Computer-aided storytelling: effects on emergent literacy of preschool-aged children in an EFL context

This thesis presents the results of a study involving very young learners of English as a foreign language in Spain. In Phase I of the study, the feasibility of developing a series of guidelines that could be used to develop English lessons based on ICT-stories and communicative tasks was investigated. In Phase II, the lessons derived from the use of the guidelines were implemented with the purpose of exploring the development of story-related emergent literacy skills of a group of 3- and 4 year-old children receiving daily English lessons. The study has extended previous research studies regarding emergent literacy development in first and second language contexts by studying a foreign .language context. The children were asked to retell stories viewed and the transcribed retellings were analysed under the Narrative Scoring Scheme. The children participants showed signs of developmental changes throughout the duration of the course. However, there were marked individual differences in these changes. Further investigation is suggested to study the reasons that might provide insight into why the children developed understanding of story structure in such high variations. Results showed that the ICT-stories motivated the children and as a consequence, their level of participation in the lesson improved. Additionally, teachers found the use of ICT as a positive strategy to enhance young children's learning environment, but they said that implementing ICT-based projects in the young learner classroom necessarily raises issues of school's provision for training and technical support as well as considerations of teacher:child ratios. From the children's perspective, an evaluation of the lesson tasks via a survey showed positive reactions to the inclusion of ICT in the English lesson. Findings of the study show how the young learner English curriculum could consider children's development of emergent literacy skills as a result of learning English via ICT enhanced stories. They also show how ICT integrated in the foreign language curriculum can motivate young children and provide meaning to the activity of learning English at a time when their mother tongue is still developing. The study also yielded unexpected results related to how young children address a task in which a story has to be organised in sequence. These results present interesting research opportunities that could be explored further in the light of theories of cognitive development

Health-related quality of life after colorectal cancer in England: a patient-reported outcomes study of individuals 12 to 36 months after diagnosis

Purpose: This population-level study was conducted to define the health-related quality of life (HRQL) of individuals living with and beyond colorectal cancer (CRC) and to identify factors associated with poor health outcomes. Patients and Methods: All individuals diagnosed with CRC in England in 2010 and 2011 who were alive 12 to 36 months after diagnosis were sent a questionnaire. This included questions related to treatment, disease status, other long-term conditions (LTCs), generic HRQL (EuroQol-5D), and cancer-specific outcomes (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy and Social Difficulties Inventory items). Results: The response rate was 63.3% (21,802 of 34,467 patients). One or more generic health problems were reported by 65% of respondents, with 10% of patients reporting problems in all five domains. The reporting of problems was higher than in the general population and was most marked in those age less than 55 years. Certain subgroups reported a higher number of problems, notably those with one or more other LTCs, those with active or recurrent disease, those with a stoma, and those at the extremes of the age range ( 85 years). Of respondents without a stoma, 16.3% reported no bowel control. Reversal of a stoma resulted in fewer severe bowel problems but more moderate problems than those who had never had a stoma. A quarter of rectal cancer respondents (25.1%) reported difficulties with sexual matters (compared with 11.2% of colon cancer respondents). Conclusion: This study demonstrates the success of a national patient-reported outcomes survey. The results have the potential to support system-wide improvement in health outcomes through the identification of particular challenges faced by individuals after treatment for CRC