deterioration of the soil structural quality. The long-term use of no-tillage resulted in increases of organic carbon and pore connectivity in the surface layer, providing functionality in the soil.
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