Based on the premise that the advance of general education can enhance the long-term employability of graduates and improve the quality of technical education, this study analyzed the perceptions of general education among university college(junmundaehak) faculty, and drew tasks and strategies for its development. The research methods for this study consist of survey(n=86) and focus group interview(n=7). The results showed that the faculty members of university college highly agreed with the recommendation that the purpose of general education in universities and junmundaehakis the same, but they also recognized that the characteristics of junmundaehakthat focus on technical education should be reflected on the general education. The areas of general education that should be expanded in the future are literacy related courses and liberal arts and science curriculum, and it is necessary to consider the continuing education structure of technical education, which consists of occupational associate degree and bachelor of applied science, and to organize the general education curriculum in an integrated and sequential manner in both courses. The researchers pointed out that junmundaehakneeds to focus on the intrinsic value of general education in response to the purpose of general education that emphasizes the essential learning outcomes of modern society for all students, regardless of program orientation (academic or vocational), and that the government should use policy measures to provide qualitative guidelines for general education in junmundaehak.
As primary care evolves with increasing multidisciplinary collaboration and the expansion of Primary Care Networks, newly qualified GPs must navigate clinical complexity while developing a strong understanding of broader team dynamics from the outset of their careers. Delivering effective tutorials is a method to support learners in the primary care environment to build the knowledge and skills needed for confident work in these evolving clinical settings. This article explores eight steps for structuring and delivering tutorials in general practice, offering a practical strategy for GPs (and GP registrars interested in teaching) to enhance the learning, professional growth and integration of future GPs into national healthcare teams.
This study aims to explore the development and applicability of a rubric that can effectively diagnose and foster key competencies—future-oriented thinking, collaboration, and creativity—within university-level English reading and writing courses in the rapidly changing global and glocal era. Traditional assessments in general English education have been largely focused on grammar and reading accuracy, thereby showing limitations in measuring learners’ comprehensive competencies. In this regard, the present study sought to develop a multidimensional assessment rubric based on the theory of Competency-Based Education (CBE). The development process involved literature analysis, consultation with external experts, and reliability analysis using Cronbach’s alpha. As a result, the designed rubric proved to be an effective tool not only for assessing learners’ self-directed writing abilities, but also for diagnosing their problem-solving ability, creative thinking, and collaborative communication skills. Therefore, this study holds significance in that it provides a foundation for promoting teacher-learner interaction as well as for functioning as an assessment tool that enhances learning motivation and improves achievement levels. Future research could further examine its long-term educational effects and the scalability of the rubric across diverse student populations and disciplinary writing contexts.
This study investigates the applicability of heutagogy to general education writing instruction, with the aim of enhancing its pedagogical quality and identifying practical challenges to its implementation. Heutagogy, a learner-centered approach grounded in the principle of self-determined learning, is based on four core principles: learner agency, self-efficacy and capability, metacognition, and reflection. These principles are particularly relevant to the improvement of general education writing, where learners are required to develop their own perspectives, engage in critical reflection, and navigate non-linear learning trajectories.</br>Within this framework, learners are redefined as autonomous agents who actively construct and revise their own learning goals and pathways. Through self-determined learning, students explore their writing processes and patterns of thinking, fostering trust in their own abilities and developing transferable authorship—an adaptable capacity for writing across diverse contexts. Instructors function as facilitators, designers, observers, and co-learners who support learners’ self-directed growth while engaging in ongoing reflective practice.</br>To fully implement self-determined learning in general education writing courses, several pedagogical challenges must be addressed: clarifying classroom power dynamics between instructors and students, restructuring systems of assessment and feedback, embedding core heutagogical values into instructional design, and reinterpreting existing writing theories. Most critically, course structures must respect individual learning trajectories and growth while fostering metacognitive awareness and reflective engagement.
Este artigo trata do tema necessidades formativas de professores dos anos iniciais do Ensino Fundamental no contexto da inclusão escolar. De abordagem qualitativa, a investigação combinou questionários com análise documental a fim de compreender as demandas formativas de docentes que atendem Estudantes Públicos-Alvo da Educação Especial em salas de aula comuns de um município do interior do estado de São Paulo. O objetivo foi identificar as principais concepções de inclusão presentes na prática educativa mapeando os desafios e as principais necessidades formativas sob a perspectiva da Pedagogia Histórico-Crítica. Os resultados indicam que há desafios na formação continuada dos professores quando o assunto é inclusão escolar. O estudo conclui que a formação continuada necessita amparar-se em práticas reflexivas e críticas que permitam aos docentes não apenas garantir o acesso e a permanência dos EPAEEs nas escolas, mas favorecer o desenvolvimento integral e a autonomia no processo de ensino e de aprendizagem.
Principals play an integral role in enhancing the skills and professional development of their teaching staff when they provide constructive feedback to enhance the reflexive capabilities of teachers as determined by teacher education policy (MRTEQ, 2015) and can be the driving force behind their pursuit to provide quality education, as stipulated in Goal 4 of the UNESCO’s Sustainable Development Goals (UNESCO, 2015). This article explores the roles of school principals as instructional leaders in supporting continuous professional teachers’ development (CPTD). The study followed a qualitative research approach, using case studies which involved two schools in the Metropole Central Education District in the Western Cape. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with three teachers from each school. The finding suggests that CPTD plays a significant role in identifying the necessary gaps in pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and how to manage a class to mitigate disruptive behaviour successfully. The data further highlights how the two principals prioritise CPTD at their schools by being directly or indirectly involved in the CPTD sessions of the staff. The data indicated that teachers want to develop professionally and expect principals to provide them with the freedom to evaluate their performance and identify where they need to grow. To serve the needs of the teachers and continually capacitate teachers, principals and the leadership (SMT) identified appropriate CPTD programmes that will improve teaching and learning, boost intellectual confidence, and eventually enhance learner achievement.
Background/purpose. The persistent risk of semantic anachronism challenges both literary interpretation and pedagogy, as modern readers frequently impose contemporary meanings onto historically charged vocabulary. This study introduces the Contextual Diachronic Semantic Framework (CDSF), a five-layered analytical model designed to trace the evolution of word meaning over time. The primary aim is to demonstrate how CDSF uncovers semantic complexity and prevents misreading in canonical literature, while offering practical applications in literature instruction and critical reading.
Materials/methods. The study employs a qualitative, text-centered methodology, applying the CDSF to five lexical items in Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery: “lottery,” “village,” “tradition,” “black box,” and “stones.” The five analytic layers—Etymological Trajectory Analysis, Diachronic Semantic Mapping, Contextual Literary Function, Cultural-Hermeneutic Embedding, and Interpretive Reconstruction—draw from historical dictionaries, linguistic corpora, literary criticism, and classroom pedagogy. Educational implications were derived by aligning findings with strategies for teaching vocabulary and symbolic language.
Results. Findings reveal that each term operates as a site of historical memory, cultural critique, and thematic irony. The CDSF allows for context-sensitive interpretation, helping both scholars and students decode deeper meanings. In pedagogical terms, the framework provides a replicable tool for guiding learners beyond surface-level readings toward historically grounded literary analysis.
Conclusion. The CDSF is a rigorous, interdisciplinary model that enhances scholarly interpretation and supports literature instruction. It promotes critical reading, prevents semantic misinterpretation, and equips teachers with a research-informed strategy for fostering historical empathy and interpretive depth in the classroom.
Yathwin Kanagavel, D. Rajiv Raj, Pavitra Vittalraj
et al.
Para-testicular fibrous pseudotumors (PFP) are rare benign reactive lesions comprising of 6 % of para-testicular masses. Often misdiagnosed as malignant due to clinical and radiological overlap, they are frequently treated with aggressive surgery. We report a case of a 70-year-old male with a left inguinal swelling diagnosed post-orchidectomy as PFP. Histopathology revealed collagen-rich fibrotic tissue with lymphoplasmacytic infiltrates and IgG4-positive plasma cells. While PFP treatment requires surgical resection, testicle-sparing procedures with intraoperative frozen section assessment may prevent unnecessary orchidectomy. Further studies are needed to establish diagnostic protocols and explore the association between PFP and IgG4-related diseases.
Food products contained varying amounts of naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM), and these differences were ascribed to such as climate, farming techniques, and background radiation levels. It is acknowledged that these radionuclides are the primary reasons why people are exposed to radiation internally. Of the radionuclides found in nature, the ones from the decay series of 238U, 232Th, and 40K are the ones that should be protected against radiation the most. The levels of natural radioactivity in snack foods consumed by primary school-age (6–12 years) children is measured with a detector for NaI(Tl) gamma-ray spectroscopy. The range values of activity per unit mass (specific activity) of 238U, 232Th, and 40K were 12.32 to 28.41, 1 to 17.4, and 375.16 to 686.8 Bq/kg, respectively. According to UNSCEAR and ICRP, the excess lifetime cancer risk and total annual effective dose rate were below acceptable levels in the majority of the samples under study.
Problem statement. The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into the field of education has become one of the key factors transforming pedagogical activities worldwide. The proliferation of generative AI tools (ChatGPT, DeepSeek, GigaChat) is accompanied by numerous discussions about their impact on the learning process and teachers’ professional activities. Among the main challenges highlighted in the global academic literature are: 1) the lack of unified attitudes towards AI use; 2) insufficient digital literacy among participants in the educational process; and 3) ethical and long-term risks of applying AI in education. The aim of this study is to explore future teachers’ attitudes towards the use of generative AI in solving professional tasks and to determine the impact of additional training on their perception of AI tools. Methodology. The empirical study involved 32 students pursuing a pedagogical profile. Surveys were conducted before and after completing an elective course on the use of AI in teachers’ professional activities. Methods included self-assessment (attitude survey), analysis of survey data, and statistical processing of results using the Student’s t-test to assess the significance of changes in future teachers’ attitudes towards AI. Results. The significance of additional training for improving future teachers’ attitudes towards AI has been confirmed. It was found that generative AI is perceived most positively in text generation tasks, while tasks involving assignment grading and generating video and audio materials inspire the least trust. The training helped reduce negative perceptions and improved the attitude towards using AI in solving professional tasks. Conclusion. The findings confirm the need for targeted training for future teachers in the fundamentals of AI to minimize negative aspects and ensure effective use of the technology. The developed principles could form the basis for creating educational disciplines and professional development courses, enabling more rational and safe applications of AI in education.
Diagnosing cows’ milk protein allergy (CMPA) can be a clinical challenge for GPs and paediatricians. CMPA is the most common food allergy and can affect 2–3% of infants. Many of the symptoms associated with CMPA are also common in healthy infants and do not necessarily indicate pathology or an allergy. GPs will commonly be the first point of contact for parents when they are concerned about their baby. With increased media attention about CMPA, parents will often volunteer this as a possible cause for their babies’ symptoms. At what point should we consider making the diagnosis and how can we be certain of the diagnosis and confident in starting mother and baby on a journey of restricted eating? This article aims to give you the knowledge and confidence to explore CMPA as a potential diagnosis in babies presenting with multiple, significant and persistent symptoms that are resistant to medical treatment.
For the project of pipe jacking in cohesionless soil, it is key to determine the vertical load on jacked pipe so as to predict the jacking force accurately. In this paper, a new parabolic soil arching model was proposed to calculate the vertical load on jacked pipe. This proposed analytical model was composed of parabolic soil arching zone, parabola-typed collapse zone and friction arch zone. Combined with existing literature, the key parameters (i.e., height of parabolic soil arching, horizontal pressure coefficient and width and height of friction arch) were determined. In addition, considering that the trajectory of major stress is parabola, the formula of horizontal pressure coefficient was deduced in the friction arch. The parabolic soil arching zone is assumed as a three-hinged arch with reasonable arch axis, and the formula of load transfer was derived considering the transition effect of parabolic soil arching. The results of experiment, theoretical models and numerical model were adopted to verify the proposed analytical model. Finally, the influence of the key parameters on the vertical load on jacked pipe were also discussed in detail. This work provides a meaningful reference for evaluating the vertical load on jacked pipe for design of pipe jacking.
Engineering geology. Rock mechanics. Soil mechanics. Underground construction
This study aimed to compare changes in swimmers’ performance, biomechanical variables, and strength asymmetries within two successive training years. Eight competitive age-group swimmers (four males and four females; age: 14.8 ± 1.3 years) were tested before and after the same 12-week mesocycle period within two successive years (Year-1, Year-2). The swimmers were timed in 50, 200, and 400 m, and the stroke rate (SR), stroke length (SL), and stroke index (SI) were calculated. SI was calculated by the product of SL with swimming speed. Dryland shoulder isometric strength (ISO), hand grip isometric strength test (HG), and in-water maximum 30 s tethered swimming force (TF) were evaluated. The asymmetry index was calculated using ISO, HG, and TF tests as [(Fd − Fnd)/0.5 × (Fd + Fnd)] × 100, where Fd is strength in the dominant hand and Fnd is strength in the non-dominant hand. Performance time improved in 200 and 400 m, while the asymmetry indices calculated by the ISO, HG, and TF tests were similar after 12 weeks of training in both Year-1 and Year-2 (<i>p</i> = 0.01). Changes (Δ) in HG strength asymmetries correlated with Δ in 200 and 400 m in Year-2 (<i>r</i> = 0.78–0.87, <i>p</i> = 0.01). The asymmetry index does not change after two successive years of training but may be connected to performance changes in 200 and 400 m front crawl.
Nonlinear contributions from climate change and anthropogenic activity to the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) are analyzed to better understand the mechanisms underlying the nonlinear response of vegetation growth. In this study, it was hypothesized that NDVI dynamics on a nonlinear trajectory could track fluctuations of climate change and anthropogenic activity. Contributions from climate change and anthropogenic activity to NDVI were quantified using a locally weighted regression approach based on monthly timescale datasets. The findings showed that: 1) Vegetation cover fluctuated and increased in 81% of regions in China from 2000 to 2019. 2) The average predicted nonlinear contribution (APNC) of anthropogenic activity to NDVI was positive in China. The temperature APNC was positive in most of China but negative in Yunnan, where high temperatures and asynchronous temporal changes in temperature and NDVI were observed. The precipitation APNC was positive in the north of the Yangtze River, where precipitation is insufficient; but negative in South China, where precipitation is plentiful. Anthropogenic activity had the highest magnitude among the three nonlinear contributions, followed by temperature and precipitation. 3) The regions with contribution rates of anthropogenic activity greater than 80% were mainly distributed in the central Loess Plateau, North China Plain, and South China, while the areas with contribution rates of climate change greater than 80% were mainly concentrated in the northeastern QTP, Yunnan, and Northeast China. 4) The high temperature, drought, and asynchronous temporal changes in temperature, precipitation, and NDVI caused the negative average of changing trends in the predicted nonlinear contribution (PNC) of climate change to NDVI. Deforestation, land cover change, and grazing/fencing led to the negative average of changing trends in PNC from anthropogenic activity. These findings deepen our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the nonlinear responses of vegetation growth to climate change and anthropogenic activity.
Trent Blare, Victor Contreras, Fredy H. Ballen
et al.
Esta publicación examina los costos estimados y los rendimientos de una plantación de maracuyá morada establecida en el sur de Florida. La información presentada en este documento se recopiló a través de entrevistas de campo con productores y especialistas en la industria. Se basa en una variedad de prácticas de producción en producciones a pequeña escala (1-2 acres). La información en este documento está destinada solo como una guía para estimar los requisitos financieros de una plantación ya establecida de maracuyá. Estimamos un rendimiento neto de $ 2,772/acre/año, o $ 0. 98/libra, el cual es un retorno económico muy atractivo comparado al de otras frutas tropicales de la zona.
Altruism is generally regarded as the ideology of sacrificing or devoting oneself to the happiness of others without regard for one’s own happiness. However, this idea is difficult to put into wide practice due to the fact that it does not consider the actors themselves. Thus, the philosopher Peter Singer argues for “effective” altruism, which is much easier to practice and more acceptable. The effective altruism he proposes aims at maximizing the good by considering the happiness of the subject of action. His thought is different from that of existing altruism in that the opportunity to help others is not based on emotion but rather on critical reasoning. In addition, effective altruism is closely related to solving current and future problems in that it presupposes practice. Effective altruism contributes to the maximization of the good of everyone, including the actor, and can be an alternative to reciprocal altruism, which can lead to collective selfishness, which in turn brings positive changes to the lives of the actor as well as the beneficiaries. In this respect, I argue that effective altruism needs to be widely taught, and that four competencies need to be emphasized as educational measures: emotional empathy, intellectual empathy, rational thinking, and practice and positive feedback.
This article reports on the findings of a study about South African Police Services (SAPS) training with specific reference to English linguistic knowledge of police trainees. English linguistic training in (SAPS) training academies have become central to both training and teaching and learning. Despite several benefits identified in literature regarding adequate English linguistic knowledge, the training in SAPS leaves much to be desired. Therefore, the impetus of this paper is to make a case to challenge the tacit and poignant factors affecting effective SAPS training program with specific reference to English linguistic competence. The researcher makes a case that the training program in its current state is faced with many challenges and intricacies that hampers it from achieving one of its goals which is to produce police officers with adequate workplace English linguistic competency. A mixed research approach was adopted to investigate the phenomena. The research instruments were a locally designed questionnaire complimented by in-depth interviews with a selected sample and extensive literature review of scholarly literature on the matter. Needs Analysis theory was adopted as the pillar in this study. Among the findings was the lack of expertise in teaching English writing by police instructors. The study also found that SAPS Language policy is ‘completely’ silent as far as pedagogy is concerned in SAPS training academies. The study also found the other a systemic problem called ‘placement conundrum’. Furthermore, the study also found that ineffective English writing screening measures for police recruits contributes to the problem. In addition, the other unsurprising was the over dominance of physical training over academic teaching in the training colleges. This study underscores the crucial aspect of reflective research as a source of information for improving training in SAPS training academies.