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Education for sustainable development in universities is shaping the agenda in this area, demanding continuous improvement in quality. There is a trend towards integrating sustainability issues and the implementation of sustainable development goals into higher education. Universities responsible for educating SD professionals must teach knowledge and develop skills in line with the SDGs. However, there is insufficient attention to this in educational programs; more often it is implemented through disparate initiatives. The article presents research conducted in universities in the countries of Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan), South Caucasus (Georgia, Armenia) and the European Union (Italy, Bulgaria, Poland). The awareness of students and teachers about the SDGs, the problems of implementing SD were assessed, and ways to solve these problems were analyzed. Countries were divided into clusters for comparative analysis. The results show that students generally have limited knowledge about the global sustainable development goals, while teachers have a higher level of awareness. The article examines the contribution of education to raising students' awareness in the countries studied and their attitudes towards integrating sustainability into the curriculum. The questionnaire showed that the educational intervention significantly influences students' intention to engage in sustainability. Overall, students demonstrate positive attitudes towards incorporating sustainability issues into their education. The results of a study conducted in higher education institutions in Central Asia, South Caucasus and the European Union showed that students are generally unaware of the sustainable development goals, their information received through the Internet, media and university studies is insignificant, while teachers are better informed. Students and teachers expressed the greatest concern about environmental, social and economic problems. At the same time, students of engineering, technical and medical fields are more informed about the SDGs compared to pedagogical and socio-humanitarian fields. To increase awareness, universities are encouraged to integrate sustainability education into various disciplines, conduct seminars, round tables, promote student participation in projects and research, and promote international cooperation and knowledge sharing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: A significant proportion of breast cancer cases are hereditary and are potentially preventable. However, adoption of the preventive measures remains a significant challenge, particularly because of to lack of knowledge and awareness in low- to middle-income countries. Methods: This prospective study conducted at a high-volume tertiary care cancer center in North India to assess the knowledge, awareness, and attitudes of female breast cancer patients and impact of a brief educational intervention. The study involved three phases: pre-interventional assessment, educational intervention, and post-interventional assessment utilizing a structured questionnaire. Results: The study involved 300 newly diagnosed breast cancer patients; 16.7% were familial. At the outset, 87.0% patients had low knowledge of risk factors, 90.3% about screening, and 32.7% about treatment. Awareness levels were low: 13.7% aware of familial risk and 2.7% of breast cancer genes. Affordability of genetic testing was low (15.2%), and interest in testing for self and family members was limited (32.0% and 26.3%). Following educational intervention, a significant positive percentage change was noticed in knowledge (risk factors: 12.8%, screening: 36.2%, treatment: 82%), awareness (familial risk: 66.7%, BRCA gene: 12.3%), and attitude (testing for self: 17.8%, family: 19.5%). Conclusions: This study highlights the significant knowledge gaps among breast cancer patients regarding genetics. The educational intervention led to notable improvements in knowledge, awareness, and attitudes, underscoring the importance of tailored patient education in breast cancer care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children's preschool years are crucial for the development of computational thinking (CT) skills. However, debate continues regarding whether CT should be developed through plugged-in or unplugged activities. This study investigated the similarities and differences between plugged-in and unplugged activities with similar learning content and assessment methods for cultivating computational thinking (CT) in young children. Twenty-four young children (aged 5–6 years) from a kindergarten in Foshan, China, were randomly assigned to either the plugged-in or unplugged group to participate in a five-week study. In the plugged-in group, Dodobot was used in the classroom, while in the unplugged group, unplugged materials such as paper, pencil and tangram puzzles were used. Research results indicate that 1) both plugged-in and unplugged activities significantly improved the young children's CT skills after a short-term educational intervention, but there were no significant differences between the two groups; 2) the extent to which the plugged-in and unplugged activities promoted subdimensions of CT was different, with the plugged-in group demonstrating significant improvements in hardware, algorithm, and modularity and the unplugged group demonstrating significant improvements in terms of representation; 3) the children from both the plugged-in and unplugged groups showed high motivation; And 4) the children in both the plugged-in and unplugged groups showed cooperative behaviors. The frequency of cooperative behavior was more related to materials, and cooperation quality was more related to teacher guidance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This systematic literature review summarises the research into interventions intended to improve the wellbeing of educators in the early childhood to secondary sectors. A search of articles published between 2000 and 2020 yielded 23 articles that met our inclusion criteria. Studies were included if they collected quantitative or qualitative data about educator wellbeing pre-intervention and post-intervention from the same group(s) of educators. We classified articles into five categories based on their content: multi-foci (several content areas included in a program), mindfulness, gratitude, professional development (classroom practice oriented), and physical environment. The articles revealed wide variations in: wellbeing theories underpinning interventions, the phenomena measured, and the effectiveness of the interventions. In some studies wellbeing was conceptualised as the absence of negative states (such as stress), in other studies to the presence of positive states (such as satisfaction), and in a few studies as the combination of both these approaches. Some of the gaps noted across the research include the lack of attention to the role of the school climate in determining the success of an intervention, and the lack of analysis to explore whether interventions work better for some individuals than others (for example, a lack of reporting of the characteristics of participants who drop out of the interventions). Overall, the multi-foci interventions show the most promise for improving educator wellbeing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chinese young adults (CYA), who are at an increasing risk of developing nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which in turn increases the risk of liver cancer, are an ideal target population to deliver educational interventions to improve their awareness and knowledge of NAFLD and consequently reduce their risk of developing NAFLD. The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of two interventions to improve awareness and knowledge of NAFLD among CYA for the prevention of liver cancer. Between May and July 2021, 1373 undergraduate students aged 18 to 25 years in one university in China completed a web-based, self-administered survey distributed through WeChat app. One week after completion of the baseline survey, all eligible participants were randomly assigned to a pamphlet, a video intervention, or no intervention (control group), with follow-up assessments immediately and 1-month post-intervention. The 7-page pamphlet or 6.5-min video had information on NAFLD. Self-assessments included NAFLD awareness, lean NAFLD awareness, and knowledge scores of NAFLD. About 26% of participants had NAFLD awareness at baseline. Compared with controls, participants in both interventions showed significant improvement of awareness of NAFLD (pamphlet, + 46.0%; video, + 44.3%; control, + 18.7%; OR [95% CI], 3.13 [2.19–4.47] and 2.84 [1.98–4.08]), awareness of lean NAFLD (pamphlet, + 41.2%; video, + 43.0%; control, + 14.5%; OR [95% CI], 2.84 [1.62–4.99] and 2.61 [1.50–4.54]), and knowledge score of NAFLD (pamphlet, + 64.2%; video, + 68.9%; control, − 1.0%; OR [95% CI], 1.62 [1.47–1.80] and 1.67 [1.50–1.86]) at immediately post-intervention. Delivering NAFLD education through a pamphlet or video intervention was effective in improving the awareness and knowledge of NAFLD among CYA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Lack of awareness about chronic kidney disease is prevalent and disrupts glycaemic control. In Saudi Arabia many authors highlighted the problem and called for educational interventions to be designed. Our study is the first to address this issue in Saudi Arabia and evaluate a brief educator-led educational intervention in terms of boosting awareness about and knowledge of chronic kidney disease among type two diabetes patients. Method: This was an educational interventional investigation of patients with type two attending diabetes clinic in Taif, Saudi Arabia. The effect of a brief educational intervention focused on awareness about chronic kidney disease was assessed using chronic kidney disease knowledge scale before and after the intervention. Results: We included (n = 100) type two diabetes patients. We estimated good reliability and internal consistency for the knowledge score (Cronbach's alpha was 0.79). Following the educational session, awareness about chronic kidney disease rose from 77 to 100% and knowledge score increased form 7.6 points at baseline to a 15.2 points; paired t value = 15.984, p < 0.00001). Improvement in awareness of chronic kidney disease was associated with being in employment, female sex, and shorter diabetes duration. Conclusion: Brief educational intervention among patients with type two diabetes in Saudi Arabia leads to substantial improvement in awareness of and knowledge about chronic kidney disease. All items related to knowledge about chronic kidney disease improved substantially following educational intervention. It is recommended that all patients attending diabetes clinics receive focused education about chronic kidney disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maker education can enhance learners' creativity. Design thinking can facilitate the innovative resolution of complex problems. The design thinking literature and most maker teaching modes are limited in their promotion of learning and ability development in various dimensions. Learners have stereotypes about some professions; interventions can help change these stereotypes. This research used quantitative and qualitative analyses to determine the impacts of the design thinking–maker education intervention on primary school students to prove its effectiveness in improving the learners' academic level and in developing their creative tendencies, and whether the design thinking–maker education intervention can help change the learners' stereotypes of engineers. Herein, 136 Year 4 students took a course called Movement of Objects. Traditional instruction and a design thinking-maker education intervention were applied to the control and experimental groups (n = 68 each), respectively. All students underwent an academic pretest and posttest. Stereotypes of engineers were examined through the Draw-an-Engineer Test (DAET). Creative tendencies were investigated through a pretest and posttest questionnaire. Interviews were conducted to obtain course feedback and information on the participants' perceptions of engineers. The significant between-group difference in preexisting knowledge disappeared on the posttest, and the experimental group exhibited a more significant improvement in their academic level (p < 0.01) than did the control group (p < 0.05). Regarding creative tendencies, significant pretest–posttest differences in adventure, curiosity, imagination, and the total score were observed in the experimental group. On the posttest of the DAET, the control group depicted significantly less facial hair but significantly more helmets and symbols of research and knowledge, whereas the experimental group depicted significantly less facial hair but significantly more helmets, symbols, and relevant captions. The design thinking–maker education intervention improved the learners' academic performance, developed their creative tendencies, and changed their stereotypes of engineers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children in out-of-home care persistently show poorer educational and developmental outcomes than their peers. This study investigates the effect of the comprehensive educational intervention, "LUKoP," in a randomized controlled trial, compared to treatment-as-usual (TAU). Outcome measures included reading and math abilities, IQ and executive function, learning skills, and psychosocial functioning. One hundred foster children (66% female) aged 6–14 (M = 10.5, SD = 2.1) from 80 regular schools participated in the study. We applied a fixed-effects regression analysis. Regardless of group allocation, the children demonstrated significant progress in cognitive development, including IQ (ES = 0.40, p <.001), verbal comprehension (ES = 0.29, p =.02), and perceptual reasoning (ES = 0.60, p <.001) over time. The children who received the LUKoP intervention also had a significant increase in word-reading speed (ES = 0.21, p =.02) and a significant additional gain in IQ (ES = 0.34, p =.02) and verbal comprehension (ES = 0.41, p =.03), compared to TAU. No significant effect was found on the other outcome measures for either the TAU group (ES range = − 0.13 to 0.47, p >.05) or the LUKoP group (ES range = − 0.15 to 0.42, p >.05). We found no compelling evidence that the LUKoP intervention gives overall benefit to academic achievement; however, LUKoP demonstrated a greater effect on cognitive abilities than TAU. The findings and future directions for educational interventions for children in out-of-home care are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dog "aggression" in the veterinary practice is commonplace. Therefore, student knowledge and education about dog behaviour and the ability to interpret "aggressive" behaviour is important from a human injury prevention and dog welfare perspective. The study aimed to compare first-year veterinary students' perceived safest proximity to both an "aggressive" and non-reactive simulated dog, both before and after a teaching intervention about canine behaviour and a handling practical. It also examined student confidence and their ability to identify "aggressive" behaviours. Forty first year veterinary students took part in two surveys. Each survey included two videos: one of a simulated dog displaying "aggressive" behaviour, based on the 'Canine Ladder of Aggression'; and another displaying non-reactive (passive behaviours without reaction to the participants) behaviours. Each video depicted the slow and consistent approach towards the virtual dog within a virtual indoor environment, and participants were asked to press stop if or when they would stop approaching the dog. In the "aggressive" scenario, there was a reduction in the approach-stop time from survey 1 (median = 17.8 s) to survey 2 (median = 15.2 s) in the intervention group (p = 0.018) but not in the control group (p = 0.147). Regarding confidence, there was a significant increase in the self-reported confidence rating relating to a participant's ability to interpret canine behaviour in both the control (p = 0.011) and intervention (p = 0.003). In conclusion, these results indicate that students using approach-stop videos stayed further away from an "aggressive" virtual dog model if they had undertaken a canine behaviour educational intervention. This novel approach has the potential for further use in teaching and assessment of student knowledge and behaviour which may otherwise be difficult to demonstrate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teachers' ability to accurately judge difficulties of mathematical tasks is an essential aspect of their diagnostic competencies. Although research has suggested that pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) is positively correlated with the accuracy of diagnostic judgments, experimental studies have not been conducted to investigate how PCK affects perception and interpretation of relevant task characteristics. In an intervention study with a control group, 49 prospective mathematics teachers judged the difficulty of 20 tasks involving functions and graphs while an eye tracker tracked their eye movements. Some of the tasks included characteristics well known to be difficult for students. Participants' domain-specific PCK of typical student errors was manipulated through a three-hour intervention, during which they learned about the most common student errors in function and graph problems. We found that the process of perception (relative fixation duration on the relevant area in the tasks) was related to judgment accuracy. Pre-post comparisons revealed an effect of the intervention not only on participants' domain-specific PCK of typical student errors but also on their perception and interpretation processes. This result suggests that domain-specific PCK of typical student errors allowed participants to focus more efficiently on relevant task characteristics when judging mathematical task difficulties. Our study contributes to our understanding of how professional knowledge makes teachers' judgment processes of mathematical tasks more efficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The 2018 American Heart Association (AHA)/American College of Cardiology (ACC)/Multisociety blood cholesterol guidelines recommend clinicians consider adding non-statin therapy for patients with very high-risk (VHR) atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) ≥ 70 mg/dl while receiving maximally tolerated statins. However, according to a recent study, only 17.1% of patients with established ASCVD received appropriate lipid-lowering therapy (LLT) intensification. Here, we describe the design of a prospective, 12-month study (LOGAN-CV) evaluating a multifaceted site-level intervention to enhance clinicians' adherence to guidelines to improve LDL-C levels for patients with VHR ASCVD. Methods: Clinicians from up to ten research sites are eligible if they care for adult patients with ASCVD. Interventions include educational modules, a cloud-based performance platform providing clinicians a tailored summary of their LDL-C management performance, newsletters, periodic peer-to-peer calls, and pre- and post-intervention surveys evaluating knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs around LDL-C management, with additional interventions for clinicians demonstrating a lower readiness to make treatment decisions based on guideline recommendations. Patients with VHR ASCVD, defined as having recent myocardial infarction and LDL-C ≥ 70 mg/dl despite statin treatment, will be included in the study. Patient data will be collected from electronic medical records from baseline (clinician enrollment) through the 12-month intervention. The study started in October 2022, with anticipated completion in March 2024. Planned Outcomes: The change in proportion of patients with LDL-C < 70 mg/dl achieved at any time during the 12-month intervention (primary); LLT intensification, changes in guideline-aligned LDL-C testing and LLT titration over 12 months, and change in overall clinicians' knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs are key outcomes of interest. The LOGAN-CV study addresses a critical unmet need in LDL-C control in patients with VHR ASCVD and evaluates the effect of a multifaceted intervention targeting clinicians to improve their adherence to guidelines and consequently improve clinical outcomes for patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The causality bias, or causal illusion, occurs when people believe that there is a causal relationship between events that are actually uncorrelated. This bias is associated with many problems in everyday life, including pseudoscience, stereotypes, prejudices, and ideological extremism. Some evidence-based educational interventions have been developed to reduce causal illusions. To the best of our knowledge, these interventions have included a bias induction phase prior to the training phase, but the role of this bias induction phase has not yet been investigated. The aim of the present research was to examine it. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups (induction + training, training, and control, as a function of the phases they received before assessment). We evaluated their causal illusion using a standard contingency judgment task. In a null contingency scenario, the causal illusion was reduced in the training and induction-training groups as compared to the control group, suggesting that the intervention was effective regardless of whether or not the induction phase was included. In addition, in a positive contingency scenario, the induction + training group generated lower causal judgments than the control group, indicating that sometimes the induction phase may produce an increase in general skepticism. The raw data of this experiment are available at the Open Science Framework at https://osf.io/k9nes/ [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research indicates that students' interest in science decreases during their school years. To counteract this, a quasi-experimental instructional intervention was designed in which we addressed students' leisure interests to foster their (situational) interest in physics. Students in the intervention group got the opportunity to choose topics matching their leisure interests (e.g. sports, music) and were encouraged to reflect on and discuss the application of principles of semiconductor physics to those topics throughout the intervention with a duration over 11 lessons. The intervention group consisted of 60 students from German high-track schools; another 55 students comprised the control group. The results of a MANCOVA analysis indicate that the instructional intervention succeeded in triggering students' catch and hold component of situational interest during all four phases of the lesson series. Furthermore, behavioural disengagement developed more positively for students in the intervention group, while no significant effects were found for their behavioural engagement, their interest in physics-related activities in leisure or their general interest in physics classes in school. The results suggest that addressing students' leisure interests in physics classes can promote their situational interest and reduce their behavioural disengagement in physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Executive functions are critical decision-making capabilities that depend on the integrity of the prefrontal cortex. This cortical region and its dependent functions are in full development and formation during adolescence. Therefore, cognitive and educational interventions have the potential to influence the development of executive functions during this evolutionary period. We aimed to explore the effects of cognitive reflection versus typical educational interventions on executive functions in teenage students. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three interventions: cognitive reflection group (CRG), educational task group (ETG), non-intervention group (NIG). Cognitive reflection tasks, typical school tasks, and no added educational intervention, were the respective interventions in each group. The neuropsychological battery of executive functions and frontal lobes (BANFE), which allows for the evaluation of executive functions dependent on specific prefrontal regions, was used in this study. Scores in general executive functions and scores related to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPF) were increased after the intervention in all groups, except in the ETG. However, when functions typically associated with the anterior prefrontal cortex (APF) were analyzed separately, the post-intervention scores significantly increased only in the ETG group. These findings suggest that certain educational interventions can interfere with those executive functions related to the DLPF but they can improve the APF-dependent executive functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cognitive and behavioral deficits associated with air pollution exposure may have far-reaching negative effects on children's scholastic achievement. Moreover, air pollution may be conditioning the success of educational investments that support students who face greatest levels of societal adversity. This study examined the direct main effects of cumulative neurotoxicological exposure on annual reading improvement. We also tested the statistical interaction (i.e., moderation) of neurotoxicological exposure and academic intervention sessions on annual reading improvement for a large sample of ethnic minority (95%) elementary school children (n = 6080, k-6th grade) enrolled in a standard literacy enrichment program. These children were all behind grade level in reading and attended predominantly low-income schools (n = 85) in urban settings across the state of California. Multi-level modeling assessments accounted for random effects associated with school and neighborhood environments, and incorporated extensive individual, school, and community level covariates. Findings show individual elementary students of color to progress less in reading when exposed to greater accumulations of neurotoxin air pollution in their home and school environments, with the average deficit equivalent to 1.5 weeks of learning delay per year. Findings also show neurotoxicological exposure to diminish the efficacy of literacy intervention sessions received on reading improvement throughout the school year. Results suggest that pollution abatement can be a salient strategy to help bridge the child educational achievement gap. In addition to several methodological strengths, this study is one of the first to show that ambient pollution can undermine program efficacy of a literacy enrichment program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drug use is one of the main issues related to students' health, which can be prevented through education in schools. The aim of this study was to apply the theory of planned behavior in improving substance abuse prevention behaviors in high school male students done. This study was done in two stages: Phase I of this study, the descriptive-analytic and cross-sectional study was conducted in 2018 to examine the determinants and predictors of drug abuse based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB) on 220 Male High School Students in Fasa city, Fars province, Iran. In the second stage, according to the results of the cross-sectional study, interventional study was conducted on 100 Male High School Students (50 in the experimental group and 50 in the control group) in 2019. The educational interference was done for the experimental group for 8 sessions (60–55 min each) at weekly intervals based TPB. Data was collected using a questionnaire containing demographic information and the theory of planned behavior constructs in before and three months after intervention. The constructs of TPB predicted 31.4% of behavioral intention. The results indicated that there was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, substance abuse prevention intention and behavior in before the educational intervention. However, three months after the intervention, the experimental group showed a significant increase in each of the mentioned constructs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Over the past few years, diverse forms of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) intervention have been designed, demonstrating their beneficial implications on students' cognitive and affective domains. This study aims to systematically review the development of STEM education intervention on secondary education through the application of the innovative CiteSpace software and an in-depth systematic analysis. This complementary review provides an overview of visualised citations and empirical studies in chronological order as well as an in-depth analysis of STEM education intervention, which has not been conducted in previous research. The largest seven clusters and top 10 references with strongest citation bursts over the past 20 years were identified via CiteSpace analysis. A total of 38 articles were selected and cross-examined by the co-researchers based on the adapted systematic review guide, specifically aiming at ensuring the quality of the study. The findings revealed a number of studies that designed their own STEM intervention (20), reported on understanding (16), attitude (30), and investigated the gender aspect (4) as well as the science practices (11). The findings also provided significant insights into the STEM education trend with an existing evidence base as reference for future STEM education research and development. In conclusion, this study presents the practicality and feasibility of using CiteSpace analysis in a systematic review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digitally mediated touch is an emerging and significant area for technology and therefore for design and design education. However, the design of digital touch is a challenge, especially for novice designers, compounded by low awareness and understanding of the sociality of touch and the complexity of communicating felt sensations. This paper presents a qualitative study of a two-part educational intervention on the design of digital touch using a design-based research methodology. Findings are presented and discussed on the design challenges faced by novice designers in relation to touch and digital touch (the focus of part one of the intervention) and the development and piloting of the Designing Digital Touch (DDT) toolkit (the outcome of part two). The paper discusses how the toolkit can be used to foster and support novice designers to respond to the future facing complexity of digital touch design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose of Review: Despite advancements in medical and surgical therapies, many people with epilepsy continue to have seizures or have other comorbidities impacting their wellbeing. Self-management interventions have been shown to benefit people with other chronic diseases, and this review will examine the increasing evidence for a role of self-care as part of comprehensive, patient-centered epilepsy management. This will be a practical overview of self-care interventions for clinical practice. Recent Findings: There are a variety of self-management support programs which provide structured educational or psychosocial therapy interventions for people with epilepsy. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) supports the Managing Epilepsy Well (MEW) Network, which has developed evidence-based programs with different focuses and goals. Progressive muscle relaxation training, mindfulness-based therapy, and structured physical activity have demonstrated decreased seizure frequency in randomized control trials. Other self-care interventions, such as healthcare software, devices, seizure dogs, and complementary medicine, are commonly used with limited evidence. Low carbohydrate diets remain an effective treatment option for some with epilepsy. Summary: There are many interventions which can be used to promote health and to develop disease management skills for people with epilepsy, and it is important for providers to be aware of how they can support essential self-care for their patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction/objectives: Overuse of antinuclear antibody (ANA) tests leads to increased costs, false positives, and unnecessary treatments. This study evaluated ANA overuse in internal medicine and neurology departments and assessed the impact of an educational intervention.This quality improvement educational intervention study examined ANA test overuse in five internal medicine departments and one neurology department at a university-affiliated medical center. The educational intervention included a session focusing on ANA testing appropriateness. Outcome measures comprised the ANA/new patient ratio (APR) and the percentage of positive ANA test results. Outcomes were compared between the pre- and post-intervention periods (both 6 months).The intervention took place in December 2021. The APR decreased from 43% in the pre-educational intervention period to 27% in the post-intervention period in the neurology department (odds ratio [OR] 0.49, confidence interval [95% CI] 0.37–0.63, P < 0.0001) and from 2.6% to 2.2% in the internal medicine departments (OR 0.89, 95% CI 0.73–1.10, P = 0.28). The percentage of positive ANA tests increased from 43% pre-intervention to 53% in the post-intervention period (OR 1.49, 95% CI 0.90–2.46, P = 0.12) in the neurology department and from 48% to 59% (OR 1.56, 95% CI 0.99–2.44, P = 0.0543) in the internal medicine departments.A simple educational intervention reduced unnecessary ANA testing in the neurology department but not in internal medicine departments, improving patient selection and potential cost savings. The results underscore the importance of targeted education to promote evidence-based behavior among healthcare professionals. Further research with longer follow-up is needed to assess the sustainability of these improvements.Key Points• This study presents a quality improvement intervention to prevent the overuse of ANA testing in non-rheumatologist physicians.• A straightforward educational intervention effectively reduced unnecessary ANA testing and improved patient selection, following the Choosing Wisely campaign.• This educational intervention can be adapted and applied in various clinical settings to address the overuse of diagnostic tests, benefiting a wide range of healthcare professionals.Method: Overuse of antinuclear antibody (ANA) tests leads to increased costs, false positives, and unnecessary treatments. This study evaluated ANA overuse in internal medicine and neurology departments and assessed the impact of an educational intervention.This quality improvement educational intervention study examined ANA test overuse in five internal medicine departments and one neurology department at a university-affiliated medical center. The educational intervention included a session focusing on ANA testing appropriateness. Outcome measures comprised the ANA/new patient ratio (APR) and the percentage of positive ANA test results. Outcomes were compared between the pre- and post-intervention periods (both 6 months).The intervention took place in December 2021. The APR decreased from 43% in the pre-educational intervention period to 27% in the post-intervention period in the neurology department (odds ratio [OR] 0.49, confidence interval [95% CI] 0.37–0.63, P < 0.0001) and from 2.6% to 2.2% in the internal medicine departments (OR 0.89, 95% CI 0.73–1.10, P = 0.28). The percentage of positive ANA tests increased from 43% pre-intervention to 53% in the post-intervention period (OR 1.49, 95% CI 0.90–2.46, P = 0.12) in the neurology department and from 48% to 59% (OR 1.56, 95% CI 0.99–2.44, P = 0.0543) in the internal medicine departments.A simple educational intervention reduced unnecessary ANA testing in the neurology department but not in internal medicine departments, improving patient selection and potential cost savings. The results underscore the importance of targeted education to promote evidence-based behavior among healthcare professionals. Further research with longer follow-up is needed to assess the sustainability of these improvements.Key Points• This study presents a quality improvement intervention to prevent the overuse of ANA testing in non-rheumatologist physicians.• A straightforward educational intervention effectively reduced unnecessary ANA testing and improved patient selection, following the Choosing Wisely campaign.• This educational intervention can be adapted and applied in various clinical settings to address the overuse of diagnostic tests, benefiting a wide range of healthcare professionals.Results: Overuse of antinuclear antibody (ANA) tests leads to increased costs, false positives, and unnecessary treatments. This study evaluated ANA overuse in internal medicine and neurology departments and assessed the impact of an educational intervention.This quality improvement educational intervention study examined ANA test overuse in five internal medicine departments and one neurology department at a university-affiliated medical center. The educational intervention included a session focusing on ANA testing appropriateness. Outcome measures comprised the ANA/new patient ratio (APR) and the percentage of positive ANA test results. Outcomes were compared between the pre- and post-intervention periods (both 6 months).The intervention took place in December 2021. The APR decreased from 43% in the pre-educational intervention period to 27% in the post-intervention period in the neurology department (odds ratio [OR] 0.49, confidence interval [95% CI] 0.37–0.63, P < 0.0001) and from 2.6% to 2.2% in the internal medicine departments (OR 0.89, 95% CI 0.73–1.10, P = 0.28). The percentage of positive ANA tests increased from 43% pre-intervention to 53% in the post-intervention period (OR 1.49, 95% CI 0.90–2.46, P = 0.12) in the neurology department and from 48% to 59% (OR 1.56, 95% CI 0.99–2.44, P = 0.0543) in the internal medicine departments.A simple educational intervention reduced unnecessary ANA testing in the neurology department but not in internal medicine departments, improving patient selection and potential cost savings. The results underscore the importance of targeted education to promote evidence-based behavior among healthcare professionals. Further research with longer follow-up is needed to assess the sustainability of these improvements.Key Points• This study presents a quality improvement intervention to prevent the overuse of ANA testing in non-rheumatologist physicians.• A straightforward educational intervention effectively reduced unnecessary ANA testing and improved patient selection, following the Choosing Wisely campaign.• This educational intervention can be adapted and applied in various clinical settings to address the overuse of diagnostic tests, benefiting a wide range of healthcare professionals.Conclusion: Overuse of antinuclear antibody (ANA) tests leads to increased costs, false positives, and unnecessary treatments. This study evaluated ANA overuse in internal medicine and neurology departments and assessed the impact of an educational intervention.This quality improvement educational intervention study examined ANA test overuse in five internal medicine departments and one neurology department at a university-affiliated medical center. The educational intervention included a session focusing on ANA testing appropriateness. Outcome measures comprised the ANA/new patient ratio (APR) and the percentage of positive ANA test results. Outcomes were compared between the pre- and post-intervention periods (both 6 months).The intervention took place in December 2021. The APR decreased from 43% in the pre-educational intervention period to 27% in the post-intervention period in the neurology department (odds ratio [OR] 0.49, confidence interval [95% CI] 0.37–0.63, P < 0.0001) and from 2.6% to 2.2% in the internal medicine departments (OR 0.89, 95% CI 0.73–1.10, P = 0.28). The percentage of positive ANA tests increased from 43% pre-intervention to 53% in the post-intervention period (OR 1.49, 95% CI 0.90–2.46, P = 0.12) in the neurology department and from 48% to 59% (OR 1.56, 95% CI 0.99–2.44, P = 0.0543) in the internal medicine departments.A simple educational intervention reduced unnecessary ANA testing in the neurology department but not in internal medicine departments, improving patient selection and potential cost savings. The results underscore the importance of targeted education to promote evidence-based behavior among healthcare professionals. Further research with longer follow-up is needed to assess the sustainability of these improvements.Key Points• This study presents a quality improvement intervention to prevent the overuse of ANA testing in non-rheumatologist physicians.• A straightforward educational intervention effectively reduced unnecessary ANA testing and improved patient selection, following the Choosing Wisely campaign.• This educational intervention can be adapted and applied in various clinical settings to address the overuse of diagnostic tests, benefiting a wide range of healthcare professionals.Overuse of antinuclear antibody (ANA) tests leads to increased costs, false positives, and unnecessary treatments. This study evaluated ANA overuse in internal medicine and neurology departments and assessed the impact of an educational intervention.This quality improvement educational intervention study examined ANA test overuse in five internal medicine departments and one neurology department at a university-affiliated medical center. The educational intervention included a session focusing on ANA testing appropriateness. Outcome measures comprised the ANA/new patient ratio (APR) and the percentage of positive ANA test results. Outcomes were compared between the pre- and post-intervention periods (both 6 months).The intervention took place in December 2021. The APR decreased from 43% in the pre-educational intervention period to 27% in the post-intervention period in the neurology department (odds ratio [OR] 0.49, confidence interval [95% CI] 0.37–0.63, P < 0.0001) and from 2.6% to 2.2% in the internal medicine departments (OR 0.89, 95% CI 0.73–1.10, P = 0.28). The percentage of positive ANA tests increased from 43% pre-intervention to 53% in the post-intervention period (OR 1.49, 95% CI 0.90–2.46, P = 0.12) in the neurology department and from 48% to 59% (OR 1.56, 95% CI 0.99–2.44, P = 0.0543) in the internal medicine departments.A simple educational intervention reduced unnecessary ANA testing in the neurology department but not in internal medicine departments, improving patient selection and potential cost savings. The results underscore the importance of targeted education to promote evidence-based behavior among healthcare professionals. Further research with longer follow-up is needed to assess the sustainability of these improvements.Key Points• This study presents a quality improvement intervention to prevent the overuse of ANA testing in non-rheumatologist physicians.• A straightforward educational intervention effectively reduced unnecessary ANA testing and improved patient selection, following the Choosing Wisely campaign.• This educational intervention can be adapted and applied in various clinical settings to address the overuse of diagnostic tests, benefiting a wide range of healthcare professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The blended synchronous classroom fosters equitable and balanced educational development; however, challenges persist, including low motivation and suboptimal effects on the deep learning of remote students. This study employs a student-centered learning approach and incorporates the process-oriented guided inquiry learning (POGIL) strategy into the blended synchronous science classroom. In this study, 182 fourth-grade students from four primary classes in south China were allocated using a quasi-experimental approach; among these four classes, one class from the urban area (proximal end) and one from the remote area (remote end) were paired, forming two matched classes, which constituted experimental group and control group. The experimental group took POGIL instruction, while the control group took traditional synchronous classroom instruction. The results indicated that students in classes using the POGIL intervention scored significantly higher than those in non-POGIL classes and that the POGIL instructional intervention not only facilitated the learning of science knowledge of the remote students but also promoted proximal students’ learning of science knowledge. In terms of deep learning, remote students in the POGIL class demonstrated significantly higher abilities in problem-solving, collaboration, communication, autonomous learning, self-efficacy, and perseverance in learning. Students expressed satisfaction with this instructional strategy. This paper discusses the effectiveness of applying the POGIL instructional strategy in teaching and technology support in the blended synchronous science classroom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of persuasion has become ubiquitous within digital technologies to maximize revenue, gather users’ personal data, and increase engagement. However, literature has highlighted the phenomenon of dark designs which influence users into acting against their best interests. It has been argued that to address the issue of dark designs in the digital context, there is a need to integrate formal ethics education within design pedagogy and practice. Recent years have seen the introduction of ethics in university level curriculums, but there are few reports of integrating ethics within school education. To address this gap, we developed an educational module on persuasive digital design with integrated content on ethics for Class IX school students. This module was introduced to 419 students enrolled in five public schools in Delhi (India) as part of an introductory digital design course. Two classroom activities were conducted to observe the impact of this educational intervention. In the first activity, it was observed how the impact of ethics education reflected in students’ design outcomes. In the second activity, it was found that students became more critical in their normative assessments of designs after being introduced to ethical concerns. The findings show that ethics education integrated within digital design curriculums can cultivate ethics sensitivity. We discuss the implications of these findings for the development of ethics-focused design pedagogy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cancer-related fatigue, physical changes, and pain are among the most troublesome symptoms caused by breast cancer treatment and influence the patients' quality of life. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of mobile health educational intervention on body image and fatigue in breast cancer survivors. Methods: The present clinical trial study conducted on 38 women with breast cancer referred to Golestan and Shahid Baghaei 2 hospitals, Ahvaz, south west Iran in 2018–2019. Patients were randomly assigned into two intervention group, and control groups on 1:1 basis. Data collection tool included three parts: cancer fatigue scale, body image concern inventory, and demographic information. Text messages sent to intervention group via WhatsApp messenger for 7 weeks on a daily schedule. The control group did not receive any messages. Data were analyzed using SPSS Version 23.0. Results: The mean age of participants was 46.34 ± 9.96. The mean score of cancer fatigue scale after the intervention in the intervention group was decreased significantly (p = 0.005), but no statistically significant difference was observed in the control group. There was a significant difference in the mean score of body image concern inventory in the intervention group (p = 0.002) after the intervention compared with the control group. Conclusion: Mobile health educational intervention improved cancer-related fatigue and body image among women breast cancer survivors. The integration of education for the management of fatigue and body image disturbance as part of routine care among breast cancer survivors is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Academic self-efficacy, self-esteem, and grit (i.e., perseverance of effort and consistency of interests) have all separately shown to predict academic success within traditional education. In higher online education, information on these relationships is lacking, while this group of learners is growing in size and importance. We therefore investigated the total as well as the unique predictive value of academic self-efficacy, self-esteem, and grit on academic success in higher online education. Moreover, mediation effects were investigated. Students of a higher online education university in the Netherlands participated (N = 2027, age 18–80 years) in this observational study. Participants filled out online questionnaires on the variables of interest and potential confounding variables at baseline. Academic success was measured objectively through information provided by the exam registration office and operationalized in three variables: exam attempt, study progress, and academic performance. Logistic regression analyses showed that consistency of interests significantly predicted exam attempt (B =.43, p <.001). Generalized multiple linear regression analyses with negative binomial distribution showed that consistency of interests was a significant predictor of study progress (B =.16, p <.001). Mixed model analyses revealed no significant predictors for academic performance (ps >.06). The fact that of our three predictors solely consistency of interests was found to be predictive for academic success indicates that online educational institutes should pay attention to consistency of interests of their students to improve the academic success rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This randomized controlled trial (RCT) with pretest-posttest design addressed the effect of a theory of planned behavior (TPB) based educational intervention on divorce petition withdrawal. The study population consisted of 140 couples applying for divorce in a judiciary counseling center in Yazd, Iran. Participants were assigned to two groups with 70 individuals in each. The intervention included four educational sessions in which TPB based contents were presented. The data were analyzed by using chi-squared test and covariance analysis. There was no significant difference in demographic characteristics between the two groups. The mean behavioral intention scores after the intervention decreased among the intervention group whereas no significant changes were detected among the control group. Posttest differences were significant.19.3% of the covariance in posttest scores was explained by the educational intervention (p < 0.01). Subjective norms and attitude toward divorce decreased only among the intervention group whereas perceived behavioral control scores did not change among both groups. However, no significant difference at the posttest was observed in mean attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control scores between the two groups. Education can affect the intention of couples toward divorce petition. More appropriate educational protocols can be developed for couples in counseling centers by planning for and making necessary coordination with the judiciary; TPB can provide more opportunities for divorce applicants to help them make more informed decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to assess the effect of an educational intervention for preparing close-to-retirement employees for their retirement. This randomized pre/post interventional study was conducted among 140 employees of Kerman University of Medical Sciences. The 70 employees in the intervention group were educated in four 4 h sessions, including health, leisure time, and financial needs. The instrument used was the Retirement Syndrome Questionnaire. Findings show that feelings of helplessness and failure and oldness and idleness significantly decreased after the educational intervention, and feelings of effort and a new direction significantly increased. The educational intervention led to the improvement of retirement syndrome in the studied population. Therefore, to help them adjust to retirement, it is essential to consider retirees' challenges and increase their awareness about retirement requirements by providing social support and educational courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence of Learning Analytics has brought benefits to the educational field, as it can be used to analyse authentic data from students to identify the problems encountered in e-learning and to provide intervention to assist students. However, much is still unknown about the development of Learning Analytics intervention in terms of providing personalised learning materials to students to meet their needs in order to enhance their learning performance. Thus, this study aims to develop a Learning Analytics intervention in e-learning to enhance students' learning performance. In order to develop the intervention, four stages of Learning Analytics Cycle proposed by Clow: learner, data, metrics and intervention were carried out, integrating with two well-known models: Felder-Silverman's and Keller's Attention, Relevance, Confidence and Satisfaction (ARCS) models in e-learning, to develop various Learning Objects in e-learning. After that, a case study was carried out to assess this intervention with various validated research instruments. A quantitative approach involving a one-group pre-test–post-test experimental design was adopted, which consists of a population of 50 undergraduate students who enrolled in the Information System Management in Education course. The results indicated that the Learning Analytics intervention is useful, as it overall helped the majority of students to enhance their motivation, academic achievement, cognitive engagement and cognitive retention in e-learning. From this study, readers can understand the way to implement the Learning Analytics intervention which is proved to made positive impact on students' learning achievement with the Cohen's d of 5.669. Lastly, this study contributes significant new knowledge to the current understanding of how Learning Analytics intervention can perform to optimize students' learning experience and also serves to fill a gap in research on Learning Analytics, namely the lack of development of interventions to assist students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is growing empirical support for the benefits of developing psychological capital (PsyCap), and the effectiveness of PsyCap interventions (PCIs) in the workplace. However, to-date, PCI delivery modes have not been compared. The first study in this article compares a face-to-face to an online PCI. The second study compares an online PCI to a micro-learning PCI utilizing a mobile application. Results from 228 participants assessed three times (before, immediately after, and six weeks after PCI completion) support the effectiveness and comparability of the three delivery modes, but also highlight notable advantages for online and micro-learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As curricular reforms are implemented, there is often urgency among scholars to swiftly evaluate curricular outcomes and establish whether desired impacts have been realized. Consequently, many evaluative studies focus on summative program outcomes without accompanying evaluations of implementation. This runs the risk of Type III errors, whereby outcome evaluations rest on unverified assumptions about the appropriate implementation of prescribed curricular activities. Such errors challenge the usefulness of the evaluative studies, casting doubt on accumulated knowledge about curricular innovations, and posing problems for educational systems working to mobilize scarce resources. Unfortunately, however, there is long-standing inattention to the evaluation of implementation in health professions education (HPE). To address this, we propose an accessible framework that provides substantive guidance for evaluative research on implementation of curricular innovations. The Prescribed-Intended-Enacted-Sustainable (PIES) framework that is articulated in this paper, introduces new concepts to HPE—with a view to facilitating more nuanced examination of the evolution of curricula as they are implemented. Critically, the framework is theoretically grounded, integrating evaluation and implementation science as well as education theory. It outlines when, how, and why evaluators need to direct attention to curricular implementation, providing guidance on how programs can map out meaningful evaluative research agendas. Ultimately, this work is intended to support evaluators and educators, seeking to design evaluation studies that provide more faithful, useful representations of the intricacies of curricular change implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although using machine learning for predicting which students are at risk of failing a course is indeed valuable, how can we identify which characteristics of individual students contribute to their being At-Risk? By characterising individual At-Risk students we could potentially advise on specific interventions or ways to reduce their probability of being At-Risk. We propose the use of local model-agnostic and counterfactual explanations to attack this challenge. Local model-agnostic LIME and SHAP methods were critically evaluated in this study. These methods explain why individual students are At-Risk. Based on these local explanations, counterfactual explanations were generated and provide potential ways for the individual student to reduce At-Risk probability. These methods were illustrated on two randomly selected At-Risk students. SHAP was found to be more stable than LIME and suggested for future use. Counterfactual explanations promised much but require the features to be actionable and causal for this method to work effectively. This entire process should be performed under the guidance of experienced educators to benefit the students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Long-term use of computer in a static mode may cause musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in bank staff. Considering the high number of bank employees in different countries, such as Iran, the risk factors of these disorders should be investigated in order to implement interventions required to reduce the risk factors. This study aimed to examine the risk factors of MSDs using the Rapid Office Strain Assessment (ROSA) method and to perform an ergonomic intervention program with banking staff in Iran. Methods: This interventional study was conducted on 277 bank employees in Iran. Subjects were randomly divided into three groups, including a control group (without any intervention), an educational intervention (EI) group, and a group receiving both educational and physical intervention (EPI). Before and after the intervention, the ROSA method and Nordic questionnaire were used to assess the risk factors of MSDs in office jobs and to investigate the prevalence of MSDs. Data were collected 2 weeks before and 9 months following the intervention. Results: Before the intervention, the mean score of ROSA at workstations of all groups was above five with high risk. Nine months after the start of the intervention, there was a significant decrease in the mean ROSA score and its components in the two groups that received the intervention, which was statistically significant (P < 0.001). The results of the study of the prevalence of MSDs in the employees—before the intervention—indicate that the highest prevalence of MSDs in the control group was in areas of the neck (67.1%), back (64.4%), and lower back (63%). In the EI group, the highest prevalence of MSDs was in the neck (65.2%), lower back (61.6%), and back (60.7%) areas. In the EPI group, the discomfort areas were the neck (68.5%), shoulders (66.3%), and lower back (60.9%). Nine months after the intervention, there was a significant decrease in the prevalence of MSDs in the neck, shoulders, and lumbar regions of staff who received the intervention (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Nine months after performing the interventions, there was a relative improvement in workstations and prevalence of MSDs in various areas within the bodies of the bank staff. This study showed that using the ROSA method is appropriate for assessing the risk factors of office work and that it can identify deficiencies in workstations. These defects can be addressed by designing and implementing an EI program together with physical interventions according to the components of the ROSA method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to examine how an early literacy intervention, Kindergarten Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies (K-PALS; Mathes et al. Kindergarten peer-assisted literacy strategies (K-PALS): Sopris West, 2001), can be intensified to extend the positive outcomes to students who do not initially demonstrate an adequate response to intervention. K-PALS was intensified by incorporating a self-monitoring package that included self-graphing. An alternating treatment design was used to compare the effectiveness of K-PALS with self-graphing alone and K-PALS with a self-monitoring package to baseline/K-PALS for the purpose of increasing student performance on the early literacy measure of phonemic awareness. The results of the study indicate that while the self-monitoring package was the more effective intervention for two of the three student participants, the self-graphing alone intervention also resulted in positive outcomes for both of these participants. There was no change in the phonemic awareness performance for the third participant throughout the alternating treatment phase. Implications for intensifying academic interventions within the context of a Response to Intervention framework are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examining the use of conceptual frameworks such as the instructional hierarchy (IH) to drive academic interventions represents an important area of inquiry in order to understand why an intervention was effective. However, to date, the IH has only been examined retroactively to explain the effectiveness of math interventions and has not been used to drive intervention implementation based on students' needs. Therefore, the current study used a multiple baseline single-case design to examine the utility of the IH to determine an appropriately targeted acquisition (incremental rehearsal) or proficiency (timed drill) intervention for difficulties with multiplication facts. Students first received the contraindicated intervention (i.e., non-targeted) and then their correctly targeted intervention. Results showed that all students demonstrated greater fluency growth during their targeted intervention and that students in need of an acquisition intervention also demonstrated greater multiplication fact retention and growth rate during their targeted intervention. The utility of the IH as a heuristic to correctly target interventions based on students' baseline skill levels is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study presented in this article gathered and examined the views of key stakeholders in rural South African secondary schools on strategies for curbing learner dropout. The investigation, which employed a qualitative case study research model, sampled 20 secondary school learners aged 17–20 (11 female, 9 male), 20 youth aged 17–22 (11 female, 9 male) who had dropped out of school, 10 School Governing Board (SGB) members (5 female, 5 male), and 20 teachers (9 female, 11 male), who were purposively sampled from two rural secondary schools engaged in tackling high dropout rates. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews with school dropouts and SGB members, and through focus group discussions with teachers and learners. The study revealed that the main strategies the two schools used to curb learner dropout include the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP); the "no-fee school" system; counselling on personal and family challenges; attractive extra- or co-curricular activities; encouragement of parental involvement in school matters; and collaboration between the community and school leadership in monitoring learners. Based on their findings, the authors advocate for stronger school–community partnership, in which both the community and the school take shared responsibility for children's educational access and opportunity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Participation in cancer clinical trials (CCTs) is critical to improving cancer treatments and quality of care. However, rates of patient participation remain low. Research has shown that a trusted physician recommendation is an important influence on patients' decisions to enroll in a CCT. Improving primary care providers' (PCPs') knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about CCTs is a promising potential path for improving CCT participation. The aim of this pilot study was to test the effect of an online educational course for PCPs about clinical trials on primary care providers' knowledge, attitudes and beliefs, and behavior. Forty-one PCPs in the New York City area participated in a 1-h online training session on cancer clinical trials. These PCPs had self-selected to complete the training in a previous survey. The objectives of the training module were to (1) educate the PCPs about clinical trials, with a focus on overcoming misconceptions; and (2) discuss roles of PCPs in partnering with oncologists to help patients gain access to clinical trials. The training module included didactics, audio excerpts, and case descriptions. Participants completed a pre-test immediately before taking the course, a post-test immediately after taking the course, and a 3-month post-course survey. All three assessments included a general T/F knowledge test, a 7-item attitude/belief scale, and a knowledge test focused specifically on local resources and access for clinical trials. Forty-one PCPs completed the module and the pre-post course surveys. Eighty percent (33/41) also completed the 3-month post-course survey. General knowledge and local knowledge increased significantly (p <.05) from pre- to post-course. At 3 months post-training, both general and local knowledge scores remained significantly increased from baseline. For those who completed the 3-month post-course survey, attitudes and beliefs increased significantly from pre- to post-course, but this change was not sustained at 3 months post-training. At 3 months post-training, 52% of the PCPs who had an interaction with a recently diagnosed cancer patient reported speaking with patients about CCTs as a result of the training. A brief online course showed significant and sustained improvement in PCPs' general and local knowledge about cancer clinical trials, which translated into self-reported behavior change. Future dissemination of the course and further research into its impact are important next steps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kentucky experiences the highest overall cancer incidence and mortality rates in the USA with the greatest burden in the eastern, Appalachian region of the state. Cancer disparities in Kentucky are driven in part by poor health behaviors, poverty, lack of health care access, low education levels, and low health literacy. Individuals with inadequate health literacy are less likely to participate in preventive measures such as obtaining screenings and making healthy lifestyle choices, thus increasing their chances of developing and dying from cancer. By increasing cancer literacy among youth and adults, it may be possible to decrease cancer disparities across Kentucky. This study aimed to establish connections with middle and high schools in Kentucky that would facilitate pilot implementation of a brief cancer education intervention and assessment of cancer health literacy among these student populations. A baseline pretest cancer literacy survey consisting of 10 items was given to 349 participants, followed by the delivery of a cancer education presentation. Immediately following the presentation, participants were given a posttest with identical items to the pretest. Participants were primarily Caucasian (89.4%), female (68.7%), and in 10th through 12th grade (80.5%). Significant (p < 0.0001) increases in both average and median percent of correctly marked items were observed between the pretest and posttest (average, pretest = 56% versus posttest = 85%; median, pretest = 60% versus posttest = 90%). The scores for all individual items increased after the brief intervention. The results demonstrated a significant increase in cancer literacy levels immediately after the pilot educational intervention. We suggest that it may be possible to improve cancer literacy rates in Kentucky by integrating cancer education into middle and high school science and/or health education curricula. This could ultimately drive changes in behaviors that may help lower cancer incidence and mortality rates. Plans for future interventional studies measuring long-term cancer knowledge retention and resultant behavioral changes among middle and high school students as well as the feasibility of integrating cancer education into middle and high school curricula are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spaced education is a learning strategy to improve knowledge acquisition and retention. To date, no robust evidence exists to support the utility of spaced education in the Family Medicine residency. We aimed to test whether alerts to encourage spaced education can improve clinical knowledge as measured by scores on the Canadian Family Medicine certification examination. Method: We conducted a cluster randomized controlled trial to empirically and pragmatically test spaced education using two versions of the Family Medicine Study Guide mobile app. 12 residency training programs in Canada agreed to participate. At six intervention sites, we consented 335 of the 654 (51%) eligible residents. Residents in the intervention group were sent alerts through the app to encourage the answering of questions linked to clinical cases. At six control sites, 299 of 586 (51%) residents consented. Residents in the control group received the same app but with no alerts. Incidence rates of case completion between trial arms were compared using repeated measures analysis. We linked residents in both trial arms to their knowledge scores on the certification examination of the College of Family Physicians of Canada. Results: Over 67 weeks, there was no statistically significant difference in the completion of clinical cases by participants. The difference in mean exam scores and the associated confidence interval did not exceed the pre-defined limit of 4 percentage points. Conclusion: Further research is recommended before deploying spaced educational interventions in the Family Medicine residency to improve knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is an ongoing need for interventions to improve quality of end-of-life care for patients in inpatient settings. Objective: To compare two methods for implementing a Comfort Care Education Intervention for Palliative Care Consultation Teams (PCCT) in Veterans Affairs Medical Centers (VAMCs). Design: Cluster randomized implementation trial conducted March 2015–April 2019. PCCTs were assigned to a traditional implementation approach using a teleconference or to an in-person, train-the-champion workshop to prepare PCCTs to be clinical champions at their home sites. Participants: One hundred thirty-two providers from PCCTs at 47 VAMCs. Interventions: Both training modalities involved review of educational materials, instruction on using an electronic Comfort Care Order Set, and coaching to deliver the intervention to other providers. Main Measurements: Several processes of care were identified a priori as quality endpoints for end-of-life care (last 7 days) and abstracted from medical records of veterans who died within 9 months before or after implementation (n = 6,491). The primary endpoint was the presence of an active order for opioid medication at time of death. Secondary endpoints were orders/administration of antipsychotics, benzodiazepines, and scopolamine, do-not-resuscitate orders, advance directives, locations of death, palliative care consultations, nasogastric tubes, intravenous lines, physical restraints, pastoral care visits, and family presence at/near time of death. Generalized estimating equations were conducted adjusting for potential covariates. Key Results: Eighty-eight providers from 23 VAMCs received teleconference training; 44 providers from 23 VAMCs received in-person workshop training. Analyses found no significant differences between intervention groups in any process-of-care endpoints (primary endpoint AOR (CI) = 1.18 (0.74, 1.89). Furthermore, pre-post changes were not significant for any endpoints (primary endpoint AOR (CI) = 1.16 (0.92, 1.46). Analyses may have been limited by high baseline values on key endpoints with little room for improvement. Conclusion: Findings suggest the clinical effectiveness of palliative care educational intervention was not dependent on which of the two implementation methods was used. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02383173 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Child-to-child approach is an innovative strategy for preventing and reducing the morbidity and mortality burden of unintentional childhood injuries. Objectives: To test effectiveness of Child-to-child Approach in preventing unintentional childhood injuries and their consequences. Study design: Community-based non-randomized cluster-controlled trial of parallel design. Participants: 397 children and adolescents. Intervention: Eldest literate adolescent of selected families of intervention area were trained on prevention of injuries. They were to implement the knowledge gained to prevent injuries in themselves and their younger siblings and also disseminate this knowledge to other members of their families. Outcome: Data was collected from both intervention and control areas during pre- and post-intervention phases on the magnitude of injuries, time for recovery from injuries, place for seeking treatment, cost of treatment, knowledge and practice of participants and their families regarding injuries. Results: During post-intervention phase, the intervention group experienced a significant reduction in incidence of injuries, increased preference for institutional treatment of injuries and increased knowledge and practice regarding injuries, in comparison to its pre-intervention data and data of the control group in post-intervention phase. Total time for recovery and cost of treatment for injuries also decreased in intervention group in post-intervention phase, though differences were not statistically significant. Conclusion: Child-to-child approach is effective in reducing childhood injuries, improving choice of place for seeking treatment, increasing knowledge of participants, improving family practices regarding prevention of injuries and reducing expenditure on treatment of childhood injuries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine the effectiveness of an educational intervention on the knowledge of adolescents on prevention of unintentional injuries and first aid. Methods: The study used one group pre-post intervention design, without external controls. A two-stage (at schools and classes) cluster sampling was used to enroll 1944 high school students in Ujjain district. The intervention consisted of educational intervention using lectures presented through Power Point presentations, pictures, and videos. Sixty sessions each wherein a questionnaire to assess knowledge of participants was administered before and after the educational intervention. The outcome was a change in knowledge score. Results: The study included 1944 school students [1105 (57%) boys] with mean (SD) age of 15.9 (1.3) years. The analysis of variance revealed the difference between the sum total of pre- and post-intervention scores was statistically significant (P <0.001), with a large effect size of 3.7. Younger students outperformed older students, boys outperformed girls, students of urban schools outperformed their rural counterparts, students of public schools outperformed those of private schools and students of Hindi medium schools outperformed students of English medium schools. Conclusions: This school-based educational intervention significantly increased the knowledge of students on the prevention of unintentional injuries and first aid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Business ethics educators strive to produce graduates who not only grasp the principles of ethical decision-making, but who can apply that business ethics education when faced with real-world challenges. However, this has proven especially difficult, as good intentions do not always translate into ethical awareness and action. Complementing a behavioral ethics approach with insights from social psychology, we developed an interventional class module with both online and in-class elements aimed at increasing students' awareness of their own susceptibility to unconscious biases and, consequently, unethical behaviors. We deployed this intervention within a problem-based learning course (137 undergraduate students), in which students completed real-world projects for actual business clients. Our results suggest that although students appeared universally aware of the importance of ethical issues in business and generally espoused intentions to act ethically, those who received the intervention were significantly more likely to recognize their own susceptibility to perpetuating unethical business behavior and to identify ethical issues specific to their real-world projects. These results have important implications for behavioral ethics pedagogy and provide a de-biasing interventional approach for bridging classroom knowledge with real-world skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-fidelity simulation (HFS) and video-based learning (VBL) promote competence in acute care in a realistic and safe environment. These two modalities have not been compared in pediatric emergency situations. Interns rotating in the pediatric department were randomized for the two educational methods. The delivered learning subject was septic shock in children. The level of knowledge was measured before intervention, immediately after intervention (post-test 1) and 1 week later (post-test 2). Knowledge test scores improved significantly following intervention in both VBL study group and HFS study group (71.5 ± 13.2 [39.0-88.0], p < 0.001 and 80.1 ± 10.3 [57.4-94.5], p < 0.001, respectively). The improvement was significantly higher in HFS study group (p = 0.04). There was a non-significant drop in the retention score evaluated by the post-test 2 in the two groups compared to the post-test 1 score (66.9 ± 15.4 [31.5-86.1], p = 0.17 and 78.8 ± 12.4 [56.0-100.0], p = 0.72 in the VBL and HFS study groups, respectively). The retention score was significantly higher in the HFS group (p = 0.04).Conclusion: High-fidelity simulation and video-based training are both effective educational methods in teaching pediatric emergencies for interns. HFS appears to be superior in enhancing short-term retention. What is Known: • High-fidelity simulation is an effective educational tool to improve learners' knowledge and skills. • Video-based learning is an effective teaching tool in terms of short-term knowledge acquisition. What is New: • High-fidelity simulation is more effective in terms of short-term knowledge and generated more satisfaction than educational video learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Condom use has been known as the most effective method of preventing sexually transmitted diseases. The purpose of the present study was to find the factors affecting the use of condoms by female sex workers in Iran. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 872 female sex workers in Iran in 2010. The criterion of admission to the study included having sexual relationships over the last week based on which 437 women were selected. The weighted negative binomial hurdle model, and Stata14 were used to analyze the data. Generally, 34.93% of the female sex workers did not use condoms over the last 7 days. According to the results, the increase in the education level and not being single increased the odds and the rate number of using condoms concerning the number of sexual relationships of the sex workers. Besides, the increase in age and having a non-paying sexual partner in return for the sexual relationship decreased the odds of using condoms by female sex workers. Finally, the female sex workers who were tested for HIV and the ones knowing the centers distributing free condoms were more likely to use the condom. The illiterate and married female sex workers are considered as the high-risk groups in the community. Therefore, it is of great importance to plan to form the educational interventions connected with the high-risk sexual relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dengue fever (DF) is one of the world's most important vector-borne illnesses. In 2017, Egypt experienced a dengue outbreak. This study aimed to assess the knowledge and attitudes of nursing students regarding DF and the effectiveness of an education intervention to improve students' knowledge and attitude. An intervention study was conducted among 4th year nursing students of Tanta Faculty of Nursing using a self-administered predesigned validated questionnaire before and after introducing an educational session. The main DF information sources were formal teaching, social networks, television, and physicians. Less than half of the students (45.5%) had "good" knowledge grade after the intervention compared with only 7.2% in the pre-test. The students' knowledge and attitude improved after the application of the intervention session. The positive impact of the educational intervention on knowledge and attitude regarding DF and its prevention among the target group revealed the importance of the inclusion of teaching materials about DF into the students' curricula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the study was to identify and to evaluate the impact of educational interventions to learn and train liver surgery outside the operating room. A systematic literature search was conducted using PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and ERIC databases from inception to September 2019 according to the PRISMA guidelines. Studies describing and assessing outcomes of educational interventions in liver surgery, outside the operating room, were included. Neither language nor date of publication restriction was applied. Methodological quality was appraised using NOS-E (Newcastle–Ottawa Scale for Education), and the level of evidence was evaluated based on GRADE (Grades of Recommendation Assessment, Development, and Evaluation) standards. Of the 10,403 screened abstracts, 53 articles were eligible for inclusion, comprising 27 descriptive studies (50.9%), 14 case series assessing any relevant outcome (26.4%), 8 non-randomized controlled trials (15.1%), and 4 randomized controlled studies (7.5%). Almost half (26/53) of the studies did not include any participants, while the remainder of the publications (27/53) involved 1306 learners. The majority of the studies focused on cognitive knowledge (31/53) and/or psychomotor skills training (24/53). Only one publication assessed affective skills. The GRADE score was very low or low in most articles (46/53). Five studies were scored high (5–6) according to NOS-E. Two studies reported data regarding the reliability and validity of employed assessment tools. High-quality studies, particularly well-designed randomized controlled trials that evaluate the effectiveness of simulation-based training on learner behavior and patient outcomes in liver surgery, are still lacking. Forthcoming studies should use robust assessment tools supported by validity evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to describe the acceptability and feasibility of an educational and training experiential intervention (ETEI) we developed to enhance muscle invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) patients with treatment decision-making and post-operative self-care. Twenty-five patients were randomized to a control group (N = 8) or ETEI group (N = 17). ETEI group participated in a nurse-led session on MIBC education. The control group received diet and nutrition education. Study questionnaires were completed at baseline and at 1-month post-intervention. Our results showed acceptable recruitment (58%) and retention rates (68%). The ETEI group reported increased knowledge (82% vs. 50%), improved decisional support (64% vs. 50%), improved communication (73% vs. 50%), and increased confidence in treatment decisions (73% vs. 50%) compared to the control group. Patients in the control group reported improved diet (50% v. 27%) as well as maintaining a healthy lifestyle (67% vs. 45%) compared to the ETEI group. Patients in the ETEI group reported a significant decrease in cancer worries and increases in self-efficacy beliefs over time compared to the control group. The ETEI was feasible, acceptable, and showed a potential for inducing desired changes in cancer worries and efficacy beliefs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored what was entailed in implementing a professional development (PD) designed in the United States (US) to a different, Israeli, context. To achieve this goal, the first step was empirically examining the effectiveness of such a PD using quantitative methods. We then examined which adaptations were made in the imported PD and at what level. Our study is based on data obtained from the Israeli TEAMS (Teaching Exploratively for All Mathematics Students) PD, which "imported" a US-based program based on "The Five Practices for Orchestrating Productive Discussions" and "Accountable Talk." We build on studies of cultural adaptations of interventions which provide a framework whereby adaptations to a model can be made along three levels: philosophical, propositional, and procedural. To assess the effectiveness of the PD, we analyzed 211 recorded lessons. Individual growth curve analysis indicated significant growth in five parameters: intellectual authority, classroom discourse, exposure of student thinking, task enactment, and consolidation. These findings show that the PD was effective in importing several core practices which were relatively well defined. We use these quantitative findings, coupled with additional data obtained from the planning and execution of the PD, as a case to study the process of adapting an educational intervention to a new context. This analysis shows that our adaptations were mostly done at the procedural level. However, the quantitative results point to the possible necessity of also changing the propositional model of what intervention can work in a new context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prejudice towards Muslim people in Western countries is common and increasing. This paper describes an educational intervention aimed at increasing positive attitudes and actions to support Muslim Australians. University students participated in a 12-week educational programme that drew on prejudice reduction principles and a pedagogical approach that emphasised active discussion. Results (N = 94) showed an increase in positivity towards Muslim people, increased intention to take bystander action to confront prejudice, and social identification (as a supporter of positive relations between Muslim and non-Muslim Australians). Boosts in positivity towards Muslim people and intention to confront prejudice were mediated by increases in social identity, although changes in social identification only explained increased commitment to confront prejudice in a low risk scenario. Results suggest that educational interventions such as these can foster new, inclusive identities that provide a basis for action to support Muslim people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Students identified with emotional disturbance (ED) increasingly find themselves in inclusive classroom environments where a well-developed vocabulary is essential to success and where instruction is based on college and career readiness standards. The purpose of this comprehensive literature review was to identify and review the available intervention research targeting the vocabulary knowledge of students with ED. Results indicated only five such studies have ever been conducted and the quality of this research is variable. Two strategies—morphology and concept mapping—are suggested for teachers serving students with ED and five recommendations for future research are included in this review. Practitioners are also urged to embed behavioral supports (e.g., self-monitoring, praise, corrective feedback) in their academic interventions to maximize students' educational outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]