Cohesive devices in the writing of near-tertiary students : A study of acquisitional influences and their pedagogical implications

The main hypotheis of this thesis is that the use of\ud cohesive devices in the writing of near-tertiary students\ud (both Ll and E.S.O.L.) reveals different patterns of\ud acquisition. Three possible acquisitional influences are\ud investigated: familiarity with different registers\ud (narrative, descriptive and expository); maturation (age\ud differences) and cross-linguistic factors (for the E.S.O.L.\ud students).\ud The E.S.O.L. data is drawn from the examination writing of\ud school leavers in Botswana, as well as from overseas\ud students in pre-sessional English courses at London and\ud Leicester University. The Ll data is from school students\ud in Leics. preparing for G.C.S.E. The main data is drawn\ud from free writing in essays and from elicitation by gapfill.\ud The quantitative findings reveal that the register and\ud maturation variables show up different repertoires of\ud cohesion, and that Ll and E.S.O.L. students develop cohesion\ud differently. The E.S.O.L. data is also examined\ud qualitatively with quotations from scripts.\ud This is data-driven research, of pragmatic validity. The\ud empirical sections discuss many small findings about\ud cohesive patterns which may be of use to teachers working\ud with similar students. Overall the sequence of acquisition\ud seems to be from common core connectives towards more\ud advanced cohesion containing topic-organising connectives\ud and attitudinals. The evidence of core connectives can be\ud interpreted in the light of Accessibility theory, in that\ud they may represent universals of cognitive maturation. The\ud evidence about attitudinals can be interpreted in the light\ud of modern theories about negotiated meaning and "discourse\ud communities".\ud The pedagogical implications of these findings are discussed•\ud alongside textbook examples of how cohesion is currently\ud taught with such students. It is asserted that progress\ud towards an enlarged repertoire of cohesive devices must go\ud beyond immediate co-text and syntactic constraints towards a\ud more holistic view of the text, taking into account the\ud wider socio-semiotic context of the writer's and readers'\ud presuppositions

Appropriate assessment of English language competency for South African teachers-in-training

The initial research question is why scores in locally made English tests for teachersin- training in South Africa did not correlate with their scores in APTIS, the new computerised tests offered by the British Council and calibrated to the CEFR, the international standards for language assessment based on the communicative paradigm of language learning. The candidates in the sample were all isiZulu-speaking local foundation phase teachers-in-training with English competence derived from their own schooling and exposure to English. The validity of the APTIS tests and CEFR for these candidates is then discussed compared to the purposes of the local tests. With regard to varieties of English used in APTIS, only ‘inner circle’ native speakers, it is proposed that more use of local southern African varieties would be desirable, albeit having regard to learner attitudes and purposes. The paper concludes that using the new communicative methods of language testing with foundation phase teachers-in-training may improve classroom practice

Implementing a speaking test at Grade 6 (primary school) in South Africa

This article is concerned with benchmarking the oral English skills of a small sample of Grade 6 learners in a local KwaZulu-Natal primary school where English is not the first language for either teachers or learners, but is the language of learning and teaching (LoLT). A structured assessment was made of learners’ oral English skills based on the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) for assessing language skills across the languages of Europe, using material available online from the series of tests for EFL learners developed by Cambridge-ESOL. We specifically used the KEY English Test (KET) test for young learners at the A2 level of the CEFR. The test consists of an interlocutor-led interview designed to elicit learner responses using a variety of tenses, and an interaction in pairs with a poster as stimulus. Assessment was done on Likert scales for comprehension, pronunciation, lexis, grammar and pragmatics. One assessor was observer of the test, and the other two, including the interlocutor, analysed recordings. This was a preliminary study to be expanded into exploring how speaking skills in English can be better taught and assessed at this level.Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies 2012, 30(4): 525–53

An analysis of language problems identified in writing by low achieving first-year students, with some suggestions for remediation

The new four-year LLB curriculum at the University of Natal, Durban, involves students in a considerable amount of writing in the first year writing of legal opinions and case summaries. Fourth-year students are trained as tutors, and also as markers of this written work. There is some scepticism in the department about whether legal tutors are capable of discerning what needs to be corrected and of giving useful feedback. In order to assist the process of tutor-training, an analysis of some marked first-year scripts was undertaken, and the results were categorised into four prominent types of errors. Then there are some suggestions for appropriate remediation tasks to assist legal students to overcome each type of error. (S/ern Af Linguistics & Applied Language Stud: 2002 20(4): 233-244

The surgical safety checklist and patient outcomes after surgery: a prospective observational cohort study, systematic review and meta-analysis

© 2017 British Journal of Anaesthesia Background: The surgical safety checklist is widely used to improve the quality of perioperative care. However, clinicians continue to debate the clinical effectiveness of this tool. Methods: Prospective analysis of data from the International Surgical Outcomes Study (ISOS), an international observational study of elective in-patient surgery, accompanied by a systematic review and meta-analysis of published literature. The exposure was surgical safety checklist use. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality and the secondary outcome was postoperative complications. In the ISOS cohort, a multivariable multi-level generalized linear model was used to test associations. To further contextualise these findings, we included the results from the ISOS cohort in a meta-analysis. Results are reported as odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals. Results: We included 44 814 patients from 497 hospitals in 27 countries in the ISOS analysis. There were 40 245 (89.8%) patients exposed to the checklist, whilst 7508 (16.8%) sustained ≥1 postoperative complications and 207 (0.5%) died before hospital discharge. Checklist exposure was associated with reduced mortality [odds ratio (OR) 0.49 (0.32–0.77); P\u3c0.01], but no difference in complication rates [OR 1.02 (0.88–1.19); P=0.75]. In a systematic review, we screened 3732 records and identified 11 eligible studies of 453 292 patients including the ISOS cohort. Checklist exposure was associated with both reduced postoperative mortality [OR 0.75 (0.62–0.92); P\u3c0.01; I2=87%] and reduced complication rates [OR 0.73 (0.61–0.88); P\u3c0.01; I2=89%). Conclusions: Patients exposed to a surgical safety checklist experience better postoperative outcomes, but this could simply reflect wider quality of care in hospitals where checklist use is routine

Critical care admission following elective surgery was not associated with survival benefit: prospective analysis of data from 27 countries

This was an investigator initiated study funded by Nestle Health Sciences through an unrestricted research grant, and by a National Institute for Health Research (UK) Professorship held by RP. The study was sponsored by Queen Mary University of London

Prospective observational cohort study on grading the severity of postoperative complications in global surgery research

Background The Clavien–Dindo classification is perhaps the most widely used approach for reporting postoperative complications in clinical trials. This system classifies complication severity by the treatment provided. However, it is unclear whether the Clavien–Dindo system can be used internationally in studies across differing healthcare systems in high- (HICs) and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Methods This was a secondary analysis of the International Surgical Outcomes Study (ISOS), a prospective observational cohort study of elective surgery in adults. Data collection occurred over a 7-day period. Severity of complications was graded using Clavien–Dindo and the simpler ISOS grading (mild, moderate or severe, based on guided investigator judgement). Severity grading was compared using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Data are presented as frequencies and ICC values (with 95 per cent c.i.). The analysis was stratified by income status of the country, comparing HICs with LMICs. Results A total of 44 814 patients were recruited from 474 hospitals in 27 countries (19 HICs and 8 LMICs). Some 7508 patients (16·8 per cent) experienced at least one postoperative complication, equivalent to 11 664 complications in total. Using the ISOS classification, 5504 of 11 664 complications (47·2 per cent) were graded as mild, 4244 (36·4 per cent) as moderate and 1916 (16·4 per cent) as severe. Using Clavien–Dindo, 6781 of 11 664 complications (58·1 per cent) were graded as I or II, 1740 (14·9 per cent) as III, 2408 (20·6 per cent) as IV and 735 (6·3 per cent) as V. Agreement between classification systems was poor overall (ICC 0·41, 95 per cent c.i. 0·20 to 0·55), and in LMICs (ICC 0·23, 0·05 to 0·38) and HICs (ICC 0·46, 0·25 to 0·59). Conclusion Caution is recommended when using a treatment approach to grade complications in global surgery studies, as this may introduce bias unintentionally