Terms Of Proficiency Research Articles

A Note on the Time-Fractional Navier–Stokes Equation and the Double Sumudu-Generalized Laplace Transform Decomposition Method

In this work, the time-fractional Navier–Stokes equation is discussed using a calculational method, which is called the Sumudu-generalized Laplace transform decomposition method (DGLTDM). The fractional derivatives are defined in the Caputo sense. The (DGLTDM) is a hybrid of the Sumudu-generalized Laplace transform and the decomposition method. Three examples of the time-fractional Navier–Stokes equation are studied to check the validity and demonstrate the effectiveness of the current method. The results show that the suggested method succeeds remarkably well in terms of proficiency and can be utilized to study more problems in the field of nonlinear fractional differential equations (FDEs).

Turkish language teachers’ creative drama competence and opinions

Teachers need to have a positive opinion and competence for the thought or knowledge they plan to convey in any acquisition. It is important to determine the opinions and competencies of the teachers about the creative drama method in order to successfully complete the creative drama processes, which is an effective practice in Turkish education, and for teachers to apply creative drama as a method in their professional lives. Therefore, in this study, it is aimed to determine the competencies of Turkish teachers about creative drama method and their views on creative drama. The study group of the research consisted of 60 teachers who were active Turkish teachers in the province of Balikesir in the 2022-2023 academic year. A two-question structured interview form developed by the researcher was used as a data collection tool in the study, in which the basic interpretive qualitative research design, one of the qualitative research methods, was used. The obtained data were analyzed using descriptive analysis technique. According to the results obtained from the research, Turkish teachers do not see themselves in a good position in terms of proficiency in applying creative drama as a method. However, they expressed a positive opinion on their contribution to the Turkish lesson and students regarding the application of creative drama as a method. In addition, they said that they could benefit from creative drama practices in Turkish lessons such as expressing themselves in groups, developing communication skills, helping each other, developing positive relationships, cooperating, accepting each other as they are, and creating sincere environments. Keywords: creative drama, Turkish education, teacher competencies and opinions.

Features of the formation of aviation discourse of the future teachers of a foreign language

This article discusses the ways and possibilities of preparing aviation students to study an industry-specific foreign language according to the ICAO language proficiency level scale, which stands for International Civil Aviation Organization and represents a clearly described international set of requirements for knowledge of a foreign language. To improve the real safety of aviation around the world, it is important to develop the international standard for language proficiency requirements. Training on the ICAO language level scale was initiated by the Ministry of Education and Science in 2019, after this study was undertaken. This level scale is designed to determine the content in terms of proficiency in aviation terminology and phraseology in English at the so-called levels. The ICAO language level scale identifies six levels that correspond to the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), which defines six levels of foreign language proficiency: A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2 (ascending). In this regard, the authors of the article identified the tasks of solving the selection of language materials and structuring them into modules. These tasks and cases are professionally content-oriented and communicative, which could give the opportunity to practise and improve students’ skills and competences.

The inclusion degrees of fuzzy skill maps and knowledge structures

Fuzzy skills can provide a representation of the latent cognitive abilities of individuals in terms of proficiency. A disjunctive model of the fuzzy skill map, in which individuals master at least one skill to reach the minimum requirement, always delineates a knowledge space. At the same time, a conjunctive model delineates a simple closure space, which needs individuals' proficiency of all skills to reach the minimum requirements. The restriction of the disjunctive model is too weak, and the conjunctive model is too strongly constrained. Between these two models, there is a lack of detailed classification on different numbers of skills that meet the minimum requirements. Thus, for a given fuzzy skill map (Q,S,τ), it is natural for us to propose the concept of a fuzzy skill inclusion degree, which is a ratio of the number of skills meeting the minimum requirements to the number of skills needed to solve the item q. This ratio can describe levels of different numbers of skills mastered, and it is the basis of the variable precision α-models in the following discussion. By the fuzzy skill inclusion degree, the variable precision α-models can divide knowledge structures into different levels between the disjunctive model and the conjunctive model. Meanwhile, both the disjunctive and conjunctive models become two special cases of the variable precision α-model. The knowledge structures delineated via disjunctive models are classified into different levels by α. The dual to the knowledge structure delineated via the variable precision α-model is also discussed. For a fuzzy skill multimap (Q,S,μ), the variable precision α-competency models of a fuzzy skill multimap are found, and different knowledge structures can be obtained through different values of α. When α=1, the variable precision α-competency model becomes a competency model of the fuzzy skill multimap.

Assessment of health staff's proficiency and quality of key malaria indicators in rural district of Ghana.

Routine Health Information Systems (RHIS) are important for not just sure enough control of malaria, but its elimination as well. If these systems are working, they can extensively provide accurate data on reported malaria cases instead of presenting modelled approximations of malaria burden. Queries are raised on both the quality and use of generated malaria data. Some issues of concern include inaccurate reporting of malaria cases as well as treatment plans, wrongly categorizing malaria cases in registers used to collate data and misplacing data or registers for reporting. This study analyses data quality concerning health staff's proficiency, timeliness, availability and data accuracy in the Sissala East Municipal Health Directorate (MHD). A cross-sectional design was used to collect data from 15 facilities and 50 health staff members who offered clinical related care for malaria cases in the Sissala East MHD from 24th August 2020 to 17th September 2020. Fifteen health facilities were randomly selected from the 56 health facilities in the municipality that were implementing the malarial control programme, and they were included in the study. On the question of when did staff receive any training on malaria-related health information management in the past six months prior to the survey, as minimal as 13 out of 50(26%) claimed to have been trained, whereas the majority 37 out of 50 (74%) had no training. In terms of proficiency in malaria indicators (MI), the majority (68% - 82%) of the respondents could not demonstrate the correct calculations of the indicators. Nevertheless, the MHD recorded monthly average timeliness of the 5th day [range: 4.7-5.7] within the reporting year. However, the MHD had a worse average performance of 5.4th and 5.7th days in July and September respectively. Furthermore, results indicated that 14 out of 15(93.3%) facilities exceeded the target to accomplish report availability (> = 90%) and data completeness (> = 90%). However, the verification factor (VF) of the overall malaria indicator showed that the MHD neither over-reported nor under-reported actual cases, with the corresponding level of data quality as Good (+/-5%). The Majority of staff had not received any training on malaria-related RHIS. Some staff members did not know the correct definitions of some of MI used in the malaria programme, while the majority of them could not demonstrate the correct calculations of MI. Timeliness of reporting was below the target, nevertheless, copies of data that were submitted were available and completed. There should be training, supervision and monitoring to enhance staff proficiency and improve the quality of MI.

Comparing EMI university reading materials with students’ reading proficiency

Abstract This study investigated to what extent the complexity of EMI university reading materials matches EMI students’ reading proficiency. Text complexity and student proficiency were compared utilizing the Lexile® Framework for Reading text measures, reading test results, student questionnaire responses, and interviews with EMI lecturers. The results of the study indicate that, on average, Lexile text measures of EMI reading materials match students’ Lexile reading scores well. However, the analyses also show that there are wide disparities between texts in terms of difficulty and students in terms of proficiency. The questionnaire and interview data show that factors such as students’ topical knowledge, text length, and text structure and organization are relevant aspects of perceived text complexity beyond word frequency and sentence length. In terms of assessment practices in EMI contexts, the findings of the study suggest that (1) EMI language admission tests should consider reading ability separately; (2) integrated reading/speaking and reading/writing tasks should be authentic; (3) language tests for admission in EMI settings should also consider text length; and (4) texts in language tests for admission should vary in terms of Lexile scores to reflect real-world EMI contexts.

Establishment of a one-step reverse transcription recombinase polymerase amplification assay for the detection of potato virus S

Potato virus S (PVS) is a noteworthy threat to the propagation of healthy seed potatoes. Accurate and speedy detection is critical for effective PVS management. In the present study, an isothermal-based one-step reverse transcription-recombinase polymerase amplification (RT-RPA) approach was developed to detect PVS infection in potato leaves and tubers. A primer set based on the coat protein gene successfully amplified a 158 bp product out of three primer sets examined. The amplification reaction took less than 30 min to complete with no account of cross-reactivity with major potato viruses. Additionally, amplification of RT-RPA products was performed on the heating system and/or water bath at 38–42 °C. The results of sensitivity analysis revealed that one-step RT-RPA has shown 100 times higher sensitivity than routine RT-PCR for the detection of PVS in infected leaves. Furthermore, ten times higher sensitivity of RT-RPA was observed in infected tubers. The methodology was simplified further by the use of template RNA extracted using a cellular disc paper-based extraction method that detected the PVS more effectively than purified total RNA. PVS was detected in 175 samples (leaves and tubers each) of several potato varieties using this innovative technique. To our acquaintance, this is the first report of one-step RT-RPA using a basic RNA extract derived through cellular disc paper that is significantly sensitive and precise for PVS detection in potatoes. The advantages of one-step RT-RPA in terms of proficiency, robustness, and the availability of a highly pure RNA template make it an attractive choice for seed accreditation, resistance breeding, and field inspections.

L2 Motivational Self System and Learning Approaches of High School Students

This study identifies the level of L2 motivational self-system (L2MSS) consisting of Ideal L2 Self, Ought-to L2 Self, and L2 Learning Experience, and the application of deep and surface learning strategies on high school students regarding gender and grades. The study is designed in both correlation and descriptive comparative models. The research sample is composed of 202 high school students. Two questionnaires are used in the collection of data: The L2 Motivational Self System Questionnaire and The Student Process Questionnaire. SPSS 22 is used to analyze data and the findings show that the level of L2MSS is moderate and the most frequently reported sub-category of L2MSS is L2 Learning Experience. Regarding gender, the levels of each L2MSS category of the female participants are greater than those of the males. In terms of proficiency, students with higher grades tended to have an Ideal L2 Self motive than unsuccessful students. The findings also reveal that learning strategies are moderately used and surface learning strategies are the most widely used ones, and the level of learning approaches varies substantially in favor of females. Besides, the students with low grades tended to use surface learning strategies more than successful learners. Finally, the students with high levels of Ideal l2 self tend to use deep learning strategies.

Promoting university students' receptive skills through extensive reading in multimedia-based instruction

PurposeThe present study focused on examining the effects of a multimedia-based Internet extensive reading program on promoting the receptive skills of Iranian university students.Design/methodology/approachIn the quantitative section of this explanatory sequential mixed-method study, a pretest-posttest design was used to compare the performance of three groups of Iranian university students in terms of their degrees of improvement in receptive proficiency. Besides, the differences in the levels of motivation among the learners were sought. The three classes under study included linear text extensive reading for the first experimental group, a multimedia-based Internet extensive reading group for the other and a control group. The qualitative phase of this study included a semi-structured interview and an open-ended questionnaire.FindingsAnalysis of the results revealed that the multimedia-based Internet extensive reading group outperformed the two other groups in terms of proficiency in receptive skills. They also had a higher level of motivation for reading. The findings of the qualitative phase showed that the participants preferred working with multimedia material rather than working with linear texts, or, in other words, printed books. University EFL instructors may be the most beneficiaries of the present study, as they can gain insights into applying Internet-based extensive reading programs into their courses.Originality/valueAlthough some studies have been carried out in this area, the paper provides its readers with a new procedure and methodology.

Potret Dakwah dalam Kegiatan KKN STIBA Makassar di Desa Baruga Kabupaten Maros

Baruga Village is a religious community and still adheres to life character of mutual cooperation which is integrated with the customs that characterize the life of the Baruga Village community. The philosophy of life is based on the principle of achieving prosperity with a high work ethic escorted by a spirit of unity and togetherness, even if the people of Baruga Village are overseas. STIBA Makassar Community Service Program (KKN) III was to practice the higher education tri dharma as a form of community service. The method of community service implementation in Baruga Village was started by analyzing the needs of the community by using instruments that were made independently and SOAR analysis. This was useful for identifying problems and developing work program strategies. STIBA Makassar Community Service Program (KKN) III in Baruga Village was started with a Work Program Seminar (SPK), then Training on Taking Care of a Corpse (PPJ), Hospitality and Health Services (SAPK), Religious Children’s Festival (FAS) and Islamic Signs (RRI). The result of this KKN is that it can be seen in terms of knowledge in the community experiencing the development in Islamic insight, especially in terms of proficiency in recognizing hijaiyah letters, makhraj and tajwid in reading the Koran. In terms of skills, it is especially seen from the side of community skills in taking care of a corpse. In terms of attitude, the community already has a high enthusiasm in learning and practicing Islamic knowledge.

The English/Urdu-Medium Divide in Pakistan: Consequences for Learner Identity and Future Life Chances

Both Urdu, the national language of Pakistan, and English the official language are widely used for spoken and written communication in different contexts in Pakistan. In education; however, a linguistic divide is evident in the two-stream system of education - mainly referred to as Urdu medium and English medium - according to the dominant language of instruction in an institutional setting. Urdu medium schools are normally the state schools providing free education to the poorer communities while the English medium schools are private fee-paying schools for the economically well-off sections of society. This disparity in the educational system has loaded the labels English medium and Urdu medium with a range of meanings that constitute self and other’s perceptions of identity, in addition to signaling linguistic capital, particularly in terms of proficiency in English. This paper reports findings of a small-scale qualitative study undertaken to understand how students at a higher education public-sector institution in Pakistan experience and construct their own and others’ identities in relation to their previous and current educational and social experiences of language learning and use. Insights gained from this study further our understanding of how linguistic inequalities can be sanctioned by the state’s language policy and related practices.

How Different Are Students In Compulsory And Elective English Courses?

Most Taiwanese universities and colleges offer a wide selection of English courses, compulsory or elective to cater to student needs. Compulsory courses are usually prerequisites for selective courses, except when students can prove an exceptionally high proficiency level with authenticated evidence, then the course can be waived and take selective courses immediately upon entering the college. Based on course objectives, elective courses are at a higher standard, or difficult, in terms of course goals, content, and tasks. Therefore, these courses can be compulsory basic English and selective advanced English. However, do students in these two kinds of courses really differ in terms of proficiency? If yes, to what extent do they differ? If this is truly the case, how should teachers deal with the situation of same level students but two different leveled courses? The results indicated that the participants in this study do not have significant differences in terms of vocabulary size and standardized tests. Therefore, the author offers some pedagogical advice based on the literature and their own experience and suggestions for future studies.

Language Dominance, Verbal Fluency, and Language Control in two Groups of Russian–English Bilinguals

This study explored language dominance, verbal fluency, and language control abilities of two groups of younger and older Russian–English bilinguals who had spent similar amounts of time as immigrants in the U.S. Verbal fluency tasks (based on letter and semantic cues, including a new method to elicit parallel letter-fluency data for Russian and English) were used to measure the bilinguals’ current lexical retrieval skills in addition to self-assessments of language proficiencies at time of study and time of arrival. Stroop tasks (naming colors with incongruent cues) were used to measure younger and older bilinguals’ ability to control interference during color-naming. Findings demonstrate that the older immigrants were less fluent in L2 naming tasks and that they remained dominant (more proficient) in their L1 whereas the younger immigrants had become relatively balanced bilinguals in terms of proficiency, fluent in both the L1 and L2. Younger and older bilinguals were equally capable of controlling interference across and within the two languages. We propose that it is not balance in bilingual proficiency that positively affects language control abilities, but balance as stability of language systems. Stability of language systems can be achieved if bilingual usage patterns remain relatively constant over several years and if no radical changes in language learning and maintenance efforts are required.

Adversative Pragmatic Markers in Learner Language: A Cross-Sectional Perspective

The intention of this paper is to extend the empirical perspective on the functional acquisition of lexical pragmatic marking in learner English. While previous analyses have mostly focused on speech, and have considered a relatively homogeneous learner population in terms of proficiency, I shed some light on pragmatic marking in written discourse, and at different learner proficiency levels. To this end, I specifically contrast the usage of adversative pragmatic markers (e.g. actually, but, in fact, on the other hand) by beginning/intermediate learners (as represented in the International Corpus of Crosslinguistic Interlanguage) with the one of advanced learners (as represented by material form the International Corpus of Learner English). By way of a quantitative and qualitative analysis, I test when pragmatic markers first emerge in learner language. Factors considered are type of the first language of the learners as well as the patterns of emergence of individual pragmatic markers as well as variation between individual learner groups. In addition, I use data from the Louvain Corpus of Native English Essays as a further point of reference to determine whether and when native-like usage levels are approximated. The overall findings suggest (1) that different patterns of emergence can be observed for individual pragmatic markers (notably the core item but vs. others); (2) that the first-language background of the learners influences the time and rate of acquisition; and (3) that the development of a diversified system of adversative pragmatic marking represents a challenging feature, which is only mastered by advanced students.

Core competency requirements among extension workers in peninsular Malaysia: Use of Borich’s needs assessment model

The study described the perceived importance of, and proficiency in core agricultural extension competencies among extension workers in Peninsular Malaysia; and evaluating the resultant deficits in the competencies. The Borich’s Needs Assessment Model was used to achieve the objectives of the study. A sample of 298 respondents was randomly selected and interviewed using a pre-tested structured questionnaire. Thirty-three core competency items were assessed. Instrument validity and reliability were ensured. The cross-sectional data obtained was analysed using SPSS for descriptive statistics including mean weighted discrepancy score (MWDS). Results of the study showed that on a scale of 5, the most important core extension competency items according to respondents’ perception were: “Making good use of information and communication technologies/access and use of web-based resources” (M=4.86, SD=0.23); “Conducting needs assessments” (M=4.84, SD=0.16); “organizing extension campaigns” (M=4.82, SD=0.47) and “Managing groups and teamwork” (M=4.81, SD=0.76). In terms of proficiency, the highest competency identified by the respondents was “Conducting farm and home visits (M=3.62, SD=0.82) followed by ‘conducting meetings effectively’ (M=3.19, SD=0.72); “Conducting focus group discussions” (M=3.16, SD=0.32) and “conducting community forums” (M=3.13, SD=0.64). The discrepancies implying competency deficits were widest in “Acquiring and allocating resources” (MWDS=12.67); use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and web-based resources in agricultural extension (MWDS=12.59); and report writing and sharing the results and impacts (MWDS=11.92). It is recommended that any intervention aimed at developing the capacity of extension workers in Peninsular Malaysia should prioritize these core competency items in accordance with the deficits established in this study.

Is the Grammar-Instruction Approach an Old-Fashioned Method in Comparison to the Communicative Approach in Non-Native Contexts? A Case Study of Students and Teachers’ Perceptions

With the height of the new and updated approaches in English Language Teaching (ELT), the communicative approach rises among them as the ultimate solution against the so-called oldfashioned methods. Therefore, in a globalized world, institutions in the non-native realms started to adopt the new trends to cope with the international change that occurred in the English teaching field. Grammar Translation was and is still used at an educational level because it is considered to be more effective in teaching a foreign level with restricted opportunities of use. Thus in English Foreign Language (EFL) circumstances, can a communicative approach fulfill its effectiveness in terms of proficiency without grammar instruction? Are EFL students fully adept to acquire a foreign language without a focus on its rules? Do teachers promote the communicative approach to be solely used in their classrooms? This paper examines this concern by taking into account those questions from students and teachers’ perceptions in an English language course in a private university in North Lebanon. This paper will discuss both students and teachers’ attitudes towards both the communicative and grammar approaches in terms of learning and teaching the English language in an EFL context

Examining the Nature of Learning within an Afterschool Mathematics Club: A Case Study of Four Learners

This study examined the nature of learning within an afterschool mathematics club established by the South African Numeracy Chair project. This study sought to establish what sort of progress in mathematical learning occurred in a grade 3 afterschool maths club, using assessment instruments associated with the Learning Framework in Number. The study also sought to understand the nature and effects of mentor mediation in the maths club, using Vygotsky’s notion of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) together with the notion and practice of scaffolding. This study was interpretive in nature drawing on qualitative methods with some elements of quantification in relation to learners’ progression. The club consists of 10 learners of mixed ability (5 girls and 5 boys) at a township school in Graham’s town, South Africa. Learners in this case study were selected through purposive sampling. As part of the data collection strategies, the learners were interviewed twice in terms of their numeracy proficiency.The assessment interview results revealed that, in terms of proficiency in early arithmetical learning, all four learners showed progress after spending four months in an afterschool maths club. This study also recommended Wright et al.’s (2006) LFIN framework to be used in assessing learners’ progress in mathematics, as it could inform the refinement of instructional design within the school curriculum and teachers’ education in the Namibian context.

A Comparative Study of the Impact of Interpretation-based, Task-based, and Mechanical Drills Teaching Methods on Iranian English Language Learners’ Grammatical Development

Since grammar has been an important part of language learning, this study was aimed to investigate the impact of three different methods (meaning-based method, task-based method and mechanical drill method) on grammatical development of Iranian EFL learners by teaching conditional sentences. This study was performed in Jahad Daneshgahi Language School of Kermanshah, Iran. The researcher administered a pre-test to see if the learners could make a homogeneous group in terms of proficiency or not. 51 learners were chosen to participate in the study. The learners were studying Top notch book (the third level). The participants were divided into three groups, each group containing 17 learners. The classes were co-educational, containing both male and female learners. Their ages ranged between 17 to 35 years old. This study was done in fall 2014. Analysis based on ANOVA and post hoc indicated that teaching conditional sentences with task-based instruction in comparison with two other methods, leads to a better grammatical development on Iranian EFL learners. The result of the study indicated that majority of the learners had a better performance on the test based on task-based method treatment.

University Bridge Program:Innovation at the Grass Roots of Learning in Higher Education

In India universities and colleges typically assume that students entering their first year of higher education are sufficiently prepared to be successful in college level studies. However, many studies have conclusively shown that most students perform at significantly lower grade level during graduate courses compared to their actual grade in 12th standard. Students from various geographical locations, boards of study, economical back grounds and medium of study will take admission to university courses. Faculty teaching university courses will experience heterogeneous student groups in terms of proficiency in pre-requistes for university courses.We had designed a unique program at RK University (RKU) to overcome the above challenges, which is discussed in this paper. This program has achieved great success in improving students learning in university undergraduate and post graduate courses to get head start on their academic goals. In this paper, we will explore the design and implementation of University Bridge Program(UBP) at RKU.

Effectiveness of a multidevice 3D virtual environment application to train car service maintenance procedures

This paper reports a study which demonstrates the advantages of using virtual-reality-based systems for training automotive assembly tasks. Sixty participants were randomly assigned to one of the following three training experiences to learn a car service procedure: (1) observational training through video instruction; (2) an experiential virtual training and trial in a CAVE; and (3) an experiential virtual training and trial through a portable 3D interactive table. Results show that virtual trained participants, after the training, can remember significantly better (p < .05) the correct execution of the steps compared to video-trained trainees. No significant differences were identified between the experiential groups neither in terms of post-training performances nor in terms of proficiency, despite differences in the interaction devices. The relevance of the outcomes for the automotive fields and for the designers of virtual training applications are discussed in light of the outcomes, particularly that virtual training experienced through a portable device such as the interactive table can be effective, as can training performed in a CAVE. This suggests the possibility for automotive industries to invest in advanced portable hardware to deliver effectively long-distance programs of training for car service operators placed all over the world.