Feedback Types in Second Language Writing: Are They Really Effective?

This study focuses on types of feedback provided in second language writing in higher education and their evaluation in the light of students’ opinions. Data were gathered from 55 students who took English writing classes for 3 hours a week in an English preparatory program at a college in Turkey. Semi-structured interviews were used as data collection tools. Findings revealed that vast majority of students found meaning-focused feedback more motivational than form-focused feedback. Additionally, they preferred self-assessment to peer-feedback. The paper presents a discussion on feedback types in second language writing.

The Implementation of a Remote Work Program in an Italian Municipality before COVID-19: Suggestions to HR Officers for the Post-COVID-19 Era

This case study describes the implementation stages and some outcomes of a remote work program that was adopted in an Italian municipality before the COVID-19 pandemic. This research used a qualitative case study approach, proposing a semi-structured interview with 14 staff members (six remote-worker employees, their respective managers, and two intermediate-level managers) about the experience with the remote work program. In addition, two researchers attended two preparatory program meetings. The evidence shows that, even before the COVID-19 pandemic, remote work was mainly performed at home, for one or two days a week. Together with their manager, remote workers decided the tasks to perform remotely and the criteria to monitor remote work. Furthermore, employees appreciated the remote work program, perceiving themselves to be more productive in their work. Elements of this case study may be relevant for companies that aim to move from an emergency to a more planned remote work.

Understanding the Challenges of Graduation Rate Faced by Two Education Preparatory Programs in the State of Mississippi

In this study, the authors described the contribution of student’s academic performance indicators as predictors of graduation rate in two Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) Education Preparatory Program (EPP) in the State of Mississippi. The authors interviewed two EPP chairs in summer 2019 and used qualitative inquiry to code and look for themes to provide meaning and add additional explanation to the students’ graduation rate. The main findings of the study suggest that teacher candidates’ ACT/SAT scores are predictive of graduation rates. Similarly, socioeconomic status showed a positive relationship with admission to the EPP and graduation rate. Each EPP faces the challenge of graduating a sufficient number of certified teachers to ensure its continuity. The EPP needs to ensure that students are capable of passing the state certification exams and graduating to be successful. Graduation rate is an indicator of EPP performance and its likelihood of continuity and longevity.

The Evaluation of an English Preparatory Program Using CIPP Model and Exploring A1 Level Students’ Motivational Beliefs

The purpose of the present study is to evaluate English Preparatory School Language Program in a state university from students’ and instructors’ point of view and also investigate the students’ motivational beliefs for learning in the existing program. More specifically, Stufflebeam’s (1971) CIPP (context, input, process, product) evaluation model was used to evaluate the English language program whereas MSLQ (motivated strategies for learning questionnaire) developed by Pintrich, Garcia, Mckeachie and Smith (1991) was administered to investigate the motivational beliefs for learning of the participating students. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected in this study. The quantitative data were obtained through questionnaires administered to 54 Turkish EFL students and 33 EFL instructors enrolled in the A1 (elementary level) English preparatory program. The qualitative data were gathered via semi-structured interviews with 10 students and 5 instructors from the same program. The findings of the study revealed that the program partially succeeded its objectives. Both students and instructors were content with materials, assessment dimensions of the program as well as the teaching methods. On the other hand, there was a need for the improvement of the speaking and listening skills and tasks in the A1 program. In addition to this, among the motivational beliefs of the students, control beliefs, task value and intrinsic goal orientation were perceived to be crucial for the students during the process of English learning. The study provides suggestions and pedagogical implications for the English preparatory programs.

Perception of Students and Faculty Members of the Impact of a Preparatory Year Program on the Students of Health Professions Education Colleges

Objective: The Preparatory Year Program (PYP) is a one-year preparatory program to prepare students for a full multi-year degree curriculum. It offers a bridge between students’ high-school and university-level studies. The study aimed at evaluating the impact of the King Abdulaziz University preparatory year program on students of the health professions education colleges from both students' and faculty viewpoints. Methods: This is a descriptive study that depended on the collection of data from both students and faculty members based on their perceptions. It was conducted during the period from May 2019 to January 2020. Data was collected from students through self-administered questionnaires and from faculty members through structured interviews. Descriptive statistics were applied. Results: Around half of the students agreed that the preparatory year made them self-confident and reinforced their discipline (49.2% and 46.9%, respectively). Less than two-thirds agreed that the preparatory year reinforced their sense of responsibility and helped them adapt to the university educational environment (60.6% and 64.3%, respectively). On the other hand, more than half of them (58.5%) disagreed that the preparatory year classes helped them select their majors. Also, more than half of them (57.2%) disagreed that the preparatory year prepared them for their major classes. Conclusion: The impact of the preparatory year on students of the health professions colleges is weak. This is the opinion of both students and faculty members. In-depth studies are needed to further investigate this impact. Keywords: Universities; Health Occupations; Undergraduate; Curriculum; Saudi Arabia.

Expanding Opportunities: An Evaluation of Uniformed Services University’s Premedical Program for Enlisted Service Members

ABSTRACT Introduction Medical school leaders are seeking strategies to increase the diversity of their student populations. Post-baccalaureate premedical (PBPM) programs are one such pipeline that has supported diversity in medicine. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the Uniformed Services University’s (USU’s) PBPM program (the Enlisted to Medical Degree Preparatory Program, EMDP2) to determine how well it prepares its learners for the School of Medicine (SOM). Materials and Methods The National Board of Medical Examiners Clinical Science Subject Examination scores of EMDP2 learners from the SOM classes of 2020–2023 were compared to those of four similarly sized cohorts of their peers that varied by age and prior military service. Results We found that the performance of program graduates was comparable to their peers who followed more traditional and other alternative preparatory paths. Conclusions The EMDP2 appears to prepare medical students on a par with their non-EMDP2 peers. The EMDP2 contributes to USU’s commitment to train physicians who represent the nation and its citizens by making medical education available to enlisted service members, a population that closely mirrors the diversity of the nation.

Exploring the Effectiveness of DDL in an L2 Context through a Non-control-group Asynchronous Experimental Design

This study aims at a rediscovery of the extent to which a DDL-based intervention could become instrumental in facilitating grammar instruction with a specific focus on EAP and learner autonomy and reducing the number of repeating learners in a preparatory program participated mostly by Turkish-L1 learners studying EAP. It also provides a context-restricted longitudinal depiction of the effectiveness of a DDL-based grammar instruction endorsed by teacher (also referred to as the researcher) mentorship across groups asynchronously, thus re-testing the limits of DDL-oriented corpus pedagogy in contexts where a control group is not available, unlike the traditional control-group study design. To this end, a corpus was compiled out of the existing reading and listening materials in use ad hoc by the name of the Alternative Corpus of Academic Texts (ACAT), and a total of 19 grammar lessons covering topics in the curriculum of the second level of the grammar course taught were developed using the ACAT. Blind pre and post-test procedures were administered with all four experimental groups independent of each other to gradually build up a local understanding of the governing pattern of learner achievement through DDL and corpus-based teacher-prepared materials at the end of each intervention period. The data analysis demonstrated a rise in student achievement across all groups despite the lack of a teacher disseminating knowledge to students in class in the traditional sense, thus showing that a sense of autonomy could be gained through DDL-enhanced teaching. With the design being unorthodox compared to most other DDL studies in the literature, this study shows that the triple powers of DDL, self-discovery, occasional teacher supervision, and corpus-based teaching materials, could help learners of English survive autonomously no matter how hectic the curriculum run at an institution is. All in all, further research is needed to deepen this insight so that this sort of DDL practices could be implemented at the institutional level.