Fluency Rate Research Articles

Self-Image Improvement and Iranian EFL Learners’ Oral Performance: Effects on Complexity, Accuracy, and Fluency

The present study intended to investigate the effects of self-image improvement on quality of Iranian EFL learners’ oral productions. To this aim, 30 lower-intermediate university students were randomly divided into an experimental (EG) and control (CG) groups. The main focus in both groups was enhancing the students’ oral performance while only the EG received the treatment via self-image improving techniques. Their self-image was measured with the aid of Offer Self-Image Questionnaire and their oral performance was examined using two parallel IELTS speaking tests before and after the treatment. It was found that by receiving self-image training, participants’ self-image improved, which led to a parallel improvement in their speaking skill. More specifically, the EG improved significantly in oral complexity and two components of oral fluency, MLR and speech rate A. However, regarding oral accuracy and speech rate B, no significant difference was observed between the two groups.

Using unfilled pauses to measure (dis)fluency in English-Chinese consecutive interpreting: in search of an optimal pause threshold(s)

ABSTRACT Unfilled pauses (UPs) are commonly regarded as an index of interpreting (dis)fluency. Despite their important role, it is not always straightforward in interpreting research to describe and characterize UPs. One potential controversy concerns the selection of a pause threshold to identify UP. A wide range of thresholds, ranging from 0.2–3 s, has been operationalized in interpreting literature. However, there has been little empirical evidence supporting the choice of a particular threshold or informing such selection. The present study, based on a large corpus of 320 English-Chinese consecutive interpretations, intends to generate such evidence by empirically examining the correlations between three acoustically measured, UP-related temporal variables (i.e. number of UPs per minute, mean length of UPs, and phonation time ratio) and rater-generated fluency ratings, for 16 pause thresholds that systematically increased from 0.25s to 1s. Major findings include: a) for both interpreting directions choosing a higher pause threshold generally led to lower correlation coefficients; b) for both directions phonation time ratio had the strongest correlation with subjective fluency ratings; c) stronger correlations were observed in the English-to-Chinese direction than the opposite direction. We discuss these results and provide suggestions regarding the selection of pause thresholds for future research.

Effect of hesitation sound phonetic quality on perception of language fluency

Nonnative speech differs from native speech in various ways, including different pausing patterns. There are two types of pauses: filled and unfilled. Unfilled pauses are silent. During filled pauses, speakers make a sound. Different languages use different sounds for filled pauses; this is described as phonetic quality. English speakers use “uh” to hesitate. Spanish speakers use “eh” to hesitate. When the phonetic quality of a hesitation sound is consistent with the hesitation sound used by native speakers, the hesitation sound is “native.” A hesitation sound with phonetic quality inconsistent with a native speaker hesitation sound is “non-native.” Production studies show that proficiency and speech community influence whether second language speakers produce native or nonnative hesitation sounds. However, no study has investigated the perceptual consequences using nonnative versus native hesitation sounds. This study investigates the effect of hesitation sound phonetic quality on perception of language fluency by comparing fluency ratings of sentences with nonnative hesitation sounds to fluency ratings of sentences with native hesitation sounds. This research answers questions such as: Do listeners judge non-native speakers to be less fluent when speakers produce non-native hesitation sounds? Is it beneficial for L2 learners to use native hesitation sounds to achieve perceived fluency?

Using reading while listening in English as a foreign language (EFL) learning context

The benefits of reading while listening for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners have been investigated in different EFL learning contexts. Some studies found that simultaneous reading while listening promotes positive impacts on students’ reading and listening skills. It also helps L2 learners’ fluency and comprehension of reading and listening. Moreover, it can assist L2 learners in acquiring new language input in a new learning environment. Hence, this article reviews some research papers related to the implementation of reading while listening (RWL) program in EFL learning context. Furthermore, to answer the research questions: 1) What is reading while listening?; 2) What are the effects of using reading while listening for EFL learners? How to apply the reading while listening program within the EFL classroom? To answer these questions, this article examines the use of RWL for EFL learners based on the research methodology, subject, instrument used, result and suggestion, including the principles of implementing simultaneous reading and listening within the EFL classroom. 
 HIGHLISGHTS
 Highlights
 
 Reading While Listening (RWL)simultaneously can support students with low reading or listening fluency rate.
 Simultaneous reading while listening affects students reading and listening skills for a long period of time.
 A guideline of RWL program implementation based on ER/EL principles is discussed thoroughly.

Reactions to second language speech

Abstract This study investigates how Mandarin and Slavic language speakers’ comprehensibility, accentedness, and fluency ratings, as assigned by experienced teacher-raters and novice raters, align with discrete linguistic measures, and raters’ accounts of influences on their scoring. In addition to examining mean ratings in relation to rater experience and speaker first language background, we correlated ratings with segmental, prosodic, and temporal measures. Introspective reports were segmented, coded, enumerated, and submitted to loglinear analysis to elucidate influences on ratings. Results showed that ratings were strongly correlated with prosodic goodness and moderately correlated with segmental errors, implying the importance of both segmentals and prosody in L2 speech ratings. Experienced teacher-raters provided lengthier reports than novice raters, producing more comments for all coded categories where an error was identified except for pausing (a dysfluency marker). This may be because novice raters observed little else about the speech or struggled to pinpoint or articulate other features.

Prevalence of stammering among internally displaced population in North Waziristan Agency

Stammering is a dysfluency disorder that is common in children exposed to stressful conditions. Displacement from home is one such situation. There is a large internally displaced population in Pakistan. To determine the prevalence of stammering among children of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in North Waziristan Agency, Pakistan. This cross-sectional survey included 400 Pushto-speaking children of IDPs, aged 5-18 years enrolled from schools in North Waziristan Agency, from July 2017 to July 2018. The Fluency Rating Scale was used for speech assessment. Data were analysed by SPSS version 20. The prevalence of stammering was 11%, with moderate stammering being more prevalent. Five (5.6%) girls and 39 (12.5%) boys were identified with stammering. Stammering is highly prevalent among IDPs.

The influence of pH and current density on an UV254 photo-assisted electrochemical process generating active chlorine and radicals for efficient and rapid ciprofloxacin mineralization compared to individual techniques

A photo-assisted electrochemical process is herein evaluated with the aim of improving and accelerating the degradation and mineralization of Ciprofloxacin (CIP) in aqueous media, in comparison with single electrochemical or photochemical methods. Active chlorine species are initially electro-generated on a synthesized (Pechini method) Ti/TiO2-RuO2 DSA, and subsequently fragmented homolitically using UVC irradiation under very low fluency rate (3300 μW cm−2, λ = 254 nm) to produce radicals with higher oxidation potentials compared to the original active chlorine. A faster CIP degradation (5 min) and higher mineralization is obtained in the coupled system against the individual techniques. Variations of pH and current density in the UV-assisted electrochemical process reveal that a similar degradation rate is obtained during 60 min for pH 6 and 9 due to the co-existence of HOCl and OCl− species in this range of pH, leading to the possible production of highly reactive radicals (e.g. HOaq•, Claq•, Oaq-•) after chlorine species fragmentation. The highest total organic Carbon (TOC) removal was obtained at pH = 6 (70 % in 60 min), where the highest HOCl concentration is observed, thus, enhancing the HOaq• production. The contaminant degradation and mineralization strongly depend of the radicals formed from the irradiation of chlorine species, which on its turn rely on the redox couples formed as a function of pH: 3 (HOCl + Cl2), 6 and 9 (HOCl + OCl−). Mechanisms are proposed for these homolysis reactions, while the degradation pathway of CIP is rationalized using HPLC analyses during 60 min of electrolysis.

Nursing effect of central venous catheter combined with empathy nursing on AIDS patients

Objective To analyze the nursing effect of central venous catheter (CVC) infusion combined with empathy nursing on AIDS patients. Methods A total of 129 AIDS patients who were hospitalized for infusion at Beijing You'an Hospital, Capital Medical University from June 2014 to June 2016 were selected as the control group. Another 129 AIDS patients from August 2016 to August 2018 were selected as the observation group. The control group was given ordinary infusion needle infusion and conventional psychological nursing, and the observation group was given CVC infusion combined with empathic nursing. The clinical nursing effect of the two groups of patients was analyzed. Results The infusion fluency rate, vascular damage rate, nurse puncture rate, and occupational exposure rate in the observation group were 91.47% (118/129), 10.85% (14/129), 0, 0, and the control group was 82.94% (107/129), 20.93% (27/129), 6.20% (8/129), 6.20% (8/129), the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (χ2 values were 4.188-8.224, P <0.05 or 0.01). After 3 months of intervention, the anxiety and depression (Self-rating Anxiely Scale/Self-rating Depression Scale) scores of the observation group were 47.87 ± 5.43 and 45.02 ± 5.61, which were significantly lower than the control group, which were 51.15 ±6.97 and 49.11 ± 6.48. The difference was statistically significant (t values were 3.320, 4.268, P <0.01). After 3 months of intervention, the treatment compliance rate in the observation group was 92.24% (119/129), which was significantly higher than 83.72% (108/129) in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (t value was 4.419, P <0.05). After 3 months of intervention, the CD4+ T lymph count and HIV viral load in the observation group were (378.25 ± 49.04)/μl, (2.86 ± 0.53) igIU/ml, and the control group were (342.17 ± 43.47)/μl, (3.13 ± 0.66) igIU/ml, the improvement effect of the observation group was significantly better than that of the control group (t values were 3.559, 2.853, P <0.01). Conclusion CVC infusion combined with empathic nursing can significantly improve the anxiety and depression of AIDS patients, improve treatment compliance and infusion fluency, reduce vascular damage rate, related infection rate, nurse puncture rate and occupational exposure rate, and good nursing effect. Key words: AIDS; Empathy care; Central venous catheter; Compliance; Anxiety depression

Modeling the relationship between utterance fluency and raters’ perceived fluency of consecutive interpreting

Abstract Fluency is an important, yet insufficiently understood, construct in interpreting studies. This article reports on an empirical study which explored the relationship between utterance fluency measures and raters’ perceived fluency ratings of English/Chinese consecutive interpreting. It also examined whether such relationship was consistent across interpreting directions and rater types. The results partially supported the categorization of utterance fluency into breakdown, speed and repair fluency. It was also found that mean length of unfilled pauses, phonation time ratio, mean length of run and speech rate had fairly strong correlations with perceived fluency ratings in both interpreting directions and across rater types. Among a number of competing regression models that were built to predict raters’ fluency ratings, a parsimonious model, using mean length of unfilled pauses and mean length of run as predictors, accounted for about 60% of the variance of fluency ratings in both directions and across rater types. These results are expected to help create, rewrite and modify rubrics and scalar descriptors of fluency scales in rater-mediated interpretation assessment and to inform automated scoring of fluency in interpreting.

Comparing the influence of 'describing findings to the examiner' or 'examining as in usual practice' on the students' performance and assessors' judgements during physical examination skills assessment.

Within assessment of physical examination skills, two approaches are common: "Describing Findings" (students comment throughout); and examining as "Usual Practice" (students only report findings at the end). Despite numerous potential influences on both students' performances and assessors' judgements, no prior studies have investigated the influence of either approach on assessments. Two group, randomised, crossover design. Within a 2-station simulated physical examination OSCE, we manipulated whether students "described findings" or examined as "usual practice", collecting 1/. performance scores; 2/. Students'/examiners' cognitive load ratings; ratings of the 3/. fluency and 4/. completeness of students' presentations and 5/. Students' task-finishing, comparing all 5 end-points across conditions. Neither students' performance scores nor examiners' cognitive load were influenced by experimental condition. Students reported higher cognitive load (7/9) when "describing findings" than "usual practice" (6/9, p=0.002), and were less likely to finish (4 vs 12, p=0.007). Presentation completeness was higher for "describing findings" (mean=2.40, (95CIs=2.05-2.74)) than "usual practice" (mean=1.92 (1.65-2.18),p=0.016), whilst fluency ratings showed a similar trend. The decision to "Describe Findings" or examine as "Usual Practice" does not appear neutral, potentially influencing students' efficiency, recall and (by inference) learning. Institutions should explicitly select one option based on assessment goals.

A survey about legible Arabic fonts for young readers

Reading is an interconnected cognitive process including recognition and comprehension. The objective of the reading act could not be achieved unless the text is legible enough to interpret. For that reason, legibility is crucial for the reading mechanism, it will affect reading speed and the recognition of the graphs in the right way. Based on the fact that fonts and the way the text is presented influence children's reading performance and fluency, the current paper investigates different Arabic fonts in order to determine the optimal font for a fluent reading for children with a low rate of errors in both printed and on-screen texts. This study recruits 33 primary Moroccan school students of third grade and investigates the reading fluency and error rates for five Arabic font types. This paper recommends, as a result, the use of Simplified Arabic font for reducing reading errors due to graphs presentation for either printed or on-screen texts.

The effects of varied practice on the oral reading fluency of fourth-grade students

To improve oral reading fluency rate and promote its generalization to unpracticed texts, this study investigated a Varied Practice approach that involved passages with a high proportion of overlapping words (M = 85% unique word overlap). Fourth graders were randomly assigned either to the Varied Practice treatment (n = 405), where they read three different passages one time each, or the Repeated Reading comparison (n = 422), in which they read the same passage three times each. Both groups read with a partner for about 20 min, 3–4 times per week, over an average 12 weeks (30 total sessions). Results indicated that students in Varied Practice demonstrated significantly better fluency outcomes than students in Repeated Reading, but both groups demonstrated growth near the 90th percentile. Results of a quantile regression revealed that low-to-middle achievers benefited from Varied Practice the most. Overall, the findings suggest fluency approaches rooted in statistical learning hold promise as an alternative to approaches focused on practicing words in redundant contexts.

Application of supplemental UV‐B radiation in pre‐harvest to enhance health‐promoting compounds accumulation in green and red lettuce

The plants (green and red lettuce) were exposed to daily doses of UV‐B radiation for 1 hr for two weeks during growth. UV‐B‐treated green lettuces at the second week presented a greater content of quercetin than the control plants. Caffeoyltartaric acid, caffeoylquinic acid and caffeoylmalic acid also showed a significant accumulation in green lettuce after two weeks of UV‐B treatment in comparison to those non‐treated. Regarding carotenoid content, lutein, neoxanthin, and V + A + Z showed significant increased values after two weeks of UV‐B treatment in comparison to the non‐treated green lettuces. However, chlorophylls and carotenoids content did not present significant difference between the analyzed weeks for the red lettuces. In other words, quercetins, as well as caffeoyltartaric acid, caffeoylquinic acid and cyanidin glycoside of red lettuce showed a significant increase after UV‐B treatment at both weeks in comparison with control red lettuces. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: The impact of UV‐B on plants depends on the fluency rate, exposure time, wavelength of UV‐B radiation, and the amount of UV‐B relative to photosynthetic active radiation. Since carotenoids, chlorophylls, and flavonoid compounds can be increased by ecologically relevant levels of UV‐B in glasshouse production, this study was designed to verify whether supplemental UV‐B radiation was effective in increasing the concentration of health‐promoting compounds in green and red lettuce.

Progression of cognitive decline before and after incident stroke.

To determine the trajectory of cognitive decline before and after incident stroke. By using data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, we studied 9,278 participants without dementia with no history of stroke who underwent cognitive assessment at baseline (wave 1) and at least 1 other time point (waves 2-7). We used linear mixed models to analyze repeated measures and longitudinal data. Among the 9,278 participants (56.8% women, mean age 63.1 ± 10.3 years), 471 (5.1%) incident stroke events were identified. Compared with stroke-free participants, multivariable-adjusted rates of prestroke cognitive decline in global cognition, memory, semantic fluency, and temporal orientation of participants who later experienced an incident stroke were increased by -0.029 , -0.016, -0.022, and -0.024 SD/y, respectively. Among the 471 stroke survivors, the multivariable-adjusted acute changes in the 4 cognitive domains were -0.257, -0.150, -0.121, and -0.272 SD, respectively. In the years after stroke, global cognition declined over time and was steeper than its prestroke slope, that is, by -0.064 SD/y after multivariable adjustment. The rates of memory, semantic fluency, and temporal orientation decline were -0.046, -0.033, and -0.037 SD/y, respectively. Accelerated prestroke cognitive decline and poststroke cognitive decline were associated with incident stroke over a follow-up period of 12 years. Attention should be paid to the long-term cognitive problems of stroke survivors, and intervention and management of major vascular risk factors should start from early life or midlife to reduce the risk of cerebrovascular disease and the associated cognitive impairment.

Individualized goal setting during repeated reading: Improving growth with struggling readers using data based instructional decisions

Goal setting, in combination with evidence-based interventions, may be a viable intervention component to improve oral reading fluency for struggling readers. The present study examined the efficacy of individualized goal setting on the oral reading fluency rates of upper elementary students who were reading below grade level. Visual analysis of a multiple baseline design indicated positive yet moderate effects of goal setting for some students in the goal setting condition; further individualization was implemented for participants who did not responded favorably to goal setting. Based on the mixed findings, we discuss the importance of data-based decision making in evaluating the efficacy and efficiency of intervention components for struggling readers, for whom it is particularly critical to make effective use of valuable intervention time.

Evaluating the effects of repeated reading and continuous reading using a standardized dosage of words read

AbstractRepeated reading (RR) is a common fluency intervention, but recent studies comparing RR to continuous reading (CR; i.e., wide reading) found no significant differences in effects. This prompts the question of whether the mechanism that improves skills is repeatedly reading portions of connected text, or simply reading connected text. The current study examined the differential effectiveness of RR and CR for increasing oral reading fluency rate (ORF) and comprehension of 40 students in second and third grades, randomly assigned to receive the RR or CR intervention. Students in both conditions received a standardized amount of practice (dosage) in the form of number of words read during each intervention session. All but two participants increased their ORF and there were no significant differences between groups on posttest ORF or broad comprehension. Moreover, students with the highest pretest scores made slightly more growth regardless of condition. Students in the RR group demonstrated significantly higher comprehension of practiced passages and students in the CR condition reported significantly higher levels of intervention acceptability. Implications for reading fluency intervention research and practice are discussed.

Community-Based Conversations About Advance Care Planning Using Patient Navigators (TH321C)

•Develop an effective model for community-based advance care planning activity in rural Colorado populations facing traditional barriers created by low rates of English language fluency and healthcare access.•Adapt, refine, and evaluate a program that can be implemented in other community settings and underserved populations. Widespread community engagement in advance care planning (ACP) is achievable in community settings through multi-faceted approaches, as supported by implementation literature. To adapt an ACP group visit model to increase ACP engagement in rural underserved Colorado communities. Our statewide rural initiative utilizes patient navigators (PNs) to facilitate ACP conversations in churches, libraries, schools, businesses, nursing homes, clinics, local government districts, and area health education centers. Two bilingual lay PNs trained in an ACP group session framework facilitated one-hour English and Spanish sessions in a comfortable, confidential space. Participants receive bilingual informational materials including Frequently Asked Questions, an easy-to-read Advance Directive (AD) (www.prepareforyourcare.org), and goal setting worksheets. Participants are encouraged to discuss their understanding and concerns about choosing a medical decision maker and completing a comprehensive AD. Participants are invited to complete the ACP Engagement survey (ACP-4) immediately post session. To date, we conducted 67 community-based sessions engaging 929 participants; 64.6% female, 42% ethnically diverse. Post session ACP-4 (51% response rate) showed 28% planned on naming a decision maker in the next 6 months and 22% in the next 30 days; 25% were ready to talk about future healthcare decisions with their decision maker in the next 6 months and 22% in the next 30 days; 31% were ready to talk to their provider about healthcare preferences in the next 6 months and 16% in the next 30 days; 31% were ready to complete an AD in the next 6 months and 23% in the next 30 days. Evaluations showed 56% were extremely satisfied, 43% were satisfied, with 98% reporting the session was the right length of time. PNs effectively engaged underserved and ethnically diverse rural Colorado populations in community-based settings. Our model can be readily adapted by other healthcare settings to improve ACP in underserved populations.

Investigating the Role of the Primary Motor Cortex in Musical Creativity: A Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Study.

Neuroscientific research has revealed interconnected brain networks implicated in musical creativity, such as the executive control network, the default mode network, and premotor cortices. The present study employed brain stimulation to evaluate the role of the primary motor cortex (M1) in creative and technically fluent jazz piano improvisations. We implemented transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to alter the neural activation patterns of the left hemispheric M1 whilst pianists performed improvisations with their right hand. Two groups of expert jazz pianists (n = 8 per group) performed five improvisations in each of two blocks. In Block 1, they improvised in the absence of brain stimulation. In Block 2, one group received inhibitory tDCS and the second group received excitatory tDCS while performing five new improvisations. Three independent expert-musicians judged the 160 performances on creativity and technical fluency using a 10-point Likert scale. As the M1 is involved in the acquisition and consolidation of motor skills and the control of hand orientation and velocity, we predicted that excitatory tDCS would increase the quality of improvisations relative to inhibitory tDCS. Indeed, improvisations under conditions of excitatory tDCS were rated as significantly more creative than those under conditions of inhibitory tDCS. A music analysis indicated that excitatory tDCS elicited improvisations with greater pitch range and number/variety of notes. Ratings of technical fluency did not differ significantly between tDCS groups. We discuss plausible mechanisms by which the M1 region contributes to musical creativity.

Reading in English as a Foreign language: Examining differences in reading speed, comprehension, efficacy and L1 cross-linguistic influence across grades

Reading in a second or foreign language (L2) is a more complicated process than reading in one's first language because it requires additional demands on the reader. Reading can be assessed from various domains. Reading fluency is known to be the most determining domain to identify reading problems (Rasinski, 2000). However, the goal of reading is comprehending a text, so comprehension should not be disregarded either. Despite the importance of reading in an L2, few studies have focused on examining its effects. The goal of the present study is threefold: first, to provide the estimates of L2 English reading rates of L1 Catalan/Spanish students of different ages and grades; second, to examine whether there are significant differences between participants of different grades in terms of reading rates, comprehension and efficacy; and third, to explore whether the students' reading rates in the L1 are correlated with their L2 reading rates and if so, the extent to which L1 reading rates explain L2 reading rates.&#x0D; 790 Catalan/Spanish learners of English participated in the present study. Participants were from 5th grade primary (age 12) to 2nd baccalaureate (age 18). They were asked to read two texts, one in English and the other one in their L1 (they could choose between Catalan or Spanish). They were asked to answer 7 multiple-choice comprehension questions after reading each text. Next, their scores on fluency (words read per minute), comprehension (percentage of comprehended text) and efficacy (a formula that integrates speed and comprehension) were obtained. Results show that reading fluency and comprehension are not linear and that they do not necessarily improve over time. Results also show that L1 and L2 reading fluency rates are highly correlated and that L1 reading rates explain a large percentage of L2 reading rates.

Reading in English as a Foreign language: Examining differences in reading speed, comprehension, efficacy and L1 cross-linguistic influence across grades

Reading in a second or foreign language (L2) is a more complicated process than reading in one's first language because it requires additional demands on the reader. Reading can be assessed from various domains. Reading fluency is known to be the most determining domain to identify reading problems (Rasinski, 2000). However, the goal of reading is comprehending a text, so comprehension should not be disregarded either. Despite the importance of reading in an L2, few studies have focused on examining its effects. The goal of the present study is threefold: first, to provide the estimates of L2 English reading rates of L1 Catalan/Spanish students of different ages and grades; second, to examine whether there are significant differences between participants of different grades in terms of reading rates, comprehension and efficacy; and third, to explore whether the students' reading rates in the L1 are correlated with their L2 reading rates and if so, the extent to which L1 reading rates explain L2 reading rates.&#x0D; 790 Catalan/Spanish learners of English participated in the present study. Participants were from 5th grade primary (age 12) to 2nd baccalaureate (age 18). They were asked to read two texts, one in English and the other one in their L1 (they could choose between Catalan or Spanish). They were asked to answer 7 multiple-choice comprehension questions after reading each text. Next, their scores on fluency (words read per minute), comprehension (percentage of comprehended text) and efficacy (a formula that integrates speed and comprehension) were obtained. Results show that reading fluency and comprehension are not linear and that they do not necessarily improve over time. Results also show that L1 and L2 reading fluency rates are highly correlated and that L1 reading rates explain a large percentage of L2 reading rates.