A survey exploring research perception of homeopathic undergraduate students in West Bengal, India

Background: Prioritizing undergraduate research is emphasized to develop critical analytical skills and thinking, independent writing, future clinical practice, enhanced employability, and improved research productivity. Despite far reaching consequences, research perception of homeopathic undergraduate students has barely been investigated to date. Poor participation of homeopathic undergraduates in research is reflected by a single MEDLINE indexed publication with adequate students’ contribution in the last decade. We aimed to assess their knowledge and attitude towards research and to identify barriers towards successful conduct of research. Methods: Institutional cross-sectional survey was carried out during August-September, 2013 in the four Government undergraduate homeopathic schools in West Bengal, India involving 902 participants. A semi-structured questionnaire was developed for the purpose depending on earlier studies on medical undergraduates. 364 completed responses were analyzed in the end. Results: Study sample mostly spanned 18-25 years of age group (94%), belonged to urban families (44.8%), with no gender differences (almost 1:1) and no physicians in family (73.1%). Maximum complete responses were obtained from 3rd year students (61.5%) and students of Calcutta Homeopathic Medical College and Hospital (51.2%). In spite of willingness to participate and keeping a positive attitude towards research, current involvement, training, knowledge and awareness remained quite unsatisfactory. Lack of infrastructure was identified as the chief barrier towards research. Conclusion: Undergraduates had a positive attitude towards homeopathic research, but need a realistic understanding of the research process. Opportunities for research skill development are underdeveloped.

Policy Writing Simulations

Policy writing is an effective skill that history instructors should teach their students for life after their undergraduate degree. This article proposes that instructors encourage their students to learn policy writing through experiential learning practices. In particular, it advocates for the use of live simulations in the undergraduate history classroom that emphasize policy writing solutions. In this case, the collaboration between historians and librarians is demonstrative of effective historical analysis and fundamental research practices. This article uses a third-year history course in Canadian External Relations as the primary example to share this model. In a simulation, upper-year students are situated within a particular historical event and are tasked to complete a group-based action memorandum writing exercise during a timed in-class period. This simulation policy writing exercise gives students first-hand experience working collaboratively with one another in a political decision-making setting. The simulation can be supplemented with an independent writing assignment that also emphasizes policy writing, such as an action memorandum or a briefing note, in place of the traditional history research paper. This article examines a Canadian history simulation which situates students within the Canadian Department of External Affairs during the Suez crisis. It demonstrates the enhancement of student learning through a practice-based, hands-on approach, that requires collaboration and semester-long learning. The simulation challenges students to act and resolve the scenario at hand. Policy writing is the process by which “government employees and non-governmental organizations create written documents for lawmakers and policy professionals to read.” Policy documents can be a variety of lengths, ranging from short-briefings to lengthy reports.[1]In the course model proposed in this article, students learn policy writing while they also continue to develop valuable history-related skills such as creativity, research, analysis, and critical-thinking. Victor Asal has argued that “the best way to get educational mileage out of a simulation is to treat it as an interactive case where learning takes place before, during, and after the simulation.”[2]Assigning an independent policy writing assignment in addition to the simulation has significant benefits for student learning. [1]Andrew Pennock, “The Case for Using Policy Writing in Undergraduate Political Science Courses,” PS: Political Science and Politics 44.1 (2011): 141. [2]Victor Asal, “Playing Games with International Relations,” International Studies Perspectives 6 (2005): 362.

СТУДЕНТТИН ТЕКСТТИ ТҮШҮНҮҮДѲ ОЙЛОО – КАБЫЛДОО ПРОЦЕССИН ӨНҮКТҮРҮҮ

Аннотация: Бул илимий макалада студенттердин ой-жүгүртүүсүн, сүйлѳѳ речин ѳстүрүүдѳ – тексттин ролу чоң. Кыргыз тилининдеги тексттерди окутуп, үйрөтүү менен студенттердин өз эне тилинде туура сүйлөөсүнө, өз оюн башкаларга ачык, так жеткире билүүсүнө, баарлашуу чеберчилигине, оозеки кеп ишмердүүлүгүнө, диалог, монолог, маектешүү, пикирлешүү, өз алдынча жазуу жүзүндө баяндама, дил баян, эссе жаза алуусуна алып келет. Кептин ар кыл стилдери жана түрлөрү боюнча практикалык иштерди аткара алуусу, кырдаал шартка ылайык логикалуу, аргументтештирип, далилдүү сүйлөй билүүсүнө, иш кагаздарынын үлгүлөрүн даярдай алуусуна, тактап айтканда, кыргыз тили сабагынан алган билгичтик, көндүмдөрүн өзүнүн турмушунда кенен пайдалануу менен, муктаждык- тарын канааттандыра алуусуна алып келүү жагдайы каралган. Аннотация: Роль текста в процессе развития речи и воображения очень велика. Через чтение текстов на кыргызском языке студентов учим грамотно говорить на родном языке, аргументированно и четко выражать свою мысль, а также учим мастерству общения, составлению диалогов и монологов, умение вести беседу, развиваем навыки письменной речи: самостоятельному составлению эссе, сочинений и изложений. Выполнение практических занятий разных стилей и видов речи учит аргументированно, логически последовательно, обоснованно говорить, составлять образцы деловых документов т.е. умению широко применять знания, полученные на занятиях кыргызского языка, на практике. Ключевые слова: мышление, ”критическое мышление”, гетерономия, анализ мыслей, автономия, условный контекст, фаза мышления, важность фактологических знаний, мировоззрение. Abstract: the role of text in the development of speech and imagination is very great. Through reading texts in the Kyrgyz language, students are taught to speak their native language correctly, to Express their thoughts clearly and clearly, as well as teach communication skills, making dialogues and monologues, the ability to conduct a conversation, develop writing skills: independent writing of essays, essays and presentations. Performing practical classes of different styles and types of speech teaches you to speak logically, logically consistently, reasonably, make samples of business documents, i.e. the ability to widely apply the knowledge gained in the Kyrgyz language classes in practice.

PECULIARITIES OF INDEPENDENT WRITING SKILLS OF PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILDREN WITH MENTAL DEVELOPMENTAL DELAY IN INCLUSIVE EDUCATION

The article is devoted to the results of studying the skills of independent writing in primary school children with mental developmental delay in inclusive education. The article describes the features of teaching children with mental developmental delay, analyzes the written work of students: exposition and essay with elements of description.

Assessing writing performance in TOEFL-iBT

This study aims to determine the linguistic and discoursal differences in essays produced by Iranian test-takers of TOEFL-iBT in response to integrated and independent writing tasks. A sample of 40 essays, written by 20 Iranian test-takers of scored integrated and independent writing tasks, was compared and analyzed in terms of the four latent constructs of text easability (fourteen variables), cohesion (nine variables), lexical sophistication (nineteen variables), and syntactic complexity (six variables), using the Coh-Metrix 3.0 program. Results indicate differences in the linguistic and discoursal features of integrated and independent writing tasks. The findings reveal that the scores on writing tasks of EFL test-takers can be anchored empirically through the analysis of some discourse qualities like cohesion. Independent tasks contain more connectives and particles so they can result in better discourse structure organization and the generation of more cohesive devices. Stakeholders of the test should verify test constructs in terms of particular contexts like EFL and communicative views of language proficiency. Consequently, the findings contribute to the ongoing validity argument on TOEFL-iBT writing tasks for designing and interpreting scoring schemes for the writing component of the test.

On the notion of “owning a forest”: Ideological awareness and Genre-based Pedagogy in university critical literacy

ABSTRACT This paper discusses a collaborative action research project integrating a focus on ideological awareness with genre-based pedagogy in the university literacy classroom. Through explicit instruction on the argumentative genre and reflection on the linguistic correlates of neoliberal ideology, we guided students in developing enhanced awareness of neoliberalism and its influence on environmental policy. In the independent writing stage, students’ argumentation revealed critical stances towards neoliberalism and adequate command of the target genre. The paper closes with general reflections and recommendations for the adoption of an explicitly critical approach in university literacy education.

INTEGRATING PROCESS-GENRE APPROACH WITH PROJECT IBUNKA TO IMPROVE STUDENTS� ENGLISH WRITING

This study goes into how an integration of process-genre approach and project ibunka improves students� English writing. Through Process-Genre approach, students put in writing essays by combining Process and Genre based writing. Meanwhile, Project Ibunka as an online collaborative writing project is deployed as a means of publishing the students� writing to be read and commented by other students from various cultures and countries. In the context of this study, Ibunka also provides sources used to explore the topic and as a writing model. This study is a classroom action research that involved 46 university students in two classes who learned to compose English essays in three learning cycles within twelve meetings. The integration of Process-Genre and Project Ibunka is implemented in four stages: introducing and exploring theme and topics of writing, modeling and determining genre, joint writing and independent writing. In joint and independent writing, the students go through several stages of writing process such as planning, drafting, writing, revising and editing. The result of essays scoring shows average score improvement in both classes from cycle 1 to cycle 2 and cycle 3. This students� writing improvement is also confirmed by students� positive responses revealed from observation, questionnaire and students interview.