(2022). Assumptions on Plausible Lexical Distractors in the Redesigned TOEIC Question-Response Listening Test. LEARN Journal: Language Education and Acquisition Research Network, v15 n2 p802-829 Jul-Dec. Distractors in tests are included to divert attention away from correct answers choices. Knowing what types of distractors commonly appear in tests will benefit test takers as they can prepare themselves beforehand. Therefore, this qualitative study was aimed at making assumptions on plausible lexical distractors which are expected to appear in the TOEIC Question-Response listening test. The data under analysis were 300 items from the TOEIC Question-Response listening practice tests published by two internationally well-known publishers. With the aid of thematic analysis, the findings revealed that the three most commonly plausible lexical distractors were repeated words, similar-sounding words, and word associations, followed by homonyms, overlapping words, derivational words, and homophones, respectively. The two least frequently used lexical distractors were synonyms and antonyms. Based on the findings in the present study, the authors suggest integrating both explicit and… [PDF]
(2021). Functional Connectivity in the Developing Language Network in 4-Year-Old Children Predicts Future Reading Ability. Developmental Science, v24 n2 e13041 Mar. Understanding how pre-literate children's language abilities and neural function relate to future reading ability is important for identifying children who may be at-risk for reading problems. Pre-literate children are already proficient users of spoken language and their developing brain networks for language become highly overlapping with brain networks that emerge during literacy acquisition. In the present longitudinal study, we examined language abilities, and neural activation and connectivity within the language network in pre-literate children (mean age = 4.2 years). We tested how language abilities, brain activation, and connectivity predict children's reading abilities 1 year later (mean age = 5.2 years). At Time 1, children (n = 37) participated in a functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) experiment of speech processing (listening to words and pseudowords) and completed a standardized battery of language and cognitive assessments. At Time 2, children (n = 28)… [Direct]
(2018). The Potentials of Using Mobile Technology in Teaching Individuals with Learning Disabilities: A Review of Special Education Technology Literature. TechTrends: Linking Research and Practice to Improve Learning, v62 n6 p647-653 Nov. Within the literature, a respectful number of studies related to the use of assistive technologies for special education, resulting in an enormous agenda that encompasses various types of assistive technology applied across disabilities in different types of curricula. These disabilities include, but are not limited to: learning disabilities, mild, moderate and severe mental retardation, speech and communication disorders, hearing and speaking disabilities, and autism Hence, under the intertwined and overlapping umbrellas of assistive technologies and special education, mobile technology finds its promising, new spot on the surface of emerging assistive technologies in the field of special education. This paper addresses the potentials of using mobile technology in teaching individuals with developmental disorders based on current literature…. [Direct]
(2018). Solidarity and Disagreements: Social Dimensions in Cooperative Writing Group. Journal on English Language Teaching, v8 n1 p30-43 Jan-Mar. Using conversational analysis as a methodological framework, this paper aims to analyze the sequential pattern of the turns in cooperative writing group interactions which unfolds solidarity building and disagreement episodes. Recorded verbal and non-verbal interactions of a group, comprised of ten members, were carefully transcribed to closely examine overlapping, latching, cut-off and other pragmatic cues of the turn taking. Results show that solidarity building is displayed using collaborative construction turn strategy and laughter strategies. Disagreement as a preferred act is an effective speech strategy that does not only use in pursuit of knowledge, but could also establish group cohesiveness. Data also opens implications for English Language Teaching (ELT) specifically in promoting pragmatic competence among English as a Second Language (ESL) learners…. [PDF]
(2023). Discourse Analysis of Male and Female Representatives of Selected Countries at the United Nations General Debates. AILA Review, v36 n2 p163-193. The aim of this paper was to evaluate gender differences in the language used in United Nations (UN) General Assembly debates by one male and one female representative each from India, China, the USA, and Indonesia. The critical discourse analysis (CDA) framework of van Dijk (2015) was used along with the 25 discursive devices in this framework. The data on frequencies of variables were analysed statistically. No significant differences were observed between positive comments about oneself, negative comments about others, length of speech (in words), and the various devices by the gender of the speaker at the 0.05 level of significance. However, gender differences in terms of higher levels for males than for females were observed for populism (t(6)= 2.354, p= 0.057), norm expression (t(6)= 2.171, p= 0.073), and positive comments about oneself (t(6)= 2.224, p= 0.068). The correlation coefficients were significant between genders for positive-self, norm expression, and national… [Direct]
(2018). Cascading and Multisensory Influences on Speech Perception Development. Mind, Brain, and Education, v12 n4 p212-223 Dec. Over the first weeks and months following birth, infants' initial, broad-based perceptual sensitivities become honed to the characteristics of their native language. In this article, we review this process of emerging specialization within the context of a cascading "critical period" (CP) framework, in which periods of maximal openness to experience of different aspects of language occur at sequential, overlapping points in development. Importantly, as infants' experience of speech is not limited to auditory signals, but is informed by–for example–their experience of talking faces and their own oral motor movements, we review the trajectory of perceptual specialization in multisensory language processing. Throughout, we highlight the impact of increasing perceptual specialization on later language outcomes (e.g., word learning, foundations of syntax, literacy), and consider how the outcomes can be compromised if/when the timing of perceptual specialization has been… [Direct]
(2022). Cancel Culture in Academia: Social Media Self-Presentation in the Context of Imagined Surveillance. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Grand Canyon University. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how academics in the United States described their social media self-presentations (SMSPs) in the context of imagined surveillance. Moral Reasoning Theory drove two RQs: (1) How do academics describe construction of SMSPs in the context of imagined surveillance? (2) How do academics describe the influence of imagined surveillance on their personal SMSPs? 106 academics from across the U.S. were recruited by convenience sampling from two scholarly associations. Data were collected from closed-/open-ended questionnaires (n = 102) and semi-structured interviews (n = 20). Data analysis applied a six-phased Reflexive Thematic Analysis procedure of inductive coding to generate five themes and 14 subthemes. Academics described SMSP construction as negotiating: (1) promises and perils of in/visibility, including (a) unspoken rules, (b) overlapping identities, (c) social support, and (d) personal opinion-sharing, which was… [Direct]
(2017). How Do Chinese Speakers of English Manage Rapport in Extended Concurrent Speech?. Multilingua: Journal of Cross-Cultural and Interlanguage Communication, v36 n2 p181-204 Mar. Little research has focused on extended concurrent speech, unexpected floor taking, or topic switching, since it has been deemed rare (Schegloff 2000. "Overlapping talk and the organization of turn-taking for conversation." "Language in Society" 29(1). 1-63.) or inappropriate (Goldberg 1990." Interrupting the discourse on interruptions: An analysis in terms of relationally neutral, power- and rapport-oriented acts." "Journal of Pragmatics" 14(6). 883-903; Giora 1998. "Discourse coherence is an independent notion: A reply to Deirdre Wilson." "Journal of Pragmatics" 29(1). 75-86). This study integrated Spencer-Oatey's (2008. Face, (im)politeness and rapport. In Helen Spencer-Oatey (ed.), "Culturally speaking: Culture, communication and politeness theory", 11-47. London: Continuum) rapport management model with the community of practice model (Wenger 1998. "Communities of practice: Learning, meaning, and… [Direct]
(2016). Attention Control and the Effects of Online Training in Improving Connected Speech Perception by Learners of English as a Second Language. Online Submission, Ph.D. Dissertation, University of South Carolina. One of the aspects of L2 English phonology which poses a challenge for L2 learners is learning how to decode the language, especially as spoken by native speakers. This difficulty may be due to the way the native speakers speak by 'draw[ing] [the sounds] together' (Clarey & Dixson, 1963), which results in realization of consonants and vowels differently than when uttered in isolation. This process is referred to as "connected speech" (e.g., pronouncing 'want to' as [characters omitted], and 'going to' as [characters omitted]). The challenge in teaching and learning these forms is that they lack perceptual saliency, requiring extra attentional resources for learners to be able to recognize these forms in spoken language. Therefore, a better understanding of the role of attention in learning these forms is needed. While some studies find a relationship between attention control as a cognitive ability and L2 phonological processing (Darcy, Mora & Daidone, 2014;… [PDF]
(2016). Attention Control and the Effects of Online Training in Improving Connected Speech Perception by Learners of English as a Second Language. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, University of South Carolina. One of the aspects of L2 English phonology which poses a challenge for L2 learners is learning how to decode the language, especially as spoken by native speakers. This difficulty may be due to the way the native speakers speak by 'draw[ing] [the sounds] together' (Clarey & Dixson, 1963), which results in realization of consonants and vowels differently than when uttered in isolation. This process is referred to as "connected speech" (e.g., pronouncing 'want to' as [characters omitted], and 'going to' as [characters omitted]). The challenge in teaching and learning these forms is that they lack perceptual saliency, requiring extra attentional resources for learners to be able to recognize these forms in spoken language. Therefore, a better understanding of the role of attention in learning these forms is needed. While some studies find a relationship between attention control as a cognitive ability and L2 phonological processing (Darcy, Mora & Daidone, 2014;… [Direct]
(2022). Coordinated Social Communication in Toddlers with and without Autism Spectrum Disorder during a Home Observation. Autism & Developmental Language Impairments, v7. Background & Aims: Social communication and language skills have been found to be important predictors of long-term outcomes in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, the development of coordinated social communication (i.e., gestures and sounds or words) remains relatively understudied in young children with ASD and developmental delays (DD). This study used a prospective, longitudinal design and granular observational coding to document the coordination of gestures, sounds, and words in a large, heterogeneous sample of toddlers identified with ASD, DD, or typical development (TD) during a naturalistic home observation. Specific aims were: (1) to compare rates per minute and proportions of coordinated child communicative acts across groups; (2) to examine concurrent relationships between coordinated communication and measures of social communication and autism symptoms; and (3) to examine prospective relationships between coordinated communication, receptive… [PDF] [Direct]
(2017). Impact of Alternative & Augmentative Communication on the Utterance Length of Children with Limited Oral Language. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Kansas. Children with limited oral language due to developmental and language delays have difficulty with communication in their everyday lives. Their trouble with speech and/or language impacts their ability to socialize with peers and learn in the school setting. Most of the research on alternative and augmentative communication systems and oral language has focused on the language development of children with less than 20 spoken words. The focus of this study is on the use of Alternative and Augmentative Communication Systems to increase oral language for children with limited oral language. Limited oral language is defined as being able to speak more than 20 words and an MLU of 2 or less. These alternative systems aid in expression and comprehension of language through visual and auditory means. Three boys age three to six were enrolled in the study lasting three months per child in an overlapping timeframe. Using a multiple baseline design during a shared book reading experience, the… [Direct]
(1980). Modelling Intonational Variability in Children. York Papers in Linguistics, n8 p61-96 Sep. The frequencies and co-occurrence distributions of some of the prosodic features in the speech of children are discussed. The emphasis is on the determination of systems and structure of non-segmental lectal variability in the children's speech without primary reference to function. The primary data consisted of selected episodes of connected speech from six Tyneside (England) children, three boys and three girls, aged 4.7 to 5.9 years. The episodes are all taken from tape-recordings in naturalistic settings in the children's homes. The system of analysis that was used treats prosodic features organized into independent, but interacting systems. The discussion of the research treats: (1) some of the similarities in the children's speech by examining details of the tone units which they realize; (2) some of the more important differences between the frequency distributions of nuclear tones in localized Tyneside and non-localized speech; and (3) overlapping representations of tonic… [PDF]
(2014). Genetic and Environmental Overlap between Chinese and English Reading-Related Skills in Chinese Children. Developmental Psychology, v50 n11 p2539-2548 Nov. This twin study examined the relative contributions of genes and environment on 2nd language reading acquisition of Chinese-speaking children learning English. We examined whether specific skills-visual word recognition, receptive vocabulary, phonological awareness, phonological memory, and speech discrimination-in the 1st and 2nd languages have distinct or overlapping genetic and environmental origins. A sample of 279 Chinese twin pairs with a mean age of 6 years was tested. Univariate twin analyses were used to identify sources of individual variations in reading abilities and related cognitive-linguistic skills in Chinese and English, respectively. They were used to show both similar and distinctive patterns in these skills across Chinese and English. Bivariate Cholesky decomposition analyses indicated genetic overlaps between all parallel Chinese and English variables, as well as shared environmental overlaps in receptive vocabulary and phonological awareness. The phenotypic… [Direct]
(2012). Learning Vowel Categories from Maternal Speech in Gurindji Kriol. Language Learning, v62 n4 p1052-1078 Dec. Distributional learning is a proposal for how infants might learn early speech sound categories from acoustic input before they know many words. When categories in the input differ greatly in relative frequency and overlap in acoustic space, research in bilingual development suggests that this affects the course of development. In the present study we describe the nature and extent of vowel variation in nearly 900 vowel tokens in maternal speech in Gurindji Kriol, a mixed language of northern Australia, which, like bilingual input, has differences in the relative frequency of adjacent, overlapping vowel categories. In Analysis 1, we provide the first systematic account of vowel variation and phone frequency in maternal speech in Gurindji Kriol. In Analysis 2, cluster analysis was applied to the vowel formant and duration data, to see what categories might emerge from acoustic data alone. The results suggest that, were infants to base their initial vowel categories solely on the… [Direct]