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This study was aimed at investigating attitude and anxiety of Indonesian lecturers in writing English papers for international publications, together with the influence of gender and functional grades on them. It involved lecturers of a private university in Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia (n=62) who were attending a training on English academic writing especially designed to help them prepare manuscripts for international publications. Data were collected by questionnaires and analyzed using t-test and ANOVA. The study found that the attitude toward writing was positive. Three aspects of attitude namely behavioral, cognitive, and affective were all positive. The anxiety in writing English papers was found to be moderate and somatic anxiety was the type of anxiety the lecturers suffered the most. There was no difference on the attitude and level of anxiety across gender but there was a difference on the level of anxiety across functional grades. As attitude and anxiety predict the success of writing efforts, which may then affect the success of publication, the issue of attitude and anxiety needs to be addressed in the effort of increasing the productivity of Indonesian lecturers in making international publications.�

The article reports on the validation of a computer-assisted language learning (CALL) attitude questionnaire and discusses differences between online and paper modes of administration, drawing on a sample of 1,769 Vietnamese undergraduates. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to explore and assess the factor structure of the CALL instrument and specify the equivalence between the two versions of the questionnaire. Rasch model analysis was used to evaluate the overall fit and construct uni-dimensionality of the instrument. The findings of the study suggested a six-factor structure for the adapted questionnaire as well as both reliability and validity in the Vietnamese context. No significant difference was found between the two modes of administration as regards the construct and item levels of the questionnaire, although the paper-version was superior to the online version according to results from the Rasch model analysis. Hence, the instrument can be used in online and paper modes to measure Vietnamese tertiary students’ attitudes to the integration of technology into language learning. The study finds that further research is called for if the two modes of administration of the questionnaire are used in other contexts for teaching English as a foreign language (EFL).

Introduction: Today, the growing amount of paper consumption and consequently deforestation and environmental destruction have imposed financial burden on different countries around the world. This study aimed to determine the level of knowledge, attitude, and performance of Yazd health volunteers on cutting down the consumption of paper. Materials and Methods: This descriptive-cross sectional study was conducted on 120 health volunteers of Shahid Sadoughi university of Medical Sciences and Health Services in 2015. A self-made questionnaire containing demographic, knowledge, attitude, and performance questions was applied as the data collection tool. The data was imported into SPSS software V.18 and analyzed with t-test and ANOVA statistical tests. Results: The participants' knowledge about importance of paper consumption was 80.03 %. The mean and standard deviation scores of knowledge, attitude, and performance of health volunteers were 11.09 ± 2.90, 59.82 ± 2.23, and 41.11 ± 9.50 respectively. The results suggested that the average scores of knowledge and attitude among those with academic degrees were higher than that of other participants and this relation was statistically significant (p ≤ 0.001). The attitude of married subjects compared to single volunteers' was more positive and there was a significant difference between their attitude and income levels. According to the results, there was a positive and significant correlation between knowledge and attitude as well as attitude and performance (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The findings showed that the level of knowledge, attitude, and performance of health volunteers in Yazd regarding cutting down paper consumption is at a satisfactory level. This suggests that trainings provided for them at different time intervals have been well enough.

This study examines the relationship between institutional trust from an individual and societal perspective and perceived corruption and climate attitudes of individuals in Latin America. To this end, multilevel modeling was used to test whether the attitudes of individuals from 285 regions of Latin America are influenced by these constructs. Based on the results, it was found that in contrast to studies in developed countries, where institutional trust is positively associated with pro-climate attitudes, in Latin America institutional trust acts as an inhibiting factor and is inversely related to climate attitudes. Furthermore, the perception of corruption in public institutions was also identified as a factor inhibiting collective action to combat climate change. Moderation analysis revealed that individuals' level of education significantly influences this relationship, with a notable difference in climate attitudes between individuals with low and high levels of trust, especially among those with less education. These findings highlight the importance of taking regional specificities into account when examining the relationship between institutional trust, perceptions of corruption, and climate attitudes, and underscore the need for public policies that promote transparency and accountability of institutions to foster effective collective action on climate change., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Various studies have discussed learners’ attitudes and achievement in CALL and MALL (Kiernan & Aizawa, 2004; Lu, 2008; Huang & Lin, 2011, but there has been little research into a combination of these with paper-based materials to date in terms of their attitudes and the factors leading to decisions about which to use. Research has suggested that learners show generally positive attitudes towards using technology for learning, but this is not necessarily reflected in actual usage (e.g., Stockwell, 2010), and there have been few studies that have looked at all three of these methods within a single study. Thus, this study investigated 70 Japanese learners of Chinese to examine their task engagement and attitudes toward PC-based, smartphone-based, and paper-based materials designed to supplement their learning outside the classroom, as well as to identify the potential reasons behind their choice of method. All of the materials were largely the same, but the materials on the website and mobile application included several interactive activities that were not possible to replicate with the paper-based materials. The study was carried out over an eight-week period in three classes, and the learners could choose which materials to use at any point throughout the period. Data collection included weekly, pre- and post- surveys, along with interviews to determine how they framed the activities as a supplement of their courses. The results revealed that learners made informed decisions about what materials they used, with which technological difficulties, learning strategies and conditions had varying effects on engagement and attitude.

Throughout this study technology and especially mobile phones was utilized in EFL classrooms in order to see whether it can influence the process of vocabulary formative assessment and consequently improve vocabulary learning of Iranian pre-intermediate EFL learners or not. Two groups of pre-intermediate EFL learners participated in this study. Regarding the first group (FMA) the vocabulary learning of learners was assessed formatively during ten sessions using Socrative mobile application. The vocabulary learning of the second group (FPA) was also assessed formatively but paper and pen were the instruments used by instructor and students to take the tests. After applying quasi-experimental research design including pretest, treatment and posttest and after running independent sample t tests to posttest scores, the results showed that those pre-intermediate EFL learners attending in the group where vocabulary gain was assessed formatively using mobile application named Socrative performed significantly better in posttest than group assessed formatively based on paper and pen (Sig=0.03<0.05). The analysis of attitude questionnaire distributed among participants of the group assessed formatively using mobile phone exhibited that they possessed a positive attitude towards mobile based testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This paper describes the validation process of the final form of the Persian version of the Overall Assessment of the Speaker's Experience of Stuttering for Adults (OASES-A-P). The impact of stuttering on the Persian-speaking people who stutter was compared to other languages. Methods: This study with a cross-sectional design involved 92 Persian-speaking adults who stutter (24 females and 68 males; mean age=20.05±4.85 years). Face and content validity, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and item analysis for discriminant validity were examined. The impact scores and impact ratings were calculated in total and for the sections separately. Results: Cronbach's alpha and ICC proved to be high (0.98; 0.95, P<0.001 respectively). Corrected item-total correlation revealed no negative score. Mean of total impact score was 2.56(±0.67). Impact ratings for the total impact scores were as follows: mild=8.7%, mildto- moderate=29.3%, moderate=43.5%, moderate-to-severe=15.2%, and severe=3.3%. The impact of separate sections in a high to low order were reactions to stuttering, quality of life, general information, and communication in daily situations. Discussion: The results of the current study offer a reliable and valid form of the OASES, which is applicable for Persian-speaking Iranian adults who stutter. The predominant impact rating of stuttering was shown to be mild-to-moderate and moderate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The attitude of teachers is effective in improving the quality of life and academic achievement of students with stuttering. The Teachers’ Attitudes Toward Stuttering (TATS) inventory is a tool for evaluating teachers’ opinions and attitudes toward stuttering. The purpose of this study is to validate the Persian version of the TATS (TATS-Persian) and a preliminary study of the attitude of elementary teachers towards stuttering. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, which is of validation and instrumentation type, 32 teachers from elementary schools in Tehran were recruited by the available sampling method. To examine the content validity of TATS-Persian, 12 teachers were surveyed, and for the test-retest reliability of it, 12 teachers re-completed the TATS-Persian after one week. The statistical methods included the Cronbach alpha coefficient calculation and the Spearman correlation test. Results: The content validity, test-retest reliability, and internal consistency of TATS-Persian were 0.92, 0.93, 0.96, respectively. The Mean±SD scores of teacher’s attitudes were 78.09 ±11.9. Also, the teachers’ attitudes score had a significant positive correlation with the number of stuttering students experienced in their teaching history. Conclusion: The Persian version of the TATS inventory is a valid and simple tool for evaluating teachers’ attitudes toward stuttering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Attitudes and aptitudes play an important role in the acceptance of hearing aids. We can objectively and subjectively examine the attitude of individuals toward hearing loss and hearing aids, using Attitudes towards Loss of Hearing Questionnaire (ALHQ). The aim of this study was to examine the effect of demographic factors on the responses of individuals to ALHQ and to compare the scores of the questionnaire between hearing aid users and hearing aid non-users. Materials and Methods: This study was performed on 100 hearing-impaired participants. They were divided into hearing aid users and non-users groups. After hearing assessments, the participants were asked to complete the questionnaire; then, the responses of the two groups were compared and the effects of demographic factors on the responses were examined. Results: The questionnaire scores in the hearing aid non-users were higher than the hearing aid users. The results showed a reverse correlation between the history of hearing aid usage and the scores of the questionnaire. There was also a reverse correlation between the mean score of pure tone thresholds in the left ear with the scores of the questionnaire in the hearing aid users. Furthermore, there was a significant correlation between the type of hearing aid and the scores of the questionnaire. Conclusion: Hearing aid non-users have a more negative attitude toward hearing aids and are more likely to deny their hearing loss compared to hearing aid users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The Patient Cloud ePRO app was adopted by the National Cancer Institute National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN) to facilitate capturing electronic patient-reported (ePRO) outcome data, but use has been low. The study objectives were to test whether a patient-targeted ePRO educational resource (ePRO-E) would increase ePRO intent (number of users) and improve data quality (high quality: ≥80% of the required surveys submitted) within an ongoing NCTN study. Methods The ePRO-E intervention, a patient-targeted educational resource (written material and 6-minute animated YouTube video), was designed to address ePRO barriers. ePRO intent and data quality were compared between 2 groups (N  =   69): a historical control group and a prospectively recruited intervention group exposed to ePRO-E. Covariates included technology attitudes, age, sex, education, socioeconomic status, and comorbidity. Results Intervention group ePRO intent (78.8%) was statistically significantly higher than historical control group intent (47.1%) (P  =  .03). Patients choosing ePRO versus paper surveys had more positive and higher technology attitudes scores (P  =  .03). The odds of choosing ePRO were 4.7 times higher (95% Confidence Interval [CI] = 1.2 to 17.8) (P  =  .02) among intervention group patients and 5.2 times higher (95% CI = 1.3 to 21.6) (P = .02) among patients with high technology attitudes scores, after controlling for covariates. However, the 80% submission rate (percentage submitting ≥80% of required surveys) in the ePRO group (30.6%) was statistically significantly lower than in the paper group (57.9%) (P  =  .05). Conclusions ePRO-E exposure increased ePRO intent. High technology attitudes scores were associated with ePRO selection. Since the ePRO survey submission rate was low, additional strategies are needed to promote high-quality data submission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to identify the socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge, attitude and accessibility factors related to the utilization of antenatal care (ANC) service among pregnant women in the Kham District, Laos. Data for this cross-sectional study were collected in July 2008, using a two-stage cluster sampling strategy from 24 selected villages in the Kham District. A total of 310 married women of reproductive age who had at least one child and had delivered the last child within two years from the date of data collection were interviewed using structured questionnaires. To examine the predictors of ANC utilization, odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated through a logistic regression model. The results showed that about 53.9% of mothers did not receive any ANC service due to the following reasons: no time (93.4%), not necessary (83.8%), feeling embarrassed (74.3%), and living far away from the ANC facility (71.3%). We found that significant predictors of ANC utilization (p-value < 0.05) were: level of education (OR = 6.8, 95% CI = 2.7-16.8), income (OR = 2.6, 95% CI = 1.2-5.7), knowledge (OR = 6.5, 95% CI = 2.4-17.6), attitude (OR = 3.0, 95% CI = 1.3-7.1), distance (OR = 2.9, 95% CI = 1.1-7.6), availability of public transportation (OR = 4.5, 95% CI = 2.0-10.4), cost of transportation (OR = 2.5, 95% CI = 1.1-5.7), and cost of service (OR = 4.6, 95% CI = 2.2-9.6). Our study shows that the utilization of ANC service was very low. Among other factors, limited knowledge, and lack of a good attitude along with misconceptions about ANC services were the major constraints behind this low utilization. Future health care activities should be focusing on improving women's awareness of ANC. ANC staffs should conduct frequent visits to pregnant women until ANC services become easily accessible to them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To explore the patients' views of the collection and use of patient-reported outcomes as part of routine care in patients with inflammatory arthritis., Methods: We conducted a qualitative focus group study based on interviews in each of the 5 geographical regions of Denmark. The analysis was based on content analysis. Four patient research partners were involved in the study., Results: In total, 32 adult patients (21 female) with rheumatoid arthritis (n = 21), psoriatic arthritis (n = 6), and axial spondyloarthritis (n = 5) participated. The mean age was 60 years (range 32-80 years). Five themes were derived from the analysis: 1) a need for information about why the data are collected, reflecting patients' uncertainty as to whether the collection of patient-reported outcomes primarily served to monitor their own disease, to save money, or to gather data for research purposes; 2) inclusion of patient-reported outcomes in the consultation, encompassing patients' expectations of active use of the patient-reported outcomes data during talks with rheumatologists or nurses; 3) reflections on how to respond to the patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) to obtain high quality data, referring to patients' concerns about how to respond "correctly" and about issues that could affect their responses; 4) addressing patient-reported outcomes to the individual's challenges, reflecting the need for a more individualized approach; and 5) possibilities for improvement in the use of patient-reported outcomes, referring to patients' ideas for the future use of patient-reported outcomes., Conclusion: Information and dialogue regarding the purpose of patient-reported outcomes collection, how to respond to PROMs correctly, and inclusion of the patient-reported outcomes data in the consultation are of importance to patients with inflammatory arthritis who routinely complete patient-reported outcomes., (© 2019, American College of Rheumatology.)

Objectives: Pediatricians have an important role in the dietary education of children, and in the nutritional health of their patients. We aimed to assess nutritional knowledge, familiarity with guidelines, and attitudes of pediatricians regarding vegetarian diets., Methods: A cross-sectional study using a previously implemented questionnaire, distributed amongst a convenience sample of pediatricians in Israel. For each participant, scores of knowledge and of attitudes towards vegetarian diets were calculated. Scores were analyzed and compared between various categorizations of the respondents., Results: Of 270 respondents (60.4% female individuals), 14.1% were following a vegetarian or semi-vegetarian diet. The overall mean scores for knowledge and attitude were 37.9 ± 16.0% and 38.1 ± 20.7%, respectively. Among pediatricians currently following a vegetarian or semi-vegetarian diet, mean knowledge and attitude scores were higher by 12.2% (95% confidence interval [CI] 6.8-17.6, P < 0.001) and 17.4% (95% CI 10.5-24.2, P < 0.001), respectively, compared with nonvegetarians. Knowledge scores were found to be positively correlated with attitude scores. Only 13.4% of pediatricians felt that their medical degree studies prepared them well to deal with vegetarian patients. A higher knowledge score was correlated with inquiring of patients eating habits, and counseling on vegetarian diets., Conclusions: Pediatricians possess a low average knowledge base in vegetarian nutrition. The majority of pediatricians do not hold positive attitudes concerning vegetarian diets. We show a positive correlation between overall knowledge and overall attitude for individual participants. Increasing the knowledge base of pediatricians regarding vegetarian diets may lead them to conceive meatless diets in a more positive light and better counsel their patients.