The article looks at legal drafting and editing as the focus of academic studies. The interest to this topic is determined by practical needs in a globalizing world where English is the language of business communication. Other reasons stem from the public demand for more understandable and clear legal instruments, legislative and policy initiatives and innovations in software and printing technologies. The article outlines the key aspects of legal drafting and editing/revising based on the works of Russian and Western scholars. It examines linguistic and non-linguistic properties of the legal instruments (on the material of corporate documents) contributing to their clarity and readability and, as a practical part of the research, analyses the most common errors in translating the articles of association from Russian into English. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Students' narratives from experiences in academic studies Anna-Karin Svensson Department of Learning and society Malmö University Sweden anna-karin.svensson@mau.se Summary The study's empiric is based on five students' narratives about earlier experiences of school and current experiences in university educations. The narratives are described and analyzed related to the education support they are offered in university. The students visit frequently the university's study workshop to take part of the written language aid that is offered. Three themes have been crystallized in the analysis: the students' need for clear support structures, teachers' feedback and the use of the students' educational capital. The result shows that the support is not perceived to be sufficient to carry out the studies independently. Keywords: academic literacy, narratives, study workshop, support structures, university students Background, objectives and aim The present study is based on five students' narratives experienced from frequent visits at the university study workshops. Students who opted to participate in the study are mainly from pre-school teacher education and teacher education as well as from other university programs. The interest for students' learning can be related to an earlier study about pre-service teachers reading (Svensson, 2011). Here is studied pre-service teachers reading on the basis of a socio-cultural perspective. The pre-service students' narratives make visible perceptions and experiences of what has been important aspects for reading in a life-long perspective. A number of aspects proved important as invitation, participation and challenge from significant others in order to develop new ways of reading, i.e. significant others supports reading processes for different reasons and in diverse contexts. Within earlier research in Sweden elucidates for example Ask (2005, 2007) and Blåsjö (2004) those problems students experience at stage transitions from upper secondary school to college. Bergman (2014, 2016) elucidates similar issues on the basis of teachers in higher educations' work with supporting students' development in literacy in higher education. Today almost every university and colleges in Sweden offered support for their students in study workshops. The aim of the study workshops is to facilitate for the students to conquer academic literacy skills. The study is based on five students' narratives from earlier school experiences and current experiences in university education with focus on student's visits at university's study workshop, taking part of the written language aid that is offered. Students' narratives are used in order to achieve knowledge about their experiences of university studies related to the aid the students apply for in the study workshop. This knowledge can along with earlier research and theoretical perspectives contribute to development of didactics in higher education. Existing study tries to answer the question: • What in the students' narratives stands out as important, favorable or unfavorable for the students' development of academic literacy in the university education? The theoretical starting point in existing study is based on a sociocultural perspective with focus on learning through social and creative processes of making meaning. A socio-cultural perspective assumes that learning is performed in conjunction with others in situated practices, comparable to what Lave and Wenger (1991) call legitimized peripheral participation. Learning takes place in interaction, where the student progressively moves between different positions through participation in the learning practice. Initially, the student leaves from a peripheral position, 'novis', to the center of practice, 'expert', when knowledge has been internalized. Lave and Wenger use the term Communities of Practice (CoP), which has been developed in practical professional communities, including tailors, midwives and butchers. Wenger's definition (1998) of CoP as a mutual commitment to a joint enterprise with a shared repertoire can therefore be discussed if it is transmissible in a knowledge environment, in which individuals develop and learn for different purposes and goals in a theoretical context, such as Arthur (2016) who problematizes in his research on CoP in the university environment. Researchers such as Gee, (2008) Lemke, (1990) and Street (1995) use the concept of literacy for writing-language activities and embrace an ideological approach where literacy is regarded as a complex social phenomenon related to social and political processes. In this context literacy means the ability to use different kinds of texts in different contexts and to a critical review, that is, to question the context and purposes for which texts are written and intended to be used. The term also means that students independently can manage, communicate and use the languages required in different contexts. The study also relates to previous research on student learning in an academic context, e.g., Evans (2015), Lea and Street (1998, 2006), Wingate and Tribbles (2012) Zepke and Leach (2005, 2006). Method The choice of a narrative method, which uses stories as a source of knowledge, is based on narratives as a tool that can contribute to knowledge of people's experiences, but also about the culture and society in which the narrator lives. The individual story can, when it is contextualized, provide knowledge about the social and cultural environment. Mishler (1995) distinguishes the story and the narrative. In the narrative there is a correlation between language and reality, but where the relationship should be problematized. The story instead focuses on how story telling is performed. Presenting examples of people's ways of perceiving their background, their current situation and their perception of the future is based on the belief that stories generate knowledge of importance (Goodson & Sikes, 2001). Study of students' narratives of their own reading and writing in a university context, is a research tool helping in the development of the university's educational/didactic work. Goodson and Sikes (ibid.) also argue that the narrative method is empowering for the narrator, and that the story creates understanding and meaning from past experiences, related to a historical and social context. Stories are constructions and in the narrative, the narrator designs herself along with the listener (Bamberg, 2004). In this study, narratives from five students are analyzed and interpreted. The reflexive component is important for both informant and researcher. For the researcher, reflexivity means being aware of the co-operative role in the design of the story. During this process the knowledge is deepened on how stories are derived from social life, but also creating and influencing social life (Brockmeier & Carbaugh, 2001; Bruner, 1987). The five students who were interested in participating in the study were women between 20 and 40 years old. These were selected for interview, a so-called availability check. Interviewers were informed that the study was only used for research purposes and that they could interrupt their participation whenever they wanted, and that their stories were anonymized with code names. The five stories were presented for the researcher, recorded and transcribed. The narratives were transcribed with focus on the content of the narratives, that is what the students tell, not how they tell. Each student's story was transcribed in its entirety for analysis and interpretation. A content analysis of the narratives has been done by coding based on meaning content, where different themes are highlighted (Graneheim & Lundman, 2004). Conclusion The results of this study point out that support and feedback are desirable at several levels of education, which means that teachers need to be aware of their own subject discipline literacy practice, in order to support students' learning processes. Based on student narratives, the support in the study workshop is not sufficient for the students to enable them to study independently and in-depth. Finally, it can be said that the results indicate that qualitative education and student involvement in the studies can be strengthened through cooperation at program/course level. This can be achieved by collegial cooperation between teachers and between teacher and student, as well as between student and student. Collaboration should be clearly stated in the syllabi and practiced as working methods in the courses. Such forms of work can stimulate relationships between teachers and students and between students for creative learning communities, both in academic and social groups, which are important for the sense of belonging. The study is based on narratives from five students who regularly visit the study workshop. The empirical material should be seen as examples of experiences from higher education, and the results should therefore not be generalized. Through transparency in the presentation of study purpose, selection of participants, data processing and analysis, the reader will be acquainted with the researcher's procedures throughout the study. Graneheim and Lundman (2004) use credibility, reliability and transferability as functional concepts in qualitative research. The study can be considered credible because it explores what has been the intention, i.e., some students' narratives from experiences in higher education. Critical issues in the data processing are the way data is processed and what is reduced in the process of condensed meaning and themes. Intent of publications: This presentation will be submitted to Problems of Education in the 21st Century to during autumn 2018 References Arthur, L. (2016). Communities of practice in higher education: professional learning in an academic career. International Journal for Academic Development, 1-12. Bamberg, M. (2004). Talk, small stories, and adolescent identities. Human development, 47(6), 366-369. Brockmeier, J., & Carbaugh, D. A. (Eds.). (2001). Narrative and identity: Studies in autobiography, self and culture (Vol. 1). John Benjamins Publishing. Bruner, J. (1987). Life as narrative. Social research, 11-32. Evans, C. (2013). Making sense of assessment feedback in higher education. Review of educational research, 83(1), 70-120. Gee, J. P. (2008). Social linguistics and literacies: Ideology in discourses (3rd ed.). London: Routledge. Goodson, I. F., & Sikes, P. J. (2001). Life history research in educational settings: Learning from lives. Open University Press. Graneheim, U. H., & Lundman, B. (2004). Qualitative content analysis in nursing research: concepts, procedures and measures to achieve trustworthiness. Nurse education today, 24(2), 105-112. Lave, J. & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Lea, M. R. & Street, B. V. (1998). Student writing in higher education: An academic literacies approach. Studies in Higher Education, 23(2), 157–172. Lea, M. R. & Street, B. V. (2006). The "academic literacies" model: Theory and applications. Theory into Practice, 45(4), 368–377. Leach, L., & Zepke, N. (2011). Engaging students in learning: A review of a conceptual organiser. Higher Education Research & Development, 30(2), 193-204. Leach, L. (2016). Enhancing student engagement in one institution. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 40(1), 23-47. Lemke, J. L. (1990). Talking science: Language, learning, and values. Norwood: Ablex. Mishler, E. G. (1995). Models of narrative analysis: A typology. Journal of Narrative and Life Story, 5(2) 87–123. Street, B. V. (1995). Social literacies: Critical approaches to literacy development, ethnography, and education. London: Longman. Wingate, U., & Tribble, C. (2012). The best of both worlds? Towards an English for Academic Purposes/Academic Literacies writing pedagogy. Studies in Higher Education, 37(4), 481-495. Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of practice: Learning, meaning, and identity. Cambridge university press. Zepke, N. & Leach, L. (2006). Improving learner outcomes in lifelong education: Formal pedagogies in non-formal learning contexts? Journal of Lifelong Education, 25(5), 507–518. Zepke, N. & Leach, L. (2007). Improving student outcomes in higher education: New Zealand teachers' views on teaching students from diverse backgrounds. Teaching in Higher Education, 12(5–6), 655–668. Statistiska centralbyrån SCB, 2016 www. uhr.se Kan excellens nås i homogena studentgrupper. Universitet och högskolerådet (2014)
A study was conducted to explore what could and should be a reasonable response rate in academic studies. One hundred and forty-one papers which included 175 different studies were examined. They were published in the Academy of Management Journal, Human Relations, Journal of Applied Psychology, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, and Journal of International Business Studies in the years 1975, 1985, and 1995, covering about 200,000 respondents. The average response rate was 55.6 with a standard deviation of 19.7. Variations among the journals such as the year of publication and other variables were discussed. Most notable is the decline through the years (average 48.4, standard deviation of 20.1, in 1995), the lower level found in studies involving top management or organizational representatives (average 36.1, standard deviation of 13.3), and the predominance of North American studies. It is suggested that the average and standard deviation found in this study should be used as a norm for future studies, bearing in mind the specific reference group. It is also recommended that a distinction is made between surveys directed at individual participants and those targeting organizational representatives.
Vorgelegt werden Ergebnisse einer im Jahr 1987 in Szczecin und Dresden durchgeführten Befragung von Studenten (n=375), die Aufschluß über "Auffassungen zu Fragen der Lebens- und Studiengestaltung und Studienzufriedenheit sowie Einstellungen zu internationalen und nationalen gesellschaftlichen Entwicklungen" geben sollte. Im einzelnen werden Untersuchungsergebnisse zu folgenden Themenkomplexen referiert: Lebensziele, Identifikation mit dem Hochschulstudium und Studienfach, Erfüllung der Studienanforderungen, Studienbelastung, Einschätzung der persönlichen Studienleistung, Arbeits- und Lebensbedingungen, Einstellung zum zukünftigen Beruf, Zukunftsorientierung, Verhältnis von Studenten und Hochschullehrern, finanzielle Verhältnisse, Familienstand und familiäre Zukunftsorientierung, studienbegleitende Berufstätigkeit, kulturelle Aktivitäten, sportliche Aktivitäten. (ICE)
Rural tourism in Durbuy City / Abdullah Uslu -- Effects of ecotourism activities in forests on the soil / Ahmet Duyar and Ahmet Açil -- Usage areas of salt mineral and its varieties / Bilal Deveci -- Hotel managers' metaphoric perceptions for smart hotel / Ebru Gözen -- Innovation in tourism and examples in practice / Ediz Güripek -- Diaspora tourism / Emre Aykaç and Ömer Ceyhun Apak -- Ecotourism and geographical information systems applications / Yasin Dönmez and Sevgi Öztürk -- Gastronomy tourism and geographical indications in Tokat / Emin Arslan -- Sustainable gastronomic tourism / Mehmet Tekeli and Ezgi Kirici Tekeli -- To determine the recreational potential of Trabzon / Mehmet Mert Pasli and Evren Güçer -- Digital transformation & marketing in tourism industry / Samet Gökkaya -- Cultural heritage tourism inventory in Tokat Province / Hakan Kendir -- Effects of digitalization in tourism / Serdar Sünnetçioğlu -- Climate change and tourism / Handan Özçelik Bozkurt -- Overtourism / Irem Bozkurt and Enes Yildirim -- Qualitative approaches for tourism research / Kansu Gençer -- Event tourism / Mehmet Can and Çağla Üst Can -- The effect of nepotism / Mustafa Cüneyt Şapcilar and Ahmet Büyükşalvarci -- Sharing economy for sustainability in tourism / Serdar Cop -- Sustainable tourism criteria and Turkish restaurants / Serdar Eren -- City tourism and Kütahya / Uğur Ceylan -- An overview of creative tourism concept / Yeliz Pekerşen -- Gastronomy festivals in Turkey / Yılmaz Seçim.
Der vorliegende Bericht ist ein Beitrag zur Auswertung der "Studenten-Intervallstudie Leistung" (SIL). Neben dem Datenmaterial früherer Untersuchungen stützt er sich auf eine im Frühjahr 1987 durchgeführte Briefbefragung von 280 individuell geförderten DDR-Studenten des 3. bis 5. Studienjahres sowie von Forschungsstudenten. Ausgehend von den hochschulpolitischen Erfordernissen wird 1. "die Situation hinsichtlich verschiedener Bedingungen und Formen individueller Förderung skizziert"; 2. "die theoretische Verallgemeinerung, Problematisierung, Erklärung der Phänomene versucht"; 3. "eine Anzahl hochschulpraktischer Empfehlungen angeboten". Im Anhang berichten Studenten über ihre Erfahrungen mit individuellen Fördermaßnahmen. (psz)
Ziel des Beitrag ist es, aus subjektiver studentischer Erfahrung heraus vorläufige Vorstellungen und Bewertungen der Studieninhalte des Soziologiestudiums bezüglich deren Nützlichkeit und Verwertbarkeit für berufspraktische Erfordernisse festzuhalten. Dabei steht die Frage im Vordergrund, ob die wissenschaftsbezogene Ausbildung von Soziologen und Soziologinnen sowie der Erwerb eines akademischen Titels noch eine hinreichende und genügende Bedingung der beruflichen Wirklichkeit ist. Angesichts der Bildungsexpansion stellen 'Bildungspatente' (Hochschulabschlüsse) keine Garantie mehr dar für höheren Einkommensstatus. Zusätzlich treten Soziologen durch die zunehmende Interpenetration der einzelnen wissenschaftlichen Disziplinen in eine gewisse Konkurrenz mit Vertretern anderer Disziplinen. Um eine Austauschbarkeit und Verwischung der Qualifikationen zu vermeiden, müßte ein für die Soziologie eindeutiges Profil entwickelt werden, welches auch Struktur und Inhalt des Studiums dahingehend korrigiert, daß die Anwendbarkeit der Soziologie auch auf außeruniversitäre und außerwissenschaftliche Bereiche ausgedehnt wird. Neben der Revision der Studieninhalte werden im Rahmen der Professionalisierungsdiskussion Fragen der studienbegleitenden Weiterbildung in Form von Praktika erörtert. Nur der frühzeitige Kontakt mit dem praktischen Tätigkeitsfeld schafft für den Soziologen die Möglichkeit, seinen Arbeitsbereich angemessen mit soziologischen Inhalten zu füllen und so die Austauschbarkeit mit Absolventen anderer Disziplinen zu eliminieren. (ICH)
Vorgelegt werden Ergebnisse einer schriftlichen Befragung von Studenten an Hoch- und Fachschulen (n=2151) zum Leistungsverhalten. Behandelt werden folgende Schwerpunkte: (1) Bedingungen für das Leistungsverhalten von Studenten (Studienwahl, Studienbedingungen, Ausbildungsmethoden, Studientechniken, wissenschaftliche Arbeit, Leistungsbereitschaft, Aufgabenerfüllung, Einstellung zu Beruf und Weiterbildung); (2) leistungsfördernde Persönlichkeitsmerkmale; (3) Rolle des Lehrkörpers bei der Erhöhung der Studienaktivität (Verhältnis zu den Studenten, Vorbildeffekt, Kontakthäufigkeit, Einschätzung des fachlichen Niveaus); (4) Zeitbudget der Studenten. (ICE2)
