A STUDY ON THE EFFECTS OF EFL TEACHERS’ USE OF THE BIG6 ON LEARNERS’ ARGUMENTATIVE WRITING / NGHIÊN CỨU VỀ ẢNH HƯỞNG CỦA VIỆC SỬ DỤNG BIG6 CỦA GIÁO VIÊN EFL ĐỐI VỚI KHẢ NĂNG VIẾT LUẬN CỦA NGƯỜI HỌC

Information literacy has proved to be one of the factors that help learners increase their writing academic in higher education institutions around the world. Therefore, developing information literacy curriculum for learners who speak English as a foreign language is of critical concern for librarians and English as a Foreign Language: EFL educators. However, in general, there is limited research about learners' information literacy experiences in English writing educational contexts. Therefore, this research fills a gap in the research, as it focuses on investigating the effects of EFL teachers’ use of the Information literacy model - Big6 on learners' argumentative writing. In this research, a mixed method combined both quantitative and qualitative designs was conducted to collect and analyze the data, including a pre-test and a post-test, questionnaires, classroom observations and semi- structured interviews. The findings show that there is a statistically significant difference between the writing performances at two time points of the experimental group who was taught English with information literacy skills. In addition, the findings indicate that EFL teachers and learners became more aware of the integration of information literacy skills into their teaching argumentative writing to learners. Key issues about training provision in this area were examined, and options of developing information literacy support for EFL learners were also discussed. <p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0794/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Multitiered Early Literacy Identification in 3-Year-Old Children in Head Start Settings

Three-year-old children are seldom the focus in studies about supplemental early literacy instructional support. This study examines 3-year-old children’s potential need for additional early literacy support, extending and replicating a previous investigation that identified prekindergarten children (i.e., 4-year-olds) in Head Start classrooms for additional tiers of early literacy support. The sample included 143 children from Head Start centers in a southeastern, urban region of the United States who had received both fall and spring administrations of an early literacy screener (i.e., Get Ready to Read! —Revised). Standard scores were used to classify children into three tiers, and child tier movement from fall to spring was analyzed. Results support the feasibility of a tiered approach for examining 3-year-old children’s early literacy instructional needs. This might allow researchers and practitioners to provide intervention to children much sooner, thereby increasing the potential for positive long-term reading outcomes.

Validation of information-seeking behaviour of nursing students confirms most profiles but also indicates desirable changes for information literacy support

PurposeThe study aims were: (1) to replicate a previous study by the first author to confirm previous findings (internal validity) and to check construct validity of previously proposed information-behaviour profiles, (2) to compare the information processes used by students in parallel with requirements of early professional practice.Design/methodology/approachA replication study used the same questionnaire, delivered online to all 175 students across three years of a BSc adult nursing degree programme on one UK university campus. The survey included questions on information seeking processes, personality, approaches to learning and self-efficacy with information literacy. The literature review examined evidence around the transition from nursing student to practitioner and the Association for College and Research Libraries (ACRL) standards for nursing information literacy.FindingsThe response rate was 86/175 (49%). The result verified findings on the most frequent information processes and association between approach to learning and information literacy self-efficacy. The personality findings differed. Combining results for both studies helped confirm most of the information-behaviour profiles. Mapping the frequent information processes against requirements of practice indicated gaps, particularly around professional networking.Research limitations/implicationsAs both studies were carried out at one higher education campus, further research to assess external validity is required.Practical implicationsInformation-behaviour profiles, plus the mapping, help librarians and tutors develop tailored information literacy support that is clinically relevant and support transition to practice.Originality/valueValidated a set of information behaviour profiles for nursing students and linked these to the requirements of professional practice.

What Does It Mean to Be College-Ready for Career Technical Education?

Objective/Research Question: Surprisingly, little research explores the literacy practices specific to career technical education (CTE) courses at the postsecondary level, yet the number of students coming to college needing literacy support continues to increase. There is a need for focused research on what constitutes college-readiness. The study described in this article addresses this overarching issue by exploring the text expectations, including text types, tasks, and goals in both CTE courses and developmental reading (DR) courses to determine whether, how, and to what extent text expectations align across the DR and CTE courses. Methods: This multisite research project involved three community colleges in one Midwestern state. Data sources included surveys, focus groups, and textbooks for all courses. Data collection procedures were comparable for each type of data, across all study sites, focal tracks, and constituency groups. Results: This study’s findings suggest a lack of alignment between the DR courses and the introductory-level CTE courses, on a number of levels. Conclusions/Contributions: This study’s findings suggest a need to continue investigating what constitutes college-ready for reading, across multiple disciplinary and career technical areas.

Academics’ Understandings of the Literacy Needs of International Graduate Students

This article critically explores the understandings about the English academic literacy needs of international graduate students from the perspective of academic teaching staff in a Faculty of Education at a large Australian university. Research suggests that international graduate students for whom English is another language, on coming to English speaking countries, acquire English academic literacies as part of a complex set of academic competencies needed for successful graduate study. In this study, 16 academic teaching staff participated in focus groups and revealed their understandings and practices about academic literacies in the context of their experiences of working with international graduate students as teachers and supervisors. Emergent thematic analysis and Bourdieu’s ideas of doxa, field, and habitus were used to examine the data. Findings revealed a range of beliefs about what international graduate students need regarding academic literacies and language support, and some contestation about the role of the academic in providing literacy support. This suggests challenges of consistency in graduate teaching and learning, and the need for greater clarity concerning what equitable support international students are given.

A Content Analysis of Mental Health Literacy Education for Sport Coaches

Sport coaches can play an influential role in athletes’ mental health help seeking through purposeful communication, destigmatization of mental health concerns, and supportive relationships. To positively engage in these behaviors, coaches require mental health knowledge (or literacy), positive attitudes about that knowledge, and self-efficacy to use that knowledge. Guided by a multidimensional health literacy framework, we conducted a content analysis of web content and scholarly literature to identify health education programming for coaches that addressed athlete mental health. A purposive sample of Olympic National Governing Bodies, collegiate athletic associations, high school sport associations, youth sport governing bodies, and the scholarly literature were analyzed. We found inconsistent programming regarding a range of mental health disorders, behaviors critical to mental health promotion, and critical components of mental health literacy. Implications and next steps for mental health literacy support for coaches are discussed.

Misinformation Inoculation and Literacy Support Tweetorials on COVID-19

Many expected federal public health agencies to provide timely and accurate information about the COVID-19 pandemic. That did not happen. In response, physicians and epidemiologists have explored new ways to educate the public about COVID-19 and protect against misinformation. One genre that has received significant uptake is the tweetorial, threaded tweets that educate followers on technical matters. This article builds on prior genre studies of the tweetorial to explore how #MedTwitter and #EpiTwitter communities have refashioned the emerging conventions of the tweetorial as part of efforts to protect the public from COVID-19 misinformation.

The Joy of Having a Book in Your Own Language: Home Language Books in a Refugee Education Centre

In 2018, Aotearoa/New Zealand increased its annual refugee quota to 1000. When refugees arrive in Aotearoa/New Zealand they spend six weeks in a resettlement programme. During this time, children attend an introduction to schooling. First language (L1) literacy support for children experiencing education in a medium that is not their Home Language has been identified as essential for children’s educational success. This knowledge is reflected in Principle 4 of the International Literacy Association’s Children’s Rights to Read campaign, which states that “children have the right to read texts that mirror their experiences and languages...”. In 2018, the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY)-Yamada Foundation granted funding to IBBY in Aotearoa/New Zealand (IBBYNZ)/Storylines to supply books in the Home Languages of the refugee children in the introduction to school programme. Over 350 books were sourced in a range of languages including Farsi, Arabic, Tamil, Punjabi, Burmese, Karen, Chin, and Spanish. In this article, the sourcing of these books and their introduction to children in a refugee resettlement programme is described. Interviews with five teachers in the resettlement programme concerning the use of the books and how children and their families have been responding are reported. Future programme developments are outlined.