scholarly journals METACOGNITIVE LISTENING STRATEGY TRAINING: EXPLORING ESL PRE-UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ METACOGNITIVE AWARENESS AND THEIR PERCEPTION

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 83-102
Author(s):  
Saratha Krishnan ◽  
Aizan Yaacob ◽  
Arsaythamby Veloo
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Focus Group ◽  
University Students ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Northern Region ◽  
Metacognitive Knowledge ◽  
Strategy Training ◽  
Focus Group Interviews ◽  
Group Interviews ◽  
And Performance

This study examines pre-university students’ metacognitive knowledge and their perception after nine weeks of metacognitive listening strategy training. In total, 31 students were selected from four intact classes in a matriculation college located in the northern region of Malaysia. Students received 9 weeks of Metacognitive Strategy Training (MST) during their listening classes. Focus group interviews were conducted after the strategy training to elicit students’ metacognitive knowledge and their perceptions of MST. Students were divided into five groups for the focus group interviews. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. The responses collected from the focus group interviews were reviewed and examined several times to develop themes and subthemes. The findings reveal that students showed a considerable amount of metacognitive knowledge in terms of their role and performance, the process of second language listening, and strategies for listening as second language listeners. Students view MST as helpful and effective to improve their listening skills. Implications for teaching and learning listening in ESL classrooms were discussed.

Time for caring? Elderly care employees’ occupational activities in the cross draft between their work priorities, ‘must-do’s’ and meaningfulness

2017 ◽  
Vol 20 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 8-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma Nilsson ◽  
Kerstin Nilsson
Keyword(s):  
Focus Group ◽  
Care Coordination ◽  
Work Performance ◽  
Elderly Care ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Focus Group Interviews ◽  
Care Giving ◽  
Group Interviews ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Individual

An increasing number of older people in the population will bring new challenges for the society and care coordination. One of the most important questions in care coordination is the employees’ work performance. The overall aim of this study was to examine care employees’ experience of factors that rule how they allocate their time and tasks in the care work. The study was qualitative and consists of focus group interviews with 36 employees in elderly care in five Swedish municipalities. Much of the work that care employees perform is controlled by others in the municipality organised health care. The employees had a limited possibility to decide what should be given priority in their work. However, the employees who participated in the focus group interviews did not want to prioritise tasks and duties they felt were faulty or in direct conflict with their own convictions. When employees experienced that the assistance assessments were correct and helpful to the individual elderly patient this contributed to the employees’ priority and performance of the task. The formal and informal control systems caused the employees’ priority to be mainly quantitative and visible work tasks, rather than more qualitative tasks and care giving to the elderly. In the intention to organise good care coordination that fit each elderly patients’ need it is important that those who work closest to the patient to a greater extent are given the opportunity to make their voice heard in decisions of care planning and assistance assessments.

Perspective Transformation through Small Group Discipleship among Undergraduate University Students in Nairobi, Kenya

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 340-360
Author(s):  
Mary Wanjiru Mwangi
Keyword(s):  
Focus Group ◽  
University Students ◽  
Small Group ◽  
Spiritual Disciplines ◽  
Perspective Transformation ◽  
Christian Faith ◽  
Focus Group Interviews ◽  
Group Leaders ◽  
Undergraduate University Students ◽  
Group Interviews

This study explored ways in which participating in small group discipleship fosters perspective transformation among undergraduate university students. Sixteen college students, who had participated in small group discipleship for two or more years, were interviewed. Also, two focus group interviews, constituted of small discipleship group leaders, were conducted for triangulation. The findings revealed perspective transformation was fostered through connectedness to God, individual engagements, transformational pedagogy, transformative relationships, and mentoring. The study highlighted the need for teaching foundational knowledge about the Christian faith, equipping learners to: practice spiritual disciplines, do ministry, and competently carry out successful Christian lives, relationships, and mentoring.

Experiences of Stress – A Focus Group Interview Study Among Swedish Adolescents During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
pp. 105984052110710
Author(s):  
Moa Hörbo ◽  
Camilla Johansson ◽  
Tide Garnow ◽  
Pernilla Garmy ◽  
Eva-Lena Einberg
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Focus Group ◽  
Interpersonal Relationships ◽  
Focus Group Interview ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Southern Sweden ◽  
Focus Group Interviews ◽  
Group Interviews ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Identity Changes

Adolescence can be a stressful period in life. The period contains challenges associated with the transition from childhood to adulthood (body changes, changes in interpersonal relationships, and identity changes). The aim was to investigate experiences of stress among adolescents in addition to stress related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Focus group interviews (n = 8) were conducted with girls (n = 22) and boys (n = 19) aged 13–15 in southern Sweden. The transcribed interviews were analyzed with qualitative content analysis. Analysis of the collected material resulted in two categories with four sub-categories each of which highlights adolescents’ experiences of stress. The results show that adolescents’ have a variety of experiences of stress, i.e., what they mean are the sources of stress and how stress is manifested. The adolescents experienced how stress was manifested both physically and emotionally. This affected both their sleep and performance. The adolescents reflected on both positive and negative manifestations of stress.

Politeness at the extremes

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 413-431
Author(s):  
Mostafa Morady Moghaddam
Keyword(s):  
Focus Group ◽  
University Students ◽  
Positive Response ◽  
Focus Group Interviews ◽  
Double Positive ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Compliment Responses ◽  
Politeness Strategies ◽  
Opposite Sex ◽  
Group Interviews

Abstract This study addresses the issue of politeness in compliment responses (CRs) among Iranian female university students. Using naturally occurring talk, 235 compliment-response exchanges were recorded during focus group interviews. The findings revealed that to mitigate impoliteness the interviewees displayed five extreme culture-specific politeness strategies as (1) tarof, (2) shekasteh-nafsi, (3) hyperreciprocation, (4) sha’n, and (5) double positive response. In female-female CR exchanges, interviewees attempted to foster a good impression by resorting to politeness strategies of tarof, hyperreciprocation, and double positive response whereas in male-female CR exchanges, interviewees tried to undermine the appraised impression imposed by the opposite-sex compliments through politeness strategies that are anchored in sha’n and shekasteh-nafsi. This article concludes that Iranian women respond diversely to compliments by virtue of interaction among integrated components: the compliment topic, the complimenter’s sex, and cultural burdens.

scholarly journals Risikonavigation i fremdriftsstormen

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (22) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Louise Sarauw ◽  
Simon Madsen ◽  
Simon Madsen
Keyword(s):  
Focus Group ◽  
University Students ◽  
The Other ◽  
Greek Mythology ◽  
Focus Group Interviews ◽  
Study Progress ◽  
Group Interviews ◽  
The University ◽  
Danish Study

In Greek mythology, the hero Odysseus receives a gift of the world’s wind in a carefully tied sack. Only one favorable tailwind was free to blow his ship safely home. But in the course of the night, the other winds are released with catastrophic consequences for Odysseus’ fleet, resulting in multiple wrecks. In the article we take the myth about Odysseus and the winds as a picture of students’ educational navigation after the Danish Study progress reform (2013). We show how the reform was initially characterized by an unambiguous belief that it is possible to tether and align the various motives and reasons for studying (winds), all while in practice the students translate the reform’s demand for quick completion in a number of unforeseeable ways. With the concept of “risk translation” we show how the students’ navigations is not just a question of fast completion, but also of protecting a number of often enjoyable, study activities, constituting  a good study life. The analysis in this article is built upon a country-wide questionnaire among approximately 4500 university students (2015), along with a series of focus group interviews with students at the University of Copenhagen (2013-2016).

scholarly journals Reasons initiation and continue smoking of female university students: A triangulation studyÜniversitedeki kız öğrencilerinin sigara içme davranışını başlatma ve sürdürme nedenleri: Bir triangülasyon çalışması

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 1637
Author(s):  
Ayşe Koyun ◽  
Tuba Demirel
Keyword(s):  
Focus Group ◽  
University Students ◽  
Nicotine Dependence ◽  
Quantitative Study ◽  
Female Students ◽  
Cluster Sampling ◽  
Focus Group Interviews ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Group Interviews ◽  
Continue Smoking

<p>Objective: The aim of this study is to identify the reasons initiate and continue to smoke of female university students’.</p><p>Method and material: This study is triangulation study. The study conducted in AfyonKocatepe University between May2, 2014 and June 1, 2014. The quantitative study was carried out with 148 female students who smoke selected with cluster-sampling methods. Data were collected using the questionnaire form and Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence. The quantitative study was carried out two semi structured focus group interviews with 11 female students who smoke. The quantitative data were analysed with descriptive statistics and Chi-square test. The qualitative data were analysed with the Miles and Huberman method.</p><p>Results: In quantitative study, the average period for students to continue smoking is 3,8±2,4 years. 37,2% of students start smoking cigarettes before they are 18 years old and 12,2% of them smoke more than half a pack. In 36,5% of the students, the reason for initiate to smoke was wannabe and curiosity. In 42,6% of the students, the reason for continue to smoke was addiction/dependency. Students who started smoking before 18 years old, more than 10 cigarettes smoked per day, and living at home have higher nicotine dependence (p&lt;0,05). It is determined that the students who participated in the focus group interviews initiate and continue smoking to cope with stress.</p><p>Conclusions: The results of the study show that female students initiated smoking with the influence of individuals in the environment and continued smoking due to addiction.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Özet</strong></p><p><em>Amaç:</em> Bu çalışmanın amacı üniversitedeki kız öğrencilerin sigara içme davranışını başlatma ve sürdürme nedenlerini belirlemektir.</p><p><em>Yöntem:</em> Bu çalışmada bir triangülasyon çalışmasıdır. Çalışma 2 Mayıs - 1 Haziran 2014 tarihleri arasında, Afyon Kocatepe Üniversitesi'nde yürütülmüştür. Nicel çalışma küme örnekleme yöntemi ile seçilen, sigara içen 148 kız öğrenci ile yapılmıştır. Veriler anket formu ve Fagerström Nikotin Bağımlılık Testi kullanılarak toplanmıştır. Nitel çalışmada 11 sigara içen kız öğrenci ile iki yarı yapılandırılmış grup görüşmesi yapılmıştır. Nicel verilerin tanımlayıcı istatistikler ve ki-kare testi ile; nitel veriler Miles ve Huberman’ın yöntemi ile analiz edilmiştir.</p><p><em>Bulgular:</em> Niceliksel çalışmada, öğrencilerin ortalama sigara kullanma süresi 3,8±2,4 yıldır. Öğrencilerin %37,2’nin 18 yaşın altında sigaraya başladıkları ve %12,2’sinin günlük yarım paketten fazla sigara içtikleri belirlenmiştir. Öğrencilerin %36,5’inin sigaraya başlama nedeni özenti ve meraktır. Öğrencilerin %42,6’sının sigara içmeyi sürdürme nedeni bağımlılık /alışkanlıktır. 18 yaşından önce sigaraya başlayan, günde 10’dan fazla sigara içen ve evde yaşayan öğrencilerin nikotin bağımlılık düzeyleri daha yüksektir (p&lt;0.05). Odak grup görüşmelerine katılan öğrencilerin stresle başa çıkmak için sigaraya başladıkları ve sigara içmeyi sürdürdükleri tespit edilmiştir.</p><p><em>Sonuç:</em> Araştırma sonuçları kız öğrencilerin çevrelerindeki insanların etkisi ile sigaraya başladıklarını ve sigara içmeyi sürdürdüklerini göstermektedir.</p>

scholarly journals Training Effectiveness from Guanxi Perspective in Mentoring System

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 130
Author(s):  
Cheng-Hua Tsai ◽  
Ching-Hui, Tsai ◽  
Ching-Yi, Tsai
Keyword(s):  
Focus Group ◽  
Focus Group Interview ◽  
Training Effectiveness ◽  
Group Interview ◽  
Practical Training ◽  
Focus Group Interviews ◽  
Group Interviews ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Mentoring System

This research is seeking to discuss how Guanxi influence training effectiveness between mentor and mentee. Two steps methods were used, first steps, from mentee to mentor using questionnaire, there are 150 questionnaire sent out 87 come back, sent to the hotel and hospitality department students. Second steps, focus group interviews were conducted with 5 informants in semi-structured, in-depth format and lasted approximately 120 minutes. From mentor to mentee using focus group interview, there are 5 different chef de cuisine. They have the classes with these students and also the students were by group went to the restaurant for practical training. The result shows Guanxi influence trainees’ reaction to training, it changes in job-related behavior and performance that result from training.

scholarly journals Exploring Perceptions of Goodness Among the Malaysian and Chinese University Students: A Focus Group Study

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madiha Hashmi ◽  
Moniza Waheed ◽  
Ezhar Tamam ◽  
Steven Krauss ◽  
Abdul Muati Ahmad
Keyword(s):  
Focus Group ◽  
University Students ◽  
Empirical Research ◽  
Person Perception ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Focus Group Interviews ◽  
Focus Group Study ◽  
Chinese University ◽  
Concern For Others ◽  
Group Interviews

The notion of goodness is implicitly central to the discourse relating to person perception. To date, no empirical research has focused solely upon understanding the notion of goodness and how it’s perceived and discerned in others. Utilizing focus group interviews, this paper explores how people perceive and interpret goodness in collectivist cultures of Malaysia and China. Findings revealed that Malaysian and Chinese participants had somewhat similar notions about goodness. “Concern for others’ welfare” was found to have the most resonance across the two nationalities as a key element in discerning goodness in others. Another category emerging from the findings was labelled as “Goodness a subjective notion” which encapsulated additional interpretations surrounding goodness. Directions for future research are discussed.

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