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The focus of this study was to examine the effect of teaching based on inquiry-based learning versus traditional learning on mathematics achievement scores of undergraduate students enrolled in a college algebra class in a university classified as a Predominantly Black Institution. A college algebra course was chosen in this study due to the critical role it plays as a gateway for college completion and due to the generally high failure rate in college algebra. This study used a quasi-experimental design, with pre- and post-test to determine the effect of the instructional pedagogy on mathematics academic achievement of students. Analysis of covariance results from 41 students revealed, when controlling for college algebra readiness pre-test scores, students in the inquiry-based learning section showed significantly higher mathematics achievement post-test scores than in the traditional lecture section.

Adult literacy skills are critical assets of individuals as well as societies in terms of economic (e.g., human capital) and social well-being. Thus, it is important to monitor the long-term trends and sources of skill gain/loss. Yet, temporal sources of adult literacy skill variation are understudied. The current study analyzed three comparable, nationally representative datasets including the 1994 International Adult Literacy Survey; the 2003 International Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey; and the 2012/2014/2017 Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies. Results from the age-period-cohort hierarchical cross-classified random effects model showed significant variation in adult literacy skills across cohorts (1930-1995) and time periods (1994-2017). Possible implications for adult education policies and future research needs were evaluated.

In order to promote the use of increasingly available large-scale assessment data in education and expand the scope of analytic capabilities among applied researchers, this study provides step-by-step guidance, and practical examples of syntax and data analysis using Maples. Concise overview and key unique aspects of large-scale assessment data from the 2012/2014 Program for International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) are described. Using commonly-used statistical software including SAS and R, a simple macro program and syntax are developed to streamline the data preparation process. Then, two examples of structural equation models are demonstrated using Mplus. The suggested data preparation and analytic approaches can be immediately applicable to existing large-scale assessment data. [For the corresponding grantee submission, see ED616419.]

ContextPalliative care offers patient and family centered approaches that may mitigate risk of caregiver burden and poor mood.ObjectivesTo determine whether a palliative care intervention (CONNECT) improved burden, mood, and self-efficacy among caregivers of patients with advanced cancer.MethodsIn this cluster randomized trial, patients and their caregivers were recruited from 17 Oncology clinics in Pennsylvania. Participants attended nurse-led monthly visits, addressing patient symptoms, goals of care, and advance care planning. At baseline and three months, we measured caregiver burden using Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI-12; range 0-48), caregiver anxiety and depression using Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scales (HADS-A, range 0-21; HADS-D, range 0-21). We measured caregiver self-efficacy at three months using Caregiver Inventory (CGI; range 0-189).ResultsWe enrolled 441 caregivers and 381 completed three-month assessments. We found no significant differences in caregiver burden (adjusted mean difference -0.39; 95% CI -1.07-0.29, P = 0.90), depression (adjusted mean difference -0.22, 95% CI -0.97-0.55, P = 0.26), or anxiety (adjusted mean difference 0.09; 95% CI -1.25-1.43, P = 0.58), between the intervention and standard care at three months. Caregiver self-efficacy was higher at three months in the intervention compared to standard care (adjusted mean difference 9.36; 95% CI 0.95-17.77, P = 0.030).ConclusionCaregivers in CONNECT did not experience improved burden or mood, however, they reported higher self-efficacy compared to caregivers receiving standard care. This study highlights the need for strategies to optimize caregiver outcomes in palliative care interventions.

Objective: This study examines whether there are differences among first-generation and continuing-generation community college students in the importance they place on achieving college-related goals and difficulties they face from college- and other life-related challenges. Methods: Data were drawn from the "Community College Libraries and Academic Support for Student Success" student survey. Results: Results from MANCOVA show that, after adjusting for age, gender identity, U.S. birth status, and race/ethnicity, first-generation college students (FGCSs) place more importance on achieving college-related goals and face greater difficulties from college- and other life-related challenges than continuing-generation college students (CGCSs). Contributions: These findings indicate that community colleges should offer more support to FGCSs pertaining to students' goals and challenges so that all community college students may be successful in their academic pursuits. Future research should explore interaction effects among student demographics and their goals and challenges as well as interventions to support community college students. This is because community colleges enroll the largest number of FGCSs compared to other institutions of higher education, and FGCSs and community college students share challenges when it comes to obtaining a college degree.

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how an after-school program that infused Maker education influenced Midwestern U.S. middle school youths' attitudes toward science. The researchers conducted pre- and post-interviews with six students from non-dominant backgrounds as well as the teacher, and also administered attitudinal surveys to the six students at two time points (pre/post). Additionally, the researchers observed the level of student participation by video-recording each after-school session, observed the level of student anxiety by using skin temperature biofeedback, and examined student artifacts. At the end of the program, the researchers administered a program survey to the six students. The findings revealed three themes (fun elements of science, career choice, trial and error). In this study, the after-school program infused with Maker education showed great potential in sustaining the non-dominant youths' positive attitudes toward science. The findings speak to the need for future studies that investigate pedagogy issues in Making after-school programs and also highlight equity issues in the opportunities for non-dominant youth to participate in these programs.

The research aim was to examine the effects of a Critique-Driven Inquiry (CDI) intervention on primary and secondary school students' critical thinking and scientific inquiry competency. Twenty-five 4th grade Taiwanese students from a typical primary school were selected to participate in experimental group 1 (EG1), while 28 7th grade students from a typical secondary school were randomly selected to participate in experimental group 2 (EG2). For each group, a 2-semester CDI intervention was implemented. In addition, another 28 4th graders and 30 7th graders from the same two schools were selected to participate in, respectively, control group 1 (CG1) or control group 2 (CG2). Analyses of covariance, repeated measures analysis of variance, and content theme analyses were conducted to analyze the quantitative and qualitative data. Research results indicated that EG1 and EG2 students significantly outperformed their comparison counterparts in critical thinking and scientific inquiry competency both during and following the CDI intervention. The empirical evidence provides insight into the mechanisms of promoting primary and secondary school students' critical thinking and scientific inquiry competency.

The aim of this study was to explore whether citizens' scientific interest and self-understanding relate to their learning enjoyment and self-efficacy in science. The sample participants consisted of 1,657 Taiwanese citizens ranging from 18 to 70 years of age. All participants were asked to complete the 2018 'Taiwan Citizens Science and Technology Literacy Survey' to assess their scientific interest, scientific self-understanding, science learning enjoyment, and scientific self-efficacy. Multiple regression models were used to analyze the data. The important findings included: (1) scientific interest was the most important predictor of science learning enjoyment, while scientific self-understanding was the most important predictor of scientific self-efficacy; and (2) the effects of scientific interest on self-understanding and the effect of science learning enjoyment on scientific self-efficacy each were significantly moderated by respondents' age, with stronger relationships observed in younger citizens than older citizens. This study provides insight into Taiwanese citizens' scientific learning enjoyment and self-efficacy and also informs potential governmental policies and/or societal practices that could be considered to promote scientific literacy., Author(s): Ying-Yan Lu [sup.1] , Thomas J. Smith [sup.2] , Zuway-R. Hong [sup.1] , Huann-shyang Lin [sup.3] , Wen-Yi Hsu [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.412019.f, 0000 0000 9476 5696, Kaohsiung [...]

While inquiry-based pedagogy is expected to prepare students well for their future life and work in the modern world, research indicates that teachers still prefer the more traditional lecture-based teaching practices. To explore better the issues underpinning the adoption of inquiry-based teaching, this study hypothesized that inquiry-based teaching involves creative problem-solving behavior and therefore looked into an important but underexamined factor in teachers' choosing to take up inquiry-based teaching: their perception of their schools' culture of openness to seeking creative solutions in the field of teaching and learning. Analysis of data from the 2018 Teaching and Learning International Survey of junior high school teachers in Taiwan provided evidence of a relationship between teachers' perception of a school culture open to creative solutions and teachers' inquiry-based teaching practices, with the teachers' self-efficacy in inquiry-based teaching serving as a mediating factor. The findings suggest that inquiry-based teaching is enhanced by cultivating a school environment characterized by openness to creative solutions.

This study examined how high school students' attitudes toward advanced physics were predicted by their sense of school belonging, and how gender moderated this relationship. The Trends in International Math and Science (TIMSS) 2015 Advanced data, consisting of responses from 12th grade students enrolled in advanced physics courses among nine countries were used for analysis. Results indicated that students' sense of school belonging significantly predicted the extent that students liked learning advanced physics and their valuing of advanced physics and, among Lebanese students, it was the most important predictor. Additionally, the relationship between students' sense of school belonging and liking advanced physics was stronger for males than for females in Norway and Sweden, while the relationship between the sense of school belonging and valuing advanced physics was stronger for males than females in France and Sweden.

ObjectivesFamily caregiver burden among older adults with advanced cancer remains poorly understood. We sought to (1) identify patient factors associated with caregiver burden and (2) examine how amount of time caregiving modifies these relationships.MethodsCross-sectional analysis of baseline data from a cluster-randomized palliative care intervention trial including patients with advanced cancer and their family caregivers, recruited from 17 oncology practices in Pennsylvania. Caregiver burden was measured using Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI-12; range 0-48). Patient factors included functional status (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group), symptom burden (Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale), anxiety and depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), and quality of life (Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy - Palliative Care). Using adjusted multivariable regression, we analyzed (1) independent associations between patient factors and caregiver burden and (2) how weekly caregiving hours modified these relationships.ResultsAmong 441 patient-caregiver dyads, mean patient age was 70 ± 10 and caregiver age was 62 ± 13 years. Most caregivers (59%) were patients' partners. Caregivers reported 44.5 ± 53.5 average hours spent caregiving weekly; mean ZBI-12 scores were 10.3 ± 7.3. Worse patient functional status (β = 4.20, p

The present study examined how the type of school technology and teachers' technological experiences (either personal or pedagogical) were related to teacher perceptions of culturally responsive teaching in technology-supported learning environments. Additionally, the study assessed the moderating effects of school technology interactivity on the relationship between teacher technology experiences and their perception of culturally responsive teaching in these environments. Hierarchical linear modeling was conducted on data from 257 teachers in Taiwan. Results found that the presence of technology interactivity in schools, teachers' personal technology experiences, and technology experiences in teaching each had a positive and statistically significant effect on teachers' perception of culturally responsive teaching. In addition, results found that the presence of interactive technology had no significant moderating effect on the relationship between either personal technology integration or technology integration in teaching and any of the five dimensions of culturally responsive teaching. The results suggest that, in addition to technological infrastructure renovation, schools should provide teachers with professional development programs and support which encourages them to create a technology-infused environment to address the connections between students' cultural contexts and their learning contents.

The present study examined the 2015 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study "Advanced" data to examine how the educational credentials of maths teachers and other teacher characteristics were related to attitude towards advanced mathematics and perceptions of engaged teaching among 12th-grade students enrolled in advanced mathematics courses in the U.S. As attitudinal outcomes in this study, two measures of attitude towards mathematics were employed -- the Students Like Learning Advanced Mathematics scale and the Students Value Advanced Mathematics scale, and one measure of student perception of engaged teaching -- the Students' Views on Engaging Teaching in Advanced Mathematics Lessons. A set of multilevel regression analyses were conducted predicting each of these aforementioned outcomes. No statistically significant effects on the attitudinal outcomes were observed for teacher variables. Positive effects were noted for parental education on students' valuing of advanced mathematics. A prominent finding was that higher levels of parental education were associated with higher student levels of valuing mathematics, which likely reflects a family/home culture that implicitly or explicitly places high value on science and mathematics. Identifying factors that might facilitate positive attitude is important to increase the likelihood that students will choose, and be retained in, mathematics and STEM education and careers.

The purposes of this study were to study the process of a first-year engineering instructor's design and delivery of a Fluid Mechanics class in online settings and to examine how student perceptions of the instructor's teaching presence related to student satisfaction and student perceived learning during the COVID-19 pandemic in the US. This mixed-method study employed a variety of data collection methods, including pre- and post- interviews with the instructor, observations of synchronous classes, review of artifacts, and a survey. Qualitative data analysis conducted to explore the instructor's teaching presence identified three themes in the instructor's teaching presence. Pearson's product-moment correlation analysis to examine the relationships among teaching presence, student satisfaction, and student perceived learning found a significant positive effect of direct instruction on student perceived learning. This study contributed to a better understanding of online pedagogy during an instructor's first-year teaching Fluid Mechanics in a synchronous online learning environment during the pandemic.

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how equity-oriented pedagogy infused with Making activities promoted five non-dominant middle school youths' attitudes toward science in an after-school program in the Midwestern United States. The researchers conducted pre- and post-interviews with five students from non-dominant backgrounds, and also administered attitudinal surveys to the five students at two time points (pre/post). Additionally, the researchers observed the level of student participation by video recording each after-school session, observed the level of student anxiety by using skin temperature biofeedback, and examined student artifacts. The findings revealed three themes. This study found that equity-oriented pedagogy infused with Making activities showed great potential in sustaining non-dominant youths' positive attitudes toward science.

Background: The recommendation from national documents and reports to promote inquiry-related science activities has not been supported by recent studies, which have found the overall frequency of inquiry activities to be negatively associated with student learning outcomes. This study was inspired by such conflicting reports and aimed to clarify the associations of science-specific, inquiry-related activities and epistemological beliefs with students' mathematical and scientific literacies. Results: A secondary analysis of the database from the Programme for International Student Assessment 2015 of Australia (N[subscript 1] = 14,530) and Taiwan (N[subscript 2] = 7708) utilizing structural equation modelling revealed that these two countries exhibited similar data patterns. Results suggested that open-inquiry activities (such as debating and planning experiments) had a negative relationship with secondary students' mathematical and scientific literacies. Structured inquiry learning (such as students explaining their ideas and teacher explaining how an idea can be applied to different phenomena) and epistemological beliefs about science were significant and positive predictors of student mathematical and scientific literacy performance. Conclusions: The current study further highlights and provides empirical evidence that the teacher's role in structured inquiry (especially pertaining to the relevance and applicability of these ideas) appears to be essential to the development of student literacy. Educational implications and recommendations are discussed.

This study highlighted how particular intersections of personal characteristics were related to Motivation to Learn (MtL) among adults. MtL is a prerequisite for adult education and training participation. However, little is known about MtL across subpopulations due to several methodological limitations. This study developed a national profile of MtL by key subpopulations that are defined by combinations of age, gender, education level, and literacy proficiency in the United States. Data were obtained from 2012/2014/2017 Program for International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) restricted use file (N = 8400). The alignment optimization (AO) method was employed to estimate subpopulation means of a PIAAC-based latent MtL construct. Subpopulations with younger age, greater educational attainment, and higher literacy proficiency showed significantly greater MtL.

Students with mental health difficulties are at increased risk for victimization, and this risk may be exacerbated during the transition to middle school, when there is an increase in bullying behaviors. Through a social-ecological lens, the present study investigated how internalizing and externalizing problems in the fall of fifth grade were associated with bullying role behaviors in the fall of sixth grade and whether these associations differed by gender. This study expanded prior research by examining not only bullying and victimization, but also bystander behaviors (i.e., assisting, defending, or outsider behavior). Participants were students attending fifth grade at one of 13 elementary schools at Time 1, and later attending sixth grade at one of five middle schools at Time 2 (N = 1,139). Structural equation modeling results indicated that externalizing problems in fifth grade were positively associated with bullying (B = 0.25, p < 0.001), assisting (B = 0.08, p = 0.024), and victimization (B = 0.30, p = 0.010) in sixth grade; further, internalizing problems in fifth grade were significantly positively associated with victimization (B = 0.43, p < 0.001) and defending (B = 0.33, p = 0.002) in sixth grade. There were no significant gender differences in these associations. Implications for social-emotional screening and intervention are discussed.

We examine the relation between within-firm office changes and audit quality in the United States. Our primary analysis documents a reduction in audit quality, measured using abnormal discretionary accruals and restatements, when the client is transferred to a smaller within-firm office (downsize effect). We are unable to find evidence that clients experience significant improvement in audit quality among transfers to a larger within-firm office (upsize effect). We then condition our sample on the change in the number of public clients of the receiving office to better understand the source of the underlying association. We find that our downsize effect is driven by offices experiencing a decrease in the number of public clients, suggesting that our main association is not entirely the result of resource constraints for the receiving office. We posit that this finding is consistent with audit quality deterioration among within-firm office changes to smaller offices driven, in part, by the receiving office's inability to adequately overcome the knowledge transfer frictions that accompany a move to a new office. Our findings offer empirical evidence on consequences of within-firm office changes and are particularly relevant to regulators and preparers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This investigation (1) elucidates genuine interest in the context of learning from Dewey's perspective, (2) assesses construct validity evidence for a genuine interest conceptual model using data from the Factors Effecting Ethics Learning survey, and (3) assesses measurement invariance of the genuine interest constructs between male (n = 352) and female (n = 188) Taiwan high school students. Results provide support for genuine interest as a two-dimensional construct. Second-order factor analysis shows that latent variables of genuine interest in learning socio-scientific issues and interpersonal communication ethics-related issues are represented by sub-latent constructs of learning interest and learning enjoyment. Assessment of gender invariance in the conceptual model provides evidence of measurement equivalence.

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to explore the effect of varied gender groupings on argumentation skills among middle school students in Taiwan and the United States in a project-based learning environment that incorporated a graph-oriented computer-assisted application (GOCAA). A total of 43 students comprised the treatment condition and were engaged in the collaborative argumentation process in same-gender groupings. Of these 43 students, 20 were located in the US and 23 were located in Taiwan. A total of 40 students comprised the control condition and were engaged in the collaborative argumentation process in mixed-gender groupings. Of these 40 students, 19 were in the US and 21 were in Taiwan. In each country, verbal collaborative argumentation was recorded and the students' post essays were collected. Among females in Taiwan, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated that statistically a significant gender-grouping effect was evident on the total argumentation skills outcome, while multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) indicated no significant gender-grouping effect on the combined set of skill outcomes. Among females in the US, MANOVA indicated statistically significant gender-grouping effect on the combined set of argumentation skills outcomes Specifically, U.S. female students in mixed-gender groupings (the control condition) significantly outperformed female students in single-gender groupings (the treatment condition) in the counterargument and rebuttal skills. No significant group differences were observed among males. A qualitative analysis was conducted to examine how the graph-oriented computer-assisted application supported students' development of argumentation skills in different gender groupings in both countries. In each country, all teams in both conditions demonstrated a similar pattern of collaborative argumentation with the exception of three female teams in the US. Female teams, male teams, (the treatment condition) and mixed-gender teams (the control condition) demonstrated metacognition regulation skills in different degrees and with different scaffolding.

People with visual impairments (that is, those who are blind or have low vision) have a disadvantage in the process of being selected as a romantic partner. It is further underscored that these difficulties with dating and fitting in among sighted individuals extend beyond formative years into adulthood (Sacks & Wolffe, 2006). Thus, the researchers were interested in investigating the issue of sighted individuals dating persons who are blind. The question was, "Are sighted individuals opposed to dating persons who are blind?" Researchers made the decision to use Tinder (2016), the currently popular online dating application, as a vehicle with which to answer the question.

Objective: To explore whether a change in alcohol-risk level is moderated by generational status, race, or gender following exposure to a computer-delivered intervention (CDI). Method: This study used a retrospective design to examine pre- and post-survey results from undergraduate students who completed a CDI. Ordinal and binomial logistic regression were used to examine the extent to which generational status, race and gender predicted changes in alcohol-risk level. Results: The secondary data analysis of 1,421 participants revealed generational status and race were not associated with a change in alcohol-risk level. The odds that males would show an increase in drinking following the intervention was 1.40 times larger than females. Conclusion: Findings from the study reveal a difference in alcohol-risk level between male and female students after completing the CDI. Implications for practice include tailoring CDIs towards specific demographic categories of college students to encourage the reduction of alcohol-risk behaviors.

This study examined the roles of gender and STEM major status as predictors of performance in formulating a research question and designing experiment among 70 undergraduate Taiwanese college students participating in inquiry-based learning (IBL). Student participants in this study were involved in discrepant demonstrations of scientific events and hands-on activities to introduce conceptual knowledge with the goal of motivating their learning interest in explaining phenomena scientifically. In addition, historical cases of scientific inquiry were utilised to scaffold and support inquiry procedures. At three time points during the semester, learning sheets were used to assess student performance in scientific inquiry practices (generating research questions and designing experiment). Results revealed that female students showed greater ability to form a research question than males. Additionally, while female science majors showed greater ability to generate a research design than female non-science majors, the opposite was true for males. Finally, the challenges and difficulties encountered by students in formulating research question and designing experiments are addressed. The findings of students' significant and positive progress on formulating research question in the three consecutive assessments reveal the potential benefits of pedagogical approaches used in this study. On the other hand, the variety of students' learning outcomes provide insight into potential ways that specific student subgroups may respond to pedagogies within an inquiry-based context. The initial findings also provide a starting point for instructors to begin debating the most productive ways of planning and delivering scientific inquiry instruction.

This study investigated the predictive effect of 11th grade Taiwanese students' (N = 878) self-assessed critical thinking, group participation self-efficacy, and active learning on their genuine learning interest (GLI) in socio-scientific issues (SSI). Results showed that active learning had a direct effect on GLI, while critical thinking and group participation self-efficacy had indirect effects on GLI as mediated by active learning. Critical thinking showed a significant direct effect on active learning, and a significant indirect effect on active learning that was mediated by group participation self-efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Chemotherapy-induced neuropathy (CIN) significantly impacts cancer patients, leading to functional disability, diminished quality of life, and increased healthcare costs amid the ongoing opioid crisis. Auricular point acupressure (APA), a non-invasive and non-pharmacological alternative, has shown potential for alleviating the pain, numbness, and tingling associated with CIN. This study aims to assess the efficacy of APA for CIN symptoms and physical function and to examine the mechanisms underlying APA's effects on CIN. Methods: This is a three-arm randomized controlled clinical trial protocol. Patients aged 18 and older who are experiencing CIN are randomly assigned to one of the three groups: an APA group (in-person APA; mAPA), a sham control group (virtual APA; vAPA), and a wait-list usual care control group (UC). During the four-week program, participants in the mAPA receive an in-person APA treatment and training; the sham control participants (vAPA) receive a self-guided smartphone APA application with APA demonstration videos; and the UC participants will continue with the usual care and be re-randomized into one of the APA groups. The primary outcomes are changes in CIN symptoms and physical function. Secondary outcomes include evaluating pain sensory thresholds, motor and cognitive functioning, inflammatory signaling, brain connectivity, opioid use, and quality of life. The outcomes are measured at baseline, program completion (4 weeks), and at monthly follow-up for 3 months post-intervention. Discussion: This study will provide evidence supporting the potential viability of APA as an intervention for CIN. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, ID NCT04920097 registered on 3 June 2021. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extant crocodilian jaws are subject to functional demands induced by feeding and hydrodynamics. However, the morphological and ecological diversity of extinct crocodile-line archosaurs is far greater than that of living crocodilians, featuring repeated convergence towards disparate ecologies including armoured herbivores, terrestrial macropredators and fully marine forms. Crocodile-line archosaurs, therefore, present a fascinating case study for morphological and functional divergence and convergence within a clade across a wide range of ecological scenarios. Here, we build performance landscapes of two-dimensional theoretical jaw shapes to investigate the influence of strength, speed and hydrodynamics in the morphological evolution of crocodile-line archosaur jaws, and test whether ecologically convergent lineages evolved similarly optimal jaw function. Most of the 243 sampled jaw morphologies occupy optimized regions of theoretical morphospace for either rotational efficiency, resistance to Von Mises stress, hydrodynamic efficiency or a trade-off between multiple functions, though some seemingly viable shapes remain unrealized. Jaw speed is optimized only in a narrow region of morphospace whereas many shapes possess optimal jaw strength, which may act as a minimum boundary rather than a strong driver for most taxa. This study highlights the usefulness of theoretical morphology in assessing functional optimality, and for investigating form–function relationships in diverse clades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives Advancing automation technologies are replacing certain occupations such as those involving simple food preparation more than occupations such as those in STEM fields (e.g. engineering and health care). Older workers generally face higher job automation risks in part due to their lower levels of digital skills. A better understanding of the associations between job automation risk, digital skills, and type of occupation (e.g. STEM vs non-STEM) can facilitate preparations for job automation and workforce population aging. Research Design and Methods We analyzed a nationally representative sample (N  = 1,560) of middle-aged and older U.S. workers aged 50–74 years from the 2012/2014/2017 Program for International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) restricted-use file. The estimated job automation risks (i.e. percentage of jobs to be automated in the next decades) were derived from the previous studies. PIAAC digital problem-solving skills proficiency (measured on a scale of 0–500 points) was assessed based on a series of practical digital tasks (e.g. finding a job research website that does not require registration). Results Linear regression analysis showed that greater digital skill proficiency (b  = −0.04, p  < .05) and STEM occupations (b  = −17.78, p  < .001) each were associated with lower job automation risks, even after adjusting for a series of demographic, socioeconomic, and civic engagement characteristics. Discussion and Implications Education and labor policy interventions to promote digital skills among older workers and non-STEM workers may better prepare an aging workforce for the dynamic labor market needs in the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examined data from the 2015 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study to address cross-cultural differences in 4th grade students' attitudes towards science and how students' sense of school belonging (SSSB) scores were related to attitude towards science. Regression results indicated that SSSB emerged as a significant, positive predictor of "Students Like Learning Science" (SLS) and "Students Confident in Science" (SCS) scale scores across countries. Additionally, statistically significant moderating effects for Taiwan were evident for the relationship between SSSB and both SLS and SCS scores. Specifically, when compared with students in the USA, the positive effect of SSSB on these attitudinal outcomes was less pronounced among students in Taiwan.

The purpose of this study is to examine the incorporation of Google Earth Virtual Reality (VR) into English Learners' (ELs) expository writing experiences from a Funds of Knowledge perspective utilizing a mixed-methods explanatory sequential design. The participants were 22 ELs from a middle school in a rural Midwestern town. During the quantitative phase, the expository writing artifacts were collected through a multiple before-and-after non-experimental design and analyzed using ANOVA. A "text-in-context coding" approach was adopted to examine changes in students' writing. The results showed a statistically significant increase in expository writing skills, particularly in "description," "cause/effect," "compare/contrast," and "enumeration." A descriptive survey assessing the acceptance of Google Earth VR was distributed as well. During the qualitative phase, a follow-up focus group for the ELs and teacher interviews were conducted. Field notes/memos were used to triangulate the data. The qualitative findings indicated that the ELs were engaged in the virtual-assisted writing environment and showed positive attitudes toward Google Earth VR. Concerns about using Google Earth VR in writing (i.e. time-consuming as well as distracting and posing integration difficulties) were addressed. Future directions inspired from this study are discussed as well.

ContextThe American Medical System is programmed to a default setting of aggressive care for the terminally ill. Institutional norms of decision making have been shown to promote high-intensity care, regardless of consistency with patient preferences. There are myriad factors at a system, clinician, surrogate, and patient level that drive the culture of overly aggressive treatments in American hospitals.ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to understand physician perspective of the ways systems-level factors influence patient, physician, and surrogate perceptions and consequent behavior.MethodsSemi-structured in-depth qualitative interviews with 42 internal medicine physicians across three American academic medical centers were conducted. This qualitative study was exploratory in nature, intended to enhance conceptual understanding of underlying phenomena that drive physician attitudes and behavior.ResultsThe interviews revealed many factors that contributed to overly aggressive treatments at the end of life. Systemic factors, which describe underlying cultures (including institutional, professional, or community-based cultures), typical practices of care, or systemic defaults that drive patterns of care, manifested its influence both directly and through its impact on patient, surrogate, and physician behaviors and attitudes.ConclusionInstitutional cultures, social norms, and systemic defaults influence both normative beliefs regarding standards of care and treatments plans that may not benefit seriously ill patients.