A Study of Flaws in Delivering Programming languages and to impart programming logic in a reasonable approach

Embedded product design has emerged as an important area of study in the curriculum for undergraduate program in Computer Science. This necessitates the inclusion of hardware courses like Digital Electronics, Computer Organization and Microcontrollers as pre-requisite courses, in the lower semesters. This helps students to develop keen interest, skill and proficiency in the area of Embedded system design. This also helps them to compete with peers from other engineering branches in the domain of Embedded Systems. Here we present a set of activities, their related outcome based assessment techniques and outcome based strategies applied to the laboratory course on 8051 Microcontroller laboratory in Computer Science&Engineering at the IV Semester level. This laboratory was an extension of the hands on experience the students had in the course on Digital Electronics in the III Semester. The laboratory course on 8051 Microcontrollers was based on the usage of 8051 compatible Atmel 89C51ED2. The course was designed to consist of initially, conducting simple programming exercises using 8051 assembly language and then simple interfacing exercises using Embedded C programming. Later when they developed some proficiency and familiarity in 8051 environment student' teams were made to work on course projects which required them to design and build projects using 8051 or any other microcontroller of their choice. This promoted their self-learning, improved their knowledge of programming the microcontroller to interface with the outside world to develop useful applications and provide solutions to some common problems in society. This activity resulted in enhanced motivational levels amongst students, increased their involvement in the team and improved their knowledge due to self learning.

L’articolo si propone di presentare una panoramica delle principali caratteristiche che riguardano l’insegnamento/apprendimento dell’italiano in Slovenia e una riflessione sull’importanza dell’educazione interculturale al fine di contribuire all’inclusione del singolo nella società che lo circonda. Dopo una sintetica illustrazione del quadro giuridico nel quale si inserisce la tutela delle lingue minoritarie in Slovenia, si presenta il percorso scolastico e le caratteristiche dell’insegnamento/apprendimento della lingua italiana come lingua materna (L1) e lingua seconda (L2) nel territorio bilingue nonché come lingua straniera (LS) nel resto della Slovenia. In particolare, vengono delineate le peculiarità del modello di educazione bilingue del Litorale sloveno, territorio di confine e area di contatto di culture prevalentemente romanze e slave. Infine, si evidenzia la necessità di applicare un approccio interculturale all’insegnamento in quanto il buon funzionamento della società multiculturale contemporanea dipende dalla consapevolezza della propria cultura congiuntamente all’esistenza di altre culture dell’ambiente. In questo modo sia insegnanti che studenti saranno coscienti del bisogno costante di accrescere le proprie competenze sia linguistiche che interculturali.

The English teaching faculty at the authors' institution contains a wide range of teachers with varying ability and inclination to use Chinese in the classroom. Teachers and students alike differ on whether explanations should be offered in the mother tongue, and to what degree. The authors surveyed 708 students across 15 language lab sections in an effort to determine whether classroom language policy matters, and if so, what the direction of its influence should be. We found a preponderance of subjective student support for bilingual instruction, but very little evidence that it makes a positive contribution to graded student performance. In fact, the study found strong evidence that students' preference for mother-tongue explanation is associated with poor grade performance, but the students expressing this preference included both those not getting any L1 instruction and those at risk of becoming too dependent upon it. Examination on of individual teachers and classes did reveal a significant association between pure monolingual instruction and low grades, but also suggested that this could be due as much to correlated traits like overall pedagogic strictness as to language policy per se. Exactly what other teaching traits are most closely correlated with monolingual instruction, and how they influence student learning provides an interesting venue for further research.

The purpose of this study is to explore how English language learners' (ELLs) consultation of monolingual and bilingual dictionaries could influence their second language (L2) vocabulary acquisition. Although research has empirically indicated that dictionary use could possibly affect learners' second language acquisition (SLA) in various ways, inconclusive results can still be found pertaining to ELLs' L2 vocabulary acquisition based on their dictionary use. In order to bridge this gap, sixty-four ELLs were recruited and divided into two groups for this experimental study. Through both quantitative and qualitative analyses, the researcher examined how the consultation of monolingual and bilingual dictionaries could influence L2 lexical teaching and learning utilizing a 13,944-word lemmatized High Frequency Word List (HFWL) from the British National Corpus (BNC). The findings suggest that the consultation of monolingual dictionaries promoted students' L2 vocabulary acquisition, learning interest, confidence and positive attitude more effectively than that of bilingual dictionaries. Learners were also revealed to be cognizant of the salience of L2 exposure that monolingual dictionaries possess for reifying their L2 awareness and lexical development in an authentic fashion. Based on the outcomes yielded from this investigation, pedagogical and theoretical implications are discussed.

Learning and speaking foreign languages are regarded today as the norm. Simultaneously, empirical findings in the area of multilingualism have recently demonstrated that the mental lexicon of a language learner consists of intertwined systems where languages interact with each other, rather than remain separate entities. However, studies that explore how different lexicons are integrated and influence each other in the case of multilinguals are relatively scarce. This thesis seeks to contribute to this gap in research reporting two empirical studies drawing on a vocabulary testing perspective. The studies investigate the impact of prior lexical knowledge on additional language learning of Hungarian native speakers, who speak Romanian as an L2 and English as an L3. From a theoretical standpoint, the studies contest the traditional assumption that foreign language vocabulary acquisition can be explained solely by measures of frequency of word occurrence. Instead is contended that cross-linguistic similarities, namely cognates, provide a special bridge between languages and also need to be taken into account. At a more substantive level, it aims to explore (1) the relationship between learners’ Romanian and English written lexical knowledge; (2) the facilitatory effect of cognates; and (3) the implications of this for vocabulary assessments. To address these aims, Romanian versions of Nation’s Vocabulary Levels Test (VLT) and Vocabulary Size Test (VST) have been developed, assessed for validity, and applied. The findings indicate that there is a strong connection between multilinguals’ Romanian L2 and English L3 lexica. Learners’ lexical proficiency can be described as a function of frequency but is also influenced by cognateness. Therefore, word frequency and cognateness in conjunction can potentially increase test accuracy and validity, and enable a more in-depth understanding of vocabulary size and lexical accessibility. These conclusions are drawn from a vocabulary testing perspective, but further pedagogical implications, future directions for research and limitations are also offered.

Abstract—The potential ways in which learning a second or third language can influence other languages in the mind of the (emergent) bilingual is an increasingly important issue given the international importance of foreign language learning. This study explored whether learning French as a foreign language influences knowledge of English morphosyntax in learners of L2 French with L1 English (n=21) and learners of L3 French with L2 English (n=9). Comparing these two groups allowed us to identify whether and to what extent backwards cross linguistic influence (CLI) are different depending on whether French is L2 or L3, and whether English is L1 or L2. Accuracy on tense-aspects of English morphosyntax was measured through two tasks (Grammaticality Judgement and Proofreading). Results indicated no inhibitive influence from L2 French to L1 English, with potential enhancement of explicit knowledge when compared to a control group of English-speaking participants with no French. In contrast, influence leading to inaccuracy was observed from L3 French to L2 English in that the L3 French learners made more errors in past simple and present perfect in the GJT. Results are discussed in the context of better understanding the nature of developing grammatical systems, together with implications for future work.

People with a computer science background would certainly agree that the purpose of programming is to solve problems. Thus, a learner who tries to master programming has to develop not only basic programming skills such as programming language constructs, data structures, but also the ability to develop and implement (correctly) algorithms that solve problems. Many new teaching methods and teaching materials has been developed and applied to Computer Science Education. There are for example, Cooperative Learning, Visual Programming Interfaces, Project-Based Learning, WebQuest-based learning and Software Engineering-based Training of various kinds. Each of these methods can promote the effect of learning in a different aspect. In this thesis, we try to develop and use a methodology that would significantly improve the learning effects of an introductory programming course. We applied ATDE-Styled Teaching and Learning methodology in a first experiment, teaching C. Then, we applied Web Surfing in a second experiment, teaching Java. These two educational experiments were made consecutively during the fall semester of 2005 and the spring semester of 2006. 102 freshman students participated in the experiment. Their performance was contrasted with a group of 83 junior students. The juniors accepted the training in the traditional style during their early years in college. The results of the two experiments were quite encouraging. In the ATDE experiment, the freshman group didn’t outperform the control group (in exam scores). However, the freshman group was almost as good as their junior counterparts in during C programming. In the Web Surfing experiment, the freshman group outperformed their junior counterparts.

This article considers the acquisition of three English syntax–discourse interface constructions: Topicalization, Focus Fronting and Left Dislocation. We use data from Basque–Spanish bilinguals learning English as a third language (L3) as a test case for the Interface Hypothesis (IH, Sorace, 2011). The IH has made specific predictions about second language (L2) acquisition and such predictions can be extrapolated to L3 on the basis of interface delay explanations. Thirty contexts and embedded test sentences with and without pronouns were used; participants had to rate the acceptability of each audio stimulus sentence in the context on a seven-point scale. We tested Basque–Spanish bilinguals dominant in Basque (n = 23), Basque–Spanish bilinguals dominant in Spanish (n = 24), Spanish L2 English learners (n = 39) as well as native English speakers (n = 24). Findings provide evidence against current L3 acquisition models and potential arguments for both cumulative enhancement as well as cumulative inhibition as possible processes in L3 acquisition.

For a language beginner there are many methods of attaining the goal of learning a second or foreign language, one of the most useful ones of which is to make a comparison in sentence structure between one's own native tongue and a second or foreign language. A learner will find out that there are some differences and similarities between the two languages by means of comparison, through which he/she will feel learning a foreign language is not so difficult as he/she imagines and give birth to a strong desire to learn a foreign language. For a Chinese speaker who is learning English as a foreign language, she/he may make great strides in English through the comparison of sentence structure between the two languages. On the other hand, this way can help the English speakers not only better understand but feel more at ease in Chinese learning as well. The overall purpose of this study is to seek to compare Chinese to English in basic sentence structure, including inflections, problems in subject-verb agreement, etc., to guide both the English beginners to take interest in English and the English speakers feel an interest in Chinese, and to facilitate successfully acquiring their aim of learning a second or foreign language.

Objective To observe activated cerebral areas during the task of writing in second language by early and late acquisition bilinguals and explore the neuropsychological mechanism. Methods Twelve subjects were divided into group of early acquisition high proficiency bilinguals(EAHP) and group of late acquisition high proficiency bilinguals(LAHP). Each subject carried out the task of pseudo-writing and English writing. After functional imaging,statistical parametric mapping was used to compare data of the two tasks through paired- t test in both two groups. A conjunction analysis was conducted between the two groups also. Areas where the metabolism of glucose changed were analyzed. Then, the corresponding images about activated cerebral regions were obtained.Results Cerebral areas where the metabolism of glucose increased in EAHP: bilateral middle frontal gyrus( Z=4.35/2. 01 ), bilateral cerebellum ( Z = 2.97/2.53 ) and left head of caudate nucleus ( Z = 3.07 ), etc. Cerebral areas where the metabolism of glucose increased in LAHP: right superior frontal gyrus(Z=4.06), right cerebellum( Z=4.63), left putamen(Z=2.70) ,etc. Cerebral areas where the metabolism of glucose increased in compared data of LAHP with data of EAHP: right frontal gyrus ( Z = 2.92 ), right temporal lobe( Z = 2.31 ), etc. Conclusion Extensive cerebral cortex and subcortical structures participate the process of writing in the second language. Age of bilingual acquisition is one of the factors affecting cerebral localization of writing in second language. Key words: Second language; Writing; Bilingual; Localization

Lateral thinking is a unique form of thinking proposed by Edward De Bono. He believes that innovation is the ability to see the changes as an opportunity not as a threat. It results in the generation of new ideas and breaking out of the concept prisons of old ideas. This type of thinking decides the outcome of one's speaking and the job of lateral thinking is to enable the brain to find multiple possibilities or perceptions. The attitude of the present set of tertiary learners, lack of confidence and positive approach, their habits hinder their brain to intake, create and present the information in the demanding context. The major reasons for their inability are the cultural and psychological background of the learners. Developing lateral thinking skills of the tertiary level learners may pave the way to keep a constructive mind to acquire new language competencies. 'Think out of the box' is the crucial motto of the language teachers these days. De Bono's concept of Lateral thinking would enable the language teachers to break a new ground in inculcating speaking skills for the learners of English as a second language. The present study proposes Design , one of the lateral thinking techniques of Bono and its effectiveness as a tool that can be adapted by the language teachers to enrich the communicative competence of the tertiary level learners of English as a second language. The criteria for speaking activity are assessed based on stage III of Canadian Language Benchmark for assessing speaking skills.

This study sought to identify the nature of metacognition in writing in Hebrew as a second language. Participants included five students studying for the Victorian Certificate in Education (VCE) examination. They were in their final year of secondary schooling at an independent school in Melbourne. This is a practitioner inquiry study, in which I have been acting both as the main researcher and as the participating teacher of the class under investigation. <br> During 2014 data was collected, including: video recordings of lessons, two cycles of semi-structured interviews with students, a teacher’s journal, an hour-long group debrief and selected samples from students’ writing. The analysis focused on students’ reflections on their thinking, with specific relevance to their thoughts and beliefs about learning to write in Hebrew. The focus on students’ perceptions and beliefs called for qualitative methodology and analysis and interpretation using a naturalistic approach. <br> Several important and new findings emerged from the analysis: (a) subtle yet distinct boundaries were revealed between metacognition, self-regulated learning and metalearning; (b) second language writing pedagogies associated with metacognition were found to include features of conceptual change, characterised by a recognition in and an engagement with students’ beliefs about writing, themselves as writers, the VCE study, their skill level and their beliefs about self-efficacy; (c) students engaged in internal-dialogues about the ease in which they regulated the language of their thoughts, pointing to a heightened metacognitive awareness and evaluation of their language switching abilities; (d) a strong correlation was found between learners’ metacognitive awareness and their coping abilities, pointing to the importance of students’ perception of their learning experience; (e) a connection was found between metacognition and improvements in students’ writing abilities as well as improvements in their learning behaviours. <br> The study shows that issues of student-identity, motivation and self-agency are critical factors in metacognition and in learning and teaching second language Hebrew writing. This research potentially provides a basis for developing pedagogies that currently are not widely used, taking into greater account the influence of individual factors and promoting steps for a more positive learning experience. <br> The research also sheds important light on the high-risk environment of studying second languages at the VCE level within a small-cohort. The requirement that native speakers, background language learners and non-native speakers sit the same examination and assessed against the same criteria, was revealed to be a more powerful negative stress factor than had previously been realised. Results from this research may provide key information to relevant language communities currently experiencing this diversity in a languages VCE classroom, to explore and potentially instigate policy review. <br> Lastly, the re-positioning of metacognition as a more independent concept, and particularly its separation from self-regulated learning, sets up the foundation for future investigations of metacognition. The value and importance of the model offered in this thesis, is in its immediate application to second language education contexts; however, the potential for generic application to different studies and different leaning domains is a possibility that should be further explored.

Focusing on two types of corrective feedback strategies in second language classrooms, namely recasts and prompts, the current paper claims that the comparative effectiveness of recasts and prompts is an area of great research value, for the following reasons: (1) theoretically, studies in this area can inform the issues such as the roles of input and output in second language learning and the cognitive roles of recasts and prompts in language learning; (2) pedagogically, research findings in this area may provide second language teachers with useful advice concerning their classroom error correction. Based on a critical review of existing research findings, two distinct research gaps are discussed: (1) the effect of recasts and prompts in promoting the learning of new linguistic features has rarely been explored and awaits future research attention; (2) the effect of recasts and prompts has rarely been examined from learners’ own perspectives and more studies in this direction are needed.

Second language learning outcomes are highly variable, due to a variety of factors, including individual differences, exposure conditions, and linguistic complexity. However, exactly how these factors interact to influence language learning is unknown. This paper examines the relationship between these three variables in language learners. Native English speakers were exposed to an artificial language containing three sentence patterns of varying linguistic complexity. They were randomly assigned to two groups – incidental and instructed – designed to promote the acquisition of implicit and explicit knowledge, respectively. Learning was assessed with a grammaticality judgment task, while subjective measures of awareness were used to measure whether exposure had resulted in implicit or explicit knowledge. Participants also completed cognitive tests. Awareness measures demonstrated that learners in the incidental group relied more on implicit knowledge, whereas learners in the instructed group relied more on explicit knowledge. Overall, exposure condition was the most significant predictor of performance on the grammaticality judgment task, with learners in the instructed group outperforming those in the incidental group. Performance on a procedural learning task accounted for additional variance. When outcomes were analysed according to linguistic complexity, exposure condition was the most significant predictor for two syntactic patterns, but it was not a predictor for the most complex sentence group; instead, procedural learning ability was.

In countries where learning English as a Second Language (ESL) is made compulsory, yet it is actually a foreign language to many learners, problems occur among learners. Language is the reflection of culture itself as the language can shape the society. Problems in language learning may occur due to several barriers. Firstly, cultural barrier is one of the barriers that is difficult to resolve. The barriers may influence the motivations to learn. The aim of this study is to investigate cultural barriers and motivation issues that might influence the process of learning English. 69 respondents participated in this quantitative study. The instrument used is a survey and it has 3 parts; 1) demographic profile, 2) culture and language learning and 3) motivation and language learning. Findings reveal that cultural barriers and motivational issues do have influence on learners’ language learning. Findings of this study bear interesting implications towards the teaching and learning of English as second language. &#x0D; &#x0D; &lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt; Article visualizations:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0629/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;