Mark Garner

Many countries have national policies in relation to English language teaching that are monitored through standardized tests, and students’ performance in these tests may have a significant impact on their career prospects. When such high stakes become attached to a language test, it begins to play a far greater role than originally intended. A preeminent example is the College English Test (CET), taken biannually by upwards of ten million students in China, which makes it the world’s largest national English test. Its impact is evident in many areas of Chinese society. Specified grades on the CET are requirements for graduation from universities, many job applications and even some residence permits. Consolidated CET results are widely used for rating teachers for promotion and for competitively grading institutions, hence influencing strategic planning by universities, government departments and companies, particularly those engaged in publishing or bookselling. The CET has, furthermore, given rise to a highly organized cheating ‘industry’, which is the subject of frequent governmental disclaimers and warnings. This book reports on an extensive study of the impact of the CET in China, both on the lives of students and teachers and on educational and governmental institutions. The authors also draw theoretical and practical implications from their study for educational planners in other countries.

With its focus on critical thinking and applied learning, Doing Social Research provides a unique approach to conducting social research. The book is organised according to the broad chronology of developing and conducting a typical student research project and provides coverage of key theories alongside exercises, case studies and scenarios. Written specifically for students in South Africa and the developing world and drawing on examples from a range of fields in the social sciences, the book brings research methods to life. Contributors: Anja Botha, Bagele Chilisa, Rebecca K. Frels, Mark Garner, Laurel Holland, Barbara B. Kawulich, Sumaya Laher, Melody Mentz, Craig A. Mertler, Jan Nieuwenhuis, Tamra Ogletree, Anthony J. Onwuegbuzie, Charles Potter, Anne Ryen, Adilia S. F. Silva, Brigitte Smit and Claire Wagner

Operational communication is the study and design of communication procedures and practice for agencies responsible for the control, protection, transport, etc. of large numbers of people, vehicles, and goods in a public arena. Much attention has been paid to the technological aspects, but not enough to the practices of those using the technology. Thisbook is the first general introduction to the field.

Ecological thinking has in recent years come a long way from its origins in biology, to become a new paradigm within many disciplines. Its approach is holistic, and focuses on dynamic, interactive systems and the interrelationships between the object of study and its context. The author demonstrates how adopting such an ecological perspective fundamentally changes our understanding of human language, and calls into question a number of assumptions: that language is rule-governed, for example, or that it represents a distinctive form of knowledge. From an ecological point of view, language is inseparable from all expressions of human sociality, such as communication, culture, and community. Arising from this perspective are key concepts, such as patterning, predictability, and creativity, which the author suggests as the basis of a very different approach to linguistics. Linguists, along with everyone interested in the many facets of meaningful human behaviour, will find the ideas presented here both stimulating and challenging. Furthermore, an ecological framework supersedes the distinction between theoretical and applied linguistics, and the book is specifically addressed to language practitioners of all kinds, for whom an ecological view of language is particularly relevant.