OAR@UM Collection:
https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/20754
2024-03-29T04:49:36ZLanguage and achievement in science in a bilingual context : a Maltese perspective
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.2016-01-01T00:00:00ZThe disabled child’s participation rights [Book Review]
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.2016-01-01T00:00:00ZInteraction and approximation to the target language during Italian lessons in Malta
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.2016-01-01T00:00:00ZFrequency, significance and clarity : factors supporting the learning of mathematical vocabulary in bilingual classrooms
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