Search

Objective: Research and PhDs are relatively rare in family medicine and primary care. To promote research, regular one-year research courses for primary care professionals with a focus on clinical epidemiology were started. This study explores the academic outcomes of the first four cohorts of research courses and surveys the participants' perspectives on the research course. Design: An electronic survey was sent to the research course participants. All peer-reviewed scientific papers published by these students were retrieved by literature searches in PubMed. Setting: Primary care in Finland. Subjects: A total of 46 research course participants who had finished the research courses between 2007 and 2012. Results: Of the 46 participants 29 were physicians, eight nurses, three dentists, four physiotherapists, and two nutritionists. By the end of 2014, 28 of the 46 participants (61%) had published 79 papers indexed in PubMed and seven students (15%) had completed a PhD. The participants stated that the course taught them critical thinking, and provided basic research knowledge, inspiration, and fruitful networks for research. Conclusion: A one-year, multi-professional, clinical epidemiology based research course appeared to be successful in encouraging primary care research as measured by research publications and networking. Activating teaching methods, encouraging focus on own research planning, and support from peers and tutors helped the participants to embark on research projects that resulted in PhDs for 15% of the participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the article is to assess changes in the perception of the state by students in the context of research concerning social capital. The paper studies whether the knowledge and the social competences gained during the three years of study are reflected in the perception of the state by young people. The paper uses the results of a survey analysis conducted at the universities in Poland and Lithuania. The theoretical part of the article presents chosen issues concerning social capital in relation to the state. The article presents conclusions regarding the assessment of changes in the perception of the state by young people in Poland and Lithuania in the context of democracy, social participation, trust and social norms. This research enables us to make a comparison of the results between the two countries and from two research periods and is an original contribution to the discussion about the role of the young generation in society. The results of the research indicate that the knowledge and the social competencies acquired during three years of study in most cases were not reflected in the change of perception of the state by Polish and Lithuanian young people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Architecture is a profession in a perpetual state of change. Thus, it is essential for students to have a solid research foundation on which they can apply their knowledge and evidence-based solutions to architectural design, to enhance the quality of the built environment. Despite the fact that students' views and engagement in research have been receiving great attention recently, no studies have yet been conducted to assess Jordanian students' perspectives regarding scientific research. This paper examines the attitudes of a Jordanian university's architecture students toward scientific research. The descriptive study sampled 184 students from the College of Architecture who were asked to fill out a sel-fadministered questionnaire. The data were both descriptively and quantitively analyzed using correlation, a Mann-Whitney U Test, and a Kruskal-Wallis Variance Test. The findings revealed that female students' outlook on research was more optimistic than that of male students. Moreover, fifth-year students had the least favorable opinions compared to third and fourth-year students. Furthermore, participants who followed architectural channels and broadcasts had more favorable sentiments toward research than those who did not. Finally, participants with previous experience in scientific research had fewer unfavorable opinions regarding research than those who were inexperienced. In conclusion, the majority of the students who participated in this study had positive attitudes toward scientific research. However, there is still a need to promote a culture of scientific research among undergraduate students, encouraging them to engage in scientific activities and providing them with opportunities to conduct research that will contribute to the architectural scene in Jordan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Student dissatisfaction with assessment and feedback is a significant challenge for most UK Higher Education Institutions according to a key national survey. This paper explores the meaning, challenges and potential opportunities for enhancement in assessment and feedback within the authors' own institution as illustrative of approaches that can be taken elsewhere. Using a qualitative design, a review of assessment and feedback, which included an exploration of students' perceptions, was made in one College of the University. The findings highlighted variations in assessment and feedback practice across the College with dissatisfaction typically being due to misunderstanding or miscommunication between staff and students. Drawing on the review, we assert in this paper that students' dissatisfaction with assessment and feedback is not a 'tame' problem for which a straightforward solution exists. Instead, it is a 'wicked' problem that requires a complex approach with multiple interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To promote better collaboration for patient care, interprofessional education (IPE) is required in many health professions courses. However, successful IPE implementation at scale can be challenging because of complicated logistics and competing priorities. Implementing across multiple geographies adds further complexity. This paper describes the implementation of a full cohort IPE activity for medical and pharmacy students delivered at both the Australian and Malaysian campuses of Monash University. We designed a 150-minute, blended learning activity centred around asthma care for second-year medical and pharmacy students. Student perceptions were measured with a pre- and post-activity survey using the validated ten-item, three-factor, SPICE-R2 instrument. Analysis focused on differences between professions and countries. All second-year medicine (N = 301 in Australia and N = 107 in Malaysia) and pharmacy students (N = 168 in Australia and N = 117 in Malaysia) participated in the learning activity. A total of 326/693 (47%) students participated in the associated research by completing both the pre- and post-activity surveys. The pre-activity survey showed significant differences in four items between medicine and pharmacy students in Australia and two items in Malaysia. Post-activity, we observed significant changes in 8/10 items when the two professions were combined. Specifically, we noted changes across the countries in perceptions of roles and responsibilities for collaborative practice and patient outcomes from collaborative practice. IPE across different professions and countries is feasible. Positive outcomes in role understanding and perceived patient outcomes are achievable through a context-sensitive, locally driven approach to implementation. Longitudinal experiences may be required to influence perceptions of teamwork and team-based care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines the perceptions and attitudes of undergraduate students in Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) towards alternative sexual relationships (ASRs). In most parts of Africa, ASRs are largely frowned against, as most countries on the continent have illegalised the practice. While literature abounds generally on the acceptance or otherwise of ASRs, studies x-raying this subject matter from the perspective of an enthusiastic and explorative youth population among undergraduate students in Nigeria are scanty. The paper adopts descriptive research design and mixed (quantitative and qualitative) method. Structured questionnaire and semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. Data were analysed using inferential and descriptive statistical tools of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Findings show that majority of undergraduate students in OAU (70.4%) hold negative perception of ASRs; and 55.2% of the students hold negative attitude towards ASRs. On gender basis, while more male students (56%) show negative attitude towards ASRs, a lower percentage (54.37%) of female students shows negative attitude towards the practice. The paper also finds that background characteristics (age, gender, religion and level of study) of students do not influence their perceptions and attitudes towards ASRs. The paper concludes that OAU students condemn and do not condone ASRs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the impact of a Course Transformation process based on a Flipped Classroom strategy on Chilean Engineering students' attitudes toward university-level mathematics. The Attitudes Toward Mathematics Inventory (ATMI) questionnaire was applied as both pre- and post-test to 76 students in three mathematic courses (Calculus I, Calculus II and Elements of Algebra for Computing) at Universidad Católica de Temuco's Faculty of Engineering which adopted a flipped classroom method. The results showed a significant positive change in the perceived value of mathematics in the four ATMI categories (P < 0.05) with different effect sizes after the implementation of the flipped classroom and active learning strategies. The results suggest that the implementation of transformed courses using a Flipped Classroom method has a positive effect on students' attitudes toward Mathematics, especially in those who come from families with lower economical income. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To assess the compatibility between Web-based instructional technology and student behavioral traits requires researchers to utilize variables consistently. Instead, inconsistency rules as researchers operationalize principal variables differently—an outcome that causes confusion and undermines development of a unified knowledge base. This situation is disturbing, as the ubiquity of Web instruction can become an appealing option for working in-service public administration and international students. To establish an empirically grounded research agenda, time the has come to accept commonality in terminology. The paper identifies and discusses three primary research variables. First, in its application to higher education, Web technology is transformational. It divides instruction into two distinct forms of mediation: Web and non-Web based. Second, two student behavioral traits—learning style orientations and teaching method preferences—serve to determine whether in-service more than pre-service students express greater attraction to Web mediation. Third, modes of delivery involve managing and organizing the scheduling of forms of mediation. To further uniformity in the terminology of Web mediation, the paper concludes by suggesting a public administration research agenda that includes propositions to explore relations among the three sets of variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines perspectives on student disaffection in education at the levels of culture and policy. It considers the balance between punitive/exclusionary and therapeutic/restorative positions. The paper engages with concepts of retributive punishment (Murray, 2004a; 2004b), social welfare ideologies (Esping-Andersen, 1990) and discourses of social exclusion (Levitas, 1998). The conclusion is that policy choices are made about how disaffected, at risk young people are to be provided for, and these policy choices are not contained simply within an education policy and practice setting. The policy responses emerge from national and local government decision-making. They correlate with national indicators of punitiveness in the criminal justice system and the scale of inequalities tolerated. Policies resonate with deep-seated cultural positions which are linked to the willingness to pay– for prevention or for punishment– and with the propensity to allocate blame either to individuals and families or to societal failures. Opportunities for intervention at points in the reinforcing cycle of punitiveness are indicated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic forced a rapid shift to digital strategies including e-exams in medical schools. However, there are significant concerns, predominately from student perspectives, and further data is required to successfully establish e-assessment in the medical curricula. The objective of the study was to examine medical students' perceptions, concerns, and needs regarding e-assessment to establish a comprehensive e-exam based on these and previous findings and to evaluate its effectiveness in terms of examinee perceptions and further needs. During the 2021 summer term, a cross-sectional study using qualitative and quantitative methods was conducted among all 1077 students at the School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich. They were asked to provide information regarding their characteristics, preferred exam format, e-assessment perception, concerns, and needs in an online questionnaire. Based on these findings, a pilot e-exam including an e-exam preparation for the students were established and subsequently evaluated among 125 pilot e-exam examinees under study consideration via an online-questionnaire. Of the 317 pre-exam participants (73.2% female), 70.3% preferred in-person exams and showed concerns about the technological framework, privacy, and examination requirements. Qualitative analysis showed that these concerns lead to additional exam stress and fear of failure. The 34 (79.4% female) participants who participated in the evaluation survey showed a significantly more positive e-exam perception. The fairness of the platform, the independence from an internet connection, the organization including the e-exam preparation, and the consideration of participant needs were discussed as particularly positive in the open-ended comments. In both surveys, participants requested uniform platforms and processes for all subjects. This study provides evidence for a positive, complementary role of student participation in a successful e-exam implementation. Furthermore, when establishing an e-exam format in the medical curricula, e-exam training, equal accessibility, availability offline, and all-round fairness should be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Food and Health subject is a mandatory subject in primary and lower secondary schools in Norway and has many similarities to the internationally known subject Home Economics. This study aimed to examine how learning activities are structured in Food and Health education, both from the teacher's and the student's perspective. Momentary time sampling was used as the observation method, and we created "lesson signatures" of the Food and Health education based on the observational data. "Lesson signature" is a term used for an aggregate number of observed teaching sessions, and is intended to reveal specific external patterns, considering time use, organisation and teaching patterns. Data were collected from 23 observed Food and Health lessons from sixth and ninth grades in Norway. The signatures show that although the activity level of both teachers and students was high, teachers controlled and regulated the lessons. Teaching methods consisted mainly of group work. Students spent a small proportion of the lesson listening, and conversation and discussion as a collective were virtually absent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the central ideas which Professor Sandage has attempted to communicate over the years has been that of the distinction between advertising viewed as a social institution and advertising as observed in advertisements. This paper reports on an informal, empirical examination of this distinction stemming from data collected from advertising students over the past decade and a half. This examination revealed a systematic evaluation of advertising by students, regardless of the particular year or university in which the student responses were assessed. Advertising students distinguished between the institutional and instrumental aspects of advertising. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper draws on the views of students on a human rights course concerning their reasons for choosing such a course of study, in order to highlight the importance of understanding the emotional relationship between students and their subjects. It contends that while such an understanding is important in respect of all subjects, it has a particular relevance in the topic of human rights because the nature of the material and content of the course is necessarily challenging to the humanity of the student. As such, the human rights classroom is transformed from being a space of learning to a space of feeling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores ways in which a group of teacher educators co-construct knowledge about students' academic writing and aspects of academic writing instruction in collegial conversations. Analysing the communicative projects, communicative acts and types of talk in 22 episodes from four collegial conversations, it investigates how the teacher educators' talk and interaction may present opportunities for joint meaning-making in this respect. The analysis shows that the teachers' talk was predominantly cumulative and descriptive, reflecting a focus on collegial consensus. However, it also suggests that descriptive talk may hold transformative capacities in meaning-making contexts as it provides the teachers with opportunities to interthink about students' academic writing and aspects of their own instructional practices. Interestingly, while exploratory talk was employed in conversations about specific teaching practices, cumulative talk occurred primarily in conversations about perspectives on students' writing. It is also interesting to note that, with respect to students' academic writing, these teacher educators appear to perceive teacher education as its own disciplinary field with its own conventions. The study concludes that collegial conversations may provide spaces where teacher educators can engage in collective meaning-making, and that such conversations may promote a greater collective awareness of students' academic writing and academic writing instruction in teacher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Very often it has been reported that the greatest obstacle in Entrepreneurship Education are the teachers and their attitudes towards entrepreneurship. In the Entrepreneurial Development Coaching (EDC) program an aim has been to change participants' thinking and pedagogical actions in entrepreneurship education. In this process the educators used the entrepreneurial learning method. Several researchers (e.g. Gibb 1993; Kyrö 1997; Kyrö & Ripatti 2006; Kyrö, Lehtonen & Ristimaki 2007) have stated that entrepreneurship education needs to be taught entrepreneurially. This, in turn, makes the education entrepreneurial. Haahti (1989) followed the historical text sources and found the first meaning of entrepreneurship education which was action. Teaching entrepreneurship by knowledge-based methods alone does not affect the character and the nature of entrepreneurship and may actually have negative consequences. Conversely teaching whatever subject entrepreneurially affects values, attitudes, action habits and thinking and these will promote entrepreneurship. In this paper we deal with the research question: Does the new entrepreneurial pedagogy model, EDC, affect teachers' thinking and action on entrepreneurship? Liisa Remes was the main educator on the program and Anne Gustafsson-Pesonen was the lead researcher and lead evaluator of the education process and EDC program. In this paper they will demonstrate the entrepreneurial learning method, the structure of the course and the impact of the entrepreneurial course on teachers' thinking and action on entrepreneurship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to present the results of a study into how student attributes influence their experience of problem-based learning (PBL) in virtual space. Some engineering faculties in Australia are turning to the PBL paradigm to engender necessary skills and competence in their graduates. At the same time, due to economic and other factors, some faculties are moving towards distance education. Logically, questions are being asked about the effectiveness of PBL for technical fields such as engineering and surveying when delivered in virtual space. This paper outlines an investigation of how student attributes such as final course grade, age, academic study major and interaction with their team facilitator affect the student learning experience in PBL courses offered in virtual space. A phenomenographical study was carried out on a suitable PBL course. A frequency distribution was then superimposed on the outcome space to assist analysis and to aid interpretation of results. This frequency distribution was then used to analyse the effect of different student attributes on the learning experience. It was discovered that the quality, quantity and style of facilitator interaction had the greatest impact on the student learning experience. This highlighted the need to establish consistent student interaction plans, and to set and ensure compliance with minimum standards with respect to facilitation and student interactions. The findings also have ramifications for future staff professional development activities before starting as facilitators in these courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regrettably, cheating is widespread on all levels of our educational system. Effective monitoring and judicial review processes that ensure that students who cheat are subjected to appropriate disciplinary action are essential. However, policing is not enough. We must go beyond policing to change the culture of the classroom in ways that discourage cheating. This includes doing a better job of explaining why cheating is unacceptable, structuring exams and writing assignments in ways that make it difficult for students to cheat, and fostering an environment of mutual respect in the classroom that encourages students to buy into the educational process, rather than attempt to subvert it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Student evaluations of teacher performance are generally taken as an important measure of teaching effectiveness. However, they often misrepresent classroom realities. The ratings on the forms frequently reflect students' emotional experiences in their courses rather than pedagogy or the amount of learning. Finally, since education is necessarily progressive, a competent teacher's evaluations should include complaints about difficulty and workload. Administrators need to bear this in mind in their assessment of student ratings so that they do not encourage instructors to teach in fear of their evaluations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports findings from a large-scale international investigation of a number of factors that are considered to impact upon educational motivation and achievement. Following on from an earlier investigation of adolescent attitudes, the present study involved a detailed survey of nearly 3,000 children, aged 9-10 from districts in England, Russia and the USA, together with teacher reports and the employment of a test of basic mathematical computation. The Russian sample scored significantly more highly on the computation test and showed no large tail of underachievers, as was the case with the other groups. Findings from the survey indicate that many of the differences found in the earlier adolescent study are equally true for younger children. The Russian children were less likely to express satisfaction with their abilities or workrates, were more positive towards school, more likely to see education as intrinsically valuable and tended to spend significantly more time on homework tasks. Data obtained also suggest that the Russian sample experienced classrooms with far less disruption and stronger prosocial peer influences than did the English and American children. Teacher understandings of what is considered to be acceptable behaviour appeared to differ, however. The paper notes that the Western samples overestimated their teachers' views of their ability while the Russian children provided underestimates. Possible reasons for, and implications of, these differential teacher messages are discussed. The paper concludes by examining the implications of the findings from the study for increasing motivation and achievement in countries with very different sociocultural contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is derived from a study of excluded students' perceptions of their educational experience. It is based on the accounts of 33 young people, all permanently excluded from school. Through in-depth, semi-structured interviews a number of salient features of the school experience were raised. One of these features is the students' relationships with teachers. This paper considers excluded students' perceptions of teacher qualities that either foster or hinder the development of positive relations, disciplinary practice as a particularly significant set of interactions that affect relationships, and the hierarchical social structure in which these relationships are formed and operate. The result is an ideal model of the teacher-student relationship based on the excluded students' accounts. This model reconsiders power relations in order to create a set of interactions that recognises the students' non-child status while, at the same time, highlighting teacher-specific responsibilities such as duty of care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper is concerned with student altitudes and views of the certificate of further education and illustrates that the marker against winch students assess both the course and college is school It also explores the nature and forms of student resistance, arguing that for those students who stay the course, the most significant form of resistance is against youthful dependence and the process of infantalisation In addition it is argued that much of student behaviour that is apparently resistant should be understood as a mode of accomodation, as a strategy of survival The paper illustrates that many students have an instrumental commitment toward their course and that in some cases the experience of the course enhanced and strengthened this orientation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To assess the cultural competence (CC) of GP trainees and GP trainers. Design and setting: A cross-sectional survey study was conducted at the GP Training Institute of Amsterdam UMC. We included 92 GP trainees and 186 GP trainers. We measured the three domains of cultural competency: 1) knowledge, 2) culturally competent attitudes and 3) culturally competent skills. Regression models were used to identify factors associated with levels of CC. Participants rated their self-perceived CC at the beginning and end of the survey, and the correlation between self-perceived and measured CC was assessed. Approximately 94% of the GP trainees and 81% of the GP trainers scored low on knowledge; 45% and 42%, respectively, scored low on culturally competent attitudes. The level of culturally competent skills was moderate (54.3%) or low (48.4%) for most GP trainees and GP trainers. The year of residency and the GP training institute were significantly associated with one or more (sub-)domains of CC in GP trainees. Having >10% migrant patients and experience as a GP trainer were positively associated with one or more (sub-) domains of cultural competence in GP trainers. The correlation between measured and self-perceived CC was positive overall but very weak (Spearman correlation coefficient ranging from −0.1–0.3). The level of cultural competence was low in both groups, especially in the knowledge scores. Cultural competence increased with experience and exposure to an ethnically diverse patient population. Our study highlights the need for cultural competence training in the GP training curricula. General practitioner (GP) trainees find cross-cultural consultations stressful due to a self-perceived lack of cultural competence (CC). The level of CC in general practice is as yet unknown. On average, the level of CC was low for the majority of GP trainees and GP trainers, especially for the scores on knowledge. CC increased with experience and exposure to an ethnically diverse patient population. GP trainees and trainers perceived a lack of covered education on various topics related to the care of migrants. Our study highlights the need for cultural competence training in the GP training curricula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"A school for all" in the policy and practice nexus: Comparing "doing inclusion" in different contexts. Policy and practice nexuses In relation to the so-called I policy and practice-nexuses i (Proitz [6]), we focus on how professions "do inclusion". The complex assemblage of power in policy formation and policy appropriation across multiple sites, for example, between levels of education systems and actors using a multitude of tools, complicates the study of policy and practice relationships. Thomas Barrow and Daniel Östlund address the issue of assessment practices in the context of Special Educational Needs (SEN), from both a policy and a practice perspective. [Extracted from the article]

Purpose: In 2017, international students contributed almost $32 billion to Australia's economy, more than half of which was attributable to students from China. Despite its historical popularity as a study destination, research suggests that these students confront numerous obstacles in pursuing their studies within Australia. In this study, the perspectives of these students were explored. The dominant issues raised by these students related to mental health and emotional wellbeing. Methods: Nineteen students in one Australian university participated in one-on-one in-depth semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using grounded theory approaches. Three broad themes were generated in the study: psychological stress (which was linked to language barriers, shifts in pedagogy, and changes in lifestyle); perceived safety (which was linked to lack of security, safety and perceived racial discrimination); and social isolation (linked to reduced sense of belonging; lacking close personal connections; and feelings of loneliness and homesickness). Conclusions: Results suggested that a tripartite model of interactive risk factors may be appropriate for exploring how international students fare emotionally with their new environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: COVID-19 continues to infect and affect college-aged youth. We lack information about how students experienced the pandemic day-to-day and what they need for recovery, from their own perspectives. This study employed peer ethnography to explore student's insights for current and future prevention and care. Methods: A team of eight students were trained as peer ethnographers to observe and record conversations with their peers in 15-minute increments during the COVID-19 pandemic. Transcripts of 200 conversations were collated and analysed via theme analysis to identify patterns. Results: Student conversations revealed dichotomous perspectives about COVID-19. Some students prioritized safety, captured via three themes--caution, rethinking routines, and protecting others. Other students struggled to follow prevention guidelines and took risks, also captured by three themes--parties, denial, and misinformation. A third category of themes captured the results of this dichotomy--tense campus relationships and a health leadership vacuum. Conclusions: Our findings identify specific locations for intervention (e.g., off campus parties) and needed community collaborations (e.g., bars and universities) for COVID-19 and future pandemics. Our findings suggest that overarching approaches, like harm reduction or affirmation (versus shame), are helpful intervention frameworks. Findings also celebrate the value of peer-ethnography, to learn about pandemics and solutions from the ground up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Human movement is essential for health and well-being. Understanding human movement is pivotal in physiotherapy, but also an important element of physiotherapy education. This review identified, critically appraised, and synthesized the available evidence on learning and teaching human movement in physiotherapy as perceived by students, therapists, and instructors. Methods: The databases MEDLINE, CINAHL, ERIC, PsycINFO, MEDIC and FINNA, were searched. The search was conducted in March/April 2020 and updated in March 2022. The systematic review followed the JBI methodology for systematic reviews of qualitative evidence and was conducted in accordance with an a priori protocol. Results: The overall quality of the 17 included studies was scored low on ConQual but dependability and credibility were rated as moderate. Four synthesized findings aggregated from 17 categories and 147 findings described the perceived significance of 1) being present in movement, 2) movement quality, 3) movement transfer, and 4) contextual factors for the learning or teaching of human movement in physiotherapy. Conclusion: The synthesized findings indicate that the perceived significance of contextual factors, movement quality and transfer, and being present in movement should be considered in all learning and teaching of movement in physiotherapy. However, the evidence of the review findings was evaluated as low-level, which should be considered when applying these results to physiotherapy education or practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quality of the performances of standardized patients plays a significant role in the effectiveness of clinical skills education. Therefore, providing standardized patients with constant feedback is essential. It is especially important to get students' perspectives immediately following their encounters with standardized patients. In the literature, there is no scale for use by students to evaluate the performance of standardized patients. Thus, the three main goals of this study were to: (1) develop a scale for use by students to evaluate the performance of standardized patients, (2) examine the psychometric properties of the scale, and (3) determine a cut-off score for the scale in a standard-setting Seven hundred and two medical students participated in the scale- development process, the pilot test, and the validation process, and seven educators took part in the standard-setting process. After the evaluation of content validity, construct validity was assessed via exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. For the standard-setting study, the extended Angoff method was used. The exploratory factor analysis revealed that the scale had a single-factor structure, which was confirmed by confirmatory factor analysis. The Cronbach's alpha internal consistency coefficient was 0.91. The scale consists of nine items. The cut-off score was determined to be 24.11/45, which represents the minimum acceptable standard for standardized patient performance. Our study outlined the critical steps in developing a measurement tool and produced a valid and reliable scale that allows medical students to assess the performance of standardized patients immediately following their interaction with the standardized patient. This scale constitutes an important contribution to the literature as it provides a tool for standardized patient trainers to assess standardized patients' weaknesses and help them improve their performance. Evaluation of SP performance is essential to ensure the educational quality of clinical skills training programs. Students are the most relevant stakeholders to give feedback about SP performance immediately after encounters. The 'Standardized Patient Performance Rating Scale – Student Version' is a valid, reliable scale that can be used by students for the evaluation of standardized patients' strengths and weaknesses at individual-performance levels quickly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Faculty evaluation surveys in the frame of student evaluation of teaching (SETs) are a widely utilized tool to assess faculty teaching. Although SETs are used regularly to evaluate teaching effectiveness, their sole use for making administrative decisions and as an indicator of teaching quality has been controversial. Methods: A survey containing 22 items assessing demographics, perceptions, and factors for evaluating faculty was distributed to medical students at our institute. Statistical analyses were conducted using Microsoft Excel and R Software utilizing regression analysis and ANOVA tests. Results: The survey received 374 responses, consisting of 191 (51.1%) male students and 183 (48.9%) female students. In all, 178 (47.5%) students considered the optimal time for providing faculty evaluation to be after the release of the exam results, compared to 127 (33.9%) students, who chose the after the exam but before the release of exam results option. When asked what happens whenever the tutor is aware of the SETs data, 273 (72.9%) and 254 (67.9%) students believed that it would influence the difficulty of the exam and the grading/curving of the exam results, respectively. Better teaching skills (93%, 348), being responsive and open to student feedback and suggestions (84.7%, 317), being committed to class time and schedule (80.1%, 300), and an easier exam (68.6%, 257) were considered important factors to acquire a positive evaluation by a considerable proportion of students. Fewer lectures (p < 0.05), decreased number of slides per lecture (p < 0.01), easier exam (p < 0.05), and giving clues to students about the exam (p < 0.05) were found to be very important to obtain a positive tutor evaluation by students. Conclusions: Institutions ought to continue exploring areas for improvement in the faculty evaluation process while raising awareness among students about the importance and administrative implications of their feedback. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of the study was to identify final-year medical students' experiences with thought-provoking and challenging situations in general practice. Design setting and subjects: We conducted a qualitative analysis of 90 reflective essays written by one cohort of Norwegian final-year medical students during their internship in general practice in 2017. The students were asked to reflect upon a clinical encounter in general practice that had made a strong impression on them. A primary thematic content analysis was performed, followed by a secondary analysis of encounters that stood out as particularly challenging. Main outcome measures: Clinical scenarios in general practice that make students feel professionally 'caught off guard'. Results: The analysis identified several themes of challenging student experiences. One of these was 'disorienting encounters' for which the students felt totally unprepared in the sense that they did not know how to think and act. Five different scenarios were identified: (1) patients with highly distracting appearances, (2) 'ordinary consultations' that suddenly took a dramatic turn, (3) patients who appeared unexpectedly confrontational or devaluating, (4) scornful rejection of the young doctor's advice, and finally, (5) confusion related to massive contextual complexity. Conclusions: Disorienting encounters stood out as particularly challenging clinical experiences for medical students in general practice. These scenarios evoked an acute feeling of incapacitation: not knowing what to think and do. Further curriculum development will focus on preparing the students to 'know what to do when they don't know what to do'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of European Journal of Psychotraumatology is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

One role of higher education is to continuously prepare the next generation of workers to compete and succeed in a rapidly evolving workplace. Because of this, academics often update their curricula to stay current while also promoting critical thinking skills and a mind-set for lifelong learning. Four years ago, the Construction Management Department at Purdue University underwent a bold move to redesign its entire curriculum. The program shifted from the traditional 3-credit hour individual course model commonly used in the United States to 9-credit hour courses with integrated content blocks. However, in such radically changed courses, educators can unintentionally create learning climates that undermine students' self-determination and motivation for learning. This study investigates the role of self-determination theory (SDT) in a curriculum redesign by using Small Group Instructional Diagnoses (SGIDs). Ethnographic data were collected from 334 students across five courses and mapped to SDT using a thematic approach. Findings show that students approve of well-organized courses with a clear structure, which is integral to the learning process, student motivation, and their success. It also shows that students' intrinsic motivation for the new curriculum is centered on competency and autonomy in their learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on a project following up previous work about patterns of and attitudes to assessment among sociologists. Two forms of data collection were undertaken: an online questionnaire to sociology departments and a series of focus groups with undergraduate students. The results showed that assessment has become a more salient issue than ten years ago, but that most of the innovations in practice had taken place in post-1992 institutions. The focus group findings confirm those from national satisfaction surveys; namely that student dissatisfaction with assessment is profound and that it persists throughout their undergraduate experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background:This article considers the impact of differential task difficulty on student engagement and progression within an Irish primary school context. Gaining and maintaining student engagement during learning tasks such as homework is a significant and understandable on-going challenge for teachers. The findings of this study hold the potential to support teachers’ decision-making processes regarding the development of student tasks. Purpose:The research study aimed to explore the impact of task difficulty on student engagement and subsequent progression in the computerised navigation task Pac-Man. The central research questions addressed in this article were; do subtle variances in task difficulty impact on student volition and consequently, will this result in a significant variance in students’ levels of improvement? Sample:Sixty students from a large urban, coeducational primary school in the south of Ireland were identified as a suitable sample cohort. All students were in their final year of primary school within the Irish education system and were between 11 and 12 years of age. Design and methods:The study employed the use of the popular arcade game Pac-Man. In a test–retest approach, 60 primary school students completed the standard computerised navigation task with a seven-day interval. Between testing, participants were randomly subdivided into three cohorts. Each cohort of 20 participants received a different version of the Pac-Man game to practise with for one week. Cohort A received a version of the Pac-Man game of lesser difficulty, Cohort B received the standard Pac-Man game and Cohort C received a version of greater difficulty. A paired-samplest-test (repeated measures) was employed to compare the scores achieved by each of the three cohorts both pre- and post-practice. As an indication of the resulting effect size for each cohort the eta-squared statistic was subsequently calculated. In order to support any future meta-analysis, Cohen’sdstatistic is also provided in this paper. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was employed to explore differences between groups with regard to progression scores and number of games played when practising. Results:The results of this small scale study found the cohort who received the easier version of the task presented the greatest overall improvement in performance between the pre- and post-tests. No statistically significant difference was found in the change in scores of the three cohorts – potentially due to the small sample size. However, paying attention to the size of the effect indicated that, over seven days, there was an 80% improvement in performance for Cohort A, 63% improvement for Cohort B and 26% improvement for Cohort C. The results highlight the negative impact of increased task difficulty on students’ volition and consequently, on overall progress in the task. Conclusions:Further research with larger student populations would be needed to assess the generalisability of the results. However, the findings suggest that when designing tasks to promote student learning, particularly self-directed tasks such as homework, it is important that teachers afford ample opportunity for student success. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: Evidence-based antenatal care is one cornerstone in Safe Motherhood and educated and confident midwives remain to be optimal caregivers in Africa. Confidence in antenatal midwifery skills is important and could differ depending on the provision of education among the training institutions across Africa. Objective: The aim of the study was to describe and compare midwifery students' confidence in basic antenatal skills, in relation to age, sex, program type and level of program. Methods: A survey in seven sub-Saharan African countries was conducted. Enrolled midwifery students from selected midwifery institutions in each country presented selfreported data on confidence to provide antenatal care. Data were collected using a selfadministered questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of 22 antenatal skills based on the competency framework from the International Confederation of Midwives. The skills were grouped into three domains; Identify fetal and maternal risk factors and educate parents; Manage and document emergent complications and Physical assessment and nutrition. Results: In total, 1407 midwifery students from seven Sub-Saharan countries responded. Almost one third (25-32%) of the students reported high levels of confidence in all three domains. Direct entry programs were associated with higher levels of confidence in all three domains, compared to post-nursing and double degree programs. Students enrolled at education with diploma level presented with high levels of confidence in two out of three domains. Conclusions: A significant proportion of student midwives rated themselves low on confidence to provide ANC. Midwifery students enrolled in direct entry programs reported higher levels of confidence in all domains. It is important that local governments develop education standards, based on recommendations from the International Confederation of midwives. Further research is needed for the evaluation of actual competence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study on the influence of student-service and instructional expenditures among students. It states that institution-level data was used to sample each student's level of instructional and non-instructional expenditures. The results show that both student-service and instructional expenditures influence persistence and graduation rates and that student-service expenditures' significance varies throughout the academic institutions. It also mentions that students who were benefited by student-service expenditures are those who have low academic and economic performance.

The article presents abstracts on engineering topics which include aligning the attributes of engineering graduates with the demands of the industry and governing bodies, the 90th anniversary celebration of Engineers Australia and "Eco-Logical" Engineering.

The article presents the findings from a survey of over 400 young people in metropolitan areas in the Netherlands and England concerning their views on identity and school history. The research explored pupils’ ideas about which facets of history were of interest to them, what history they believed should be taught in schools, and their views on the purposes of school history and history in general. The coding of the data made it possible to delineate between those from different ethnic minority backgrounds, boys and girls, age and level of education and first or second generation of migration. The study revealed significant differences between young people's ideas about history and identity, and those advanced by politicians and policy makers in the Netherlands, England and elsewhere. The concluding section of the paper considers the implications of the findings for policy makers in the field of history education in schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the ways in which sixth‐form students in Milton Keynes negotiate their identities and the symbolic significance they attach to leisure activities in the process of doing this. The paper draws upon qualitative, young‐person‐centred interviews with sixth formers in state and private schools. We address the investments of sixth formers in constructing themselves as autonomous individuals and argue that they do so from a position of middle‐class subjects‐in‐the‐making. Through an inversion of Willis’ (1977) (focus, our concern is to make explicit the implicitly middle‐class identities sixth formers were forging. We argue that the identity‐work of sixth formers plays a part in the reproduction of school‐based class inequalities by pathologising working‐class students while constructing themselves as bourgeois liberal individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By creating a space for fun, interaction, and trust, teachers and students together can build a learning environment that promotes engagement, deep learning, and meaning. Such a space emphasizes process, not product, personalizes learning, and contributes to whole person development. To facilitate the creation of this space, the teachers show respect for students as individuals, encourage original thinking, and expand the boundaries of the classroom through field trips and guest speakers, and the students share written reflections on critical issues that link to personal experience and conviction, contribute to dynamic class dialogues, and develop and present creative responses to environmental and social complexities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a more conversational analytical approach, this paper examines the various situated ways in which secondary school students, in interaction with teachers, describe and explain their disruptive classroom behaviour. The focus is on how students account for their behaviour and force accountability on teachers. Students gave accounts and made teachers accountable by defining disruptive behaviour in relation to schoolwork and claims about normality, and by drawing on common understandings about teacher identity. In doing so, various discursive devices were used such as extreme case formulations, introducing corroborating witnesses, deploying the notion of consistency, giving detailed descriptions, making category contrasts, and displaying uncertainty and incomprehension. The different accounts all worked in the direction of emphasising the role of the teacher, and the analysis raises questions about power relations in school and the empowerment of students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-year colleges provide the opportunity for students of all ages to try new subjects, change careers, upskill, or begin exploring higher education, at affordable rates. Many might begin their exploration by taking a course at a local two-year college. Currently, not many of these institutions in the U.S. offer data science courses. This article introduces the perspective lens of students who have gone through the Montgomery College Data Science Certificate Program. We found that, contrary to many other educational fields at the College, data science students tend to come from diverse backgrounds and career paths. A common theme emerged that all students learned valuable skills and applications such as coding in various programming languages and approaches to machine learning. Other meaningful themes included an appreciation of course accessibility, especially catered toward busy professionals who might only be able to take evening courses. Students appreciated learning that data science and ethics are intertwined. Finally, it was evident that going through the data science program positively impacted the lives and careers of these students. The implications of the themes of these student experiences are discussed as they relate to data science education. for this article are available online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the polarization model from qualitative research in both Great Britain and the US, which claims that educational stratification practices polarize students into pro- and anti-school orientations. Because few researchers have adequately conceptualized school attitudes and behavior, social bonding theory (Hirschi, 1969) is used to provide a framework for examining the polarization hypothesis. Relying on High School and Beyond data from the US, an attempt is made to develop measures of respondents' social bonding to school, including college expectations, absenteeism, disciplinary problems, and engagement. The polarization hypothesis is supported by these US data when examining educational stratification effects on the school bonding measures. Compared to academic-track students, general- and vocational-track students have lower college expectations, more disciplinary problems, and are less academically engaged, controlling for prior school orientations and for selection bias due to dropping out of school. For absenteeism, the general track has a significant positive effect, while vocational-track students do not differ from those in the academic track. In addition, students in the nonacademic tracks are more likely to drop out of school between the 10th and 12th grades compared to academic-track students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses how the work forgery among students can be addressed through reflection. Impact of the curriculum system for students to commit forgery; Detecting forgery works.

The purpose of this paper is to develop an initial theory of teachers' conceptions of classroom discussion. Six high school social studies teachers participated in this study, and were purposively selected to permit data collection from a diverse and theoretically interesting sample. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and a think-aloud task, and were analyzed using grounded theory's constant-comparative technique. During data analysis, six conceptions of discussion emerged. Teachers thought of discussion as recitation, teacher-directed conversation, open-ended conversation, a series of challenging questions, guided transfer of knowledge to the world outside the classroom, and practice at verbal interaction. In addition, five factors emerged that seemed to influence the teachers' use of discussion. Explanations and excerpts from the data are provided to illustrate each of the conceptions. These hypothetical categories contribute to previous research on discussion by revealing the complexity of teachers' conceptions of discussion. Implications of these findings for teachers, teacher educators, and researchers interested in classroom discussion are examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Can a "nudge" toward engaging, fun, and useful material improve student attitudes toward statistics? We report on the results of a randomized study to assess the effect of a "nudge" delivered via a weekly E-mail digest on the attitudes of students enrolled in a large introductory statistics course taught in both flipped and fully online formats. Students were randomized to receive either a personalized weekly E-mail digest with course information and a "nudge" to read and explore interesting applications of statistics relevant to the weekly course material, or a generic course E-mail digest with the same course information, and no "nudge." Our study found no evidence that "nudging" students to read and explore interesting applications of statistics resulted in better attitudes toward statistics. for this article are available online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]