There is a consensus in the literature that mathematical ability contributes to student success in tertiary education. More importantly, mathematical skills are necessary when successfully completing mathematics- and/...There is a consensus in the literature that mathematical ability contributes to student success in tertiary education. More importantly, mathematical skills are necessary when successfully completing mathematics- and/or science-based degrees. Social sciences such as psychology and economics require statistical skills which also require knowledge of mathematics. Even business students, such as marketing and accounting students need the necessary mathematical skills to successfully complete their degrees at university. This paper suggests that student success in a core business subject is dependent on their mathematical aptitude, attitude, and type of secondary schooling whether government or non-government schools. There is urgency for universities to recognize that high failure rates are due to insufficient mathematics exposure in secondary schooling and remedial classes might not be enough. Specifying a minimum （maths, e.g., two units） requirement for entry and/or providing bridging programs to ensure students have the necessary basic mathematical skills would increase student success in quantitative units.展开更多
This study explores the origins and current status of the Gallo language at school--a minority language spoken in the eastern part of Brittany--among older speakers （group 1-41 informants） and students of Gallo （gr...This study explores the origins and current status of the Gallo language at school--a minority language spoken in the eastern part of Brittany--among older speakers （group 1-41 informants） and students of Gallo （group 2-17 informants）. The paper discusses different pedagogical methods, learning materials, and learners＇ status. The most important mission of schools is to increase public awareness about their linguistic environment which helps reassert minority identity through language acquisition and linguistic maintenance. Implementing an educational language curriculum for regional languages constitutes a main step towards the preservation of linguistic minorities. According to the informants interviewed during the fieldwork, both groups express positive reactions towards the presence of Gallo at school （group 1--80%; group 2--92.9%）. However, in follow-up discussions, a certain number of older speakers seem to be more reluctant, because the variety of Gallo taught at school is different from the one which was transmitted to them. In conclusion, bilingual and immersion programs are increasingly successful in Brittany and could lead to a wider recognition of Eastern Brittany＇s language and culture.展开更多
We investigate birationality of the anti-pluricanonical map Φ-m,the rational map defined by the anti-pluricanonical system |-mKX|,on weak Q-Fano 3-folds.
This paper reports an empirical study on the intelligibility of English spoken by Chinese University students, aiming to identify the factors that hamper intelligibility and suggest the pedagogical priorities in pronu...This paper reports an empirical study on the intelligibility of English spoken by Chinese University students, aiming to identify the factors that hamper intelligibility and suggest the pedagogical priorities in pronunciation teaching. The participants were 45 university sophomores, whose recorded data were transcribed and evaluated correspondingly by 45 educated listeners from 22 different countries. The results reveal that although the speakers＇ English may have strong accents, it is intelligible to international listeners to a great extent. Phonological problems that hamper intelligibility are vowel length and quality, simplification of diphthongs, voiced and voiceless plosives, dental fricative, word ending nasals, consonant clusters as well as stress, rhythm and intonation.展开更多
文摘There is a consensus in the literature that mathematical ability contributes to student success in tertiary education. More importantly, mathematical skills are necessary when successfully completing mathematics- and/or science-based degrees. Social sciences such as psychology and economics require statistical skills which also require knowledge of mathematics. Even business students, such as marketing and accounting students need the necessary mathematical skills to successfully complete their degrees at university. This paper suggests that student success in a core business subject is dependent on their mathematical aptitude, attitude, and type of secondary schooling whether government or non-government schools. There is urgency for universities to recognize that high failure rates are due to insufficient mathematics exposure in secondary schooling and remedial classes might not be enough. Specifying a minimum （maths, e.g., two units） requirement for entry and/or providing bridging programs to ensure students have the necessary basic mathematical skills would increase student success in quantitative units.
文摘This study explores the origins and current status of the Gallo language at school--a minority language spoken in the eastern part of Brittany--among older speakers （group 1-41 informants） and students of Gallo （group 2-17 informants）. The paper discusses different pedagogical methods, learning materials, and learners＇ status. The most important mission of schools is to increase public awareness about their linguistic environment which helps reassert minority identity through language acquisition and linguistic maintenance. Implementing an educational language curriculum for regional languages constitutes a main step towards the preservation of linguistic minorities. According to the informants interviewed during the fieldwork, both groups express positive reactions towards the presence of Gallo at school （group 1--80%; group 2--92.9%）. However, in follow-up discussions, a certain number of older speakers seem to be more reluctant, because the variety of Gallo taught at school is different from the one which was transmitted to them. In conclusion, bilingual and immersion programs are increasingly successful in Brittany and could lead to a wider recognition of Eastern Brittany＇s language and culture.
基金supported by National Outstanding Young Scientist Foundation (Grant No.10625103)National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 10731030)
文摘We investigate birationality of the anti-pluricanonical map Φ-m,the rational map defined by the anti-pluricanonical system |-mKX|,on weak Q-Fano 3-folds.
基金supported by the Human and Social Sciences Foundation of Ministry of Education entitled "The International Intelligibility of English Spoken by Chinese University Students"(Grant No.11YJC740142)the Fundamental Research Funds for National UniversityChina University of Geosciences(Grant No.CUG130105)
文摘This paper reports an empirical study on the intelligibility of English spoken by Chinese University students, aiming to identify the factors that hamper intelligibility and suggest the pedagogical priorities in pronunciation teaching. The participants were 45 university sophomores, whose recorded data were transcribed and evaluated correspondingly by 45 educated listeners from 22 different countries. The results reveal that although the speakers＇ English may have strong accents, it is intelligible to international listeners to a great extent. Phonological problems that hamper intelligibility are vowel length and quality, simplification of diphthongs, voiced and voiceless plosives, dental fricative, word ending nasals, consonant clusters as well as stress, rhythm and intonation.
