Confucius institutes and China's national identity

This article examines China’s Confucius Institute program, a significant language policy and planning initiative. I adopt a political perspective in looking into the birth of this language policy initiative, focusing on its role in reconstructing China’s national identity in the context of its rise and its international relations. I explore the background against which the Confucius Institute initiative was formed, and analyse how the Confucius Institute initiative was received in the West and how China responded to it. I argue that China is undergoing a reconstruction of its national identity and the Confucius Institute initiative is a major part of this effort. I suggest that such a reconstruction of national identity is an interactive process with an outcome resulting from China’s negotiation with the international community, involving China stating a new position, listening to international responses, clarifying and elaborating upon its position until its new position is accepted by the international community.

Sex in Japan's globalization, 1870-1930: prostitutes, emigration and nation building

Based on archival research undertaken in Japan and Britain, Mihalopoulos offers a new perspective on the relations between gender hierarchies and the political economy in a newly modernized Japan. The industrialization of Japan in the late nineteenth century coincided with attempts to establish new trade links abroad. The peasant class were sent overseas as ‘free labourers’ in a state-sponsored programme that also sought to maintain traditional codes of behaviour and morally acceptable forms of work. This study examines the particular impact of these restrictions on Japanese prostitutes abroad and reveals how the freedom offered to the poor by the state was limited and highly selective.

Writing blah, blah, blah: lecturers’ approaches and challenges in supporting international students

The increase in numbers of international students who have English as a second language (ESL) and are studying in English-medium universities has renewed the emphasis of English language development in higher education, particularly concerning academic writing. Much of the discussion has concentrated on developing best practices in providing support via Language and Academic Support (LAS) programs. However, the main challenge in recent years has focused on integrating disciplinary and language learning. What has been largely missing from the discussion are the views of lecturers and students regarding the strategies they use to develop academic writing in the discipline. This paper addresses this issue. The analysis reveals that academic writing within the disciplines is largely an individual endeavour for both lecturers and their students. Lecturers focus on explaining what skills students are required to demonstrate in their assignments, but students are more concerned with understanding how they can develop these skills. The implications are discussed concerning the development of a whole institutional approach for integrating language and disciplinary teaching.

An exercise in good government: Fukuzawa Yukichi on emigration and nation-building

Fukuzawa Yukichi penned a series of articles from 1884 to 1896 on why the Japanese must emigrate and settle abroad. Most striking is Fukuzawa's opposition to any legislation preventing the movement of Japanese subjects abroad, including rural women who migrated with the purpose of engaging in prostitution abroad. According to Fukuzawa, the challenge facing Japanese government policy makers was not at what point do you say "no" to poor rural women migrating abroad, but the opposite, at what point should you say "yes."

Sugar and spice: the golden age of the Hindi movie vamps, 1960s-70s

How do we define the globalized cinema and media cultures of Bollywood in an age when it has become part of the cultural diplomacy of an emerging superpower? Is it still an 'other' industry in a world dominated by Hollywood? Bollywood and Its Other(s) aims to compensate for the lack of scholarly literature on Indian film by opening up hitherto unexplored sites or sites that are in formation. It focuses on the aesthetic-philosophical questions of the other, Indian diaspora's negotiations with national identity, alternative reading strategies/research methods, marginal genres (sci-fi, horror), marginal characters (flaneuse, vamps), marginal gender (non-normative sexualities), marginal cinema (Hindi avant-garde), marginal language (Hinglish), and marginal regions (the Kashmir valley). It intends to address film scholars, South Asian studies researchers, cinephiles and lay readers alike.

Trials and tribulations of Sla framework in designing Arabic courses for speakers of other languages

There is a consensus among language teachers and researchers that language course design is always a work in progress. This is influenced by variables such as the type of language being taught and whether the teaching of this language has been researched. Arabic is one the languages that have created aperennial debate among its teachers about the anticipated challenges pointing principally to three reasons. The first reason refers to the dichotomy that exists between MSA and Colloquial Arabic, which will have a direct impact on teaching the macro-skill of „speaking‟. The second reason deals with the complexity of MSA in terms of grammar. The final reason discusses the theoretical aspects of language teaching and learning and its implications to the design of the Arabic program. This paper discusses these problems stemming from the recent empirical pilot study of teaching Arabic for a specific purposes (ASP). The study exposes some the problems mentioned above and suggests solutions to improve the teaching of Arabic in the light of theories of SLA and language teaching and learning.

Development and evaluation of a screening tool to identify people with diabetes at increased risk of medication problems relating to hypoglycaemia and medication non-adherence

Abstract Aims: To develop and evaluate a screening tool to identify people with diabetes at increased risk of medication problems relating to hypoglycaemia and medication non-adherence. Methods: A retrospective audit of attendances at a diabetes outpatient clinic at a public, teaching hospital over a 16-month period was conducted. Logistic regression was undertaken to examine risk factors associated with medication problems relating to hypoglycaemia and medication non-adherence and the most predictive set of factors comprise the Diabetes Medication Risk Screening Tool. Evaluating the tool involved assessing sensitivity and specificity, positive and negative predictive values, cut-off scores, inter-rater reliability, and content validity. Results: The Diabetes Medication Risk Screening Tool comprises seven predictive factors: age, living alone, English language, mental and behavioural problems, comorbidity index score, number of medications prescribed, and number of high-risk medications prescribed. The tool has 76.5% sensitivity, 59.5% specificity, and has a 65.1% positive predictive value, and a 71.8% negative predictive value. A score of 27 or more out of 62 was associated with high-risk of a medication problem. The inter-rater reliability of the tool was high (κ = 0.79, 95% CI 0.75 - 0.84) and the content validity index was 99.4%. Conclusion: The Diabetes Medication Risk Screening Tool has good psychometric properties and can proactively identify people with diabetes at greatest risk of medication problems relating to hypoglycaemia and medication non-adherence.

Alternative service delivery models for families with a new speech generating device: perspectives of parents and therapists

Purpose: Research has revealed limitations in the provision of in-person services to families with a new speech generating device (SGD), both in Australia and overseas. Alternative service models such as parent training, peer support and telepractice may offer a solution, but their use with this population has not been researched to date.

Method: Using interviews and focus groups, this study explored the experiences and opinions of 13 speech-language pathologists and seven parents regarding alternatives to in-person support and training for families with a new SGD. Data were analysed using grounded theory. Themes explored in this paper include the benefits and drawbacks of alternative service models as well as participants’ suggestions for the optimal implementation of these approaches.

Result: Participants confirmed the utility of alternative service models, particularly for rural/remote and underserviced clients. Benefits of these models included reduced travel time for families and therapists, as well as enhanced information access, support and advocacy for parents.

Conclusion: Participants viewed the provision of ongoing professional support to families as critical, regardless of service modality. Additional issues arising from this study include the need for development of organizational policies, resources and training infrastructure to support the implementation of these alternative service models.

It’s not all about language ability: motivational cultural intelligence matters in call center performance

his study focuses on the role of motivational cultural intelligence (CQ) in call center performance. Call centers mainly rely on verbal communication with language ability playing a significant role in delivery of tasks. This study argues that motivational CQ, or the interest and efficacy when interacting with individuals from culturally diverse backgrounds, plays a significant role in call center performance. This study was conducted in the Philippines, one of the top destinations for offshore services like call centers. Studies were conducted at two time points to determine the relationship between language ability, motivational CQ, and task performance. At Time 1, the language ability of 125 call center agent applicants was determined and assessed. At Time 2 which was conducted six months later, performance data were obtained and the level of the motivational CQ of the respondents measured. Results show that language ability is positively and significantly related to task performance. However, when motivational CQ was included, the relationship between language ability and task performance became non-significant, which conveys the full mediating role of motivational CQ in that relationship.

Risk factors for violence in psychosis: systematic review and meta-regression analysis of 110 studies

Background

Previous reviews on risk and protective factors for violence in psychosis have produced contrasting findings. There is therefore a need to clarify the direction and strength of association of risk and protective factors for violent outcomes in individuals with psychosis.

Method

We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis using 6 electronic databases (CINAHL, EBSCO, EMBASE, Global Health, PsycINFO, PUBMED) and Google Scholar. Studies were identified that reported factors associated with violence in adults diagnosed, using DSM or ICD criteria, with schizophrenia and other psychoses. We considered non-English language studies and dissertations. Risk and protective factors were meta-analysed if reported in three or more primary studies. Meta-regression examined sources of heterogeneity. A novel meta-epidemiological approach was used to group similar risk factors into one of 10 domains. Sub-group analyses were then used to investigate whether risk domains differed for studies reporting severe violence (rather than aggression or hostility) and studies based in inpatient (rather than outpatient) settings.

Findings

There were 110 eligible studies reporting on 45,533 individuals, 8,439 (18.5%) of whom were violent. A total of 39,995 (87.8%) were diagnosed with schizophrenia, 209 (0.4%) were diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and 5,329 (11.8%) were diagnosed with other psychoses. Dynamic (or modifiable) risk factors included hostile behaviour, recent drug misuse, non-adherence with psychological therapies (p values<0.001), higher poor impulse control scores, recent substance misuse, recent alcohol misuse (p values<0.01), and non-adherence with medication (p value <0.05). We also examined a number of static factors, the strongest of which were criminal history factors. When restricting outcomes to severe violence, these associations did not change materially. In studies investigating inpatient violence, associations differed in strength but not direction.

Conclusion

Certain dynamic risk factors are strongly associated with increased violence risk in individuals with psychosis and their role in risk assessment and management warrants further examination.

Signs and codes in early childhood: An investigation of young children’s creative approaches to communication

PEOPLE COMMUNICATE AND MAKE meaning through the use of the signs, codes and rules of their community and its language/s. On the way to learning these signs, codes and rules, children often create or invent their own unique and sometimes temporary systems of meaning making. In this paper we use Vygotsky’s concept of semiotic mediation and Bernstein’s code theory to reflect on some examples of children’s creative approaches to communication that involved the creation and use of signs. We will argue that young language learners’ invention of their own languages and creative use of drawing as a form of sign creation are symbolic expressions of their intent to generate and reinforce desired social and cultural situations of learning. We conclude that individuals mediate social and individual functioning in order to make meaning of their world, and argue for a move away from viewing second language learning and emergent writing as static sets of abilities to a more dynamic interpretation.