Acquisition Of Proficiency Research Articles

English Language Skills and their Significance in Efficiency of Performance Workplace

The significance of effective English communication skills in the professional realm cannot be overstated, as they have been recognized as essential instruments for achieving triumph in the business domain. The proficiency in the English language is widely regarded as an essential prerequisite qualification for gainful employment. English has long been regarded as a gateway to securing a lucrative and stable position within the public sector, ensuring a comfortable retirement. The acquisition of proficiency in the English language is widely regarded as a fundamental component of one's employability repertoire.

What Bedside Skills Could the Modern Rheumatologist Possess? Part II. "Certain Technical Procedures".

Rheumatologists have never been reluctant to adopt procedures that might enhance their diagnostic or therapeutic powers. Their propensity to penetrate the joints of the patients they were treating set them apart from the general internist. Since the 1980s, when a chance to look inside the joints they were treating attracted a few rheumatologists, other things that could be done at the bedside emerged with now an array of bedside procedures that could be part of a rheumatologist's skill set. Besides gains in diagnosis and/or therapy, each constitutes a chance to restore the physical contact between physician and patient, riven by factors of the last decade, such as electronic medical records and COVID. With such contact so important to satisfaction of the patient and physician alike, acquisition of proficiency in certain technical procedures described herein offers one path to begin restoring rheumatology to the richly fulfilling practice it once was.

Business English Proficiency Acquisition Facilitated by Technology: Evaluations and Implications

Online learning prospered in recent years, so did the research in this area. The COVID-19 pandemic has made it the default option of education. The design, implementation and evaluation of a completely online education model are of universal urgency. The learning purposes of Business English encompass the mastery of business knowledge and language abilities. This paper reviews the online teaching and learning of this course and tries to assess its effectiveness in equipping students with business related language competence. Students’ performances were measured in score comparisons; their levels of participation and activeness were captured in statistics across learning platforms; their perceptions on the advantages and disadvantages of this teaching model were collected in a survey and in-depth interviews. Research results show significant progresses have been achieved in students’ reading proficiency; language production in terms of speaking and writing was perceived to have been improved; the level of engagement was high. Challenges of this model have also been summarized and corresponding modifications would be proposed, to facilitate proficiency acquisition more efficiently.

Role of ICT tool in Acquisition of Proficiency in English Language- A Case Study on Outcome of Using MePro Pearson Software Tool

Proficiency in English, both writing and communication are considered as the most important life skills of the modern era. These skills are considered as an asset for lifelong learning and aids in recruitment process or sustainability in the job. This may even endeavor to reduce psychological stress while speaking or reading within the group and among the group. These days learning through online has become the order of the day. This paper presents the real need and priorities to learn English language through ICT (Information through Communication Technology) tools. The researcher of English department has found the students’ opinion and experience on use of ICT tools for enhancing the skills in English language. This paper investigates how English language tool, MePro from Pearson has helped students for employability and career development. A survey on MePro is tested and experienced by GPREC (G.Pulla Reddy Engineering College) students in the transformation of the student to achievement level with first hand practical knowledge is taken as a case study in the paper.

Infinitesimal calculus: A blunder in mathematics?

AbstractThis article reveals the fact that considerable study time invested into acquisition of proficiency in infinitesimal calculus leaves behind only the ability to tackle problems of order four or less. Today's problems reaching into orders of thousands are being handled by clever computer‐based algorithms seldom addressed in high school or college. Yet, the calculus teaching will persist as long as physics and some other natural science teachers start their lectures with a differential equation. An alternative method, preparing high school students for serious problem‐solving abilities, is presented with examples. References provided, many published by this author, do apply the method to a broad range of natural sciences.

Live transportation and RAM acquisition proficiency test

The content of Random Access Memory (RAM) of a computer contains forensically relevant information. However, actually acquiring it can be challenging. This article describes a proficiency test performed by several forensic laboratories and their strategies for acquiring the memory from a reference system. The proficiency test covers the full examination chain from physical crime scene to data analysis.

Understanding the Psychological Traits Affecting Functioning in Foreign Cultures and Performance in Foreign Languages: Application of the Kozai Group’s Global Competencies Index

This ground-breaking empirical study involving the application of Kozai Group's Global Competency Index (GCI) with 86 Chinese Students in Japan elucidates the importance of certain personality traits that modulate ability to succeed in business and other goal-oriented activities in foreign cultures and success in performing in oral performance in foreign languages. Fourteen of the 16 GCI dimensions were strong predictors of oral/aural performance in Japanese among the 86 Chinese subjects. The results indicate that the vast majority of the personality traits represented by the GCI, which have been validated in terms of enabling successful cultural adaption for optimal performance in global business, also facilitate oral/aural performance in foreign languages. Adaptation to foreign cultures and acquisition of proficiency in foreign often prove to be key factors in determining the degree of success in a foreign assignment or long-term cross-cultural business relationship. Kozai Groups GCI has been widely used as a predictor of ability to function in foreign cultures and is especially applicable to screening candidates for long-term assignments abroad. This empirical study demonstrates that the same psychological traits that facilitate cultural adaptation also facilitate performance in foreign languages. This knowledge can form the basis for introspection and training programs for improving cross-cultural competences and cross-cultural communication. The key to understanding the reasons behind the sentiment of the statement I am just not good at speaking foreign languages and how to overcome this state of mind is provided.

Recent Discoveries on the Functions of Astrocytes in the Copper Homeostasis of the Brain: A Brief Update

In the last two decades, there has been widespread acknowledgment of the pivotal role played by astrocytes in diverse aspects of central nervous system functioning. Astrocytes are crucial for the homeostasis of the copper in the central nervous system as evident by its proficiency in acquisition, trafficking, and export of copper. Moreover, the imbalance in copper homeostasis and impairment in astrocyte functioning are increasingly being recognized as an important contributing factor in the development of neurodegeneration and cognitive waning. In this review, we discuss the most recent advances in the field of copper homeostasis in astrocytes along with briefly outlining the copper dyshomeostasis associated hepatocerebral and neurodegenerative diseases.

Biomechanics–Machine Learning System for Surgical Gesture Analysis and Development of Technologies for Minimal Access Surgery

The uptake of minimal access surgery (MAS) has by virtue of its clinical benefits become widespread across the surgical specialties. However, despite its advantages in reducing traumatic insult to the patient, it imposes significant ergonomic restriction on the operating surgeons who require training for the safe execution. Recent progress in manipulator technologies (robotic or mechanical) have certainly reduced the level of difficulty, however it requires information for a complete gesture analysis of surgical performance. This article reports on the development and evaluation of such a system capable of full biomechanical and machine learning. The system for gesture analysis comprises 5 principal modules, which permit synchronous acquisition of multimodal surgical gesture signals from different sources and settings. The acquired signals are used to perform a biomechanical analysis for investigation of kinematics, dynamics, and muscle parameters of surgical gestures and a machine learning model for segmentation and recognition of principal phases of surgical gesture. The biomechanical system is able to estimate the level of expertise of subjects and the ergonomics in using different instruments. The machine learning approach is able to ascertain the level of expertise of subjects and has the potential for automatic recognition of surgical gesture for surgeon-robot interactions. Preliminary tests have confirmed the efficacy of the system for surgical gesture analysis, providing an objective evaluation of progress during training of surgeons in their acquisition of proficiency in MAS approach and highlighting useful information for the design and evaluation of master-slave manipulator systems.

Hey Good Lookin’, Whatcha Got Cookin’? “Tout à côté cuisine” in the Intermediate French Classroom

THE ACTFL Standards for Foreign Language Learning (or the “five Cs”) are the goals of today’s foreign language classrooms. A sad reality is the time constraints instructors face when trying to cover all aspects of language learning—reading, writing, speaking, listening, and cultural informa tion—while providing authentic language and documents for learners to examine. This article presents a unit in a fifth-semester intermediate French course at Purdue University, into which authentic video—two episodes of a French cooking show—was integrated. It should be noted that these activities can be adapted for most levels of French language learning. Recent research (Magnan; MLA; Byrnes; Melin) has highlighted that acquisition of proficiency in L2 should incorporate the ability to engage with L2 culture(s) through its texts (prose, poetry, and film): The goal is to give students the chance to position themselves in relation to distinct viewpoints and distinct cultures and to make connections between language and other symbolic ways of making meaning, connections between languages and other disciplines, and connections between language and culture. (Kern 367) Simply put, as we teach students communication skills in the L2, we also need to introduce subjects and concepts for them to communicate about, especially with speakers of the L2 who do not share their L1. Cooking shows, as an intact televised work, provide a context for language practice. Omaggio Hadley cites contextualization as a basic principle of communicative language teaching (CLT). Film and video, in this case televised culinary programs, model authentic language, intro duce culture, and give students something to communicate about, in a realistic context. Content-based instruction (CBI) and task-based lan guage teaching (TBLT) are also natural homes for cooking shows and

Understanding tool use – an fMRI study

The human ability to skilfully manufacture and manipulate complex tools is a feature that sets us apart from other animals. In contrast to the simple tools used by other species, the customised specificity of man-made tools reflects a deep understanding of the physics of the body and the environment [1]. Even if tools and tool-use are based on physical principles, it is not always obvious, when coming across a new tool, what it is used for and how to use it. Understanding the function of a tool is an essential step in learning to use a tool. Unlike acquiring the expertise in handling a new tool, which involves practice, understanding its function usually only requires a single observation of the tool being used. Although the acquisition of conceptual knowledge is a fundamental component of tool-use learning, this effect has never been investigated, as previous studies on novel tools have only concentrated on the factor of skill or acquisition of proficiency [2–3] or on the aspect of familiarity [4], but not on the understanding of the tool's function.

Objective Assessment of Technical Performance

Technical skills are essential to the practice of surgery. They can be taught in the operating room and in the surgical skills laboratory. The use of simulators allows the development of reproducible curricula with measurement of performance using objective metrics. The goal of those designing metrics for the simulation laboratory should be to establish measures that are consistent with those of high quality surgery in the operating room. Once these metrics have been shown to be reliable, valid, practical to use, and meaningful to the learner, they can form the basis of a learning program based on the acquisition of proficiency. Performance in the skills laboratory should ultimately be predictive of performance in the clinical setting.

Isolating Intrinsic Processing Disorders from Second Language Acquisition

Differentiating intrinsic processing disorders from extrinsic factors, such as cultural differences and language acquisition proficiency, is a complex issue. Students with limited English proficiency (LEP) may be mistakenly identified as learning disabled due to inherent similarities between intrinsic processing deficits and the process of second language acquisition. The need for evaluation instruments to separate these discrete factors is critical. The Learning Disabilities Diagnostic Inventory (LDDI) is a recently published observational tool designed to help teachers detect possible intrinsic processing disorders. This study compared LDDI results of non-disabled students with LEP and those who were English-speaking to determine the frequency of intrinsic processing likelihood. Results of the study indicated that non-disabled students with LEP were over-identified as having intrinsic processing deficits through this process. Upon examination of individual LDDI protocols, the over-identification issue focused on the need to train educators concerning second language acquisition characteristics rather than simply discarding the LDDI as a possible tool.

Factors in Predicting Success in the Acquisition of Cognitive Skill

This paper reviews two studies that have examined the relationship between performance on basic cognitive tasks, administered on microcomputers, and performance on two learning tasks. One learning task involved computer programming, the other involved learning to trace signals through logic gates, a component of electronics troubleshooting skill. From previous research, we have established a four-source framework: we assume that observed learner differences are due to differences in processing speed; processing capacity; and the breadth, extent, and accessibility of conceptual knowledge and procedural and strategic skills. In both studies, we attempted to predict the proficiency (i.e., speed and accuracy) with which individuals were able to acquire skill in the domain area (programming, troubleshooting) as a function of their scores on the four cognitive factors. Each cognitive factor was indicated by performance on two computerized tests. Skill acquisition proficiency on the learning tasks was decomposed into separate scores for (a) speed of acquisition of the initial declarative foundations of the skill (the facts), (b) speed of acquisition of the ability to apply the factual knowledge to solve domain problems (the skill itself). In both studies, working memory capacity was the best predictor of both the speed with which domain facts were learned, and of one's ability to translate those facts into rules that could be employed in problem solving.

English Proficiency and Factors in Its Attainment: A Case Study of Iranians in the United States

Fifty-five Iranians studying in various fields at the University of New Mexico were tested for proficiency in English. In general their scores fell between levels achieved by fourth and seventh grade native speakers. Subjects also completed a questionnaire designed to elicit data on factors believed important to the acquisition of proficiency in English. Association with American friends and the amount of time spent in the United States emerged as the most important variables. The number of years spent in studying English in Iran (in formal classroom settings) proved to be a negligible factor.

THE KEAUKAHA MODEL FOR MAINSTREAM DIALECT INSTRUCTION*

This article is a detailed description of the procedures, together with some of the rationale underlying those procedures, that were designed into the treatment variable of a research project on language acquisition. The treatment variable to which the experimental Ss are being exposed is the pedagogical “model” mentioned in the title. This model for imparting proficiency in the target dialect to the Ss, although clearly an adaptation of audio‐lingual methodology for second language teaching, is described for the most part from the standpoint of educational psychology. The article delineates the various aspects of language pedagogy which were determined to be essential to the most effective model; namely, teacher training, classroom dynamics, dialect analysis, contrastive analysis (between the nonstandard and standard dialects), and lesson writing.The research hypothesis states that the effect of the treatment, or model, will be a greater gain in the acquisition of proficiency in standard oral English by the experimental Ss than by the control Ss, who are exposed to only traditional procedures for teaching English. All of the Ss are youngsters who come to school with their native dialect only, commonly known as Pidgin English. The article characterizes the target dialect as mainstream English.

Discrimination-reversal skills of primates: The reversal/acquisition ratio as a function of phyletic standing

The ratio of reversal performance to acquisition performance in discrimination reversal learning differentiated primate groups and varied with acquisition proficiency.