The role of live transcripts in synchronous online L2 classrooms: Learning outcomes and learner perceptions.

This study explored the role of live transcripts in online synchronous academic English classrooms by focusing on how automatically generated live transcripts influence the learning outcomes of lower-proficiency and higher-proficiency learners and on their perceptions towards live transcripts. The study adop ted a 2 × 2 factorial design, with the two factors being learner proficiency (high vs. low) and availability of live transcription (presence and absence). The participants were 129 second-year Japanese university students from four synchronous classes taught on Zoom by the same teacher under an academic English reading course. Learning outcomes in this study were evaluated according to the course syllabus through grades and participation in class activities. A questionnaire consisting of nine Likert-scale questions and a comment box was administered to explore participants' perceived usefulness of, perceived ease of use of, and perceived reliance on live transcripts. Results showed that contrary to previous studies reporting the effectiveness of captioned audiovisual materials in L2 learning, live transcripts as a special type of captions were not effective in promoting the grades of learners of either proficiency. However, it significantly improved the activity participation of lower-proficiency learners, but not that of higher-proficiency learners. Questionnaire results showed that there were no significant differences between learners of two proficiencies in their perceptions towards live transcription, which contradicts previous findings that lower-proficiency learners tend to rely more on captions. Besides enhancement of lecture comprehension, participants reported innovative uses of live transcripts such as screenshots with transcripts for notetaking purposes and transcripts downloaded for later review.

JournalMate: An Accessible Academic Reading Tool for Third-Level Students with ADHD.

This paper outlines the research activities undertaken to design and evaluate an accessible academic reading tool to support third-level students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This research project was conducted in three phases, using a User Centred design (UCD) approach. The initial research phases explored cognitive processing difficulties related to reading habits and user needs that are associated with ADHD. A series of interviews with 3 subject matter experts and 8 students with ADHD aimed to identify pain points and problems hindering users from carrying out academic reading efficiently and confidently. Phase two involved ideating solutions based on data collected in the first phase and applying universal design principles while focusing on developing an electronic reading tool. After the ideation activity, the resulting prototyped solution was evaluated by 10 users. The data gathered during this evaluation provides insight into the performance of the application and will aid in any subsequent design iteration. The output of the study is an accessible academic reading tool for third-level students with ADHD, using a user-centred design process. Future practical implications and limitations are discussed. Results will provide additional data to build on current study findings and existing theories.

Examining the predictive role of derivatives of morphological knowledge to reading comprehension.

Morphological knowledge has been established as a critical sub-skill in the learning of bilingual reading and a strong predictor of spelling, word reading, and reading comprehension skills. The goal of this study was to investigate the prediction of morphological knowledge to reading comprehension in 185 university-level English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students, using the four primary derivatives of morphological knowledge (i.e. adverb, adjective, verb, and noun). The current study, which took a quantitative method, used multiple regression analysis to analyse two English competence tests, i.e. a reading comprehension test and a morphological knowledge test. The findings indicated that verb derivative form statistically and significantly predicted the reading comprehension most. Additionally, the verb word class affected greatly in elucidating the dependent variable, namely reading comprehension, followed by the adverbial derivative form, the adjective word class, and the noun derivative form of morphological knowledge. Further consequences of the current study's findings will be felt by English language teachers, curriculum designers, and academics.

Study on factors influencing college students' digital academic reading behavior.

Background: Affected by the COVID-19, many colleges have adopted online teaching. Meanwhile, the digital transformation of academic journals has shifted readers' reading habits from traditional paper media to digital media. Digital academic reading has become the main reading method of college students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the behavioral characteristics of college students' digital academic reading and explore the internal factors and external environmental factors affecting the Intention and Use behavior of digital academic reading. At the same time this study provide recommendations to address these influencing factors in terms of the individual, the environment and library resources. Methods: Based on UTAUT2 model and digital academic reading theories, this paper constructs a digital academic reading information behavior (DARB) model of college students to examine college students' digital academic reading behavior and intention. College students with digital academic reading behavior were recruited as research participants. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to collect representative samples from universities in Nanjing. 239 respondents participated in the questionnaire, with 189 providing valid data. Results: Effort expectancy (EE), social influence (SI), price value (PV), perceived risk (PR) and habit (BH) have a significant impact on behavioral intention (BI), and behavioral intention (BI) and habit (BH) have a significant impact on use behavior (B). However, performance expectancy (PE) and facilitating conditions (FC) have no significant influence on behavioral intention (BI). Originality/value: The findings of this study will help fill the gap in previous research on the relationship between the influencing factors of digital academic reading and college students' reading intentions and behaviors, so as to provide a basis for improving the academic reading literacy program in colleges and optimizing the current digital academic reading environment.

Chinese University English Teachers' Professional Learning through Academic Reading on Social Media-A Mixed-Methods Approach.

Teachers' professional learning on social media has received growing attention recently, but research into teachers' academic engagement on social media remains limited. This study aimed to examine what factors motivated university English teachers to engage with academic reading on social media. The determinants of academic reading on social media were identified by semi-structured interviews, which were further validated by quantitative investigation. The results showed that participants' perception of values of content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, and students' participation in the classroom affected their intentions toward commitment to academic reading on social media. Additionally, the results revealed that perceived value of pedagogical content knowledge mediated the relationship between perceived value of content knowledge and participants' intentions toward academic reading on social media while also mediating the relationship between perceived value of students' participation in the classroom and the participants' intentions toward academic reading on social media. These findings yield implications for the professional development of university teachers and the development of pedagogical content knowledge.

Differences in Attitudes Toward Reading: A Survey of Pupils in Grades 5 to 8.

Recent research on literacy has highlighted the impact of affective factors on learning to read. Among these factors, attitudes toward reading have been clearly shown to influence the development of reading skills and academic success. Nevertheless, differences in children's attitudes across schooling have yet to be properly documented, especially for the French language and the transition between elementary and secondary education. In this cross-sectional study, our goal was to gauge the attitudes of French-speaking pupils across this transitional period. We therefore administered a computer-based questionnaire to 469 pupils in Grades 5 to 8 in Quebec (Canada), to gather their views about leisure reading and academic reading. Results showed that their stated attitudes toward reading remained stable across the final 2 years of elementary school, as well as across the first 2 years of middle school, but differences were observed for the transition from one education level to the next, with stated attitudes toward reading being less positive in the latter. This effect, which was observed for both leisure and academic reading, concerned girls and boys alike. We discuss possible explanations for these differences in reading attitudes at this juncture in children's schooling.