Adaptation of the INTERGROWTH-21st neurodevelopment assessment (INTER-NDA) to the context of the English-speaking Caribbean

Background Adaptation of standardized early child development (ECD) assessments to low- and middle-income countries can be challenging because of culture-specific factors relating to language, content, context, and tool administration, and because the reliance of these tests on specialist healthcare professionals limits their scalability in low resource settings. Methods We report the cross-cultural adaptation of an international, standardized ECD instrument, the INTERGROWTH-21st Project Neurodevelopment Assessment (INTER-NDA), measuring cognitive, language, motor and behavioural outcomes in 2-year-olds, from a UK-based English-speaking population to the English-speaking Caribbean. Children aged 22-30 months were recruited from a pre-existing randomized controlled neurodevelopment intervention study in Grenada, West Indies. Results Eight of 37 INTER-NDA items (22%) were culturally and linguistically adapted for implementation in the Caribbean context. Protocol adherence across seven newly-trained non-specialist child development assessors was 89.9%; six of the seven assessors scored ≥80%. Agreement between the expert assessor and the non-specialist child development assessors was substantial (κ = 0.89 to 1.00 (95% CI [0.58, 1.00]). The inter-rater and test-retest reliability for non-specialist child development assessors was between κ = 0.99 -1.00 (95% CI [0.98, 0.99]) and κ = 0.76 - 1.00 (95% CI [0.33, 1.00]) across all INTER-NDA domains. Conclusions The current study provides evidence to support the use of the adapted INTER-NDA by trained, non-specialist assessors to measure ECD prevalence in the English-speaking Caribbean. It also provides a methodological template for the adaptation of child developmental measures to cultural and linguistic contexts that conform to the cultural standards of the countries in which they are utilized to aid in the measurement of neurodevelopmental impairments (NDIs) in a variety of global clinical settings.

Narrative essence of language content in the expression of the composer evaluation of their own creativity

The purpose of the article is to investigate the narratives of contemporary Ukrainian composers in the context of their assessment of their own work and the actual existing musicological components of each work: its purpose, the whole conglomeration of musical means of expression, and their multidimensional and multifunctional context. Attention is focused on the problem of inconsistency of the author's linguistic content in expressing his own ideas about his work, with the actual state of affairs, in terms of musicological logic, psychology, etc. The research methodology is based on the analysis of the sphere of expression of human thinking by R. Bart, K. Bremon, F. Jameson, T. Tytarenko, Ts. Todorov, E. Tshebinski and others. Also, studies by G. Gadamer, M. Heidegger, P. Reeker, R. Harre, which consider the narrative as a discursive structure, formed on the basis of their own experience. In the field of musical art, the problem of narratology is paid attention to in the works of N. Gerasimova-Persidskaya, O. Zinkevych, Y. Chekan, and some other musicologists. Scientific novelty. For the first time in the work a comparative analysis of the subjective-authorial understanding of composers of the narratives of their own work with the musicological, culturological, and socio-political context of the existence of the individual, to establish the artistic conceptuality of some of their works. Conclusions. It is established that the assimilation and awareness of meaning are possible only through certain messages that can have many meanings, and decoding them together can take any form. Thus, at the junction of the meanings of the narrator and the listener, his interpretive understanding appears, which becomes the basis of the final conclusion. Keywords: language content, creative narratives, artistic conceptuality, decoding.

A Comparative Study of The Yorùbá News and Aláròyé Newspapers

The Yorùbá News, since its inception in 1924, was an admiration to many. Its informative function, which covered variety of fields relevant to the grassroots, cannot be overlooked. Despite the series of scholarly writings on The Yorùbá News, much work has not been geared towards a comparative study of the newspaper with any other be it old or contemporary. In the light of this, this essay therefore attempts a comparative study of The Yorùbá News and Aláròyé, a fast-selling contemporary Yorùbá newspaper. Four editions of The Yorùbá News and two editions of the Aláròyé newspapers are selected and content-analyzed using postmodernism theory. It is observed that The Yorùbá News distanced itself from aesthetics and total bias to the grassroots while Aláròyé newspaper foregrounded aesthetic splendor and grassroots biases in its editions. In this study, language, content, and headings/headlines are employed as measures of our comparison.

Nilai-nilai Pendidikan Karakter dalam Muatan Pembelajaran Bahasa Indonesia di Kelas III SDS Harapan Jakarta

This research was carried out at SDS Harapan Jakarta. This research aims to unravel the implementation of character education’s values through thematic subject, specifically on Indonesian Language Content. This research uses qualitative descriptive approach to gather research data deeply and thoroughly regarding character education’s value. Data collection was done using interviews, observation, and documentation. Miles and Huberman method was used to analyze data collected with the process of data collection, condensation, data display, and data verification. Triangulation was used to verify the validity of the data. The result of this study revealed that 1) The implementation of character education values in the content of Indonesian Language learning in Class 3 is implemented through reading and writing activities that prioritize the five main values in education according to the Minister of Education and Culture. 2) There are still less-effective efforts to achieve learning objectives. 3) There is still a lack of learning innovations carried out to achieve learning goals. 4) No lesson plans that are not made routinely as a means of evaluating learning. 5) There is still a need for improvement in the application of character education in Indonesian content that is linked to students' real experiences, both through online and offline learning. Keywords: Character Education; Primary School; Thematic Learning; Indonesian Language Content Penelitian ini dilaksanakan di SDS Harapan Jakarta. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengungkap implementasi nilai-nilai pendidikan karakter melalui mata pelajaran tematik, khususnya pada muatan bahasa Indonesia. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan deskriptif kualitatif untuk mengumpulkan data penelitian secara mendalam dan menyeluruh mengenai nilai pendidikan karakter. Pengumpulan data dilakukan dengan wawancara, observasi, dan dokumentasi. Metode Miles dan Huberman digunakan untuk menganalisis data yang dikumpulkan dengan proses pengumpulan data, kondensasi, tampilan data, dan verifikasi data. Triangulasi digunakan untuk memverifikasi keabsahan data. Hasil penelitian ini mengungkapkan bahwa 1) Implementasi nilai pendidikan karakter dalam muatan pembelajaran Bahasa Indonesia di Kelas 3 diterapkan melalui kegiatan membaca dan menulis yang mengedepankan lima nilai utama dalam pendidikan sesuai Permendikbud. 2) Masih ada upaya-upaya yang kurang efektif untuk mencapai tujuan pembelajaran. 3) Masih kurangnya inovasi pembelajaran yang dilakukan untuk mencapai tujuan pembelajaran. 4) Tidak ada RPP yang tidak dibuat secara rutin sebagai sarana evaluasi pembelajaran. 5) Masih perlu adanya perbaikan penerapan pendidikan karakter konten bahasa Indonesia yang dikaitkan dengan pengalaman nyata peserta didik, baik melalui pembelajaran online maupun offline. Kata Kunci: Pendidikan Karakter; Sekolah Dasar; Pembelajaran Tematik; Muatan Bahasa Indonesia

Language Contents of Modules and Grade 7-10 Students’ Engagement during the COVID 19

Aims: To determine the relationship between modules’ language contents and students learning engagement during the COVID 19 Study Design: Descriptive-correlational Place and Duration of Study: This study was conducted in Bato National High School, Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur from February to June 2021. Methodology: This research used the stratified random sampling. It involved 258 Grades 7-10 students. It utilized adopted questionnaires developed by Vergara (2017), Fredericks et al. (2005) and Moore and Lippman (2005). Results: The level of language contents of the modules in English gained an overall mean of 4.05 (SD=0.94) described as “high.” All components under language contents had rated high as follows: presentation (4.05), communication style (4.07), assessment (4.05) and content (3.92). On the other hand, the level of student engagement gained an overall mean score of 3.96 (SD = 1.06) with a verbal description of “highly engaged.” All components under students engagement had rated high as follows: behavioral engagement (4.19), emotional engagement (4.04), and cognitive engagement (3.65). The tested hypothesis gained an r value of 0.633, and a p-value of 0.00 which is less than 0.01, the alpha level of significance is denoting a strong positive correlation between the level of language contents of the modules and engagement of students. Hence, it determined that there was a significant relationship between language content of the modules and engagement of students. Conclusion: Although all variables in the contents of the modules and engagement are rated high and highly engaged respectively, specific statements which are within the border of often and seldom may be given attention. Moreover, the findings of this research shows significant relationship between language content of modules and students’ engagement may allow the module developers to consider that quality of modules is more relevant than quantity and that meaningful activities promote learners’ engagement.

Critical Thinking in Algerian Secondary School EFL Classes: Expectations and Reality

The Algerian educational system is competency-based; therefore, it focuses on developing learners’ competencies and skills through a learner-centered methodology that fosters autonomy. To help teachers apply such methodology, the English syllabus designers recommend using Project-Based Learning, active learning, and problem-solving strategies to help learners develop 21st-century skills and communicate effectively, collaborate, and think critically and creatively. However, those methods and strategies are absent in classrooms, and therefore critical thinking is not promoted. In this context, two questions are raised to affirm this hypothesis. (1) To what extent do teachers respect the syllabus designers’ recommendations? (2) Why do teachers avoid using the recommended methods and strategies? To investigate those questions and achieve the aim of this research, the researcher carried out an in-depth quantitative analysis of 30 anonymous classroom observation reports written by a certified English teacher trainer. To address the qualitative aspect of the research, the researcher held a semi-structured interview with the same teacher trainer. The reports that were examined contained 150 comments on teachers’ classroom practices and assessment methodologies. The results showed that English teachers partially respect the syllabus designers’ recommendations. Besides, the teachers’ methods, classroom practices, and assessment approaches are mainly based on direct instruction and language content acquisition rather than on reflective and problem-solving learning; therefore, they are not conducive to implementing and developing learners’ critical thinking. The conclusion drawn from the data analysis of the current research is that teachers’ hesitance to use the recommended pedagogical approach and methods is due to some hindrances faced by teachers, namely classrooms overcrowdedness, the content-based baccalaureate exam and lack of time due to the lengthy English programs.

Multimedia Interactive Learning on Indonesian Language Content

The impact of covid-19, which requires all types of learning activities to be carried out online. As a result, teachers have limitations in finding learning media suitable for student characteristics and suitable for use in online learning conditions. The purpose of this development research was to determine the feasibility of designing interactive multimedia learning. This type of research is development research. The research model used is the ADDIE model. The subjects of this study were 3 grade III elementary school students. The data collection methods used were observation, interview and questionnaire methods. The product design test was carried out by several experts and students, learning material experts, learning design experts, instructional media experts, and individual trials consisting of three students. The form of data analysis used in this research was descriptive quantitative data analysis. Based on the results of the study, showed the feasibility percentage level of interactive multimedia according to learning material experts was 95%, the percentage level of the feasibility of interactive learning media according to learning design experts was 90%, and according to individual trials, the percentage level of the feasibility of interactive learning multimedia was 96.52% with excellent qualifications. This development research indicated that the development of interactive multimedia learning assisted was suitable for use in the learning process on Indonesian language content in literary appreciation for grade III elementary school students.

Exploring Applied Strategies for English-Language Dubbing

The sudden boom of non-English language content on popular streaming platforms has obliged media localisation companies to react and adapt quickly to provide the market with English dubbing lip-synch services. This comes with several challenges due to the absence of a long-established English dubbing tradition and professional practice, as well as the lack of consolidated norms and conventions, or a textual repertoire to act as a point of reference. This paper builds on a prior theoretical study (Spiteri Miggiani, 2021) that seeks to identify potential norms as well as challenges in English-language dubbing. It goes a step further by exploring strategies and techniques that could address the identified challenges while aiming to satisfy the generally accepted quality standards that govern dubbing globally. The proposed strategies apply to the dubbing workflow as a whole with a special focus on the dubbing text adaptation process. The study aims to set the grounds for further research required to corroborate these strategies through applied studies in an academic setting, or through collaboration with localisation companies where they can be tested and observed in professional practice. Lay Summary We are currently experiencing a boom in films and TV series in a variety of languages other than English, mostly thanks to the popularity of streaming platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. These productions need to be subtitled and dubbed into English. Dubbing in English is not a consolidated tradition and therefore it lacks its own set of patterns. To this end, I have already conducted a study to try to pinpoint the main challenges of English language dubbing and the patterns that have emerged so far. This enables me to take a step further, especially since it seems that viewers do not always react positively to dubbed content in English. This not-so-favourable response may also depend on the fact that they are not accustomed to dubbing. Having already identified some of the challenges related to lip-synching, rhythmic synchrony, natural sounding language, intonation, sound mixing, voice variety, and so on, in this paper, I propose practical strategies that can possibly help to deal with such issues. The main goal is to explore ways and means to enhance quality, especially in the translation and adaptation of these works. The ultimate aim is to obtain a credible product that engages the viewers and encourages them to binge on the next episode. We want the audience to forget or lose awareness of the fact that they are listening to newly recorded voices and a new target language.

Using Kahoot! to Gamify Learning in the Language Classroom

Technology is increasingly being used to foster engagement, enhance classroom dynamics, promote autonomy and improve the student learning experience in language learning environments. Many teachers have begun to employ digital apps and tools (e.g. Mentimeter and GoSoapBox) as a more interactive alternative to traditional activities. One product that has been particularly popular due to its user-friendly interface and focus on motivation, enjoyment and competition is Kahoot! ( https://kahoot.com ) – a game-based student response system in which the teacher takes on the role of a game show host with the students as contenders. Kahoot! can enhance the language classroom by making the introduction of new content (e.g. definitions, tenses or collocations) and the consolidation of knowledge more interactive and visible, helping learners reach mastery of the language content. Although Kahoot! has been a popular platform since its launch in 2013, its utility in the language classroom has yet to be fully explored. Furthermore, to be used effectively, teachers need a clear understanding of its subject-specific affordance and limitations. Therefore, this review explores how language teachers can use Kahoot! to improve student engagement – and potentially academic performance – by gamifying learning. Notably, only the free version of Kahoot! is examined.

Kohdekielisyyden normin oikeutus ja toteutus venäjänkielisessä CLIL-alkuopetuksessa

This article examines the pedagogical-didactic legitimacy of an institutional language practice called the target language norm, and its implementation in Russian-language content-and-language-integrated (CLIL) classroom in primary education with 6–8-year-old students. Here, the language norm refers to an arrangement in which the teacher uses only the target language and restricts the students' use of their native tongue. The data consist of video recorded classroom interaction and ethnographic notes by the teacher-researcher, both collected during a two-year period. The microethnographic analysis shows that the students gradually adopt the norm as a part of their everyday school routine as they are socialized into classroom practices. The study argues that in certain contexts it is justified to introduce a language norm that supports the systematic and goal-oriented nature of language learning.