Learner engagement is crucial for ensuring the quality of learning experiences, and yet the study of 'task engagement' has received relatively little empirical attention in the language education domain. This article reports on a study exploring the factors contributing to learners' engagement and disengagement during task performance in an…

Socially anxious adolescents commonly experience impaired interpersonal functioning with unfamiliar, same-age peers. Yet, we lack short screening tools for assessing peer-related impairments. Recent work revealed that a parent-reported, three-item screening tool produced scores that uniquely related to social anxiety concerns. However, this tool…

Grounded in the biopsychosocial models of expressive language in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and fragile X syndrome (FXS), this dissertation included two novel studies that examined the role of biological (i.e., physiology), psychological (i.e., autistic traits, anxiety symptoms, and child affect) and social (i.e., communication partner…

CEC's 2020 Practice-Based Standards for Preparation of Special Educators (K-12) identify proficiencies considered essential for successful entry into the profession. To assist Educator Preparation Programs (EPPs) in the design and assessment of programs aligned with these new Standards, the authors introduce a six-step approach that is systematic,…

Background music has been claimed to enhance people's creativity. In three experiments, we investigated the impact of background music on performance of Compound Remote Associate Tasks (CRATs), which are widely thought to tap creativity. Background music with foreign (unfamiliar) lyrics (Experiment 1), instrumental music without lyrics (Experiment…

Contemporary models of adult speech perception acknowledge that the processing of linguistic and nonlinguistic aspects of the speech signal are interdependent. But when in development does this interdependence first emerge? In the adult literature, one way to demonstrate this relationship has been to examine how language experience affects talker…

Changes in Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAEs) and a lack of SAE category knowledge have been identified as causes to declining SAE participation (Dyer & Osborne, 1995; Steel, 1997; Wilson & Moore, 2007). Recently, the National Council for Agricultural Education and the National FFA Organization have redefined SAE and created new…

Background: Systematicity principle, used during analogical reasoning, enables building up deeper abstract concepts as part of structure mapping. The purpose of this study was to investigate structure mapping processes that occur during acquisition of new relational categories and to identify the learning patterns and systematicity of children…

This study examines four learner engagement dimensions (behavioural, cognitive, emotional and social) in pedagogical task performance and provides insights into the effects of two task types (information-seeking and direction-giving) and topic familiarity on learner engagement in a semester-long English course. A total of 28 foreign language…

Past work has suggested that L1 readers retrieve idioms (i.e., "spill the tea") directly vs. matched literal controls ("drink the tea") following unbiased contexts, whereas L2 readers process idioms more compositionally. However, it is unclear whether this occurs when a figuratively or literally biased context…

While the potential of Dynamic Assessment (DA) and its variants (Computerized Dynamic Assessment (CDA) and Group Dynamic Assessment (GDA)) for EFL classrooms has been recognized, there is a lack of research on its practical implementation compared to the well-established field of Summative Assessment (SA). Thus, the objective of this qualitative…

ChatGPT, an AI-powered service known for its effective delivery of information and solutions, has the potential to transform education, scientific problem-solving, and student learning. However, to fully harness its advantages, understanding the pedagogical approach needed is essential. This study explores teachers' awareness of ChatGPT and the…

Previous studies found an impact of language familiarity on face recognition in 9- and 12-month-olds. Own race faces are better recognized when associated with native language, whereas for other race faces, it is with non-native language. The aim of this study is to investigate if language familiarity can also influence abstract pattern…

This project explores how children disambiguate and retain novel object-label mappings in the face of semantic similarity. Burgeoning evidence suggests that semantic structure in the developing lexicon promotes word learning in ostensive contexts, whereas other findings indicate that semantic similarity interferes with and temporarily slows…

Despite persistent and documented issues regarding hazing, scholarly attention remains limited. A review of the literature revealed the majority of studies focused on student perceptions and behavior. Faculty and staff, specifically student club and organization advisors, should be involved with the prevention of hazing, too, but first there must…