Audio-recorded Interviews Research Articles

Social determinants of health among noncitizen deported US veterans: A participatory action study.

This qualitative study examines the social determinants of health among noncitizen deported United States veterans. We utilized Photovoice, a participatory action research method used to inform structural level change, with 12 veterans. Audio-recorded semi-structured interviews explored photos and discussed deportation's effects on veteran health. We performed rapid template and matrix analysis of interview transcripts. Interviews were conducted in Tijuana, Mexico from December 2018 to January 2019. Study findings show that veterans prioritize returning to the United States to improve their quality of life. Analysis of photos and narrative text indicated that deportation caused social, economic, and political insecurities. Veterans struggled to maintain access to necessities post-deportation. Disrupted social networks compounded their situation, resulting in chronic stress and poor health outcomes. The findings from this study offer insight into the ways deportation acts as a social determinant of health. The findings suggest modifying veteran reintegration programs, as well as reforming criminal justice and immigration laws, such as creating more Veteran Treatment Courts and allowing immigration judges to consider military history during deportation proceedings involving noncitizen veterans.

Access to chronic kidney disease (CKD) care: Its barriers and facilitators in a community development block in Purba Bardhaman, West Bengal: A qualitative study.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD), a leading public health problem, has potential risks and serious implications on the health of individuals and society at large. Few studies explored the factors that influence access to CKD care at the community level in rural areas of West Bengal. A qualitative study was planned among key stakeholders to explore their views and experiences and to identify the barriers and potential facilitators that influence access to CKD care at the primary care level. Total 23 stakeholders participated in the study. Seventeen in-depth interviews (IDIs) were conducted on a purposive sample of stakeholders (CKD patients, healthcare providers (HCPs) and health planners) and one focus group discussion (FGD) among six community health workers. The audio-recorded interviews were transcribed verbatim. The Lévesque's framework for access to care as modified by Jodie Bailie et al. was employed to construct interview guides and structure the initial codes. Thematic analysis was undertaken using QSR NVivo version 11 using both inductive and deductive approaches. The major barriers to CKD care at patient level were poor knowledge and awareness of CKD and at the health system level was shortage of skilled staffs, diagnostics and medicines and fragmented referrals. The potential facilitators identified were educational activities to increase the awareness of CKD among HCPs and patients; provision of CKD-related supplies and a system-level approach to care coordination along with m-health-based care. Targeted CKD screening programs and CKD specific trainings may improve awareness of CKD. Additionally, stronger primary care infrastructure, availability of essential drugs and diagnostics and creating an efficient referral process for the quality CKD care are the need of the hour.

Single fathers' experiences of using egg donation and surrogacy to start a family.

What are the experiences of single men using egg donation and surrogacy as a route to parenthood? The fathers mainly had a positive relationship with the surrogate and simultaneously exercised agency, and experienced challenges, during the process of surrogacy. Little is known about single men's experiences of egg donation and surrogacy arrangements. Studies have focused on single men's decision-making processes about the use of surrogacy and family functioning once these families are formed. Questions remain about how fathers experience and navigate the process of surrogacy as a single man. The study is an international, in-depth qualitative study of fathers who chose to begin a family and parent alone. Data were collected between 2018 and 2021 as part of a larger study of solo fathers with different routes to parenthood. The present study reports on 21 fathers who used surrogacy and egg donation to begin their family. The average age of the fathers was 44 years, the fathers had young children aged 6 years or younger, and lived in countries across Australia, Europe, and North America. Purposive sampling was used to recruit participants. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted. Interview topics included fathers' experiences of the process of using egg donation and surrogacy, and navigating the relationship with the surrogate. The audio-recorded interviews lasted around 2 hours and were subsequently transcribed verbatim. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis and qualitative content analysis. Most of the fathers chose an identifiable egg donor. Regarding the relationship with the surrogate, many fathers had remained in contact with her, but to differing degrees, and they generally reported positive relationships. Thematic analysis led to the identification of three themes relating to the fathers' experiences of choosing surrogacy as a single man: the ability to make choices; challenges and constraints; and special relationship. Due to the variation between different countries regarding laws on surrogacy, contextual factors may have impacted on the experiences of single fathers, and the sample size was small. However, the research provides new insights into an area with little academic literature. Given the growing trend of single men having children through surrogacy, the findings suggest that this new path to parenthood can be both rewarding and challenging. Single men may benefit from tailored support and counselling to help them navigate the surrogacy journey. This study was funded by the Wellcome Trust (grant number 208013/Z/17/Z). The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare. n/a.

Patient Portal Privacy: Perspectives of Adolescents and Emerging Adults Living with HIV and the Parental/Guardian Role in Supporting Their Care.

Increasing the percentage of people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), including youth, who are virally suppressed to 95% is an overall goal of the ending the HIV epidemic initiative. While patient portals have become ubiquitous, questions remain about how best to operationalize parental/guardian access to youth's patient portals in alignment with optimizing HIV care outcomes and patient preferences. This qualitative study focuses on understanding perspectives among youth with HIV (YHIV) about parental access to patient portals. Eligible participants were YHIV aged 13 to 25 years receiving care at an urban academic hospital. Semistructured individual/paired interviews were conducted between May 2022 and March 2023. Participants were asked to discuss thoughts on parental access to patient portals, and roles parents/guardians have in supporting their HIV care. Semistructured interviews were conducted with adolescent and emerging adult health care workers (HCWs) to gain perspectives on YHIV emergent themes. Audio-recorded interviews were transcribed verbatim, and we conducted thematic analysis using an inductive approach to identify codes and themes. Sixteen YHIV and four HCWs participated in interviews. Parental roles in coordinating HIV care ranged from supporting YHIV needs for transportation, acquiring, and taking medications, to not having any role at all. Participants shared heterogeneous perspectives about their openness to share patient portal access with their parents/guardians. Perspectives were not strictly congruent along lines of participant age or parental roles in helping youth to manage HIV care. Sharing passwords emerged both as a pathway that YHIV grant access to their accounts and a source of confusion for clinicians when parents/guardians send messages using their child's account. Findings suggest HCWs should initiate conversations with YHIV patients to determine preferences for parental/guardian access to their patient portal, educate on proxy access, and explain the extent of medical information that is shared with proxy accounts, regardless of age and perceived parental involvement in HIV care.

Language Revitalization: Challenges for Kazakh in Higher Education

This paper is an initial attempt to evaluate the challenges of promoting a new national language as a medium of instruction (MOI) in a post-socialist higher education (HE) context. In the case of Kazakhstan, the choice of MOI is perceived as a key tool to strengthen national identity and resist domination of Russian; in higher education sector language policies are constructed to foster cultural independence which translates into establishing Kazakh as a full-fledged medium of academia. Drawing on the historical-structural approach (Tollefson, 1991, 2013), we analyze the ideologies and practices of university students studying in Kazakh. Findings from audio-recorded interviews suggest that implementing Kazakh-medium instruction policies face numerous pragmatic and ideological challenges, such as a dearth of teaching and learning resources in Kazakh and lack of Kazakh-speaking faculty. This study contributes to scholarship on language revitalization in the context of tertiary education.

Infant Feeding Experiences of Women Who Recovered From Anorexia Nervosa

ObjectiveTo describe the infant feeding experiences of women who recovered from anorexia nervosa (AN). DesignDescriptive phenomenology. SettingPersonal interviews. ParticipantsSixteen women with histories of AN. MethodsI used Colaizzi’s descriptive phenomenological method. In individual audio-recorded interviews, I asked participants to describe their experiences of being mothers who recovered from AN and how this affected feeding their infants. ResultsThe direct and indirect effects of histories of AN permeated the participants’ infant feeding experiences. Participants did not anticipate the overarching challenges of infant feeding in relation to AN, and nurses and clinicians lack guidelines for screening and management. I coded and analyzed 16 transcripts that revealed five overarching themes: Unbound: My Past Does Not Have to Predict the Future, Navigating the Rollercoaster of Pregnancy and the Postpartum Body, Ripples of Trauma in Infant Feeding, The Maddening Maze: Remnants of Anorexia, and Perfectly Imperfect: Recovery and Mothering. ConclusionResults elucidate the complexity of the infant feeding experiences of women who recovered from AN and the importance of screening for a history of AN. Nurses and women’s health care providers should discuss the implications of such a history on prenatal planning, pregnancy, postpartum recovery, and the overall experience of infant feeding. This may help nurses and clinicians provide care for women with known histories of AN by improving the detection of possible symptoms and identifying referral sources for appropriate intervention.

Parents' Experiences and Perspectives of Their Child's Sleep Quality During Hospitalization.

Sleep is essential for maintenance and restoration of health, yet studies exploring this in hospitalized children are scarce. In a qualitative study, we assessed the perceived quality of sleep, factors affecting sleep, and the role of health care professionals in the sleep environment for hospitalized children aged 1 to 12 years. Data were obtained from 11 semi-structured, audio-recorded, and verbatim-transcribed interviews with parents, and analyzed using a systematic thematic analysis. The interviews were coded based on iterative assessment of transcripts. Subsequently, categories and interpretative main themes were identified. Four themes emerged: (1) being informed, keeping informed; (2) coordination of care; (3) parents as main advocates for their child's sleep; and (4) environmental disturbers. Parents reported differences in their child's sleep quality during hospital compared with home. Sleep is substantially affected during hospitalization, prompting the need for interventions to improve the quality of sleep of children. Parents provided valuable suggestions for improvements.

Collaborative leadership to support sustainability in practice for dietitians as allied health professionals.

Allied health professionals (AHPs) have an important role to support the Greener National Health Service (NHS) agenda. Dietitians are AHPs who are already demonstrating strong influence on food sustainability advocacy. There is call for more collaboration across the health professions to optimise "green" leadership in the pursuit of planetary health. The present study aimed to investigate the perceived role of AHP leaders and future leaders around more sustainable healthcare practices. A mixed methods approach using audio-recorded semi-structured interviews with strategic AHP leaders (n = 11) and focus groups with student AHPs (n = 2). Standardised open-ended questions considered concepts of (i) leadership, (ii) green agenda, (iii) collaboration and (iv) sustainability. Purposive sampling used already established AHP networks. Thematic analysis systematically generated codes and themes with dietetic narratives drawn out specifically as exemplars. The findings represent diverse AHP voices, with six of 14 AHPs analysed, including dietetic (future) leaders. Three key themes emerged: (1) collective vision of sustainable practice; (2) empowering, enabling and embedding; and (3) embracing collaborative change. Dietetic specific narratives included food waste, NHS food supply chain issues, and tensions between health and sustainability advice. The present study shows that collaborative leadership is a core aspiration across AHP leaders and future leaders to inform the green agenda. Despite inherent challenges, participant perceptions illustrate how "change leadership" might be realised to support the net zero agenda within health and social care. Dietitians possess the relevant skills and competencies, and therefore have a fundamental role in evolving collaborative leadership and directing transformational change towards greener healthcare practices. Recommendations are made for future leaders to embrace this agenda to meet the ambitious net zero targets.

How effectively are social accountability mechanisms being applied in mental health services within the newly federalized health system of Nepal? A multi-stakeholder qualitative study

BackgroundThe burden of mental health problems and inequalities in healthcare has emerged as critical issues, in Nepal. Strengthened citizen-driven social accountability (SA) is an effective strategy for building equitable health systems and providing quality healthcare services to all, yet SA in mental health is an under-researched area in Nepal.ObjectiveThis study explores changes in mental health service delivery in the re-configured federal health system and discusses the functioning and effectiveness of SA in the federalized context of Nepal.MethodThis case study research used a qualitative approach to data collection. We conducted Key Informant Interviews (KIIs), and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with local stakeholders including people with experience of mental health problems. The audio-recorded interviews and discussions were transcribed and analyzed using a thematic content method.ResultsA total of 49 participants were recruited, and 17 participated in interviews and 32 participated in six focus group discussions. From the data, eight themes emerged: Policy challenges in mental health, Governance and service delivery, Tokenism in the application of social accountability processes, Weak role of key actors in promoting accountability, Complaints and response, Discriminatory health and welfare system, Public attitudes and commitment towards mental health, and No differences experienced by the change to a federal system. It was found that existing health policies in Nepal inadequately cover mental health issues and needs. The prevailing laws and policies related to mental health were poorly implemented. There is a lack of clarity at different levels of government about the roles and responsibilities in the delivery of mental health services. Poor intra- and inter-governmental coordination, and delays in law-making processes negatively impacted on mental health service delivery. SA mechanisms such as social audits and public hearings exist within government health systems, however, application of these in mental health services was found poor. Rights-holders with mental health problems had not experienced any change in the provision of healthcare services for them even after the federalization.ConclusionMental health is insufficiently addressed by the health policies in Nepal, and SA mechanisms appeared to be rarely institutionalized to promote good governance and provide effective healthcare services to vulnerable populations. The provision of more equitable services and honest implementation of SA tools may foster greater accountability and thereby better service delivery for people with mental health problems.

Perception of women in relation to self-image and structural chauvinism in a reference service in Pernambuco

We sought to understand the implications of structural chauvinism in the perception of women's self-image. We opted for a cross-sectional, qualitative and exploratory cohort approach, with women aged 19 to 25 years in an outpatient clinic that is a reference in women's health care, from November 2022 to May 2023. Data were collected through semi-structured, audio-recorded interviews, and transcribed. Data analysis was guided by the content analysis technique performed by Bardin. The sample included 10 women, with an average age of 21.8 years and all declared themselves as black or brown. Of the ten participants, one is transsexual and nine are cisgender. The categories revealed, through the women's reports, that they recognize the existence of machismo, but with a distance from its crossings in their lives. There was also a lack of awareness about the relevance of self-image, and a closer look at this dimension of the female psyche. It is understood that there is a long way to go in understanding this phenomenon, as well as in health professionals' strategies for prevention and intervention in women's health care.

Advancing professionalization in human simulation: perspectives of SP educators from around the world on the Association of SP Educators Standards of Best Practice

Between 2013 and 2017, the Association of SP Educators (ASPE), a global organization of educators dedicated to the work of human simulation, developed Standards of Best Practice (SOBP) for working with human role players in simulation. These individuals are known by diverse terms, including simulated or standardized patients or participants (SPs). This study had two aims: (1) to understand the ways in which the ASPE SOBP are relevant to the practices of SP educators around the world, and (2) to identify improvements to the ASPE SOBP from a global perspective. This qualitative study was undertaken between January 2020 and July 2022. Subjects consented to audio-recorded interviews. A collaborative, inductive coding approach was adopted, followed by thematic analysis, aligned with the methods described by Braun and Clarke. Themes were further updated following reflexive conversations amongst the investigators at meetings over the course of several months and were aligned with the study aims. Twelve SP educators from six continents participated. Four primary themes were identified (each with multiple subthemes): influencing SP educator practices; advancing professionalization; identifying challenges to implementation; and bridging gaps in the ASPE SOBP. A diverse group of SP educators from around the world identified the ASPE SOBP in general as relevant and applicable to their practice. The standards provided both guidance and flexibility for working with SPs in a safe, effective and quality-based way. At the same time there were challenges noted and recommendations made that can help to inform future iterations of the standards.

Perspectives of key decision makers on out-of-pocket payments for medicines in the Ethiopian healthcare system: a qualitative interview study

ObjectiveThis study aimed to explore the perspectives of key decision makers on out-of-pocket (OOP) payment for medicines and its implications in the Ethiopian healthcare system.DesignA qualitative design that employed audiorecorded...

"We Are Working Harder, Not Smarter": A Qualitative Inquiry into Care Coordination for Department of Veterans Affairs Mammograms Referred to the Community.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) relies on facilities outside of VA to provide mammograms for most VA patients. Prior work suggests challenges to coordinating some sex-specific services between VA and other health care systems (e.g., gynecologic malignancies, maternity care), but little is known about barriers and facilitators to mammogram care coordination. We sought to describe processes for coordinating mammograms referred outside of VA and to characterize VA staff perspectives on care coordination barriers and facilitators. We conducted semistructured interviews with 44 VA staff at 10 VA Medical Centers that refer all mammograms outside of the VA. Respondents included staff across multiple VA departments involved in coordinating mammograms. We used a rapid templated approach to analyze audio-recorded interviews to characterize the coordination processes and identify barriers and facilitators to care coordination. Interviews elucidated a common mammogram care coordination process, with variability in how process steps were achieved. We identified six themes: 1) the process is generally perceived as inefficient, 2) clarity in VA staff roles and responsibilities is essential, 3) internal VA communication facilitates coordination, 4) challenges arise from variability in community provider processes and their limited understanding of VA processes, 5) coordination challenges can negatively impact veterans, and 6) technology holds promise but remains a barrier. Coordination of mammograms that are referred outside of VA is challenging for staff in multiple VA departments and roles. VA programs should focus on improving communication and role clarity within the VA and better harnessing technology to support coordination efforts.

A Qualitative Study of Barriers and Facilitators to Integrating Medications for Opioid Use Disorder and HIV Preexposure Prophylaxis for Adolescents and Young Adults.

The syndemic of substance use and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a well-recognized global phenomenon that threatens to undermine the priorities outlined by the National Institutes of Health "Ending the HIV Epidemic" initiative. There are few published studies on preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with opioid use disorder (OUD) despite increasing availability of biomedical prevention options and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations to offer PrEP to this group. Healthcare providers who previously prescribed medications for OUD (MOUDs) and/or PrEP for AYA were purposively sampled. Audio-recorded in-depth individual interviews were conducted using chart-stimulated recall to explore barriers and facilitators to integrated MOUD and HIV prevention services. Interviews were double-coded, and qualitative analysis was performed using a modified grounded theory. Of 19 providers sampled, most were physicians (63%). All recommended HIV screening at varying intervals; however, few counseled on (19%) or prescribed (11%) PrEP to patients on MOUD. Barriers to PrEP prescriptions included patient-level (ie, stigma surrounding PrEP use, adherence challenges, and competing social or mental healthcare needs), provider (perception of low risk, lack of training/experience), and system-level factors (including restricted visit types). Facilitators of PrEP prescriptions included patient-initiated requests, electronic health record system reminders, and the availability of consistent support staff (ie, navigators, certified recovery specialists). Our study confirms that discussions about HIV prevention and PrEP prescriptions may be rare for AYA patients receiving MOUD. Further research is needed to develop interventions that increase the integration of PrEP delivery within the context of OUD care among this key AYA population.

Nurses' experiences of using falls alarms in subacute care: A qualitative study.

Bed and chair alarms have been included in many multifaceted falls prevention interventions. None of the randomised trials of falls alarms as sole interventions have showed significant effect on falls or falls with injury. Further, use of bed and chair alarms did not change patients' fear of falling, length of hospital stay, functional status, discharge destination or health related quality of life. The aim of this study was to explore nurses' experiences of using bed and chair alarms. A qualitative descriptive study using semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of 12 nurses was conducted on a 32-bed Geriatric Evaluation and Management ward in Melbourne, Australia. Participants were interviewed between 27 January and 12 March 2021.Transcribed audio-recordings of interviews were analysed using inductive thematic analysis. NVIVO 12.6 was used to manage the study data. Three major themes and four subthemes were constructed from the data: i) negative impacts of falls alarms (subthemes: noisy technology, imperfect technology), ii) juggling the safety-risk conflict, and iii) negotiating falls alarm use (subthemes: nurse decision making and falls alarm overuse). Nurses' experience of using falls alarms was predominantly negative and there was tension between falls alarms having limited impact on patient safety and risks associated with their use. Nurses described a need to support nurse decision making related to falls alarms use in practice and policy, and a desire to be empowered to manage falls risk in other ways.

A Qualitative Investigation of Teachers’ Experiences of Life Skills Development in Physical Education

ABSTRACT Recent studies have highlighted physical education (PE) as a setting for life skills development, yet little is known about how teachers can promote the development and transfer of life skills through PE. Therefore, the broad objectives of this study were to explore teacher’s perceptions of what life skills are developed through PE, how these life skills are developed in practice, and whether these life skills transfer to other life domains. A qualitative methodological design consisting of in-depth semi-structured interviews was employed to obtain detailed insights from PE teachers. Audio-recorded interviews lasting an average of 43 minutes were conducted with 11 teachers (Mage = 37.9 years; teaching experience = 14.1 years) from the northwest of England. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically. Five key themes were constructed during data analysis: 1) key life skills developed through PE (e.g., teamwork, communication, leadership, & resilience), 2) why life skills are needed and taught, 3) considering students’ individual needs when teaching life skills, 4) strategies for life skills development (e.g., explicit & implicit learning, teachable moments, & role modelling), and 5) the transferability of life skills to other domains (e.g., schoolwork & home life). The findings provide key insights into how teachers value life skills, support their development, and enable transfer to other areas of students’ lives.

Policymaker perspectives on self-management of disease and disabilities using information and communication technologies

BackgroundPolicies that support health self-management are malleable and highly dependent on various factors that influence governments. Within a world that is shifting toward digitalization due to pressures such as the COVID-19 pandemic and labor shortages, policymaking on older adults’ self-management of chronic diseases and disability using information and communication technologies (ICTs) needs to be better understood. Using the province of Ontario, in Canada, as a case study, the research question was What is the environment that policymakers must navigate through in development and implementation of policies related to older adults’ self-management of disease and disability using information and communication technologies (ICTs)?MethodsThis study used a qualitative approach where public servants from 4 ministries within the government of Ontario were invited to participate in a 1-h, one-on-one, semi-structured interview. The audio-recorded interviews were based on an adapted model of the policy triangle, where the researcher asked questions about the influences from the different sources identified in the model. The interviews were later transcribed and analyzed using a deductive-inductive coding approach.ResultsTen participants across 4 different Ministries participated in the interviews. Participants shared insights on various aspects of context, process and actors that help shape the current content of policies. The analysis revealed that policies, in the form of programs, services, legislation and regulations, are the result of collaborations and dialogue between different actors and get developed and implemented via a set of complex government processes. In addition, policy actions come from a plethora of sectors which all get influenced by several predictable and unpredictable external pressures.ConclusionsThe environment for policymaking in the government of Ontario regarding older adults’ self-management of disease and disability using ICTs is one that is mostly reactive to external pressures, while organized within a set of complex processes and multi-sectoral collaborations. The present research helped us to understand the complexity of policymaking on the topic and highlights the need for increased foresight and proactive policymaking, regardless of which governments are in-place.

AI-ENABLED INTERVIEW ANALYSIS: UNVEILING INSIGHTS AND ENHANCING DECISION-MAKING IN HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

The process of conducting interviews plays a pivotal role in human resource management, as it directly influences the selection of candidates and ultimately shapes the composition of an organization's workforce. However, traditional interview methods are often subjective and prone to biases, leading to suboptimal decision-making. In recent years, the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies has provided new opportunities to revolutionize interview analysis and improve decision-making in the hiring process.This research paper explores the application of AI-enabled interview analysis in human resource management, aiming to unveil insights and enhance decision-making. The study focuses on three main areas: interview data collection, analysis, and decision-making support. AI technologies, including natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning algorithms, are leveraged to analyze interview transcripts, audio recordings, and other relevant data sources.By analyzing interview data using AI, this research uncovers hidden patterns, linguistic cues, and behavioural indicators that may be missed by human interviewers. These insights provide a deeper understanding of candidate suitability, skills, and competencies, enabling HR professionals to make more informed and objective decisions. Moreover, AI algorithms can be trained to identify biases and mitigate their impact, leading to fairer and more inclusive hiring practices. The research also investigates the potential challenges and ethical considerations associated with AI- enabled interview analysis. Concerns related to privacy, data security, algorithmic biases, and the role of human judgment in decision-making are examined, highlighting the need for responsible implementation and ongoing monitoring.To validate the effectiveness of AI-enabled interview analysis, a mixed-methods approach is employed, combining quantitative data analysis and qualitative feedback from HR professionals. The study presents empirical evidence demonstrating the benefits of AI technologies in improving decision-making accuracy, efficiency, and fairness. Key Index Terms: Digital AI-enabled interview analysis, Hiring process, Decision-making, Interview data analysis, Natural language processing (NLP), Machine learning algorithms, Candidate selection, Workforce composition, Objective decision-making, Hidden patterns, Linguistic cues.

Understanding and Implementing Learning-Oriented Assessment: Evidence From Three Chinese Junior High School EFL Teachers

AbstractAssessment has had an enduring influence on teaching and learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL). The conceptualization and enactment of formative assessment as an integral foundation of learning-oriented assessment (LOA) has become the focus of recent studies, reflecting the mandated role of formative assessment in educational policies such as the national curriculum in China. However, it remains largely unexplored how junior high school EFL teachers in China understand and interpret formative assessment in response to policy imperatives and the enactment of learning-oriented assessment practices in classes that often focus on test preparation. To address the gap, this article reports a case study of three junior high school EFL teachers in a southwest city in China in order to explore their assessment beliefs and learning-oriented classroom assessment practices. The data collected included 15 audio-recorded classroom observations and three semi-structured audio-recorded interviews. The three teachers interpreted the concept of LOA in different ways and their classroom practices reflected these understandings. Despite working in a heavily exam-oriented context, the teachers were observed to provide contingent oral feedback to their learners, help learners develop their understanding through learner-centered tasks and interactions where learners were positioned as resources for each other through grouping and peer-assessment opportunities, and encourage learner autonomy. These findings point to ways in which LOA can be realized within exam-oriented English language learning contexts.

ELICITATION TECHNIQUE EMPLOYED BY EFL TEACHERS IN MOTIVATING JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TO SPEAK

<div class="page" title="Page 1"><div class="layoutArea"><div class="column"><p><span>This study was inspired by the lack of teaching techniques that could accommodate students’ speaking skills as the main indicator determining students’ success in learning English. The elicitation technique could be used by teachers to initiate students to speak during the learning process. A descriptive qualitative method was employed which aimed to investigate the types of elicitation techniques used, the way to implement them, and students’ responses to the elicitation techniques employed by the English teachers in motivating students to speak. There were two English teachers and ten students consisting of seventh and eighth grades involved as the participants in this study. Checklist, classroom observation, interview, and video audio recordings were conducted as the methods of data collection by means of observation checklist, observation sheet, interview guide, as well as video-audio recorders. The data were analyzed based on the category of elicitation techniques proposed by Cross (1992). The findings showed that there were 10 types of elicitation techniques used. Speech Prompts 44.5 (28.7%), WH Short-Answer Question 42.5 (27.4%), dan Yes-No Question 37 (23.9%) were the most frequent types used by the teachers in eliciting students to speak. In addition, it was also revealed that the elicitation techniques were employed by the teachers in all the teaching segments. Eight out of ten students positively responded by feeling motivated to speak in English. This indicated that the elicitation techniques used by the teachers could motivate students to speak in English.<br /></span></p></div></div></div>