133 research outputs found
An investigation of English Language Learners' performance on regular content assessments: A study of Kansas ELLs
No full textAbstract AN INVESTIGATION OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS’ PERFORMANCE ON REGULAR CONTENT ASSESSMENTS: A STUDY OF KANSAS ELLS by Christina Lee Kitson Due to the federal No Child Left Behind Act and accountability requirements, English language learners (ELLs) in Kansas are expected to make progress in both content area academic achievement and English language proficiency (ELP), as is measured using the state mandated testing for Title I and Title III. In Kansas this is done using the Kansas English Language Proficiency Assessment (KELPA) and the content assessments created by the Center for Educational Testing and Evaluation (CETE) for Math, Reading, and Science. Using validity theory as the framework, the intention of this study was to analyze the relationship between students’ English language proficiency category, as measured by the KELPA, and their scores on the content assessments in Math, Reading, and Science. One goal of the research is to examine the predictive power of English language proficiency on content area assessment scores. Additional demographic variables were added to the analysis to measure their influence on content assessment scores. Multiple regressions and multiple ANOVA analysis were performed on state-wide data for all ELLs in the state of Kansas in 3rd – 11th grade classified as ELLs, who took the KELPA and at least one content assessment in 2010. The results confirm that English language proficiency category positively corresponds to content area assessment score for all skills examined. This means that the lower the English proficiency, the lower the content assessment score. Like previous research, Reading had the strongest connection. Students with exceptionality codes (gifted or learning disabled), the English language proficiency category, and the Number of Years in the U.S., were all found to have significance, on average, at least 70% of the time Qualifying for Free and Reduced Lunch, Native Language, and Gender were found to be significant between 60% - 70% of the time overall. When two demographic variables were combined and analyzed as a pair, no pair combination was found to be significant more than 70% of the time overall. Total Proficiency Category and Exceptionality Code was the only pair combination that had an overall influence above 60%, with an average of 67% across the skills. Discussion is provided expressing the implications of these findings in regards to validity, as well as specific suggestions for teachers, schools, state education systems, and the federal education system. A final appeal is made to ensure that the assessments used with the ELL population accurately reflect that population’s needs, and take into account the issues regarding validity of assessment scores from the ELL population
Inpatient midwifery staffing levels and postpartum readmissions – a retrospective multi-centre longitudinal study
No full textBackground: preventing readmission to hospital after giving birth is a key priority, as rates have been rising along with associated costs. There are many contributing factors to readmission, and some are thought to be preventable. Nurse and midwife understaffing has been linked to deficits in care quality. This study explores the relationship between staffing levels and readmission rates in maternity settings.Methods: we conducted a retrospective longitudinal study using routinely collected individual patient data in three maternity services in England from 2015 to 2020. Data on admissions, discharges and case-mix were extracted from hospital administration systems. Staffing and workload were calculated in Hours Per Patient day per shift in the first two 12-hour shifts of the index (birth) admission. Postpartum readmissions and staffing exposures for all birthing admissions were entered into a hierarchical multivariable logistic regression model to estimate the odds of readmission when staffing was below the mean level for the maternity service.Results: 64 250 maternal admissions resulted in birth and 2903 mothers were readmitted within 30 days of discharge (4.5%). Absolute levels of staffing ranged between 2.3 and 4.1 individuals per midwife in the three services. Below average midwifery staffing was associated with higher rates of postpartum readmissions within 7 days of discharge (adjusted OR (aOR) 1.108, 95% CI 1.003 to 1.223). The effect was smaller and not statistically significant for readmissions within 30 days of discharge (aOR 1.080, 95% CI 0.994 to 1.174). Below average maternity assistant staffing was associated with lower rates of postpartum readmissions (7 days, aOR 0.957, 95% CI 0.867 to 1.057; 30 days aOR 0.965, 95% CI 0.887 to 1.049, both not statistically significant).Conclusion: we found evidence that lower than expected midwifery staffing levels is associated with more postpartum readmissions. The nature of the relationship requires further investigation including examining potential mediating factors and reasons for readmission in maternity populations
Are poor experiences on postnatal wards linked to staffing levels?
No full textExperts are growing increasingly concerned about the sustainability of the midwifery workforce, with unfilled vacancies in the thousands, an ageing workforce with many taking early retirement, and difficulty retaining newly qualified midwives. Staffing studies have focussed on the quality of care in labour, with fewer studies looking at staffing levels in relation to postnatal care. This Evidence Brief describes a cross-sectional analysis of women’s responses to the Maternity Survey 2018 linked to midwifery staffing levels in each Trust. Researchers at the University of Southampton aimed to understand whether the experience of care on postnatal wards varies according to the number of midwives available. They have focused on experiences of postnatal care while in hospital, as this is an area where families have expressed dissatisfaction
An interview with Dr Deborah Kitson: the long campaign for better safeguarding for people with learning disabilities
No full textPurposeThis paper aims to provide a record of the early development of thinking and practice associated with safeguarding adults in the UK.Design/methodology/approachThe paper takes the form of a 1:1 interview betwen the author and Dr Deborah Kitson.FindingsThis interview sheds light on the development of adult safeguarding policy and practice in the UK, particularly how the safeguarding of people with learning disabilities emerged out of early work on the promotion of their rights. It also gives an insight into the work of the Ann Craft Trust, from the pioneering work of Drs Ann Craft and Deborah Kitson to the organisation’s current wide remit in working with organisations and professionals to safeguard adults at risk.Originality/valueThis is an original interview, as commissioned by Dr Jeremy Dixon
Integrating ai in language learning: Boosting pragmatic competence for young English learners
No full textThis article explores the role of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in enhancing pragmatic language skills of young English learners (ELs). It defines terms such as interlanguage pragmatics, pragmatic competence, and intercultural communicative competence, and discusses key concepts in pragmatics, including maxims of discourse, implicatures, presuppositions, and speech acts. The article emphasizes the importance of sociocultural context and interaction in promoting ELs’ pragmatic skills in the second language (L2). It also explores different ways AI can be utilized to teach essential pragmatic skills, including understanding implicatures, making inferences, interpreting presuppositions, applying speech acts properly, and adhering to the maxims of discourse for effective communication in the target language – specifically, English. By creating immersive and interactive learning environments, AI chatbots, dialogue systems, and platforms facilitate contextual learning that engages ELs and promotes practical language use. The article concludes by discussing the limitations and challenges related to teaching pragmatics to language learners, advocating for targeted research efforts to enhance our understanding of pragmatic development among young ELs and the role of AI tools in this proces
Integrating AI in Language Learning: Boosting Pragmatic Competence for Young English Learners
No full textThis article explores the role of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in enhancing pragmatic language skills of young English learners (ELs). It defines terms such as interlanguage pragmatics, pragmatic competence, and intercultural communicative competence, and discusses key concepts in pragmatics, including maxims of discourse, implicatures, presuppositions, and speech acts. The article emphasizes the importance of sociocultural context and interaction in promoting ELs’ pragmatic skills in the second language (L2). It also explores different ways AI can be utilized to teach essential pragmatic skills, including understanding implicatures, making inferences, interpreting presuppositions, applying speech acts properly, and adhering to the maxims of discourse for effective communication in the target language – specifically, English. By creating immersive and interactive learning environments, AI chatbots, dialogue systems, and platforms facilitate contextual learning that engages ELs and promotes practical language use. The article concludes by discussing the limitations and challenges related to teaching pragmatics to language learners, advocating for targeted research efforts to enhance our understanding of pragmatic development among young ELs and the role of AI tools in this proces
Introduction to property theory - the fundamental theorems
No full textThe market system consists of a price mechanism, built on the foundation of a system of property, and contract. In many developing, and transition economies, the market system functions poorly. In many cases, if not most, the malfunctioning is not simply in the price system (for example, anti-competitive activities), but in the underlying property system (such as contracts being breached, and externalities in the sense of transfers not covered by contracts). Economic theory tends to take the functioning of the system of property, and contract for granted, and focuses on the operation of the price mechanism. Property theory focuses on the underlying system of property, and contract. In this paper, the author inaugurates the mathematical treatment of property theory.In contrast with earlier work in"law and economics", and the"new institutional economics", this approach uses principles drawn from jurisprudence, and does not attempt to reduce"law"to"economics"in the sense of efficiency considerations, such as the minimization of transaction costs. The main results are the two fundamental theorems of property theory that are analogous to the two fundamental theorems of price theory that, in essence, state that: 1) A competitive equilibrium is Pareto optimal. 2) Given a Pareto optimal state, there exists a set of prices such, that a competitive equilibrium at those prices would realize that Pareto optimal state.Environmental Economics&Policies,Labor Policies,Banks&Banking Reform,Municipal Housing and Land,Economic Theory&Research,Environmental Economics&Policies,Banks&Banking Reform,Economic Theory&Research,Municipal Housing and Land,Land and Real Estate Development
Changing patterns in vocational education
No full textOne of the long standing issues in education development has been productive job training in rapidly changing economies. The argument has been made that vocational secondary schools are not well equipped for this task. Although vocational and academic schooling often result in similar levels of education and employment, the higher costs of the vocational schooling makes it a less attractive alternative. In the past 23 years of Bank lending for vocational education and training, there has been a clear shift away from vocational secondary schools toward various forms of training, outside the formal education system. Although investment has been shifting into nonformal training, secondary education is in need of new directions. Diversified secondary schools have not provided that direction, leaving questions about how secondary schools might meet social objectives cost effectively.Tertiary Education,Teaching and Learning,Gender and Education,Primary Education,Curriculum&Instruction
Upper Body Leaning can affect Forward Self-Motion Perception in Virtual Environments
No full textThe study of locomotion in virtual environments is a diverse and rewarding research area. Yet, creating effective and intuitive locomotion techniques is challenging, especially when users cannot move around freely. While using handheld input devices for navigation may often be good enough, it does not match our natural experience of motion in the real world. Frequently, there are strong arguments for supporting body-centered self-motion cues as they may improve orientation and spatial judgments, and reduce motion sickness. Yet, how these cues can be introduced while the user is not moving around physically is not well understood. Actuated solutions such as motion platforms can be an option, but they are expensive and difficult to maintain. Alternatively, within this article we focus on the effect of upper-body tilt while users are seated, as previous work has indicated positive effects on self-motion perception. We report on two studies that investigated the effects of static and dynamic upper body leaning on perceived distances traveled and self-motion perception (vection). Static leaning (i.e., keeping a constant forward torso inclination) had a positive effect on self-motion, while dynamic torso leaning showed mixed results. We discuss these results and identify further steps necessary to design improved embodied locomotion control techniques that do not require actuated motion platforms
The benefits of growth for Indonesian Workers
No full textIndonesia's adopted development model has proved to be the most successful in alleviating poverty and benefiting workers in developing countries. The government's development efforts focused on agriculture, education, and transport infrastructure. It emphasized providing productive employment opportunities and gradually improving the labor quality through education and training. The wage, employment, and income growth rates were left to market forces. Although the rapid growth of labor-intensive manufacturing has led to more jobs and higher wages benefiting workers, workers employed in these industries have expressed growing dissatisfaction. They complain about problems of child labor, the denial of centrally mandated wages and benefits to workers, poor working conditions, and the abuse of young female workers. The government has tried to improve worker's wages and working conditions by centrally mandating higher labor standards, relying principally on minimum wages. Enforcement has improved and, despite low compliance, minimum wages are beginning to bite. Indonesians are debating whether they need labor intensive industries and whether it is a mistake to base Indonesia's growth on cheap labor. They argue that if labor is more expensive, manufacturers must substitute some capital for labor. However, if labor-intensive industries are rejected, the capacity of the economy to absorb plentiful workers will be reduced. The main alternatives are to push up wages now, or to let wages be determined by market forces and strengthen institutions that could improve working conditions, such as labor unions. The author recommends maintaining flexible labor markets and allowing market forces to set the pace of change, while strengthening labor unions.Environmental Economics&Policies,Public Health Promotion,Labor Policies,Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Work&Working Conditions,Environmental Economics&Policies,Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Banks&Banking Reform,Work&Working Conditions,Municipal Financial Management
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