actions speak louder: Topics by Science.gov

Sample records for actions speak louder

Belief-desire reasoning in the explanation of behavior: do actions speak louder than words?

PubMed

Wertz, Annie E; German, Timsin C

2007-10-01

The mechanisms underwriting our commonsense psychology, or 'theory of mind', have been extensively investigated via reasoning tasks that require participants to predict the action of agents based on information about beliefs and desires. However, relatively few studies have investigated the processes contributing to a central component of 'theory of mind' - our ability to explain the action of agents in terms of underlying beliefs and desires. In two studies, we demonstrate a novel phenomenon in adult belief-desire reasoning, capturing the folk notion that 'actions speak louder than words'. When story characters were described as searching in the wrong place for a target object, adult subjects often endorsed mental state explanations referencing a distracter object, but only when that object was approached. We discuss how this phenomenon, alongside other reasoning "errors" (e.g., hindsight bias; the curse of knowledge) can be used to illuminate the architecture of domain specific belief-desire reasoning processes.
When Self-Descriptions Contradict Behavior: Actions Do Speak Louder Than Words.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Amabile, Teresa M.; Kabat, Loren G.

To examine whether a person's actions are more important in determining impressions of personality than are self-descriptions, subjects in two separate studies viewed two videotapes, one depicting a stimulus person's self-description and the other depicting that person's behavior in a conversation. Subjects rated the stimulus person on several…
Do actions speak louder than words? Examining children's ability to follow instructions.

PubMed

Waterman, Amanda H; Atkinson, Amy L; Aslam, Sadia S; Holmes, Joni; Jaroslawska, Agnieszka; Allen, Richard J

2017-08-01

The ability to encode, retain, and implement instructions within working memory is central to many behaviours, including classroom activities which underpin learning. The three experiments presented here explored how action-planned, enacted, and observed-impacted 6- to 10-year-old's ability to follow instructions. Experiment 1 (N = 81) found enacted recall was superior to verbal recall, but self-enactment at encoding had a negative effect on enacted recall and verbal recall. In contrast, observation of other-enactment (demonstration) at encoding facilitated both types of recall (Experiment 2a: N = 81). Further, reducing task demands through a reduced set of possible actions (Experiment 2b; N = 64) led to a positive effect of self-enactment at encoding for later recall (both verbal and enacted). Expecting to enact at recall may lead to the creation of an imaginal spatial-motoric plan at encoding that boosts later recall. However, children's ability to use the additional spatial-motoric codes generated via self-enactment at encoding depends on the demands the task places on central executive resources. Demonstration at encoding appears to reduce executive demands and enable use of these additional forms of coding.
Actions speak louder than words: Outsiders' perceptions of diversity mixed messages.

PubMed

Windscheid, Leon; Bowes-Sperry, Lynn; Kidder, Deborah L; Cheung, Ho Kwan; Morner, Michèle; Lievens, Filip

2016-09-01

To attract a gender diverse workforce, many employers use diversity statements to publicly signal that they value gender diversity. However, this often represents a misalignment between words and actions (i.e., a diversity mixed message) because most organizations are male dominated, especially in board positions. We conducted 3 studies to investigate the potentially indirect effect of such diversity mixed messages through perceived behavioral integrity on employer attractiveness. In Study 1, following a 2 × 2 design, participants (N = 225) were either shown a pro gender diversity statement or a neutral statement, in combination with a gender diverse board (4 men and 4 women) or a uniform all-male board (8 men). Participants' perceived behavioral integrity of the organization was assessed. In Study 2, participants (N = 251) either read positive or negative reviews of the organization's behavioral integrity. Employer attractiveness was then assessed. Study 3 (N = 427) investigated the impact of board gender composition on perceived behavioral integrity and employer attractiveness using a bootstrapping procedure. Both the causal-chain design of Study 1 and 2, as well as the significance test of the proposed indirect relationship in Study 3, revealed that a diversity mixed message negatively affected an organization's perceived behavioral integrity, and low behavioral integrity in turn negatively impacted employer attractiveness. In Study 3, there was also evidence for a tipping point (more than 1 woman on the board was needed) with regard to participants' perceptions of the organization's behavioral integrity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).
When Actions Speak Too Much Louder than Words: Hand Gestures Disrupt Word Learning when Phonetic Demands Are High

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kelly, Spencer D.; Lee, Angela L.

2012-01-01

It is now widely accepted that hand gestures help people understand and learn language. Here, we provide an exception to this general rule--when phonetic demands are high, gesture actually hurts. Native English-speaking adults were instructed on the meaning of novel Japanese word pairs that were for non-native speakers phonetically hard (/ite/ vs.…
Actions Speak Louder than Words: What Students Think.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Mary M.

1993-01-01

Summarizes results of a pilot study to determine how eight moral values stated by former Education Secretary William Bennett are learned by students in classrooms. According to students, teachers must follow the rules themselves to teach character education effectively. Respect is best taught through a hidden curriculum of modeling and quality…
Action speaks louder than words: young children differentially weight perceptual, social, and linguistic cues to learn verbs.

PubMed

Brandone, Amanda C; Pence, Khara L; Golinkoff, Roberta Michnick; Hirsh-Pasek, Kathy

2007-01-01

This paper explores how children use two possible solutions to the verb-mapping problem: attention to perceptually salient actions and attention to social and linguistic information (speaker cues). Twenty-two-month-olds attached a verb to one of two actions when perceptual cues (presence/absence of a result) coincided with speaker cues but not when these cues were placed into conflict (Experiment 1), and not when both possible referent actions were perceptually salient (Experiment 2). By 34 months, children were able to override perceptual cues to learn the name of an action that was not perceptually salient (Experiment 3). Results demonstrate an early reliance on perceptual information for verb mapping and an emerging tendency to weight speaker information more heavily over developmental time.
Actions Speak Louder than Numbers. ICDI Annual Report 2012

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

International Child Development Initiatives (NJ1), 2012

2012-01-01

In the past years there has been a growing call for (financial) transparency of developmental aid organizations. The general public, or maybe better put: the popular media, are demanding information on cost efficiency and impact of projects. Development aid needs to prove its worth, that's what it basically boils down to. Of course there is…
Words Speak Louder than Action?: A Mixed-Methods Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vincent, Stacy K.; Kirby, Andrea T.

2015-01-01

The purpose of this mixed-methods case study was to examine the dynamic of Culturally Responsive Pedagogy (Gay, 2010) among nine secondary agriculture teachers in ethnically diverse schools. By reviewing the diversity of student enrollment in the agriculture programs, the participants were separated by two groups: diverse and non-diverse. A hybrid…
Action planning and predictive coding when speaking

PubMed Central

Wang, Jun; Mathalon, Daniel H.; Roach, Brian J.; Reilly, James; Keedy, Sarah; Sweeney, John A.; Ford, Judith M.

2014-01-01

Across the animal kingdom, sensations resulting from an animal's own actions are processed differently from sensations resulting from external sources, with self-generated sensations being suppressed. A forward model has been proposed to explain this process across sensorimotor domains. During vocalization, reduced processing of one's own speech is believed to result from a comparison of speech sounds to corollary discharges of intended speech production generated from efference copies of commands to speak. Until now, anatomical and functional evidence validating this model in humans has been indirect. Using EEG with anatomical MRI to facilitate source localization, we demonstrate that inferior frontal gyrus activity during the 300ms before speaking was associated with suppressed processing of speech sounds in auditory cortex around 100ms after speech onset (N1). These findings indicate that an efference copy from speech areas in prefrontal cortex is transmitted to auditory cortex, where it is used to suppress processing of anticipated speech sounds. About 100ms after N1, a subsequent auditory cortical component (P2) was not suppressed during talking. The combined N1 and P2 effects suggest that although sensory processing is suppressed as reflected in N1, perceptual gaps are filled as reflected in the lack of P2 suppression, explaining the discrepancy between sensory suppression and preserved sensory experiences. These findings, coupled with the coherence between relevant brain regions before and during speech, provide new mechanistic understanding of the complex interactions between action planning and sensory processing that provide for differentiated tagging and monitoring of one's own speech, processes disrupted in neuropsychiatric disorders. PMID:24423729
Conservation Education in South Africa

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sewell, Keira

2012-01-01

Lawrence Anthony is a conservationist for whom actions speak far louder than words. An imposing figure, Anthony does not take "no" for an answer and uses his commitment, enthusiasm and indefatigable drive to change situations, both in his native South Africa and around the world. Anthony has worked tirelessly alongside tribal leaders…
It's all in the mime: Actions speak louder than words when teaching the cranial nerves.

PubMed

Dickson, Kerry Ann; Stephens, Bruce Warren

2015-01-01

Cranial nerve (CN) knowledge is essential for students in health professions. Gestures and body movements (e.g., mime) have been shown to improve cognition and satisfaction with anatomy teaching. The aim of this pilot study was to compare the effectiveness of didactic lecturing with that of miming lecturing for student learning of the CNs. The research design involved exposure of the same group of students to didactic followed by miming lecturing of CNs. The effectiveness of each lecturing strategy was measured via pre- and post-testing. Student perceptions of these strategies were measured by a survey. As an example of miming, gestures for CN VII included funny faces for muscles of facial expression, kangaroo vocalization for taste, spitting action for saliva production, and crying for lacrimal gland production. Accounting for extra duration of the miming lecture, it was shown that pre- to post-test improvement was higher for the miming presentation than for the didactic (0.47 ± 0.03 marks/minute versus 0.33 ± 0.03, n = 39, P < 0.005). Students perceived that the miming lecture was more interactive, engaging, effective, and motivating to attend (mean on five-point Likert scale: 4.62, 4.64, 4.56, 4.31, respectively) than the didactic lecture. In the final examination, performance was better (P < 0.001, n = 39) on the CN than on the non-CN questions-particularly for students scoring ≤60%. While mediating factors need elucidation (e.g., learning due to repetition of content), this study's findings support the theory that gestures and body movements help learners to acquire anatomical knowledge. © 2015 The Authors. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of the American Association of Anatomists.
It's all in the mime: Actions speak louder than words when teaching the cranial nerves

PubMed Central

Stephens, Bruce Warren

2015-01-01

Cranial nerve (CN) knowledge is essential for students in health professions. Gestures and body movements (e.g., mime) have been shown to improve cognition and satisfaction with anatomy teaching. The aim of this pilot study was to compare the effectiveness of didactic lecturing with that of miming lecturing for student learning of the CNs. The research design involved exposure of the same group of students to didactic followed by miming lecturing of CNs. The effectiveness of each lecturing strategy was measured via pre‐ and post‐testing. Student perceptions of these strategies were measured by a survey. As an example of miming, gestures for CN VII included funny faces for muscles of facial expression, kangaroo vocalization for taste, spitting action for saliva production, and crying for lacrimal gland production. Accounting for extra duration of the miming lecture, it was shown that pre‐ to post‐test improvement was higher for the miming presentation than for the didactic (0.47 ± 0.03 marks/minute versus 0.33 ± 0.03, n = 39, P < 0.005). Students perceived that the miming lecture was more interactive, engaging, effective, and motivating to attend (mean on five‐point Likert scale: 4.62, 4.64, 4.56, 4.31, respectively) than the didactic lecture. In the final examination, performance was better (P < 0.001, n = 39) on the CN than on the non‐CN questions—particularly for students scoring ≤60%. While mediating factors need elucidation (e.g., learning due to repetition of content), this study's findings support the theory that gestures and body movements help learners to acquire anatomical knowledge. Anat Sci Educ 8: 584–592. © 2015 The Authors. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of the American Association of Anatomists. PMID:25952466
Parent involvement in school: English speaking versus Spanish speaking families.

PubMed

Lee, Sang Min; Thorn, Antoinette; Bloomdahl, Susana Contreras; Ha, Jung Hee; Nam, Suk Kyung; Lee, Jayoung

2012-07-01

The purpose of the present study was to explore the relationships between three predictor variables (attitude toward school, parent-child communication, and school commitment action) and the criterion variable (parent involvement) in a representative sample and to examine if these relationships were consistent across three groups (English speaking Caucasian family, English speaking Latino family, and Spanish speaking Latino families). Using a national database (N = 9.841), multi-group SEM analyses were conducted to investigate the relationship between three predictor variables and the criterion variable in three family groups. While all three predictor variables significantly predicted parent involvement in English speaking Caucasian and Latino families, only two variables (parent-child communication and school commitment actions), significantly predicted parent involvement in Spanish speaking Latino families. The results of this study suggest that when administrators, teachers and counselors in school strive to share specific school-related information with Latino families, Spanish speaking families are more likely to become involved with schools.
Actions speak louder: a look at congressional votes on human life issues.

PubMed

Shannon, D; Mazpule, D

1991-01-01

The decision to bring a new life into the world is the most important decision a caring person can make. Many fundamental factors must be considered like: housing, income, food, clothing, etc. The terms pro-choice and pro-life are used to describe both sides of the abortion debate, a debate that is of critical importance when making that decision about new life. While most members of Congress who are pro-choice also support social programs that make raising children easier; most members who are pro-life do not support such social justice programs. It seems paradoxical that someone claiming to be pro-life would then be anti-social justice. To be truly pro-life, a person must not only support a woman's right to choose, but must also support programs and policies that help parents to raise healthy, happy, and productive children. Yet it is the very people who claim to be pro-life that fight equally as hard against choice and against social justice. They fight legal abortion, but they also fight legislation that would make abortion less necessary. This article includes charts of the voting records of all members of the 101st Congress on legislation supported by 7 pro-choice or pro-child organizations. Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA), the Children's Defense Fund (CDF), the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR), the National Women's Political Caucus (NWPC), the American Public Health Association (APHA) and the League of Conservation Voters (LCV). The CDF, LCCR, and LCV do not have positions on abortion rights. The voting record of the JustLife Educational Fund are also given. In comparing the voting records, those that supported PPFA at least 75% of the time were labeled pro-choice, those that supported PPFA less than 25% of the time were called anti-choice, and those that supported it 26-74% of the time were called mixed. Once this determination is made, a comparison of their voting records for the other organizations clearly confirm that those who are anti-choice are also against supporting human life.
Do Actions Speak Louder Than Words?: Adolescent Interpretations of Parental Substance Use.

PubMed

Ebersole, Diana S; Miller-Day, Michelle; Raup-Krieger, Janice

2014-01-01

Parents are powerful socialization agents for children and as children reach adolescence parental role models, among other sources of influence, become particularly salient in adolescents' decision-making regarding initiation of substance use. Open parent-adolescent communication about substances is associated with less substance use by adolescents; however, it is unclear how youth interpret anti-drug use messages from their parents, especially if the parents engage in legal and/or illicit substance use themselves. Framed by social learning theory and social constructionism, this study analyzed in-depth interviews with 108 adolescents about personal experiences with substance use, family communication about substance use, and adolescent interpretations of parental use. Emergent themes in the data include : positive parental influence , parental contradictions , and negative outcomes of use . Prevalence of parental use-regardless of legality, rarity of explicit communication about parental use, and various interpretations of parental use are discussed.
Do Actions Speak Louder Than Words?: Adolescent Interpretations of Parental Substance Use

PubMed Central

Ebersole, Diana S.; Miller-Day, Michelle; Raup-Krieger, Janice

2014-01-01

Parents are powerful socialization agents for children and as children reach adolescence parental role models, among other sources of influence, become particularly salient in adolescents’ decision-making regarding initiation of substance use. Open parent-adolescent communication about substances is associated with less substance use by adolescents; however, it is unclear how youth interpret anti-drug use messages from their parents, especially if the parents engage in legal and/or illicit substance use themselves. Framed by social learning theory and social constructionism, this study analyzed in-depth interviews with 108 adolescents about personal experiences with substance use, family communication about substance use, and adolescent interpretations of parental use. Emergent themes in the data include: positive parental influence, parental contradictions, and negative outcomes of use. Prevalence of parental use—regardless of legality, rarity of explicit communication about parental use, and various interpretations of parental use are discussed. PMID:25285048
How to Thank a Teacher

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis, Matthew

2012-01-01

When it comes to expressing your appreciation to teachers, here's the drill: if the words don't come easily, don't let them get in the way. This guide is full of simple, affordable, straight-from-the-heart actions and gifts that will speak louder than words. And for those who are comfortable putting pen to paper, check out suggestions for written…
Actions speak louder than words: An elaborated theoretical model of the social functions of self-injury and other harmful behaviors

PubMed Central

Nock, Matthew K.

2008-01-01

The question of why some people do things that are intentionally harmful to themselves continues to puzzle scientists, clinicians, and the public. Prior studies have demonstrated that one fairly extreme, direct form of self-harm, non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), is maintained by both automatic (i.e., intrapersonal) as well as social (i.e., interpersonal) reinforcement. However, the majority of theoretical and empirical papers on this topic focus almost exclusively on the automatic functions. The purpose of this paper is to provide a more comprehensive analysis of the social functions of NSSI. Evidence is presented supporting the notion that NSSI is maintained by social reinforcement in at least a substantial minority of instances. Moreover, an elaborated theoretical model of the social functions of NSSI is outlined that proposes that this behavior represents a high intensity social signal used when less intense communication strategies fail (e.g., speaking, yelling, crying). The model further proposes that NSSI can serve not only as a signal of distress that is reinforced primarily by the caregiving behavior it elicits from others, but that it also can serve as a signal of strength and fitness that is reinforced by warding off potential threats (e.g., peer victimization), and in some cases can strengthen affiliation with others. Support for this theoretical model is drawn from diverse literatures including psychology, evolutionary biology, and cultural anthropology. The paper concludes with specific recommendations for empirical tests of the proposed model of the social functions of NSSI, as well as other harmful behaviors such as alcohol and drug use. PMID:19122893
Augmentative Device Helps Max Speak. PACER Center ACTion Information Sheets. PHP-c75

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

PACER Center, 2014

2014-01-01

This Action Information Sheet follows a family's process of selecting and using augmentative and alternative communication to help their young son, Max, speak. Max is affected by global dyspraxia, which makes learning new motor skills--especially speech--quite difficult. For the first years of his life, Max could not say words. Before he and his…

Actions Speak! (Louder than Words). The Social and Environmental Impact of Solid Waste.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peters, Thomas T.; Wissmann, Janet L.

This curriculum guide is designed to help teachers in the middle grades facilitate student understanding of the social and environmental implications and limitations of technological development. The nine activities offer students opportunities to explore social issues arising from the science and technology of the production and management of…
Dual-task interference effects on cross-modal numerical order and sound intensity judgments: the more the louder?

PubMed

Alards-Tomalin, Doug; Walker, Alexander C; Nepon, Hillary; Leboe-McGowan, Launa C

2017-09-01

In the current study, cross-task interactions between number order and sound intensity judgments were assessed using a dual-task paradigm. Participants first categorized numerical sequences composed of Arabic digits as either ordered (ascending, descending) or non-ordered. Following each number sequence, participants then had to judge the intensity level of a target sound. Experiment 1 emphasized processing the two tasks independently (serial processing), while Experiments 2 and 3 emphasized processing the two tasks simultaneously (parallel processing). Cross-task interference occurred only when the task required parallel processing and was specific to ascending numerical sequences, which led to a higher proportion of louder sound intensity judgments. In Experiment 4 we examined whether this unidirectional interaction was the result of participants misattributing enhanced processing fluency experienced on ascending sequences as indicating a louder target sound. The unidirectional finding could not be entirely attributed to misattributed processing fluency, and may also be connected to experientially derived conceptual associations between ascending number sequences and greater magnitude, consistent with conceptual mapping theory.
An Action Research Study Designed to Implement Student Negotiation to Improve Speaking Classroom Practice in Turkey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Uztosun, Mehmet Sercan; Skinner, Nigel; Cadorath, Jill

2014-01-01

This paper reports the second stage of an action research study designed to improve the effectiveness of speaking classes through negotiating the lesson contents with students. The data were collected through interviews, questionnaires and observations as a way of eliciting students' views. The research, conducted in an English language teaching…
Exploring Constructivist Social Learning Practices in Aiding Russian-Speaking Teachers to Learn Estonian: An Action Research Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kiilo, Tatjana; Kutsar, Dagmar

2012-01-01

Based on appreciative inquiry and threshold concepts from an intercultural learning perspective, the article makes insights into the constructivist social learning practice of Estonian language learning amongst Russian-speaking teachers in Estonia. The application of educational action research methodology, more specifically that of Bridget…
Do Actions Speak Louder than Words?: Characterizing the Components of the Theatrical Rehearsal Process

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rae, Jan

2004-01-01

It is argued that a primary goal of a theatrical production is the making of meaning by the audience through the vehicle of multiple media (i.e. staging, design, sound and lighting effects and so on). Effective rehearsal of these elements affords the greatest opportunity for a coherent interpretation of the text. Although individual rehearsals…
Action video games improve reading abilities and visual-to-auditory attentional shifting in English-speaking children with dyslexia.

PubMed

Franceschini, Sandro; Trevisan, Piergiorgio; Ronconi, Luca; Bertoni, Sara; Colmar, Susan; Double, Kit; Facoetti, Andrea; Gori, Simone

2017-07-19

Dyslexia is characterized by difficulties in learning to read and there is some evidence that action video games (AVG), without any direct phonological or orthographic stimulation, improve reading efficiency in Italian children with dyslexia. However, the cognitive mechanism underlying this improvement and the extent to which the benefits of AVG training would generalize to deep English orthography, remain two critical questions. During reading acquisition, children have to integrate written letters with speech sounds, rapidly shifting their attention from visual to auditory modality. In our study, we tested reading skills and phonological working memory, visuo-spatial attention, auditory, visual and audio-visual stimuli localization, and cross-sensory attentional shifting in two matched groups of English-speaking children with dyslexia before and after they played AVG or non-action video games. The speed of words recognition and phonological decoding increased after playing AVG, but not non-action video games. Furthermore, focused visuo-spatial attention and visual-to-auditory attentional shifting also improved only after AVG training. This unconventional reading remediation program also increased phonological short-term memory and phoneme blending skills. Our report shows that an enhancement of visuo-spatial attention and phonological working memory, and an acceleration of visual-to-auditory attentional shifting can directly translate into better reading in English-speaking children with dyslexia.
It's All in the Mime: Actions Speak Louder than Words When Teaching the Cranial Nerves

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dickson, Kerry Ann; Stephens, Bruce Warren

2015-01-01

Cranial nerve (CN) knowledge is essential for students in health professions. Gestures and body movements (e.g., mime) have been shown to improve cognition and satisfaction with anatomy teaching. The aim of this pilot study was to compare the effectiveness of didactic lecturing with that of miming lecturing for student learning of the CNs. The…
Actions Speak Louder than Words: How Do Special Education Administrators Prevent and Resolve Conflict with Families?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mueller, Tracy Gershwin; Piantoni, Shawn

2013-01-01

Conflict between parents of children with disabilities and school district members has been an ongoing issue for decades. Special education administrators are often designated to address conflict with the intent to find an amicable resolution. Otherwise, conflict can lead to due process hearings that move valuable time and money away from general…
Pictures Speak Louder than Words in ESP, Too!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erfani, Seyyed Mahdi

2012-01-01

While integrating visual features can be among the most important characteristics of English language textbooks, reviewing the current locally-produced English for Specific Purposes (ESP) ones reveals that they lack such a feature. Enjoying a rich theoretical background including Paivio's dual coding theory as well as Sert's educational semiotics,…
Using Communicative Games in Improving Students' Speaking Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dewi, Ratna Sari; Kultsum, Ummi; Armadi, Ari

2017-01-01

The aims of the study are to know whether communicative games have an impact on teaching speaking skill and describe how communicative games give an influence on speaking skills of students at junior high schools in Jakarta, Indonesia. Classroom Action Research (CAR) was implemented based on Kurt. L model. The procedures used were planning,…
Do Actions Speak Louder than Words? Classroom Attitudes and Behavior in Relation to Bullying in Early Adolescence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scholte, Ron; Sentse, Miranda; Granic, Isabela

2010-01-01

The aim of the present study was to examine to what extent classroom factors (i.e., classroom antibullying attitudes and behavioral norms) contributed to individual bullying, after controlling for individual difference characteristics. Participants were 2,547 early adolescents (M = 13.4 years, SD = 0.63) from 109 middle school classes. Self- and…
An Action Research Study into the Role of Student Negotiation in Enhancing Perceived Student Engagement during English Speaking Classes at University Level in Turkey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Uztosun, Mehmet Sercan; Skinner, Nigel; Cadorath, Jill

2018-01-01

A major issue in English language teaching in Turkey and other monolingual countries is the teaching of spoken English. This article reports the initial and final stages of an action research study which used student negotiation to enhance student engagement in speaking classes. The research was conducted in the English Language Teaching…
Pictures Speak Louder than Words: Motivations for Using Instagram.

PubMed

Lee, Eunji; Lee, Jung-Ah; Moon, Jang Ho; Sung, Yongjun

2015-09-01

While Instagram, the rising photo-sharing social networking service, has received increasing attention from scholars and practitioners, little is known about the social and psychological factors that lead consumers to become fanatics of this app. To provide a baseline understanding of Instagram users, the current study aims to uncover the structural dimensions of consumers' motives for using Instagram and to explore the relationships between identified motivations and key attitudinal and behavioral intention variables. A comprehensive survey was developed in which a total of 212 Instagram users evaluated their motivation, primary activities, use intention, and attitude regarding Instagram. The results suggest that Instagram users have five primary social and psychological motives: social interaction, archiving, self-expression, escapism, and peeking. The implications of this study's findings are discussed.
Predicting Intelligibility Gains in Dysarthria through Automated Speech Feature Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fletcher, Annalise R.; Wisler, Alan A.; McAuliffe, Megan J.; Lansford, Kaitlin L.; Liss, Julie M.

2017-01-01

Purpose: Behavioral speech modifications have variable effects on the intelligibility of speakers with dysarthria. In the companion article, a significant relationship was found between measures of speakers' baseline speech and their intelligibility gains following cues to speak louder and reduce rate (Fletcher, McAuliffe, Lansford, Sinex, &…
The Metabolic Costs of Sound Production in Odontocete Cetaceans

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-09-30

Veirs, V., Emmons, C., Veirs, S. 2009. Speaking up: Killer whales (Orcinus orca) increase their call amplitude in response to vessel noise. Journal...Acoustical Society of America 129: 2397. Parks, S.E, Johnson, M., Nowacek, D., Tyack P.L. 2010. Individual right whales call louder in increased
Developing the Students’ English Speaking Ability Through Impromptu Speaking Method.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lumettu, A.; Runtuwene, T. L.

2018-01-01

Having multi -purposes, English mastery has becomea necessary for us.Of the four language skills, speaking skill should get the first priority in English teaching and speaking skills development cannot be separated from listening.One communicative way of developing speaking skill is impromptu speaking,a method sudden speaking which depends only on experience and insight by applying spontaneity or improvisation. It is delivered based on the need of the moment of speaking using simple language.This research aims to know (1). Why impromptu speaking is necessary in teaching speaking? (2). How can impromptu speaking develop the students’ speaking skills.The method of this research is qualitative method and the techniques of data collection are: observation,interview and documentation. The results of data analysis using Correlation shows a strong relation between the students’ speaking ability and impromptu speaking method (r = 0.80).The research show that by using impromptu speaking method, the students are trained to interact faster naturally and spontaneously and enrich their vocabulary and general science to support speaking development through interview, speech, presentation, discussion and storytelling.
Lee Silverman Voice Treatment for People with Parkinson's: Audit of Outcomes in a Routine Clinic

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wight, Sheila; Miller, Nick

2015-01-01

Background: Speaking louder/more intensely represents a longstanding technique employed to manage voice and intelligibility changes in people with Parkinson's. This technique has been formalized into a treatment approach and marketed as the Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT®) programme. Evidence for its efficacy has been published. Studies…
Understanding Learners' Self-Assessment and Self-Feedback on Their Foreign Language Speaking Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huang, Shu-Chen

2016-01-01

This study examines university learners' self-assessment and self-feedback on performance as captured in audio files from a foreign language speaking test. The learners' were guided to listen, transcribe and analyse their own speaking samples, as well as propose future actions for improvement. Content of learners' self-feedback was scrutinised…
Making Rhetorical Choices: The Parallel between Extemporaneous and Presidential Speaking.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aden, Roger C.

1992-01-01

Analyses the rhetorical choices of President George Bush in speeches announcing military action in Panama and Iraq. Demonstrates how understanding those choices can educate students participating in extemporaneous speaking. (SR)
Is 9 louder than 1? Audiovisual cross-modal interactions between number magnitude and judged sound loudness.

PubMed

Alards-Tomalin, Doug; Walker, Alexander C; Shaw, Joshua D M; Leboe-McGowan, Launa C

2015-09-01

The cross-modal impact of number magnitude (i.e. Arabic digits) on perceived sound loudness was examined. Participants compared a target sound's intensity level against a previously heard reference sound (which they judged as quieter or louder). Paired with each target sound was a task irrelevant Arabic digit that varied in magnitude, being either small (1, 2, 3) or large (7, 8, 9). The degree to which the sound and the digit were synchronized was manipulated, with the digit and sound occurring simultaneously in Experiment 1, and the digit preceding the sound in Experiment 2. Firstly, when target sounds and digits occurred simultaneously, sounds paired with large digits were categorized as loud more frequently than sounds paired with small digits. Secondly, when the events were separated, number magnitude ceased to bias sound intensity judgments. In Experiment 3, the events were still separated, however the participants held the number in short-term memory. In this instance the bias returned. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Visual perceptual abilities of Chinese-speaking and English-speaking children.

PubMed

Lai, Mun Yee; Leung, Frederick Koon Shing

2012-04-01

This paper reports an investigation of Chinese-speaking and English-speaking children's general visual perceptual abilities. The Developmental Test of Visual Perception was administered to 41 native Chinese-speaking children of mean age 5 yr. 4 mo. in Hong Kong and 35 English-speaking children of mean age 5 yr. 2 mo. in Melbourne. Of interest were the two interrelated components of visual perceptual abilities, namely, motor-reduced visual perceptual and visual-motor integration perceptual abilities, which require either verbal or motoric responses in completing visual tasks. Chinese-speaking children significantly outperformed the English-speaking children on general visual perceptual abilities. When comparing the results of each of the two different components, the Chinese-speaking students' performance on visual-motor integration was far better than that of their counterparts (ES = 2.70), while the two groups of students performed similarly on motor-reduced visual perceptual abilities. Cultural factors such as written language format may be contributing to the enhanced performance of Chinese-speaking children's visual-motor integration abilities, but there may be validity questions in the Chinese version.
Experimental public speaking: contributions to the understanding of the serotonergic modulation of fear.

PubMed

Garcia-Leal, Cybele; Graeff, Frederico Guilherme; Del-Ben, Cristina Marta

2014-10-01

Public speaking is widely used as a model of experimental fear and anxiety. This review aimed to evaluate the effects of pharmacological challenges on public speaking responses and their implications for the understanding of the neurobiology of normal and pathological anxiety, specifically panic disorder. We also describe methodological features of experimental paradigms using public speaking as an inducer of fear and stress. Public speaking is a potent stressor that can provoke significant subjective and physiological responses. However, variations in the manners in which public speaking is modelled can lead to different responses that need to be considered when interpreting the results. Results from pharmacological studies with healthy volunteers submitted to simulated public speaking tests have similarities with the pharmacological responses of panic patients observed in clinical practice and panic patients differ from controls in the response to the public speaking test. These data are compatible with the Deakin and Graeff hypothesis that serotonin inhibits fear, as accessed by public speaking tasks, and that this inhibition is likely related to the actions of serotonin in the dorsal periaqueductal grey matter. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
A Narrative Evaluation of Mandarin-Speaking Children With Language Impairment.

PubMed

Hao, Ying; Sheng, Li; Zhang, Yiwen; Jiang, Fan; de Villiers, Jill; Lee, Wendy; Liu, Xueman Lucy

2018-02-15

We aimed to study narrative skills in Mandarin-speaking children with language impairment (LI) to compare with children with LI speaking Indo-European languages. Eighteen Mandarin-speaking children with LI (mean age 6;2 [years;months]) and 18 typically developing (TD) age controls told 3 stories elicited using the Mandarin Expressive Narrative Test (de Villiers & Liu, 2014). We compared macrostructure-evaluating descriptions of characters, settings, initiating events, internal responses,plans, actions, and consequences. We also studied general microstructure, including productivity, lexical diversity, syntactic complexity, and grammaticality. In addition, we compared the use of 6 fine-grained microstructure elements that evaluate particular Mandarin linguistic features. Children with LI exhibited weaknesses in 5 macrostructure elements, lexical diversity, syntactic complexity, and 3 Mandarin-specific, fine-grained microstructure elements. Children with LI and TD controls demonstrated comparable performance on 2 macrostructure elements, productivity, grammaticality, and the remaining 3 fine-grained microstructure features. Similarities and differences are noted in narrative profiles of children with LI who speak Mandarin versus those who speak Indo-European languages. The results are consistent with the view that profiles of linguistic deficits are shaped by the ambient language. Clinical implications are discussed.
The Effect of Formal Policies and Informal Social Learning on Perceptions of Corporate Ethics: Actions Speak Louder than Codes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kronzon, Shirit

2002-01-01

Discusses unethical business conduct and corporate crime, focusing on workers who bend rules to achieve satisfactory performance and organizational goals. Describes research that investigated how two cues in an organizational setting, one legal (codes of conduct) and one social (company responses to ethical transgressions), affect how individuals…
Do Actions Speak Louder than Words? A Comparative Perspective on Implicit versus Explicit Meta-Cognition and Theory of Mind

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Couchman, Justin J.; Beran, Michael J.; Coutinho, Mariana V. C.; Boomer, Joseph; Zakrzewski, Alexandria; Church, Barbara; Smith, J. David

2012-01-01

Research in non-human animal (hereafter, animal) cognition has found strong evidence that some animal species are capable of meta-cognitively monitoring their mental states. They know when they know and when they do not know. In contrast, animals have generally not shown robust theory of mind (ToM) capabilities. Comparative research uses methods…
A concept analysis of undergraduate nursing students speaking up for patient safety in the patient care environment.

PubMed

Fagan, Anthea; Parker, Vicki; Jackson, Debra

2016-10-01

An analysis of the concept of nursing students speaking up for patient safety in the workplace. 'Speaking up' is assertive communication in clinical situations that requires action through questions or statements of opinion or information with appropriate persistence and is linked to patient safety. Previously, the concept of speaking up has focused on the registered or experienced practitioners, there is minimal discussion relating to student nurses. Analysis of the elements of students speaking up will identify the key elements that will give understanding to their position and experiences. A concept analysis. Literature included publications between 1970-2015 from, MEDLINE, CINHAL, PUBMED and SCOPUS. Search terms included patient safety AND speaking up; AND pre-registration/undergraduate nursing students, patient advocate, error reporting, organizational silence, whistleblowing and clinical placement/practicum. The Walker and Avant concept analysis model was modified and used to examine the literature. Nursing students speaking up behaviour is influenced by individual and contextual factors that differ from those influencing more experienced colleagues. Motivators and barriers to voicing concerns include moral and ethical beliefs, willingness and confidence to speak up in the workplace. Students' subordinate and often vulnerable position creates additional tensions and challenges that impact their decisions and actions. This concept analysis provides a clear definition of 'speaking up' in relation to nursing students. The analysis will facilitate understanding and operationalization of the concept applied to learning and teaching, practice and research. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Satisfaction With Communication In Primary Care For Spanish-Speaking And English-Speaking Parents

PubMed Central

Flower, Kori B.; Skinner, Asheley C.; Yin, H. Shonna; Rothman, Russell L.; Sanders, Lee M.; Delamater, Alan; Perrin, Eliana M.

2017-01-01

Background and Objective Effective communication with primary care physicians is important yet incompletely understood for Spanish-speaking parents. We predicted lower satisfaction among Spanish-speaking compared with English-speaking Latino and non-Latino parents. Methods Cross-sectional analysis at 2-month well visits within the Greenlight study at 4 pediatric resident clinics. Parents reported satisfaction with 14 physician communication items using the validated Communication Assessment Tool (CAT). High satisfaction was defined as “excellent” on each CAT item. Mean estimations compared satisfaction for communication items among Spanish and English-speaking Latinos and non-Latinos. We used generalized linear regression modeling, adjusted for parent age, education, income, and clinic site. Among Spanish-speaking parents, we compared visits conducted in Spanish with and without an interpreter, and in English. Results Compared with English-speaking Latino (N=127) and non-Latino parents (N=432), fewer Spanish-speaking parents (N=303) reported satisfaction with 14 communication items. No significant differences were found between English-speaking Latinos and non-Latinos. Greatest differences were found in: greeting that made the parent comfortable (59.4% of Spanish-speaking Latinos endorsing “Excellent” vs. 77.5% English-speaking Latinos, p<0.01) and discussing follow-up (62.5% of Spanish-speaking Latinos vs. 79.8% English-speaking Latinos, p<0.01). After adjusting for parent age, education, income, and study site, Spanish-speaking Latinos were still less likely to report high satisfaction with these communication items. Satisfaction was not different among Spanish-speaking parents when the physician spoke Spanish versus used an interpreter. Conclusions Satisfaction with physician communication was associated with language, but not ethnicity. Spanish-speaking parents less frequently report satisfaction with communication, and innovative solutions to enhance
Satisfaction With Communication in Primary Care for Spanish-Speaking and English-Speaking Parents.

PubMed

Flower, Kori B; Skinner, Asheley C; Yin, H Shonna; Rothman, Russell L; Sanders, Lee M; Delamater, Alan; Perrin, Eliana M

Effective communication with primary care physicians is important yet incompletely understood for Spanish-speaking parents. We predicted lower satisfaction among Spanish-speaking compared to English-speaking Latino and non-Latino parents. Cross-sectional analysis at 2-month well visits within the Greenlight study at 4 pediatric resident clinics. Parents reported satisfaction with 14 physician communication items using the validated Communication Assessment Tool (CAT). High satisfaction was defined as "excellent" on each CAT item. Mean estimations compared satisfaction for communication items among Spanish- and English-speaking Latinos and non-Latinos. We used generalized linear regression modeling, adjusted for parent age, education, income, and clinic site. Among Spanish-speaking parents, we compared visits conducted in Spanish with and without an interpreter, and in English. Compared to English-speaking Latino (n = 127) and non-Latino parents (n = 432), fewer Spanish-speaking parents (n = 303) reported satisfaction with 14 communication items. No significant differences were found between English-speaking Latinos and non-Latinos. Greatest differences were found in the use of a greeting that made the parent comfortable (59.4% of Spanish-speaking Latinos endorsing "excellent" vs 77.5% English-speaking Latinos, P < .01) and discussing follow-up (62.5% of Spanish-speaking Latinos vs 79.8% English-speaking Latinos, P < .01). After adjusting for parent age, education, income, and study site, Spanish-speaking Latinos were still less likely to report high satisfaction with these communication items. Satisfaction was not different among Spanish-speaking parents when the physician spoke Spanish versus used an interpreter. Satisfaction with physician communication was associated with language but not ethnicity. Spanish-speaking parents less frequently report satisfaction with communication, and innovative solutions to enhance communication quality are needed
Speaking and Speaking Education as Physical Process in Turkish Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kurudayioglu, Mehmet

2011-01-01

Speaking is sending the message which is desired to be transferred to another one with vocal organs and produced by complicated operations in the brain. Speaking, which is a complicated process, is the most common and important means of communication among people. Speaking, which has essential place both individually and socially, affects success…
Actions Speak Louder Than Words: The U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child and U.S. Pediatric Bioethicists.

PubMed

Lang, Kellie R; Lew, Cheryl D

2016-01-01

In exploring the relationship between "child rights" and "pediatric bioethics" and how these disciplines might provide mutual support in advancing the health and wellness of children around the world, our article responds to the questions of whether the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) could be of any benefit in the United States, the only country that has not yet ratified this international treaty, and whether the CRC has any value for addressing clinical pediatric bioethics' questions. We describe the considerable influence that the United States had in developing significant components of the CRC, and we argue that the CRC may be useful for U.S. pediatric bioethicists as a tool to advance children's health policy. We note that ratification of the CRC does not equate with compliance or success. Lastly, we identify a distinction between the use of the term "best interests" by child rights advocates and its use by clinical pediatric bioethicists.
Improving advance care planning for English-speaking and Spanish-speaking older adults: study protocol for the PREPARE randomised controlled trial

PubMed Central

Sudore, Rebecca L; Barnes, Deborah E; Le, Gem M; Ramos, Roberto; Osua, Stacy J; Richardson, Sarah A; Boscardin, John; Schillinger, Dean

2016-01-01

Introduction Advance care planning (ACP) is a process that allows patients to identify their goals for medical care. Traditionally, ACP has focused on completing advance directives; however, we have expanded the ACP paradigm to also prepare patients to communicate their wishes and make informed decisions. To this end, we created an ACP website called PREPARE (http://www.prepareforyourcare.org) to prepare diverse English-speaking and Spanish-speaking older adults for medical decision-making. Here, we describe the study protocol for a randomised controlled efficacy trial of PREPARE in a safety-net setting. The goal is to determine the efficacy of PREPARE to engage diverse English-speaking and Spanish-speaking older adults in a full spectrum of ACP behaviours. Methods and analysis We include English-speaking and Spanish-speaking adults from an urban public hospital who are ≥55 years old, have ≥2 chronic medical conditions and have seen a primary care physician ≥2 times in the last year. Participants are randomised to the PREPARE intervention (review PREPARE and an easy-to-read advance directive) or the control arm (only the easy-to-read advance directive). The primary outcome is documentation of an advance directive and/or ACP discussion. Secondary outcomes include ACP behaviour change processes measured with validated surveys (eg, self-efficacy, readiness) and a broad range of ACP actions (eg, choosing a surrogate, identifying goals for care, discussing ACP with clinicians and/or surrogates). Using blinded outcome ascertainment, outcomes will be measured at 1 week and at 3, 6 and 12 months, and compared between study arms using mixed-effects logistic regression and mixed-effects linear, Poisson or negative binomial regression. Ethics and dissemination This study has been approved by the appropriate Institutional Review Boards and is guided by input from patient and clinical advisory boards and a data safety monitoring board. The results of this study will
Causal Coherence in the Oral Narratives of Spanish-Speaking Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gutierrez-Clellen, Vera F.; Iglesias, Aquiles

1992-01-01

Forty-six Spanish-speaking children ages four, six, or eight years viewed a short silent film and told what happened in the film. The stories of older children included more narrative actions, more mental state/goal causes, more three-clause causal sequences, and a lower proportion of unrelated statements than those of younger children.…
Topical Knowledge in L2 Speaking Assessment: Comparing Independent and Integrated Speaking Test Tasks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huang, Heng-Tsung Danny; Hung, Shao-Ting Alan; Plakans, Lia

2018-01-01

Integrated speaking test tasks (integrated tasks) provide reading and/or listening input to serve as the basis for test-takers to formulate their oral responses. This study examined the influence of topical knowledge on integrated speaking test performance and compared independent speaking test performance and integrated speaking test performance…
The Metabolic Cost of Click Production in Bottlenose Dolphins

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-09-30

America 64, 411-422. Holt, M.M., Noren, D.P., Veirs, V., Emmons, C.K., Veirs, S. 2009. Speaking up: Killer whales (Orcinus orca) increase their call...2007. Recording and quantification of ultrasonic echolocation clicks from free-ranging toothed whales . Deep-Sea Research I 54, 1421-1444. 15...Individual right whales call louder in increased environmental noise. Biology Letters published online 7 July 2010 doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2010.0451
Persuasive Speaking.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scheidel, Thomas M.

This book, for either college or secondary-school speech or rhetoric courses, defines persuasive speaking as essentially a process or activity and discusses the elements which facilitate analyzing that process. Sections deal with (1) the nature and history of persuasive speaking, especially classical and modern canons of rhetoric, (2) the…
Education as Invitation to Speak: On the Teacher Who Does Not Speak

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vansieleghem, Nancy; Masschelein, Jan

2012-01-01

As a response to "Le Fils," a film directed by the Dardenne brothers, we explore the idea of speaking as an invitation and juxtapose it against ideas of speaking as a transactional, calculative, calibrated, activity. Speaking tends to be understood as a relatively straightforward matter: as a means of communication structured by such values as the…
SpeakApps 2: Speaking Practice in a Foreign Language through ICT Tools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Appel, Christine; Nic Giolla Mhichíl, Mairéad; Jager, Sake; Prizel-Kania, Adriana

2014-01-01

SpeakApps 2 is a project with support of the Lifelong Learning Programme, Accompanying Measures. It follows up on the work and results reached during the KA2 project "SpeakApps: Oral production and interaction in a foreign language through ICT tools". The overarching aim of SpeakApps 2 is to further enhance Europeans' language learning…
Teaching Speaking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bleistein, T.; Smith, M. K.; Lewis, M.

2013-01-01

To meet the needs of students, teachers of oral English have three main tasks: find out all they can about how speaking works, look for ways to introduce their classes to the language of conversation, and provide students with opportunities to practice speaking English. This book covers these three tasks in an easy-to-follow guide that language…
Student Satisfaction with EFL Speaking Classes: Relating Speaking Self-Efficacy and Skills Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Asakereh, Ahmad; Dehghannezhad, Maliheh

2015-01-01

This study investigated the relationship between student satisfaction with speaking classes, speaking skills self-efficacy beliefs, and speaking skills achievement. To this end, one hundred Iranian EFL undergraduate students filled out two questionnaires; a research-made and pilot-tested questionnaire for student satisfaction with speaking…
Speaking of Speaking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Larmer, John; Mergendoller, John R.

2013-01-01

From the early elementary grades through high school, the Common Core State Standards ask students to organize and explain their ideas in oral presentations, use visual aids, and speak appropriately for various contexts and tasks. Although teachers could give assignments that teach some of these skills in isolation, the authors have found that…

Speaking Activities and Reading.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ediger, Marlow

Pupils who are far along in their speaking vocabularies tend to do well in reading. This paper includes numerous speaking activities that bolster pupils' oral communication: the including use of puppets, role playing, committee endeavors, oral reports, oral reading, extemporaneous speaking, and giving directions. Additional experiences for pupils…
Improving advance care planning for English-speaking and Spanish-speaking older adults: study protocol for the PREPARE randomised controlled trial.

PubMed

Sudore, Rebecca L; Barnes, Deborah E; Le, Gem M; Ramos, Roberto; Osua, Stacy J; Richardson, Sarah A; Boscardin, John; Schillinger, Dean

2016-07-11

Advance care planning (ACP) is a process that allows patients to identify their goals for medical care. Traditionally, ACP has focused on completing advance directives; however, we have expanded the ACP paradigm to also prepare patients to communicate their wishes and make informed decisions. To this end, we created an ACP website called PREPARE (http://www.prepareforyourcare.org) to prepare diverse English-speaking and Spanish-speaking older adults for medical decision-making. Here, we describe the study protocol for a randomised controlled efficacy trial of PREPARE in a safety-net setting. The goal is to determine the efficacy of PREPARE to engage diverse English-speaking and Spanish-speaking older adults in a full spectrum of ACP behaviours. We include English-speaking and Spanish-speaking adults from an urban public hospital who are ≥55 years old, have ≥2 chronic medical conditions and have seen a primary care physician ≥2 times in the last year. Participants are randomised to the PREPARE intervention (review PREPARE and an easy-to-read advance directive) or the control arm (only the easy-to-read advance directive). The primary outcome is documentation of an advance directive and/or ACP discussion. Secondary outcomes include ACP behaviour change processes measured with validated surveys (eg, self-efficacy, readiness) and a broad range of ACP actions (eg, choosing a surrogate, identifying goals for care, discussing ACP with clinicians and/or surrogates). Using blinded outcome ascertainment, outcomes will be measured at 1 week and at 3, 6 and 12 months, and compared between study arms using mixed-effects logistic regression and mixed-effects linear, Poisson or negative binomial regression. This study has been approved by the appropriate Institutional Review Boards and is guided by input from patient and clinical advisory boards and a data safety monitoring board. The results of this study will be disseminated to academic and community stakeholders
Facets of Speaking Proficiency

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Jong, Nivja H.; Steinel, Margarita P.; Florijn, Arjen F.; Schoonen, Rob; Hulstijn, Jan H.

2012-01-01

This study examined the componential structure of second-language (L2) speaking proficiency. Participants--181 L2 and 54 native speakers of Dutch--performed eight speaking tasks and six tasks tapping nine linguistic skills. Performance in the speaking tasks was rated on functional adequacy by a panel of judges and formed the dependent variable in…
Energy Action Day

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-10-25

Bill McCullen of Southern Power speaks to NASA Kennedy Space Center employees during the Energy Action Day event held in Kennedy's Space Station Processing Facility. Part of Energy Awareness Month, the event featured subject matter experts in the area of solar energy, its connections to the space program and options for residential solar power.
Energy Action Day

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-10-25

John Sherwin of the Florida Solar Energy Center in Cocoa speaks during the Energy Action Day employee event held in NASA Kennedy Space Center's Space Station Processing Facility. Part of Energy Awareness Month, the event featured subject matter experts in the area of solar energy, its connections to the space program and options for residential solar power.
Call to Action: Speaking to Educators on the Praxis of "Testimonio" and the "Nopal" Metaphor

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chandler, Vincent

2016-01-01

"Testimonio" is the intentional and rhetorical act of speaking and sharing one's story, history or narrative with a specific focus towards that which is experienced in and around issues of bias, prejudice, oppression, otherness, marginalization, resistance, and survival (Bernal, Burciaga, & Carmona, 2012; Reyes & Rodríguez,…
The Neuronal Infrastructure of Speaking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Menenti, Laura; Segaert, Katrien; Hagoort, Peter

2012-01-01

Models of speaking distinguish producing meaning, words and syntax as three different linguistic components of speaking. Nevertheless, little is known about the brain's integrated neuronal infrastructure for speech production. We investigated semantic, lexical and syntactic aspects of speaking using fMRI. In a picture description task, we…
The Search for Better Ways of Speaking about Culture, Identity and Values

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pearce, Richard

2014-01-01

This article aims to provide better metaphors for thinking and speaking about culture, identity and values. In terms of human behaviour, the words culture, identity and values are viewed as useful reifications which have allowed us to discuss human action in terms of nouns. However, the terms have been used over many years in various theoretical…
Public speaking for the healthcare professional: Part III--after the program.

PubMed

Baum, Neil

2012-01-01

Public speaking is one of life's greatest fears for many people. However, with practice, repetition, and planning, you can safely leave your comfort zone and make a presentation that will engage the members of the audience, attract their attention, and cause them to take action on your material. This third article in the series will discuss what to do after the last slide is shown.
My Hesitation to Speak English

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oda, Naruha

2015-01-01

Even though English was the author's favorite subject, she was not good at speaking in English, and always tried to avoid it. However, it did not matter because she did not have to speak to demonstrate her English ability. After entering university, her lack of confidence in speaking English became a major issue, and other students face the same…
English-Speaking and Spanish-Speaking Domestic Violence Perpetrators: An MMPI-2 Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scott, Ronald L.; Flowers, John V.; Bulnes, Alejandro; Olmsted, Eileen; Carbajal-Madrid, Pedro

2009-01-01

The use of assessments to characterize domestic violence perpetrators continues to develop with an emphasis on increasing the effectiveness of domestic violence interventions. The present study examines and compares Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)-2 responses from 41 English-speaking and 48 Spanish-speaking men who were in…
Development of Vocabulary in Spanish-Speaking and Cantonese-Speaking English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Uchikoshi, Yuuko

2014-01-01

This study examines vocabulary growth rates in first and second languages for Spanish-speaking and Cantonese-speaking English language learners from kindergarten through second grade. Growth-modeling results show a within-language effect of concepts about print on vocabulary. Language exposure also had an effect on English vocabulary: earlier…
French and Spanish-Speaking Children Use Different Visual and Motor Units during Spelling Acquisition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kandel, Sonia; Valdois, Sylviane

2006-01-01

This study used a copying task to examine spelling acquisition in French and Spanish from a perception and action perspective. Experiment 1 compared French and Spanish-speaking monolingual children's performance. Experiment 2 analysed the behaviour of bilingual children when copying words in French and Spanish. Gaze lift analysis showed that in…
An Examination of English Speaking Tests and Research on English Speaking Ability.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nakamura, Yuji

This paper examines both overseas and domestic tests of English speaking ability from the viewpoint of the crucial testing elements such as definition of speaking ability, validity, reliability, and practicality. The paper points out problems to be solved and proposes suggestions for constructing an oral proficiency test in order to determine the…
Portuguese-speaking women voice their opinions: using their words to teach about wife abuse.

PubMed

Barata, Paula C; McNally, Mary Jane; Sales, Isabel; Stewart, Donna E

2005-01-01

This study examined Portuguese-speaking women's definitions of wife abuse and beliefs about appropriate responses to abuse. The goals were to determine the breadth of definitions and to examine cultural stereotyping. This information was sought in an effort to design education strategies in the Portuguese-speaking community. One-on-one semistructured interviews were conducted with 163 Portuguese-speaking women living in Toronto, Canada. The participants' open-ended answers were first coded using Qualitative Software Research NUDIST and then narrowed and grouped. Responses were then tagged by group label to generate descriptive statistics using Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Participants defined wife abuse broadly with respect to kind, prevalence, and severity. Six themes for abuse emerged: physical, psychological, sexual, financial, patriarchal, and infidelity. Participants provided various responses to what women should do and actually do in response to abuse. Most participants believed that Portuguese-speaking women should leave their husbands and/or seek help for the abuse, but that they actually remain quiet about the abuse and take very little action. Their responses and explanations demonstrate that they hold stereotypes about their culture. The range of definitions reported by participants suggests that a continuum of wife abuse, using Portuguese-speaking women's own words, can be created to educate them about how abusive acts are linked and used to maintain control over women. The differences that emerged with respect to appropriate responses to abuse suggest that it may be important to challenge Portuguese-speaking women about the cultural stereotypes that they hold to help them see patriarchy as widespread rather than particular to their culture.
Increasing Confidence to Decrease Reticence: A Qualitative Action Research in Second Language Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Doqaruni, Vahid Rahmani

2015-01-01

This study reports on an action research on increasing the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students' confidence in speaking. Participants involved in this study were 16 male university students who had an upper-intermediate level of English. Extra speaking activities were incorporated into the classroom for 8 successive weeks. Insights into…
Medicine-taking experiences and associated factors: comparison between Arabic-speaking and Caucasian English-speaking patients with Type 2 diabetes.

PubMed

Alzubaidi, H; Mc Mamara, K; Chapman, C; Stevenson, V; Marriott, J

2015-12-01

The aim of this study was to explore and compare medication-taking experiences and associated issues in Arabic-speaking and Caucasian English-speaking patients with Type 2 diabetes in Australia. Various healthcare settings in metropolitan Melbourne, Australia, were purposefully selected to obtain a diverse group of participants with Type 2 diabetes. Recruitment occurred at diabetes outpatient clinics in two tertiary referral hospitals, six primary care practices and ten community centres. Face-to-face semi-structured individual interviews and group interviews were employed. All interviews were audiotaped, transcribed and coded thematically. Data collection continued until saturation was reached. In total, 100 participants were recruited into two groups: 60 were Arabic-speaking and 40 were Caucasian English-speaking. Both groups had similar demographic and clinical characteristics. Only 5% of the Arabic-speaking participants had well-controlled diabetes compared with 17.5% of the participants in the English-speaking group. Arabic-speaking participants actively changed medication regimens on their own without informing their healthcare professionals. Arabic-speaking patients had more knowledge gaps about their prescribed treatments, compared with the English-speaking group. Their use of diabetes medicines was heavily influenced by peers with diabetes and family members; conversely, they feared revealing their diagnosis within the wider Arabic community due to stigma and collective negative social labelling of diabetes. Confidence in non-Arabic-speaking healthcare providers was lacking. Findings yielded new insights into medication-taking practices and associated factors in Arabic-speaking patients with diabetes. It is vital that healthcare professionals working with Arabic-speaking patients adapt their treatment approaches to accommodate different beliefs and views about medicines. © 2015 The Authors. Diabetic Medicine © 2015 Diabetes UK.
Innovative Second Language Speaking Practice with Interactive Videos in a Rich Internet Application Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pereira, Juan A.; Sanz-Santamaría, Silvia; Montero, Raúl; Gutiérrez, Julián

2012-01-01

Attaining a satisfactory level of oral communication in a second language is a laborious process. In this action research paper we describe a new method applied through the use of interactive videos and the Babelium Project Rich Internet Application (RIA), which allows students to practice speaking skills through a variety of exercises. We present…
Well Spoken: Teaching Speaking to All Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Palmer, Erik

2011-01-01

All teachers at all grade levels in all subjects have speaking assignments for students, but many teachers believe they don't know how to teach speaking, and many even fear public speaking themselves. In his new book, "Well Spoken", veteran teacher and education consultant Erik Palmer shares the art of teaching speaking in any classroom. Teachers…
An Assessment of IELTS Speaking Test

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karim, Shahzad; Haq, Naushaba

2014-01-01

The present study focused on assessing the speaking test of IELTS. The assessment discussed both positive aspects and weaknesses in IELTS speaking module. The researchers had also suggested some possible measures for the improvement in IELTS speaking test and increasing its validity and reliability. The researchers had analysed and assessed IELTS…

Tag Team Public Speaking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brigance, Linda Czuba

2004-01-01

Designing and presenting a speech is a solitary task. By definition, public speaking involves one person speaking to a group, which sets it apart from other types of communication situations, such as interpersonal and small group communication. Due to the inherently individualistic nature of assignments in the basic course, students rarely profit…
The Effect of a High School Speech Course on Public Speaking Anxiety for Students in a College-Level Public Speaking Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Karen Hill

2012-01-01

Literature suggested public speaking is American's most feared activity. Additionally, the public speaking curriculum was removed from the K-12 school system after 2001. This study aimed to examine the effect of previous public speaking instruction, public speaking extra-curricular activity, gender, and self-esteem on public speaking anxiety…
Assessing Second Language Speaking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fulcher, Glenn

2015-01-01

While the viva voce (oral) examination has always been used in content-based educational assessment (Latham 1877: 132), the assessment of second language (L2) speaking in performance tests is relatively recent. The impetus for the growth in testing speaking during the 19th and 20th centuries is twofold. Firstly, in educational settings the…
ACE Action Fellowship Bridges Climate Education into Action for Young People

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anderson, R. K.

2016-12-01

Alliance for Climate Education educates young people on the science of climate change and empowers them to take action. Since 2009, ACE has educated over two million students and trained more than 4,000 young leaders. The ACE Action Fellowship is a yearlong training program that gives young people the knowledge, skills and confidence to be strong climate leaders. Here, we present the results of the first year of evaluation of the Fellowship program in the 2014-15 school year. Sixty high school students completed matched surveys before and after completing the program. Students were evaluated on skills learned, actions taken, confidence gained, civic engagement, and plans to continue action on climate in the future. Results show that the Fellowship increases young people's confidence: 52% of Fellows report an increase in confidence in leading a group of peers on a climate-related campaign. Fellows also gained leadership skills. More than half of Fellows say they improved in the areas of recruitment, interpersonal communication skills, campaign planning, and public speaking. 50% of Fellows reported an increase in their likelihood of seeking elected office when of age. The Fellowship positively influences young people's intent to study a climate, energy or sustainability-related field. 63% of Fellows identify as people of color. Notably, despite entering the Fellowship with significantly lower self-ratings than white students in experience and skill sets, young people of color reported greater improvement in the areas of public speaking (25% improvement vs. 6% improvement) and petitioning (27% improvement vs. 1% improvement). These results show that the ACE Fellowship gives young people tangible skills and confidence that puts them on a path of climate leadership. Further evaluation will be done to expand the dataset, but early indications show that these young people are poised to make valuable contributions and bring a much needed diverse youth perspective to the
Body ownership causes illusory self-attribution of speaking and influences subsequent real speaking

PubMed Central

Banakou, Domna; Slater, Mel

2014-01-01

When we carry out an act, we typically attribute the action to ourselves, the sense of agency. Explanations for agency include conscious prior intention to act, followed by observation of the sensory consequences; brain activity that involves the feed-forward prediction of the consequences combined with rapid inverse motor prediction to fine-tune the action in real time; priming where there is, e.g., a prior command to perform the act; a cause (the intention to act) preceding the effect (the results of the action); and common-sense rules of attribution of physical causality satisfied. We describe an experiment where participants falsely attributed an act to themselves under conditions that apparently cannot be explained by these theories. A life-sized virtual body (VB) seen from the first-person perspective in 3D stereo, as if substituting the real body, was used to induce the illusion of ownership over the VB. Half of the 44 experimental participants experienced VB movements that were synchronous with their own movements (sync), and the other half asynchronous (async). The VB, seen in a mirror, spoke with corresponding lip movements, and for half of the participants this was accompanied by synchronous vibrotactile stimulation on the thyroid cartilage (Von) but this was not so for the other half. Participants experiencing sync misattributed the speaking to themselves and also shifted the fundamental frequency of their later utterances toward the stimulus voice. Von also contributed to these results. We show that these findings can be explained by current theories of agency, provided that the critical role of ownership over the VB is taken into account. PMID:25422444
Energy Action Day

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-10-25

Anuj Chokshi of FPL, center, speaks during the Energy Action Day employee event held in NASA Kennedy Space Center's Space Station Processing Facility. Part of Energy Awareness Month, the event featured subject matter experts in the area of solar energy, its connections to the space program and options for residential solar power. From left to right are Chuck Tatro of NASA's Launch Services Program; Sam Ball of NASA Kennedy's Engineering directorate; Chokshi; and Bill McMullen of Southern Power.
Speaking Activities for the Advanced College-Bound Student.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Henderson, Don

Three activities for developing speaking skills of advanced English as second language students are presented. Impromptu speaking, extemporaneous speaking, and debate activities are designed to train students to organize concepts, develop spontaneous oral skills, and enhance confidence and clarity of thought. Impromptu speaking develops…
Text-speak processing impairs tactile location.

PubMed

Head, James; Helton, William; Russell, Paul; Neumann, Ewald

2012-09-01

Dual task experiments have highlighted that driving while having a conversation on a cell phone can have negative impacts on driving (Strayer & Drews, 2007). It has also been noted that this negative impact is greater when reading a text-message (Lee, 2007). Commonly used in text-messaging are shortening devices collectively known as text-speak (e.g.,Ys I wll ttyl 2nite, Yes I will talk to you later tonight). To the authors' knowledge, there has been no investigation into the potential negative impacts of reading text-speak on concurrent performance on other tasks. Forty participants read a correctly spelled story and a story presented in text-speak while concurrently monitoring for a vibration around their waist. Slower reaction times and fewer correct vibration detections occurred while reading text-speak than while reading a correctly spelled story. The results suggest that reading text-speak imposes greater cognitive load than reading correctly spelled text. These findings suggest that the negative impact of text messaging on driving may be compounded by the messages being in text-speak, instead of orthographically correct text. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Human experimental anxiety: actual public speaking induces more intense physiological responses than simulated public speaking.

PubMed

Zuardi, Antonio Waldo; Crippa, José Alexandre de Souza; Hallak, Jaime Eduardo Cecílio; Gorayeb, Ricardo

2013-01-01

a) To perform a systematic and meta-analytic review to verify whether the Simulated Public Speaking Task (SPST) leads to a greater increase in self-rated anxiety than in physiological correlates of anxiety; and b) to compare the results obtained with the SPST with an actual public speaking task involving healthy volunteers. a) The PubMed and ISI Web of Knowledge databases were searched for studies involving the SPST prior to 2012. Eleven publications were eligible and provided data from 143 healthy volunteers for meta-analysis; b) 48 university students without somatic or psychiatric disorders were divided into three experimental groups of 16 subjects to undergo one of the following: SPST, real-world public speaking task (real-world), and control situation (control). The meta-analysis showed that the SPST induced a significant increase in the Visual Analogue Mood Scale (VAMS) anxiety factor, but no significant increases in systolic blood pressure or heart rate. The empirical study showed that the real-world public speaking task increased heart rate, systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure significantly more than the control and SPST conditions. These results suggest that real public speaking might be better than SPST in inducing experimental anxiety.
Seeing for speaking: Semantic and lexical information provided by briefly presented, naturalistic action scenes

PubMed Central

Bölte, Jens; Hofmann, Reinhild; Meier, Claudine C.; Dobel, Christian

2018-01-01

At the interface between scene perception and speech production, we investigated how rapidly action scenes can activate semantic and lexical information. Experiment 1 examined how complex action-scene primes, presented for 150 ms, 100 ms, or 50 ms and subsequently masked, influenced the speed with which immediately following action-picture targets are named. Prime and target actions were either identical, showed the same action with different actors and environments, or were unrelated. Relative to unrelated primes, identical and same-action primes facilitated naming the target action, even when presented for 50 ms. In Experiment 2, neutral primes assessed the direction of effects. Identical and same-action scenes induced facilitation but unrelated actions induced interference. In Experiment 3, written verbs were used as targets for naming, preceded by action primes. When target verbs denoted the prime action, clear facilitation was obtained. In contrast, interference was observed when target verbs were phonologically similar, but otherwise unrelated, to the names of prime actions. This is clear evidence for word-form activation by masked action scenes. Masked action pictures thus provide conceptual information that is detailed enough to facilitate apprehension and naming of immediately following scenes. Masked actions even activate their word-form information–as is evident when targets are words. We thus show how language production can be primed with briefly flashed masked action scenes, in answer to long-standing questions in scene processing. PMID:29652939
Pretend play, deferred imitation and parent-child interaction in speaking and non-speaking children with autism.

PubMed

Strid, Karin; Heimann, Mikael; Tjus, Tomas

2013-02-01

This study investigates spontaneous pretend play during a parent-child free play observation, and deferred imitation observed in an experimental setting in speaking and non-speaking children with autism in comparison to children with typical development. Both groups of children with autism showed a reduced level of deferred imitation compared to the typically developing group, but only the non-speaking children with autism spent significantly less time in pretend play compared to children with typical development. Deferred imitation was related to parents' verbal interaction in both groups. An analysis of the parent-child interaction revealed that parents of children with autism used less synchronized comments compared to parents of typically developing children. Parents of the speaking group with autism used more synchronized than unsynchronized comments, while parents of the non-speaking group used the same amount of synchronized and unsynchronized comments. These findings are discussed in terms of how the developmental level affects behavior and interaction in autism. © 2012 The Authors. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology © 2012 The Scandinavian Psychological Associations.
Actions Speak Louder than Words: A Behavioral Analysis of 183 Individuals Convicted for Terrorist Offenses in the United States from 1995 to 2012.

PubMed

Horgan, John; Shortland, Neil; Abbasciano, Suzzette; Walsh, Shaun

2016-09-01

Involvement in terrorism has traditionally been discussed in relatively simplistic ways with little effort spent on developing a deeper understanding of what involvement actually entails, and how it differs from person to person. In this paper, we present the results of a three-year project focused on 183 individuals associated with the global jihadist movement who were convicted in the United States, for terrorist offenses, between 1995 and 2012. These data were developed by a large-scale, open-source data collection activity that involved a coding dictionary of more than 120 variables. We identify and explore the diversity of behaviors that constitute involvement in terrorism. We also compare lone actors and those who acted as part of a group, finding that lone actors differed from group-based actors in key demographic attributes and were more likely to be involved in attack execution behaviors. Implications for counterterrorism are then discussed. © 2016 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.
Voice Blogging and L2 Speaking Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hsu, Hsiu-Chen

2016-01-01

This paper reports on an exploratory study that investigated the effect of extensive speaking practice on the development of L2 speaking complexity, accuracy, and fluency in voice blogging. The participants were 30 college EFL (English as a foreign language) learners in Taiwan. As a supplement to the insufficient speaking practice in class, each…
Teaching Public Speaking with Simulations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kell, Carl L.; Winn, Larry James

In public-speaking courses, the use of games--a specific type of simulation--can help to overcome three of the most basic problems faced by the teacher: the gap between the study of theory and the application of that theory, the limited experience gained by students confined to speaking situations within classroom walls, and student stage fright.…
An Overview of Models of Speaking Performance and Its Implications for the Development of Procedural Framework for Diagnostic Speaking Tests

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhao, Zhongbao

2013-01-01

This paper aims at developing a procedural framework for the development and validation of diagnostic speaking tests. The researcher reviews the current available models of speaking performance, analyzes the distinctive features and then points out the implications for the development of a procedural framework for diagnostic speaking tests. On…
Affective strategies, attitudes, and a model of speaking performance development for engineering students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wijirahayu, S.; Dorand, P.

2018-01-01

Learning English as a Foreign language (EFL) as one of the challenges especially for students majoring in Telecommunication Engineering to develop their communication skill as a professional could be one of the chances for them to face a more global era. Yet, there are important factors that may influence the progress of the speaking performance and attitude is one of them. Therefore, a survey involving two main psychological variables in language learning namely attitude and affective strategies and the third variable is speaking performance was conducted and a model of affective strategies in language learning developing through the application of Content Language Integrated Learning and multimedia instruction was introduced. This study involved 71 sophomore students and two classes of university students majoring in Telecommunication Engineering and Electrical Engineering. The researchers used both survey and action research method with quantitative as well as qualitative in approach.
Online Speaking Strategy Assessment for Improving Speaking Ability in the Area of Language for Specific Purposes: The Case of Tourism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Phaiboonnugulkij, Malinee; Prapphal, Kanchana

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to compare the differences in strategies used in an online language for specific purposes (LSP) speaking test in tourism with two proficiency groups of students, and to investigate the strategies that should be used for low-proficiency students to improve their LSP speaking ability. The Web-based Speaking Test in…
Risk of schizophrenia and minority status: a comparison of the Swedish-speaking minority and the Finnish-speaking majority in Finland.

PubMed

Suvisaari, Jaana; Opler, Mark; Lindbohm, Marja-Liisa; Sallmén, Markku

2014-11-01

Approximately five percent of the Finnish population are Swedish-speaking and have higher socioeconomic position and longer life expectancy than the Finnish-speaking majority. Previous studies have not investigated whether Swedish-speaking Finns have lower risk of schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) than Finnish-speaking Finns. We investigated this in a representative sample of 47 445 Finns born in 1972-1984. Hazard ratios of SSD between language groups were assessed with conditional proportional hazards regression. Sex, parental ages at birth, paternal employment around conception, parental psychosis and place and residence in the capital area were used as other explanatory variables. The prevalence of SSD was 0.7% in the Swedish-speaking minority and 1.5% in the Finnish-speaking majority. In the adjusted regression model, belonging to the Swedish-speaking minority was associated with lower risk of SSD (hazard ratio (HR) 0.41, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.24-0.69). In a subset analysis by gender, the protective effect was evident among Swedish-speaking males (HR 0.32, 95% CI 0.15-0.68) but marginal in females (HR 0.75, 95% CI 0.41-1.37). Parental psychosis and place of birth in the capital area were associated with higher risk of SSD, whereas paternal employment at the time of conception was associated with lower risk of SSD. Our results support the role of social factors in the etiology of schizophrenia. Belonging to a minority with high socioeconomic status and social capital may be protective against schizophrenia, especially for males. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Risk of schizophrenia and minority status: a comparison of the Swedish-speaking minority and the Finnish-speaking majority in Finland

PubMed Central

Suvisaari, Jaana; Opler, Mark; Lindbohm, Marja-Liisa; Sallmén, Markku

2014-01-01

Approximately five percent of the Finnish population are Swedish-speaking and have higher socioeconomic position and longer life expectancy than the Finnish-speaking majority. Previous studies have not investigated whether Swedish-speaking Finns have lower risk of schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) than Finnish-speaking Finns. We investigated this in a representative sample of 47 445 Finns born in 1972–1984. Hazard ratios of SSD between language groups were assessed with conditional proportional hazards regression. Sex, parental ages at birth, paternal employment around conception, parental psychosis and place and residence in the capital area were used as other explanatory variables. The prevalence of SSD was 0.7% in the Swedish-speaking minority and 1.5% in the Finnish-speaking majority. In the adjusted regression model, belonging to the Swedish-speaking minority was associated with lower risk of SSD (hazard ratio (HR) 0.41, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.24–0.69). In a subset analysis by gender, the protective effect was evident among Swedish-speaking males (HR 0.32, 95% CI 0.15–0.68) but marginal in females (HR 0.75, 95% CI 0.41–1.37). Parental psychosis and place of birth in the capital area were associated with higher risk of SSD, whereas paternal employment at the time of conception was associated with lower risk of SSD. Our results support the role of social factors in the etiology of schizophrenia. Belonging to a minority with high socioeconomic status and social capital may be protective against schizophrenia, especially for males. PMID:25263996
Building Speaking Fluency with Multiword Expressions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomson, Haidee

2017-01-01

Previous research has shown a link between speaking fluently and using multiword expressions. However, evidence on how to effectively teach multiword expressions is limited. This study investigates the effect of fluency-oriented classroom teaching on speaking fluency, with special attention to multiword expressions. In this quasi-experimental…

Collaborative Leadership in Action: Partnering for Success in Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wepner, Shelley B.; Hopkins, Dee

2010-01-01

"Collaborative Leadership in Action" is about creating school-university-community partnerships and the leaders who build and sustain them. It defines and describes different types of collaborative partnerships and discusses how to develop, maintain, and evaluate relationships that enrich the PreK-16 learning environment. Speaking from the…
Multilingualism in Brussels: "I'd Rather Speak English"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Donnell, Paul; Toebosch, AnneMarie

2008-01-01

Language is both a divisive and a unifying force in Brussels. Historically predominantly Dutch-speaking, surrounded by the officially Dutch-speaking federal state of Flanders, located in a majority Dutch-speaking nation-state, and with the majority of its Belgian citizens Francophone, Brussels has officially been bilingual Dutch-French since 1962.…
Chicago's Spanish-Speaking Population: Selected Statistics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chicago Dept. of Development and Planning, IL.

Based on selected data from the 1970 census, this report provides a general description of Chicago's Spanish-speaking population's: (1) general population characteristics; (2) age and family characteristics; (3) income; (4) labor force characteristics; (5) education; and (6) housing. Using the Census Bureau's definition of Spanish speaking (all…
A half century of electronic fetal monitoring and bioethics: silence speaks louder than words.

PubMed

Sartwelle, Thomas P; Johnston, James C; Arda, Berna

2017-01-01

Bioethics abolished the prevailing Hippocratic tenet instructing physicians to make treatment decisions, replacing it with autonomy through informed consent. Informed consent allows the patient to choose treatment after options are explained by the physician. The appearance of bioethics in 1970 coincided with the introduction of electronic fetal monitoring (EFM), which evolved to become the fetal surveillance modality of choice for virtually all women in labor. Autonomy rapidly pervaded all medical procedures, but there was a clear exemption for EFM. Even today, EFM remains immune to the doctrine of informed consent despite continually mounting evidence which proves the procedure is nothing more than myth, illusion and junk science that subjects mothers and babies alike to increased risks of morbidity and mortality. And ethicists have remained utterly silent through a half century of EFM misuse. Our article explores this egregious ethical failure by reviewing EFM's lack of clinical efficacy, discussing the EFM related harm to mothers and babies, and focusing on the reasons that this obstetrical procedure eluded the revolutionary change from the Hippocratic tradition to autonomy through informed consent.
Self-Regulated Strategy Instruction for Developing Speaking Proficiency and Reducing Speaking Anxiety of Egyptian University Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

El-Sakka, Samah Mohammed Fahim

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of teaching some self-regulated strategies to Egyptian university students on improving their speaking proficiency and reducing their speaking anxiety. The design of the study was a one group pre-posttest quasi experimental design. Forty 3rd- year EFL university students were selected to form the…
Strategies of Learning Speaking Skill by Indonesian Learners of English and Their Contribution to Speaking Proficiency

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mistar, Junaidi; Umamah, Atik

2014-01-01

This paper was a subset report of a research project on skill-based English learning strategies by Indonesian EFL learners. It focusses on the attempts to reveal: (1) the differences in the use of strategies of learning speaking skill by male and female learners, and (2) the contribution of strategies of learning speaking skill on the learners'…
Effects of Sustained Impromptu Speaking and Goal Setting on Public Speaking Competency Development: A Case Study of EFL College Students in Morocco

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

El Mortaji, Latifa

2018-01-01

Research on impact of sustained impromptu speaking on public speaking competency development is scarce and lacking. The researcher investigated Moroccan college students' public speaking competency development through extemporaneous (i.e. carefully prepared and rehearsed) speech performance, after implementation of a teaching strategy involving…
An Experimental Analog of Public Speaking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Droppleman, Leo F.; McNair, Douglas M.

1971-01-01

Using finger sweat prints and arousal ratings two different types of stress were measured: anticipation of, and stress during, simulated public speaking. The results indicated that the stress producing properties of public speaking can be reproduced in the laboratory, thus the model has acceptable stimulus properties and can be used in…
The CLIPS Index: Critical Listening in Public Speaking.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Glenn, Ethel C.; Pood, Elliott

Students in the traditional public speaking course spend the bulk of their time in listening, yet little structure is given to this time to improve its educational value. The assumption underlying the Critical Listening in Public Speaking (CLIPS) Index is that students' listening time can be used to learn more about public speaking by using a…
Do Physicians Spend More Time with Non-English-Speaking Patients?

PubMed Central

Tocher, Thomas M; Larson, Eric B

1999-01-01

OBJECTIVE To determine whether physicians at a general internal medicine clinic spend more time with non-English-speaking patients. DESIGN A time-motion study comparing physician time spent with non-English-speaking patients and time spent with English-speaking patients during 5 months of observation. We also tested physicians’ perceptions of their time use with a questionnaire. SETTING Primary care internal medicine clinic at a county hospital. PATIENTS/PARTICIPANTS One hundred sixty-six established clinic patients, of whom 57 were non-English speaking and 109 were English speaking, and 15 attending physicians and 8 third-year resident physicians. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Outcome measures included total patient time in clinic, wait for first nurse or physician contact, time in contact with the nurse or physician, physician time spent on the visit, and physician perceptions of time use with non-English-speaking patients. After adjustment for demographic and comorbidity variables, non-English-speaking and English-speaking patients did not differ on any time-motion variables, including physician time spent on the visit (26.0 vs 25.8 minutes). A significant number of clinic physicians believed that they spent more time during a visit with non-English-speaking patients (85.7%) and needed more time to address important issues during a visit (90.4%), (both p < .01). Physicians did not perceive differences in the amount they accomplished during a visit with non-English-speaking patients. CONCLUSIONS There were no differences in the time these physicians spent providing care to non-English-speaking patients and English-speaking patients. An important limitation of this study is that we were unable to measure quality of care provided or patients’ satisfaction with their care. Physicians may believe that they are spending more time with non-English-speaking patients because of the challenges of language and cultural barriers. PMID:10337040
Teaching Public Speaking Using Aristotle's "Rhetoric."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Finkel, Candida

Rather than relegating Aristotle's "Rhetoric" to history of rhetoric courses, where it is regarded with only an antiquarian interest, it can be used as a practical text for introductory public speaking courses. The advantages would be threefold: (1) its emphasis is essentially on rhetoric as a speaking art rather than an art of…
Language-independent talker-specificity in first-language and second-language speech production by bilingual talkers: L1 speaking rate predicts L2 speaking rate

PubMed Central

Bradlow, Ann R.; Kim, Midam; Blasingame, Michael

2017-01-01

Second-language (L2) speech is consistently slower than first-language (L1) speech, and L1 speaking rate varies within- and across-talkers depending on many individual, situational, linguistic, and sociolinguistic factors. It is asked whether speaking rate is also determined by a language-independent talker-specific trait such that, across a group of bilinguals, L1 speaking rate significantly predicts L2 speaking rate. Two measurements of speaking rate were automatically extracted from recordings of read and spontaneous speech by English monolinguals (n = 27) and bilinguals from ten L1 backgrounds (n = 86): speech rate (syllables/second), and articulation rate (syllables/second excluding silent pauses). Replicating prior work, L2 speaking rates were significantly slower than L1 speaking rates both across-groups (monolinguals' L1 English vs bilinguals' L2 English), and across L1 and L2 within bilinguals. Critically, within the bilingual group, L1 speaking rate significantly predicted L2 speaking rate, suggesting that a significant portion of inter-talker variation in L2 speech is derived from inter-talker variation in L1 speech, and that individual variability in L2 spoken language production may be best understood within the context of individual variability in L1 spoken language production. PMID:28253679
Effects of Rater Characteristics and Scoring Methods on Speaking Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matsugu, Sawako

2013-01-01

Understanding the sources of variance in speaking assessment is important in Japan where society's high demand for English speaking skills is growing. Three challenges threaten fair assessment of speaking. First, in Japanese university speaking courses, teachers are typically the only raters, but teachers' knowledge of their students may unfairly…
"SPEAKING-FOR" AND "SPEAKING-AS": PSEUDO-SURROGACY IN PHYSICIANPATIENT-COMPANION MEDICAL ENCOUNTERS ABOUT ADVANCED CANCER

PubMed Central

Mazer, Benjamin L.; Cameron, Rachel A.; DeLuca, Jane M.; Mohile, Supriya G.; Epstein, Ronald M.

2014-01-01

Objective To examine using audio-recorded encounters the extent and process of companion participation when discussing treatment choices and prognosis in the context of a life-limiting cancer diagnosis. Methods Qualitative analysis of transcribed outpatient visits between 17 oncologists, 49 patients with advanced cancer, and 34 companions. Results 46 qualifying companion statements were collected from a total of 28 conversations about treatment choices or prognosis. We identified a range of companion positions, from “pseudo-surrogacy” (companion speaking as if the patient were not able to speak for himself), “hearsay”, “conflation of thoughts”, “co-experiencing”, “observation as an outsider”, and “facilitation”. Statements made by companions were infrequently directly validated by the patient. Conclusions Companions often spoke on behalf of patients during discussions of prognosis and treatment choices, even when the patient was present and capable of speaking on his or her own behalf. Practice Implications The conversational role of companions as well as whether the physician checks with the patient can determine whether a companion facilitates or inhibits patient autonomy and involvement. Physicians can reduce ambiguity and encourage patient participation by being aware of the when and how companions may speak on behalf of patients and by corroborating the companion's statement with the patient. PMID:24862913
Integrating Speaking Skills into the Curriculum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nugent, Susan Monroe, Ed.

1986-01-01

Stressing the importance of incorporating speech skills throughout the curriculum, the articles in this journal provide ideas for developing speaking skills in all subjects and at all levels. The titles of the articles and their authors include the following: (1) "Speaking Skills: A Few Tips from an Old Timer" (Geoffrey R. Butler); (2)…
Narrative Assessment for Cantonese-Speaking Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

To, Carol Kit-Sum; Stokes, Stephanie F.; Cheung, Hin-Tat; T'sou, Benjamin

2010-01-01

Background: This study examined the narrative skills of Cantonese-speaking school-age children to fill a need for a normative language test for school-age children. Purpose: To provide a benchmark of the narrative skills of Cantonese-speaking children; to identify which of the microstructure components was the best predictor of age; and to…
Pragmatic Activities for the Speaking Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Siegel, Joseph

2016-01-01

Being able to speak naturally and appropriately with others in a variety of situations is an important goal for many English as a foreign language (EFL) learners. Because the skill of speaking invariably involves interaction with people and using language to reach objectives (e.g., ordering food, making friends, asking for favors), it is crucial…
Improvement of Speaking Ability through Interrelated Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liao, Guoqiang

2009-01-01

How to improve students' ability of speaking English? That is the key point we are concerned about. This paper discusses the possibility and necessity of improving students' ability by combining the four skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing.
Incorporating TED Talk Assignments into a Public-Speaking Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hayward, Pamela A.

2017-01-01

Courses: Introduction to public speaking, advanced public speaking, hybrid/survey introduction to communication. Objectives: At the end of this activity, students will be able to (1) explain the elements of a speaking outline and discover these elements in real-world speech examples, (2) recreate outline formats effectively in their personal…
Fear of Public Speaking: Perception of College Students and Correlates.

PubMed

Ferreira Marinho, Anna Carolina; Mesquita de Medeiros, Adriane; Côrtes Gama, Ana Cristina; Caldas Teixeira, Letícia

2017-01-01

The aims of the study were to determine the prevalence of fear of public speaking among college students and to assess its association with sociodemographic variables and those related to the voice and oral communication. A cross-sectional descriptive and analytic study was conducted with 1135 undergraduates aged 17-58 years. The assessment instruments were (1) a questionnaire addressing the variables sex, age, field of undergraduate study, voice, and frequency of exposure to public speaking, and (2) the Self-statements During Public Speaking Scale (SSPS), which includes variables implicated in specific domains of public speaking. A descriptive analysis was performed of the variables as well as uni- and multivariate logistic regressions to examine their association with fear of public speaking. The level of significance was set at 5%. In all, 63.9% of the college students reported fear of public speaking. As many as 89.3% of the students would like their undergraduate program to include classes to improve public speaking. Being female, having infrequent participation as speakers in groups, and perceiving their voice as high-pitched or too soft increase the odds of exhibiting fear of public speaking compared with students without those features. A great number of undergraduates report fear of public speaking. This fear is more prevalent among women, students who participate in few activities involving speaking to groups of people, and those who have a self-perception of their voice as high-pitched or too soft. Copyright © 2017 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Making non-fluent aphasics speak: sing along!

PubMed

Racette, Amélie; Bard, Céline; Peretz, Isabelle

2006-10-01

A classic observation in neurology is that aphasics can sing words they cannot pronounce otherwise. To further assess this claim, we investigated the production of sung and spoken utterances in eight brain-damaged patients suffering from a variety of speech disorders as a consequence of a left-hemisphere lesion. In Experiment 1, the patients were tested in the repetition and recall of words and notes of familiar material. Lyrics of familiar songs, as well as words of proverbs and prayers, were not better pronounced in singing than in speaking. Notes were better produced than words. In Experiment 2, the aphasic patients repeated and recalled lyrics from novel songs. Again, they did not produce more words in singing than in speaking. In Experiment 3, when allowed to sing or speak along with an auditory model while learning novel songs, aphasics repeated and recalled more words when singing than when speaking. Reduced speed or shadowing cannot account for this advantage of singing along over speaking in unison. The results suggest that singing in synchrony with an auditory model--choral singing--is more effective than choral speech, at least in French, in improving word intelligibility because choral singing may entrain more than one auditory-vocal interface. Thus, choral singing appears to be an effective means of speech therapy.
"Speaking-for" and "speaking-as": pseudo-surrogacy in physician-patient-companion medical encounters about advanced cancer.

PubMed

Mazer, Benjamin L; Cameron, Rachel A; DeLuca, Jane M; Mohile, Supriya G; Epstein, Ronald M

2014-07-01

To examine using audio-recorded encounters the extent and process of companion participation when discussing treatment choices and prognosis in the context of a life-limiting cancer diagnosis. Qualitative analysis of transcribed outpatient visits between 17 oncologists, 49 patients with advanced cancer, and 34 companions. 46 qualifying companion statements were collected from a total of 28 conversations about treatment choices or prognosis. We identified a range of companion positions, from "pseudo-surrogacy" (companion speaking as if the patient were not able to speak for himself), "hearsay", "conflation of thoughts", "co-experiencing", "observation as an outsider", and "facilitation". Statements made by companions were infrequently directly validated by the patient. Companions often spoke on behalf of patients during discussions of prognosis and treatment choices, even when the patient was present and capable of speaking on his or her own behalf. The conversational role of companions as well as whether the physician checks with the patient can determine whether a companion facilitates or inhibits patient autonomy and involvement. Physicians can reduce ambiguity and encourage patient participation by being aware of when and how companions may speak on behalf of patients and by corroborating the companion's statement with the patient. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Illness perception differences between Russian- and Hebrew-speaking Israeli oncology patients.

PubMed

Popov, Nadia; Heruti, Irit; Levy, Sigal; Lulav-Grinwald, Doron; Bar-Sela, Gil

2014-03-01

Illness perception influences health and illness behaviors. This study was designed to estimate illness perception differences between Russian-speaking and Hebrew-speaking Israeli oncology patients. Changes in illness perception associated with time spent in Israel among Russian-speaking patients were also evaluated. Additionally, we evaluated differences in illness perception of patients exposed to Chernobyl's consequences. A total of 144 oncology patients (77 Hebrew-speaking, 67 Russian-speaking) completed personal data questionnaires and The illness perception questionnaire revised, translated into Russian for this study. Significantly more Russian-speaking oncology patients perceived their illness as chronic and having negative consequences on life (p < .01). Russian-speaking oncology patients tend to have a more negative perception of cancer compared to Hebrew-speaking patients. Time spent in Israel may create more positive perceptions of cancer among these patients. No illness perception differences were found concerning Chernobyl consequences.
Speaking Anxiety in English Conversation Classrooms among Thai Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Akkakoson, Songyut

2016-01-01

Purpose: This paper reports on a part of a larger research project concerning the conceptualisation of English language speaking-in-class anxiety, attitudes to speaking English in class and self-ratings of English-speaking ability, and perceived sources of this situation-specific anxiety. Methodology: The participants in this study were 282 Thai…
You cannot speak and listen at the same time: a probabilistic model of turn-taking.

PubMed

Donnarumma, Francesco; Dindo, Haris; Iodice, Pierpaolo; Pezzulo, Giovanni

2017-04-01

Turn-taking is a preverbal skill whose mastering constitutes an important precondition for many social interactions and joint actions. However, the cognitive mechanisms supporting turn-taking abilities are still poorly understood. Here, we propose a computational analysis of turn-taking in terms of two general mechanisms supporting joint actions: action prediction (e.g., recognizing the interlocutor's message and predicting the end of turn) and signaling (e.g., modifying one's own speech to make it more predictable and discriminable). We test the hypothesis that in a simulated conversational scenario dyads using these two mechanisms can recognize the utterances of their co-actors faster, which in turn permits them to give and take turns more efficiently. Furthermore, we discuss how turn-taking dynamics depend on the fact that agents cannot simultaneously use their internal models for both action (or messages) prediction and production, as these have different requirements-or, in other words, they cannot speak and listen at the same time with the same level of accuracy. Our results provide a computational-level characterization of turn-taking in terms of cognitive mechanisms of action prediction and signaling that are shared across various interaction and joint action domains.
Adaptation and Assessment of a Public Speaking Rating Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iberri-Shea, Gina

2017-01-01

Prominent spoken language assessments such as the Oral Proficiency Interview and the Test of Spoken English have been primarily concerned with speaking ability as it relates to conversation. This paper looks at an additional aspect of spoken language ability, namely public speaking. This study used an adapted form of a public speaking rating scale…
Turkish EFL Learners' Perceptions of Native English-Speaking Teachers and Non-Native English-Speaking Teachers in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karakas, Ali; Uysal, Hüseyin; Bilgin, Selçuk; Bulut, Talat

2016-01-01

The question of what makes a good teacher of English has aroused researchers' interest for many years, and the existing studies comparing NESTs (native English-speaking teachers) and NNESTs (non-native English-speaking teachers) have focused mostly on students' perceptions of these teachers. The current study aims to explore in the first phase if…
The Development and Evaluation of Speaking Learning Model by Cooperative Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Darmuki, Agus; Andayani; Nurkamto, Joko; Saddhono, Kundharu

2018-01-01

A cooperative approach-based Speaking Learning Model (SLM) has been developed to improve speaking skill of Higher Education students. This research aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of cooperative-based SLM viewed from the development of student's speaking ability and its effectiveness on speaking activity. This mixed method study combined…
Literal and Metaphorical Advocacy: Differentiating the Limited Preparation Speaking Events.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Preston, C. Thomas, Jr.

1990-01-01

Argues that a substantive differentiation of extemporaneous and impromptu forensic speaking events is possible and appropriate. Offers suggestions to distinguish the literal argumentative skills inherent to extemporaneous speaking from the metaphorical advocacy ideally inherent in impromptu speaking. (PRA)
Energy Action Day

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-10-25

NASA Kennedy Space Center's Sam Ball, third from left, speaks during the Energy Action Day employee event held in NASA Kennedy Space Center's Space Station Processing Facility. Part of Energy Awareness Month, the event featured subject matter experts in the area of solar energy, its connections to the space program and options for residential solar power. From left to right are Nick Murdock, energy and water program manager at Kennedy; Chuck Tatro of NASA's Launch Services Program; Ball; Anuj Chokshi of FPL; Bill McMullen of Southern Power; John Sherwin of the Florida Solar Energy Center in Cocoa; and Lorraine Koss of the Brevard County Solar Co-op.
"Speaking for another": the management of participant frames in aphasia.

PubMed

Simmons-Mackie, Nina; Kingston, Debbie; Schultz, Misty

2004-05-01

A sociolinguistic analysis of an interaction between a woman with aphasia and a nonaphasic speaking partner was conducted to investigate participant framing in aphasia. Participant frames, or the stances that people take in conversation, help conversational participants structure their talk and collaboratively negotiate meaning (I. Goffman, 1974). This analysis revealed a configuration in which a person with severe aphasia enlisted her speaking partner to speak for her. That is, the interaction was framed such that the nonaphasic speaking partner served as the "spokesperson" for messages that were authored by the person with aphasia. The clinical requirements of adopting a "speaking for another" framework are discussed.
Accounting for Korean-Speaking Students. Student Manual.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chicago City Colleges, IL. Truman Coll. UF-Truman Coll., Chicago, IL.

Intended for limited-English speaking, Korean-speaking adult students, this manual contains a 12-chapter course in accounting. It is written in Korean with key terms/concepts and limited amounts of other information (such as proper names and occupation-related vocabulary) in English. Examples are provided in English only. Information provided in…
Exploring problem solving strategies on multiple-choice science items: Comparing native Spanish-speaking English Language Learners and mainstream monolinguals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kachchaf, Rachel Rae

The purpose of this study was to compare how English language learners (ELLs) and monolingual English speakers solved multiple-choice items administered with and without a new form of testing accommodation---vignette illustration (VI). By incorporating theories from second language acquisition, bilingualism, and sociolinguistics, this study was able to gain more accurate and comprehensive input into the ways students interacted with items. This mixed methods study used verbal protocols to elicit the thinking processes of thirty-six native Spanish-speaking English language learners (ELLs), and 36 native-English speaking non-ELLs when solving multiple-choice science items. Results from both qualitative and quantitative analyses show that ELLs used a wider variety of actions oriented to making sense of the items than non-ELLs. In contrast, non-ELLs used more problem solving strategies than ELLs. There were no statistically significant differences in student performance based on the interaction of presence of illustration and linguistic status or the main effect of presence of illustration. However, there were significant differences based on the main effect of linguistic status. An interaction between the characteristics of the students, the items, and the illustrations indicates considerable heterogeneity in the ways in which students from both linguistic groups think about and respond to science test items. The results of this study speak to the need for more research involving ELLs in the process of test development to create test items that do not require ELLs to carry out significantly more actions to make sense of the item than monolingual students.
Current status of knowledge on public-speaking anxiety.

PubMed

Pull, Charles B

2012-01-01

This review examines the current knowledge on public-speaking anxiety, that is, the fear of speaking in front of others. This article summarizes the findings from previous review articles and describes new research findings on basic science aspects, prevalence rates, classification, and treatment that have been published between August 2008 and August 2011. Recent findings highlight the major aspects of psychological and physiological reactivity to public speaking in individuals who are afraid to speak in front of others, confirm high prevalence rates of the disorder, contribute to identifying the disorder as a possibly distinct subtype of social anxiety disorder (SAD), and give support to the efficacy of treatment programs using virtual reality exposure and Internet-based self-help. Public-speaking anxiety is a highly prevalent disorder, leading to excessive psychological and physiological reactivity. It is present in a majority of individuals with SAD and there is substantial evidence that it may be a distinct subtype of SAD. It is amenable to treatment including, in particular, new technologies such as exposure to virtual environments and the use of cognitive-behavioral self-help programs delivered on the Internet.
Brief virtual reality therapy for public speaking anxiety.

PubMed

Harris, Sandra R; Kemmerling, Robert L; North, Max M

2002-12-01

The primary goal of this research program was to investigate the effectiveness of virtual reality therapy (VRT) in reducing public speaking anxiety of university students. The prevalence and impact of public speaking anxiety as a type of Social Phobia are discussed. Studies of VRT as an emerging treatment for psychological problems are reviewed. In the present study, eight students completed VRT individual treatment and post-testing, and six students in a Wait-List control group completed post-testing. Assessment measures included four self-report inventories, self-report of Subjective Units of Discomfort during exposure to VRT and physiological measurements of heart rate during speaking tasks. Four weekly individual exposure treatment sessions of approximately 15 min each were conducted by the author serving as therapist. Results on self-report and physiological measures appear to indicate that four virtual reality treatment sessions were effective in reducing public speaking anxiety in university students, corroborating earlier studies of VRT's effectiveness as a psychotherapeutic modality. Future research directions are discussed, primarily the need for research on younger populations, to assess the effectiveness of VRT for earlier intervention with public speaking anxiety.
Do I Know What I'm Doing? Cognitive Dissonance and Action Identification Theory.

PubMed

Fointiat, Valérie; Pelt, Audrey

2015-11-27

Our main purpose was to explore hypotheses derived from the Identification of Action Theory in a particular situation that is, a dissonant situation. Thus, we varied the identification (low versus high-level) of a problematic behavior (to stop speaking for 24 hours) in the forced compliance paradigm. Two modes of dissonance reduction were presented: cognitive rationalization (classical attitude-change) and behavioral rationalization (target behavior: to stop speaking for 48 hours). As predicted, the results showed that high-level identity of action leads to cognitive rationalization whereas low-level identity leads to behavioural rationalization. Thus, participants identifying the problematic behavior at a low-level were more inclined to accept the target behavior, compared with participants identifying their problematic behavior at a higher-level. These results are of particular interest for understanding the extent to which the understanding of the discrepant act interferes with the cognitive processes of dissonance reduction.
Turkish EFL Learners' Perceptions of Native English-Speaking Teachers and Non-Native English-Speaking Teachers in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karakas, Ali; Uysal, Hüseyin; Bilgin, Selçuk; Bulut, Talat

2016-01-01

The question of what makes a good teacher of English has aroused researchers' interest for many years, and the existing studies comparing NESTs (native English-speaking teachers) and NNESTs (non-native English-speaking teachers) have focused mostly on students' perceptions of these teachers. The current study aims to explore in the first phase if…
The International English Language Testing System (IELTS): The Speaking Test.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ingram, D. E.

1991-01-01

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) assesses proficiency in English both generally and for special purposes of non-native English speakers studying, training, or learning English in English-speaking countries. The Speaking subtest of the IELTS measures a candidate's general proficiency in speaking in everyday situations via a…
The Extinction and Return of Fear of Public Speaking.

PubMed

Laborda, Mario A; Schofield, Casey A; Johnson, Emily M; Schubert, Jessica R; George-Denn, Daniel; Coles, Meredith E; Miller, Ralph R

2016-11-01

Prior studies indicate extinguished fear often partially returns when participants are later tested outside the extinction context. Cues carried from the extinction context to the test context sometimes reduce return of fear, but it is unclear whether such extinction cues (ECs) reduce return of fear of public speaking. Here we assessed return of fear of public speaking, and whether either of two types of ECs can attenuate it. Participants gave speeches of increasing difficulty during an exposure practice session and were tested 2 days later in a different context. Testing occurred in the presence of physical ECs, after mentally rehearsing the exposure session, or without either reminder. Practice reduced fear of public speaking, but fear partially returned at test. Neither physical nor mental ECs reduced partial return of fear of public speaking. The return of extinguished fear of public speaking, although small, was reliable, but not appreciably sensitive to presence of ECs. © The Author(s) 2016.
Prevention of adolescent depression in the Spanish-speaking world.

PubMed

Horn, Andrea B; Cañizares, Catalina; Gómez, Yvonne

2014-05-27

This paper aims at presenting programs targeted at the prevention of adolescent depression applied with Spanish-speaking populations that have been developed in Spanish-speaking countries and are mostly published in Spanish. These programs have been developed under different cultural contexts in Spain and Latin-America. The main goal of this paper is to make the studies and movements of the Spanish-speaking literature in this field accessible to the non-Spanish-speaking part of the research community. Therefore, after an introduction referring to possible cultural differences regarding depression in general and epidemiological basics, several programs are introduced. In total 11 programs will be shortly presented and discussed. After revising the programs it can be concluded that in the Spanish-speaking world many programs have been developed and conducted following current state of the art-approaches for adolescent depression prevention. Further research is needed especially targeting possible cultural and contextual aspects of prevention measures and their efficacy and efficiency.

Prevention of Adolescent Depression in the Spanish-Speaking World

PubMed Central

Horn, Andrea B.; Cañizares, Catalina; Gómez, Yvonne

2014-01-01

This paper aims at presenting programs targeted at the prevention of adolescent depression applied with Spanish-speaking populations that have been developed in Spanish-speaking countries and are mostly published in Spanish. These programs have been developed under different cultural contexts in Spain and Latin-America. The main goal of this paper is to make the studies and movements of the Spanish-speaking literature in this field accessible to the non-Spanish-speaking part of the research community. Therefore, after an introduction referring to possible cultural differences regarding depression in general and epidemiological basics, several programs are introduced. In total 11 programs will be shortly presented and discussed. After revising the programs it can be concluded that in the Spanish-speaking world many programs have been developed and conducted following current state of the art-approaches for adolescent depression prevention. Further research is needed especially targeting possible cultural and contextual aspects of prevention measures and their efficacy and efficiency. PMID:24871258
The development of education indicators for measuring quality in the English-speaking Caribbean: how far have we come?

PubMed

Bowe, Anica G

2015-02-01

Education evaluation has become increasingly important in the English-speaking Caribbean. This has been in response to assessing the progress of four regional initiatives aimed at improving the equity, efficiency, and quality of education. Both special interest groups and local evaluators have been responsible for assessing the progress of education and providing an overall synthesis and summary of what is taking place in the English-speaking Caribbean. This study employed content analysis to examine the indicators used in these education evaluation studies since the declaration of the Caribbean Plan of Action 2000-2015 to determine these indicators' appropriateness to the Caribbean context in measuring education progress. Findings demonstrate that the English-speaking Caribbean has made strides in operationalizing quality input, process, and output indicators; however quality outcome indicators beyond test scores are yet to be realized in a systematic manner. This study also compared the types of collaborative partnerships in conducting evaluation studies used by special interest groups and local evaluators and pinpointed the one that appears most suitable for special interest groups in this region. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Speaking With Us.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yakima Valley Coll., WA.

An illustrated workbook containing exercises in speaking and writing skills designed for a beginning learner of English as a second language is presented. The workbook includes material on greetings, giving personal information, numbers, time, days of the week, holidays, body parts, health information, states of being, food, colors, clothing,…
Barriers and enablers to healthcare access and use among Arabic-speaking and Caucasian English-speaking patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a qualitative comparative study

PubMed Central

Alzubaidi, H; Mc Namara, K; Browning, Colette; Marriott, J

2015-01-01

Objective The objective of this study was to explore the decision-making processes and associated barriers and enablers that determine access and use of healthcare services in Arabic-speaking and English-speaking Caucasian patients with diabetes in Australia. Study setting and design Face-to-face semistructured individual interviews and group interviews were conducted at various healthcare settings—diabetes outpatient clinics in 2 tertiary referral hospitals, 6 primary care practices and 10 community centres in Melbourne, Australia. Participants A total of 100 participants with type 2 diabetes mellitus were recruited into 2 groups: 60 Arabic-speaking and 40 English-speaking Caucasian. Data collection Interviews were audio-taped, translated into English when necessary, transcribed and coded thematically. Sociodemographic and clinical information was gathered using a self-completed questionnaire and medical records. Principal findings Only Arabic-speaking migrants intentionally delayed access to healthcare services when obvious signs of diabetes were experienced, missing opportunities to detect diabetes at an early stage. Four major barriers and enablers to healthcare access and use were identified: influence of significant other(s), unique sociocultural and religious beliefs, experiences with healthcare providers and lack of knowledge about healthcare services. Compared with Arabic-speaking migrants, English-speaking participants had no reluctance to access and use medical services when signs of ill-health appeared; their treatment-seeking behaviours were straightforward. Conclusions Arabic-speaking migrants appear to intentionally delay access to medical services even when symptomatic. Four barriers to health services access have been identified. Tailored interventions must be developed for Arabic-speaking migrants to improve access to available health services, facilitate timely diagnosis of diabetes and ultimately to improve glycaemic control. PMID:26576809
Speak Up Speak Out Coalition Survey Results | Science ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Comprehensive planning is a visionary planning process that integrates community values and land use policy. The Mayor of Duluth, Minnesota, directed the inclusion of two new values into the City’s comprehensive planning process to direct the community’s future, process: health and fairness. In order to understand the meanings of health and fairness that residents of the city hold, the Community Planning Department included questions in a city-wide survey of planning priorities. As a community organization reviewed the survey results that would inform the new directives, they realized that overburdened communities were underrepresented in the survey responses. To address this deficiency, the community organization asked the City of Duluth if they could conduct a survey of the underrepresented voices to ensure their input was included in the process. The Health in All Policies Coalition contacted the USEPA Office of Research and Development in Duluth, MN at the advice of the Planning Department. The support USEPA provided ensured that the Coalition could make recommendations to the City of Duluth based on systematically collected and analyzed data. This presentation will share the results of the survey. This presentation of the Speak Up Speak Out survey data represents support for local decision-making, technical assistance and data analysis. The data were collected and analyzed through advice and consultation with USEPA Office of Research and Development, an
A Narrative Evaluation of Mandarin-Speaking Children with Language Impairment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hao, Ying; Sheng, Li; Zhang, Yiwen; Jiang, Fan; de Villiers, Jill; Lee, Wendy; Liu, Xueman Lucy

2018-01-01

Purpose: We aimed to study narrative skills in Mandarin-speaking children with language impairment (LI) to compare with children with LI speaking Indo-European languages. Method: Eighteen Mandarin-speaking children with LI (mean age 6;2 [years;months]) and 18 typically developing (TD) age controls told 3 stories elicited using the Mandarin…
Many Right Answers: Learning in Mathematics through Speaking and Listening

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

De Geest, Els

2007-01-01

This project, "Many Right Answers: Learning in mathematics through speaking and listening", was initiated to address two issues in the teaching of secondary mathematics: (1) speaking and listening and its relevance to engaging the disengaged; and (2) the use of speaking and listening by teachers of mathematics as part of their Continuous…
Public speaking attitudes: does curriculum make a difference?

PubMed

Hancock, Adrienne B; Stone, Matthew D; Brundage, Shelley B; Zeigler, Mark T

2010-05-01

In light of infamous levels of fear associated with public speaking, businesses are training staff in communication effectiveness and universities are requiring courses in public speaking. A variety of approaches to individual training are available, but few studies have assessed effectiveness of group instruction, as in academic curricula. The specific purpose of this study was to compare changes in scores on measures of self-perceived confidence, competence, and apprehension associated with public speaking after two types of courses: one focused on knowledge of the vocal mechanism and mastering vocal characteristics (pitch, volume, rate, quality), and one addressing general communication theory and public speaking. Seventy-one undergraduate students enrolled in "Voice and Diction" at George Washington University (GWU) and 68 enrolled in "Fundamental Speech" at Florida State University completed questionnaires before and after the courses. Scores on Self-Perceived Communication Competence Scale, Personal Report of Confidence as a Speaker, and Personal Report of Communication Apprehension-24, were compared within subjects (ie, prepost course) and between courses. Significant differences (p<0.05) were found on all measures: students reported less apprehension and more confidence and competence after the courses. No differences were found between the two courses when comparing the mean changes from pre- to postscore. Traditional public speaking curriculum of how to design and deliver a speech and curriculum tailored to the voice and speech mechanism succeeded in reducing public speaking apprehension and increasing feelings of confidence and competency for these undergraduate students. (c) 2010 The Voice Foundation. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.
"You never know who are Sami or speak Sami" Clinicians' experiences with language-appropriate care to Sami-speaking patients in outpatient mental health clinics in Northern Norway.

PubMed

Dagsvold, Inger; Møllersen, Snefrid; Stordahl, Vigdis

2016-01-01

The Indigenous population in Norway, the Sami, have a statutory right to speak and be spoken to in the Sami language when receiving health services. There is, however, limited knowledge about how clinicians deal with this in clinical practice. This study explores how clinicians deal with language-appropriate care with Sami-speaking patients in specialist mental health services. This study aims to explore how clinicians identify and respond to Sami patients' language data, as well as how they experience provision of therapy to Sami-speaking patients in outpatient mental health clinics in Sami language administrative districts. Data were collected using qualitative method, through individual interviews with 20 therapists working in outpatient mental health clinics serving Sami populations in northern Norway. A thematic analysis inspired by systematic text reduction was employed. Two themes were identified: (a) identification of Sami patients' language data and (b) experiences with provision of therapy to Sami-speaking patients. Findings indicate that clinicians are not aware of patients' language needs prior to admission and that they deal with identification of language data and offer of language-appropriate care ad hoc when patients arrive. Sami-speaking participants reported always offering language choice and found more profound understanding of patients' experiences when Sami language was used. Whatever language Sami-speaking patients may choose, they are found to switch between languages during therapy. Most non-Sami-speaking participants reported offering Sami-speaking services, but the patients chose to speak Norwegian. However, a few of the participants maintained language awareness and could identify language needs despite a patient's refusal to speak Sami in therapy. Finally, some non-Sami-speaking participants were satisfied if they understood what the patients were saying. They left it to patients to address language problems, only to discover patients
Test Writing and Speaking at GCE Ordinary Level

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harding, Ann

1974-01-01

Discusses diversity which has arisen in testing of productive skills at GCE O level. Criteria to apply in assessment of foreign language acquisition, and writing and speaking tests in particular, are discussed, as well as the weighting of writing and speaking at O level. (RM)
SPEAK UP, CHICANO.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

RODRIGUEZ, ARMANDO

GROWING CONCERN AMONG THE MEXICAN-AMERICAN POPULATION, AND THE NATION AS A WHOLE, CONCERNING EDUCATIONAL INEQUALITIES FACED BY THE SPANISH-SPEAKING MINORITY POPULATION POINTS TO THE REAWAKENING OF THEIR SOCIETY AND THEIR GRADUAL ASSUMPTION OF A GREATER DEGREE OF PRODUCTION IN SOCIETY. THOUGH FOR THE MOST PART MANY INEQUALITIES STILL EXIST, SOME…
Public Speaking: Revisited.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taufen, Phyllis M.

There is a simple but effective process for developing public speakers in elementary and junior high schools. After discussing the importance of effective speaking, the teacher puts a topic sentence, on favorite desserts for example, on the board or overhead projector and students think of their favorite desserts and some related words and…
Obesity in Arabic-Speaking Countries

PubMed Central

Badran, Mohammad; Laher, Ismail

2011-01-01

Obesity has reached epidemic proportions throughout the globe, and this has also impacted people of the Arabic-speaking countries, especially those in higher-income, oil-producing countries. The prevalence of obesity in children and adolescents ranges from 5% to 14% in males and from 3% to 18% in females. There is a significant increase in the incidence of obesity with a prevalence of 2%–55% in adult females and 1%–30% in adult males. Changes in food consumption, socioeconomic and demographic factors, physical activity, and multiple pregnancies may be important factors that contribute to the increased prevalence of obesity engulfing the Arabic-speaking countries. PMID:22175002
Speaking up behaviors and safety climate in an Austrian university hospital.

PubMed

Schwappach, David; Sendlhofer, Gerald; Häsler, Lynn; Gombotz, Veronika; Leitgeb, Karina; Hoffmann, Magdalena; Jantscher, Lydia; Brunner, Gernot

2018-04-26

To analyze speaking up behavior and safety climate with a validated questionnaire for the first time in an Austrian university hospital. Survey amongst healthcare workers (HCW). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Cronbach's alpha was calculated as a measure of internal consistencies of scales. Analysis of variance and t-tests were used. The survey was conducted in 2017. About 2.149 HCW from three departments were asked to participate. To measure speaking up behavior and safety climate. To explore psychological safety, encouraging environment and resignation towards speaking up. About 859 evaluable questionnaires were returned (response rate: 40%). More than 50% of responders perceived specific concerns about patient safety within the last 4 weeks and observed a potential error or noticed rule violations. For the different items, between 16% and 42% of HCW reported that they remained silent though concerns for safety. In contrast, between 96% and 98% answered that they did speak up in certain situations. The psychological safety for speaking up was lower for HCW with a managerial function (P < 0.001). HCW with managerial functions perceived the environment as less encouraging to speak up (P < 0.05) than HCW without managerial function. We identified speaking up behaviors for the first time in an Austrian university hospital. Only moderately frequent concerns were in conflict with frequent speaking up behaviors. These results clearly show that a paradigm shift is needed to increase speaking up culture.
Immersive communication intervention for speaking and non-speaking children with intellectual disabilities.

PubMed

van der Schuit, Margje; Segers, Eliane; van Balkom, Hans; Stoep, Judith; Verhoeven, Ludo

2010-09-01

The current study demonstrates the effectiveness of an intervention that addresses both home care and day care for children with intellectual disabilities while also taking the large individual differences between the children into account. The KLINc Studio intervention was designed to improve the language development, communication skills, and emergent literacy of 10 children with complex communication needs. The focus of the anchor-based intervention program was on the stimulation of vocabulary learning via the incorporation of AAC into the learning environment in the most natural manner possible. While all of the children showed significant progress across the intervention period of 2 years, the group of speaking children showed greater development in the domains of receptive language and productive syntax than the group of non-speaking children. For heterogeneous groups of children with disabilities, the use of a combined intervention such as that described here appears to be promising.
Young Learners' Response Processes When Taking Computerized Tasks for Speaking Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Shinhye; Winke, Paula

2018-01-01

We investigated how young language learners process their responses on and perceive a computer-mediated, timed speaking test. Twenty 8-, 9-, and 10-year-old non-native English-speaking children (NNSs) and eight same-aged, native English-speaking children (NSs) completed seven computerized sample TOEFL® Primary™ speaking test tasks. We investigated…
Fearless Public Speaking: Oral Presentation Activities for the Elementary Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boyce, Janet S.; Alber-Morgan, Sheila R.; Riley, Jeanetta G.

2007-01-01

Nausea, sweating, weak knees, and a dry mouth are all symptoms associated with the fear of standing in front of an audience. Considering the anxiety that public speaking produces, students of any age are facing a significant challenge when they speak in front of a group. While speaking is considered to be an integral part of language arts, it…
Reduced Cortisol Output during Public Speaking Stress in Ostracized Women.

PubMed

Weik, Ulrike; Ruhweza, Jennifer; Deinzer, Renate

2017-01-01

Ostracism (being excluded or ignored) is experienced as unpleasant and distressing. In previous studies, an immediate pre-stress experience of ostracism induced by Cyberball, a virtual ball-tossing game, was found to inhibit cortisol reactivity to public speaking stress in female students. The present study examines whether the effect will persist when a 15-min time gap between the Cyberball experience and subsequent psychological stress is introduced. N = 84 women were randomly assigned to Cyberball ostracism vs. inclusion. 15 min after playing Cyberball, all women were subjected to public speaking stress. Salivary cortisol and mood were repeatedly assessed during the course of the experiment. These are the main findings of the study: Repeated measures ANCOVA revealed that public speaking stress resulted in a significant increase of cortisol in both groups (inclusion vs. ostracism). However, cortisol levels were significantly lower in the ostracism group. In earlier studies when Cyberball was played immediately before public speaking stress, the cortisol response to public speaking was completely suppressed in ostracized women. By introducing a waiting period between Cyberball and public speaking stress in the present study, the main effect of an ostracism induced reduction of cortisol remained, although both groups showed an increase of cortisol as a response to public speaking. These results again suggest that the experience of ostracism might inhibit hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity, thereby confirming previous results. The formerly observed total suppression of HPA axis responsiveness to public speaking, however, seems to be a rather short-term effect.
Reduced Cortisol Output during Public Speaking Stress in Ostracized Women

PubMed Central

Weik, Ulrike; Ruhweza, Jennifer; Deinzer, Renate

2017-01-01

Ostracism (being excluded or ignored) is experienced as unpleasant and distressing. In previous studies, an immediate pre-stress experience of ostracism induced by Cyberball, a virtual ball-tossing game, was found to inhibit cortisol reactivity to public speaking stress in female students. The present study examines whether the effect will persist when a 15-min time gap between the Cyberball experience and subsequent psychological stress is introduced. N = 84 women were randomly assigned to Cyberball ostracism vs. inclusion. 15 min after playing Cyberball, all women were subjected to public speaking stress. Salivary cortisol and mood were repeatedly assessed during the course of the experiment. These are the main findings of the study: Repeated measures ANCOVA revealed that public speaking stress resulted in a significant increase of cortisol in both groups (inclusion vs. ostracism). However, cortisol levels were significantly lower in the ostracism group. In earlier studies when Cyberball was played immediately before public speaking stress, the cortisol response to public speaking was completely suppressed in ostracized women. By introducing a waiting period between Cyberball and public speaking stress in the present study, the main effect of an ostracism induced reduction of cortisol remained, although both groups showed an increase of cortisol as a response to public speaking. These results again suggest that the experience of ostracism might inhibit hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity, thereby confirming previous results. The formerly observed total suppression of HPA axis responsiveness to public speaking, however, seems to be a rather short-term effect. PMID:28228738
Barriers and enablers to healthcare access and use among Arabic-speaking and Caucasian English-speaking patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a qualitative comparative study.

PubMed

Alzubaidi, H; Mc Namara, K; Browning, Colette; Marriott, J

2015-11-17

The objective of this study was to explore the decision-making processes and associated barriers and enablers that determine access and use of healthcare services in Arabic-speaking and English-speaking Caucasian patients with diabetes in Australia. Face-to-face semistructured individual interviews and group interviews were conducted at various healthcare settings-diabetes outpatient clinics in 2 tertiary referral hospitals, 6 primary care practices and 10 community centres in Melbourne, Australia. A total of 100 participants with type 2 diabetes mellitus were recruited into 2 groups: 60 Arabic-speaking and 40 English-speaking Caucasian. Interviews were audio-taped, translated into English when necessary, transcribed and coded thematically. Sociodemographic and clinical information was gathered using a self-completed questionnaire and medical records. Only Arabic-speaking migrants intentionally delayed access to healthcare services when obvious signs of diabetes were experienced, missing opportunities to detect diabetes at an early stage. Four major barriers and enablers to healthcare access and use were identified: influence of significant other(s), unique sociocultural and religious beliefs, experiences with healthcare providers and lack of knowledge about healthcare services. Compared with Arabic-speaking migrants, English-speaking participants had no reluctance to access and use medical services when signs of ill-health appeared; their treatment-seeking behaviours were straightforward. Arabic-speaking migrants appear to intentionally delay access to medical services even when symptomatic. Four barriers to health services access have been identified. Tailored interventions must be developed for Arabic-speaking migrants to improve access to available health services, facilitate timely diagnosis of diabetes and ultimately to improve glycaemic control. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence

Feasibility and acceptability of advance care planning in elderly Italian and Greek speaking patients as compared to English-speaking patients: an Australian cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Detering, Karen; Sutton, Elizabeth; Fraser, Scott; Wallis, Kasey; Silvester, William; Mawren, Daveena; Whiteside, Kathryn

2015-08-28

To assess the feasibility and acceptability of facilitated advance care planning (ACP) discussions in elderly Italian and Greek-speaking inpatients compared to English-speaking inpatients. This cross-sectional study with convenience sampling was conducted in Melbourne, Australia, and recruited hospital inpatients with medical decision-making capacity, aged 65 years or above, who spoke Greek (25 patients), Italian (24 patients) or English (63 patients). Facilitated ACP was offered, aiming to assists patients to consider and discuss their goals, values, beliefs and future treatment wishes with their family and doctor; to help them consider how they would like healthcare decisions made in the future if they become unable to do this for themselves; and to complete advance care directives. The completion of ACP discussions, their duration, advance care directive completion and utilisation of interpreters. Of 112 patients, 109 (97%) had at least one discussion, 63 (54%) completed advance care directives, either nominating a substitute decision-maker, documenting their wishes or both, and 76 (68%) included family in discussions. The median duration of discussions for all patients was slightly more than 1 h, over two visits. There were no differences between the Greek-speaking and the Italian-speaking patients, or between the Non-English speaking and the English-speaking patients in any of these measures. Only 14 non-English speaking patients, (30%) utilised interpreters, but when utilised, patients were much more likely (p<0.005) to complete advance care directives. Facilitated ACP in elderly Italian and Greek-speaking patients is feasible, acceptable and is similar to that for English-speaking patients. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.
[Cardiovascular disease prevention and health promotion in the French speaking community of Belgium].

PubMed

Coppieters, Y; Béduwé, C; Collignon, J L; Hubens, V; Levêque, A

2010-01-01

Cardiovascular diseases remain the first cause of mortality in Belgium and are a priority for the Five-year program of health promotion in the French speaking Community. It is declined in operational programs by priority thematics, including the heart health. With this framework, it appeared necessary to operationalize cardiovascular priorities. A process of systemic and participative planning was set up in order to seek operational strategies and actions, and to cover the whole population and actors concerned with these health problems. The various cardiovascular risk factors, which potentiate one another, are approached together and in a global way. Upstream to the risk factors, social health determinants play an important role in cardiovascular diseases and others diseases like cancers. Tracking cardiovascular risk factors among people 30 to 75 years is also proposed. It makes it possible to identify people at risk and to put forward individual and adapted measures. The plan integrates actions of health promotion (acting on the health determinants and factors which influence them) as well as actions aiming at improving tracking and the accompaniment of the patients in secondary and tertiary prevention. Actions on health determinants and the factors influencing them present moreover the advantage of being often common to many chronic diseases.
Predictors of effective therapeutic relationships between pharmacists and patients with type 2 diabetes: Comparison between Arabic-speaking and Caucasian English-speaking patients.

PubMed

Alzubaidi, H; Mc Namara, K; Versace, V L

2017-11-23

The benefits of pharmacist-led interventions in achieving desired patient outcomes have been well established. Effective patient-pharmacist relationships are required to provide high-quality pharmacy care. Limited information is available about how Arabic-speaking migrants with diabetes, in Australia, perceive patient-pharmacist relationship and how these perspectives differ from the mainstream society (represented by Caucasian English-speaking people). To examine and compare the patient-pharmacist relationship, medication underuse and adherence levels among Arabic-speaking and Caucasian English-speaking patients with type 2 diabetes. A 98-item survey incorporating several previously-validated measurements was completed by Arabic-speaking migrants (ASMs) and Caucasian English-speaking patients (ESPs) with type 2 diabetes. Participants were recruited from various healthcare settings in the Melbourne metropolitan area and rural Victoria, Australia. This survey-based, cross-sectional study was designed to explore patients' perceptions of the patient-pharmacist relationship. A descriptive analysis of responses was undertaken, and binary logistic regression was used to explore patient-pharmacist relationships. A total of 701 participants were recruited; 392 ASMs and 309 ESPs. Of ASMs, 88.3% were non-adherent to their prescribed medication, compared with 45.1% of ESPs. The degree of relationship with community pharmacists differed significantly between ASMs and ESPs. Compared with ASMs, significantly more ESPs reported that they have thought about consulting a pharmacist when they had health problems (P = 0.002). Compared with ESPs, significantly fewer ASMs reported always following pharmacist recommendations (32% versus 61.9% respectively). Arabic-speaking migrants had less-effective relationships with community pharmacists when having their prescriptions filled. Community pharmacists' expertise appeared to be underused. These minimal relationships represent missed
Excellence in Public Relations: Lesson from Larry Speakes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Detweiler, John S.

Former presidential press secretary Larry Speakes' confession that he manufactured a quote for President Reagan at the November 1987 summit in Geneva, Switzerland, created a firestorm which cost Speakes dearly, raised serious problems about the ethics of public relations practitioners, and contained broad implications for the profession. A study…
Using Critical Communication Pedagogy to Teach Public Speaking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

De La Mare, Danielle M.

2014-01-01

Using Critical Communication Pedagogy, this semester-long service-learning approach to public speaking requires students to apply public speaking concepts to a speech they develop and deliver to a specific community audience, to examine their own biases, and to explore and evaluate various strategies for adapting to their audience.
Improving Lecture Quality through Training in Public Speaking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mowbray, Robert; Perry, Laura B.

2015-01-01

Lecturing is a common instructional format but poor lecturing skills can detract from students' learning experiences and outcomes. As lecturing is essentially a form of public communication, training in public speaking may improve lecture quality. Twelve university lecturers in Malaysia participated in a six-week public speaking skills training…
The Efficacy of Child-Centered Play Therapy with Hispanic Spanish-Speaking Children when Conducted by a Monolingual English-Speaking Counselor

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGee, Lola V.

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of child-centered play therapy as an intervention when the client and the counselor do not speak the same language. The participants of the study were 34 Spanish-speaking children of Hispanic descent ranging in age from 4 to 8 who were referred to counseling for exhibiting…
Speech task effects on acoustic measure of fundamental frequency in Cantonese-speaking children.

PubMed

Ma, Estella P-M; Lam, Nina L-N

2015-12-01

Speaking fundamental frequency (F0) is a voice measure frequently used to document changes in vocal performance over time. Knowing the intra-subject variability of speaking F0 has implications on its clinical usefulness. The present study examined the speaking F0 elicited from three speech tasks in Cantonese-speaking children. The study also compared the variability of speaking F0 elicited from different speech tasks. Fifty-six vocally healthy Cantonese-speaking children (31 boys and 25 girls) aged between 7.0 and 10.11 years participated. For each child, speaking F0 was elicited using speech tasks at three linguistic levels (sustained vowel /a/ prolongation, reading aloud a sentence and passage). Two types of variability, within-session (trial-to-trial) and across-session (test-retest) variability, were compared across speech tasks. Significant differences in mean speaking F0 values were found between speech tasks. Mean speaking F0 value elicited from sustained vowel phonations was significantly higher than those elicited from the connected speech tasks. The variability of speaking F0 was higher in sustained vowel prolongation than that in connected speech. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Respiratory function during speaking and singing in professional country singers.

PubMed

Hoit, J D; Jenks, C L; Watson, P J; Cleveland, T F

1996-03-01

Respiratory function during speaking and singing was investigated in six male professional country singers. Function was studied using magnetometers to transduce anteroposterior diameter changes of the rib cage and abdomen while subjects performed various respiratory maneuvers, speaking activities, and singing activities. Results indicated that respiratory behavior during speaking was generally the same as that of other normal subjects. Respiratory behavior during singing resembled that of speaking. Discussion includes comparison of respiratory performance of present singers with untrained singers and classically trained singers. Implications are offered regarding how the results might be applied to the prevention of voice disorders by education and training of country singers.
Underlying Manifestations of Developmental Phonological Disorders in French-Speaking Pre-Schoolers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brosseau-Lapré, Françoise; Rvachew, Susan

2017-01-01

This study examined the psycholinguistic profiles of Quebec French-speaking children with developmental phonological disorders (DPD). The purpose was to determine whether the endophenotypes that have been identified in English-speaking children with DPD are similarly associated with speech impairment in French-speaking children. Seventy-two…
Impromptu Speaking and Interpretation Studies: A Preliminary Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heinz, Michael

2013-01-01

The purpose of this preliminary study was to look at forensics-based competition events and determine what, if any, impact they could have on the language learning and public speaking skills of interpreters in training. This paper details the nature of the impromptu and extemporaneous speaking events in forensics competitions and introduces a…
Judging Criteria for Intercollegiate Limited Preparation Speaking Events.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Preston, C. Thomas, Jr.

To gain insight into whether debate judges actually do treat impromptu speaking as miniextemporaneous speaking, a study compared the comments judges wrote to extemporaneous speakers with those they wrote to impromptu speakers during the first two rounds of a forensic tournament. Approximately 1,000 comments from 152 ballots (102 impromptu and 50…
Factors that enhance English-speaking speech-language pathologists' transcription of Cantonese-speaking children's consonants.

PubMed

Lockart, Rebekah; McLeod, Sharynne

2013-08-01

To investigate speech-language pathology students' ability to identify errors and transcribe typical and atypical speech in Cantonese, a nonnative language. Thirty-three English-speaking speech-language pathology students completed 3 tasks in an experimental within-subjects design. Task 1 (baseline) involved transcribing English words. In Task 2, students transcribed 25 words spoken by a Cantonese adult. An average of 59.1% consonants was transcribed correctly (72.9% when Cantonese-English transfer patterns were allowed). There was higher accuracy on shared English and Cantonese syllable-initial consonants /m,n,f,s,h,j,w,l/ and syllable-final consonants. In Task 3, students identified consonant errors and transcribed 100 words spoken by Cantonese-speaking children under 4 additive conditions: (1) baseline, (2) +adult model, (3) +information about Cantonese phonology, and (4) all variables (2 and 3 were counterbalanced). There was a significant improvement in the students' identification and transcription scores for conditions 2, 3, and 4, with a moderate effect size. Increased skill was not based on listeners' proficiency in speaking another language, perceived transcription skill, musicality, or confidence with multilingual clients. Speech-language pathology students, with no exposure to or specific training in Cantonese, have some skills to identify errors and transcribe Cantonese. Provision of a Cantonese-adult model and information about Cantonese phonology increased students' accuracy in transcribing Cantonese speech.
2017 Guidelines for the management of arterial hypertension in primary health care in Portuguese-speaking countries.

PubMed

Oliveira, Gláucia Maria Moraes de; Mendes, Miguel; Malachias, Marcus Vinícius Bolívar; Morais, João; Filho, Osni Moreira; Coelho, Armando Serra; Capingana, Daniel Pires; Azevedo, Vanda; Soares, Irenita; Menete, Alda; Ferreira, Beatriz; Soares, Miryan Bandeira Dos Prazeres Cassandra; Fernandes, Mário

2017-11-01

The World Health Organization goal's to reduce mortality due to chronic non-communicable diseases by 2% per year demands a huge effort from member countries. This challenge for health professionals requires global political action on implementation of social measures, with cost-effective population interventions to reduce chronic non-communicable diseases and their risk factors. Systemic arterial hypertension is highly prevalent in Portuguese-speaking countries, and is a major risk factor for complications such as stroke, acute myocardial infarction and chronic kidney disease, rivaling dyslipidemia and obesity in importance for the development of atherosclerotic disease. Joint actions to implement primary prevention measures can reduce outcomes related to hypertensive disease, especially ischemic heart disease and stroke. It is essential to ensure the implementation of guidelines for the management of systemic hypertension via a continuous process involving educational actions, lifestyle changes and guaranteed access to pharmacological treatment. Copyright © 2017 Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.
Beat the Fear of Public Speaking: Mobile 360° Video Virtual Reality Exposure Training in Home Environment Reduces Public Speaking Anxiety.

PubMed

Stupar-Rutenfrans, Snežana; Ketelaars, Loes E H; van Gisbergen, Marnix S

2017-10-01

With this article, we aim to increase our understanding of how mobile virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) can help reduce speaking anxiety. Using the results of a longitudinal study, we examined the effect of a new VRET strategy (Public Speech Trainer, PST), that incorporates 360° live recorded VR environments, on the reduction of public speaking anxiety. The PST was developed as a 360° smartphone application for a VR head-mounted device that participants could use at home. Realistic anxiety experiences were created by means of live 360° video recordings of a lecture hall containing three training sessions based on graded exposure framework; empty classroom (a) and with a small (b) and large audience (c). Thirty-five students participated in all sessions using PST. Anxiety levels were measured before and after each session over a period of 4 weeks. As expected, speaking anxiety significantly decreased after the completion of all PST sessions, and the decrement was the strongest in participants with initially high speaking anxiety baseline levels. Results also revealed that participants with moderate and high speaking anxiety baseline level differ in the anxiety state pattern over time. Conclusively and in line with habituation theory, the results supported the notion that VRET is more effective when aimed at reducing high-state anxiety levels. Further implications for future research and improvement of current VRET strategies are discussed.
How to Speak "Counselnese".

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gladding, Samuel T.

1983-01-01

Examines the origin of "Counselnese", the limited professional language spoken by counselors. The 14 words in the language are defined and rules are outlined for improving communication with both counselors and noncounselors as well as those who don't speak acronyms. (Author/JAC)
Disability Awareness and Action Working Group (DAAWG) Event with

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-10-12

Dr. Temple Grandin speaks with employees following Kennedy Space Center's annual National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) event. Grandin served as keynote speaker. A prominent author and speaker on animal behavior and autism, she is a professor of animal science at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado. Kennedy's Disability Awareness and Action Working Group partnered with the Kennedy Networking Opportunities for Women group to sponsor the presentation.
The Effect of Second Life on Speaking Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Güzel, Serhat; Aydin, Selami

2016-01-01

The number of studies that focus on the impact of Second Life (SL) as a virtual language learning tool on speaking achievements of EFL learners is quite limited. Thus, this paper aims to provide insight for SL's effect on Turkish EFL learners' speaking achievement levels. Forty-four EFL learners from Balikesir University participated in this…
Speaking Across the Curriculum: Threat, Opportunity, or Both?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Palmerton, Patricia R.

"Speaking Across the Curriculum" (SAC) has become a catch-all label for a variety of programs aimed at teaching oral communication skills to a large body of students in settings other than the typical public speaking class. Such programs offer both threats and opportunities to the speech field. In many programs, faculty in other…
Instructional Efficacy of Portfolio for Assessing Iranian EFL Learners' Speaking Ability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Safari, Mahshad; Koosha, Mansour

2016-01-01

Regarding the fundamental role of speaking in language skills, this study intended to investigate the effects of speaking portfolio as an alternative form of assessment for assessing Iranian EFL learners' speaking ability at the intermediate and advanced proficiency levels and also its impact on their attitudes. Accordingly, from the population of…

Tornado hazard communication disparities among Spanish-speaking individuals in an English-speaking community.

PubMed

Ahlborn, Leslie; Franc, Jeffrey Michael

2012-02-01

The state of Oklahoma, known for destructive tornados, has a native Spanish-speaking (NSS) population of approximately 180,241, of which 50% report being able to speak English "very well" (US Census Bureau). With almost 50% of these native Spanish-speaking persons being limited English proficient (LEP), their reception of tornado hazard communications may be restricted. This study conducted in northeast Oklahoma (USA) evaluates the association between native language and receiving tornado hazard communications. This study was a cross-sectional survey conducted among a convenience sample of NSS and native English-speaking (NES) adults at Xavier Clinic and St. Francis Trauma Emergency Center in Tulsa, OK, USA from September 2009 through December 2009. Of the 82 surveys administered, 80 were returned, with 40 NES and 40 NSS participants. A scoring system (Severe Weather Information Reception (SWIR)) was developed to quantify reception of hazard information among the study participants (1-3 points=poor reception, 4-5=adequate reception, 6-8=excellent reception). Pearson's chi-squared test was used to calculate differences between groups with Yates' continuity correction applied where appropriate, and SWIR scores were analyzed using ANOVA. P-values<.05 were considered significant. NSS fluency in English was 25.6%. No significant association was found between native language and those who watch television, listen to radio, have a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) All Hazards radio or telephone, or are in audible range of a tornado siren. NSS were less likely to have Internet access (P<.004), and less likely to know of local telephone warning programs (P<.03). The mean NSS SWIR score was 3.2 (95% CI, 2.8-3.7) while LEP NSS averaged 2.8 (95% CI, 2.4-3.2). The mean NES SWIR score was 4.5 (95% CI, 4.1-5.0). Results demonstrate a disparity in tornado warning reception between NSS and NES. Poor English proficiency was noted to be 75% among NSS, which is
EFL Teachers' Conceptions of Speaking Competence in English

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baleghizadeh, Sasan; Nasrollahi Shahri, Mohammad Naseh

2014-01-01

The present article lies at the intersection of research on teacher cognition and speaking competence in a second language. It is a qualitative analysis of teacher accounts of speaking in the context of English as a foreign language (EFL) in Iran. More specifically, the study is an exploration of three EFL teachers' conceptions of learning and…
The Dyslexic Student and the Public Speaking Notecard.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hayward, Pamela A.

To facilitate the extemporaneous speaking style, the preferred method of speech delivery in public speaking classes, students are advised to take a notecard with key words and phrases on it with them as they deliver the speech. In other words, the speech is to be well rehearsed but not given completely from memory or from a detailed manuscript.…
Student Perceptions of How TESOL Educators Teach Nonnative English-Speaking Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Phillabaum, Scott; Frazier, Stefan

2013-01-01

Recent research on how TESOL professionals educate nonnative English-speaking students in MA programs indicates a general conviction that native-speaking and nonnative-speaking MA students should be treated equally during their studies in MA programs. Absent from this discussion and much of the literature on this topic, however, are the voices of…
“You never know who are Sami or speak Sami” Clinicians’ experiences with language-appropriate care to Sami-speaking patients in outpatient mental health clinics in Northern Norway

PubMed Central

Dagsvold, Inger; Møllersen, Snefrid; Stordahl, Vigdis

2016-01-01

Background The Indigenous population in Norway, the Sami, have a statutory right to speak and be spoken to in the Sami language when receiving health services. There is, however, limited knowledge about how clinicians deal with this in clinical practice. This study explores how clinicians deal with language-appropriate care with Sami-speaking patients in specialist mental health services. Objectives This study aims to explore how clinicians identify and respond to Sami patients’ language data, as well as how they experience provision of therapy to Sami-speaking patients in outpatient mental health clinics in Sami language administrative districts. Method Data were collected using qualitative method, through individual interviews with 20 therapists working in outpatient mental health clinics serving Sami populations in northern Norway. A thematic analysis inspired by systematic text reduction was employed. Findings Two themes were identified: (a) identification of Sami patients’ language data and (b) experiences with provision of therapy to Sami-speaking patients. Conclusion Findings indicate that clinicians are not aware of patients’ language needs prior to admission and that they deal with identification of language data and offer of language-appropriate care ad hoc when patients arrive. Sami-speaking participants reported always offering language choice and found more profound understanding of patients’ experiences when Sami language was used. Whatever language Sami-speaking patients may choose, they are found to switch between languages during therapy. Most non-Sami-speaking participants reported offering Sami-speaking services, but the patients chose to speak Norwegian. However, a few of the participants maintained language awareness and could identify language needs despite a patient's refusal to speak Sami in therapy. Finally, some non-Sami-speaking participants were satisfied if they understood what the patients were saying. They left it to patients
Speech target modulates speaking induced suppression in auditory cortex

PubMed Central

Ventura, Maria I; Nagarajan, Srikantan S; Houde, John F

2009-01-01

Background Previous magnetoencephalography (MEG) studies have demonstrated speaking-induced suppression (SIS) in the auditory cortex during vocalization tasks wherein the M100 response to a subject's own speaking is reduced compared to the response when they hear playback of their speech. Results The present MEG study investigated the effects of utterance rapidity and complexity on SIS: The greatest difference between speak and listen M100 amplitudes (i.e., most SIS) was found in the simple speech task. As the utterances became more rapid and complex, SIS was significantly reduced (p = 0.0003). Conclusion These findings are highly consistent with our model of how auditory feedback is processed during speaking, where incoming feedback is compared with an efference-copy derived prediction of expected feedback. Thus, the results provide further insights about how speech motor output is controlled, as well as the computational role of auditory cortex in transforming auditory feedback. PMID:19523234
Satisfaction with provider communication among Spanish-speaking Medicaid enrollees.

PubMed

Mosen, David M; Carlson, Matthew J; Morales, Leo S; Hanes, Pamela P

2004-01-01

To determine if differences between English- and Spanish-speaking parents in ratings of their children's health care can be explained by need for interpretive services. Using the Consumer Assessment of Health Plans Survey-Child-Survey (CAHPS), reports about provider communication were compared among 3 groups of parents enrolled in a Medicaid managed care health plan: 1) English speakers, 2) Spanish speakers with no self-reported need for interpretive services, and 3) Spanish speakers with self-reported need for interpretive services. Parents were asked to report how well their providers 1) listened carefully to what was being said, 2) explained things in a way that could be understood, 3) respected their comments and concerns, and 4) spent enough time during medical encounters. Multivariate logistic regression was used to compare the ratings of each of the 3 groups while controlling for child's gender, parent's gender, parent's educational attainment, child's health status, and survey year. Spanish-speaking parents in need of interpretive services were less likely to report that providers spent enough time with their children (odds ratio = 0.34, 95% confidence interval = 0.17-0.68) compared to English-speaking parents. There was no statistically significant difference found between Spanish-speaking parents with no need of interpretive services and English-speaking parents. Among Spanish- versus English-speaking parents, differences in ratings of whether providers spent enough time with children during medical encounters appear to be explained, in part, by need for interpretive services. No other differences in ratings of provider communication were found.
A survey on virtual environment applications to fear of public speaking.

PubMed

Vanni, F; Conversano, C; Del Debbio, A; Landi, P; Carlini, M; Fanciullacci, C; Bergamasco, M; Di Fiorino, A; Dell'Osso, L

2013-06-01

Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) is one of the most prevalent anxiety disorders in Europe and comprises the fear of public speaking as its typical sub-type. Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is the intervention of choice for SAD, and it includes exposure to anxiety-provoking stimuli to induce systematic desensitization and reduce anxiety. Similarly, exposure therapy per se has been used and found effective, although it is not as specific as CBT for the treatment of SAD. Interestingly, exposure to anxiety-provoking situations can be achieved in Virtual Environments (VEs) through the simulation of social situations allowing individuals with public speaking anxiety to live and develop real exposure-like reactions. The Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET) is the treatment of anxiety disorders based on such VEs. This article aims to provide an overview of the scientific literature related to the applications of Virtual Reality to the treatment of fear of public speaking. We conducted the literature review on PubMed and Google Scholar for studies including the fear-of-public-speaking VEs. Reviewed studies addressed two main aspects: the design parameters of the VEs for adequate reactions to synthetic social stimuli, and the efficacy of VEs for fear of public speaking treatment. VEs resulted effective for triggering as-if-real reactions in relation to public speaking. VE-based exposures reduced public speaking anxiety measurements, decreased scores and maintained them at 3 month follow-up. Studies comparing VRET to pharmacological therapy are lacking, and there are few randomized controlled trials that compare VRET to CBT, especially on fear of public speaking treatment.
On the Relevance of Bernstein for German-Speaking Switzerland

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bolander, Brook

2009-01-01

This article assesses the relevance of Basil Bernstein for German-speaking Switzerland. It argues that Bernstein is potentially relevant for German-speaking Switzerland in light of contemporary studies which highlight a connection between social background and differential school achievement. After contextualising Bernstein's theoretical outlook…
Type II Diabetes Mellitus in Arabic-Speaking Countries

PubMed Central

Badran, Mohammad; Laher, Ismail

2012-01-01

The global epidemic of diabetes has not spared the Arabic-speaking countries, which have some of the highest prevalence of type II diabetes. This is particularly true of the Arab Gulf, a conglomerate of high income, oil-producing countries where prevalence rates are the highest. The prevalence rates among adults of the Arabic speaking countries as a whole range between 4%–21%, with the lowest being in Somalia and the highest in Kuwait. As economic growth has accelerated, so has the movement of the populations to urban centers where people are more likely to adopt lifestyles that embrace increased high-calorie food consumption and sedentary lifestyles. These factors likely contribute to the increased prevalence of obesity and diabetes in the Arabic speaking countries. PMID:22851968
The performance of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale in English speaking and non-English speaking populations in Australia.

PubMed

Small, Rhonda; Lumley, Judith; Yelland, Jane; Brown, Stephanie

2007-01-01

The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) has been widely used to assess maternal depression following childbirth in a range of English speaking countries, and increasingly also in translation in non-English speaking ones. It has performed satisfactorily in most validation studies, has proved easy to administer, is acceptable to women, and rates of depression in the range of 10-20% have been consistently found. The performance of the EPDS was compared across different population samples in Australia: (i) Women born in Australia or in another English speaking country who completed the EPDS in English as part of the 1994 postal Survey of Recent Mothers (SRM) 6-7 months after birth (n = 1166); (ii) Women born in non-English speaking countries who also completed the EPDS in English in the same survey (n = 142); and (iii) Women born in Vietnam (n = 103), Turkey (n = 104) and the Philippines (n = 106) who completed the EPDS 6-9 months after birth in translation in the Mothers in a New Country Study (MINC) study (total n = 313). The pattern of item responses on the EPDS was assessed in various ways across the samples and internal reliability coefficients were calculated. Exploratory factor analyses were also conducted to assess the similarity in the factor solutions across the samples. The EPDS had good construct validity and item endorsement by women was similar across the samples. Internal reliability of the scale was also very satisfactory with Cronbach's alpha for each sample being > or = 8. Between 39 and 46% of the variance in each of the three main samples was accounted for by one principal factor 'depression' (6-7 items loading), with two supplementary factors 'loss of enjoyment' (2 items loading) and 'despair/self-harm' (2-3 items loading) accounting for a further 20-25% of the variance. Alternative one and two factor solutions also showed a great deal of consistency between the samples. The good item consistency of the EPDS and the relative stability of
Health Care Disparities Among English-Speaking and Spanish-Speaking Women With Pelvic Organ Prolapse at Public and Private Hospitals: What Are the Barriers?

PubMed Central

Alas, Alexandriah N.; Dunivan, Gena C.; Wieslander, Cecelia K.; Sevilla, Claudia; Barrera, Biatris; Rashid, Rezoana; Maliski, Sally; Eilber, Karen; Rogers, Rebecca G.; Anger, Jennifer Tash

2017-01-01

Objectives The objective of this study was to compare perceptions and barriers between Spanish-speaking and English-speaking women in public and private hospitals being treated for pelvic organ prolapse (POP). Methods Eight focus groups, 4 in English and 4 in Spanish, were conducted at 3 institutions with care in female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery. Standardized questions were asked regarding patients' emotions to when they initially noticed the POP, if they sought family support, and their response to the diagnosis and treatment. Transcripts were analyzed using grounded theory qualitative methods. Results Thirty-three women were Spanish-speaking and 25 were English-speaking. Spanish speakers were younger (P = 0.0469) and less likely to have a high school diploma (P < 0.0001) than English speakers. Spanish-speaking women had more concerns that the bulge or treatments could lead to cancer, were more resistant to treatment options, and were less likely to be offered surgery. Women in the private hospital desired more information, were less embarrassed, and were more likely to be offered surgery as first-line treatment. The concept emerged that patient care for POP varied based on socioeconomic status and language and suggested the presence of disparities in care for underserved women with POP. Conclusions The discrepancies in care for Spanish-speaking women and women being treated at public hospitals suggest that there are disparities in care for POP treatment for underserved women. These differences may be secondary to profit-driven pressures from private hospitals or language barriers, low socioeconomic status, low health literacy, and barriers to health care. PMID:27636216
Health Care Disparities Among English-Speaking and Spanish-Speaking Women With Pelvic Organ Prolapse at Public and Private Hospitals: What Are the Barriers?

PubMed

Alas, Alexandriah N; Dunivan, Gena C; Wieslander, Cecelia K; Sevilla, Claudia; Barrera, Biatris; Rashid, Rezoana; Maliski, Sally; Eilber, Karen; Rogers, Rebecca G; Anger, Jennifer Tash

The objective of this study was to compare perceptions and barriers between Spanish-speaking and English-speaking women in public and private hospitals being treated for pelvic organ prolapse (POP). Eight focus groups, 4 in English and 4 in Spanish, were conducted at 3 institutions with care in female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery. Standardized questions were asked regarding patients' emotions to when they initially noticed the POP, if they sought family support, and their response to the diagnosis and treatment. Transcripts were analyzed using grounded theory qualitative methods. Thirty-three women were Spanish-speaking and 25 were English-speaking. Spanish speakers were younger (P = 0.0469) and less likely to have a high school diploma (P < 0.0001) than English speakers. Spanish-speaking women had more concerns that the bulge or treatments could lead to cancer, were more resistant to treatment options, and were less likely to be offered surgery. Women in the private hospital desired more information, were less embarrassed, and were more likely to be offered surgery as first-line treatment. The concept emerged that patient care for POP varied based on socioeconomic status and language and suggested the presence of disparities in care for underserved women with POP. The discrepancies in care for Spanish-speaking women and women being treated at public hospitals suggest that there are disparities in care for POP treatment for underserved women. These differences may be secondary to profit-driven pressures from private hospitals or language barriers, low socioeconomic status, low health literacy, and barriers to health care.
Inclusion of non-English-speaking patients in research: A single institution experience.

PubMed

Bernier, Rachel; Halpin, Erin; Staffa, Steven J; Benson, Lindsey; DiNardo, James A; Nasr, Viviane G

2018-05-01

Considering the recent increase in medical care provided to patients from foreign countries and the diversity of languages spoken by families living within the United States, it is important to determine whether non-English-speaking patients have access to participate in clinical research from which they may benefit. We aimed to determine the number of non-English-speaking patients presenting to Boston Children's Hospital for medical care between 2011 and 2016, the number of clinical research protocols active within the Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine approved to enroll non-English-speaking patients, as well as the number of both non-English- and English-speaking patients approached and enrolled in these studies. Furthermore, we attempted to determine barriers that may have prevented non-English-speaking patients from inclusion in clinical research. We conducted a retrospective review of various data sources during a 5-year period. Data included the number of non-English-speaking patients presenting to Boston Children's Hospital for care as well as the number of English- and non-English-speaking patients approached for studies at the Department of Anesthesiology each year. Additionally, we reviewed data from the IRB which included the justification that research teams provided when opting to exclude non-English-speaking participants. In addition, we attempted to determine the barriers that may have prevented these patients from inclusion in research protocols. We found that the number of non-English-speaking patients presenting to Boston Children's Hospital increased over time. However, the number of studies approved to enroll non-English-speaking patients within the Department of Anesthesiology and the rate of enrollment of these patients did not increase at the same rate. In order to increase the number of non-English-speaking patients approached to participate in research, we must improve cultural awareness and provide investigators
Strengthening Manpower Programs for Spanish-Speaking Americans. Report of the Department of Labor Study Group on Manpower Needs of Spanish-Speaking Americans.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thompson, Lewin, and Associates, Inc., Washington, DC.

This report summarizes the findings and recommendations of a study conducted cooperatively by a management consulting firm and a team of Spanish-speaking manpower specialists. Basic issues explored were: (1) What are the manpower needs of Spanish-speaking Americans, (2) How are manpower programs meeting the needs at present, and (3) What action…
Speaking up for patient safety by hospital-based health care professionals: a literature review

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Speaking up is important for patient safety, but often, health care professionals hesitate to voice concerns. Understanding the influencing factors can help to improve speaking-up behaviour and team communication. This review focused on health care professionals’ speaking-up behaviour for patient safety and aimed at (1) assessing the effectiveness of speaking up, (2) evaluating the effectiveness of speaking-up training, (3) identifying the factors influencing speaking-up behaviour, and (4) developing a model for speaking-up behaviour. Methods Five databases (PubMed, MEDLINE, CINAHL, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library) were searched for English articles describing health care professionals’ speaking-up behaviour as well as those evaluating the relationship between speaking up and patient safety. Influencing factors were identified and then integrated into a model of voicing behaviour. Results In total, 26 studies were identified in 27 articles. Some indicated that hesitancy to speak up can be an important contributing factor in communication errors and that training can improve speaking-up behaviour. Many influencing factors were found: (1) the motivation to speak up, such as the perceived risk for patients, and the ambiguity or clarity of the clinical situation; (2) contextual factors, such as hospital administrative support, interdisciplinary policy-making, team work and relationship between other team members, and attitude of leaders/superiors; (3) individual factors, such as job satisfaction, responsibility toward patients, responsibility as professionals, confidence based on experience, communication skills, and educational background; (4) the perceived efficacy of speaking up, such as lack of impact and personal control; (5) the perceived safety of speaking up, such as fear for the responses of others and conflict and concerns over appearing incompetent; and (6) tactics and targets, such as collecting facts, showing positive intent, and
Speaking of Science: Stepping out of the Stereotype

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Castro, J. M.

2014-12-01

Just because we are scientists and engineers, does not mean that our presentations must be dry and boring. Step out of the stereotype! Success in your career depends not only upon the rigor of your research, but also hinges on your ability to communicate with your peers and with the public. According to many somewhat dubious internet polls, public speaking is the number one human fear. And yet public speaking is defined as speaking to more than four people at any given time. Hence, you are a public speaker more than you may realize. Given this seemingly natural fear, it is not surprising that delivering a presentation at large, or even small, science gatherings can be frightening, overwhelming, and intimidating, but it can also be extremely gratifying. On very few occasions do we, as scientists and engineers, reach out to dozens or hundreds of our colleagues in a single event. Make the most of your moment on stage, wherever that stage may be.If you would like to improve your public speaking skills, please join me for a session on making your presentation interesting and effective, while also reducing your stress and actually enjoying the experience. Participants will leave the workshop with a greater skill set to develop and deliver presentations. The workshop is interactive and builds on the collective experience of the audience and the instructor. "The problem with most bad presentations I see is not the speaking, the slides, the visuals, or any of the other things people obsess about. Instead, it's the lack of thinking." Scott Berkun, 2010
Homework Practices of English and Non-English-Speaking Parents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thelamour, Barbara; Jacobs, D'Andrea L.

2014-01-01

This study compared the homework practices of English-speaking and non-English-speaking parents. Using a national data set of 7,992 students across ages and ethnicities, the frequency and type of homework practices were investigated. Statistical analysis revealed significant (though small) differences between the overall homework practices between…
Linguistic Skills and Speaking Fluency in a Second Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

De Jong, Nivja H.; Steinel, Margarita P.; Florijn, Arjen; Schoonen, Rob; Hulstijn, Jan H.

2013-01-01

This study investigated how individual differences in linguistic knowledge and processing skills relate to individual differences in speaking fluency. Speakers of Dutch as a second language ("N" = 179) performed eight speaking tasks, from which several measures of fluency were derived such as measures for pausing, repairing, and speed…
Phonological Development of Monolingual Haitian Creole-Speaking Preschool Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Archer, Justine; Champion, Tempii; Tyrone, Martha E.; Walters, Sylvia

2018-01-01

This study provides preliminary data on the phonological development of Haitian Creole-Speaking children. The purpose of this study is to determine phonological acquisition in the speech of normally developing monolingual Haitian Creole-Speaking preschoolers, ages 2 to 4. Speech samples were collected cross-sectionally from 12 Haitian children…

Virtual Reality Therapy: case study of fear of public speaking.

PubMed

North, Max M; Schoeneman, Curt M; Mathis, James R

2002-01-01

The major goal of this research case study was to investigate the effectiveness of Virtual Reality Therapy (VRT) in the treatment of the fear of public speaking. A twenty-eight-year-old Caucasian male was selected from questionnaires distributed to a class of undergraduate students enrolled at Kennesaw State University. Two assessment measures were used in this study. The first measure used was the Attitude Towards Public Speaking (ATPS) Questionnaire. The second measure used was the eleven-point Subjective Units of Disturbance (SUD) scale. These measurements assessed the anxiety, avoidance, attitudes and disturbance associated with the subject's fear of public speaking before and after each VRT treatment session. This case study of public speaking fear indicates that VRT may be used as an effective treatment method for reducing self-reported anxiety.
Effective oral presentations: speaking before groups as part of your job.

PubMed

McConnell, Charles R

2009-01-01

Fear of public speaking is a widespread phenomenon that afflicts a large percentage of the population. Some working people will go to great lengths to avoid having to speak before a group; however, inability or unwillingness to speak in public can contribute to limiting an individual's promotional possibilities and thus capping a career at a level beneath the individual's technical abilities. This can be especially true in an arena such as health care in which oral communication in group settings figures so strongly in work relations. Yet anyone can overcome speaking fear through thorough preparation and practice. It is necessary to research one's topic thoroughly, outline the points the intended talk will cover, study the composition of one's audience, and plan on targeting some specific level of understanding and remaining ever conscious of the few areas in which problems can occur. With conscientious preparation and plenty of practice, anyone can learn to speak before any group of people, although it may mean facing one's fear head-on a number of times before gaining a level of confidence sufficient to control the fear of speaking.
Learning to Speak Math

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Demski, Jennifer

2009-01-01

The presence of a bilingual educator is proving pivotal to the success of technology initiatives aimed at developing Spanish-speaking students' grasp of both the concepts and the language of mathematics. This article features Ginny Badger, a teaching assistant at Glenwood Springs High School in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, who sacrificed her…
Cultural Speak: Culturally Relevant Pedagogy and Experiential Learning in a Public Speaking Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Colvin, Janet; Tobler, Nancy

2013-01-01

This study describes the efficacy of modifications made to a higher education Latina/o public speaking course to enhance student growth and understanding. The changes included the addition of a service-learning component and the incorporation of culturally relevant pedagogy. Selected research, particularly related to college students, on…
Using a Disciplinary Literacy Framework to Teach High School Physics: An Action Research Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hurley, Brian P.; Henry, Michael P.

2015-01-01

This action research study investigated the impact of teaching physics using a disciplinary literacy framework for instruction across all units in one academic year. Through a suite of vocabulary strategies and lessons that encourage students to write, speak, draw, mathematically translate, and design experiments, students learn to do physics by…
5 CFR 7301.102 - Prior approval for outside teaching, speaking and writing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Prior approval for outside teaching... approval for outside teaching, speaking and writing. (a) Before engaging in outside teaching, speaking or... that the outside teaching, speaking or writing is not expected to involve conduct prohibited by statute...
Rater Judgment and English Language Speaking Proficiency. Research Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chalhoub-Deville, Micheline; Wigglesworth, Gillian

2005-01-01

The paper investigates whether there is a shared perception of speaking proficiency among raters from different English speaking countries. More specifically, this study examines whether there is a significant difference among English language learning (ELL) teachers, residing in Australia, Canada, the UK, and the USA when rating speech samples of…
Parents' Perspectives on Navigating the Work of Speaking Up in the NICU.

PubMed

Lyndon, Audrey; Wisner, Kirsten; Holschuh, Carrie; Fagan, Kelly M; Franck, Linda S

To describe parents' perspectives and likelihood of speaking up about safety concerns in the NICU and identify barriers and facilitators to parents speaking up. Exploratory, qualitatively driven, mixed-methods design. A 50-bed U.S. academic medical center, open-bay NICU. Forty-six parents completed questionnaires, 14 of whom were also interviewed. Questionnaires, interviews, and observations with parents of newborns in the NICU were used. The qualitative investigation was based on constructivist grounded theory. Quantitative measures included ratings and free-text responses about the likelihood of speaking up in response to a hypothetical scenario about lack of clinician hand hygiene. Qualitative and quantitative analyses were integrated in the final interpretation. Most parents (75%) rated themselves likely or very likely to speak up in response to lack of hand hygiene; 25% of parents rated themselves unlikely to speak up in the same situation. Parents engaged in a complex process of Navigating the work of speaking up in the NICU that entailed learning the NICU, being deliberate about decisions to speak up, and at times choosing silence as a safety strategy. Decisions about how and when to speak up were influenced by multiple factors including knowing my baby, knowing the team, having a defined pathway to voice concerns, clinician approachability, clinician availability and friendliness, and clinician responsiveness. To engage parents as full partners in safety, clinicians need to recognize the complex social and personal dimensions of the NICU experience that influence parents' willingness to speak up about their safety concerns. Copyright © 2017 AWHONN, the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Development of myoelectric control type speaking valve with low flow resistance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ooe, Katsutoshi; Sakurai, Kohei; Mimaki, Shinya

2015-12-01

We aimed to develop welfare devices for patients with phonation disorder. One of these devices is the electrical controltype speaking valve system. The conventional speaking valves have one-way valve architecture, they open when the user breathes in, and they close when user breathes out and produce voices. This type is very simple and tough, but some users feel closeness in case of exhalation without phonation. This problem is caused by its mechanism what can not be controlled by user's will. Therefore, we proposed an electrical control-type speaking valve system to resolve this problem. This valve is controlled by neck myoelectric signal of sternohyoid muscle. From our previous report, it was clarified that this valve had better performance about easy-to-breath. Furthermore, we proposed the compact myoelectric control-type speaking valve system. The new-type speaking valve was enough small to attach the human body, and its opening area is larger than that of conventional one. Additionally, we described the improvement of flow channel shape by using of FEM analysis. According to the result of the analysis, it was clarified that the shape-improved speaking valve gets the low flow resistance channel in case of inspiration. In this report, we tried to make the flow resistance lower by the shape of current plates, in case of both inspiration and exhalation. From the result of FEM analysis, our speaking valve could get better flow channel than older one.
Understanding Non-Native English-Speaking Teachers' Identity Construction and Transformation in the English-Speaking Community: A Closer Look at Past, Present, and Future

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tseng, Shu-Chun

2011-01-01

Building on Kachru's (2005) diagram of World Englishes and Norton's (2000) theoretical conception of identity, the researcher acknowledges that each Non-Native English Speaking Teacher (NNEST) comes to the English-speaking community with a different variety of Englishes. Each believes in various cultural values and norms, and his or her identity…
Between Speaking and Silence: A Study of Quiet Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reda, Mary M.

2009-01-01

Why are students silent? Using written reflections and interviews, Mary M. Reda examines students' perceptions of speaking and being silent in a first-year composition classroom, and explores how their teachers, classroom relationships, and their own sense of identity shape their decisions to speak or be silent. By challenging many firmly held…
Pre-Service English Teachers' Beliefs on Speaking Skill Based on Motivational Orientations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dinçer, Ali; Yesilyurt, Savas

2013-01-01

This study aimed to explore pre-service English teachers' perceptions of teaching speaking in Turkey, the importance they give to this language skill, and their self-evaluation of their speaking competence. With case design and maximum variation sampling approach, seven pre-service English teachers' beliefs about speaking skills were gathered in…
Grammatical gender and inferences about biological properties in german-speaking children.

PubMed

Saalbach, Henrik; Imai, Mutsumi; Schalk, Lennart

2012-01-01

In German, nouns are assigned to one of the three gender classes. For most animal names, however, the assignment is independent of the referent's biological sex. We examined whether German-speaking children understand this independence of grammar from semantics or whether they assume that grammatical gender is mapped onto biological sex when drawing inferences about sex-specific biological properties of animals. Two cross-linguistic studies comparing German-speaking and Japanese-speaking preschoolers were conducted. The results suggest that German-speaking children utilize grammatical gender as a cue for inferences about sex-specific properties of animals. Further, we found that Japanese- and German-speaking children recruit different resources when drawing inferences about sex-specific properties: Whereas Japanese children paralleled their pattern of inference about properties common to all animals, German children relied on the grammatical gender class of the animal. Implications of these findings for studying the relation between language and thought are discussed. Copyright © 2012 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.
Reducing Student Apprehension of Public Speaking: Evaluating Effectiveness of Group Tutoring Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Knight, Misty L.; Johnson, Karen Gabrielle; Stewart, Frances

2016-01-01

Research indicates that the fear of public speaking is an extraordinarily common phobia and that a significant portion of the population experiences some form of anxiety over public speaking. Although there is a great deal of research available on the etiology of public speaking anxiety, there is far less research available on interventional…
Speaking-rate-induced variability in F2 trajectories.

PubMed

Tjaden, K; Weismer, G

1998-10-01

This study examined speaking-rate-induced spectral and temporal variability of F2 formant trajectories for target words produced in a carrier phrase at speaking rates ranging from fast to slow. F2 onset frequency measured at the first glottal pulse following the stop consonant release in target words was used to quantify the extent to which adjacent consonantal and vocalic gestures overlapped; F2 target frequency was operationally defined as the first occurrence of a frequency minimum or maximum following F2 onset frequency. Regression analyses indicated 70% of functions relating F2 onset and vowel duration were statistically significant. The strength of the effect was variable, however, and the direction of significant functions often differed from that predicted by a simple model of overlapping, sliding gestures. Results of a partial correlation analysis examining interrelationships among F2 onset, F2 target frequency, and vowel duration across the speaking rate range indicated that covariation of F2 target with vowel duration may obscure the relationship between F2 onset and vowel duration across rate. The results further suggested that a sliding based model of acoustic variability associated with speaking rate change only partially accounts for the present data, and that such a view accounts for some speakers' data better than others.
"Small Talk": Developing Fluency, Accuracy, and Complexity in Speaking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hunter, James

2012-01-01

A major issue that continues to challenge language teachers is how to ensure that learners develop accuracy and complexity in their speaking, as well as fluency. Teachers know that too much corrective feedback (CF) can make learners reluctant to speak, while not enough may allow their errors to become entrenched. Furthermore, there is controversy…
Experiments on the mechanism of underwater hearing.

PubMed

Pau, Hans Wilhelm; Warkentin, Mareike; Specht, Olaf; Krentz, Helga; Herrmann, Anne; Ehrt, Karsten

2011-12-01

The findings suggest that underwater sound perception is realized by the middle ear rather than by bone conduction, at least in shallow water conditions. To prove whether underwater sound perception is effected by bone conduction or by conduction via the middle ear. Five divers, breathing through snorkels, were tested in a swimming pool, to determine whether a sound was louder when the acoustic source placed was in front of the head in comparison with a lateral application facing the ear region. The second experiment investigated whether sound perception is influenced by ear protection plugs in underwater conditions. Also, the effect of a 5 mm thick neoprene hood was determined, with and without an additional perforation in the ear region. Sounds were louder when applied from a position laterally facing the ear, louder without than with a protection plug, louder without than with a neoprene hood on, and louder when the neoprene hood had a perforation in the region of the ear than with an intact hood.
Control of voice fundamental frequency in speaking versus singing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Natke, Ulrich; Donath, Thomas M.; Kalveram, Karl Th.

2003-03-01

In order to investigate control of voice fundamental frequency (F0) in speaking and singing, 24 adults had to utter the nonsense word ['ta:tatas] repeatedly, while in selected trials their auditory feedback was frequency-shifted by 100 cents downwards. In the speaking condition the target speech rate and prosodic pattern were indicated by a rhythmic sequence made of white noise. In the singing condition the sequence consisted of piano notes, and subjects were instructed to match the pitch of the notes. In both conditions a response in voice F0 begins with a latency of about 150 ms. As predicted, response magnitude is greater in the singing condition (66 cents) than in the speaking condition (47 cents). Furthermore the singing condition seems to prolong the after-effect which is a continuation of the response in trials after the frequency shift. In the singing condition, response magnitude and the ability to match the target F0 correlate significantly. Results support the view that in speaking voice F0 is monitored mainly supra-segmentally and controlled less tightly than in singing.
Control of voice fundamental frequency in speaking versus singing.

PubMed

Natke, Ulrich; Donath, Thomas M; Kalveram, Karl Th

2003-03-01

In order to investigate control of voice fundamental frequency (F0) in speaking and singing, 24 adults had to utter the nonsense word ['ta:tatas] repeatedly, while in selected trials their auditory feedback was frequency-shifted by 100 cents downwards. In the speaking condition the target speech rate and prosodic pattern were indicated by a rhythmic sequence made of white noise. In the singing condition the sequence consisted of piano notes, and subjects were instructed to match the pitch of the notes. In both conditions a response in voice F0 begins with a latency of about 150 ms. As predicted, response magnitude is greater in the singing condition (66 cents) than in the speaking condition (47 cents). Furthermore the singing condition seems to prolong the after-effect which is a continuation of the response in trials after the frequency shift. In the singing condition, response magnitude and the ability to match the target F0 correlate significantly. Results support the view that in speaking voice F0 is monitored mainly supra-segmentally and controlled less tightly than in singing.
The effect of speaking rate on supersegmentals: An acoustic and perceptual analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chiou, Hsin-Huei; Watson, Peter

2005-09-01

Rate manipulation has been used to study change in prosodic contrasts such as emphatic stress. Timing contrasts in stressed words are reduced or eliminated when speaking rate is increased. However, reports of intonation and rate change are mixed. Some studies have reported an increase of F0 movement [M. Steppling and A. Montgomery, J. Phonetics 64, 451-461 (2002)], and other reports have found that F0 movement is decreased at faster speaking rates [C. Fougeron and S. Jun, Percept. Psychophys. 26, 45-69 (1998)]. This study examined the effect of speaking rate on F0 and duration in sentences produced with emphatic stress in different sentential position and in declarative and interrogative forms. Essentially, durational contrasts were reduced at faster speaking rates and were more pronounced at slower speaking rates. Intonation, on the other hand, was more pronounced for the fast rate and somewhat reduced for the slow rate. A perceptual component will also be reported that examines a listener's ability to recognize stressed words and mode of sentence production (declarative and interrogative) at different speaking rates.

Something to "Speak" about: Addressing Sensitive Issues through Literature

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jackett, Mark

2007-01-01

"Speak," by Laurie Halse Anderson, is one of the most powerful young adult novels to come along in the past decade. It has won numerous awards, including the "School Library Journal" award for "Best Book of the Year," and was a National Book Award Finalist. Despite this acclaim, many English teachers are uncomfortable teaching "Speak" in their…
Factors that Enhance English-Speaking Speech-Language Pathologists' Transcription of Cantonese-Speaking Children's Consonants

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lockart, Rebekah; McLeod, Sharynne

2013-01-01

Purpose: To investigate speech-language pathology students' ability to identify errors and transcribe typical and atypical speech in Cantonese, a nonnative language. Method: Thirty-three English-speaking speech-language pathology students completed 3 tasks in an experimental within-subjects design. Results: Task 1 (baseline) involved transcribing…
Matching Speaking to Singing Voices and the Influence of Content.

PubMed

Peynircioğlu, Zehra F; Rabinovitz, Brian E; Repice, Juliana

2017-03-01

We tested whether speaking voices of unfamiliar people could be matched to their singing voices, and, if so, whether the content of the utterances would influence this matching performance. Our hypothesis was that enough acoustic features would remain the same between speaking and singing voices such that their identification as belonging to the same or different individuals would be possible even upon a single hearing. We also hypothesized that the contents of the utterances would influence this identification process such that voices uttering words would be easier to match than those uttering vowels. We used a within-participant design with blocked stimuli that were counterbalanced using a Latin square design. In one block, mode (speaking vs singing) was manipulated while content was held constant; in another block, content (word vs syllable) was manipulated while mode was held constant, and in the control block, both mode and content were held constant. Participants indicated whether the voices in any given pair of utterances belonged to the same person or to different people. Cross-mode matching was above chance level, although mode-congruent performance was better. Further, only speaking voices were easier to match when uttering words. We can identify speaking and singing voices as the same or different even on just a single hearing. However, content interacts with mode such that words benefit matching of speaking voices but not of singing voices. Results are discussed within an attentional framework. Copyright © 2017 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Creating Our Future: Students Speak up about their Vision for 21st Century Learning. Speak Up 2009 National Findings: K-12 Students & Parents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Project Tomorrow, 2010

2010-01-01

For the past 7 years, the Speak Up National Research Project has provided the nation with a unique window into classrooms and homes all across America and given us a realistic view on how technology is currently being used (or not) to drive student achievement, teacher effectiveness and overall educational productivity. Most notably, the Speak Up…
Superimposition of speaking voice characteristics and phonetograms in untrained and trained vocal groups.

PubMed

Awan, S N

1993-03-01

This study details a comparison of the speaking F0 and intensity values of young male and female adults with and without vocal training, as well as the superimposition of the speaking F0 and intensity data upon phonetograms. Results indicated that (a) trained vocalists have similar mean speaking F0's than do untrained vocalists, but exhibit significantly greater speaking F0 ranges than do untrained vocalists; (b) trained vocalists are significantly greater mean intensity levels in speech, as well as significantly greater speaking intensity ranges than do untrained vocalists; (c) the mean speaking F0 for both trained and untrained vocalists was found in the vicinity of the 5-7% frequency level of the entire phonational F0 range (in Hz), equivalent to 12-16% of the phonational F0 range in semitones; (d) the overall speech area (mean speaking F0 and minimum and maximum speaking F0 peaks) was found in the lower 23-31% of the entire phonational F0 range (in semitones), with the untrained subjects utilizing the lower 25% of the phonational range (in semitones) and the trained subjects extending this area to the lower 28-31%; and (e) significant correlations were observed between the total intensity range and intensity range used in speech in trained female vocalists and between total F0 range and speaking F0 range in the combined trained male and female group. These results have important implications for the use of the phonetogram, as well as the clinical applicability of vocal training exercises in various speech and voice therapy cases.
Army Needs to Improve Processes Over Government-Furnished Material Inventory Actions

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-05-21

Actions 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) 5d. PROJECT NUMBER 5e. TASK NUMBER 5f. WORK UNIT NUMBER 7...model oversight organization in the Federal Government by leading change, speaking truth, and promoting excellence—a diverse organization, working ...Army Working Capital Fund (AWCF) activities expensed about $40.2 million in GFM upon shipment to contractors. This occurred because Assistant
Perceptual invariance of coarticulated vowels over variations in speaking rate.

PubMed

Stack, Janet W; Strange, Winifred; Jenkins, James J; Clarke, William D; Trent, Sonja A

2006-04-01

This study examined the perception and acoustics of a large corpus of vowels spoken in consonant-vowel-consonant syllables produced in citation-form (lists) and spoken in sentences at normal and rapid rates by a female adult. Listeners correctly categorized the speaking rate of sentence materials as normal or rapid (2% errors) but did not accurately classify the speaking rate of the syllables when they were excised from the sentences (25% errors). In contrast, listeners accurately identified the vowels produced in sentences spoken at both rates when presented the sentences and when presented the excised syllables blocked by speaking rate or randomized. Acoustical analysis showed that formant frequencies at syllable midpoint for vowels in sentence materials showed "target undershoot" relative to citation-form values, but little change over speech rate. Syllable durations varied systematically with vowel identity, speaking rate, and voicing of final consonant. Vowel-inherent-spectral-change was invariant in direction of change over rate and context for most vowels. The temporal location of maximum F1 frequency further differentiated spectrally adjacent lax and tense vowels. It was concluded that listeners were able to utilize these rate- and context-independent dynamic spectrotemporal parameters to identify coarticulated vowels, even when sentential information about speaking rate was not available.
The Health Literacy and ESL study: a community-based intervention for Spanish-speaking adults.

PubMed

Soto Mas, Francisco; Ji, Ming; Fuentes, Brenda O; Tinajero, Josefina

2015-04-01

Although Hispanics have a documented high risk of limited health literacy, there is a scarcity of research with this population group, and particularly with Hispanic immigrants who generally confront language barriers that have been related to low health literacy. The National Action Plan to Improve Health Literacy identified community-based English-language instruction as a strategy that can facilitate a health literate society. However, the literature lacks discussion on this type of intervention. This randomized control trial aimed to test the feasibility of using conventional English-as-a-second-language (ESL) instruction for improving health literacy among Spanish-speaking adults. Objectives included the development, implementation, and evaluation of a health literacy/ESL curriculum. The Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (TOFHLA) in English was used to assess health literacy levels. Analyses included independent sample t test, chi-square, and multiple linear regression. A total of 155 people participated. Results showed a significantly higher increase in the TOFHLA posttest score in the intervention group (p = .01), and noticeable differences in health literacy levels between groups. Results indicate that ESL constitutes a promising venue for improving health literacy among Spanish-speaking adults. Incorporating health literacy-related content may provide additional benefits.
The Health Literacy and ESL Study: A Community-Based Intervention for Spanish-Speaking Adults

PubMed Central

MAS, FRANCISCO SOTO; JI, MING; FUENTES, BRENDA O.; TINAJERO, JOSEFINA

2015-01-01

Although Hispanics have a documented high risk of limited health literacy, there is a scarcity of research with this population group, and particularly with Hispanic immigrants who generally confront language barriers that have been related to low health literacy. The National Action Plan to Improve Health Literacy identified community-based English-language instruction as a strategy that can facilitate a health literate society. However, the literature lacks discussion on this type of intervention. This randomized control trial aimed to test the feasibility of using conventional English-as-a-second-language (ESL) instruction for improving health literacy among Spanish-speaking adults. Objectives included the development, implementation, and evaluation of a health literacy/ESL curriculum. The Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (TOFHLA) in English was used to assess health literacy levels. Analyses included independent sample t test, chi-square, and multiple linear regression. A total of 155 people participated. Results showed a significantly higher increase in the TOFHLA posttest score in the intervention group (p = .01), and noticeable differences in health literacy levels between groups. Results indicate that ESL constitutes a promising venue for improving health literacy among Spanish-speaking adults. Incorporating health literacy-related content may provide additional benefits. PMID:25602615
Gender differences in laterality patterns for speaking and singing.

PubMed

Hough, M S; Daniel, H J; Snow, M A; O'Brien, K F; Hume, W G

1994-09-01

This study examined behaviors reflecting cerebral organization of speaking and singing in normal college students. The investigation focused on whether differences existed in the laterality patterns of two singing tasks and one speaking task in males and females. Performance was measured on a verbal/manual time-sharing paradigm, coupling finger tapping with three vocal tasks (speaking, singing a rote song, singing up and down a diatonic five note scale). Females exhibited less variation than males in mean tapping rates and laterality scores across all three vocal tasks, thus indicating that gender most likely influences lateralization of vocal tasks. Bilateral integration was indicated for both males and females during singing up/down the aforementioned scale. These findings suggest differential involvement of both hemispheres in processing musical functions.
Language Corrections and Language Ideologies in Israeli Hebrew-Speaking Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Netz, Hadar; Yitzhaki, Dafna; Lefstein, Adam

2018-01-01

This article is about language corrections in Israeli Hebrew-speaking primary classrooms. The ideological significance of language corrections, particularly within the highly contested context of Israeli society and Modern Hebrew, underlies the current study. Teachers in Israeli, Hebrew-speaking classes were found to frequently correct not only…
Confidence Scoring of Speaking Performance: How Does Fuzziness become Exact?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jin, Tan; Mak, Barley; Zhou, Pei

2012-01-01

The fuzziness of assessing second language speaking performance raises two difficulties in scoring speaking performance: "indistinction between adjacent levels" and "overlap between scales". To address these two problems, this article proposes a new approach, "confidence scoring", to deal with such fuzziness, leading to "confidence" scores between…
Competence in Speaking and Listening.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Work, William

When children begin formal schooling, their fundamental communication skills, speaking and listening, are well developed but limited in scope and range; it becomes the teacher's task to assist the children in achieving communicative competence. A developmental project called "Developing Communicative Competence in Children" identifies four…
Riddle appreciation and reading comprehension in Cantonese-speaking children.

PubMed

Tang, Ivy N Y; To, Carol K S; Weekes, Brendan S

2013-10-01

Inference-making skills are necessary for reading comprehension. Training in riddle appreciation is an effective way to improve reading comprehension among English-speaking children. However, it is not clear whether these methods generalize to other writing systems. The goal of the present study was to investigate the relationship between inference-making skills, as measured by riddle appreciation ability, and reading comprehension performance in typically developing Cantonese-speaking children in the 4th grade. Forty Cantonese-speaking children between the ages of 9;1 (years;months) and 11;0 were given tests of riddle appreciation ability and reading comprehension. Chinese character reading and auditory comprehension abilities were also assessed using tests that had been standardized in Hong Kong. Regression analyses revealed that riddle appreciation ability explained a significant amount of variance in reading comprehension after variance due to character reading skills and auditory comprehension skills were first considered. Orthographic, lexical, morphological, and syntactic riddles were also significantly correlated with reading comprehension. Riddle appreciation ability predicts reading comprehension in Cantonese-speaking 4th-grade children. Therefore, training Cantonese speakers in riddle appreciation should improve their reading comprehension.
An Evaluation of Oral Language: The Relationship between Listening, Speaking and Self-Efficacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Demir, Sezgin

2017-01-01

Listening and speaking skills are fundamental determinants of an individual's academic success. The aim of this research is to establish the relationship between listening and speaking skills, and study how listening predicts and cognitively arranges speaking. The research was carried out using the quantitative pattern in correlational type. The…
Anxiety Level in Students of Public Speaking: Causes and Remedies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Raja, Farhan

2017-01-01

Despite being competent in their field of work, professional's worldwide struggle due to lack of good public speaking skills. Their assessments and appraisals are often not depictive of their professional competitiveness; therefore, it is important for students to overcome public speaking anxiety before they transit from academic life to…
Public Speaking versus Hybrid Introductory Communication Courses: Exploring Four Outcomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Broeckelman-Post, Melissa A.; Pyle, Andrew S.

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to compare student growth in public speaking and hybrid introductory communication skills courses on four outcomes: public speaking anxiety, self-perceived communication competence, intercultural effectiveness, and connected classroom climate. This study also sought to find out whether there were differences in the…
HealthSpeaks: Using Poetry in Development of Health Education Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robinson, Jenelle N.; Stanford, Jevetta; Webb, Fern Jureidini

2018-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate adolescent satisfaction with the curriculum HealthSpeaks. HealthSpeaks was designed to use poetry to increase awareness about healthy behaviors and health conditions. Research has shown that using poetry in education and related fields promotes social connections, information retention, and awareness among…
Spanish-Speaking Students and the Language Factor in the MRT

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cruz, Sylvia; And Others

1975-01-01

Discusses a study designed to examine the effect of translating the Metropolitan Readiness Test (MRT) for Spanish speaking school entrants, to determine whether administering the MRT in Spanish makes a significant difference on the scores of Spanish-speaking students, and whether these differences obtain for students in bilingual and all-English…
Assessing Student Learning Outcomes in Teaching Business and Professional Speaking.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watt, Willis M.

A study examined the effects of a college business/professional speaking course on the communication skills' development of students. The research examined three hypotheses: (1) that student ratings of their own communication skills would show a significant improvement after a 16-week course on business and professional speaking; (2) that males…

The Development and Test of the Public Speaking Competence Rubric

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schreiber, Lisa M.; Paul, Gregory D.; Shibley, Lisa R.

2012-01-01

In response to the demand for increased accountability within the university classroom, there have been calls for a new generation of rubrics that effectively assess students' competence in several areas, including public speaking. This article describes the development, test, and factor analyses of the Public Speaking Competence Rubric (PSCR), an…
The Analysis of A1 Level Speaking Exam in Terms of Syntax: The Effect of General Competence on Syntax in A1 Level Speaking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Misir, Hülya

2017-01-01

This study aims at discovering the relevance of general competence of Turkish and Arab learners who have an A1 level of English proficiency in preparatory school of University of Turkish Aeronautical Association (UTAA) to their speaking skill in terms of syntax by analyzing the recordings of speaking exams in the first semester. One can ask why…
Speaking rate effects on locus equation slope.

PubMed

Berry, Jeff; Weismer, Gary

2013-11-01

A locus equation describes a 1st order regression fit to a scatter of vowel steady-state frequency values predicting vowel onset frequency values. Locus equation coefficients are often interpreted as indices of coarticulation. Speaking rate variations with a constant consonant-vowel form are thought to induce changes in the degree of coarticulation. In the current work, the hypothesis that locus slope is a transparent index of coarticulation is examined through the analysis of acoustic samples of large-scale, nearly continuous variations in speaking rate. Following the methodological conventions for locus equation derivation, data pooled across ten vowels yield locus equation slopes that are mostly consistent with the hypothesis that locus equations vary systematically with coarticulation. Comparable analyses between different four-vowel pools reveal variations in the locus slope range and changes in locus slope sensitivity to rate change. Analyses across rate but within vowels are substantially less consistent with the locus hypothesis. Taken together, these findings suggest that the practice of vowel pooling exerts a non-negligible influence on locus outcomes. Results are discussed within the context of articulatory accounts of locus equations and the effects of speaking rate change.
Developmental Eye Movement (DEM) Test Norms for Mandarin Chinese-Speaking Chinese Children.

PubMed

Xie, Yachun; Shi, Chunmei; Tong, Meiling; Zhang, Min; Li, Tingting; Xu, Yaqin; Guo, Xirong; Hong, Qin; Chi, Xia

2016-01-01

The Developmental Eye Movement (DEM) test is commonly used as a clinical visual-verbal ocular motor assessment tool to screen and diagnose reading problems at the onset. No established norm exists for using the DEM test with Mandarin Chinese-speaking Chinese children. This study aims to establish the normative values of the DEM test for the Mandarin Chinese-speaking population in China; it also aims to compare the values with three other published norms for English-, Spanish-, and Cantonese-speaking Chinese children. A random stratified sampling method was used to recruit children from eight kindergartens and eight primary schools in the main urban and suburban areas of Nanjing. A total of 1,425 Mandarin Chinese-speaking children aged 5 to 12 years took the DEM test in Mandarin Chinese. A digital recorder was used to record the process. All of the subjects completed a symptomatology survey, and their DEM scores were determined by a trained tester. The scores were computed using the formula in the DEM manual, except that the "vertical scores" were adjusted by taking the vertical errors into consideration. The results were compared with the three other published norms. In our subjects, a general decrease with age was observed for the four eye movement indexes: vertical score, adjusted horizontal score, ratio, and total error. For both the vertical and adjusted horizontal scores, the Mandarin Chinese-speaking children completed the tests much more quickly than the norms for English- and Spanish-speaking children. However, the same group completed the test slightly more slowly than the norms for Cantonese-speaking children. The differences in the means were significant (P<0.001) in all age groups. For several ages, the scores obtained in this study were significantly different from the reported scores of Cantonese-speaking Chinese children (P<0.005). Compared with English-speaking children, only the vertical score of the 6-year-old group, the vertical-horizontal time
Developmental Eye Movement (DEM) Test Norms for Mandarin Chinese-Speaking Chinese Children

PubMed Central

Tong, Meiling; Zhang, Min; Li, Tingting; Xu, Yaqin; Guo, Xirong; Hong, Qin; Chi, Xia

2016-01-01

The Developmental Eye Movement (DEM) test is commonly used as a clinical visual-verbal ocular motor assessment tool to screen and diagnose reading problems at the onset. No established norm exists for using the DEM test with Mandarin Chinese-speaking Chinese children. This study aims to establish the normative values of the DEM test for the Mandarin Chinese-speaking population in China; it also aims to compare the values with three other published norms for English-, Spanish-, and Cantonese-speaking Chinese children. A random stratified sampling method was used to recruit children from eight kindergartens and eight primary schools in the main urban and suburban areas of Nanjing. A total of 1,425 Mandarin Chinese-speaking children aged 5 to 12 years took the DEM test in Mandarin Chinese. A digital recorder was used to record the process. All of the subjects completed a symptomatology survey, and their DEM scores were determined by a trained tester. The scores were computed using the formula in the DEM manual, except that the “vertical scores” were adjusted by taking the vertical errors into consideration. The results were compared with the three other published norms. In our subjects, a general decrease with age was observed for the four eye movement indexes: vertical score, adjusted horizontal score, ratio, and total error. For both the vertical and adjusted horizontal scores, the Mandarin Chinese-speaking children completed the tests much more quickly than the norms for English- and Spanish-speaking children. However, the same group completed the test slightly more slowly than the norms for Cantonese-speaking children. The differences in the means were significant (P<0.001) in all age groups. For several ages, the scores obtained in this study were significantly different from the reported scores of Cantonese-speaking Chinese children (P<0.005). Compared with English-speaking children, only the vertical score of the 6-year-old group, the vertical
Dysarthria associated with traumatic brain injury: speaking rate and emphatic stress.

PubMed

Wang, Yu-Tsai; Kent, Ray D; Duffy, Joseph R; Thomas, Jack E

2005-01-01

Prosodic abnormality is common in the dysarthria associated with traumatic brain injury (TBI), and adjustments of speaking rate and emphatic stress are often used as steps in treating the speech disorder in patients with TBI-induced dysarthria. However, studies to date do not present a clear and detailed picture of how speaking rate and emphatic stress are affected in this speech disorder. This study, based on the acoustic analyses of syllable repetitions and sentence speech samples, reports on speaking rate and emphatic stress for 12 subjects with TBI and 8 healthy controls. For speaking rate, the subjects with TBI had (1) both slow speaking and articulation rates, (2) smaller phonation proportion and larger pause proportion, and (3) larger percentage change in speaking rate and smaller percentage change in articulation rate. For emphatic stress, the subjects with TBI had (1) significant increases in the difference and percentage change between pre-stressed and pre-unstressed pause durations, (2) significantly smaller difference between stressed and unstressed word durations, but not the percentage change between stressed and unstressed word durations, and (3) significantly reduced differences in f(0) movement and f(0) slope between stressed and unstressed words, but not in RMS range. This study demonstrates the multidimensional nature of prosodic deficits in the dysarthria related to TBI and illustrates the ability of acoustic measures to give a picture of the dysprosody related to TBI-induced dysarthria. As a result of this activity, the participant will be able to (1) describe the prosodic disturbances that have been reported in studies of dysarthria associated with TBI; (2) define acoustic measures appropriate to the analysis of changes in speaking rate and emphatic stress; and (3) discuss the importance of prosody to spoken communication.
Cultural transmission through infant signs: Objects and actions in U.S. and Taiwan.

PubMed

Wang, Wen; Vallotton, Claire

2016-08-01

Infant signs are intentionally taught/learned symbolic gestures which can be used to represent objects, actions, requests, and mental state. Through infant signs, parents and infants begin to communicate specific concepts earlier than children's first spoken language. This study examines whether cultural differences in language are reflected in children's and parents' use of infant signs. Parents speaking East Asian languages with their children utilize verbs more often than do English-speaking mothers; and compared to their English-learning peers, Chinese children are more likely to learn verbs as they first acquire spoken words. By comparing parents' and infants' use of infant signs in the U.S. and Taiwan, we investigate cultural differences of noun/object versus verb/action bias before children's first language. Parents reported their own and their children's use of first infant signs retrospectively. Results show that cultural differences in parents' and children's infant sign use were consistent with research on early words, reflecting cultural differences in communication functions (referential versus regulatory) and child-rearing goals (independent versus interdependent). The current study provides evidence that intergenerational transmission of culture through symbols begins prior to oral language. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Acquisition of mental state language in Mandarin- and Cantonese-speaking children.

PubMed

Tardif, T; Wellman, H M

2000-01-01

Children's theory of mind appears to develop from a focus on desire to a focus on belief. However, it is not clear (a) whether this pattern is universal and (b) whether it could also be explained by linguistic and sociocultural factors. This study examined mental state language in 10 Mandarin-speaking (21-27 months) and 8 Cantonese-speaking (18-44 months) toddlers. The results suggest a pattern of theory-of-mind development similar to that in English, with early use of desire terms followed by other mental state references. However, the Chinese-speaking children used desire terms much earlier, and the use of terms for thinking was very infrequent, even for Mandarin-speaking adults. This finding suggests a consistency in the overall sequence, but variation in the timing of beginning and end points, in children's theory-of-mind development across cultures.
Children's identification of graphic symbols representing four basic emotions: comparison of Afrikaans-speaking and Sepedi-speaking children.

PubMed

DeKlerk, Hester M; Dada, Shakila; Alant, Erna

2014-01-01

Speech language pathologists recommend graphic symbols for AAC users to facilitate communication, including labelling and expressing emotions. The purpose of the current study was to describe and compare how 5- to 6-year-old Afrikaans- and Sepedi-speaking children identify and choose graphic symbols to depict four basic emotions, specifically happy, sad, afraid, and angry. Ninety participants were asked to select the graphic symbol from a 16-matrix communication overlay that would represent the emotion in response to 24 vignettes. The results of the t-tests indicated that the differences between the two groups' selection of target symbols to represent the four emotions are statistically significant. The results of the study indicate that children from different language groups may not perceive graphic symbols in the same way. The Afrikaans-speaking participants more often choose target symbols to represent target basic emotions than did the Sepedi-speaking participants. The most preferred symbols per emotion were identified and these different symbols were analysed in terms of facial features that distinguish them. Readers of this article will (1) recognise the importance of expressing basic emotions for children, particularly those that use AAC, (2) identify the possible limitations of line drawings for expressing and labelling basic emotions in typically developing children and (3) recognise the importance of cultural influences on recognition of basic emotions. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Neuropsychological test performance and prediction of functional capacities among Spanish-speaking and English-speaking patients with dementia.

PubMed

Loewenstein, D A; Rubert, M P; Argüelles, T; Duara, R

1995-03-01

Neuropsychological measures have been widely used by clinicians to assist them in making judgments regarding a cognitively impaired patient's ability to independently perform important activities of daily living. However, important questions have been raised concerning the degree to which neuropsychological instruments can predict a broad array of specific functional capacities required in the home environment. In the present study, we examined 127 English-speaking and 56 Spanish-speaking patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and determined the extent to which various neuropsychological measures and demographic variables were predictive of performance on functional measures administered within the clinical setting. Among English-speaking AD patients, Block Design and Digit-Span of the WAIS-R, as well as tests of language were among the strongest predictors of functional performance. For Spanish-speakers, Block Design, The Mini-Mental State Evaluation (MMSE) and Digit Span had the optimal predictive power. When stepwise regression was conducted on the entire sample of 183 subjects, ethnicity emerged as a statistically significant predictor variable on one of the seven functional tests (writing a check). Despite the predictive power of several of the neuropsychological measures for both groups, most of the variability in objective functional performance could not be explained in our regression models. As a result, it would appear prudent to include functional measures as part of a comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation for dementia.
Test-Takers' Strategic Behaviors in Independent and Integrated Speaking Tasks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barkaoui, Khaled; Brooks, Lindsay; Swain, Merrill; Lapkin, Sharon

2013-01-01

This study investigated the strategic behaviors that test-takers reported using when responding to integrated and independent speaking tasks in an English oral proficiency test [the Speaking Section of the Internet-based Test of English as a Foreign Language[TM] (TOEFL iBT)] and the relationship between test-takers' strategic behaviors and their…
The Relationship between Critical Thinking and EFL Learners' Speaking Ability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ramezani, Raana; Larsari, Ebrahim Ezzati; Kiasi, Mohammad Aghajanzadeh

2016-01-01

The current study sought to investigate the relationship between critical thinking and speaking ability among EFL students at Payame Noor University (PNU) of Rasht. This research concerned determining the fact that whether language students who are as critical thinker, perform better in their speaking ability or not. In order to answer the…
The experience of learning to speak up: a narrative inquiry on newly graduated registered nurses.

PubMed

Law, Bernice Yee-Shui; Chan, Engle Angela

2015-07-01

To explore the process of learning to speak up in practice among newly graduated registered nurses. Speaking up is an important aspect of communication to ensure patient safety within a healthcare team. However, nurses have reported being hesitant about speaking up or being unable to be heard, despite adopting various safety tools. A power differential could be a factor in their hesitation to speak up. While a large number of new graduates are employed in the lower rungs of the hospital hierarchy to resolve local and global nursing shortages, the process of their learning to speak up remains under-explored. The narrative concept of experience is addressed through the three-dimensional space of a narrative inquiry. Eighteen new graduates were recruited. Stories of experiences of speaking up emerged naturally during repeated unstructured interviews and ongoing email conversations with three participants. The complex process of learning to speak up is schematically represented. Three interrelated narrative threads were identified: (1) learning to speak up requires more than one-off training and safety tools, (2) mentoring speaking up in the midst of educative and miseducative experiences and (3) making public spaces safe for telling secret stories. Speaking up requires ongoing mentoring to see new possibilities for sustaining professional identities in the midst of miseducative experiences under the potential shaping of the Chinese culture and generational differences. Appreciative inquiry might be a new approach that can be used to promote positive cultural changes to encourage newly graduated registered nurses to learn to speak up to ensure patient safety. Cultivating a safe and open culture of communication and mentoring new graduates to speak up will benefit patient safety now and in the future by helping to retain committed patient advocates who could mentor future generations. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
A cross-sectional analysis of perinatal depressive symptoms among Punjabi-speaking women: are they at risk?

PubMed

Sanghera, Raman; Wong, Sabrina T; Brown, Helen

2015-07-22

Depression is the leading cause of disability for childbearing women. We examined three specific research questions among Punjabi-speaking women residing in the Fraser Health Authority: 1) What are the prevalence rates of prenatal depressive symptoms? 2) Do Punjabi-speaking women have a higher likelihood of reporting depressive symptoms compared to English-speaking women after controlling for age, level of education and financial worries, and 3) Given the same level of exposure to level of education and financial worries, do Punjabi-speaking women have the same likelihood of reporting depressive symptoms? Data originated from the Fraser Health Authority prenatal registration database consisting of pregnant women (n = 9684) who completed a prenatal registration form between June 2009 and August 2010; 9.1 % indicated speaking Punjabi. The Whooley Depression Screen measured depressive symptoms. Chi-square tests and logistic multiple regression were used to examine the rates of reporting depressive symptoms among Punjabi-speaking women compared to English-speaking women. Punjabi-speaking women are at a higher risk for perinatal depressive symptoms. Women needing an interpreter were more likely to report prenatal depressive symptoms compared to English-speaking women. All registrants who reported financial worries had four and a half times the odds of reporting depressive symptoms. The impact of financial worries was significantly greater in the English-speaking women compared to the Punjabi-speaking women needing an interpreter. Using an established screening device, Punjabi-speaking women were found to be at higher risk for prenatal depressive symptoms.
Las Voces Nuevas del Sudoeste (New Voices of the Southwest). Symposium: "The Spanish-Speaking Child in the Schools of the Southwest" (Tucson, Arizona, October 30, 31, 1966).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hart, Elinor, Ed.

The symposium was held to publicize the positive efforts which were being undertaken to solve the problems of Spanish-speaking children and to provide a catalyst for the further action that was needed. The problems were explored from various points of view with two questions in mind: "What was being done?" and "What more could be…
The Effect of Ethnolinguistic Differences on Proximity between Cantonese and Mandarin Speaking Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leung, Lanna Oi-Ling; Lewis, George F.

1999-01-01

Examined effects of ethnolinguistic differences on social proximity between Cantonese- and Mandarin-speaking Chinese children in a day care center. Found that each group of children was more likely to be in closer proximity to children speaking their own language than to children speaking the other language during free choice floor- and group-time…
Assessing public speaking fear with the short form of the Personal Report of Confidence as a Speaker scale: confirmatory factor analyses among a French-speaking community sample.

PubMed

Heeren, Alexandre; Ceschi, Grazia; Valentiner, David P; Dethier, Vincent; Philippot, Pierre

2013-01-01

The main aim of this study was to assess the reliability and structural validity of the French version of the 12-item version of the Personal Report of Confidence as Speaker (PRCS), one of the most promising measurements of public speaking fear. A total of 611 French-speaking volunteers were administered the French versions of the short PRCS, the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale, the Fear of Negative Evaluation scale, as well as the Trait version of the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Beck Depression Inventory-II, which assess the level of anxious and depressive symptoms, respectively. Regarding its structural validity, confirmatory factor analyses indicated a single-factor solution, as implied by the original version. Good scale reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.86) was observed. The item discrimination analysis suggested that all the items contribute to the overall scale score reliability. The French version of the short PRCS showed significant correlations with the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (r = 0.522), the Fear of Negative Evaluation scale (r = 0.414), the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (r = 0.516), and the Beck Depression Inventory-II (r = 0.361). The French version of the short PRCS is a reliable and valid measure for the evaluation of the fear of public speaking among a French-speaking sample. These findings have critical consequences for the measurement of psychological and pharmacological treatment effectiveness in public speaking fear among a French-speaking sample.
Assessing public speaking fear with the short form of the Personal Report of Confidence as a Speaker scale: confirmatory factor analyses among a French-speaking community sample

PubMed Central

Heeren, Alexandre; Ceschi, Grazia; Valentiner, David P; Dethier, Vincent; Philippot, Pierre

2013-01-01

Background: The main aim of this study was to assess the reliability and structural validity of the French version of the 12-item version of the Personal Report of Confidence as Speaker (PRCS), one of the most promising measurements of public speaking fear. Methods: A total of 611 French-speaking volunteers were administered the French versions of the short PRCS, the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale, the Fear of Negative Evaluation scale, as well as the Trait version of the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Beck Depression Inventory-II, which assess the level of anxious and depressive symptoms, respectively. Results: Regarding its structural validity, confirmatory factor analyses indicated a single-factor solution, as implied by the original version. Good scale reliability (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.86) was observed. The item discrimination analysis suggested that all the items contribute to the overall scale score reliability. The French version of the short PRCS showed significant correlations with the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (r = 0.522), the Fear of Negative Evaluation scale (r = 0.414), the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (r = 0.516), and the Beck Depression Inventory-II (r = 0.361). Conclusion: The French version of the short PRCS is a reliable and valid measure for the evaluation of the fear of public speaking among a French-speaking sample. These findings have critical consequences for the measurement of psychological and pharmacological treatment effectiveness in public speaking fear among a French-speaking sample. PMID:23662060
Understanding English Speaking Difficulties: An Investigation of Two Chinese Populations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gan, Zhengdong

2013-01-01

Compared with reading, writing and listening, there has been a paucity of empirical data documenting learners' experiences of speaking English as a second language (ESL) or English as a foreign language (EFL) in different learning contexts in spite of the fact that developing the ability to speak in a second or foreign language is widely…
Using Online Videos to Improve Speaking Abilities of EFL Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yükselir, Ceyhun; Kömür, Sevki

2017-01-01

There is a growing tendency among the researchers about how to assess and improve the ability of speaking. In spite of its complex nature, speaking is generally considered to be the most essential skill to acquire. With the onset of communicative language teaching, this inclination has encouraged researchers to carry out research and make…

Perceptions of Spanish-Speaking Clientele of Patient Care Services in a Community Pharmacy

PubMed Central

Olenik, Nicole L.; Gonzalvo, Jasmine D.; Snyder, Margie E.; Nash, Christy L.; Smith, Cory T.

2014-01-01

Background A paucity of studies exists that have assessed community pharmacy preferences of Spanish-speaking patients living in areas of the U.S. with rapidly growing Hispanic populations. The qualitative approach to this research affords a unique opportunity to further explore perceptions of the Spanish-speaking population. Objectives To identify perceptions of Spanish-speaking patients living in the U.S. with a focus on the care provided in community pharmacies, as well as to determine their satisfaction with community pharmacies. Methods Participants were recruited after weekly Spanish-speaking church services for approximately one month. Qualitative, semi-structured individual interviews to identify perceived unmet patient care needs were conducted in Spanish and transcribed/translated verbatim. Qualitative thematic analysis was used to summarize findings. A written questionnaire was administered to collect patient satisfaction and demographic information, summarized using descriptive statistics. Results Twelve interviews were conducted by the principal investigator. Primary themes included lack of insurance coupled with high medical care costs serving as a barrier for acquisition of healthcare, difficulty accessing timely and convenient primary care, perceived negative attitudes from pharmacy personnel, lack of Spanish-speaking healthcare providers, and the provision of verbal and written medication information in English. Conclusions The results of this study suggest a great need for healthcare providers, including pharmacists, to expand outreach services to the Spanish-speaking community. Some examples derived from the interview process include increasing marketing efforts of available services in the Spanish language, hiring Spanish-speaking personnel, and offering medical terminology education classes to Spanish-speaking patients. PMID:25103185
Speaking of Science: stepping out of the stereotype (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Castro, J. M.

2013-12-01

Just because we are scientists and engineers, does not mean that our presentations must be dry and boring. Step out of the stereotype! Success in your career depends not only upon the rigor of your research, but also hinges on your ability to communicate with your peers and with the public. According to many somewhat dubious internet polls, public speaking is the number one human fear. And yet public speaking is defined as speaking to more than four people at any given time. Hence, you are a public speaker more than you may realize. Given this seemingly natural fear, it is not surprising that delivering a presentation at large, or even small, science gatherings can be frightening, overwhelming, and intimidating, but it can also be extremely rewarding and gratifying. On very few occasions do we, as scientists and engineers, get to reach out to dozens or hundreds of our colleagues in a single session. Make the most of your moment on stage, wherever that stage may be. If you would like to improve your public speaking skills, please join me for a session on making your presentations interesting and effective, while also reducing your stress and actually enjoying the experience. Participants will leave the workshop with a greater skill set to develop and deliver presentations. The workshop is interactive and builds on the collective experience of the audience and the instructor. 'The problem with most bad presentations I see is not the speaking, the slides, the visuals, or any of the other things people obsess about. Instead, it's the lack of thinking.' Scott Berkun, Confessions of a Public Speaker, 2010
Early lexical development in Spanish-speaking infants and toddlers.

PubMed

Jackson-Maldonado, D; Thal, D; Marchman, V; Bates, E; Gutierrez-Clellen, V

1993-10-01

This paper describes the early lexical development of a group of 328 normal Spanish-speaking children aged 0;8 to 2;7. First the development and structure of a new parent report instrument, Inventario del Desarollo de Habilidades Communicativas is described. Then five studies carried out with the instrument are presented. In the first study vocabulary development of Spanish-speaking infants and toddlers is compared to that of English-speaking infants and toddlers. The English data were gathered using a comparable parental report, the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventories. In the second study the general characteristics of Spanish language acquisition, and the effects of various demographic factors on that process, are examined. Study 3 examines the differential effects of three methods of collecting the data (mail-in, personal interview, and clinic waiting room administration). Studies 4 and 5 document the reliability and validity of the instrument. Results show that the trajectories of development are very similar for Spanish- and English-speaking children in this age range, that children from varying social groups develop similarly, and that mail-in and personal interview administration techniques produce comparable results. Inventories administered in a medical clinic waiting room, on the other hand, produced lower estimates of toddler vocabulary than the other two models.
Communication. Listen, Speak, Write, Use.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls. School of Business.

This instructional unit is intended for use in helping secondary and postsecondary business students develop their communications skills. The course is designed to be taught in six weeks in conjunction with the sixth edition of "Business English and Communication," a textbook published by McGraw-Hill. Chapters addressing listening, speaking,…
SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES FOR NON-ENGLISH SPEAKING BEGINNERS, THE FIRST WEEK.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Education Service Center Region 1, Edinburg, TX.

THIS PLAN, COVERING THE FIRST FIVE DAYS OF A BILINGUAL FIRST GRADE CLASS, WAS DESIGNED TO AID BEGINNING TEACHERS OF NON-ENGLISH SPEAKING CHILDREN MEET SOME OF THE SITUATIONS THEY WILL ENCOUNTER. (SPECIAL EMPHASIS IS ON SPANISH-SPEAKING CHILDREN.) THE DAILY SCHEDULE IS PRESENTED AS A GUIDE TO BE ADJUSTED ACCORDING TO NEED. IN ADDITION TO THE…
The Latino Physician Shortage: How the Affordable Care Act Increases the Value of Latino Spanish-Speaking Physicians and What Efforts Can Increase Their Supply.

PubMed

Daar, David A; Alvarez-Estrada, Miguel; Alpert, Abigail E

2018-02-01

The United States Latino population is growing at a rapid pace and is set to reach nearly 30% by 2050. The demand for culturally and linguistically competent health care is increasing in lockstep with this growth; however, the supply of doctors with skills and experience suited for this care is lagging. In particular, there is a major shortage of Latino Spanish-speaking physicians, and the gap between demand and supply is widening. The implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has increased the capacity of the US healthcare system to care for the growing Latino Spanish-speaking population, through health insurance exchanges, increased funding for safety net institutions, and efforts to improve efficiency and coordination of care, particularly with Accountable Care Organizations and the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program. With these policies in mind, the authors discuss how the value of Latino Spanish-speaking physicians to the healthcare system has increased under the environment of the ACA. In addition, the authors highlight key efforts to increase the supply of this physician population, including the implementation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Act, premedical pipeline programs, and academic medicine and medical school education initiatives to increase Latino representation among physicians.
Development of Teleological Explanations in Peruvian Quechua-Speaking and U.S. English-Speaking Preschoolers and Adults.

PubMed

Sánchez Tapia, Ingrid; Gelman, Susan A; Hollander, Michelle A; Manczak, Erika M; Mannheim, Bruce; Escalante, Carmen

2016-05-01

Teleological reasoning involves the assumption that entities exist for a purpose (giraffes have long necks for reaching leaves). This study examines how teleological reasoning relates to cultural context, by studying teleological reasoning in 61 Quechua-speaking Peruvian preschoolers (Mage = 5.3 years) and adults in an indigenous community, compared to 72 English-speaking U.S. preschoolers (Mage = 4.9 years) and university students. Data were responses to open-ended "why" questions ("Why is that mountain tall?"). Teleological explanations about nonliving natural kinds were more frequent for children than adults, and for Quechua than U.S. However, changes with age were importantly distinct from differences corresponding to cultural variation. Developmental and cultural differences in teleological explanations may reflect causal analysis of the features under consideration. © 2016 The Authors. Child Development © 2016 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.
Speech Versus Speaking: The Experiences of People With Parkinson's Disease and Implications for Intervention.

PubMed

Yorkston, Kathryn; Baylor, Carolyn; Britton, Deanna

2017-06-22

In this project, we explore the experiences of people who report speech changes associated with Parkinson's disease as they describe taking part in everyday communication situations and report impressions related to speech treatment. Twenty-four community-dwelling adults with Parkinson's disease took part in face-to-face, semistructured interviews. Qualitative research methods were used to code and develop themes related to the interviews. Two major themes emerged. The first, called "speaking," included several subthemes: thinking about speaking, weighing value versus effort, feelings associated with speaking, the environmental context of speaking, and the impact of Parkinson's disease on speaking. The second theme involved "treatment experiences" and included subthemes: choosing not to have treatment, the clinician, drills and exercise, and suggestions for change. From the perspective of participants with Parkinson's disease, speaking is an activity requiring both physical and cognitive effort that takes place in a social context. Although many report positive experiences with speech treatment, some reported dissatisfaction with speech drills and exercises and a lack of focus on the social aspects of communication. Suggestions for improvement include increased focus on the cognitive demands of speaking and on the psychosocial aspects of communication.
Neurocognitive performance and symptom profiles of Spanish-speaking Hispanic athletes on the ImPACT test.

PubMed

Ott, Summer; Schatz, Philip; Solomon, Gary; Ryan, Joseph J

2014-03-01

This study documented baseline neurocognitive performance of 23,815 athletes on the Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT) test. Specifically, 9,733 Hispanic, Spanish-speaking athletes who completed the ImPACT test in English and 2,087 Hispanic, Spanish-speaking athletes who completed the test in Spanish were compared with 11,955 English-speaking athletes who completed the test in English. Athletes were assigned to age groups (13-15, 16-18). Results revealed a significant effect of language group (p < .001; partial η(2) = 0.06) and age (p < .001; partial η(2) = 0.01) on test performance. Younger athletes performed more poorly than older athletes, and Spanish-speaking athletes completing the test in Spanish scored more poorly than Spanish-speaking and English-speaking athletes completing the test in English, on all Composite scores and Total Symptom scores. Spanish-speaking athletes completing the test in English also performed more poorly than English-speaking athletes completing the test in English on three Composite scores. These differences in performance and reported symptoms highlight the need for caution in interpreting ImPACT test data for Hispanic Americans.
Perceptual connections between prepubertal children's voices in their speaking behavior and their singing behavior.

PubMed

Rinta, Tiija Elisabet; Welch, Graham F

2009-11-01

Traditionally, children's speaking and singing behaviors have been regarded as two separate sets of behaviors. Nevertheless, according to the voice-scientific view, all vocal functioning is interconnected due to the fact that we exploit the same voice and the same physiological mechanisms in generating all vocalization. The intention of the study was to investigate whether prepubertal children's speaking and singing behaviors are connected perceptually. Voice recordings were conducted with 60 10-year-old children. Each child performed a set of speaking and singing tasks in the voice experiments. Each voice sample was analyzed perceptually with a specially designed perceptual voice assessment protocol. The main finding was that the children's vocal functioning and voice quality in their speaking behavior correlated statistically significantly with those in their singing behavior. The findings imply that children's speaking and singing behaviors are perceptually connected through their vocal functioning and voice quality. Thus, it can be argued that children possess one voice that is used for generating their speaking and singing behaviors.
77 FR 4560 - Sunshine Act; Notice of Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-01-30

... of the Minutes for the Meeting of January 19, 2012 Draft Advisory Opinion 2011-24: Louder Solutions, LLC, d/b/a StandLouder.com Draft Advisory Opinion 2011-27: New Mexico Voices for Children Draft...
Cognitive behavioral therapy for public-speaking anxiety using virtual reality for exposure.

PubMed

Anderson, Page L; Zimand, Elana; Hodges, Larry F; Rothbaum, Barbara O

2005-01-01

This study used an open clinical trial to test a cognitive-behavioral treatment for public-speaking anxiety that utilized virtual reality as a tool for exposure therapy. Treatment was completed by participants (n = 10) meeting the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-IV criteria for social phobia, or panic disorder with agoraphobia in which public speaking was the predominantly feared stimulus. Treatment was conducted by a licensed psychologist in an outpatient clinic. Treatment consisted of eight individual therapy sessions, including four sessions of anxiety management training and four sessions of exposure therapy using a virtual audience, according to a standardized treatment manual. Participants completed standardized self-report questionnaires assessing public-speaking anxiety at pre-treatment, post-treatment, and 3-month follow-up. Participants were asked to give a speech to an actual audience at pre- and post-treatment. Results showed decreases on all self-report measures of public-speaking anxiety from pre- to post-treatment, which were maintained at follow-up (n = 8; all P = 05). Participants were no more likely to complete a speech post-treatment than at pre-treatment. This study provides preliminary evidence that a cognitive-behavioral treatment using virtual reality for exposure to public speaking may reduce public-speaking anxiety and suggests that further research with a controlled design is needed. Copyright 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Hablamos Juntos (Together We Speak): Interpreters, Provider Communication, and Satisfaction with Care

PubMed Central

Morales, Leo S.

2010-01-01

BACKGROUND The Hablamos Juntos—Together We Speak (HJ)—national demonstration project targeted the improvement of language access for Spanish-speaking Latinos in areas with rapidly growing Latino populations. The objective of HJ was to improve doctor-patient communication by increasing access to and quality of interpreter services for Spanish-speaking patients. OBJECTIVE To investigate how access to interpreters for adult Spanish-speaking Latinos is associated with ratings of doctor/office staff communication and satisfaction with care. DESIGN Cross-sectional cohort study. PATIENTS A total of 1,590 Spanish-speaking Latino adults from eight sites across the United States who participated in the outpatient HJ evaluation. MEASUREMENTS We analyzed two multi-item measures of doctor communication (4 items) and office staff helpfulness (2 items), and one global item of satisfaction with care by interpreter use. We performed regression analyses to control for patient sociodemographic characteristics, survey year, and clustering at the site of care. RESULTS Ninety-five percent of participants were born outside the US, 81% were females, and survey response rates ranged from 45% to 85% across sites. In this cohort of Spanish-speaking patients, those who needed and always used interpreters reported better experiences with care than their counterparts who needed but had interpreters unavailable. Patients who always used an interpreter had better adjusted ratings of doctor communication [effect size (ES = 0.51)], office staff helpfulness (ES = 0.37), and satisfaction with care (ES = 0.37) than patients who needed but did not always use an interpreter. Patients who needed and always used interpreters also reported better experiences with care in all three domains measured [doctor communication (ES = 0.30), office staff helpfulness (ES = 0.21), and satisfaction with care (ES = 0.23)] than patients who did not need interpreters. CONCLUSIONS Among adult
[Differences between German and Turkish-speaking participants in a chronic heart failure management program].

PubMed

Ernstmann, N; Karbach, U

2017-02-01

German and Turkish-speaking patients were recruited for a chronic heart failure management program. So far little is known about the special needs and characteristics of Turkish-speaking patients with chronic heart failure; therefore, the aim of this study was to examine sociodemographic and illness-related differences between German and Turkish-speaking patients with chronic heart failure. German and Turkish-speaking patients suffering from chronic heart failure and insured with the AOK Rheinland/Hamburg or the BARMER GEK health insurance companies and living in Cologne, Germany, were enrolled. Recruitment took place in hospitals, private practices and at information events. Components of the program were coordination of a guideline-oriented medical care, telemonitoring (e.g., blood pressure, electrocardiogram, and weight), a 24-h information hotline, attendance by German and Turkish-speaking nurses and a patient education program. Data were collected by standardized interviews in German or Turkish language. Data were analyzed with descriptive measures and tested for significance differences using Pearson's χ 2 -test and the t‑test. A total of 465 patients (average age 71 years, 55 % male and 33 % Turkish-speaking) were enrolled in the care program during the study period. Significant differences between German and Turkish-speaking patients were found for age, education, employment status, comorbidities, risk perception, knowledge on heart failure and fear of loss of independence. The response rate could be achieved with the help of specific measures for patient enrollment by Turkish-speaking integration nurses. The differences between German and Turkish-speaking patients should in future be taken into account in the care of people with chronic heart failure.
Native-English-Speaking Teachers in Cultures Other Than Their Own.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barratt, Leslie; Kontra, Edit H.

2000-01-01

Reports on two studies that directly surveyed the clients of native speaking teachers--their students and their English-as-a-foreign-language host colleagues. The aim was to get a consumer's view of what works and what does not for a visiting teacher in a strange land and to provide guidance for native speaking teachers who plan to work overseas,…
Characteristics of speaking style and implications for speech recognition.

PubMed

Shinozaki, Takahiro; Ostendorf, Mari; Atlas, Les

2009-09-01

Differences in speaking style are associated with more or less spectral variability, as well as different modulation characteristics. The greater variation in some styles (e.g., spontaneous speech and infant-directed speech) poses challenges for recognition but possibly also opportunities for learning more robust models, as evidenced by prior work and motivated by child language acquisition studies. In order to investigate this possibility, this work proposes a new method for characterizing speaking style (the modulation spectrum), examines spontaneous, read, adult-directed, and infant-directed styles in this space, and conducts pilot experiments in style detection and sampling for improved speech recognizer training. Speaking style classification is improved by using the modulation spectrum in combination with standard pitch and energy variation. Speech recognition experiments on a small vocabulary conversational speech recognition task show that sampling methods for training with a small amount of data benefit from the new features.
Depression literacy among Australians of Chinese-speaking background in Melbourne, Australia

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background This study investigated the knowledge of depression and preference for professional help, medications and treatment methods among Australians of Chinese-speaking background, and the perceptions of this population of the causes of mental illness. Methods Adopting a cluster convenience sampling method, the study recruited 200 Chinese-speaking subjects from four major areas in metropolitan Melbourne where many Chinese live. The respondents were presented with a vignette describing an individual with depression and then asked questions to assess their understanding of depression and preference for professional help, medications and treatment methods. A comparative approach was used to compare the findings with those of a previous study of the mental health literacy of Australian and Japanese adults. Results Compared to the Australian and Japanese samples, a much lower percentage of Chinese-speaking Australians (14%) could correctly identify major depression described in the vignette, and a higher percentage believed that counseling professionals could be helpful. Higher percentages of those who believed that close family members could be helpful were found in the Chinese-speaking Australian and Japanese samples, and these two groups also expressed more uncertainty about the usefulness or harmfulness of certain medications compared to the Australian sample. Higher percentages of respondents in both the Chinese-speaking Australian and the Australian sample considered "lifestyle changes" to be helpful compared to the Japanese sample. In the Chinese-speaking sample, 30%, 17.4%, 33% and 27% of the respondents rated "traditional Chinese medicine doctors," "Chinese herbal medications," "taking Chinese nutritional foods/supplements" and "qiqong" as helpful. Many perceived "changing fungshui" and "traditional Chinese worship" to be harmful. Regarding the perception of causes of mental illness, items related to psychosocial perspectives including "life stress" and
Depression literacy among Australians of Chinese-speaking background in Melbourne, Australia.

PubMed

Wong, Fu Keung Daniel; Lam, Yuk Kit Angus; Poon, Ada

2010-01-19

This study investigated the knowledge of depression and preference for professional help, medications and treatment methods among Australians of Chinese-speaking background, and the perceptions of this population of the causes of mental illness. Adopting a cluster convenience sampling method, the study recruited 200 Chinese-speaking subjects from four major areas in metropolitan Melbourne where many Chinese live. The respondents were presented with a vignette describing an individual with depression and then asked questions to assess their understanding of depression and preference for professional help, medications and treatment methods. A comparative approach was used to compare the findings with those of a previous study of the mental health literacy of Australian and Japanese adults. Compared to the Australian and Japanese samples, a much lower percentage of Chinese-speaking Australians (14%) could correctly identify major depression described in the vignette, and a higher percentage believed that counseling professionals could be helpful. Higher percentages of those who believed that close family members could be helpful were found in the Chinese-speaking Australian and Japanese samples, and these two groups also expressed more uncertainty about the usefulness or harmfulness of certain medications compared to the Australian sample. Higher percentages of respondents in both the Chinese-speaking Australian and the Australian sample considered "lifestyle changes" to be helpful compared to the Japanese sample. In the Chinese-speaking sample, 30%, 17.4%, 33% and 27% of the respondents rated "traditional Chinese medicine doctors," "Chinese herbal medications," "taking Chinese nutritional foods/supplements" and "qiqong" as helpful. Many perceived "changing fungshui" and "traditional Chinese worship" to be harmful. Regarding the perception of causes of mental illness, items related to psychosocial perspectives including "life stress" and "interpersonal conflict" were
Untrained Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) Fail to Imitate Novel Actions

PubMed Central

Tennie, Claudio; Call, Josep; Tomasello, Michael

2012-01-01

Background Social learning research in apes has focused on social learning in the technical (problem solving) domain - an approach that confounds action and physical information. Successful subjects in such studies may have been able to perform target actions not as a result of imitation learning but because they had learnt some technical aspect, for example, copying the movements of an apparatus (i.e., different forms of emulation learning). Methods Here we present data on action copying by non-enculturated and untrained chimpanzees when physical information is removed from demonstrations. To date, only one such study (on gesture copying in a begging context) has been conducted – with negative results. Here we have improved this methodology and have also added non-begging test situations (a possible confound of the earlier study). Both familiar and novel actions were used as targets. Prior to testing, a trained conspecific demonstrator was rewarded for performing target actions in view of observers. All but one of the tested chimpanzees already failed to copy familiar actions. When retested with a novel target action, also the previously successful subject failed to copy – and he did so across several contexts. Conclusion Chimpanzees do not seem to copy novel actions, and only some ever copy familiar ones. Due to our having tested only non-enculturated and untrained chimpanzees, the performance of our test subjects speak more than most other studies of the general (dis-)ability of chimpanzees to copy actions, and especially novel actions. PMID:22905102
Modern English Drama and the Students' Fluency and Accuracy of Speaking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pishkar, Kian; Moinzadeh, Ahmad; Dabaghi, Azizallah

2017-01-01

Speaking a language involves more than simply knowing the linguistic components of the message, and developing language skills requires more than grammatical comprehension and vocabulary memorization. In teaching-learning processes, drama method may have some positive effects on ELL students' speaking fluency and accuracy. This study attempts to…

A Note Card and a Soapbox: Agendas, Advocacy, and Extemporaneous Speaking.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCann, Bryan John

This paper discusses the potential for advocacy in collegiate extemporaneous speaking. It argues that given the inherently civic nature of the event, extemporaneous speaking ought to address higher causes that transcend competitive restraints. Unfortunately, the potential of the event is generally hindered by stylistic trends and other competitive…
Designing an Automated Assessment of Public Speaking Skills Using Multimodal Cues

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Lei; Feng, Gary; Leong, Chee Wee; Joe, Jilliam; Kitchen, Christopher; Lee, Chong Min

2016-01-01

Traditional assessments of public speaking skills rely on human scoring. We report an initial study on the development of an automated scoring model for public speaking performances using multimodal technologies. Task design, rubric development, and human rating were conducted according to standards in educational assessment. An initial corpus of…
Speaking up, being heard: registered nurses' perceptions of workplace communication.

PubMed

Garon, Maryanne

2012-04-01

The aim of the present study was to explore nurses' perceptions of their own ability to speak up and be heard in the workplace. Nurses are central to patient care and patient safety in hospitals. Their ability to speak up and be heard greatly impacts their own work satisfaction, team work as well as patient safety. The present study utilized a qualitative approach, consisting of focus group interviews of 33 registered nurses (RNs), in staff or management positions from a variety of healthcare settings in California, USA. Data were analysed using thematic content analysis. Findings were organized into three categories: influences on speaking up, transmission and reception of a message and outcomes or results. The present study supported the importance of the manager in setting the culture of open communication. It is anticipated that findings from the present study may increase understandings of nurse views of communication within healthcare settings. The study highlights the importance of nurse managers in creating the communication culture that will allow nurses to speak up and be heard. These open communication cultures lead to better patient care, increased safety and better staff satisfaction. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Speech Versus Speaking: The Experiences of People With Parkinson's Disease and Implications for Intervention

PubMed Central

Baylor, Carolyn; Britton, Deanna

2017-01-01

Purpose In this project, we explore the experiences of people who report speech changes associated with Parkinson's disease as they describe taking part in everyday communication situations and report impressions related to speech treatment. Method Twenty-four community-dwelling adults with Parkinson's disease took part in face-to-face, semistructured interviews. Qualitative research methods were used to code and develop themes related to the interviews. Results Two major themes emerged. The first, called “speaking,” included several subthemes: thinking about speaking, weighing value versus effort, feelings associated with speaking, the environmental context of speaking, and the impact of Parkinson's disease on speaking. The second theme involved “treatment experiences” and included subthemes: choosing not to have treatment, the clinician, drills and exercise, and suggestions for change. Conclusions From the perspective of participants with Parkinson's disease, speaking is an activity requiring both physical and cognitive effort that takes place in a social context. Although many report positive experiences with speech treatment, some reported dissatisfaction with speech drills and exercises and a lack of focus on the social aspects of communication. Suggestions for improvement include increased focus on the cognitive demands of speaking and on the psychosocial aspects of communication. PMID:28654939
You Are What You Speak

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Motluk, Alison

2003-01-01

Does the language one speaks influence the way he thinks? Does it help define his world view? Anyone who has tried to master a foreign tongue has at least considered the possibility. Little linguistic peculiarities, though amusing, don't change the objective world people are describing. So how can they alter the way they think? Scientists and…
The relation between public speaking anxiety and social anxiety: a review.

PubMed

Blöte, Anke W; Kint, Marcia J W; Miers, Anne C; Westenberg, P Michiel

2009-04-01

This article reviewed the literature on public speaking anxiety in the context of social phobia subtyping. In total, 18 empirical studies on subtype issues related to public speaking anxiety were analyzed. Results of the reviewed studies are discussed in relation to their research method, that is, whether it focused on qualitative or quantitative aspects of subtype differences and whether it used a clinical or community sample. Evidence supported the premise that public speaking anxiety is a distinct subtype, qualitatively and quantitatively different from other subtypes of social phobia. The significance of this finding for social phobia studies using speech tasks to assess participants' state anxiety and behavioral performance is discussed.
Women's safety alerts in maternity care: is speaking up enough?

PubMed

Rance, Susanna; McCourt, Christine; Rayment, Juliet; Mackintosh, Nicola; Carter, Wendy; Watson, Kylie; Sandall, Jane

2013-04-01

Patients' contributions to safety include speaking up about their perceptions of being at risk. Previous studies have found that dismissive responses from staff discouraged patients from speaking up. A Care Quality Commission investigation of a maternity service where serious incidents occurred found evidence that women had routinely been ignored and left alone in labour. Women using antenatal services hesitated to raise concerns that they felt staff might consider irrelevant. The Birthplace in England programme, which investigated the quality and safety of different places of birth for 'low-risk' women, included a qualitative organisational case study in four NHS Trusts. The authors collected documentary, observational and interview data from March to December 2010 including interviews with 58 postnatal women. A framework approach was combined with inductive analysis using NVivo8 software. Speaking up, defined as insistent and vehement communication when faced with failure by staff to listen and respond, was an unexpected finding mentioned in half the women's interviews. Fourteen women reported raising alerts about safety issues they felt to be urgent. The presence of a partner or relative was a facilitating factor for speaking up. Several women described distress and harm that ensued from staff failing to listen. Women are speaking up, but this is not enough: organisation-focused efforts are required to improve staff response. Further research is needed in maternity services and in acute and general healthcare on the effectiveness of safety-promoting interventions, including real-time patient feedback, patient toolkits and patient-activated rapid response calls.
Interactional Competence in a Paired Speaking Test: Features Salient to Raters

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

May, Lyn

2011-01-01

Paired speaking tests are now commonly used in both high-stakes testing and classroom assessment contexts. The co-construction of discourse by candidates is regarded as a strength of paired speaking tests, as candidates have the opportunity to display a wider range of interactional competencies, including turn taking, initiating topics, and…
The safety of tracheostomy speaking valve use during sleep in children: a pilot study.

PubMed

Barraza, Giselle Y; Fernandez, Claudia; Halaby, Claudia; Ambrosio, Sara; Simpser, Edwin F; Pirzada, Melodi B

2014-01-01

One of the disadvantages of having a tracheostomy tube is not being able to vocalize. A speaking valve connected to a tracheostomy tube allows patients to vocalize. Some studies have shown that tracheostomy-speaking valve can improve swallowing, respiratory secretion management, and expedite decannulation. There is scant research about speaking valve use during sleep. The aim of this study is to evaluate the safety of tracheostomy-speaking valve overnight, during sleep. Children, ages 1-18 years, with tracheostomy tubes who were using a tracheostomy-speaking valve during daytime/awake periods, were included in this study. The subjects had baseline monitoring of their heart rate, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, and end tidal carbon dioxide measurement the night prior to the intervention, throughout the night at scheduled intervals. The tracheostomy-speaking valve was placed the following night and the same parameters were monitored and recorded throughout the study night. A total of 9 patients were recruited. In all subjects, the mean values of the overnight parameters showed no significant clinical variations between the baseline night and the study night. Repeated measure ANOVA analysis revealed no significant changes in the parameters over the 8 hours of recorded time. No major adverse events were recorded during the study night. This pilot study reveals that use of a tracheostomy-speaking valve during sleep, was not associated with adverse cardiopulmonary events. This is the first study to show that a tracheostomy-speaking valve might be safely used during sleep, in children. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Teaching Creole-Speaking Children: Issues, Concerns and Resolutions for the Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wigglesworth, Gillian; Billington, Rosey

2013-01-01

There are now significant numbers of children who speak a language other than English when they enter the formal school system in Australia. Many of these children come from a language background that is entirely different from the school language. Many Indigenous children, however, come from creole-speaking backgrounds where their home language…
An Exploration of Oral Language Development in Spanish-Speaking Preschool Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neu, Renee A.

2013-01-01

The purpose of this qualitative, multi-case study was to explore the oral language of Spanish-speaking preschool students and their responses to questions, comments and requests made by an English-speaking teacher. Research questions focused on students' responses to questions; comments and requests by the teacher; and whether the response was…
The Implementation of Group Investigation to Improve the Students' Speaking Skill

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iswardati

2016-01-01

This research aimed to find out how group investigation improves the student's speaking skill of the second grade students of SMA 2 Samarinda, how group investigation improves the student's participation in speaking of second grade students of SMA 2 Samarinda, and what the obstacles are in the implementation of Group Investigation. The classroom…
The Spanish Speaking People of the United States: A New Era.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Conde, Carlos, Ed.

There are an estimated 10 million Spanish-speaking Americans who constitute the second largest minority group in the nation. Included in this group are Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, and Cubans. Life styles of the Spanish-speaking Americans, who were here before the Pilgrims, did not change significantly with the arrival of the Northern…
An Investigation of the Variables Predicting Faculty of Education Students' Speaking Anxiety through Ordinal Logistic Regression Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bozpolat, Ebru

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study is to determine whether Cumhuriyet University Faculty of Education students' levels of speaking anxiety are predicted by the variables of gender, department, grade, such sub-dimensions of "Speaking Self-Efficacy Scale for Pre-Service Teachers" as "public speaking," "effective speaking,"…
Average speaking fundamental frequency in soprano singers with and without symptoms of vocal attrition.

PubMed

Drew, R; Sapir, S

1995-06-01

Nineteen trained soprano singers aged 18-30 years vocalized tasks designed to assess average speaking fundamental frequency (SFF) during spontaneous speaking and reading. Vocal range and perceptual characteristics while singing with low intensity and high frequency were also assessed, and subjects completed a survey of vocal habits/symptoms. Recorded signals were digitized prior to being analyzed for SFF using the Kay Computerized Speech Lab program. Subjects were assigned to a normal voice or impaired voice group based on ratings of perceptual tasks and survey results. Data analysis showed group differences in mean SFF, no differences in vocal range, higher mean SFF values for reading than speaking, and 58% ability to perceive speaking in low pitch. The role of speaking in too low pitch as causal for vocal symptoms and need for voice classification differentiation in vocal performance studies are discussed.
Duty to speak up in the health care setting a professionalism and ethics analysis.

PubMed

Topazian, Rachel J; Hook, C Christopher; Mueller, Paul S

2013-11-01

Staff and students working in health care settings are sometimes reluctant to speak up when they perceive patients to be at risk for harm. In this article, we describe four incidents that occurred at our institution (Mayo Clinic). In two of them, health care professionals failed to speak up, which resulted in harm; in the other two, they did speak up, which prevented harm and improved patient care. We analyzed each scenario using the Physician's Charter on Medical Professionalism and prima facie ethics principles to determine whether principles were violated or upheld. We conclude that anyone who works in a health care setting has a duty to speak up when a patient faces harm. We also provide guidance for health care institutions on promoting a culture in which speaking up is encouraged and integrated into routine practice.
The developmental eye movement (DEM) test and Cantonese-speaking children in Hong Kong SAR, China.

PubMed

Pang, Peter C; Lam, Carly S; Woo, George C

2010-07-01

There is no published norm for the Developmental Eye Movement (DEM) Test for Cantonese-speaking Chinese children. This study aimed to determine the normative values of this test for Cantonese-speaking Chinese children in Hong Kong SAR and to compare the results with the published norms of English-speaking and Spanish-speaking children. Cantonese-speaking students aged from 6 to 11 years were tested by the DEM test in Cantonese and a digital recorder was used to record the process. The DEM scores for the 305 students were determined by listening again to the audio records after the test and computed by using the formula from the DEM manual, except that the 'vertical scores' were adjusted by taking the vertical errors into consideration. The results were compared with other norms that have been published. Our subjects made more vertical errors than in other normative studies and adjusted vertical scores were proposed. In both adjusted vertical and horizontal scores, the Cantonese-speaking children completed the tests much faster than the norms for English- and Spanish-speaking children, the differences of the means being significant (p < 0.0001) in all age groups. The DEM norms may be affected by differences in languages, cultures and education systems among different ethnicities. The norms of the DEM test are proposed for Cantonese-speaking children in Hong Kong SAR, China.
Analysing Test-Takers' Views on a Computer-Based Speaking Test

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Amengual-Pizarro, Marian; García-Laborda, Jesús

2017-01-01

This study examines test-takers' views on a computer-delivered speaking test in order to investigate the aspects they consider most relevant in technology-based oral assessment, and to explore the main advantages and disadvantages computer-based tests may offer as compared to face-to-face speaking tests. A small-scale open questionnaire was…
Benefits of Music Training in Mandarin-Speaking Pediatric Cochlear Implant Users

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fu, Qian-Jie; Galvin, John J., III; Wang, Xiaosong; Wu, Jiunn-Liang

2015-01-01

Purpose: The aims of this study were to assess young (5- to 10-year-old) Mandarin-speaking cochlear implant (CI) users' musical pitch perception and to assess the benefits of computer-based home training on performance. Method: Melodic contour identification (MCI) was used to assess musical pitch perception in 14 Mandarin-speaking pediatric CI…
Joining a discourse community: How graduate students learn to speak like astronomers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baleisis, Audra

Almost half of all graduate students leave their doctoral programs without finishing. Who leaves, taking which skills and strengths with them, is still poorly understood, however, because it is hard to measure exactly what graduate students learn in their doctoral programs. Since the expertise required of a PhD holder is highly dependent on discipline, the development of a better understanding of graduate education and attrition requires studying the process at the departmental level. This is a qualitative study of the cultural values and norms of academic astronomy, as transmitted through the socialization of graduate students in to giving talks, asking questions, and participating in departmental speaking events. This study also looks at the conflicts that arise when implicit cultural norms, which are practiced but remain unacknowledged, are inconsistent with the official, explicit values and norms for speaking in astronomy. Doctoral students and faculty members in a single astronomy department, at a large western university, filled out a short survey about the stakes involved in astronomy speaking events. A subset of these individuals was interviewed in- depth about the goals of, and their experiences with, five departmental speaking events: Coffee Hour, Journal Club, research talks, Thesis defense talks, and Colloquia. These interviewees were: (1) graduate students who had given a verbal presentation at one of these events, and (2) graduate students and faculty members who were in the audience at a graduate student's presentation. The desired outcomes which were expressed for these speaking events included: (1) lively, informal discussion among all participants, (2) increasing graduate student verbal participation in these events as they "learn to speak like astronomers," and (3) the utility of these events in helping graduate students learn and practice their speaking and reasoning skills related to astronomy research. In practice these goals were not achieved

Speaking up for Better Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hess, Frederick M.

2015-01-01

Teachers have a lot of frustrating things to deal with in school--obdurate administrators, inane work rules, and ham-fisted policies, to name a few. Instead of speaking up for change, many teachers have just come to accept all the dysfunction and take refuge in their classrooms. But teachers have it in their power to bust out of that classroom…
Development of Teleological Explanations in Peruvian Quechua-Speaking and U.S. English-Speaking Preschoolers and Adults

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sánchez Tapia, Ingrid; Gelman, Susan A.; Hollander, Michelle A.; Manczak, Erika M.; Mannheim, Bruce; Escalante, Carmen

2016-01-01

Teleological reasoning involves the assumption that entities exist for a purpose (giraffes have long necks for reaching leaves). This study examines how teleological reasoning relates to cultural context, by studying teleological reasoning in 61 Quechua-speaking Peruvian preschoolers (M[subscript age] = 5.3 years) and adults in an indigenous…
Peer-Reviewed Veterinary Journals From Arabic-Speaking Countries: A Systematic Review.

PubMed

Robertson, Kristen M; Bowser, Jacquelyn E; Bernstein, Joshua; Aboul-Enein, Basil H

The prevalence of diseases of foodborne and zoonotic origin in Arabic-speaking countries highlights the importance of collaboration between human and animal health professionals. However, accessibility of research and evidence-based practices in these countries is not well characterized. This brief report determines the availability of professional veterinary journals within the Arabic-speaking region. An electronic search using 6 databases assessed for publication period, activity status, and available languages incorporated all aspects of veterinary medicine and specialties. Among 29 veterinary journals identified, the oldest current publication originated 63 years ago, with 10 journals currently interrupted or ceased. All 19 currently active journals are available electronically as open access, with 8 also offered in paper format. Veterinary journals published within Arabic-speaking countries are predominantly produced in Egypt, Iraq, and Sudan. Electronic access is lacking compared with English-speaking countries, and there is a lack of journals with an Arabic-language option. The reasons associated with language options in veterinary publications are not immediately apparent, yet may highlight differences among public health, health education, and zoonotic professionals and the populations they serve. Veterinary journals in Arabic-speaking countries do not adequately represent the overall region and are limited in access. Further evaluation of regional culture and publisher preferences is indicated to identify new collaboration opportunities among health professionals and local stakeholders. Copyright © 2017 Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Mobility limitations and fear of falling in non-English speaking older Mexican-Americans.

PubMed

James, Eric G; Conatser, Phillip; Karabulut, Murat; Leveille, Suzanne G; Hausdorff, Jeffrey M; Cote, Sarah; Tucker, Katherine L; Barton, Bruce; Bean, Jonathan F; Al Snih, Soham; Markides, Kyriakos S

2017-10-01

To determine whether older Mexican-Americans who cannot speak and/or understand spoken English have higher rates of mobility limitations or fear of falling than their English-speaking counterparts. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of 1169 community-dwelling Mexican-Americans aged 72-96 years from the 2000-2001 wave of the Hispanic Established Population for the Epidemiological Study of the Elderly. Mobility limitations were defined as having a Short Physical Performance Battery score ≤9, and fear of falling by participant report of being somewhat, fairly, or very afraid of falling. We determined the rates and odds ratios, for having mobility limitations and fear of falling as a function of English ability in those who were 72-96, <80, and ≥80 years of age. Among participants who were unable to speak and/or understand spoken English 85.7% had mobility limitations and 61.6% were afraid of falling, compared to 77.6% and 57.5%, respectively, of English speakers. Before adjusting for covariates, participants who did not speak and/or understand spoken English were more likely to have mobility limitations (odds ratio: 1.7; 95% CI: 1.3-2.4) but not fear of falling, compared to English speakers. Among those aged ≥80 years, but not those <80 years, who did not speak or understand English were more likely to have mobility limitations (odds ratio: 4.8; 95% CI:2.0-11.5) and fear of falling (odds ratio: 2.0; 95% CI:1.3-3.1). Older Mexican-Americans who do not speak or understand spoken English have a higher rate of mobility limitations and fear of falling than their English-speaking counterparts.
Library Service to the Spanish Speaking.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peterson, Anita R.

This manual was developed to formalize Inglewood Public Library's existing policies and programs regarding library services to the Spanish speaking, and to define future program goals. The introduction discusses why such services have been initiated, why the manual was developed, and the potential benefits the manual has for library…
Validation of a Videoconferenced Speaking Test

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Jungtae; Craig, Daniel A.

2012-01-01

Videoconferencing offers new opportunities for language testers to assess speaking ability in low-stakes diagnostic tests. To be considered a trusted testing tool in language testing, a test should be examined employing appropriate validation processes [Chapelle, C.A., Jamieson, J., & Hegelheimer, V. (2003). "Validation of a web-based ESL…
False belief understanding in Cantonese-speaking children.

PubMed

Tardif, Twila; Wellman, Henry M; Cheung, Kar Man

2004-11-01

The present study investigates the performance of 96 Cantonese-speaking three- to five-year-old preschoolers on three false belief tasks - a deceptive object, a change of location, and an unexpected contents task encompassing a variety of task factors. Most importantly, the research examines the possibility that false belief performance depends on specific linguistic factors such as the type of verb used in the test question--an explicitly false vs. a neutral belief verb. Cantonese was chosen as particularly useful for examining this question because it explicitly codes belief status as either neutral (nam5) or false (ji5wai4), and because it offers additional linguistic and cultural contrasts to research conducted on false belief with children learning English and other Indo-European languages. As expected, a strong age effect was found, as well as a significant advantage for children who received the explicit false belief (ji5wai4) wording and for those who were asked to explain rather than predict the protagonist's actions. Interestingly, there was also a strong task difference with children performing better on the deceptive object task than on the other two false belief tasks. We argue that these results point both to universal trajectories in theory of mind development and to interesting, but localized, effects of language and culture on children's false belief understanding.
Development and Evaluation of a Basic First Aid Curriculum for Spanish-Speaking Dairy Workers.

PubMed

Meyerhoff, Anna; Tinc, Pamela J; Scott, Erika E

2016-07-27

. Over the past decade, the New York State dairy industry has grown substantially, resulting in an increase in immigrant workers who speak languages other than English. Estimates suggest that over 50% of workers on large New York dairies are Spanish-speaking individuals who immigrated to the U.S. from Guatemala, Mexico, and other Latin American countries. With a growing population of Spanish-speaking workers, safety concerns on farms have become a prominent issue. This article reviews the development and evaluation of a basic dairy first aid curriculum, which is intended to educate Spanish-speaking immigrant dairy workers on emergency response and first aid. The materials developed are culturally relevant and can be easily understood by low-literacy, non-English-speaking workers. In evaluation of the materials using pre- and post-testing, a significant knowledge gain was identified in workers who participated in the training. Copyright© by the American Society of Agricultural Engineers.
On the Conventionalization of Mouth Actions in Australian Sign Language.

PubMed

Johnston, Trevor; van Roekel, Jane; Schembri, Adam

2016-03-01

This study investigates the conventionalization of mouth actions in Australian Sign Language. Signed languages were once thought of as simply manual languages because the hands produce the signs which individually and in groups are the symbolic units most easily equated with the words, phrases and clauses of spoken languages. However, it has long been acknowledged that non-manual activity, such as movements of the body, head and the face play a very important role. In this context, mouth actions that occur while communicating in signed languages have posed a number of questions for linguists: are the silent mouthings of spoken language words simply borrowings from the respective majority community spoken language(s)? Are those mouth actions that are not silent mouthings of spoken words conventionalized linguistic units proper to each signed language, culturally linked semi-conventional gestural units shared by signers with members of the majority speaking community, or even gestures and expressions common to all humans? We use a corpus-based approach to gather evidence of the extent of the use of mouth actions in naturalistic Australian Sign Language-making comparisons with other signed languages where data is available--and the form/meaning pairings that these mouth actions instantiate.
Speak Out for Children, 1998-1999.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levy, David L., Ed.

1999-01-01

This document comprises the three issues of Volume 13 of the "Speak Out for Children" newsletter, published to strengthen families through education and to assist children of unwed parents, separation, and divorce. The Spring 1998 issue contains articles on joint custody and the reduction of parental conflict, access grant programs,…
Gifted Education in German-Speaking Countries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herrmann, Anna; Nevo, Baruch

2011-01-01

The purpose of this article is to provide the reader with a comprehensive yet detailed account of the current giftedness and gifted education situation in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. It is concerned with four main research questions: (1) How is "giftedness" defined in German-speaking countries? (2) How are gifted children…
Psychological Factor Affecting English Speaking Performance for the English Learners in Indonesia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haidara, Youssouf

2016-01-01

In every learning situation or environment, human psychology plays a significant role. English speaking is a language skill that is highly affected by human psychology. This research aimed at describing the psychological factor that affects negatively the English speaking performance for the English learners in Indonesia. A descriptive qualitative…
Improving the English-Speaking Skills of Young Learners through Mobile Social Networking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sun, Zhong; Lin, Chin-Hsi; You, Jiaxin; Shen, Hai jiao; Qi, Song; Luo, Liming

2017-01-01

Most students of English as a foreign language (EFL) lack sufficient opportunities to practice their English-speaking skills. However, the recent development of social-networking sites (SNSs) and mobile learning, and especially mobile-assisted language learning, represents new opportunities for these learners to practice speaking English in a…
Parental numeric language input to Mandarin Chinese and English speaking preschool children.

PubMed

Chang, Alicia; Sandhofer, Catherine M; Adelchanow, Lauren; Rottman, Benjamin

2011-03-01

The present study examined the number-specific parental language input to Mandarin- and English-speaking preschool-aged children. Mandarin and English transcripts from the CHILDES database were examined for amount of numeric speech, specific types of numeric speech and syntactic frames in which numeric speech appeared. The results showed that Mandarin-speaking parents talked about number more frequently than English-speaking parents. Further, the ways in which parents talked about number terms in the two languages was more supportive of a cardinal interpretation in Mandarin than in English. We discuss these results in terms of their implications for numerical understanding and later mathematical performance.
Re-Thinking Anxiety: Using Inoculation Messages to Reduce and Reinterpret Public Speaking Fears.

PubMed

Jackson, Ben; Compton, Josh; Thornton, Ashleigh L; Dimmock, James A

2017-01-01

Inoculation theory offers a framework for protecting individuals against challenges to an existing attitude, belief, or state. Despite the prevalence and damaging effects of public speaking anxiety, inoculation strategies have yet to be used to help individuals remain calm before and during public speaking. We aimed to test the effectiveness of an inoculation message for reducing the onset of public speaking anxiety, and helping presenters interpret their speech-related anxiety more positively. Participants (Mage = 20.14, SD = 2.72) received either an inoculation (n = 102) or control (n = 128) message prior to engaging a public speaking task and reported a range of anxiety-related perceptions. Accounting for personality characteristics and perceptions of task importance, and relative to control participants, those who received the inoculation message reported significantly lower pre-task anxiety, and following the task, reported that they had experienced lower somatic anxiety, and that the inoculation message had caused them to view their nerves in a less debilitating light. Inoculation messages may be an effective strategy for helping participants reframe and reduce their apprehension about public speaking, and investigating their efficacy in other stress-inducing contexts may be worthwhile.
Re-Thinking Anxiety: Using Inoculation Messages to Reduce and Reinterpret Public Speaking Fears

PubMed Central

Jackson, Ben; Compton, Josh; Thornton, Ashleigh L.; Dimmock, James A.

2017-01-01

Inoculation theory offers a framework for protecting individuals against challenges to an existing attitude, belief, or state. Despite the prevalence and damaging effects of public speaking anxiety, inoculation strategies have yet to be used to help individuals remain calm before and during public speaking. We aimed to test the effectiveness of an inoculation message for reducing the onset of public speaking anxiety, and helping presenters interpret their speech-related anxiety more positively. Participants (Mage = 20.14, SD = 2.72) received either an inoculation (n = 102) or control (n = 128) message prior to engaging a public speaking task and reported a range of anxiety-related perceptions. Accounting for personality characteristics and perceptions of task importance, and relative to control participants, those who received the inoculation message reported significantly lower pre-task anxiety, and following the task, reported that they had experienced lower somatic anxiety, and that the inoculation message had caused them to view their nerves in a less debilitating light. Inoculation messages may be an effective strategy for helping participants reframe and reduce their apprehension about public speaking, and investigating their efficacy in other stress-inducing contexts may be worthwhile. PMID:28125618
PLESA: Program for Persons of Limited English-Speaking Ability. Ten Case Studies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reynolds, Jack; And Others

These ten case studies of the Program for Persons of Limited English-Speaking Ability (PLESA) report different approaches to providing training and employment assistance to unemployed persons of limited English-speaking ability. (A summary report of forty-seven projects is available separately. See Note.) The first four describe projects conducted…
Effects of Storytelling to Facilitate EFL Speaking Using Web-Based Multimedia System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hwang, Wu-Yuin; Shadiev, Rustam; Hsu, Jung-Lung; Huang, Yueh-Min; Hsu, Guo-Liang; Lin, Yi-Chun

2016-01-01

This study applied storytelling in the English as a foreign language (EFL) classroom in order to promote speaking skills. Students were asked to practice speaking EFL through producing individual and interactive stories with a Web-based multimedia system. We aimed to investigate an effectiveness of applying individual and interactive storytelling…
Characteristics of Speaking Rate in the Dysarthria Associated with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Turner, Greg S.; Weismer, Gary

1993-01-01

The ability to alter speaking rate was studied in nine adult subjects with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and nine control subjects. Results suggest that the relationship between speaking rate, articulation rate, pause duration, and pause frequency remained largely intact for the dysarthric speakers. Data showed greater dependence on pausing by the…
The Effect of Metadiscourse Instruction on Iranian EFL Learners' Speaking Ability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ahour, Touran; Entezari Maleki, Saeideh

2014-01-01

This study attempted to unveil the effect of metadiscourse instruction on the improvement of the speaking ability of Iranian EFL learners. After the administration of a language proficiency test, 34 homogeneous participants were assigned into the experimental and control groups. Then, the two groups were compared on their speaking ability. After…

Speaking-Related Dyspnea in Healthy Adults

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hoit, Jeannette D.; Lansing, Robert W.; Perona, Kristen E.

2007-01-01

Purpose: To reveal the qualities and intensity of speaking-related dyspnea in healthy adults under conditions of high ventilatory drive, in which the behavioral and metabolic control of breathing must compete. Method: Eleven adults read aloud while breathing different levels of inspired carbon dioxide (CO[subscript 2]). After the highest level,…
Confident Communication: Speaking Tips for Educators.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parker, Douglas A.

This resource book seeks to provide the building blocks needed for public speaking while eliminating the fear factor. The book explains how educators can perfect their oratorical capabilities as well as enjoy the security, confidence, and support needed to create and deliver dynamic speeches. Following an Introduction: A Message for Teachers,…
Mainstreaming the Non-English Speaking Student.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rodrigues, Raymond J.; White, Robert H.

As part of a series of sharply focused booklets based on concrete educational needs, this booklet is designed to provide teachers with the best educational theory and research on mainstreaming non-English speaking children in regular classrooms and to present descriptions of classroom activities that are related to the described theory. Section…
Idiom Comprehension in Mandarin-Speaking Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hsieh, Shelley Ching-Yu; Hsu, Chun-Chieh Natalie

2010-01-01

This study examines the effect of familiarity, context, and linguistic convention on idiom comprehension in Mandarin speaking children. Two experiments (a comprehension task followed by a comprehension task coupled with a metapragmatic task) were administered to test participants in three age groups (6 and 9-year-olds, and an adult control group).…
Listening and Speaking: A Cybernetic Synthesis.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nord, James R.

1985-01-01

Cybernetic feedback theory sees the individual as a self-organizing feedback control system that generates its own activity to control its own perceptions. Applying the principle of feedback to language use, it appears that speaking as an overt public behavior is controlled by an internally private listening capacity. With that listening capacity,…
Development of Speaking Skills through Activity Based Learning at the Elementary Level

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ul-Haq, Zahoor; Khurram, Bushra Ahmed; Bangash, Arshad Khan

2017-01-01

Purpose: This paper discusses an effective instructional method called "activity based learning" that can be used to develop the speaking skills of students in the elementary school level. The present study was conducted to determine the effect of activity based learning on the development of the speaking skills of low and high achievers…
Two French-Speaking Cases of Foreign Accent Syndrome: An Acoustic-Phonetic Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roy, Johanna-Pascale; Macoir, Joel; Martel-Sauvageau, Vincent; Boudreault, Carol-Ann

2012-01-01

Foreign accent syndrome (FAS) is an acquired neurologic disorder in which an individual suddenly and unintentionally speaks with an accent which is perceived as being different from his/her usual accent. This study presents an acoustic-phonetic description of two Quebec French-speaking cases. The first speaker presents a perceived accent shift to…
A Process Approach to Public Speaking: The Use of Exercises and Games.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berryman, Cynthia L.

The use of exercises and games in teaching the process of public speaking provides a novel and effective approach for teacher and student. This paper justifies a process orientation to public-speaking instruction and offers practical exercises, games, and activities for teaching the major rhetorical aspects involved in the process of public…
Chapter 42: neurology and the neurological sciences in the German-speaking countries.

PubMed

Isler, Hansruedi

2010-01-01

Early neurology in German-speaking countries evolved aside from mainstream medicine. Animists like Stahl in the 18th century saw the soul as the cause of health and disease, and the later Vitalists insisted on life-force as the specific property of living beings, contrary to skeptics like Albrecht von Haller, whose neurophysiology they left behind. Following Willis, they studied brain tracts and speculated about reflex action. They experimented with electrotherapy, and later devised early theories of electric nerve action. The controversial medical theories of animal magnetism and phrenology also advanced brain research and clinical neurology together with their sectarian programs, which seem absurd today. The impact on natural science and medicine of the last great Vitalist, Johannes Müller, and his mechanistic students such as Remak, Schwann, Schleiden, Helmholtz, Ludwig, Brücke, Virchow, Koelliker, and Wundt was unparalleled. They provided the anatomical and physiological infrastructure for the growth of neurology. From 1845 far into the 20th century, psychiatry and neurology evolved together. Neuropsychiatrists cared for their mental patients during the day, and studied their brain tissue slides at night, as in the case of Alzheimer and Nissl. Major advances in brain research were achieved by the hypnotists Forel and Vogt, and modern psychiatry was launched by the typical neuropsychiatrists Kraepelin, Moebius, Bleuler, and Adolf Meyer.
An Alternative Approach to Teaching Public Speaking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fetzer, Ronald C.

1977-01-01

Describes the visual image approach as an alternative method of public speaking instruction based on the principle that meaning is associated with the object that meaning represents. Presents a rationale, objectives, procedures and results of implementation of this approach. (MH)
Nonadjacent Dependency Learning in Cantonese-Speaking Children with and without a History of Specific Language Impairment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iao, Lai-Sang; Ng, Lai Yan; Wong, Anita Mei Yin; Lee, Oi Ting

2017-01-01

Purpose: This study investigated nonadjacent dependency learning in Cantonese-speaking children with and without a history of specific language impairment (SLI) in an artificial linguistic context. Method: Sixteen Cantonese-speaking children with a history of SLI and 16 Cantonese-speaking children with typical language development (TLD) were…
Challenges in Learning to Speak Arabic

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haron, Sueraya Che; Ahmed, Ismaiel Hassanien; Mamat, Arifin; Ahmad, Wan Rusli Wan; Rawash, Fouad Mahmoud M.

2016-01-01

This paper describes a study to investigate the challenges and obstacles to speaking Arabic faced by good and poor Malay speakers of Arabic. The study used individual and focus group interviews with 14 participants to elicit data. The findings revealed 2 types of obstacles, namely, internal and external obstacles. Internal obstacles refer to the…
On the Awareness of English Polysemous Words by Arabic-Speaking EFL Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alnamer, Sulafah Abdul Salam

2017-01-01

This study measures the extent to which Arabic-speaking EFL learners are aware of polysemy in English. It also investigates whether the English proficiency level of Arabic-speaking EFL learners plays a role in their ability to distinguish between the various meanings of English polysemous words, and whether they face problems when they encounter…
Past Tense Marking by African American English–Speaking Children Reared in Poverty

PubMed Central

Pruitt, Sonja; Oetting, Janna

2012-01-01

Purpose This study examined past tense marking by African American English (AAE)-speaking children from low- and middle-income backgrounds to determine if poverty affects children’s marking of past tense in ways that mirror the clinical condition of specific language impairment (SLI). Method Participants were 15 AAE-speaking 6-year-olds from low-income backgrounds, 15 AAE-speaking 6-year-olds from middle-income backgrounds who served as age-matched controls, and 15 AAE-speaking 5-year-olds from middle-income backgrounds who served as language-matched controls. Data were drawn from language samples and probes. Results Results revealed high rates of regular marking, variable rates of irregular marking, high rates of over-regularizations, and absence of dialect-inappropriate errors of commission. For some analyses, marking was affected by the phonological characteristics of the items and the children’s ages, but none of the analyses revealed effects for the children’s socioeconomic level. Conclusions Within AAE, poverty status as a variable affects past tense marking in ways that are different from the clinical condition of SLI. PMID:18695014
Attentional Control Buffers the Effect of Public Speaking Anxiety on Performance.

PubMed

Jones, Christopher R; Fazio, Russell H; Vasey, Michael W

2012-09-01

We explored dispositional differences in the ability to self-regulate attentional processes in the domain of public speaking. Participants first completed measures of speech anxiety and attentional control. In a second session, participants prepared and performed a short speech. Fear of public speaking negatively impacted performance only for those low in attentional control. Thus, attentional control appears to act as a buffer that facilitates successful self-regulation despite performance anxiety.
The Effect of Instructing Impression Management Behaviors on Maximizing Applicants' Performance in the IELTS Speaking Test

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Namdar, Sara; Bagheri, Mohammad Sadegh

2012-01-01

Speaking proceeds under the constraint of time. While speaking, speakers are under constant pressure to follow the message being received and to formulate rapid responses to their partners. In the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) Speaking Test, the communicative nature of the interview creates an ideal situation for applicants…
Speech Pedagogy beyond the Basics: A Study of Instructional Methods in the Advanced Public Speaking Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levasseur, David; Dean, Kevin; Pfaff, Julie

2004-01-01

Although the class in advanced public speaking is a mainstay of communication instruction, little scholarship has addressed the nature of expertise in public speaking or the instructional techniques by which it is imparted. The present study conducted in-depth interviews with 23 active college teachers of advanced public speaking, inquiring…
The influence of speaking rate on nasality in the speech of hearing-impaired individuals.

PubMed

Dwyer, Claire H; Robb, Michael P; O'Beirne, Greg A; Gilbert, Harvey R

2009-10-01

The purpose of this study was to determine whether deliberate increases in speaking rate would serve to decrease the amount of nasality in the speech of severely hearing-impaired individuals. The participants were 11 severely to profoundly hearing-impaired students, ranging in age from 12 to 19 years (M = 16 years). Each participant provided a baseline speech sample (R1) followed by 3 training sessions during which participants were trained to increase their speaking rate. Following the training sessions, a second speech sample was obtained (R2). Acoustic and perceptual analyses of the speech samples obtained at R1 and R2 were undertaken. The acoustic analysis focused on changes in first (F(1)) and second (F(2)) formant frequency and formant bandwidths. The perceptual analysis involved listener ratings of the speech samples (at R1 and R2) for perceived nasality. Findings indicated a significant increase in speaking rate at R2. In addition, significantly narrower F(2) bandwidth and lower perceptual rating scores of nasality were obtained at R2 across all participants, suggesting a decrease in nasality as speaking rate increases. The nasality demonstrated by hearing-impaired individuals is amenable to change when speaking rate is increased. The influences of speaking rate changes on the perception and production of nasality in hearing-impaired individuals are discussed.
ESL Speaks the Language of Business

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Community College Journal, 2013

2013-01-01

Immigrants and others who didn't grow up speaking English are often at a disadvantage when entering the workforce. One of the best ways for non-native English speakers to level the playing field is to enroll in targeted courses and job-training programs offered through their local community colleges. The best of these programs combines important…
Assessment of Non-English Speaking Students in Rhode Island. Final Summary Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rhode Island Univ., Kingston. Curriculum Research and Development Center.

In 1979, Rhode Island legislators mandated an assessment of the number of non English speaking children in the State. The resulting study was comprised of two main phases. The first, a census of non English speaking students, included (1) a teacher survey, in which every teacher listed his/her students and indicated an observed primary language…

Validation of Empirically Derived Rating Scales for a Story Retelling Speaking Test

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hirai, Akiyo; Koizumi, Rie

2013-01-01

In recognition of the rating scale as a crucial tool of performance assessment, this study aims to establish a rating scale suitable for a Story Retelling Speaking Test (SRST), which is a semidirect test of speaking ability in English as a foreign language for classroom use. To identify an appropriate scale, three rating scales, all of which have…
Public-speaking fears in a community sample. Prevalence, impact on functioning, and diagnostic classification.

PubMed

Stein, M B; Walker, J R; Forde, D R

1996-02-01

Recent epidemiologic studies have revealed that social phobia is more prevalent than has been previously believed. An unresolved issue is the extent to which public-speaking fears constitute a recognizable form of social phobia in a community sample and, moreover, to what extent these fears are associated with functional morbidity. To examine the prevalence and impact of public-speaking fears and their relationship to social phobia in a community sample, we conducted a randomized telephone survey of 499 residents of Winnipeg, Manitoba, a medium-sized midwestern metropolitan area. One third of the respondents reported that they had excessive anxiety when they spoke to a large audience. The onset of fears was early (ie, 50%, 75%, and 90% by the ages of 13, 17, and 20 years, respectively). Anxious cognitions about public speaking included the following fears: doing or saying something embarrassing (64%), one's mind going blank (74%), being unable to continue talking (63%), saying foolish things or not making sense (59%), and trembling, shaking, or showing other signs of anxiety (80%). In total, 10% (n = 49) of the respondents reported that public-speaking anxiety had resulted in a marked interference with their work (2%), social life (1%), or education (4%), or had caused them marked distress (8%). Twenty-three persons (5%) had public-speaking anxiety in isolation (ie, without evidence of additional kinds of social fears). These data support the inclusion of severe forms of public-speaking fears within the social phobia construct and, furthermore, suggest that public-speaking anxiety may have a detrimental impact on the lives of many individuals in the community.
Patient satisfaction among Spanish-speaking patients in a public health setting.

PubMed

Welty, Elisabeth; Yeager, Valerie A; Ouimet, Claude; Menachemi, Nir

2012-01-01

Despite the growing literature on health care quality, few patient satisfaction studies have focused upon the public health setting; where many Hispanic patients receive care. The purpose of this study was to examine the differences in satisfaction between English and Spanish-speaking patients in a local health department clinical setting. We conducted a paper-based satisfaction survey of patients that visited any of the seven Jefferson County Department of Health primary care centers from March 19 to April 19, 2008. Using Chi-squared analyses we found 25% of the Spanish-speaking patients reported regularly having problems getting an appointment compared to 16.8% among English-speakers (p < .001). Results of logistic regression analyses indicated that, despite the availability of interpreters at all JCDH primary care centers, differences in satisfaction existed between Spanish and English speaking patients controlling for center location, purpose of visit, and time spent waiting. Specifically, Spanish speaking patients were more likely to report problems getting an appointment and less likely to report having their medical problems resolved when leaving their visit as compared to those who spoke English. Findings presented herein may provide insight regarding the quality of care received, specifically regarding patient satisfaction in the public health setting. © 2011 National Association for Healthcare Quality.
An Exploratory Case Study of Young Children's Interactive Play Behaviours with a Non-English Speaking Child

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Joohi; Md-Yunus, Sham'ah; Son, Won In; Meadows, Michelle

2009-01-01

This study is an examination of preschool-age English speaking children's interactive play behaviours with a non-English speaking child (NEC). The play types of a NEC were reported using the Parten's categories of solitary, parallel and interactive play. In addition, English-speaking children's interactive play with a NEC were reported in this…
Attenuated heart rate responses to public speaking in individuals with alcohol dependence.

PubMed

Panknin, Tera L; Dickensheets, Stacey L; Nixon, Sara J; Lovallo, William R

2002-06-01

Because individuals with alcohol dependence (AD) have shown blunted cortisol responses to psychological stress, we assessed whether they also show attenuated cardiovascular responses. This study examined the cardiovascular responses of people meeting DSM-IV criteria for AD to orthostasis and public speaking. Heart rate (HR), stroke volume, cardiac output, total peripheral resistance, mean arterial pressure, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure during orthostasis and public speaking were assessed by use of impedance cardiography and Dinamap blood pressure monitoring in 20 AD subjects abstinent for 21 to 28 days and in 10 age-matched controls. Orthostasis consisted of standing, whereas public speaking involved preparing and presenting two speeches. Self-reported mood state was also assessed during the tasks. AD subjects had significantly lower resting BP compared with controls. Cardiovascular responses to orthostasis were similar between groups. AD subjects had attenuated HR during public speaking but reported similar anxiety responses to controls. Comparable cardiovascular responses to orthostasis in controls and AD subjects suggest intact reflex control of circulation. AD subjects had blunted HR responses to public speaking; this is consistent with the attenuated cortisol responses observed in this sample and in previous studies. This suggests a possible alteration in limbic system regulation of hypothalamic and brainstem responses to psychological stress. Cardiovascular responses of AD subjects that are inconsistent with subjective accounts of tension and anxiety suggest a disconnection between perception of threat and resulting physiologic responses in AD subjects.
Mammography screening participation: effects of a media campaign targeting Italian-speaking women.

PubMed

Page, Andrew; Morrell, Stephen; Tewson, Richard; Taylor, Richard; Brassil, Ann

2005-08-01

To evaluate the effect of a radio and newspaper campaign encouraging Italian-speaking women aged 50-69 years to attend a population-based mammography screening program. A series of radio scripts and newspaper advertisements ran weekly in the Italian-language media over two, four-week periods. Monthly mammography screens were analysed to determine if numbers of Italian-speaking women in the program increased during the two campaign periods, using interrupted time series regression analysis. A survey of Italian-speaking women attending BreastScreen NSW during the campaign period (n=240) investigated whether individuals had heard or seen the advertisements. There was no statistically significant difference in the number of initial or subsequent mammograms in Italian-speaking women between the campaign periods and the period prior to (or after) the campaign. Twenty per cent of respondents cited the Italian media campaign as a prompt to attend. Fifty per cent had heard the radio ad and 30% had seen the newspaper ad encouraging Italian-speaking women to attend BSNSW. The most common prompt to attend was the BSNSW invitation letter, followed by information or recommendation from a GP. Radio and newspaper advertisements developed for the Italian community did not significantly increase attendance to BSNSW. Measures of program effectiveness based on self-report may not correspond to aggregate screening behaviour. The development of the media campaign in conjunction with the Italian community, and the provision of appropriate levels of resourcing, did not ensure the media campaign's success.
Effects of singing training on the speaking voice of voice majors.

PubMed

Mendes, Ana P; Brown, W S; Rothman, Howard B; Sapienza, Christine

2004-03-01

This longitudinal study gathered data with regard to the question: Does singing training have an effect on the speaking voice? Fourteen voice majors (12 females and two males; age range 17 to 20 years) were recorded once a semester for four consecutive semesters, while sustaining vowels and reading the "Rainbow Passage." Acoustic measures included speaking fundamental frequency (SFF) and sound pressure level (SLP). Perturbation measures included jitter, shimmer, and harmonic-to-noise ratio. Temporal measures included sentence, consonant, and diphthong durations. Results revealed that, as the number of semesters increased, the SFF increased while jitter and shimmer slightly decreased. Repeated measure analysis, however, indicated that none of the acoustic, temporal, or perturbation differences were statistically significant. These results confirm earlier cross-sectional studies that compared singers with nonsingers, in that singing training mostly affects the singing voice and rarely the speaking voice.
Encouraging Teenagers to Improve Speaking Skills through Games in a Colombian Public School (Motivación de adolescentes para mejorar su expresión oral mediante el juego en un colegio público colombiano)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

León, William Urrutia; Cely, Esperanza Vega

2010-01-01

Our project was implemented with tenth grade students of a public school located in the Usme Zone in Bogotá. We decided to develop this action research project because we were concerned about our students' difficulties when attempting to speak English. They felt inhibited with activities that involved oral interaction mainly because they were…
Depression and quality of life in Spanish-speaking immigrant persons with epilepsy compared with those in English-speaking US-born persons with epilepsy.

PubMed

Myers, Lorna; Lancman, Marcelo; Vazquez-Casals, Gonzalo; Bonafina, Marcela; Perrine, Kenneth; Sabri, Jomard

2015-10-01

This study aimed to examine levels of depression and quality of life in Spanish-speaking (less acculturated) immigrants with epilepsy compared with those in English-speaking US-born persons with epilepsy (PWEs). The study included 85 PWEs - 38 Spanish-speaking immigrants with epilepsy and 47 US-born PWEs. All patients underwent video-EEG monitoring and completed depression and quality-of-life inventories in their dominant language (Spanish/English). Chart review of clinical epilepsy variables was conducted by an epileptologist. Our study revealed that depression scores were significantly higher in Hispanic PWEs (21.65±14.6) than in US-born PWEs (14.50±10.2) (t (64.02)=-2.3, two-sided p=.025). Marital status, medical insurance, antidepressant use, seizure frequency, and number of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) were tested as covariates in the ANCOVA framework and were not statistically significant at the 0.05 significance level. Fewer Hispanics were prescribed antidepressant medications (13.15% for Hispanics and 40.42% for US-born, χ(2) (1,85) 7.71, p=.005) and had access to comprehensive health insurance coverage (χ(2) (1,85)=13.70, p=0.000). Hispanic patients were also found to be receiving significantly less AEDs compared with their US-born peers (t (83, 85)=2.33, p=.02). Although quality of life was diminished in both groups, Seizure Worry was worse for Hispanics after accounting for potential effects of marital status, medical insurance, use of antidepressants, seizure frequency, and number of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) ((1, 83), F=7.607, p=0.007). The present study is the first of its kind to examine depression and quality of life in Spanish-speaking US immigrants with epilepsy. Spanish-speaking immigrants with epilepsy have been identified as a group at risk. They demonstrated higher depression scores and more Seizure Worry independent of epilepsy and demographic characteristics compared with their US-born peers. The Hispanic group was receiving less
Professional Development in Japanese Non-Native English Speaking Teachers' Identity and Efficacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Takayama, Hiromi

2015-01-01

This mixed methods study investigates how Japanese non-native English speaking teachers' (NNESTs) efficacy and identity are developed and differentiated from those of native English speaking teachers (NESTs). To explore NNESTs' efficacy, this study focuses on the contributing factors, such as student engagement, classroom management, instructional…
Attentional Control Buffers the Effect of Public Speaking Anxiety on Performance

PubMed Central

Jones, Christopher R.; Fazio, Russell H.; Vasey, Michael W.

2011-01-01

We explored dispositional differences in the ability to self-regulate attentional processes in the domain of public speaking. Participants first completed measures of speech anxiety and attentional control. In a second session, participants prepared and performed a short speech. Fear of public speaking negatively impacted performance only for those low in attentional control. Thus, attentional control appears to act as a buffer that facilitates successful self-regulation despite performance anxiety. PMID:22924093
Speaking up about traditional and professionalism-related patient safety threats: a national survey of interns and residents.

PubMed

Martinez, William; Lehmann, Lisa Soleymani; Thomas, Eric J; Etchegaray, Jason M; Shelburne, Julia T; Hickson, Gerald B; Brady, Donald W; Schleyer, Anneliese M; Best, Jennifer A; May, Natalie B; Bell, Sigall K

2017-11-01

Open communication between healthcare professionals about care concerns, also known as 'speaking up', is essential to patient safety. Compare interns' and residents' experiences, attitudes and factors associated with speaking up about traditional versus professionalism-related safety threats. Anonymous, cross-sectional survey. Six US academic medical centres, 2013-2014. 1800 medical and surgical interns and residents (47% responded). Attitudes about, barriers and facilitators for, and self-reported experience with speaking up. Likelihood of speaking up and the potential for patient harm in two vignettes. Safety Attitude Questionnaire (SAQ) teamwork and safety scales; and Speaking Up Climate for Patient Safety (SUC-Safe) and Speaking Up Climate for Professionalism (SUC-Prof) scales. Respondents more commonly observed unprofessional behaviour (75%, 628/837) than traditional safety threats (49%, 410/837); p<0.001, but reported speaking up about unprofessional behaviour less commonly (46%, 287/628 vs 71%, 291/410; p<0.001). Respondents more commonly reported fear of conflict as a barrier to speaking up about unprofessional behaviour compared with traditional safety threats (58%, 482/837 vs 42%, 348/837; p<0.001). Respondents were also less likely to speak up to an attending physician in the professionalism vignette than the traditional safety vignette, even when they perceived high potential patient harm (20%, 49/251 vs 71%, 179/251; p<0.001). Positive perceptions of SAQ teamwork climate and SUC-Safe were independently associated with speaking up in the traditional safety vignette (OR 1.90, 99% CI 1.36 to 2.66 and 1.46, 1.02 to 2.09, respectively), while only a positive perception of SUC-Prof was associated with speaking up in the professionalism vignette (1.76, 1.23 to 2.50). Interns and residents commonly observed unprofessional behaviour yet were less likely to speak up about it compared with traditional safety threats even when they perceived high potential patient
Ad spending: maintaining market share.

PubMed

Jones, J P

1990-01-01

Accuracy in manufacturers' advertising budgeting is hampered by reliance on the case rate system, which ties budgets to sales. A better measure is a brand's market share compared with its share of voice (the brand's share of the total value of the main media exposure in that product category). New brands are often "investing" in the market: speaking in a louder voice than their market shares would justify. Popular brands are often "profit taking"--keeping their voices low but enjoying a disproportionately large market share. The interrelationship between market share and share of voice, with either "investing" or "profit taking" the desired result, is not usually considered when determining ad budgets. But as advertisers realize how market share can respond to advertising pressure through switches in the share of voice, this method of market testing should gain in importance.
A Comparative Study of the Effect of Subliminal Messages on Public Speaking Ability.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schnell, James A.

A study investigated the effectiveness of subliminal techniques (such as tape recorded programs) for improving public speaking ability. It was hypothesized that students who used subliminal tapes to improve public speaking ability would perform no differently from classmates who listened to identical-sounding placebo tape programs containing no…
Speaking and Listening in Content Area Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fisher, Douglas; Frey, Nancy

2014-01-01

Oral language development facilitates print literacy. In this article, we focus on the ways in which teachers can ensure students' speaking and listening skills are developed. We provide a review of some time-tests classroom routines as well as some that can be enhanced with technology.
Predictors of Likelihood of Speaking Up about Safety Concerns in Labour and Delivery

PubMed Central

Lyndon, Audrey; Sexton, J. Bryan; Simpson, Kathleen Rice; Rosenstein, Alan; Lee, Kathryn A.; Wachter, Robert M.

2011-01-01

Background Despite widespread emphasis on promoting “assertive communication” by caregivers as essential to patient safety improvement efforts, fairly little is known about when and how clinicians speak up to address safety concerns. In this cross-sectional study we use a new measure of speaking up to begin exploring this issue in maternity care. Methods We developed a scenario-based measure of clinician’s assessment of potential harm and likelihood of speaking up in response to perceived harm. We embedded this scale in a survey with measures of safety climate, teamwork climate, disruptive behaviour, work stress, and personality traits of bravery and assertiveness. The survey was distributed to all registered nurses and obstetricians practicing in two US Labour & Delivery units. Results The response rate was 54% (125 of 230 potential respondents). Respondents were experienced clinicians (13.7 ± 11 years in specialty). Higher perception of harm, respondent role, specialty experience, and site predicted likelihood of speaking up when controlling for bravery and assertiveness. Physicians rated potential harm in common clinical scenarios lower than nurses did (7.5 vs. 8.4 on 2–10 scale; p<0.001). Some participants (12%) indicated they were unlikely to speak up despite perceiving high potential for harm in certain situations. Discussion This exploratory study found nurses and physicians differed in their harm ratings, and harm rating was a predictor of speaking up. This may partially explain persistent discrepancies between physicians and nurses in teamwork climate scores. Differing assessments of potential harms inherent in everyday practice may be a target for teamwork intervention in maternity care. PMID:22927492
Development of an algorithm for improving quality and information processing capacity of MathSpeak synthetic speech renderings.

PubMed

Isaacson, M D; Srinivasan, S; Lloyd, L L

2010-01-01

MathSpeak is a set of rules for non speaking of mathematical expressions. These rules have been incorporated into a computerised module that translates printed mathematics into the non-ambiguous MathSpeak form for synthetic speech rendering. Differences between individual utterances produced with the translator module are difficult to discern because of insufficient pausing between utterances; hence, the purpose of this study was to develop an algorithm for improving the synthetic speech rendering of MathSpeak. To improve synthetic speech renderings, an algorithm for inserting pauses was developed based upon recordings of middle and high school math teachers speaking mathematic expressions. Efficacy testing of this algorithm was conducted with college students without disabilities and high school/college students with visual impairments. Parameters measured included reception accuracy, short-term memory retention, MathSpeak processing capacity and various rankings concerning the quality of synthetic speech renderings. All parameters measured showed statistically significant improvements when the algorithm was used. The algorithm improves the quality and information processing capacity of synthetic speech renderings of MathSpeak. This increases the capacity of individuals with print disabilities to perform mathematical activities and to successfully fulfill science, technology, engineering and mathematics academic and career objectives.
[The fight against rabies in Africa: from recognition to action].

PubMed

Dodet, B; Adjogoua, E V; Aguemon, A-R; Baba, B A; Bara Adda, S; Boumandouki, P; Bourhy, H; Brahimi, M; Briggs, D; Diallo, M K; Diarra, L; Diop, B; Diop, S A G; Fesriry, B; Gosseye, S; Kharmachi, H; Le Roux, K; Nakoune Yandoko, E; Nel, L; Ngome, J-M; Nzengue, E; Ramahefalalao, E F; Ratsitorahina, M; Rich, H; Simpore, L; Soufi, A; Tejiokem, M C; Thiombiano, R; Tiembre, I; Traore, A K; Wateba, M I; Yahaye, H; Zaouia, I

2010-02-01

As a follow-up to the first AfroREB (Africa Rabies Expert Bureau) meeting, held in Grand-Bassam (Côte-d'Ivoire) in March 2008, African rabies experts of the Afro-REB network met a second time to complete the evaluation of the rabies situation in Africa and define specific action plans. About forty French speaking rabies specialists from Northern, Western and Central Africa and Madagascar met in Dakar (Senegal), from March 16th to 19th, 2009. With the participation of delegates from Tunisia, who joined the AfroREB network this year, 15 French speaking African countries were represented. Experts from the Institut Pasteur in Paris, the Alliance for Rabies Control, and the Southern and Eastern African Rabies Group (SEARG, a network of rabies experts from 19 English speaking Southern and Eastern African countries) were in attendance, to participate in the discussion and share their experiences. AfroREB members documented 146 known human rabies cases in all represented countries combined for 2008, for a total population of 209.3 million, or an incidence of 0.07 cases per 100,000 people. Even admitting that the experts do not have access to all reported cases, this is far from the WHO estimation of 2 rabies deaths per 100,000 people in urban areas and 3.6 per 100,000 in rural Africa. It was unanimously agreed that the priority is to break the vicious cycle of indifference and lack of information which is the main barrier to human rabies prevention.
Sense of mastery differences between working-age Swedish- and Finnish-speaking Finns: a population-based study.

PubMed

Reini, Kaarina; Nyqvist, Fredrica

2017-06-01

To examine the probability of a high sense of mastery in a population-representative sample of working-age people and to study the differences in mastery between Finnish-speaking and Swedish-speaking Finns in particular. The data originates from the Western Finland Mental Health Surveys (2008-2014). Associations between sense of mastery and language groups were analyzed with logistic regressions. Swedish-speaking Finns have a higher sense of mastery and the association is mediated by social support. Moreover, a difference in a high sense of mastery is found between Swedish- and Finnish-speaking married women that are outside the labor market. Our findings imply that Finnish-speaking women that are outside the labor market, e.g. on maternity leave or taking care of the household, should be recognized in health and social care services as a group that can benefit from additional support.
Negative mental imagery in public speaking anxiety: Forming cognitive resistance by taxing visuospatial working memory.

PubMed

Homer, Sophie R; Deeprose, Catherine; Andrade, Jackie

2016-03-01

This study sought to reconcile two lines of research. Previous studies have identified a prevalent and causal role of negative imagery in social phobia and public speaking anxiety; others have demonstrated that lateral eye movements during visualisation of imagery reduce its vividness, most likely by loading the visuospatial sketchpad of working memory. It was hypothesised that using eye movements to reduce the intensity of negative imagery associated with public speaking may reduce anxiety resulting from imagining a public speaking scenario compared to an auditory control task. Forty undergraduate students scoring high in anxiety on the Personal Report of Confidence as a Speaker scale took part. A semi-structured interview established an image that represented the participant's public speaking anxiety, which was then visualised during an eye movement task or a matched auditory task. Reactions to imagining a hypothetical but realistic public speaking scenario were measured. As hypothesised, representative imagery was established and reduced in vividness more effectively by the eye movement task than the auditory task. The public speaking scenario was then visualised less vividly and generated less anxiety when imagined after performing the eye movement task than after the auditory task. Self-report measures and a hypothetical scenario rather than actual public speaking were used. Replication is required in larger as well as clinical samples. Visuospatial working memory tasks may preferentially reduce anxiety associated with personal images of feared events, and thus provide cognitive resistance which reduces emotional reactions to imagined, and potentially real-life future stressful experiences. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Use of Grammatical Morphemes by Mandarin-Speaking Children with High Functioning Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhou, Peng; Crain, Stephen; Gao, Liqun; Tang, Ye; Jia, Meixiang

2015-01-01

The present study investigated the production of grammatical morphemes by Mandarin-speaking children with high functioning autism. Previous research found that a subgroup of English-speaking children with autism exhibit deficits in the use of grammatical morphemes that mark tense. In order to see whether this impairment in grammatical morphology…
The Influence of Speaking a Dialect of Appalachian English on the College Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dunstan, Stephany Brett

2013-01-01

Many students will arrive at college speaking a dialect that is considered non-standardized or stigmatized due to the socially stratified nature of language. In the United States, where there are commonly held ideologies about the type of language that is considered "correct" or "proper," students who speak non-standardized…
Relationship between EFL Learners' Autonomy and Speaking Strategies They Use in Conversation Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Salehi, Hadi; Ebrahimi, Marziyeh; Sattar, Susan; Shojaee, Mohammad

2015-01-01

The present study was conducted at Parsayan Language Institute in Isfahan, Iran. The students in pre-intermediate and intermediate classes were examined to investigate the relationship between degrees of learner autonomy, use of strategies for coping with speaking problems and the learners' success in their speaking classes. To determine the…
Barriers to Professionalism in the Native-Speaking English Teacher Scheme in Hong Kong

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moorhouse, Benjamin Luke

2017-01-01

This article reports on a small-scale exploratory study that examined how native-speaking English teachers (NETs) working in the Primary Native-speaking English Teacher (PNET) Scheme construct their professional identity(ies) and explored the barriers to their professionalism that exist within their role and context. Data were collected using…
An Exploratory Study of a Measure of Vocational Identity for Spanish-Speaking Persons

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tosado, Luis Antonio, II

2012-01-01

Two overlapping issues have given rise to this study: the need for assessment instruments to use with Spanish-speaking Latinos and the need for normative data on current and future Spanish-language instruments. Numerous career assessment instruments exist for the English-speaking population. These instruments may be administered on computer-based…
An Analysis of Non-Native English-Speaking Graduate Teaching Assistants' Online Journal Entries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ates, Burcu; Eslami, Zohreh R.

2012-01-01

There has been increasing acknowledgment of the need to pursue studies related to nonnative English-speaking (NNES) professionals. In the last 10 years, a number of studies have discussed the experiences of non-native English-speaking teachers (NNESTs) in different educational settings and situations. However, the experiences of the NNES graduate…
What Do You Mean By That? The Art of Speaking and Writing Clearly.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ryckman, W. G.

Intended for professionals who wish to improve their confidence as well as their ability to speak and write clearly, this book contains practical information about effective communication. The first section of the book discusses the techniques of persuasive public speaking, including ways to break the ice, formal speeches, presentations, other…
Embedding 'speaking up' into systems for safe healthcare product development and marketing surveillance.

PubMed

Edwards, Brian; Hugman, Bruce; Tobin, Mary; Whalen, Matthew

2012-04-01

Robust, active cooperation, and effective, open communication between all stakeholders is essential for ensuring regulatory compliance and healthcare product safety; avoiding the necessity for whistle-blowing; and, most essentially, meeting the transparency requirements of public trust.The focus here is on what can be done within a healthcare product organization (HPO) to achieve actionable, sustainable policies and practices such as leadership, management, and supervision role-modelling of best practice; ongoing process review and improvements in every department; protection of those who report concerns through robust policies endorsed at Board level throughout an organization to eliminate the fear of retaliation; training in open, non-defensive team-working principles; and mediation structure and process for resolution of differences of opinion or interpretation of contradictory and volatile data.Based on analyses of other safety systems, workplace silence and interpersonal breakdowns are warning signs of defective systems underlying poor compliance and compromising safety. Remedying the situation requires attention to the root causes underlying such symptoms of dysfunction, especially the human factor, i.e. those factors that influence human performance. It is essential that leadership and management listen to employees' concerns about systems and processes, assess them impartially and reward contributions that improve safety.Fundamentally, the safety, transparency, and trustworthiness of HPOs, both commercial and regulatory, can be judged by the extent of the freedom of their staff to 'speak up' when the time is right. This, in turn, consolidates the trust of external stakeholders in the safety of a system and its products. The promotion of 'speaking up' in an organization provides an important safeguard against the risk of poor compliance and the undermining of societal confidence in the safety of healthcare products.
Telehealth Measures Screening for Developmental Language Disorders in Spanish-Speaking Toddlers

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Abstract Background: This is the second of two studies that described the use of telehealth language screening measures for use with young Spanish-speaking children. Introduction: The purpose of this study was to describe the classification accuracy of individual telehealth language screening measures as well as the accuracy of combinations of measures used with Spanish-speaking toddler-age children from rural and underserved areas of the country. Materials and Methods: This study applied an asynchronous hybrid telehealth approach that implemented parent-structured play activities with a standard set of stimuli, and interaction with a My First Words e-book. These interactions were recorded with a mini camcorder. In addition, a traditional pen and paper parent questionnaire measure was collected. Sixty-two mostly Spanish-speaking preschool-age children and their parents participated. Twenty-two children had developmental language disorders (DLDs) and 40 had typical language development. Results: Although several of the individual measures were significantly and strongly associated with standardized language scores, only reported vocabulary had classification accuracy values that were desirable for screening for DLDs. An improvement was observed when reported vocabulary was combined with a number of different words children produced during interactions with parents. Conclusions: This research provides additional evidence showing the effectiveness of a hybrid telehealth model in screening the language development of Spanish-speaking children. More specifically, reported vocabulary combined with number of different words produced by a child can provide informative and accurate diagnostic information when screening Spanish-speaking toddler-age children for DLDs. These findings replicate the first study in showing that hybrid telehealth approaches that combine the use of video technology and traditional pen and paper surveys yield strong results, and may be a viable
Morphosyntactic Development of Bangla-Speaking Preschool Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sultana, Asifa; Stokes, Stephanie; Klee, Thomas; Fletcher, Paul

2016-01-01

This study examines the morphosyntactic development, specifically verb morphology, of typically-developing Bangla-speaking children between the ages of two and four. Three verb forms were studied: the Present Simple, the Present Progressive and the Past Progressive. The study was motivated by the observations that reliable language-specific…
Reading in French-Speaking Adults with Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Jennifer; Cole, Pascale; Leuwers, Christel; Casalis, Severine; Zorman, Michel; Sprenger-Charolles, Liliane

2010-01-01

This study investigated the reading and reading-related skills of 15 French-speaking adults with dyslexia, whose performance was compared with that of chronological-age controls (CA) and reading-level controls (RL). Experiment 1 assessed the efficiency of their phonological reading-related skills (phonemic awareness, phonological short-term…
Speaking of food: connecting basic and applied plant science.

PubMed

Gross, Briana L; Kellogg, Elizabeth A; Miller, Allison J

2014-10-01

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) predicts that food production must rise 70% over the next 40 years to meet the demands of a growing population that is expected to reach nine billion by the year 2050. Many facets of basic plant science promoted by the Botanical Society of America are important for agriculture; however, more explicit connections are needed to bridge the gap between basic and applied plant research. This special issue, Speaking of Food: Connecting Basic and Applied Plant Science, was conceived to showcase productive overlaps of basic and applied research to address the challenges posed by feeding billions of people and to stimulate more research, fresh connections, and new paradigms. Contributions to this special issue thus illustrate some interactive areas of study in plant science-historical and modern plant-human interaction, crop and weed origins and evolution, and the effects of natural and artificial selection on crops and their wild relatives. These papers provide examples of how research integrating the basic and applied aspects of plant science benefits the pursuit of knowledge and the translation of that knowledge into actions toward sustainable production of crops and conservation of diversity in a changing climate. © 2014 Botanical Society of America, Inc.
Verbal Synchrony and Action Dynamics in Large Groups

PubMed Central

von Zimmermann, Jorina; Richardson, Daniel C.

2016-01-01

While synchronized movement has been shown to increase liking and feelings of togetherness between people, we investigated whether collective speaking in time would change the way that larger groups played a video game together. Anthropologists have speculated that the function of interpersonal coordination in dance, chants, and singing is not just to produce warm, affiliative feelings, but also to improve group action. The group that chants and dances together hunts well together. Direct evidence for this is sparse, as research so far has mainly studied pairs, the effects of coordinated physical movement, and measured cooperation and affiliative decisions. In our experiment, large groups of people were given response handsets to play a computer game together, in which only joint coordinative efforts lead to success. Before playing, the synchrony of their verbal behavior was manipulated. After the game, we measured group members’ affiliation toward their group, their performance on a memory task, and the way in which they played the group action task. We found that verbal synchrony in large groups produced affiliation, enhanced memory performance, and increased group members’ coordinative efforts. Our evidence suggests that the effects of synchrony are stable across modalities, can be generalized to larger groups and have consequences for action coordination. PMID:28082944
HIV-Related Stigma Among Spanish-speaking Latinos in an Emerging Immigrant Receiving City.

PubMed

Dolwick Grieb, Suzanne M; Shah, Harita; Flores-Miller, Alejandra; Zelaya, Carla; Page, Kathleen R

2017-08-01

HIV-related stigma has been associated with a reluctance to test for HIV among Latinos. This study assessed community HIV-related stigma within an emerging Latino immigrant receiving city. We conducted a brief survey among a convenience sample of 312 Spanish-speaking Latinos in Baltimore, Maryland. HIV-related stigma was assessed through six items. Associations between stigma items, socio-demographic characteristics, and HIV testing history were considered. Gender, education, and religiosity were significantly associated with stigmatizing HIV-related beliefs. For example, men were 3.4 times more likely to hold more than three stigmatizing beliefs than women, and were also twice as likely as women to report feeling hesitant to test for HIV for fear of people's reaction if the test is positive. These findings can help inform future stigma interventions in this community. In particular, we were able to distinguish between drivers of stigma such as fear and moralistic attitudes, highlighting specific actionable items.
Construct Validity in TOEFL iBT Speaking Tasks: Insights from Natural Language Processing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kyle, Kristopher; Crossley, Scott A.; McNamara, Danielle S.

2016-01-01

This study explores the construct validity of speaking tasks included in the TOEFL iBT (e.g., integrated and independent speaking tasks). Specifically, advanced natural language processing (NLP) tools, MANOVA difference statistics, and discriminant function analyses (DFA) are used to assess the degree to which and in what ways responses to these…
Do You Speak African? Teaching for Diversity Awareness in an Era of Globalization

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kambutu, John; Nganga, Lydiah

2014-01-01

Africa is a continent, not a country. Yet, a monolithic misunderstanding of Africa as a country is prevalent especially in the United States. Thus, Africans in the diaspora who speak heritage languages other than English are asked frequently if they speak African. This study countered existing misunderstandings through cultural immersion in Kenya,…
Effects of Video Streaming Technology on Public Speaking Students' Communication Apprehension and Competence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dupagne, Michel; Stacks, Don W.; Giroux, Valerie Manno

2007-01-01

This study examines whether video streaming can reduce trait and state communication apprehension, as well as improve communication competence, in public speaking classes. Video streaming technology has been touted as the next generation of video feedback for public speaking students because it is not limited by time or space and allows Internet…
Acculturation Profiles of Russian-Speaking Immigrants in Belgium and Their Socio-Economic Adaptation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grigoryev, Dmitry; van de Vijver, Fons

2017-01-01

This article presents the results of a study on the relationship of acculturation profiles of Russian-speaking immigrants in Belgium, the duration of their stay, and their socio-economic adaptation. The data came from a socio-psychological survey of 132 Russian-speaking immigrants in Belgium (first generation) and were processed using latent…
The development of the virtual reality system for the treatment of the fears of public speaking.

PubMed

Jo, H J; Ku, J H; Jang, D P; Shin, M B; Ahn, H B; Lee, J M; Cho, B H; Kim, S I

2001-01-01

The fear of public speaking is a kind of social phobias. The patients having the fear of public speaking show some symptoms like shame and timidity in the daily personal relationship. They are afraid that the other person would be puzzled, feel insulted, and they also fear that they should be underestimated for their mistakes. For the treatment of the fear of public speaking, the cognitive-behavioral therapy has been generally used. The cognitive-behavioral therapy is the method that makes the patients gradually experience some situations inducing the fears and overcome those at last. Recently, the virtual reality technology has been introduced as an alternative method for providing phobic situations. In this study, we developed the public speaking simulator and the virtual environments for the treatment of the fear of public speaking. The head-mounted display, the head-tracker and the 3 dimensional sound system were used for the immersive virtual environment. The imagery of the virtual environment consists of a seminar room and 8 virtual audiences. The patient will speak in front of these virtual audiences and the therapist can control motions, facial expressions, sounds, and voices of each virtual audience.
The Effects and Perceptions of Trained Peer Feedback in L2 Speaking: Impact on Revision and Speaking Quality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rodríguez-González, Eva; Castañeda, Martha E.

2018-01-01

The present study examined the impact of trained peer feedback on Spanish as a second language (L2) in terms of language performance, nature of feedback, and perceptions of peer feedback in speaking tasks. Participants in the study included 17 intermediate L2 Spanish learners enrolled in a conversation course that incorporated peer feedback…

Socializing English-Speaking Navajo Children to Storytelling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vining, Christine B.

2015-01-01

Understanding how young children are socialized to the process and products of storytelling as part of everyday family life is important for language and literacy instruction. A language socialization framework was used to understand storytelling practices on the Navajo Nation. This study examined how three young English-speaking Navajo children,…
Digitally Speaking: How to Improve Student Presentations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Palmer, Erik

2012-01-01

All teachers at all grade levels and in all subject areas assign speaking activities--for example, read-alouds, book reports, class discussions, lab results, research presentations, and dialogues in a foreign language. Effective communication is an essential skill in modern society, and the Common Core State Standards place particular emphasis on…
Advanced Persuasive Speaking, English, Speech: 5114.112.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dade County Public Schools, Miami, FL.

Developed as a high school quinmester unit on persuasive speaking, this guide provides the teacher with teaching strategies for a course which analyzes speeches from "Vital Speeches of the Day," political speeches, TV commercials, and other types of speeches. Practical use of persuasive methods for school, community, county, state, and…
Debate Instruction in EFL Classroom: Impacts on the Critical Thinking and Speaking Skill

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iman, Jaya Nur

2017-01-01

The research was aimed to find out whether or not using debate significantly improved the students' critical thinking and speaking skill achievements and how much debate contributed to each aspect of critical thinking and speaking skill. A quasi-experimental study of non-equivalent pretest- posttest control group design was used in this research.…
Validating TOEFL[R] iBT Speaking and Setting Score Requirements for ITA Screening

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Xi, Xiaoming

2007-01-01

Although the primary use of the speaking section of the Test of English as a Foreign Language Internet-based test (TOEFL[R] iBT Speaking) is to inform admissions decisions at English medium universities, it may also be useful as an initial screening measure for international teaching assistants (ITAs). This study provides criterion-related…
An Extended Optional Infinitive Stage in German-Speaking Children with Specific Language Impairment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rice, Mabel L.; Noll, Karen Ruff; Grimm, Hannelore

1997-01-01

Predictions were formulated for extended Optional Infinitives (OIs) stage in German-speaking children with specific language impairment and evaluated in clinical sample of 8 SLI German-speaking children, ages 4; 0 to 4; 8; and control group of 8 younger utterance-equivalent children, ages 2; 1 to 2; 7. Samples reveal that affected group more…
Understanding of diagnosis and medications among non-English-speaking older patients.

PubMed

Teo, Ken Gw; Tacey, Mark; Holbeach, Edwina

2018-01-28

To determine whether non-English-speaking background (NESB) patients had a poorer understanding of diagnosis and medications compared to English-speaking background (ESB) patients. English-speaking background and NESB patients admitted to inpatient geriatric evaluation and management (GEM) unit were asked standardised questions about their admission diagnosis, reason for GEM admission and medications. Accuracy of answers, as compared to medical notes, ranked as 'full credit', 'partial credit' or 'no credit'. Of the 66 patients recruited (30 NESB), understanding of diagnosis and purpose of GEM admission was good. There was no difference between ESB and NESB patients. Understanding of medications taken prior to admission was poor, with 67% of overall patients scoring 'no credit'. NESB patients were more likely to score 'no credit' compared to ESB (80% vs 56%, P = 0.036). Reassuringly, patients had a reasonable understanding of diagnosis and purpose of GEM admission. Lack of understanding of medications, especially among NESB patients, should be improved. © 2018 AJA Inc.
The Needs of the Spanish Speaking Mujer [Woman] in Woman-Manpower Training Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nieto-Gomez, Anna

Although the Spanish Speaking woman is usually considered to be outside the labor market, 36 percent of the 52 percent Spanish Speaking women were in the labor force in March 1972. These women suffer economic-sexist discrimination due to ascription of work according to sex and race by a racial-sexual hierarchy existing within the traditional…
Students' Personal Initiative towards Their Speaking Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liando, Nihta V. F.; Lumettu, Raesita

2017-01-01

This research aims at finding out students' personal initiative towards their achievement in speaking English. This research was conducted in an English department at a university in North Sulawesi Indonesia. The data were obtained from the sixth semester students in English Language and Literature study program of academic year 2015/2016…
False Belief Understanding in Cantonese-Speaking Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tardif, Twila; Wellman, Henry M.; Cheung, Kar Man

2004-01-01

The present study investigates the performance of 96 Cantonese-speaking three- to five-year-old preschoolers on three false belief tasks--a deceptive object, a change of location, and an unexpected contents task encompassing a variety of task factors. Most importantly, the research examines the possibility that false belief performance depends on…
Spanish-Speaking Children's Production of Number Morphology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arias-Trejo, Natalia; Abreu-Mendoza, Roberto A.; Aguado-Servín, Oscar A.

2014-01-01

Infants across cultures need to identify the characteristics of their native languages in order to become competent speakers. The means by which Spanish-speaking children learn to produce number-gender linguistic markers has not been sufficiently investigated. Thirty-eight three-year-olds were tested in Berko-like production tasks, in which they…
Administrator Bolden Speaks at AIAA and WIA Luncheon

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-12-09

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden speaks during a luncheon co-hosted by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and Women In Aerospace (WIA) Wednesday, Dec., 9, 2009 at the Ritz-Carlton in Arlington, Va. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Hypoglycemia perception: Cross-cultural differences in Punjabi and Hindi speaking postmenopausal women.

PubMed

Bhutani, Jaikrit; Kalra, Sanjay; Bhutani, Sukriti; Kalra, Bharti

2013-10-01

The cross cultural differences in perception of menopausal symptoms are well known and these differences in perception of hypoglycemic symptoms in Russian-speaking and Caucasian postmenopausal women have been reported. This study assessed cross - linguistic and cross - cultural differences in symptomatology of self reported hypoglycemia, between Punjabi and Hindi speaking diabetic post menopausal women. Thirty Punjabi speaking and 20 Hindi speaking diabetic postmenopausal women aged over 50 years, were recruited for this study. Each subject was asked, what happens to you when you have low sugar? in the language of her choice, and spontaneous answers were recorded verbatim. The data so obtained was analyzed by paper and pen method to obtain an understanding of the frequency of self reporting of various symptoms and then analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science ver.19.0. Symptoms of hollowness, cold sweats and headache correlated significantly (P < 0.0001, P = 0.0001 and P = 0.03 respectively). One difference was noted in women from rural vs. urban background: Inability to concentrate was more frequent in urban women (4/23) vs rural women (0/27) (P < 0.0001). To our knowledge, this is the first exploratory work highlighting the differences in self reported hypoglycemia symptomatology, based on linguistic background. In India and other countries with multi ethnic, multi linguistic societies, linguistic competence in hypoglycemia history taking is important. Incidence of hypoglycemia in the subjects enrolled was not assessed. Many of the subjects in the Punjabi speaking cohort were bilingual. Some symptoms of hypoglycemia may have been missed or over-reported by participants. Diabetes care professionals should be aware that persons with diabetes from varying linguistic backgrounds may report symptoms of hypoglycemia differently.
Effects of a senior practicum course on nursing students' confidence in speaking up for patient safety.

PubMed

Kent, Lauren; Anderson, Gabrielle; Ciocca, Rebecca; Shanks, Linda; Enlow, Michele

2015-03-01

As patient advocates, nurses are responsible for speaking up against unsafe practices. Nursing students must develop the confidence to speak up for patient safety so that they can hold themselves, as well as their peers and coworkers, accountable for patients' well-being. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a senior practicum course on confidence for speaking up for patient safety in nursing students. Confidence in speaking up for patient safety was measured with the Health Professional Education in Patient Safety Survey. The study showed a significant increase in nursing students' confidence after the senior practicum course, but there was no significant change in students' confidence in questioning someone of authority. Copyright 2015, SLACK Incorporated.
The efficacy of focus group discussion in teaching ESP speaking skill for prospective vocational school teacher

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nurmasitah, Sita; Faridi, Abdurrachman; Utomo, Aryo Baskoro; Astuti, Pudji

2018-03-01

The aims of the study were to implement the focus group discussion in teaching English for Specific Purposes (ESP) speaking skill for prospective Vocational School teacher and also to find out its effectiveness in improving their English speaking skill in ESP course. Quasi-experimental design was employed in this research. Thirty students of Family Welfare Vocational Education Study Program who were taking ESP course, were divided into two classes; experimental and control class. The research data were collected through interview, observation and the students' speaking assessment. The result showed that the implementation of focus group discussion method in the experimental class effectively increased the students' speaking skill compared to the control class.
Public speaking for the healthcare professional: Part I--Preparing for the program.

PubMed

Baum, Neil

2011-01-01

It is true that most doctors do not enjoy public speaking. Most physicians, although good with one-on-one conversations with patients, are out of their comfort zone when it comes to speaking in front of other physicians, colleagues, and even lay persons. This three-part article will discuss the preparation, the presentation, and what you need to do after the program is over in order to become an effective public speaker.
Learning to Remember by Learning to Speak

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ettlinger, Marc; Lanter, Jennifer; Van Pay, Craig K.

2014-01-01

Does the language we speak affect the way we think, and if so, how? Previous researchers have considered this question by exploring the cognitive abilities of speakers of different languages. In the present study, we looked for evidence of linguistic relativity within a language and within participants by looking at memory recall for monolingual…
Improving Scores on the IELTS Speaking Test

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Issitt, Steve

2008-01-01

This article presents three strategies for teaching students who are taking the IELTS speaking test. The first strategy is aimed at improving confidence and uses a variety of self-help materials from the field of popular psychology. The second encourages students to think critically and invokes a range of academic perspectives. The third strategy…
Speaking and Listening through Drama 7 - 11

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prendiville, Francis; Toye, Nigel

2007-01-01

Showing teachers how to use drama to promote speaking and listening for pupils, including those who find learning difficult, this book describes, analyses and teaches how to use role play effectively and looks at how to generate a productive dialogue between teachers and pupils that is both powerful and enabling. The authors present innovative…
Turkish and Kurdish Speaking Teachers in the Danish Folkeskole: The Ambiguous Concept of Equality.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moldenhawer, Bolette

1999-01-01

Studied the functions of Turkish- and Kurdish-speaking teachers in the Danish "folkeskole" and their positions relative to other teachers in the system. Despite their Danish teaching qualifications, most still attend to the integration of Turkish- and Kurdish-speaking minority students and occupy a subordinate position to majority…

The Supervision Experiences of Non-Hispanic Bilingual Therapists Who Worked with Spanish-Speaking Clients

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arzate, Nancy Ascencio

2014-01-01

This study utilized a qualitative approach to explore the supervision experiences of nine participants (seven females and two males) or non-Hispanic bilingual therapists who worked with Spanish-speaking clients and were under the supervision of a monolingual English-speaking supervisor. Their interviews data were audio recorded, transcribed and…
Young Spanish-English Speaking Children's Reading Attitudes in Relation to Language Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wood, Carla L.; Gabas, Clariebelle M.

2017-01-01

Background: Reading attitudes are recognised as an influencing factor on the language and literacy achievement of school age monolingual English-speaking children. The relationship between reading attitudes and achievement in young Spanish-speaking English Learners (ELs) remains understudied. Purpose: The aim of the current study was to describe…
Effects of Length, Complexity, and Grammatical Correctness on Stuttering in Spanish-Speaking Preschool Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watson, Jennifer B.; Byrd, Courtney T.; Carlo, Edna J.

2011-01-01

Purpose: To explore the effects of utterance length, syntactic complexity, and grammatical correctness on stuttering in the spontaneous speech of young, monolingual Spanish-speaking children. Method: Spontaneous speech samples of 11 monolingual Spanish-speaking children who stuttered, ages 35 to 70 months, were examined. Mean number of syllables,…
Collections and Services for the Spanish-Speaking: Accessibility.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marquis, Solina Kasten

2003-01-01

Discusses making public library collections accessible to Spanish-speaking users and describes the consequences that can result from inattention to linguistic and cultural accessibility. Topics include cataloging issues and solutions; labeling; shelving; signage; electronic access; Spanish language training for staff; intercultural communication;…
Enhancing Hispanic participation in mental health clinical research: development of a Spanish-speaking depression research site.

PubMed

Aponte-Rivera, Vivianne; Dunlop, Boadie W; Ramirez, Cynthia; Kelley, Mary E; Schneider, Rebecca; Blastos, Beatriz; Larson, Jacqueline; Mercado, Flavia; Mayberg, Helen; Craighead, W Edward

2014-03-01

Hispanics, particularly those with limited English proficiency, are underrepresented in psychiatric clinical research studies. We developed a bilingual and bicultural research clinic dedicated to the recruitment and treatment of Spanish-speaking subjects in the Predictors of Remission in Depression to Individual and Combined Treatments (PReDICT) study, a large clinical trial of treatment-naïve subjects with major depressive disorder (MDD). Demographic and clinical data derived from screening evaluations of the first 1,174 subjects presenting for participation were compared between the Spanish-speaking site (N = 275) and the primary English-speaking site (N = 899). Reasons for ineligibility (N = 888) for the PReDICT study were tallied for each site. Compared to English speakers, Spanish speakers had a lower level of education and were more likely to be female, uninsured, and have uncontrolled medical conditions. Clinically, Spanish speakers demonstrated greater depression severity, with higher mean symptom severity scores, and a greater number of previous suicide attempts. Among the subjects who were not randomized into the PReDICT study, Spanish-speaking subjects were more likely to have an uncontrolled medical condition or refuse participation, whereas English-speaking subjects were more likely to have bipolar disorder or a non-MDD depressive disorder. Recruitment of Hispanic subjects with MDD is feasible and may enhance efforts at signal detection, given the higher severity of depression among Spanish-speaking participants presenting for clinical trials. Specific approaches for the recruitment and retention of Spanish-speaking participants are required. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Enhancing Hispanic Participation in Mental Health Clinical Research: Development of a Spanish-speaking Depression Research Site

PubMed Central

Rivera, Vivianne Aponte; Dunlop, Boadie W.; Ramirez, Cynthia; Kelley, Mary E.; Schneider, Rebecca; Blastos, Beatriz; Larson, Jacqueline; Mercado, Flavia; Mayberg, Helen; Craighead, W. Edward

2015-01-01

Background Hispanics, particularly those with limited English proficiency, are underrepresented in psychiatric clinical research studies. We developed a bilingual and bicultural research clinic dedicated to the recruitment and treatment of Spanish-speaking subjects in the Predictors of Remission in Depression to Individual and Combined Treatments (PReDICT) study, a large clinical trial of treatment-naïve subjects with major depressive disorder (MDD). Methods Demographic and clinical data derived from screening evaluations of the first 1,174 subjects presenting for participation were compared between the Spanish-speaking site (N=275) and the primary English-speaking site (N=899). Reasons for ineligibility (N=888) for the PReDICT study were tallied for each site. Results Compared to English-speakers, Spanish-speakers had a lower level of education and were more likely to be female, uninsured, and have uncontrolled medical conditions. Clinically, Spanish-speakers demonstrated greater depression severity, with higher mean symptom severity scores, and a greater number of previous suicide attempts. Among the subjects who were not randomized into the PReDICT study, Spanish-speaking subjects were more likely to have an uncontrolled medical condition or refuse participation, whereas English-speaking subjects were more likely to have bipolar disorder or a non-MDD depressive disorder. Conclusion Recruitment of Hispanic subjects with MDD is feasible and may enhance efforts at signal detection, given the higher severity of depression among Spanish-speaking participants presenting for clinical trials. Specific approaches for the recruitment and retention of Spanish-speaking participants are required. PMID:23959771
[Bioethics and the French speaking world: an answer to globalization].

PubMed

Byk, Christian

2009-01-01

Are we able, today, to take a step closer to bringing together the French speaking world and bioethics by realizing that their association could provide a profound view of the current evolution of our world characterized by what is referred to as globalization? Could we be even more ambitious and register the specificity of the rapport between the French speaking world and bioethics confronted with this global phenomenon of deconstruction/reconstruction of the planetary order by setting as its path a dynamic balance, which is an integral part of the use of the French language and cultural diversity, a central point in a truly pluridisciplinary and pluralist bioethics?
[Nursing care of patients fitted with a tracheostomy speaking valve].

PubMed

Liao, Shu-Chen; Lin, Chia-Ling; Kao, Wei-Hwa; Chang, Yueh-Jiuan

2006-08-01

As the number of patients who are ventilator dependent increase, the tracheostomy has become an increasingly popular procedure. Inability to either communicate verbally or take food and liquids orally constitute the main distress symptom of patients, which can delay progress in treating the conditions of patients undergoing tracheostomies. Passy-Muir speaking valves (PMV) succeed in overcoming the abovementioned problems and clinical practice is gradually broadening. This article introduces the relevant underlying principles, indications, advantages, disadvantages and nursing principles of PMV. We hope this article can provide new information related to the PMV speaking valve and, as a result, help improve patient's security and medical quality.
An Instrument to Assess Self-Statements During Public Speaking: Scale Development and Preliminary Psychometric Properties

PubMed Central

Hofmann, Stefan G.; DiBartolo, Patricia Marten

2006-01-01

Public speaking is the most commonly reported fearful social situation. Although a number of contemporary theories emphasize the importance of cognitive processes in social anxiety, there is no instrument available to assess fearful thoughts experienced during public speaking. The Self-Statements During Public Speaking (SSPS) scale is a 10-item questionnaire consisting of two 5-item subscales, the “Positive Self-Statements” (SSPS-P) and the “Negative Self-Statements” subscale (SSPS-N). Four studies report on the development and the preliminary psychometric properties of this instrument. PMID:16763666
Silence That Can Be Dangerous: A Vignette Study to Assess Healthcare Professionals’ Likelihood of Speaking up about Safety Concerns

PubMed Central

Schwappach, David L. B.; Gehring, Katrin

2014-01-01

Purpose To investigate the likelihood of speaking up about patient safety in oncology and to clarify the effect of clinical and situational context factors on the likelihood of voicing concerns. Patients and Methods 1013 nurses and doctors in oncology rated four clinical vignettes describing coworkers’ errors and rule violations in a self-administered factorial survey (65% response rate). Multiple regression analysis was used to model the likelihood of speaking up as outcome of vignette attributes, responder’s evaluations of the situation and personal characteristics. Results Respondents reported a high likelihood of speaking up about patient safety but the variation between and within types of errors and rule violations was substantial. Staff without managerial function provided significantly higher levels of decision difficulty and discomfort to speak up. Based on the information presented in the vignettes, 74%−96% would speak up towards a supervisor failing to check a prescription, 45%−81% would point a coworker to a missed hand disinfection, 82%−94% would speak up towards nurses who violate a safety rule in medication preparation, and 59%−92% would question a doctor violating a safety rule in lumbar puncture. Several vignette attributes predicted the likelihood of speaking up. Perceived potential harm, anticipated discomfort, and decision difficulty were significant predictors of the likelihood of speaking up. Conclusions Clinicians’ willingness to speak up about patient safety is considerably affected by contextual factors. Physicians and nurses without managerial function report substantial discomfort with speaking up. Oncology departments should provide staff with clear guidance and trainings on when and how to voice safety concerns. PMID:25116338
Characteristics of stuttering-like disfluencies in Dutch-speaking children.

PubMed

Boey, Ronny A; Wuyts, Floris L; Van de Heyning, Paul H; De Bodt, Marc S; Heylen, Louis

2007-01-01

The purpose of this study was to compare the characteristics of stuttering-like disfluencies in a group of native Dutch-speaking children who stutter (n=693), with a group of normally fluent children (n=79). Methods involved the observation of stuttering-like disfluencies in participants' conversational speech samples (total 77,200 words), particularly the frequency, duration and physical tension of instances of stuttering. Findings indicate that stuttering-like disfluencies exhibited by children who stutter are significantly more frequent, longer in duration and involve more physical tension when compared to those of normally fluent children. Furthermore, applying a criterion of 3% stuttering-like disfluencies to distinguish stuttering from normally fluent children resulted in a high degree of sensitivity (0.9452) and specificity (0.9747). Results were taken to suggest that characteristics of stuttering-like disfluencies of Dutch-speaking children are similar to those of English-speaking children and that talker group membership criteria for childhood stuttering can reasonably be extrapolated from the Dutch to the English language and vice versa. The reader will be able to: (1) describe characteristics of stuttering-like disfluencies, (2) define properties such as frequency, duration and physical tension for stuttering children and normally fluent children, and (3) make use of data on sensitivity and specificity of the criterion of 3% stuttering-like disfluencies to distinguish stuttering and normally fluent children.
Classification Accuracy of Brief Parent Report Measures of Language Development in Spanish-Speaking Toddlers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guiberson, Mark; Rodriguez, Barbara L.; Dale, Philip S.

2011-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of the current study was to examine the concurrent validity and classification accuracy of 3 parent report measures of language development in Spanish-speaking toddlers. Method: Forty-five Spanish-speaking parents and their 2-year-old children participated. Twenty-three children had expressive language delays (ELDs) as…
Contextualizing Performances: Comparing Performances during TOEFL iBT™ and Real-Life Academic Speaking Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brooks, Lindsay; Swain, Merrill

2014-01-01

In this study we compare test takers' performance on the Speaking section of the TOEFL iBT™and their performances during their real-life academic studies. Thirty international graduate students from mixed language backgrounds in two different disciplines (Sciences and Social Sciences) responded to two independent and four integrated speaking tasks…
Comparative ex vivo study on humidifying function of three speaking valves with integrated heat and moisture exchanger for tracheotomised patients.

PubMed

van den Boer, C; Lansaat, L; Muller, S H; van den Brekel, M W M; Hilgers, F J M

2015-12-01

Assessment of humidifying function of tracheotomy speaking valves with integrated heat and moisture exchanger. Ex vivo measurement of water exchange and storage capacity of three tracheotomy speaking valves: Humidiphon Plus, Spiro and ProTrach DualCare (with two different heat and moisture exchangers: XtraMoist and Regular). Comprehensive Cancer Centre. Healthy volunteer. Difference between end-inspiratory and end-expiratory weight as measure for water exchange capacity, weight after 10 min breathing as measure for water storage capacity, weighing at 1-min intervals to assess residual water exchange potential in speaking mode and absolute humidity in mg/L as measure for environmental and respiratory humidity. None of the tracheotomy speaking valves provides humidification while in speaking mode. Only the ProTrach DualCare allows blocking the speaking valve and breathing through the heat and moisture exchanger during inhalation and exhalation (heat and moisture exchanger mode). This leads to an increase in inspiratory humidity of 2.5 mg (XtraMoist) and 1.6 mg (Regular). There was no measurable water storage in speaking mode in any of the three tracheotomy speaking valves. In breathing mode, water storage in the DualCare heat and moisture exchangers was 47 and 37 mg, respectively. The remaining humidifying potential in speaking mode after 10 min breathing in heat and moisture exchanger mode for XtraMoist was 38%, 15% and 10% at 1, 2 and 3 min, respectively. For Regular, this was 47%, 24% and 13%, respectively. Tracheostoma valves with integrated heat and moisture exchanger have no humidification function in speaking mode. Only ProTrach DualCare, allowing blocking the speaking mode, in heat and moisture exchanger mode enables a significant increase in humidification. Regular switching between speaking and heat and moisture exchanger mode with this latter device prolongs the humidification in speaking mode. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Pair Negotiation When Developing English Speaking Tasks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bohórquez Suárez, Ingrid Liliana; Gómez Sará, Mary Mily; Medina Mosquera, Sindy Lorena

2011-01-01

This study analyzes what characterizes the negotiations of seventh graders at a public school in Bogotá when working in pairs to develop speaking tasks in EFL classes. The inquiry is a descriptive case study that follows the qualitative paradigm. As a result of analyzing the data, we obtained four consecutive steps that characterize students'…
Time to question diabetes self-management support for Arabic-speaking migrants: exploring a new model of care.

PubMed

Alzubaidi, H; Mc Namara, K; Browning, C

2017-03-01

The objective of this study was to explore a new model for diabetes self-management support in Arabic-speaking migrants. Two qualitative methods were used: face-to-face semi-structured individual interviews and focus groups. Interviews were audio-taped, transcribed verbatim and coded thematically. Arabic-speaking migrants with Type 2 diabetes were recruited from several primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare settings in metropolitan Melbourne, Australia. These settings were purposefully selected to obtain a diverse group of participants. Data collection continued until saturation was reached. This is the first study that involved members of Arabic-speaking communities in Australia in a formal process of consumer and public involvement to inform research design and recruitment in order to provide evidence for a new model of diabetes self-management for Arabic-speaking migrants. No self-management support was offered to Arabic-speaking migrants beyond the initial diagnosis period. Significant knowledge gaps and skills deficits in all self-management domains were evident. The provision of tailored self-management support was considered crucial. When asked about preferred structure and delivery modalities, a strong preference was reported for face-to-face storytelling interactions over telephone- or internet-based interventions. Gender-specific group education and self-management support sessions delivered by Arabic-speaking diabetes health professionals, lay peers or social workers trained in diabetes self-management were highly regarded. A patient and public involvement approach allows genuine engagement with Arabic-speaking migrants with diabetes. There is urgent need for a new model for self-management support among Arabic-speaking migrants. Findings yielded new recommendations for diabetes health professionals working with these migrant communities to support behaviour change. © 2016 Diabetes UK.
Speaking rate affects the perception of duration as a suprasegmental lexical-stress cue.

PubMed

Reinisch, Eva; Jesse, Alexandra; McQueen, James M

2011-06-01

Three categorization experiments investigated whether the speaking rate of a preceding sentence influences durational cues to the perception of suprasegmental lexical-stress patterns. Dutch two-syllable word fragments had to be judged as coming from one of two longer words that matched the fragment segmentally but differed in lexical stress placement. Word pairs contrasted primary stress on either the first versus the second syllable or the first versus the third syllable. Duration of the initial or the second syllable of the fragments and rate of the preceding context (fast vs. slow) were manipulated. Listeners used speaking rate to decide about the degree of stress on initial syllables whether the syllables' absolute durations were informative about stress (Experiment Ia) or not (Experiment Ib). Rate effects on the second syllable were visible only when the initial syllable was ambiguous in duration with respect to the preceding rate context (Experiment 2). Absolute second syllable durations contributed little to stress perception (Experiment 3). These results suggest that speaking rate is used to disambiguate words and that rate-modulated stress cues are more important on initial than noninitial syllables. Speaking rate affects perception of suprasegmental information.
The utilization of oncology web-based resources in Spanish-speaking Internet users.

PubMed

Simone, Charles B; Hampshire, Margaret K; Vachani, Carolyn; Metz, James M

2012-12-01

There currently are few web-based resources written in Spanish providing oncology-specific information. This study examines utilization of Spanish-language oncology web-based resources and evaluates oncology-related Internet browsing practices of Spanish-speaking patients. OncoLink (http://www.oncolink.org) is the oldest and among the largest Internet-based cancer information resources. In September 2005, OncoLink pioneered OncoLink en español (OEE) (http://es.oncolink.org), a Spanish translation of OncoLink. Internet utilization data on these sites for 2006 to 2007 were compared. Visits to OncoLink rose from 4,440,843 in 2006 to 5,125,952 in 2007. OEE had 204,578 unique visitors and 240,442 visits in 2006, and 351,228 visitors and 412,153 visits in 2007. Although there was no time predilection for viewing OncoLink, less relative browsing on OEE was conducted during weekends and early morning hours. Although OncoLink readers searched for information on the most common cancers in the United States, OEE readers most often search for gastric, vaginal, osteosarcoma, leukemia, penile, cervical, and testicular malignancies. Average visit duration on OEE was shorter, and fewer readers surveyed OEE more than 15 minutes (4.5% vs. 14.9%, P < 0.001). Spanish-speaking users of web-based oncology resources are increasingly using the Internet to supplement their cancer knowledge. Limited available resources written in Spanish contribute to disparities in information access and disease outcomes. Spanish-speaking oncology readers differ from English-speaking readers in day and time of Internet browsing, visit duration, Internet search patterns, and types of cancers searched. By acknowledging these differences, content of web-based oncology resources can be developed to best target the needs of Spanish-speaking viewers.
The Utilization of Oncology Web-based Resources in Spanish-speaking Internet Users

PubMed Central

Simone, Charles B.; Hampshire, Margaret K.; Vachani, Carolyn; Metz, James M.

2011-01-01

Objectives: There currently are few web-based resources written in Spanish providing oncology-specific information. This study examines utilization of Spanish-language oncology web-based resources and evaluates oncology-related Internet browsing practices of Spanish-speaking patients. Methods: OncoLink (http://www.oncolink.org) is the oldest and among the largest Internet-based cancer information resources. In 9/2005, OncoLink pioneered OncoLink en español (OEE) (http://es.oncolink.org), a Spanish translation of OncoLink. Internet utilization data on these sites for 2006-2007 were compared. Results: Visits to OncoLink rose from 4,440,843 in 2006 to 5,125,952 in 2007. OEE had 204,578 unique visitors and 240,442 visits in 2006, and 351,228 visitors and 412,153 visits in 2007. While there was no time predilection for viewing OncoLink, less relative browsing on OEE was conducted during weekends and early morning hours. While OncoLink readers searched for information on the most common cancers in the United States, OEE readers most often search for gastric, vaginal, osteosarcoma, leukemia, penile, cervical, and testicular malignancies. Average visit duration on OEE was shorter, and fewer readers surveyed OEE >15 minutes (4.5% vs. 14.9%, p<0.001). Conclusions: Spanish-speaking users of web-based oncology resources are increasingly using the Internet to supplement their cancer knowledge. Limited available resources written in Spanish contribute to disparities in information access and disease outcomes. Spanish-speaking oncology readers differ from English-speaking readers in day and time of Internet browsing, visit duration, Internet search patterns, and types of cancers searched. By acknowledging these differences, content of web-based oncology resources can be developed to best target the needs of Spanish-speaking viewers. PMID:21654312
Hypoglycemia perception: Cross-cultural differences in Punjabi and Hindi speaking postmenopausal women

PubMed Central

Bhutani, Jaikrit; Kalra, Sanjay; Bhutani, Sukriti; Kalra, Bharti

2013-01-01

Introduction: The cross cultural differences in perception of menopausal symptoms are well known and these differences in perception of hypoglycemic symptoms in Russian-speaking and Caucasian postmenopausal women have been reported. Aims and objectives: This study assessed cross – linguistic and cross – cultural differences in symptomatology of self reported hypoglycemia, between Punjabi and Hindi speaking diabetic post menopausal women. Material and Methods: Thirty Punjabi speaking and 20 Hindi speaking diabetic postmenopausal women aged over 50 years, were recruited for this study. Each subject was asked, what happens to you when you have low sugar? in the language of her choice, and spontaneous answers were recorded verbatim. Statistical analysis: The data so obtained was analyzed by paper and pen method to obtain an understanding of the frequency of self reporting of various symptoms and then analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science ver.19.0. Results: Symptoms of hollowness, cold sweats and headache correlated significantly (P < 0.0001, P = 0.0001 and P = 0.03 respectively). One difference was noted in women from rural vs. urban background: Inability to concentrate was more frequent in urban women (4/23) vs rural women (0/27) (P < 0.0001). Discussion: To our knowledge, this is the first exploratory work highlighting the differences in self reported hypoglycemia symptomatology, based on linguistic background. In India and other countries with multi ethnic, multi linguistic societies, linguistic competence in hypoglycemia history taking is important. Limitations: Incidence of hypoglycemia in the subjects enrolled was not assessed. Many of the subjects in the Punjabi speaking cohort were bilingual. Some symptoms of hypoglycemia may have been missed or over-reported by participants. Conclusion: Diabetes care professionals should be aware that persons with diabetes from varying linguistic backgrounds may report symptoms of hypoglycemia differently

Educational inequalities in mortality and associated risk factors: German--versus French-speaking Switzerland.

PubMed

Faeh, David; Bopp, Matthias

2010-09-22

Between the French- and German-speaking areas of Switzerland, there are distinct differences in mortality, similar to those between Germany and France. Assessing corresponding inequalities may elucidate variations in mortality and risk factors, thereby uncovering public health potential. Our aim was to analyze educational inequalities in all-cause and cause-specific mortality in the two Swiss regions and to compare this with inequalities in behavioural risk factors and self-rated health. The Swiss National Cohort, a longitudinal census-based record linkage study, provided mortality and survival time data (3.5 million individuals, 40-79 years, 261,314 deaths, 1990-2000). The Swiss Health Survey 1992/93 provided cross-sectional data on risk factors. Inequalities were calculated as percentage of change in mortality rate (survival time, hazard ratio) or risk factor prevalence (odds ratio) per year of additional education using multivariable Cox and logistic regression. Significant inequalities in mortality were found for all causes of death in men and for most causes in women. Inequalities were largest in men for causes related to smoking and alcohol use and in women for circulatory diseases. Gradients in all-cause mortality were more pronounced in younger and middle-aged men, especially in German-speaking Switzerland. Mortality inequalities tended to be larger in German-speaking Switzerland whereas inequalities in associated risk factors were generally more pronounced in French-speaking Switzerland. With respect to inequalities in mortality and associated risk factors, we found characteristic differences between German- and French-speaking Switzerland, some of which followed gradients described in Europe. These differences only partially reflected inequalities in associated risk factors.
Language and False Belief: Evidence for General, Not Specific, Effects in Cantonese-Speaking Preschoolers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tardif, Twila; So, Catherine Wing-Chee; Kaciroti, Niko

2007-01-01

Two studies were conducted with Cantonese-speaking preschoolers examining J. de Villiers's (1995) hypothesis that syntactic complements play a unique role in the acquisition of false belief (FB). In Study 1, the authors found a positive correlation between FB and syntactic complements in 72 four- to six-year-old Cantonese-speaking preschoolers.…
The Application of Weikart's Theories in Teaching Non-English Speaking Students How to Read.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Layton, Kent

Non-English speaking students of average intelligence experience extreme frustration when learning to read. The frustration is partly a result of simultaneous requirements to speak, read, listen, and write in the new language. It also is possible that the teaching methods and strategies employed by the teachers could be harmful to non-English…
Heritage Language Acquisition and Maintenance: Home Literacy Practices of Japanese-Speaking Families in Canada

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nomura, Takako; Caidi, Nadia

2013-01-01

Introduction: In this study, we examine the case of Japanese-speaking families in Canada and their experiences with teaching a heritage language at home, along with the uses and perceived usefulness of public library resources, collections, and services in the process. Methods: We interviewed fourteen mothers who speak Japanese to their children.…
To Speak Like a TED Speaker--A Case Study of TED Motivated English Public Speaking Study in EFL Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Yingxia; Gao, Ying; Zhang, Dongyu

2016-01-01

This paper intends to investigate the effectiveness of a new course pattern--TED-motivated English Public Speaking Course in EFL teaching in China. This class framework adopts TED videos as the learning materials to stimulate students to be a better speaker. Meanwhile, it aims to examine to what extent the five aspects of language skills are…
Predicting mutational change in the speaking voice of boys.

PubMed

Fuchs, Michael; Fröehlich, Matthias; Hentschel, Bettina; Stuermer, Ingo W; Kruse, Eberhard; Knauft, Daniel

2007-03-01

The authors investigated whether acoustic speaking voice analyses can be used to predict the beginning of mutation in 21 male members of a professional boys' choir. Over a period of 3 years before mutation, children were examined every 3 months by ear, nose, and throat (ENT) and phoniatric specialists. At the same time, the voice was evaluated acoustically using analysis features of the Goettingen Hoarseness Diagram (GHD). Irregularity component and noise component, jitter, shimmer, mean waveform correlation coefficient, and fundamental frequency were determined from recordings of the speaking voice. Significant changes of acoustic features appeared 7 and 5 months before mutation onset, which indicates that vocal function is already restricted 6 months before mutation onset. This acoustic voice analysis is therefore suitable to support the care of the professional singing voice.
Social constraints and quality of life among Chinese-speaking breast cancer survivors: a mediation model.

PubMed

You, Jin; Lu, Qian

2014-11-01

Literature has revealed detrimental effects of unsupportive interpersonal interactions on adjustment to cancer. However, no studies have examined this effect and the underlying psychological pathways among Chinese-speaking breast cancer survivors. The study investigated the relationship between social constraints and adjustment to cancer and the underlying psychological pathways among Chinese-speaking breast cancer survivors. Chinese-speaking breast cancer survivors (N = 120) completed a questionnaire package assessing social constraints, intrusive thoughts, affect, and quality of life. Results revealed a negative relationship between social constraints and quality of life. Such a relationship between social constraints and quality of life was mediated by negative affect and intrusive thoughts, while the association of intrusive thoughts and quality of life were completely mediated by positive and negative affect. Findings highlight the negative association between unsupportive interpersonal interactions and adjustment through cognitive and affective pathways among Chinese-speaking breast cancer survivors.
Evaluation and comparison of epidural analgesia in labour related information on French and English-speaking websites.

PubMed

Espitalier, Fabien; De Lamer, Sabine; Barbaz, Mathilde; Laffon, Marc; Remérand, Francis

2018-01-31

The medical information on the Internet is better in English than in other languages. The information about Epidural Analgesia In Labour (EAIL) available on French-speaking websites is of poor quality. The quality of the information about EAIL should be better in English, but there is no comparison available. This study has assessed and compared the quality of the information about EAIL available on French and English-speaking websites. Keywords "epidural", "épidurale" and/or "péridurale" were used in the French, Canadian and American Google ® and Yahoo ® search engines. Two independent assessors assessed the 20 first websites for each engine search. They used an evaluation form created from French, Canadian and American recommendations. This form assessed the structure quality (Structure Score/25) and the medical information quality (Medical Information Score/30) of the websites. The addition of both scores gives the Global Score (/55). Seventy-one websites were assessed, 39 French-speaking and 32 English-speaking websites. Structure, Medical Information and Global Scores (expressed as mean (SD)) were respectively 11 (4), 13 (5), 24 (8) for the French-speaking websites and 11 (4), 12 (4), 23 (7) for the English-speaking websites. There was no statistical significant difference between both languages. Information about EAIL available on French and English-speaking websites is of poor quality and there is no difference in the information quality, whatever the language. A consideration on Internet medical information improvement is needed. A high quality dedicated website should be created and broadcasted. Copyright © 2018 Société française d'anesthésie et de réanimation (Sfar). Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
From CIRCUS to EL CIRCO: Issues in Instrument Development for Young Spanish-speaking Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hardy, Roy

The CIRCO project is a large scale effort to design a series of diagnostic instruments, based on the CIRCUS tests, for Spanish-speaking children in preschool, kindergarten, and first grade classrooms in the United States. The goal is to develop measures with the following characteristics: (1) is suitable for use with Spanish-speaking children from…
Developing Speaking Skills of Adult Learners in Private Universities in Bangladesh: Problems and Solutions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Farooqui, Sabrin

2007-01-01

The globalisation of English and a growing demand for good English-speaking skills in the job market in particular have been placing a greater emphasis on the teaching of English speaking skills in Bangladesh. The private universities emphasise developing English skills. It seems that students of public and private universities have the same level…
Oral healthcare challenges for older Punjabi-speaking immigrants.

PubMed

MacEntee, Michael I; Wong, Sabrina T; Smith, André; Beattie, B Lynn; Brondani, Mario; Bryant, S Ross; Graf, Peter; Soheilipour, Shimae

2014-06-01

This study explored how older Punjabi-speaking South-Asian immigrants (four focus groups; 33 participants) in Surrey, British Columbia, perceive oral health and related problems. Content analysis revealed two umbrella themes: (a) interpretations of mouth conditions and (b) challenges to oral health. The umbrella themes had four sub-themes: damage caused by heat (wai), disturbances caused by caries, coping with dentures, and quality of life. Three challenges were considered: home remedies, Western dentistry, and difficulties accessing dentists. Participants explained oral diseases in terms of a systemic infection (resha), and preferred to decrease imbalances of wai in the mouth with home remedies from India. We conclude that older Punjabi-speaking immigrants interpret oral health and disease in the context of both Western and Ayurvedic traditions, and that they manage dental problems with a mix of traditional remedies supplemented, if possible, by elective oral health care in India, and by emergency dental care in Canada.
Population genetic structure of Helicobacter pylori strains from Portuguese-speaking countries.

PubMed

Oleastro, Mónica; Rocha, Raquel; Vale, Filipa F

2017-08-01

The human gastric colonizer Helicobacter pylori is useful to track human migrations given the agreement between the bacterium phylogeographic distribution and human migrations. As Portugal was an African and Brazilian colonizer for over 400 years, we hypothesized that Portuguese isolates were likely genetically closer with those from countries colonized by Portuguese in the past. We aimed to characterize the population structure of several Portuguese-speaking countries, including Portugal, Brazil, Angola, and Cape Verde. We included strains isolated in Portugal from Portuguese and from former Portuguese colonies. These strains were typed by multilocus sequence typing (MLST) for seven housekeeping genes. We also retrieved from Multi Locus Sequence Typing Web site additional housekeeping gene sequences, namely from Angola and Brazil. We provided evidence that strains from Portuguese belong to hpEurope and that the introgression of hpEurope in non-European countries that speak Portuguese is low, except for Brazil and Cape Verde, where hpEurope accounted for one quarter and one half of the population, respectively. We found genetic similarity for all strains from Portuguese-speaking countries that belong to hpEurope population. Moreover, these strains showed a predominance of ancestral Europe 2 (AE2) over ancestral Europe 1 (AE1), followed by ancestral Africa 1. H. pylori is a useful marker even for relative recent human migration events and may become rapidly differentiated from founder populations. H. pylori from Portuguese-speaking countries assigned to hpEurope appears to be a hybrid population resulting from the admixture of AE1, AE2 and ancestral hpAfrica1. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
A-B-O and Rh affinities between highland and lowland Quechua-speaking Peruvian populations.

PubMed

Frisancho, A R; Klayman, J E

1975-09-01

According to the accounts of the Spanish chronicles and various historical analyses the Quechua-speaking population inhabiting the Province of Lamas in the Eastern Tropical Lowlands of Peru are descendants of the Chanca Tribes that migrated from the highlands about 500 years ago. The results of the present study indicate that in terms of the A-B-O and Rh systems the lowland Quechua-speaking population from the Province of Lamas and the highland Quechua population from the Province of Junin are more similar to each other than to other tropical tribes. Therefore, it is quite possible that the present lowland Quechua-speaking population from the Province of Lamas may be descendants of Andean populations.
The Collaborative Construction of Non-Serious Episodes of Interaction by Non-Speaking Children with Cerebral Palsy and Their Peers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clarke, Michael; Wilkinson, Ray

2009-01-01

Inequality in communicative resources available to non-speaking children with cerebral palsy in comparison with their "naturally" speaking co-participants has material consequences for the ways in which face-to-face interaction is organized. Analyses of interaction involving non-speaking children with physical disability and speaking…
Catching a Wave in the Internet Surf: Electronic Extemporaneous Speaking.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Voth, Ben

1997-01-01

Elaborates results of using electronic extemporaneous speaking in debate tournaments. Provides analysis around four points: preparation, event operation, participant reaction, and postevent analysis by forensic staff. (PA)
Multilingualism and Web Advertising: Addressing French-Speaking Consumers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Elizabeth

2011-01-01

Drawing inferences from both quantitative and qualitative data, this study examines the extent to which American companies tailor their Web advertising for global audiences with a particular focus on French-speaking consumers in North America, Europe, Africa, the Caribbean and French Polynesia. Explored from a sociolinguistic and social semiotic…
Transcription and the IELTS Speaking Test: Facilitating Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stones, Thomas P.

2013-01-01

This article describes a transcription task cycle that was designed to facilitate the development of skills for the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) speaking test at a language school in Japan. The cycle involved practice test, transcription, student correction, teacher correction, and retrial of the original test and…
Strategies for Reducing Public Speaking Anxiety in Japan.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kondo, David Shinji

1994-01-01

Develops a typology of strategies people use to cope with public speaking anxiety. Assesses the influences of anxiety level on strategy use. Finds 65 basic tactics in 6 strategy types (Relaxation, Preparation, Positive Thinking, Audience Depreciation, Concentration, and Resignation). Finds high anxious persons more likely to report Relaxation and…
Student Disengagement in English-Speaking Montréal

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vallée, Daniel; Ruglis, Jessica

2017-01-01

This article discusses how student disengagement is conceptualized by English-speaking youth attending English urban public schools in Montreal, Quebec. School dropout is theorized as being a culminating event in a process of school disengagement (Rumberger, 2011). Using 2 qualitative methods (maps and interviews) in a grounded theory approach…
Researching for Public Speaking Classes: Requiring Various Media.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greenberg, Cindy A.

This paper presents steps for incorporating research into a community college public speaking class curriculum. It outlines, from an historical perspective, the different techniques and tools of research, including face-to-face contact, the printing press, modern machinery, and computers. It suggests discussing research surveys and taking students…

Attitudes toward Suicide among English-Speaking Urban Canadians.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Domino, George; Leenars, Antoon A.

1995-01-01

A sample of 196 English-speaking Canadian adults residing in 6 major cities of Canada were administered the Suicide Opinion Questionnaire. Results are discussed along 10 major dimensions: stigma of suicide, normality, the right to die, acceptability, cry for help, mental illness, religion, antecedents, impulsivity, and incidence. (JPS)
A Global Integration: Internationalizing a Public Speaking Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lyons, Florence A.

2017-01-01

Institutions of higher education around the world have responded to the challenge of globalization by internationalizing their curricula. Incorporating elements of cross-cultural examination to a freshman Fundamentals of Public Speaking class proved to be an important first step toward globalization for this speech professor. In the class,…
Culturally Relevant Pedagogy and the Public Speaking Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Colvin, Janet Weston; Tobler, Nancy

2012-01-01

From the earliest roots of rhetoric, practitioners emphasized the need for analyzing one's audience before developing a speech. Textbooks for most basic public speaking courses spend at least one chapter discussing audience analysis. Authors discuss adapting messages to various demographic, cultural, and individual differences. As a result,…
THE SPANISH SPEAKING PEOPLE IN THE UNITED STATES.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

SAMORA, JULIAN; AND OTHERS

A PILOT STUDY TRACED THE HISTORY AND BACKGROUND OF SPANISH SPEAKING PEOPLE IN THE UNITED STATES AND DISCUSSED THEIR PRESENT POSITION IN AMERICAN SOCIETY IN TERMS OF EDUCATION, HOUSING, EMPLOYMENT, ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE, VOTING, PUBLIC ACCOMMODATIONS, AND HEALTH. DISCRIMINATION AND THE DEPRIVATION OF CIVIL RIGHTS WERE EMPHASIZED. SOURCES FOR…
Phonological Deficits in French Speaking Children with SLI

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maillart, Christelle; Parisse, Christophe

2006-01-01

Background: This study investigated the phonological disorders of French-speaking children with specific language impairment (SLI) in production. Aims: The main goal was to confirm whether children with SLI have limitations in phonological ability as compared with normally developing children matched by mean length of utterance (MLU) and phonemic…
Beyond Truth-Telling: The Credo and Public Speaking.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tompkins, Paula S.

The communication discipline is ambivalent about public speaking. Even accomplished speakers experience ambivalence in the rush of adrenaline before presenting a speech--knowing its importance yet wondering if they have prepared a speech which is fitting for this audience and occasion. The communication discipline studies communication in a broad…
Normative data for Farsi-speaking Iranians in the United States on measures of executive functioning.

PubMed

Avila, Justina F; Verney, Steven P; Kauzor, Kaitlyn; Flowers, Amina; Mehradfar, Maryam; Razani, Jill

2018-01-09

As the Farsi-speaking Iranian population continues to grow in the United States, examination of their cognitive performance is an imperative first step to providing this group with culturally competent services. Thirty-six healthy primarily Farsi-speaking Iranian adults completed Farsi-translated and adapted versions of three frequently used measures of executive/subcortical functioning: Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), Trail Making Test (TMT), and Color Trails Test (CTT). Participants' performance on each measure was compared to published normative data resulting in 0-85% of cognitively and medically healthy individuals being classified as impaired depending on the executive/subcortical test score examined, with the highest impairment rates for specific WCST outcome scores. These findings raise questions for the use of published norms with Farsi-speaking Iranians residing in the US. The present study provided normative data from this group of Farsi-speaking Iranians on the Farsi-translated and adapted versions of the WCST, TMT, and CTT.
NASA Administrator Speaks at Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorati

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-01-16

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden speaks and delivers greetings from President Obama at the 44th annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Service on Monday, Jan. 16, 2012 at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Factors To Consider: Developing Adult EFL Students' Speaking Abilities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shumin, Kang

1997-01-01

Suggests that, to provide effective guidance in developing competent speakers of English, it is necessary to examine the factors affecting adult learners' oral communication, components underlying speaking proficiency, and specific skills or strategies used in communication. (Author/VWL)
Early speech perception in Mandarin-speaking children at one-year post cochlear implantation.

PubMed

Chen, Yuan; Wong, Lena L N; Zhu, Shufeng; Xi, Xin

2016-01-01

The aim in this study was to examine early speech perception outcomes in Mandarin-speaking children during the first year of cochlear implant (CI) use. A hierarchical early speech perception battery was administered to 80 children before and 3, 6, and 12 months after implantation. Demographic information was obtained to evaluate its relationship with these outcomes. Regardless of dialect exposure and whether a hearing aid was trialed before implantation, implant recipients were able to attain similar pre-lingual auditory skills after 12 months of CI use. Children speaking Mandarin developed early Mandarin speech perception faster than those with greater exposure to other Chinese dialects. In addition, children with better pre-implant hearing levels and younger age at implantation attained significantly better speech perception scores after 12 months of CI use. Better pre-implant hearing levels and higher maternal education level were also associated with a significantly steeper growth in early speech perception ability. Mandarin-speaking children with CIs are able to attain early speech perception results comparable to those of their English-speaking counterparts. In addition, consistent single language input via CI probably enhances early speech perception development at least during the first-year of CI use. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Maryland environmental public health tracking outreach with Spanish-speaking persons living in Baltimore city or county.

PubMed

Braggio, John T; Mitchell, Clifford S; Fierro-Luperini, Sonia

2015-01-01

The 2000 Pew reports became the impetus for the National Environmental Public Health Tracking (EPHT) Program, but there was no mention that Spanish-speaking persons are at increased risk of exposure to environmental hazards. To undertake successful EPHT outreach on Spanish-speaking persons (Hispanics), it is necessary to better understand their environmental health profile and barriers to health care access. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey questions were administered orally in Spanish to Spanish-speaking study participants. Volunteers were tested at a non-for-profit social service and referral agency in Baltimore. To control for acculturation, only Spanish-speaking persons who had lived in the United States for less than 10 years were selected. Responses to 40 BRFSS survey questions asked during the assessment and completion of 3 intervention activities. This study provides new information about Spanish-speaking persons, most of whom (85.3%) would not have been included in the landline administration of the BRFSS survey. Although 29.9% of the participants reported indoor pesticide use and another 9.2% reported outdoor pesticide use, lifetime (3.5%) and current (1.2%) asthma prevalence was significantly lower than asthma prevalence reported by Maryland Hispanics and all Maryland residents. There were significantly lower cholesterol screening (21.5%) and a significantly higher prevalence of diabetes (12.5%) in Spanish-speaking participants than in Maryland Hispanics and all Maryland residents. Among study participants, only 7.8% had health insurance and 39.9% reported that they could not see a doctor. Of the 3 outreach efforts completed, the most promising one involved asking Spanish-English-speaking health care professionals to distribute Spanish comic books about pesticides exposures and health outcomes in community settings where Spanish-only speakers and children were found. The effectiveness of passive and community-based EPHT
[The speaking fundamental frequency and the singing voice type].

PubMed

Chernobel'skiĭ, S I

2010-01-01

The objective of this study was to determine the speaking fundamental frequency (SFO) in professional opera singers and its dependence on their voice type, if any. A total of 75 persons were available for observation using a special computer clinical program. Male voices were categorized into three groups (viz, tenor, baritone, and bass), female ones into 2 groups (soprano and mezzo-soprano). It was shown that borderlines between SFO types varied within a wide range in all study groups. Significant differences in SFO were documented between tenors, baritones, and basses and between sopranos and mezzo-sopranos; the differences were insignificant between baritones and basses. It is concluded that the speaking fundamental frequency depends on the type of the singing voice; however this characteristic may serve only as an auxiliary tool but can not be used for the classification of singing voices.
Task Force on Education, Cabinet Committee on Opportunities for Spanish Speaking People, Fiscal Year 1971.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cabinet Committee on Opportunities for Spanish Speaking People, Washington, DC.

Seventeen recommendations by the Education Task Force for the improvement of education for the Spanish speaking are given. These recommendations were made to the President and to departments which provide programs and services for the Spanish speaking. The recommendations pertain to funding applications, job specifications, teacher education,…
Butterflies in Formation: Predicting How Speech Order in College Public Speaking Affects Student Communication Apprehension

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Osmond, Erica R.

2013-01-01

This study addressed pedagogical practices in the public speaking classroom in an attempt to help control communication apprehension (CA) levels and improve retention rates among college students in the basic public speaking course. Guided by the theoretical frameworks of Berger and Calabrese's uncertainty reduction theory and Weiner's attribution…
Promoting Psychiatry as a Career Option for Ghanaian Medical Students through a Public-Speaking Competition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Agyapong, Vincent Israel Opoku; McLoughlin, Declan

2012-01-01

Objectives: Authors assessed the impact of a public-speaking competition on the level of interest in psychiatry of Ghanaian medical students. Method: An inter-medical school public-speaking competition was organized to promote psychiatry as a fulfilling career option for Ghanaian medical students. Feedback questionnaires were completed by the…
Students Speak with the ISS

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-11-15

Leland Melvin, NASA Associate Administrator for Education and two-time space shuttle astronaut, speaks to students from D.C.'s Stuart-Hobson Middle School at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Thursday, Nov. 15, 2012 in Washington. The students, participants from the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP) conducted a live conversation with astronauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink is an annual event held in honor of International Education Week, and was co-hosted with the Department of Education and the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education (NCESSE). Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)
Does a Speaking Task Affect Second Language Comprehensibility?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crowther, Dustin; Trofimovich, Pavel; Isaacs, Talia; Saito, Kazuya

2015-01-01

The current study investigated task effects on listener perception of second language (L2) comprehensibility (ease of understanding). Sixty university-level adult speakers of English from 4 first language (L1) backgrounds (Chinese, Romance, Hindi, Farsi), with 15 speakers per group, were recorded performing 2 tasks (IELTS long-turn speaking task…
Using Word Clouds to Teach about Speaking Style

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perry, Lisa

2012-01-01

Good public speaking style requires, among other skills, "effective management of the resources of language." Good speakers choose language carefully to create credibility, emotional impact, and logical appeal. If a speaker's language is wishy-washy, dull, vague, or long-winded, the speaker appears less trustworthy. Audience distrust of a speaker…
Formula vs. Fractured Formula in Contest Persuasive Speaking.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reynolds, Christina L.

In the past decade, contest persuasive speaking has become a product that student competitors produce and perform. A perversion of the contest formula has removed the element of persuasion from the formula. Competition rules suggest that a student's purposes in participating in forensics events should include inspiring, reinforcing, or changing…
Language Acquisition in the Swedish-Speaking Minority in Finland.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brunell, A. Viking

1991-01-01

Documents the differences in language acquisition and school achievement between Finnish- and Swedish-speaking students in Finland's comprehensive school systems. Discusses the need for language maintenance and enrichment measures in both out-of-school and in-school environments. (SR)

Predictors of English Reading Comprehension: Cantonese-Speaking English Language Learners in the U.S.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Uchikoshi, Yuuko

2013-01-01

In this paper, first language (L1) and second language (L2) oral language and word reading skills were used as predictors to devise a model of reading comprehension in young Cantonese-speaking English language learners (ELLs) in the United States. L1 and L2 language and literacy measures were collected from a total of 101 Cantonese-speaking ELLs…
Good Teachers Know Where to Scratch when Learners Feel Itchy: Korean Learners' Views of Native-Speaking Teachers of English

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Han, Song-Ae

2005-01-01

Cross-border education has been growing dramatically in both English-speaking countries and non-native English-speaking countries. While more and more students, particularly from Asian countries such as Korea, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan choose to study in English-speaking countries, many native English speakers go to Asian countries to…
The Usefulness of Pictorial Aids in Developing Female Iranian Intermediate EFL Learners' Speaking Proficiency

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Afraz, Shahram; Taghizade, Leila; Taghinezhad, Ali

2018-01-01

Speaking is a crucial form of communication in language learning settings. Through speaking skill, ESL/EFL language learners can communicate and convey information. Pictorial aids have been deployed as efficacious mediatory tools in teaching various disciplines such as language teaching. Still, to the best of the researchers' knowledge, a direct…
Using Video-Taped Examples of Stand-Up Comedy Routines To Teach Principles of Public Speaking.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Siddens, Paul J., III

This paper investigates the use of stand-up comedy routines to demonstrate principles of public speaking to college students in communication classes. The paper examines particular elements of the public speaking process, which include the structural elements of speeches: (1) introductions; (2) the body of the speech, including organization,…
Dialect Awareness and Lexical Comprehension of Mainstream American English in African American English-Speaking Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edwards, Jan; Gross, Megan; Chen, Jianshen; MacDonald, Maryellen C.; Kaplan, David; Brown, Megan; Seidenberg, Mark S.

2014-01-01

Purpose: This study was designed to examine the relationships among minority dialect use, language ability, and young African American English (AAE)-speaking children's understanding and awareness of Mainstream American English (MAE). Method: Eighty-three 4- to 8-year-old AAE-speaking children participated in 2 experimental tasks. One task…
Corporate Speak and "Collateral Recruitment": Surfing the Student Body

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGloin, Colleen

2015-01-01

Academic practice is scrutinized and regulated with such "Corporate speak" terms as "performance indicators," "benchmarking," "service providers" and "clients." As part of a field where ideological shifts continue to apply marketized frames of reference as neoliberalism tightens its grip, new terms…
Using awareness training to decrease nervous habits during public speaking.

PubMed

Spieler, Claire; Miltenberger, Raymond

2017-01-01

This study evaluated the effectiveness of awareness training for the reduction of three nervous habits that manifest during public speaking: filled pauses, tongue clicks, and inappropriate use of the word "like." Four university students delivered short speeches during baseline and assessment sessions. Awareness training resulted in meaningful reductions in target behaviors for all participants. Booster awareness training sessions were necessary for all participants to achieve further reductions in target behaviors. Generality probes conducted in front of a small audience indicated that treatment effects generally maintained. Social validity scores indicated that the treatment was acceptable, and participants indicated not only decreased use of verbal fillers, but also improved overall public speaking ability posttreatment. © 2016 Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.
Evaluating Motivational Enhancement Therapy Adherence and Competence Among Spanish-speaking Therapists

PubMed Central

Santa Ana, Elizabeth J.; Carroll, Kathleen M.; Añez, Luis; Paris, Manuel; Ball, Samuel A.; Nich, Charla; Frankforter, Tami L.; Suarez-Morales, Lourdes; Szapocznik, José; Martino, Steve

2009-01-01

Despite the fact that the number of Hispanic individuals in need of treatment for substance use problems is increasing internationally, no studies have investigated the extent to which therapists can provide empirically supported treatments to Spanish-speaking clients with adequate fidelity. Twenty-three bilingual Hispanic therapists from five community outpatient treatment programs in the United States were randomly assigned to deliver either three sessions of motivational enhancement therapy (MET) or an equivalent number of drug counseling-as-usual sessions (CAU) in Spanish to 405 Spanish-speaking clients randomly assigned to these conditions. Independent ratings of 325 sessions indicated the adherence/competence rating system had good to excellent interrater reliability and indicated strong support for an a priori defined fundamental MET skill factor. Support for an advanced MET skill factor was relatively weaker. The rating scale indicated significant differences in therapists’ MET adherence and competence across conditions. These findings indicate that the rating system has promise for assessing the performance of therapists who deliver MET in Spanish and suggest that bilingual Spanish-speaking therapists from the community can be trained to implement MET with adequate fidelity and skill using an intensive multisite training and supervision model. PMID:19394164
Benefits of music training in mandarin-speaking pediatric cochlear implant users.

PubMed

Fu, Qian-Jie; Galvin, John J; Wang, Xiaosong; Wu, Jiunn-Liang

2015-02-01

The aims of this study were to assess young (5- to 10-year-old) Mandarin-speaking cochlear implant (CI) users' musical pitch perception and to assess the benefits of computer-based home training on performance. Melodic contour identification (MCI) was used to assess musical pitch perception in 14 Mandarin-speaking pediatric CI users; the instrument timbre and the contour length were varied as experimental parameters. Six subjects received subsequent MCI training on their home computer in which auditory and visual feedback were provided. MCI performance was generally poor (grand mean=33.3% correct) and highly variable, with scores ranging from 9.3% to 98.1% correct; there was no significant effect of instrument timbre or contour length on performance (p>.05). After 4 weeks of training, performance sharply improved. Follow-up measures that were conducted 8 weeks after training was stopped showed no significant decline in MCI performance. For the 6 trained subjects, there was a significant effect of contour length for the training and follow-up measures. These preliminary data suggest that although baseline MCI performance initially may be poor, training may greatly improve Mandarin-speaking pediatric CI users' melodic pitch perception.
Pedagogical Methods of Teaching "Women in Public Speaking."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pederson, Lucille M.

A course on women in public speaking, developed at the University of Cincinnati, focuses on the rhetoric of selected women who have been involved in various movements and causes in the United States in the twentieth century. Women studied include educator Mary McLeod Bethune, Congresswoman Jeannette Rankin, suffragette Carrie Chapman Catt, Helen…
Action and object processing in brain-injured speakers of Chinese.

PubMed

Arévalo, Analia L; Lu, Ching-Ching; Huang, Lydia B-Y; Bates, Elizabeth A; Dronkers, Nina F

2011-11-01

To see whether action and object processing across different tasks and modalities differs in brain-injured speakers of Chinese with varying fluency and lesion locations within the left hemisphere. Words and pictures representing actions and objects were presented to a group of 33 participants whose native and/or dominant language was Mandarin Chinese: 23 patients with left-hemisphere lesions due to stroke and 10 language-, age- and education-matched healthy control participants. A set of 120 stimulus items was presented to each participant in three different forms: as black and white line drawings (for picture-naming), as written words (for reading) and as aurally presented words (for word repetition). Patients were divided into groups for two separate analyses: Analysis 1 divided and compared patients based on fluency (Fluent vs. Nonfluent) and Analysis 2 compared patients based on lesion location (Anterior vs. Posterior). Both analyses yielded similar results: Fluent, Nonfluent, Anterior, and Posterior patients all produced significantly more errors when processing action (M = 0.73, SD = 0.45) relative to object (M = 0.79, SD = 0.41) stimuli, and this effect was strongest in the picture-naming task. As in our previous study with English-speaking participants using the same experimental design (Arévalo et al., 2007, Arévalo, Moineau, Saygin, Ludy, & Bates, 2005), we did not find evidence for a double-dissociation in action and object processing between groups with different lesion and fluency profiles. These combined data bring us closer to a more informed view of action/object processing in the brain in both healthy and brain-injured individuals.
So They Want Us to Learn French: Promoting and Opposing Bilingualism in English-Speaking Canada

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hayday, Matthew

2015-01-01

Since the 1960s, bilingualism has become a defining aspect of Canadian identity. And yet, fifty years after the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism was formed and with over forty years of federal government funding and supports for second-language education, relatively few English Canadians speak or choose to speak French. What…
Increases in Cognitive and Linguistic Processing Primarily Account for Increases in Speaking Rate with Age

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nip, Ignatius S. B.; Green, Jordan R.

2013-01-01

Age-related increases of speaking rate are not fully understood, but have been attributed to gains in biologic factors and learned skills that support speech production. This study investigated developmental changes in speaking rate and articulatory kinematics of participants aged 4 ("N" = 7), 7 ("N" = 10), 10…
A Racing Heart, Rattling Knees, and Ruminative Thoughts: Defining, Explaining, and Treating Public Speaking Anxiety

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bodie, Graham D.

2010-01-01

Considered by many to be the foundation upon which our discipline was built, the study of public speaking has evolved from its humble beginnings into a vast literature of experimental and expositional studies. The focus of research on public speaking has primarily been to discover the antecedents, causes, and consequences of anxiety associated…
A Measure of EFL Public Speaking Class Anxiety: Scale Development and Preliminary Validation and Reliability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yaikhong, Kriangkrai; Usaha, Siriluck

2012-01-01

The present study contributes to developing a Public Speaking Class Anxiety Scale (PSCAS) to measure anxiety in the EFL public speaking class in the Thai context. Items were adopted from previous scales: Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) by Horwitz et al. (1986); Personal Report of Communication Apprehension (PRCA-24) and Personal…
Equal Opportunities for Spanish-Speaking People. Hearings Before the Civil Rights and Constitutional Rights Subcommittee of the Committee on the Judiciary, House of Representatives, Ninety-third Congress, First Session on the Role of the Cabinet Committee on Opportunities for Spanish-Speaking People in Providing Equal Opportunities for Spanish-Speaking People (July 11 and 19, 1973).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Congress of the U.S., Washington, DC. House Committee on the Judiciary.

The statutory purpose of the Cabinet Committee on Opportunities for the Spanish Speaking People, established in December 1969, is twofold: (1) to assure that Federal programs are reaching all Spanish-speaking and Spanish-surnamed Americans, and (2) to seek out new programs which may be necessary to handle problems unique to such persons. On July…
Nonadjacent Dependency Learning in Cantonese-Speaking Children With and Without a History of Specific Language Impairment.

PubMed

Iao, Lai-Sang; Ng, Lai Yan; Wong, Anita Mei Yin; Lee, Oi Ting

2017-03-01

This study investigated nonadjacent dependency learning in Cantonese-speaking children with and without a history of specific language impairment (SLI) in an artificial linguistic context. Sixteen Cantonese-speaking children with a history of SLI and 16 Cantonese-speaking children with typical language development (TLD) were tested with a nonadjacent dependency learning task using artificial languages that mimic Cantonese. Children with TLD performed above chance and were able to discriminate between trained and untrained nonadjacent dependencies. However, children with a history of SLI performed at chance and were not able to differentiate trained versus untrained nonadjacent dependencies. These findings, together with previous findings from English-speaking adults and adolescents with language impairments, suggest that individuals with atypical language development, regardless of age, diagnostic status, language, and culture, show difficulties in learning nonadjacent dependencies. This study provides evidence for early impairments to statistical learning in individuals with atypical language development.
Establishing a culturally specific nursing home for Finnish-speaking older persons in Sweden: A case study.

PubMed

Hadziabdic, Emina; Hjelm, Katarina

2018-04-01

The study aims to describe the establishment of a culturally specific nursing home for Finnish-speaking older persons in Sweden. A descriptive qualitative study. A descriptive case study based on a review of 14 public documents and individual interviews with two experts in the area, analysed with qualitative content analysis. This study found that shared language, preservation of customs and habits and collaboration between the representatives of the municipality, Finnish-speaking migrant associations and staff at the nursing home influenced the development of the culturally specific nursing home for older Finnish-speaking people intended to avoid loneliness, isolation and misunderstandings among older Finnish-speaking. Collaboration between healthcare service for older persons and minority people resulted in an optimal culturally specific nursing home, simultaneously encountering the majority culture. Nursing and healthcare services need to be aware of positive effects of collaboration with stakeholders to achieve optimal culturally specific nursing homes.
Validation of a home food inventory among low-income Spanish- and Somali-speaking families.

PubMed

Hearst, Mary O; Fulkerson, Jayne A; Parke, Michelle; Martin, Lauren

2013-07-01

To refine and validate an existing home food inventory (HFI) for low-income Somali- and Spanish-speaking families. Formative assessment was conducted using two focus groups, followed by revisions of the HFI, translation of written materials and instrument validation in participants’ homes. Twin Cities Metropolitan Area, Minnesota, USA. Thirty low-income families with children of pre-school age (fifteen Spanish-speaking; fifteen Somali-speaking) completed the HFI simultaneously with, but independently of, a trained staff member. Analysis consisted of calculation of both item-specific and average food group kappa coefficients, specificity, sensitivity and Spearman’s correlation between participants’ and staff scores as a means of assessing criterion validity of individual items, food categories and the obesogenic score. The formative assessment revealed the need for few changes/additions for food items typically found in Spanish-speaking households. Somali-speaking participants requested few additions, but many deletions, including frozen processed food items, non-perishable produce and many sweets as they were not typical food items kept in the home. Generally, all validity indices were within an acceptable range, with the exception of values associated with items such as ‘whole wheat bread’ (k = 0.16). The obesogenic score (presence of high-fat, high-energy foods) had high criterion validity with k = 0.57, sensitivity = 91.8%, specificity = 70.6% and Spearman correlation = 0.78. The revised HFI is a valid assessment tool for use among Spanish and Somali households. This instrument refinement and validation process can be replicated with other population groups.
Influence of glottal closure configuration on vocal efficacy in young normal-speaking women.

PubMed

Schneider, Berit; Bigenzahn, Wolfgang

2003-12-01

Posterior closure insufficiency of the glottis is often mentioned in connection with permanent voice disorders. Recently published studies have revealed that an incomplete closure of the glottis can be found also in normal-speaking voices, especially in women. However, the effect of glottal closure configuration on vocal efficacy is not sufficiently clarified. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of glottal closure configuration on singing and speaking voice characteristics. Overall, 520 young female normal-speaking subjects were examined by videostroboscopy for different phonation conditions in the combination of soft, loud, low, and/or high phonation and by voice range profile measurements. According to the videostroboscopic analysis, the subjects were subdivided into four groups: complete closure of the vocal folds already in soft phonation (group 1), closure of the vocal fold with increasing intensity (group 2), persistent closure insufficiencies despite increasing intensity (group 3), and hourglass-shaped closure in subjects with vocal nodules (group 4). Subjects in which the glottal closure could not be evaluated sufficiently were subclassified into group 5 (missing values). Selected criteria of the singing and speaking voice were evaluated and statistically processed according to the mentioned subclassification. Group 1 reached significantly the highest sound pressure levels (SPLmax) for the singing voice as well as for the shouting voice. Group 3 showed a limited capacity to increase the intensity of the singing and speaking voice. The results gathered in this study objectify the relationship of insufficient glottal closure and reduced vocal capabilities. As long as no conclusive data on long-term consequences of insufficient glottal closure are available, a prophylactic improvement of the laryngeal situation especially in female professional voice users by voice therapy should be recommended.

HIV/AIDS and Children in the English Speaking Caribbean.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dicks, Barbara A., Ed.

This collection of papers addresses the HIV/AIDS situation among English-speaking children in the Caribbean. Papers include: "Preface" (C. James Hospedales); "Introduction"; (Barbara A. Dicks); "HIV/AIDS: Challenging a Monster" (Brendan Bain); "HIV/AIDS in Caribbean Children and Adolescents" (Noreen Jack);…
Validation of self-reported health literacy questions among diverse English and Spanish-speaking populations.

PubMed

Sarkar, Urmimala; Schillinger, Dean; López, Andrea; Sudore, Rebecca

2011-03-01

Limited health literacy (HL) contributes to poor health outcomes and disparities, and direct measurement is often time-intensive. Self-reported HL questions have not been validated among Spanish-speaking and diverse English-speaking populations. To evaluate three self-reported questions: 1 "How confident are you filling out medical forms?"; 2 "How often do you have problems learning about your medical condition because of difficulty understanding written information?"; and 3 "How often do you have someone help you read hospital materials?" Answers were based on a 5-point Likert scale. This was a validation study nested within a trial of diabetes self-management support in the San Francisco Department of Public Health. English and Spanish-speaking adults with type 2 diabetes receiving primary care. Using the Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (s-TOFHLA) in English and Spanish as the reference, we classified HL as inadequate, marginal, or adequate. We calculated the C-index and test characteristics of the three questions and summative scale compared to the s-TOFHLA and assessed variations in performance by language, race/ethnicity, age, and education. Of 296 participants, 48% were Spanish-speaking; 9% were White, non-Hispanic; 47% had inadequate HL and 12% had marginal HL. Overall, 57% reported being confident with forms "somewhat" or less. The "confident with forms" question performed best for detecting inadequate (C-index = 0.82, (0.77-0.87)) and inadequate plus marginal HL (C index = 0.81, (0.76-0.86); p<0.01 for differences from other questions), and performed comparably to the summative scale. The "confident with forms" question and scale also performed best across language, race/ethnicity, educational attainment, and age. A single self-reported HL question about confidence with forms and a summative scale of three questions discriminated between Spanish and English speakers with adequate HL and those with inadequate and/or inadequate plus marginal HL
Doping in sports.

PubMed

Baron, D A; Foley, T

2009-10-01

Regardless of one's stance on the topic, drugs are an important issue in sports. Sports pages in newspapers around the globe routinely report on athletes at every level ofcompetition using performance enhancing substances to gain an unfair advantage over their competitors. The level of sophistication in beating drug testing, and developing "next-generation" agents continues to raise. The relative paucity of well designed research has been an additional factor impeding attempts to adequately address the problem. Very limited funds are currently available to conduct the necessary research. Without credible data, athletes are more vulnerable to the claims made by those benefiting from the sales of these compounds. Many younger fans and those dreaming of a similar future admire highly successful professional athletes. A strong, consistent statement admonishing drug use is needed. Actions speak louder than words. Every time a successful athlete is caught using PE drugs, every effort to diminish drug use is negatively impacted. The "win at all cost" and "second place is the first loser" mentality needs to be continually challenged by words and actions in youth sports at every level of competition. Finally, the war on drugs in sports needs to be a coordinated, well organized international undertaking as sports play an important role in virtually every culture. If we are to maintain the integrity of competition and protect the health of the athletes, we must dramatically increase our efforts to eliminate performance enhancing drugs as an acceptable option for any athlete. Sports science professionals and sports psychiatrists need to work with coaches, trainers, athletes, and national governing bodies to educating athletes on the effects of performance enhancing drug use. To achieve this important goal everyone involved in sports needs to be knowledgeable on the negative impact this has on all aspects of organized sports. It is a difficult challenge, but one that must be
English Spelling Errors Made by Arabic-Speaking Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al-Busaidi, Saleh; Al-Saqqaf, Abdullah H.

2015-01-01

Spelling is a basic literacy skill in any language as it is crucial in communication. EFL students are often unable to spell or pronounce very simple monosyllabic words even after several years of English instruction. Similarly, teachers and researchers usually focus on the larger skills such as speaking and reading and ignore the smaller…
Using Public Speaking Tasks in English Language Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iberri-Shea, Gina

2009-01-01

The purpose of this article is to provide suggestions for using public speaking tasks in English language teaching (ELT) and to highlight some of their many advantages. For the purpose of this article, the author will focus on two types of these tasks: student presentations and debates. Student presentations may consist of either individual or…
A Model of Anxious Arousal for Public Speaking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Finn, Amber N.; Sawyer, Chris R.; Behnke, Ralph R.

2009-01-01

With the goal of identifying the characteristics or traits students bring to the classroom that predispose them to panic when faced with the threat of presenting in front of an audience, this study introduced a subtype of public-speaking state anxiety--anxious arousal. Specifically, this study examined the extent to which trait anxiety and…
Narrative Development in Monolingual Spanish-Speaking Preschool Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Castilla-Earls, Anny; Petersen, Douglas; Spencer, Trina; Hammer, Krista

2015-01-01

Research Findings: The purpose of this study was to describe differences in the narratives produced by 3-, 4-, and 5- year old Spanish-speaking (SS) children. Narrative productions of 104 typically developing children were collected using a story-retelling task and coded using the Index of Narrative Complexity. The results of this study indicate…
How One Word Borrows Another: The Process of Language-Contact in Two Irish-Speaking Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Malley-Madec, Mary

2007-01-01

Quantitative and qualitative data from two Irish-speaking communities in Ireland (F, a core community within the heartland of Irish-speaking Galway and B, a peripheral community on the edge of Galway city) are examined in order to investigate the role of location in language contact. The analysis of the observed linguistic outcomes based on…
A Brief, Self-Directed Written Cognitive Exercise to Reduce Public Speaking Anxiety in College Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dibartolo, Patricia Marten; Molina, Kristine

2010-01-01

Fear of public speaking is the most common social fear experienced by the general population and can have far-reaching academic effects, including lower course grades and even an increased likelihood to drop out of college. The typical curricular approach to remediating public speaking fears in college students is to provide training in basic…
Anxiety about speaking a foreign language as a mediator of the relation between motivation and willingness to communicate.

PubMed

Wu, Chia-Pei; Lin, Huey-Ju

2014-12-01

The purpose of this study was to examine whether anxiety about speaking a foreign language mediated the relation between motivation and a willingness to communicate among 107 Taiwanese students sampled from two public universities and one private university. A regression analysis indicated that motivation was negatively related to university students' anxiety about speaking a foreign language and positively related to willingness to communicate. Furthermore, anxiety about speaking a foreign language was negatively related to university students' willingness to communicate, and also partially mediated the relationship between motivation and willingness to communicate. The findings suggest that high motivation and low anxiety about speaking a foreign language are needed for Taiwanese students to demonstrate a stronger willingness to communicate.
Language and false belief: evidence for general, not specific, effects in cantonese-speaking preschoolers.

PubMed

Tardif, Twila; So, Catherine Wing-Chee; Kaciroti, Niko

2007-03-01

Two studies were conducted with Cantonese-speaking preschoolers examining J. de Villiers's (1995) hypothesis that syntactic complements play a unique role in the acquisition of false belief (FB). In Study 1, the authors found a positive correlation between FB and syntactic complements in 72 four- to six-year-old Cantonese-speaking preschoolers. Study 2 followed 72 three- to five-year-old Cantonese-speaking children who initially failed an FB screening task and were then tested on general language abilities, short-term memory, inhibition, nonverbal IQ, and on FB and complement tasks. Once age and initial FB understanding were controlled for in both multiple regression and hierarchical linear modeling analyses, complements no longer uniquely predicted FB. Instead, individual differences in general language abilities and short-term memory contributed to the variation in both complements and FB.
Nursing as a career choice: perceptions of school students speaking Arabic, Serbo-Croatian, Spanish, Turkish or Vietnamese at home.

PubMed

Tang, K C; Duffield, C; Chen, X C; Choucair, S; Creegan, R; Mak, C; Lesley, G

1999-01-01

Australia is a multicultural society and nowhere is this more evident than in Sydney where 25% of the population speaks a language other than English. In one of the largest area health services in New South Wales, the five most frequently spoken languages at home are Arabic, Serbo-Croatian, Spanish, Turkish or Vietnamese, with these language groups comprising 12% of Sydney's population. Yet nurses speaking one of these five languages comprise less than 1% of the nursing workforce. A cost-effective method of addressing the shortage of nurses speaking languages other than English is to recruit students who already speak another language into the profession. This study examined high school students' perceptions of nursing in order to determine appropriate methods of recruiting students speaking one of these languages. Implications for the design of recruitment campaigns are also discussed.
Health services utilisation disparities between English speaking and non-English speaking background Australian infants

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background To examine the differences in health services utilisation and the associated risk factors between infants from non-English speaking background (NESB) and English speaking background (ESB) within Australia. Methods We analysed data from a national representative longitudinal study, the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC) which started in 2004. We used survey logistic regression coupled with survey multiple linear regression to examine the factors associated with health services utilisation. Results Similar health status was observed between the two groups. In comparison to ESB infants, NESB infants were significantly less likely to use the following health services: maternal and child health centres or help lines (odds ratio [OR] 0.56; 95% confidence intervals [CI], 0.40-0.79); maternal and child health nurse visits (OR 0.68; 95% CI, 0.49-0.95); general practitioners (GPs) (OR 0.58; 95% CI, 0.40-0.83); and hospital outpatient clinics (OR 0.54; 95% CI, 0.31-0.93). Multivariate analysis results showed that the disparities could not be fully explained by the socioeconomic status and language barriers. The association between English proficiency and the service utilised was absent once the NESB was taken into account. Maternal characteristics, family size and income, private health insurance and region of residence were the key factors associated with health services utilisation. Conclusions NESB infants accessed significantly less of the four most frequently used health services compared with ESB infants. Maternal characteristics and family socioeconomic status were linked to health services utilisation. The gaps in health services utilisation between NESB and ESB infants with regard to the use of maternal and child health centres or phone help, maternal and child health nurse visits, GPs and paediatricians require appropriate policy attentions and interventions. PMID:20374663
The images of scientists and science among Hebrew- and Arabic-speaking pre-service teachers in Israel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rubin, Edna; Cohen, Ariel

2003-07-01

This study investigated the image of scientists held by Israeli pre-service teachers, the majority of whom were female. The population consisted of students belonging to two cultures, Hebrew-speaking and Arabic-speaking. The DAST ('Draw-a-Scientist-Test') tool and other tools, some of which were developed specifically for this research, tested the image of the scientist as perceived by the participants. It was found that the image of the scientist is perceived as predominantly male, a physicist or a chemist, working in a laboratory typical of the eighteenth, nineteenth or the early-twentieth century. Students did not differentiate between scientists and inventors. Different images were held in the two cultures. Most of the Arabic-speaking students put Classical Islamic scientists near the top of their lists and thought of the scientist as an Arab male, while the Hebrew-speaking students' was as a typical Western male. Recommendations, resulting from the findings, for developing a new learning unit for the purpose of altering stereotypes are suggested.
Public speaking stress-induced neuroendocrine responses and circulating immune cell redistribution in irritable bowel syndrome.

PubMed

Elsenbruch, Sigrid; Lucas, Ayscha; Holtmann, Gerald; Haag, Sebastian; Gerken, Guido; Riemenschneider, Natalie; Langhorst, Jost; Kavelaars, Annemieke; Heijnen, Cobi J; Schedlowski, Manfred

2006-10-01

Augmented neuroendocrine stress responses and altered immune functions may play a role in the manifestation of functional gastrointestinal (GI) disorders. We tested the hypothesis that IBS patients would demonstrate enhanced psychological and endocrine responses, as well as altered stress-induced redistribution of circulating leukocytes and lymphocytes, in response to an acute psychosocial stressor when compared with healthy controls. Responses to public speaking stress were analyzed in N = 17 IBS patients without concurrent psychiatric conditions and N = 12 healthy controls. At baseline, immediately following public speaking, and after a recovery period, state anxiety, acute GI symptoms, cardiovascular responses, serum cortisol and plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) were measured, and numbers of circulating leukocytes and lymphocyte subpopulations were analyzed by flow cytometry. Public speaking led to significant cardiovascular activation, a significant increase in ACTH, and a redistribution of circulating leukocytes and lymphocyte subpopulations, including significant increases in natural killer cells and cytotoxic/suppressor T cells. IBS patients demonstrated significantly greater state anxiety both at baseline and following public speaking. However, cardiovascular and endocrine responses, as well as the redistribution of circulating leukocytes and lymphocyte subpopulations after public speaking stress, did not differ for IBS patients compared with controls. In IBS patients without psychiatric comorbidity, the endocrine response as well as the circulation pattern of leukocyte subpopulations to acute psychosocial stress do not differ from healthy controls in spite of enhanced emotional responses. Future studies should discern the role of psychopathology in psychological and biological stress responses in IBS.
Comparative speaking, shouting and singing voice range profile measurement: physiological and pathological aspects.

PubMed

Hacki, T

1996-01-01

The Voice Range Profile (VRP) measurement offers a method for the investigation of voice modalities i.e. speaking voice, shouting voice and singing voice in their mutual pitch and intensity relations. The parameters FO and SPL are evaluated by means of automatic pitch and SPL measurements from (1) sustained phonation /a:/ in the speaker's natural pitch and intensity range, (2) the continuous speaking voice beginning with Pianissimo up to Fortissimo, (3) the shouting voice. Vocal intensity is plotted vertically, vocal pitch horizontally. The displays of the vocal intensity versus fundamental frequency are defined as singing voice range profile (VRP), speaking VRP and shouting VRP. The VRPs are superimposed on the same plot. Their form, their shape and their position to each other are analysed. The physiological relationships between the VRPs of the different voice modalities to each other are defined. The pathological relationships between the VRPs (i.e. reduction, shifting) give information about etiology and pathomechanism of voice disorders.
Trust Development With the Spanish-Speaking Mexican American Patient: A Grounded Theory Study.

PubMed

Jones, Sharon M

2018-06-01

Interpersonal trust between patient and nurse is important in patient-centered care. Trust development may be more difficult if the patient and nurse do not speak the same language. In this grounded theory study, Spanish-speaking Mexican American adults ( n = 20) hospitalized on a medical-surgical or obstetric unit in the Midwestern United States were interviewed. Through data analysis, a model of how trust develops between nurse and patient revealed eight categories and the core category Caring for Me Well Even When Not Understanding Me. The beginning phase had four categories: Asking for Help, Bothering, Communicating, and Understanding. The middle phase had two categories: Platicando (chatting) and Being Available. The end point category was Having Trust, and outcomes were Feeling Comfortable and Feeling Supported. The language barrier was a hindrance to trust development but the nurse's way of being (personality) was more important. Therefore, the patient did develop trust with nurses who did not speak Spanish.
Documenting the Emergence of "Speaking with Meaning" as a Sociomathematical Norm in Professional Learning Community Discourse

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clark, Phillip G.; Moore, Kevin C.; Carlson, Marilyn P.

2008-01-01

We introduce the sociomathematical norm of "speaking with meaning" and describe its emergence in a professional learning community (PLC) of secondary mathematics and science teachers. We use "speaking with meaning" to reference specific attributes of individual communication that have been revealed to improve the quality of discourse among…
Stress Judgment and Production in English Derivation, and Word Reading in Adult Mandarin-Speaking English Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chung, Wei-Lun; Jarmulowicz, Linda

2017-01-01

For monolingual English-speaking children, judgment and production of stress in derived words, including words with phonologically neutral (e.g., -ness) and non-neutral suffixes (e.g., "-ity"), is important to both academic vocabulary growth and to word reading. For Mandarin-speaking adult English learners (AELs) the challenge of…
Symmetries and Asymmetries in the Acquisition of Basque Inflectional Morphology by Spanish-Speaking Children and Adults.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Franco, Jon; Landa, Alazne

1998-01-01

Basque auxiliary verbs encode tense, agreement relations with ergative, absolutive, and dative arguments, which constitute an inflectional verbal amalgam whose acquisition is not problematic for Spanish-speaking children but is for Spanish-speaking adults. This asymmetry is due to different processes by which the inflectional amalgam is acquired.…

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