ABSTRACT
This study was planned to find the possible ways to improve Korean English learners’ English communicative competencies and self-directed learning in the post COVID-19 era. Fifty-two university students (22 students in A university and 30 students in B university) participated in this study and various factors were measured, including their English communicative competencies, self-efficacy, English language learning strategy use, and self-evaluation on their speaking and communicative abilities in English and Korean. The participants showed relatively low scores in every measurement, compared to their high academic performances;for example, they showed low communicative competencies with low self-efficacy and did not use English language learning strategies frequently. While both university students showed similar results in almost all measurement, some differences were found between A and B university students. Moreover, the self-rated scores of their English communicative abilities had a positive correlation with those of Korean communicative and speaking abilities, as well as English language learning strategy use, while their belief in their own abilities (i.e., self-efficacy) influenced their performances in speaking in Korean, not in English. The detailed results and discussions are given, as are suggestions and implications for further potential research directions. © 2022 KASELL.
ABSTRACT
Background. At the frontline of fighting against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, emergency room (ER) nurses are faced with various challenges throughout the provision of emergency care for incoming patients without knowing their COVID-19 status. However, little is known about their work burden, exhaustion, and psychological distress in the pandemic. Therefore, to provide basic data for effective counterstrategies against future emerging infectious diseases in the ER, this study aims to understand ER nurses' COVID-19 work experiences in depth at one tertiary hospital over 1 year. Methods. This study was conducted at a 2,715-bed tertiary hospital in Seoul, Korea. Using a purposeful sampling method, we recruited 20 nurses who have worked for more than 1 year in the ER and have capacity for independent care for COVID-19 patients. With institutional review board approval, one-on-one individual, in-depth interviews were completed using a semi-structured questionnaire from February 13 to March 25, 2021. After recording and transcribing interviews, the narrative data were analyzed using a thematic analysis method. Results. The 20 participants were 29.9 years old on average with 69.2 months' clinical experience. The overarching theme was derived as 'COVID-19 highlighted the importance of ER's infection control and ER nurses' professional dedication' covering 6 sub-themes and 16 concepts (Table 1). Sub-themes were 'psychological burden of handling COVID-19 patients directly', 'unprecedented changes for ER's response to the pandemic', 'revealing hospital's lack of support for ER', 'withdrawal from social life as ER nurses', 're-illuminating nurses' calling for their occupation', and 'planning for the post COVID-19 era'. Conclusion. ER nurses experienced challenges from their drastically changed tasks, received poor compensation from the hospital, and felt pressure from social expectations towards medical personnel. However, nurses showed enough dedication towards their jobs, considered pandemic experience as a valuable asset to their future career, and maintained a positive attitude towards difficulties in ER. Providing comprehensive support for ER nurses is necessary to improve ER infection control to respond to the pandemic.
ABSTRACT
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has infected many people worldwide. As the probability of being infected by the virus increases with an increase in the number of people gathered in an indoor space, methods for reducing its spread indoors are urgently required. In this study, a classroom with 25 students was considered as an indoor space, and an attempt was made to devise a method to reduce the concentration of the viruses generated indoors more effectively. Through numerical analysis, the age of air inside the classroom was compared and analyzed when both the air cleaner and natural ventilation were used. The age of air varied locally in the classroom depending on the position of the air cleaner, confirming its importance in effectively removing particles possibly containing viruses generated indoors. When the air cleaner flow rate was doubled, the age of air was almost halved, implying that the concentration of the particles including viruses generated indoors can be reduced efficiently by increasing the air cleaner flow rate. Natural ventilation performed by completely opening the windows and doors of the classroom reduced the age of air. It was observed that the operation of the air cleaner along with open windows and doors of the classroom reduced the concentration of the particles including viruses generated indoors more effectively. More specifically, when both natural ventilation and air cleaner were applied, the age of air decreased by almost 50% compared with the only air cleaner case and by about 22% compared with the only natural ventilation case. Copyright (c) 2021 American Association for Aerosol Research