High Level Of Proficiency Research Articles

UPAYA MENINGKATKAN HASIL BELAJAR DAN KETERAMPILAN MENULIS KALIMAT SARAN MELALUI MODEL PEMBELAJARAN MULTISENSORI

The implementation of the multisensory learning approach offers an alternative method to enhance students' writing skills and overall learning outcomes in the Indonesian language subject. After conducting observations, it was discovered that the third-grade students at SDIT As-Salafiyah had low learning outcomes and writing skills in the Indonesian language subject for the 2021/2022 academic year. The inadequate understanding of suggested sentences by students and suboptimal learning management by the teacher were identified as the main causes for these low outcomes. This study employed Classroom Action Research (CAR), which comprised four components: Planning, Action, Observation, and Reflection. In the first cycle, student learning outcomes reached 52.38%, and in the second cycle, it increased to 85.71%, indicating that the mastery of learning outcomes had achieved the expected classical completeness of 80%. In terms of writing skills, the first cycle yielded a score of 1280 with a percentage of 60.95%, indicating a moderate level of proficiency. However, in the second cycle, the score rose to 1900 with a percentage of 90.48%, indicating a high level of proficiency. The teacher's activity observation sheet during the implementation of the multisensory learning approach showed a 62% rating in the first cycle, which improved to 86% in the second cycle, indicating a very good performance. Therefore, it can be concluded that the application of the multisensory learning model effectively enhances students' learning outcomes and writing skills.

Enhancing Employability Skills Through Communication in the ESP Classroom

Improved English communication abilities result in both better social interaction and improved career opportunities. As most job interviews are in English, candidates are often chosen based on the linguistic competence they demonstrate in the interviews. Thus, possessing a high level of linguistic proficiency in the English language leads to not only more rewarding career choices but also more chances of being hired for the position he/she is applying for. Moreover, English has become the lingua franca of the business world. As a result, one must possess a very strong command of the English language to become most successful in the professional world. The study focuses on honing the employability skills of the students in ESP classrooms through interactive communication, thereby making them employable. In this connection, an analytical study of possible aspects of employability skills is conducted which is also vital in carving career-oriented engineering students in the ESP classroom.

Reality of administrative practices among Palestinian public schools' principals from teachers' point of view

This study aims to scrutinize the administrative practices of public school principals in Palestine through the lens of teachers, while also delving into potential disparities in these practices based on gender, administrative district, educational attainment, academic stage, and years of professional experience. The researcher employed a mixed-method approach, combining both quantitative and qualitative methodologies. Two data collection instruments were utilized: a structured questionnaire comprising 52 items distributed across ten distinct domains, administered to a stratified random sample of 369 male and female educators. Additionally, focus group discussions were conducted to afford a more profound insight into the issue, encompassing 20 male and female educators from schools situated in the northern governorates. The findings underscore a high level of administrative proficiency among school principals, with an average score of 3.99 (79.8%). Notably, the domain of "Organizing" received the highest rating, while "decision-making" garnered the lowest. It is noteworthy that no statistically significant disparities in mean scores pertaining to administrative practices and their respective domains were observed based on gender or educational qualification. Nevertheless, substantial differentials emerged across administrative districts, with the "Yatta Directorate" exhibiting the highest scores. In light of these study outcomes, the researcher advocates for the sustained enhancement of administrative practices among school principals, emphasizing the imperative of continuous professional development through specialized training programs.

A Creative Writing Intervention for Second Language Acquisition Development in Multilingual Students

The primary goal of this research is to examine how creative writing-based methods impact the development of narrative skill in students who are learning Greek as a second language at the A1-A2 proficiency levels. More specifically, this study aims to evaluate the extent to which the writing abilities of A1-A2 level Second Language Learners (SLL) can progress from basic, structured stories to more complex narratives at higher proficiency levels. In this study, a total of fifty-four A1-A2 level SLL were divided into two groups: the Experimental Group (E.G.) and the Control Group (C.G.). Both groups underwent a pretest and a posttest assessment. An intervention, consisting of six class hours per week over a three-month period, was exclusively administered to the E.G. When designing the creative writing activities, the research considered the A1-A2 level writing criteria and writing competencies outlined in the Common Application Text for European Languages. The results of the study reveal that, following the intervention, there was a statistically significant difference between the two groups. The C.G. displayed only a marginal improvement across all measurement scales, while the E.G. performance reached the levels of B1-B2 in terms of written narrative skill. These findings confirm previous research indicating that creative writing, as an engaging teaching approach, empowers A1-A2 level SLL to employ specific narrative techniques, thus elevating their narrative writing skill to B1-B2 proficiency levels. As a result, the discussion underscores the importance of enriching teaching practices with effective tools such as creative writing to enhance the narrative skill of multilingual students, ultimately facilitating their acquisition of a second language.

Mapping competencies taught in public health – Experience of the Europubhealth Consortium

Abstract Background Public health education aims at producing a competent workforce. The WHO-ASPHER framework proposes a set of relevant public health competencies organised in 10 sections (e.g. science practice, leadership, law policies and ethics etc). As part of the Europubhealth consortium (EPHc), eight universities collaborate for the delivery of a 2-year international public health master course. The course includes a first-year, or foundation component (4 options), and a second-year or specialisation component (7 options). Objectives In 2020, EPHc decided to use the framework in order to map the competencies addressed, and the level of proficiency aimed at, by each Y1 and Y2 option of the Master. To that end, component's coordinators answered an 84-item questionnaire covering the whole framework. Answers were summarised by calculating mean proficiency levels for each competency section. Results There were differences in overall proficiency levels between years with, as expected, higher scores in Y2. Options in Y1 reached medium to high proficiency scores for the sections “science practice”, “health promotion” and “communication” with scores of 2.6 to 3 (on a 1 to 4 scale). When compared with Y1 on a heat-map, Y2 options displayed more contrasted profiles, typically focussing (i.e. scores > 3.5) on 3 out of the 10 sections of competencies. Except for the “collaborations and partnership” section, the training pathways offered by the EPHc seem to offer opportunities for a high proficiency level in all domains of competencies. Conclusions The mapping proved a useful exercise to identify strengths and complementarities among the EPHc. The results suggest that the EPHc master course is coherent and offers students opportunities to gain proficiency in most competencies relevant to public health practice. Key messages • Competency-based education is likely to shape the future public health workforce. • The WHO-ASPHER framework proved a useful tool to map public health competencies addressed in the teaching of the Europubhealth international Master.

Öğretmen Adaylarının Yaratıcı Özyeterlilik Düzeyleri ile 21. Yüzyıl Becerileri Öğretimi Düzeyleri Arasındaki İlişkinin İncelenmesi

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between the teaching of 21st-century skills and the creative self-efficacy of prospective teachers. The research followed a correlational survey design and involved 175 prospective teachers enrolled at a university in the eastern region of Turkey. Data collection was carried out using the "21st Century Skills Teaching Scale" and the "Creative Self-Efficacy Scale." Descriptive statistics, t-tests, ANOVA, Pearson Correlation Analysis, and Linear Regression Analysis were employed to analyze the data. The findings revealed that the prospective teachers exhibited a high level of proficiency in teaching 21st-century skills and had a strong sense of creative self-efficacy. There was no significant difference in the level of teaching 21st-century skills and creative self-efficacy among prospective teachers from different departments. However, male prospective teachers demonstrated a higher level of proficiency in teaching 21st-century skills compared to their female counterparts. Furthermore, a positive and significant relationship was observed between the teaching of 21st-century skills and creative self-efficacy.

Leading urban school teachers of Black and Brown students during social injustice and the pandemic

ABSTRACT This case study illustrates how leadership for learning and cultural competence could be used as theories of action during times of disruption to lead and transform urban teachers’ sense of self, sense of others, and motivation for change. The case study focuses on educators from a large urban charter school whose response to the pandemic and the social justice movements was using a year-long professional development to provide continuous support and foster a growth mindset among educators. Self-evaluation on the cultural proficiency scale showed that the principal and thirty teachers differed in their levels of proficiency. The principal and six teachers with middle and high levels of proficiency were then interviewed to probe their personal interpretations of the connections among their cultural competence, their awareness of structural inequities, and the ways this awareness might have impacted how they teach Black and Brown students in their classrooms. Regardless of where they were on the scale, Black and White educators benefited from self-reflections and group dialogue about how they value, model, and practice cultural proficiency with their Black and Brown students. These findings have implications for urban public charter school leadership during times of continued change and uncertainty.

Are pharmacy graduates practice ready? A validation and assessment study of curricular effectiveness in a school of pharmacy in Lebanon

Background: This study aimed to validate the programme learning outcomes (PLOs) in a Lebanese pharmacy school. It also aimed to assess curricular effectiveness through self-reported assessments of recently graduated BPharm students and investigate if academic and sociodemographic characteristics impact learning outcomes’ achievement. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted through an online questionnaire. The initial section of the questionnaire gathered data concerning academic and sociodemographic characteristics, while the second section centred around a scale-based self-declared assessment of the PLOs. Results: The validated BPharm PLOs encompassed six distinct domains, comprising a total of 20 competencies and 110 learning outcomes. All competencies were successfully extracted with factor analysis and appropriately loaded on their respective domains. The internal consistency of the competencies and domains was confirmed by Cronbach’s alpha, with values ranging from 0.741 (good) to 0.957 (excellent). The graduates indicated their proficiency across all domains, with an average percentage grade ranging from 87.29% for professionalism to 87.55% for the approach to practice and care. Conclusion: The findings reveal a valid structure of the current PLOs with robust internal consistency. The high proficiency levels of graduates across all competency domains confirm the effectiveness and structural integrity of the curriculum.

The Interplay of Contextual Variables and Language Proficiency in Request Realization

The significance of producing socially appropriate utterances, not just linguistically correct ones, has given rise to a plethora of studies on speech acts. In this regard, the performance of second and foreign language learners against the norms of the target language and the factors affecting them have yet to be thoroughly investigated. To contribute to this ongoing research, this study aimed to elicit pragmatic requestive features of Iranian EFL (English as a Foreign Language) learners with respect to (a) request directness, (b) request perspective, (c) internal modification, and (d) external modification in eight social situations. This study also examined whether language proficiency and two contextual factors of social power and social distance affect Iranian EFL learners’ requests in English. Participants were a total of 60 university students or graduates who had taken TOEFL in the past 2 years and were thus categorized into low and high proficiency levels. A Written Discourse Completion Test (WDCT) was employed to elicit requests. To achieve the objectives of this study, both descriptive statistics and two-way ANOVA were employed. The results showed a significant main effect for contextual factors; participants’ choice of requestive features was affected by the two social factors of power and distance. Proficiency, however, did not have a significant effect on the pragmatic performance of participants. The findings of this study showed pragmatic development of participants on the one hand and some evidence of their underdeveloped pragmatic performance on the other hand, which makes explicit instruction a necessity.

Introduction of emergency equipment for floods, fires and riots in Augmented Reality

Indonesia is one of the countries with a high risk of natural disasters in several regions. Emergencies can result in death or property destruction. While dealing with catastrophes, swift action and anticipation are required; yet, if the community is unfamiliar with emergency equipment, it will take longer to overcome emergencies. It turns out that many people still do not understand emergency equipment information correctly. The active engagement of the community in recognizing emergency equipment can be enhanced by the provision of information. The implementation of an application utilizing Augmented Reality technology and the Fisher Yates Shuffle algorithm aims to enhance public awareness and promote active engagement in identifying emergency equipment. Once the application has been developed and constructed, the evaluation process will involve the utilization of a pre-test, post-test, and the N-Gain Score methodology. The N-Gain Score is a valuable tool for gauging the extent of the community's comprehension in identifying emergency equipment. Additionally, a Questionnaire will be employed to evaluate the level of user satisfaction with the application. The findings of the study revealed that the level of knowledge acquired by users, as assessed, was 57%. This suggests that users demonstrate a relatively high level of proficiency in understanding emergency equipment when utilizing the application. Furthermore, the overall satisfaction of users with the program received a final score of 86%, showing a high degree of effectiveness.

Strategies and Techniques of the Translation of International Law Documents

The article deals with the issue of international legal documents translation from English into Russian. Translation strategies are identified which allow achieving accuracy in the translation of legal texts. The paper uses such research methods as contextual analysis, descriptive analysis, comparative analysis, definition analysis, distributive analysis. The factors that complicate the translation of legal texts are identified, including replenishment of the legal terminology system with neologisms and abundance of specialized legal terminology and terminology of related fields of knowledge. It is pointed out that the translator must possess specialized knowledge, as well as a high level of translation and linguacultural competence, which will help to avoid distortion of meaning and violation of the logic when translating from English into Russian. The author identifies the translation techniques used in the translation of legal texts, the choice of which is determined by the analyzed principles and strategies. The research material is the English-language texts of the declarations of BRICS summits and their official translated Russian-language versions. As a result of the research, it was found that the principles of translation of international legal documents correspond to the classical principles of translation, since they require the translator to have a good understanding of the text content, a high level of proficiency in both the source and target languages, preservation of the author’s communicative intention in translation. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the identification of another principle of translation, which a translator should focus on when choosing strategies and techniques for translating international legal texts, in particular, the principle of interdisciplinarity. The author also identifies the main translation techniques, the use of which allows to achieve equivalence and adequacy in translation of legal texts. The research contributes to the development of the theory and practice of translation in general and specialized translation, in particular. In the future, it is planned to conduct comparative studies aimed at identifying the principles, strategies and techniques of translating civil and criminal law documents.

First international proficiency study on human papillomavirus testing in cervical cancer screening

BackgroundAlthough cervical screening using Human Papillomavirus (HPV) testing is globally recommended public health policy, there has been no international proficiency studies specifically targeting HPV testing for cervical screening. ObjectiveTo obtain the first global overview of the current proficiency of HPV testing services for cervical cancer screening. Study designA coded proficiency panel of 12 samples containing HPV types 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52, 58 or 35/39/51/56/59/68 in human DNA in varying amounts as well as control. Datasets detecting at least a) 10 International Units (IU) of HPV16 and 18, b) 1000 IU of HPV types 31, 33, 45, 52, 58 and c) having no false positives were considered proficient. ResultsIn total, 84 laboratories worldwide submitted 158 datasets (some laboratories used >1 HPV testing platform). Of those, 122 (77%) were 100% proficient. Only 14/158 datasets (9%) contained false positive results. Comparison of results with assays approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) suggest that future proficiency requirements should also accommodate assays detecting only 100 IU of HPV16/18. A pool of low oncogenicity HPV types that contributed very little to sensitivity, but adversely affected specificity, was detectable by most datasets. ConclusionInternationally recognized proficiency studies of HPV screening, traceable to international standards, provided an overview of current testing performance. There was a high level of proficiency in terms of sensitivity and few false positives, but specificity was not optimal and further research on optimal specificity of HPV screening tests may be warranted.

Automated Sample Preparation Workflow for Tandem Mass Tag-Based Proteomics.

Although tandem mass tag (TMT)-based isobaric labeling has become a powerful approach for multiplexed protein quantitation, automating the workflow for this technique has not been easy to achieve for widespread adoption. This is because preparation of TMT-labeled peptide samples involves multiple steps ranging from protein extraction, denaturation, reduction, and alkylation to tryptic digestion, desalting, labeling, and cleanup, all of which require a high level of proficiency. The variability resulting from multiple processing steps is inherently problematic, especially with large-scale clinical studies that involve hundreds of samples where reproducibility is critical for quantitation. Here, we sought to compare the performance of a recently introduced platform, AccelerOme, for an automated proteomic workflow employing TMT labeling with the manual processing of samples. Cell pellets were prepared and subjected to a 16-plex experiment using an automated platform and a conventional manual protocol. Single-shot liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry analysis revealed a higher number of proteins and peptides identified using the automated platform. Efficiency of tryptic digestion, alkylation, and TMT labeling were similar in both manual and automated processes. In addition, comparison of quantitation accuracy and precision showed similar performance in an automated workflow compared to manual sample preparation by an expert. Overall, we demonstrated that the automated platform performs at a level similar to a manual process performed by an expert for TMT-based proteomics. We anticipate that this automated workflow will increasingly replace manual pipelines and has the potential to be applied to large-scale TMT-based studies, providing robust results and high sample throughput.

Lost in Translation: Navigating Linguistic Challenges in Lesotho High Court Trials

Court interpreting services are an essential component of the Lesotho’s legal system to ensure that everyone has access to justice and can present their cases in the language of their choice, more especially at the Lesotho High Court where English is the language of the court. Effective court interpreting requires interpreters with, among other things, high level of linguistic and cultural proficiency in their working languages, strategic competence, and a set of specific skills. However, the lack of formal professional training for court interpreters can have serious consequences on both the communication and the decisions of the court. Following the methodological principles of a qualitative case study explored strategies employed by the Lesotho High Court interpreters in their attempt to address linguistic challenges that they often encounter during their facilitation of communication between judges, lawyers and plaintiff/defendant/witnesses. The study further examined how such strategies may affect communication of the intended message in the interpreter’s renditions. Employing a pragmatic approach guided by Gricean maxims, this paper discussed a purposive sample of 19 excerpts extracted from the transcripts made from ten audio recordings of criminal cases from the Lesotho High Court. The study discovered that such strategies were employing to address linguistic challenges such as terminological challenges, long sentences and incomplete or too brief source language utterances. The study further established that the use of the identified strategies may distort the original speaker’s intended message and hence misinform the witnesses and/or target recipients, which in turn could result in an unfair trial. To enhance the court interpreting process to uphold fairness and clarity in legal proceedings, this paper therefore recommends that the Lesotho High Court should provide formal training to its interpreters to raise their awareness of the strengths and weaknesses of the strategies they use.

144. OPTIMIZING MEDIASTINAL ACCESS FOR RADICAL ESOPHAGECTOMY: A BILATERAL CERVICAL AND TRANSHIATAL APPROACH TO RESECT ESOPHAGEAL CANCER

Abstract Background Major medical centers have gradually attempted and promoted esophagectomy via mediastinal approach. However, this operation is challenging and requires a high level of technical proficiency from surgeons because of the limited space and restricted visibility of the mediastinum. The current surgical method limits its application in patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer, which underscores an urgent need for optimization to facilitate its refinement and dissemination. Methods We have implemented the following enhancements to the surgical procedure: 1. The cervical level was chosen for transecting the esophagus, and then the proximal esophageal stump was pulled down and invaginated. 2. Bilateral cervical incisions were made, with a small 0.5 cm incision at the anterior edge of the right sternocleidomastoid muscle. 3. The position of abdominal surgical incisions was adjusted so that all incisions were located on the left side of the abdominal midline. 4. A portion of the left diaphragm was dissected. 5. During the superior mediastinum procedure, gauze was positioned within the expanded superior mediastinum. Results 1. The surgical field was fully exposed, expanding the operative space for upper mediastinal surgery. 2. The difficulty of this surgery was reduced, and it was easier to expose both RLNs and completely remove the mediastinal lymph nodes. 3. The 106recR could be completely removed under endoscopy. 4. The thoracic duct could be fully exposed and freed. 5. During surgery, gauze is placed in the upper mediastinum to aid in hemostasis and improve visibility. 6. Even if the tumor was slightly larger or locally invaded surrounding tissues, it could be completely resected. 7.Complete resection of the esophageal mesorectum was successfully achieved. Conclusion Esophagectomy for esophageal cancer via bilateral cervical and transhiatal approach can achieve radical resection and can be applied to patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer. This surgical method expands the surgical indications, reduces the surgical difficulty for surgeons, and facilitates the promotion and popularization of the mediastinal approach surgery.

175. OPTIMIZING MEDIASTINAL ACCESS FOR RADICAL ESOPHAGECTOMY: A BILATERAL CERVICAL AND TRANSHIATAL APPROACH TO RESECT ESOPHAGEAL CANCER

Abstract Background Major medical centers have gradually attempted and promoted esophagectomy via mediastinal approach. However, this operation is challenging and requires a high level of technical proficiency from surgeons because of the limited space and restricted visibility of the mediastinum. The current surgical method limits its application in patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer, which underscores an urgent need for optimization to facilitate its refinement and dissemination. Methods We have implemented the following enhancements to the surgical procedure: 1. The cervical level was chosen for transecting the esophagus, and then the proximal esophageal stump was pulled down and invaginated. 2. Bilateral cervical incisions were made, with a small 0.5 cm incision at the anterior edge of the right sternocleidomastoid muscle. 3. The position of abdominal surgical incisions was adjusted so that all incisions were located on the left side of the abdominal midline. 4. A portion of the left diaphragm was dissected. 5. During the superior mediastinum procedure, gauze was positioned within the expanded superior mediastinum. Results 1. The surgical field was fully exposed, expanding the operative space for upper mediastinal surgery. 2. The difficulty of this surgery was reduced, and it was easier to expose both RLNs and completely remove the mediastinal lymph nodes. 3. The 106recR could be completely removed under endoscopy. 4. The thoracic duct could be fully exposed and freed. 5. During surgery, gauze is placed in the upper mediastinum to aid in hemostasis and improve visibility. 6. Even if the tumor was slightly larger or locally invaded surrounding tissues, it could be completely resected. 7.Complete resection of the esophageal mesorectum was successfully achieved. Conclusion Esophagectomy for esophageal cancer via bilateral cervical and transhiatal approach can achieve radical resection and can be applied to patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer. This surgical method expands the surgical indications, reduces the surgical difficulty for surgeons, and facilitates the promotion and popularization of the mediastinal approach surgery. Video address: https://www.icloud.com.cn/iclouddrive/085wyZDN6Qqm6Ou06fhOsi-Rw#2023_ISDE_abstract_video

An Analysis on Chinese EFL Learners’ Understanding of “Direct Object/Sentence Complement” Garden Path Sentences

This study explores the comprehension of Direct Object/Sentence Complement Garden Path sentences among Chinese EFL learners of different proficiency levels, as examined through online questionnaires featuring multiple introspective tests and judgment tasks. A total of 80 respondents participated in the survey, including 38 high proficiency level and 42 low proficiency level English EFL learners. The results indicated that due to a tendency among Chinese EFL learners to select interpretations with fewer attachment nodes, both groups exhibited garden path phenomena in sentence comprehension. Furthermore, following the garden path phenomena, both groups successfully resolved local ambiguities. However, the disambiguation accuracy was higher in the advanced group, corroborating the influence of language proficiency on the capability to reinterpret sentences. Ultimately, this research aims to further probe the underlying mechanisms in the comprehension of unique English sentence structures among learners, thus providing insights conducive to future English instruction and language learning.

How similar are the formants in the speech of bilingual speakers?

This study investigated whether a stronger accent in the L2 of Cantonese-English bilingual speakers with high levels of English proficiency correlates with greater convergence of corresponding vowels (four monophthongs (/i a (a) c u/ and five diphthongs /ai au ei ci ou (eu)/) between their two languages in identical phonetic environments. No consistent effect of accent rating was found in either acoustic or perceptual similarity measures. Much individual variation and vowel-specific patterns were observed. The results demonstrate that the formant patterns in one language or one vowel cannot predict those in another language or another vowel, even with highly comparable materials and speakers with a relatively strong accent. Possible reasons and implications for the lack of correlation between accentedness and vowel convergence are discussed.

Linguistic Complexity in Hadith: An Examination of the Role and Origins of 'Al-kalimat al-mubtakirah' in Hadith

This research investigates an intriguing phenomenon concerning the use of the Arabic language in the narrations of Hadith. Despite Prophet Muhammad's acknowledged fluency in the Arabic language, there are instances of foreign words, known as "gharabah," used in some hadith. One striking example is the term "al-kalimat al-mubtakirah," which constitutes a newly coined vocabulary by Prophet Muhammad and was not fully comprehended by his companions. This study aims to examine three crucial aspects related to this phenomenon. Firstly, it identifies patterns within the al-kalimat al-mubtakirah that have never been heard before in the Arabic language, whether in the form of words, phrases, or sentences. Secondly, it delves deeper into the eloquence of prophethood and the role of foreign words (gharabah) in Prophet Muhammad's hadith. Thirdly, it attempts to elucidate the reasons behind the emergence of foreign words in Prophet Muhammad's hadith. The methodology employed in this research is literature review, with a focus on the examination of al-kalimat al-mubtakirah related to the Prophet's eloquence in hadith and the concept of gharabah in the science of rhetoric (balaghah). The research findings reveal the following: Firstly, the innovative words coined by Prophet Muhammad demonstrate a high level of linguistic proficiency. Al-kalimat al-mubtakirah encompasses three distinct patterns, namely words, phrases, and sentences. Secondly, the foreign words in Prophet Muhammad's hadith are regarded as good foreign words (al-gharib al-hasan). Their usage is uncommon in everyday Arabic language due to their higher level of linguistic complexity compared to the common understanding. Thirdly, this research identifies six reasons why foreign words appear in Prophet Muhammad's Hadith.

The Role of Internal and External Individual Difference Factors in Bilingual Development: Exploring Highly Proficient Kurdish-English Bilinguals’ Perceptions

Drawing on qualitative research, the present study examines the characteristics of seven highly proficient Kurdish-English bilingual adolescents and their perceptions of the role of individual difference factors in bilingual development. Adopting a deductive thematic analysis approach, the collected data from semi-structured interviews were analyzed. The findings indicate that special attention should be paid to both internal and external factors in order for Kurdish-English bilinguals to reach high level of proficiency in both languages. External factors of richness of input, input quantity, language output, and socioeconomic status are crucial for fostering morphosyntactic and lexical skills in Kurdish and English. Moreover, the bilingual learners stated that conducting mathematical and logical problem-solving activities frequently and having high level of language learning aptitude are important predictors of rapid development of bilingual language abilities. In terms of age effects, the bilingual adolescents conveyed that having younger age and earlier start to Kurdish and English learning always lead to better morphosyntactic and lexical outcomes in both languages. To the best of our knowledge, the current study is the first to explore the role of individual difference factors in bilingual development among highly proficient Kurdish-English bilinguals. The paper highlights implications and directions for further research.