Lower Language Skills Research Articles

Digital health literacy of adults with low reading and writing skills: A mixed-methods study

Abstract Background Around 12% of the adult population living in Germany have low reading and writing skills. Little is known about their digital health literacy and use of digital health technologies. The objectives of the Liter@te study were to assess the digital health literacy of adults with low reading and writing skills and to explore which digital tools they used in everyday life. Methods A cross-sectional survey (n = 96) and five focus groups (n = 39) were conducted with adults aged 18-64 years with low reading and writing skills. Digital health literacy was measured using the eHEALS scale and compared with results from a nationwide sample. Focus group participants completed a task course on digital health information and then discussed their experiences. Survey data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression. Qualitative content analysis was applied to analyze the focus group data. Results Survey participants were on average 44 years old, 72% were female and 92% were not born in Germany. Compared to the nationwide survey, use of digital health technologies and digital health literacy were lower. In addition, use of digital health technologies was associated with higher digital health literacy. Lack of technical skills, language problems, and searching and finding health information online were most challenging for focus group participants (mean age 43 years, 87% female). Focus group participants reported that they prefer videos when searching for health information online and seek support from family members or local organizations if they cannot find a solution to their health issue. Conclusions Adults with low reading and writing skills search for health information online, but have difficulties to find the appropriate information. Interventions to promote digital health literacy are needed to ensure that persons with low reading and writing skills are not further left behind. Key messages • Adults with low language skills have a low digital health literacy. • Reading and writing requirements and lack of technical skills make it difficult for them to search health information online.

Online Political Participation of Refugees in Germany: Analysis of a Survey in Bavaria

New media are an important resource for the political participation of marginalized groups. However, there is still a lack of knowledge about the factors that influence whether this opportunity is used. Influencing factors emerge from both the Civic Voluntarism Model and previous research on migrants’ political activity. Using data collected in 2019/2020 from 486 refugees living in Bavaria, we estimate linear probability models to investigate facilitating factors for the use of new media for political participation. The analysis shows that refugees in Germany who inform themselves about politics online tend to be predominantly male, higher educated, and politically involved. Language skills and the duration of stay also appear to be important. For the expression of one’s political opinion online, gender and language skills have an impact, but informing oneself about German politics, political interest, and offline political activity in Germany are the most relevant factors. This indicates that there is a close link between on- und offline activity. However, using the internet requires particular resources, so that people with lower language skills, for example, are particularly disadvantaged.

Exploring the integration of culturally and linguistically diverse nurses and nursing students in healthcare: A cross-sectional study

AimTo investigate the factors that influence the integration of CALD nurses and nursing students into the healthcare system and to explore their perception of integration. BackgroundIn many countries, strengthening the nursing workforce requires a ramping up of international recruitment. Culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) nurses and nursing students experience significant challenges when integrating into new healthcare systems. DesignData for this cross-sectional observational study were collected electronically from CALD nurses (n = 15) and from nursing students (n = 87). MethodsThree new instruments were developed and used to measure nurses’ own role at work, cultural and linguistic diversity at work, and the professional competence development. Likert scale from 1 to 4 was used to evaluate the agreement rate. The study data were analysed using K-means cluster analysis to determine the integration profiles. ResultsThree integration profiles (A, B, and C) were identified based on the participants' self-assessed perceptions of integration. Perceptions of each profile ranged from low (≤2.49) to high (≥3.50), with most being intermediate (2.50–3.49). Further, the perceptions of integration were lowest in Profile A and highest in Profile C. The profiles differed statistically significantly in all other measured integration areas, except CALD nurses’ language skills and in the nurses’ ability to develop their skills. Individuals educated in Finland, who have clinical practice experience and assessed their language proficiency at least at an intermediate level, demonstrated better performance, a deeper understanding of the nurse's role in healthcare, greater confidence in their skills, and fewer experiences of discrimination. ConclusionsIntegration is weakest among those with lower language skills and who completed their education outside of Finland. Healthcare organisations should develop integration models and mentoring programmes informed by new insights to support the integration of CALD nurses into the healthcare system. These models and programmes could help CALD nurses and nursing students to better understand their roles in healthcare.

A common genetic variant in the Neurexin family member CNTNAP2 is related to language but not communication skills in youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

One of the candidate genes related to language variability in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is the contactin-associated protein-like 2 gene (CNTNAP2), a member of the Neurexin family. However, due to the different assessment tools used, it is unknown whether the polymorphisms of the CNTNAP2 gene are linked to structural language skills or more general communication abilities. A total of 302 youth aged 7 to 18 years participated in the present study: 131 verbal youth with ASD (62 female), 130 typically developing (TD) youth (64 female), and 41 unaffected siblings (US) of youth with ASD (25 female). Blood samples were collected to obtain genomic DNA and processed by the Rutgers University Cell and Data Repository or using standard protocols (Gentra Puregene Blood DNA extraction kit; Qiagen). Language and verbal communication skills were screened with the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamental-4 (CELF-4) and Vineland-II Communication domain, subsequently. The results showed that the polymorphism of CNTNAP2 (SNP rs2710102) was related to structural language abilities, such that participants carrying the A-allele had lower language skills in comparison to the G-allele homozygotes. No relationship was found between the polymorphism of CNTNAP2 and more general communication abilities. Although the study revealed genetic mechanisms that are associated with CELF-4 measures but not Vineland-II in youth with ASD, follow-up studies are needed that will include measures of language and communication that are less correlated to each other as well as will include a group of minimally and/or non-verbal individuals with ASD.

The Neural Bases of Language Processing During Social and Non-Social Contexts: A fNIRS Study of Autistic and Neurotypical Preschool-Aged Children.

Little is known about how the brains of autistic children process language during real-world "social contexts," despite the fact that challenges with language, communication, and social interaction are core features of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). We investigated the neural bases of language processing during social and non-social contexts in a sample of N=20 autistic and N=20 neurotypical (NT) preschool-aged children, 3 to 6 years old. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was used to measure children's brain response to "live language" spoken by a live experimenter during an in-person social context (i.e., book reading), and "recorded language" played via an audio recording during a non-social context (i.e., screen time). We examined within-group and between-group differences in the strength and localization of brain response to live language and recorded language, as well as correlations between children's brain response and language skills measured by the Preschool Language Scales. In the NT group, brain response to live language was greater than brain response to recorded language in the right temporal parietal junction (TPJ). In the ASD group, the strength of brain response did not differ between conditions. The ASD group showed greater brain response to recorded language than the NT group in the right inferior and middle frontal gyrus (IMFG). Across groups, children's language skills were negatively associated with brain response to recorded language in the right IMFG, suggesting that processing recorded language required more cognitive effort for children with lower language skills. Children's language skills were also positively associated with the difference in brain response between conditions in the right TPJ, demonstrating that children who showed a greater difference in brain response to live language versus recorded language had higher language skills. Findings should be considered preliminary until they are replicated in a larger sample. Findings suggest that the brains of NT children, but not autistic children, process language differently during social and non-social contexts. Individual differences in how the brain processes language during social and non-social contexts may help to explain why language skills are so variable across children with and without autism.

Co-occurrence and cognitive basis of low language and low reading skills in children speaking a transparent language

AbstractWe investigated the comorbidity of low language and reading skills in 6- to 8-year-old monolingual Polish-speaking children (N = 962) using three different approaches: norming data to determine the prevalence of co-morbid difficulties, group comparisons of profiles on key cognitive-linguistic measures, and a case series analysis examining the frequency of single versus multiple deficits. We identified four groups of children based on their oral language and reading skills: children with low oral language skills alone, low reading skills alone, comorbid low language/reading skills, and typically developing chronological-age controls. We characterized the four groups (n = 38 per group) in terms of oral language and reading skills measured with normed test batteries, and in terms of the cognitive-linguistic profiles measured by the phonological awareness test (PA), rapid automatized naming test (RAN), and nonword repetition tests (NWR). We found that 24–31% of children with one type of difficulty had comorbid difficulties in the other domain. All groups differed significantly in cognitive-linguistic profiles. For each measure, the comorbid group had the lowest results. The group of children with isolated low language skills had better results than the comorbid group in (1) Sentence repetition (sub-test in an oral language test), (2) discrimination-based, blending-based, and elision-based PA sub-tests, (3) RAN (both digits and letters). The group with isolated low reading skills had better results than the comorbid group in: (1) discrimination-based PA sub-test, (2) NWR tests. The results indicate differences in cognitive-linguistic profiles between the groups with low language and/or low reading skills. They highlight the need to control for both types of difficulties in researching low language and/or reading skills, and to screen for comorbid issues while diagnosing children.

Parents’ understanding of medication at discharge and potential harm in children with medical complexity

ObjectiveChildren with medical complexity (CMC) are among the most vulnerable patient groups. This study aimed to evaluate their prevalence and risk factors for medication misunderstanding and potential harm (PH) at...

Faktor Rendahnya Kemampuan Literasi Bahasa Anak PAUD KB Durratul Hikmah

This exploration is expected to describe the internal and external elements apart from the reason for the low language skills in PAUD KB DURRATUL HIKMAH Balantak Area. This exploration is a fascinating test. The test subjects consist of superiors and subordinates. Data collection techniques are equipped with perceptions, interviews. The research results show that 1) the factors causing the low reading ability of teenagers include: a) Understanding of teaching staff and training in relation to the development of school education. b) students. 2) External factors that cause students' low reading ability include: a). the family climate is less stable, especially interest in reading in the family is still low and most parents rarely take their students to the bookstore h. b) less creative experts. c) the child himself. d) the impact of sitting in front of the TV and using a cell phone.

Language Skills Influence Transition Planning in Adolescents With Fragile X Syndrome.

Individuals with fragile X syndrome (FXS) and their parents have a range of experiences navigating the crucial transition period between adolescence and adulthood. Semistructured interviews of 47 mothers of adolescents with FXS (mean child age = 15.89 years) were analyzed to identify mothers' changing expectations during the adolescent period and parent goals related to work and postsecondary education. Mothers' work and education goals were explored in relation to child factors such as language skills and autism characteristics. Lower language skills were associated with lower likelihood of reporting vocational goals. Results suggest that adolescents with FXS with lower language ability are less likely to have vocational plans for adulthood during this critical period and may need greater transition planning assistance.

Prevention of Prenatal Stunting at Bhayangkara Hospital Nganjuk

Efforts to prevent stunting are not only carried out at public health centers, but all agencies are expected to actively participate in preventing stunting, especially hospitals which are required to implement national programs regarding stunting. Stunting is a problem of chronic malnutrition caused by a lack of nutritional intake over a long period of time. This causes problems in the future, namely difficulties in achieving optimal physical and cognitive development. Stunted children have a lower Intelligence Quotient (IQ) than the average IQ of normal children (Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia, 2018). Stunting is defined as a condition where the child's nutritional status according to TB/U results in a Z Score = <-2 SD, this indicates a short or very short body condition resulting from growth failure. Stunting in children is also a risk factor for death, problems with low motor development, low language skills, and functional imbalance (Anwar, Khomsan, and Mauludyani, 2014). Children who experience stunting as a result of someone not getting the right amount of nutritional intake over a long period of time (chronic). So that,stunting can actually be prevented with adequate nutritional intake, especially in the first 1000 days of life. This study aims to analyze efforts to prevent stunting during the prenatal period. The method used in this research is path analysis, by combining TRA and TPB theories to obtain 3 variables, namely environment, knowledge and behavior. Based on merger theory of behavior change TRA and TPB research can be concluded that the environment social pregnant women, knowledge about efforts to prevent stunting in pregnant women and the behavior of pregnant women regarding preventing stunting are all influential. This research concludes that stunting can be prevented from influencing factors starting from the prenatal period. Because adequate nutrition and the health of pregnant women greatly influence the growth of the fetus in the womb, which if there is a lack of intake can result in stunting.

Application of the Storytelling Method to Improve Early Childhood Language Development at Islamic Kindergarten Al Ittifaqiah Indralaya

Classroom Action Research is one of the efforts that can be taken by teachers/researchers to test the effectiveness of a learning method and measure students' abilities in their treatment in a research class. Based on the low language skills of students in the Ittifaqiah Indralaya Islamic Kindergarten students, where in initial observations only 25% of my students had fairly good language skills, the researcher then conducted PTK using the storytelling method. The research was carried out for two cycles in which two actions were carried out in each cycle. Based on the results of the first action of cycle I, an increase of 60% was achieved, which was then followed by the second action of cycle I, which achieved an increase of 85%. In the first action cycle II, the research target of 90% was exceeded to 95% or leaving 1 student who had not reached the specified KKM. Based on the data analysis, it can be concluded that the storytelling method is successful in improving the language skills of Ittifaqiah Indralaya Islamic Kindergarten students.

The Relationship between Communication in the Family and the Development of Speech in Children Aged 5-6 Years in RW 03 Patenggangan

This research is motivated by the low language skills of children. This is evidenced by the number of children who cannot provide answers to complex and clear questions, children are not able to communicate in simple and easy-to-understand sentences, suspected of lack of communication in the family. This study aims to: 1) see the picture of communication in the family. 2) Look at the picture of the language development of children aged 5-6 years. 3) Seeing the relationship of family communication with language development in children aged 5-6 years. The method used in this research is a correlational type quantitative approach. The population in this study are mothers who have children aged 5-6 years in RW 03 Air Tawar Barat Village as many as 56 people. The sample used by the researcher is cluster random sampling. The data collection technique used is in the form of a questionnaire. The data analysis technique uses the percentage formula and product moment. The results showed: 1) The description of family communication in RW 03 was considered good. 2) The description of the language development of children aged 5-6 years in RW 03 is not good. 3) There is a relationship of communication in the family with the language development of children aged 5-6 years in RW 03. Keyword: Communication, Speech development

Analisis Produksi Tanda (Semiotik) Pada Siswa Dibedakan dari Kemampuan Bahasa


 Semiotics has an important role in supporting the success of mathematics problems solving. In mathematics everything that related to the signs, symbols and relations between symbols is called semiotics. In this study, semiotics means the ability producing signs including the symbolization process, the coding process and the meaning process as a part of a code system for communicating the information. The purpose of this study is to find out the detailed description of students' semiotic ability in solving the linear program problems which is distinguished from the language skill. Researchers tested the credibility and validity of the data using the triangulation source. The results of the study shows that students who have high language skills are able to do these three processes. So that the information conveyed from the results of the problem solving becomes a meaningful information. Students who have medium language skills have difficulty in the process of symbolization and meaning. Consequentlly, the information conveyed is incomplete. Meanwhile students who have low language skills have difficulty in these three processes. So that students have not been able to convey information from the results of their work.

Pre-service teachers’ attitudes about teaching and learning in multilingual classrooms. Insights from the Austrian-wide summer school programme in 2021

ABSTRACT COVID-19-related school closures have caused educational disadvantages for school children around the world. Against this background, many countries have introduced catch-up programmes to counteract the growing educational inequality. The Austrian summer school was offered as such a supportive measure and primarily targeted learners with learning gaps, lower language skills, and German as an additional or second language (L2). In addition, pre-service teachers (PSTs) were, and still are, mainly involved in teaching during summer school. This study examines the extent to which PSTs believe they have the requisite knowledge and skills concerning linguistically and culturally responsive approaches to teach in multilingual classrooms to support students in catching up with potential learning losses. For this purpose, an online survey study was conducted during the nationwide implementation of the Austrian summer school 2021. Altogether, 109 PSTs in Western and Northeastern Austria were surveyed before and after participating in the summer school. The results show that despite their lack of knowledge and skills around linguistically responsive teaching approaches, PSTs experienced the summer school as a positive learning opportunity that improved their understanding of multilingualism and, according to their own assessments, supported their teaching skills in linguistically and culturally diverse contexts.

SOLVING ESP PROBLEMS: STUDENTS AND TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF INTEGRATING INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY INTO ESP INSTRUCTION

Background and Purpose: English for Specific Purposes (ESP) instruction in Iran is still mostly focused on traditional ways. This study aims to investigate ESP teachers’ and students’ perceptions of integrating Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in ESP instruction to solve traditional ESP instruction problems in Iran.
 
 Methodology: This concurrent parallel mixed method study investigated students’ and teachers’ perceptions of solving ESP instruction problems through ICT. The sample concluded 300 undergraduate engineering students and 24 experienced and novice ESP teachers. In the quantitative phase of the study, data were collected through two adapted questionnaires. In the qualitative phase, data were obtained from interviews with 12 undergraduate students, three experienced, and three novice ESP teachers.
 
 Findings: The findings revealed that the participants had positive perceptions of integrating different ICT tools for solving the problems with traditional ESP materials and methods, problems with low language skills, lack of autonomy, demotivation problem, inactivity problem, and problems with lack of exposure to real-life situations. The findings also showed that integrating different ICT tools and ICT-based interactive activities promote students’ communication skills subconsciously through experiencing direct participation in communications.
 
 Conclusion and Contributions:he findings might contribute significantly to change the ESP instruction status quo in Iran, which is not based on the ESP students’ communication needs, and replace it with innovative approaches to meet the needs of the modern ESP student. The results also provide a unique outlook of promoting ESP instruction in tertiary education by integrating ICTs through divergent stakeholder perceptions.
 
 Keywords: English for Specific Purposes (ESP), Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Perception, Promoting English for Specific Purposes instruction
 
 Cite as: Keshtiarast, B., Salehi, H., Tabatabaei, O., & Baharlooie, R. (2022). Solving ESP problems: Students and teachers’ perceptions of integrating information and communication technology into ESP instruction. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 7(2), 444-472. http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol7iss2pp444-472

Indirect Relations between Language and Behavior Problems in Preschoolers: The Role of Executive Difficulties

The present study investigated the concurrent relations between language ability, executive difficulties, and behavior problems in a sample of 142 preschoolers ranging in age between 3 and 6 years of age. Language skills were assessed with a direct task, whereas ratings of executive difficulties and behavior problems were obtained from teachers. Regression analyses indicated that difficulties in flexibility and inhibitory self-control were positively associated with internalizing problems, and difficulties in inhibitory self-control were positively associated with externalizing problems. The associations between emergent metacognition and internalizing problems and between inhibitory self-control and externalizing problems were both moderated by sex, being stronger in boys than in girls. Lastly, language had indirect effects on internalizing problems by decreasing children’s difficulties in flexibility, as well as on externalizing problems by decreasing children’ difficulties in inhibitory self-control. Overall, these findings support the idea that low language skills may interfere with preschoolers’ ability to exploit the executive functions of inner language to self-regulate their own behaviors, especially in boys.

Combining voice and language features improves automated autism detection.

Variability in expressive and receptive language, difficulty with pragmatic language, and prosodic difficulties are all features of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Quantifying language and voice characteristics is an important step for measuring outcomes for autistic people, yet clinical measurement is cumbersome and costly. Using natural language processing (NLP) methods and a harmonic model of speech, we analyzed language transcripts and audio recordings to automatically classify individuals as ASD or non-ASD. One-hundred fifty-eight participants (88 ASD, 70 non-ASD) ages 7 to 17 were evaluated with the autism diagnostic observation schedule (ADOS-2), module 3. The ADOS-2 was transcribed following modified SALT guidelines. Seven automated language measures (ALMs) and 10 automated voice measures (AVMs) for each participant were generated from the transcripts and audio of one ADOS-2 task. The measures were analyzed using support vector machine (SVM; a binary classifier) and receiver operating characteristic (ROC). The AVM model resulted in an ROC area under the curve (AUC) of 0.7800, the ALM model an AUC of 0.8748, and the combined model a significantly improved AUC of 0.9205. The ALM model better detected ASD participants who were younger and had lower language skills and shorter activity time. ASD participants detected by the AVM model had better language profiles than those detected by the language model. In combination, automated measurement of language and voice characteristics successfully differentiated children with and without autism. This methodology could help design robust outcome measures for future research. LAY SUMMARY: People with autism often struggle with communication differences which traditional clinical measures and language tests cannot fully capture. Using language transcripts and audio recordings from 158 children ages 7 to 17, we showed that automated, objective language and voice measurements successfully predict the child's diagnosis. This methodology could help design improved outcome measures for research.

Developing E-Modul Based Mobile Learning as an Interactive Media

English is still a frightening spectrum for most students in Indonesia. English learning with conventional methods is one of the causes of students' lack of motivation in learning English which has an impact on their low English language skills. One way that can be done to resolve this problem through E-Module as an interactive media. The aim of this case study was to examine the improvement of students’ motivation and English ability by using E-Module based on mobile learning as an interactive media on teaching English. The students’ motivation and ability were still fair. Based on the researcher’s observation in classroom, most of students are not eager in studying English; they had difficulty in speaking, listening, reading, and writing. The research was done in two cycles. The data of this research were analyzed by using two techniques. The quantitative data was analyzed by using the mean score to see the average score gained by the students in individual E-Module based on mobile learning as an interactive media test on four skills. The qualitative data was analyzed through data conducted from observation, field notes and interview. The finding showed that the students’ motivation and English ability for the Senior High School Student through E-Module based on mobile learning as an interactive media improved. The results of this research are expected to become recommendations for teachers to enhance the effectiveness of the learning English at schoo

Relations between reading skill level in fifth grade and functional language skills at toddler age

ABSTRACT This retrospective study, undertaken in Norway, examines how reading skills level in 851 fifth graders are related to how the children used their language skills in play and everyday activities as toddlers. Data were collected with the Norwegian National Reading Test and through structured observations by staff in Early Childhood Education institutions using the TRAS (Early Registration of Language Skills) instrument. Children with low reading skills had lower language skills than the group with high reading skills for both TRAS total and the different TRAS sections; effect sizes varied from small to moderate. The group with moderate reading skills had better results for TRAS total than the group with low reading skills but weaker results than the group with high reading skills. In the TRAS sections, whether the moderate skills group differed from the other groups varied. The results imply the need for early intervention to start at toddler age.

Developing Preschool Language Surveillance Models - Cumulative and Clustering Patterns of Early Life Factors in the Early Language in Victoria Study Cohort.

BackgroundScreening and surveillance of development are integral to ensuring effective early identification and intervention strategies for children with vulnerabilities. However, not all developmental skills have reliable screening processes, such as early language ability.MethodWe describe how a set of early life factors used in a large, prospective community cohort from Australia are associated with language abilities across the preschool years, and determine if either an accumulation of risk factors or a clustering of risk factors provide a feasible approach to surveillance of language development in preschool children.ResultsThere were 1,208 children with a 7-year language outcome. The accumulation of early life factors increased the likelihood of children having low language skills at 7-years. Over a third of children with typical language skills (36.6%) had ≤ two risks and half of the children with low language (50%) had six or more risks. As the number of factors increases the risk of having low language at 7-years increases, for example, children with six or more risks had 17 times greater risk, compared to those with ≤ two risks. Data collected from 1,910 children at 8- to 12-months were used in the latent class modeling. Four profile classes (or groups) were identified. The largest group was developmentally enabled with a supportive home learning environment (56.2%, n = 1,073). The second group was vulnerable, both developmentally and in their home learning environment (31.2%, n = 596); the third group was socially disadvantaged with a vulnerable home learning environment (7.4%, n = 142); the final group featured maternal mental health problems and vulnerable child socio-emotional adjustment (5.2%, n = 99). Compared to developmentally enabled children, the risk of low language at 7-years was greater for children in the three other groups.ConclusionThe cumulative and cluster risk analyses demonstrate the potential to use developmental surveillance to identify children within the first years of life who are at risk of language difficulties. Importantly, parent-child interaction and the home learning environment emerged as a consistent cluster. We recommend they be adopted as the common focus for early intervention and universal language promotion programs.