Low Down

  We may state that self-esteem is probably the most pervasive aspect of any human behavior, and in educational psychology the concept is well established, this importance is not reflected in the amount of L2 research that has specifically targeted the variable. This is partly due to the fact that self-esteem is closely related to the notion of self-confidence, which has a vigorous research tradition in applied linguistics and which, therefore, may have diverted scholars from the study of self-esteem. Indeed, both self-esteem and self-confidence (and also self-efficacy) share a common emphasis on the individual’s beliefs. Like so many of the ID variables, self-esteem has been conceptualized both in a global (trait-like), and in a situational (state-like) manner. As, self-esteem is the evaluative quality of the self-image or self-concept, therefore global self-esteem refers to “individuals’ overall evaluation or appraisal of themselves, whether they approve or disapprove of themse...

  The purpose of communicative language teaching approaches is to promote the learners’ communicative competence in the target language. However, it is not uncommon to find people who tend to avoid entering L2 communication situations even if they possess a high level of communicative competence. This implies that there is a further layer of mediating factors between having the competence to communicate and putting this competence into practice. Because this substrate is the immediate antecedent of the actual initiation of L2 communication, it must be highly situated in nature and it is likely to be made up of a combination of a number of psychological, linguistic, and contextual variables.   A multilayered ‘pyramid’ model, subsuming a range of linguistic and psychological variables, including linguistic self-confidence (both state and trait); the desire to affiliate with a person; interpersonal motivation; intergroup attitudes, motivation, and climate; parameters of t...

  Attention is then turned to the head. The scalp is incised across the posterior vertex from a point behind the ear to the corresponding place on the other side. Where a Y-incision is used on the neck, the limbs of the Y may be continued right across the scalp, especially if a face dissection is necessary. The tissues are reflected forwards to the lower forehead and back to the occiput. The deep scalp tissues may peel off by traction, but often require touches of the knife to free them. Bruising is sought and, where head injuries are present or suspected, the scalp should be reflected right back to the nape of the neck, paying particular attention to the tissue behind and below each ear where injuries causing vertebrobasilar artery damage occur. Where there are facial injuries, the skin of the face may be peeled back from the jaw line and downwards from the forehead, restoration being excellent if care is taken not to perforate the facial skin during removal. The skull is sawn thr...