This thesis investigates Electronic System Level (ESL) design flow by implementing some applications using CoWare ESL tool, ConvergenSC. There are three focuses in this thesis: basic cell modeling, system platform design, and system level architecture exploration. In the basic cell modeling, we adopt the system level language, SystemC, to describe the abstract behavior of various modules in Transaction Level Modeling (TLM). In system platform design, we use the ESL tool to create system platforms of different architectures, mainly AMBA-based system platforms. In the system architecture exploration, we analyze the simulation results in different system platform architectures and present several strategies (memory allocation, ASIC design, DMA, Pipeline Scheduling) to improve the overall system performance in the application example of MP3 decoder. The rough estimation of power and area is also included in the system architecture exploration stage.

The purpose of the present study was to explore ESL students’ interactions in task-based synchronous computer-mediated communication (SCMC) in Second Life, a virtual environment by which users can interact through representational figures. I investigated Low-Intermediate and High-Intermediate ESL students’ interaction patterns before, during, and after three kinds of tasks, a Jigsaw task, a Decision-making task, and a Discussion task. The findings were that the Low and High-Intermediate ESL students engaged in several forms of interaction during the pre- and post-task periods in Second Life, such as checking their voice chat function, checking members, moving their avatars, and closings. These activities pointed to the nature of Second Life voice chat interaction as preconditions for further conversation, and for closing their conversation. Official task period activities revealed factors for task success, such as a leader, a structured way of approaching a task, no technical problem, and establishing a sense of telepresence (Schroeder, 2002) before the task. Concerning negotiation of meaning, the High-Intermediate students made more negotiation during the Decision-making tasks than the Jigsaw tasks, caused mainly by lexical meanings. The wrong answer team and the incomplete team engaged in more negotiations than the correct answer team and the complete team. However, the Low-Intermediate students in the complete team made more negotiations of meaning than the incomplete team. Both levels of students had fewer negotiations during the Discussion task than in the Jigsaw and Decision-making tasks, and they used comprehension checks, confirmation checks, and clarification requests as strategies for negotiation, overwhelmingly focused on meaning rather than form. The students played with their avatars more often during the Discussion task session than during the Jigsaw or Decision-making tasks, and their use of avatars seemed simply to be for fun, although another way explaining what students were doing is to recognize that they were also exploring the affordances of Second Life. Generally, the Low-Intermediate students had a positive attitude toward their learning experience in Second Life, whereas the High-Intermediate students expressed a more neutral view of their experience in Second Life. / text

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In Canada, the generation 1.5 university student demographic is just beginning to become noteworthy of research. Several quantitative studies on the adjustment of the children of immigrants in university exist, but qualitative research is scarce. This thesis aimed to reveal the voices and experiences of nine generation 1.5 youth who experienced the university system in Canada. In addition, it aimed to survey the language and literacy programming at three Winnipeg post secondary institutions. Methodologically, multiple case study research design, supplemented by archival research analysis were used. The findings from in-depth interviews show that participants were challenged in meeting the demands of some tasks that required proficiency in CALP. The institutional programming survey showed that two of the institutions provide language programming for newcomers, while one of the three institutions does not appear to provide programming that supports the unique needs of ESL/EAL G1.5 students. Recommendations for improved educational services and further research are provided.

Based on the premise that novice EAL learners have limited working memory resources to comprehend academic text, L1 explanatory notes were seen as a possible instrument to use in decreasing the cognitive demands of reading and increase the available working memory resources available for discussions. The hypotheses of this study were largely unsupported but from the data emerged a new hypothesis for second language acquisition; The Formality Hypothesis. This hypothesis posits that the presence or absence of the L1 signals various levels of formality in the learning task. Isolation of the L2 may therefore signal high levels of formality leading to the development of learners’ CALP (Cummins, 1979) whereas incorporation of the L1 into L2 input signals lower levels of formality leading to the development of learners’ BICS (Cummins, 1979).

I denna litteraturstudie undersöks litteraturens roll vid språkinlärning. Studien fokuserar på hur den skönlitterära läsningen inom engelskinlärning bidrar till ett utvecklat och tryggt ordförråd i de tidiga skolåren. Syftet med litteraturstudien var att undersöka effekterna som framkommer då läsning används i syfte att utveckla elevers språk. Vi har utgått från forskningsfrågan: Hur bidrar läsning till en ökad säkerhet gällande språkförmågan, med fokus på ett bredare ordförråd, för annat språk än modersmålet? Forskning som vi utgått ifrån samt våra studier svarar på den fråga som varit i fokus under studiens utveckling och lyft vikten av att involvera litteratur på olika sätt i undervisningen. Enligt vår studie är det fördelaktigt att använda litteratur i engelskundervisningen, då det kan öppna möjligheter för eleverna att använda sitt språk, utveckla det samt motiveras till en livslång läsglädje. Denna studie kan bidra till att lärare involverar skönlitteratur i engelskundervisningen där språkutveckling får vara i fokus. Eftersom vi, under arbetets gång, blev varse om att ett elevperspektiv saknades i artiklarnas resultat, hade det hade varit intressant att titta vidare på till exempel elevers inställning till litteraturläsning på engelska. Detta är något som kan vara i fokus vid framtida forskning.

In Canada, the generation 1.5 university student demographic is just beginning to become noteworthy of research. Several quantitative studies on the adjustment of the children of immigrants in university exist, but qualitative research is scarce. This thesis aimed to reveal the voices and experiences of nine generation 1.5 youth who experienced the university system in Canada. In addition, it aimed to survey the language and literacy programming at three Winnipeg post secondary institutions. Methodologically, multiple case study research design, supplemented by archival research analysis were used. The findings from in-depth interviews show that participants were challenged in meeting the demands of some tasks that required proficiency in CALP. The institutional programming survey showed that two of the institutions provide language programming for newcomers, while one of the three institutions does not appear to provide programming that supports the unique needs of ESL/EAL G1.5 students. Recommendations for improved educational services and further research are provided.

Based on the premise that novice EAL learners have limited working memory resources to comprehend academic text, L1 explanatory notes were seen as a possible instrument to use in decreasing the cognitive demands of reading and increase the available working memory resources available for discussions. The hypotheses of this study were largely unsupported but from the data emerged a new hypothesis for second language acquisition; The Formality Hypothesis. This hypothesis posits that the presence or absence of the L1 signals various levels of formality in the learning task. Isolation of the L2 may therefore signal high levels of formality leading to the development of learners’ CALP (Cummins, 1979) whereas incorporation of the L1 into L2 input signals lower levels of formality leading to the development of learners’ BICS (Cummins, 1979).

With the growth of recent research on the internal benefits of gesture for second language learners, the emphasis has begun to shift away from the traditional focus on addressee-related benefits. The current study explores student-student interactions which reflect internal benefits during face-to-face video game play. Data was collected in the conference room at a local Victoria high school and involved 7 participants; 6 English as a Second Language students and one native English speaker. Using discourse analysis as a method of data analysis, Long’s social constructivist model is taken as the grounded theory whereby it is thought that learners construct their new language through interaction that is socially mediated (Brown, 2007). The database is composed of videotaped sessions where student dyads, in a laddered consecutive order, take turns first as ‘novice’ gamers when learning how to play and then teaching in the next dyad. Each dyad experienced 5 minutes of instruction, 10 minutes of game play and 10 minutes of reflection about the game using a set number of questions. Videotapes of participants and transcripts were later examined and re-examined for face and body gestures, signs of social bonding as well as different types and uses of vocabulary. Two dyads emerged as having the most interesting results on almost all measures. These dyads both displayed a high number of gestures, vocabulary, mimicking and simultaneous gesturing. These findings reflect the potential utility of using student gesture to predict and gauge learner readiness, engagement and learning. This study has implications for both the instruction and learning of a second language as well as the use of interactive media and even video games for educational purposes. In addition, it contributes to the understanding of student-student interaction and the social construction of learning English as a second language. / Graduate

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