The Effectiveness of Using Blogs as an Independent Learning Tool to Develop Reading Skills for University Students

The emergence of web 2.0 technologies has created new opportunities and challenges in the field of second and foreign language learning. Among all web 2.0 tools, blogs can be considered the most well-known one. The present study was an attempt to determine the effectiveness of using blogs as an independent learning tool to develop students' reading skills. Blogs can be divided into three main types; teacher's blog, class blog, and learner's blog. Participants were 22 first level students in the English Department at Qassim Private Colleges in Saudi Arabia. The experimental group (N =11) used teacher's blog with an independent reading program, whereas the control group (N=11) didn't have any additional exercises. This program ran for two months during the second semester, 2014/2015. The   pre-posttest comprised two reading comprehension passages.  Results of the t. test analysis revealed that using blogs yielded significant effects on students' reading skills, i.e. the experimental group outperformed the control group. Keywords:  blog , web 1.0 , web 2..0, learner's autonom

The Effectiveness of Using WhatsApp Messenger as One of Mobile Learning Techniques to Develop Students' Writing Skills

The present study was an attempt to determine the effectiveness of using a WhatsApp Messenger as one of mobile learning technique to develop students' writing skills. Participants were 30 second year college students, English department from a private university in Saudi Arabia. The experimental group (N 15) used WhatsApp technology to develop their writing skills; whereas the control group (N15) was taught their writing skills through prescribed book. The pre-post test comprised three questions, punctuate a paragraph, correct a paragraph and write an essay. This research is limited to punctuation marks, sentences structures and generating ideas. Results of the t. test analysis revealed that WhatsApp technique yielded significant effects on students' writing skills, i.e. the experimental group outperformed the control group. Key words: mobile learning, WhatsApp and writing skill

Global economic burden of unmet surgical need for appendicitis

Background There is a substantial gap in provision of adequate surgical care in many low- and middle-income countries. This study aimed to identify the economic burden of unmet surgical need for the common condition of appendicitis. Methods Data on the incidence of appendicitis from 170 countries and two different approaches were used to estimate numbers of patients who do not receive surgery: as a fixed proportion of the total unmet surgical need per country (approach 1); and based on country income status (approach 2). Indirect costs with current levels of access and local quality, and those if quality were at the standards of high-income countries, were estimated. A human capital approach was applied, focusing on the economic burden resulting from premature death and absenteeism. Results Excess mortality was 4185 per 100 000 cases of appendicitis using approach 1 and 3448 per 100 000 using approach 2. The economic burden of continuing current levels of access and local quality was US $92 492 million using approach 1 and$73 141 million using approach 2. The economic burden of not providing surgical care to the standards of high-income countries was $95 004 million using approach 1 and$75 666 million using approach 2. The largest share of these costs resulted from premature death (97.7 per cent) and lack of access (97.0 per cent) in contrast to lack of quality. Conclusion For a comparatively non-complex emergency condition such as appendicitis, increasing access to care should be prioritized. Although improving quality of care should not be neglected, increasing provision of care at current standards could reduce societal costs substantially