Stephen Crabbe

Website Analysis in an EFL Context: Content Comprehension, Perceptions on Web Usability and Awareness of Reading Strategies.

Website analysis is an interdisciplinary field of inquiry that focuses on both digital literacy and language competence (Brugger, 2009). Website analysis in an EFL learning context has the potential to facilitate logical thinking and in the process develop functional language proficiency. This study reported on an English language website (http://www.travelbelize.org/) analysis experiment carried out for three weeks as an in-class and homework activity in a third year (junior) level English as a Foreign Language (EFL) course at a Japanese technical university. The purpose was to explore EFL learners’ ability to analyze an English language website and produce concrete design responses in English. During the first week of the analysis (involving sixteen students selected due to performing the best during earlier in-class website analysis activities on the course), participants produced their own responses to eight open-ended design questions about the website. The second week of the analysis (involving all 59 students on the course) tested the students’ ability to search for information from the website, and recorded their impressions about the website design based on standard usability questionnaires (CSUQ, QUIS, and MPRC). The third week of the analysis had the 59 students self-report on their use of meta-cognitive reading strategies (MARSI 1.0 Questionnaire) during the website analysis. The results of the questionnaires showed that, overall, the EFL students had a basic understanding of major design questions related to information organization, screen interface design, audience, technology used, etc. However, there was statistically significant variability between responses in different groups (comprehensive evaluation, webpage design, terminology and website information and website capabilities) and the respondents were not unanimous in their impressions about the website. The result of the student self-reports on metacognitive reading strategies showed wide acceptability and use of problem-solving strategies.

Introduction and Historical Development of Technical Documents

The chapter introduces the book, its aim and structure. It then sets the book’s context by outlining the historical development of English language technical documents from the pre-industrial fourteenth century to the industrial early twentieth century and the introduction of Basic English, a precursor to modern controlled languages for technical documents. In doing this, the chapter identifies a number of linguistic and organisational features of historical technical documents that are used in modern technical documents to help make the information in them understandable.

Analysing Existing Controlled Languages Against the Best-Practice Features

The chapter first summarises the findings from existing controlled language analyses. It then brings together the information from the previous two chapters through analysing the controlled language rules introduced in the second chapter against the best-practice features introduced in the third chapter to ascertain if and how the rules reflect the best-practice features. The findings from the analysis help in identifying rules for a controlled language rule set model.

Developing a New Controlled Language for Technical Documents

The chapter first provides a model for developing a controlled language rule set that takes full account of all the identified linguistic and organisational best-practice features. The chapter then provides a model for developing a controlled vocabulary in which each word has an approved spelling, part(s) of speech and meaning(s).

Existing Controlled Languages for Technical Documents

The chapter first introduces the simplified international language Basic English. This was not developed specifically for technical documents. However, it is potentially adaptable to them. In addition, it provided an impetus and framework for the development of controlled languages specifically for technical documents. The chapter next chronologically introduces a number of controlled languages that have been used since the 1970s by large manufacturing companies, particularly to help make the information in their technical documents understandable. The chapter concludes by considering the benefits and drawbacks of controlled languages for technical documents.

Best-Practice Features of Modern Technical Documents

The chapter first describes the most widely agreed upon linguistic and organisational best-practice features of modern technical documents that help make the information in them understandable. These are identified from academic, government and professional literature published over the last two and a half decades. The chapter concludes by identifying the key benefits of developing understandable technical documents.

An investigation into the efficacy of technical illustrations depicting physical orientation in sports procedures

Abstract This study on mental imagery set out to investigate the efficacy of technical illustrations depicting physical orientation in sports procedures. The study was carried out by junior level students on an undergraduate degree in computer science at a Japanese technical university with no specialized knowledge of information design or visual communication. The study participants were asked to match body and overhead images shown from different height perspectives (waist and chest height) and camera positions (front, 1/3rd side, side, 1/3rd back, back) of a man holding a bat and a man hitting with a bat. These physical actions were selected by the researchers as they can typically be seen in multiple sports such as baseball, rounders or cricket, thus widening the potential applicability of the study findings. Overall, the study participants achieved relatively high levels of accuracy in matching the body and overhead images and no consistent or clear pattern emerged with regard to preferred height perspectives or camera positions. However, what can be suggested is that the study participants appeared to prefer - and the mean accuracy levels were higher for - viewpoints shown into the display plane. In addition, the study participants self-reported relatively high overall confidence in their matches despite not having any specialised knowledge of visual communication. It is hoped that this study and accompanying literature review could help technical communicators in thinking about how to design 2D technical illustrations and contribute to existing research into information design and visual communication, particularly in a sporting context.