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The purpose of this systematic review is to further our understanding of women and educational leadership knowledge production from three Chinese societies and to contribute to the development of a more diverse global knowledge base in gender and educational leadership and management. A total of 341 articles were identified from 4 electronic databases. We conducted a systematic review of 24 eligible articles that focused on women and educational leadership in Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, utilised empirical research designs and were published in peer-reviewed English-language journals between 2000 and 2021. This review synthesised six overarching themes, including the underrepresentation of women leaders in schools and universities; barriers for women's career advancement; impact of social-cultural contexts on gender-related leadership; gender stereotypes and gender dynamics; gender-based variation in leadership behaviours; and gender equity legislation and policies. The review reveals that underrepresentation of female leaders is a pervasive problem in both schools and universities across three Chinese societies. Substantial gaps still exist between policies and practices. The study highlights systemic barriers and lack of organisational enablers for women's career advancement. The implications and directions for future studies are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Writing is an essential skill that people use throughout their lifetime. Although previous systematic reviews and meta-analyses had reviewed the effect of writing interventions on students with learning disabilities and English learners, we know little about the effective writing process-types interventions for English learners with or at risk for learning disabilities (ELs with LD). Therefore, this systematic review identified and synthesized seven writing intervention studies that include ELs with LD. We further analyzed participant characteristics, interventionist characteristics, instructional methods, and intervention outcomes across studies. The result showed the scarcity of quantitative intervention studies in the area. Some commonly implemented intervention elements are identified and discussed, as well as implications, limitations, and future directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In adult education, understanding the dynamics of motivation among incarcerated individuals to attend English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classes is crucial for effective educational programming, successful rehabilitation, and recidivism reduction efforts. The present study, focusing on Greek prisons, investigates two key aspects: a) the influence of sociodemographic factors (marital status, age, gender, and occupation previous to sentence) on inmates' motivation to attend EFL classes and b) the relative prevalence of intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors driving inmates to attend EFL classes. Grounded in theories of foreign language learning motivation, the study employed quantitative methods with a large sample of 400 adult inmates enrolled in English classes at Second Chance Schools across all Greek prisons. The findings reveal that marital status, age, gender, and previous occupation are factors that significantly impact inmates' motivation to attend EFL classes, with female inmates demonstrating higher motivation than their male counterparts. Notably, the study highlights the predominance of extrinsic motivation among inmates, with the desire to make their families proud being the most highly rated motivational driver. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the common belief that Chinese individuals are industrious and determined high achievers, in cross-cultural studies they consistently rate themselves lower on conscientiousness than their Western counterparts. In bilingual studies, Chinese–English individuals rate their conscientiousness lower than that of U.S. individuals, regardless of whether they respond to a questionnaire in Chinese or in English, but their self-rating is higher when they respond in Chinese than when they respond in English. I posit that the anchoring-and-adjustment heuristic might offer a mechanism to explain personality assessment in this context: individuals initially estimate their conscientiousness level based on a cultural ideal, then adjust this estimate according to the context suggested by the test language. Contrary to the cultural ideal of high-conscientiousness (high-C anchor), Chinese subjects rate themselves low on conscientiousness in both Chinese and English, a contrasting effect (rating adjusted away from an anchor). However, the version of the questionnaire in Chinese, which is associated with a high-C anchor in Chinese communities, might lead individuals to rate themselves higher on conscientiousness, an assimilation effect (rating adjusted toward an anchor), than the version in English, which is associated with a lower level of conscientiousness (low-C anchor). Future research is needed to test this innovative idea and enable new insights into cross-cultural comparisons of personality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There has been an urgent need for the youths to be furnished with the capacity to apply the use of strategies such as problem- solving and coping skills in other to ameliorate their deliberate self-harming behavior inclinations. It is important to recognize the underlying emotional and psychological underpinnings of these self-harming behaviors. Methods: Three data bases; Scopus, Google Scholar advanced search, and PubMed, were searched using keywords such as "problem-solving," "coping," "youth," and "deliberate self-harm." The articles were then screened to ensure that they all met the inclusion criteria and only those published in the English language were selected and deliberate self-harm." Result: Deliberate self-harm behaviors pose a substantial risk to the mental health of the individuals involved. Integrating emotional regulation and coping skills has been shown to improve mental health outcomes in these youths significantly. Problem-solving and coping skills programs have emerged as effective interventions for addressing deliberate self-harm behaviors in youth. Those who are engrossed in deliberate self-harm often struggle with problem-solving abilities and resort to maladaptive social problem-solving, such as self-harming, as a coping mechanism. Incorporating problem-solving techniques within therapy approaches can be an effective strategy to address deliberate self-harm behaviors and promote healthier coping mechanisms. Conclusions: There is the need for structured interventions to meet the unique and diverse need of the youths engaged in this act. Interventions can target the core issues, such as emotional dysregulation, interpersonal difficulties, or trauma history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and objectives: This paper investigates the diffusion of English into the linguistic ecologies of Tunisia, an Expanding Outer Circle society in North Africa. It analyzes the language practices of Tunisian business operators in five commercial localities in metropolitan Tunis. The paper focuses, in particular, on the uses of English and its interaction with Tunisia's dominant languages, the ways the resources of English are locally understood and deployed and the intersection of the emerging "language regime" (Kroskrity, 2000) with the official linguistic landscapes policies and the wider sociohistorical, political, and economic conditions of the country. Methodology and data: Detailed discourse-ethnographic analysis of 363 linguistic landscape signs collected from 5 commercial districts in metropolitan Tunis. Findings and conclusions: The findings indicated the emergence of a bottom-up English-led public signage communicating a global corporate ideology circumventing the official language policies mandating the use and visibility of Modern Standard Arabic in public signage. However, this English-led public posting is intertwined in complex ways with Tunisia's dominant languages, resulting in translanguaging, linguistic puns, the commodification of vernacular forms of communication as well as (supra)national and aesthetic identity markers. Originality: Tunisia, a traditionally constructed Francophone country moving toward English, is very little explored in the major Global English(es) paradigms. The paper focuses on the possible ideological, economic, and cultural changes engendered by English and connects these changes to the global socioeconomic, political, and cultural transformations undergone by the country over the last decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Multiple dimensions of language dominance, such as language proficiency and demand for language use, can be reflected in bilinguals' speech-in-speech recognition scores. This paper explores the feasibility of using a novel measure to estimate language dominance for bilinguals: relative speech-in-speech recognition thresholds (SRTs) or the within-person difference in SRTs between their two languages. Method: Participants were 25 Spanish/English bilingual adults (M age = 30 years). SRTs for sentence recognition in a language-matched two-talker masker were measured in English and in Spanish using an adaptive, open-set task. Relative SRTs were calculated by subtracting the Spanish SRT from the English SRT. Language dominance and proficiency were assessed by established measures. Analysis: Spearman correlations were used to assess the association between measures. Findings: Relative SRTs were correlated with dominance scores derived from both a questionnaire (r s = −.80) and standardized testing (r s = −.80). Originality: We tested and validated a novel measure, relative SRTs, to predict language dominance in bilingual adults. This time-efficient method could be used by bilingual researchers interested in assessing language dominance for descriptive or experimental purposes. Significance: Relative SRTs show promise as a valid method to assess language dominance in Spanish/English bilingual adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Verbal fluency (VF) tasks are an efficient tool for exploring lexical retrieval. Attriters generally produce fewer words in semantic categories than monolinguals, but the processes underlying attriters' lexical retrieval remain unclear. Phonemic tasks are scarcely applied in language attrition studies. We aim to identify processes underlying attriters' phonemic verbal fluency (PVF) and semantic verbal fluency (SVF) performance by extending the analysis beyond total scores in the first (L1) and second (L2) language. Design: We modeled total scores and temporal aspects of task performance in L1 and L2 for the attriters, with L1 use and length of residence (LoR) as predictors. We analyzed the number and types of errors between languages and compared L1 task performance with a matched monolingual group. Data and analysis: Attriters' (N = 38) phonemic and semantic task performance in L1 (Finnish) and L2 (English) were modeled, and results were contrasted to a matched monolingual control group (N = 50). Findings: Attriters demonstrated strong proficiency in L1 and similar lexical retrieval processes in L1 and L2 after 20 years of immersive L2 exposure. Frequent L1 use supported overall performance but slowed performance down in both languages. Compared with monolinguals, attriters show a disadvantage in SVF, but not due to slower initiation. Instead, attriters rely more on rapid L1 retrieval than monolinguals. Originality: Prior research on VF tasks in language attrition populations has mainly focused on SVF total scores in L1. Our investigation explores underlying mechanisms of L1 and L2 task performance in PVF and SVF within a language attrition population and contrasts L1 performance to a matched monolingual group performance. Implications: This study demonstrates the importance of investigating L2 alongside L1 in language attrition studies for a holistic approach to language processing strategies. Our findings enhance understanding of the processes underlying VF task performance, emphasizing the significance of VF task early-stage performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and objectives/purpose/research questions: The empirical goal of the paper is to document the linguistic distribution and patterning as well as the sociolinguistic conditioning of intensifiers in English spoken by educated young adults from Germany. Here, I also seek to understand how the empirical data presented here informs our understanding of the mechanisms underlying language change in those forms of English that emerge through the combined impact of naturalistic L2 acquisition and instructed foreign language learning (henceforth, EFL or Learner English). Design/methodology/approach: The study reports intensification data from 53 advanced learners of English from Germany and compares it with that reported for L1 English vernaculars. The data were elicited with the help of sociolinguistic interviews tapping into learners' natural linguistic behaviour. The processes of language change are explored against the backdrop of grammaticalisation theory, as espoused by variationist sociolinguists. Data and analysis: The study employs two methods of analysis: distributional percentages and fixed-effects logistic regression analyses. These allow pinpoint rates and patterns of intensification as well as its language-internal and language-external conditioning. Findings/conclusions: Systematic comparisons of language-internal conditioning underlying the occurrence of linguistic variants pinpoint 'functional specialisation' (also 'entrenchment') as a driving mechanism of and a potent constraint on language change. Originality: While demonstrating how functional specialisation is operative in the system of German Learner English intensification, the present study highlights the relevance of EFL data to empirical testing and advancement of (socio-)linguistic theory. The study also highlights the relevance of learners' linguistic identity and the sociopsychological construct of 'relatedness' in the adoption of the globally available features of the English language. Significance/implications: The study pleads for more research at the intersection of historical/general linguistics and SLA as such an approach adds to knowledge about language acquisition, language variation and, ultimately, language change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and objectives/purposes/research questions: This study investigates how the perfective/imperfective distinction is encoded across various ethnic varieties of Namibian English, with a specific focus on progressive -ing, simple verbal forms, and used to. Design/methodology/approach: The sample involves 158 Coloured and White Afrikaans-speaking informants, Damaras (L1: Khoekhoegowab), Hereros (L1: Otjiherero), Ovambos (L1: Oshiwambo). The sample thus includes Bantu, Khoesan, and West Germanic languages. The informants were administered an L1- into-English translation task. Data and analysis: The analysis follows two steps. First, the study looks at the distribution of English verbal forms across tenses, event classes, and English verb types. Second, the study looks at the distribution of English verbal forms across aspectual indicators in the informants' respective native languages. Findings/conclusions: Regardless of event classes and verb types, Khoekhoegowab-speakers are the most frequent users of -ing while Afrikaans-speakers are the most frequent users of simple verbal forms. A close look at how English verbal forms are distributed across L1 aspectual indicators possibly reveals hypercorrect L1-pattern avoidance, spearheaded by women. Along with L1-pattern avoidance, one finds overreliance on positively transferable L1-patterns, manifest in the use of used to by Bantu-speakers, who grammatically mark the habitual in their L1s. Finally, one finds instances of English output features that cannot be triggered by L1-patterns. This concerns primarily -ing and used to among Afrikaans-speakers and used to among the Damaras. Originality: Unlike most research on aspect in postcolonial English varieties, this study systematically tracks transfers to their linguistic origin. Significance/implications: The paper argues that transfers (or their absence) are often better accounted for from the perspective of inter-group relations than as mere 'interferences'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and objectives: Previous research has revealed much about the syntactic and social variables conditioning code-switching (i.e., the alternation between two or more languages in a discourse or utterance); however, little is known about the phonological effects. Our work explores this area by asking two main questions: (1) Does lexical tone affect code-switching between a tonal language and a non-tonal language? and (2) Is this effect (or lack thereof) observable cross-linguistically? Methodology: We examine natural code-switching production between Cantonese and English, Mandarin and English, and Vietnamese and English. We use a semi-automatic natural-language processing method to process and extract relevant variables, including tonal categories at switch points. Data and analysis: Data include transcribed natural speech from three bilingual corpora: the HLVC corpus (Cantonese/English, 25 speakers), the SEAME corpus (Mandarin/English, 20 speakers), and the CanVEC corpus (Vietnamese/English, 45 speakers). We use logistic mixed-effects models to examine tonal effects, taking into account other factors such as frequency and grammatical category. Findings/conclusion: We found a robust tonal effect in Cantonese/English, a less robust effect in Mandarin/English, and no effect in Vietnamese/English. This indicates there is a tonal effect in code-switching between a tonal and a non-tonal language, but this effect is language-dependent. We also found a specific T3 'step-up' pattern at Cantonese-English switch points and offered some possible phonological explanations. Originality: This is the first study that systematically investigates tonal effects in code-switching across different language pairs, using comparable data and methods. Our finding of a Cantonese-English T3 'step-up' pattern is also a novel discovery that hitherto has not been documented. Significance/implications: Theoretically, our findings support Clyne's 'facilitation theory' in code-switching at a prosodic level. Empirically, we nevertheless emphasised the complexity of different prosodic features and social variables in play, thereby rejecting the idea of 'predicting' code-switching solely based on linguistic factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Test-retest reliability is often estimated using naturally occurring data from test repeaters. In settings such as admissions testing, test takers choose if and when to retake an assessment. This self-selection can bias estimates of test-retest reliability because individuals who choose to retest are typically unrepresentative of the broader testing population and because differences among test takers in learning or practice effects may increase with time between test administrations. We develop a set of methods for estimating test-retest reliability from observational data that can mitigate these sources of bias, which include sample weighting, polynomial regression, and Bayesian model averaging. We demonstrate the value of using these methods for reducing bias and improving precision of estimated reliability using empirical and simulated data, both of which are based on more than 40,000 repeaters of a high-stakes English language proficiency test. Finally, these methods generalize to settings in which only a single, error-prone measurement is taken repeatedly over time and where self-selection and/or changes to the underlying construct may be at play. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autistic people who cannot speak risk being underestimated. Their inability to speak, along with other unconventional behaviors and mannerisms, can give rise to limiting assumptions about their capacities, including their capacity to acquire literacy. In this preregistered study, we developed a task to investigate whether autistic adolescents and adults with limited or no phrase speech (N = 31) have learned English orthographic conventions. Participants played a game that involved tapping sequentially pulsing targets on an iPad as quickly as they could. Three patterns in their response times suggest they know how to spell: (a) They were faster to tap letters of the alphabet that pulsed in sequences that spelled sentences than letters or nonsense symbols that pulsed in closely matched but meaningless sequences; (b) they responded more quickly to pairs of letters in meaningful sequences the more often the letters co-occur in English; and (c) they spontaneously paused before tapping the first pulsing letter of a new word. These findings suggest that nonspeaking autistic people can acquire foundational literacy skills. With appropriate instruction and support, it might be possible to harness these skills to provide nonspeaking autistic people access to written forms of communication as an alternative to speech. Many autistic people who do not talk cannot tell other people what they know or what they are thinking. As a result, they might not be able to go to the schools they want, share feelings with friends, or get jobs they like. It might be possible to teach them to type on a computer or tablet instead of talking. But first, they would have to know how to spell. Some people do not believe that nonspeaking autistic people can learn to spell. We did a study to see if they can. We tested 31 autistic teenagers and adults who do not talk much or at all. They played a game on an iPad where they had to tap flashing letters. After they played the game, we looked at how fast they tapped the letters. They did three things that people who know how to spell would do. First, they tapped flashing letters faster when the letters spelled out sentences than when the letters made no sense. Second, they tapped letters that usually go together faster than letters that do not usually go together. This shows that they knew some spelling rules. Third, they paused before tapping the first letter of a new word. This shows that they knew where one word ended and the next word began. These results suggest that many autistic people who do not talk can learn how to spell. If they are given appropriate opportunities, they might be able to learn to communicate by typing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research has shown a strong link between our sense of smell and emotion. More recently, the importance we attach to olfaction has been found to relate to our susceptibility to 'catch' the emotions of others. We explore this further by examining the relation between a newly developed measure of olfaction (social odour scale, SOS), which measures awareness of social odours, and emotional contagion susceptibility in female participants. The study therefore aimed to test the strength of this relationship and also help validate the English language version of the SOS. Female (n = 148) participants completed an online study that measured odour awareness [SOS; important of odour questionnaire, IOQ] and emotional contagion (EC). We found that the English version of the SOS yielded high reliability and supported the previous factor structure of the scale; additionally, we demonstrated a strong association between the SOS and IOQ which provides criterion validity for its usage. The study also revealed that whilst both the SOS and IOQ were positively associated with EC, the SOS was the more accurate predictor. These findings provide further validation for the use of the SOS and suggest that our subjective awareness of olfaction, especially concerning 'social odours' is an accurate predictor of emotional contagion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social, emotional, and behavioral (SEB) skills encompass a broad range of interpersonal and intrapersonal abilities that are crucial for establishing and maintaining relationships, managing emotions, setting and pursuing goals, and exploring new learning opportunities. To address the lack of consensus regarding terminology, definition, and assessment of SEB skills, Soto et al. developed the Behavioral, Emotional, and Social Skills Inventory (BESSI), which consists of 192 items, 32 facets, and 5 domains. The objective of the current study was to adapt the BESSI to Spanish (referred to as BESSI-Sp) and enhance the overall understanding of the BESSI framework. A sample of 303 people was employed with a mean age of 30.35 years (SD = 14.73), ranging from 18 to 85 years. The results indicate that the BESSI-Sp demonstrates strong psychometric properties. Its facet- and domain-level structure aligns with the theoretical expectations and closely resembles the English-language source version. The facets exhibit high reliability (mean ω =.89), and the scores demonstrate adequate stability after 3 to 4 weeks (mean rICC =.77). The BESSI-Sp also displays evidence of convergent validity and integrates well with the Big Five framework, providing incremental validity for various outcomes. We discuss the implications of these findings for the assessment of SEB skills and future research in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The Lower Anogenital Squamous Terminology (LAST) Project recommended unified classification for HPV--associated squamous lesions of the lower anogenital tract, using a 2-tiered nomenclature in 2013. Adherence to the new nomenclature worldwide is unknown. This study aims to assess the trend of the use of the two-tiered High Squamous Intraepithelial Lesion and Low Squamous Intraepithelial Lesion (HSIL/LSIL) as opposed to the traditional three-tiered Anal Intraepithelial Neoplasia (AIN I/II/III) classification as suggested by the LAST Project. Methods: A literature search on full-text English language studies of premalignant anal lesion was performed on PubMed from 2002-2022. The studies were categorized by continent, and the prevalence of HSIL/LSIL classification vs AIN I/II/III was calculated. Results: 546 studies and 251 studies were identified using the AIN I/II/II and the HSIL/LSIL classification respectively. Global trend suggested a statistically significant downward trend in the use of the two-tiered nomenclature system in publications globally. Regional trend including North America, Europe, and other (Asia and Latin America) showed variance in adoption of the two-tiered nomenclature system. Conclusion: Despite multidisciplinary collaborative effort, adherence to the recommendations to use the two-tiered system for HPV-associated premalignant anal lesions continues to be suboptimal. Further efforts are needed to identify the cause of poor adherence to be able to create strategies that reinforces unification of terminology and integration of LAST the recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The field of computer-assisted language learning has recently brought about a notable change in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) writing. Starting from October 2022, students across different academic fields have increasingly depended on ChatGPT-4 as a helpful resource for addressing particular challenges in EFL writing. This study aimed to investigate the use and acceptance of ChatGPT-4 in students' EFL writing. To this end, an experiment was conducted with 76 undergraduate students from a private school in Algeria. The participants were randomly allocated into two groups: experimental group (n = 37) and control group (n = 39). Additionally, a questionnaire was administered. The results showed that the experimental group (EG) outperformed the control group (CG). Besides, the findings revealed that students in the EG in post-test outperformed their pre-test scores. The findings also revealed substantial improvements in the EG's views of perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, attitudes, and behavioral intention. According to the results, ChatGPT-4 helped boost students' EFL writing skills, which ultimately led to their acceptance. Students appear particularly interested in ChatGPT-4 because of its potential usefulness in putting what they learn about EFL writing into practice. Some suggestions and recommendations were provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Complex verbs with the same preverb/prefix/particle that is both linguistically productive and analyzable can be compositional as well as non-compositional in meaning. For example, the English on has compositional spatial uses (put a hat on) but also a non-spatial "continuative" use, where its semantic contribution is consistent with multiple verbs (we played / worked / talked on despite the interruption). Comparable examples can be given with German preverbs or Russian prefixes, which are the main data analyzed in the present paper. The preverbs/prefixes/particles that encode non-compositional, construction-specific senses have been extensively studied; however, it is still far from clear how their semantic idiosyncrasies arise. Even when one can identify the contribution of the base, it is counterintuitive to assign the remaining sememes to the preverb/prefix/particle part. Therefore, on one hand, there seems to be an element without meaning, and on the other, there is a word sense that apparently comes from nowhere. In this article, I suggest analyzing compositional and non-compositional complex verbs as instantiations of two different types of constructions: one with an open slot for the preverb/prefix/particle and a fixed base verb and another with a fixed preverb/prefix/particle and an open slot for the base verb. Both experimental and corpus evidence supporting this decision is provided for Russian data. I argue that each construction implies its own meaning-processing model and that the actual choice between the two can be predicted by taking into account the discrepancy in probabilities of transition from preverb/prefix/particle to base and from base to preverb/prefix/particle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study involves a perceptual categorization task for Australian English, designed to investigate regional and social variation in category boundaries between close-front vowel contrasts. Data are from four locations in southeast Australia. A total of 81 listeners from two listener groups took part: (a) so-called mainstream Australian English listeners from all four locations, and (b) L1 Aboriginal English listeners from one of the locations. Listeners heard front vowels /ɪ e æ/ arranged in 7-step continua presented at random. Varied phonetic contexts were analyzed, with a focus on coda /l/ because of a well-known prelateral merger of /e æ/ through mid-vowel lowering (e.g., celery-salary) reported to occur in some communities in this part of Australia. The results indicate that regional variation in Australian English is evident in perception. In particular, merging of /el/-/æl/ is shown to occur in the southernmost regions analyzed, but rarely in the northern regions of the geographical area under investigation. Aside from regional variation observed, age was also a factor in how participants responded to the task: older speakers had more merger than younger speakers in many locations, which is a new finding—previously, the merger was thought to be increasing in frequency over time, yet here we see this in only one location. Aboriginal English listeners also responded differently when compared with mainstream Australian English listeners. By analyzing the perception results across a variety of regional locations, with data from two different Australian social groups in the same location, this study adds a new dimension to our understanding of regional and social variations in Australian English. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates listeners' ability to track individual speakers' habitual speech rate in a dialogue and adjust their perception of durational contrasts. Previous studies that found such adjustments are inconclusive as adjustments can be attributed to exemplars of target structures in the dialogue rather than perceptual calibration of habitual speech rates. In this study, English listeners were presented with a dialogue between a fast and slow speaker, containing no stressed syllable-initial voiceless stops. Listeners then categorized /pi/-/bi/ syllables differing along a voice onset time continuum. Results did not show conclusive evidence that listeners' response differed systematically depending on speakers' habitual speech rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes name-related literacy practices in a multilingual preschool classroom and their implications for emergent biliteracy. We draw on a translingual framework to understand children's name-writing activities and how bilingual children's early literacy interacts with, and at times disrupts, the written conventions of named languages. Drawing on fieldnotes, observations, and artifacts from a preschool classroom serving Spanish-English bilingual children, we examined how children and teachers used names as resources for early literacy learning. We found that names are (potential) gateways to letter-sound relationships across languages, that names teach that some features of writing are shared across languages and some are different, and finally that names differ from other kinds of words children encounter across languages. We discuss what those instances prompt us to (re)consider about name-related teaching and emergent biliteracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The uniqueness of the European Parliament, as well as the magnitude of impact its decisions wield over member states, are elements that capture researchers' attention. However, several of this institution's particularities have made broad analysis of the textual content it produces difficult. This research note presents Vitrine Démocratique, a new, publicly accessible, and centralized database structuring interventions made in the European Parliament starting in 2014, both in their original languages and translated to English. The process by which this high-velocity database was created is presented, as well as a descriptive overview of the contents of this data source, which is continuously updated on a daily basis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper traces a conversation between the authors about their long-standing (Urban) and more recent (Gómez Muñoz, Zárate Pinto) engagement in and with RECE. The conversation revolves around the role and potential of reconceptualist thought in contexts of early childhood realities in the Global South, most prominently in Latin America, where two of the authors are based, while one has extensive work connections to the region. Given RECE's roots in US-American and English language worlds, what other approaches exist in Latin America contexts and beyond that enable us to challenge the dominant narratives of early childhood education, its narrow disciplinary base, its policies and practices? Drawing on work with marginalised communities, the conversation turns to necessities of advocacy and transdisciplinarity, and to possibilities of epistemic and new activist alliances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to prior research, Asian and Pacific Islander American (APIA) immigrants often refrain from seeking health care unless necessitated by medical conditions. Utilizing data from health screenings conducted in APIA immigrant enclaves in Los Angeles, we hypothesize that poorer obesity status would predict higher rates of regular physician access. Analyses involved objectively measured percent body fat (%BF) and survey responses collected between 2011 and 2019. We assessed the association between obesity status and regular physician access, adjusting for insurance status, demographic, and socioeconomic factors. The study population (n = 4102) primarily consisted low-income, low English proficiency APIAs. Participants with a regular physician were significantly more likely to be obese compared to participants without (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.28). This association may suggest that care was sought reactively rather than proactively within this community. Interventions with emphasis on cultural competency and language services may encourage preventative care utilization among this understudied community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immigration interviews with asylum-seeking youth have been largely understudied. In domestic legal settings, children interviewed about abuse and maltreatment provide more detailed, relevant responses when asked open-ended questions and when interviewed in a neutral environment, among other supportive practices. In asylum settings, guidance for interviews with youth derives from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. It is not clear to what extent best practices are employed during asylum interviews with youth. This scoping review was performed to (a) provide an overview of empirical literature on interviews with children in immigration settings, including border screenings, interviews with representatives, and asylum hearings, (b) explore whether best practices derived from forensic psychology and children's rights are observed in asylum interviews, (c) identify unique interview needs of asylum-seeking youth, and (d) derive implications for research and practice. A scoping review of three databases conducted in October 2023 yielded titles, of which 29 articles met inclusion criteria. These comprised quantitative and qualitative studies in English from 2003 to 2023. Three articles identified were quantitative, and 26 were qualitative. While several articles touched on interview practices and youth's experiences of interviews, only a few examined how asylum-seeking youth responded to different interview factors such as question type and interview setting. Key findings highlight inconsistent application of best practice principles, and several areas where best practices to support asylum-seeking children require clarification through further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The benefits of wait time in classroom discourses have been well documented in the field of education since the 1970s. While current forensic interview guidelines recognize the importance of pauses, whether there is sufficient empirical evidence to inform wait time guidelines in the legal context remains unanswered. This systematic review aimed to synthesize and provide a holistic update on the available research on the role of wait time when questioning children and recommended future direction to develop wait time guidelines specific to child forensic interviews. Systematic searches were conducted using four databases (PsycINFO, MedLine, ERIC, and Scopus). A total of 3,953 unique articles were returned, following a title and abstract screening, 68 full texts were reviewed, and 26 (including five additional studies identified through a hand search) were included. Inclusion criteria were the study sample included children under 18, published a measure of wait time in a questioning context, and in English. Overall, most knowledge of wait time remains in the field of education. Natural wait time is short, but with training, extended wait time yields significant benefits for both child and adult talk. Only one study examined the role of wait time in the forensic interviewing setting where a 10-s wait time appears to be more productive than shorter pauses. Extended wait time is a promising and simple interviewing practice with the potential to facilitate children's disclosure. The current review is a call for research in the area as it pertains to forensic interviewing of children and youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe the gap between parents' special education needs and pediatric primary care providers' (PCPs) ability to address those needs from a mixed-methods study at a safety-net hospital. We conducted qualitative interviews with English- and Spanish-speaking parents (n = 25) and PCPs (n = 11) about special education knowledge and experience and interactions with a primary care–embedded special education clinic. PCPs also answered survey questions on these topics. Parents reported four challenges: (1) knowing where to start and how to advocate for their youth, (2) being heard or having a say, (3) using the "right" language, and (4) gathering information on special education resources. Primary care providers disclosed three barriers: (1) training, (2) knowledge to assess the appropriateness of supports, and (3) time to address concerns. The gap between PCPs and parents was bridged by the special education clinic. Systematic interventions can ensure that PCPs help parents address the special education needs of their patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this qualitative case study, we investigated the role of an advanced math curriculum with language scaffolding on the development of geometric and visual-spatial reasoning skills in young mathematically promising English learners (MPELs). Specifically, we examined the effects of providing MPELs with challenging and supportive math curriculum to facilitate the development of mathematical potential through a geometry unit. Twenty-one MPELs were randomly assigned to either an intervention or a comparison class. The data sources included audio recordings of class sessions, documents of math tasks, field notes, and test scores. Findings revealed that in the intervention class, tasks required more cognitive demands, and students were encouraged to contribute to classroom discourse more than in the comparison class. MPELs in the intervention class demonstrated greater gains in geometric reasoning compared to their peers in the comparison class. These findings underscore the point that challenging and supportive curricula can effectively nurture the mathematical potential of underrepresented gifted students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The literature on systematic aspects of goal scoring in football is rich, while little is known about random influences. This study focuses on an unsystematic element of goal scoring, namely rebounds, where a shot that bounces back from another player or the goal creates contested opportunities. Aspects including causes, match situation, player positioning and pitch zones were investigated for 554 rebound goals from seven seasons (2012/2013–2018/2019) of the English Premier League. Rebounds were predominantly caused by short distance and defensive errors, with goalkeepers playing a crucial role. Interestingly, the superiority of home teams and stronger teams to score significantly more goals than away teams and weaker teams can also be observed for rebound goals. Rebound goals are particularly prevalent in zones close to the goal, more prevalent after corners than non-rebound goals and associated with a high number of players in the penalty box. Overall, high similarities exist between rebound and non-rebound goals, while differences in match situations and spatial patterns suggest unique characteristics of rebound goals. These results are in line with the notion of systematicity and randomness concurrently contributing to success in football. More research appears useful to further disentangle the influence of both factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

School-age English learners (ELs) are faced with the challenging task of acquiring a foreign language while simultaneously reading academically demanding literature. Therefore, the current research aimed to examine the relation between the rate of grammatical tense marking errors made by ELs and their performance on measures of reading comprehension (RC). The sample for the current study included 5th-grade students who were categorized as ELs who were receiving English support services (N = 103). Samples were collected using i-Ready and writing samples. The samples were used to examine ELs' RC in relation to tense marking errors in their written responses on the district writing assessment at the end of the school year. The results from the study revealed that there was a moderate negative correlation (r = −.431, p <.010) between verb tense errors and reading comprehension. Students with high rates of verb tense errors received lower RC scores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This U.S. study evaluated the effects of a reading intervention for emergent bilingual students with significant reading difficulties in Grades 6 and 7 within a multisite randomized controlled trial. Emergent bilinguals were randomized to a researcher-provided intervention (n = 171) or business-as-usual comparison condition (n = 169). Results on a measure of word reading indicated significant differences favoring treatment after Year 1; however, there were no significant differences between groups on standardized measures of reading comprehension. Initial English vocabulary knowledge moderated reading comprehension scores at the beginning of the second year of intervention, indicating that students' response to instruction varied as a function of their initial English language proficiency. The discussion focuses on interpreting these findings with an emphasis on improving the effectiveness of interventions for secondary grade emergent bilinguals with significant reading difficulties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Antegrade sclerotherapy (Tauber's) procedure has been extensively used for the minimally-invasive treatment of varicocele; however, the results in the pediatric population are less defined. This systematic review evaluates the efficacy and safety of antegrade sclerotherapy for varicocele in the pediatric population. Evidence acquisition: The review was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines. Systematic research of available literature in English language from 1980 until May 2022 was conducted through EMBASE, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, and NIH Registry of Clinical Trials. For each study, information was gathered regarding the study design, the inclusion/exclusion criteria, the indications for treatment, the success rate and the complications. When available, the details about sperm analysis were reported. Evidence synthesis: The 10 studies were included in the final sample (564 patients). Median age of patients ranged 13.3–15.3 years. The indications for scleroembolization varied in the different studies, while most studies included patients with clinical G2-G3 varicocele and clinical symptoms or testicular asymmetry. The treatment was successful in 88%–98% of the patients, while the complication rate was <5%. Conclusion: Tauber's sclerotherapy is a safe and effective treatment for varicocele also in the pediatric population. Further studies with standardized inclusion criteria are needed to provide higher level of evidence and compare the outcomes of antegrade sclerotherapy with the other available techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Australia has inadequate publicly available data regarding the use of involuntary psychiatric care. This study examined the association between patient clinical/demographic factors and involuntary psychiatric admission following initial psychiatric assessment in Royal Darwin Hospital. Method: Retrospective review of 638 psychiatric assessments followed by covariate analysis of patient variables associated with involuntary psychiatric admission. Results: Most of the 225 psychiatric admissions were involuntary (92%). Male patients and those with a preferred language other than English had the highest risk of being admitted involuntarily (RR 1.09, χ2 [1] = 3.9, p =.048, and RR 1.11, p =.036, respectively). Conclusions: Further research regarding the influence of patient demographics and clinical factors on rates of involuntary admissions, particularly for Aboriginal patients, is recommended. The findings prompt discussion on strategies to improve monitoring of involuntary care and barriers to voluntary treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite evidence of unequal learning opportunities, there is limited understanding of how English learners (ELs) with disabilities are faring academically nationwide in comparison with their EL and student with disability counterparts. In response, we conducted secondary data analyses of the 2009 to 2019 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading assessments. Compared to their peers, ELs with disabilities performed lower in both Grades 4 and 8. There is a visible improvement in this important student population's performance on the NAEP 2015 reading assessment—a year in which disaggregated reporting for ELs with disabilities performance became mandatory. These findings have implications for improved instructional, assessment, and program supports to serve ELs with disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Childhood wellbeing is essential for positive outcomes in adulthood, as is academic attainment. Schools play a pivotal role in laying the foundations for children to live well. However, research investigating the relationship between wellbeing and attainment has relied on conceptualisations of wellbeing that are too broad (i.e. overall and domain-general wellbeing) or samples spanning large age ranges (thereby overlooking developmental differences). Additionally, the role of mindset, a potentially co-occurring psychological state of both wellbeing and attainment, has been neglected. This study therefore investigated the wellbeing-attainment relationship in 942 children aged 9–11 (447 male, M age = 10.5; 495 female, M age = 10.6) across 17 schools in England (UK). Structural equation models distinguished between overall wellbeing, life satisfaction, and eudaimonia, examining associations of each with children's attainment on standardised tests, accounting for mindsets, achievement goals, and sociodemographic factors. Results indicated lower life satisfaction was significantly associated with higher attainment on average, and in English and Mathematics, while eudaimonia was not significantly related to attainment. Overall wellbeing was negatively associated with Mathematics attainment only. A growth mindset was positively associated, while a fixed mindset was negatively associated, with wellbeing. In turn, a growth mindset was significantly positively associated, while a fixed mindset was negatively associated, with attainment. Implications for policy and practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Qualitative research has utilised focus groups and interviews to gather information from participants while conducting ethnographic research. This article explores the potential of alternative forms of collecting data that are more in line with the participants' feelings, emotions and expectations. Charlas (chats) and Comidas (meals) were utilised in an ethnographic study with English teachers and their students in marginalised high schools in Bogotá, Colombia. I found that opening a safe space for participants to share their ideas, suggestions and comments while chatting informally or having a meal encourages leadership of the research process. This generated a sentiment of trust and bond which strengthen their sense of belonging to their academic community. This article contributes to the literature on alternative, critical and decolonial forms of doing research by considering ways to implement methods that acknowledge the cultural and linguistic backgrounds of the participants which strengthen humanising relationships, especially in marginalised contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of a graphic organizer for improving the expository text comprehension of adolescent Spanish–English bilingual students with learning disabilities. Students were two females and one male. Using a multiple baseline single case design, researchers taught students to create a funnel map graphic organizer for 10 descriptive text passages. Students' performance was assessed on their ability to correctly create the funnel map (criterion variable) and to comprehend expository passages during baseline, intervention, and maintenance phases. Each participant learned to create an accurate funnel map within four sessions. Text comprehension scores began to increase within three sessions. Results showed the positive effect of using the funnel map for improving comprehension of expository texts. Individual Tau effect sizes (.81–.92) and overall Tau-U effect sizes (.86) and a Between Case-Standardized Mean Difference (BC-SMD) of 1.87 showed the intervention to be highly effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several countries are facing significant troubles of health services, particularly rising prices. Innovative technologies and services are expected to help boost medical quality and cut costs. In this sense, there is a lack of innovative work in spite of a growing interest in open innovation and approaches that advocate for expanded cooperation among various actors in healthcare. This article describes the findings of a study concerning the commitment of the healthcare sector to open innovation. The search for literature focused on English-language papers up to 12 January 2020. Based on the indicated criteria for inclusion, 29 articles were included. The results show that most experiments concentrate on the areas of pharmaceutical research (drug discovery) and health informatics (health information systems and infrastructures) that were brought out as concepts or applied as pilots and prototypes. The participation of the healthcare sector is limited in open innovation, and more work is required with an emphasis on how to get open innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study re-examines the relationship between jiao (lit. teaching) and xue (lit. learning)—the foundational education concepts in the traditional Chinese cultural context—to enlighten our contemporary understandings of education and educational research. Design/Approach/Methods: This study first lays its foundation on an etymological investigation. It then integrates two mutually connected approaches— the classics and the self as method—to present a comprehensive analysis. Finally, it critically reviews the methodology used in this study. Findings: The interdependency of xue and jiao has an etymological foundation, supported by canonical doctrines and verified by individualized experiences. The interpretation of xue as xiao (to imitate) describes the origin and process of education in which the junior imitated and followed the elder, while the extended interpretation of xue as jue (to awaken) stresses the effects and functions of education. In the classical Chinese context, greater significance was placed on xue— the keyword concurrently connoting the meaning of teaching and learning in the modern sense. It is misleading to narrowly render the originally meaningful word group xuexi as learning in modern English. Originality/Value: This study consults sources in multiple languages and integrates both the classics and the self as method. Based on this, the etymological investigation, canonical analysis, and experiential reflection are collated to provide a rich and deep discussion. By focusing on the core characteristics and the concepts they imply, this study also touches on the key characteristics of the hieroglyphic system and the unique way of thinking it represents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the effect of user review ratings and sentiment in review comments on restaurant profitability. In addition, the effects of sentiment in review comments in a local versus a foreign language are compared. User sentiments are mined from 63,904 Dutch and 42,980 English TripAdvisor review comments for restaurants in Flanders (the Dutch-speaking region of Belgium). The article exploits the availability of detailed firm-level financial reports, which are mandatory for all Belgian companies. This facilitates the investigation of bottom-line profitability, which is the ultimate measure of success, and at the same time, the inclusion of firm-specific control variables in the regression analyses. Findings suggest positive sentiment toward restaurants in general and that variations in sentiment impact profitability. Sentiment in review comments is highly significant and has a larger impact than review ratings. In addition, comments in the local language (Dutch) are more impactful than comments in a global language (English). Overall results suggest that, rather than focusing solely on quantitative ratings, restaurateurs should focus on users' qualitative review comments, actively managing them to help drive restaurant performance. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to empirically assess how review ratings, sentiment in review comments, and language of review comments impact bottom-line restaurant performance, adding to the literature supporting proactive online reputation management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many studies have shown that morphological knowledge has effects on reading comprehension separate from other aspects of language knowledge. This has implications for reading instruction and assessment: it suggests that children could have reading comprehension difficulties that are due to a lack of morphological knowledge, and thus, that explicit instruction of morphology might be helpful for them, indeed for all children. To find children who might especially benefit from specific instruction in morphology, we would need good tests of morphological knowledge. We evaluated a set of morphological awareness assessments to determine whether they conclusively tapped into morphological knowledge, and found that it was not possible to be certain that they were accurately targeting morphological knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Task design has been viewed to be essential in the context of language assessment. This study investigated whether increasing task complexity affects learners' writing performance. It employs three writing tasks with different levels of complexity based on Robinson's Componential Framework. A cohort of 278 participants was selected using a simple random sampling technique, and a corpus of 603 compositions was used for data analysis. The results showed that learners demonstrated higher scores and higher levels of coherence in the compositions of more complex tasks. The findings of this study contribute to the growing field of cognitive research by exploring the effects of task complexity on learners' writing production. The results have implications for online automated writing assessment, writing test development, and the design of high-stakes language tests. The findings also provide recommendations on how tasks should be designed to develop learners' language production skills in writing instruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pervasive use of synchronous computer-mediated communication (SCMC) in second language (L2) learning has generated increasing interest among researchers in integrating SCMC with task-based language teaching (TBLT). This study examined the effects of task complexity on Chinese EFL learners' language production in SCMC modality to develop optimal tasks that facilitate the learning of English in SCMC environments. Eighty-four intermediate Chinese EFL learners completed two interactive tasks (simple and complex) in dyads via text-based or video-based SCMC. Their English productions were transcribed and coded in terms of syntactic complexity, lexical complexity and accuracy for statistical analyses. The results indicated that increasing task complexity elicited significantly lower syntactic complexity in text-based SCMC, but without significant effects on syntactic complexity in video-based SCMC. Significantly higher lexical complexity and unaffected accuracy were observed in both SCMC modes as a result of an increase in task complexity. Regarding SCMC modality, text-based SCMC resulted in significantly lower syntactic complexity, but significantly higher lexical complexity and accuracy than video-based SCMC. Plain language summary: Effects of Simple and Complex Tasks on Chinese Students' English Language Production when conducted using Synchronous Computer-Mediated Communication Platform The purpose of this study is to find out the effects that simple and complex tasks have on Chinese students' English language production when conducted using synchronous computer-mediated communication (SCMC) platform that enables text-based and video-based interaction. Eighty-four intermediate Chinese EFL learners completed the simple and complex tasks in pairs via text-based or video-based SCMC. The students' interactions were transcribed and analyzed for their complexity in terms of sentence structure and choice of words, and grammatical accuracy. The results revealed that increasing the complexity of tasks led to a significantly lower complexity of the students' sentence structure in text-based SCMC but no significant effect in video-based SCMC. Furthermore, it also led to a significantly higher complexity of choice of words and no change in terms of grammatical accuracy for both the text-based and video-based SCMC. When comparing between text-based with video-based SCMC, it was found that text-based SCMC resulted in significantly lower complexity of sentence structure but significantly higher complexity on their choice of words and grammatical accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to facilitate the instruction and acquisition of EFL writing, this paper compares the uses of the light verb get in English writing by Chinese and L1 undergraduates by drawing on insights from the theory of norms and exploitations (TNE). Corpus pattern analysis (CPA) is conducted to analyze the data taken from two comparable corpora of Chinese EFL learners' and L1 undergraduates' writing, unveiling both similarities and disparities between the two groups in terms of the patterning of get. Regarding similarities, most of the prototypical patterns identified in the two target corpora are identical, and both corpora show innovative exploitations of norms. In terms of differences, Chinese undergraduates misuses get in their writing in a varied but recognizable way. In addition, Chinese undergraduates are more likely than L1 undergraduates to overuse high-frequency patterns and semantic roles but underuse low-frequency ones, which may result in a lack of diversity in the range of patterns and complements. Chinese undergraduates' uncertainty of registers is another notable feature in their writing. Based on the findings, the paper further discusses the implications for the teaching and learning of writing in EFL contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Larger comparative studies into Europeans' attitudes toward English are scarce particularly those researching southern-eastern European countries. Thus, the present study explores attitudes toward English among 1,179 respondents in Bosnia and Herzegovina, contrasting two emerging attitudinal clusters. Moreover, the study also compares Bosnians' attitudes with the attitudes of two other national groups, that is, German and Dutch, from Edwards and Fuchs study. The findings show that younger and better educated Bosnian respondents with higher English proficiency are more favorably inclined toward English, whereas older, less educated Bosnian respondents with lower English proficiency are not as well-disposed toward English and express concerns over its consistent presence. Compared to German and Dutch respondents, Bosnians are less confident about the status of their L1, more deeply engrossed in English and like and prefer using it significantly more than two other national groups. They are exonormatively oriented and aim toward native-like pronunciation. Plain language summary: The current study explores attitudes toward English in Bosnia and Herzegovina by contrasting two attitudinal groups, that is, English-positive and English-negative groups. Moreover, the study also compares Bosnians' attitudes with the attitudes of two other national groups, that is, German and Dutch, from Edwards and Fuchs (2018) study. The findings indicate that younger and better educated Bosnian respondents with higher English proficiency are better-disposed toward English, whereas older, less educated Bosnian respondents with lower English proficiency are less favorably inclined toward English and express concerns over its consistent presence. In comparison to German and Dutch respondents, Bosnians are less confident about the status of their L1 and like and prefer using it significantly more than two other national groups. They are exonormatively oriented and aim toward native-like pronunciation. The study's importance lies in its potential to uncover some hidden language ideologies, reveal a range of English-related identities present in the Bosnian context and establish a link between English-related and national identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides three major contributions to the literature: we provide granular information on the development of student argumentative writing across secondary school; we replicate the MacArthur et al. model of Natural Language Processing (NLP) writing features that predict quality with a younger group of students; and we are able to examine the differences for students across language status. In our study, we sought to find the average levels of text length, cohesion, connectives, syntactic complexity, and word-level complexity in this sample across Grades 7-12 by sex, by English learner status, and for essays scoring above and below the median holistic score. Mean levels of variables by grade suggest a developmental progression with respect to text length, with the text length increasing with grade level, but the other variables in the model were fairly stable. Sex did not seem to affect the model in meaningful ways beyond the increased fluency of women writers. We saw text length and word level differences between initially designated and redesignated bilingual students compared to their English-only peers. Finally, we see that the model works better with our higher scoring essays and is less effective explaining the lower scoring essays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To perform a systematic search of instruments for the early identification of risk of sexual exploitation in children (CSE) and appraise their metric properties. Searches were conducted in four electronic databases to identify instruments that only evaluated child sexual exploitation with no restrictions of date or language. Two reviewers independently carried out the initial selection of titles and abstracts, appraisal of the methodological quality, compliance with the entry criteria in the analysis, and extraction of data necessary to systematize the information available. Twenty-three articles were found that used 15 CSE detection instruments. The instruments varied with regard to number of questions, ease of administration, sources of information, rating methods, and the training information provided. What they had in common is that most were designed and used in the English-speaking world, basically in the United States, with few instruments providing solid proof of their validity and reliability in the scores derived thereof. Although instruments were obtained with significant similarities in their conceptualization, differences in multiple characteristics made it difficult to draw clear conclusions regarding their greater or lesser suitability. What did become clear was the need to keep working on obtaining rigorous empirical psychometric evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study considers cultural adaptation through tourism, focusing on language-travelers: hybrid education-tourism consumers whose voices remain relatively silent in tourism studies. Qualitative, semi-structured interviews were undertaken with students, teachers, and managers in Australian English language schools to understand what language-travelers expect from their Australian experiences and the implications for language schools. The findings propose that sojourners' experiences are framed by pre-visit imaginaries of object authenticity, wherein the "object" is both Australian culture and the wider Anglophone "West." Such imaginaries are found to be validated by language schools, which face pressure to balance letting students glimpse the "backstage" and staging out-group imagined "authenticities," such as by hiring fun, approachable, and above all White teachers. We identify opportunities for language centers to understand their role within tourism as cultural mediators and suggest ways forward in promoting and inculcating critical intercultural competence among language-traveler sojourners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on two experiments that aimed to test the hypothesis that English listeners orient to full pronunciation forms—"canonical forms"—in judging the tempo of speech that features deletions. If listeners orient to canonical forms, this should mean that the perceived tempo of speech containing deletions is highly relative to the speech's articulation rate calculated on the basis of surface phone strings. We used controlled stimuli to test this hypothesis. We created sentences with one ambiguous word form (for example, support~sport), to give half of the listeners an orthographic form that includes support and the other half an otherwise identical orthographic form with sport. In both experiments, listeners judged the tempo of the sentences, which allowed us to assess whether the difference in imposed interpretation had an impact on perceived tempo. Experiment 1 used a tempo rating task in which listeners evaluated the tempo of experimental stimuli relative to comparison stimuli, on a continuous scale. Experiment 2 used a tempo comparison task in which listeners judged whether second members of stimulus pairs were slower or faster than first members. Both experiments revealed the predicted effect of the imposed word interpretation: sentences with an imposed "schwa" interpretation for the ambiguous word form were judged faster than (the same) sentences with an imposed "no schwa" interpretation. However, in both experiments the effect was small and variables related to the experimental design had significant effects on responses. We discuss the results' implications for our understanding of speech tempo perception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate the perception of loudness in response to changes in fundamental frequency (F0) in spoken sounds, as well as the influence of linguistic background on this perceptual process. The results revealed that participants perceived changes in F0 to have accompanying changes in loudness, with a trend of lower F0 sounds being perceived as louder than higher F0 sounds. This finding contrasts with previous studies on pure tones, where increases in frequency typically led to increases in loudness. Furthermore, the study examined differences between two distinct groups of participants: Chinese-speaking and English-speaking individuals. It was observed that English-speaking participants exhibited a greater sensitivity to minor intensity changes compared to Chinese-speaking participants. This discrepancy in sensitivity suggests that linguistic background may play a significant role in shaping the perception of loudness in spoken sound. The study's findings contribute to our understanding of how F0 variations are perceived in terms of loudness, and highlight the potential impact of language experience on this perceptual process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]