Say “What” One More Time!: Instructor Attitudes to Pronunciation and Intelligibility

Rolf I. Naidoo,임성출 언어과학회 2015 언어과학연구 Vol.0 No.72

ntelligibility is important to any conversation whether it is between native speakers or non-native speakers. This research is based on an aspect of a larger study that investigated the application of figure and ground to the teaching of pronunciation and intelligibility to learners of English (Naidoo & Im 2014). Twenty instructors teaching Korean EFL learners completed a questionnaire to assess attitudes and beliefs about intelligibility and pronunciation. This paper reports on the attitudes and beliefs of instructors in the field on the teaching of pronunciation and intelligibility of learners. Several important findings emerged from this study: Instruction in intelligibility/pronunciation is necessary and beneficial. Although instructors believe pronunciation is important and helpful, it is not taught in class. Instructors are inadequately trained and have no access to support for instruction. Teacher training programs are inadequate and need to revisit their pronunciation component and provide more support to trainees. Teacher degree granting institutions should tailor curricula to match the intended field of application rather than considering fiscal gain as the predominant criteria in curriculum design.

Say "What" One More Time!: Instructor Attitudes to Pronunciation and Intelligibility

Rolf L Naidoo,Sung Chool Im 언어과학회 2015 언어과학연구 Vol.0 No.72

Intelligibility is important to any conversation whether it is between native speakers or non-native speakers. This research is based on an aspect of a larger study that investigated the application of figure and ground to the teaching of pronunciation and intelligibility to learners of English (Naidoo & Im 2014). Twenty instructors teaching Korean EFL learners completed a questionnaire to assess attitudes and beliefs about intelligibility and pronunciation. This paper reports on the attitudes and beliefs of instructors in the field on the teaching of pronunciation and intelligibility of learners. Several important findings emerged from this study: Instruction in intelligibility/pronunciation is necessary and beneficial. Although instructors believe pronunciation is important and helpful, it is not taught in class. Instructors are inadequately trained and have no access to support for instruction. Teacher training programs are inadequate and need to revisit their pronunciation component and provide more support to trainees. Teacher degree granting institutions should tailor curricula to match the intended field of application rather than considering fiscal gain as the predominant criteria in curriculum design.

Discovering Gene-Environment Interactions in the Post-Genomic Era

Naidoo, Nirinjini,Chia, Kee-Seng The Korean Society for Preventive Medicine 2009 예방의학회지 Vol.42 No.6

In the more than 100 genome wide association studies (GWAS) conducted in the past 5 years, more than 250 genetic loci contributing to more than 40 common diseases and traits have been identified. Whilst many genes have been linked to a trait, both their individual and combined effects are small and unable to explain earlier estimates of heritability. Given the rapid changes in disease incidence that cannot be accounted for by changes in diagnostic practises, there is need to have well characterized exposure information in addition to genomic data for the study of gene-environment interactions. The case-control and cohort study designs are most suited for studying associations between risk factors and occurrence of an outcome. However, the case control study design is subject to several biases and hence the preferred choice of the prospective cohort study design in investigating geneenvironment interactions. A major limitation of utilising the prospective cohort study design is the long duration of follow-up of participants to accumulate adequate outcome data. The GWAS paradigm is a timely reminder for traditional epidemiologists who often perform one- or few-at-a-time hypothesis-testing studies with the main hallmarks of GWAS being the agnostic approach and the massive dataset derived through large-scale international collaborations.

스마트 기기를 이용한 외국어 작문: 모바일 보조 EFL 작문

Rolf Naidoo,이은석 인문사회 21 2020 인문사회 21 Vol.11 No.5

This study analyzed the use patterns and habits of mobile tools that Korean English learners show when writing texts in a classroom environment in order to examine learner behavior and technology use during foreign language writing. In order to collect data, questionnaires were distributed and behavioral observations were conducted on 163 university students taking liberal arts education programs at a four-year university, and the collected data were analyzed through IBM SPSS 22 version. The results of this study show that learners prefer using smartphones rather than using PCs when writing foreign languages, and prefer standard online dictionaries and search engines rather than using various apps useful for foreign language learning. In addition, learners using smartphones showed higher level of foreign language writing than non-used learners. This study suggests that there is a need for instructors to improve learners’ learning outcomes by suggesting appropriate apps that can be used in foreign language writing for learners. 본 연구는 외국어 작문 중에 나타나는 학습자 행동과 테크놀로지 사용을 살펴보고자 한국인 영어 학습자를 대상으로 교실 환경에서 텍스트를 작성할 때 보여주는 모바일 도구의 사용 패턴과 습관을 분석하였다. 자료 수집을 위하여 4년제 대학에서 교양 교육 프로그램을 수강 중인 163명의 대학생을 대상으로 설문지 배부와 행동 관찰을 시행하였고, 수집된 자료는 IBM SPSS 22 VERSION을 통해 분석되었다. 본 연구의 결과는 학습자들은 외국어 작문 시에 PC의 활용보다는 스마트폰 활용을 더 선호하고, 외국어 학습에 유용한 다양한 앱을 활용하기보다는 표준 온라인 사전과 검색 엔진을 더 선호하는 것으로 나타났다. 또한, 스마트폰 활용 학습자가 비활용 학습자보다 높은 수준의 외국어 작문을 나타냈다. 본 연구를 통해 교수자는 학습자를 대상으로 외국어 작문에 활용 가능한 적절한 앱을 제안해 줌으로써 학습자들의 학습 성과를 높일 필요성이 있음을 시사한다.

Discovering Gene-Environment Interactions in the Post-Genomic Era

Nirinjini Naidoo,Kee Seng Chia 대한예방의학회 2009 예방의학회지 Vol.42 No.6

In the more than 100 genome wide association studies (GWAS) conducted in the past 5 years, more than 250 genetic loci contributing to more than 40 common diseases and traits have been identified. Whilst many genes have been linked to a trait, both their individual and combined effects are small and unable to explain earlier estimates of heritability. Given the rapid changes in disease incidence that cannot be accounted for by changes in diagnostic practises, there is need to have well characterized exposure information in addition to genomic data for the study of gene-environment interactions. The case-control and cohort study designs are most suited for studying associations between risk factors and occurrence of an outcome. However, the case control study design is subject to several biases and hence the preferred choice of the prospective cohort study design in investigating geneenvironment interactions. A major limitation of utilising the prospective cohort study design is the long duration of follow-up of participants to accumulate adequate outcome data. The GWAS paradigm is a timely reminder for traditional epidemiologists who often perform one- or fewat- a-time hypothesis-testing studies with the main hallmarks of GWAS being the agnostic approach and the massive dataset derived through large-scale international collaborations.

The Use of Contrast in Caudal Epidural Injections under Image Intensifier Guidance: Is It Necessary?

Kamil Naidoo,Sulaiman Alazzawi,Alexander Montgomery 대한정형외과학회 2017 Clinics in Orthopedic Surgery Vol.9 No.2

Background: We investigated the value of using contrast as an additional aid to confirm the accuracy of needle placement for caudal epidural injections under intraoperative image intensifier guidance. Methods: A total of 252 consecutive patients were included in this study. Their mean age was 46.7 years (range, 32 to 76 years). There were 133 males (53%) and 119 females (47%) over a 12-month period. Results: Of the 252 consecutive procedures, the contrast enhanced image intensifier confirmed accurate needle placement on first attempt in 252 cases (100%). Needle resiting following the infiltration of contrast was required in 0 case. Conclusions: The results from this study demonstrate that a surgeon beyond the learning curve can accurately place caudal epidural injections using image intensification only, without the use of contrast.

Cognitive Linguistics and Pronunciation

Rolf I Naidoo,Sung Chool Im 언어과학회 2014 언어과학연구 Vol.0 No.68

Pronunciation is a central component to intelligibility and yet it is omitted from curriculums in South Korean university EFL courses. Research in this area shows that benefits may be had from direct instruction Saalfield (2011: 144). This study explores the use of the cognitive linguistics concepts figure and ground in pronunciation instruction to aid segmental improvement in learner production and awareness by refocusing their attention and awareness of the target problem phonemes. 100 Korean freshmen participated in the study. 60 learners received the Figure-Ground treatment administered over a semester. 20 learners in a suprasegemntal group receiving a commercially available curriculum and 20 learners form the control group receiving the standard curriculum that contains no pronunciation instruction. Pre- and post-test measures were conducted to ascertain differences in performance between groups. Learners participated in 3 forms of assessment, controlled sentence production (CSP), spontaneous task production (STP) and a student self assessment questionnaire (SSAQ). A 2 level treatment grounded in the cognitive concepts attention, awareness and noticing form the basis for activities consisting of cognitive reconceptualization, phonemic articulatory description, sentence drills, communicative conversation activities and the use of drama for deeper cognitive processing. The results show an increase in learner awareness and production in both the CSP and STP. A student self- assessment questionnaire depicts attitudes and beliefs of participants to further provide a more holistic view of awareness and production and/ or any changes in attitudes or other phenomenon that the quantitative methods may have missed.

Centella asiatica Modulates Nrf-2 Antioxidant Mechanisms and Enhances Reactive Oxygen Species-Mediated Apoptotic Cell Death in Leukemic (THP-1) Cells

Dhaneshree Bestinee Naidoo,Alisa Phulukdaree,Anand Krishnan,Anil Amichund Chuturgoon,Vikash Sewram 한국식품영양과학회 2022 Journal of medicinal food Vol.25 No.7

Centella asiatica is commonly used in traditional medicine owing to its many therapeutic properties including but not limited to antioxidant and antitumor potential. This study examined the antioxidant and antiproliferative effects of its crude (C) and fractionated (C3) ethanolic leaf extracts in THP-1 cells. In THP-1 cells, C and C3 cytotoxicity was evaluated (WST-1 viability assay; 24 h; [0.2–3 mg/mL]) and half maximal inhibitory concentration was obtained. Malondialdehyde (MDA; spectrophotometry), mitochondrial depolarization (Δψm), intracellular reactive oxygen species (IROS; flow cytometry), glutathione (GSH), oxidized GSH (GSSG) concentrations, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels, caspase activities (luminometry) and DNA fragmentation (single cell gel electrophoresis assay) were evaluated. Protein expression and gene expression was quantified by Western blotting and quantitative polymerase chain reaction, respectively. THP-1 cell viability was dose-dependently reduced by C and C3. MDA, IROS, GSH, and Δψm were increased and ATP was decreased by C and C3 (P < .01). Antioxidant gene expression, Nrf-2 protein expression, and GSSG levels (P < .01) were increased by C, but were decreased by C3. C and C3 elevated caspase activity and DNA damage (P < .0001), whereas they decreased glutathione peroxidase and Bcl-2 protein expressions (P < .003). c-PARP protein expression and c-myc gene expression was decreased by C, whereas they were increased by C3 (P < .002). C3 reduced OGG-1 gene expression (P < .0003). Antioxidant responses were increased by C, whereas they were decreased by C3. Both C and C3 exerted antiproliferative effects in THP-1 cells by enhancing apoptosis. Of note, C3 more effectively induced apoptosis.

Take a Chance on Me: Applied Cognitive Linguistics and SLT

Rolf I. Naidoo,Sungchool Im 한국영미어문학회 2014 영미어문학 Vol.- No.113

This paper situates the research on cognitive linguistics and language teaching in context by blending the interdisciplinary nature of cognitive linguistics and its application to English as a foreign language. This paper focuses on cognitive linguistics, intelligibility, and interdisciplinary support for applied cognitive linguistics; together they provide a clear picture of the research landscape and the orientation of this complex phenomenon to SL T. 106 learners participated in a posttreatment student self assesment questionnaire (SSAQ) that measured awareness and production of target phonemes in this study. The results show a significant difference among the different instruction groups, i.e, the treatment group that received the figure - ground treatment displayed the most progress for the variables measured. This highlights the value of applying cognitive linguistic concepts to second language teaching.

Take A Chance On Me: Applied Cognitive Linguistics and SLT

Rolf I. Naidoo,Im Sungchool 한국영미어문학회 2014 한국영미어문학회 학술대회 발표논문집 Vol.2014 No.-

In conclusion, the evidence provided for applied cognitive linguistics is convincing. The future of ELT is now the main question on most researchers’ agenda. The generative approach has failed and now we need to look to other perspectives for the future directions. While it provides a theoretical description, it does not provide any practical solutions for ELT.