Functional neuroanatomy of meaning acquisition from context

An important issue in language learning is how new words are integrated in the brain representations that sustain language processing. To identify the brain regions involved in meaning acquisition and word learning, we conducted a functional magnetic resonance imaging study. Young participants were required to deduce the meaning of a novel word presented within increasingly constrained sentence contexts that were read silently during the scanning session. Inconsistent contexts were also presented in which no meaning could be assigned to the novel word. Participants showed meaning acquisition in the consistent but not in the inconsistent condition. A distributed brain network was identified comprising the left anterior inferior frontal gyrus (BA 45), the middle temporal gyrus (BA 21), the parahippocampal gyrus, and several subcortical structures (the thalamus and the striatum). Drawing on previous neuroimaging evidence, we tentatively identify the roles of these brain areas in the retrieval, selection, and encoding of the meaning.

Pragmatic competence of Finnish learners of English: Meaning in interaction in secondary and upper secondary schools

Tutkin pro gradu -tutkielmassani englannin kielen oppijoiden pragmaattista kompetenssia. Tarkoitukseni oli selvittää, miten suomalaiset yläkoululaiset ja lukiolaiset osaavat käyttää englannin kieltä erilaisissa kommunikaatiotilanteissa. Tutkielmani voidaan sijoittaa välikielen pragmatiikan tutkimukseen. Halusin selvittää, millä tasolla suomalaisten oppijoiden pragmaattinen kompetenssi on ja kehittyykö se yläkoulun ja lukion välillä. Lisäksi tutkin, vaikuttavatko oppimisympäristö ja oppimismahdollisuudet oppijoiden kykyyn käyttää englannin kieltä. Toisin sanoen vertasin englantipainotteisilla luokilla olevia oppilaita formaalin opetuksen oppijoihin sekä tutkin, vaikuttavatko englanninkieliset vapaa-ajan aktiviteetit ja oppijoiden mahdolliset oleskelut englanninkielisissä maissa heidän pragmaattiseen kompetenssiinsa. Tutkimukseni kohderyhmä koostui yläkoulun kahdeksasluokkalaisista ja lukion toisen vuosikurssin opiskelijoista. Testasin neljä eri ryhmää, joissa oli sekä formaalissa opetuksessa olevia oppijoita (yksi ryhmä kahdeksasluokkalaisia ja yksi ryhmä toisen vuosikurssin opiskelijoita) että kielipainotteisten luokkien oppijoita (yksi ryhmä kahdeksasluokkalaisia ja yksi ryhmä toisen vuosikurssin opiskelijoita). Arvioin kohderyhmäni pragmaattista kompetenssia monivalintatestillä, jossa testattiin oppijoiden kykyä käyttää ja ymmärtää implikaatioita, tilannekohtaisia rutiineja sekä puheakteja. Taustakysymysten avulla selvitin, kuinka usein oppijat käyttivät englantia vapaa-aikanaan ja olivatko he vierailleet englanninkielisissä maissa. Tutkimustulokseni osoittavat, että suomalaisten yläkoululaisten ja lukiolaisten pragmaattinen kompetenssi oli korkea. Pragmaattinen kompetenssi kehittyi kahdeksasluokkalaisten ja lukion toisen vuosikurssin välillä. Kehitys oli suurempaa formaalissa opetuksessa kuin kielipainotteisilla luokilla. Englantipainotteisilla luokilla olevat oppilaat suoriutuivat testistä paremmin kuin formaalin opetuksen oppilaat. Tosin erot olivat tilastollisesti merkitseviä vain yläkoulussa. Tutkimuksessani siis päättelin, että vieraskielinen opetus vaikutti enemmän nuorempiin oppijoihin. Eri oppimismahdollisuudet osoittautuivat haastaviksi analysoida. Tulokset osoittivat, että vain englanninkielisessä maassa oleskelulla oli vaikutusta oppijoiden pragmaattiseen kompetenssiin. Kysyttäessä vapaa-ajan aktiviteettien merkitystä oppijat kuitenkin kertoivat, että ne auttoivat heitä testiin vastaamisessa enemmän kuin englanninopetuksessa käydyt asiat. Kouluissa tulisikin jatkossa painottaa yhä enemmän vuorovaikutteista kieltenopetusta.

Work and non-work : on work and meaning

I den politiska retoriken florerar debattinlägg om arbetslivet, och målsättningen är för det mesta att så många som möjligt ska arbeta så länge som möjligt. Att skapa jobb och minimera arbetslösheten ses som de främsta utmaningarna. På ett individuellt plan beskrivs arbete ofta som personligt självförverkligande eller som en nödvändig form av inkomst som kräver att livet struktureras enligt behovet av sysselsättning. I avhandlingen diskuteras hur de här till synes självklara rollerna som arbete spelar kan sägas neutralisera arbete. Med detta menas att kontroverser kring arbetets mening åsidosätts så att politiskt och etiskt grundläggande frågor om ett gott liv och mänskliga gemenskaper inte ges plats. Genom att gå i dialog med kritiska tänkare som Hannah Arendt, André Gorz, Kathi Weeks, Karl Marx och Richard Sennett diskuteras riskerna med att behandla arbete som en resurs, ett gemensamt samhällsprojekt eller individuellt självförverkligande. Vad är nödvändigt arbete? Vad innebär det att arbete är en vara? Vad är problemet med fragmentering av arbete? Det sägs ofta att arbete har blivit alltmer gränslöst – är detta något positivt eller negativt? Utifrån sådana frågor tar avhandlingen fasta på spänningar i arbetets roll i våra liv och i samhället. Genom att artikulera spänningar utmanas en neutralisering av arbetets etiskt och politiskt brännbara dimensioner. Avhandlingen syftar därmed till att lyfta fram ständigt pågående sätt att ifrågasätta och reflektera kring arbetets mening.

Understanding how a spiritual retreat enhances the search for meaning and fulfillment in a large corporate workplace /

This study explored the concept of a spiritual retreat for frontline employees of a large corporate call centre. During a 1 day retreat, 4 call centre employees were introduced to various meditation and retreat activities. Follovsdng the retreat the participants were asked to incorporate the various meditations and activities into their workplace. The participants kept journals throughout the study in an effort to determine what occurred when these practices were transferred from the retreat setting to the workplace. This study examined how a working spirituality enhances one's sense of fulfillment, defined by certain critical elements: relationship, awareness, ritual, internal commitment, and choice. Although the retreat was a successful means of exploring these elements, the degree to which each employee could benefit from them was determined by the extent of their internal commitment not only to themselves, but also to their jobs.

Experiences and meaning of the aquatic environment for individuals with physical disabilities

This study examines the experiences and meaning of physical activity in the aquatic environment to enhance social, cultural and political understanding of its impact in the lives of individuals with physical disabilities. Interviews, lived experience descriptions and artifacts present an explanation of the felt sense oftheir bodies as they engage in swimming or scuba diving. 11 Combining written, verbal and visual descriptions generated by informants provides a detailed account of the unique qualities of physical activity in the water for those with physical disabilities. Participants' descriptions highlight that context is an important aspect of physical activity among individuals with physical disabilities through discussion of motility and the role of the lived body. Aspects of the aquatic environment create a setting that facilitates forgetfulness of the lived body's presence. Instructors and participants alike will benefit from learning the difference between the object body and the lived body, listening to the body's voice as they participate in physical activity .

Escape and connection : a phenomenological investigation into the meaning of an after-school program for adolescent boys

The purpos e of this phenomenological research is to explore the meaning of a YMCA-sponsored after-school recreation program in the lives of four adolescent boys. Listening to youth voice is impor t ant to the ability of othe r s to design, implement and evaluate high-quality programs tha t facilitate learning opportunities tha t a r e meaningful to participants. Within the context of interviews, task-based activities we r e used to ga the r data. Guided by Creswell's analytic spiral (1998), data wa s analyzed according to van Manen's (1990) thematic analysis and Caeilli's (2000) creative narrative analysis. It wa s found tha t this after-school progr am provided the s e adolescents with the opportunity to escape from the i r monotonous after-school activities and the instability of the i r home and school environments. Also, they we r e connected wi th positive peers, caring adults and the wide r community, opportunities tha t we r e limited in othe r aspects of the i r lives. Methodological issues a r e also discussed.

Teachers' processes of negotiating meaning of new curriculum

This qualitative study addresses the question of how teachers negotiate meaning of new curriculum to better understand how curriculum is transformed from a theoretical construct to a practical one. Through interviews with 5 teachers, their experiences were examined as they negotiated the process of implementing new curriculum. Three theoretical constructs provided the entry point into the study: epistemology, teacher knowledge, and teacher learning. Using inductive analysis, 4 points or attributes of negotiation emerged: reference, growth, autonomy, and reconciliation. These attributes provided a theoretical framework from which a constructivist conceptualization of teacher learning and teacher knowledge could serve to understand the process of how teachers negotiate meaning of curriculum. Studied and theorized in this way, teacher knowledge and teacher learning are seen to be inextricably linked in a relationship that is dynamically changed by forces of stability and instability. Theorizing the negotiation of meaning from a constructivist epistemology also strengthened the assertion that negotiating meaning is a unique structural process, and that knowledge construction is therefore unique to each knower and subject to experience in a particular time and place. The implications for such a theory are, first, that it questions the legitimacy of privatized teacher practice and, second, that it calls for a renewed conceptualization of collegial network and relationship to strengthen the capacity for negotiating meaning of curricular initiatives. Understanding the relationship of curricular theory and negotiating meaning also has implications for curriculum development. In particular, the study highlights the necessity of professional discretion and the generative process of negotiating meaning.

Turning points : meaning-making and its association with psychological well-being, academic achievement and parental relationship quality among adolescents

There is substantial research linking meaning-making ability and psychological well-being in the context of turning point events. Still, an important research question remains: whether individuals who report meaning-making and psychological well-being were already better adjusted psychologically, prior to the experience of their turning point. In addition, the role of meaning-making on academic achievement and parental relationship quality has received little empirical attention although both variables have been shown to be positively associated with positive adjustment among adolescents. This longitudinal study examined differences in psychological well-being, academic achievement, and parental relationship quality between adolescents who reported meaning-making (lessons or insights) and those who reported no meaning-making within their turning point narratives. Participants were 803 (52% female) grade 12 adolescents, 26% (N = 209) of whom had reported experiencing a turning point. Participants also completed measures on the outcome variables (psychological well-being, academic achievement, and parental relationship quality) 3 years prior, when they were in grade 9. MANOVA results indicated that, of the participants who experienced a turning point, adolescents who reported meaning-making reported significantly higher psychological wellbeing and more positive parental relationship quality than adolescents who reported no meaningmaking. Importantly, these two groups did not differ on the outcome variables prior to their experience of a turning point event when they were in grade 9. Academic achievement scores did not differ significantly between adolescents who reported meaning-making and those who reported no meaning-making. These findings highlight the importance of meaning-making in relation to positive adjustment subsequent to a turning point among adolescents.

The Meaning of the Virtual YMCA After School Program for Former Participants: An Exploratory Study

Research has shown that after school programs can provide children with opportunities that help foster positive development and adaptation. Current research meets the need for identifying short term outcomes, program standards, and short term evaluation techniques, however less understood is the lasting meaning of participation for previous participants after their participation. The purpose of this study was to explore the meaning and perceived impacts of participation in a preventative, skill-building after school program for former participants. Using an exploratory case study approach, interviews were conducted with six previous participants of the Virtual YMCA and a former school principal. Reconstructed narratives and analyzed transcripts show that participants do still derive meaning and significance from their participation in the program, although highly individualized. Significant aspects of the program are identified, as well as the participant’s perceived impacts which are still present today. Discussion for practitioners, researchers, and funders is provided.

Physical Activity and the Entanglement of Meaning Making for Females

This research takes a phenomenological approach through narratives to investigate the meanings females attribute to their experiences with physical activity. Nine females across the age ranges of 10-80 were asked to share three meaningful physical activity stories. These experiences could be positive or negative in nature as long as they were reflective of a meaningful experience for the participant. The aim of the research was to explore the types of physical activity experiences that females find meaningful. The results indicate that participants perceived the following to be meaningful within their experience: social support, benefits to personal health and well-being, recognition and acknowledgment, empowerment, body control, early positive experience and identity formation. Participants’ stories offered an enlightened understanding of the meanings active females associate with physical activity across their lifespans that perhaps can assist in formulating and developing strategies to encourage and promote involvement in physical activity.

The meaning of multiple medication use in adults: A qualitative study

Over half of prescribed medications are not taken as prescribed, resulting in health and economic consequences. Using constructivist grounded theory, 15 interviews were conducted to develop a theory on understanding the medication adherence choices of individuals, who were between the ages of 40 to 55, were diagnosed with a chronic condition, and taking three or more medications. The results indicate that participants are engaging in self-management strategies, with massive variance in adherence behaviours. Medications are sacrificed for personal and financial reasons, resonating with feelings of fear for the person’s current situation and future. Individuals are struggling with who they have become to who they once were, which becomes related to their medications. Finally, individuals are citing the impact of their physician; citing barriers to communication and Canada’s health care system. Participants’ experiences provided an understanding of the meanings individuals associate with their medications and how this impacts their decision-making.