Semi-structured Oral Interviews Research Articles

TEACHING DISCOMFORT AND TEACHERS OF ENGLISH: TRAINING AND PEDAGOGICAL PRACTICES

Teaching discomfort is one of the problems among the themes that permeate studies on Education in Brazil at the moment. This is because the teacher is intrinsically linked to the devaluation, helplessness and neglect of the profession. We focus on English language teachers and their particularities, such as initial education, continuing education and day-to-day practices. This study, which comes from a master's degree dissertation, aims to analyze the working conditions, complaints and deficits of basic training that are present in the pedagogical practices of subjects-teachers of English from the public and private network of the State of São Paulo and, interpret, from semi-structured oral interviews, some teaching malaise and its consequences in the physical, mental health of these subjects and in their daily pedagogical practices. Our analyzes are made in the light of the Discourse Analysis of the French Pecheuxtian Matrix, based on the contributions of founding researchers like Michel Pêcheux and Eni Orlandi, of Freudo-Lacanian psychoanalysis, having as main scholar present in this work Sigmund Freud, of the sciences of Education, with authors who research about the teaching malaise and the identity of the subject-teacher, like Rinaldo Voltolini and Selma Garrido Pimenta, the subject's socio-historicity and its conditions of production.

The Plausibility of Applying Dogme Language Teaching Approach in Iranian EFL Classes from Teachers’ Perspective

Over-dependency on manufactured materials and fixed syllabuses in language classrooms hamper both teachers and students from achieving communicative ability. In the Dogme language teaching approach or unplugged teaching, teachers do not rely on these predetermined procedures and they have the freedom to choose the class activities based on the situation of the classroom. This study was an attempt to investigate Iranian English language teachers’ perspectives on the possibility of the application of the Dogme approach as an unplugged teaching methodology in Iranian high school English classes. 100 Iranian EFL teachers took part in the study. The teachers were given a questionnaire aiming to reveal their opinions about the general principles of the Dogme language teaching approach. Then, a semi-structured oral interview was conducted. The analysis of their responses led to the conclusion that the Dogme approach was generally unknown by many Iranian teachers. Only a few teachers applied this approach in their classes. Therefore, it is suggested that the Dogme approach should be introduced and integrated into mainstream English as a foreign language program in Iranian contexts through workshops and in-service classes.

Explaining the Experiences of Operating Room Nurses From Surgery of Patients With Blood-Borne Diseases: A Phenomenological Study

Background: Operating room nurses are exposed to blood-borne diseases, so it is important to examine their experience to prevent possible injuries. Based on this, the present study was conducted with the aim of explaining the experience of operating room nurses in the surgery of patients with blood-borne diseases. Methods: The research design is a descriptive phenomenological study. Sampling was performed purposefully, and participants were selected based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data were collected using semi-structured oral interviews and then analyzed using Colaizzi’s method. Results: In this study, data were obtained through interviews with 15 operating room nurses. As a result of data analysis, 5 main themes and 16 sub-themes were identified, including a tense role, respect for patients’ privacy, functional compatibility, desire to have an experienced team, and the heroic feeling. Conclusion: Nurses experience negative and positive emotions while attending the surgery of the mentioned patients. In order to increase the quality of care and reduce burnout of nurses, these feelings should be paid attention to.

Food access narratives as told by consumers and retailers engaging in a COVID-19-stricken urban food system: A brief report.

Small food retail ("corner") stores in many underserved urban settings face challenges to stocking healthy, affordable foods. The food supply chain is considered one of the most important sectors of the economy and has suffered recent negative impacts due to the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, from farm to consumer. As part of the larger Baltimore Urban food Distribution (BUD) Study, we examine corner store owner and consumer perceptions of the impact of COVID-19 on navigating an urban food environment using a brief, reflective, semi-structured oral interview framed as "storytelling." Open-ended responses are documented, transcribed, and analyzed for key themes. Presently, we discuss initial key findings in hopes of helping to ensure sufficient value added for corner store owners and consumers who will interact with the BUD mobile application as part of a full-scale trial being implemented in Baltimore, Maryland.

Coverage of Core Mathematics Syllabus among Senior High Schools in Ghana: The Case of Sagnarigu Municipality

As far as students’ academic performance in the West Africa Secondary School Certificate Examination is concerned, coverage of syllabus among other factors has been identified as key. The purpose of the study was to investigate the perceived factors that influence core mathematics syllabus coverage in Senior High Schools in Ghana. A qualitative research approach with case study design, guided by four research questions and semi-structured oral interview guide as well as questionnaire were used in the study. Participants were selected using a purposive and convenient sampling techniques. The data was analysed in themes and presented on frequency tables. The study found that national education policies, Covid 19 pandemic, school programs, and teacher/students-related issues were the perceived factors that influenced coverage of the core mathematics syllabus. The study employed the Goal Setting and self-Efficacy theories. The instrument was pretested by the researcher to determine its validity. It was therefore recommended that government should provide schools with textbooks, furniture, teaching and learning materials, more classrooms, library, laboratories as well as motivate teachers with better conditions of service.

New Teachers’ Awareness of Mathematical Misconceptions in Elementary Students and Their Solution Provision Capabilities

Misconceptions are among the barriers that prevent students from mastering mathematics. Since teachers are essential in student education, their awareness of misconceptions helps students to learn effectively. Therefore, it is crucial to know whether teachers, especially new teachers, are capable of identifying and resolving misconceptions. The purpose of this study is to determine the degree of mathematical misconceptions awareness among the new teachers of elementary schools in Iran and their ability to provide solutions. The sample consisted of 225 new teachers who graduated from Farhangian University and worked in Gilan province, Iran. We used a multiple-choice questionnaire, followed by a semistructured oral interview, to gather data. Findings revealed that the degree of mathematical misconceptions awareness in 78.2% of new teachers is at “good” and “very good” levels. On the other hand, 72.9% of teachers have a “weak” to “medium” solution provision capability when faced with misconceptions. Also, there is no discernible difference between gender and mathematical misconceptions awareness. The study showed a significant association between new teachers’ knowledge of mathematical misconceptions and their ability to address them. By highlighting the abilities and limitations of teachers in spotting and correcting students’ misconceptions, the study’s findings serve as a basis for reform in teaching and learning mathematics.

Mitigation Strategies in Semi-structured Oral Chinese Interviews

This paper identifies and accounts for mitigation strategies in a corpus of language that attempts to reflect the communicative style of Chinese speakers in semi-structured oral interviews. Thus, the analysis was carried out on the informal conversations of the C-ORAL-CHINA corpus. Mitigating resources were classified and grouped into seven general procedures that constitute different strategic mechanisms with which mitigation is carried out. Regarding the strategic mechanisms through which mitigation was carried out in these semi-structured oral Chinese interviews, the most common strategies were the following: the use of resources that downgrade what has been said or done, the use of resources that involve the addressee in what has been said or done, and the use of resources that limit or restrict what has been said or done. Conversely, the strategies of correcting or repairing what has been said, justifying, and defocalizing had the lowest frequency of use.

Foreword

Education is a medium of subject-matter instruction that has shown a constant evolution. In a second or “foreign” language field, it boasts close to countless combinations of a target and source language or dialect and characteristics of each individual who participates in the process, as well as all direct and indirect learning material adding to this abundance. Though having narrowed the scope of the winter ALA issue to no more than two languages, namely Japanese and Chinese in focus, a great variety of the articles nevertheless demonstrate a great variety of perceived problems and methodological approaches used to solve them. What is more, this issue also contains reviews of two new publications, yet another tool for the more advanced acquisition of the Japanese and Chinese languages respectively. We hereby express our gratitude to every single contributor to this issue, not leaving out the reviewers and others involved in the publication. This issue opens with the article “The Role of Prototypical Transitivity in the Selection of Accusative Case Particle wo by Persian Learners of L2 Japanese” written by Anubhuti CHAUHAN and Ayat HOSSEINI. In the article, the authors focused on the selection pattern of the Japanese case particle wo by Persian-speaking learners to find out that learners were, in a specific way, sensitive to the degree of predicate transitivity and that learners’ particle selection strategy is influenced by proficiency level. The article “Understanding Vocabulary of L2 Learners of Japanese” by Nagisa MORITOKI ŠKOF investigated the effectiveness of reading skills by L2 learners of Japanese from the “Reading corpus of non-native speakers of Japanese” and concluded on the types of strategies non-kanji native speakers use to grasp the meanings of individual words, sentences, or whole texts. CHEW Fong Peng wrote the article “Relationship Between Attitude, Learning Orientation, Motivation, and Proficiency Degree of the Chinese Language Among Trainee Teachers”, in which she briefly introduced the consolidating position of the Chinese language in Malaysia, and looked into motivational intensity and its incentives among Malaysian trainee teachers of the Chinese language. The following article “Mitigation Strategies in Semi-structured Oral Chinese Interviews”, written by Maria QUEROL-BATALLER conducted research on the communicative style in Chinese. By using semi-structured oral interviews from the C-ORAL-CHINA corpus she identified and accounted for the strategic mechanisms through which mitigation is carried out by native Chinese speakers. Yet another article with an inviting topic “Harry Potter Movies and Borrowing Neologisms in Chinese” was written by Michaela FRYDRYCHOVÁ. The article is a lexicological analysis of the neologisms that occurred in Harry Potter films and in it, the author defined loanword categories that were used for borrowing neologisms from English to Chinese, and assessed their productivity. Last but not least are the two book reviews. First, Chikako SHIGEMORI BUČAR reviewed the dictionary “Großes japanisch-deutsches Wörterbuch” by Stalph J. et al. (2022), in her words a remarkable achievement as, besides offering word searches, it is an excellent reference for researchers and students on Japan. In the second book review, Mateja PETROVČIČ evaluated a book entitled “Praktická korpusová lingvistika – čínsky jazyk” written by Ľuboša Gajdoša and published in 2022. The book was described as a systematic step-by-step guide to understanding the Chinese language and is recommended for readers with prior knowledge of Chinese, as well as for beginners and intermediate users in the field of corpus linguistics. Editors and Editorial board wish the regular and new readers of the ALA journal a pleasant read full of inspiration, and a rise of new research ideas inspired by these papers. Editors

Explanation of Non-Iranian Students’ Views on the Quality of Learning Experiences

Background: Learning experiences help learners achieve educational goals and are usually related to the educational context that occurs in teaching groups, teacher-student relationships, and teaching-learning activities. Objectives: The current study aimed to explain the views of non-Iranian students on the quality of learning experiences at Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Methods: This was a qualitative study with the directional content analysis method. The participants were 12 non-Iranian students studying in the last year or before the last year in medicine, nursing, and paramedical faculties of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences who were randomly selected from non-Iranian students for semi-structured oral interviews. The interviews continued until data saturation. Results: After content analysis, 85 initial codes were extracted. Based on the relationship between the codes, 14 subcategories were obtained and placed into 4 main categories. The main categories were available resources, available content, learning flexibility, and the quality of professors’ relationships with students. Conclusions: Based on the results, the quality of learning experiences plays a critical role in effective learning. Paying attention to the experiences and viewpoints of non-Iranian students studying at Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences is very important to improve the quality of learning experiences and attract non-Iranian students.

TĖVŲ PEDAGOGINIO ŠVIETIMO SITUACIJOS IKIMOKYKLINIO UGDYMO ĮSTAIGOSE GERINIMO GALIMYBĖS

Under the conditions of constant social, economic and political change, parents face new, previously unexperienced social phenomena and challenges of parenting, therefore the need for parental pedagogical education arises. Successful parental pedagogical education is one of the main educational conditions for achieving higher quality pre-school education. The aim of the research is to analyse the possibilities for improving the situation of parental pedagogical education in pre - school education institutions. The qualitative research was carried out. The applied research methods include the analysis of scientific, pedagogical, psychological literature, documents, meta-analysis (to reveal the theoretical context), semi-structured oral interview (to collect empirical research data) and content analysis (to analyse empirical data). The results of the empirical research revealed that traditional forms of individual communication are the most recognized and the most widely used by pre-school teachers as the forms of improving the situation of pedagogical parental education. The emphasis is placed on virtual communication with parents, providing information, and providing feedback through virtual means. The following possibilities for improving the situation of parental pedagogical education are highlighted: the involvement of parents in practical activities in the institution, appropriate invitation used by the teacher, demonstration of attention to parents by expressing gratitude for participation, clarification of expectations through surveys. Teachers’ personal qualities and pedagogical skills are especially important. The conditions that improve the situation of parental pedagogical education have been singled out: the development of positive relations with parents on the initiative of the institution, the search for more innovative forms of parental pedagogical education. The relevance of the parental initiative is emphasised. Keywords: parental pedagogical education, pre-school education institution, qualitative research, situation improvement.

Exploring Awareness, Perceptions, and Willingness to Use HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis: A Qualitative Study of Ghanaian Immigrants in the United States.

HIV/AIDS disproportionately burdens African immigrants in the United States. Oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is an effective prevention tool for people at high HIV risk, yet uptake is low among racial and ethnic minorities-particularly immigrants. This study explores the awareness, perception, and willingness to use PrEP among Ghanaian immigrants in the United States. WhatsApp, a social media platform, was used to recruit and conduct semi-structured oral interviews with 40 Ghanaian immigrants in March 2020. Interview questions explored awareness of PrEP (whether the participants knew or had knowledge of PrEP before the study), perceptions of PrEP and PrEP users, and willingness to use PrEP. Interviews were audiorecorded, and transcribed. We used NVivo-12 Plus to analyze transcripts for emergent themes. Our sample consisted of Ghanaian adult immigrants (N = 40, 57% male, 71% college educated, age = 32.8 ± 5.7 years, 68% had lived in the United States between 1 and 10 years) residing in 12 US cities. Four major themes emerged: (1) low awareness of PrEP; (2) positive perception of PrEP for HIV prevention; (3) divergent views on PrEP users; and (4) mixed views on willingness to use PrEP. This study presents formative qualitative work, which suggests that Ghanaian immigrants, despite having low awareness of PrEP, may be willing to use PrEP. A key study implication was that stigma reduction interventions might facilitate PrEP scale-up in this population.

From “Slow” to “Being ‘Lazy’ and Slowing Down” and the Impact on Student Learning

This paper presents a case study on the measurable impact of a decolonized approach to the Slow Movement on student learning in a graduate seminar. The study operationalizes principles of Being Lazy and Slowing Down (BLSD)—that is, to make peace with not doing or being productive, to de-privilege the need for a result, and to decenter the mind as the primary source of knowledge in order to make space for the body and spirit. The study then examines the uptake of these principles into the seminar’s instructional approach, curricular design, and semester-long project. Textual analysis of the project shows minimal adoption by students of the principles of BLSD. However, student feedback obtained through semi-structured oral interviews provides insight into this minimal impact: it suggests that even a decolonized approach to BLSD is a privileged position not afforded to all.

COVID-19: first long-term care facility outbreak in the Netherlands following cross-border introduction from Germany, March 2020

BackgroundThe Dutch province of Limburg borders the German district of Heinsberg, which had a large cluster of COVID-19 cases linked to local carnival activities before any cases were reported in the Netherlands. However, Heinsberg was not included as an area reporting local or community transmission per the national case definition at the time. In early March, two residents from a long-term care facility (LTCF) in Sittard, a Dutch town located in close vicinity to the district of Heinsberg, tested positive for COVID-19. In this study we aimed to determine whether cross-border introduction of the virus took place by analysing the LTCF outbreak in Sittard, both epidemiologically and microbiologically.MethodsSurveys and semi-structured oral interviews were conducted with all present LTCF residents by health care workers during regular points of care for information on new or unusual signs and symptoms of disease. Both throat and nasopharyngeal swabs were taken from residents suspect of COVID-19, based on regional criteria, for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 by Real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction. Additionally, whole genome sequencing was performed using a SARS-CoV-2 specific amplicon-based Nanopore sequencing approach. Moreover, twelve random residents were sampled for possible asymptomatic infections.ResultsOut of 99 residents, 46 got tested for COVID-19. Out of the 46 tested residents, nineteen (41%) tested positive for COVID-19, including 3 asymptomatic residents. CT-values for asymptomatic residents seemed higher compared to symptomatic residents. Eleven samples were sequenced, along with three random samples from COVID-19 patients hospitalized in the regional hospital at the time of the LTCF outbreak. All samples were linked to COVID-19 cases from the cross-border region of Heinsberg, Germany.ConclusionsSequencing combined with epidemiological data was able to virtually prove cross-border transmission at the start of the Dutch COVID-19 epidemic. Our results highlight the need for cross-border collaboration and adjustment of national policy to emerging region-specific needs along borders in order to establish coordinated implementation of infection control measures to limit the spread of COVID-19.

Green or Grey? Goats, Economy and Ecology in Nkayi District, Zimbabwe: 1980-2017

Abstract This study explores the economic and ecological importance of goats in Nkayi District, Matabeleland North, Zimbabwe, 1980-2017. It evaluates the significance of goats in sustaining Ndebele rural livelihoods, debating whether goats are environmentally constructive or destructive. Nkayi is the foremost goat-producing region in Zimbabwe. Its semi-tropical and generally arid climatic features make it prone to periodic droughts. Nkayi is the ideal case study for examining the goat economy and ecology because of its diversity in environment and varied rural livelihoods. This study privileges analysis of primary data collected from semi-structured oral interviews with goat-keeping farmers, chiefs and contemporary reports as well as secondary sources - journal articles and books. Interviews were conducted in five areas of Nkayi District: Dopota, Fanisoni, Majaha, Madliwa and Vukuzenele (Dofamavu). The study adopts case study and sustainable livelihoods approaches focusing on goat farmers' perceptions of their animals' impact on the environment as well as the role that goats play in their livelihoods. Approximately 97 per cent of Zimbabwe's 3.5-million-goat herds are owned by small-holder farmers raising goats mostly for home consumption, and many of them are women. The study evaluates the degree to which rural livelihoods from farming are economically and ecologically sustainable in the medium-to-long-term in a drought-prone area of southern Africa.

Contribution of Church Missionary Society in Developing Western Education in Kaloleni District in Colonial Kenya (1890-1950): Historical Perspective

This study examined the contribution of the Church Missionary Society (CMS) to the development of Westerneducation and Christianity in Kaloleni District, Kilifi County. The objectives of the study were to examine the rise anddevelopment of Western education and Christianity among the Giriama; the contribution of African teachers and catechiststowards it; and challenges the Church Missionary Society faced in Kaloleni District. Modernization theory was used in explaininghow the introduction of Western education in Kaloleni District brought social advancement and conflict among the Giriama. Thispaper was written using both primary and secondary sources. Semi-structured oral interviews were conducted to gather data onactivities of the CMS in Kaloleni District. The oral interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using qualitative method.The study findings demonstrated that the spread of Western education and Christianity in Kaloleni District led to socialtransformation of the Giriama from traditional to modern practices. The findings further revealed that African catechists played agreat role in the development of Western education and Christianity in Kaloleni District.

Developing oral proficiency with VoiceThread: Learners’ strategic uses and views

AbstractThis study explored Russian as a foreign language (RFL) learners’ self-reported strategic uses ofVoiceThread(VT)—a multimodal asynchronous computer-mediated communication tool—in order to gain insights into learner perceived effectiveness of VT for second language (L2) oral skills development and to determine the factors that contributed to those perceptions. The participants were eight undergraduate students who attended six weekly tutoring sessions that combined face-to-face (F2F) RFL instruction with VT activities. VT allowed them to access text-based, graphic, video, and aural linguistic input; record and store audio/video-recorded output; listen and comment on peers’ recordings; and receive individualized teacher feedback on oral performance. Data from activity logs and researcher field notes were triangulated with participants’ responses to two surveys and a semi-structured oral interview. Findings indicated that participants believed that VT supported their oral proficiency development through the provision of additional time and resources for independent planning, rehearsal, and controlled production of L2 forms. Most participants also agreed that VT’s playback and record features were the most beneficial for developing language skills, enhancing the reflection process, and facilitating self-assessment and creativity in the L2. Yet, despite VT’s multimodal affordances and the availability of communicative tasks via VT, participants did not perceive VT as a social environment that could promote peer-to-peer interaction or replace F2F communication. A thematic data analysis suggested that participants’ preferences for language learning tasks influenced their strategic uses of VT’s features, which ultimately affected their perceptions of VT’s value for promoting meaningful language learning interactions. Pedagogical considerations are discussed.

Valores emergentes del pretérito pluscuamperfecto en el español andino hablado en Chinchero (Cuzco)

This research aims to describe and explain the values of pluscuamperfect (past perfect) tense in Andean Spanish. To achieve our purpose that, we analysed 15 semi-structured oral interviews of Quechua-Spanish bilingual speakers, in the district of Chinchero (Cuzco, Peru), which were done in 2011 and 2012. The analysis of the corpus shows that the use of pluscuamperfect tense does not coincide with the usual one, that is indicate a past event previous to another past event. Otherwise it seems to be related with validation of the information and reportative or evidentiality values and is used to narrate events not lived and legends, events whose veracity is not reliable, and to express mirativity facing received information or occurred events.

The Effects of Teaching Eng as a Profession on the Status of Palestinian-Israeli Women

In the Israeli society, English language is considered a prestigious language and a gateway to higher education [26]. The high status accorded to English acquisition by the Israeli community can lead to parental pressure for English instruction at home, and a willingness to pay extra for private lessons to improve proficiency [5]. In this article, I analyze the association between English teaching as a profession and the social status of female Palestinian-Israeli English teachers. In particular, I examine how these English teachers experience their social status in their work contexts and communities, and their profession’s relation to economic independence and professional development. The research sample was composed of 12 Palestinian-Israeli women who are English teachers at three schools in the Northern Triangle in Israel. The main tool used in this qualitative research was the semi-structured oral interview. By analyzing the women's talk, I found that being an English teacher played a significant role in raising the social status of the investigated teachers. Additionally, it helped them create a professional identity, and positively affected them economically and psychologically.

Factors affecting the normalization of CALL in Chinese senior high schools

With the development of Information Technology, increasing attention has been paid to Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL). Meanwhile, increasing enthusiasm is seen for English learning and teaching in China. Yet, few research studies have focused on the normalization of CALL in ethnically diverse areas. In response to this research gap, this study aims to identify major factors affecting the normalization of CALL in Chinese senior high schools in the Qian Xi’nan Buyi and Miao Autonomous Prefecture (QBMP). A questionnaire was administered to 340 English teachers and a semi-structured oral interview was conducted as a follow-up. The study produced the following four findings: (a) most teachers were in favor of using computers in English teaching although they had to be cautious in guiding students; (b) institutional support was seen as instrumental; (c) teachers’ computer competency and relevant training were considered to be important; and (d) teaching methodology and learner factors were identified as crucial.

Turning experiences into critical reflections: examples from Taiwanese in-service teachers

The aims of this paper are twofold: to investigate how Taiwanese teachers of English as a Foreign Language turned experiences into critical reflections via journal writings and to describe how they gauged critical reflections as teaching inquiry. The participants were 12 Taiwanese in-service teachers enrolled in an elective course entitled ‘Doing Teacher Research in English Instruction’, meeting three hours a week for 17 weeks. Two types of data, journal entries and semi-structured oral interviews, were collected. Three levels of critical reflection – transitions, transformations, and problematics – were generated for further discussion. The results indicate that critical reflection as teaching inquiry helped the teachers deal with situations of uncertainty, instability, and value conflict in multiple contexts. Critical reflections enhanced teachers' understanding and brought about changes in their awareness of instructional effectiveness and teaching beliefs in their practice. For a variety of reasons, these teachers perceived critical reflections as teaching inquiry with positive and/or negative positions.