Pelatihan Metode Penelitian Tindakan Kelas untuk Meningkatkan Kualitas Pembelajaran di SMPK Santa Clara Surabaya

The task of the teacher is to improve the quality of learning in a systematic and controlled manner through the use of educational research. The results of interviews with the principal at SMPK Santa Clara Surabaya, have obtained information that most teachers have not been able to improve the quality of learning. Classroom Action Research (CAR) training is expected to be able to understand and apply educational research methods to help solve learning problems. The training methods include material explanation, assignment, proposal making, individual presentation, task discussion, presentation assessment and training evaluation. The results of the training evaluation conducted through the Google Form application showed that 7 participants (58.3%) stated it was sufficient, 3 participants (25%) said it was good, and 2 participants (16.7%) stated that it was very good in understanding and implementing classroom action research proposals based on training method used. The results of the assessment of the PTK proposal presentation showed a very good criterion value with details of the performance criteria of 5 people (41.6%), mastery of 3 participants (25%), quality of material 4 participants (33.3%), use of time 5 participants (41.6 %) and the ability to answer 4 participants (33.3%).

Improving Students’ Oral Communication Skills in Public Speaking through Individual Presentation Task

This current study attempts to seek the answers of a question: how effective is the individual presentation method in improving students' oral communication skills, especially in public speaking? Designed as a qualitative research, this research was conducted at the Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teacher Training of IAIN Pekalongan in the academic year of 2019/2020. The research involved 100 of the second year students of the English Education Department of IAIN Pekalongan who took Public Speaking course. The data were collected through an open-ended questionnaire as the instruments of this study to get their perception after taking the course with performing an individual presentation as its main task. The research findings reveal despite the obstacles they encountered, the presentation task was effective to enhance students’ confidence as well as to give them experience to speak in front of a crowd. The task also gave them more awareness and self-evaluation on how to perform a good public speaking as they received direct feedback from the audience while performing the individual presentation.

The Effects of Media Literacy-Based Activities on Writing Skills in the EFL Classroom

This study explores the effectiveness of media literacy-based activities on writing proficiency and affective domains in the EFL setting. A quasi-experiment was conducted during the 2021 academic year with 148 college EFL students selected as participants from three classes from a private university in Seoul, South Korea. Participants were divided into three groups based on proficiency levels: upper proficiency, intermediate proficiency, and lower proficiency. The assigned activities included four steps: (1) watching video clips made by a teacher, (2) group discussion, (3) individual presentation, and (4) individual writing. For these activities, participants used multimedia like YouTube, Fanfiction.net, Reddit discussion boards, and blogs to understand the topic, evaluate the content, and express their thoughts. Popular franchises, including the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), the Potterverse, and the Twilight saga provided material for the activities. The study’s results reveal that students significantly increased their writing skills, regardless of proficiency level. Moreover, the higher the linguistic ability, the more the writing ability improved. In a survey, students also showed significant changes in all affective domains (anxiety, interest, confidence, and engagement), except for the lower proficiency group’s confidence domain. The study presents a detailed summary of the activities and derives meaningful implications.

TWO HEADS BETTER THAN ONE? PAIR PRESENTATION IN THE EFL CLASSROOM – A PANACEA FOR ANXIETY?

While the role of emotions in language learning is getting more and more attention in second language research, relatively few studies have investigated emotions related to specific classroom activities. This mixed-method practitioner research examined tertiary-level EFL learners’ affective reactions to a specific type of oral presentation: the pair presentation. The aim of the study was to examine whether making a classroom presentation feels to be a more positive and less anxiety-provoking experience if done in pairs rather than individually. 33 English Studies students were asked to choose a presentation partner and give a 10-20 minute joint presentation in one of their regular language development classes. Immediately after the talk, they were asked to indicate on two 10-point rating scales how pleasant/unpleasant they felt during the task and how much anxiety they experienced. Additionally, they were invited to reflect on their experiences in greater depth within 24 hours, responding to a set of open questions. The results of the study are discussed in comparison to those of an earlier investigation in the same setting, which focused on the emotional experience of individual presentation (Tóth, 2019). While the numerical findings suggest that presenting with a partner is neither less anxiety-provoking nor a substantially more positive experience, the post-task reflections show that most participants approve of the idea of pair presentation and only a minority of them prefer individual presentation. Providing insights into the complexities of learners’ emotional experiences and the practicalities of how they prepared for the joint presentation, the study sheds light on these conflicting results and has important implications for language teachers. <p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0882/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

When to Substitute a Missing Upper Lateral With a Canine: A Simplified Approach

Introduction: The upper lateral incisor is the most commonly missing tooth in the anterior segment. It leads to esthetic and functional imbalance for the patients. The ideal solution is the one that is most conservative and which fulfills the functional and esthetic needs of the concerned individual. Canine substitution is evolving to be the treatment of choice in most of the cases, because of its various advantages. These are special cases that need more time and effort from the clinicians due to space discrepancy in the upper and lower arches, along with the presentation of individual malocclusion. Aims and Objectives: Malocclusion occurring due to missing laterals is more complex, needing more time and effort from the clinicians because of space discrepancy, esthetic compromise, and individual presentation of the malocclusion. An attempt has been made in this article to review, evaluate, and tabulate the important factors for the convenience of clinicians. Method: All articles related to canine substitution were searched in the electronic database PubMed, and the important factors influencing the decision were reviewed. After careful evaluation, the checklist was evolved. Result: The malocclusions in which canine substitution is the treatment of choice are indicated in the tabular form for the convenience of clinicians. Specific treatment-planning considerations and biomechanics that can lead to an efficient and long-lasting result are also discussed. Conclusion: The need of the hour is an evidence-based approach, along with a well-designed prospective randomized control trial to understand the importance of each factor influencing these cases. Until that time, giving the available information in a simplified way can be a quality approach to these cases.

Improving Student Presentation Skills Using Asynchronous Video-Based Projects

Given the central role that excellent presentation skills plays in management, methods for better developing these skills represent an important area of focus in business education. Rapidly evolving distributed (distance) technologies have compelled businesses to reimagine practices in most areas, and presentations are no exception. In the present study, we examine the potential advantages of video presentations—not from the perspective of the audience, but rather from the perspective of the student as immersed in the process of developing individual presentation skills. We crafted a course project where students collaborate to create a video presentation, replacing a more traditional in-class presentation. To test the effectiveness of this new approach, we conducted a study in which measures from multiple course sections using either the new video creation approach or the traditional presentation approach were compared. For the former, we found a significant improvement in students’ presentation skills on five dimensions (central message, supporting material, language, organization, and delivery) as evaluated with the authoritative Oral Communication VALUE Rubric developed by the Association of American Colleges and Universities. We describe the project and the study, and end the article with lessons learned and recommendations for expanding the project’s applications to other courses.

Exploring EFL Students’ Perceptions Toward Language Learning Activities Applied in Indonesian EFL Classroom Today

The present paper sheds light on Indonesian EFL students' perceptions toward learning activities applied in the classroom teaching practice. Classroom activities particularly related to learning activities have been widely accepted as one of factors that influence students’ achievement in learning. In the current study, the researcher attempts to answer three research questions: (1) How important the learning activities in students’ perceptions to facilitate them for learning, (2) what benefits gained from those learning activities? And (3) which learning activities do students perceive to be the most facilitating them in learning? The participants in this study were 21 EFL students, in state university of Makassar. The participant consisted of different term which in the second term, fourth term and sixth term. Survey and open-ended question were developed in collecting data. The researcher analyzed the data through data analysis strategy particularly coding qualitative data. The result of the study analysis showed that the discussion was quite important and both Writing paper/article and Book review were just important, while individual presentation and Quiz were very important activities. Table 3 summarized the students’ perception toward benefits of learning activities. The finding also showed discussion activity to be the most facilitating students in learning.

Reward-associated configural cues elicit theta oscillations of rat retrosplenial neurons phase-locked to LFP theta cycle

Previous behavioral studies implicated the retrosplenial cortex (RSC) in stimulus associations, and also in retrieval of remote associative memory based on EEG theta oscillations. To investigate the neural mechanisms underlying these processes, RSC neurons and local field potentials (LFPs) were simultaneously recorded from well-trained rats performing a cue-reward association task. In the task, simultaneous presentation of two multimodal conditioned stimuli (configural CSs) predicted a reward outcome opposite to that associated with individual presentation of each elemental CS. Here, we show neurophysiological evidence that the RSC is involved in stimulus-stimulus association where configural CSs are discriminated from each elementary CS that is a constituent of the configural CSs, and that memory retrieval of rewarding CSs is associated with theta oscillation of RSC neurons during CS presentation, which is phase-locked to LFP theta cycles.

Learner generated digital content: from posters to videos to promote content acquisition in a language class

This article explores the use of Learner Generated Digital Content (LGDC) in the context of advanced Spanish language modules. An approach to learning and teaching frequently used and extensively researched in disciplines such as medicine and natural sciences, LGDC has in recent years made a cautious appearance in the area of modern languages (Lambert, Philp, & Nakamura, 2017). In the present case, LGDC becomes a powerful tool to address the challenge of introducing content acquisition in what is primarily a language module. Through the creation and sharing of a range of archivable learner generated digital material (posters and videos), learners and teachers collaborate to develop a living and open access information resource that can be expanded and used by successive cohorts of students in a cumulative process of knowledge generation and knowledge exchange. Scheduled at different points throughout the term and designed to result in texts of increasing linguistic complexity, these tasks encourage students to engage with the process of content acquisition and provide them with opportunities to practise and refine the linguistic skills required for the successful completion of their final assessment (an individual presentation). The introduction of LGDC in the module teaching and learning strategy led to a noticeable increase in student engagement, as evidenced by the results of questionnaires conducted with three consecutive cohorts. By sharing our experience, we would like to encourage fellow practitioners to introduce LGDC in the language classroom.

Evaluation of Alvarado scoring system (Mandrels scoring) as a diagnostic aid in preoperative diagnosis of acute appendicitis at Nalanda Medical College and Hospital, Patna

Background: Acute appendicitis is one of the commonest surgical emergencies. The rate of negative appendicectomy has been reported to be between 20-30%. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of Alvarado scoring system in cutting down the rate of negative appendicectomy without increasing morbidity and mortality.Methods: A study of 100 patients presenting with pain abdomen and diagnosed provisionally as acute appendicitis, was undertaken. Depending on individual presentation, a score was calculated for each case, based on Alvarado scoring system. Operative and conservative intervention was undertaken in patients with scores between 5 and 10 and <5 respectively. The results of Alvarado scoring system, on table operative findings and HPE, were reviewed.Results: A total of 94 patients with score of 7-10 and 5-6 were operated. Among males with score of 7-10, 33 patients were operated and 31 were found to have inflamed appendix. Among females with score of 7-10, 33 patients were operated and 28 were found to have inflamed appendix. The sensitivity of Alvarado scoring system in males with score of 7-10 was found to be 81.57% and among females with score of 7-10 was found to be 75.67%.Conclusions: The Alvarado scoring system is a fast, simple, reliable, non-invasive, repeatable and safe diagnostic modality without extra expense and complications.