A Study of Perfecting Cognitive Structure and Improving Writing Skills

The paper is purposed to promote students＇ writing skills and help them perfect their cognitive structure at the same time by designing some writing tasks. The tasks are based on the contents of the teaching materials, and students can get involved in the activities by thinking critically.

Using Facebook to Develop Grammar Discussion and Writing Skills in English as a Foreign Language for University Students

This study aimed at investigating the effect of Facebook on grammar discussion and writing skill in English as a foreign language for university students, The study sample consisted of 60 students at Oklt AI Sqoor College of Science and Arts in Saudi Arabia and was divided into two groups： 30 students for the experimental group and 30 students for the control group. The instrument of the study was an EFL grammar and writing test. Students in both the experimental and the control group were pre-tested using the EFL （English as a Foreign Language） grammar and writing test, After that the experimental group was taught using Facebook while the control group was taught using the traditional method. Finally, students in both groups were post-tested using the EFL grammar and writing test. Results of the study showed that the experimental group outperformed the control group in the post-test of EFL grammar and writing. This difference can be attributed to using Facebook.

A Tentative Discussion on How to Help Junior High School Students Improve Their Writing Skills Through Post-Reading Activities

The present situation of English writing in junior high schools includes the following aspects:first,students are weak in English writing because they lack vocabulary and do not use vocabulary appropriately;second,they often make grammar errors in writing;as a result,they do not obtain high scores in English writing;third,they form sentences based on their habit of thinking in their mother-tongue because of the influence of mother tongue transfer;in that case,Chinglish often appears in their compositions,and this is one of the main reasons they do not obtain high scores in English writing;finally,they do not arrange their compositions well,so most of their compositions are loosely organized.As reading and writing are designed as two separated parts in most English textbooks used in China,it is a challenge for teachers to design post-reading activities to integrate reading and writing because it is time-consuming.Based on the present situation of students’English writing and the teaching situation of English writing in junior high schools,this paper will discuss how to utilize post-reading activities to help students memorize vocabulary effectively,use vocabulary and grammar appropriately,avoid the influence of mother-tongue transfer,and build compact structures,so that they can improve their English writing skills.This discussion is based on the awareness of integrating reading with writing and making reading a supportive element of writing by utilizing post-reading activities.

Developing Students’ Critical Thinking and Discourse Level Writing Skill Through Teachers’ Questions: A Sociocultural Approach

The present study adopts a quantitative design to explore the effects of pre-designed teachers' questions as the mediation tool to scaffold the development of students' critical thinking and their discourse level writing skills in English from a sociocultural perspective. The participants were 39 sophomores from two classes. The results showed that:(1) teachers' questions targeting specific critical thinking skill in the classroom and in after-class conferences, as well as in written homework feedback were effective;(2) students backslid a little while internalizing teachers' questions concerning critical thinking;(3) students improved reliably in terms of local and global coherence in their written production with the help of teachers' questions. The findings indicate that teachers' questions facilitate students' development of critical thinking and enhance their discourse level writing skill.

The Efficacy of Peer Feedback in Turkish EFL Students’ Writing Performance

The overarching aim of this study is to find out the effects of peer feedback on Turkish EFL learners at pre-intermediate level. More specifically, the researcher sought to probe the strategies most suitable to these students by motivating them to scrutinize each other’s writings and develop their own perceptions of the advantages of becoming more critical of their writing. By addressing these aims and objectives, the researcher hoped to discover the advantages and effects of peer feedback in improving the writing skills of these students. A mixture of both quantitative and qualitative methods was considered appropriate to meet the needs of research. A questionnaire on attitudes and writing tests were used to collect primary data for the study in order to gain information about the needs of the students and the suitable strategies required for peer reading, examining, and giving feedback. Semi-structured interviews were also conducted to examine the students’ perceptions of peer feedback. Results of this study revealed that the peer feedback process helped learners in improving their writing performance as a result of which the students had a positive attitude towards using peer feedback in EFL classrooms. Based on the findings, implications for foreign language （FL） writing classes and suggestions for future studies are presented.

Continuation Writing for China’s Senior High School Students’Learning

Under the background of the new college entrance examination,the English writing part of the Chinese college entrance examination has undergone great changes.The continuation writing as a complete new part has received great attention,which puts new demands and challenges on students’abilities.This paper will start from the research background,clarify the relevant theoretical basis,and analyze the problems existing in senior high school students’continuation writing,trying to find solutions,providing relevant case studies,looking forward to giving front-line teachers some useful references and helpful advice.

Advantages of Malaysian Teaching Writing Strategies——Compare and contrast with Chinese teaching writing in schools

The purpose of this paper is to find out the advantages of English teaching strategies of writing in Malaysian secondary schools through compare and contrast of the teaching strategies in China and Malaysia. The study of this paper focused on the views of the writing skills from Malaysian secondary schools.

The ability of modern secretary

Modern secretaries need to master a lot of oldand new skills including some required skills and some modernabilities.And secretaries in modern offices also have to mastersome special skills to be supportive to their bosses.

A Tentative Analysis of A Rose for Emily

Emily,the heroine in William Faulkner's short story A Rose for Emily,is a sacrifice to the disintegrating Old South culture.She performs the functions of a symbol of a system and culture and acts as the spiritual pillar supporting the disintegrating Old South.There is a close relationship between Emily's high social position,her background,her fortune,her personality,inner thoughts and her tragedy.The paper tries to make brief analysis of Emily's tragic life from aspects of expressive techniques,symbolism,and Emily's personal characteristics.

Research capacity and training needs of nurses’in Shanghai,China:A multicenter,cross-sectional survey

Aims:The aim of this study is to investigate nurses’research capacity and related training needs in Shanghai to provide evidence to further nursing research training.Materials and Methods:A cross-sectional design with a convenience sample of 1226 clinical registered nurses,including the Nursing Research Capacity of Self-Evaluation Questionnaire and Research Training Needs Form,was recruited from 14 public hospitals in Shanghai,China.And the influencing factors of nurses’research capacity were analyzed.Results:The mean score of nurses’research capacity was(46.25±22.90)in Shanghai,that was at a low-to-medium level.The influencing factors of nurses’research capacity including age(F=15.983,P<0.001),education(F=20.738,P<0.001),professional title(F=6.993,P=0.001),working years(F=7.803,P<0.001),department(F=8.545,P<0.001),and position(F=−3.354,P=0.001).The most critical factor is the time to participate a study(P<0.001).And what the nurses demanded were writing skills,special lectures,and participating in colleagues’projects mostly.Conclusion:Nurse’s scientific research capacity still needs to be improved in Shanghai.The key to improving this situation is the individualized scientific research training and education for nurses and the practice of more participation in scientific research projects.

Teaching Writing in English through Integrated Skills

IntroductionWriting in English for Chinese students can be both difficult and challenging.Most of them lack ideasfor writing and knowledge about how to write.Furthermore,students in some universities learn verylittle in their writing courses about methods of writing effectively.They may need more input andguidance in order to write both easily and naturally.In order to solve these problems,the first thing to dois to examine the writing background in some Chinese universities.