Rol de las percepciones de los estudiantes sobre la dificultad de tareas en la complejidad, precisión y fluidez: Un estudio de caso exploratorio

This paper presents an investigation conducted in a public university in central Mexico into the possible influence of learners’ perceptions of task difficulty (TD) on levels of complexity, accuracy and fluency (CAF) during the performance of three tasks (personal information, narrative and decision-making tasks). Firstly, four learner pairs performed the three tasks, and their levels of CAF were measured. Secondly, the participants were interviewed retrospectively about which tasks they perceived as difficult and their reasons for such perceived difficulty. In combining the quantitative and qualitative analyses, the data reveal that task difficulty increases when a task is perceived not to be familiar by the learner. The relationship between task difficulty and familiarity also appears to influence the levels of CAF, promoting high levels of fluency and accuracy when the task is perceived by the learner as easy and familiar. The findings of this study provide support for a cognitive approach to task-based language learning and put forward the need to include learners’ perceptions of TD as a variable to investigate the relationship between tasks and the CAF dimensions.Este artículo presenta una investigación llevada a cabo en una universidad pública en el centro de México sobre la posible influencia de las percepciones de los estudiantes sobre la dificultad de las tareas en la complejidad, precisión y fluidez (CPF) durante el desarrollo de tres tareas (tareas de información personal, narrativas y de negociación). En primer lugar, cuatro parejas de estudiantes realizaron las tres tareas y sus niveles de CPF fueron medidos. En segundo lugar, se realizaron entrevistas retrospectivas para examinar qué tareas fueron percibidas como difíciles y los factores que influyeron sobre estas percepciones. Al combinar datos cuantitativos y cualitativos, los resultados muestran que la dificultad de las tareas se incrementa cuando la tarea no es familiar para los estudiantes. La relación entre la dificultad de las tareas y la familiaridad también influye en los niveles de CPF, promoviendo niveles altos de fluidez y precisión cuando la tarea es percibida como fácil y familiar. Los resultados de este estudio apoyan el enfoque cognitivo para el aprendizaje basado en tareas y muestran la necesidad de incluir las percepciones de los estudiantes sobre la dificultad de las tareas como una variable para investigar la relación entre las tareas y las dimensiones de CPF

PHASE STABILITY AND EQUILIBRIUM CALCULATIONS IN REACTIVE SYSTEMS USING DIFFERENTIAL EVOLUTION AND TABU SEARCH

Reactive separations processes (RSPs), where separation and reaction units are combined, have received considerable interest from chemical engineer

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries