Search Results (186)

Language Assessment Literacy (LAL) is critical for teachers to perform their assessment tasks, but many teachers in low-resource contexts do not receive adequate assessment training. This qualitative multiple-case study examined the impact of a short-term Professional Development (PD) program on three in-service English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers in developing their LAL and in shaping their assessment conceptions, knowledge and practices as assessors. The PD training program consisted of a 30 h workshop delivered over one week and integrated theory, practice, collaborative learning, reflection, and feedback. Data collection instruments included classroom observations and interviews. Findings showed that the PD program improved teachers’ LAL by developing their assessment conceptions, knowledge, skills, and confidence, although the degree of improvement varied across participants. The findings also identified challenges teachers encountered in their assessment practices, including limited time, large class sizes, insufficient resources, and sociocultural factors that constrained teachers’ assessment conceptions and restricted their LAL development. The findings showed that PD programs could strengthen teachers’ professional identity as assessors by incorporating relevant content, practice opportunities, feedback, a supportive learning community, and self-reflection. The study findings have broader implications for professional development of LAL in other low-resource and exam-oriented EFL contexts with strong sociocultural constraints. Full article

The professional development of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) education has been converted from rigid hierarchical models to more flexible and context-sensitive frameworks. This study introduces ego-centred network card analysis as a new methodology to investigate how Indonesian university EFL teachers create and negotiate their professional identities. The data were collected from 11 experienced EFL teachers. The network cards were analysed to find the nodes and sectors of professional identity and development. Drawing on constructivist and sociocultural perspectives, the study findings indicated that the formation is influenced by relational, emotional and institutional influences, and that family support, mentoring, and career goals alleviate pressures such as workload, publication demands, and financial instability. The findings highlight identity as both a product and a driving force for professional development, extending sociocultural theories by visualizing hidden dimensions of teachers’ networks. Methodologically, this study demonstrates the value of visual-relational tools in capturing complexity beyond interviews or surveys. The results suggest that, in practice, teacher education and policy must integrate structured mentorship, peer reflection, and recognition of emotional work in order to maintain professional growth. Full article

Large language models (LLMs) increasingly serve as decision-support systems across linguistically diverse populations, yet whether they reason consistently across languages remains underexplored. We investigate whether LLMs exhibit language-dependent preferences in distributive justice scenarios and whether domain persona prompting can reduce cross-linguistic inconsistencies. Using six behavioral economics scenarios adapted from canonical social preferences research, we evaluate Gemini 2.0 Flash across English and Korean in both baseline and persona-injected conditions, yielding 1,201,200 observations across ten professional domains. Results reveal substantial baseline cross-linguistic divergence: five of six scenarios exhibit significant language effects (9–56 percentage point gaps), including complete preference reversals. Domain persona injection reduces these gaps by 62.7% on average, with normative disciplines (sociology, economics, law, philosophy, and history) demonstrating greater effectiveness than technical domains. Systematic boundary conditions emerge: scenarios presenting isolated ethical conflict resist intervention. These findings parallel human foreign-language effects in moral psychology while demonstrating that computational agents are more amenable to alignment interventions. We propose a compensatory integration framework explaining when professional framing succeeds or fails, providing practical guidance for multilingual LLM deployment, and establishing cross-linguistic consistency as a critical alignment metric. Full article

The interaction between two critical resources, emotional intelligence (EI) and perceived organizational support (POS), is studied to understand how they come together to associate resilience and well-being among healthcare professionals. Based on the Conservation of Resources (COR) theory and the Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) model, we explore whether these resources are synergistic or whether there is a substitutive relationship when combined. Data were collected from 304 healthcare professionals in Saudi Arabia, both local and foreign. Using structural equation modeling, we examined a moderated mediation model in which resilience was examined as a mediator of the associations of EI and POS with well-being, and their interaction was included as a correlate of both resilience and well-being. EI and POS both individually showed positive association with resilience and well-being. However, in interaction, they significantly negatively associated with both resilience and well-being, suggesting a substitution effect—i.e., high levels of one resource are linked to a lower marginal value of the other. This suggests a nonlinear dynamic to resource accumulation among pressured healthcare workers. This study advances COR and JD-R theories by uncovering a substitution effect between emotional intelligence and organizational support, offering fresh insights into resource dynamics among healthcare professionals. Full article

Despite much interest in the flow experienced by English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers, there is less research on flow re-engagement and pre-service teachers at the crucial phase of career development. This study aims to examine flow dynamics among pre-service and in-service EFL teachers in China during teaching. Six Chinese EFL teachers (three pre-service and three in-service) engaged in two rounds of interviews over the course of one year, which were analyzed using a thematic narrative approach. The findings indicate that immediate feedback, clear goals, and a challenge-skill balance were key antecedents of flow. In-service teachers highlighted principal’s teaching-focused philosophy, technology support, teaching experience and curiosity. All participants reported a sense of control, deep absorption, and time distortion. Two experienced teachers further claimed a loss of self-consciousness. The flow of participants was impeded by student-related factors, strong self-consciousness, and technological breakdowns. In-service teachers noted more complicated causes. To re-enter a state of flow, pre-service teachers favored avoidance strategies, whereas in-service teachers employed more flexible approaches. Flow enhanced instructors’ teaching confidence, shifted pre-service teachers’ career motivation and fostered in-service educators’ professional well-being, post-class reflection, and self-improvement. Administrators and teacher educators should provide a teaching-oriented working environment for in-service teachers and offer flow-focused training to pre-service teachers, thus promoting their flow experiences and fostering sustainable professional development. Full article

Background: Antiretroviral adherence for incarcerated individuals living with HIV/AIDS in correctional service facilities remains a challenge. This study examined the experiences of professional nurses related to this issue in Limpopo Province, South Africa. Method: A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive, and contextual approach was employed in the Correctional Services Department facilities within the Vhembe District. The professional nurses were purportedly sampled. Data were collected through semi-structured telephone interviews and analysed thematically. Results: Three themes emerged: (1) professional nurses’ experiences with incarcerated individuals from foreign countries; (2) manipulative behaviours; and (3) misuse of antiretroviral therapy (ART) medication by incarcerated individuals. Conclusion: For public policy, the findings require the development of standardised guidelines for the management of foreign national incarcerated individuals and the implementation of anti-diversion strategies to prevent misuse of medications. For nursing practice, the results emphasise the importance of specialised training programmes that equip nurses to manage manipulative behaviours, enhanced supervision systems addressing moral distress, and structured adherence monitoring, including direct observed therapy for high-risk incarcerated individuals. These evidence-based interventions are essential to improve the outcomes of ART adherence, reduce treatment failure and drug resistance, and decrease HIV-related mortality in correctional settings while protecting general public health. Full article

Background: A 33-year-old pregnant woman experienced ear trauma from contact with a fish while swimming. Afterwards, the woman presented with vertigo and hearing loss. Methods: Clinical examination showed a foreign body (FB) in the middle and inner ear, which was removed surgically under general anesthesia. Postoperative care included antibiotics; the FB was sent to the lab for analysis. Results: Although vertigo resolved after surgical intervention, the woman continued to experience hearing loss and finally experienced deafness. Patient had an unusual mechanism of inner ear trauma. The FB was identified as part of a fish and determined to originate from a fish species of the genus Hemiramphus which is listed as harmless to humans in FishBase. Conclusions: As severe penetration of an FB into the middle and inner ear can lead to serious complications, removal of an FB from the ear requires special competence and should therefore only be performed by specifically skilled professional staff. Full article

Background: In healthcare institutions, radiologists play an essential role in patients’ care, enabling them to begin treatment and start their recoveries. However, data on the characteristics and distribution of the radiology workforce in Saudi Arabia are limited. Therefore, this study aimed to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the radiology workforce in SA based on national data and identify key distributional and specialty trends relevant to workforce planning and radiology service delivery. Methods: The following data were obtained from the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS) Registry: total number of registered radiologists, age, subspecialty, professional classification, place of qualification, and geographical location. Descriptive statistics were used for data analysis. Additionally, the findings were compared with those of published international benchmarks. Results: There were 5150 radiologists registered with SCFHS in SA, which corresponded to 147 radiologists per 1,000,000 inhabitants. The mean age was 40.8 years (standard deviation [SD] 9.8), with 60% of them being aged 30–44 years. Most of the radiologists specialised in general diagnostic radiology (83.7%), with few of them specialising in interventional radiology (1.8%), paediatric radiology (1.1%), and breast imaging (0.9%). The workforce mainly comprised consultants (35.0%), followed by registrars (29.7%) and senior registrars (22.7%). Two-thirds (65.0%) of the radiologists had obtained their qualifications abroad. More than half of the radiologists resided in three provinces: Riyadh (29%), Mecca (23%), and the Eastern Region (15%), while several provinces had fewer than 2% of the available workforce. Conclusions: The radiology workforce in SA is relatively young and has a higher density than the average in the European Union. Further, most of the radiologists are professionally classified as consultants or registrars. However, there is a clear imbalance in their geographic distribution, which is consistent with the population sizes of the respective cities. Targeted training expansion and reduced reliance on foreign-trained professionals are warranted to meet future service demands in line with the Vision 2030 objectives. Full article

Grounded in frameworks of decoloniality and transnationalism, this study examines how organizational behaviors in education—particularly in teacher preparation—can shift to more inclusively serve transnational youth, challenging Eurocentric, nation-bound assumptions about pedagogy, belonging, and professional development. The present study aims to understand Mexican-origin returnees and transnational migrants who came back to Mexico to pursue English teacher preparation degrees in Guanajuato and Hidalgo after spending significant periods of time on either side of the Mexico-U.S. border. Our study aimed to recognize and describe the experiences that shaped their English teaching practices and professional commitments to teaching English as a foreign language. Using narrative inquiry within a longitudinal qualitative study of 28 Mexican-origin pre-service English teachers, our research was guided by frameworks of decoloniality and transnationalism. Our findings reveal that for participants, U.S.-based teaching approaches were recalled most often as the best compared to Mexican ones. Participants also reflected on how their experiences of learning and adapting to a new culture contributed to their professional identity and how their ability to adapt constituted a form of international-mindedness. We argue that through the comparison and adoption of multiple decolonial practices, teacher preparation programs can produce culturally responsive pedagogies that cross borders. By illustrating how teacher preparation programs can cultivate culturally responsive pedagogies that transcend national boundaries, the study highlights the potential of decolonial and transnational perspectives to transform organizational behavior at multiple levels of educational practice and policy. Full article

The rapid proliferation of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in educational settings has created unprecedented opportunities for language instruction, yet empirical evidence regarding its efficacy in primary-level English as a Foreign Language contexts remains scarce, particularly concerning pre-service teachers’ implementation experiences during formative practicum periods. This investigation, conducted in a public school in a non-Anglophone country during the Spring of 2025, examined the impact of GenAI-driven gamified activities on elementary pupils’ English language competencies while exploring novice educators’ professional development trajectories through a mixed-methods quasi-experimental approach with comparison groups. Four third-grade classes (n = 119 individuals aged 8–9) in a public school were assigned to either ChatGPT-mediated voice-interaction games (n = 58) or conventional non-digital activities (n = 61) across six 45 min lessons spanning three weeks, with four female student-teachers serving as instructors during their culminating practicum. Quantitative assessments of grammar, listening comprehension, and pronunciation occurred at baseline, post-intervention, and one-month follow-up intervals, while reflective journals captured instructors’ evolving perceptions. Linear mixed-effects modeling revealed differential outcomes across linguistic domains: pronunciation demonstrated substantial advantages for GenAI-assisted learners at both immediate and delayed assessments, listening comprehension showed moderate benefits with superior overall performance in the experimental condition, while grammar improvements remained statistically equivalent between groups. Thematic analysis uncovered pre-service teachers’ progression from technical preoccupations toward sophisticated pedagogical reconceptualization, identifying connectivity challenges and assessment complexities as primary barriers alongside reduced performance anxiety and individualized pacing as key facilitators. These findings suggest selective efficacy of GenAI across language skills while highlighting the transformative potential and implementation challenges inherent in technology-enhanced elementary language education. Full article

Background/Objectives: Breastfeeding is the best source of food for newborns. Leading health organizations recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life, followed by the gradual introduction of complementary foods. Evidence shows that breastfeeding offers numerous benefits for newborns, mothers, society as a whole, and the environment. Current breastfeeding rates fall below the established recommendations. This study aims to describe breastfeeding rates at hospital discharge and one month postpartum, analyze fluctuations in feeding types during this period, and identify any characteristics, preventive factors, and barriers to breastfeeding and mixed feeding. Methods: This is a multicenter observational study in the North Metropolitan area of Barcelona, with 411 participants surveyed by midwives. Results: In total, 79% of women were exclusively breastfeeding, 14% practiced mixed breastfeeding, and 7% used formula feeding at hospital discharge. At one month postpartum, these rates fluctuated to 64%, 23%, and 13%, respectively. Factors such as older age, having a university education, having 16 weeks of parental leave, and having a foreign-born status were positively associated with exclusive breastfeeding, while mental illness was associated with a lower prevalence. The use of breastfeeding accessories was not significantly associated with fluctuations in feeding type, but it was associated with maintaining mixed feeding. Conclusions: It is essential to implement individual and community interventions, educate healthcare professionals on factors that hinder breastfeeding, and promote workplace policies that support breastfeeding. Full article

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is increasingly shaping the pathways of Small Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). This study presents an entity-relationship diagram (ERD) approach to 184 determinants of SME internationalization success, in order to provide structured inputs for Deep Learning (DL) Recommenders that can support CSR-aligned internationalization strategies. Employing Visual Paradigm 17.2 Professional software for modeling, the research synthesizes state-of-the-art findings on foreign market entry, and export performance, into ERDs. Then the market adoption drivers for such a DL tool are explored through semi-structured interviews with twelve stakeholders. The results reveal a propensity to adopt the DL recommender, with experts highlighting essential features for engagement, pricing, and implementation. The discussion contextualizes these findings, while the conclusion addresses gaps and future directions. The study’s focus in Portugal/Germany may limit worldwide extrapolation, yet it advances knowledge by consolidating success determinants, validating platform requirements, exposing gaps, and suggesting research in both CSR, AI and SME internationalization. Full article

Background: Ageism is a growing concern in aging societies and can affect future professionals’ attitudes toward older adults. Objective: To analyze the association between attitudes toward old age, self-perceptions of aging, and contact with older adults in the community among students at a private university in Chile. Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted with 515 university students aged 18 to 42 years from 11 campuses of Santo Tomás University in Chile. Attitudes toward older adults were assessed using the Kogan’s Attitudes toward Older People Scale (KAOP), and additional data on self-perceptions of health and aging, and contact with grandparents or older adults, were collected through a self-designed questionnaire. Statistical analyses included chi-square tests, one-way ANOVA, and Bonferroni post hoc comparisons. Results: A majority of students (61.2%) exhibited low-level positive attitudes toward older adults. Female students and those aged 26–42 years had significantly more positive attitudes than male and younger students (p < 0.05). Students with a healthier self-perception of aging (p = 0.011) and those who maintained contact with grandparents or older adults (p = 0.006) showed significantly more favorable attitudes toward aging. Nationality was also associated with attitudes, with Chilean students scoring higher than their foreign counterparts. Conclusions: Positive attitudes toward older adults among university students were associated with gender, age, self-perception of aging, and intergenerational contact. These findings highlight the importance of integrating educational and intergenerational programs in higher education to reduce ageism and promote respectful and inclusive perceptions of aging. Full article

As Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) tools become increasingly embedded in higher education, English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers are challenged to rethink their pedagogical identities and practices. While policy discourses often promote GenAI for its potential to enhance instructional efficiency, little is known about how language teachers conceptualize and employ these tools to foster meaningful student engagement. This study explores how university-level EFL teacherinterpret and implement GenAI technologies to support student engagement through narrative inquiry. Drawing on three-level narrative approach, story, Story, and STORY, it examines nine language teachers’ retrospective experiences with GenAI tools across personal, contextual, and sociopolitical dimensions. The findings indicate that teachers’ interactions with GenAI are shaped by their pedagogical affordance, as well as their teaching values, imposed political agendas, and professional agency. This study calls for professional development programs specifically designed for teachers’ narrative identities to ultimately facilitate the ethical use of GenAI in learner-centered EFL contexts. Full article

The socio-emotional impact and educational inequalities caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in vulnerable children, particularly those from disadvantaged immigrant families, require further investigation, especially in preschool-aged children. This study, based on a sample of 110 foreign-born mothers living in a northern Italian region who completed an online questionnaire, explores emotional and behavioral problems in children and parenting quality across three time points: before, during, and after the COVID-19 lockdown. It also examines mothers’ perceptions of their remote relationship with early childhood education centers during the lockdown. Findings show that children’s behavioral problems increased after the onset of the pandemic, particularly in contexts characterized by negative family climates and dysfunctional parenting. The study highlights the protective role of early childhood education services in supporting parental practices and offering children a sense of normalcy during a time of crisis. These findings offer valuable insights to guide professionals in designing parenting support initiatives that take into account the long-term psychological and educational impact of the pandemic on preschool children and immigrant families. Full article