A Practice of English Extensive Reading

The Foreign Language Center(FLC)of Jissen Women\u27s University offers an Integrated English course required for the first-year students. The aim of this course is to enhance motivation for the students to acquire English and help the students to be autonomous learners. On a trial basis, a practice of English extensive reading project was adopted in 2006 and has been improved year by year. The reason whywe focused on reading was that reading is both a thinking process and a productiveactivity. It is more than just receiving meaning in a literal sense. It involves bringing a greater thinking ability or cognitive effort. In our previous studies(Jones et al. 2009, 2010), we examined the significance and effect of extensive reading in learning English. The result suggested that extensive reading is an effective way to enhance students\u27 positive attitude toward learning English. In the first semester of 2011, all students who took the Integrated English course participated in the project. The total number of the students was 701,and the students\u27 majors were Japanese Literature, English, Food and Health Science, and Humanities and Social Sciences. In extensive reading, students do selfselected reading with only minimal accountability, writing brief summaries orcomments on what they have read. This paper will show how we managed the project and analyzes the data obtained, which demonstrated that extensive reading had a good influence on learners\u27 sense and attitude toward learning English

An Overview of English Extensive Reading Program

In this paper, we review the changes in attitude toward reading English shown by students as a result of participating in an extensive reading program. The top classes for each department studying Integrated English in the first semester of 2012 were given the challenge of reading extensively in English, using simple readers from leading publishers. Before and after the program, the non-English majors were asked to answer a questionnaire designed to reveal their attitudes toward reading English and to determine what methods they employed when reading in English. Specifically, they were asked in the pre-program questionnaire if they liked reading English, while in the post-program questionnaire they were asked if they had come to like reading English as a result of participating in the extensive reading program. They were also asked if they were worried about skipping unknown words and how often they resorted to using a dictionary when encountering such unknown words. The results showed that students given the choice to freely select books to read came to like reading English, whereas those students who were simply handed books to read did not show any change. At the same time, the students found that they did not need to worry about skipping words and became more independent of their dictionary

Quantitative Evaluation of Pain during Electrocutaneous Stimulation using a Log-Linearized Peripheral Arterial Viscoelastic Model

In clinical practice, subjective pain evaluations, e.g., the visual analogue scale and the numeric rating scale, are generally employed, but these are limited in terms of their ability to detect inaccurate reports, and are unsuitable for use in anesthetized patients or those with dementia. We focused on the peripheral sympathetic nerve activity that responds to pain, and propose a method for evaluating pain sensation, including intensity, sharpness, and dullness, using the arterial stiffness index. In the experiment, electrocardiogram, blood pressure, and photoplethysmograms were obtained, and an arterial viscoelastic model was applied to estimate arterial stiffness. The relationships among the stiffness index, self-reported pain sensation, and electrocutaneous stimuli were examined and modelled. The relationship between the stiffness index and pain sensation could be modelled using a sigmoid function with high determination coefficients, where R2 ≥ 0.88, p < 0.01 for intensity, R2 ≥ 0.89, p < 0.01 for sharpness, and R2 ≥ 0.84, p < 0.01 for dullness when the stimuli could appropriately evoke dull pain.This work was supported by the Center of Innovation Program from Japan Science and Technology Agency.Supplementary information accompanies this paper at https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-21223-1

A Survey of English Extensive Reading -With Special Reference to University Students\u27 Positive Attitude-

Reading in language teaching is the most important of the four skills though the current focus is on listening and speaking. Reading is both a thinking process and a productive activity. It is more than just receiving meaning in a literal sense. It involves using a greater thinking ability or cognitive effort. In this paper the authors examine extensive reading as a whole and practice a method of extensive reading that is most suitable to university students. First the authors instruct 200 students in introductory reading strategies of extensive reading. After that the authors give them a chance to read extensively through their free choice among approximately 500 different books. Prior to the beginning of this practice, the students were given a questionnaire about English language learning. The same questionnaire was administered at the end of the semester. The results suggest that extensive reading is an effective way to enhance students\u27 positive attitude toward learning English

Anxiety and its risk factors among non-Japanese residents living in Japan undergoing COVID-19 situation: A cross-sectional survey

Introduction In the context of collective efforts taken in Japan to control the spread of COVID-19, the state of emergency and social distancing have caused a negative impact on the mental health of all residents, including foreign communities in Japan. This study aimed to evaluate the level of anxiety and its associated factors among non-Japanese residents residing in Japan during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods A web-based survey in 13 languages was conducted among non-Japanese residents living in Japan during the COVID-19 situation. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory assessed the level of anxiety–State (STAI-S) scores prorated from its six-item version. The multivariable logistic regression using the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) method was performed to identify the associated factors of anxiety among participants. Results From January to March 2021, we collected 392 responses. A total of 357 valid responses were analyzed. 54.6% of participants suffered from clinically significant anxiety (CSA). In multivariable logistic model analysis, the CSA status or the high level of anxiety was associated with three factors, including having troubles/difficulties in learning or working, decreased sleep duration, and decreased overall physical health (p<0.05). Conclusion Our study suggests several possible risk factors of anxiety among non-Japanese residents living in Japan undergoing the COVID-19 pandemic, including the troubles or difficulties in learning or working, the decrease in sleep duration, and the decrease in overall physical health.Revisión por pare