Communication Skills Course Research Articles

Editorial

Editorial

NeoTalk: Communication Skills Training for Neonatal Clinicians.

Despite proven benefit, pediatric subspecialists often have not been offered formal serious illness communication skills training. We sought to: 1) develop and evaluate the impact of a communication skills course, based on the VitalTalk framework, on Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) clinicians; 2) evaluate provider comfort with key serious illness communication skills and frequency of use of those skills, before and after "NeoTalk" and; 3) explore differences and similarities between adult and pediatric serious illness communication skills courses. We developed a NICU specific communication skills course and surveyed course participants to evaluate comfort with key communication skills before and after course participation, and frequency of use of key skills before and 2 months after our course. Wilcoxon signed rank tests and Kruskal-Wallis tests were performed to compare participant responses across time points. 34 providers completed NeoTalk training. Complete pre- and post-course data was available for 29 participants. Participants reported increased comfort with skills including 'sharing difficult news' (P = .018), and 'responding to emotion' (P = .002). Participants did not report increased frequency in using target skills 2 months after training. A multi-disciplinary cohort of NICU providers endorsed increased confidence in key communication skills but not increased skill application 2-months post-course completion. While a single course can successfully teach skills, additional exposure may be necessary to build new communication habits. Our experience developing NeoTalk helped elucidate some of the ways in which conversations about seriously ill infants may be different from conversations about seriously ill adults.

Assessment of Dental Residents' Attitudes toward Learning Communication Skills

Introduction: Communication is a central part of our daily clinical lives and forms the foundation of a good professional relationship. This study aims to evaluate the attitudes of residents at the Faculty of dental medicine (FDM) UNIVERSITY HASSAN II CASABLANCA regarding the learning of communication skills. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study to assess the attitudes of FDM residents about learning communication skills, we distributed the questionnaire to all residents. We used as an instrument an anonymous questionnaire in English, this questionnaire is divided into two parts: part A devoted to socio-demographic data such as age, gender, and year of study, and part B used a validated scale developed by Rees to measure residents' attitude towards social sciences. Results: all residents agreed to complete the questionnaire, responses, i.e. a response rate of 100%, the mean age of the residents was 26,9 ± 2,96, with extremes ranging from 23 to 40 years. The score of positive attitude score over the entire study population was 53.13 ± 5.2 (43-63) and the mean score of negative attitude score was 36.77 ± 7.01 (24-52). The residents have manifested an interest to participate in CS courses. Discussion: The success of the therapeutic relationship cannot be achieved without a certain congruence between the patient and the practitioner. In addition, it appears that the only way to achieve this goal is through communication. Communication is very important for a successful therapeutic relationship in dentistry, several studies have focused on the communication training of dental students, and these studies have recommended from their findings that it is necessary to include communication skills courses and examinations in the dental curriculum. Conclusion: It is concluded from our study that dental residents are interested in learning communication skills. It is therefore proposed to continuously train residents in communication skills as part of their training curriculum and to evaluate the learned communication skills continuously by professors.

Low-Resource Language Based Cognitive Psychology in English Language Analysis: A State-of-art for China's Higher Vocational Colleges

The present study aims at identifying the academic and professional needs of vocational students to enhance their English communication skills that are considered as the prerequisites for employment in China. In view of the demands of globalization, course designers and academicians design the curriculum to meet the challenges of the current scenario. This study aims at finding out the gap between student's needs and the existing syllabus to provide suggestions for the better implementation of the English communication skills course for vocational students by analysing the prescribed syllabus of Woyingzhichang and Zibo Vocational Institute in China. The data for analysis were collected from both students and teachers using a structured questionnaire. It is identified that student need fewer changes in syllabus and English teaching skills in the schools of China.

THE EFFECT OF DELAYED AND IMMEDIATE ORAL CORRECTIVE FEEDBACK ON L2 PRONUNCIATION IN EMERGENCY DISTANCE EDUCATION

With the sudden shift to online teaching with COVID-19 in 2020, ELT professionals and EFL learners found themselves in an environment with relatively less interaction, distant from their ordinary classrooms. In such a setting, a critical aspect of language teaching, oral corrective feedback (OCF), has become even more important for both sides. In a context of emergency distance education, this study focuses on the effect of delayed and immediate OCF on Turkish university students’ L2 pronunciation in the scope of a speaking course, and their views on the feedback they received. In this respect, 23 students taking an oral communication skills course through online instruction were monitored for a total of eight weeks and their pronunciation errors throughout the process were recorded. One group received immediate feedback while the other group had delayed, individualized feedback on their pronunciation. A posttest based on these errors was administered online at the end of the process. The results showed a decrease in pronunciation errors for all students, and the difference in the number of errors during and at the end of the semester was statistically significant in both groups. However, the mean difference and the effect size were larger for the group who were exposed to delayed feedback.

Exploring Students' Perceptions of the teaching pedagogies: in developing Communication Skills among Multilingual Undergraduates

The focus of the research work is to report on research from the curriculum interventions that explored whether undergraduate university students are proficient enough in communication skills for social and academic purposes, moreover, the perception of students about their communication skills is studied and factors are identified that may have contributed towards their strong or poor communications skills in the English language. The study includes 300 undergraduate students, from four different programs and institutes. A survey having a questionnaire of 52 items is used and information obtained is sorted out with the help of SPSS in order to get a full and detailed picture of various patterns and themes. The findings of the survey establish that students having a better language learning experience at the school level perform better in their communication skills course at the university level.

Identifying and Supporting Students with a Chronically Ill Family Member: A Mixed-Methods Study on the Perceived Competences and Role Views of Lecturers

Young adult caregivers experience reduced wellbeing when the combination of family care and an educational program becomes too demanding. We aim to clarify the role views, competences, and needs of lecturers regarding the identification and support of these students to prevent negative mental health consequences. A mixed-methods explanatory sequential design was used. We collected quantitative data using a survey of lecturers teaching in bachelor education programs in the Netherlands (n = 208) and then conducted in-depth interviews (n = 13). Descriptive statistics and deductive thematic analyses were performed. Most participants (70.2%) thought that supporting young adult caregivers was the responsibility of the educational institution, and 49% agreed that it was a responsibility of the lecturer, but only 66.8% indicated that they feel competent to do so. However, 45.2% indicated that they needed more training and expertise to identify and support these students. All interviewees felt responsible for their students' wellbeing but highlighted a lack of clarity regarding their role fulfillment. In practice, their ability to identify and support these students depended on their available time and level of expertise. The lecturers required agreements on responsibility and procedures for further referral, as well as information on support and referral opportunities, communication skills courses, and peer-to-peer coaching.

Examination of the Body Language Competencies of Physical Education Teachers

In this research, the objective was to examine the body language competency levels of physical education teachers (PETs) and their body language competencies according to gender, participation in an effective communication skills course, service year, and doing sports. Furthermore, it also included opinions of PETs about their actions in solving the disciplinary problems arising from students according to their participation status in an effective communication skills course. A quantitative design was used in the research. Three hundred forty-seven PETs from various cities around Turkey participated in this study voluntarily. The Body Language Scale was used in the research. The scale was delivered to the teachers via Google Forms. The research found PETs’ body language competencies to be at an intermediate level. Moreover, there was no difference in the body language competencies of the PETs in terms of gender. The PETs whose service year was between 6 and 10 cared about their clothing more, and the teachers who attended an effective communication skills course and who regularly exercised paid more attention to their gestures and mimic, postures, and clothing. In addition to these results, it was observed that the teachers who attended an effective communication skills course did not display conducts such as shouting or physical contact while dealing with disciplinary problems. On the basis of the results, it can be inferred that teachers who attend an effective communication skills course will have higher levels of body language competencies. Therefore, it is thought that it is important for PETs to attend trainings that include effective communication skills.

Assessment of the needs in Communication Skills' Courses in Tanzanian Universities

The study sought to analyse the needs of university students in Tanzania in Communication Skills Courses. The study involved a total of 315 students from two public and two private universities who were randomly chosen, whereas the respondents were selected via convenience sampling. The sole tool used for collecting data was a questionnaire that consisted of items inquiring whether the respondents would opt for communication skills if it were an optional course. The second part sought their perceived needs of different aspects of language skills areas. The participants were first asked for their consent before filling in the questionnaire. The responses were posted to SPSS software for computation of frequencies of occurrences per each thematic area, and the resulting data were organized into themes and summarized in tables and figures. The findings show that the respondents were divided in their opting for the course, were it optional. The analysis shows that 122 out of 315 (similar to 38.7%) would still opt for the course, while 104 (33%) would not opt for the course; and 89 (28.3%) were not sure. In the area of reading, eye-mapping was rated as highly needed by the majority of students in all universities, while in writing skills referencing and footnote and end-note writing were noted as highly needed mainly by students from public universities. On the whole, there were notable differences between public and private university students in their communication skills needs.

A discourse analysis of suicide ideation assessment among first year health professional students enrolled in a communications course

Background: Suicide risk assessments require a complex set of skills around a sensitive matter which can be difficult for providers. Aim: Research investigating communication techniques and the language choices used to assess for suicide ideation is limited. Methods: We analyzed 121 video-recorded and transcribed final exams from a communication skills course for first year health professional students to identify patterns and variation in the language choices made to assess for suicidal ideation in standardized patients exhibiting symptoms of depression. Results: We found that 66 of the 121 (55%) interviews included a suicide assessment. We noted key patterns and variation around when the assessments took place (while exploring depressive symptoms or as a topic shift), how they were prefaced (with ubiquity statements, normalization statements, or expressions of care and concern), and how the question itself was structured (with a negative preference structure, in a non-polar format, or ambiguously). Conclusions: Assessing for suicide is a delicate task for both patients and providers, both of whom may be reluctant to engage around the topic. Utilizing normalization statements as well as statements of care and concern is a good approach to assess suicide idation while exploring depressive symptoms.

Enhancing the 4Cs among college students of a communication skills course in Tanzania through a project-based learning model

The development of technology has changed the way people communicate in academic contexts as well as working places, for example from print messages to screened messages, and from face-to-face classroom and office meetings to virtual classes and offices. This has prompted the shift from traditional teaching practices to student-centered in which students are guided by their teachers to develop skills for 21st Century careers through the Project-Based Learning model. However, in Tanzania colleges, the teaching of a Communication Skills Course perpetuates traditional teaching practices, which could reduce the chance for students to participate in global democratic activities. Consequently, the present study aimed at exploring how to enhance the 4 C’s (critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity) among the college students of the Communication Skills Course in Tanzania through the Project-Based Learning model. Qualitative participatory action research with two cycles was adopted. Data from ten students, one teacher, and the curriculum were collected through observation, document analysis, and reflective journals. Data were analyzed thematically. Findings show that current teaching practices for Communication Skills Course in Tanzania colleges hardly enhance the development of the 4 C’s among students. It was also observed that the implementation of PBL resulted in enhancing the 4 C’s among college students in Tanzania colleges. However, large class sizes, poor technological infrastructure, and lack of facilities are among the challenges experienced during the implementation of PBL in enhancing the 4Cs. The study recommends the reformation of current teaching practices, to focus on developing skills needed to cope with students’ real-life contexts, instead of focusing on content knowledge. Also, the study calls for the adoption of PBL in Tanzania colleges in teaching Communication Skills to develop necessary skills for the 21st Century. To cope with any potential challenges, the study suggests that there should be collaborative efforts among education stakeholders.

Lexical Semantic Errors in Undergraduate Students' Academic Writing

In language teaching and learning, the correct use of vocabulary in the target language is as important as the language's grammar. This study investigates lexical semantic errors in the academic writing of 4th-year undergraduate students at the National University of Lesotho. Using the random sampling method, ten Action Research reports were selected. Errors were identified and analyzed using Hemchua and Schmitt's (2006) classification. Findings in the study indicate that errors resulting from the confusion of sense relations were most frequent, followed by errors in collocation and translation errors. The study recommends that teaching communication skills courses offered at the year 1 level should include explicit vocabulary teaching to minimize semantic errors, which, as is argued, result in incomprehensible texts.

Evaluation of the Effect of Communication Skills Course among Dental Undergraduates: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Evaluation of the Effect of Communication Skills Course among Dental Undergraduates: A Randomized Controlled Trial

BICHRONOUS ONLINE LEARNING: L2 LEARNERS’ PERCEPTIONS

English educators worldwide have been implementing multifarious online learning tools to teach students English, especially since the Covid-19 arrival. Researches on and adoption of online learning have vigorously increased since then to explore the effectiveness of umpteen online learning tools to ensure students get the best of education. With this regard, this paper looked into L2 learners’ perceptions towards bichronous online learning - a mixed mode of online learning in tertiary education and employed a quantitative method via questionnaire focusing on eliciting respondents’ perceptions on bichronous online learning, the challenges they faced while learning bichronously and the suggestions they proposed to improve bichronous online learning. The respondents involved were 30 first-year students taking the Essential Communication Skills course at Universiti Malaysia Sabah. In recapitulation, the findings portrayed positive perceptions of L2 learners towards bichronous online learning. It was also highlighted that poor internet connection, poor time management and lack of motivation were the core challenges of the blended mode while suggestions to enhance it were mainly on the use of multitudinous learning methods, more interactive platforms and creation of a conducive learning environment. These findings served as a foundation for devising suitable bichronous online learning materials for learning English effectively.

Promoting Informed Decisions About Colorectal Cancer Screening in Older Adults (PRIMED Study): a Physician Cluster Randomized Trial

BackgroundFor adults aged 76–85, guidelines recommend individualizing decision-making about whether to continue colorectal cancer (CRC) testing. These conversations can be challenging as they need to consider a patient’s CRC risk, life expectancy, and preferences.ObjectiveTo promote shared decision-making (SDM) for CRC testing decisions for older adults.DesignTwo-arm, multi-site cluster randomized trial, assigning physicians to Intervention and Comparator arms. Patients were surveyed shortly after the visit to assess outcomes. Analyses were intention-to-treat.Participants and SettingPrimary care physicians affiliated with 5 academic and community hospital networks and their patients aged 76–85 who were due for CRC testing and had a visit during the study period.InterventionsIntervention arm physicians completed a 2-h online course in SDM communication skills and received an electronic reminder of patients eligible for CRC testing shortly before the visit. Comparator arm received reminders only.Main MeasuresThe primary outcome was patient-reported SDM Process score (range 0–4 with higher scores indicating more SDM); secondary outcomes included patient-reported discussion of CRC screening, knowledge, intention, and satisfaction with the visit.Key ResultsSixty-seven physicians (Intervention n=34 and Comparator n=33) enrolled. Patient participants (n=466) were on average 79 years old, 50% with excellent or very good self-rated overall health, and 66% had one or more prior colonoscopies. Patients in the Intervention arm had higher SDM Process scores (adjusted mean difference 0.36 (95%CI (0.08, 0.64), p=0.01) than in the Comparator arm. More patients in the Intervention arm reported discussing CRC screening during the visit (72% vs. 60%, p=0.03) and had higher intention to follow through with their preferred approach (58.0% vs. 47.1, p=0.03). Knowledge scores and visit satisfaction did not differ significantly between arms.ConclusionPhysician training plus reminders were effective in increasing SDM and frequency of CRC testing discussions in an age group where SDM is essential.Trial RegistrationThe trial is registered on clinicaltrials.gov (NCT03959696).

Satisfying and Dissatisfying Determinants of Online Education during Covid-19 Pandemic

This paper attempts to explore satisfying and dissatisfying determinants of online education in Pakistan. Participants were well abreast with the online mode of education due to the closure of physical classroom activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Purposive sampling was research design.Students enrolled in communication skills course were drawn as study respondents. An open-ended questionnaire was a research instrument. Eighty (80) engineering students participated in this survey and provided feedback about satisfying and dissatisfying factors of online education in Pakistan. Data were analyzed using the content analysis approach. Results exhibited students were satisfied with ‘class feasibility, low financial cost and communication opportunities. On the other front, they were dissatisfied with ‘internet issue, load shedding of electricity, technical issue, home disturbance, expensive internet packages, and lack of communication. This research concluded that online education is never free from issues and challenges in Pakistan.

The Impact of Communication Skills upon the Human and Social Relations among Library and Information Majors Students in the Arab World in their Point of Views

This study aimed to identify the availability of communication skills (listening, dialogue, persuasion, presentation, and body language) among the students of the communication skills course at Arab World in the academic year (2019/2020). A random sample consisting of 1000 questionnaires was distributed with 100 questionnaires to each university. (590) valid questionnaires were approved for study from the original community consisting of (a bachelor's degree among library and information science Majors students in the 10 Arab universities). The researcher used the questionnaire as a measurement tool where it consists of six areas: (Listening, dialogue, persuasion, presentation, body language, human and social relations) distributed over (54) questions, and after the collection of data was a statistical analysis to answer the questions of the study. The researcher reached through the study to several results, the most important of which are the presence of statistically significant differences in some variables at the level (α≤0.05). Less than the average of the answers of the sample respondents where it was found that there are differences with regard to sex variable and in favor of males, and no differences with university or High school and academic year, the most important recommendations reached by the researcher is to increase the credit hours of the course from 2-5 and, determine the number of students allowed In registering the course that ranges between (20-25) only, as well as increasing the practical side so that it is shared with the theoretical side.

A Course in Biology and Communication Skills for Master of Biostatistics Students

We describe an innovative, semester-long course in biology and communication skills for master’s degree students in biostatistics. The primary goal of the course is to make the connection between biological science and statistics more explicit. The secondary goals are to teach oral and written communication skills in an appropriate context for applied biostatisticians, and to teach a structured approach to thinking that enables students to become lifelong learners in biology, study design, and the application of statistics to biomedical research. Critical evaluation of medical literature is the method used to teach biology and communication. Exercises are constructivist in nature, designed to be hands-on and encourage reflection through writing and oral communication. A single disease area (cancer) provides a motivating example to: 1) introduce students to the most commonly used study designs in medical and public health research, 2) illustrate how study design is used to address questions about human biology and disease, 3) teach basic biological concepts necessary for a successful career in biostatistics, and 4) train students to read and critically evaluate publications in peer-reviewed journals. We describe the design and features of the course, the intended audience, and provide detailed examples for instructors interested in designing similar courses.

Communication Skills across Engineering Curriculum: A Case Study

Effective communication skills occupy key importance in the world of work. This study aimed to investigate the standing of communication skills courses in the engineering curriculum taught to engineering students. Additionally, it assessed whether all engineering departments implement the same credit hour course for engineering departments. The data collection source was Prospectus-2021 of Quaid-e-Awam University of Engineering, Science and Technology Nawabshah. Discourse Analysis was the data analysis method. Findings exhibit that communication skills are taught as a single subject in the university and some engineering departments implement it as a 2-credithour and some 3-credit hour course. Unexpectedly, the department of chemical engineering implements it as(1) credit only. Findings endorse employers’ concerns that engineering graduates passing out from engineering universities are not ready for industry jobs.Research results would guide engineering universities of Pakistan to revisit engineering communication skills courses to bring them at par with industry skill needs.

Communication Barriers Among Undergraduate Engineering Students: Assignment Project

This study had twofold objectives first, it explored communication barriers of engineering students that impacted their communication performance and the reasons behind their communication barriers. Engineering students enrolled in communication skills course were drawn as respondents. Research instrument was an open-ended questionnaire. Eighty-three (83) undergraduate engineering students participated in this academic survey. Content analysis approach was implemented for data analysis. Findings show that ‘lack of vocabulary, lack of confidence, language problem, hesitation, poor knowledge, poor preparation, stress, anxiety, poor listening skill, fear of criticism, confusion, poor interest, poor judgement, depression, technical jargon, poor perception and overloaded information’ were communication barriers of engineering students. Moreover, the reasons of these communication barriers were lack of vocabulary, low confidence, hesitation, shyness, poor self-esteem, inferiority complex, fear of criticism, anger, poor language, stage fear, memory loss, poor environment and peer pressure.