This paper compares website usability--specifically library users' understanding of library terms--for fifty-one original research studies between 2012-2021, with the findings of John Kupersmith's 2011 white paper "Library Terms That Users Understand." Studies reported approximately twice as many terms that users didn't understand than…

Decades of research has suggested that completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) can be a complex, difficult process for postsecondary students and their support networks. However, no extant research has informed federal student aid practitioners and researchers as to what federal student aid jargon terms institutions of…

This study investigated the potential of discipline-related television programs as sources for incidental learning of specialized vocabulary used in university lectures and seminars. First, a Medical Spoken Word List (MSWL) of 895 specialized word types was developed from a 556,074-word corpus of medical lectures and seminars based on a mixed…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the concept of complex adaptive systems (CAS) from the perspective of managing organizations, to describe and explore the management principles in a case study of an organization with unconventional ways of management and to present a tentative model for managing organizations as CAS--system…

Draws a distinction between the concepts of personal growth and personal development through a linguistic analysis. Argues that the difference is vital in counselor training, where the emphasis should necessarily be on those aspects of personal development that are relevant to specific training objectives and client needs, rather than on the more…

The purpose of this study was to describe international perspectives concerning terms, definitions, and meanings of adapted physical activity (APA) as (a) activities or service delivery, (b) a profession, and (c) an academic field of study. Gergen's social constructionism, our theory, guided analysis of multiple sources of data via qualitative…

"Plain English" practitioners advocate rewriting texts to increase readability. However, a comparison of sections of an academic text with corresponding Plain English "translations" shows that, although readability may be increased, significant changes in meaning occur. (SK)

This article discusses professional language and communication in real-life settings and provides a critical overview of research on language for specific purposes. Ideas for renewing this field of study are presented. (78 references) (MDM)

Professional socialisation refers to the acquisition of values, attitudes, skills and knowledge pertaining to a professional subculture. This paper reviews the literature about professional socialisation and the dimensions that contribute to the process and definition of professional socialisation. This literature analysis is undertaken of cognate…

Explores the extent that sociological concepts have been incorporated into the vernacular of U.S. society and the impact of sociological techniques on politics and society. Study tracked frequency of selected sociological terms in the popular press. Identifies a danger of sociology becoming too popular and losing its credibility. (MJP)

Recent history of policy development for adult literacy and basic education (ALBE) in Australia is in need of scrutiny. Two lines of analysis are useful for framing developments in language policy in Australia: the first examines the ways in which professional cultures operate to influence policy and the second looks at orientations in policy.…