scholarly journals The Effect of Interviewers’ Genders on the Quantity and Quality of Their Interviewees’ Output: A Comparative Inquiry among Saudi Students

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 137
Author(s):  
Ahmad I Alhojailan

Gender segregation is widely established in Saudi Arabia, and this may affect the interviewing dynamic in conducting spoken tests. Such an effect could pose significant consequences for interviewees; for example, it might affect their ability to obtain high scores in the speaking sections of standardized tests (e.g., the IELTS). This could prevent them from enrolling in universities in English speaking countries (e.g., United States, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada) as well as other universities that require such tests for enrollment purposes. As such, this study attempts to explore whether the gender of an interviewer can affect how a respondent forms their answer in terms of both depth and length. In this study, two interviewers (a male and a female) interviewed six Saudis of both genders, comprising a total of 12 interviews. The results showed that when both the interviewer and the interviewee were of the same gender, interviewees’ responses tended to be lengthy, and they were more likely to expand their response to other related topics. On the other hand, when both the interviewer and the interviewee were not of the same gender, brevity and/or avoidance characterized their answers.

Author(s):  
Chhavi Asthana ◽  
Gregory M Peterson ◽  
Madhur D Shastri ◽  
Rahul P Patel

Abstract Background Clinical studies have reported inconsistent outcomes of glucosamine therapy in osteoarthritis patients. One possible reason could be the use of glucosamine products of varying quality. Objective Hence, this study aimed to assess the quality of glucosamine products marketed in Australia and India. This is the first study to investigate both the content and dissolution profiles of glucosamine products. Method The content and dissolution analysis of Australian (n = 25 brands) and Indian (n = 21 brands) glucosamine products was performed according to the criteria specified in the United States Pharmacopoeia (USP). Results The quality analysis revealed that 16% and 18% of Australian brands, as well as 24% and 19% of Indian brands, did not fulfil the USP content and dissolution criteria, respectively. In approximately half of these cases, the glucosamine content was only slightly below (<3%) that specified by the USP and dissolution was achieved within 15 min after the duration specified by the USP. Conclusions The majority of the brands did meet both the content and dissolution analysis criteria of the USP. The extent of deviation from the specified criteria for the other brands was probably insufficient to account for the significant variability in clinical effects. Hence, the study proposed that inter-patient pharmacokinetic variations in glucosamine could be another potential reason for inconsistent therapeutic effects. Highlights


2013 ◽  
Vol 83 (6) ◽  
pp. 1043-1048 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irfan Dawoodbhoy ◽  
Elsa K. Delgado-Angulo ◽  
Eduardo Bernabé

ABSTRACT Objective: To assess the relationship between malocclusion severity and quality of life in children. Materials and Method: Two hundred and seventy-eight children aged 11 to 14 years were recruited voluntarily from the Dental and Maxillofacial Centre of the Almana General Hospital in Alkhobar, Saudi Arabia. The children were asked to fill out the Arabic version of the Child Perception Questionnaire for 11- to 14-year-old children (CPQ11–14) and were then clinically examined to determine the severity of their malocclusion using the Dental Aesthetic Index (DAI). Multivariate analysis of variance was used to compare the four domains and the total CPQ11–14 scores between the four DAI severity groups. Results: Significant differences were found between DAI severity groups for the four domains and the total CPQ11–14 scores. Although children with very severe (handicapping) malocclusion had significantly higher domain and total CPQ11–14 scores than all the other groups (differences of up to 6 and 22 units, respectively, compared to children with no/minor malocclusion), there were no differences between those with no/minor, definite, and severe malocclusion. Conclusion: These findings suggest that only very severe malocclusion had an impact on the quality of life of the participants. Orthodontists should focus not only on clinical measures of malocclusion but should also consider the impact of severe malocclusion on patients' quality of life.


Author(s):  
Issam Mostafa Taamneh

The current study aimed to investigate the most common translation problems that encountered the Saudi students in translating some of the literary items from Arabic into English. In addition, the study tried to investigate the most difficult terms that the students faced while translating them. Moreover, it aimed to explore the participants’ point of views behind such translation problems. To achieve the purpose of the study, a translation test, which involved 20 items and expressions, was prepared in advance. Furthermore, an interview was made to the participants to ask them about their point of views concerning the reasons behind encountering such translation problems. The sample of the study consisted of 15 male fourth year English-majored university students, who were chosen purposefully, at the University College of Taymaa in the first semester of the academic year 2017/2018 in Saudi Arabia. The design of the study was a qualitative as well as quantitative method. The data that were obtained from the participants’ answers in the translation test as well as the participants’ point of views in the interview were analyzed using the appropriate statistical analyses. The findings of the study showed that the students’ achievement in translating the items of the terms of address was the best compared with their results in the other two groups (lexical and cultural). Moreover, the analysis of the students’ interviews indicated that the lack of practice and lack of translation courses are a main reason in facing such these problems. Based on the findings, the researcher presented some recommendations and suggestions to develop students’ translation competence such as increasing the number of the translation courses that are presented to the students in their studying to have more practice in the process of translation. Moreover, more concentration should be given to the lexical, cultural, and terms of address problems in translation. Besides, students must be trained on how to use the bilingual dictionaries in the process of translation to get the intended meaning while rendering from Arabic into English and vice versa.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 278
Author(s):  
Salih Alzahrani

Learning to produce and to identify sounds (phonemes) is not the same as learning the difference between sounds which leads to meaning delivery. One part of the acquisition of phonetics is the ability to perceive sounds which distinguish differences in meaning. This paper explores the perception in Saudi learners of the English Bilabial Stops /p/ and /b/ and the English Labio-dental Fricatives /f/ and /v/. Four different groups took part in this experiment. These groups were divided according to their age and their exposure to English either in English speaking countries or elsewhere. The participants had to listen to the different phonemes occurring initially, medially and finally. One of these groups of words contained non-sense words to test the participants’ mis-perceptions when they do not recognize the sounds as part of their mental lexical knowledge. The results show these four groups faced difficulties perceiving and recognizing some sounds according to their exposure to English. Two groups, consisting of adults and children, showed very few misperceptions and/or missed sounds because they studied English in Australia for more than three years. Children had better perception than adults. The other groups show to had more misperceptions and/or missed sounds. Participants who had studied English in Australia for less than six months showed fewer misperceptions than those participants who had studied English in Saudi Arabia. This study suggests that teaching articulation (pronunciation) to Saudi learners of English in early stages is essential in order to avoid unconscious miscommunications due to the wrong perception and production of phonemes.


Author(s):  
Larysa Korzh-Usenko ◽  
Olena Sydorenko ◽  
Marina Chykalova

In the era of information systems and digital technologies, the urgency of developing non-state higher education is primarily related to economic progress and the challenges of a risky society. The investigation is devoted to revealing the peculiarities of the development of non-state higher education in the United States and Great Britain.On the basis of historiographical analysis, the degree of elaboration of the selected problem is determined. Using a retrospective analysis of the development of the world educational space, the historical origins of the emergence and formation of non-state higher education institutions in these English-speaking countries, related to the implementation of church, private and public initiatives. With the help of synchronous analysis of the course of innovation processes in higher education, the peculiarities of the development of the non-state higher school in the USA and Great Britain at the present stage are outlined. The method of synthesis summarizes the main advantages and disadvantages of non-state higher institutions in these English-speaking countries, as well as identifies prospects for further research.The importance of church, private and public initiative in the origin and formation of non-state schools in the United States and Great Britain is revealed, the dominance of the non-state higher education sector over the public in terms of quantity and quality of educational services in these countries.There is a growing tendency to popularize and democratize higher education in the context of the implementation of “ideas of free higher education”, primarily due to the spread of the movement for “Enlargement of the University” in the second half of the nineteenth century from Britain and the United States. The role of open universities in providing quality educational services in developed English-speaking countries at the present stage is presented. Keywords: development; non-state higher school; free university; free higher school; internationalization; globalization; massification; democratization; quality of educational services.


Author(s):  
Pesach Malovany ◽  
Amatzia Baram ◽  
Kevin M. Woods ◽  
Ronna Englesberg

This chapter deals with the reactions to the conquest of Kuwait by Iraq and the Iraqi preparations for the anticipated conflict with the Coalition countries. It describes the global and regional reaction to the Iraqi surprising attack on Kuwait, the establishment of the Coalition countries against Iraq led by the United States, and the build-up of its military forces in Saudi Arabia. On the other side it describes the Iraqi preliminary measures taken towards the anticipated conflict with the Coalition, the Iraqi evaluation of the situation and their preparations of the Iraqis towards the war for defensive operations, as well as offensive ones and the deployment of forces of both sides on the eve of the war.


1983 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 559-592 ◽  
Author(s):  
Betty M. Kuyk

At the turn of the century, when lynching, Jim Crow laws, and disfranchisement were at their worst, black fraternal organizations offered Afro-Americans a place to preserve their self-respect. Scholars have studied these organizations little and understood them less. One early study dismissed them as merely parodying white organizations, but hardly resembling them, while the blacks, it claimed, exaggerated both regalia and ritual. When Noel Gist published his Study of Fraternalism in the United States, Carter Woodson charged that Gist failed to understand the importance of fraternal orders to blacks and that, indeed, Gist barely mentioned the black orders. After a detailed analysis, W. E. B. DuBois found that even black and white orders that shared a name might not resemble one another. He found similarities only in Pythians, Odd Fellows, and Masons. He thought the other black societies were “Negro inventions” and “curious and instructive” organizations. “Invention,” “curious,” “exaggeration,” “parody,” “importance to blacks”—these are the key phrases. All attempt to describe an amorphous quality of black fraternal orders that makes them unique. Yet while failing to define that quality, its would-be describers avoid the issue.


Author(s):  
William Brown

Let us suppose France and the United States to enter into a convention with us to issue pieces of gold of the same weight and fineness as our sovereign—that is, containing 113 grains of fine gold; the three countries would then have a common standard of gold money. Let us examine whether, in the face of the operations of commerce, the international quality of value of these coins could at all times be maintained. The temporary balance of trade is always fluctuating in favour of one or the other country; a permanent balance against any country is impossible.


2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. p47
Author(s):  
Sarah Lane

International Linguistics Research wishes to acknowledge the following individuals for their assistance with peer review of manuscripts for this issue. Their help and contributions in maintaining the quality of the journal is greatly appreciated. International Linguistics Research is recruiting reviewers for the journal. If you are interested in becoming a reviewer, we welcome you to join us. Please find the application form and details at http://home.ideasspread.org/for-reviewers/ and e-mail the completed application form to [email protected] Reviewers for Volume 3, Number 3 Bassil Mashaqba, The Hashemite University, Jordan Edvan Brito, University of Arkansas, United States Fanyu Mao, Jiangxi University of Finance and Economics, China Hamad H. Alsowat, College of Education, Taif University, Saudi Arabia Hanfu Mi, University of Illinois at Springfield, United States Ma Daoshan, Tianjin Polytechnic University, China Mariana Oleniak, Vasyl` Stus Donetsk National University, Ukraine Mohammed Jasim Betti, University of Thi-Qar, Iraq Stevanus Ngenget, Universitas Katolik De La Salle Manado, Indonesia Yasir Bdaiwi, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Iraq


2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmad Aalam ◽  
Mark Zocchi ◽  
Khalid Alyami ◽  
Abdullah Shalabi ◽  
Abdullah Bakhsh ◽  
...  

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document