Attitudes towards and assessment of spoken interaction in the primary English classroom

This report describes the action research project I engaged in as part of my practicum as a trainee teacher during my master´s degree in teaching English in primary education. It investigated how I could assess spoken interaction during structured assessment tasks and what the influence of young learners’ attitudes is on spoken interaction. The research took place in a private primary school in a town near Lisbon, Portugal. This study involved a group of 22 young learners in year four, eleven girls and eleven boys, aged between 9 and 10 years who had two weekly 60 minute classes of English during the afternoon. The study was implemented from mid-September 2020 to mid-December 2020, the main aim was to study how to formatively assess spoken interaction and what the influence of young learners’ attitudes was on spoken interaction. The method chosen was a small scale action research project. The research tools used were an observation grid, the use of a teacher’s journal and questionnaires to the young learners. The study concluded that to formatively assess spoken interaction an observation grid is justified, and that the contribution of peer feedback contributed to the progress of young learner’s language learning. Furthermore, it was observed that formatively assessing contributes to having less anxious young learners during assessment moments. There was also evidence that indicated the importance of collaborative peer work for young learner’s language learning progress. Throughout the action research, it became evident that young learners who demonstrated positive attitudes towards spoken interaction structured assessment tasks progressed in language learning.Este relatório descreve o projeto de pesquisa da minha prática de ensino supervisionada durante o Mestrado de Inglês no 1º Ciclo do Ensino Básico. O meu objetivo foi observar como poderia avaliar formativamente a interação oral de pares durante tarefas interativas estruturadas nas aulas de inglês do ensino primário e qual a influência das atitudes dos jovens aprendizes na interação oral nas aulas de inglês do ensino primário. Este estudo decorreu numa escola primária privada próximo de Lisboa, em Portugal. Este projeto envolveu um grupo de 22 alunos do 4º ano, onze raparigas e onze rapazes com idades compreendidas entre os 9 e 10 anos. Esta turma tinha duas aulas semanais de 60 minutos cada durante o período da tarde. O estudo decorreu entre meados de setembro 2020 e meados de dezembro de 2020. Foram planeadas e incluídas tarefas de interação oral estruturadas, a pares, nos planos individuais de aula. As ferramentas de pesquisa escolhidas para recolha de dados foram uma grelha de observação, anotações num diário de professor e pequenos questionários aos alunos. A recolha de dados permitiu concluir que a avaliação formativa de interação oral justifica por si uma grelha de observação e também evidenciou a importância do feedback dos pares no progresso da aprendizagem da língua estrangeira. O estudo também demonstrou que existem evidencias positivas do trabalho a pares para o progresso da aprendizagem da língua estrangeira. Ao longo deste estudo observei que os alunos demonstraram atitudes positivas em relação á avaliação formativa de tarefas estruturadas interativas realizadas a pares. Os resultados deste estudo corroboram no tema da responsabilidade que os professores de inglês detêm em planear aulas com tarefas estruturadas interativas a pares, para promover uma maior interação dos jovens alunos no progresso da aprendizagem da língua estrangeira. O estudo indica que as atitudes, perante a avaliação formativa, dos jovens aprendizes melhoram com o decorrer da execução da avaliação de tarefas estruturadas

Characterisation of microbial attack on archaeological bone

As part of an EU funded project to investigate the factors influencing bone preservation in the archaeological record, more than 250 bones from 41 archaeological sites in five countries spanning four climatic regions were studied for diagenetic alteration. Sites were selected to cover a range of environmental conditions and archaeological contexts. Microscopic and physical (mercury intrusion porosimetry) analyses of these bones revealed that the majority (68%) had suffered microbial attack. Furthermore, significant differences were found between animal and human bone in both the state of preservation and the type of microbial attack present. These differences in preservation might result from differences in early taphonomy of the bones. © 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved

Global variation in postoperative mortality and complications after cancer surgery: a multicentre, prospective cohort study in 82 countries

© 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licenseBackground: 80% of individuals with cancer will require a surgical procedure, yet little comparative data exist on early outcomes in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared postoperative outcomes in breast, colorectal, and gastric cancer surgery in hospitals worldwide, focusing on the effect of disease stage and complications on postoperative mortality. Methods: This was a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of consecutive adult patients undergoing surgery for primary breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer requiring a skin incision done under general or neuraxial anaesthesia. The primary outcome was death or major complication within 30 days of surgery. Multilevel logistic regression determined relationships within three-level nested models of patients within hospitals and countries. Hospital-level infrastructure effects were explored with three-way mediation analyses. This study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03471494. Findings: Between April 1, 2018, and Jan 31, 2019, we enrolled 15 958 patients from 428 hospitals in 82 countries (high income 9106 patients, 31 countries; upper-middle income 2721 patients, 23 countries; or lower-middle income 4131 patients, 28 countries). Patients in LMICs presented with more advanced disease compared with patients in high-income countries. 30-day mortality was higher for gastric cancer in low-income or lower-middle-income countries (adjusted odds ratio 3·72, 95% CI 1·70–8·16) and for colorectal cancer in low-income or lower-middle-income countries (4·59, 2·39–8·80) and upper-middle-income countries (2·06, 1·11–3·83). No difference in 30-day mortality was seen in breast cancer. The proportion of patients who died after a major complication was greatest in low-income or lower-middle-income countries (6·15, 3·26–11·59) and upper-middle-income countries (3·89, 2·08–7·29). Postoperative death after complications was partly explained by patient factors (60%) and partly by hospital or country (40%). The absence of consistently available postoperative care facilities was associated with seven to 10 more deaths per 100 major complications in LMICs. Cancer stage alone explained little of the early variation in mortality or postoperative complications. Interpretation: Higher levels of mortality after cancer surgery in LMICs was not fully explained by later presentation of disease. The capacity to rescue patients from surgical complications is a tangible opportunity for meaningful intervention. Early death after cancer surgery might be reduced by policies focusing on strengthening perioperative care systems to detect and intervene in common complications. Funding: National Institute for Health Research Global Health Research Unit

Effects of hospital facilities on patient outcomes after cancer surgery: an international, prospective, observational study

© 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 licenseBackground: Early death after cancer surgery is higher in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) compared with in high-income countries, yet the impact of facility characteristics on early postoperative outcomes is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the association between hospital infrastructure, resource availability, and processes on early outcomes after cancer surgery worldwide. Methods: A multimethods analysis was performed as part of the GlobalSurg 3 study—a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study of patients who had surgery for breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer. The primary outcomes were 30-day mortality and 30-day major complication rates. Potentially beneficial hospital facilities were identified by variable selection to select those associated with 30-day mortality. Adjusted outcomes were determined using generalised estimating equations to account for patient characteristics and country-income group, with population stratification by hospital. Findings: Between April 1, 2018, and April 23, 2019, facility-level data were collected for 9685 patients across 238 hospitals in 66 countries (91 hospitals in 20 high-income countries; 57 hospitals in 19 upper-middle-income countries; and 90 hospitals in 27 low-income to lower-middle-income countries). The availability of five hospital facilities was inversely associated with mortality: ultrasound, CT scanner, critical care unit, opioid analgesia, and oncologist. After adjustment for case-mix and country income group, hospitals with three or fewer of these facilities (62 hospitals, 1294 patients) had higher mortality compared with those with four or five (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 3·85 [95% CI 2·58–5·75]; p<0·0001), with excess mortality predominantly explained by a limited capacity to rescue following the development of major complications (63·0% vs 82·7%; OR 0·35 [0·23–0·53]; p<0·0001). Across LMICs, improvements in hospital facilities would prevent one to three deaths for every 100 patients undergoing surgery for cancer. Interpretation: Hospitals with higher levels of infrastructure and resources have better outcomes after cancer surgery, independent of country income. Without urgent strengthening of hospital infrastructure and resources, the reductions in cancer-associated mortality associated with improved access will not be realised. Funding: National Institute for Health and Care Research