Perceptual Skills Research Articles

Moroccan EFL Teachers’ Perception of 21st-Century Skills in Moroccan Public Schools

This study aims to investigate Moroccan EFL teachers’ perceptions of the use of 21st-century skills in public school classes. Fifty-one Moroccan teachers from both middle school and high school participated in a survey to collect data. The results showed that Moroccan EFL teachers agreed that 21st-century skills are a positive plus in students’ competencies. The data analysis was done statistically using an online survey that was sent to them through emails and WhatsApp groups. Teachers’ responses showed the importance of 21st-century skills on students’ performance and autonomy, as well as learning and acquiring knowledge in a manner distinct from the conventional approach.

Incorporating Engineering Skills Training in Engineering Programs

In recent years, shop training in Canadian public schools has declined. Coupled with the steadily decreasing cost of/increased exposure to new manufacturing techniques, many novice engineering students do not know/appreciate the role of machining in design and manufacturing. This deficit in understanding of manufacturing processes, their abilities and deficiencies, and their role in design is a significant weakness. A short duration activity was created to introduce students to various operations on lathes, mills, and drill presses through the manufacturing of a small keychain. During each session, a pair of students entered the machine shop every 10 minutes and moved through the machining processes with their keychain blanks assembly-line style. Feedback was collected from both student participants, and TA supervisors to inform continuous improvement of the activity. Results indicate that students perception of skill as well as their comfort level on the lathe, mill and drill press all increased. Results also demonstrate that there is an increase in student interest in machining after the completion of the keychain activity. Response from TAs indicated that while supervising the activity was a significant burden on them, overall it was worth it for the student participants.

Student perceptions of transferable skills learned during a simulated placement

ABSTRACT This research explores students’ perceptions of the knowledge and skills gained from a 12-day simulated placement that could transfer to future placements and workplaces. Using thematic analysis we constructed five themes that collectively highlight the broad range of generic and profession-specific knowledge and skills that speech and language therapy students recognised could transfer to future contexts: 1) Extending communication skills benefits future interactions 2) Confidence in skills aids future clinical practice 3) New workplace skills support effective practice 4) Enhanced client-centred care skills are transferable 5) Understanding the ways in which learning occurred assists future learning. Our study affirms students can develop knowledge and skills during simulated placements in areas relevant to graduate expectations in speech and language therapy and other health professions. The study adds to understanding about learning transfer during and beyond student training programmes which can inform university curricula, workplace placement educators and managers supporting new graduates.

Delivering Serious News in Pediatric Cardiology-A Pilot Program.

Pediatric cardiology fellows receive limited training on delivering serious news. This is a teachable skill through simulation-based communication. While studies have shown the use of communication courses in pediatrics, there have been none in pediatric cardiology. Pediatric cardiologists recognize the importance of good communication and desire further development of these skills. Based on an internal needs assessment, three cases were developed; fetal hypoplastic left heart syndrome, teenager with new hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and young-adult with Fontan failure. A 4-h simulation course using evidence-based methods to teach delivering serious news was designed, consisting of a didactic session, case demonstration and small group case-based encounters with simulated patients. Trainees completed standardized pre/post-course surveys to assess perception of skill and preparedness. Paired survey responses were compared. Six pediatric cardiology fellows participated. Only 33% had received formal training in delivering serious news and 17% in techniques of responding to patient's emotions. The proportion of participants who felt good about their ability to deliver serious news and deal with a family's emotions increased from 0 to 83%. The proportion of participants who felt prepared to provide serious news about a patient's illness increased from 17 to 67%. Given the small number of participants, results were not statistically significant. All participants felt that the course was valuable in improving communication skills. A formal communication course increased perception of skill and preparedness among trainees. We provide an evidence-based framework and clinical cases for delivering serious news in pediatric cardiology, which is generalizable to other training programs.

Update and validation of the early word perception test in the Spanish language

IntroductionIt is extremely important to assess speech perception skills in children with hearing loss, since these skills are essential to guide the rehabilitation process. ObjectiveUpdate and validate the Early Speech Perception test in Spanish in normal-hearing children. MethodDifferent drawings were selected from children's books used daily in the work of teachers and speech therapists. 69 children aged between 3 and 8 years old participated in the study, divided into 6 groups by age (group 1, 3 years of age (n = 13); group 2, 4 years of age (n = 15); group 3, 5 years of age (n = 12); group 4, 6 years of age (n = 8); group 5, 7 years of age (n = 10); group 6, 8 years of age (n = 11)). For each category of the test, the children had to name and point to the corresponding drawing. ResultsThe difference between age and gender groups was statistically evaluated. For the naming phase, a significant difference was observed between groups 1 and group 5; and between group 1 and group 6. For the pointing phase there was no difference between the groups, and in all groups, there was a score greater than 98%. In relation to gender, there was no difference between the groups. ConclusionThe present study demonstrates that the material developed to assess auditory reception in normal-hearing children from 3 to 8 years old is appropriate.

Assessing the role of auditory access in infancy

Even with the widespread adoption of newborn hearing screening and Early Hearing Detection and Intervention systems, infants who are hard-of-hearing (IHH) remain at increased risk for poor or delayed development of auditory and speech perception skills. Speech perception is positively correlated with better auditory development on functional auditory skills and a variety of language outcomes. However, clinical utilization of speech perception tests has not been broadly accepted. One clinically viable tool to assess speech perception during infancy is our electroencephalography (EEG) procedure, which has been validated as an objective measure of speech discrimination. However, we have not examined the development of infant speech perception among IHH and infants with normal hearing (INH). Perceptual attunement—or “narrowing”—is a model of perceptual learning that posits that perceptual abilities are shaped by environmental experiences over the first year of life. Here, we describe our adapted EEG methods to examine the development of infant speech perception to study periods of perceptual attunement between IHH and INH. Preliminary findings confirm that at 3 months of age, infants demonstrate neural encoding of native and non-native speech sounds, and at 6 months of age results suggest a decrease in non-native speech sound encoding.

Investigation of machine-learning-based stimuli for the remediation of children’s speech errors

Children with speech sound disorders (SSDs) demonstrate difficulty producing phonemes correctly and may exhibit poor speech perception compared to their age-matched peers; however, group differences in speech perception skills remain largely unexplained. Developmental models of speech production posit that children’s ability to discriminate correct and incorrect productions in their own speech may be critical for developing accurate speech production. Historically, when children regularly mispronounce a phoneme, it has been essentially impossible to assess whether they perceive correct versus errors productions in their own speech, thus creating a clinical conundrum. How can we assess a child’s ability to perceive the accuracy of their own phoneme production when they cannot produce a correct production? Recent technological developments allow for acoustic alteration of children’s speech that digitally corrects speech sound errors while preserving natural characteristics of the child’s voice. This machine-learning-based stimuli may then be used as training and feedback tokens for remediation when treating children with speech sound disorders. Such acoustic alteration is possible within an accessible, user-friendly environment that is clinically feasible for speech-language pathologists with little acoustic training. Thus, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the acoustic and perceptual accuracy of acoustically-altered child-speech compared to natural speech tokens.

Having it both ways: learning communication skills in face-to-face and online environments

In early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced educators to transition to online teaching almost overnight. This paper focuses on students’ perceptions of communication skills in a practice course in the spring of 2020. The beginning of the course was held face-to-face and conducted online at the end. We sought information regarding students’ experiences of online course in a skill-based course. Relying on knowledge about online communication, we selected three areas to focus on in online course. First, feedback is essential in the process of learning communication skills and is included in the course learning objectives. Second involves eliciting conversations in an online environment. The third area is the connection between the audience and the speaker in public speaking. Our goal was to develop the course according to student’s perceptions. At the end of the course, 26 students answered open-ended questions about the two forms of implementation. Using thematic analysis, five different themes were constructed: (1) positive perceptions of the course, (2) neutral perceptions of online course, (3) perceptions of the challenges in online course, (4) perceptions of public speaking, and (5) perceptions of feedback. During the course, the students learned much-appreciated computer-mediated communication. They believed that the good learning results were due to careful organization and connection to other students. While uncommon, few students perceived online course as neither good nor bad, just neutral. Nevertheless, online course was not without challenges; students identified several problems concerning, for example, conversations and non-verbal communication. Furthermore, students considered feedback to be successful; however, online public speaking was perceived as different from speaking to a physical audience. The results of this study indicate that in a skill-based course, the online format can be just as effective as the face-to-face format. However, especially because public speaking was regarded as different and participants appreciated practicing communication in the online setting, we suggest that students should have the opportunity to practice communication skills both online and face-to-face. Additionally, although conversations received special attention, it caused the most significant challenges in the online environment; therefore, we propose that solutions to address this problem must be investigated further.

Exploring the Effectiveness of Problem-Based Learning in an International Undergraduate Program in Veterinary Sciences: Students' Satisfaction, Experience and Learning.

The systematic evaluation of the integration of problem-based learning (PBL) into educational programs in Italy is scarce and there are no published reports of its use in an Italian Bachelor of Veterinary Science degree program. This paper aims to assess the satisfaction of second-year students on an international Bachelor of Veterinary Science degree program after implementing two weeks of PBL with a multidisciplinary approach. Moreover, the impact of this methodological approach on the students' performance and their perceptions concerning their learning experience was investigated. The results showed that students expressed a high level of satisfaction and a positive attitude towards learning through PBL. A significant increase in the perception of students' soft skills was also found, based on self-evaluation. Moreover, a significant improvement was seen in the students' perception of their learning and teaching experiences and general life competencies, assessed using the validated questionnaire HowULearn. Negative effects were also identified, requiring further design modification of the tutors' feedback and pedagogical orchestration. Based on our findings, when planning bachelor's degree programs in veterinary science, PBL modules or activities should be considered to promote active learning, engagement among students, and the improvement of problem-solving and team-working skills.

Effect of Motion Imagery on Visual Motor Perception in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Randomized Control Trial

Background: Comprehension and visual-motor integration skills are still widely used in the psychological assessments of children. Recent evidence suggests that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) might have a general impairment in visual motion perception. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of motion imagery on visual motor perception in children with ASD. Methods: In a before and after clinical trial study, 30 children with ASD were divided into two groups of 15 subjects, test and control. The intervention group received 3 sessions of 60 minutes per week for 15 weeks with movement visualization exercises. Before and after the intervention and after the follow-up period, visual motor perception and motor imagery questionnaires were completed and implemented. The data were analyzed using SPSS22 software (P ≤ 0.05). The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to determine the normality of the data, and variance analysis was used to compare the averages of the two groups before and after the intervention and follow-up. Results: The results obtained in all subscales of motor imagery with P = 0.001 indicated that there was a statistically significant difference between the two groups in the pre-test and post-test scores. Additionally, the results obtained concerning visual motor perception showed that in all the subscales with P < 0.001, statistically significant differences could be observed after the intervention and in the 3 months of follow-up. Conclusions: Motion visualization is an easy and accessible method that has positive and effective effects on visual-motor perception skills. Treatment practitioners can use this method to improve ASD children.

Getting on board with certified public accountant evolution: re-evaluating a financial statement analysis project in light of a changing profession

PurposeGiven the implementation of a new Certified Public Accountant (CPA) licensure exam and the CPA Evolution Model Curriculum, accounting educators must integrate more advanced skills in their coursework. We illustrate how a commonly-used project in accounting classes, which teaches technical accounting content, can address skills and competencies identified by the Pathways Commission and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and, as a result, enhance skills all business school graduates need in the workplace.Design/methodology/approachWe incorporate a financial statement analysis research project under a group work format in three levels of financial accounting classes. Using both quantitative and qualitative analysis, we evaluate changes in student perceptions of skills and competencies important for business graduates.FindingsWe find students perceive improvement in critical thinking, problem-solving, the ability to work with other people, their understanding of the course material, and data analysis abilities after completion of the project. We also find statistically significant increases pre-to post-project in student perceptions of their knowledge, confidence, competence, and enthusiasm with respect to accounting material.Originality/valueWe provide an example of how educators can align a commonly-used project with the CPA Evolution Model Curriculum, yet still meet the needs of non-accounting majors and prepare all students for future business careers. Group work has been studied and similar financial statement analysis projects have been implemented in the classroom for years. We contribute by not only extending and updating this research, but also by re-evaluating a project to determine whether it meets the shifting needs of a rapidly changing profession. By doing so, we answer recent researchers’ call for research in higher education that addresses employability and workplace skills.

Listening Effort for Speech in Noise Perception Using Pupil Dilation: A Comparison Among Percussionists, Non-Percussionists, and Non-Musicians.

Most studies in literature attribute the benefits of musical training on speech in noise (SIN) perception to "experience-based" plasticity, which assists in the activation of speech-processing networks. However, whether musicianship provides an advantage for the listening effort (LE) required to comprehend speech in degraded environments has received less attention. The current study aimed to understand the influence of Indian classical music training on SIN perception and its related LE across percussionists, non-percussionists, and non-musicians. A quasi-experiment was conducted on 16 percussionists, 17 non-percussionists, and 26 non-musicians aged 18-35 years with normal hearing. In phase 1, musical abilities were assessed using Mini-Profile of Music Perception Skills (Mini-PROMS). Phase 2 examined SIN using Tamil Phonemically-Balanced Words and Tamil Matrix Sentence Test at +5 dB, 0 dB, and -5 dB SNR and LE using pupillometry, measuring pupil dilations with an eye-tracker. Fractional Logit and Linear Regression models demonstrated that percussionists outperformed non-percussionists in Tuning and Speed subsets of Mini-PROMS. Percussionists outperformed non-percussionists and non-musicians in SIN and LE at -5 dB SNR for words and at 0 dB and -5 dB SNR for sentences. Percussionists have the greatest advantage in decoding SIN with reduced LE followed by non-percussionists and non-musicians, demonstrating musician-advantage in most challenging listening conditions.

Dental Students' and Dental School Graduates' Practical Skills: An International Survey of Perceptions of National Dental Associations in Europe.

Dental students learn knowledge and practical skills to provide oral health care to the population. Practical skills must be maintained or continuously developed throughout a professional career. This cross-sectional survey aimed to evaluate the perception of practical skills of dental students and dental-school graduates by national dental associations (NDAs) in international comparison in the European Regional Organization of the FDI World Dental Federation (ERO-FDI) zone. A questionnaire of 14 items collected information on pre-/postgraduate areas. A total of 25 countries participated (response rate: 69.4%), with 80.0% having minimum requirements for practical skills acquisition and 64.0% starting practical training in the 3rd year of study. In countries where clinical practical work on patients begins in the 2nd year of study, practical skills of graduates are perceived as average, starting in the 3rd year of study as mainly good, starting in the 4th as varying widely from poor to very good. In total, 76.0% of respondents feel that improvements are needed before entering dental practice. Improvements could be reached by treating more patients in dental school (32.0%), increasing the quantity of clinical training (20.0%), or having more clinical instructors (12.0%). In 56.0% of the countries, it is possible to open one's own dental practice immediately after graduation, and in 16.0%, prior vocational training is mandatory. All participating countries in the ERO-FDI zone reported practical training in dental school, most starting in the 3rd year of study. The perception of practical skills of dental students and dental-school graduates among NDAs is very heterogeneous. Reasons for the perceived deficiencies should be further explored.

Capacity building for providers of cognitive rehabilitation in Queensland: a needs analysis survey.

Background Cognitive rehabilitation of people with traumatic brain injury is a complex and challenging area of practice. Practitioners working in cognitive rehabilitation require ongoing training to stay abreast of new research and best practice interventions. A needs analysis was conducted to inform the development of a capacity building program for cognitive rehabilitation providers. Methods A cross-sectional online survey of providers of cognitive rehabilitation services in Queensland collected data on demographic information, perceptions of knowledge, skills and confidence in cognitive rehabilitation, previously completed training, desired training opportunities and delivery methods, and barriers and facilitators to engaging in training. Results The 103 respondents included 67 occupational therapists, 17 speech pathologists, 12 psychologists and seven social workers with a broad range of practice experience. Participants perceived a need for further training, with executive function and functional cognition the most desired topics. The number of topics previously trained on was significantly correlated with levels of knowledge, skills and confidence (P Conclusion Cognitive rehabilitation providers in Queensland reported a need for further training, delivered flexibly, with a focus on managing complex cognitive impairments.

The Impact of an Undergraduate Community-Based Medical Education Program in a Japanese Urban City.

With an aging global population posing healthcare challenges, especially in community healthcare, training professionals for community healthcare remains a global educational challenge, including in Japan. While previous research shows increased student interest in community healthcare through practical experiences, the focus has primarily been on rural areas, leaving a gap in understanding urban-based community medical education. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of urban community-based medical education on students' understanding and attitudes toward community healthcare. This study was conducted at Kyushu University in Fukuoka City, the sixth-largest city in Japan. For fifth-grade medical students, a community-based medical education program is mandatory, with a one-week schedule that includes orientation, one day in a clinic, and three days in a community hospital. The program aimed to expose students to various healthcare settings, emphasizing outpatient care, inpatient management, home health care, home nursing, and rehabilitation. A self-administered questionnairereferencing the Model Core Curriculum for medical educationwas administered immediately before and after the program, and the differences in students' perceptions were assessed using the Student's t-test. Findings from 188 students completing both pre- and post-program questionnaires revealed significant improvements in perceptions of students' knowledge and skills related to community healthcare. After the training, there was a noteworthy positive shift in attitudes toward community healthcare and increased interest in primary care physicians as a career choice. Although students maintained a preference for urban areas, there was a notable inclination towards rural settings.The study highlights the program's success in enhancing students' understanding and positive attitudes toward community healthcare within an urban context. It challenges prior notions regarding work-life balance and urban-rural preferences in career choices. Urban community-based medical education significantly improved students' perceptions and attitudes toward community healthcare. It offers valuable insights for curriculum planners, emphasizing the need for continued research into sustained effects and broader applicability.

Rhythmic motor behavior explains individual differences in grammar skills in adults

A growing body of literature has reported the relationship between music and language, particularly between individual differences in perceptual rhythm skill and grammar competency in children. Here, we investigated whether motoric aspects of rhythm processing—as measured by rhythmic finger tapping tasks—also explain the rhythm-grammar connection in 150 healthy young adults. We found that all expressive rhythm skills (spontaneous, synchronized, and continued tapping) along with rhythm discrimination skill significantly predicted receptive grammar skills on either auditory sentence comprehension or grammaticality well-formedness judgment (e.g., singular/plural, past/present), even after controlling for verbal working memory and music experience. Among these, synchronized tapping and rhythm discrimination explained unique variance of sentence comprehension and grammaticality judgment, respectively, indicating differential associations between different rhythm and grammar skills. Together, we demonstrate that even simple and repetitive motor behavior can account for seemingly high-order grammar skills in the adult population, suggesting that the sensorimotor system continue to support syntactic operations.

Assessing the validity and reliability of a baseball pitch discrimination online task

ABSTRACT There has been an increasing interest in training perceptual skills in sports through online video-based methods, particularly in baseball. However, there is little empirical evidence related to the reliability and validity of such online methods for the assessment of these skill. Here we developed an online task to assess pitch discrimination and evaluated (a) inter-item reliability, (b) reliability in assessment compared to an in-person task, also tapping into external validity and (c) discriminability across different skill groups. We also compared performance on a non-sport specific Dynamic Visual Acuity task (DVA), thought to tap into underlying visual skills comprising pitch discrimination. Skilled, Varsity-level baseball players (n = 17) were compared to novices (n = 14) when discriminating pitches thrown by two different pitchers, across three pitch types, edited to progressively remove sections of ball flight (3 time points). The online task discriminated across skill groups, showed good reliability across repeated viewings and from the online task to an in-person assessment of skilled athletes (n = 8). There were, however, differences in reliability and discriminant validity based on the type of pitcher, with one pitcher being responded to more accurately and reliably. Skilled participants showed good discriminability between fastballs and change-ups. There were no group differences for DVA, nor did it correlate with pitch discrimination for the skilled group. These data illustrate the reliability of online video assessments, but raise issues concerning discriminability across different pitchers and when standing ready to swing. Greater sensitivity testing of such assessments is still needed, within and across skill groups.

Validation of the abbreviated version of the Profile of Musical Perception Skills (Mini-PROMS) in a Spanish sample of musicians and non-musicians

Despite the efforts made throughout the 20th century to develop standardized batteries to measure musical ability, there seems to be no consensus as to the construct’s gold standard. The Profile of Music Perception Skills (PROMS) was created with the aim of overcoming some of the limitations of previous assessment tests. The Mini-PROMS is the shortened version of the full battery and has a shorter application time. The aim of the present study was to validate the Mini-PROMS battery with a sample of Spanish musicians and non-musicians in order to provide useful scales for the development of research in the field of musical skills in the Spanish population. The results show that Mini-PROMS in Spanish is a reliable and valid tool for measuring the musical ability of musicians and non-musicians. Furthermore, this study provides information on some of the differences between musicians and non-musicians, offering useful scales for comparing the results of individuals with those of their reference population.

Implementing a longitudinal poster project to engage pharmacy students beyond the classroom in a foundational sciences course

Introduction: Poster projects and presentations can provide engagement and skill-building opportunities for students. A group poster project was incorporated into a first-year required genetics and pharmacogenomics course. Rough drafts were due for the project throughout the term, which coincided with course topics. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of a longitudinal poster project on pharmacy students' perceptions of learning, presentation skills, and success in future presentations. Methods: Students in a Doctor of Pharmacy programme were surveyed via Google Forms in 2018 before and after completing the poster project. The original cohort of students were surveyed again in 2020. Data were analysed with Graphpad Prism software. Results: Students responded positively to survey questions gauging their perception of the project’s value as a learning tool, especially for reinforcing and applying course concepts. Overall, students saw the benefit of completing poster rough drafts and believed the poster was helpful in preparing and/or presenting future posters. Conclusions: A similar project could be built into any foundational course in a Doctor of Pharmacy programme. However, care should be taken to provide appropriate feedback and mentorship to students to optimise the benefits of learning and development of poster presentation skills.

How perceived communication skills needed for careers influences vocational stereotyping of people who stutter

PurposePrior research has revealed people who stutter experience role entrapment in which they are discouraged from pursuing certain careers over others. The Vocational Advice Scale (VAS; Gabel et al., 2004) is a reliable survey previously used to investigate this phenomenon. This study used the VAS to determine if communication skills required for careers influences reports of role entrapment. MethodAn online survey which included the VAS and perceptions of communication skills needed for each career listed on the VAS was distributed. Correlations between items on the two surveys were completed to investigate how communication skills influences the presence of role entrapment. In addition, a one-way analysis of variance was completed to explore differences between individuals who regularly provide career advice with those who do not. ResultsAnalysis found a significant correlation between perceived communication skills required for a career and the advice provided. As the perceived communication skills needed for a career increases, the likelihood of someone advising a person who stutters to pursue that career decreases. A one-way analysis of variance further revealed participants who regularly provide career advice did not differ from those participants who do not. ConclusionPerceived communication abilities needed for a career is a significant indicator of role entrapment towards people who stutter. Results agree with previous studies which found differences in advisability of certain careers over others for people who stutter, especially those which require communication within challenging situations (e.g., judge, attorney).