• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.53-66
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• 2018

This study investigated the development of English phonological awareness in preschool children based on a longitudinal study. It carried out a phonological matching task, mispronunciation task, articulation test, explicit phoneme awareness task, rhyme matching task, and initial-phoneme matching task for three-, four- and five-year-old children. A letter knowledge test was also added to the tests for the 5-year-old children. The results revealed that the development of phonological awareness follows a progression of syllable, then onset and rhyme, then phoneme. It was also revealed that language skills such as vocabulary, detection of mispronunciations, and articulation were partially related to the development of phoneme awareness. Finally, we also found that letter knowledge partially affected the children's development of phonological awareness.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.157-176
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• 2007

Based on the consensus that vocabulary plays an essential role in improving reading ability, the present study investigates the effects of two different methods of English vocabulary instruction - the traditional wordlist-based vocabulary instruction (G1) and the collocation-based vocabulary instruction (G2) - on improving English reading ability for high school learners. First, the results of the collocation test revealed that G1 and G2 groups attained similar mean scores on the pretests; however, G2 significantly outperformed G1 on the post-test administered at the end of the learning activity. The results proved that students who learned vocabulary in a collocation-oriented setting had better retention through the lexical-chunking achieved by the collection method. Second, in terms of reading comprehension achieved on nationwide academic trial tests, the result was, after considering more tests, that G2 gained a significantly higher mean score on the third and fourth than G1 did, although the two groups yielded a similar mean score on the first and second test. The implication of these results is that collocation-based vocabulary activities had a more significant influence on reading skills than wordlist-oriented ones.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.69-89
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• 2012

This paper explored the effects of extensive reading (ER) on Korean university students' L2 reading proficiency and reading rates. This study also illustrated how ER can be integrated into a university English reading class. Seventeen students who took a summer reading course participated in this study. Data were gathered through pre- and post- tests in terms of participants' reading comprehension proficiency and reading rates and post- questionnaire with regard to their attitudes toward L2 storybook reading after they have experienced it. The analysis was carried out using the Paired Samples t-test. It was revealed that ER has a positive effect on the enhancement of the participants' reading comprehension and reading rates. The participants showed their continued intention to read in English and a strong belief that persistent reading in English in the long run will help improve their English. The results of this study confirm the educational values of incorporating ER into university English reading classes. The pedagogical implications for EFL instructors are described.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.257-286
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• 2006

This paper investigates the effects of small group collaborative transcription activities on the improvement of university students' English listening ability. Based on the results of pre-tests, a class of 42 students was subdivided into 11 small homogeneous groups of three to four students. Each group was provided with 7 different news items to be transcribed. Means were compared between pre-test and post-test scores, followed by comparison of transcription errors in content and function words. Finally, students' perception and attitudes about the use of small group transcription for improving listening skills were qualitatively analysed and compared with pre- and post test results. It was found that post test scores highly correlated with improvement of listening ability. It was also found that groups of high degree of collaboration showed improvement in listening ability while lack of collaboration contributed to loss of interests in listening. Students who see process more important were found to make more contribution to the group success than those who place more emphasis on the results.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.1-9
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• 2019

In an effort to explore the effects of Youtube video-watching activities on Korean college students' English reading comprehension skills, 148 undergraduate students who enrolled in a General English class at a university in Korea participated in the present study. Participants were randomly classified into four groups - three experimental groups and one control group - according to when they watch videos: before class (n = 33), during class (n = 42), after class (n = 36), and none (n = 37). Over 16 weeks, the three experimental groups engaged in Youtube video-watching activities for about 10 minutes before, during, and after the class, while the control group did not. Pre- and post-tests were administered to confirm the effects of the use of Youtube videos on improving English reading comprehension skills. To compare the improvement between groups, a one-way ANOVA was also run. Major findings are as follows: First, participants in all the three experimental groups significantly improved their English reading comprehension skills, indicating the beneficial effects of Youtube video-watching activities. However, there was no statistically significant difference in the mean improvement between the groups. Based on this, limitations and suggestions for the future research are discussed at the end.

• International Journal of Knowledge Content Development & Technology
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.5-28
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• 2018

Socialization of doctoral students refers to the process through which they acquire various types of information about their work, department, university, and discipline for their future careers. This study aims to investigate information behaviors, with emphasis on identifying types of information exchanged in mentoring between faculty advisors and their doctoral students in library and information science (LIS). As a first step to developing a content framework for LIS doctoral mentoring, the author interviewed ten LIS doctoral students from nine U.S. universities. Based on data from these interviews, the author identified sixteen types of information exchanged: language, history, coursework, research, skills, teaching, networking, structure, politics, goals, strategies, values, norms/tradition, rules/policies, benefits, and personal life. In comparison with a content framework used, four dimensions were newly added. In addition to the identification of content dimensions, the author observed four meaningful contextual levels to which the content types can be applied: work, department/school, university, and discipline. The qualitative data also showed that interpersonal factors of advisees/advisors and contextual factors might relate to information exchange in doctoral mentoring. In a following paper, the author will present the results of a follow-up survey that tests and generalizes the findings of this study.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.345-364
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• 2009

This study attempts to provide a comprehensive framework for listening strategy use among university students in Korea in relation to TOEIC listening scores. In particular, this study tests whether motivation, based on the self-determination theory, mediates listening strategy use on listening comprehension (LC) process and whether reading comprehension ability moderates the use of listening strategy in LC achievement. One hundred seventy six freshmen students participated in the study during their first semester required English course. Self-report questionnaires were used to assess students' motivation and LC strategy use. The responses were statistically analyzed via the moderator and mediator model. The results indicate that internalized motivation mediates the use of listening strategy in LC achievement; however, reading comprehension skill doesn't affect students' use of listening strategies in relation to listening skill achievement. In other words, students who have internalized motivation were able to utilize listening strategies effectively in terms of achievement of the TOEIC listening skills. The findings of the current study offer in-depth understanding of the relationship among use of LC strategies, intrinsic motivation, and listening skill achievement shared by the mediator and moderator models.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.463-474
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• 2023

Materials produced with the help of new technology are used in the design of materials used in all science and engineering departments today. A sports engineering and sports equipment department is one of these departments. The use of nanotechnology in sports equipment is one of the most popular uses of this technology today. Nanomaterials have been used in sports equipment for many years, and reputable companies have benefited. Athletes' equipment allows them to display their skills to the fullest extent. It has always been a dream of professional athletes and their coaches to have unique equipment. As a result, engineers have spent all their time and effort solving this problem. Science and engineering can do various things to meet the needs of all sports levels, including specific and detailed designs, the use of appropriate materials, and standardization tests on equipment. However, these aspects must remain aligned with the latest technologies as they develop, just as with other sciences. These technologies, especially nanotechnology, are essential to sports equipment and devices developed today by sports engineers. This article examines the balls that use nanotechnology and can also improve the athlete's performance by using this technology in a specific structure. Using nanotechnology to make nanocomposite poly-hope balls, which makes them lighter and more acceptable, reduces the impact on the ball and increases its movement speed.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.2749-2752
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• 2012

Background: Breaking bad news to cancer patients is a delicate and challenging task for most doctors. Better understanding of patients' preferences in breaking bad news can guide doctors in performing this task. Objectives: This study aimed to describe the preferences of Malaysian cancer patients regarding the communication of bad news. Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in the Oncology clinic of a tertiary teaching hospital. Two hundred adult cancer patients were recruited via purposive quota sampling. They were required to complete the Malay language version of the Measure of Patients' Preferences (MPP-BM) with minimal researcher assistance. Their responses were analysed using descriptive statistics. Association between demographic characteristics and domain scores were tested using non-parametric statistical tests. Results: Nine items were rated by the patients as essential: "Doctor is honest about the severity of my condition", "Doctor describing my treatment options in detail", "Doctor telling me best treatment options", Doctor letting me know all of the different treatment options", "Doctor being up to date on research on my type of cancer", "Doctor telling me news directly", "Being given detailed info about results of medical tests", "Being told in person", and "Having doctor offer hope about my condition". All these items had median scores of 5/5 (IQR:4-5). The median scores for the three domains were: "Content and Facilitation" 74/85, "Emotional Support" 23/30 and "Structural and Informational Support" 31/40. Ethnicity was found to be significantly associated with scores for "Content and Facilitation" and "Emotional Support". Educational status was significantly associated with scores for "Structural and Informational Support". Conclusion: Malaysian cancer patients appreciate the ability of the doctor to provide adequate information using good communication skills during the process of breaking bad news. Provision of emotional support, structural support and informational support were also highly appreciated.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.83-90
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• 2024

This study aimed to explore phonological retrieval and phonological memory skills in second to third graders with dyslexia, poor comprehension, and typical development. The participants included 17 children with dyslexia, 17 children with poor comprehension, and 24 typically developing children. Children with dyslexia scored below 85 on the word decoding test, poor comprehender scored above 90 on the word decoding, and below 85 on the reading comprehension test and typical children scored above 90 on both reading tests. All participants were assessed on rapid automatized naming (RAN) and nonword repetition (NWR). The result indicated that children with dyslexia performed significantly worse on RAN and NWR tasks than other groups. However, there was significant differences between poor comprehender and typically developing children. Furthermore, only RAN were significantly correlated with word decoding and reading comprehension in children with dyslexia. For typically developing children, RAN was correlated with word decoding and reading comprehension, while NWR had a significant correlation with reading comprehension. No correlations were found between these variables for poor comprehender. The finding suggests that children with dyslexia showed difficulties on phonological retrieval and phonological memory, which are essential for reading development while poor comprehender do not have difficulties with phonological processing skills. Phonological processing deficits may underlie word decoding difficulties in dyslexia.