Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Investigating the perception and production of the Arabic pharyngealised sounds by L2 learners of Arabic

Pronunciation has received relatively little attention within the field of Arabic second language teaching and learning, particularly with respect to the more prominent areas of morphology, syntax, psycholinguistics and sociolinguistics. In the field of phonetics and phonology, it has been argued that Arabic pharyngealised sounds are distinctive and unique to Arabic and they are considered the most difficult sounds to acquire by L2 learners of Arabic. This research included two experiments that focused on examining the ability of a group of Arabic L2 learners from different L1 backgrounds to perceive and produce the fricative sounds /z/, /θ/, /f/, /ʃ/, /ħ/, /h/, /χ/, /ɣ/, /ʕ/, /sˤ/, /ðˤ/, /s/, /ð/, and the emphatic sounds /sˤ/, /ðˤ/, /dˤ/, and /tˤ/ in contrast with nonpharyngealised variants /s/, /ð/, /d/ and /t/. The aims were to investigate which aspects of acquisition were difficult and to examine the effects of technology-based instruction and traditional-based instruction to find an appropriate pronunciation teaching method to facilitate the perception and production of fricatives and emphatics. The technology-based method used in this study was adapted from Olson (2014) and Offerman and Olson (2016) to investigate the extent to which using speech analysis technology (Praat) can help in visualising the difference between pharyngealised and non-pharyngealised sounds in order to aid production and perception learning. The traditional-based method used in this study included repetition, practicing minimal pairs, and reading aloud techniques. Data were collected from forced-choice identification tasks and recordings taken during pre- and post-test conditions. The results revealed that the some of the fricatives and all the emphatic sounds posed perception and production difficulty to some L2 learners of Arabic, which is likely to be due to the absence of these sounds from the learners’ L1s. The results also showed significant improvements among all participants after the traditional and technology training courses. However, no significant difference was observed between L2 learners who received the traditional-based method and those who received the technology-based method. Both methods have increased students’ awareness and understanding of the features of the sounds under investigation. The contribution of the current study is to show how Arabic fricative and emphatic sounds can be effectively taught using form-focused instruction involving different traditional and technological techniques. This research has implications for the implementation of both techniques for language teachers and researchers as it shows how both approaches can be used to enhance students’ perceptive and productive skills.
Teaching them, teaching me: youth conceptualize benefits of being a mentor in an indigenous high school peer mentoring program

ABSTRACT In this mixed methods case study, we investigated the benefits of being a youth mentor to younger peers as part of the Fourth R: Uniting Our Nations Peer Mentoring Program for Indigenous youth. Data were collected from 11 youth mentors via interviews and returned to them for interpretation and meaning-making through a statement sorting and rating activity as part of a group concept mapping procedure. The group concept mapping revealed three themes: (a) Cultural Connections, (b) Benefits to Self, and (c) Relationships with Family and Friends. Implications for programming are discussed and the benefit of group concept mapping as a culturally appropriate methodology is highlighted.
Listening to the user's voice: A temporal analysis of autism‐related questions on Quora

Social question and answer (Q&A) platforms offer a new way for identifying information needs of people with certain diseases. Taking Quora as an example, we examine which health topics are of interest to autistic people and how these topics evolve over time. Experimental results reveal increasingly heavy and diverse attention to the condition, from diagnosis and treatment of autism itself to extended issues like social challenges, parenting, and education issues. We find that users tend to post clinical concerns about autism on Quora although traditionally such social Q&A platforms encourage more social and awareness‐level questions. New concerns have appeared recently about autism's relations to other diseases like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD). This study is beneficial for tracking and responding to autistic patients' and caregivers' information needs.
Troubling the male role modelling theory: male teachers as role models for girls?

ABSTRACT The teaching of young children or Foundation Phase (FP) teaching as it is known in South Africa continues to be regarded as ‘women’s work’. Lately South African research has focused on encouraging men’s participation as FP teachers. In this paper, we offer a critical examination of how South African primary school teachers ‘embrace’ the need for men in FP by drawing on discursive strategies that view men as vital male role models for young girls. This contrasts more common role modelling discourses which call for male teachers to act as role models for boys. One argument put forth was that male FP teachers could help shape acceptable ways of ‘doing girl’. Secondly, a ‘daddy’s girl’ discourse was used to construct male teachers as favourable role models for girls. Lastly, male teachers were considered as role models in order to expose girls to alternate, non-violent and caring masculinities.
Adjusting Clinical Fee Scales: First Session Intake Fees Moderating Couple’s Total Number of Sessions Attended in Couple’s Therapy

ii List of Tables . iv List of Figures . v Introduction . 1 Review of Literature . 4 Ecological System’s Theory . 4 Poverty and Couples . 7 Cost of Services . 9 Total Number of Sessions Attended.12 Current Study . 12 Methods . 16 Results . 20 Discussion . 26 Conclusion . 31 References . 32 Appendix . 40
Ethnicity at workplace: Value and culture of Malaysian Malay tradition in organization

Article history: Received 2 May 2019 Received in revised form 5 September 2019 Accepted 8 September 2019 Organizations are built from the essence of many cultures, divisions, professions, functions and roles, employees, management and hierarchy. Collective activities within the organization function continuously with the division of work and the hierarchy of authority to achieve the goals set by the organization. Culture is a mode of thinking, values, and attitudes including the beliefs, traditions and behaviors of human beings that learned and inherited from one generation to another. Cultural sociologists examine the meaning-making process, the reasons behind the meanings, the effects on human action, and the importance of meaning in generating unity and conflict. Today, Malays in Malaysia have shown tremendous changes in economic, political and social aspects. This situation can be seen in the rural and farming communities as well as modern societies in the cities that are actively involved in modern economic sectors including services and businesses, and the communities have even formed a Malaysian middle class society. Historically, the founding of the Malay community in Malaysia began from the village, hence the combination of both custom and culture being built in the village. The value and culture of the Malays are said to be attributed to the view of the Islamic world which is 'Islam as a way of life'. Religion, culture and social bonds are embedded in the lives of the Malays. A study conducted among 265 Malay workers in the national automotive industrial organization indicated that there was a positive finding between the traditional culture and the official culture of the workplace. Malay values and norms are brought to the workplace and have affected the routines at the workplace as well. Hence, in the context of organization and occupation, employers cannot separate the workers from their labor capacity because employees are the people who are living with the society, and they are shaped and seen through the society. Various socially constructed elements including the perceptions, and may affect the interaction among the employees, employers, leaders, and success of an organization.
Methodologies to enhance innovation competencies in social work education

ABSTRACT Social workers are constantly called on to respond to social demands arising from new social realities. Innovation competencies are critical for social workers, and various training programmes adopt methodologies aimed at preparing future social workers to innovate and design a sustainable future for social work practice. The objective of this paper is to present some tested teaching and learning methodologies in order to promote and enhance critical social innovation competencies among social work students. Different techniques encourage the development of innovative ideas for social intervention, some of them offering experimental experiences in which students approach the innovation process through ‘inspiration’, ‘ideation’ and ‘implementation’. Students identify challenges and opportunities that motivate the search for solutions. They build and share visions, test ideas and plan actions to take social innovations into real life. These methodologies have been tested and assessed, and are replicable in different social work education contexts. The results of their application are discussed in terms of the acquisition of the expected innovation competencies.
Validation of a reflection rubric for higher education

ABSTRACT Reflection in learning is a popular and widely studied concept that has historical roots in higher education. Previous authors reported little agreement on the assessment methods and procedures for measuring reflection. Moreover, many studies have not provided sufficient detail on the development or implementation of their reflection rubrics, and only some reported psychometric support for reliability or validity. These challenges make it difficult to identify a standardized assessment process for reflection that is reliable and valid for use across different disciplines in higher education. The current study provides preliminary support for a reflection rubric for college students that is theoretically- and empirically-based and psychometrically supported, using student data that represents several academic disciplines and a variety of student groups. The authors describe the development of a reflection rubric in detail; present results that support its reliability, validity, and use among college students from different disciplines to promote and actively practice a rigorous and standardized process for written reflection; present the rubric’s limitations; and describe plans for future research, including additional tests of validity.
Oh Darling, This Too Shall Pass: Cyclic Perceptions of Change Keep You in Romantic Relationships Longer During Difficult Times

The present research explored how individual differences in perceptions of change (cyclic vs. linear) influence relational decisions. Three studies examined whether cyclic perceptions of change, a central feature of holistic thinking, keep people in romantic relationships longer due to the belief that hardships too shall pass. Study 1 found that cyclic perceivers reported greater endurance against relational transgressions than linear perceivers. In Studies 2a and 2b, cyclic perceivers reported fewer breakups in romantic relationships (Study 2a) and showed less willingness to break up (Study 2b) than linear perceivers due to their stronger relational endurance. Through a longitudinal examination, Study 3 evidenced that cyclic perceivers were more likely to remain in romantic relationships than linear perceivers over 1 year. The current studies provide new insight into how individual differences in perceptions of change contribute to decision-making in romantic relationships.
Effects of a gamified learning platform on elementary school students' flow experiences in leisure reading

Reading is the basis of most learning but is regarded by students as a boring activity in Hong Kong. Therefore, schools in Hong Kong have launched different reading programs to promote reading. One of the successful examples is Reading Battle which gamifies the reading comprehension assessments with points, levels, e‐badges and leaderboard on an interactive learning platform. This study looked into how gamification affected the flow experience of students and discussed to what extent the nine flow dimensions were experienced by them, especially the heavy users of the gamified learning platform. This case study chose nine students from four different elementary schools in Hong Kong and adopted a mixed method such as questionnaires and interviews. While many students first did it for external motivation such as getting more points and ranking high on the leaderboard, the study found that the heavy users of Reading Battle became committed to reading and many enjoyed the flow experiences where they seemed to forget about time and discomfort and truly enjoyed the reading process.
From spectator to spect-actor: The proactive involvement of chinese parents in their conflicts with adolescents through a forum theatre format

Abstract Parent-adolescent conflict seems to be common when adolescents negotiate power with their parents. Forum theatre (FT), an interactive and participatory theatre form, is recommended as a community-based intervention to assist Chinese parents in managing the challenges of parent-adolescent interaction. FT proposes that solutions to daily struggles can be reached through concerted efforts of the participants. This article documents the impact of FT on parents who took on the role of ‘spect-actor’. The spect-actor is an active spectator who acts on stage to test solutions to a problem. The results indicate that parents gained more awareness of their children’s needs, which helped them to relax their control over their children. FT is recommended as a means of parent education in schools.
Neuroprotective Effect of Photoactive Quantum Dots in Progressive Retinal Photoreceptor Degeneration

Neuroprotective Effect of Photoactive Quantum Dots in Progressive Retinal Photoreceptor Degeneration Background: To determine the effect of intraocularly administered photoactive quantum dots in a rodent model of progressive photoreceptor degeneration. Methods: The Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) rat model of progressive photoreceptor degeneration was used for this study. Twenty eyes of ten animals were divided into four groups: active implant, inactive implant, sham surgery, and control group. The active and inactive implant group received a single intravitreal injection of photoactive quantum dots conjugated with biotin. The sham surgery group received an intravitreal injection of balanced saline solution, and the control group underwent no surgical procedure. All procedures were done at week six of life and weekly electroretinograms (ERG) recorded for the following six weeks. Results: Both the control and sham surgery groups demonstrated a progressive decline in the amplitude of the ERG recordings over the six weeks post-procedure. In contrast, the eyes receiving intravitreal photoactive quantum dots demonstrated transient, but statistically significant increases in retinal electrical activity postinjection. Conclusions: The observed increase in retinal electrical activity following intravitreal injection of photoactive quantum dots in the RCS rat model suggests a potential therapeutic role for this technology in progressive retinal degenerations.
Learning through practice: Collaborative policing partnerships in teaching in higher education

This article discusses the development and good practice of an undergraduate collaborative partnership module between police practitioners and academics meeting the challenges for teaching partnerships within higher education. Through innovative curriculum design and the application of the Student as Producer model, the article considers aspects of student engagement, ownership of learning journeys and shared dialogues. The case study was developed to strengthen existing productive links with policing and offer real-life collaboration on contemporary police studies. The module has impacted on student learning and has institutionally embraced professional practice in teaching through designing ‘academic practice as learning’.
Interactive Session on ‘focus group discussion’ for health professionals in India: a mixed-methods evaluation

Objective: To design an interactive session on Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and evaluate it from the participants’ view point. Methodology: Study setting was a five-day long workshop on ‘Qualitative Research Methods’ for health professionals, with 30 health professionals from 8 different states of India having public health, clinical and nursing backgrounds as participants. A mixed-methods design of triangulation type was utilized, where both quantitative (Likert type feedback and retro-pre survey) and qualitative (data emerging during group work) data was simultaneously collected and analyzed. After a brief sensitization on FGD guidelines, 30 participants were divided into two equal groups. Participants were given a group work on planning and running an FGD. We used ‘Fishbowl’ seating arrangement to take them through the FGD process and experience the role of facilitator and the role of participant. It was followed by a debrief. Content analysis of qualitative data was done and consensus scores were calculated from the feedback responses. Results and conclusion: The session on FGD was well received (weighted mean-1.4; consensus81.5%). The post-session mean score for their perceived ability to facilitate FGD increased to 4.8 from a pre-session score of 2.1 (p=0.009). The session design helped facilitate a discussion on challenges in running an FGD, such as the influence of facilitator’s anxiety, mutual coordination, note-taking and seeking information from the participants and its potential effect on data quality and validity.
Children’s constructive climate change engagement: Empowering awareness, agency, and action

Abstract This mixed-methods study examined how ten- to twelve-year-old children experienced and made sense of their growing climate change awareness through an after-school program that used participatory methods to facilitate children’s informed climate change action. The fifteen-week program combined hands-on educational activities with digital photography and culminated in youth-led action projects focused on individual (i.e. daily habits) and collaborative change (i.e. community projects). After the program, children knew significantly more about the scientific and social dimensions of climate change than before, and more than the average U.S. teen or adult. Survey and focus group analyses showed that, in addition to learning, children were inspired and motivated by their growing climate change awareness. Children felt empowered by their knowledge and eager to learn more and take action to minimize harms. Towards theorizing children’s constructive climate change engagement, the importance of informal learning environments for children’s intergenerational and political influence is discussed.
Dispositional Greed Scale: evidências de sua estrutura interna e parâmetros dos itens

Resumo Este estudo objetivou conhecer as evidências da estrutura interna da Dispositional Greed Scale (DGS) e os parâmetros de seus itens. Contou-se com a participação de 338 pessoas com média de idade de 26,5 anos (DP = 8,18), que responderam a DGS e perguntas demográficas. Os resultados indicaram uma solução unifatorial da DGS (Ω = 0,75). Análises via Teoria de Resposta ao Item demonstraram que os itens da DGS discriminam adequadamente os participantes e exigem baixa a moderada quantidade de traço latente para serem endossados. Ademais, detectou-se funcionamento diferencial, quanto à variável sexo, em apenas um item da DGS que apresentou impacto reduzido nas curvas características do teste total. Conclui-se que a DGS reúne evidências que corroboram sua qualidade psicométrica, podendo ser utilizada em estudos futuros que objetivem mensurar a ganância no contexto brasileiro.
Academic developers as brokers of change: insights from a research project on change practice and agency

ABSTRACT This paper presents the findings of a four-year research project studying change practice and agency in higher education. The main findings of five empirical studies are presented. These findings lay bare how academic staff perceive opportunities to change their practice, identify leaders’ strategies when trying to bring about change, illustrate the different and at times incompatible ways of understanding change initiatives, acknowledge the importance of moral dimensions in change, and demonstrate how leaders mobilise theory when engaging in change practice. The article synthesizes the results of the project and draws conclusions with a view to how academic developers may best engage with critical stakeholders in higher education institutions. The paper concludes by presenting some thoughts on how a new model for academic development may take form. The paper aims to provide insights, inspiration, and critical dialogue to researchers in academic development.
Occupational Therapy’s Work and Industry Area of Practice: Content in Entry-Level Professional Occupational Therapy Curricula: A Survey

The Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain and Process identifies work as an area of occupation that has long been recognized by the profession as an area of practice. This study identified how entry-level professional occupational therapy programs meet educational standards required by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education for educational programs. Standards identified were those that relate to the area of work and industry practice. One hundred and sixty-seven program directors were invited to participate in a survey directed at work and industry occupational therapy practice. Items on the survey related to content taught in their entry-level occupational therapy programs. Sixty-eight programs (47%) participated. The results showed 40 out of 68 respondents (58.82%) indicated not enough time spent on work and industry content in their curriculum. No respondents indicated too much time is spent on this content. The other 41.18% reported there was enough time for this content in their curricula. It is important that work and industry content is adequately covered in the curricula of entry-level occupational therapy professional programs to prepare students for this area of practice. This study provides a foundation for future research related to professional occupational therapy education as it relates to work and industry practice. Comments The author reports that there are no conflicts of interest to disclose.
Institutional CA: Analysis of a Sample

This paper considers the analysis of institutional talks and how they meet their institutional goals. It begins with offering the distinctive characteristics of institutional interactions. Then it is conducted by examining a sample in news interview in terms of the turn-taking organization, the sequence organization, the repair organization and the topic organization, the four basic dimensions of organization as sites of research on institutional talk. The naturally occurring data for analysis is from Newsnight, a weekday BBC Television current affairs programme. Consequently, it is suggested that the institutional CA procedures mentioned above can be applied in the analysis of different institutional talks to identify how they meet their institutional goals.