Role-play Conversations Research Articles

TikTok as a learning strategy for English language proficiency in higher education

TikTok is used as an innovative language learning tool to improve fluency in English, favoring communication and grammar skills among university students. The study shows the analysis of video creation with seven specific tasks, namely: cultural investigations, personalized vocabulary speeches, grammar-focused discussions, role-play conversations, oral reading reports, listening comprehension and grammar explanations. The students created the TikTok videos and interacted with their peers; and these were used as part of the assessment of their subject. For data collection, a questionnaire was designed and included, in addition to conducting focus groups to collect information about the experience of its implementation. The results indicate that TikTok videos, as short lessons, integrate seamlessly into students' academic routines, allowing for error correction, grammar and vocabulary practice, improved pronunciation, increased confidence in speaking English, and quick class review. It is suggested that optimal recording conditions and creative effects be taken into account, respecting the privacy of those who create it. In conclusion, TikTok is considered to be a valuable tool to improve English language proficiency, promotes creativity, critical thinking and understanding of concepts. It is suggested that research be continued to explore long-term impacts.

Towards a communication-focused ESP course for nursing students in building partnership with patients: A needs analysis

With the growing popularity of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) nursing courses worldwide, considerable work has gone to identifying the English language learning needs of nurses and nursing students, with their perceptions well documented. However, needs analyses grounded in students' communicative behaviors in performing nursing tasks are still in their fledging stage. This study offers an ethnographic discourse analytical account of role-play conversations collected from 100 college nursing students in China. It explores nursing students' communicative practices by identifying the communication patterns that students adopt in a simulated scenario of giving a patient an injection. Findings show students' awareness of patients’ concern and preferences, and their informational skills such as giving instructions, negotiating treatment options, and explaining medical procedures. Yet students demonstrate a great reliance on prescribed phraseology, struggling to adjust their nursing plan based on differing patient needs. This study sheds light on the specificity of ESP nursing courses and the challenges complicated by the changing nature of the global healthcare landscape, where patient-centered care is prioritized. It also provides implications for ESP curriculum development and highlights the importance of learner-centered tailor-made language instruction.

Gender-Based Conversation Topic of Indonesian Speakers in Japanese Conversations with Japanese Native Speakers at The First Meeting

Without a topic, conversation will not occur. However, the choice of conversation topic also needs to be considered, especially if the speech partner is a speaker with a different cultural and linguistic background. This study aimed to identify what conversation topics are raised by Indonesian-speaking Japanese learners in conversations with contact situations at the first meeting. The participants of this study were divided into male and female participants. The data was taken through roleplay conversation with the participants being 20 Indonesian speaking students and 20 Japanese speaking students. Roleplay conversations were carried out in two different settings, namely the setting of cultural exchange events at universities in Indonesia and the setting of conversations on trains in Indonesia. From the results of data analysis, it is known that for both male and female Indonesian speakers, both in the setting of cultural exchange events at universities in Indonesia and meetings on trains in Indonesia, the category of conversation topics that is most often raised is the category of personal information of the speakers and speech partners and categories of Indonesian and Japanese cultures and situations. Seeing these results, it can be concluded that both male and female Indonesian speakers have a greater desire to build deeper interpersonal relationships with Japanese speakers. This information was known from the fact that there were many occurrences of topics related to extracting information related to speech partners in all conversation groups.

Annals for Educators - 17 November 2020.

Annals for Educators - 17 November 2020.

Training in motivational interviewing improves cattle veterinarians’ communication skills for herd health management

BackgroundCommunication skills to promote changes in management routines are especially important in veterinary herd health management (VHHM). Motivational interviewing (MI) is a communication methodology shown to be effective in stimulating...

Communication styles of Swedish veterinarians involved in dairy herd health management: A motivational interviewing perspective

Veterinary communication has evolved in the context of traditional veterinary tasks, such as diagnosing and treating sick animals, and this may encourage a directive communication style, in which the veterinarian acts as an expert, directing the client in what to do and how to do it. This type of communication style has been shown to evoke resistance to change in clients who are experiencing psychological ambivalence, a well-known aspect of farmers' herd health decisions. Veterinary herd health management (VHHM) constitutes an increasing proportion of the work of cattle veterinarians and often focuses on behavior change. The present study aimed to characterize communication styles of Swedish dairy cattle veterinarians involved in VHHM in relation to their skills in facilitating behavior change. A secondary aim was to investigate whether these skills differed among veterinarians depending on their experience in the veterinary profession or in VHHM. Audio-recorded role-play conversations (n = 123; reflecting VHHM telephone consultations) with 42 veterinarians involved in VHHM in Swedish dairy herds and audio-recorded on-farm consultations (n = 86) with 18 of those veterinarians were coded using a system developed to evaluate motivational interviewing (MI) skills. Motivational interviewing is a communication methodology aimed at facilitating clients' internal motivation to change. The MI Treatment Integrity (MITI) code identifies frequency counts of 10 verbal behaviors, and assesses 4 global variables on a Likert scale, based on 20 min of conversation. It also suggests 6 summary measurements of MI competency based on these 14 original variables. Of the 42 veterinarians, 39 also responded to a web questionnaire about their age, continuing education, and experience in the profession, in dairy herds and in VHHM. We analyzed associations between the 6 summary MITI variables from the role-play conversations and characteristics of the 39 veterinarians using logistic and linear multivariable regression models. Veterinarians in the role-play and on-farm conversations relied predominantly on giving information, questions, and persuasion in their consultation approaches. They generally did not explore the client's expectations or wishes regarding the agenda for the consultation, or acknowledge the client's right to make decisions about actions. Veterinarians gave advice without exploring the client's need for the advice or how the information was perceived. We found a significant reduction in so-called relational scores (Empathy plus Partnership) and an increase in MI-nonadherent behaviors (Persuasion plus Confront) as years of veterinary experience increased. Results showed that there is room for improvement in the communication style of veterinarians involved in VHHM. Wider literature suggests that training veterinarians in a client-centered communication methodology such as MI may increase the demand for and success of VHHM.

Thai University Students’ Use of Yes/No Tokens in Spoken Interaction

Adopting the interactional linguistic framework, the study aimed at exploring the range and frequency of interactional functions of yes/no tokens used by Thai university students of A2 proficiency in their English conversation, and contrasting their use with that of English native speakers (ENSs). The data was derived from 83, two-three party role-play conversations of approximately three–five minutes long obtained from conversation classes that were transcribed and analyzed. The findings revealed the students’ use of yes tokens in the following order of functional frequency: acceptance, confirmative response, positive alignment, acknowledgment, topic shift and self-confirmation. By contrast, no tokens were employed most often to disconfirm/disagree, followed by doing disappointment, restatement and negative alignment. Additionally, the students appeared to overuse yes tokens to fulfill certain functions for which ENSs usually deployed other expressions, and had difficulty giving grammatical short answers with the tokens. Furthermore, unlike ENSs, they often used these tokens alone, repeatedly or redundantly with other expressions of the same functions. It was suggested that students be made aware of grammatical expressions that can co-occur with yes/no tokens in giving short answers, and especially of a wider range of expressions commonly used in a specific context and various contexts in which an expression can be appropriately used.

“Are You Into Beer Pong?” Exploring Question-Answer Sequences in an L2 Oral Performance Assessment

ABSTRACTDespite the frequent occurrence of yes/no questions in naturalistic talk-in-interaction, there is widespread concern that yes/no questions only allow predetermined answers and limit L2 learners’ performance in language assessment contexts. Drawing upon audio-recordings of role-play conversations between an L1 American English speaker and 104 L2 English learners, we use conversation analysis to examine how L2 learners respond to yes/no questions in an oral performance assessment. The analysis was guided by the following research questions: (a) How do L2 English learners respond to a yes/no interrogative in a role-play assessment context? (b) How do L2 English learners’ different responses lead to distinct sequences of conversational turns? In our analysis we show that yes/no interrogatives elicit a range of responses (e.g., repair initiation, type-conforming responses, non-type-conforming responses) that result in negotiation of meaning between participants. While turn design and sequence organization features we observed largely align with the existing literature on naturally occurring conversations, we also discuss deviant cases that provide insights into L2 learner discourse. Moreover, we discuss the findings in terms of implications for L2 assessment.

Enhancing English Language Learners’ Conversation Abilities via CA-informed Sitcom Lessons

The study investigated the effectiveness of Conversation Analysis (CA)-informed sitcom lessons in enhancing conversation abilities of Thai learners of English. The participants included 42 high school students enrolled in an English for Communication course at a public high school in Southern Thailand. Through 15-week sitcom lessons, they were taught how to construct conversation sequences to accomplish such sequential actions as greeting and leave-taking, dis/agreement, new announcement, compliment, invitation, and request, as well as to collaboratively analyze conversations from the sitcoms and role-play them at the end of each lesson. Before and after the series of lessons, the participants were engaged in role-play conversations that were videotaped for subsequent assessment of their conversation abilities. The findings from both comparative statistical and close single-case analyses revealed significant improvements in all the aspects assessed especially regarding grammar and appropriacy. Therefore, it is recommended that EFL teachers should apply CA principles to teaching English conversation, integrating conversations from authentic materials such as sitcoms to strengthen English language learners’ conversation abilities.

A Game-Based Simulation Utilizing Virtual Humans to Train Physicians to Screen and Manage the Care of Patients with Mental Health Disorders.

Every year, one in four American adults suffers from a diagnosable mental disorder, yet most of them go untreated, creating a significant public health challenge. This challenge is compounded by large-scale disasters, which can cause an influx of primary care patients presenting with physical symptoms that mask mental health disorders. Primary care providers (PCPs) are usually the first point of contact for those patients; thus there exist crucial opportunities to detect and address nonphysical disorders in primary care settings that would improve patient outcomes and quality of care. Unfortunately, many PCPs view mental health as separate from the services that they provide, and the majority of them have received little training during or after medical or nursing school about risk factors, symptoms, and treatment options. To help integrate behavioral health into primary care, Kognito Interactive developed "At-Risk in Primary Care," an online game-based simulation that integrates role-play conversations with virtual humans to train PCPs to screen patients for mental health disorders, perform brief behavioral interventions using motivational interviewing (MI), refer patients, and integrate behavioral health into their treatment while building patients' intrinsic motivation to adhere to it. Preliminary findings on the implementation of this game in New York City show significant increases in skill and motivation to screen patients, conduct behavioral interventions, and refer patients to specialized care. These results show the promise of innovative technology-based solutions to integrate mental health training in primary care.

英語音声学・音韻論的特徴の習得を目指した授業の効果検証 — An Analysis of the Effectiveness of a Phonetics/Phonology-Based English Listening Class

This paper reports on the results of a listening instruction intervention for Japanese EFL university students aimed at improving their ability to correctly discern the phonetic and phonological aspects of English sounds. In the background of this project lies our belief that the phonetic/phonological instructions are likely to be helpful (even) for Japanese EFL students who do not major in English linguistics or literature, although these instructions are usually offered to those who are English majors. The goal of the study, thus, is to show that phonetics/phonology-based English teaching is effective for Japanese EFL students in improving their listening ability in general. To achieve the goal, we utilized a set of exercises devised for a 15-week listening course (i.e., “Sound Focus for Effective Listening”; hereinafter, “Sound Focus”). Sound Focus includes six phonetic/phonological aspects of English that are considered by the authors (= instructors) to be essential and important for improvement of listening ability. The participants were 331 freshmen at a national university: 254 were instructed in a CALL (computer-assisted language learning) classroom situation and 77 in a traditional classroom situation. Sound Focus was given with the help of a learning management system (LMS), Moodle, in the CALL classroom situation. In the traditional classroom, the Sound-Focus materials and listening exercises were provided in the form of paper-based handouts used with a CD. To understand the effects of Sound Focus instruction on student achievement and the difference between the two classroom situations, we conducted pre- and post-listening tests and administered a Can-do-statements questionnaire and a free-description questionnaire. The listening tests, which were based on Sound Focus, measured the improvement in students’ listening ability during the course; the Can-do-statements questionnaire evaluated their confidence in their listening ability; and the free description questionnaire aimed to identify the aspects of the instruction that was positively or negatively accepted by the learners. The results of the pre- and post-listening tests and the Can-do-statements questionnaire were analyzed by two-way repeated-measures ANOVA. The free description questionnaire was analyzed with a text-mining technique (SPSS Text Analytics for Surveys 3.0). The two-way repeated-measures ANOVA analysis on the difference between the scores of the pre- and post-listening tests suggested that students in each classroom situation improved their listening ability. The combined analysis of the results of the pre- and post-test scores and the Can-do-statements questionnaire further suggested that the instruction was effective for students with all levels of confidence. We analyzed the free description questionnaire to explicate what aspect of the instruction showed greater effectiveness. The results revealed that among the instructional materials, including the textbook conversations and TOEIC exercises, Sound Focus was considered by the students to be the most effective for their learning, regardless of their classroom situation. The students in the traditional classroom situation reported that the textbook conversations were also helpful. Regarding the presentation of the instructional materials, on the other hand, learners showed a sharp perceptual difference: Those in the CALL classroom situation accepted the LMS (Moodle) more positively, while in the traditional classroom situation, the presentation of the materials with the help of a projector was negatively scored. The analysis also showed that Moodle was also regarded as the best activity for the improvement of their listening ability among all the classroom activities (e.g., role-play conversations, dictations, shadowing). 本実践報告では，英語を専攻としていない日本の大学1年生を対象とした英語リスニングの授業において，英語の音声学・音韻論的特徴を指導した効果を検証した。授業はSound Focusと名付けた教材を使用し，普通教室またはCALL教室で行われ，教室環境の違いも考慮に入れた効果検証を行った。プレ・ポストテストにおける音声学・音韻論的特徴の聞き取りに関するパフォーマンスの違いと英語に対する自信の自己評価（Can-Do調査）との関連を2要因の分散分析により検討した。また，授業終了時の自由記述もテキストマイニングの手法を用いて検討した。分散分析の結果，Sound Focusを用いた英語音声学・音韻論的な指導の効果は，教室環境（普通教室，CALL教室）の違いにかかわらず，大学1年生の聞き取りパフォーマンスの向上に効果があることがわかった。またテキストマイニングの分析からは，両教室環境に対する学生の認識の違いが示された。

Learning to Listen: Teaching an Active Listening Strategy to Preservice Education Professionals

The importance of parent–teacher communication has been widely recognized; however, there is only limited research on teaching effective listening skills to education professionals. In this study, a pretest–posttest control group design was used to examine the effect of instruction on the active listening skills of preservice education professionals. Instruction resulted in statistically significant improvement for targeted active listening skills. As a measure of social validity, parents of preschool and school-age children viewed pre- and postinstruction videotapes of preservice education professionals in role-play conversations. The parents judged the postinstruction performances of the preservice education professionals to be better examples of effective communication than the preinstruction performances of the preservice education professionals.