Classifying vocabulary in Google Sheets to improve word recognition and reading comprehension in EFL learners: an action research study

Introduction: University students had problems understanding texts. This study aimed at analyzing the effects of classifying vocabulary into parts of speech through Google Sheets to improve students’ word recognition and its incidence in reading comprehension. It analyzes the students’ perspectives on learning vocabulary.  Method: The study used an action research method, pre-post surveys, and pre-post tests were applied. Results: The findings proved that classifying “parts of speech” facilitated the improvement of reading comprehension skills, with an effect size of d=0.81. Second, it confirmed that knowing vocabulary form raises students’ awareness to identify and classify words correctly. Third, the application of the study changed positively participants’ perspectives regarding learning vocabulary. Conclusion: Therefore, due to Ecuadorian learners’ need in training and to the little literature about parts of speech, the positive results of this action research can be a venue to reduce those gaps.Introdução: Estudantes universitários tiveram problemas para entender textos. Assim, este estudo teve como objetivo analisar os efeitos da classificação do vocabulário em partes do discurso por meio do Google Planilhas para melhorar o reconhecimento de palavras dos alunos e sua incidência na compreensão da leitura. Além disso, o estudo analisou as perspectivas dos estudantes sobre o vocabulário de aprendizagem. Metodologia: O estudo utilizou um método de pesquisa-ação, foram aplicadas um pré e pós questionário e um pré e pós teste. Resultados: Os resultados provaram que a classificação de "partes do discurso" facilitou a melhoria das habilidades de compreensão leitora, com um tamanho de efeito de d = 0,81. Segundo, confirmou que conhecer o formulário de vocabulário aumenta a conscientização dos alunos para identificar e classificar as palavras corretamente. Terceiro, a aplicação do estudo mudou positivamente a perspectiva dos participantes em relação a aprendizagem de vocabulário.  Conclusão: Portanto, devido à necessidade de treinamento dos alunos equatorianos e à pouca literatura sobre partes do discurso, os resultados positivos dessa pesquisa-ação podem ser uma oportunidade para reduzir essas lacunas

Colaboração para melhorar a escrita descritiva facilitada por Padlet: um estudo de pesquisa-ação do English as Foreign Language (EFL)

Introduction: This study was applied in a public technological institute in Guayaquil, Ecuador. It aimed at improving writing skills through collaboration among students using Padlet. Participants were 18 students enrolled in the first semester. Method: The application of the study focused on a constructivist approach where students were able to share ideas, give and receive feedback among their peers and teachers, and construct their knowledge and understanding. This investigation took place over twenty-four hours of class time. It employed a quantitative method. Different instruments such as pre, post-test, and survey were used to collect data. Results: After the practice, students exhibited an improvement of about 11 points in the posttest compared to the pretest. The outcome of this study obtained Cohen’s d=1.22. Conclusion: The survey taken confirmed that students identified collaborative writing in Padlet as useful, and enriching. This research is addressed to teachers and directors involved in the field of EFL education who want to improve their teaching practices.Introdução: Este estudo foi realizado em um instituto tecnológico público em Guayaquil, Equador. Objetiva melhorar as habilidades de escrita por meio da colaboração entre estudantes através de Padlet. Participaram 18 estudantes matriculados no primeiro semestre. Metodologia: A aplicação do estudo concentrou-se em uma abordagem construtivista na qual os alunos puderam compartilhar ideias; dar e receber feedback entre colegas e professores; e construir seu próprio conhecimento e entendimento. Esta investigação durou mais de vinte e quatro horas/aula. Emprega um método quantitativo. Diferentes instrumentos, como pré-teste, pós-teste e questionários foram utilizados para a coleta de dados. Resultados: Após a prática, os alunos apresentaram uma melhora de cerca de 11 pontos no pós-teste em comparação ao pré-teste. O resultado deste estudo obteve um d = Cohen de 1,22. Conclusão: O questionário aplicado confirmou que os alunos identificaram a escrita colaborativa em Padlet como útil e enriquecedora. Esta pesquisa é dirigida a professores e diretores envolvidos no campo da educação de EFL que desejam melhorar suas práticas de ensino

EFL Speaking Fluency through Authentic Oral Production

This article describes the development of speaking fluency through authentic oral production in a six-week action research study of a public high school in Guayaquil, Ecuador. The methodology included a pre-test and a post-test that measured quantitative aspects of student’s spoken fluency (speed, pauses, repetitions, and corrections), a survey with closed-ended questions that collected learners’ perspectives towards their own speaking fluency, and an interview that addressed students’ opinions towards the elements of this action research. Twenty-four students’ audio recordings were analyzed and the results indicated that there was a significant increase of students’ speaking fluency. Results also showed that student’s perspectives on the innovation were positive since it raised awareness of their mistakes, helped them feel more confident, and let them practice the target language with autonomy outside the school boundaries. However, some considered that time and the lack of equipment and technological skills were issues that made the activity look less pleasant. This paper affirms that authentic oral production, facilitated by vlogging, helps students develop speaking fluency. Other EFL teachers and professionals in this field who would like to improve the fluency of their students in their oral production may consider reading this paper

Think aloud to promote oral fluency

El proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje del idioma inglés en Ecuador se está convirtiendo en un desafío para los actores de esta área debido a los estándares establecidos por las autoridades de Educación. Por este motivo, las instituciones educativas están buscando nuevos diseños curriculares que ayuden a los docentes a mejorar en sus prácticas así como también beneficiar a los estudiantes en este proceso. La presente innovación se implementó para incrementar el tiempo que los alumnos hablan a través del uso de protocolos de pensar en voz alta. Estudios previos realizados en la misma institución educativa tenían como objetivo el desarrollo y aplicación de cinco sub-destrezas de lectura. Se esperaba con este estudio también consolidar las sub-destrezas. Esta investigación-acción incluyó el análisis de datos cuantitativos y cualitativos. Los resultados indican que hubo poco mejoramiento en el tiempo de habla y precisión en el discurso de los estudiantes. Esto pudo deberse al poco tiempo en clase y espacios para practicar oralmente. Un hallazgo importante fue que el trabajo escrito del uso de las sub-destrezas de lectura fue más extenso en comparación con los primeros y los alumnos incluyeron palabras técnicas en sus composiciones.EFL learning-teaching process in Ecuador is becoming challenging due to the standards established by the Education authorities. Thus, schools look for new instructional designs that help teachers improve their practices and benefit students. This innovation was implemented to enhance students’ speaking lengths by using think-aloud protocols. Previous studies conducted in the same institution aimed at the development and application of five reading subkills. These subskills were meant to be consolidated with the implementation of this innovation. This action research involves analysis of quantitative and qualitative data. Results indicated that there was little improvement in students’ speaking length and accurateness. This might be due insufficient time and spaces to practice in class. An important finding was that students’ written use of reading subskills was longer and students applied technical discourse.  PARTICIPACIÓN  EN LA PUBLICACIÓN:Autor:  Hermencia Carmen Guaranguay, MScCo – Autores:    Lilia Sánchez, MSc

Mortality from gastrointestinal congenital anomalies at 264 hospitals in 74 low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries: a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study

Summary Background Congenital anomalies are the fifth leading cause of mortality in children younger than 5 years globally. Many gastrointestinal congenital anomalies are fatal without timely access to neonatal surgical care, but few studies have been done on these conditions in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared outcomes of the seven most common gastrointestinal congenital anomalies in low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries globally, and identified factors associated with mortality. Methods We did a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of patients younger than 16 years, presenting to hospital for the first time with oesophageal atresia, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, intestinal atresia, gastroschisis, exomphalos, anorectal malformation, and Hirschsprung’s disease. Recruitment was of consecutive patients for a minimum of 1 month between October, 2018, and April, 2019. We collected data on patient demographics, clinical status, interventions, and outcomes using the REDCap platform. Patients were followed up for 30 days after primary intervention, or 30 days after admission if they did not receive an intervention. The primary outcome was all-cause, in-hospital mortality for all conditions combined and each condition individually, stratified by country income status. We did a complete case analysis. Findings We included 3849 patients with 3975 study conditions (560 with oesophageal atresia, 448 with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, 681 with intestinal atresia, 453 with gastroschisis, 325 with exomphalos, 991 with anorectal malformation, and 517 with Hirschsprung’s disease) from 264 hospitals (89 in high-income countries, 166 in middleincome countries, and nine in low-income countries) in 74 countries. Of the 3849 patients, 2231 (58·0%) were male. Median gestational age at birth was 38 weeks (IQR 36–39) and median bodyweight at presentation was 2·8 kg (2·3–3·3). Mortality among all patients was 37 (39·8%) of 93 in low-income countries, 583 (20·4%) of 2860 in middle-income countries, and 50 (5·6%) of 896 in high-income countries (p<0·0001 between all country income groups). Gastroschisis had the greatest difference in mortality between country income strata (nine [90·0%] of ten in lowincome countries, 97 [31·9%] of 304 in middle-income countries, and two [1·4%] of 139 in high-income countries; p≤0·0001 between all country income groups). Factors significantly associated with higher mortality for all patients combined included country income status (low-income vs high-income countries, risk ratio 2·78 [95% CI 1·88–4·11], p<0·0001; middle-income vs high-income countries, 2·11 [1·59–2·79], p<0·0001), sepsis at presentation (1·20 [1·04–1·40], p=0·016), higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score at primary intervention (ASA 4–5 vs ASA 1–2, 1·82 [1·40–2·35], p<0·0001; ASA 3 vs ASA 1–2, 1·58, [1·30–1·92], p<0·0001]), surgical safety checklist not used (1·39 [1·02–1·90], p=0·035), and ventilation or parenteral nutrition unavailable when needed (ventilation 1·96, [1·41–2·71], p=0·0001; parenteral nutrition 1·35, [1·05–1·74], p=0·018). Administration of parenteral nutrition (0·61, [0·47–0·79], p=0·0002) and use of a peripherally inserted central catheter (0·65 [0·50–0·86], p=0·0024) or percutaneous central line (0·69 [0·48–1·00], p=0·049) were associated with lower mortality. Interpretation Unacceptable differences in mortality exist for gastrointestinal congenital anomalies between lowincome, middle-income, and high-income countries. Improving access to quality neonatal surgical care in LMICs will be vital to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 of ending preventable deaths in neonates and children younger than 5 years by 2030

Task-Based Activities to Improve Oral Communication Skills in Adult Learners

In-service teachers in an online course had problems interacting in English. They experienced negative feelings when they had to perform orally. Thus, this action research study with qualitative and quantitative data analysis aimed to apply task-based activities to improve spoken interaction. The sample was twenty-five in-service teachers. Their level of English was A2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference. Their ages ranged between thirty and fifty. The participants were teachers from different public schools on the Coast of Ecuador. Pre and post-tests were applied to compare participants' performance from the beginning and after the intervention. Findings disclosed that the mean raised from 17.72 to 19.12, and p0.000 is interpreted as the results are statistically significant and task-based activities improve students’ speaking performance. In-service teachers showed that as their confidence increased in their oral performance, their frustration and anxiety were reduced. Lastly, participants commented that they replicated some task-based activities in their classes. The implications of this study involve other English teachers, EFL researchers, and students who want to apply the same strategy in their teaching and learning process.

Storytelling through Picture Description to Enhance Very Young EFL Learners' Oral Production

This study aimed at improving oral development in the primary school of Ecuador, where teaching English at an early age focuses mainly on expanding reading and writing as productive skills. The purpose of this action research was to individually examine how the use of storytelling through picture description as visual support could benefit communicative skills among a group of second-grade students from a private school in Guayaquil. The study considered vocabulary, organization, and fluency as the basis of oral development using quantitative and qualitative instruments. A pre and post-A1 level speaking assessment measured the improvement of vocabulary and fluency. Results showed that there was an improvement of four points in the descriptive statistics (minimum, maximum and mean). The paired T-samples test revealed the study was highly reliable with a score of p = 0.000. There are few studies related to teaching English as a foreign language in early education worldwide and South America. In Ecuador, no studies were found. Therefore, the implications of this study are addressed to school authorities and other EFL teachers to upgrade the proficiency of their students from early grades

Geoeconomic variations in epidemiology, ventilation management, and outcomes in invasively ventilated intensive care unit patients without acute respiratory distress syndrome: a pooled analysis of four observational studies

Background: Geoeconomic variations in epidemiology, the practice of ventilation, and outcome in invasively ventilated intensive care unit (ICU) patients without acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) remain unexplored. In this analysis we aim to address these gaps using individual patient data of four large observational studies. Methods: In this pooled analysis we harmonised individual patient data from the ERICC, LUNG SAFE, PRoVENT, and PRoVENT-iMiC prospective observational studies, which were conducted from June, 2011, to December, 2018, in 534 ICUs in 54 countries. We used the 2016 World Bank classification to define two geoeconomic regions: middle-income countries (MICs) and high-income countries (HICs). ARDS was defined according to the Berlin criteria. Descriptive statistics were used to compare patients in MICs versus HICs. The primary outcome was the use of low tidal volume ventilation (LTVV) for the first 3 days of mechanical ventilation. Secondary outcomes were key ventilation parameters (tidal volume size, positive end-expiratory pressure, fraction of inspired oxygen, peak pressure, plateau pressure, driving pressure, and respiratory rate), patient characteristics, the risk for and actual development of acute respiratory distress syndrome after the first day of ventilation, duration of ventilation, ICU length of stay, and ICU mortality. Findings: Of the 7608 patients included in the original studies, this analysis included 3852 patients without ARDS, of whom 2345 were from MICs and 1507 were from HICs. Patients in MICs were younger, shorter and with a slightly lower body-mass index, more often had diabetes and active cancer, but less often chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and heart failure than patients from HICs. Sequential organ failure assessment scores were similar in MICs and HICs. Use of LTVV in MICs and HICs was comparable (42·4% vs 44·2%; absolute difference -1·69 [-9·58 to 6·11] p=0·67; data available in 3174 [82%] of 3852 patients). The median applied positive end expiratory pressure was lower in MICs than in HICs (5 [IQR 5-8] vs 6 [5-8] cm H2O; p=0·0011). ICU mortality was higher in MICs than in HICs (30·5% vs 19·9%; p=0·0004; adjusted effect 16·41% [95% CI 9·52-23·52]; p&lt;0·0001) and was inversely associated with gross domestic product (adjusted odds ratio for a US$10 000 increase per capita 0·80 [95% CI 0·75-0·86]; p&lt;0·0001). Interpretation: Despite similar disease severity and ventilation management, ICU mortality in patients without ARDS is higher in MICs than in HICs, with a strong association with country-level economic status