Translation Competence: Beyond Bilingualism

In translation studies, it is sometimes assumed by some scholars that bilinguals are in possession of an innate competence for translating. In this research, aspects of bilingualism and translation competences are investigated. The questions driving the research are: is being a bilingual enough to be a translator? And what are the competences a translator needs to perform a good translation? This article addresses these questions through a comprehensive literature review and a small-scale empirical study. First, relevant literature on bilingualism and translation competence was reviewed. Second, an empirical investigation was carried out in which bilinguals and professional translators translated a source text to generate empirical data on the use of two languages and relevant translation competences. The results have shown that being a translator is more than being bilingual and going to a translation school is not a guarantee to be a good translator. The subject matter knowledge also matters. The research not only yield insights into the description and development of translation competence, but also provides potential avenues for translators’ self-improvement.

A framework for professional learning and development in science for New Zealand upper primary teachers

<p>This doctoral thesis describes the development of a framework to guide the creation and delivery of bespoke professional learning and development programmes (PLD) in physical science for groups of Year 7 and 8 teachers. It identifies key principles and provides practical advice needed to produce PLD programmes specifically focused on the topics selected, in consultation with the teachers involved, that are tailored to the school environment and adhere to design principles informed by research, and tested in the New Zealand context. The framework was developed using a design-based research approach involving three iterations of use, analysis, and improvement. Audio recordings, structured interviews, classroom observations, concept maps, and field notes provided data for a qualitative analysis paradigm. The research employed a social-constructivist lens, with an emphasis on learner-centred science investigations, leading to the development of a new framework for physical science PLD design and delivery consisting of five major focus areas: Subject selection / curriculum, Subject matter understanding, Teaching practice, Support, and Logistical considerations. This research highlighted the challenges faced by generalist teachers with limited science backgrounds in working with New Zealand's non-prescriptive national curriculum, to develop specific physical science units that are relevant to their local school environment. Specifically, teachers with limited subject matter knowledge face challenges selecting topics from the New Zealand Curriculum, balancing breadth and depth of topic coverage, and selecting curriculum support materials. After participating in the PLD teachers were able to use their subject matter knowledge and teaching experience to select materials and confidently teach the physical science topics covered in the PLD.</p>

A framework for professional learning and development in science for New Zealand upper primary teachers

<p>This doctoral thesis describes the development of a framework to guide the creation and delivery of bespoke professional learning and development programmes (PLD) in physical science for groups of Year 7 and 8 teachers. It identifies key principles and provides practical advice needed to produce PLD programmes specifically focused on the topics selected, in consultation with the teachers involved, that are tailored to the school environment and adhere to design principles informed by research, and tested in the New Zealand context. The framework was developed using a design-based research approach involving three iterations of use, analysis, and improvement. Audio recordings, structured interviews, classroom observations, concept maps, and field notes provided data for a qualitative analysis paradigm. The research employed a social-constructivist lens, with an emphasis on learner-centred science investigations, leading to the development of a new framework for physical science PLD design and delivery consisting of five major focus areas: Subject selection / curriculum, Subject matter understanding, Teaching practice, Support, and Logistical considerations. This research highlighted the challenges faced by generalist teachers with limited science backgrounds in working with New Zealand's non-prescriptive national curriculum, to develop specific physical science units that are relevant to their local school environment. Specifically, teachers with limited subject matter knowledge face challenges selecting topics from the New Zealand Curriculum, balancing breadth and depth of topic coverage, and selecting curriculum support materials. After participating in the PLD teachers were able to use their subject matter knowledge and teaching experience to select materials and confidently teach the physical science topics covered in the PLD.</p>

Claims-based algorithms for common chronic conditions were efficiently constructed using machine learning methods

Identification of medical conditions using claims data is generally conducted with algorithms based on subject-matter knowledge. However, these claims-based algorithms (CBAs) are highly dependent on the knowledge level and not necessarily optimized for target conditions. We investigated whether machine learning methods can supplement researchers’ knowledge of target conditions in building CBAs. Retrospective cohort study using a claims database combined with annual health check-up results of employees’ health insurance programs for fiscal year 2016–17 in Japan (study population for hypertension, N = 631,289; diabetes, N = 152,368; dyslipidemia, N = 614,434). We constructed CBAs with logistic regression, k-nearest neighbor, support vector machine, penalized logistic regression, tree-based model, and neural network for identifying patients with three common chronic conditions: hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia. We then compared their association measures using a completely hold-out test set (25% of the study population). Among the test cohorts of 157,822, 38,092, and 153,608 enrollees for hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia, 25.4%, 8.4%, and 38.7% of them had a diagnosis of the corresponding condition. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUCs) of the logistic regression with/without subject-matter knowledge about the target condition were .923/.921 for hypertension, .957/.938 for diabetes, and .739/.747 for dyslipidemia. The logistic lasso, logistic elastic-net, and tree-based methods yielded AUCs comparable to those of the logistic regression with subject-matter knowledge: .923-.931 for hypertension; .958-.966 for diabetes; .747-.773 for dyslipidemia. We found that machine learning methods can attain AUCs comparable to the conventional knowledge-based method in building CBAs.

Subject Matter Knowledge of Prospective Mathematics Teachers on Quadratic Functions Using Problem-Based Learning

Subject matter knowledge is important knowledge possessed by prospective mathematics teachers. In general, this study aims to examine the achievement of Subject Matter Knowledge (SMK) of mathematics teacher candidate students who study with the Problem Based Learning (PBL) model. This study used a mixed-method. The research design used was explanatory sequential design. The population consisted of undergraduate students of the Mathematics Education Study Program. The sample used was 80 students of prospective mathematics teachers consisting of 40 students in the PBL class and 40 students in the CL-class. The results obtained were: the achievement of the vocational students of mathematics teacher candidates who studied with PBL was better than those of prospective mathematics teacher students who studied with conventional learning. In addition, from the five indicators, four indicators experienced a high increase and one indicator experienced a moderate increase, namely the indicator of the ability to connect the concept of a quadratic function in everyday life.