This research inspects the allocation of involvement load to the evaluation component of the involvement load hypothesis, examining how three typical approaches to evaluation (cloze-exercises, ...sentence-writing, and composition-writing) promote word learning. The results of this research were partially consistent with the predictions of the hypothesis: the two writing tasks with greater involvement load led to significantly better word learning than cloze-exercises with lower load, while composition-writing was significantly more effective than sentence-writing despite the same involvement load according to the matrix of the original model. Such results are explained from the perspectives of information organization and pre-task planning, based on which evaluation induced by cloze-exercises is suggested to be allocated with ‘moderate evaluation’ as it involves no use of chunking, hierarchical organization or pre-task planning, evaluation induced by sentence-writing with ‘strong evaluation’ as it involves chunking and pre-task planning at the sentence level, and evaluation induced by composition-writing with ‘very strong evaluation’ for it involves chunking, hierarchical organization and pre-task planning at the composition level.
Digital technologies have been widely used to enhance language learning, the effectiveness of which has been acknowledged in the literature. With the rapid development of digital devices and ...technologies, increasing technologies have been used in the most recent several years, leading to more diversified approaches to language education. This exceptional advance over the past few years calls for a summary of state-of-the-art technologies that have been used to enhance language learning and promote effective learning. The present study was conducted to fill this gap by reviewing all the relevant publications in 10 widely recognised journals in the field of technology-enhanced language learning. An analysis of 57 articles indicated five major types of technology for second and foreign language learning (i.e. technologies for mobile learning, multimedia learning and socialisation, speech-to-text and text-to-speech recognition, and digital-game-based learning). The results also showed four primary purposes and benefits of the state-of-the-art technologies: promoting practices, delivering instructional content, facilitating interactions, and restructuring teaching approaches. Moreover, these state-of-the-art technologies have been integrated into various aspects of language teaching and learning, the overall impact of which has been positive.
Computers & Education has been leading the field of computers in education for over 40 years, during which time it has developed into a well-known journal with significant influences on the ...educational technology research community. Questions such as “in what research topics were the academic community of Computers & Education interested?” “how did such research topics evolve over time?” and “what were the main research concerns of its major contributors?” are important to both the editorial board and readership of Computers & Education. To address these issues, this paper conducted a structural topic modeling analysis of 3963 articles published in Computers & Education between 1976 and 2018 bibliometrically. A structural topic model was used to profile the research hotspots. By further exploring annual topic proportion trends and topic correlations, potential future research directions and inter-topic research areas were identified. The major research concerns of the publications in Computers & Education by prolific countries/regions were shown and compared. Thus, this work provided useful insights and implications, and it could be used as a guide for contributors to Computers & Education.
•Conduct a structural topic modeling based analysis of Computers & Education.•Identify major contributors and visualize the scientific collaborations.•Identify predominant research topics and potential future directions.•Visualize topical distributions of major contributors.
Given the importance of word knowledge for second language acquisition, there is always a need for effective word-learning approaches from language learners. With the rapid development of educational ...technologies, game-based learning is emerging into a field with considerable potential, within which, digital game-based vocabulary learning has accrued increasing attention from language learners, educators and researchers. The present research reviews studies on digital game-based vocabulary learning from five perspectives: a general overview of published studies, digital games for vocabulary learning, theoretical frameworks, research issues and findings, and implications. Using specific criteria for article selection, 21 publications in SSCI journals were finalized for the systematic review. Findings revealed 10 types of digital games dominate the field, and these generally demonstrate positive effects in promoting short-term and long-term vocabulary learning, facilitating reading and listening comprehension, increasing motivation and engagement, decreasing anxiety and fostering interactions among learners. These findings further render implications that are meaningful for vocabulary learning and game design.
The British Journal of Educational Technology (BJET) has been active in the field of educational technology since 1970. To celebrate its 50th anniversary and to demonstrate a comprehensive overview ...of the field, we conducted a bibliometric analysis of the 3710 publications in this journal from 1971 to 2018 as indexed in the Web of Science with full bibliographic information. This study aimed to (1) identify the publication and citation trends, (2) explore the distribution of paper types, (3) recognize the most relevant countries/regions, affiliations and authors, and (4) reveal relevant thematic features by analyzing publication s and titles with the use of word cloud analysis and topic modeling analysis. The results highlighted several research hotspots and emerging topics such as Technology‐enhanced classroom pedagogy, Blended learning, Online social communities, Mobile assisted language learning, Game‐based learning and Socialized e‐learning.
With the increasing use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies in education, the number of published studies in the field has increased. However, no large-scale reviews have been conducted to ...comprehensively investigate the various aspects of this field. Based on 4,519 publications from 2000 to 2019, we attempt to fill this gap and identify trends and topics related to AI applications in education (AIEd) using topic-based bibliometrics. Results of the review reveal an increasing interest in using AI for educational purposes from the academic community. The main research topics include intelligent tutoring systems for special education; natural language processing for language education; educational robots for AI education; educational data mining for performance prediction; discourse analysis in computer-supported collaborative learning; neural networks for teaching evaluation; affective computing for learner emotion detection; and recommender systems for personalized learning. We also discuss the challenges and future directions of AIEd.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) plays an increasingly important role in language education; however, the trends, research issues, and applications of AI in language learning remain largely ...under-investigated. Accordingly, the present paper, using bibliometric analysis, investigates these issues via a review of 516 papers published between 2000 and 2019, focusing on how AI was integrated into language education. Findings revealed that the frequency of studies on AI-enhanced language education increased over the period. The USA and Arizona State University were the most active country and institution, respectively. The 10 most popular topics were: (1) automated writing evaluation; (2) intelligent tutoring systems (ITS) for reading and writing; (3) automated error detection; (4) computer-mediated communication; (5) personalized systems for language learning; (6) natural language and vocabulary learning; (7) web resources and web-based systems for language learning; (8) ITS for writing in English for specific purposes; (9) intelligent tutoring and assessment systems for pronunciation and speech training; and (10) affective states and emotions. The results also indicated that AI was frequently used to assist students in learning writing, reading, vocabulary, grammar, speaking, and listening. Natural language processing, automated speech recognition, and learner profiling were commonly applied to develop automated writing evaluation, personalized learning, and intelligent tutoring systems.
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an inherently systemic disease that refers to a long-term loss of kidney function. The progression of CKD has repercussions for other organs, leading to many kinds of ...extrarenal complications. Intensive studies are now being undertaken to reveal the risk factors and pathophysiological mechanism of this disease. During the past 20 years, increasing evidence from clinical and basic studies has indicated that klotho, which was initially known as an anti-aging gene and is mainly expressed in the kidney, is significantly correlated with the development and progression of CKD and its complications. Here, we discuss in detail the role and pathophysiological implications of klotho in ion disorders, the inflammation response, vascular calcification, mineral bone disorders, and renal fibrosis in CKD. Based on the pathogenic mechanism of klotho deficiency and klotho decline in urine early in CKD stage 2 and even earlier in CKD stage 1, it is not difficult to understand that soluble klotho can serve as an early and sensitive marker of CKD. Moreover, the prevention of klotho decline by several mechanisms can attenuate renal injuries, retard CKD progression, ameliorate extrarenal complications, and improve renal function. In this review, we focus on the functions and pathophysiological implications of klotho in CKD and its extrarenal complications as well as its potential applications as a diagnostic and/or prognostic biomarker for CKD and as a novel treatment strategy to improve and decrease the burden of comorbidity in CKD.
Chronic nephritis is a common kidney disease that afflicts people worldwide. The disease has main manifestations of proteinuria, hematuria, edema, and hypertension that are associated with ...kidney-damaging processes that eventually lead to kidney failure. Traditional Chinese medicine involving combination treatment with herbal remedies and acupuncture has been shown clinically to alleviate chronic nephritis, although to date no systematic review of the efficacy of this combination treatment for this purpose has been reported, prompting this study. Here we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of published randomized clinical trials to scientific evidence and credible medical references supporting the clinical efficacy of this combination treatment when used to treat chronic nephritis.
We will search the following 8 electronic Chinese and English databases: Web of Science, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, China Biomedical Literature Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, China Scientific Journal Database, and the Wanfang database. All electronic databases will be searched from inception to October 10, 2021. All statistical analyses will be performed using Review Manager Version 5.4 provided by the Cochrane Collaboration Network.
The protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis will be applied to evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture combined with Chinese herbal medicine for the treatment of chronic nephritis.
We plan to submit the results of this research to a peer-reviewed journal.
INPLASY2021100051.
Many studies have highlighted the importance of personalized learning, and most current e-learning systems are able to personalize materials, activities, etc., based on individualized ...learner-factors. However, none of the extant word-learning systems provides a personalized learning experience that is guided by a comprehensive word learning theory. In this study, we develop such a system based on Nation and Webb's checklist for technique feature analysis - a thorough set of factors that promote effective word learning. This system recommends personalized word learning tasks based on the technique feature analysis scores of different tasks and user models. To examine the effectiveness of the proposed system, we conducted an experiment among 105 English learners, grouped them into three teams randomly, and asked them to learn forty target words through three approaches: a non-personalized approach, a personalized approach guided by a partial version of the technique feature analysis, and a personalized approach guided by the full list of the technique feature analysis. Significant differences were observed among the effectiveness of the three approaches in promoting word learning, with the personalized approach guided by the complete checklist leading to the best learning performance. It is therefore suggested that e-learning systems should be designed based on comprehensive learning theories.
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