Performance management system enhancement and maintenance

The research described in this report concludes a two-year effort to develop a Performance Management System (PMS) for the NCC computers. PMS provides semi-automated monthly reports to NASA and contractor management on the status and performance of the NCC computers in the TDRSS program. Throughout 1984, PMS was tested, debugged, extended, and enhanced. Regular PMS monthly reports were produced and distributed. PMS continues to operate at the NCC under control of Bendix Corp. personnel

Perceptions of Malaysian school and university ESL instructors on writing assessment.

This study is an attempt to find out the attitudes of writing teachers and lecturers towards the assessment of writing. For this purpose, a survey using questionnaire and semi-structured interview was conducted among ESL (English as A Second Language) university lecturers and school teachers and the data were analyzed descriptively and qualitatively. The results indicate that university lecturers (UL) prefer impressionistic scoring while school teachers (ST) prefer criterion-based scoring. Both groups express their preferences for explicit instruction of the evaluation criteria as well as in identifying students’ weaknesses and strengths. Unlike the common belief that grammar, vocabulary, and mechanics are the most essential criteria in scoring, the results show that fluency is more important than accuracy. It is also found that years of teaching experience are not an influential factor in their responses

Errors and variations of TESL students’ written description

The focus of this study was to highlight different kinds of errors and variations that emerge in the writings of ESL students. The participants of the study were twelve TESL undergraduate students from the Faculty of Educational Studies at Universiti Putra Malaysia. Students’ written descriptions on a picture stimulus were collected and qualitatively analyzed. Then, the emerging errors in their descriptions were categorized into the linguistic and surface structure taxonomies. The findings revealed different grammatical errors in their writings which were basically related to the categories of verb phrases and noun phrases in either simple or compound/complex sentences that resulted in giving misinformation, one of the categories in surface structure. Some variations were also found in the word choice of the students in the three ethnic groups of the study, whereby these choices might be the reflections of their cultural background and world view. The results could help material developers to develop the necessary tasks and exercises and teachers to devise the best teaching strategies for overcoming these kinds of errors in ESL learners’ writings

A Comparative Study of Rehearsal and Loci Methods in Learning Vocabulary in EFL Context

Effective learning in foreign language settings depends on acquiring a large number of vocabularies. This study intended to compare two vocabulary learning methods known as loci and rehearsal methods to find out which one leads to better retention and recalling of words. Employing a quasi-experimental research, 80 learners from two intact classes in Islamic Azad University, Osku Branch, Iran, were randomly selected as the experimental and control groups. For the purpose of vocabulary learning, the experimental group trained in loci method while rehearsal strategy training was used in the control group.  At the end of each session of the treatment, multiple-choice vocabulary tests were used to measure whether the participants can recall the lexical items from their short-term memory. A delayed multiple-choice posttest of vocabulary was also used in order to compare vocabulary learning among two groups four weeks after the treatment. Implementing Independent Samples t-test, the results indicated that experimental group was better than control group in retention and recalling of lexical items in immediate posttest. It was also found that the loci method was more effective than rehearsal in permanency of lexical items in long term memory. Syllabus designers and textbook writers can consider different learning strategies in designing vocabulary books by taking the learners’ proficiency level into account

Burnout Among Female Teachers In Malaysia

This study is an attempt to survey the burnout level of female teachers in Malaysia and determine the likely factors that are associated with this phenomenon. The subjects of the study were 437 female teachers from primary, secondary, and tertiary levels. A demographic questionnaire was used to collect the data regarding the individual characteristics (e.g., marital status, number of children, age, and teaching experience) and organizational factors (e.g., teaching level and workload). The Maslach Burnout Inventory-Educator Survey (MBI-ES) (Maslach, Jackson, & Schwab, 1986) was also employed to collect the data concerning the burnout levels of the teachers in the three dimensions of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment. Descriptive and univariate statistics were used in the data analysis. It was found that the number of children, level of teaching, age, and years of teaching experience were significant indicators of burnout among the female teachers, while marital status and workload were not significantly related to their burnout syndrome. The implications and recommendations are also presented

An Investigation of the Relation between Self-esteem, Indirect Strategy Use and Iranian Intermediate EFL Learners' Oral Language Proficiency

The main purpose of the present study was to empirically investigate the possible relationship between Iranian intermediate EFL learners’ self-esteem, their use of indirect strategies (meta-cognitive, affective and social), and their foreign oral language proficiency. From among 136 EFL learners who were studying English in two language institutes in Anzali- Iran, 30 intermediate students whose scores were 31+ in grammar and vocabulary and 8+ in reading section of the OPT test( oxford solution,2005)were selected as the main sample for the present study. Oxford' strategy inventory including 21 items for the indirect strategies along with Sorenson self-esteem test were administered to the main participants of the study. Besides, an oral language test (TOEIC test) was administered to assess the participants' oral language proficiency.  The non-parametric test of chi- square along with measures of association namely Eta and Spearman Rank Order Correlation test were run to the data gathered through the questionnaires and the oral test.  The findings revealed statistically significant relationship between Iranian intermediate EFL learners' self-esteem, their use of indirect strategies, and oral language proficiency.  The findings of the study may have some pedagogical implications for foreign language teachers, course designers, parents, and learners

The Relationship between EFL Learners' Multiple Intelligences and Vocabulary Learning Strategies Use with a Focus on Gender

Over the past decade or so, Multiple Intelligences Theory (MIT) has witnessed a great deal of attention from theoreticians, researchers, and educators in the field. Accordingly, the current study was designed to examine the relationship between Iranian EFL male and female learners' MI types and their vocabulary learning strategies (VLSs) use. A total of 150 intermediate learners from an English Language Institute in Tabriz participated in this study. Two questionnaires were employed to collect the necessary data, namely, MI and VLS questionnaires. Following a range of correlational analyses, the obtained findings revealed that there was a significant relationship between participants' MI types and VLS categories, and the musical type of intelligence had the strongest relationship with SOC category of VLS. In addition, both male and female learners employed MEM and SOC categories of VLS as the most and the least frequently used strategies respectively. Finally, the obtained findings revealed that the interpersonal and linguistic types of MI were the best predictors of male learners' VLS use. For the female learners, however, the bodily and naturalist intelligences contributed significantly to the prediction of their VLS use. The results suggest implications for both educators and learners

Analysis of the “Gone with the Wind” and its Simplified Version in terms of Lexical Structure

The simplification of written texts is one way for second language learners to access the general message of authentic texts. This linguistic simplification may facilitate the process of learning for non-native speakers but, at the same time, it may perilously reduce their utility for language learning by producing a text that is more difficult to the learners. This study aimed to find out to what extent an intuitively developed simplified version of a text is appropriately written in terms of lexical structure when compared to its original version. In this regard, the original and simplified versions of the novel “Gone with the wind” were compared.  The digitized pages of the original and simplified versions were entered into the software of Wordsmith 4.0 for further analysis. The results revealed low percentage of similar words, content words, and key words in the simplified version as compared to the original one. In addition, the high density and low consistency ratios in the simplified version indicates its high compactness, which may decrease its pedagogical value for learning vocabulary and reading comprehension.

Knowledge, Practice and Self-Efficacy in Evidence-Based Practice among Midwives in East Iran

Objectives: The successful implementation of evidence-based practice (EBP) can lead to appropriate and effective midwifery care during pregnancy, childbirth and in the postnatal period. However, levels of knowledge and confidence in one’s ability to apply EBP are related to its effective implementation. This study aimed to investigate levels of knowledge, practice of and self-efficacy towards the use of EBP among midwives in East Iran.Methods: This cross-sectional study took place between January and February 2016 and involved 98 midwives employed at two hospitals and all four urban health care centres in Torbat-e Heydariyeh, Iran. Two subscales of the Evidence-Based Practice Questionnaire were used to assess participants’ knowledge and practice of EBP, respectively, while a modified version of a previously described scale was used to determine self-efficacy. Results: A total of 76 midwives participated in the study (response rate: 77.6%). Mean knowledge, practice and self-efficacy scores were 4.48 ± 0.94, 3.53 ± 0.68 and 2.80 ± 0.81, respectively. Significant relationships were found between mean selfefficacy, practice and knowledge scores and proficiency in English language (P = 0.001 each) and statistical methods (P <0.050 each). Additionally, significant relationships were found between knowledge and practice of EBP and proficiency in the use of databases (P <0.050 each). Knowledge and self-efficacy scores were significantly correlated with practice (P = 0.001 each). Conclusion: These findings demonstrate a need for improvement in the self-efficacy, practice and knowledge of EBP among midwives in East Iran. Interventions that promote these factors may help increase the use of EBP in this population

Enhancing Comprehension and Production of Argumentation through Critical Thinking Awareness-Raising

Language pedagogy aims to equip learners with tools to cope critically with the complexity of the language input and rationally evaluate the authenticity of the data. An indispensable part of learning to read and write a foreign language should, hence, develop critical thinking skills that allow interpretation and accurate expression of overt and covert propositions. The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to examine the impact of an eleven-session critical thinking (CT) awareness-raising (AR) mingled with an Advanced Writing Course on 50 male and female Iranian postgraduate TEFL students’ reading comprehension and the accuracy, complexity, and organization of their writing of argumentative texts. The participants in two intact classes were randomly assigned as the experimental and control groups. The treatment followed a reading to writing direction with a stronger focus on explicit presentation and practice of reading-embedded argumentation elements and CT skills in the experimental group. The control group, however, started off with the same materials with now CT focus and proceeded to the detailed process-oriented writing phase. Comparison of the groups’ reading and writing post-test scores verified superior performance of the experimental group in reading and writing of argumentative texts and offer pedagogical implications