Improvement In Fluency Research Articles

A Perceptual Adaptive Learning Module Results in Improved Fetal Heart Rate Categorization

BACKGROUND: No published studies have evaluated the best method of teaching FHR interpretation. The PALM has been shown to improve learning in skills which require pattern recognition. METHODS: All subjects underwent a pretest and received a basic FHR physiology lecture. The subjects were then either exposed to the PALM or to additional lecture time reviewing the details of FHR categorization. All subjects then took a posttest, delayed test 6 weeks later, and survey. RESULTS: Sixteen subjects completed the PALM module and 19 were assigned to additional lecture. Only the PALM showed significant improvement in accuracy and fluency from the pretest to posttest (accuracy 35% versus 71%, P<.05; fluency 27% versus 65%, P<.05). Both interventions showed significant improvement in accuracy and fluency on the delayed test reflecting learning throughout the rotation. However, the PALM showed a significantly greater improvement as compared to the lecture group in both the posttest (accuracy 71% versus 47%, P<.05; fluency 65% versus 31%, P<.05) and the delayed test (fluency 58% versus 41%, P=.05). DISCUSSION: The PALM resulted in more accurate and fluent categorization of FHR tracings compared to traditional lecture methods, and the effect persisted on delayed testing.

Use of a Perceptual Adaptive Learning Module Results in Improved Accuracy and Fluency of Fetal Heart Rate Categorization by Medical Students

Local Mentor: Sally Krasne, PhD APGO Advisor: Nancy Hueppchen, MD, MSc PURPOSE: Our aim is to evaluate whether use of a Perceptual Adaptive Learning Module (PALM) by medical students would result in improved accuracy and “fluency” (accuracy and speed) of Fetal Heart Rate (FHR) categorization versus traditional lecture methods. BACKGROUND: No published studies have evaluated the best method of teaching FHR interpretation. The PALM has been shown to improve learning in skills requiring pattern recognition. METHODS: This is a non-randomized controlled trial of third-year medical students. All subjects underwent a pretest and received a basic FHR physiology lecture. Subjects were then exposed to the PALM or to additional lecture reviewing details of FHR categorization. All subjects took an immediate posttest and a delayed test 5 weeks later. RESULTS: From April to September 2015, 66 subjects participated: 33 were assigned to the experimental (PALM) arm and 33 to the control (traditional lecture) arm. Only the PALM showed a significant improvement in accuracy and fluency from the pretest to posttest (accuracy from 35% to 71%, P<.05; fluency 27–65%, P<.05). Both interventions showed significant improvement in accuracy and fluency on the delayed test reflecting learning throughout the rotation. However, the PALM showed a significantly greater improvement as compared to the lecture group in both the posttest (accuracy 70% PALM versus 47% lecture, P<.05; fluency 61% versus 29%, P<.05) and the delayed test (accuracy 69% PALM versus 57% lecture, P<.05; fluency 58% versus 41%, P<.05). DISCUSSION: The PALM resulted in more accurate and fluent categorization of FHR tracings compared to traditional lecture, and the effect persisted on delayed testing.

Repeated versus wide reading: A randomized control design study examining the impact of fluency interventions on underlying reading behavior

Repeated readings (RR) has garnered much attention as an evidence based intervention designed to improve all components of reading fluency (rate, accuracy, prosody, and comprehension). Despite this attention, there is not an abundance of research comparing its effectiveness to other potential interventions. The current study presents the findings from a randomized control trial study involving the assignment of 168second grade students to a RR, wide reading (WR), or business as usual condition. Intervention students were provided with 9–10weeks of intervention with sessions occurring four times per week. Pre- and post-testing were conducted using Woodcock-Johnson III reading achievement measures (Woodcock, McGrew, & Mather, 2001, curriculum-based measurement (CBM) probes, measures of prosody, and measures of students' eye movements when reading. Changes in fluency were also monitored using weekly CBM progress monitoring procedures. Data were collected on the amount of time students spent reading and the number of words read by students during each intervention session. Results indicate substantial gains made by students across conditions, with some measures indicating greater gains by students in the two intervention conditions. Analyses do not indicate that RR was superior to WR. In addition to expanding the RR literature, this study greatly expands research evaluating changes in reading behaviors that occur with improvements in reading fluency. Implications regarding whether schools should provide more opportunities to repeatedly practice the same text (i.e., RR) or practice a wide range of text (i.e., WR) are provided.

Accurate On-line Intervention Practices for Efficient Improvement of Reading Skills in Africa

Lifelong learning is the only way to sustain proficient learning in a rapidly changing world. Knowledge and information are exploding across the globe. We need accurate ways to facilitate the process of drawing external factual information into an internal perceptive advantage from which to interpret and argue new information. Accurate and Effective Reading enables us to act creatively and critically in a world which is ever-changing. It provides rapid, ready access to new information and knowledge that will promote lifelong learning. LAB-on-line, a South African initiative, has proven that reading skills development is possible through visual skills and silent reading fluency improvement combined with upgrading of comprehension strategies. LAB has assisted more than 38 000 users, from Grade 1 to tertiary students to read faster, read better and remember more. [1]This project looked at the 2014/15 LAB-on-line results in a case study of students from various public and private schools (Grade 1 to Grade 12) across South Africa. LectorSA developed LAB-on-line based on 30 years of research as an on-line student interface to assist students from Grade 1 through tertiary student levels in developing the crucial skills needed to access information intelligently.[2]

The Limerick Reading Initiative: a reading intervention targeted at struggling readers in primary school

In this study we examined the effectiveness of a reading intervention targeting a group of 24 struggling readers in ten primary schools in Ireland. The intervention consisted of two components; component one consisted of 15‐20 minutes delivery of the Toe‐by‐Toe programme (a well established systematic synthetic phonics programme) and the second component consisted of 15‐20 minutes guided oral reading using levelled texts. Using standardised measures of word reading, reading fluency, reading comprehension, word attack skills and spelling, we found that after five months of the intervention, the majority of the pupils made significant improvements in reading and reading fluency. The reading comprehension improvements were more varied with almost a quarter of participants showing remarkable progress, while the remainder recorded considerably less impressive gains. These results are very encouraging for classroom practitioners and demonstrate that research validated approaches can help at‐risk readers close the gap with their typically developing peers.

Interhemispheric Plasticity following Intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation in Chronic Poststroke Aphasia.

The effects of noninvasive neurostimulation on brain structure and function in chronic poststroke aphasia are poorly understood. We investigated the effects of intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) applied to residual language-responsive cortex in chronic patients using functional and anatomical MRI data acquired before and after iTBS. Lateralization index (LI) analyses, along with comparisons of inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) activation and connectivity during covert verb generation, were used to assess changes in cortical language function. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) was used to assess effects on regional grey matter (GM). LI analyses revealed a leftward shift in IFG activity after treatment. While left IFG activation increased, right IFG activation decreased. Changes in right to left IFG connectivity during covert verb generation also decreased after iTBS. Behavioral correlations revealed a negative relationship between changes in right IFG activation and improvements in fluency. While anatomical analyses did not reveal statistically significant changes in grey matter volume, the fMRI results provide evidence for changes in right and left IFG function after iTBS. The negative relationship between post-iTBS changes in right IFG activity during covert verb generation and improvements in fluency suggests that iTBS applied to residual left-hemispheric language areas may reduce contralateral responses related to language production and facilitate recruitment of residual language areas after stroke.

Cognitive Effects of Intentional Weight Loss in Elderly Obese Individuals With Mild Cognitive Impairment.

Obesity in midlife is a risk factor for dementia, but it is unknown if caloric restriction-induced weight loss could prevent cognitive decline and therefore dementia in elderly patients with cognitive impairment. To evaluate the cognitive effect of intentional weight loss in obese elderly patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), considering the influence of age, apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype, physical activity, biochemical markers, and diet. Single-center, prospective controlled trial. Academic medical center. Eighty obese patients with MCI, aged 60 or older (68.1 ± 4.9 y, body mass index [BMI] 35.5 ± 4.4 kg/m(2), 83.7% women, 26.3% APOE allele ϵ4 carriers). Random allocation to conventional medical care alone (n = 40) or together with nutritional counselling (n = 40) in group meetings aiming to promote weight loss through caloric restriction for 12 months. clinical data, body composition, neuropsychological tests (main outcome), serum biomarkers, APOE genotype, physical performance, dietary recalls. Seventy-five patients completed the follow-up. BMI, on average, decreased 1.7 ± 1.8 kg/m(2) (P = .021), and most of the cognitive tests improved, without difference between the groups. In analysis with linear generalized models, the BMI decrease was associated with improvements in verbal memory, verbal fluency, executive function, and global cognition, after adjustment for education, gender, physical activity, and baseline tests. This association was strongest in younger seniors (for memory and fluency) and in APOE allele ϵ4 carriers (for executive function). Changes in homeostasis model assessment-estimated insulin resistance, C-reactive protein, leptin and intake of energy, carbohydrates, and fats were associated with improvement in cognitive tests. Intentional weight loss through diet was associated with cognitive improvement in patients with MCI.

THE EFFECT OF AUDIOBOOK USE ON EFL STUDENTS’ FLUENCY DEVELOPMENT

This article uncovered an empirical study of audiobook - a form of podcasting media. The subjects were two classes of 30 learners of English, fifteen of whom (one class) were randomly assigned to a meaning-focused input group using audiobooks and the other class to a non-audiobook group. There were two separated groups which were randomly assigned to a meaning-focused input group applying audiobooks and the other class to a non-audiobook group. This study implemented pretest and posttest research design. During one complete semester the subjects of experimental class accomplished fourteen pedagogical audiobook sessions while the control group were provided with another learning media. Data collected consisted of orally in-pairs test performed by the subjects in both groups. Audiobooks appeared to be successful in this study in that they led to considerable improvement in fluency and vocabulary size consistency during oral performance.

Verbal Fluencies and Fampridine Treatment in Multiple Sclerosis

Background/Aims: Fampridine is sometimes reported to improve cognition and especially the information-processing speed. Motor improvement might be a confounding factor. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of fampridine on verbal fluencies in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Methods: Fifty MS patients were included in a prospective monocentric open label trial with a mean Expanded Disability Status Scale of 5.3 ± 1.1. Assessments of verbal phonological and semantic fluencies were repeated twice (within 1 week) before fampridine treatment and twice after fampridine treatment in order to have the maximal practice effect. Gait velocity and fatigue (visual analogical scale) were also assessed. Distribution into gait responders, gait non-responders, fluency responders and fluency non-responders, was described. Results: Verbal fluencies were significantly higher after fampridine treatment. No correlation was observed between phonological fluency improvement and semantic fluency improvement. Gait responders and gait non-responders did not present significant differences in verbal fluency performance and fatigue score. No correlation between gait velocity improvement and fatigue improvement compared with verbal fluency improvement was observed. Conclusion: Our results suggest that fampridine could have a selective procognitive effect on phonological fluency in MS, even in the gait non-responder patients.

Perception drives production across sensory modalities: A network for sensorimotor integration of visual speech

Sensory information is critical for movement control, both for defining the targets of actions and providing feedback during planning or ongoing movements. This holds for speech motor control as well, where both auditory and somatosensory information have been shown to play a key role. Recent clinical research demonstrates that individuals with severe speech production deficits can show a dramatic improvement in fluency during online mimicking of an audiovisual speech signal suggesting the existence of a visuomotor pathway for speech motor control. Here we used fMRI in healthy individuals to identify this new visuomotor circuit for speech production. Participants were asked to perceive and covertly rehearse nonsense syllable sequences presented auditorily, visually, or audiovisually. The motor act of rehearsal, which is prima facie the same whether or not it is cued with a visible talker, produced different patterns of sensorimotor activation when cued by visual or audiovisual speech (relative to auditory speech). In particular, a network of brain regions including the left posterior middle temporal gyrus and several frontoparietal sensorimotor areas activated more strongly during rehearsal cued by a visible talker versus rehearsal cued by auditory speech alone. Some of these brain regions responded exclusively to rehearsal cued by visual or audiovisual speech. This result has significant implications for models of speech motor control, for the treatment of speech output disorders, and for models of the role of speech gesture imitation in development.

Cognitive effects of deep brain stimulation in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a promising treatment for treatment-refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). However, the effects of DBS on cognitive functioning remain unclear. Therefore, we aimed to assess cognitive safety of DBS for treatment-refractory OCD and the association between clinical changes and cognitive functioning. Patients with treatment-refractory OCD treated with DBS targeted at the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) were compared with a control group of 14 patients with treatment-refractory OCD treated with care as usual. We assessed cognitive functioning at baseline, 3 weeks postoperatively and following 8 months of DBS. We compared change in clinical symptoms with cognitive changes. There were 16 patients in the DBS group and 14 patients in the control group. Three weeks postoperatively, the DBS group showed a significantly reduced performance on measures of visual organization and verbal fluency and a trend toward reduced performance on measures of visual memory and abstract reasoning. Cognitive functioning was found to be stable on all other measures. After 8 months of DBS, reduced performances persisted, except for a significant improvement in verbal fluency. Cognitive functioning in all other domains remained unaffected. We found no correlation between improvement of clinical symptoms and cognitive changes. A limitation of this study was its relatively small sample size. Deep brain stimulation targeted at the NAcc may be considered a safe method in terms of cognition because cognitive functioning was unaffected on most neuropsychological measures. Nevertheless, we observed some minor reduced performance on specific measures of executive functioning that were possibly associated with surgical intervention. Our results suggest that severity of OCD symptoms is independent of cognitive functioning.

Consumption of anthocyanin-rich cherry juice for 12weeks improves memory and cognition in older adults with mild-to-moderate dementia.

Dietary flavonoids, including anthocyanins, may positively influence cognition and may be beneficial for the prevention and treatment of dementia. We aimed to assess whether daily consumption of anthocyanin-rich cherry juice changed cognitive function in older adults with dementia. Blood pressure and anti-inflammatory effects were examined as secondary outcomes. A 12-week randomised controlled trial assessed cognitive outcomes in older adults (+70year) with mild-to-moderate dementia (n=49) after consumption of 200ml/day of either a cherry juice or a control juice with negligible anthocyanin content. Blood pressure and inflammatory markers (CRP and IL-6) were measured at 6 and 12weeks. ANCOVA controlling for baseline and RMANOVA assessed change in cognition and blood pressure. Improvements in verbal fluency (p=0.014), short-term memory (p=0.014) and long-term memory (p≤0.001) were found in the cherry juice group. A significant reduction in systolic (p=0.038) blood pressure and a trend for diastolic (p=0.160) blood pressure reduction was evident in the intervention group. Markers of inflammation (CRP and IL-6) were not altered. Inclusion of an anthocyanin-rich beverage may be a practical and feasible way to improve total anthocyanin consumption in older adults with mild-to-moderate dementia, with potential to improve specific cognitive outcomes.

Outcome of cognitive performances in bipolar euthymic patients after a depressive episode: a longitudinal naturalistic study.

BackgroundCognitive functions have been investigated across depressed, manic, hypomanic, mixed and euthymic episodes of bipolar disorder, but the stability or the progression of cognitive impairment is still under research.ObjectiveThe purpose of the present study was to assess the outcome of cognitive functions in bipolar patients following a depressive episode, after a 6-month period in the absence of mood symptoms.Method63 bipolar patients were tested with a battery of neurocognitive tests both at baseline (during an acute depressive episode) and after 6 months of euthymia. The cognitive domains assessed included memory, attention, verbal fluency, processing speed and executive functions. Cognitive performances were compared with those of a control group (40 healthy control subjects), both in depression and in euthymia.ResultsPatients scored worse than control subjects in several cognitive domains, both in depression and euthymia. The most impaired cognitive functions were executive functions and verbal memory. Between the two moments of assessment bipolar patients obtained a significant improvement in memory, verbal fluency, attention and information processing speed. Psychomotor speed showed no difference between depression and euthymia.ConclusionsBipolar patients showed impairment in several cognitive domains during depression. A certain degree of impairment remained even after the remission of the affective episode in relationship with the executive functions. Between depression and euthymia, bipolar patients showed important cognitive improvements.

Development of graphomotor fluency in adults with ADHD: Evidence of attenuated procedural learning

PurposeThe present study sought to determine if adults with ADHD demonstrate reduced graphomotor learning relative to controls. MethodTwenty-eight control adults (n=14) and adults with ADHD (n=14) were recruited and wrote a novel grapheme on a digitizing tablet 30 times. Participants with ADHD were counterbalanced on and off stimulant medication. ResultsControl participants, F(1,13)=13.786, p=.003, ω2partial=.460, and participants with ADHD on medication, F(1,13)=10.462, p=.007, ω2partial=.387, demonstrated significant improvement in graphomotor fluency with equivalent practice whereas participants with ADHD off medication did not, F(1,12)=0.166, NS. ConclusionsResults indicate that graphomotor program learning in adults with ADHD may occur more slowly than typically developing peers. Findings have implications for providing accommodations to adults with ADHD, potential benefits of stimulant medication, and using digitizing technology as a neuropsychological assessment instrument.

THE GREAT IMITATOR

ObjectiveWe aim to present a 45 year-old PVC plant worker with no prior history of mental illness who was admitted to a psychiatric ward with complex neuropsychiatric symptoms. He initially...

Speech entrainment compensates for Broca's area damage

Speech entrainment (SE), the online mimicking of an audiovisual speech model, has been shown to increase speech fluency in patients with Broca's aphasia. However, not all individuals with aphasia benefit from SE. The purpose of this study was to identify patterns of cortical damage that predict a positive response SE's fluency-inducing effects. Forty-four chronic patients with left hemisphere stroke (15 female) were included in this study. Participants completed two tasks: 1) spontaneous speech production, and 2) audiovisual SE. Number of different words per minute was calculated as a speech output measure for each task, with the difference between SE and spontaneous speech conditions yielding a measure of fluency improvement. Voxel-wise lesion-symptom mapping (VLSM) was used to relate the number of different words per minute for spontaneous speech, SE, and SE-related improvement to patterns of brain damage in order to predict lesion locations associated with the fluency-inducing response to SE. Individuals with Broca's aphasia demonstrated a significant increase in different words per minute during SE versus spontaneous speech. A similar pattern of improvement was not seen in patients with other types of aphasia. VLSM analysis revealed damage to the inferior frontal gyrus predicted this response. Results suggest that SE exerts its fluency-inducing effects by providing a surrogate target for speech production via internal monitoring processes. Clinically, these results add further support for the use of SE to improve speech production and may help select patients for SE treatment.

A Comparison of Group-Oriented Contingencies for Addition Fluency

Math fact fluency is critical for understanding complex mathematics. Explicit timing interventions have shown promise for improving math fluency, and they may benefit from being paired with group-oriented contingencies. Further, investigations of independent and dependent group-oriented contingencies would help to identify their relative advantages. This study compared the effect of group contingency variations of an explicit timing intervention with goal setting and graphic feedback. Independent and dependent group-oriented contingency groups were compared along with an explicit timing only group. First-grade students completed daily addition probes and received graphs for the previous weeks’ performance at the beginning of each week. Twice per week, the contingency groups received rewards based on their performance consistent with the contingency type. Results indicated that students in the independent group-oriented contingency condition had the greatest improvements in addition fluency. There was no difference found between the dependent and the explicit timing only group.

통합형 마인드맵 활동이 중학교 2학년 학생들의 창의적 사고력에 미치는 영향

본 연구는 융합 인재 교육의 다양한 목표 중에서 인지적 측면 특히 창의적 사고력의 신장에 초점을 맞추고 창의적 사고력 신장을 위한 교수 기법으로서 '통합형 마인드맵'을 개발하고 적용하여 그 효과를 알아보았다. 통합형 마인드맵이란, 융합 인재 교육 지향 마인드맵으로서 기존의 마인드맵 특징을 유지하면서, 과학 주제를 중심으로 뻗어나가는 아이디어 발산의 범주를 과학(S), 기술(T)&공학(E), 예술(A), 수학(M)의 측면으로 해보도록 교사가 의도적으로 유도하는 특징을 지닌다. 그럼으로써 학생들은 학습한 과학 개념이 다른 분야(기술, 공학, 예술, 수학)와 밀접하게 관련되어 있음을 지속적으로 인식하게 되고 관련 지식을 넓힐 수 있으며, 이는 융합 인재에게 요구되는 창의적인 융합적 사고를 할 수 있는 밑거름으로 작용하게 된다. 통합형 마인드맵은 첫 번째 가지가 포함하는 핵심어의 범주에 따라 STEAM형, STEA형, STEM형, STE형의 네 가지 유형으로 구분할 수 있으며, 교사의 안내 정도에 따라 안내형, 중간 개방형, 개방형의 세 수준으로 구분할 수 있다. 또한 통합형 마인드맵 활동은 개인 별 뿐만 아니라 모둠 및 학급 토론을 통한 협동 학습 형태로 이루어지는 모둠 별, 학급 공유 활동의 형태로도 진행될 수 있다. 개발한 교수 기법은 중학교 2학년 학생들을 대상으로 한 학기 동안 적용하였으며, 실험반 학생들은 한 학기 동안 개인 별 통합형 마인드맵 활동 10회, 모둠 별 통합형 마인드맵 활동 10회, 학급 공유 통합형 마인드맵 활동 3회로, 총 23회의 통합형 마인드맵 활동을 경험하였다. 그 결과 실험반 학생들의 창의적 사고력은 유의미하게 향상되는 것으로 나타났다(p<.05). 본 연구에서는 창의성을 협의로 정의하여 발산적 사고라고 정의하였으며, 그 하위 범주인 유창성, 융통성, 독창성을 분석한 결과에서도 모두 유의미한 향상이 있었다(p<.05). 따라서 본 연구에서 개발한 통합형 마인드맵 교수 기법은 창의적 사고력의 신장에 긍정적인 영향을 준다는 것을 알 수 있었다. 그리고 창의적 사고력에 대하여 교수 기법과 인지 수준, 학업 성취도 수준, 성 별과의 상호 작용은 나타나지 않았다(p<.05). The purpose of this study was to design a teaching and learning method conductive to the development of creative thinking skills and investigate its effects. It has been developed integrated mind map with feature of visualizing the divergent thinking to the aspects of Science (S), Technology (T) & Engineering (E), Arts (A), Mathematics (M). Integrated mind map can be divided into four types of STEAM type, STEA type, STEM type, STE type depending on the category of key words in the first branch. And Integrated mind map can be divided into three levels of guided, intermediate, open depending on the teacher's guide degree. And also integrated mind map activities were carried out in the form of group, class share as well as individual. This study was implemented during a semester and students in experiment group experienced individual-integrated mind map activity 10 times, group-integrated mind map activity 10 times, class share-integrated mind map activity 3 times. The results indicated that the experimental group presented statistically meaningful improvement in creative thinking skills (p<.05). And there was a statistically meaningful improvement in fluency, flexibility, originality as a sub-category of creative thinking skills(p <.05). Also creative thinking skills are not affected by the level of cognitive, academic performance, gender (p<.05). In conclusion, it was found that 'integrated mind map activity' improved student's creative thinking skills. There was no interaction effect about creative thinking skills between the teaching strategy and cognitive level, achivement, gender of those students.

Text-fading based training leads to transfer effects on children's sentence reading fluency.

Previous studies used a text-fading procedure as a training tool with the goal to increase silent reading fluency (i.e., proficient reading rate and comprehension). In recently published studies, this procedure resulted in lasting reading enhancements for adult and adolescent research samples. However, studies working with children reported mixed results. While reading rate improvements were observable for Dutch reading children in a text-fading training study, reading fluency improvements in standardized reading tests post-training attributable to the fading manipulation were not detectable. These results raise the question of whether text-fading training is not effective for children or whether research design issues have concealed possible transfer effects. Hence, the present study sought to investigate possible transfer effects resulting from a text-fading based reading training program, using a modified research design. Over a period of 3 weeks, two groups of German third-graders read sentences either with an adaptive text-fading procedure or at their self-paced reading rate. A standardized test measuring reading fluency at the word, sentence, and text level was conducted pre- and post-training. Text level reading fluency improved for both groups equally. Post-training gains at the word level were found for the text-fading group, however, no significant interaction between groups was revealed for word reading fluency. Sentence level reading fluency gains were found for the text-fading group, which significantly differed from the group of children reading at their self-paced reading routine. These findings provide evidence for the efficacy of text-fading as a training method for sentence reading fluency improvement also for children.

Written Fluency Improvement in a Foreign Language

This article reports on a study which examined the effectiveness of a 7-minute writing technique whereby students regularly wrote as much as they could in 7 minutes three times a week for a period of 10 weeks. The study was conducted with four classes of first-year and third-year students at a university in Vietnam. The study looked at the fluency, complexity, and accuracy of the students' writing in English. By the end of the programme, the third-year students in the experimental group produced significantly longer pieces of writing and achieved significantly higher scores for the overall quality of their writing than the control group. The first-year experimental group performed slightly better than the control group on most measures, but the differences were not statistically significant. Almost no improvement in writing complexity was found among the four classes across the two cohorts, and students did not increase the accuracy of their writing in English. However, the 7-minute writing practice clearly helped the students write fluently.