ROBOTIC APPLICATION PROJECT IN FOOD INDUSTRY (Revolutionizing the Food Industry: Innovative Robotic Applications and Projects)

 

Discover how cutting-edge robotic applications are transforming the food industry, enhancing efficiency, safety, and quality

Table of contents

 

1.0 Introduction. 3

2.0 Steps in development and implementation of robotic application in food industry. 4

2.1 Project charter and identification of the stakeholders. 4

2.2 Project planning. 5

2.3 Communication plan and settings of objectives. 5

2.4 Tracking progress. 6

2.5 Progress reporting and handling of the crisis. 6

2.6 Training and development and deliverables. 6

2.7 Project closing. 7

3.0 Strategies to improve performance for project success. 7

3.1 Collaborative culture and effective communication strategies. 8

3.2 Employee motivation using the Maslow’s hierarchy needs. 9

4.0 Challenges. 10

4.1 sickness of workers. 10

4.2 The unanticipated difficulty of the tasks. 11

4.3 parts delivery. 11

5.0 Conclusion and recommendation. 11

References. 13

 

 

 

1.0 Introduction

The application of robotics is increasingly becoming prevalent in the business world for industrial application and competitive advantage. Precisely, the integration of robots in the food industry has enhanced business productivity, reduced expenses and improves customers' experience.  The usage rate of robots has an upward trajectory trend worldwide when industries modernize and balloon their production capabilities with the ability to execute complex jobs. In nutshell, robots promoted product quality and reduce costs since in the food industry they are widely used in the production systems for materials handling and packaging functionalities.  Furthermore, they fulfill the rudimentary requirements like hygiene, speed and safety and even costs. In other words, increased efficiency leads to high productivity.

However, organizations are facing a myriad of challenges in implementing robotic technology in their organization.  They include but are not limited to aggressive timescales and tight budgetary constraints. Notably, the evolution of robotic applications in the food industry took place in the1980s and the growth has been sluggish due to the high costs of the related technologies (Mathath et al., 2015).  Therefore, project nexus is to develop a project management report that will stipulate a well-entrenched approach to a successful implementation of the Robotics application in the food processing industry.

The remaining segments of this essay are organized as follows:  Segment two discusses the steps prerequisite for improving the success of the robotics application project. Segment three provides the theoretical perspectives of different strategies that are vital for organizations to develop a suitable organizations capability and successfully implement the robotics application in the food industry. Segment four involves addressing some of the project uncertainties to ensure they have been combated to facilitate successful navigation of the complexity in the robotics application project. Segment five and the concluding segment provide a conclusion based on the entire paper and, also recommendations.

2.0 Steps in development and implementation of robotic application in food industry

According to Purna Sudhakar (2011) although they may be differences in the definition of the project success, the incorporation of various constraints is common in the attempt of realization of the project objectives.  The project success has been defined within the simple attainment of the time, cost and quality constraints.  In other words, the effective execution of the steps in geared towards the project success. Thus, this report in implementation of the Robots projects in the food industry follows the following steps to complete the projects within the time constraints, budget  as well as achieving a quality project.

2.1 Project charter and identification of the stakeholders

 Fundamentally, it is the rationale for the business requirements. The project charter mainly stipulate the needs of the project and brief mentioning of the project and mentioning of the project manager and other stakeholders.

Therefore, it goes as follows:

 Robotics application project – it is mainly the utilization of the robots in the food industry to be used for processing and packaging of the products. The main target is to increase productivity.

 Project manager- Mr. Brown

Stakeholder – Mr.Zero –developer, Ms Pinto-developer, Ms zhang-software tester, Mr. Kim- financial advisor

2.2 Project planning

 Upon the project approval by the stakeholders, the Robotic project manager is free to go on with its implementation plans.  The utilization of the work breakdown structures is central to the identification of the work packages, control accounts and also planning packages.  These components are significant in identification of the project scheduling and the resources needed for each project packages.

 2.3 Communication plan and settings of objectives

The next plan   is the communication of the project plan and settings its objectives.  After the identification of the stakeholders, the robotic project manager communicates to all the stakeholders. Through the utilization of the communication management plan, project manager will maintain the details of needs and information and distribute it to all the stakeholders. The approach is prerequisite to avoiding any confusion in the future.  Furthermore, it makes it easier for all the stakeholders to know the goals and objectives of the project.  In nutshell, the objectives are set from the organizations points of view. Consequently, the objectives are also set at the individuals’ level. Some of the approaches used in the setting of the objectives include balanced score cards.   It is imperative to conduct the objective process because the team members learn what is expected of them as the team and also individually. Project management step takes place upon the project manager getting the approval of the project plan from the senior management team.  On the assumptions that the resources have already been allocated for the project, the project manager utilized them in the execution of the project.  Notably, project manager is executing the project with the help of the team.

 

2.4 Tracking progress

After execution of the project, there is tracking progress and evaluation of the team members’ performance.  The project execution stage, its progress has to be tracked to ensure the project quality, time and cost constraints.  There is utilization of different tools and the techniques by the project manager such as decision trees and statistical control techniques to track the progress of the project. Therefore, after the tracking of the progress, there is conduction of the project status review (PSR) that happens periodically (Meng et al.,  2017. At the end of the project module or the appraisal period, each member performance has to be evaluated.  Precisely, the nexus of the performance appraisals is the identification of the training needs of the team members and take the appropriate actions.

2.5 Progress reporting and handling of the crisis

 It is the duty of the project manager to update the top level management of the organizations in food industry on the status of the project. The status reporting is through employment of various techniques such as senior management review (SMR). On the other hand, while executing project, it is poised to face numerous risk or unexpected circumstances.  Therefore, it is imperative for the project manager to include risk planning as the part of the project planning that include but not limited to identification of the risks and risk monitoring. Furthermore, with proper risk management plan, the project will be executed smoothly and swiftly. Also, in case of the uncertainties, the project manager may able to amend the changes and rescue the project.

 2.6 Training and development and deliverables

  The project manager will use the performance appraisals to structure training and development that the team needs. The training s is casted on the efficiency of an individual. Furthermore, to make sure of the training efficiency, the robotics project manager will be required to frequently update the training plan based on these training needs.  Upon the readiness of the deliverables, the project manager will hand over the project to the parent organization. Notably, the status of the deliverables depends on the internal and external reviews. The organizations are expected to conduct testing of the deliverables. Since, the product is the robot; the project manager will release the deliverables and documentation to the organization support team. The engineering team receiving the robot project is responsible for providing the technical support.

2.7 Project closing

 Once the Robot project is in the hands of the technical support team, the project manager will close the project officially. The project manager is expected to produce a report that intensively reviews the entire project. Furthermore, there is documentation of what have been learnt in the entire project development process.  The project manager is expected to release all the human resources involved in the development of the project and officially communicate on the closure of the project to the stakeholders.

3.0 Strategies to improve performance for project success

 The project strategy must be aligned with the corporate and business strategies.  According to Bhuiyan et al (2005) top management in business employs development techniques to align organization strategies with daily basis projects development in order to improve the overall performance.  Furthermore, many researchers have argued that aligning the project management processes with business strategy brings many benefits to an organization and the success of the project. Therefore, project strategy can be defined as the overarching set of the guidelines utilized by the making decisions and helping in taking the appropriate action.  The premises of the strategies are to provide the cost efficiencies, increased productivity and create faster response time, a catalyst for indirect optimal project success.  Therefore, the Robotic application report propose the following project strategies

3.1 Collaborative culture and effective communication strategies

  The implementation of the Robotics application in the food industry is a critical factor and requires the maturity of the organization. Precisely, the maturity and proven project management policies are candidates of promoting productive teams of projects and a clear definition of the project objectives and goals.  Notably, a project with a clear goals and objectives encourages collaborative work culture, improve effectiveness in communication and well-articulate project related policies and procedures. Furthermore, a clear defined project objectives and goals are vital in the development of the project plan and also its execution. According to Ibbs et al (2002), the organization success with the project management is associated with its project management maturity and a well-entrenched project management processes and practices contribute to optimal project success and its business value.

Notably, an effective communication contributes to more than 25% of the project failure as it has negative impact on the project success (PMI, 2017). Therefore, effective strategies are prerequisite in mitigating the ineffective communication in the Robots project.  The robot project should employ a well-structured communication plan. According to PMBOK, the technique aid in describing the ways in which the project communication will be planned, structured, its implementation and monitoring (PMI, 2017). The plan needs to entails a myriad of ideas such as management and communication with the stakeholders and the timetable of the meetings and the project timetable. The communication project plan also needs to be detailed that clearly defines the objectives, parties involved in the project and the strategies to be followed to guarantee project success.  Another effective communication strategy is the implementation of the communication plan and its strategies.  The plan is achievable through ensuring that the communicant plan is effectively implemented by verification of the all-important communication activities as stipulated in the project schedule. According to Bourne (2010) the implementation also consist of the resources identified as necessary to execute communication activities and reported at the regular intervals, mostly in the project meetings.

 

3.2 Employee motivation using the Maslow’s hierarchy needs

 In the PM, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is utilized for motivation and met the needs of the workers. In the nutshell, the project manager who knows their needs and the needs of the team members are in position to improve the success of the project (Nain, 2013).  Furthermore, it is critical in influencing the attitudes of the team members.  For instance, within the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs self-actualization employees are beneficial to the project manager.  This is due to the fact that their personalities are always warming grounded and positive. They have the ability to see issues from the multiple viewpoint and human nature perfectly to make fair and balanced decisions. These individuals   are suited to work perfectly both in groups and individually. Notably, an individual with self-actualization within the team is capable of influencing the rest of the groups and improve the overall project development.

 Another important aspect of the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is the psychological needs. The organization planning to implement Robots project need to ensure that the project team has the basics for survival such as clean water and shelter. With the project team feeling they have strong sense of security in their life; their work relationship should be enjoyable and fulfilling. Motivated employees tend to have confident in their performance a prerequisite factor in reaching the level of self-actualization in the project development.  In this context, the workers will have the freedom to be spontaneous, creative and motivated enough to improve their individual performance and the general project outcome. 

 Other factors within the framework include: safety needs: job security, belongings and love needs: job connections, esteem needs: respect, cognitive needs:  further training and Aesthetics needs: positive perspective of the environment.

4.0 Challenges

Uncertainties are the unavoidable aspects of majority of the project that many project managers including the proficient one have had difficult time handling it. The project manager have been employing decision milestones for anticipation of the outcomes, the risk management mechanism to prevent the disasters for ensuring all the team members are making the desired product yet the product still ends up with overrun schedule, overflowing budget and also some of the specifications compromised (De Meyer et al., 2002) .

 

 4.1 sickness of workers

 This uncertainty is unprecedented and has the potentialities of leading to project delay and eventually project failure. In the recent times, due to outbreak of the deadly pandemic COVID-19, there have been uncertainties surrounding human health (Gupta et al., 2021). It is required that workers with COVID-19 infection should stay at home and quarantine until they recover in order to avoid spreading to their colleagues. Therefore, the project may stall depending on the extent of the workers sickness. Notably, human resource play a critical role in the development of the Robots project since the project heavily relies on the expert input from the inception to the closure project development stage.

4.2 The unanticipated difficulty of the tasks

 Generally, the development of the Robotic application is a high-intense and complex project. The project is mainly developed on the framework of the artificial intelligence. It’s imperative for the project team to be composed of high-level engineers and developers who have both the capacity and ability to customize the robot to execute its responsibilities based on the needs of the organization. Although, the project manager and project  team may have enlist some of the project modules they make encounter and strategies to handle them, it is likely that they may face some unprecedented uncertainties that make it difficult to swiftly execute development.

4.3 parts delivery

 The robot project involves assembling of different parts and high level programming. It can be noted that some of the parts are imported or sourced from companies located abroad. Therefore, they is likability that due to global supply chain disruption due to the outbreak of Covid-19, there may be delay and hence  reduce the speed of the development of the project. Furthermore, the ongoing major crisis such as Russia and Ukraine plays a significant role in the disruption of the global supply chain.  The delay of the delivery also can impact negatively on the cost of the project. With delayed deliverance, employees are unused while they have to be paid their dues as stipulated in the contract.

 5.0 Conclusion and recommendation

 Robots application in the food industry enhances efficiency, eventually improve productivity. The application is an innovation disruption that is expected to change the mode of operation in the food processing and packaging in the food industry. Thus, it is salient for organizations to realize its impact and invest in it accordingly. However,   since the project is developed in line with project management practices, it should adhere to the project management rules, regulations and protocols.  In other words, they should be employment of project management steps from its inception to closure to guarantee the project success. Furthermore, to improve on its success, the project manager is expected to incorporate strategies align with the corporate strategies. These strategies not only ensure there is high productivity but also improve the performance of the project team and all stakeholders.  The theoretical perspective of the Maslow’s hierchary of needs ensures the employees are motivated and facilitate confident in their work. Other strategies include development of effective communication channel and cultural relationship.

 However, the project may face some of the uncertainties such as delay of deliveries and workers sickness that delays the development and implementation of the project and finally, the project outcome. Based on the uncertainties, this report suggests the following recommendations

Breakdown of the project into smaller projects and milestones

Frequently perform the pilots tests 

Flexibility of the timetable where workers can even work from home e.g software developers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

Bhuiyan, N. and Baghel, A. (2005). An overview of continuous improvement: from the past to the present. Management Decision, [online] 43(5), pp.761–771. doi:10.1108/00251740510597761.

Bourne, L., 2010, February. Beyond reporting—the communication strategy. In PMI® Global Congress.

 

De Meyer, A., Loch, C.H. and Pich, M.T. (2002). Managing project uncertainty: from variation to chaos. IEEE Engineering Management Review, 30(3), pp.91–91. doi:10.1109/emr.2002.1032403.

Gupta, M., Jain, R., Taneja, S., Chaudhary, G., Khari, M. and Verdú, E. (2021). Real-time measurement of the uncertain epidemiological appearances of COVID-19 infections. Applied Soft Computing, 101, p.107039. doi:10.1016/j.asoc.2020.107039.

Kwak, Y.H. and Ibbs, C.W., 2002. Project management process maturity (PM) 2 model. Journal of management in engineering, 18(3), pp.150-155.

Mathath, A. and Fernando, Y., 2015. Robotic transformation and its business applications in food industry. In Robotics, automation, and control in industrial and service settings (pp. 281-305).

Meng, X. and Boyd, P. (2017). The role of the project manager in relationship management. International Journal of Project Management, 35(5), pp.717–728. doi:10.1016/j.ijproman.2017.03.001.

Nain, B. (2013). Nain’s Porous Hierarchy of Needs: An Alternative to Maslow’s Hierarchy/Theory of Needs. SSRN Electronic Journal, 4(3). doi:10.2139/ssrn.2279375.

Project Management Institute (2017). PMBOK® Guide. [online] Pmi.org. Available at: https://www.pmi.org/pmbok-guide-standards/foundational/pmbok.

Purna Sudhakar, G., Farooq, A. and Patnaik, S. (2011). Soft factors affecting the performance of software development teams. Team Performance Management: An International Journal, 17(3/4), pp.187–205. doi:10.1108/13527591111143718.

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

 

 

 

 

SCHOOL PUBLIC RELATION (School facing claims of intense bullying and violence )

 

I understand my school’s vision and mission has never wavered. The school is here to change the world by ensuring that the future generation has high level of disciple and respect one another. I can attest the school mission is what inspires to have upright and whole-rounded disciplined students within the surrounding community and the country at large. I know the mission is what drives the school to relentlessly push the boundaries of academic excellent students. And it is why we continuously strive to achieve more regardless of the challenges while angling for expansion and redefining possibilities in the coming days.

I was part of the team that contribute to the annual academic and disciple report. The report nexus was to highlight the milestone in making this institution the best regionally.  The challenges to achieve this milestone may appear complex, but the philosophy is simple: prudently implementation of our vision and mission that define our deep-though roadmap to greatness. Today we remained focused on the two proprieties where the school, parents and the community believe it can make the biggest difference

 Collective responsibility: all the stakeholders to work together as a team towards a common goal. To form inclusive committees that will deal with disdain issues and report for effective action to be taken. Invite media for better clarification: invite all the leading media to cover the proceedings in school to show the world that our environment is safe and tranquil.

 

Styrofoam analysis( benefits and delimits)

Styrofoam is a particular polystyrene form. The product is with a finer cellular structure and it is used for housing insulation since its insulation properties are exuberant[i].  Furthermore, Polystyrene is a plastic from petroleum products that are formed from styrene monomer.  Styrofoam composition is 95% air which makes it light in weight.

 Styrofoam was first patented in the US in the mid-1940s. As a result of its insulating properties and buoyancy, it was prevalently used by the US navy at the advent of World War II. At the beginning of the 21st century, its applications were expanded to other usages that include but are limited to craft design applications and spray form insulation[ii].  According to Down Chemical Company, its application can help to reduce significantly US energy costs over two decades and could save enormous amounts of carbon dioxide emissions[iii]. However, a considerable number of states in the US have either ban or limited polystyrene products. The reasons for the ban include but are not limited to too much litter, difficulties of recycling since it is not biodegradable and its production impact on the ozone layer.

 Human health risks are directly correlated to some of the reasons for either ban or limit of Styrofoam.  In the long-run exposure to small quantities of styrene can result in health complications such as fatigue, and low platelet and chromosomal abnormalities[iv]. Furthermore, chronic exposure has an impact on the central nervous system resulting to headaches and difficulty sleeping conditions. There are also abnormalities in the menstrual cycles of the women who have been exposed to Styrofoam.

In a nutshell, Styrofoam’s properties make it ideal for housing insulation. Though the project has been in the market since the mid-1940s it has proven to have many disadvantages. Ranging from human health risk to environmental concerns, it is advisable to burn or limit the usage of Styrofoam.

references

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[i] https://www.scientific.net/AMM.725-726.396

 

[ii] https://books.google.co.ke/books?hl=en&lr=&id=BFaB5xsGbaMC&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=Zimring,+C.+A.,+%26+Rathje,+W.+L.+(Eds.).+(2012).+Encyclopedia+of+consumption+and+waste:+the+social+science+of+garbage+(Vol.+1).+Sage.&ots=tVGIS4vMv6&sig=ggg3l6jusF4HRn0JyCAOOEE8ql0&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=Zimring%2C%20C.%20A.%2C%20%26%20Rathje%2C%20W.%20L.%20(Eds.).%20(2012).%20Encyclopedia%20of%20consumption%20and%20waste%3A%20the%20social%20science%20of%20garbage%20(Vol.%201).%20Sage.&f=false

 

[iii] https://rucore.libraries.rutgers.edu/rutgers-lib/38329/pdf/1/

 

 

[iv] https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/book/10.1002/0470867213

 

MEMO LAUNCING OF NEW TECHNO PHANTOM 8 FOR MEA(MIDDLE_EAST AND ASIA) REGION

 

Techno, ON Oct 25^th, 2022- Techno mobile is proving to be a trendsetter in the smartphone mobile industry. This is due to the recent launch of the new Phantom 8 model in the MEA (Middle East and Africa) region. The china based company in recent times has been angling to carve a niche in a premier mobile phone market within this region.  Techno mobile has been pushing to increase its customer base by providing varieties of products with trendy features.  The product provides a cheaper alternative premium mobile phone for the MEA market.  The launch of Phantom 8 is geared towards creating an entertainment environment ecosystem tailored based on the needs and habits of the younger generation in the African and middle-east android platform market.

 The launched Phantom 8 features a high-quality camera, compelling design and top-notch experience for its customers. The revolutionary features are in line with the high market demand for mobile phones with high megapixels cameras. Phantom 8, therefore, address this demand with a ‘state-of-the-art’ dual camera. “The MEA region is very dynamic and one that appreciates intelligent innovation coupled with an aesthetically pleasing design. The all-new Phantom 8 embraces the region’s requirements and is more powerful than ever in both speed and photo quality,” said Arif Chowdhury, one of the top executive members.

Arif Chowdhury further indicated that the company is proud to continue the journey in the MEA region to bring a better mobile experience to its customer base and especially young people.

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POLITICAL MANIPULATION VIA TELEVISION NEWS (methodology analysis)

 

Introduction

Since television news provides a channel to reach a wider audience, manipulation due to propaganda has resulted in a lack of political autonomy.   Media, including television, offers interpretative narratives to interpersonal discussions prerequisite to shaping an understanding of political reality.  However, due to political pressures, pervasive news manipulation is used to change the dynamics of the political landscape.  Television has a deleterious effect on the credibility of information that shapes a different political perspective on individuals. In other words, the concept of tabloidization connotes populous politics, which people follow with curiosity.

 Methodology

There is a use of a case study to help to understand the manipulation of politics using television. With the case study method, there is a critical evaluation of the tabloidization concept of television. Precisely, the concept indicates the results of the television commercialized by the pressure of the advertisers with an appetite to reach wider audiences. Notably, a television in the political space not only gives sound news but also vision. Therefore, it is easier to use these channels to manipulate people to form a certain political stand due to the assumption that pictures are more objective than sounds (Cengiz et al., 2019).  Political news in television discussions is more intense and has various interpretations.  However, the tabloidization concept decreases the attention given to political news and focus on areas that are easy to manipulate, for example, politicians' individual lives.

To further develop the concept of political manipulation through media, there is the use of theories of media mass. Most of the theories of mass media predict the impact of media on society and societal issues, while few predict its effect when there is interference from a third party. Within the framework of the public-interest theory, private media are profit-driven incentives; therefore embark on issues that generate profit instead of informing the masses, while state-controlled media rectify these shortcomings.  Some critical theorists and neo-Marxist writers are afraid of the concentration of media in the private hands; furthermore argue that market-based media can lead to improper control of society by wealthy individuals to the disadvantage of those who are poor (Bagdikian, 1990).  These market-based media can be a channel to create populous politics to influence a particular political landscape.  The second theory is the ‘liberal democratic’ theory of media, rooted in the idea that free speech is imperative to the sustainability of the plurality of public opinions.  A free press is a fertile ground for democratic liberalism hence a robust civil society (Curran et al., 2018). In situations where there is no free press, there is the prevalent use of television to spread political propaganda without having the liberty to challenge the ideas. The third theory is the public choice theory which conforms to the concentration of information provided only to a few people (Djankov et al., 2013). In a nutshell, though television is the public choice approach, individuals in political power are the source of political information. Furthermore, the theory argues that when the state has significant control of the media, there is a high possibility of abuse of this power.

References

Bagdikian, B. H. (1990). The media monopoly. Thirth edition.

 

Cengiz, G., & Arvas, N. (2019). Manipulationoftelevisionnewsanditseffectsondemoc-racy.

Curran, J., & Seaton, J. (2018). Power without responsibility: press, broadcasting and the internet in Britain. Routledge.

 

Djankov, S., McLiesh, C., Nenova, T., & Shleifer, A. (2003). Who owns the media?. The Journal of Law and Economics, 46(2), 341-382.

 

 

THE EFFECT OF THE USE OF VIDEO TEXTS ON ESL LISTENING TEST-TAKER PERFORMANCE” BY ELVIS WAGNER (2010) CRITICAL REVIEW

 

Part one

Problem statement and research questions

The research article “The effect of the use of video texts on ESL listening test-taker performance” by Elvis Wagner (2010) premise is employment of the video texts to enhance on second language listening ability.  The research question is necessitated by the fact that for the longest time visual components have been perceived vital for the listener to understand the aural information while video texts were rarely utilized to perform the same duty.  While some of the scholars have been arguing that video text has the potential to increase the performance of L2 listening test, some of the scholars have been against the concept terming it and distraction that affects negatively the L2 listening test. Therefore, this report uses the quasi-experimental design method to conduct a research that will validate the research question.

 Research method, participants and data collection

The article employed Quasi experimental deign method non-randomized both in pretest and post-test.

Data collection was divided into two categories the pre-test and post-test

All the statistical data were analyzed using SPSS tools.

The sample population 103 test-takers (experimental group) and 99 test-takers (control group) were from the Community English program (CEP) and the adult non-credit language program in a University based in America.  Notably, the classes in CEP are divided into six different languages ability levels and the occupants are in the criteria of the outcome of the placement tests. The student’s age ranges from 18 to over 60 years and with different nationalities and cultural backgrounds. Over 20 natives’ languages are presented in these classes.

 Findings and discussions

The summary of the results is as follows: the mean for the audio only group was 7.27 out of 12 (60.6%) and the standard deviation 2.42(notably, n=99). For the video group, pre-test mean was 7.34 (61.2%) and standard deviation 2.4. Also reliability was α=0.77.

 On the side, for the post-test, the results were as follows: audio only mean 20.02 (50%) , SD 7.30 and internal consistency reliability  α=0.88. The results of the video group were as follows: mean 22.76 (56.7%), SD 7.86 and ICR α=0.90

 The results indicate the following findings: the video group post-test scores were higher by at least 6% compare to the audio-only group score’s. The scores supported the notion that the visual aspect of the video text contributes to increment of the scores of the listening test. Therefore, the test takers who received the input of both the visual and the aural channels had higher scores compared to their counterparts.

 

Conclusion

 The use of video texts in ESL listening tests can have a positive effect on test-taker performance. Video texts can provide a more engaging and realistic context for students to practice their listening skills, as they can be more easily related to real-life situations. Additionally, video texts can provide visual cues that can help students better understand the content of the test, as well as provide a more natural setting for the test-taker to practice their listening skills. Furthermore, video texts can help to reduce test anxiety, as students may feel more comfortable in a more natural setting. Finally, video texts can help to reduce the amount of time needed to complete the test, as students can more quickly process the information and answer the questions.

 

 Future studies and limitations

 The report suggests that the future studies should focus on the utilization of the video texts on a myriad of genres of texts, precisely one on one interactive conversation.

However, the research had limitations that include but not limited to the study only focusing o the group performance at the expense of individual test-taker performance and issues with generalizability of the results. The generalizability issue was due to the fact that though differences in scores between the experimental and control groups were statistically significant, the impact sizes were relatively smaller and there was need for more studies to investigate if the video texts effects on the tests in the wide range of other contexts.

 Part two

 Research question and literature review

The research article “The effect of the use of video texts on ESL listening test-taker performance” by Wagner (2010) premise is employment of the video texts to help improve the performance of L2 listening test of test-takers.

To further develop on the research question Wegner (2010)  divided the main research question in the following questions:  Question one is casted on asking how much utilization of video texts on L2 listening test affect  the test performance of the text taker and what is their performance compared to the test-taker in the audio-only situation?

  The second question to structure to have insights on how higher or lower is the scores of test-taker in the video condition compared to those in the audio-only condition. The question tries to figure out the manner in which ‘non-verbal’ information provided by the video channel impact on the performance of the test-taker and precisely, to explore the components of the non-verbal information that has potentialities to affect the performance of those test items individually.

Notably, the research question for every study should be concise and clear.  It has been achieved by the author dividing the main question into smaller manageable questions. The questions mentioned above are trying to create a relationship between video texts and higher performance in L2 listening tests.  The questions are clear and precise and also concise since they are addressing not only higher score but the range of score.

 Literature review

The literature review begins by theoretical rationale the use of video and non-verbal components in listening the second language in a classroom and its ability to increase performance L2 listeners’ comprehension.  These justification leads to development of the critical question of whether video texts on listening test many have an influence in the listening performance. From the literature review they are many past studies with conflicting results.   However, Wegner (2010) literature evaluates both positive and negative influence on the L2 listening performance. This approach is significant by linking the foundation of the research subject to the wide interest and attention. Furthermore, looking at the positive and the negative influence the research tries to indicate though the video texts have its shortcomings, on the other side, the positive outdo the negatives.

 To begin with Wegner argues that video texts have the ability to allow listener to watch the kinetic behavior of speakers.  To support the argument the report included at least three citations hence producing a strong argument. However, there was only general evaluation of the kinetic behavior of speakers without engaging more arguments to expound on the concept.

 The second argument on the salient of video text is that the component allows the integration of still pictures in listening texts.

 However, the assumption that video text improves the performance of the L2 listening test has received criticism. Some of the scholars have argued that test-takers tendency to be glued on the question paper inhibits them from watching the video text monitor. To support the argument, the criticism cited that through evidently video enhance the face validity and authenticity; they have potential to cause distraction. The distraction can results to lowering comprehension since it distract the attention of the test-takers from the aural input.

The article was written in 2010. Looking at the references most of them were dated in 1990s and early 2000 which provide an impression   that the article may be written during that time. It is good research practice to include references which are recent and within a particular range of years for instance no late than five years from the current date. Therefore, the article could be more credible if the sources could be up-to-date and more recently.

Research design

To investigate on impact of video texts on the performance of second language test-taker, the article employed quasi experimental design method.  This method design resembles an experimental design and even though an independent variable is manipulated, participants are non-randomly assigned to conditions with the aim of making the resulting group to be dissimilar in some ways (Rodgers et al., 2019). Furthermore, by the article employing the method design it enables usage of pre-test,-post-test design that enabled the dependent variable to be measured once before the implementation of the treatment and once after the implementation (Miller et al., 2019).  The video conditions and the text only conditions groups were given pretest and post-test and scores of both groups were compared.

 The Pre-test and post-test is utilized due the need of the experimental manipulation. In the spectrum the same participants are measured on the variables of interest at different points of time.

 Data collection procedures

 Data collection was divided into two categories the “pre-test and post-test”. On one side the, pre-test were administered at the beginning of the four new CEP semesters while on the other hand, post-test was across four CEP semesters. For the test-takers they were given booklets and the video text was played.

The procedural collection of the data makes it easy for the research to have ample time to collect data also; the research can organize data in a structural and orderly manner.

Questionnaires (research instrument)

The research instrument used in the report is the questionnaires.  The administered questionnaires are used purposely for collection of data both at pre-test and post-test. There were 18 multiple choice questions right/wrong that was administered. The marking scheme awards appoint to right score and zero point to a wrong score. Also, they were 22 short answer items that was based on the wrong/right rubric. The scores ranges from 0, 0.5 and 1 developed scoring key were followed to give guidance to provide the list of acceptable responses and how much credit they carried. Furthermore, the tests were scored second time to enhance element of accuracy and there were correlation of the two set of answers items by computing the percentage agreement of the scores. The data was inserted into a computer for intensive analysis.  Technically, the utilization of the wrong/right criteria to award points to correct and incorrect answers simplify the entire process of finding the scores. The methodology has no complexity and only requires the input of scores according to the assigned marks (Omolade et al., 2022).  The highest marks means high performance and lowest marks means low performance. Therefore it becomes easy to compare the results of test-testers o video-text condition and audio-only condition and conclude which has the higher performance.

Therefore, to assess whether the questionnaires measured what they were supposed to measure we use validity and reliability. These aspects are prerequisite for research integrity and quality of the research instrument. On the research question whether video –text group test takers had a higher performance than the audio-only test taker group, the report uses multivariate tests to justify the assertion.  The results of the data indicates the F-value =5.15 and p< 0.01 meaning that the video-text group significantly scored higher scores in comparison with the text only group. Therefore, it purports the research instrument was valid and reliable.

 Method used to analyzing data

All the statistical analysis was carried out using the SPSS version 12.0. The tool enabled the study to carry out descriptive analysis for both pre-test and post-test. There was also computation of the internal consistency aiming to figure out on the variance of the test and eventually the measurement error. Also, since the research groups might not be equal to the second language learning ability, the study used ANCOVA and MANCOVA to analyze the data.

 The utilization of the SPSS was ideal for the study since it enables the utilization of the diverse of data sets and also conducts the different analysis such as the T-test, ANCOVA and MANCOVA (Suresh, 2015). Therefore, the SPSS data analysis has the following advantage to analysis of the report findings.

It is easy to use the software. In other words, there is much needed effort for the researchers to use the software. Also, the duration needed to analyze the data with the help of SPSS is relatively less compared to the other statistical tools that are prerequisite to conduct an in-depth critical analysis by inclusion of all data and information correctly. Notably, the basic application of the software is to analyze the scientific data is imperative to achieve the objective of the article.  Therefore, based on the report, the SPSS enabled the in-depth statistical analysis an evaluation. The use of the mean and  SD summarizes the scientific research. Through the use of mean it was clearly that the video group post-test scores were higher by at least 6% compare to the audio-only group scores. Therefore

 Secondly, SPSS tool is central in data transformation.  The author collects raw data and needed to transform to meaningful information. The tool has the ability to handle large volume of data and information with the purpose of progressing in the research and draw the research findings and conclusion critically (Lee, 2005). Therefore, the software is useful in the study for the data analyze as it aids to analyze, transform and produce the results data set of the data collected between different data variables. Furthermore, as indicated in the report, the output can be through graphical representation to enable readers to understand and easily interpreted the results.  This is evident by the report providing various tables to indicate various statistical data and the results of the statistical analysis using the tools

 Finally, it is impactful in the regression analysis.  Through the ANCOVA it is possible to compare the groups and MANCOVA where there is comparison of the data with random variables in which the values are unknown. The regression using the SPSS helps the report to understand the relationship between the dependent and interdependent variables for a data stored in a synchronized manner. The tools have been vital in the article to produce some of the statistical analysis report such as F-value and the p-value

Conclusion

The article is a well-written paper focusing on the salient issue in L2 learning.  The article is well-structured from the abstract to the conclusion and details were well written and referenced. There is prevalent of the use of high-frequency words such reliability experimental and statistical analysis. Furthermore, the paper has to some considerable extent provided detailed discussion and descriptions of the major parts of the article (“introduction, literature review, data collection, method, findings, discussions and conclusion”).

 Generally, the article is compelling, interesting and informative. Notably, the author to support the research question provided every detail of the findings in the clear and precise manner using simple words and terminologies that is easily understandable by the readers. However, the major shortcoming of the article is citing old references.

 References

 

Lee, D.E., 2005. Probability of project completion using stochastic project scheduling simulation. Journal of construction engineering and management, 131(3), pp.310-318.

Miller, C.J., Smith, S.N. and Pugatch, M., 2020. Experimental and quasi-experimental designs in implementation research. Psychiatry Research, 283, p.112452.

 

Omolade, O.K., Stephenson, J., Simkhada, P. and Keely, A., 2022. Is this a good questionnaire? Dimensionality and category functioning of questionnaires used in nursing research. Nurse researcher, 30(3)

Rogers, J. and Revesz, A., 2019. Experimental and quasi-experimental designs. In The Routledge handbook of research methods in applied linguistics (pp. 133-143). Routledge.

 

Suresh, D., 2015. Important of SPSS for social sciences research. Available at SSRN 2663283.