Lack Of Proficiency Research Articles

English Language Challenges among Students of Princess Aisha Bint Al-Hussein College of Nursing & Health Sciences at Al-Hussein Bin Talal University

The aim of the current study is to investigate the perceived learning challenges as well as the coping strategies employed by Nursing and Health Sciences (NHS) students at Al-Hussein Bin Talal University (AHU) in dealing with general and medical English as a foreign language in the learning process. Princess Aisha Bint Al-Hussein College of Nursing & Health Sciences (PAC) at AHU needs to address these challenges to meet the low-level grades of its students. A three-part questionnaire was used for data collection over a time period of three consecutive academic semesters. It is a 26-item self-reported questionnaire with a 5-point Likert-type scale. Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) was used for statistical analysis. The reliability of the scale was tested using Cronbach alpha. The outcomes showed that the students struggle with the issue of limited language proficiency. This problem, then, which the study’s outcomes present is twofold: firstly, due to the students’ lack of knowledge and proficiency in general English and secondly, because of students’ lack of proficiency in medical English. Actually, students are not only burdened by the fact that they lack the proficiency of general English but further by their unfamiliarity with medical English.

Speaking in turns and sequences: Interactional competence as a target construct in testing speaking

In the assessment of speaking, a psycholinguistically based speaking construct has predominated. In this paper, we argue for the integration of the construct of interactional competence (IC) in speaking assessments to broaden the range of defensible inferences from speaking tests. IC emphasizes the co-constructed nature of interaction and enables the rating of L2 users’ ability to deploy interactional tools that lead to shared understandings. Recent work on IC shows that levels of development can be distinguished, for example, in the sequential organization of social actions such as requests and refusals. This can in turn inform interactionally specific ratings. Furthermore, an IC perspective allows a fine-grained analysis of interactions between examiners and test takers to detect effects of examiner talk. Apparent misunderstandings or disfluencies by test takers can be examiner-induced with the test taker’s response actually demonstrating interactional ability rather than lack of proficiency. We argue that inclusion of IC as a construct in testing speaking opens new perspectives on oral proficiency and enhances the validity of speaking assessments.

Family Matters: Claiming Rights across the US-Mexico Migratory System.

Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 (INA) created an immigration system favoring the immigration of spouses, children, and parents of US citizens, thereby establishing family unity as the cornerstone of US immigration policy. Despite this historical emphasis on family unity, backlogs and limited visas for non-immediate relatives of US citizens and legal permanent residents, the militarization of the US-Mexico border, punitive measures for those who enter without inspection, such as the forced separation of children from their parents at the US border, and an aggressive policy of deportation have made it more difficult for members of Mexican binational families to unify. How do members of Mexican binational families manage the hardships that result from US immigration policies that prolong and force family separation? Immigrants and return migrants alike may not be aware of their rights and the legal remedies that exist to enforce them. Structural barriers such as poverty, legal status, fear of deportation, lack of proficiency in English, and lack of familiarity with government bureaucracies no doubt prevent many migrants in the United States and return migrants in Mexico from coming forward to request legal assistance and relief in the courts. Despite these barriers, when it comes to family matters, members of some Mexican binational families can and do assert their rights. In this article, we analyze an administrative database of the Department of Legal Protection of the Mexican consular network that documents migrant legal claims resulting from family separation, along with findings from 21 interviews with consular staff and community organizations in three consular jurisdictions - El Paso, Raleigh, and San Francisco - to investigate the sociolegal processes of claims. Our investigation centers on the mediating role the Mexican state - via its consular network - has developed to assist binational families as they attempt to assert their rights and resolve child support and child custody problems resulting from prolonged and forced family separation. We find that the resolution of binational family claims in part depends on the institutional infrastructure that has developed at local, state, and federal levels, along with the commitment and capacity of the receiving and sending states and the binational structures they establish. These binational structures transcend the limitations of national legal systems to achieve and implement family rights and obligations across borders.

Augmented Reality in Scientific Publications-Taking the Visualization of 3D Structures to the Next Level.

The examination of three-dimensional structural models in scientific publications allows the reader to validate or invalidate conclusions drawn by the authors. However, either due to a (temporary) lack of access to proper visualization software or a lack of proficiency, this information is not necessarily available to every reader. As the digital revolution is quickly progressing, technologies have become widely available that overcome the limitations and offer to all the opportunity to appreciate models not only in 2D, but also in 3D. Additionally, mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets allow access to this information almost anywhere, at any time. Since access to such information has only recently become standard practice, we want to outline straightforward ways to incorporate 3D models in augmented reality into scientific publications, books, posters, and presentations and suggest that this should become general practice.

Linguistic Deviations in the Written Academic Register of Danish University Students

Danish university students are often criticised for a general lack of proficiency in orthography, punctuation and grammar in the academic register. However, there has been limited empirical substantiation to support the claim. In this paper, we present the results of a study of linguistic deviations in university assignments written by first-year Journalism and Danish students at the University of Southern Denmark (N = 100 students). The results show that the majority of both groups struggles with Danish orthography and punctuation when writing academically, which seems to confirm some of the assertions made by the critics. However, it is argued that the inherent conflict of orthographic and punctuation principles in Danish as well as the specific characteristics and challenges of academic writing are more probable causes than the claimed general decline in the writing proficiency of students.

“If I speak English, what am I? I am full man, me”: Emotional impact and barriers for refugees and asylum seekers learning English

Lack of proficiency in the language of the host country predicts distress among refugees, but many refugees and asylum seekers in the United Kingdom have less than functional English. This study examined how learning English affected refugees' and asylum seekers' lives, particularly their emotional wellbeing, to explore what factors, particularly psychological ones, facilitated or impeded their learning English. We recruited 16 refugees and asylum seekers from an inner-city National Health Service trauma service and from a charity providing one-to-one English classes. All participants were interviewed in English. Interview data were analysed using thematic analysis from a critical realist perspective. Interviewees provided consistent accounts of their efforts to learn English, integrated into often unsettled and difficult lives. The analysis generated six themes in two domains. The impact of learning English was mainly positive, associated with autonomy, sense of achievement, and aspirations. Barriers to learning English consisted of other problems affecting refugees' capacity to learn, limited opportunities to speak English, and a sense of shame associated with perceived lack of English language competence. Findings highlight the need to provide adequate psychological support for refugees and asylum seekers learning English, recognising its importance in promoting both their integration in the UK and their individual psychological well-being.

English Medium Instruction (EMI) as Linguistic Capital in Nepal: Promises and Realities

ABSTRACTThis article reports on a critical qualitative case study of an EMI-based, underresourced public school in Nepal through Bourdieu’s lens of linguistic capital. As the data analysis revealed, parents, students, and teachers regarded EMI as a privileged form of linguistic capital for developing advanced English skills, enhancing educational achievements and access to higher education, and increasing the chance of upward social and economic mobility. In contrary to these rosy perceptions of EMI with overtly superficial promises, switching to EMI, without enough teacher preparation and infrastructure support in the school, had contributed to several unplanned negative outcomes, including a contested process of developing the English proficiency. Despite the school’s claim of offering EMI education, Nepali was the actual language of instruction in the school due to teachers’ lack of proficiency in English and the school’s inadequate resources and preparedness for a shift to EMI. As a result, the students developed neither the content knowledge nor English language skills. Therefore, rather than being an educational equalizer, EMI has served to (re)produce linguistic marginalization and educational inequality and injustice for children from a lower socioeconomic status. We suggest critical reflection on EMI adoption and reenvision “sustainable additive multilingualism” in such contexts (Erling et al., 2016).

Identity, Social Mobility, and Ethnic Mobilization: Language and the Disintegration of the Soviet Union

The disintegration of the Soviet Union is an essential case for the study of ethnic politics and identity-based mobilization. However, analyses in this article demonstrate that commonly used measures of ethnic diversity and politically relevant group concentration show little consistent relationship with events of ethnic mobilization in Soviet regions during the period 1987-1992. In contrast, the proportion of a regional population that did not speak a metropolitan language has a consistently strong negative relationship with mobilization across these regions. In line with recent work on identity politics, I argue that a lack of proficiency in a metropolitan language marks nonspeakers as outsiders and hinders their social mobility. Regions with many of these individuals thus have a relatively high potential for identity-based mobilization. These findings provide further impetus for looking beyond ethnic groups in measuring identity-based cleavages, and indicate that language can play an important role in political outcomes aside from proxying ethnicity.

Spelling Errors as a Cry of Protest. The Idiosyncratic Language of the Baroness Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven

This article aims at analysing the spelling oddities in the still widely unknown corpus of the German-American poet Elsa von-Freytag Loringhoven (1874-1927). Such irregularities prove too widespread in her poetic work merely to be ascribed to her German origins, especially since her English was otherwise proficient, and since she had native speaker friends willing to proofread her writings. Although ‘the Baroness’ only learnt English in her thirties, recidivism in the misspelling of some particular words motivates further investigation. The Baroness’s poetic language is so rich in misspellings, mistranslations, coinages, portmanteau words and unusual idioms, that it is idiosyncratic and unique; clearly, a lack of proficiency in the English language cannot be identified as the (only) cause. Indeed, in a letter to Djuna Barnes, she declared: “It is written like half mad in syntax […] I am half mad – as is only sensible”. While such a statement is not to be taken literally, it is still true that the Baroness’s intolerance of social prescriptions, her alluring performances and daring behaviour caused her to be labelled as “hysteric, perverted and mad.” (Gammel 2003: 57) Spelling errors and other oddities in her corpus should therefore be reframed in a wider, programmatic intention to challenge the English language specifically, and verbal expression in general; ultimately, linguistic errors are one of the most interesting manifestations of her uncompromising non-acquiescence to rules.

Prevalence and risk of mental disorders in the perinatal period among migrant women: a systematic review and meta-analysis

This study was conducted in order to evaluate the prevalence and risk of mental disorders in the perinatal period among migrant women. Six databases (including MEDLINE) were searched from inception to October 19th, 2015, in addition to citation tracking. Studies were eligible if mental disorders were assessed with validated tools during pregnancy and up to 1 year postpartum among women born outside of the study country. Of 3241 abstracts screened, 53 met the inclusion criteria for the review. Only three studies investigated a mental disorder other than depression. Unadjusted odds ratios were pooled using random effects meta-analysis for elevated depression symptoms during pregnancy (n = 12) and the postpartum (n = 24), stratified by study country due to heterogeneity. Studies from Canada found an increased risk for antenatal (OR = 1.86, 95% CIs 1.32–2.62) and postnatal elevated depression symptoms (OR = 1.98, 95% CIs 1.57–2.49) associated with migrant status. Studies from the USA found a decreased risk of antenatal elevated depression symptoms (OR = 0.71, 95% CIs 0.51–0.99), and studies from the USA and Australia found no association between migrant status and postnatal elevated depression symptoms. Low social support, minority ethnicity, low socioeconomic status, lack of proficiency in host country language and refugee or asylum-seeking status all put migrant populations at increased risk of perinatal mental disorders.

A Historical Study of Immigration Phenomenon in Undeveloped Societies: Study of Economic Reasons of Immigration during Pahlavi I Period in Zahedan

During the reign of Reza Shah, policy of magisterial modernization was done on the basis of society modernization by importing products, civilization manifestations, modern management, monopolizing political power and governmentalizing economy. Social structures, under the influence of integration in global system and the effects caused by two world wars, as a semi-periphery region, did not stay away from unpleasant consequences of the situation such as immigration inside the borders of Iran and immigration among the political borders of Iran especially in eastern borders. Because of special geographical situation (border region) and economic situation (silk trade route), eastern borders had an important role in Iran’s exterritorial immigration system and were receptive to resident ethnics in neighbor countries (Hazara in Afghanistan, Sikh, etc.) and were also the entry gate of immigrants to eastern cities of Iran. In this research, emphasizing on Iran’s situation in global system, immigration and its causes on Zahedan have been studied. The results suggest that the strategic location of Zahedan was a predisposing factor of preliminary foundations such as railway for economy growth of the city and a small group of Hindus’ immigration for employment in this part. Gradually, central government actions in customs section and transportation development, turned Zahedan into a suitable region for trade that resulted immigration and habitation of many citizens of neighboring countries in order to work in economic fields. Because of disability in adaption to new conditions and lack of proficiency, many native inhabitants immigrated to the other regions.

La lectura en FLE por y para el aprendizaje

El proceso de aprendizaje de la lengua materna (LM) pasa por el dominio de las destrezas de comprensión y de interpretación. Según se recaba de los informes PISA 2009 y PISA 2012 (OCDE) aplicados a alumnos de quince años integrados en el sistema educativo, España ocupa una posición inferior a la media de la OCDE en la competencia lectora. Dicha constatación se hace extensible al aprendizaje de segundas lenguas. Los resultados obtenidos en FLE en comprensión escrita ponen de manifiesto un problema tanto a nivel de la comprensión profunda del texto como de su organización interna por parte del discente. Demostraremos que la falta de atención, la lectura superficial así como una carencia básica en el dominio de ciertas habilidades cognitivo-discursivas constituyen la causa fundamental de la incomprensión lectora.

Flexibility in individualized, competency-based workplace curricula with EPAs: Analyzing four cohorts of physician assistants in training

Background: Entrustable professional activities (EPAs) were introduced as a principle for individualized physician assistant (PA) workplace curricula at the University of Applied Sciences (UAS) Utrecht in 2008. We studied how the focus on EPAs served the competency-based flexibility intention of the program.Methods: We analyzed data of those 119 students who enrolled in the program 2010 through 2013, and completed the program before April 2016. We analyzed the number of EPAs per student at start and end of the program, number changed during training and the reasons for change.Results: Data of 101 students were suitable for evaluation. Excluded were 16 students ending the program prematurely and two with study delay.Mean number of EPAs per student at the start was 6.8 (range 4–12) and at the end 6.6 (range 3–13). On average 1.5 EPAs were altered (range 0–13). Reasons included extension of the EPA package during training (n = 10), lack of proficiency at planned moments of summative entrustment decisions (n = 9) and procedures not being suitable for PAs at closer look (n = 6). All changes resulted in a curriculum meeting the school’s standards for graduation.Conclusions: The flexibility of the EPA concept enabled changes in the individualized curriculum of students, according to the intended competency-based nature of the educational program.

A Prospective, Pre- and Post-comparative Study to assess Knowledge about Medical Writing

ABSTRACT Background Medical writing is an important component of any research starting with writing a research protocol up to its culmination into presentations and publications. In spite of numerous mandatory academic projects being undertaken in India, the research output in peer-reviewed journals remains low. Lack of proficiency in medical writing has been cited as one of the important causes for same. We conducted a pre- and post-continued medical education (CME) multiple choice questions (MCQs) questionnaire test to assess the baseline knowledge of the participants in this field and observe their improvement after the CME. Materials and methods 210 medical students and faculty from various medical disciplines participated in the workshop. Responses to a 15 item validated MCQs questionnaire under various headings such as literature search, spectrum of formats, statistics, references and reporting were collected from the participants of the CME. Results 40.48% of the participants responded for pre-CME questionnaire forms and 36.67% for the post-CME questionnaire forms. In the post-CME questionnaire, a vast improvement was obtained in almost all questions, observed most prominently in the sections on literature search, referencing and reporting guidelines. Conclusion Training programs in medical writing should be included as a part of the curriculum from undergraduate days. Till the time that this becomes a reality, we should continue to equip ourselves with good medical writing skills by organizing such educative programs. How to cite this article Salgaonkar S, Wajekar AS, Lakhotia A. A Prospective, Pre- and Post-comparative Study to assess Knowledge about Medical Writing. Res Inno in Anesth 2017;2(1):1-3.

Quality of MBA Programs-Challenges for Thai Universities in the New ASEAN Economic Community (AEC)

Thailand as a country has been experiencing rapid increases in student enrollments in higher education. This has also led to creation of a variety of MBA programs. While it is largely debated, it is possible that the demand for MBA degrees would continue to grow. Although MBA programs in Thailand are proliferating but institutions with a good brand value are still lacking. The problem of MBA programs is more than rapid proliferation of below average management institutions. They impart substandard training through inefficient processes to youngsters who lack aptitude for management and leadership skills. Many of them are virtually teaching shops to make money in the garb of imparting management training. These so called MBAs provide paper certificates and degrees with hardly any training, skills, and competencies to manage systems, processes or people. This is the main reason most MBA degree appears to be outdated. Some experts believe that most MBA programs have already reached their pinnacle. New crop of students are now seeking outcomes which are measurable at the end of the MBA program- an employment guarantee. This pressure on Business Schools could lead to reforms in the traditional MBA programs. New approaches to learning such as skill-based training in collaboration with public and private sector will help in improving the quality of MBA programs. Many experts believe that MBA as a subject of study is not losing its sheen; rather it has become a necessary degree to reach pinnacles of successes in most areas of organized activities. This paper provides an insight into the ongoing struggle for improving MBA programs in Thailand in context of the new Asean Economic Community (AEC). While quality of higher education is struggling, changing times warrant a change in priorities. Time has come to radically evaluate MBA programs in Thailand and revamp and realign them with digital economy and business practices driven by new technologies in Singapore and Malaysia, the two dominant economies in the new AEC. Objectives: This case study is an attempt to explore the status of MBA programs because of their special significance for Thailand and other members of Asean Economic Community (AEC) aspiring to become digital economies. Methods/Statistical Analysis: Methodology for this case study involves 10 years of personal observations and firsthand experiences in MBA programs in Thailand and Vietnam. The author who came to Bangkok as a Fulbright Scholar hails from Seattle, USA where he worked as a business faculty. To support my own assertions about the quality of MBA programs in Thailand many other research studies have been cited and included in the references. Findings: In some small ways this case study brings forth the evidence that suggest that the current MBA programs need to reconsider their role and value in Thai businesses. Lack of proficiency in English language remains a key barrier. While increasing number of institutions in the region are offering international MBA programs, the English language proficiency of students in Thailand remains very low. The other reason behind declining quality of MBA is that the curriculum is not up to date. This puts a significant impact on international rankings of Thai universities. Thai business schools should also strive to enhance collaboration with industry to improve the quality of MBA graduates can successfully get a job in Thailand and elsewhere in AEC. The message to those Thai students considering the MBA route is that employers in the region have wised up: all MBAs are not the same, and it pays to choose carefully. More so, if they are looking for work in the rapidly expanding digital economies in AEC. Conclusion/Improvements: There is enough evidence to prove that quality of MBAs in Thailand is low because of the sheer number of business schools offering it, the outdated curriculum and lack of industry alliances.

PENGARUH METODE READING ALOUD TERHADAP KEMAMPUAN MEMBACA PEMAHAMAN MAHASISWA JURUSAN BAHASA JEPANG

Abstract Reading comprehension is a process to recognize or identify text, and then recall the contents of the text. Reading comprehension can also be meant as an activity to make a sequence of descriptions, can be evaluated as well as to respond to what is expressed or implied in the text. Reading comprehension, especially in Japanese is required by students majoring in Japanese language in the course dokkai 2 (reading comprehension), due to a lack of proficiency in reading comprehension Japanese will make Japanese language is difficult, it is to help students understand the reading in Japanese, used active learning methods type of reading aloud. Active learning methods type of reading aloud can help improve students' understanding of the discourse, to remember vocabulary constantly, and recognize new words that appear in the context of the passage. The use of active learning methods type of reading aloud to facilitate the understanding of the Japanese language discourse. Because it was evident the students better understand Japanese discourse after use active learning methods type of reading aloud. In addition, the use of active learning methods type of reading aloud can create active learning and independent and attractive, so as to motivate the students to understand the discourse of Japanese. Keywords: reading aloud, membaca pemahaman

APPLICATION OF INFORMATION ANALYSIS SYSTEM IN THE SPHERE OF HISTORICAL EDUCATION: ADVANTAGES AND PROBLEMS

Under the conditions of informatization in different spheres of society living, including educational sphere, investigation universities' experience in applying of concrete information analysis systems (IAS), their structure and capabilities becomes more and more popular. The article using information analysis system of Kazan Federal (KFU) Electronic University deals with advantages of usage information analysis systems in the sphere of historical education implemented in the Institute of International Relations, History and Oriental Studies, problems connected with such systems and ways of overcoming these problems. Among advantages there are reduction of time spent on the preparation of documents related to the educational process, the reduction of the hard-copy paperwork, strengthening and facilitating the communication between teachers and students, improving the competitive ability of educational services, standardization of processes in the sphere of educational activities, etc. Among problems there are voluminosity and difficult control system of IAS, duplication of training materials in the IAS and traditional document management, technical issues, lack of proficiency in the skills of employees working in the IAS, etc. And it is possible to solve these problems by creating hierarchical system of subordination of the moderators, introducing in IAS the special functions for monitoring and correction of technical problems, introducing regular system of training of employees working in the IAS

MULTILINGUALISM AND IMAGES OF THE OTHER: FROM CONFLICT BETWEEN NATIONS TO DIALOGUE OF CIVILIZATIONS

In this era of war of words, multiple language acquisition and cultural awareness can be tools to end misunderstanding and conflicts between civilizations. Language barriers lead to poor communication, and establishing a multilingual society can eradicate misunderstanding stemming from lack of proficiency in one another’s languages and ways of thinking. This study investigates in detail the benefits of multilingualism for civilizational dialogue , and focuses on the importance of utilizing mass media to foster such communication. It addresses the relationship between multilingualism and constructive dialogue, proving that multilingualism is not a “problem” to be “solved.” Some historical and contemporary examples of the importance of language in civilizational dialogue have been introduced to prove the positive effects of multilingualism. These examples show how mastering more languages might have a positive impact on societies. Also, a total of 159 participants speaking more than one language were administered a questionnaire. The majority of participants agreed that multilingualism promotes civilizational dialogue more than monolingualism does. They agreed that political and religious clashes stem from cultural differences in the understanding of some words. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7220/2335-2027.8.2

Identifying the need for and content of an advanced laparoscopic skills curriculum: results of a national survey

BackgroundA recent survey of fellowship directors suggested significant deficits in the technical laparoscopic skills of graduated general surgery residents. Our aim was to define the need for and possible content of a simulation-based curriculum in advanced laparoscopic skills (ALS). MethodsAn anonymous online survey was distributed to all Fellowship Council program directors (PDs), current fellows, and recent fellowship graduates. The survey was designed to assess the perceived need for, possible content of, and implementation challenges to an ALS curriculum. Recently developed simulation-based advanced laparoscopic tasks included off-angle camera work and restricted space suturing. Images and descriptions of these tasks were evaluated by respondents, and suggestions for modifications or improvements solicited via free text response. ResultsOf 186 respondents (response rate: 64%), 40% were current fellows, 22% were fellowship graduates, and 37% were PDs. Respondents primarily self-identified as minimally invasive and/or bariatric surgeons (78%) and hepatobiliary surgeons (12%). Most respondents (73%) identified a need for an ALS curriculum. All 3 respondent groups cited laparoscopic needle positioning and suturing (78%) and bimanual coordination during dissection and retraction (72%) as the skills in most need of improvement. In addition, most of the responding PDs identified “lack of familiarity with anatomy and procedure” (74% of PDs) and “lack of proficiency at laparoscopic bowel anastomosis” (59% of PDs) as problem areas. Respondents felt that successful implementation of an ALS curriculum depended on both overall feasibility and the ability for repeated practice and should not be dependent on cost. Thematic analysis of free responses revealed the following priorities for possible ALS skills and tasks: (1) difficult dissections and exposures, (2) forehand and/or backhand and suturing under tension, (3) nondominant hand drills, (4) working with an off-set camera, and (5) suturing and handling fragile tissue with properties similar to peritoneum or bowel. ConclusionsWe present survey results identifying several specific ALS set deficits among graduating general surgery residents, including advanced suturing, bimanual coordination, and managing difficult anatomy. Next, the results of this needs assessment will be used to develop an advanced laparoscopic curriculum for residents entering minimally invasive surgery fellowships and careers.

Agonist-to-antagonist dependency during target-directed isometric elbow flexion and extension.

Muscle coordination during isometric elbow contraction was investigated in this study in order to understand the agonist-to-antagonist dependency. 15 healthy subjects were recruited and instructed to perform target-directed isometric elbow flexion and extension. Electromyography (EMG) signals from both biceps and triceps were captured. Root mean square (RMS) of the EMG signals was applied to reflect the muscle activation level and fuzzy approximate entropy (fApEn) was utilized to represent the complexity of EMG signals. Mutual information (MI) was applied to analyze the inter-dependency between biceps brachii and triceps brachii. The differences in RMS and fApEn between elbow flexion and extension were non-significant. And the MI between the biceps and triceps during isometric extension was significantly higher than that during isometric flexion. Our results suggested that the lack of proficiency in using triceps may result in more dependency towards the use of antagonist during isometric elbow extension than elbow flexion.