scholarly journals Co-constructing Writing Rubrics to Enhance Students’ Autonomy and Collaboration

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (5) ◽  
pp. 43-47
Author(s):  
May Abdul Ghaffar
Keyword(s):  
Writing Assessment ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Writing Skills ◽  
Competency Development ◽  
Writing Assessments ◽  
Writing Class ◽  
L2 Learners ◽  
Comparison Groups ◽  
The Impact

Many L2 learners show low motivation when it comes to writing. The intervention of this study focuses on the idea of engaging L2 students and their teacher in co-constructing writing rubrics to help them develop a better understanding and awareness of the writing criteria in order to enhance autonomy and collaboration and gain ownership and responsibility for developing their writing skills. This study aimed to investigate the impact of co-constructed rubrics on L2 learners’ writing skills and their perceptions towards writing; it also examined to what extent co-constructed rubrics can be used as a learning and assessment tool to help teachers generate feedback conducive to learning and competency development in writing.This mixed methods study integrates both quantitative and qualitative data collection tools and analysis, including pre and post writing assessments for intervention and comparison groups, classroom observations, pre and post interviews with the teacher and L2 students, and a pre and post questionnaire. Results revealed that the intervention class’s mean average increased significantly in the post writing assessment, while the comparison class’s mean average decreased but with no statistical significance. Moreover, the survey showed that co-constructing the rubrics with the intervention students enhanced their attitudes towards writing. Class observations noted positive changes in the class dynamics and an improvement in the levels of students’ interaction and engagement. Co-constructing rubrics has emphasized the fact that writing is a skill that can be taught effectively and can be a solution for those who claim that ‘writing is a universal problem’.

scholarly journals THE IMPACT OF GUIDED WRITING TECHNIQUE TO DEVELOP STUDENTS’ ESP WRITING SKILLS IN BALIKPAPAN STATE POLYTECHNIC

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 98
Author(s):  
Elisabeth Milaningrum ◽  
Lilik Damayanti ◽  
Abdul Gafur
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Writing Skills ◽  
Test Analysis ◽  
Part Of Speech ◽  
Writing Class ◽  
Guided Writing ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Students Attitudes ◽  
The Impact

As an action research in nature, the research aimed to test the progress of the students’ ESP writing skills when guided writing technique is implemented in writing class and to know the ESP students’ attitude towards guided writing technique. This action research is conducted in two cycles. In collecting the data, the researcher uses qualitative and quantitave technique. The qualitative data are obtained from observation, interview, and test analysis. The qualitative data are supported by quantitative data that are the mean score of students’ pre-test and post-test on ESP writing. The procedure of guided writing which is implemented in ESP writing class are model paragraph, comprehension questions, language based exercises, oral composition, and written composition. After the analysis of data collected through test items, it was seen improvement in students’ ESP writing skills in post-test than in pre-test. The students have shown their improvement such as they are able to construct sentences correctly. They could use appropriate language use when created the pattern of tenses, article, preposition, pronoun, conjunction, and part of speech and also they used better mechanical aspects in writing like capitalization, punctuation, and spelling in post-test than in pretest. Moreover, they can use correct ESP diction on their writing after implemented this technique. The ESP students’ attitudes also were enthusiastic and more active involved in ESP writing class.

scholarly journals Designing and implementing policy writing assessments: A practical guide

2020 ◽  
pp. 014473942096144
Author(s):  
Andrew Judge
Keyword(s):  
Writing Assessment ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Writing Skills ◽  
Writing Assessments ◽  
Assessment Design ◽  
Learning Contexts ◽  
Supplementary Method ◽  
Energy Politics ◽  
Method Of Assessment

Policy writing assessments are increasingly used as an alternative or supplementary method of assessment within the teaching of politics and policy. Such assessments, often referred to as ‘policy briefs’ or ‘briefing memos’, are often used to develop writing skills and to encourage active learning of policy-related topics among students. While they can be readily adapted to different teaching and learning contexts, it can be challenging to make appropriate design choices to implement policy writing assessments so that are able to meet the learning aims of students. This article sets out a heuristic framework, derived from the existing literature on policy writing assessments to help clarify these choices. It advocates for viewing assessment design as embedded within course design and emphasises the pedagogical and contextual aspects of assessment design. To illustrate how this heuristic framework can help those involved in course design, this article concludes with a reconstruction of the design process for a policy writing assessment in an undergraduate course on Global Energy Politics.

scholarly journals The Use of Social Media in Designing The Writing Assessment for EFL Students

2019 ◽  
pp. 26
Author(s):  
Rita Suswati ◽  
Syarbaini Saleh
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Writing Assessment ◽  
Educational Program ◽  
Writing Skills ◽  
State University ◽  
Writing Class ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Use Of Social Media ◽  
Method R ◽  
Program Data

This research investigates social media as the assessment for EFL students at State University of Medan (UNIMED) of second semester English educational program. This research focuses on how social media influences the students’ competences in writing skills. The problems are how it influences their ability to develop their ideas in writing; develop the reading & writing materials; change the students’ opinion on social media in writing class. Questionnaire was designed to get the students’ thought on social media matter, their intention of social media for study, particularly in reading and writing topic and the influence of social media on their ability in developing the idea in writing class. The instruments used in this research were social media as Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram as a text in reading & writing class. The population consisted of 80 students from two classes of English educational program. Data was analyzed using Research & Development Method (R&D) and the Linkert Scale to get the percentage of students’ perception. The findings of this paper indicate that students more enjoy and engage in writing class using social media as their assessments; using social media to develop ideas on a topic; and being more creative in writing skills. However, control and development are still needed on this topic.

Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Patients with Diabetes and Multivessel or Left Main Disease – a Review

2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 37
Author(s):  
Donald E Cutlip ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Percutaneous Coronary Intervention ◽  
Coronary Artery ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Bare Metal Stents ◽  
Coronary Intervention ◽  
Metal Stents ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Percutaneous Coronary ◽  
Patients With Diabetes ◽  
The Impact

Coronary artery disease in patients with diabetes is frequently a diffuse process with multivessel involvement and is associated with increased risk for myocardial infarction and death. The role of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) versus coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in patients with diabetes and multivessel disease who require revascularisation has been debated and remains uncertain. The debate has been continued mainly because of the question to what degree an increased risk for in-stent restenosis among patients with diabetes contributes to other late adverse outcomes. This article reviews outcomes from early trials of balloon angioplasty versus CABG through later trials of bare-metal stents versus CABG and more recent data with drug-eluting stents as the comparator. Although not all studies have been powered to show statistical significance, the results have been generally consistent with a mortality benefit for CABG versus PCI, despite differential risks for restenosis with the various PCI approaches. The review also considers the impact of mammary artery grafting of the left anterior descending artery and individual case selection on these results, and proposes an algorithm for selection of patients in whom PCI remains a reasonable strategy.

Dietary Patterns: A New Therapeutic Approach for Depression?

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 123-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariana Jesus ◽  
Tânia Silva ◽  
César Cagigal ◽  
Vera Martins ◽  
Carla Silva
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Dietary Patterns ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Randomized Clinical Trials ◽  
Dietary Intervention ◽  
Common Mental Disorder ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Inverse Association ◽  
The Impact

Introduction: The field of nutritional psychiatry is a fast-growing one. Although initially, it focused on the effects of vitamins and micronutrients in mental health, in the last decade, its focus also extended to the dietary patterns. The possibility of a dietary cost-effective intervention in the most common mental disorder, depression, cannot be overlooked due to its potential large-scale impact. Method: A classic review of the literature was conducted, and studies published between 2010 and 2018 focusing on the impact of dietary patterns in depression and depressive symptoms were included. Results: We found 10 studies that matched our criteria. Most studies showed an inverse association between healthy dietary patterns, rich in fruits, vegetables, lean meats, nuts and whole grains, and with low intake of processed and sugary foods, and depression and depressive symptoms throughout an array of age groups, although some authors reported statistical significance only in women. While most studies were of cross-sectional design, making it difficult to infer causality, a randomized controlled trial presented similar results. Discussion: he association between dietary patterns and depression is now well-established, although the exact etiological pathways are still unknown. Dietary intervention, with the implementation of healthier dietary patterns, closer to the traditional ones, can play an important role in the prevention and adjunctive therapy of depression and depressive symptoms. Conclusion: More large-scale randomized clinical trials need to be conducted, in order to confirm the association between high-quality dietary patterns and lower risk of depression and depressive symptoms.

Do we Need Maintenance Chemotherapy in Advanced NSCLC in the Era of Immune and Targeted Therapy?

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-55
Author(s):  
Ahmed Nagy ◽  
Omar Abdel Rahman ◽  
Heba Abdullah ◽  
Ahmed Negida
Keyword(s):  
Lung Cancer ◽  
Maintenance Therapy ◽  
Small Cell Lung Cancer ◽  
Cell Lung Cancer ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Small Cell ◽  
Maintenance Chemotherapy ◽  
Small Cell Lung ◽  
The Impact

Background: Although well established for the effective management of hematologic cancers, maintenance chemotherapy has only been recently incorportated as a treatment paradigm for advanced non–small-cell lung cancer. Maintenance chemotherapy aims to prolong a clinically favorable response state achieved after finishing induction therapy which is usually predefined in number before startng treatment. There are 2 modalities for maintenance therapy; continuation maintenance (involving a non-platinum component which was a part of the induction protocol or a targeted agent) and switch maintenance therapy (utilizing a new agent which was not a part of the induction regimen). Methods: The purpose of this article is to review the role of maintenance therapy in the treatment of advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) and provide a brief overview about induction chemotherapy in NSCLC to address the basis of maintenance therapy as a treatment option. We will also compare the impact of maintenance chemotherapy with the now evolving role of immunotherapy in NSCLC. Results: There have been 4 maintenance studies to date showing prolonged PFS and OS with statistical significance. However, Three out of the four studies (ECOG4599, JMEN, and PARAMOUNT) did not report tumor molecular analysis. As regard Immunotherapy, current data is in favour of strongly an increasing role for immunotherapy in NSCLC. Conclusion: Maintenance therapy in NSCLC continues to be an important therapeutic line to improve outcome in patients with metastatic and recurrent disease.

scholarly journals Treatment of HIV-associated facial lipoatrophy: impact on infection progression assessed by viral load and CD4 count

2013 ◽  
Vol 88 (4) ◽  
pp. 570-577 ◽  
Author(s):  
Flávia Machado Gonçalves Soares ◽  
Izelda Maria Carvalho Costa
Keyword(s):  
Viral Load ◽  
Disease Progression ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Undetectable Viral Load ◽  
Fat Distribution ◽  
Cd4 Count ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Facial Lipoatrophy ◽  
A Prospective Study ◽  
The Impact

BACKGROUND: HIV/AIDS-Associated Lipodystrophy Syndrome includes changes in body fat distribution, with or without metabolic changes. The loss of fat from the face, called facial lipoatrophy, is one of the most stigmatizing signs of the syndrome.OBJECTIVES:To evaluate the effect of FL treatment using polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) implants on disease progression, assessed by viral load and CD4 cell count.METHODS: This was a prospective study of 44 patients treated from July 2009 to December 2010. Male and female patients, aged over 18 years, with clinically detectable FL and who had never been treated were included in the study. PMMA implantation was done to fill atrophic areas. Laboratory tests were conducted to measure viral load and CD4 count before and after treatment.RESULTS: Of the 44 patients, 72.72% were male and 27.27% female, mean age of 44.38 years. Before treatment, 82% of patients had undetectable viral load, which increased to 88.6% after treatment, but without statistical significance (p = 0.67). CD4 count before treatment ranged from 209 to 1293, averaging 493.97. After treatment, the average increased to 548.61. The increase in CD4 count after treatment was statistically significant with p = 0.02.CONCLUSION: The treatment of FL with PMMA implants showed a statistically significant increase in CD4 count after treatment, revealing the impact of FL treatment on disease progression. Viral load before and after treatment did not vary significantly.

scholarly journals Does Social Support Affect the Health of the Elderly in Rural China? A Meta-Analysis Approach

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (18) ◽  
pp. 3471 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natuya Zhuori ◽  
Yu Cai ◽  
Yan Yan ◽  
Yu Cui ◽  
Minjuan Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Rural China ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Meta Regression ◽  
The Impact

As the trend of aging in rural China has intensified, research on the factors affecting the health of the elderly in rural areas has become a hot issue. However, the conclusions of existing studies are inconsistent and even contradictory, making it difficult to form constructive policies with practical value. To explore the reasons for the inconsistent conclusions drawn by relevant research, in this paper we constructed a meta-regression database based on 65 pieces of relevant literature published in the past 25 years. For more valid samples to reduce publication bias, we also set the statistical significance of social support to the health of the elderly in rural areas as a dependent variable. Finally, combined with multi-dimensional social support and its implications for the health of the elderly, meta-regression analysis was carried out on the results of 171 empirical studies. The results show that (1) subjective support rather than objective support can have a significant impact on the health of the elderly in rural areas, and there is no significant difference between other dimensions of social support and objective support; (2) the health status of the elderly in rural areas in samples involving western regions is more sensitive to social support than that in samples not involving the western regions; (3) among the elderly in rural areas, social support for the older male elderly is more likely to improve their health than that for the younger female elderly; and (4) besides this, both data sources and econometric models greatly affect the heterogeneity of the effect of social support on the health of the elderly in rural areas, but neither the published year nor the journal is significant. Finally, relevant policies and follow-up studies on the impact of social support on the health of the elderly in rural areas are discussed.

33 An Evidence Based Laser Therapy Algorithm for the Treatment of Burn Scars

2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S26-S27
Author(s):  
Rajiv Sood
Keyword(s):  
Laser Treatment ◽  
Laser Therapy ◽  
Co2 Laser ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Baseline Measurement ◽  
Burn Scar ◽  
Therapy Algorithm ◽  
Laser Treatments ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Introduction Hypertrophic scarring after burn injury can be extremely painful, cause profound itching, and affect the way patients view themselves and how the outside world perceives them. We have utilized laser therapy as a modality for scar modulation for our patients since 2013. In 2014, we initiated and completed a prospective IRB approved study to evaluate the outcome of scars treated with fractional CO2 laser therapy (FLT) utilizing objective and subjective tools. Recently, we have completed a prospective study evaluating the use of pulse dye laser (PDL) therapy and the impact on post-burn pruritis. In reviewing the outcomes from these two studies, we have developed an evidence-based laser therapy algorithm for burn scar management. Methods The FLT study entailed a series of three CO2 laser treatments minimally 4–6 weeks apart with scar measurements and POSAS form completion performed prior to each laser treatment and four weeks after the last FLT. Scar measurements that included color, pliability, and scar thickness; and completion of the POSAS form were obtained prior to each laser therapy session and four weeks after the third laser treatment. The measurements of color, pliability, and scar thickness were measured with the Colorimeter, Cutometer, and ultrasound. The PDL study utilized the 5-D Itch scale to evaluate post-burn pruritis. A baseline measurement was obtained prior to any laser treatments. Each patient underwent two PDL sessions and a 5-D itch scale was completed four to six weeks after the second PDL session. The baseline measurement was then compared to the final 5-D itch scale measurement. Results Data from the FLT study is in Table 1 and shows that there were statistically significant improvements in the Patient and Observer POSAS scores, patient rated Itch score, scar thickness, and measured skin density. Changes to patient rated scar pain, scar color, and pliability were noted but were not of statistical significance. Data from the PDL study is in Table 2 and shows a statistically significant decrease in the treated patients’ post-burn pruritis. Conclusions In reviewing the outcomes of these two studies, we have developed an algorithm based on our studies. All of our patients undergoing laser therapy receive two PDL sessions that are four to six weeks apart followed by 3 FLT sessions. The use of both PDL and FLT decreases post-burn pruritis, decreases scar thickness, decreases pain, and increases patient satisfaction as shown in our research.

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