Reading Group Research Articles

Integration of AI-Assisted in Digital Cervical Cytology Training: A Comparative Study.

This study aimed to investigate the supporting role of artificial intelligence (AI) in digital cervical cytology training. A total of 104 trainees completed both manual reading and AI-assisted reading tests following the AI-assisted digital training regimen. The interpretation scores and the testing time in different groups were compared. Also, the consistency, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of diagnoses were further analysed through the confusion matrix and inconsistency evaluation. The mean interpretation scores were significantly higher in the AI-assisted group compared with the manual reading group (81.97 ± 16.670 vs. 67.98 ± 21.469, p < 0.001), accompanied by a reduction in mean interpretation time (32.13 ± 11.740 min vs. 11.36 ± 4.782 min, p < 0.001). The proportion of trainees' results with complete consistence (Category O) were improved from 0.645 to 0.803 and the averaged pairwise κ scores were improved from 0.535 (moderate) to 0.731 (good) with AI assistance. The number of correct answers, accuracies, sensitivities, specificities, PPV, NPV and κ scores of most class-specific diagnoses (NILM, Fungi, HSV, LSIL, HSIL, AIS, AC) also improved with AI assistance. Moreover, 97.8% (89/91) of trainees reported substantial improvement in cervical cytology interpretation ability, and all participants (100%, 91/91) expressed a strong willingness to integrate AI-assisted diagnosis into their future practice. The utilisation of an AI-assisted digital cervical cytology training platform positively impacted trainee performance and received high satisfaction and acceptance among clinicians, suggesting its potential as a valuable adjunct to medical education.

Feminist Theory Theater: Acts of Reading as Embodied Pedagogy

This article introduces Feminist Theory Theater (FTT), an experimental reading practice developed by the co-authors. Described most simply, FTT asks a group of co-present readers to put a text “on its feet,” improvising and revising its performance as a mode of ongoing, embodied interpretation. The aim is not to settle on a consensus of what a text means or to work toward a finished performance. Instead of staging a single best performance, FTT invites texts-as-scenes to be interpreted and re-staged by any member(s) of the reading group. We offer FTT as a way to take up York and Conley’s (2019) proposal that the commitments of STS can and should be enacted in practices of pedagogy. Here, we present and analyze multiple scenes of FTT in action to consider the potentials and limitations of critical STS pedagogy. We include our earliest experiments developing FTT in Act I, reading Judith Butler with undergraduates in a university lecture hall in Act 2, and reading a syllabus with incarcerated students in a prison classroom in Act 3. We highlight the empirical ways that FTT resists interpretive closure, centering embodied reinterpretation, arguing that doing so re-embeds text in the world as a way for reading groups to revision both. However, this dynamic, non-teleological mode of reading causes trouble for lesson plans and “learning outcomes” that might support the institutional legitimacy of STS critical pedagogies. This contradiction hinges on the question of who and what teaches. We argue that this trouble is worth staying with as a practical contradiction to be grappled with in further research on and through STS critical pedagogies. We invite readers of this article to take up this question (and others) by trying with, reflecting on, and revising through the situated, open-ended mode of reading together that we call FTT. To that end, we present a free, printable zine, The Feminist Theory Theater Workbook, which can act as both a guide to a first attempt at doing FTT and an archivable trace of that reading.

Remedies for a Prince with a Nosebleed: SAA 10, 321–322 and the Missing Medical Tablet of Urad-Nanaya

Abstract K 1452, a previously unpublished tablet from the Kouyunjik Collection in the British Museum, contains pharmaceutical remedies and incantations against nasal haemorrhage. The format of this tablet suggests that it was prepared for practical purposes. Neo-Assyrian medical letters offer the closest parallels in Nineveh, and two of them, SAA 10, 321 and 322, record remedies for a prince suffering from a heavy nosebleed. The former letter also mentions a text (mašṭaru) sent by the chief physician. In this paper, it is argued that K 1452 may very well be the text mentioned in SAA 10 321. Work on this paper has benefitted from two text-reading seminars, where I had the opportunity to present my preliminary edition of K 1452. I want to express my sincere thanks to the organisers, Mark Weeden (London Cuneiforum) and Mark Geller (NinMed – Nineveh Medicine), and everyone who participated in these two online reading groups. I want to thank Irving Finkel, who has graciously given his time discussing difficult philological problems and numerous questions at the interpretative level. I am also grateful to Cale Johnson for his many corrections and helpful comments on earlier drafts of this paper, and to Jon Taylor for providing me with valuable insights into the handwriting of texts in the Kouyunjik Collection. The research was supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (AH/T012773/1) as part of the project ‘Reading the Library of Ashurbanipal: A Multi-Sectional Analysis of Assyriology’s Foundational Corpus.’ The abbreviations follow the Reallexikon der Assyriologie und Vorderasiatischen Archäologie (RlA).

A New Late Babylonian Manuscript of the Medical-magical Series ‘Fumigation’ ( qutāru )

Abstract Fumigation as a healing procedure was a widely used technique in Mesopotamian medicine with textual references to the existence of the medical-magical series ‘Fumigation’ known from the Late Babylonian period. BM 38438 represents a new manuscript of this text. In the first part of this paper, I provide a summary of all manuscripts of this medical-magical series ‘Fumigation’, while in the second part an edition of the new fragment will be presented. I would like to thank the trustees of the British Museum, for permission to publish the tablet. I am very much indebted to M. J. Geller (University College London), J. Fincke (Leiden University) and the participants of an online reading group for cuneiform medicine (NinMed) organized by M. J. Geller for their suggestions and corrections. Needless to say I bear responsibility for any remaining errors. The abbreviations follow the Reallexikon der Assyriologie und Vorderasiatischen Archäologie, with the following addition: CCP = Cuneiform commentaries project (https://ccp.yale.edu/). The present paper was developed within the framework of the MTA–ELTE Momentum Assyrian and Babylonian Divine World Research Group.

Comparing the effectiveness of multiple text reading and rereading on knowledge retention and metacognitive accuracy

AbstractAlthough learning approaches are designed to enhance individuals' ability to store and retrieve information, not all of them are considered effective. The goal of the present study was to experimentally compare the test performance as well as the accuracy of metacognitive judgements of a multiple text reading group, rereading group, and single reading group in a one-day vs. one-week delayed test (3 × 2 between subject design). A total of 186 psychology students (Mage = 20.76) participated in the experiment focused on reading comprehension, accuracy of metacognitive judgments and knowledge retention. Results of the knowledge test indicate that in the one-day delayed test, multiple text reading and rereading yield similar results: both deliver slightly better results than single reading. In the one-week delayed test, though, multiple text reading yields better results than rereading, and both these reading approaches outperform single reading. Moreover, multiple text reading results in fairly robust knowledge retention with only a slight decrease in scores between the one-day delayed and one-week delayed test. Regarding metacognitive monitoring, judgements of learning in the multiple text reading group remained relatively stable after each reading and participants were underconfident about their knowledge. In the rereading group, judgements of learning increased after each reading and participants were overconfident about their knowledge, especially on the one-day delayed test. These findings have implications for educational practices aimed at enhancing learning outcomes and promoting effective learning.

Eye movements in oral reading by primary school students: The relevance of punctuation marks

This study aims to explore the relevance of punctuation marks during oral reading. To achieve this objective, we compared eye movement metrics of two groups of 5th-year students, classified based on the Reading Fluency variable. The fluent reading group (FL) consisted of 27 participants, while 31 participants were in the poor reading fluent group (PF). All participants read three types of text: a simple text with punctuation, a complex text with punctuation and a simple text without punctuation. By analyzing the fixations and saccades, the data suggest that the complexity of the text influences the eye-tracking metrics of the PF group, but not the FL group. On the other hand, the presence of punctuation influence the reading behavior of the FL group, but not the PF group. These findings highlight the influence of punctuation and textual complexity on the dynamics of oral reading and offer valuable insights into how reading fluency is related to text comprehention.

Safety first: the hidden curriculum of whiteness in race-conscious professional learning

ABSTRACT Applying the analytic lens of critical whiteness, we examine the relationship between facilitation structures and the quality of racial dialogue in educator professional development. We draw on data from a five-session virtual ‘antiracist reading group’ in a rapidly diversifying U.S. district, convened and facilitated by a White district leader. Observed discussions tended towards the superficial and did little to challenge participants’ existing worldviews. We argue that the leader’s facilitation decisions characterised a ‘hidden curriculum’ of safety and comfort that inhibited participants’ development. These moves were further shaped by and reified persistent manifestations of whiteness. We offer implications for the facilitation of antiracist professional learning, equity leadership, broader policies related to equity, and future research.

An integrative conceptual framework for analysing professional learning processes in reading groups for teachers (RGfTs)

ABSTRACT It has been proposed that reading groups for teachers (RGfTs), sometimes called teacher book clubs or professional book study programmes, can be a low-cost yet effective approach to teacher professional development. Yet research on this approach has been relatively fragmented, particularly in its conceptual and theoretical underpinnings, thereby limiting future progress in the field. This conceptual paper addresses this gap by critically appraising and synthesising the theoretical foundations and empirical findings of this nascent field. Adding to our synthesis, we then propose four theoretical resources which we argue are integral to teacher learning, resulting in an integrative conceptual framework that allows researchers to ‘zoom in or out’ on two salient principles and four learning processes that pertain to RGfTs.

Utopian Method

We analyze reader responses to Tove Jansson’s The Summer Book to suggest the novel offers a platform from which to imagine new, often utopian, thresholds of aging and intergenerational relationships. We suggest the way literature encourages utopian thinking is two-fold, allowing readers to reflect on the current state of the world around them and encouraging them to reimagine new possibilities. The aim of the reading groups was to use the novel to reflect on current age norms – socially, culturally, and politically – and reimagine new social futures relating to intergenerational relationships. In this paper, we discuss the findings from using The Summer Book as a platform to discuss attitudes to aging, time, intergenerational relationships, and age expectations. Participants opened up a number of avenues to reimagine age expectations, categories, and relationships, whilst also relating the fiction to their own experiences, which then often translated into discussions of how age-based stereotypes and intergenerational relationships need to be radically rethought. There were three main themes that we identified from these discussions: 1) countering age-expectations on the intergenerational island, 2) creating counter-narratives through the character of the Grandmother, 3) using the novel’s relational behaviors and practices to imagine better futures for intergenerational relationships.

‘It’s my only hour of quiet’: the women’s online book club on ‘domestic noir’ during the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT Drawing on recent fieldwork from my doctoral research conducted with women readers over 3 months in the form of ‘domestic noir’ book clubs, this paper focuses on one of the women’s reading groups that was organized at the beginning of 2020. This study aims to understand women’s interaction, interpretation and experience with the crime subgenre read during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this book club, the domestic space became the focal point of the discussion on ‘domestic noir’ but also the participants’ experience of the pandemic. Domestic noir’s thematic portrayal of the dangerous and claustrophobic Gothic home, domestic violence as well as stereotyped femininity were highlighted during the discussions and functioned as a catalyst for exchanges of personal experiences of loneliness, gendered fears and burnout for the participants. The book club created community and solidarity with each other’s experiences, which raised their political consciousness through discussions. This article explores the ways in which participants read, discuss, construct and resist meaning making of domestic noir books. I argue that reading and discussing the domestic noir within these circumstances allowed participants to reflect on and relate to gendered experiences of the home, heightened gender inequalities and the fragility of women’s rights and positions.

Igniting A Spark: Fostering Dialectical Thinking With Plato’s Meno

Abstract: In this article, I present a three-stage teaching strategy for orienting first-time readers of the Platonic dialogues using the Meno as a case study. The approach assists students lacking a philosophical background to advance from personal reflection to developing more advanced analytical and interpretive skills. The first stage of the method invites students to contemplate their life goals in preparation for a structured class debate between relativistic and absolutist notions of success. The second stage employs in-class philosophical reading groups, where students engage with small passages from the Meno to develop their analytical skills in a supportive learning environment. The final stage consists of a two-part writing assignment in which students produce a line-by-line philosophical analysis of their passage along with an essay reconciling the antithetical arguments presented in their selection. By employing this multifaceted approach, students cultivate critical, analytical, and dialectical thinking in order to navigate the complexities of Plato's enigmatic dialogues.

Decolonizing Minds and Education: Critical Pedagogy and Epistemic Disobedience in Kurdistan

This article examines the intricacies involved in the process of decolonizing education. It draws on the author's first-hand teaching experiences and observations as an activist scholar and a critical pedagogue at Bingöl University in Turkey from 2013 to 2016, during a period marked by intense political tension between security forces and Kurdish insurgencies. It elucidates a transformative pedagogical endeavor aimed at decolonizing education, with a particular focus on Kurdish students who endure colonial domination and oppression. Grounded in critical pedagogy, border thinking, and the principles of epistemic disobedience, this intervention represents a deliberate departure from traditional educational paradigms. It endeavors to cultivate a more inclusive and liberatory learning environment by drawing on theoretical frameworks articulated by renowned scholars such as Freire, Fanon, Mignolo, and Illich. At its core, this endeavor seeks to transcend the conventional boundaries of education by fostering critical consciousness, agency, and alternative worldviews among marginalized communities. Through prioritizing interactive dialogue, problem-posing educational models, and participatory learning practices, the initiative empowers students to critically engage with their social, historical, and cultural contexts. Employing innovative pedagogical strategies like the marketplace of ideas and extracurricular reading groups, students are encouraged to reclaim their own forms of knowledge and challenge hegemonic narratives perpetuated by colonial structures. This initiative underscores the transformative potential of education in dismantling oppressive structures and fostering alternative visions of social change. By amplifying the voices of marginalized communities, the intervention not only challenges the status quo but also lays the groundwork for a more equitable and emancipatory educational landscape.

Reading Groups as a Health-Promoting Intervention in Upper Secondary Schools: A Qualitative Study.

To explore public health nurses' (PHN) perceptions and experiences of supporting siblings of children with complex care needs (CCNs) by using reading groups as a health promotion intervention in upper secondary schools. An action research approach using a qualitative design. Interviews with 10 PHNs. Thematic analysis. The analysis resulted in the overarching theme "A much needed health promotion intervention in upper secondary schools," presented in terms of the following three themes: (1) supporting siblings is important, but resources and established procedures are lacking. (2) Reading groups using fiction have potential as a health-promoting intervention in upper secondary schools. (3) A realistic collaborative approach is necessary for reading groups to be implemented. PHNs have no established procedures to support siblings of children with CCNs in upper secondary schools. Reading groups can enable PHNs to reach out and support these siblings. Providing the intervention can be a way of reaching all pupils and thus creating an understanding of the plight of siblings who have a brother or sister with CCNs.

Community Empowerment Through PPK Ormawa To Strengthen Interest In Reading Rural Communities

Community service is a key activity of student organizations (Ormawa) to foster social awareness, empathy, and solidarity through science, technology, arts, and culture. The Student Organization Capacity Strengthening Program (PPK Ormawa), funded by the Directorate General of Higher Education, Research, and Technology, aims to enhance Ormawa's quality and develop students' soft skills and competencies. In 2023, HIMA PGSD/HIMMI of Alma Ata University received a grant to implement PPK Ormawa in Kalurahan Muntuk-Dlingo, Bantul Regency, focusing on boosting reading interest in rural communities. The activities included learning guidance to strengthen literacy and numeracy, utilizing the Service-Learning (S-L) method. Over four months, the program created a reading-friendly environment, formed regular reading groups, and developed STEAM-based learning modules. Post-test results showed significant improvement, with mastery levels increasing from 35% to 96% and the class average score rising from 64.28 to 89.96. PPK Ormawa successfully enhanced participants' literacy and numeracy understanding and built a lifelong learning environment. Future recommendations include updating literacy content, providing continuous training, conducting literacy campaigns, collaborating with educational institutions and local communities, and regular evaluations.

Evaluation of AI-enhanced non-mydriatic fundus photography for diabetic retinopathy screening

ObjectiveTo assess the feasibility of using non-mydriatic fundus photography in conjunction with an artificial intelligence (AI) reading platform for large-scale screening of diabetic retinopathy (DR). MethodsIn this study, we selected 120 patients with diabetes hospitalized in our institution from December 2019 to April 2021. Retinal imaging of 240 eyes was obtained using non-mydriatic fundus photography. The fundus images of these patients were divided into two groups based on different interpretation methods. In Experiment Group 1, the images were analyzed and graded for DR diagnosis using an AI reading platform. In Experiment Group 2, the images were analyzed and graded for DR diagnosis by an associate chief physician in ophthalmology, specializing in fundus diseases. Concurrently, all patients underwent the gold standard for DR diagnosis and grading—fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA)—with the outcomes serving as the Control Group. The diagnostic value of the two methods was assessed by comparing the results of Experiment Groups 1 and 2 with those of the Control Group. ResultsKeeping the control group (FFA results) as the gold standard, no significant differences were observed between the two experimental groups regarding diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, false positive rate, false negative rate, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, Youden's index, Kappa value, and diagnostic accuracy (X2 = 0.371, P > 0.05). ConclusionCompared with the manual reading group, the AI reading group revealed no significant differences across all diagnostic indicators, exhibiting high sensitivity and specificity, as well as a relatively high positive predictive value. Additionally, it demonstrated a high level of diagnostic consistency with the gold standard. This technology holds potential for suitability in large-scale screening of DR.

Application of artificial intelligence in lung cancer screening: A real-world study in a Chinese physical examination population.

With the rapid increase of chest computed tomography (CT) images, the workload faced by radiologists has increased dramatically. It is undeniable that the use of artificial intelligence (AI) image-assisted diagnosis system in clinical treatment is a major trend in medical development. Therefore, in order to explore the value and diagnostic accuracy of the current AI system in clinical application, we aim to compare the detection and differentiation of benign and malignant pulmonary nodules between AI system and physicians, so as to provide a theoretical basis for clinical application. Our study encompassed a cohort of 23 336 patients who underwent chest low-dose spiral CT screening for lung cancer at the Health Management Center of West China Hospital. We conducted a comparative analysis between AI-assisted reading and manual interpretation, focusing on the detection and differentiation of benign and malignant pulmonary nodules. The AI-assisted reading exhibited a significantly higher screening positive rate and probability of diagnosing malignant pulmonary nodules compared with manual interpretation (p < 0.001). Moreover, AI scanning demonstrated a markedly superior detection rate of malignant pulmonary nodules compared with manual scanning (97.2% vs. 86.4%, p < 0.001). Additionally, the lung cancer detection rate was substantially higher in the AI reading group compared with the manual reading group (98.9% vs. 90.3%, p < 0.001). Our findings underscore the superior screening positive rate and lung cancer detection rate achieved through AI-assisted reading compared with manual interpretation. Thus, AI exhibits considerable potential as an adjunctive tool in lung cancer screening within clinical practice settings.

Automatic Morphological Processing in Middle School Students with and without Word Reading Difficulties

Morphological processing is the use of morphological structure during word reading. This study investigated whether middle school students applied morphological structure automatically when reading words. In addition, this study asked whether students with word reading difficulties (WRD) applied morphological structure in a way that differed from proficient word readers. Participants were seventh- and eighth-grade students (n = 80). Students were divided into two reading ability groups: proficient word readers (n = 55) and students with word reading difficulties (n = 25). Four computer-administered experimental tasks measured automaticity in reading morphologically complex words and morphologically simple words. A backward masking measure assessed whether students were applying morphological structure automatically to support task accuracy. Students were significantly more accurate in masked performance with morphologically complex words than with morphologically simple words on an oral word reading task. Students with WRD benefitted more from morphological structure on this task than proficient readers did. Findings suggest that proficient word readers and students with WRD automatically apply morphological structure when reading words aloud. In addition, middle school students with WRD may rely more on morphological structure than their proficient peers. However, there may be differences in morphological processing based on the nature of word reading tasks.

Optimizing Medical English Teaching through Intercultural Competence: A Quantitative Analysis in Chinese Vocational Institutions

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of integrating cross-cultural competence into medical English teaching on improving the English learning outcomes of medical students in Chinese vocational colleges. Using quantitative research methods, a 16-week cross-cultural integration medical English teaching experiment was designed and implemented with 108 medical students in a vocational college. The 108 students were randomly divided into an experimental group and a control group. The experimental group was taught with cross-cultural content, while the control group was taught with traditional teaching methods. Before and after the study, students in both groups were tested on English listening, speaking, reading and writing skills, pragmatic skills, and intercultural competence. Through statistical analyses such as independent samples t-test, repeated measures ANOVA and structural equation modeling, the results of the study showed that: (1) the experimental group made significantly better progress than the control group in English listening, speaking, reading, writing, pragmatics, and cross-cultural competence; (2) cross-cultural competence partially mediated the improvement of the overall English proficiency; (3) cross-cultural competence had a significant impact on the experimental group's pragmatics and oral communication; and (4) cross-cultural competence had a significant impact on the experimental group's oral communication and pragmatics. s pragmatics and oral communication skills significantly. This study provides an evidence-based cross-cultural integration teaching model for medical English teaching, which can help Chinese vocational colleges and universities to cultivate medical talents with cross-cultural literacy to better meet the needs of international medical cooperation and communication.

Unlocking the benefits of montessori-based reading activities in nursing home: A multiple baseline study on groups of individuals with severe dementia.

Group activities are commonly offered to residents of nursing homes, and increasingly with a person-centred care approach. The aim of this study is to compare the impacts of a Montessori-based reading activity with a more traditional reading activity. A multiple baseline design was used, with 3 groups of 5 older adults with moderate to severe dementia. All sessions were videorecorded and analysed by independent judges, blinded to our hypotheses and conditions. Impacts of the type of activity (storytelling or Montessori-based reading) on verbal interactions, engagement level, affect and behavioural aspects were estimated with both visual analyses and statistical analyses using the between-case standardised mean differences method. Significant differences were found in favour of the Montessori-based activities with regard to the number of verbal interactions, constructive and passive engagement and positive affect expressed, with moderate to large effect size (from 0.46 to 1.66). The Montessori-based reading group activity really seems to be preferable to a more traditional storytelling activity, with multiple benefits for residents. Depending on the preserved abilities and interests of the participants, it can also be aimed at people with severe dementia.

Theorizing Outside the Lines: A Self-Study of Collaborative Learning in a Critical Posthuman Reading Group

ABSTRACT Neoliberal conditions in academia often preclude space for ongoing processes of collective reflection and growth, particularly for women faculty. In this qualitative self-study, three women faculty members examine working outside the lines of neoliberal institutions and theoretical traditions to nurture onto-epistemological development through a reading group that has now spanned two years. Drawing on critical feminist posthuman lenses, we inquired into the ways in which we worked and talked through challenging philosophical and theoretical texts in community and connected to our everyday experience as researchers/instructors in ongoing conversations. Specifically, we asked: What opportunities were presented through this different approach to reading and thinking together? What connections to practice and scholarship were created? How did these inform our ways of knowing and being? Our analysis of reflections and meeting notes demonstrates the ways our work ‘outside the lines’ allowed us to do academia differently, in big and small ways – helping us disrupt the isolation and competition of the academy by developing an immanent and relational orientation, working to decenter our (white) selves, and folding our complexifying understandings into research and teaching praxis. Ultimately, we recognize our ‘working outside the lines’ as a form of productive resistance to the devastating effects of neoliberal capitalism, a form of affirmative ethics of care connecting into a larger movement of creating a more relational, supportive academia.