This paper assesses the contribution of ecotourism to local communities and the environment.Livelihoods of local communities are examined to understand the socioeconomic situation of people living in proximity to ecot...This paper assesses the contribution of ecotourism to local communities and the environment.Livelihoods of local communities are examined to understand the socioeconomic situation of people living in proximity to ecotourism areas and their participation in ecotourism activities. The impact of ecotourism on the environment in Nyanga is also examined. The paper employs both literature review(secondary data) and a field survey(primary data) to achieve these objectives. To gather socioeconomic data of households and tourist traits, questionnaires were administered to120 households and 30 tourists in the study area. Key informant interviews were held in the survey to gather expert knowledge about ecotourism trends and environmental data in the area.Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Descriptive and inferential analyses were used for quantitative data while content and structural-functional analyses were used for qualitative data. The research revealed that ecotourism offers the highest salaries when compared to other sources of formal employment. Ecotourism activities were shown to positively impact the environment through the protection, preservation, and management of natural resources. The study concludes that ecotourism is a useful and sustainable poverty alleviation strategy which has not yet been fully exploited in Zimbabwe.展开更多
The paper deals with non-traditional but highly needed issues： to formulate criteria of a scientific activity. It is really unbelievable that in the period of information and scientific society such criteria do not e...The paper deals with non-traditional but highly needed issues： to formulate criteria of a scientific activity. It is really unbelievable that in the period of information and scientific society such criteria do not exist and there are no fixed rules for assessment of scientific activities. However, in many fields of science, e.g., in reviews of scientific works or papers, reviewers are asked to assess whether or not the submitted work or text is scientific. Naturally, this decision is not objective even if done by leading scientific individuals. Scientists may possess rather different individual criteria, and especially in doctoral studies, but not only there, it is desirable to make the review more objective. A doctoral thesis should be accepted only in case it brings some scientific achievement. Keeping in mind how difficult it can be to formalize and evaluate science, the authors try to propose attributes of scientific activities and to formulate some basic recommendations how to assess scientific work. Of course, the paper does not intend to formulate any generally imperative rules, but rather to start a broader discussion of these topics.展开更多
The main focus of this scientific article is organizational culture that represents very complicated and complex social phenomenon. Organizational culture is understood as the set of basic assumptions, values, standar...The main focus of this scientific article is organizational culture that represents very complicated and complex social phenomenon. Organizational culture is understood as the set of basic assumptions, values, standards, and artifacts, shared in the company in long-term horizon. The main objective of empirical research was to map organizational culture content in manufacturing companies in the Czech Republic and Austria. The content of organizational culture in the selected level of analysis was identified by means of qualitative methods--individual interviews and focus group discussions. With respect to specified objective, research was implemented in the sample of 10 companies in the Czech Republic and Austria. Data acquired by qualitative method of focus group were processed by means of content analysis. The main result of this part of empirical research was to describe the organizational culture content in the manufacturing companies operating in Austrian and Czech environment.展开更多
The status of the social and human sciences as genuine sciences on a par with the natural sciences has widely been held in doubt, and the subject-oriented approach （SOA） to knowledge also shows the traditional scien...The status of the social and human sciences as genuine sciences on a par with the natural sciences has widely been held in doubt, and the subject-oriented approach （SOA） to knowledge also shows the traditional scientific view to be misleaded. Its shows that it is mandatory to dismiss the idea that personal knowledge is a representation of a common world created by some God, and also the mistake to take the seductive noun/verb structure as for given. We need a new methodological paradigm of science--an approach that avoids the pitfalls of dualism and realism--and take the effort to couch its thinking in a re-interpretation of natural language. This line of reasoning paves the way for the SOA--a new epistemology that takes the individual knower and its feelings as the coherent point of departure. The traits of a new foundation are sketched and to that end a bootstrap model is proposed that departs from the early man＇s first experience. In doing so, we, in a subject-oriented manner, can bring man＇s living experience and his priverse （or private universe）, under the collective umbrella of a consensual science. This approach brings the promise to provide a sound theory of everything-or rather a theory of every thin/kin/g-which in one step removes the cleft between the natural and social sciences.展开更多
The past three decades have witnessed a proliferation of research on Chinese English as a foreign language （EFL） learners＇ use of learning strategies, but little has been examined about the potential influence of l...The past three decades have witnessed a proliferation of research on Chinese English as a foreign language （EFL） learners＇ use of learning strategies, but little has been examined about the potential influence of learning contexts upon their strategic engagement. This paper reports on the findings of an investigation of the impact of learning contexts upon the use of learning strategies of two cohorts of EFL learners in China. Both cohorts were non-English majors, one from a university where English is the medium of instruction （EMI） and the other from an EFL university. The data were collected using questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Results reveal that learners from the EMI university demonstrated a higher level in their overall use of learning strategies over their counterparts from the EFL university. Independent T-test shows that the two cohorts were significantly different in their use of cognitive, meta-cognitive, affective and social strategies. These findings were discussed from a socio-cultural perspective. Implications are presented for the reform of English language education in China and beyond.展开更多
This article critically examines three most influential learning theories that underlie the instruction and learning environments in second language learning (SLL). Evaluation follows the description of each theory. T...This article critically examines three most influential learning theories that underlie the instruction and learning environments in second language learning (SLL). Evaluation follows the description of each theory. The point is to understand the impacts of different theories on second language learning. The paper argues that an integrated approach, which combines the three theories, is needed.展开更多
Strategy studies have been a well-established field in second language writing research and this article investigates English as a foreign language （EFL） learners＇ writing strategy use from a sociocultural perspect...Strategy studies have been a well-established field in second language writing research and this article investigates English as a foreign language （EFL） learners＇ writing strategy use from a sociocultural perspective. Unlike the traditional focus on internal cognitive mechanisms in writing strategy studies, this sociocultural approach highlights the dialectic relationship between cognition and the sociocultural context and the importance of mediating resources in strategy use. Six proficient English majors from a Chinese university participated in the study, and data about their writing experience were collected through interviews. The findings showed that the participants used four types of writing strategies： artifact-mediated, rule-mediated, community-mediated, and role-mediated strategies. Other features of their strategy use include the diversity of mediating resources, idiosyncratic use of these resources, and the common goal to enhance their language knowledge and writing ability. Drawing on these findings, it is suggested that teachers can reconfigure the sociocultural context of writing activities to help students enhance their strategy use and possible ways include artifact manipulation and community construction.展开更多
While the research agenda of classroom interaction has long been well established internationally, scholars in China have paid little empirical attention to these developments until recently. Furthermore, among the bo...While the research agenda of classroom interaction has long been well established internationally, scholars in China have paid little empirical attention to these developments until recently. Furthermore, among the body of work on the local classroom discourse, very few studies have focused on the secondary sectors. From the perspective of the sociocultural theory （SCT）, this article examines the classroom discourse of Chinese middle school English language teaching （ELT） by investigating teacher-student interaction. The transcribed classroom discourse of 8 teachers＇ reading lessons is qualitatively coded and quantitatively measured. The study draws on a descriptive system focusing on the teacher-led three-part initiation-response-feedback （IRF） structure. The research findings reveal that quite similar discourse patterns are found in the lessons sampled, with the initiation-response-evaluation （IRE） sequence dominating the EFL （English as a Foreign Language） classroom interaction investigated. Theoretically, the paper aims to place the SCT perspectives in the foreground. Pedagogically, it attempts to raise teacher-practitioners＇ levels of awareness of the use of teacher talk in EFL classroom interaction.展开更多
The deepening and widening of globalization have profoundly modified the world＇s political, economic and cultural landscapes as we know them. It calls for not only a green revolution in our ways of production and way...The deepening and widening of globalization have profoundly modified the world＇s political, economic and cultural landscapes as we know them. It calls for not only a green revolution in our ways of production and ways of life, but also a restructuring of the ＂knowledge-oriented＂ model of intellectual production that has served as bedrock to support the single-minded mentality of developmentalism. One of the possible routes to arrive at a new Weltanschauung is what I have termed as the ＂living wisdom＂ that can help to explicate the inexplicables by existing social theories. I argue in this paper that the Chinese living wisdom offers a nutshell view of how traditional resources can be made accessible for us to respond to current unprecedented chaJJenges facing htunamty. It is as much a best oppommky in the ＂metropolitan moment＂ for a ＂China＇s representation＂ as for other civilizations, cultures and nations, such as the ＂eco--social time＂ in primitive societies, the ancient European philosophies on ontology and cosmology, and the rejection of sagehood and intellect by Zhuangzi.展开更多
文摘This paper assesses the contribution of ecotourism to local communities and the environment.Livelihoods of local communities are examined to understand the socioeconomic situation of people living in proximity to ecotourism areas and their participation in ecotourism activities. The impact of ecotourism on the environment in Nyanga is also examined. The paper employs both literature review(secondary data) and a field survey(primary data) to achieve these objectives. To gather socioeconomic data of households and tourist traits, questionnaires were administered to120 households and 30 tourists in the study area. Key informant interviews were held in the survey to gather expert knowledge about ecotourism trends and environmental data in the area.Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Descriptive and inferential analyses were used for quantitative data while content and structural-functional analyses were used for qualitative data. The research revealed that ecotourism offers the highest salaries when compared to other sources of formal employment. Ecotourism activities were shown to positively impact the environment through the protection, preservation, and management of natural resources. The study concludes that ecotourism is a useful and sustainable poverty alleviation strategy which has not yet been fully exploited in Zimbabwe.
文摘The paper deals with non-traditional but highly needed issues： to formulate criteria of a scientific activity. It is really unbelievable that in the period of information and scientific society such criteria do not exist and there are no fixed rules for assessment of scientific activities. However, in many fields of science, e.g., in reviews of scientific works or papers, reviewers are asked to assess whether or not the submitted work or text is scientific. Naturally, this decision is not objective even if done by leading scientific individuals. Scientists may possess rather different individual criteria, and especially in doctoral studies, but not only there, it is desirable to make the review more objective. A doctoral thesis should be accepted only in case it brings some scientific achievement. Keeping in mind how difficult it can be to formalize and evaluate science, the authors try to propose attributes of scientific activities and to formulate some basic recommendations how to assess scientific work. Of course, the paper does not intend to formulate any generally imperative rules, but rather to start a broader discussion of these topics.
文摘The main focus of this scientific article is organizational culture that represents very complicated and complex social phenomenon. Organizational culture is understood as the set of basic assumptions, values, standards, and artifacts, shared in the company in long-term horizon. The main objective of empirical research was to map organizational culture content in manufacturing companies in the Czech Republic and Austria. The content of organizational culture in the selected level of analysis was identified by means of qualitative methods--individual interviews and focus group discussions. With respect to specified objective, research was implemented in the sample of 10 companies in the Czech Republic and Austria. Data acquired by qualitative method of focus group were processed by means of content analysis. The main result of this part of empirical research was to describe the organizational culture content in the manufacturing companies operating in Austrian and Czech environment.
文摘The status of the social and human sciences as genuine sciences on a par with the natural sciences has widely been held in doubt, and the subject-oriented approach （SOA） to knowledge also shows the traditional scientific view to be misleaded. Its shows that it is mandatory to dismiss the idea that personal knowledge is a representation of a common world created by some God, and also the mistake to take the seductive noun/verb structure as for given. We need a new methodological paradigm of science--an approach that avoids the pitfalls of dualism and realism--and take the effort to couch its thinking in a re-interpretation of natural language. This line of reasoning paves the way for the SOA--a new epistemology that takes the individual knower and its feelings as the coherent point of departure. The traits of a new foundation are sketched and to that end a bootstrap model is proposed that departs from the early man＇s first experience. In doing so, we, in a subject-oriented manner, can bring man＇s living experience and his priverse （or private universe）, under the collective umbrella of a consensual science. This approach brings the promise to provide a sound theory of everything-or rather a theory of every thin/kin/g-which in one step removes the cleft between the natural and social sciences.
基金supported by a research grant of the Project of Foreign Language Education under the National Education Science Plan 2010 (GPA105613)a grant of the 2011-2012 Teaching and Research Fund for the Teaching of English Majors,Association of National Normal Universities (NNETRP2011009)a project of the National Social Science Research Fund (12CYY025)
文摘The past three decades have witnessed a proliferation of research on Chinese English as a foreign language （EFL） learners＇ use of learning strategies, but little has been examined about the potential influence of learning contexts upon their strategic engagement. This paper reports on the findings of an investigation of the impact of learning contexts upon the use of learning strategies of two cohorts of EFL learners in China. Both cohorts were non-English majors, one from a university where English is the medium of instruction （EMI） and the other from an EFL university. The data were collected using questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Results reveal that learners from the EMI university demonstrated a higher level in their overall use of learning strategies over their counterparts from the EFL university. Independent T-test shows that the two cohorts were significantly different in their use of cognitive, meta-cognitive, affective and social strategies. These findings were discussed from a socio-cultural perspective. Implications are presented for the reform of English language education in China and beyond.
文摘This article critically examines three most influential learning theories that underlie the instruction and learning environments in second language learning (SLL). Evaluation follows the description of each theory. The point is to understand the impacts of different theories on second language learning. The paper argues that an integrated approach, which combines the three theories, is needed.
基金supported by Project Y1100070 funded by South China University of Technology in 2010
文摘Strategy studies have been a well-established field in second language writing research and this article investigates English as a foreign language （EFL） learners＇ writing strategy use from a sociocultural perspective. Unlike the traditional focus on internal cognitive mechanisms in writing strategy studies, this sociocultural approach highlights the dialectic relationship between cognition and the sociocultural context and the importance of mediating resources in strategy use. Six proficient English majors from a Chinese university participated in the study, and data about their writing experience were collected through interviews. The findings showed that the participants used four types of writing strategies： artifact-mediated, rule-mediated, community-mediated, and role-mediated strategies. Other features of their strategy use include the diversity of mediating resources, idiosyncratic use of these resources, and the common goal to enhance their language knowledge and writing ability. Drawing on these findings, it is suggested that teachers can reconfigure the sociocultural context of writing activities to help students enhance their strategy use and possible ways include artifact manipulation and community construction.
文摘While the research agenda of classroom interaction has long been well established internationally, scholars in China have paid little empirical attention to these developments until recently. Furthermore, among the body of work on the local classroom discourse, very few studies have focused on the secondary sectors. From the perspective of the sociocultural theory （SCT）, this article examines the classroom discourse of Chinese middle school English language teaching （ELT） by investigating teacher-student interaction. The transcribed classroom discourse of 8 teachers＇ reading lessons is qualitatively coded and quantitatively measured. The study draws on a descriptive system focusing on the teacher-led three-part initiation-response-feedback （IRF） structure. The research findings reveal that quite similar discourse patterns are found in the lessons sampled, with the initiation-response-evaluation （IRE） sequence dominating the EFL （English as a Foreign Language） classroom interaction investigated. Theoretically, the paper aims to place the SCT perspectives in the foreground. Pedagogically, it attempts to raise teacher-practitioners＇ levels of awareness of the use of teacher talk in EFL classroom interaction.
文摘The deepening and widening of globalization have profoundly modified the world＇s political, economic and cultural landscapes as we know them. It calls for not only a green revolution in our ways of production and ways of life, but also a restructuring of the ＂knowledge-oriented＂ model of intellectual production that has served as bedrock to support the single-minded mentality of developmentalism. One of the possible routes to arrive at a new Weltanschauung is what I have termed as the ＂living wisdom＂ that can help to explicate the inexplicables by existing social theories. I argue in this paper that the Chinese living wisdom offers a nutshell view of how traditional resources can be made accessible for us to respond to current unprecedented chaJJenges facing htunamty. It is as much a best oppommky in the ＂metropolitan moment＂ for a ＂China＇s representation＂ as for other civilizations, cultures and nations, such as the ＂eco--social time＂ in primitive societies, the ancient European philosophies on ontology and cosmology, and the rejection of sagehood and intellect by Zhuangzi.
