Hasil untuk "English literature"

Homi K. Bhabha

Revi Nur Ridwan

This study aims to analyze and test the truth of the hypothesis regarding the influence of Vocabulary and Grammar Mastery on Students' Reading Comprehension in Narrative Texts. The research hypotheses tested include: 1) The influence of Vocabulary and Grammar Mastery together on Reading Comprehension in Narrative Texts. 2) The influence of Vocabulary Mastery on Reading Comprehension in Narrative Texts. 3) The influence of Grammar on Reading Comprehension in Narrative Texts. The study was conducted using a survey method. The population was grade XI students of State Senior High Schools in Bandung City with a sample size of 60 students, with the sampling technique used being random sampling. The research instrument used was a multiple-choice test with 30 options that had been tested for normality with a sig. 0.200 > 0.05. Data analysis used multiple linear regression analysis. The results of the hypothesis testing obtained the following conclusions: 1) There is a significant influence of vocabulary and grammar mastery together on students' reading comprehension in narrative texts. This is evidenced by Fcount = 150.500 and Sig. 0.001 < 0.05. 2) There is a significant influence of vocabulary mastery on students' reading comprehension in narrative texts, this is evidenced by tcount = 8.517 and Sig. 0.001 <0.05. 3) There is a significant influence of grammar on students' reading comprehension in narrative texts, this is evidenced by tcount = 6.059 and Sig. 0.003 <0.05. The results of this study are useful for improving the quality of vocabulary mastery and improving English grammar at the high school level.

Nick Gibbs, Daniel Briggs

The ‘beautiful game’ of football may seem to be a curious artifact of study for this scholarly collection on violence. However, this article will highlight the need to explore the boys’ English youth academy (YA) football industry as a manifestation of systemic violence and, ultimately, a reflection of the pseudo-pacified neoliberal economy. Embedding our theoretical analysis within emerging literature on harm and violence, this paper will illuminate the dark underbelly of boys’ elite-level youth football in England, examining the culture and relationships between academy players, YAs as breeding grounds for neoliberal subjectivities, the common practice of granting false hope to a ‘supporting cast’ of boys, and the underpinning inequalities in the elite academy industry. Drawing on data gleaned from thirty-five semi-structured interviews with current professional football practitioners and officials, as well as two former YA players, the work will provide a multifaceted analysis of the baked-in violence of the boys’ youth academy system. We will argue that we ought to challenge the assumption of harmlessness that currently cloaks the systemic violence of the boys’ elite game and move beyond interventionitis, in favor of wholesale change.

Adrian Leka, Eraldi Ndoj

Ehsan Namaziandost, Hossein Kargar Behbahani, Tahereh Heydarnejad

Abstract This study investigates the role of self-assessment (SA), classroom climate (CC), and psychological variables in learning-oriented assessment (LOA) within English as a foreign language (EFL) education. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, data was collected through surveys and semi-structured interviews from EFL learners and instructors. Findings reveal that SA plays a pivotal role in promoting learner autonomy, self-regulated learning, and academic engagement (AE). By actively involving students in the assessment process and providing opportunities for reflection and feedback, educators can empower learners to take ownership of their learning journey and enhance their overall learning outcomes. Moreover, the study underscores the importance of creating a supportive CC characterized by mutual respect, collaboration, and inclusivity. Positive teacher-student relationships and inclusive learning environments contribute significantly to students’ academic and socioemotional development. Additionally, the study highlights the influence of psychological variables such as growth mindset and emotional intelligence (EI) on student learning outcomes. Learners who adopt a growth-oriented mindset and possess high levels of EI are more likely to persevere in the face of challenges and actively engage in the learning process. The implications of this study suggest the importance of adopting a holistic approach to assessment and instruction in EFL education, with stakeholders urged to incorporate strategies to promote SA, create supportive CC, and foster psychological variables for enhanced student learning and well-being.

Dingding Haerudin, Ruswan Dallyono, Usep Kuswari et al.

Currently, a large number of ethnic languages worldwide are losing their vitality and popularity due to globalization and the influence of dominant languages such as English and Indonesian. Such a linguistic decline is both unsettling and disheartening because, in reality, this loss not only means a loss of communication tools but also a loss of identities and values. Against such a backdrop, this study aims to investigate Indonesian university students’ attitudes to their ethnic languages and to explore the factors that influence students’ fluency in their ethnic languages. To conduct this study, the qualitative method was used, and the data were obtained using questionnaires distributed to 78 university students from 10 universities across Indonesia through Google Forms. These participants were purposively selected from 18 different ethnic groups, including Ambonese, Balinese, and Sundanese. The findings indicate that there are various factors affecting the participants’ fluency in their languages, namely domestic use of their ethnic languages and parental encouragement, which turned out to positively affect fluency and cross-ethnic marriages and relocation of environments, which negatively impacted the participants’ fluency. Therefore, this study recommends two strategies to preserve ethnic languages: (1) teaching programs for ethnic languages: schools should administer classes to support students from ethnic-language-deprived backgrounds, and (2) local government policies: they are expected to issue and implement policies that encourage and protect the use of ethnic languages among younger generations.

Marina Bondi, Matteo Di Cristofaro

The article discusses the on-going process for the creation of the MoReThesisCorpus, outlining its major characteristics and offering an account of the considerations and issues involved so far. The corpus, composed of the theses submitted to the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia between 2011 and 2020, is being developed as part of the project CAP (‘Comunicazione Accademica e Professionale;’ Academic and Professional Communication), and is meant to foster research into academic language in a cross-disciplinary discourse perspective, as well as to facilitate the production of educational materials aimed at university students. It aims at supporting the acquisition of discipline-related vocabularies and styles to improve the learning of academic writing through corpus tools and resources, following a data-driven learning approach. Technical details surrounding the acquisition and subsequent processing of the data are discussed, along with considerations on a number of issues pertaining both to computer science and linguistics, directly impinging on the capability of the corpus to correctly support an investigation of academic discourse across different languages and disciplines.

Yu Liu, Qing Wang, Bo Du et al.

This meta-analysis was conducted to systematically evaluate the short-term efficacy and safety of the three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction visualization technology (3D-RVT) technique for hepatectomy. A systematic literature search was used to gather information on the 3D reconstruction visualization technology technique for hepatectomy from retrospective cohort studies and comparative studies. The retrieval period was up to March 2022. Publications and conference papers in English were manually searched and references in bibliographies traced. After evaluating the quality of selected studies, a meta-analysis was conducted using Review Manager 5.1 software. We included 12 studies comprising 2053 patients with liver disease. Our meta-results showed that 3D-RVT significantly shortened operation times [weighted mean differences (WMD) = −29.36; 95% confidence interval (CI): −55.20 to −3.51; P = 0.03], reduced intraoperative bleeding [WMD = −93.53; 95% CI: −152.32 to −34.73; P = 0.002], reduced blood transfusion volume [WMD = −66.06; 95% CI: −109.13 to −22.99; P = 0.003], and shortened hospital stays [WMD = −1.90; 95% CI: −3.05 to −0.74; P = 0.001]. Additionally, the technique reduced the use of hepatic inflow occlusion and avoided overall postoperative complications [odds ratio (OR) = 0.60; 95% CI: 0.46 to 0.79; P < 0.001]. 3D-RVT is safe and effective for liver surgery and provides safety assessments before anatomical hepatectomy.

Zachary D. Griffin, B.S., Jordan R. Pollock, B.S., M. Lane Moore, B.S. et al.

Purpose: To identify the 50 most highly cited research publications in the sport of basketball. Methods: Using the Clarivate Analytics Web of Knowledge database and the search term “basketball”, we identified 2,704 articles. These articles were filtered by the total number of citations and the top 50 most cited articles with a central focus on basketball were selected for this analysis. For each article, we further identified and analyzed author name, publication year, country of origin, journal name, article type, main research topic area, competitive level, gender of study population, and the level of evidence. Results: Medicine-related topics, particularly those involving knee injuries, are more common than nonmedical topics (coaching, sports psychology etc.) among the highest cited articles. Articles originated from 13 different countries, with 48% originating in the United States. Only four authors had more than one article included in the top 50 most cited articles. Conclusion: A majority of the top 50 research articles were from English-speaking countries, published after 2000, primarily focused on medicine-related topics, and were Level III evidence. Publications examining knee injuries were the most highly cited and appear to be of high interest to current investigators. The prestige of an author’s name appeared to be less influential to the number of citations. Clinical Relevance: The top 50 most cited articles list will provide researchers, medical students, residents, and fellows with a foundational list of the most important and influential academic contributions to the basketball literature.

Horta-Baas G

Gabriel Horta-Baas Rheumatology Department, Hospital General Regional # 1, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Merida, Yucatan, MexicoCorrespondence: Gabriel Horta-Baas, Rheumatology Department, Hospital General Regional # 1, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, 41 Street # 439, Colonia Industrial, Merida, 97150, Yucatan, Mexico, Tel +52 999 386 0846, Email gabho@hotmail.comPurpose: This review aims to provide an overview of the impact of TNFis biosimilars, with marketing authorization, in patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) scores and explore how PROMs endpoints might add value in biosimilars uptake in RA patients.Patients and Methods: A comprehensive search of Medline, Scopus, Lilacs, and CINAHL databases was performed for papers published between January 2012 and December 2021. For inclusion, studies had to be prospective, published in a peer-reviewed journal, published in English or Spanish language; studies using PROMs as an outcome measure. After screening title and abstracts and assessing the remaining full texts fulfilling the inclusion criteria, 31 papers were used in this narrative review.Results: PROMs were used as secondary outcomes in included studies. The most frequently employed domains to assess biosimilar efficacy include physical function, patient global assessment (PtGA), health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and fatigue. The results of randomized clinical trials uniformly showed that mean change in PROMs scores is comparable between biosimilar and reference biologic treatment groups. However, open-label and real-world studies revealed high rates of discontinuation of therapy, mainly for subjective worsening of disease activity or non-specific adverse events. Even without objective clinical evidence of inflammation, patients who are considered to have active disease (higher scores on PtGA) have higher discontinuation rates of biosimilars. The available information suggests that the nocebo effect is the most likely cause for the discontinuation of biosimilars.Conclusion: There is scarce literature surrounding the impact of biosimilars in PROMs, especially in open-label studies. In real-life studies, biosimilars have a higher discontinuation rate than reference products. TNFis biosimilars treatment efficacy in RA depends on disease activity and other factors such as PtGA and fatigue. The nocebo effect is the best explanation for biosimilar’s discontinuation.Keywords: patient-reported outcome measures, biologics, biosimilars, disease-modifying antirheumatic drug, drug therapy

Q. Huy

Mehdi Mirzaei

This study was designed to examine the factor structure and psychometric properties of the English as a Foreign Language Learning Plateau Inventory (FLLPI) for medical students. English as a Foreign Language (EFL) plateau refers to the cessation of progress in language learning in intermediate and upper-intermediate level. A total of 210 medical students whose English level was rated as intermediate and upper-intermediate through the administration of Oxford Placement test (OPT) responded to the FLLPI. Confirmatory Factor Analysis was performed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The reliability of the measurement instrument was calculated by Cronbach's alpha (0.978). The findings of the first-order factor analysis confirmed the adequacy of the ten-factor model for the FLLP. Moreover, the second-order confirmatory factor analysis showed that all 10 factors have a sufficient factor load to predict the factors influencing EFL plateau. Also, the goodness of the model fit revealed the following results which demonstrate that the model enjoyed a high fitness: CMIN / DF= 1.961 RMSEA= 0.61, GFI= 0.945, AGFI= 0.968, CFI= 997/0, NFI= 0.949, TLI= 0.978, IFI= 0.926 and RFI= 965.0. The results not only support the FLLPI's multidimensionality, but also indicate the usefulness of the FLLPI in EFL plateau research among medical students whose English level are rated as intermediate and upper-intermediate.

Gina MA Higginbottom, Catrin Evans, Myfanwy Morgan et al.

Background: In 2016, over one-quarter of births in the UK (28.2%) were to foreign-born women. Maternal and perinatal mortality are disproportionately higher among some immigrants depending on country of origin, indicating the presence of deficits in their care pathways and birth outcomes. Objectives: Our objective was to undertake a systematic review and narrative synthesis of empirical research that focused on access and interventions to improve maternity care for immigrant women, including qualitative, quantitative and mixed-methods studies. Review methods: An information scientist designed the literature database search strategies (limited to retrieve literature published from 1990 to 2018). All retrieved citations (45,954) were independently screened by two or more team members using a screening tool. We searched grey literature reported in related databases and websites. We contacted stakeholders with subject expertise. In this review we define an immigrant as a person who relocates to the destination country for a minimum of 1 year, with the goal of permanent residence. Results: We identified 40 studies for inclusion. Immigrant women tended to book and access antenatal care later than the recommended first 10 weeks of pregnancy. Primary factors included limited English-language skills, lack of awareness of availability of the services, lack of understanding of the purpose of antenatal appointments, immigration status and income barriers. Immigrant women had mixed perceptions regarding how health-care professionals (HCPs) had delivered maternity care services. Those with positive perceptions felt that HCPs were caring, confidential and openly communicative. Those with negative views perceived HCPs as rude, discriminatory or insensitive to their cultural and social needs; these women therefore avoided accessing maternity care. We found very few interventions that had focused on improving maternity care for these women and the effectiveness of these interventions has not been rigorously evaluated. Limitations: Our review findings are limited by the available research evidence related to our review questions. There may be many aspects of immigrant women’s experiences that we have not addressed. For example, few studies exist for perinatal mental health in immigrant women from Eastern European countries (in the review period). Many studies included both immigrant and non-immigrant women. Conclusions: Available evidence suggests that the experiences of immigrant women in accessing and using maternity care services in the UK are mixed; however, women largely had poor experiences. Contributing factors included a lack of language support, cultural insensitivity, discrimination and poor relationships between immigrant women and HCPs. Furthermore, a lack of knowledge of legal entitlements and guidelines on the provision of welfare support and maternity care to immigrants compounds this. Future work: Studies are required on the development of interventions and rigorous scientific evaluation of these interventions. Development and evaluation of online antenatal education resources in multiple languages. Development and appraisal of education packages for HCPs focused on the provision of culturally safe practice for the UK’s diverse population. The NHS in the UK has a hugely diverse workforce with a vast untapped linguistic resource; strategies could be developed to harness this resource. Study registration: This study is registered as PROSPERO CRD42015023605. Funding: This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Services and Delivery Research programme and will be published in full in Health Services and Delivery Research; Vol. 8, No. 14. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.

Aireen Wingert, Lisa Hartling, Meghan Sebastianski et al.

Abstract Background To systematically review the literature on clinical interventions that influence vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) rates. Methods We searched Ovid Medline, Ovid Embase, Wiley Cochrane Library, CINAHL via EBSCOhost; and Ovid PsycINFO. Additional studies were identified by searching for clinical trial records, conference proceedings and dissertations. Limits were applied for language (English and French) and year of publication (1985 to present). Two reviewers independently screened comparative studies (randomized or non-randomized controlled trials, and observational designs) according to a priori eligibility criteria: women with prior cesarean sections; any clinical intervention or exposure intended to increase the VBAC rate; any comparator; and, outcomes reporting VBAC, uterine rupture and uterine dehiscence rates. One reviewer extracted data and a second reviewer verified for accuracy. Meta-analysis was conducted using Mantel-Haenszel (random effects model) relative risks (VBAC rate) and risk differences (uterine rupture and dehiscence). Two reviewers independently conducted methodological quality assessments using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT). Results Twenty-nine studies (six trials and 23 cohorts) examined different clinical interventions affecting rates of vaginal deliveries among women with a prior cesarean delivery (CD). Methodological quality was good overall for the trials; however, concerns among the cohort studies regarding selection bias, comparability of groups and outcome measurement resulted in higher risk of bias. Interventions for labor induction, with or without cervical ripening, included pharmacologic (oxytocin, prostaglandins, misoprostol, mifepristone, epidural analgesia), non-pharmacologic (membrane sweep, amniotomy, balloon devices), and combined (pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic). Single studies with small sample sizes and event rates contributed to most comparisons, with no clear differences between groups on rates of VBAC, uterine rupture and uterine dehiscence. Conclusions This systematic review evaluated clinical interventions directed at increasing the rate of vaginal delivery among women with a prior CD and found low to very low certainty in the body of evidence for cervical ripening and/or labor induction techniques. There is insufficient high-quality evidence to inform optimal clinical interventions among women attempting a trial of labor after a prior CD.

Dian Natalia Sutanto

American Transcendentalism was a unique movement in the country’s history as it had a vitalizing effect on the development of American identity and fostered the development of American democracy, liberalism, art and literature. Its basic tenet is the belief on the dignity of human as the manifestation of the divine. Emerson, Thoreau and Whitman, the three main exponents, share this basic tenet. They believe that iindividual virtue and happiness depend on self-realization which is achieved through self reliance on one’s intuition and imagination, rather than on social conventions and religious dogma. However, these three figures disagree on what specific course of actions to actualize individual virtue and happiness. Thoreau believes that to achieve the highest virtue, one must detach oneself from one’s dependency on materiality and practice simple, solitary life in nature. Different from Thoreau, Whitman views that flesh was also necessary for self-actualization, and thus must not be neglected. Emerson’s position, on the other hand, is somewhat caught between the two. Different from Thoreau who emphasizes the primacy of one’s duty to oneself to attain highest virtue through solitary life in nature, Emerson concept’s of self realization is balanced by the duty to others through voluntary participation in social reform. Unlike Whitman who celebrates carnality as the source of human virtue, Emerson’s view is more austere. 

Andi Ardyansyah

This study tries to examine the story of the two sons of Adam, which is in the version of israiliyat called as Qabil and Habil. The story is contained in the QS Al-Maidah /5: 27-31. The aim of this study is to observe the story and to learn what kind of educational values reflected from the story. In this thesis, the writer uses tafseer tahlili method. After analyzing the whole story, a lot of education values can be quoted in it, such as: (1) Allah will only accept sacrifices of those who are fear to Him, (2) a quiet soul will be able to control behaviors of crime, and (3) behavior of animals can be a lesson for humanity. If the values above are able to transfer in the process of human life, it will certainly bring a positive influence in increasing faith and devotion to Allah, and also can lead to peace in the life of society. Therefore, the values are very relevant to be developed in the age of information and globalization nowadays.

Janík Zdeněk

Negotiation of identities in communication entails affirming the identities we want others to recognize in us and ascription of identities we mutually assign to each other in communication. The study of intercultural communication focuses on cultural identity as the principal identity component that defines intercultural communication. In this article, the assumption that cultural group membership factors determine the context of intercultural communication is questioned. The article examines how intercultural interlocutors negotiate their identities in various intercultural interactions. The aims of the research presented in this paper are: 1) to examine which identities - cultural, personal, or social - intercultural interlocutors activate in intercultural communication; 2) to determine whether interlocutors’ intercultural communication is largely influenced by their cultural identities; 3) and to identify situations in which they activate their cultural identities (3). The research data were collected from 263 international students studying at Masaryk University in Brno in the years 2010 - 2016. Although the research results are not conclusive, they indicate that cultural identities predominate in the students’ ethnocentric views and that stereotypes constrain the students’ cultural identities and affect the negotiation of identities in intercultural communication.

Stéphane Porion

This paper aims to analyse the evolution of the Conservative Party’s stance on immigration in the 1970s, by focusing both on the radicalization of their political discourse and the expansion of the National Front until Margaret Thatcher’s 1979 victory, which in turn marked its significant decline. First, the analysis will focus on the 1971 Immigration Law, showing not only how the Conservatives continued to pursue a restrictive policy stemming from the previous decade, but also what the consequences of Britain’s membership in the EEC on the 1971 legislation were. The Heath years can be better accounted for if one takes into account Enoch Powell’s influential ideas on the immigration debate, publicly put forward in his April 1968 « Rivers of Blood » speech, and the Conservative government’s strain to handle the 1972 Uganda crisis. Furthermore, Thatcher, who became leader of the Conservative Party in 1975, pushed her party towards a harsher stance on immigration which was to result in a new restrictive law in 1981, well prepared beforehand in the Opposition years in the late 1970s. That period of time undoubtedly embodied the beginning of the National Front’s strong decline after a decade of expansion since its creation.

Petra Rauschert

Reza Abdi, Ali Mohammadi Darabad

Corrective feedback studies have proved more useful when coupled with a consideration of personality type factors. This study compared the effects of two different corrective feedback (CF) treatments on 60 Iranian learners’ use of past tense. Also, Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) was administered to determine the participants’ personality types, i.e., introversion and extraversion. Participants were randomly assigned to three groups of prompt, recast, and control with approximately equal number of students from each personality type. In the two feedback groups, teachers consistently provided corrective feedback, i.e., recasts and prompts, in response to participants’ errors during the activities, whereas the control group only faced the placebo. Comparisons of the group means from both the immediate and delayed post-tests through a two-way ANOVA revealed that the CF conditions had a positive effect on the participants’ grammatical accuracy. However, no significant relationship was seen for personality types and the interaction factor. Post-hoc analyses for both immediate and delayed tests revealed more significant gains by the prompt group as compared to the recast and the control group. The recast group also proved significantly better than the control group.