From the perspective of cultural studies and critical theory, Luhmann’s communication-theoretical approach in sociology can still be read as a meta-biology: while biologists take the development of life as a given, Luhmann tends to treat the development of meaning as a cultural given. Meaning is no longer considered as constructed in communication, but meaning processing precedes and controls c...

Ultrasonic motor’s model adapting to control application is the foundation of the motor’s high performance control. Ultrasonic motor’s frequency-speed control model gives a signification to improve speed control performance. This paper shows the design of stepping response experiments, and also explains the model identification of USM by the way of characteristic point method. Considering its t...

ground differential movements due to faulting have been observed to cause damage to engineered structures and facilities. although surface fault rupture is not a new problem, there are only a few building codes in the world containing some type of provisions for reducing the risks. fault setbacks or avoidance of construction in the proximity to seismically active faults, are usually supposed as...

Research regarding the teaching of reading for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) and English as a Second Language (ESL) is still ongoing. This study focused on metacognitive reading strategies for these learners, first revisiting the concept of metacognition as proposed by Flavell, and then going on to explain reading strategies that require metacognitive skills within three knowledge dimensi...

Little attention has been paid to the problems about portfolio keeping in English as a foreign language (EFL) writing, while the existing literature mostly focuses on the effects of portfolios on writing skills of learners, rather than those of teachers or pre-service teachers. This study aims to investigate the problems encountered and contributions of portfolios to the language skills of EFL ...

The objectives of the present study were threefold: (1) the effects of training in /r/-/l/ perceptual identification on /r/-/l/ production; (2) the effects of training in /r/-/l/ production on /r/-/l/ perceptual identification; and (3) the effects of perceptual and production training on learners’ motivation to study English. Results indicate that both the perceptual and the production training...

This study attempts to explore the effects of formal schemata or rhetorical patterns on reading comprehension through detailed analysis of a case study of 45 non-English majors from X University. The subjects were selected from three classes of comparable English level and were divided into three groups. Each group was asked to recall the text and finish a cloze test after reading one of three ...

This paper considers theoretical issues and practical applications of teaching critical thinking in Asian EFL contexts (e.g., Japanese and Korean). In the first section, I present a definition of ‘critical thinking’ and argue that misconceptions regarding this definition have limited the teaching of critical thinking skills in Asian EFL contexts. The second section focuses on a specific critica...