American University in Cairo

About: American University in Cairo is a education organization based out in Cairo, Egypt. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Context (language use). The organization has 2472 authors who have published 5339 publications receiving 73741 citations.

A Comparison of Three Learning Strategies for ESL Vocabulary Acquisition

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to compare three learning strategies—differentiated according to Craik & Lockhart's (1972) “depths of processing” theory—for ESL vocabulary. Six intact ESL classes at two levels of proficiency were divided into three treatment groups (keyword, semantic, and keyword-semantic). These Arabic-speaking students then received 4 days of instruction. Both recognition and cued-recall instruments were used to measure effects both 1 day and 9 days after treatment. Cued-recall results immediately after treatment revealed that the keyword method facilitated vocabulary acquisition for lower-proficiency students. The delayed results for both the recognition and cued-recall tests suggested that the combined keyword-semantic strategy increased retention above the other strategies. Possible applications of these findings are discussed.

The ocean sampling day consortium

Abstract: Ocean Sampling Day was initiated by the EU-funded Micro B3 (Marine Microbial Biodiversity, Bioinformatics, Biotechnology) project to obtain a snapshot of the marine microbial biodiversity and function of the world’s oceans. It is a simultaneous global mega-sequencing campaign aiming to generate the largest standardized microbial data set in a single day. This will be achievable only through the coordinated efforts of an Ocean Sampling Day Consortium, supportive partnerships and networks between sites. This commentary outlines the establishment, function and aims of the Consortium and describes our vision for a sustainable study of marine microbial communities and their embedded functional traits.