https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/20754 2026-04-14T04:53:24Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/20795 Title: Language and achievement in science in a bilingual context : a Maltese perspective Authors: Ventura, Frank Abstract: The great majority of international studies on language in science education relate to oral interactions in monolingual settings. Only a few local studies focus on the bilingual setting of Maltese science classrooms. This paper reviews a small number of research studies on the influence of language on the Maltese students’ performance in science tests and examinations. The research includes a study of correlations between achievement in English language and in a science examination at Ordinary level, an investigation of the Cummins thresholds hypothesis that proficiency in both Maltese and English produces differences in achievement in a Physics examination, and an extensive study of the influence of students’ passive and active English language skills on their performance in Advanced level Physics. Another two studies investigate the effect of setting tests in a different or modified language. In one study, three versions of a science test with questions set in English, in English and Maltese side by side, and in modified English were randomly distributed to 380 Form 5 students. The other study set a Maltese and an English version of a carefully designed Integrated Science test to a sample of 284 Form 1 students. The implications of these studies are discussed. 2016-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/20801 Title: The disabled child’s participation rights [Book Review] Authors: Borg, Carmel Abstract: The book under review advocates for participation in decision-making as a fundamental human right which cannot be denied to disabled children. Informed by the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, by conventions, such as the the 2006 Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and by a vast repertoire of research literature, including relevant court cases, such as those heard before the European Court of Human Rights, the book makes a forceful case for disabled children’s rights in general and for their participation rights in health, education, home life and relationships, highlighting ways in which these rights are validated, valorised and celebrated, as well as analysing barriers that block access to and enjoyment of such rights. 2016-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/20796 Title: Interaction and approximation to the target language during Italian lessons in Malta Authors: Camilleri Grima, Antoinette; Caruana, Sandro Abstract: For many years it had been considered axiomatic that in the foreign language classroom exposure to the target language should be emphasized, and that the learners’ native language should be banned. However, in recent years, the analysis of classroom discourse has unravelled some essential pedagogical functions of the learners’ native language in foreign language teaching (Macaro, 2009). In line with this, the term ‘translanguaging’ has been introduced in the international literature with reference to the drawing on all of the linguistic resources that one has in order to ‘make sense’ (Garcia, 2009), and to improve language learning processes and outcomes (Lewis, Jones & Baker, 2012). Taking a sociocultural discourse analysis approach, this contribution shows how Maltese learners of Italian and their teachers interact bilingually to fulfil pedagogical requirements such as the assimilation of grammar points, explaining new vocabulary items, and shifting from formal to informal language. We give examples of how the teacher guides the learners in interaction toward target language approximation. 2016-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/20794 Title: Frequency, significance and clarity : factors supporting the learning of mathematical vocabulary in bilingual classrooms Authors: Farrugia, Marie Therese Abstract: A crucial part of mathematics education is the teaching and learning of mathematical language, which includes subject-specific vocabulary. In a study carried out in two Maltese primary classrooms wherein mathematics was taught through the students’ L2 (English), and a teacher-directed ‘whole-class’ approach was used, it was noted that three conditions for vocabulary use – frequency, significance and clarity - appeared to be necessary for teaching new topic-related vocabulary. In this paper, I explain these conditions as they emerged from my empirical data and then conjecture on their relevance to other classrooms wherein both Maltese and English might be used, since code-switching is the most common approach used in Malta for teaching mathematics. I suggest that while frequency of use of words is likely to depend on the teaching methods employed, code-switching might further promote the significance of mathematical words; furthermore, I suggest that using both languages might actually support clarity of the meaning of the topic-related words. Finally, if we wish to make a shift away from traditional whole-class teaching, we will need to equip students with the language necessary to engage differently with mathematics, irrespective of the medium of instruction used. 2016-01-01T00:00:00Z