Higher-level Comprehension Research Articles

What Quality Talk in a Reading Circle Does for Interthinking

ABSTRACT In the English for Academic Purposes (EAP) classroom, speaking is a relatively marginalised learning activity, often employed merely to facilitate transition between activities which prioritise communication skills deemed more important. A significant consequence of this privation is limited practice in situated discourse. This paper presents a theorised account of an instance of situated discourse: Quality Talk in a reading circle within an EAP classroom. With reference to a single dialogic spell unfolding around a specific issue, I examine participants’ verbal transactions and the ways in which these enhance high-level comprehension of text. Overall, this account seeks to highlight the efficacy and affordances of situated discourse as a social mode of cognition in EAP instruction.

Reading Comprehension Levels and Skills of Filipino Grade 8 Students: A Basis for Catch-up Friday Activities

Despite the global emphasis on literacy, the Philippines continues to lag in reading proficiency, as evidenced by international assessments. A new program, "Catch-Up Fridays," has been introduced by the Department of Education, providing dedicated time for students to focus on improving their reading skills and addressing gaps in comprehension. This research aims to identify specific areas needing intervention to improve students' reading skills and to enhance their critical 21st-century skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and effective communication. Specifically, this study investigated the reading comprehension levels and skills of Grade 8 students at Baguio City National Science High School, focusing on the impacts of gender and the use of English as a primary language at home. Employing a quantitative descriptive research design, the study assessed 150 students using a questionnaire adapted from the Philippine Informal Reading Inventory (Phil-IRI). Results indicate that most of the students are at the instructional (48.67%) and independent (48.00%) reading levels, with a mean comprehension score of 79%. Gender analysis reveals males generally outperform females, while language analysis shows students using English at home have higher comprehension levels than their peers. The least mastered skill is using context clues, with inferential skills such as predicting outcomes and making inferences also needing improvement. The findings emphasize the need for targeted interventions to address least mastered skills, particularly for students at the frustration level, and highlight the importance of addressing gender disparities and supporting non-English-speaking students.

Exploring Patient Viewpoints to Optimize Implementation of a Biological Therapy for Atrial Fibrillation Prevention

BackgroundEmbracing patient viewpoints can enhance the translation of novel therapeutics to clinical settings. This study evaluated the acceptability of using extracellular vesicles (EVs) as a biological therapy for preventing postoperative atrial fibrillation (AF), through engagement with patients, providing insights into their attitudes and information needs. MethodsPatients participated in prerecorded presentations, virtual focus groups, and surveys to assess their perspectives on EV therapy and determine the factors influencing their acceptance of the intervention. ResultsParticipants with postoperative AF experienced prolonged intensive care unit and hospital stays, compared to those of patients with normal heart rhythm. Prior to the presentation, a number of participants were unfamiliar with postoperative AF and biological therapies. However, postpresentation and post–focus group activities resulted in enhanced understanding of the research, with high levels of comprehension reported by all participants. The level of acceptance of EV therapy tended to increase, with a majority expressing willingness to participate in clinical trials and accept the therapy. The focus groups identified and addressed common questions regarding the potential risks and side effects of EVs, their source, dosing, utility for patients with preexisting AF, and the risk of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) contraction or allergic reactions. ConclusionsThe study highlights the importance of providing education, involving the patient's circle of care, and addressing patient concerns, to promote acceptance of therapies such as EV therapy for postoperative AF. Clinical Trial RegistrationNCT05032495.

CK12: A Rounded K12 Knowledge Graph Based Benchmark for Chinese Holistic Cognition Evaluation

New NLP benchmarks are urgently needed to align with the rapid development of large language models (LLMs). We present a meticulously designed evaluation benchmark that leverages the knowledge graph. This evaluation comprises 584 level-1 knowledge points and 1,989 level-2 knowledge points, thereby encompassing a comprehensive spectrum of the K12 education domain knowledge. The primary objective is to comprehensively assess the high-level comprehension aptitude and reasoning capabilities of LLMs operating within the Chinese context. Our evaluation incorporates five distinct question types with 39,452 questions. We test the current mainstream LLMs by three distinct modes. Firstly, four prompt evaluation modes were employed to assess the fundamental capacity. Additionally, for choice questions, a result-oriented evaluation approach was designed through data augmentation to assess the model's proficiency in advanced knowledge and reasoning. Moreover, a subset with reasoning process is derived, and the process-oriented testing method is used to test the model's interpretability and higher-order reasoning capacity. We further show models' capability in our knowledge points, and anticipate the evaluation can assist in the assessment of the strengths and deficiencies of LLMs on knowledge points, thus fostering their development within the Chinese context. Our Dataset will be publicly available in https://github.com/tal-tech/chinese-k12-evaluation.

Enhancing Literary Comprehension Through Interactive Reading Assignment via Kahoot!

This experimental study examined the effectiveness of using Kahoot! game-based interactive reading assignments to enhance literary comprehension achievement among Grade 9 students studying Anglo-American literature. The study compared the experimental group with the control group using the conventional lecture method. Both groups analyzed two short stories - "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe and "The Country of the Blind" by H.G. Wells and took a post-test after four weeks. Results showed that the control group achieved relatively high levels of literary comprehension, but the experimental group using interactive reading assignments had higher percentages of very high-level achievements and lower percentages of low-level achievements. The conventional lecture method seemed less effective in promoting skills like making inferences, and predictions, and identifying unfamiliar vocabulary. On the other hand, the experimental group using Kahoot! showed positive outcomes, with a significant percentage of students achieving high or very high levels of comprehension across all assessed skills. A t-test analysis (t-2.12; p=0.03) revealed a significant difference between the control and experimental groups' literary comprehension achievements, supporting the effectiveness of incorporating interactive reading assignments through Kahoot! The distinct differences in literary comprehension achievements between the control and experimental groups emphasize the effectiveness of Kahoot! platform in enhancing student comprehension compared to traditional methods. Using platforms like Kahoot! for interactive reading assignments can create an engaging learning environment that improves students' literary comprehension abilities.

Iterative transfer learning with large unlabeled datasets for no-reference image quality assessment

<p>No-reference image quality assessment is crucial for evaluating perceptual quality across diverse image-processing applications. Given the challenge of accruing mean opinion scores for images, utilizing data augmentation and transfer learning is vital for training predictive networks. This paper presents a new iterative transfer learning technique, which helps to transfer knowledge between heterogeneous network architectures, and overcomes the problem of overlearning when training on small datasets. The proposed method used a large amount of unlabeled data during training, improving its ability to handle different image quality conditions. We also presented a two-branch convolutional neural network architecture, which merges multi-scale and multi-level attributes efficiently. This architecture emphasizes both local detail extraction and high-level comprehension, and the result was fast execution time and minimal memory overhead. Empirical results showed that applying iterative transfer learning to train a two-branch convolutional neural network achieved superior real-time performance and at the same time exhibited good performance in spearman's rank order correlation coefficient. Furthermore, the model manifested robustness for the noisy mean opinion score, which is prevalent in available datasets, and during data augmentation processes.</p>

The Recent Use of IBM SPSS Statistics in Social Science Research

The computer software known as SPSS has gained significant importance in the realm of social science research since its beginnings. The primary goal of SPSS Inc. is to enhance the functionality and usability of the SPSS software. SPSS offers researchers a proficient software platform for programming that enables successful execution of statistical analysis. However, some researchers inconsistently using the right methodology in social sciences research, especially a newcomer from pure sciences. The reason why newcomer researchers, especially those from pure sciences, may not use the right methodology of social science can be attributed to several factors. This study aimed to refine the recent utilisation of IBM SPSS Statistics in social science research. IBM SPSS Statistics is important in social science research for several reasons: (a) data analysis; (b) data management; (c) descriptive and inferential statistics; (d) visualization and reporting; and (e) accessibility and user-friendliness. This study suggests that, IBM SPSS Statistics is widely recognised as a prevalent computer software utilised for statistical analysis inside the realm of social sciences. The software's high level of comprehensiveness and its user-friendly interface contribute to its popularity among users. It is recommended that future research in the realm of social sciences consider including this software, particularly in studies employing survey methodologies.

Instructive Dialogues on Literary Texts

In our conceptual paper, we propose the framework Instructive Dialogues on Literary Texts. We describe how teachers can identify questions about the literary text which are worthy of clarification and central in such dialogues. The worthiness of questions depends on three criteria: A question worthy of clarification has to be testable based on the literary text and either disputable—i.e., it elicits multiple answers—or urgent—i.e., there is a students’ urge to clarify—or both. We are going to derive these concepts from the characteristics of literary texts, particularly from their ambiguity and polyvalence, and relate our framework to existing concepts of educational dialogue in literature classes. Moreover, we systematize teacher moves by applying notions of task research to whole-class dialogues. With these verbal moves, teachers can help their students to (collaboratively) interpret literary texts. Setting out our framework, we contribute to domain-specific concretizations of instructional quality and scaffolding. Furthermore, we propose a domain-specific definition of high-level comprehension.

Legal Responsibility of PPK As An Agency In The Procurement of Goods and Services

The person designated as the owner of the job by the Budget User or Power of Budget User and in charge of carrying out the acquisition of goods and services is known as the Commitment Maker Officer. Contract-based procurement operations necessitate a high level of comprehension and/or proficiency, beginning with the stages of purchase planning, purchase execution, control, contract signing, and reporting and submission of work results. As a result, the PPK acts as its representative when forming alliances or agreements with other parties; in the absence of the Office of the Commitment Maker, the instance is unable to do so. The Office of the Commitment Maker determines whether a procurement of goods and services within an agency is successful or unsuccessful. This indicates that the fundamental functions of the Office of Commitment Makers are intimately tied to the utilization of the State budget since their execution calls for a distinct set of skills, accountability, and rigor than those of another administrative officer. State losses from damage or other claim claims will arise from errors in the Office of the Commitment Maker's discharge of its obligations

Simulated anesthesia consent discussions demonstrate high level of comprehension and education requirements for patients: A pilot study.

Patient comprehension of informed consent and demonstration of procedural understanding is often lacking in anesthesiology. The purpose of this study was to determine if patient communication in anesthesiology is being conducted effectively, and in a manner that ensures adequate communication between anesthesia professionals and their patients regarding procedures with associated risks and benefits. Anesthesia professionals were recorded in a simulated setting explaining anesthesia procedures of increasing complexity with one control scenario. Score means were calculated, and statistical comparisons made between discussion of anesthesia procedures and the control scenario. Calculation of means for 6 readability tests demonstrated the grade level required to understand the medical practitioners' verbal communication was high and increased with complexity of the anesthesia procedure described. The control scenario required a statistically significant lower level of comprehension for the recipient of the information. In simulated settings, anesthesia professionals regularly communicate procedural details in a manner that is difficult for the general public to understand. Subjects could communicate in simple terms when discussing a control. This pilot study demonstrated effective methodology, using artificial intelligence technology for transcription, to assess patient comprehension of verbal communication.

Improving the Performance of Autonomous Driving through Deep Reinforcement Learning

Reinforcement learning (RL) is revolutionizing the artificial intelligence (AI) domain and significantly aiding in building autonomous systems with a higher level comprehension of the world as we observe it. Deep learning (DL) facilitates RL to scale and resolve previously intractable problems, for instance, allowing supervision principles designed for robots to be acquired directly from visual data, developing video game proficiency from pixel-level information, etc. Recent research shows that RL algorithms help represent problems dealing with high-dimensional, unprocessed data input and can have successful applications in computer vision, pattern identification, natural language analysis, and speech parsing. This research paper focuses on training a simulation model of a car to navigate autonomously on a racetrack using RL. The study explores several fundamental algorithms in Deep RL, namely Proximal Policy Optimization (PPO), Deep Q-network (DQN), and Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient (DDPG). The paper documents a comparative analysis of these three prominent algorithms—based on their speed, accuracy, and overall performance. After a thorough evaluation, the research indicates that the DQN surpassed the other existing algorithms. This study further examined the performance of the DQN with and without ε-decay and observed that the DQN with ε-decay is better suited for our objective and is significantly more stable than its non ε-decay counterpart. The findings from this research could assist in improving the performance and stability of autonomous vehicles using the DQN with ε -decay. It concludes by discussing the fine-tuning of the model for future real-world applications and the potential research areas within the field of autonomous driving.

Using Small-Group Discussion to Foster In-Service Teachers’ Comprehension and Instruction of Sustainable Energy Transitions through PV Science

ABSTRACT This study examined the impact of a practice-based approach to in-service science teacher education, using small-group discussions about photovoltaic (PV) science to support teachers’ instruction on sustainable energy transitions in response to climate change risks. Ultimately, we aimed to promote teachers’ PV science comprehension as well as their ability to use small-group discussions productively in their future classrooms. In-service teachers (N = 6) participated in a five-week summer Solar Energy Engineering Research Experience for Teachers program where they read a series of scientific articles, attended presentations, and engaged in small-group Quality Talk discussions, all about solar energy as a sustainable technology for post-carbon energy futures. Using a qualitative content analysis approach, we gathered evidence associated with both the indicators of high-level comprehension evidenced within the talk as well as teachers’ individual PV science knowledge before and after each discussion. We also collected data related to teachers’ instructional intentions via lesson plans and their self-reported future use of classroom discussions. Numerous indicators of high-level comprehension were present within the talk and teachers evidenced growth in their PV science knowledge from pretest to posttest. Additionally, teachers not only infused their lesson plans with the PV science topics they discussed, but they also expressed intentions to teach PV science using discussions in their future classrooms. Findings suggest in-service teachers can benefit from opportunities to engage in a practice-based approach emphasizing discussions, resulting in not only enhanced PV science comprehension but also intentions to enact discussions about the learned content in their future classrooms.

Comparative Analysis of Student Understanding Levels Using Lecture, Group Discussion and Information Technology- Based Methods of Postpartum Care Education at 'Aisyiyah University Surakarta

Postpartum care is one of the most essential subjects in midwifery program which student needs to obtain. This provides students with abilities based on concepts, attitudes, skills and the results of critical thinking as well as an evidence base in practice. This study aims to analyze the comparison of students' understanding levels using information technology-based, lecture and group discussion methods about postpartum care education at 'aisyiyah Surakarta University, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. The method used was data collection ,form of interviews and questionnaires, related to midwifery care material/competencies using lecture, group discussion and information technology-based methods with a total of 37 students as respondents. Calculation the level of understanding using a Likert Scale, Validity Test (T-count, T-table) and Reliability Test, to find out the results of a comparison of learning models with lecture, group discussion and information technology-based methods. Results : The level of understanding using the lecture method is 81%, 94% in the group discussion method and 100% in information technology-based methods. Conclusion : It can be concluded that the learning model which is most in demand by students and has a strongly high level of comprehension was using information technology-based methods.

Improving Understanding of Digital Financial Literacy for Pondok Pesantren Anwar Futuhiyyah Students

. Pondok Pesantrens have an important role in providing holistic education to students, covering aspects of religion, morals, academics, and daily life. Life balance in Pondok Pesantrens can support community empowerment. Exploring the potential of the pesantren community can be a valuable resource in improving literacy, especially in digital finance. The service carried out at the Pondok Pesantren Anwar Futuhiyyah was in the form of providing material and training on digital financial literacy. This service activity is expected to increase the understanding of digital financial literacy for students as an effort to increase for life skills. The implementation of service is carried out in three stages, namely initial planning, implementation of training and then conducting evaluation and feedback. In the end, it was found that more than 90% of students demonstrate a high level of comprehension when actively engaging in digital financial literacy community service programs.

The language contact phenomenon in Thailand: English borrowing, comprehension, and public attitudes

As the English lexicon has become more frequently borrowed and used in Thai mass media and social media, Thais are quickly adapting to such foreignness and are open to language contact-induced change. The current study explores the extent of the public’s familiarity with borrowed words in contemporary Thai public media and attitudes toward language borrowing. The study participants comprised 120 Thais who voluntarily completed a questionnaire. They were from different age groups and were relatively highly educated. The instrument for the data collection was an online three-part questionnaire probing demographic information, an individual’s comprehension of the borrowed lexicon as tested via 15 questions of lexical borrowing in context, and personal views probed in the questionnaire questions about English lexical borrowing. Follow-up interviews with six selected respondents according to age groups verified and elicited attitudes toward lexical borrowing. The findings revealed that high exposure to English resulted in a high level of comprehension, especially when words were transcribed in the Thai script with tone markers. If the borrowing was in Romanized script, it was less likely to be understood. The majority of the respondents recognized the need for English language borrowing in Thai communication, especially for terminology. They also expressed positive views toward the adoption of the practice. English was perceived as necessary for effective Thai communication, particularly among acquaintances and professionals. The ubiquity of English in Thai society today has led to general adaptability and acceptance of borrowing as part of language evolution; such practices are no longer a sign of prestige. The study suggests that language classrooms should consider using borrowed English lexicons to assist Thai EFL learners in developing English proficiency.

A pilot study on the availability and reception of audio description in the Chinese mainland

IntroductionAudio description (AD) is in its infancy in the Chinese mainland, both in terms of the provision of the service and as an academic object of study. In order to learn about the availability of AD and target audiences' reception of existing AD services in the Chinese mainland, we designed and carried out this study.MethodsThis paper first provides a brief overview of the availability of AD in the Chinese mainland and analyses difficulties encountered in its development. Then, it conducts a face-to-face questionnaire-based study on the reception of AD through a survey of 26 visually impaired persons.Results and discussionAD service in the Chinese mainland is only limited to movies and there is a big gap between supply and demand. AD practice is facing many difficulties such as copyright constraints, low quality of AD services, lack of professionals and insufficient theoretical research. Our empirical research shows that the participants are quite satisfied with the quality of existing AD services, although they do not have a high level of comprehension of movies. Over interpretation, revealing the plot, subjective speculations are common practices in AD services in the Chinese mainland but are applauded by the participants for which helps them to understand the film.

Knowledge of Xerostomia and Angular Cheilitis in Geriatric Population among Clinical Dental Students: An Institutional Cross-Sectional Study.

Assessing the knowledge of clinical dental students regarding prevalent geriatric oral diseases is crucial in evaluating their clinical competency. This study focuses on analyzing dental students' knowledge of angular cheilitis (AC) and xerostomia in elderly patients. In this analytical cross-sectional investigation, clinical dental students from Universitas Airlangga were involved. We employed simple random sampling to select a minimum of 76 students and gathered data, including demographic information and knowledge about AC and xerostomia, through an online questionnaire. Respondents were then categorized into three groups based on their knowledge level: poor, moderate, and good. We utilized coefficient contingency and odds ratio analysis to explore relationships and effects between demographic factors and knowledge levels. The study findings indicated that a significant majority of respondents demonstrated a high level of comprehension regarding AC (58.4%). Conversely, a notable proportion of respondents exhibited limited knowledge regarding xerostomia (66.3%). Furthermore, our correlation analysis, which aimed to identify potential associations between knowledge levels and intrinsic factors such as gender, clinical interest, and proximity to geriatric individuals, did not reveal any statistically significant relationships (P > 0.05). Within the population of clinical dental students, there is a commendable level of knowledge concerning AC in the geriatric demographic. However, a substantial segment of students lacks adequate understanding when it comes to xerostomia.

Examining the effects of quality talk discussions on 4th- and 5th-grade students’ high-level comprehension of text

Given the rapid pace of technological change, access to unlimited information, and diverse forms of complex text, the importance and demand for enhanced literacy skills is greater than ever. Accordingly, researchers have begun developing integrated, multifaceted interventions that dynamically support enhanced literacy competence. The purpose of this year-long quasi-experimental study was to compare the effects of a multifaceted, rigorous discussion intensive literacy intervention called Quality Talk (QT) to a comparison intervention. Fourth- and fifth-grade students (QT treatment, n = 133; comparison, n = 155) from two public schools participated in a district-wide literacy program with half also participating in QT within their language arts class. Spanning baseline and two subsequent time points, findings revealed that, on average, students evidenced statistically significant increases on one form of basic-level comprehension performance over time with no statistically significant difference between QT and comparison classrooms. Given that treatment and comparison classrooms engaged in a district-wide literacy initiative with supplemental daily literacy instruction, these results are not altogether unexpected. However, despite the enhanced literacy instruction across all classes, from Time 2 to Time 3, growth in QT students’ high-level comprehension, as measured via written argumentation essay performance, was statistically significantly greater than their comparison peers’ growth. This study informs the future of education research and practice regarding the feasibility and utility of relevant and rigorous multifaceted literacy interventions focused upon small-group discussion.

Comprehension of an Over-the-Counter Drug Facts Label Prototype for a Mifepristone and Misoprostol Medication Abortion Product.

To develop a drug facts label prototype for a combination mifepristone and misoprostol product and to conduct a label-comprehension study to assess understanding of key label concepts. We followed U.S. Food and Drug Administration guidance, engaged a multidisciplinary group of experts, and conducted cognitive interviews to develop a drug facts label prototype for medication abortion. To assess label comprehension, we developed 11 primary and 13 secondary communication objectives related to indications for use, eligibility, dosing regimen, contraindications, warning signs, side effects, and recognizing the risk of treatment failure, with corresponding target performance thresholds (80-90% accuracy). We conducted individual structured video interviews with people with a uterus aged 12-49 years, recruited through social media. Participants reviewed the drug facts label and responded to questions to assess their understanding of each communication objective. After transcribing and coding interviews, we estimated the proportion of correct responses and exact binomial 95% CIs by age and literacy group. We interviewed 851 people (of 1,507 people scheduled); responses from 844 were eligible for analysis, and 35.7% (n=301) of participants were aged 12-17 years. The overall sample met performance criteria for 10 of the 11 primary communication objectives (93-99% correct) related to indications for use, eligibility for use, the dosing regimen, and contraindications; young people met nine and people with limited literacy met eight of the 11 performance criteria. Only 79% (95% CI 0.76-0.82) of the overall sample understood to contact a health care professional if little or no bleeding occurred soon after taking misoprostol, not meeting the prespecified threshold of 85.0%. Overall, high levels of comprehension suggest that people can understand most key drug facts label concepts for a medication abortion product without clinical supervision and recommend minor modifications.

Using short-form student videos to widen the canon of political thought

A perennial problem for teachers of political thought is to decide what thinkers to include in the required course readings. In many cases, teachers have come to rely on an established Western canon as they seek to build a shared disciplinary identity, impart key theoretical insights and provide common points of reference. Increasingly, however, calls have been made to include more non-Western, female and otherwise marginalised voices. In response, this article presents and evaluates an interactive group video assignment by which the students are asked to identify one, hitherto excluded, political thinker and formulate arguments for his or her inclusion in the course readings. As a collaborative exercise, higher-level comprehension, analysis and synthesis are encouraged while the shared ‘canon’ of political thought is widened.