An Analysis of Learning Outcomes in Single National Curriculum for Grade Pre-I in Punjab, Pakistan

The present study aims to identify the levels of critical thinking skills in learning outcomes of the single national curriculum (SNC) 2020 for early childhood care and education grade pre-I in Pakistan. The Objectives of the study are supposed; to find out the frequency of learning outcomes designed by adopting different levels of critical thinking skills, to identify balance between learning outcomes designed keeping in view LOTS and HOTS, and to highlight the elements or action verbs being used to make the statements of learning outcomes at different levels of critical thinking skills. Quantitative data analysis approach is deployed to find out the frequency of different levels of critical thinking skills-based learning outcomes in SNC for grad pre-I.  A Stratified type of sampling is used to make decisions about the selection of a single national curriculum for grade pre-I and purposive sampling was adopted to select the learning outcomes of SNC for grade pre-I. The critical Thinking Evaluation Model is implied to evaluate the learning outcomes at different levels of LOTS and HOTS. Findings indicate that LOTS are more focus of curriculum designers. SNC designers for grade pre-I are supposed to prepare students most prominently at the knowledge level, more frequently at the implementation level, and least frequently at self-directed learning level. This research is significant for curriculum designers, syllabus designers, teachers, and teacher trainers to make sure the balance between LOTS and HOTS, and the balance between the learning at each level of critical thinking skills while designing, teaching, and training.  &nbsp

The Impact of First Language on the Use of English Diphthongs of Pakistani Multilingual Females

This research elaborates on the production of diphthongs in Pakistani multilingual females and how vowels are used by Pakistani multilingual females. The research type is positivistic and objective. Results are collected only from females because there could be pitch variations between females and males. Both male and female speakers articulated the diphthongs in a singular manner. Both have articulated three central diphthongs, and three closing diphthongs, including two closings, are not realised as diphthongs. Both the vowels are articulated without gliding as monothongs. Pakistani multilinguals insert short vowels instead of long vowels; replacing one vowel with another is a mispronunciation of diphthongs. Sometimes diphthongs are mispronounced in Pakistani multilingualism and sometimes replaced by monothongs, which do not occur in English phonology. The difference between male and female speakers is duration of articulation. In this research, the female speakers articulated the five diphthongs. This research is not only based on auditory perception, which is subjective, but also on spectrogram evidence. The samples collected for this research are audio files of pronounced diphthongs converted to spectrograms. The research has analysed the diphthongs acoustically. This study focuses on Pakistani multilingual females in general. Pakistani English is associated with standard British English. Standard British English is like a mother to the Pakistani language because it laid the foundation for Pakistani English, which gradually changed under different factors. Changes are part of any variety of language. The same is true for multilingual Pakistanis. This research helped teachers focus on spoken English. Because this study was conducted on a small sample size, it can be applied to a much larger population sample. This study has revealed various barriers to Pakistani multilinguals understanding the pronunciation of diphthongs. &nbsp

Learners’ Perception Regarding the Role of Native-like English Language Proficiency in a Pakistani Academic Setting

Students learning any foreign language must develop listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills and become proficient in the use of that language. In Pakistan, English is a language that is highly used in educational institutions as well as professionally. This research has been carried out by quantitative method approach. This research carries two objectives. Firstly, to explore the Pakistani student’s perception regarding the role of native English proficiency in their Academic setting. Secondly, to statistically analyze the variation in perception regarding the role of native-like English language proficiency in an Academic setting. The data has been collected from a university from university students. The exact number of participants from which the questionnaire has been taken is 30 students from 3 different departments of the university. This research comes with the result that participants generally agreed that good handwriting, fast writing speed, and use of technical words in papers all have a positive impact on their marks in exams. However, they did not agree as strongly that the use of difficult vocabulary increases their marks in exams. This research is beneficial for the students that how they can get native-like English language proficiency. This research is also good for the teachers because this gives them an understanding of designing syllabi for the students. &nbsp

A CORPUS-BASED ANALYSIS OF COHESION IN WILLIAM GOLDING'S FICTIONAL REALMS: LORD OF THE FLIES

The present study explores the use of cohesion in William Golding's "Lord of the Flies" through the lens of corpus linguistics. This approach utilizes quantitative data to offer objective and transparent understandings into a specific aspect of the text. By using Halliday and Hassan's model of cohesion (1976), the study specifically focuses on grammatical cohesion, examining how conjunctions function to connect words, sentences, and phrases, ultimately contributing to the coherence of the narrative. The AntConc3.4.4 corpus tool plays a central role in the analysis, facilitating the investigation of the frequency and distribution of conjunctions within the text. The research method involves the conversion of the novel into plain text for analysis, enabling a comprehensive examination of conjunction usage. The findings highlight the prominence of certain conjunctions like 'and,' 'for,' 'but,' 'or,' 'so,' 'yet,' and 'nor' within the text. By examining the frequency and significance of these coordinating conjunctions, this research aims to shed light on their role in shaping the narrative's coherence and overall meaning in Golding's celebrated novel

A CORPUS BASED ANALYSIS OF THE USE OF MODIFIERS IN PAKISTANI EDUCATIONAL AND POLITICAL TWEETS

This study investigates the use of adjectives in tweets related to education and politics in Pakistan, employing corpus analysis to delve into language patterns within these specific contexts. Using the Corpus of Pakistani Social Media (COPSM), comprising tweets from the year 2023, the research focuses on 500 educational tweets (69,645 words) and 500 political tweets (62,376 words), totaling 132,021 words. The analysis goes beyond basic adjectives, encompassing comparative (JJR) and superlative (JJS) adjectives. To identify and extract adjectives accurately, a part-of-speech tagger was utilized on COPSM data. Further investigation and comprehension of adjective usage involved employing AntConc3.4.4. The findings highlight distinct patterns in how various types of adjectives are employed in educational versus political tweets. This research contributes to understanding language use in social media discourse concerning education and politics in Pakistan, offering insights into the nuanced ways adjectives shape communication in these domains.              &nbsp

SEMANTIC DEROGATION IN ANIMAL METAPHORS: A CASE STUDY OF AESOP’S FABLES

Stories play a significant role in schema development as they can shape the reader’s view. Children's fiction stories, in particular, have a significant impact on readers' inner schemas. This research has been carried out using a mixed-methods approach. This research has four objectives. Firstly, to explore Aesop’s fables for animal metaphors Secondly, to highlight the use of semantic derogation in Aesop’s fables Thirdly, to compare the readers' perceptions of the animal metaphors used in Aesop’s fables. The samples have been taken from private schools, specifically from students at the primary level. How far does the animals' representation in Aesop’s fables impact the reader’s schema? The majority of literature readers have an impact on their schemas of animal representation in Aesop's fables, according to this study. It is possible that media and animated cartoons in which animal characteristics have been used still carry the derogatory perception of the animals as depicted in fables. However, in the other cases where the learner's perception of these animals differs from the fables, Aesop has no influence. There are some other influences such as cultural influence, media, animated cartoons, social media, domestic reasons, and other environmental factors involved

SARS-CoV-2 vaccination modelling for safe surgery to save lives: data from an international prospective cohort study

Background: Preoperative SARS-CoV-2 vaccination could support safer elective surgery. Vaccine numbers are limited so this study aimed to inform their prioritization by modelling. Methods: The primary outcome was the number needed to vaccinate (NNV) to prevent one COVID-19-related death in 1 year. NNVs were based on postoperative SARS-CoV-2 rates and mortality in an international cohort study (surgical patients), and community SARS-CoV-2 incidence and case fatality data (general population). NNV estimates were stratified by age (18-49, 50-69, 70 or more years) and type of surgery. Best- and worst-case scenarios were used to describe uncertainty. Results: NNVs were more favourable in surgical patients than the general population. The most favourable NNVs were in patients aged 70 years or more needing cancer surgery (351; best case 196, worst case 816) or non-cancer surgery (733; best case 407, worst case 1664). Both exceeded the NNV in the general population (1840; best case 1196, worst case 3066). NNVs for surgical patients remained favourable at a range of SARS-CoV-2 incidence rates in sensitivity analysis modelling. Globally, prioritizing preoperative vaccination of patients needing elective surgery ahead of the general population could prevent an additional 58 687 (best case 115 007, worst case 20 177) COVID-19-related deaths in 1 year. Conclusion: As global roll out of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination proceeds, patients needing elective surgery should be prioritized ahead of the general population