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2. Beginning Teachers as Policy Workers in Malaysia and New Zealand
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Anderson, Vivienne Ruth, Young, Sharon, Blanch, Keely, and Smith, Lee
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In 2007, the Malaysia government initiated twinned primary teacher education arrangements with five Southern Hemisphere higher education institutions (HEIs). Participating students completed their teacher education in both Malaysia and a partner HEI. In this paper, we consider the preliminary findings of a comparative study tracking the beginning teacher journeys of 13 Malaysia based twinning programme graduates and six New Zealand based teachers. The study involved two aspects: (1) a comparative discourse analysis of key Malaysia and New Zealand education policy documents; and (2) thematic and discourse analysis of participants' reflections on their early teaching experiences. Our focus is on beginning teachers as "policy workers": policy subjects whose work is shaped and constrained by policy discourses and imperatives, and policy actors who mediate, translate and resist these. We compare the two policy contexts and consider how policy discourses appeared and were contested in teachers' initial online questionnaire responses.
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- 2015
3. Conspiracy in Senior School Mathematics
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Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia and Brown, Paul
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Research across five countries has identified inability to pay attention to mathematical detail -- the discipline of noticing -- is an issue in senior secondary school mathematics teachers. The test and questionnaire completed by an Australian cohort further identifies a reluctance to employ non-routine questions in assessments, with teachers concerned about damaging the trust relationship they enjoy with their students. As teachers fail to demonstrate strong ability in non-routine written test questions themselves, this paper questions whether there exists a 'conspiracy' between teachers and their students to avoid scrutiny of conceptual understanding.
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- 2018
4. Differences in learning retention and experience of augmented reality notes compared to traditional paper notes in a chiropractic technique course: A randomized trial.
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Cade, Alice E., Stevens, Kirk, Lee, Alan, and Baptista, Lisa
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MEMORY ,AUGMENTED reality ,CHIROPRACTIC education ,MANN Whitney U Test ,LEARNING strategies ,EXPERIENCE ,RANDOMIZED controlled trials ,T-test (Statistics) ,STUDENTS ,QUESTIONNAIRES ,DESCRIPTIVE statistics ,TEACHING aids ,QUALITY assurance ,DATA analysis software ,ALTERNATIVE education ,EDUCATIONAL outcomes - Abstract
To investigate if a written guide or augmented reality (AR) guide improves free recall of diversified chiropractic adjusting technique and to capture participants' impressions of the study in a poststudy questionnaire. Thirty-eight chiropractic students were evaluated for diversified listing (a nomenclature denoting vertebral malposition and correction) recall, pre-AR and post-AR, or written guide review. The vertebral segments used were C7 and T6. Two randomized groups reviewed an original course written guide (n = 18) or a new AR guide (n = 20). A Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney (C7) and t test (T6) compared group differences in reevaluation scores. A poststudy questionnaire was given to capture participants' impressions of the study. Both groups showed no significant differences in free recall scores after reviewing the guides for C7 or T6. The poststudy questionnaire suggested a number of strategies could be used to improve current teaching material such as more detail in the written guides and organizing content into smaller blocks. Use of an AR or written guide does not seem to change participants' free recall ability when used to review diversified technique listings. The poststudy questionnaire was useful to identify strategies to improve currently used teaching material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
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5. 'Just Facebook Me': A Study on the Integration of Facebook into a German Language Curriculum
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Leier, Vera and Cunningham, Una
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Student and teacher activity in a closed Facebook group for a tertiary German class was observed during a 12-week teaching semester. This was complemented by questionnaires, semi-structured interviews with students, and teacher reflections in a researcher journal. Collected data were analysed using an inductive thematic analysis followed by a deductive Activity Theory (AT) analysis to explore the tensions between student and teacher expectations of the Facebook component of the course. The analysis showed individual variation in Facebook behaviours. A number of students were reluctant to write in the target language, German, reporting that they felt anxious when required to do so. It became evident that students differentiated sharply between their private Facebook interactions and their interactions in the Facebook group. Students adopted the Facebook group as an authentic language platform and continued to use the page after the course had ended. The Facebook group facilitated high quality meaning-focused target language production within the class group, and the participants were overwhelmingly positive towards their Facebook experience. [For the complete volume of short papers, see ED572005.]
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- 2016
6. Professional Knowledge Required When Teaching Mathematics for Numeracy in the Multiplicative Domain
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Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia and Mills, Judith
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This paper presents findings as part of a wider study that investigated the professional knowledge of teachers when teaching mathematics for numeracy in the primary school classroom. This paper focuses on teachers in action as they taught two lessons on multiplication. It outlines the specific pedagogical categories the teachers used and the impact their knowledge had on student learning.
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- 2015
7. Research paper. Youth exposure to in-vehicle second-hand smoke and their smoking behaviours: trends and associations in repeated national surveys (2006-2012).
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Healey, Benjamin, Hoek, Janet, Wilson, Nick, Thomson, George, Taylor, Steve, and Edwards, Richard
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CONFIDENCE intervals , *ETHNIC groups , *HEALTH behavior , *HIGH school students , *PASSIVE smoking , *QUESTIONNAIRES , *RESEARCH funding , *SURVEYS , *DATA analysis software , *DESCRIPTIVE statistics , *ODDS ratio , *CHILDREN - Abstract
Objective To extend the limited international evidence on youth in-vehicle second-hand smoke (SHS) exposure by examining trends in New Zealand, a country with a national smoke-free goal and indoors smoke-free environment legislation. Methods We tracked exposure rates and explored the associations between in-vehicle SHS exposure and smoking behaviours. In-home exposure was also examined for comparative purposes. Data were collected in annual surveys of over 25 000 year 10 school students (14-15-year olds) for a 7-year period (2006-2012). Questions covered smoking behaviour, exposure to smoking and demographics. Results Youth SHS exposure rates in-vehicle and in-home trended down slightly over time (p<0.0001 for both) with 23% exposed in-vehicle in the previous week in 2012. However, marked inequalities in exposure between ethnic groups, and by school-based socioeconomic position, persisted. The strongest association with SHS exposure was parental smoking (eg, for both parents versus neither smoking in 2012: in-vehicle SHS exposure adjusted OR: 7.4; 95% CI: 6.5 to 8.4). After adjusting for seven other factors associated with initiation, logistic regression analyses revealed statistically significant associations of in-vehicle SHS exposure with susceptibility to initiation and smoking. Conclusions The slow decline in SHS exposure in vehicles and the lack of progress in reducing relative inequalities is problematic. To accelerate progress, the New Zealand Government could follow the example of other jurisdictions and prohibit smoking in cars carrying children. Other major policy interventions, beside enhanced smoke-free environments, will also likely be required if New Zealand is to achieve its 2025 smoke-free nation goal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2015
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8. It Is Only an Intervention, but It Can Sow Very Fertile Seeds: Graduate Physical Education Teachers' Interpretations of Critical Pedagogy
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Gerdin, Göran, Philpot, Rod, and Smith, Wayne
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The role that school health and physical education (HPE) plays in the making of physically active and healthy citizens continues to be rearticulated within the field of HPE practice. In Australasia, for example, this is evident in HPE curricula changes that now span almost two decades with ongoing advocacy for greater recognition of socially critical perspectives of physical activity and health. This paper reports on one part of a larger collaborative project that focused on how HPE teachers understand and enact socially critical perspectives in their practice. The paper draws on interview data obtained from 20 secondary school HPE teachers, all of whom graduated from the same physical education teacher education (PETE) programme in New Zealand, a programme that espouses a socially critical orientation. The teaching experience of the study participants ranged from 1 to 22 years of service. The preliminary analysis involved deduction of common themes in relation to the research questions and then, drawing on the theoretical framework of Bourdieu [1990. "The logic of practice." Cambridge: Polity Press], these themes were analysed in more detail to gain insight into how and why the graduate teachers' expressed their particular understanding of HPE and critical pedagogy. The findings suggested that this PETE programme did have some impact on the participant teachers' perceptions of physical activity and health, and the role of socially critical thinking. However, there was also evidence to suggest that many of them did not have a clear understanding of the transformative agenda of critical pedagogy. We conclude by suggesting that although this PETE programme did plant "seeds" that had an impact on the graduate teachers' awareness and thinking about socially critical issues in relation to physical activity and health, it did not necessarily turn them into critical pedagogues.
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- 2018
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9. Intervention and Outcomes for Pasifika Students: A New Zealand Private Tertiary Education Provider (PTE) Case Study
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Towner, Nick, Taumoepeau, Semisi, Lal, Beena, and Pranish, Tamendi
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Pasifika learners comprise a significant number of students in the New Zealand education system. In terms of educational performance, Pasifika learners generally have lower success rates and academic achievements than other student groups at both secondary and tertiary levels. The aim of this paper was to review current governance, investigate student support and evaluate outcomes at a New Zealand tertiary institution. Data collection occurred in three phases. The first stage of the research saw 37 student questionnaires completed between May and June 2014, phase two consisted of semi-structured interviews with graduate students between September and October 2015. Phase three in March 2016 entailed the analysis of learner achievement records. The results of the research illustrated that Pasifika students' experience was improved through a variety of learning support systems being available to them. Participants identified that the most valuable student support systems were study skills support and study buddies. Pasifika students also recognised that having a supportive environment that respected Pasifika cultural values and building trust in relationships with staff enhanced their learning experience. In conclusion, a variety of appropriate support systems and a culturally sensitive environment are needed to enrich Pasifika students' tertiary learning experience and achieving positive graduate outcomes. The insights provided by this paper will help develop student support systems that improve graduate outcomes of Pasifika learners, forming a template that can be implemented at tertiary institutions in New Zealand.
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- 2017
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10. Science Education Professional Development for Primary/Elementary Teachers: A Tale of Two Systems
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Bell, Shawn E. and Sexton, Steven S.
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This paper reports on the illuminatory and exploratory phase of a study into how two educational systems are interconnecting content, policy, and teaching practice into science professional development (PD). New Zealand implemented a new curriculum in 2007 for full implementation in 2010, which should have altered how science was delivered in primary classrooms. New Zealand, however, began limited PD in science education in 2012. The state of Arkansas in the United States of America endorsed the Next Generation Science Standards in 2015, adopted the new Arkansas K-4 Science Standards in 2016 and Years 5-8 in 2017. Arkansas, however, began its science PD in 2015. Through face-to-face discussions during PD sessions, this study investigated how the teachers were experiencing PD explicitly based on the interconnections of content, policy, and practice. The results of this first phase highlight how due to their participation in PD, teachers in both Arkansas and New Zealand are now talking about how they build on what their students' know and have experienced. The implications of this research note teachers not only need both the time and opportunity to experience learning but also support as they then implement their new learning into their own classroom practice.
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- 2018
11. A Rubric to Track the Development of Secondary Pre-Service and Novice Teachers' Summative Assessment Literacy
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Edwards, Frances
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Teachers require specialised assessment knowledge and skills in order to effectively assess student learning. These knowledge and skills develop over time through ongoing teacher learning and experiences. The first part of this paper presents a Summative Assessment Literacy Rubric (SALRubric) constructed to track the development of secondary science teachers' summative assessment literacy. The analytic rubric consists of 10 dimensions spread across three categories drawn from the literature and context-specific empirical evidence: knowledge of assessment, understanding the context for assessment, and recognising the impact of assessment. The second part of this paper applies the SALRubric in a case study to explore the development of summative assessment literacy of New Zealand secondary science pre-service and novice teachers. An increasing sophistication in these teachers' summative assessment literacy was evident over 20 months albeit in a nuanced manner for individual teachers. The rubric was a very useful tool for evaluating and documenting shifts in teachers' summative assessment literacy over time. Implications of the use of SALRubric are discussed in terms of summative assessment literacy practice and development.
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- 2017
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12. Feel, Think, Teach--Emotional Underpinnings of Approaches to Teaching in Higher Education
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Kordts-Freudinger, Robert
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The paper investigates relations between higher education teachers' approaches to teaching and their emotions during teaching, as well as their emotion regulation strategies. Based on the assumption that the approaches hinge on emotional experiences with higher education teaching and learning, three studies assessed teachers' emotions, their emotion regulation strategies and their approaches to teaching with questionnaires. Study 1, with n = 145 German university teachers and teaching assistants, found relations between positive emotions and the student-oriented approach to teaching, but not with negative emotions. In addition, cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression were related to the student-oriented approach. Study 2, with n = 198 German teachers, replicated these findings and, in addition, found relations between perspective taking, empathic concern and personal distress, and the student-oriented approach. Study 3, with n = 76 Australian and New Zealand teachers, again replicated and extended the findings by establishing a relation between negative emotions and the content-oriented approach to teaching. The results of all studies together indicate a significant emotional component of the approaches to teaching. Positive emotions are not only directly related to the student-oriented approach, but also partially mediate the relation between cognitive reappraisal and the student-oriented approach. This link seems to generalize to emotional components of empathy. In addition, the cultural-educational context seems to moderate the relations between negative emotions and the content-oriented approach to teaching. Limitations and directions for future research and educational practice are discussed.
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- 2017
13. Updating Assessment Styles: Website Development Rather than Report Writing for Project Based Learning Courses
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Brown, Nicola
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While teaching methods tend to be updated frequently, the implementation of new innovative assessment tools is much slower. For example project based learning has become popular as a teaching technique, however, the assessment tends to be via traditional reports. This paper reports on the implementation and evaluation of using website development as an assessment tool for a project based learning course. A questionnaire was used to gain student feedback in a first year engineering course where the website based assessment tool was introduced. It was found that developing a website rather than writing a report was not an onerous task for the majority of students, it allowed the students to be more creative and the students enjoyed the experience. Initial concerns with potential bias towards those that were studying computing were unfounded and in fact the students not studying computing reported that it was easier than those with a computing background. The website allowed the students to apply their visual communication skills, be more creative and practise communicating with a more general audience. The use of a website as an assessment tool could easily be adapted to a range of courses aimed to enhance communication (both written and visual) and encourage creativity.
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- 2017
14. Student Views on the Cost of and Access to Textbooks: An Investigation at University of Otago (New Zealand)
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Stein, Sarah, Hart, Simon, Keaney, Philippa, and White, Richard
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The rising cost of textbooks is influencing students' choice of courses, as well as the quality of their learning experience once they are enrolled in a course, according to recent studies. This paper builds on those studies by exploring the possible effects that textbook costs may be having on study behaviours of students at one New Zealand tertiary institution: University of Otago. Perceptions of undergraduate students (n-811) about cost of, and access to, textbooks and possible influences on their study behaviours were gathered through a questionnaire. Results showed that students: are more likely to buy textbooks than access them through libraries; experienced purchasing expensive textbooks that were rarely used; questioned the value of textbooks; described alternative resource-seeking behaviours; and are heavily reliant on alternatives suggested by lecturers. Perceptions about affordability and academic value, access issues and consequential influences on study-related behaviours and attitudes are discussed.
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- 2017
15. Students' Attitudes towards Learning Mathematics: Impact of Teaching in a Sporting Context
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Sanchal, Anantika and Sharma, Sashi
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This study investigated the impact on Year 10 students' attitudes towards mathematics when learning mathematics in a sporting context. A closed ended, self-reported questionnaire with Likert type statements was used to collect data. Individual statements were analysed by comparing the percentage of students agreeing or disagreeing pre-teaching and post-teaching. In this study, students' attitude comprised of their confidence, awareness of mathematics and engagement. This study suggests that when students learn in a sporting context, their confidence, seeing the importance of mathematics and engagement increases. The paper also considers implications for teachers, teacher educators and for scholars who are interested in further research.
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- 2017
16. Does Digital Video Enhance Student Learning in Field-Based Experiments and Develop Graduate Attributes beyond the Classroom?
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Fuller, Ian C. and France, Derek
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The connection between fieldwork and development of graduate attributes is explored in this paper. Digital technologies present opportunities to potentially enhance the learning experience of students undertaking fieldwork, and develop core digital attributes and competencies required by Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and employers. This paper reports the success of adopting digital video capture in technology-rich field experiments that form part of final year undergraduate courses in Physical Geography at an HEI in New Zealand. Student perceptions were obtained via a range of approaches. Results suggest that deployment of digital video reinforces student learning and connects with core graduate attributes.
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- 2016
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17. Physics Teachers' Views on Their Initial Teacher Education
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Buabeng, Isaac, Conner, Lindsey, and Winter, David
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This paper explores New Zealand (NZ) physics teachers' and physics educators' views about Initial Teacher Education (ITE). Perspectives of physics teachers nationally indicated that in general, teachers considered themselves not well-prepared in some content areas including electronics, modern physics, and atomic and nuclear physics. This may be because in NZ, physics teachers have usually gained their content knowledge from an undergraduate science degree where they may have only taken one or two courses in physics. One year postgraduate teacher education programmes do not have sufficient time to cover the physics content taught in the final three years of schooling. The implications for ITE of physics teachers are discussed in terms of the shifts needed to help them to identify the gaps in their content knowledge and to develop their conceptual understanding of physics.
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- 2016
18. Purpose, Practice and Theory: Teacher Educators' Beliefs about Professional Experience
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Morrison, Chad M.
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The purposes of professional experience within initial teacher education programs are varied (Russell, 2005). However, there is limited literature explaining (a) university-based teacher educators' beliefs about its purposes and (b) how these purposes are reflected in practice. This study investigated these themes. A pragmatic mixed-method research design (Tashakkori & Teddlie, 2010) was developed to survey teacher educators from two Australian and New Zealand universities (n = 56). Participants were anonymously surveyed using a diamond ranking activity (requiring placement of 9 of 11 professional experience purpose statement cards, pre-determined from literature) and open response items seeking explanations of placement determining criteria and statement elimination. Following analysis of questionnaire data, focus groups were utilised to further explore the aggregated findings. Survey data were analysed by weighting frequencies of each statement. Analysis of the data indicated significant variation of perspectives amongst the teacher educators and resulted in the clustering of purposes into four groups. This paper presents these data from the Australian university cohort (n = 26). This study, the first of a series designed to elucidate understandings of teacher educators' purposes for professional experience, reinforces the importance of professional experience as authentic workplace learning within initial teacher education. The findings also reveal the complex beliefs that underpin teacher educators' practices when preparing, mentoring and supervising preservice teachers for and within professional experience.
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- 2016
19. Sustaining Motivation for Japanese 'Kanji' Learning: Can Digital Games Help?
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Nesbitt, Dallas and Müller, Amanda
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Educational digital games are often presented at Technology in Language Education conferences. The games are entertaining and are backed by research detailing how games can improve the learning experience through active critical learning, learner interaction, competition, challenge, and high learner motivation. The authors, inspired by such presentations, were interested in creating digital games to mitigate problems of demotivation in a beginner Japanese kanji (non-alphabetic script) class at Auckland University of Technology but found there was no body of research on digital games for learning non-alphabetic scripts. This paper contributes to filling this gap by describing the creation of three digital games for kanji learning. Difficulties were experienced during the development of the games and these are described with reference to the divide, discussed in gaming literature, between the type of digital games being showcased at conferences and the reality for teachers wishing to emulate the practice by developing their own digital games. Questionnaire responses and the game-related journal entries of three cohorts of learners were analysed, and teacher reflections on the action research project were used to answer the questions "Should we be leaving this field to the experts?" and "Other than high-end multi-level curriculum-centred digital games, are there different gaming scenarios worth exploring?"
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- 2016
20. Investigating the Relationship between Quality, Format and Delivery of Feedback for Written Assignments in Higher Education
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Sopina, Elizaveta and McNeill, Rob
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Feedback can have a great impact on student learning. However, in order for it to be effective, feedback needs to be of high quality. Electronic marking has been one of the latest adaptations of technology in teaching and offers a new format of delivering feedback. There is little research investigating the impact the format of feedback has on quality of feedback and subsequently on student learning. This study sets out to investigate the impact paper-based and electronic methods of assignment submission and return have on students' and markers' perceived quality of feedback. Students and markers on an undergraduate course were asked to complete an anonymous online survey investigating their perceptions of quality, format and timeliness of feedback delivered electronically and on paper. The results showed that marking and providing feedback electronically was an acceptable method for markers, reporting improved speed and consistency of marking. There was no increase or decrease in satisfaction with the feedback received. Overall, electronic marking was found to be an acceptable method of delivery of feedback on written assignments by both students and markers. The findings of this study suggest that electronic marking can result in more timely feedback for students without impacting on quality.
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- 2015
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21. 'Facebook' for Informal Language Learning: Perspectives from Tertiary Language Students
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Alm, Antonie
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This paper investigates the use of "Facebook" for out-of-class, informal language learning. 190 New Zealand university language students (Chinese, German, French, Japanese and Spanish) completed an anonymous online questionnaire on (1) their perceptions of "Facebook" as a multilingual environment, (2) their online writing practices and (3) their views on the educational value of their experiences. Findings indicate that language students are using a range of "Facebook" features to expose themselves to the languages they study (L2) and to communicate in their L2 with native speaker "Facebook" friends. The use of the social networking site varied according to proficiency-levels of the participants (beginner, intermediate and advanced levels), strength of social ties with native speaker "Facebook" friends and personal attitudes towards the site. Learning experiences on "Facebook" were not perceived as useful for the formal language learning context which suggests the need for bridging strategies between informal and formal learning environments.
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- 2015
22. Innovative eLearning: Technology Shaping Contemporary Problem Based Learning: A Cross-Case Analysis
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Blackburn, Greg
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Preparing students to be critical thinkers and effective communicators is essential in today's multinational and technologically sophisticated environment. New electronic technologies provide opportunities for creating learning environments that extend the possibilities of "old" but still essential technologies: books, blackboards, and linear, one-way communication media. Such technologies contribute to engagement and meaningful learning in the higher education sector. Greater understanding in educational psychology and the effectiveness of educational interventions has motivated the development of various student-centred pedagogies (e.g. Problem-Based Learning [PBL]) addressing perceived shortcomings of traditional didactic instruction. PBL as a pedagogy promotes meaningful learning due largely to its power to stimulate critical, reflective and creative thinking. Can teaching staff, then, adopt technology-based approaches to create multi-disciplinary interactive PBL environments that enhance learning and excite students, inspiring them to take ownership of their own education? This paper presents a cross-case analysis of four cases that explore how classroom-based learning activities have been transferred to online formats in universities to improve critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and other learning attributes across a range of disciplines.
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- 2015
23. Indigenous Knowledges and Supervision: Changing the Lens
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Carter, Susan, Laurs, Deborah, Chant, Lisa, and Wolfgramm-Foliaki, 'Ema
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Reflecting on a New Zealand-focused research project, this article shows that cultural knowledges can empower supervision practice. Within the New Zealand context, Maori and Pasifika cultures are priority groups: the national educational agenda aims to foster equal access to success. Western and Pasifika methodologies meet here. Underpinning our indigenous focus lies a larger survey of supervisors [n226] and doctoral students [n80] gathered via two anonymous digital questionnaires and analysed using Nvivo. Data using a "talanoa" method positions this paper within an authentic cultural framework. All data was re-analysed through the lens of cultural pedagogies. We found that cultural concepts, according immediately with our priority groups, also mapped onto western knowledges and general practice. We suggest that supervisors and their candidates should draw on their heritages, looking for culturally-appropriate pedagogies and protocols, because these are apt to inspire the heart of human relationship-building.
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- 2018
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24. What Do Medical Students Learn from Dissection?
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Flack, Natasha A. M. S. and Nicholson, Helen D.
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Dissection has long been the accepted method for teaching anatomy to medical students. More recently, some educators have suggested that easier, cheaper, alternative methods are just as effective. But what do the students think? This paper aimed to identify what undergraduate medical students learn, how they cope, and what effects participating in dissection has on them as individuals. A cohort of 267 second year medical students at Otago Medical School were invited to complete three online surveys; before their first dissection laboratory class, after their first musculoskeletal system dissection and following the last semester of studying anatomy. Open-ended questions showcasing the attitudes, beliefs, and opinions on what dissection had taught the medical students over years two and three were analyzed. A general inductive approach was used and common emergent themes were identified. In total, 194 students completed the second, and 108 students completed the third questionnaire. Students commonly conveyed dissection as an appropriate and valuable educational tool, useful for teaching and learning anatomical knowledge and relationships, appreciating the body in three-dimension, teamwork, and how to cope with death/dead bodies. The noted effects of personal growth while participating in dissection were highly varied, but in general, impacted positively on the majority of students. This study shows that at Otago Medical School the students also believe that dissection is not only a useful tool to learn anatomy but also that it fosters teamwork, assists professional development and helps them come to terms with death and dying.
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- 2018
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25. Key elements to support primary healthcare nurses to thrive at work: A mixed‐methods sequential explanatory study.
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Moloney, Willoughby, Cheung, Gordon, and Jacobs, Stephen
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CORPORATE culture ,EVIDENCE-based nursing ,PSYCHOLOGICAL burnout ,SELF-efficacy ,RESEARCH funding ,PRIMARY health care ,LABOR turnover ,LEADERSHIP ,WORK-life balance ,QUESTIONNAIRES ,PRIMARY nursing ,STRUCTURAL equation modeling ,DESCRIPTIVE statistics ,NURSE practitioners ,THEMATIC analysis ,JOB satisfaction ,PROFESSIONAL employee training ,RESEARCH methodology ,INTENTION ,SOCIAL support ,FACTOR analysis ,COMPARATIVE studies ,WELL-being ,DISCRIMINANT analysis - Abstract
Aim: Develop evidence‐based recommendations for managers to support primary healthcare nurses to thrive at work. Design: A mixed‐methods sequential explanatory design. Methods: National data were collected in 2020 via an e‐survey based on a meta‐analysis of antecedents of thriving from 213 primary healthcare nurses across New Zealand. Structural equation modelling analysis identified the key factors supporting primary healthcare nurses to thrive. This informed a second open‐ended e‐survey in 2022 of 19 nurses from one primary healthcare organization. The thematic analysis provided recommendations for improving management strategies to support thriving primary healthcare nurses. Results: The vitality component of thriving significantly reduced burnout and intention to leave organization and profession. In contrast, the learning component of thriving had a significant positive effect on burnout. The key factors that support thriving at work are empowering leadership and perceived organizational supports (decreases burnout and intention to leave organization and profession through enhanced vitality). Recommendations for improving thriving were made in eight key areas: communication, effective management, professional development, scope of practice, autonomy, effective orientation, reward and work–life balance. Conclusions: Vitality is important in reducing burnout and turnover intentions. While learning was identified as increasing burnout, professional development and training for managers were identified as essential. Hence, the vitality dimension of the thriving at work construct should be studied at the dimension level, but more research is needed into the impact of learning on thriving over time. Primary healthcare nurses have identified that empowering leadership and perceived organizational support are critical factors in supporting them to thrive, and they provide specific recommendations for managers to improve these factors in the clinical setting. No Patient or Public Contribution: This study collected data from Registered Nurses only. What Is Already Known: A plethora of existing research focuses on resilience in nurses rather than thriving at work.Enabling employees to thrive at work contributes to improved well‐being and sustainable organizational performance. What This Paper Adds: Empowering leadership and perceived organizational support are the key factors that support primary healthcare nurses to thrive at work.The vitality dimension of the thriving at work construct should be studied at the dimension level, and further research is needed into the impact of learning on thriving over time.Primary healthcare nurses recommend that managers focus on improving communication, management efficiency, professional development, scope of practice, autonomy, orientation, reward and work–life balance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2024
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26. Evidence for the Effectiveness of Visual Supports in Helping Children with Disabilities Access the Mainstream Primary School Curriculum
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Foster-Cohen, Susan and Mirfin-Veitch, Brigit
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Removing barriers to learning for children with mild to moderate disabilities in mainstream primary classrooms calls for creative approaches that exploit the cognitive and sensory strengths of each child. Although their efficacy has not been fully explored, pictorial, symbolic and written supports are often used with the intention of helping children access the curriculum by reducing anxiety, confusion and memory limitations both at school and at home. This paper reports a qualitative study carried out in New Zealand, which designed, delivered and evaluated a coordinated home and school visual supports programme for 23 children with moderate special education needs aged between 5 years and 7 months and 11 years and 10 months. Interview and questionnaire feedback from parents, teachers and the children themselves suggests the visual supports reduced anxiety and frustration, provided structured reminders of tasks and equipment needed, and permitted greater involvement in home and classroom routines. They also suggested a positive impact on distractibility, task completion, classroom independence and perseverance. It is suggested that while the visual supports were helpful, the attention to the child's needs across contexts contributed importantly to the success of the programme. Directions for further research are outlined.
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- 2017
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27. Pedagogical Practices of NetNZ Teachers for Supporting Online Distance Learners
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Lai, Kwok-Wing
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A supportive online learning environment entails teachers using effective pedagogical practices to meet the needs of their students and developing a positive teacher-student relationship to foster learner motivation and engagement. This paper reports a study investigating how 32 secondary teachers in New Zealand taught their online distance classes and how they related to their students. These classes were administered by NetNZ, an online distance education community. An online survey conducted in 2016 found that NetNZ teachers used inquiry-based practices including flipped learning and knowledge-building pedagogies to support agency, autonomy, collaboration, and community development. They also used synchronous and asynchronous communication technologies to overcome barriers of relationship building in online settings. NetNZ was unique in delivering distance education in the New Zealand context in that it used a community approach to encourage a more active participation of its member schools and teachers in delivering distance courses to secondary students.
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- 2017
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28. Puzzle-Based Learning in Engineering Mathematics: Students' Attitudes
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Klymchuk, Sergiy
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The article reports on the results of two case studies on the impact of the regular use of puzzles as a pedagogical strategy in the teaching and learning of engineering mathematics. The intention of using puzzles is to engage students' emotions, creativity and curiosity and also to enhance their generic thinking skills and lateral thinking "outside the box". Students' attitudes towards this pedagogical strategy are evaluated via short questionnaires with two groups of university students taking a second-year engineering mathematics course. Students' responses to the questionnaire are presented and analyzed in the paper.
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- 2017
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29. Making Asian Learners Talk: Encouraging Willingness to Communicate
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Vongsila, Vatsana and Reinders, Hayo
- Abstract
Developing English for communicative purposes is a key objective of language classes in many parts of the world. As a logical prerequisite to communication practice, learners need to have Willingness to Communicate (WTC) before they will engage in L2 interaction (Macintyre et al., 1998). Teachers can play an important role in helping learners to develop WTC (Dörnyei, 2007), however, since research into this topic is relatively recent, not much is known about how teachers go about this process. For this reason, the present study investigated teachers' perceptions of their role in fostering WTC through interviews and questionnaires and compared these with observations of their classroom practices. The research was conducted in New Zealand ESOL class that focused predominantly on communicative skills, catering mostly to Asian learners. The results showed that teachers believed they play a key role in helping learners to develop WTC and identified a range of strategies they used in class. Classroom observations confirmed the use of some strategies although no explicit encouragement of language practice outside the classroom was made. This paper identifies some possible reasons for this mismatch and concludes with practical recommendations for ESOL teachers who wish to support learners' WTC.
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- 2016
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30. Academic Librarians and Project Management: An International Study
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Serrano, Silvia Cobo and Avilés, Rosario Arquero
- Abstract
Because information and documentation units in libraries have responsibility for an ever-increasing number of projects, this paper aims at analyzing the discipline of project management in library and information science (LIS) from a professional perspective. To that end, the researchers employed quantitative and qualitative methodology based on a questionnaire of 17 items sent to academic librarians. The questions dealt with the geographic origin and institutional affiliation of the respondents, the education of the librarians, their professional experience, and the library projects in which they have been involved. The survey also asked about the presence of project management as courses in library and information science studies.
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- 2016
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31. You Can't Teach Me: Exploring Academic Resistance to Teaching Development
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Deaker, Lynley, Stein, Sarah J., and Spiller, Dorothy
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Societal, governmental, and research expectations of universities in contemporary western society have led to increasing calls for teacher professionalism and accountability as well as research excellence and research-informed teaching. Consequently, demands on academic staff development continually emerge, which academics may view as oppressive. This paper reports research that critically examined the commonalities between a pre-established set of discourses about resistance to teaching development and views about teaching and learning in academics' comments on student evaluations of teaching. The comparative study and the identification of commonalities are used to speculate about implications for academic development approaches both with teachers and institutions.
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- 2016
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32. Educational Leadership Effectiveness: A Rasch Analysis
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Sinnema, Claire, Ludlow, Larry, and Robinson, Viviane
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Purpose: The purposes of this paper are, first, to establish the psychometric properties of the ELP tool, and, second, to test, using a Rasch item response theory analysis, the hypothesized progression of challenge presented by the items included in the tool. Design/ Methodology/ Approach: Data were collected at two time points through a survey of the educational leadership practices of school principals (n = 148) and their teachers (n = 5,425). The survey comprised seven effectiveness scales relating to school-wide dimensions of leadership, and one scale relating to the effectiveness of individual principals' leadership. The authors undertook validation of the hypothesized structure of the eight ELP scales using the Rasch rating scale model. Findings: The authors established constructs that underpin leadership practices that are more and less effectively performed and determined the nature of their progression from those that are relatively routine through those that are more rigorous and challenging to enact. Furthermore, a series of analyses suggest strong goodness-of-model fit, unidimensionality, and invariance across time and educator group for the eight ELP scales. Research Limitations/Implications: This study focussed on experienced principals--future studies could usefully include school leaders who are new to their role or compare leadership patterns of higher and lower performing schools. A useful future direction would be to investigate the predictive validity of the ELP tool. Originality/Value: This study reveals the ELP is a useful tool both for diagnosing leadership effectiveness and, given that it is essentially stable over time, may prove useful for charting the effectiveness of leadership development interventions.
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- 2016
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33. Is Computer Availability at Home Causally Related to Reading Achievement in Grade 4? A Longitudinal Difference in Differences Approach to IEA Data from 1991 to 2006
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Rosén, Monica and Gustafsson, Jan-Eric
- Abstract
Research on effects of home computer use on children's development of cognitive abilities and skills has yielded conflicting results, with some studies showing positive effects, others no effects, and yet others negative effects. These studies have typically used non-experimental designs and one of the main reasons for the conflicting results is that studies differ with respect to how well they control for selection bias in comparisons of children with different amounts of computer use. The current study takes advantage of data from international comparative studies of educational achievement and uses the trend design of these studies to conduct longitudinal analyses at the country level. This allows for a difference in differences approach which effectively controls for within-country selection bias, time-invariant country-level omitted variables, and random errors of measurement in the independent and dependent variables. The empirical investigations are based on data from the IEA 10-Year Trend Study and the PIRLS 2001 and 2006 studies. For these studies, information about frequency of home computer use is available in the student questionnaire. The main analytical approach employed in the paper is regression estimation based on micro-data, with fixed country effects and cluster-robust standard-errors. This approach allows estimation of main effects of home computer use and interaction effects with student characteristics (gender and socio-economic status). For both data sets negative effects of home computer use on achievement are found. Results are discussed in substantive and methodological terms, focusing particularly on possible threats to valid causal inference, such as omitted variables that are not time invariant.
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- 2016
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34. L2 Reading Perceptions of Learners of Japanese: The Influence of the Reading Instruction
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Tabata-Sandom, Mitsue
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The nature of learning to read in a second and foreign language (L2) can be more challenging when compared to learning other subjects. Therefore, the influence of instruction given in L2 classrooms cannot be underestimated. A balanced instruction needs to be taken in order to develop learners' reading proficiency and their motivation to read. This paper reports the findings of a cross-sectional survey which investigated what factors of L2 reading learners of Japanese found motivating and demotivating. It investigates whether or not students were familiar with strategies, whether or not they believed they would be fluent L2 Japanese readers, whether or not their perceptions toward L2 reading changed according to developmental stages, and so on. One of the noteworthy findings is that regardless of their levels, the respondents (132 university level learners of Japanese as a foreign language) sought language-learning opportunities from L2 reading rather than seeking engagement from the content of what they read. The findings also imply that whereas the intensive-reading-oriented instruction the respondents received may have been compatible with their initial language-learning oriented approach toward L2 reading, it seemed to have failed to show these learners an accessible path to master reading in their target language.
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- 2015
35. Securing Field Learning Using a Twenty-First Century Cook's Tour
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Fuller, Ian C. and France, Derek
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This paper evaluates the effectiveness of incorporating digital video into a traditional Cook's Tour as part of a 7-day road trip around the east coast of New Zealand's North Island over a 4-year period. Student-generated video diaries summarized landscape features and processes at fieldsites, empowering students through active learning and small group collaborations. Student response was assessed via pre- and post-fieldtrip questionnaires, focus group and video diary reflection. Marks were analysed before and after the introduction of on-site student video production. Results of this research indicate the positive influence and statistically significant effects of this approach on student learning.
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- 2015
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36. Threshold Concepts in Finance: Conceptualizing the Curriculum
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Hoadley, Susan, Tickle, Leonie, Wood, Leigh N., and Kyng, Tim
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Graduates with well-developed capabilities in finance are invaluable to our society and in increasing demand. Universities face the challenge of designing finance programmes to develop these capabilities and the essential knowledge that underpins them. Our research responds to this challenge by identifying threshold concepts that are central to the mastery of finance and by exploring their potential for informing curriculum design and pedagogical practices to improve student outcomes. In this paper, we report the results of an online survey of finance academics at multiple institutions in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and the United Kingdom. The outcomes of our research are recommendations for threshold concepts in finance endorsed by quantitative evidence, as well as a model of the finance curriculum incorporating finance, modelling and statistics threshold concepts. In addition, we draw conclusions about the application of threshold concept theory supported by both quantitative and qualitative evidence. Our methodology and findings have general relevance to the application of threshold concept theory as a means to investigate and inform curriculum design and delivery in higher education.
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- 2015
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37. Academics' Feedback on the Quality of Appraisal Evidence
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Nair, Chenicheri Sid, Li, Jinrui, and Cai, Li Kun
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Purpose: This paper aims to explore academics' perspectives on the quality of appraisal evidence at a Chinese university. Design/methodology/approach: An online survey with both closed items and open-ended questions was distributed among all academics at the university (n = 1,538). A total of 512 responded to the questionnaire. The closed items were initially analysed using EXCEL and SPSS; the open-ended questions were thematically analysed. Findings: The academics believed that the quality of student survey and peer observation of teaching were affected by subjectivity and the lack of understanding of appraisal. Academics also suggested that appraisals should be contextualised and the approach standardised. The study suggests the need for training that informs and engages relevant stakeholders to ensure the rigour of appraisal. Originality/value: The study raises the issue of quality assurance regarding appraisal data from the perspective of academics. It is based on the collaborative effort of academics in Australia, China and New Zealand, with the support of the management staff at the case study university. The study informs both appraisers and academics of quality assurance issues in appraisal. It also contributes to the literature, in that it initiates dialogues between communities of practices through collective questioning on the quality and mechanisms of appraisal in tertiary education.
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- 2015
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38. 'Getting Fit Basically Just Means, Like, Nonfat': Children's Lessons in Fitness and Fatness
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Powell, Darren and Fitzpatrick, Katie
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Current concerns about a childhood obesity crisis and children's physical activity levels have combined to justify fitness lessons as a physical education practice in New Zealand primary (elementary) schools. Researchers focused on children's understandings of fitness lessons argue that they construct fitness as a quest for an "ideal" (skinny or muscular) body. The conflation of fitness with thinness, however, is complex and problematic. In this paper, we draw from research conducted with a class of primary school children in New Zealand. Drawing on the theoretical tools of Foucault and utilizing a visual methods approach, we examine how children experience school fitness lessons and construct notions of fitness, health and body. The children's responses illustrated that obesity discourses and body pedagogies "collided" in a way that shaped understandings of fitness lessons in ways inextricably connected with the avoidance of being fat. The children assumed that fitness lessons increased fitness and that being fit was demonstrated by a "correct" corporeal appearance. We argue that body pedagogies inside and outside the school gates shape children's ideas about the body in ways which exclude other understandings of bodies, health, and physical activity.
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- 2015
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39. Sustainability: What the Entrepreneurship Educators Think
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Wyness, Lynne, Jones, Paul, and Klapper, Rita
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Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to consider the understanding and presence of sustainability within entrepreneurship education. The extant literature on sustainability within the entrepreneurship discipline remains extremely limited. Previously, sustainability within an entrepreneurship context has related to economic viability as opposed to sustainability in its broadest sense. This study explores, through a survey of entrepreneurship educators, three key research questions, namely, how entrepreneurship educators believe that entrepreneurs can contribute to solving sustainability problems. Second, to what extent education about sustainability is integrated within existing entrepreneurship curricula. Finally, what considerations are being made to include sustainability within future programmes. Design/methodology/approach: This study represented part of a larger university project exploring the associations between the sustainability and entrepreneurship disciplines. This part of the study involved a web-based survey from entrepreneurship academics drawn from Australia, New Zealand, UK, and the USA which provided 54 completed questionnaires. Findings: The study uncovered much good practice led by "champions" within the entrepreneurship discipline. However, embedded sustainability practice was typically limited and it was more typically regarded as an "add-on" to traditional entrepreneurial teaching. Practical implications: The study proposes three ways in which sustainability might be more meaningfully integrated into entrepreneurship programmes. First, the QAA (2012) guidelines for enterprise and entrepreneurship need to be reconsidered to encapsulate the sustainability agenda. Second, for entrepreneurship educators to reconsider their pedagogical approaches to encapsulate systems thinking as more holistic educational perspective. Finally, the authors call for entrepreneurship educators to revise their programmes to embed the core facets of social, environmental, economic, and more recently ethical sustainability. Originality/value: The study offers a novel insight into entrepreneurship educators attitudes to sustainability and their approach to it within their curricula. This study provides an initial benchmark regarding the levels of sustainability provision within entrepreneurship curricula which will be of interest to the entrepreneurship academic community, the sustainability community, and policy makers.
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- 2015
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40. A survey of speech pathologists' opinions about the prospective acceptability of an online implementation platform for aphasia services.
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Trebilcock, Megan, Shrubsole, Kirstine, Worrall, Linda, and Ryan, Brooke
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TELEREHABILITATION ,SPEECH therapy ,ATTITUDES of medical personnel ,INTERNET ,RESEARCH methodology ,MEDICAL care ,CONCEPTUAL structures ,SELF-efficacy ,REHABILITATION of aphasic persons ,QUESTIONNAIRES ,DESCRIPTIVE statistics ,SPEECH therapists ,INTERNET service providers - Abstract
Background: Online knowledge translation (KT) approaches are becoming increasingly prevalent within healthcare due to their accessibility and facilitation of international support networks. Online platforms enable timely and far‐reaching dissemination of current evidence and best‐practice recommendations. Although there is potential to improve the uptake of rehabilitation guidelines, it is essential to consider the acceptability of online approaches to healthcare professionals to ensure their successful integration within everyday clinical settings. Aims: To establish the prospective acceptability of a theoretically informed online intervention for speech pathologists, Aphasia Nexus: Connecting Evidence to Practice, that aims to facilitate the implementation of aphasia best practice. Methods & Procedures: A mixed‐methods multinational electronic survey based on the Theoretical Framework of Acceptability (TFA) completed by aphasia researchers and clinicians. Outcomes & Results: A total of 43 participants completed the survey with 91% (n = 39) indicating that they would use Aphasia Nexus. Understanding the intervention and how it works (intervention coherence as per the TFA) was the key factor influencing the likelihood of integration within everyday clinical practice. Participants identified potential areas where the intervention could influence service change and also recommended further design and content changes to improve the intervention. Conclusions & Implications: Aphasia Nexus is an acceptable platform for further feasibility testing in the form of a pilot trial within an Australian‐based health service. The study progresses the theory of TFA as it was a valuable framework facilitating the identification of prominent factors influencing acceptability. The study also informs further intervention refinements in preparation for the next stage of research. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: What is already known on the subject: Online strategies have the potential to enhance KT and promote the uptake of rehabilitation guidelines. An online intervention, however, can only be effective if implemented well. For this reason, it is essential to establish the acceptability of online interventions to the intended recipients and therefore increase the likelihood of successful implementation. What this paper adds to existing knowledge: This study used a theoretically based framework to establish the acceptability of an online implementation intervention, Aphasia Nexus, to multinational aphasia clinicians and researchers. It demonstrated the value in identifying the prominent factors influencing acceptability to inform further intervention refinements and warrant continuing research. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?: Speech pathologists should use online platforms to drive the implementation of best practice on an international scale. It is important for clinicians to have an in‐depth understanding of online interventions and how they work to enhance their successful uptake into routine clinical practice. Aphasia Nexus is an acceptable online platform for implementing best practice in aphasia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
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41. 'It absolutely needs to move out of that structure': Māori with bipolar disorder identify structural barriers and propose solutions to reform the New Zealand mental health system.
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Haitana, Tracy, Pitama, Suzanne, Cormack, Donna, Rangimarie Clark, Mau Te, and Lacey, Cameron
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MEDICAL quality control ,HEALTH services accessibility ,RESEARCH methodology ,INTERVIEWING ,QUALITATIVE research ,PSYCHOSOCIAL factors ,QUALITY assurance ,QUESTIONNAIRES ,SOUND recordings ,DESCRIPTIVE statistics ,RESEARCH funding ,MAORI (New Zealand people) ,JUDGMENT sampling ,DATA analysis software ,THEMATIC analysis ,BIPOLAR disorder ,MENTAL health services ,MEDICAL coding - Abstract
This paper synthesises critique from Māori patients with Bipolar Disorder (BD) and their whānau to identify barriers and propose changes to improve the structure and function of the New Zealand mental health system. A qualitative Kaupapa Māori Research methodology was used. Twenty-four semi-structured interviews were completed with Māori patients with BD and members of their whānau. Structural, descriptive and pattern coding was completed using an adapted cultural competence framework to organise and analyse the data. Three key themes identified the impact of structural features of the New Zealand mental health system on health equity for Māori with BD. Themes involved the accessibility, delivery and scope of the current health system, and described how structural features influenced the quality, utility and availability of BD services for Māori patients and whānau. Structural barriers in the existing design, and potential changes to improve the accessibility, delivery and scope of BD services for Māori, were proposed including a redesign of operational, environmental, staffing, and navigation points (information, transition, fatigue) to better meet the needs of Māori with BD. A commitment to equity when implementing structural change is needed, including ongoing evaluation and refinement. This paper provides specific recommendations that should be considered in health service redesign to ensure the New Zealand mental health system meets the needs of Māori patients with BD and their whānau. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
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42. Review and update of the Health of the Nation Outcome Scales for People with Learning Disabilities (HoNOS-LD).
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Painter, Jon, Adams, Nicola, Ingham, Barry, James, Michael, Majid, Madiha, Roy, Ashok, Shankar, Rohit, and Smith, Mark
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STATISTICS ,ATTITUDES of medical personnel ,CROSS-sectional method ,DISABILITIES ,QUESTIONNAIRES ,DESCRIPTIVE statistics ,SCALE analysis (Psychology) ,RESEARCH funding ,STATISTICAL sampling ,DATA analysis ,INTELLECTUAL disabilities - Abstract
Background: The Health of the Nation Outcomes Scales for people with Learning Disabilities (HoNOS-LD) is an 18-item measure which provides a structured and standardized approach to rating various clinical and psychosocial outcomes and has been in use nationally since 2002. Aims: To revise and improve the HoNOS-LD's utility in contemporary intellectual disability (ID) services whilst retaining its original objectives and five-point severity ratings. Method: ID clinicians were invited to complete an online survey, rating each item on the existing measure for being fit for purpose, identifying issues and suggesting improvements based on their experience of using the HoNOS-LD in practice. Scales were then assessed and revised sequentially; survey responses were used to inform discussion and revisions to the HoNOS-LD by the Advisory Board. Results: A total of 75 individuals replied. Respondents had used HoNOS-LD for an average of 8.0 years (S.D. 5.28 years) and 88% found the scale to be useful in their practice. On average, respondents used HoNOS-LD ratings to inform care 42.4% of the time (S.D. 33.5%). For each scale there was a significant negative correlation between the percentage of positive/very positive respondent ratings and the number of changes proposed. Common changes included simplifying terms, reducing ambiguity and replacing anachronistic language. Conclusion: The changes outlined in this paper are based on the advisory group's expert consensus. These changes are intended to improve reliability and validity but now need empirical testing as well as review by service users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
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43. Staff perceptions of the quality of care delivered in a New Zealand mental health and addiction service: Findings from a qualitative study.
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Craik, Brooke, Derrett, Sarah, Wyeth, Emma H., Green, Mel, and Cox, Adell
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MENTAL illness treatment ,MEDICAL quality control ,ATTITUDES of medical personnel ,HEALTH of indigenous peoples ,CROSS-sectional method ,RESEARCH methodology ,QUANTITATIVE research ,QUALITATIVE research ,QUESTIONNAIRES ,DESCRIPTIVE statistics ,RESEARCH funding ,HEALTH equity ,DATA analysis software ,PSYCHIATRIC hospitals ,COMPULSIVE behavior ,MEDICAL specialties & specialists - Abstract
In New Zealand, people receiving care from specialist mental health and addiction services experience poorer health outcomes compared to the general population. Māori (Indigenous) specialist mental health and addiction service users experience disproportionate inequities. This study aims to: (1) Describe and understand mental health staff perspectives on the quality of care delivered to specialist mental health and addiction service users in their service – including specifically for Māori; and (2) Identify areas staff report as opportunities for quality improvement. In 2020, Southern District Health Board (now Te Whatu Ora – Southern) mental health staff were invited to participate in a cross‐sectional study assessing their perceptions of a range of service aspects. This paper presents quantitative and qualitative analyses about quality of care. Among the 319 staff who completed the questionnaire; 272 provided quality‐of‐care responses. Among these, 78% reported the quality of care delivered to service users as 'good' or 'excellent'; only 60% reported this for Māori service users. Participants identified individual, service and broader system level factors influencing the quality of care delivered to service users, including factors specific for Māori. This study has identified, for what appears to be the first time, empirical and concerning differences in staff ratings of the quality of care delivered to Māori and SMHAS users overall. Findings highlight the need for institutional and managerial prioritization of hauora Māori, and incorporating tikanga Māori and Te Tiriti into practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
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44. "I think I could have coped if I was sleeping better": Sleep across the trajectory of caring for a family member with dementia.
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Gibson, Rosemary, Helm, Amy, Ross, Isabelle, Gander, Philippa, and Breheny, Mary
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ALZHEIMER'S disease treatment ,TREATMENT of dementia ,CAREGIVER attitudes ,SLEEP quality ,GRIEF ,TRANSITIONAL care ,RESEARCH methodology ,INTERVIEWING ,BURDEN of care ,SLEEP disorders ,RESIDENTIAL care ,QUESTIONNAIRES ,SOUND recordings ,RESEARCH funding ,THEMATIC analysis ,PSYCHOLOGICAL adaptation ,DATA analysis software ,OPTIMISM ,FRONTOTEMPORAL dementia ,HEALTH self-care - Abstract
Dementia-related sleep changes can lead to disruptions among families living with dementia which can jeopardise carers' wellbeing and ability to provide support. This research explores and represents the sleep of family caregivers across the trajectory of caring, before, during, and after the key period of their care recipient moving into residential care. The focus of this paper is viewing dementia caregiving as a trajectory, characterised by care needs which change over time. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 carers whose family member with dementia had transitioned into residential care within the prior 2 years. Themes constructed from these interviews indicated that sleep was linked to earlier life course patterns as well as to significant moments of transition in the caregiving journey. As dementia progressed, carers' sleep progressively worsened in relation to the less predictable nature of dementia-symptoms, difficulty maintaining routines, and constant responsibilities creating a state of high alert. Carers attempted to facilitate better sleep and wellbeing for their family member, often sacrificing their own self-care. Around the care transition period, some cares reported not realising how sleep deprived they were; for others the busy momentum continued. After the transition, many carers acknowledged that they were exhausted, although many had not realised this while providing home-based care. Post-transition, many carers reported ongoing sleep disruptions associated with poor sleep habits established whilst caring, insomnia or nightmares and grief. Carers were optimistic that their sleep would improve with time and many were enjoying sleeping according to their own preferences. The sleep experience of family carers is unique and includes tensions between their essential need for sleep and the experience of care as self-sacrifice. Findings have implications for timely support and interventions for families living with dementia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
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45. Word type and modality in the emerging expressive vocabularies of preschool children with Down syndrome.
- Author
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Foster‐Cohen, Susan, Newbury, Jayne, Macrae, Toby, and van Bysterveldt, Anne
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DOWN syndrome ,CROSS-sectional method ,COMPARATIVE grammar ,LANGUAGE acquisition ,VOCABULARY ,QUESTIONNAIRES - Abstract
Background: Previous studies have explored the size and word type composition (nouns, predicates, etc.) of expressive vocabularies of preschool children with Down syndrome, both spoken and signed. Separately, overall preferences for modality of expression have also been explored. Aims: To extend previous findings by describing the relationships between expressive vocabulary size and both word type and modality of expression in the preschool period including changes to modality preference over time. Methods & Procedures: Mothers of 35 children with Down syndrome, aged 36–66 months and attending the same early intervention programme, completed a version – with both spoken word and sign options – of the New Zealand MacArthur‐Bates Communicative Development Inventory (CDI): Words and Sentences. Most mothers completed the CDI on multiple occasions across the duration of the study. Completions (n = 114) were analysed cross‐sectionally and longitudinally in terms of (1) word type relative to vocabulary size, (2) modality of expression relative to word type and vocabulary size, and (3) individual trajectories in vocabulary size and modality of expression. Outcomes & Results: (1) Word type relative to vocabulary size was similar to previous studies with a greater proportion of the SOCIAL words being present in the children's vocabularies throughout, followed by NOUNS, PREDICATES and CLOSED class words, with proportions converging as vocabulary sizes increase. (2) An initial spoken word preference for SOCIAL and CLOSED class words and sign preference for NOUNS and PREDICATES was found, with more spoken words in larger vocabularies overall. (3) Individual trajectories were highly variable and also revealed temporary points of regression in overall expressive vocabulary size in some children. Children who shifted from reliance on sign to predominantly spoken word expression did so at different ages and at different vocabulary sizes. At school entry, while most of the children used both modalities, some children continued to rely on sign for most vocabulary items whereas others used only spoken words. Conclusions & Implications: An appreciation of both the general trends and potential for individual variation in vocabulary structure, modality of expression and change over time will better position clinicians and education specialists to provide individually tailored support to both preschool and school‐aged children with Down syndrome. What this study adds: What is already known on this subject: Preschool children with Down syndrome have been shown to demonstrate developmental patterns in overall conceptual vocabulary size and word type development broadly similar to typical development. The use of signed vocabulary has also been explored, but independently from word type development and with less attention to individual trajectories in either vocabulary size development or modality preferences throughout the preschool period than is necessary for clinical use. What this paper adds to existing knowledge: This study found interactions between word type and modality of expression in relation to vocabulary size as well as a few temporary vocabulary size regressions similar to those found in much younger typically developing children. An initial spoken word preference for social and closed class words, and sign preference for nouns and predicates, was followed by a general trend towards spoken words for all word types as vocabulary (with some fluctuations) increased over time. Children demonstrated considerable individual variation in size of vocabulary and age at which they pivoted from a signed to a spoken word preference. Moreover, while most children used both modalities at school entry, a few retained a sign‐only vocabulary and others had moved fully onto spoken word‐only expression. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?: An understanding of both the general trends and individual variation in vocabulary structure and modality of expression development will better position clinicians and educational specialists to provide individually tailored support to children with Down syndrome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
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46. "There for The Right Reasons": New Zealand Early Childhood Professionals' Sense of Calling, Life Goals, Personal and Spiritual Values.
- Author
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Zhang, Kaili C.
- Subjects
- *
SPIRITUALITY , *ETHICS , *RESEARCH methodology , *SELF-perception , *INTERVIEWING , *EXPERIENCE , *QUESTIONNAIRES , *VALUES (Ethics) , *GOAL (Psychology) , *CULTURAL values - Abstract
Using a mixed-method approach, this present study examined the roles of calling and the relation between life goals and spiritual values among early childhood professionals in New Zealand. Among the 102 participants who completed the surveys, 24 participated in the follow-up individual interviews. In line with previous research, results showed that the five spiritual values—conformity, universalism, tradition, benevolence, and security—positively correlated with at least three intrinsic life goals, but showed a negative correlation with at least three of the four extrinsic goals. In addition, all non-spiritual values—self-direction, stimulation, hedonism, achievement, and power—correlated negatively with at least three of the intrinsic life goals. A similar pattern was found between the correlation between all non-spiritual values and extrinsic life goals. Interview data showed that participants who self-identified as having experienced a call to work with young children actively engaged with their calling. They also affirmed that their calling was experienced at a deeply personal and emotional level. Participants also recognized the important impact of life goals, personal and spiritual values on their work. This paper concludes with implications for future research and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
47. The prevalence and intensity of pain in older people living in retirement villages in Auckland, New Zealand.
- Author
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Tatton, Annie, Wu, Zhenqiang, Bloomfield, Katherine, Boyd, Michal, Broad, Joanna B., Calvert, Cheryl, Hikaka, Joanna, Peri, Kathy, Higgins, Ann‐Marie, and Connolly, Martin J.
- Subjects
MENTAL depression risk factors ,CHRONIC pain ,PAIN measurement ,CONFIDENCE intervals ,SENIOR housing ,CROSS-sectional method ,MULTIPLE regression analysis ,SELF-evaluation ,ONE-way analysis of variance ,AGE distribution ,SEROTONIN uptake inhibitors ,INTERVIEWING ,HEALTH status indicators ,GERIATRIC assessment ,RACE ,SEVERITY of illness index ,RISK assessment ,SEX distribution ,SLEEP disorders ,QUESTIONNAIRES ,DESCRIPTIVE statistics ,DISEASE prevalence ,CHI-squared test ,ALCOHOL drinking ,EXERCISE ,LONELINESS ,ACCIDENTAL falls ,RESEARCH funding ,SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC factors ,ARTHRITIS ,ODDS ratio ,FATIGUE (Physiology) ,ANXIETY ,DATA analysis software ,SMOKING ,MARITAL status ,FAMILY relations ,STATISTICAL models ,STATISTICAL sampling ,DISEASE risk factors ,EVALUATION - Abstract
Chronic pain is common in older people. However, little is known about how pain is experienced in residents of retirement villages ('villages'), and how pain intensity and associations are experienced in relation to characteristics of residents and village living. We thus aimed to examine pain levels, prevalence and associated factors in village residents. The current paper is a cross‐sectional analysis of baseline data from the 'Older People in Retirement Villages' study in Auckland, New Zealand. Between July 2016 and August 2018, 578 village residents were interviewed face‐to‐face by gerontology nurse specialists, using interRAI Community Health Assessment (CHA) and customised survey. We used a validated pain scale and multivariable logistic regression analyses adjusted for pre‐specified confounders. Residents' median age was 82 years; 420 (73%) were female; 270 (47%) exhibited/reported daily pain, and in 11% this was severe. After controlling for confounders, daily pain was positively associated with self‐reported arthritis (OR = 3.88, 95% CI = 2.57–5.87), poor/fair self‐reported health (OR = 3.19, 95% CI = 1.29–7.93), having no health clinic on‐site (OR = 1.76, 95% CI = 1.10–2.83), and minimal fatigue (diminished energy but completes normal day‐to‐day activities) (OR = 1.77, 95% CI = 1.11–2.81). Similar associations were observed for levels of pain. We conclude that levels of pain and prevalence of daily pain are high in village residents. Self‐reported arthritis, self‐reported poor/fair health, no health clinic on‐site and minimal fatigue are all independently associated with a higher risk of daily pain and with levels of pain. This study suggests potential opportunities for villages to better provide on‐site support to decrease prevalence and severity of pain for their residents, and thus potentially increase wellbeing and quality‐of‐life, though as we cannot prove causality, more research is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
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48. Mapping non-malignant respiratory palliative care services in Australia and New Zealand.
- Author
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Philip, Jennifer, Wiseman, Rachel, Eastman, Peter, Li, Chi, and Smallwood, Natasha
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TREATMENT of dyspnea ,HEALTH care rationing ,HEALTH services accessibility ,HOSPITAL wards ,HOSPITAL respiratory services ,INTEGRATED health care delivery ,LABOR supply ,MEDICAL care ,PALLIATIVE treatment ,QUESTIONNAIRES ,DATA analysis software ,DESCRIPTIVE statistics - Abstract
Objective: Despite needs, people with advanced non-malignant respiratory disease are infrequently referred to palliative care services. Integrated models of palliative care and respiratory service delivery have been advocated to address this inequity of access. This study mapped current ambulatory palliative care service provision for patients with advanced non-malignant respiratory disease in Australia and New Zealand. Methods: An online survey was distributed to the palliative care physician membership of the Australian and New Zealand Society of Palliative Medicine. Information was sought regarding access to specific breathlessness and integrated respiratory and palliative care services, and their operation. Data were described using descriptive statistics. Results: In all, 133 respondents (93 from Australia, 40 from New Zealand; representing 55 Australian and 26 New Zealand discrete sites) with complete data were available for analysis. More than half the respondents reported seeing patients with advanced non-malignant respiratory disease frequently (56/97; 58%), and 18 of 81 services (22%) reported having breathlessness or integrated respiratory and palliative care services caring for this patient group. Such services were mostly staffed by respiratory and palliative care doctors and nurses and based in the clinic environment, with limited support available outside this setting. Of the 63 respondents without existing breathlessness or integrated services, 49 (78%) expressed interest in their establishment, with limited resources cited as the most common barrier. Conclusions: There is limited availability of integrated respiratory and palliative care or specialised breathlessness services in Australia and New Zealand despite widespread support by palliative care physicians. This study provides a snapshot to inform strategic service development. What is known about the topic?: People with advanced respiratory disease have very significant morbidity with complex needs equivalent to, and in many cases more intense than, people with end-stage lung cancer; they also have significant mortality. Yet, these people frequently do not access palliative care services. The establishment of integrated respiratory and palliative care services has been advocated as an effective means to overcome the barriers to palliative care access. Such services have demonstrated improved patient and family-reported outcomes, as well as service-level improvements. What does this paper add?: This paper maps the availability of integrated respiratory palliative care services in Australia and New Zealand. We reveal that although most palliative care physicians report seeing patients with advanced respiratory disease in practice, just one-fifth of services report having an integrated service approach. There was high interest and enthusiasm for such services (78%), but resources limited their establishment. What are the implications for practitioners?: Palliative care services recognise the needs of patients with advanced respiratory disease and the benefits of integrated respiratory and palliative care services to address these needs, but scarcity of resources limits the ability to respond accordingly. This study provides a snapshot of current service level to inform strategic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2020
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49. Survey of hospital practitioners: common understanding of cardiopulmonary resuscitation definition and outcomes.
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Berry‐Kilgour, Niamh A. H., Paulin, Jono R., Psirides, Alex, and Pegg, Tammy J.
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CARDIOPULMONARY resuscitation , *HEALTH facility employees , *EVALUATION of medical care , *WORK experience (Employment) , *CLINICAL deterioration , *PROFESSIONS , *DO-not-resuscitate orders , *INDIVIDUALIZED medicine , *MEDICAL care research , *PSYCHOSOCIAL factors , *QUESTIONNAIRES , *DESCRIPTIVE statistics , *SECONDARY care (Medicine) , *THEMATIC analysis , *ELECTRIC countershock , *DECISION making in clinical medicine , *EVALUATION - Abstract
Background: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is internationally defined as chest compressions and rescue breaths, and is a subset of resuscitation. First used for out‐of‐hospital cardiac arrest, CPR is now frequently used for in‐hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) with different causes and outcomes. Aims: This paper aims to describe clinical understanding of the role of in‐hospital CPR and perceived outcomes for IHCA. Methods: An online survey of a secondary care staff involved in resuscitation was conducted, focussing on definitions of CPR, features of do‐not‐attempt‐CPR conversations with patients and clinical case scenarios. Data were analysed using a simple descriptive approach. Results: Of 652 responses, 500 were complete and used for analysis. Two hundred eleven respondents were senior medical staff covering acute medical disciplines. Ninety‐one percent of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that defibrillation is part of CPR, and 96% believed CPR for IHCA included defibrillation. Responses to clinical scenarios were dissonant, with nearly half of respondents demonstrating a pattern of underestimating survival and subsequently showing a desire to offer CPR in similar scenarios with poor outcomes. This was unaffected by seniority and level of resuscitation training. Conclusions: The common use of CPR in hospital reflects the broader definition of resuscitation. Recapturing the CPR definition for clinicians and patients as only chest compressions and rescue breaths may allow clinicians to better discuss individualised resuscitation care to aide meaningful shared decision‐making around patient deterioration. This may involve reframing current in‐hospital algorithms and uncoupling CPR from wider resuscitative measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2023
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50. Testing a medicine information needs identification tool (MINI‐Q) with hospital inpatients in New Zealand.
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Aspden, Trudi, Honey, Michelle, Sneyd, Sarah, Brackley, Kim, Cavadino, Alana, Chang, Rosalie, and Chan, Amy HY
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HOSPITALS , *HOSPITAL patients , *RESEARCH methodology evaluation , *CROSS-sectional method , *QUANTITATIVE research , *HEALTH literacy , *SURVEYS , *DESCRIPTIVE statistics , *QUESTIONNAIRES , *RESEARCH funding , *PHARMACY information services - Abstract
Background: Determining an individual's medicines information preferences and needs could enable health professionals to deliver more effective medicines information and help build patients' health literacy and ability to self‐manage their health. Aim: This descriptive, cross‐sectional study aimed to test a new information needs assessment tool, the Medicine Information Needs for Individuals – Questionnaire (MINI‐Q), which elicits what individuals want to know about their medicines. This study aimed to explore the face validity, acceptability, and feasibility of using the tool in a hospital inpatient setting. Method: Ethical approval was obtained from Health and Disability Ethics Committees (Reference no: 18/NTA/137). Following ethical approval, adult hospital inpatients from two service divisions in one large urban hospital in New Zealand were invited to self‐assess their medicines information needs using the 23‐item MINI‐Q via a tablet or on paper. Descriptive statistics were generated from the quantitative data and responses to a free‐text question were inductively analysed. Results: The MINI‐Q was completed by 228 inpatients, 137 (60%) of whom used a tablet. Participants requested information on 80.6% of the possible topics. The most common topic that participants wanted information about was possible side effects (92%). No additional topics to include in the MINI‐Q were identified from the free‐text responses. The median completion time of the tablet version was 9.2 min (interquartile range 6.7–14.6). Conclusion: The MINI‐Q shows promise to efficiently identify an individual's medicines information needs in an inpatient setting. The findings reinforce that most people want to know all the basic information about their medicines, with side effects being particularly important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2023
- Full Text
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