The purpose of this quasi-experimental study is to examine whether attention cueing benefits learners of ancient Egyptian culture using mobile-assisted instrumentation. A self-regulatory, mobile phone based set of visualizations depicting ancient Egyptian culture served as the primary instrument. A total of 50 learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) from two sections of a reading course were randomly assigned to one of two groups. First, the participants were tested to assess their English reading level and prior knowledge of Egyptian culture. Next, they were randomly assigned to one of two modes: picture-plus-text or picture-plus-text-plus-signal. Immediately after experimental treatment, participants were administered tests of pictorial recall, matching, jigsaw puzzles, and retention as well as cognitive load measurement and attitude questionnaires. Experimental treatment was the independent variable, while the comprehension test, cognitive load questionnaire, and attitude questionnaire were the dependent variables. The results indicated that learners in the cueing condition outperform those in a non-cueing condition for matching and total score, but not for retention. The analysis of cognitive load revealed that learners in the cueing condition experience lower germane load than those in the non-cueing condition. However, the result of the questionnaires indicated that all the students felt mobile phones were convenient and useful in English learning regardless of the presence or not of attention cueing. The results stress the importance of presenting attention-capturing arrows in external representation as it can result in better learning efficiency.
This study explores the impact of China’s Belt and Road Initiative on improving vocational education quality and employment rates in Kenya through a collaborative educational program known as the Kenya-China Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) project. The opinions and narratives of teachers and students with vibrant knowledge of the project were analyzed through the theoretical lenses of globalization and vocationalism. The results show that the Kenya-China TVET Project has improved Kenyan TVET classrooms with modern equipment to meet industrial standards and allowed essential skills to be developed through various collaborative opportunities with Chinese corporations. Despite minor challenges and obstacles, early evidence suggests benefits brought by the project including increased self-employment, a growth in Kenya’s manufacturing, and more mutual understanding between the two countries.
This paper presents how students reshaped the idea of an international university offered to them. The findings derive from participant observation ethnographic fieldwork carried out at Fudan University in China. The analysis proves that the idea of an “international university” offered to Fudan University students was double-edged in the sense that it both cultivated and screened international talent. Students reshaped their university by manipulating or “twisting” the screening process when applying for short-term study abroad programs, on the one hand, and creating cultivating “devices” within the university, namely student-initiated associations on the other hand. The findings of this paper add a new aspect to the idea of the “international university” from students’ perspective and turn the spotlight on students as active builders of their university.
Chinese business education differs from British business education in many respects. On the whole, it focuses on the acquisition of theoretical knowledge, whereas British business education places far more emphasis on soft management skills and team-work. This paper examines a split-site business degree program offered by a Chinese international school and a British business school, and explores the attitudes and expectations of the Chinese participants and their Chinese and British lecturers from an “English for specific purposes” perspective. The study conducted classroom observation, semi-structured interviews, and a questionaire survey, and identifies areas of difficulty for Chinese business students in the UK, in particular regarding their beliefs about teacher and student roles, their learning priorities and learning strategies, and their “goal-oriented” approach to discussion, which is at odds with the more collaborative and exploratory Western discussion strategies. The findings have implications for pre-sessional and in-sessional English course design, the management of split-site business degree programs, the teaching of Chinese students, and the enhancement of learning experiences generally in international business programs.
This article is based on original research into institutional governance in private universities. It provides an in-depth qualitative study of how the private university in China has responded in practice to government policies. The analysis focuses on three dimensions: the roles of the university council, the president, and the university constitution. The study adopted two methods of data collection: 31 separate semi-structured interviews with 21 informants as well as extensive documentary analysis. Findings revealed that while external policies provide an impetus for change for each university, how key actors in institutional governance understand these policies has a significant effect on how the policies are implemented. This can result in change that can be viewed as either symbolic alteration or as operational change. This study provides insights from an empirical investigation by way of a case study on private university governance in China, and also a referential perspective on the governance of private universities in general for policy makers, senior managers, and academics.