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A Kaleidoscopic Gaze of India through Julio Barrenechea’s oeuvre

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366 views

Mala Shikha1 & Ranjeeva Ranjan2*

1Assistant Professor, Doon University, Dehradun, India. maladoon@gmail.com

2*Assistant Professor, Universidad Católica del Maule, Talca, Chile. ranjan@ucm.cl

Volume 13, Number 4, 2021 I Full-Text PDF

DOI: 10.21659/rupkatha.v13n4.61 

Abstract

Latin American intellectuals have included India in their imagination since the advent of Modernism, a turn-of-the-century movement in the early 20th century. Nevertheless, the idea of India in Latin American imagination has been primarily mediated through a rather fixed European lens. Within the body of Latin American scholarly encounters, the works of Julio Barrenechea are worth mentioning. They have not been critically examined extensively in academia. The present study is an attempt to reflect upon the works of the author that resulted from his experiences during his sojourn as the Ambassador of Chile in India. He wrote Sol de la India, which was published in 1969 in New Delhi, during his stay in India. Another work titled La India no misteriosa based on his Indian experience was published posthumously in 1982 in Santiago. The first work is a collection of poems while the latter is in prose. Barrenechea has described with grace and sympathy the spiritual greatness of India but at the same time, he engaged critically with the distressing social and economic realities of the nation. In the present study, the researchers analyze the theme of his works encompassing India, which as such incorporate an essentially “Chilean gaze”.

Keywords: Barrenechea, Chilean gaze, Sol de la India, La India no misteriosa, Kaleidoscope, European lens

A Survey of Using YouTube as Supplementary Material with University English Language Learners in Vietnam: A Replication Study

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721 views

Pham Minh Huy1, John R. Baker2 & Nhi Khanh Tran3

1 Creative Language Center, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Email: tg_phamminhhuy@tdtu.edu.vn. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7174-3392

2Faculty of Foreign Languages, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Email: drjohnrbaker@tdtu.edu.vn. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3379

3 Faculty of Foreign Languages, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Email: trankhanhnhi@tdtu.edu.vn. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4833-8073

Volume 13, Number 4, 2021 I Full-Text PDF

DOI: 10.21659/rupkatha.v13n4.58 

Abstract

There is a growing body of international literature that has shown positive student perceptions of using YouTube as a source of supplementary teaching and learning material. The literature further shows that YouTube use in Vietnamese educational settings is growing. However, empirical investigations in this region are lacking. As such, the question arises whether international studies’ results may be generalizable to this context. However, no replication studies have been undertaken to explore this. This mixed-methods external approximate replication of the seminal work in this field (Kelsen, 2009) was conducted to address this gap. The triangulated results (descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, qualitative interpretation) demonstrated that the current study showed markedly more positive perceptions than the initial study. Following this, it is suggested that, while the initial study is historically important, generalizability may not be transferable to the current Vietnamese context. It is further suggested the current study’s results are employed as a reference for this context and a starting point for future investigations and discussions. The results’ relevancy to the broader Asian context and suggestions for further study are also discussed.

Keywords: YouTube, EFL, ESL, ELL, language learning, Z Generation, ICT, Replication, Kelsen, Supplementary resources

Exploring the Effects of Blended Learning using WhatsApp on Language Learners’ Lexical Competence

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504 views

Divya Jyot Kaur1, Dr. Niraja Saraswat2 & Dr. Irum Alvi3

1Research Scholar, Department of Humanities & Social Sciences, Malaviya National Institute of Technology Jaipur, Jaipur, 302017, Rajasthan, India. ORCID ID: 0000-0002-6358-9364. E-mail: divyajyotdjk@gmail.com

2Assistant Prof., Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Malaviya National Institute of Technology Jaipur, Jaipur, 302017, Rajasthan, India. ORCID ID: 0000-0001-6998-6144. E-mail: niraja.hum@mnit.ac.in

3Assistant Prof., Department of Humanities, English and Applied Sciences (HEAS), Rajasthan Technical University, Kota, 324022, Rajasthan, India. ORCID ID: 0000-0001-9509-6225. E-mail: irumalvi@gmail.com

Volume 13, Number 4, 2021 I Full-Text PDF

DOI: 10.21659/rupkatha.v13n4.60 

Abstract

In the wake of COVID-19, online learning has achieved new dimensions and affected all fields of education. As such, one of the emerging fields of ELT is Mobile-Assisted Language Learning (MALL). The proposed study adapts the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) to identify factors influencing students’ behavioral intention towards WhatsApp for enhancing lexical competence. Three constructs, namely, performance expectancy, social influence, & hedonic motivation, are adopted from the original model, and two new constructs: perceived relevance and collaborative learning are added. A questionnaire was administered to 203 undergraduate students from select Institutes in Rajasthan. Smart-PLS (ver. 3.2.9) and IBM SPSS (ver. 26) are used for data analysis. Empirical testing confirms the significant relationship of social influence (?=.274, p=.002), hedonic motivation (?=0.639, p=.000), and perceived relevance (?=0.138, p=.035) with the behavioral intention to use WhatsApp for enhancing lexical competence; and performance expectancy and collaborative learning are proved as insignificant predictors of behavioral intention. The findings should aid decision-makers in developing ELT practices and teachers in opting for innovative approaches for the benefit of language learners. The originality of the study stems from the inclusion of external factors in the UTAUT model. The ramifications for MALL theory and practice have been examined in light of these findings.

Keywords: WhatsApp, Lexical competence, UTAUT, MALL, ELT, COVID-19.

Application of Video Based Learning and other digital materials for online classes in Japan

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359 views

Adam L. Miller

Aichi Shukutoku University, almiller@asu.aasa.ac.jp

Volume 13, Number 4, 2021 I Full-Text PDF

DOI: 10.21659/rupkatha.v13n4.59   

Abstract

The paper aims to examine the use of multimedia and Video Based Learning (VBL) in classes in Japanese universities, which may have moved from face-to-face to online platforms. It will also attempt to investigate if there are any tangible benefits to these materials/platforms being used, and if their continued use (after classes return to the classroom) may be advantageous to teachers or their students.

Keywords: online learning, VBL, 4IR, higher education, Japanese higher education.

English Speaking Skill and Indian Undergraduate ESL Learners: Interleaving or Block Practice?

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594 views

Sujata Kakoti1, Sarat Kumar Doley2

1PhD Scholar, Dept of English, Tezpur University,sujata7980@gmail.com

2Asst. Prof, Dept of English, Tezpur University, dolesar@tezu.ernet.in

Volume 13, Number 4, 2021 I Full-Text PDF

DOI: 10.21659/rupkatha.v13n4.57   

Abstract

Recent studies showed that compared to practicing language skills in A stepwise manner over a period known as block practice, mixing the units of learning, and making them less predictable by presenting them randomly to the language learners, known as interleaving, may prove to be a more effective approach to language teaching (Finkbeiner&Nicol, 2003; Schneider et al., 1998, 2002; Miles, 2014; Nakata, 2015). This paper is an attempt at reporting the findings of a 24-day long experimental study on the pedagogical effect of the interleaving and block practice approach to language learning (speaking skill in the present context) on undergraduate English as a second (ESL) learner. The teaching experimentation was done online on 36 undergraduate learner participants at the School of Sciences in Tezpur University during the Autumn Semester, 2020-21. The interleaving group showed slightly better language pedagogical results in speaking skills in English than the block practice group. It is, however, stated that the difference in performance was not found to be statistically significant. The performance of the two groups across the four micro-skills of speaking in English identified as interaction, pronunciation, fluency & coherence, and vocabulary & grammar remained static within the duration of the experimentation. Additionally, the groups did not demonstrate any significant difference in their L2 attitude and motivation over time.

Keywords: Interleaving; Block Practice; ESL; Speaking Skill; Attitude; Motivation; Language Pedagogy.

Inclusive learning strategies to enhance reading skill among the students with reading disability: An Occupation and Participation Approach to Reading Intervention (OPARI) in the rural Indian classroom

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573 views

D. Annuncy Vinoliya1 & Dr. R. Joseph Ponniah2

1Research Scholar, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli, Orchid Id: 0000-0003-0845-9687. Email Id: annuncydavid.nitt@gmail.com,

2Professor, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli. Orchid Id: 0000-0002-0618-6788. Email Id: Joseph@nitt.edu

Volume 13, Number 4, 2021 I Full-Text PDF

DOI: 10.21659/rupkatha.v13n4.56  

Abstract

Reading is a challenging task for reading disability for which they need comprehensive strategies like sensory and neurocognitive requirements. With this notion, the article aims to find, the appropriate pedagogies and clinical practices used for intervening the reading disability in Indian public schools. To examine, qualitative interviews were conducted with ten high school teachers and four special education teachers, who work in Government schools in India especially in the state of Tamil Nadu. The interview focused the opinions of the teachers on reading disability, facilities and pedagogies provided to the reading disability and from the interview, the study has derived the results in three main themes as, teachers’ views on reading disabilities, inadequate teaching strategies for reading disabilities, special education to the reading disabilities. In the discussion section, the article attempts to resolve the issues raised in the interview by introducing an exclusive approach to intervene reading disability. The article incorporates the principles of the Occupational Participation and Adaptation to Reading Intervention approach (OPARI) to intervene the reading disability and attempts to find a solution to the issues. In addition, the article attempts to justify the neuroscience behind the OPARI by highlighting the dopamine activation in the brain while adapting to reading. In the conclusion section, the article emphasizes therapeutic associative teaching and the need to implement OPARI in Indian classrooms.

Keywords: Reading disability, OPARI, Rural Indian classroom

Learning Styles of Saudi ESP Students

527 views

Saleem Mohd Nasim1 & Syeda Mujeeba2

1, 2 English Language Unit, Preparatory Year Deanship (PYD), Prince Sattam bin Abdul Aziz University, Saudi Arabia,

1Email: s.nasim@psau.edu.sa, educationalresearch80@gmail.com, https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5110-1547

2Email: m.syeda@psau.edu.sa, syedaroma2002@gmail.com

Volume 13, Number 4, 2021 I Full-Text PDF

DOI: 10.21659/rupkatha.v13n4.55 

Abstract

Explorations in learning styles have proved the significance of the ways students approach, assimilate, and process information. Students’ perceptions and their organization influence the quality of language learning and guide them towards autonomy, too. This study attempts to identify the preferred perceptual learning styles of 86 Saudi English for Specific Purposes (ESP) female students in the Preparatory Year Deanship, Prince Sattam bin Abdul Aziz University, Saudi Arabia. To accomplish this aim, a Perceptual Learning Style Preference Questionnaire (PLSPQ) developed by Joy Reid (1987) was used. The results showed that the participants’ major learning styles were Kinesthetic, Group, Auditory, Visual, and Tactile, whereas their minor style was Individual. The analysis of the data also revealed that the most preferred learning style was the Kinesthetic learning style (18.64%, M=4.42), and the least preferred one was the Individual learning style (14.30%, M=3.39). The second to fifth place belonged to Group (17.19%, M=4.07), Auditory (16.81%, M=3.98), Visual (16.55%, M=3.92) and Tactile (16.52%, M=3.91) learning styles. The findings have implications for teachers, syllabus designers, and researchers to take into consideration students’ preferred learning styles for language learning while teaching, changes in the learning environment, and material adaptation.

 Keywords: learning styles, individual differences, Saudi ESP students, PLSPQ, PYP

Master Students’ Perceptions of Blended Learning in the Process of Studying English during COVID 19 Pandemic in Ukraine

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586 views

Vita Bezliudna1, Iryna Shcherban2, Olena Kolomiyets3, Volodymyr Mykolaiko4, & Roman Bezliudnyi5

1Pavlo Tychyna Uman State Pedagogical University, Ukraine. Email: v.bezludna@udpu.edu.ua.

ORCID 0000-0002-4333-9026.

2Pavlo Tychyna Uman State Pedagogical University, Ukraine. Email: i.shcherban@udpu.edu.ua. ORCID 0000-0002-9918-7711.

3Pavlo Tychyna Uman State Pedagogical University, Ukraine. Email: kolmiyets@udpu.edu.ua.

ORCID 0000-0003-4169-7089

4Pavlo Tychyna Uman State Pedagogical University, Ukraine. Email: v.mykolaiko@udpu.edu.ua.

ORCID 0000-0002-0515-1241

5Pavlo Tychyna Uman State Pedagogical University, Ukraine. Email: r.o.bezliudnyi@udpu.edu.ua.

ORCID 0000-0002-5687-2794

Volume 13, Number 4, 2021 I Full-Text PDF

DOI: 10.21659/rupkatha.v13n4.54 

Abstract

The academic year 2020/2021 in higher education institutions in Ukraine began under the conditions of deteriorating epidemiological situation caused by the spread of Covid-19 pandemic. Students’ training was recommended to be carried out in the form of distance learning or blended learning. This research aims to analyse Master students’ perceptions of blended learning in the process of studying English in higher education institutions. The study presents the integrated course “Foreign Language for Specific Purposes (English)” developed for Master students of Pavlo Tychyna Uman State Pedagogical University. The experiment involves 84 respondents. The empirical basis of the study is the results obtained during three-months’ work with master students. Theoretical, empirical and statistical methods are used to conduct the study. The study investigates benefits and challenges of blended learning in studying English by Master students. The results of the questionnaire indicate the quality of teaching the course “Foreign Language for Specific Purposes (English)” as moderately positive and point out blended learning as an essential streamlined approach for creating effective learning experiences. The obtained results confirm the favourable Master students’ perceptions of blended learning in studying English during Covid-19 pandemic. Based on the findings of the study, which indicate benefits and challenges of blended learning in studying English, the authors give recommendations to improve the course “Foreign Language for Specific Purposes (English)”.

Keywords:  Master Students, Blended Learning, English, Higher Education Institution

Evolution of Concept “Black” in the US Media Discourse

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348 views

Tatiana Melnichuk1 & Natalia Saburova2

1North-Eastern Federal University, melnichuk.ta@gmail.com, ORCID 0000-0002-8126-0925

2North-Eastern Federal University, natalya_saburova@inbox.ru, ORCID 0000-0002-9743-4862

Volume 13, Number 4, 2021 I Full-Text PDF

DOI: 10.21659/rupkatha.v13n4.53 

Abstract

Media discourse is an effective tool for projecting and shaping the public perception of a certain idea or image. The article focuses on the linguistic and semantic representation of the concept “Black” in the American media discourse with a particular attention to how the concept representation has evolved from the 1990s to 2010s. The study employed corpus methodology (keyness, frequency, concordances) to analyze news articles from “The New York Times” and “The Los Angeles Times”, which were arranged into three corpora according to the publication date (1990s, 2000s, 2010s). The corpus analysis established a number of changes in the concept “Black” representation manifested primarily through the high relevance keywords and high frequency collocations. Dominant semantic components were identified in the concept representation in each corpus, as well as notable shifts in core and peripheral aspects within these semantic components. The analysis showed that although the semantic components ‘racial / ethnic inequality’ and ‘economic issues’ remain at the core of the concept in each corpus, they are expressed through connections with other semantic components which may vary throughout three decades, such as ‘culture’ in the 1990s, ‘education’ and ‘politics’ in the 2000s and ‘police brutality and profiling’ and ‘appearance’ in the 2010s.

Keywords: concept, black, representation, media discourse, keyness

The Paradigm of Transmediation: An analytical reading of the dynamics of comic strip translation with reference to select Nonte Fonte panels

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345 views

Dr. Archita Gupta

Post Graduate Teacher in English, Henry Derozio Academy, Directorate of Secondary Education,Government of Tripura.

ORCID ID:0000-0001-6030-141x. Email: architagupta82@gmail.com

Volume 13, Number 4, 2021 I Full-Text PDF

DOI: 10.21659/rupkatha.v13n4.52 

Abstract

The present study focuses on the translation of a pure Bengali vernacular strip Nonte Fonte in English and to colour and its reception across the Bengali reading and speaking populace especially of Tripura, a North Eastern state of which the researcher is a part.  At the same time this paper also highlights the way in which an apparently innocent comic strip such as Nonte Fonte showcases and disseminates, naturalizes and legitimizes stereotypes that represent negative codification of the cultural ‘Other’ (the inhabitant of Orissa relocated to Kolkata for work for instance) through its image /illustration medium and how the target reader internalizes it. Attempt has also been made to locate how market forces and the demand of English readership/target culture influence the translated product/text, thus pertaining to  Bassnet’s (2007) concept of  cultural capital which  can be loosely defined as that which is necessary for an individual to belong to the ‘right circle’ in the society (p.19). Translation helps a culture to come closer to the ‘cultural capital’ of the other. The concept of cultural capital is most pertinent to the power relation, concept of hierarchy and negotiation involved in translation in this context. Cultural capital here is not the Source Text (ST), but the Western canon of English language and English readership (global readership in English in this context that would generally define itself as a summation of the Bengali (with or without Bengali reading competence, but with English reading competence) and non- Bengali but English reading domains in India and the rest of the English reading world). However as has been pointed out later in this paper, the publisher tends to contain and restrict the consumption of his product- the text thus translated, within a supposed niche of target readership, the Bengali children. The paper also interrogates the impracticality of such a proposition.

Keywords: Image, translation, codification,  transmediation, reader-response.

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