Adequate Proficiency Research Articles

Entrenching CALL for English Language Multicultural Pedagogy in Nigerian Secondary Schools: Issues, Prospects and Perceptions of Critical Stakeholders in Osun State, Nigeria

This paper examines the possibility of adoption of computer-assisted language learning (CALL) in Nigerian secondary schools especially those in Osun State, Nigeria in the light of recent developments necessitating greater familiarity with the computer by the students for their external examinations. The paper argues that secondary school students are more positioned now than ever to harness the benefits of CALL in developing necessary competences to excel in their English language exams and generally develop adequate proficiency in the language for their growth in the Nigerian nation and beyond. Data for the study comprise responses to questionnaires designed for secondary school students, English language teachers and Ministry of Education senior officials in Osun State Nigeria. The sample comprised 120 teachers across the three senatorial districts in Osun State, 36 teachers and 15 Ministry of Education officials. Data analysis revealed that there is great awareness of CALL among all the categories of subjects. In addition, the subjects emphasise the potential agency of CALL for enhancing the delivery of English language topics and the professional development of teachers, even though about 30 percent of the teachers sampled doubted its feasibility. The study therefore concludes that given the positive disposition of students to the introduction of CALL for English language teaching and being primary actors in the education process, there is need for immediate full-fledged adoption for English language teaching in Nigerian secondary schools.

Graduating Vascular Surgery Trainee Proficiency in Endovascular and Open Peripheral Revascularization Procedures

Endovascular interventions for peripheral artery disease have increased in prevalence over time given the inherent benefits of minimally invasive approaches. While it is essential that vascular surgery graduates are facile with endovascular techniques, the results of the BEST-CLI trial highlight the equivalent importance of ensuring trainee competence in open skills. Recent studies demonstrate increasing case volume of both endovascular and open procedures during vascular surgery training. Case volume is merely a surrogate marker for competence, however, and the objective competence attained by trainees at the time of graduation is unknown. We sought to investigate operative autonomy and competence of graduating vascular surgery trainees performing endovascular as compared to open peripheral vascular revascularization procedures. Operative performance and autonomy ratings for infrainguinal endovascular and open revascularizations from the Society for Improving Professional Learning Operative (SIMPL OR) application database were collected for all vascular surgery participating institutions from 2018-23. The distribution for autonomy and performance ratings were determined by training level for endovascular and open procedures, respectively. Mixed effects logistic regressions were conducted to estimate the predictive association between procedure type and autonomy and performance assessment, adjusting for training level and case complexity. Subsequently, the estimated model was applied to predict the probability of a graduating trainee being rated as meaningfully autonomous or competent while performing endovascular and open procedures across various case complexities. Sixty-nine residents from 23 programs (12 fellowship, 11 residency) were assessed on 706 revascularization procedures (n=383 endovascular, 323 open). When controlling for training level and case complexity, there were no differences in autonomy (OR 1.11 [95% CI: 0.62-1.99]) or competency assessment (OR 0.86 [95% CI: 0.46-1.59]) for endovascular, as compared to open, peripheral revascularization procedures. For average complexity procedures, the predicted probability of a trainee being assessed as competent and autonomous at the time of graduation was high (competent: 88% endovascular, 86% open; autonomous: 96% endovascular, 97% open). Predicted probability of competence and autonomy for complex procedures was lower but remained similar between groups (competent:73% endovascular, 70% open; autonomous: 92% endovascular, 92% open). There is no difference in the graduating level of autonomy and competence of endovascular as compared to open peripheral revascularization procedures for vascular surgery trainees. These findings suggest vascular surgery trainees enter independent practice with adequate proficiency to utilize the full scope of techniques to care for patients requiring peripheral revascularization procedures.

High-throughput screening of perovskite-based electrochemical sensor for determination of piroxicam via electrocatalytic oxidation in pharmaceutical and biomedical analysis

Piroxicam is a drug from the oxicam family and is an anti-inflammatory one which is used to relieve pain in humans. In this research work, the electrochemical modifier agents are perovskite nanosheets, graphene oxide (GO) and their effective nanocomposite. The morphology of La(Fe0.7Mn0.3)0.9Pd0.1O3, GO, and La(Fe0.7Mn0.3)0.9Pd0.1O3/GO nanocomposite were examined by SEM, EDX, FTIR, XPS and XRD analysis. The results obtained from the surface analysis of nanocomposite materials represent the compatibility of the intended perovskite structure with the cubic one. Also, GO has affected the main structure of the composite material. According to the results for the perovskite, the porous structure is shown and GO is well placed in the porous structure of the perovskite. Furthermore, the presence of elements in the perovskite structure was confirmed by EDX. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and Differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) techniques were used to investigate the electrochemical behavior of piroxicam and quantification, respectively. The above-mentioned electrode has been utilized to determine the piroxicam. In which, LOD (limit of detection) and the linear range were acquired 0.89 μM and 6–103 μM respectively for piroxicam oxidation process. Eventually, the designed sensing assay was used for the detection and quantification of piroxicam in capsule and human plasma samples. The obtained results from the designed sensor specify acceptable analytical characteristics consisting of low LOD, widespread linear range, and adequate proficiency for the highly sensitive determination of piroxicam. Additionally, La(Fe0.7Mn0.3)0.9Pd0.1O3/GO GCE showed acceptable stability, repeatability, and reproducibility. To investigate the accuracy of the mentioned assay, the recovery index of 96.41% (RSD <5%) indicates the high performance in real samples.

Development of the Children's English and Spanish Speech Recognition Test: Psychometric Properties, Feasibility, Reliability, and Normative Data.

The Children's English and Spanish Speech Recognition (ChEgSS) test is a computer-based tool for assessing closed-set word recognition in English and in Spanish, with a masker that is either speech-shaped noise or competing speech. The present study was conducted to (1) characterize the psychometric properties of the ChEgSS test, (2) evaluate feasibility and reliability for a large cohort of Spanish/English bilingual children with normal hearing, and (3) establish normative data. Three experiments were conducted to evaluate speech perception in children (4-17 years) and adults (19-40 years) with normal hearing using the ChEgSS test. In Experiment 1, data were collected from Spanish/English bilingual and English monolingual adults at multiple, fixed signal-to-noise ratios. Psychometric functions were fitted to the word-level data to characterize variability across target words in each language and in each masker condition. In Experiment 2, Spanish/English bilingual adults were tested using an adaptive tracking procedure to evaluate the influence of different target-word normalization approaches on the reliability of estimates of masked-speech recognition thresholds corresponding to 70.7% correct word recognition and to determine the optimal number of reversals needed to obtain reliable estimates. In Experiment 3, Spanish/English bilingual and English monolingual children completed speech perception testing using the ChEgSS test to (1) characterize feasibility across age and language group, (2) evaluate test-retest reliability, and (3) establish normative data. Experiments 1 and 2 yielded data that are essential for stimulus normalization, optimizing threshold estimation procedures, and interpreting threshold data across test language and masker type. Findings obtained from Spanish/English bilingual and English monolingual children with normal hearing in Experiment 3 support feasibility and demonstrate reliability for use with children as young as 4 years of age. Equivalent results for testing in English and Spanish were observed for Spanish/English bilingual children, contingent on adequate proficiency in the target language. Regression-based threshold norms were established for Spanish/English bilingual and English monolingual children between 4 and 17 years of age. The present findings indicate the ChEgSS test is appropriate for testing a wide age range of children with normal hearing in either Spanish, English, or both languages. The ChEgSS test is currently being evaluated in a large cohort of patients with hearing loss at pediatric audiology clinics across the United States. Results will be compared with normative data established in the present study and with established clinical measures used to evaluate English- and Spanish-speaking children. Questionnaire data from parents and clinician feedback will be used to further improve test procedures.

An Analysis of Classroom Language Practices among First Graders upon Entry into Grade One in a Cosmopolitan Chongwe Urban District

Zambia is considered as a multilingual country with all the classrooms being multilingual. While the National Literacy Framework (2013) policy currently states that the official regional languages of instruction be used in all schools from grade one to grade four, with English taking over from grade five onwards. The aim of this study was to analyse the classroom language practices of the early graders upon entry into grade one in Chongwe urban district. Purposive sampling was used in this study to come up with 270 participants of which 20 were grade one teachers and 250 were grade one learners. Data was collected using interviews and classroom lesson observations. Qualitative data was analyzed thematically according to research objectives. The findings of the study are that the grade one classrooms of Chongwe District were multilingual as teachers and learners were able to speak more than one language. The study also found that the commonly spoken languages in the schools were Cinyanja, Soli, Bemba and English. The study showed that tranlanguaging was mainly used to engender epistemic access. The study concluded that since learners entered grade one without adequate proficiency in the regional language, teachers used translanguaging to bridge the gap between home and school literacies. The study has also demonstrated that while the curriculum has made provisions for transition at grade 5, there is need for policy directive on how the transition from home into the school is supposed to be managed linguistically speaking.

Performance and Interlaboratory Reproducibility of Droplet Digital Polymerase Chain Reaction (ddPCR) and Real Time PCR for KIT D816V Mutation Detection: A Nationwide Pilot Study By the RIMA (Rete Italiana Mastocitosi) Association

Systemic Mastocytosis (SM) is a rare hematological neoplasm, but its incidence is probably underestimated because of the heterogeneity of clinical symptoms and presentation that may cause diagnostic difficulties especially outside reference centers. Detection of the activating D816V KIT mutation in the bone marrow or peripheral blood is one of the minor criteria for the diagnosis of SM, but it poses some challenges since in the indolent forms (the most frequent) the mast cell burden is very low. For this reason, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network and the European Competence Network on Mastocytosis (ECNM) recommend a high-sensitivity PCR-based assay, such as Allele-Specific Oligonucleotide-Real Time Quantitative PCR (ASO-qPCR) or ddPCR, while Sanger and Next Generation Sequencing are considered not adequate. Accurate quantitation of allele burden (AB) is also desirable since it offers diagnostic (an AB³10% qualifies as a B-finding according to the latest WHO classification) and prognostic information and might be used to monitor response to tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Despite the widespread routine availability of real time and digital PCR technologies, a map of labs across Italy offering KIT D816V testing with adequate sensitivity is lacking, nor have cooperative efforts aimed to check lab performance and reproducibility of diagnostic results ever been performed. Based on these premises, RIMA undertook, with the sponsorship of the GIMEMA Working Party on Chronic Myeloproliferative Neoplasms, a project aimed to: i) build a nationwide network of competent reference laboratories performing KIT D816V mutation testing; ii) promote harmonization of local procedures and ensure adequate proficiency and cross-comparability of results. The pilot phase of this project involved 7 labs (L) spread across the country (Milan, Bologna, Verona, Florence, Rome, Naples, Pavia) serving one or more reference clinical centers for the diagnosis and management of SM. First, a survey aimed to assess the techniques and procedures in use in each participating lab was conducted. Five labs (L2-L6) used a commercial ddPCR assay (KIT p.D816V c.2447A&amp;gt;T, Assay ID dHsaCP2000023; Bio-Rad); one lab (L7) used a home brew ASO-qPCR assay; one lab (L1) used a commercial semi-quantitative real time PCR-based assay (PlentiPlex Mastocytosis D816V kit; Pentabase). All labs performed analyses in duplicate or triplicate using DNA as input material, with amounts variable from 50 to 250ng/replicate. Reported limit of detection (LoD) was 0.0003% for the home brew method and 0.01% for the commercial methods. Subsequently, a round robin test to evaluate and compare performance in terms of sensitivity and inter-lab reproducibility was carried out. Mutated and wild-type DNA isolated from HMC-1.2 and HL-60 cells, respectively, was mixed and diluted to mimic different D816V ABs, from 10% down to 0.01%. Dilutions were externally assessed by the UK Wessex Genomics Laboratory Service, using an accredited ddPCR assay with a limit of detection (LoD) of 0.01%. Of note, the sixth dilution (D6) was scored as slightly below their LoD (0.008%; 3 positive droplets only). Identical batches of blinded vials were then distributed and analyzed in parallel by the 7 participating labs according to their own routine protocols. Positivity/negativity as scored by L1-7 and AB values as scored by L2-7 are detailed in Table 1. All the evaluated methods proved highly accurate in the detection and, for ddPCR and ASO-qPCR, in the quantitation of the KIT D816V (R 2 between 0.988 and 0.998). A very high degree of concordance was achieved, for all dilutions, across different labs and methods (CV between 0.07 and 0.8). D6 was scored borderline by L1 and positive by all other labs. This pilot experience demonstrates that the evaluated PCR-based methods may reliably identify and quantitate the KIT D816V mutation down to an AB of 0.01% with a high degree of cross-comparability of results, thus assisting clinicians in the diagnosis and monitoring of SM patients. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first cooperative effort aimed to assess the performance and reproducibility of KIT D816V mutation testing in SM. Involvement of additional Italian labs is already planned, and further implementation within the ECNM will be proposed. Definition of common SOPs, uniform sample requirements and web-based reporting following the GIMEMA LabNet model will be pursued.

Cadaveric aortic aneurysm creation: A life-like model for training endovascular repair.

The recent decline in RAAA incidence and the fast paced scenario with associated challenges regarding training calls for initiative for a better training environment to maximize learning. This led us to the creation of a pulsatile human cadaveric RAAA model. Fresh frozen cadaver was used to create RAAA with BioTissue in hybrid suite with ability to perform CBCTA for sizing. As a proof of concept, the model was used to perform REVAR with proximal CODA balloon control. The model proved to be feasible and we believe it is a better environment to train and gain adequate proficiency in RAAA management.

Using the CEFR for Improving Pre-service Teachers’ Communicative Competence

The study investigated the effects of implementing &amp;quot;the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages&amp;quot; &amp;quot;CEFR&amp;quot; in the English courses in a teacher education program at one Iraqi public university. An intensive 288-hour CEFR-informed program focusing on communicative language competence was designed. The data collection consists of two phases: pre-CEFR and post-CEFR implementations. A total of 150 fourth-year pre-service teachers participated in the study. The questionnaire was the only instrument used for the data collection, which consisted of two parts: the CEFR Self-Assessment Grid and Bachman and Palmer&amp;rsquo;s linguistic test. The CEFR Self-Assessment Grid was used to access participants self-assessments of their English proficiency. In addition, the linguistic test examines 13 criteria of language knowledge: language vocabulary, syntax, phonology/graphology (grammatical knowledge), knowledge of cohesion, rhetorical organization, conversational organization (textual knowledge), ideational knowledge, manipulative knowledge, instrumental knowledge, imaginative knowledge (functional knowledge), knowledge of dialects, registers, and idiomatic expressions. It was hypothesized that there would be an improvement in pre-service teachers&amp;#39; performance after the implementation of the CEFR as a teaching framework. All the participants took the pre-CEFR and post-CEFR tests to examine their English language competency. The questionnaire was used in pre- and post-tests. The pre-CEFR test results showed that a significant percentage of the participants did not have adequate proficiency to be an English teacher (CEFR A2 and B1). Consequently, a course was designed to enhance pre-service teachers&amp;#39; communicative competence level required for them to be effective teachers, which is considered the main goal of teaching and learning English in the Iraqi colleges of education. The results were estimated according to the CEFR self-assessment grid and Bachman and Plamer&amp;rsquo;s (1996) checklist. The results of the post-test proved that the pre-service teachers had made more progress in their language proficiency as a result of implementing the CEFR compared to their levels before.

Pre-service teachers’ flexibility and performance in solving Fermi problems

Fermi problems are real-context estimation tasks that are suitable for introducing open-ended problems in primary school education. To ensure their effective introduction in the classroom, teachers must have adequate proficiency to deal with them. One of the key aspects of problem-solving proficiency is flexibility, but there are few studies on flexibility in solving real-context problems. This study, based on an analysis of the errors made by 224 prospective teachers when solving a Fermi problem sequence, establishes performance levels. In addition, we define levels of flexibility in using multiple solutions across the sequence, which allows us to address the main objective: to study the relationship between performance and flexibility. We found that there are significant relationships between flexibility levels and the number and severity of errors made. Encouraging flexibility in prospective teachers may be an efficient way to improve their performance in solving real-context problems.

Vocabulary Instruction In Improving Students' Reading Comprehension In SD Negeri 8 Menteng Palangka Raya

One of the most important lessons in elementary school is understanding what they read. While reading comprehension is essential to academic success, not all students demonstrate adequate proficiency. The researcher interviewed and observed classes in SD Negeri 8 Menteng Palangka Raya, notably sixth grade, and found this issue. The researcher utilized one of the instructions to promote reading comprehension from that issue. Vocabulary instruction could increase English text comprehension, according to the study. This semester, students studied Describing People and Objects and picked descriptive text. The researcher solved the challenge with a quasi-experimental non-equivalent control group design. This study had two groups: 6A (control) and 6C (experimental). The experimental group randomly sampled vocabulary training, while the control group received non-vocabulary education. There were also two variables in this study: vocabulary teaching served as the independent variable, and the mean scores of both groups' tests served as the dependent variable. Pre- and post-test results determined the class's vocabulary instruction effectiveness. Finally, the data showed that vocabulary instruction improves reading comprehension more than non-vocabulary instruction. Scores were less than 0.05, rejecting H0 and accepting Ha. Data less than 0.05 indicates that independent variables only partially impact the dependent variable. Vocabulary education improves students' reading comprehension in SD Negeri 8 Menteng Palangka Raya.

Use of Library for Promoting Students’ Learning

Library practices in schools exert significant influence on students’ learning attitude and behavior. This paper explores the existing situation of library practices in community and institutional schools of Nepal. Despite a number of options to educate students in school from library-use, library provision and its existing practices in community and institutional schools in Nepal are still unsearched. In context students study only during the time of their class, assignment and examination preparation, how the schools make use of library for the promotion of students’ learning is the main concern of the study. Information for the study was collected from fieldnotes and lived experiences of eight participants: one teacher and one student from each of four schools: two institutional and two community. The study found that teachers in community schools occasionally visit the library and rarely encourage their students to benefit from the library. However, some students were found to borrow books from the library. As students in institutional schools have library period once a week, they enjoy reading books or doing something in the library. Overall library practice in Nepal lacks adequate proficiency in management, administration, and provision of study materials; and ultimately has not motivated students’ hearty participation.

Attitude-Motivation of Learning English as L2 - Study Case of Airlangga Linguistics Students Full Manuscript

This study aspires to scrutinise the attitude and motivation of Airlangga University linguistics students in learning and mastering English as their L2. Sufficient proficiency and command in English are needed to support the academic success in teaching-learning process, particularly in a university. Through a total of 20 active linguistics students in Airlangga University that had been surveyed, it is found that a plenty of them still do not meet the minimum proficiency that the university has set. There are several factors that affect students’ proficiency in English of the linguistics students in Airlangga University. Through the finding of this research, it is found out that these factors derived from internal motivation of the students and also external factors that keep motivating the students to have adequate proficiency and command in English. To help the linguistics students in bridging their understanding for the teaching-learning materials which are predominantly delivered in English is the main drive of the linguistics students’ motivation to master English as their L2. This research provides students, academics, scholars, and institutions several suggestions and solutions that can be done to overcome obstacles or problems that the learners must face in order to obtain L2 learning achievements. Several things are also suggested in this research regarding what can be done in order to maximise L2 learning process.

The learning curve of imageless robot-assisted total knee arthroplasty with standardised laxity testing requires the completion of nine cases, but does not reach time neutrality compared to conventional surgery.

The assistance of robot technology is introduced into the operating theatre to improve the precision of a total knee arthroplasty. However, as with all new technology, new technology requires a learning curve to reach adequate proficiency. The primary aim of this study was to identify the learning curve of an imageless robotic system with standardised laxity testing. The secondary aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of the intra-operative coronal alignment during the learning curve. A prospective study was performed on 30 patients undergoing robot-assisted total knee arthroplasty with an imageless robotic system (Corin, Massachusetts, USA) associated with a dedicated standardised laxity testing device. The learning curve of all surgical steps was assessed with intra-operative video monitoring. As comparison, the total surgical time of the last 30 patients receiving conventional total knee arthroplasty by the same surgeon and with the same implant was retrospectively assessed. Coronal lower limb alignment was evaluated pre- and post-operatively on standing full-leg radiographs. CUSUM (cumulative summation) analysis has shown inflexion points in multiple steps associated with robot-assisted surgery between one and 16 cases, which indicates the progression from the learning phase to the proficiency phase. The inflexion point for total operative time occurred after nine cases. Robot-assisted total knee surgery required significantly longer operative times than the conventional counterpart, with an average increase of 22min. Post-operative limb and implant alignment was not influenced by a learning curve. The introduction of an imageless robotic system with standardised laxity assessment for total knee arthroplasty results in a learning curve of nine cases based on operative time. Compared to conventional surgery, the surgeon is not able to reach time neutrality with the robotic platform. There is no learning curve associated with coronal limb or implant alignment. This study enables orthopaedic surgeons to understand the implementation of this surgical system and its specific workflow into clinical practice.

Endoscopic-assisted transorbital surgery: Where do we stand on the scott's parabola? personal considerations after a 10-year experience.

Transorbital approaches are genuinely versatile surgical routes which show interesting potentials in skull base surgery. Given their “new” trajectory, they can be a very useful adjunct to traditional routes, even being a valid alternative to them in some cases, and add valuable opportunities in selected patients. Indications are constantly expanding, and currently include selected intraorbital, skull base and even intra-axial lesions, both benign and malignant. Given their relatively recent development and thus unfamiliarity among the skull base community, achieving adequate proficiency needs not only a personalized training and knowledge but also, above all, an adequate case volume and a dedicated setting. Current, but mostly future, applications should be selected by genetic, omics and biological features and applied in the context of a truly multidisciplinary environment.

THE CONSTRUCTION OF INDONESIAN EFL LEARNERS’ IDENTITIES: A NARRATIVE-BASED CASE STUDY

The identity that the learners construct during the English learning process is essential to understand how the EFL learners continuously negotiate the identities they have until they successfully achieve adequate proficiency in English. This narrative-based case study investigates how the learning of English has constructed the learner identity of two Indonesian postgraduate students who graduated from the English Education Department. Categorized under narrative inquiry design, this research explored the participants’ personal narratives related to their experiences during the English language learning process. In the early phase of identity construction, both participants showed little or no relevance in learning English because it was imposed on them through the school curriculum. However, soon they developed positive identities which later turned to be false positivity. Thus, these distressing moments asked for more investments from the participants. This study successfully confirms the notion of complex, multilayered, and multifaceted proved by the narratives that emerged from the participants' lived English learning experiences.

Perceptions of isiZulu-speaking pre-service teachers’ classroom English proficiency

Despite less than 10% of South Africans claiming English as their home language, it has become the de facto language of instruction. Yet we cannot assume that teachers have sufficient command of this language when using it for instructional purposes. As a sub-study, in this article we report on the oral proficiency of isiZulu-speaking pre-service teachers who use English when expounding content in rural schools. The conceptual framework draws primarily on research relating to instructional communication and Classroom English. For this mixed methods case study, using questionnaire data from 52 pre-service teachers and 18 tutors, we sought to establish the perceptions that respondents had of students’ oral proficiency while teaching in situ. Responses were statistically analysed using computing software. Unedited audio recordings of lessons presented in rural KwaZulu-Natal schools during pre-service teachers’ work-integrated learning stint provided oral data from which to gauge proficiency using a self-designed rubric. Findings correspond with those of previous studies, pointing to pre-service teachers’ oral proficiency being less than ideal for effectively facilitating learning. However, what is considered adequate proficiency and what is ideal is yet to be agreed upon. We recommend that interventions which address the development of oral proficiency required for classroom use be considered. Our pilot rubric may serve as a useful data-gathering tool in future research.

Kompetensi Kemahiran Berbahasa Mahasiswa Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa dan Sastra Indonsia Universitas Islam Riau

This study aimed to analyze the literacy competencies of students' language proficiency in the aspects of listening, responding to the rules, reading and writing. Literacy competence is a competency that must be considered by educators in honing language proficiency which is an important issue, especially in the development of language skills in students. This research used a quantitative-descriptive method. The data obtained from this study were the results of the Indonesian language proficiency test (UKBI) of students in the Indonesian Language and Literature Education study program. The population used in this study were students of the Indonesian Language and Literature Education study program, while the sample who had taken the UKBI test was 24 students. The results of this study indicated that the students' language proficiency literacy competence in the listening aspect obtains an average of 538, responds to the average rule of 464, reads an average of 519, and writes an average of 596. The overall average of language proficiency literacy competencies was 529. Twenty-five was in the middle-ranking, indicating that students have adequate proficiency in communicating using Indonesian, both oral and written. With these skills, the student concerned can understand factual information, properly capture and re-reveal information.&#x0D;

SigPrep: Open Source Web-Based Prework for Signals and Systems [SP Education

An introductory course in signals requires a wide background of prerequisites covering complex numbers, series, calculus, and basic mathematical logic. Students often fail to engage with the material and find the course difficult because they do not recall the prerequisites. Time and curricular constraints usually limit in-class review. To address these issues, we present SigPrep, a set of open source, web-based preparatory modules for introductory courses in signals. SigPrep is designed as a preclass assignment that students can do independently at a self-set pace. SigPrep is designed in WeBWorK, a widely used platform for free, open source problems for science and math classes. Using WeBWorK features, SigPrep provides students instant feedback and linkages to relevant external e-learning resources as a refresher for concepts in which they fail to exhibit adequate proficiency. Instructors are also able to track students? progress and performance. We outline the pedagogical design of SigPrep, which provides problems of particular relevance and applicability covering prerequisites for signals classes. Finally, we share results and feedback from our own experience with using SigPrep as part of our teaching of an introductory class on signals.

Plurilingualism in Morocco: Issues and Challenges to Language Policy

The purpose of this article is to analyze the multilingual situation in Morocco in the face of the challenges encountered by language policies undertaken by the state since independence in 1956. The Moroccan society is characterized by ethnic, cultural, and linguistic diversity. This multidimensional richness has created competition amongst the linguistic varieties in the country, which has prompted the state to undertake several reforms and language policies including Arabization and the development of the National Charter in 1999, with a view to managing linguistic diversity in the country. Before tackling all these issues, a presentation of the linguistic landscape in Morocco is provided. Then, drawing upon the work of researchers specializing in the field, this review addresses the obstacles that have hindered the success and effectiveness of the enacted policies thus far. A sociological approach is also privileged in this study by referencing the work of the sociologist Bourdieu and emphasizing the importance of identity, cultural, and social considerations in developing an effective educational language policy that is capable nurturing citizens with adequate proficiency in national, local, and foreign languages.

An Analysis of Variables Affecting Korean ESL Students’ English Writing Performance

This study sought to investigate factors affecting the English writing performance of 30 Korean ESL students overseas. Also, examined were the relationship between L1 and L2 education levels and L2 writing performance, the relationship between English language proficiency and L2 writing performance and between length of residence and L2 writing performance. The participants were asked to write essays in their L1 and L2 along with a questionnaire. To analyze the data, two-way ANOVA and correlation were performed. The results showed there was no significant relation between L1 educational level and L2 writing performance, but there was a significant relation between L2 educational level and L2 writing performance. Also, English language proficiency and L2 writing performance were highly correlated. The length of residence of the participants in the U.S. and their L2 writing performance showed a weak correlation. Similarly, their L1 writing performance was not related to their L2 writing performance. These imply that students need to have adequate proficiency of English to write in their L2, and they need to receive a considerate number of years of formal education in their L2 for the success of L2 writing.