The Alignment of Teaching Methodology and Learning Outcomes: The Effect of Students’ Presentations on the Development of English Language Proficiency of Adult Learners

The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of using students’ presentations on improving English language skills of adult learners and assess its potency to reach the expected learning outcomes. The research was conducted in the Continuing Education Center, Ishik University, Erbil, KRG, Iraq. The target population consisted of 23 English language learners (university graduates, and currently working in the sphere of Education). This study consisted of three major phases: first, explanation, preparation, presentation of the students’ works on the topic of interest and observation of students’ performance, second, teacher-student and student-student discussion of the video-recorded presentations. The last step was the application of the survey, which was designed to measure the participants’ attitude toward the mini-projects they presented in the class. The data were analyzed by means of frequency and percentage, as well as a summarization of the discussions. The main findings show that students’ attitude toward oral presentations, prepared on the topic of their own interest, have a positive attitude on students’ motivation toward learning English and help the adult learners to improve their language in general, and the productive skills in particular

Reading Activities in Blended Learning: Recommendations for University Language Preparatory Course Teachers

Technology has become an inseparable part of our lives in all its spheres: home, workplace, leisure, as well as education. For this reason, integration of technology into the educational process not only helps learners to acquire the required material better but also to prepare them for the real-life promoting the development of the 21st-century skills, such as critical thinking, problem-solving, working in teams, use of digital appliances, etc. The current study aims to provide practical recommendations and ideas for the development of reading skills of university language preparatory course students. This research is believed to be useful for the language teachers and curriculum/syllabus designers

Reading Comprehension Strategies

The academic success of the university students greatly depends on the mastery of an academic reading skill. However, students as well as teachers, take the learning of this skill for granted, as they tend to presuppose that reading skill is acquired as a part of their secondary education. As a result, most first-year students employ non university strategies to read academic texts, which leads to a surface approach to reading and prevents students from a better understanding of the material. This paper will discuss the strategies that involve students in taking a deep approach to reading academic texts

E-Book Reading Genre Preferences of Teachers Teaching in Foreign Languages in Private Schools (Case Study / Iraq)

This study examines the electronic book reading preferences of teachers who teach their subjects in a foreign language in secondary school, high school, and university in terms of different variables. This study examines the teachers' electronic book reading interests, the types of books, and book reading pages regarding gender variables. In the research, a descriptive survey model was used. Descriptive analysis was carried out on large groups. The opinions and attitudes of the individuals in the group were taken, and the facts and events were tried to be described (Karakaya, 2012). The study was carried out with 23 teachers working in 3 different private institutions in the Kurdistan region of Iraq in the 2021-2022 academic year. According to the findings, teachers' e-book reading genres increased in subjects that appealed to their careers. The researchers found that the difference between male and female teachers' book preferences is worth examining. This study explored what types of fiction and nonfiction genres teachers prefer to read digitally when digital reading is popular worldwide. This study is expected to contribute to the subsequent studies in related literature

Testing Flood Estimation Methods On Ancient Closed Conduits

Beside a large number of ancient tunnels in long-distance water conveyance systems toancient cities in Turkiye, five peculiar closed conduits, through which almost the entire discharge of water courses were flowing, are investigated. These are the Cevlik (Seleucia Pieria) tunnel inHatay province; vaulted structures covering the river bed in Bergama (Pergamon), in Sultanhisar(Nysa), in Acarlar near Ephesus (all four are leading examples of largest closed conduits from Roman times in the world); and the Bezirgan tunnel east of Kalkan, being an interesting example of emissary conduits draining the floods of closed basins. The hydraulic capacities of these conduits are determined; their corresponding flood return periods are estimated by four synthetic flood hydrograph methods. However, it was not possible to deduce any generalized conclusion based on the comparison of these results

Prognostic Factors and a New Prognostic Index Model for Children and Adolescents with Hodgkin's Lymphoma Who Underwent Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation: A Multicenter Study of the Turkish Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplantation Study Group

WOS: 000392282500001PubMed ID: 27094103Objective: The prognostic factors and a new childhood prognostic index after autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT) in patients with relapsed/refractory Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) were evaluated. Materials and Methods: The prognostic factors of 61 patients who underwent AHSCT between January 1990 and December 2014 were evaluated. In addition, the Age-Adjusted International Prognostic Index and the Childhood International Prognostic Index (CIPI) were evaluated for their impact on prognosis. Results: The median age of the 61 patients was 14.8 years (minimum-maximum: 5-20 years) at the time of AHSCT. There were single relapses in 28 patients, >= 2 relapses in eight patients, and refractory disease in 25 patients. The chemosensitivity/chemorefractory ratio was 36/25. No pretransplant radiotherapy, no remission at the time of transplantation, posttransplant white blood cell count over 10x10(3)/mu L, posttransplant positron emission tomography positivity at day 100, and serum albumin of < 2.5 g/dL at diagnosis were correlated with progression-free survival. No remission at the time of transplantation, bone marrow positivity at diagnosis, and relapse after AHSCT were significant parameters for overall survival. Conclusion: The major factors affecting the progression-free and overall survival were clearly demonstrated. A CIPI that uses a lactate dehydrogenase level of 500 IU/L worked well for estimating the prognosis. We recommend AHSCT at first complete remission for relapsed cases, and it should also be taken into consideration for patients with high prognostic scores at diagnosis

Central Nervous System Fungal Infections in Children with Leukemia: Risk Factors and Outcome: A Multicentric Study

WOS: 00044519500104

Hepatosplenic Fungal Infections in Children With Leukemia-Risk Factors and Outcome: A Multicentric Study

###EgeUn###Background: Invasive fungal infections, including hepatosplenic fungal infections (HSFI), cause significant morbidity and mortality in children with leukemia. There are not enough data to support for the best approach to diagnosis of HSFI in children, nor for the best treatment. Procedure: In this multicentric study, we assessed the demographic data, clinical and radiologic features, treatment, and outcome of 40 children with leukemia and HSFI from 12 centers. Results: All cases were radiologically diagnosed with abdominal ultrasound, which was performed at a median of 7 days, of the febrile neutropenic episode. Mucor was identified by histopathology in 1, and Candida was identified in blood cultures in 8 patients. Twenty-two had fungal infection in additional sites, mostly lungs. Nine patients died. Four received a single agent, and 36 a combination of antifungals. Conclusions: Early diagnosis of HSFI is challenging because signs and symptoms are usually nonspecific. In neutropenic children, persistent fever, back pain extending to the shoulder, widespread muscle pain, and increased serum galactomannan levels should alert clinicians. Abdominal imaging, particularly an abdominal ultrasound, which is easy to perform and available even in most resource-limited countries, should be recommended in children with prolonged neutropenic fever, even in the absence of localizing signs and symptoms

Prognostic Factors and a New Prognostic Index Model for Children and Adolescents with Hodgkin's Lymphoma Who Underwent Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation: A Multicenter Study of the Turkish Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplantation Study Group

Objective: The prognostic factors and a new childhood prognostic index after autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT) in patients with relapsed/refractory Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) were evaluated. Materials and Methods: The prognostic factors of 61 patients who underwent AHSCT between January 1990 and December 2014 were evaluated. In addition, the Age-Adjusted International Prognostic Index and the Childhood International Prognostic Index (CIPI) were evaluated for their impact on prognosis. Results: The median age of the 61 patients was 14.8 years (minimum-maximum: 5-20 years) at the time of AHSCT. There were single relapses in 28 patients, >= 2 relapses in eight patients, and refractory disease in 25 patients. The chemosensitivity/chemorefractory ratio was 36/25. No pretransplant radiotherapy, no remission at the time of transplantation, posttransplant white blood cell count over 10x10(3)/mu L, posttransplant positron emission tomography positivity at day 100, and serum albumin of < 2.5 g/dL at diagnosis were correlated with progression-free survival. No remission at the time of transplantation, bone marrow positivity at diagnosis, and relapse after AHSCT were significant parameters for overall survival. Conclusion: The major factors affecting the progression-free and overall survival were clearly demonstrated. A CIPI that uses a lactate dehydrogenase level of 500 IU/L worked well for estimating the prognosis. We recommend AHSCT at first complete remission for relapsed cases, and it should also be taken into consideration for patients with high prognostic scores at diagnosis