Potential pitfalls of online foreign language teaching from the perspective of the university teachers.

In the past two years during the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly all universities had to conduct the courses online, including foreign language learning (FLL) classes. Pre-COVID-19 research into the possibilities of digital FLL seemed very optimistic and promising; however, when real life brought the challenges of online classes, the situation was different. This research focuses on the experience of university foreign language teachers from the Czech Republic and Iraq with their online foreign language classes during the past two years. It attempts to analyse their experience and brings together all major issues and concerns they were able to realise. The methodology is qualitative and the number of participants was 42 university teachers from two countries where guided semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect data. The results clearly show that despite the overoptimistic earlier research - the respondents in both countries were very dissatisfied with the way the classes were conducted for various reasons, such as the lack of adequate training, insufficient methodologies for FLL, the lack of motivation in students, dramatically increased screen time of both students and teachers, etc. The most important suggestions call for an adequate methodology for online foreign language learning and necessary professional training so that the instructors are able to keep pace with unprecedentedly fast development in information technology used in various forms of digital learning.

Training of a Future Teacher-Psychologist in Multilingual Education Conditions.

Bilingualism and polylinguism necessitate the development of multilingual competence of citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The specific feature of the study of languages as an academic discipline lies in the teaching of communicative activities. The purpose of this study was to investigate the aspects of training a future teacher-psychologist in the conditions of multilingual education. To study this issue, theoretical works on the influence of a multilingual environment on the development of a personality and the training of future specialists in the field of education were analyzed. The fundamental goal of teaching foreign languages is the development of a multicultural multilingual person with information, communication and intellectual needs, abilities, and competences. This is important for teacher-psychologist since they are responsible not only for their judgments but also for the results of their students.

Sistema de actividades para desarrollar la competencia intercultural en la Facultad de Ciencias Médicas "Enrique Cabrera", La Habana

Introducción: La lengua influye en el modo de pensar, vivir y relacionarse de cada uno de sus hablantes debido a su papel en el reflejo de las prácticas de cada colectivo humano y la transmisión de conocimientos. Esto significa que la comunicación y el aprendizaje de inglés como lengua extranjera incluyen los elementos de la cultura reflejados en esta lengua. Objetivo: Realizar un sistema de actividades para desarrollar la competencia intercultural en estudiantes de Medicina de la Facultad de Ciencias Médicas "Enrique Cabrera", La Habana, Cuba. Método: Se propone un sistema de actividades mediante un temario de prueba, estudio documental, recopilación e información durante toda la etapa del proceso investigativo. Fueron empleados varios métodos de investigación, en los métodos empíricos, la observación la encuesta y la entrevista. En los métodos teóricos el análisis histórico-lógico, el enfoque sistémico y la modelación, así como los procedimientos lógicos del pensamiento y los métodos matemáticos-estadísticos. Resultados: El aprendizaje del inglés como lengua internacional y de los saberes interculturales correspondientes es especialmente válido en la asignatura de inglés, basado en un sistema de actividades, para la formación de los futuros galenos, quienes deben aprender a comunicarse en esa lengua, lo que implica dominar los contenidos interculturales que permiten una interacción eficiente con personas, autoridades, organizaciones y obras de los países donde realizan sus funciones. Conclusiones: El aprendizaje del inglés como lengua internacional y de los saberes interculturales correspondientes, a través de un sistema de actividades, resulta primordial en la formación de estudiantes de Medicina de la Facultad de Ciencias Médicas "Enrique Cabrera".

Introduction: Language influences the way of thinking, living and the relationships of speakers because its role for reflecting the realities of each human group and the transmission of knowledge. This means that the communication and learning of English as foreign language includes elements present in the language culture. Objective: To design a system of activities to build the intercultural competence in medical students of the Facultad de Ciencias Médicas Enrique Cabrera, La Habana, Cuba. Method: A system of activities is proposed supported by test agenda, documentary study, collection and information gathered through whole research process. Several research methods were used in the study, for instance, the empirical methods (comprising the observational, survey, and interview methods), the theoretical methods (historical-logical analysis, the systemic approach and modeling), also were used the logical thinking procedures and mathematical-statistical methods. Results: Learning English as international language and the corresponding intercultural knowledge has a great value in the English subject. This learning process was supported by the application of a system of activities for training of future doctors, who must learn to communicate in this language, which implies mastering the intercultural contents that allow them to interact efficiently with people, authorities, organizations and works in the countries where they perform their functions. Conclusions: Learning English as international language and the corresponding intercultural knowledge, using a system of activities, is essential for training of medical students at the Facultad de Ciencias Médicas Enrique Cabrera.

Introdução: A língua influencia a forma de pensar, viver e se relacionar de cada um de seus falantes devido ao seu papel de refletir as práticas de cada grupo humano e a transmissão de conhecimentos. Isso significa que a comunicação e o aprendizado do inglês como língua estrangeira incluem os elementos da cultura refletidos nesse idioma. Objetivo: Realizar um sistema de atividades para desenvolver a competência intercultural em estudantes de Medicina da Facultad de Ciencias Médicas "Enrique Cabrera", Havana, Cuba. Método: Propõe-se um sistema de atividades por meio de agenda de teste, estudo documental, compilação e informação durante toda a etapa do processo investigativo. Foram utilizados vários métodos de investigação, nos métodos empíricos, a observação, o inquérito e a entrevista. Nos métodos teóricos, a análise histórico-lógica, a abordagem sistémica e a modelação, bem como os procedimentos de pensamento lógico e os métodos matemático-estatísticos. Resultados: Aprender inglês como língua internacional e o correspondente conhecimento intercultural é especialmente válido na disciplina de inglês, baseada em um sistema de atividades, para a formação de futuros médicos, que devem aprender a se comunicar nessa língua, o que implica o domínio intercultural conteúdo que permite uma interação eficiente com pessoas, autoridades, organizações e obras nos países onde desempenham suas funções. Conclusões: A aprendizagem do inglês como língua internacional e o conhecimento intercultural correspondente, através de um sistema de atividades, é essencial na formação dos estudantes de medicina da Faculdade de Medicina "Enrique Cabrera Cossío".

Developing Students' Emotional Competencies in English Language Classes: Reciprocal Benefits and Practical Implications.

Learning a foreign language involves a wide range of cognitive, social and affective skills. The present article gives ideas to develop socio-emotional competencies in English courses: the capacity to identify the emotion, to understand the causes and consequences, to express their emotions and to do so in a socially acceptable manner, to manage stress and to use their emotions to increase the effectiveness of thinking, decision making and actions. Content and language integrated learning (CLIL) is a dual approach aiming to develop both language and academic subject knowledge. It may be gradually introduced, embedding it at three levels: into the classroom (routines, organization, pupils' behavior), the school and the curriculum. Successful learning in CLIL remains based on (1) communication, (2) ways of engaging in the learning process and (3) the use of meaning-making strategies. We propose a pedagogical sequence (several courses) to learn a second language based on the social and emotional learning approach, and the English coursebook MORE! 7e for primary school pupils (aged 10-11). We combine the specific language learning of the unit-talking about ourselves, people and their feelings-with the development of pupils' basic emotional competencies, and discuss advantages and disadvantages to consider in order to successfully implement such lessons.

Severe Symptoms of Mental Disorders Among Students Majoring in Foreign Languages in Vietnam: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Mental health disorders among university students have been a serious issue in many countries and can negatively affect academic performance and all aspects of daily living, relationships, and physical health. In this study, we aim to estimate the prevalence of severe symptoms of mental disorders and examine associated factors among students majoring in foreign languages in Vietnam. We used the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales (DASS-21) to detect severe symptoms of mental disorders in 1,788 students, including severe symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. The Financial-Study-Family-Friend (FSFF) scale was utilized to assess how much students worried about finance, academic, and social support from family and friends. Multiple logistic regressions were carried out to evaluate the relationship between severe symptoms of mental disorders and FSFF factors. The prevalence of severe levels of depression, anxiety, and stress were 21.1, 35.0, and 16.3%, respectively. While varying somewhat due to students' demographic characteristics, all four aspects of the FSFF scale were related to the severe symptoms of mental disorders of students. Concerns about study had the largest effects (ORs ranging from 2.84 to 3.72) while difficulty in finance had the smallest effects (ORs ranging from 1.23 to 1.37) on students' depression, anxiety, and stress. The prevalence of severe symptoms of mental disorders in students was high in our study. Teachers and universities should focus more attention on students' mental health. Social support from family and friends also plays a crucial role in the mental health of students.

Removing the language barrier in the medical care of allophone patients / Lever de la barrière linguistique dans la prise en charge médicale de patients allophones

INTRODUCTION: Non-French speaking patients have difficulty communicating with professionals when they come to a health care service. The role of the nursing staff is thus to find solutions to communicate effectively with them and facilitate patient care. PURPOSE OF RESEARCH: A systematic search of medical and allied health databases was conducted (EM Premium, BDSP, PubMed, Cairn.info). Articles identified during the search process that met the inclusion criteria were then critically appraised. RESULTS: During the search and inclusion process, 13 articles, 3 systematic review and 2 randomized control trials were found that were deemed of suitable quality to be included in the review. These were analyzed in more detail to observe common themes and then grouped into three categories. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the review demonstrate the different techniques used in care to overcome the language barrier and their effectiveness. All health care professionals involved in care must be familiar with the different techniques used and their usefulness.

Introduction: Lorsque les patients allophones se présentent dans un service de soins, le rôle du personnel soignant est de trouver des solutions pour communiquer efficacement avec eux. But de l'étude: Cette scoping review a pour but de retranscrire les différentes techniques utilisées dans les soins pour pallier la barrière linguistique, de les comparer et d'évaluer leur efficacité. Une recherche systématique de la littérature a été effectuée à l'aide de bases de données (EM Premium, BDSP, PubMed, Cairn.info) pour des publications comprises entre 2005 à 2021 en utilisant des termes de recherche pertinents. Résultats: Au total, 13 articles ont pu être étudiés et confrontés entre eux. Ils ont été regroupés en trois catégories différentes : 1) interprètes professionnels, 2) interprètes non professionnels, 3) autres méthodes. La plupart des articles ont relevé certains avantages au fait que les professionnels médicaux utilisent une technique pour pallier la barrière de la langue. Conclusions: Malgré la faible quantité de publications sur le sujet et le manque de mesures standardisées dans les articles inclus, cette revue établit suffisamment de données pour conclure que les stratégies mises en place pour pallier la barrière linguistique dans les soins sont efficaces.

Presence of a translator in the operating theater for awake mapping in foreign patients with low-grade glioma: a surgical experience based on 18 different native languages.

OBJECTIVE: Intraoperative brain mapping with neurocognitive monitoring during awake surgery is currently the standard pattern of care for patients with diffuse low-grade glioma (DLGG), allowing a maximization of the extent of resection (EOR) while preserving quality of life. This study evaluated the feasibility of DLGG resections performed with intraoperative cognitive monitoring via the assistance of a translator for patients speaking foreign languages, and compared the surgical functional and oncological outcomes according to the possibility of direct communication with the surgical team. METHODS: Foreign patients who underwent awake surgery with intraoperative electrical mapping with the assistance of a translator for the resection of a DLGG in the authors' institution between January 2010 and December 2020 were included. Patients whose native language included one of the three languages spoken by the surgical team (i.e., French, English, or Spanish) were excluded. The patients were classified into two groups. Group 1 was composed of patients able to communicate in at least one of these three languages in addition to their own native language. Group 2 was composed of patients who spoke none of these languages, and therefore were unable to communicate directly with the operating staff. The primary outcome was the patients' ability to return to work 3 months after surgery. RESULTS: Eighty-four patients were included, of whom 63 were classified in group 1 and 21 in group 2. Eighteen different native languages were tested in the operating theater. Awake mapping was successful, with elicitation of transitory disturbances in all patients. There was no significant difference in the 3-month return-to-work status between the two groups (95% in group 1 [n = 58/61] vs 88% in group 2 [n = 15/17]; p = 0.298). Similarly, no significant difference between the two groups was found regarding the intraoperative tasks performed, the mean duration of the surgery, and the rate of permanent postoperative deficit. A significantly greater EOR was observed in group 1 patients in comparison to group 2 patients (90.4% ± 10.6% vs 87.7% ± 6.1%; p = 0.029). CONCLUSIONS: Real-time translation by an interpreter during awake resection of glioma is feasible and safe in foreign patients. Nonetheless, when no direct verbal communication is possible between the surgical team and the patient, the EOR is less.

Language Consideration and Methodological Transparency in "Systematic" Reviews of Animal Toxicity Studies.

This study evaluated the use of non-English literature (NEL) in systematic reviews (SRs) or meta-analyses (MAs) of animal-based toxicity or communicable disease (CD) studies. A secondary goal was to assess how grant funding, country of primary authorship, or study quality reporting influenced the use of NEL in these reviews. Inclusion criteria and data extraction forms were based on a pilot evaluation of a 10% random sample of reviews that were identified from a PubMed search (2006 to May 2017). This search yielded 111 animal toxicity and 69 CD reviews. Reviews (33 animal toxicity and 32 CD studies) were included when the authors identified their work as an SR or MA, described a literature search strategy, and provided defined inclusion criteria. Extracted data included PubMed indexing of publication type, author affiliations, and grant funding. Language use was mentioned in the methods in 55% of the toxicity SRs and 69% of CD SRs, of which 44% (n = 8) and 41% (n = 9) were limited to English, respectively. Neither the study type, grant funding, nor first author country of affiliation was associated with an increased consideration of NEL. Study quality reporting was more common in SRs that considered multiple languages. Despite guidelines that encourage the use of NEL in SRs and translation tools, SR/MA authors often fail to report language inclusion or focus on English publications. Librarian involvement in SR can promote awareness of relevant NEL and collaborative and technological strategies to improve their incorporation into the SR process.

Cognitive and Applied Linguistics Aspects of Using Social Media: The Impact of the Use of Facebook on Developing Writing Skills in Learning English as a Foreign Language.

Facebook is undoubtedly the most popular social network site nowadays with over two billion users. Therefore, there has been research exploring its potential as a learning environment for various fields of education, including learning English as a foreign language (EFL). As the findings of research studies indicate, Facebook is especially used in developing productive language skills, such as writing, which is considered to be the least popular and the most difficult skill to master. Thus, the purpose of this article is to explore the impact of Facebook on developing writing skills in learning English as a foreign language. The methodology is based on the search for available studies on the research topic, i.e., the impact of Facebook on developing writing skills in EFL, in the world's databases: Web of Science and Scopus. The search was not limited by any time period. The results of this review article reveal that using Facebook has a positive effect on developing writing skills in EFL classes, especially in shaping and organizing ideas, enhancing motivation, developing and supporting collaboration among peers, improving vocabulary, and reducing students' shyness. However, more experimental research should be done in this area to reveal other aspects of the writing process, such as communicative language competence, which can be improved by using Facebook, as well as address researchers from continents other than Asia.

Summarizies of English Teaching Reformation and Measures Taken in Future / 昆明医科大学学报

This paper summarized the achievements and existence problems which the Foreign Languages Department has had in foreign language teaching reform for five years.The department's present situation and problems were analyzed,and achievements and results after the educational reform were emphasized.Since there still exist some unsatisfying aspects,several effective measures are taken to enhance the teaching quality in future.