Gidemy Elibray

Items

• Learner Difficulties and Strategy Choice when Learning to Read in a Genetically Related Language: The Case of a Ukrainian Language Learner
  In both academic studies and anecdotal reports, there is widespread consensus that learners tend to learn a language more easily if it is linguistically close to another language in their repertoire, particularly if the languages are genetically related (i.e. belonging to the same linguistic family tree). While there is evidence for such statement to hold true thanks to the phenomenon of transfer, there seems to be an unspoken overarching assumption that the process of learning a genetically related target language is natural and without major problems, and the role of language learner strategies (LLS) is somewhat undermined in such contexts. In light of this issue, this study purports to investigate two areas within the specific skill of reading: (a) learner difficulties that emerge when learning a genetically related language at beginner level and (b) the underlying mental processes that govern corresponding strategy choices. Taking the form of a single case study under a qualitative, constructivist paradigm, this research depicts the self-studying journey of a male Taiwanese individual, who, as a former Russian language learner, learns to read a closely related language—Ukrainian. With data from reading task sheets, stimulated recalls, and a semi-structured interview, the findings identify four learner difficulties that surface when starting to read in said context, thus problematising the aforementioned general claim that a genetically related target language is largely straightforward to learn. The data also shed light on thinking processes fundamental to the decision of strategies, advocating a critical convergence between the fields of language learner strategies and second language acquisition in the discussion section. Finally, the contributions, pedagogical implications, and limitations of the study are addressed in detail.
• Forwarding the Vision
• Torn Between Expectations and Imagination: Alternative Forms of Communicating Education Research
• Manga Otaku Meets Lynda Barry: Bodily Making Comics for Finding Yourself
  This paper aims to deliver an analysis on Lynda Barry’s making comics philosophies. Barry’s practice, based on the author’s experience as her student, can be theorized as a pedagogical tool that encourages us finding yourself and embracing your past, though she doesn’t emphasize such theorization. My argument is derived from the concept of autobifictionalography from Barry’s significant book, One Hundred Demons (Barry, 2002). Some cartooning methods are introduced in this essay: namely, spontaneous drawing, drawing with eyes-closed, collaborative exercise. These recipes aid to overcome hesitation in drawing with serendipities, and enrich the body and sense awareness. Further, such methods cultivate the discussion on the problem of transnationality in Comics Studies (Eisner, 1985; Groensteen et al., 2007; Kern, 2016; McCloud, 1993; Meskin, 2009). The daily diary method (Barry, 2019) inspires in self-exploration over time and space by blurring fiction and nonfiction, which challenges the idea of fixed subjectivity. In regard of relational subjectivity and anti-perfectionist approach, Barry’s autobifictionalography aligns with posthuman theories (Barad 2007; Haraway 1985/1991). With such relationship, I consider that Barry’s method helps understand posthumanism’s complex idea. Finally, I discussed the posthuman ideas and Barry’s method along with Ghost in the Shell (Shirow, 1991), which is significant manga relating to posthumanism. In conclusion, I believe that Barry’s method will benefit anyone, so I am keen to invite more scholars and practitioners to study. As a manga scholar having found my transnational identity by Barry’s method, I hope to provide thoughtful connections beyond disciplines.
• How do Young People Think They Learn? A Learning Theory Taxonomy Devised from Pupil Preferences
  This paper reports the findings from a small-scale survey of school pupils aged 10-18. It places in order of preference, the learning theories of Behaviourism, Cognitivism, Constructivism, Experientialism, Social & Emotional Learning Theory together with the use of Metacognition. The research is qualitative and quantitative, drawing on responses to a survey with follow-up interviews. The responses were gathered from 109 respondents from every school year group from Year 6 to Year 13 in three schools and compared to the responses from a group of teachers for contrast. The research consisted of a survey about common teaching strategies, each reflecting an overarching learning theory, according to findings from the literature review (and shown in Tables 1-6). Once the strategies were placed in order of preference it was possible to filter the data to reveal a learning theory taxonomy. Findings showed that all learning strategies were judged to be of some benefit but Social & Emotional Learning (SEL) approaches were considered the most important amongst young learners. Adults’ learning preferences were also surveyed and found to be different to those of young people and there were also marked differences between the sub-groups of young learners: school key stage, possession of a computer at home, and home language. A possible implication of the findings is that it may help teachers to consider the theoretical basis on which they plan for effective learning in the classroom across Key Stages.
• Shifting Settler-Teacher Mindsets: Critical Self-Reflection on Positionality, Bias, and Privilege
  Utilizing the Following Their Voices (FTV) education initiative, a framework designed to raise the educational achievement of Saskatchewan’s First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FMNI) students by enhancing relationships between students and teachers, this study examines settler-teacher FTV participants’ abilities to explore positionality, bias, privilege, and critical self-reflection for improving the educational experiences for Indigenous students. Current research lacks insight into how settlerteachers examine and process mindsets deeply ingrained with Eurocentric ideals and colonial identities; to foster change in FNMI students’ educational experiences, it is essential to evaluate the FTV initiative through participant insight, as these mindsets significantly impact those experiences. Critical race theory provides the overarching lens while an interpretivist research methodology is used to make meaning of the participants’ interpretations. The major findings indicate that implementation, lack of continuity, and not normalizing critical self-reflection proved to hinder progress throughout the program and continues to be a barrier. For authentic, sustained change to occur, consistent critical self-reflection, affective processing, and meaning making are recommended to enhance relationships and learning outcomes for Indigenous students.
• CORERJ Volume 5
• What Role Does Working Memory Play in Primary School Reading Achievement?
  Working memory (WM) has consistently been related to reading ability, but the precise nature of this relationship remains unclear. This systematic review aims to evaluate the different pathways by which working memory may influence reading. The included papers were categorised into direct, indirect, and hierarchical effect models and presented using a narrative synthesis. The findings suggest that working memory has an indirect impact on reading ability as part of a hierarchical relationship via lower and higher order cognitive abilities. Furthermore, the nature of this relationship changes over time. As skills such as decoding become automatic, the role of WM is reduced and reserved for more complex comprehension. This review sheds light on the relationship between working memory and reading and may help to frame future research into the topic.
• The Path to Higher Education After Incarceration: A Qualitative Case Study with Project Rebound Students
  Education can act as a motivational, and changing, force in any individuals’ life – specifically for those who are experiencing incarceration. Project Rebound, an educational support program housed in the California State University system, has reported a >0.1% recidivism rate for its members. However, California’s overall recidivism rate is at 41.9% (Correctional News, 2024). This study uses qualitative research methods to examine the path to higher education for formerly incarcerated individuals. Seven active students enrolled in Project Rebound from a large southern California university participated in a one-on-one interview that lasted between 30 minutes to 1 hour and 30 minutes. Each interview was audio recorded, and then transcribed for coding purposes. Participants were asked about their experiences in higher education, Project Rebound, and the juvenile justice system. After thematic analysis using inductive, then deductive coding, four main codes were prevalent across the participants – Change is Possible, Education as a Catalyst; Early Experiences with Incarceration; Educating Others; and “It’s a Part of my Story, but not the Whole Thing.” Overall, these findings highlight the impact education, specifically higher education, can have in changing incarcerated individuals’ lives.
• Are native English-speaking teachers more qualified? A Critical Review of Blum and Johnson’s (2012) Article ‘Reading Repression: Textualizing the Linguistic Marginalization of Non-native English-Speaking Teachers in Arizona’
• Between Idealism and Realism: Critical Peace Education in Divided Post-Conflict Contexts
  This paper navigates through Critical Peace Education (CPE), a concept that emerged in response to criticisms of peace education as ‘politicised’, ‘propaganda’, ‘not objective’ and ‘lacking criticality’. CPE aims to develop students’ critical consciousness that would enable them to explore contradictions in their social, political and economic realm. It would also prepare them to act against these contradictions. This paper compares and contrasts theoretical grounds of CPE with three other approaches to education, namely Allport’s (1954) Contact Theory, Taylor’s (1994) Multiculturalism and Gallager’s (1996) ‘teaching contested narratives’. Building on the epistemological similarity between CPE and these three other approaches and given the scarcity of CPE application and evaluation (Bajaj, 2015), I find that scrutinising applications, evaluations and implications of these approaches in conflicted contexts must yield valuable insights to CPE. Accordingly, I explore two conflict/post conflict contexts, namely Rwanda and Palestine- Israel. I review relevant literature that examines and evaluates these approaches and I highlight three challenges to their application; ‘The power of the victor’, ‘identity accentuation’, ‘social transformation: The individual or structural asymmetry?’. The paper concludes with suggesting three parameters that are worth considering when conceptualising CPE: ‘Practicality’, ‘Sustainability’ and ‘Scalability’.
• Learner Agency in Feedback: A Review of Conceptualisations and Related Constructs
  Learner agency in feedback, commonly referred to as learner feedback agency (LFA), has garnered significant scholarly attention over the last decade. Despite growing scholarly interest, a comprehensive understanding of LFA’s conceptualisations remains limited. This review critically evaluates existing publications to gather insights into the characteristics of prevailing conceptualisations of LFA. Findings indicate an increasing number of studies directly exploring LFA, yet the majority of reviewed literature centres on five key constructs overlapping or encompassing LFA: feedback uptake, feedback engagement, student voice in feedback, student autonomy in feedback, and feedback-seeking. Furthermore, this review identified a network of seven interrelated facets that underpin current conceptualisations of LFA, namely behavioural, cognitive, affective, dispositional, relational, societal, and material facets. Employing the metaphor of a knot, this review attempts to contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of LFA by considering it as an intricate and dynamic entanglement among these facets. This review contributes to the field by offering a theoretical synthesis and foundation for future research and discourse on LFA.
• Design for Emotion: Can UK secondary school students be taught how to evoke an emotional response through product design?
  This paper investigates whether secondary school students can be taught to design products which evoke a particular emotion in the user. A discussion on emotion is presented. Six emotions are identified for use in the study. To the authors’ knowledge the concept of designing for emotion has not been researched or taught in the UK outside of higher education. Therefore, this study is the first to investigate designing for emotion within a secondary school environment and whilst the scale of this study is small, it provides some valuable insights for wider investigation. Eight male students aged 13-14 participated in the study. Pre and post questionnaires were completed and in addition, one semi-structured interview was conducted to enable both quantitative and qualitative data to be gathered. The findings are positive and suggest that designing for emotion increases student's ability to be creative and improves their consideration of the user. Evidence of their detailed design thinking and consideration of product features are presented. Prior personal experience of the emotions are reported, as are the session activities, as a source of student inspiration, with important findings favouring the use of mood boards. Limitations of the study are considered together with recommendations for further research.
• From Ears to Experience: Insights into Living with Long-Term Glue Ear
• Styles and Trends of Online Aggressive Language among English Students in Their Blogging Activities
  Online aggression is a prevalent phenomenon among university students because information and communication technology (ICT) is an inseparable part of their daily and academic lives. University students are a demographic that is reportedly little studied. Previous research studied popular social networking sites rather than Blog, and online aggression is rarely studied through the lens of linguistics. Therefore, this study covered these research gaps by exploring the language tendencies of English students who are engaging in online aggression in Blog. The research design is triangulation mixed methods with two data types, i.e., 43 online questionnaire responses as the quantitative data and 302 online aggressive blog comments as the qualitative data. The questionnaire results were analysed based on the percentages and scale leanings, whereas the documented comments were analysed with content analysis assisted with NVivo 12. The results revealed that online aggression among university students who are blogging is primarily done with the style of combining text and non-text elements. The trends of their online aggressive language are lowercase spellings, no proper punctuation, and frequent usage of emoji to fulfil multiple purposes, i.e., syntactic as punctuation and semantic as discourse particle or emblem gesture. This study contributed in exploring the online aggression experiences of a unique demography, specifically the linguistic tendencies of university foreign language students who are interacting aggressively non-anonymously on a social networking site that is little studied.
• Can "Theory of Mind" be taught in school?
  “Theory of mind” (ToM) refers to an individual’s ability to understand and attribute one’s and other people’s mental states, such as thoughts, intentions and beliefs (Baron-Cohen et al., 1985; Premack & Woodruff, 1978). ToM is part of the construct of social cognition, and empirical evidence has suggested ToM plays a vital role in children’s social development. The significance of ToM in children’s development has led researchers to examine individual differences in ToM and their implications (Hughes, 2011). Additionally, researchers have considered whether children who lagged behind in ToM can catch up with their peers, leading to the question as to whether ToM can be taught in school. From a socio-constructivism perspective, it may be helpful to teach ToM in school as teachers can provide scaffolding to children, hence reducing gaps in ToM development. This review will explore whether ToM could be and should be taught in school. The review argues that, given its social origin, ToM can be taught in school, and it should be incorporated in the curriculum instead of being introduced as an independent subject. However, ToM should be taught in school only if educators are aware of the practical issues in doing so. There might be a limited generalisability of the learning effect, an iatrogenic possible effect, and the sociocultural and pedagogical differences across societies in children’s ToM development.
• Learning how to “Tease da Otha’ Race:” Ethnic-Racial Socialization through Multicultural Literature
  While multicultural education is lauded in the U.S. as a culturally-relevant teaching and learning approach that upholds diversity and inclusion, its emphasis of group differences often leads to essentialism, which may result in racial and gendered stereotypes that label non-white, non-binary, nonU.S. American/European students as deviations from dominant groups. This discordance is clear in acritical and ahistorical narratives that paint Hawai‘i and its education system as a model multicultural society despite an abundance of evidence pointing to the existence of institutionalized racism and sexism. Using a critical race theoretical lens and a critical race content analytical framework to examine three Hawai‘i-focused texts, this article exposes racial microaggressions about Communities of Color layered within multicultural discourse. Furthermore, the analysis theorizes potential long-term consequences of consistent exposure to racial microaggressions for Students of Color through an acritical, multicultural educational approach. This includes an internalization of racist ideologies and discourses that contribute to intragroup and intergroup conflict and a low self-regard.
• Storying: a Reflection on Entanglements with Indigenous Australian Methodology
  This article explores a First Nations PhD student’s personal narrative of navigating the entanglement of obligations, relationships, and methodology, while undertaking research with their own community within the Australian settler state. The experience of First Nations PhD student in our journey toward epistemological resonance confined by our unique geopolitical contexts is not adequately represented in any one discourse. Not only are First Nations PhD students dispersed throughout disciplines with unique specific circumstances, we are relative newcomers to the academy. On my journey I privilege my scholarly Matriarchs, Ngugi and Waka Waka scholar Professor Tracey Bunda and Goenpal scholar Professor Aileen Moreton-Robinson, while also honouring my own Elders and Matriarchs. I am undertaking fieldwork with Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company, a long running Aboriginal theatre company located in Boorloo (Perth, Western Australia). Phillips and Bunda’s Storying (2018) underpins my pedagogical approach in the classroom, which highlights students’ understandings of, and critical engagement with, culture, identity and belonging, in a high school drama classroom. I also experiment with Storying as a method of writing, further illustrating the entanglement of the work and the work’s outcomes. Moreton-Robinson provides the broader critical perspectives needed to acknowledge the role the settler state has to play in the attempted erasure of Indigenous Australian knowledges. As a result, this article stories the lived experience of a First Nations Education student in the context of studying at the University of Cambridge, while also undertaking fieldwork on their Whadjuk Noongar homelands of Boorloo.
• Understanding Equity and Access in the Expansion of Higher Education in Myanmar
  In this article, I examine the extent to which higher education has expanded in Myanmar and whether this expansion has widened or narrowed the equity gap in higher education access, using the lenses of the Maximally Maintained Inequality and Rational Choice Model. To achieve this, I employ a parallel mixed-method research design comprising two components: policy analysis and secondary data analysis. I first explore the policy initiatives implemented before 2016 that arguably aimed at promoting equitable access to higher education. Subsequently, using nationally representative data from the Myanmar Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (2000) and separately the Myanmar Demographic & Health Survey (2015-16), I examine the extent to which socio-economic status and certain background characteristics continue to be related to opportunities of access to higher education. I then examine whether the expansion from 2000 to 2016 narrows the socio-economic status differences in access to higher education. The findings suggest that socio-economic status and other background characteristics such as gender, ethnicity, and area of residence became more strongly associated to higher education following the expansion, suggesting a move away, instead of towards, equitable opportunities of access. Although higher education access increased across all socio-economic groups over the period studied, the expansion widened the educational inequalities. This is particularly evident for students from lowersocio-economic backgrounds, those from rural areas, and ethnic minorities. In addition, gender-based admission policy initiatives appear to fall short of addressing the existing gender disparities. Hence, I conclude that the policy initiatives studied in this research did not promote equity, despite ostensibly looking to do so. I contextualise my findings in the current Myanmar milieu and propose policy initiatives which, once researched appropriately, could serve to address the inequalities in access to higher education in Myanmar.
• The Future is in the Making: A Review of Literature on Dynamic Assessment in Second Language Education
  As a newly-introduced perspective and pedagogy in second language (L2) education, Dynamic Assessment (DA) disintegrates the long-standing dualism between instruction and assessment by unifying the simultaneous diagnosis and promotion of learners’ L2 developmental potential during the evaluation process. Aligning with a future-oriented and process-focused vision to achieve educational fairness, DA has been increasingly gaining attention and has ignited much research enthusiasm by both educational scholars and practitioners. However, little has been done to date concerning an up-to-date review of this prospective domain. This article aims to provide a thorough review of the developmental trajectories of L2 DA literature with a dual purpose. First, it seeks to comprehensively tease out the general trends and themes in L2 DA development spanning over 30 years. Second, it endeavors to critically comment on the methodologies and DA approaches employed in different studies to emphasize meaningful advances in the field. In so doing, this article first introduces the key concepts of Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory underlying the DA principle and then provides a review of empirical L2 DA works coded into three themes, i.e., the interactionist DA approach, the interventionist DA approach and the hybrid DA approach, with several sub-themes further added. Summaries and limitations of current L2 DA works are discussed and potential directions for future research are also suggested.
• Rewriting the Rules of the School Uniform: Insights into Power and Policy in Tanzania
  Non-formal education (NFE) in Tanzania has experienced a recent swell of government support at the secondary school level, where efforts have focused on mainstreaming teenage mothers back into formal education. NFE is defined as any instruction outside of formal schooling that involves the acquisition of basic education; it is used as a complementary feature in most education systems around the world because it provides flexible and accelerated pathways to learning. My doctoral research examines how the political economy arrangements in Tanzania’s education system shape the delivery of NFE at secondary school centers known as, ‘open schools.’ This piece draws on findings from my fieldwork, including policy analysis and in-depth interviews, to narrow in on the reappropriation of policy rules for the use of school uniforms in open schools. In Tanzania, government cohesion around education policymaking exists but the institutions that regulate and distribute education priorities are highly personalized, giving way to policy misalignments that allow for ground-level actors to redefine policy rules. In the case of the school uniform, policies stipulate that NFE students are exempt from wearing them but, in practice, open schools enforce strict uniform rules for their students. School uniforms serve as powerful social signifiers of age and authority. Schools and teachers at the frontline of NFE provision are attuned to these social norms and rewrite the uniform rules accordingly. My reflections on uniform use in Tanzanian open schools are helpful for a broader analysis of how ground level actors can correct for policy misalignments. However, more research is needed to better understand how political economy shapes these misalignments. Furthermore, reforms need to be grounded in local knowledge, as policy priorities are often too far removed from the realities on the ground.
• Sociocultural and Sociolinguistic Approaches to the Role of the Social Context in Online L2 Learning: A Comparative Analysis of Two Empirical Studies
  This paper compares and evaluates sociocultural and sociolinguistic approaches to the role of the social context in second language learning (L2 learning), through analysing two empirical studies about online interaction. The paper argues that due to the different focus of study in the two perspectives, each approach only provides partial explanations of the complex role of the social context in online L2 learning contexts. While the developmental perspective taken by the sociocultural approach provides a detailed account of how learning is socially mediated from external to the internal planes, there is an absence of exploration about how learners themselves can impact the learning process. Contrastingly, while the sociolinguistic approach provides rich insight to how learner affect, identities, stances and ideologies can impact L2 learning processes, how these factors impact the actual acquisition of L2 code is rather unclear. After a critical evaluation of the two approaches, the paper concludes that each of the partial explanations provided by the two approaches are complementary in nature, and that together, they provide a useful tool kit for understanding the complex social nature of L2 learning. Nonetheless, some of the rigid premises set out by both approaches, such as expert-novice participation and language-culture correlation need to be re-evaluated given the backdrop of today’s multilingual age where technology and globalization have fundamentally changed the ways we interact and learn.
• Students’ Strengths Use and Engagement: Exploring the Mediating Role of Basic Psychological Needs
  With the rise of positive psychology, the focus on individuals’ strengths has become an innovative paradigm for enhancing both wellbeing and performance. While extensive research has demonstrated the positive effect of strengths use on work engagement, less is known about its impact on students’ engagement and the psychological mechanisms underlying the effect of strengths use. This study examines the relationship between strengths use and engagement among university students, with a focus on the mediating role of Basic Psychological Needs (BPN). A sample of 57 participants, including both undergraduate and postgraduate students, completed online questionnaires assessing their strengths use, engagement, and BPN satisfaction. Data were analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM) mediation analysis. Results indicated a significantly positive relationship between strengths use and engagement, with BPN fulfilment fully mediating this relationship. This suggests that strengths use enhances students’ engagement through the satisfaction of BPN. These results contribute to the literature by providing evidence for the mediating role of BPN and have significant implications for educational strategies aimed at enhancing students’ engagement. The study recommends that future research replicates these findings across diverse demographics and educational settings.
• Trainee teachers’ views on democratic citizenship education: The cases of the PGCE and Teach First
• Understanding Second Language Learning Through a Sociolinguistic Lens: A Comparative Analysis of the Variationist and Identity Approaches