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Successful shared decision making (SDM) in clinical practice requires that future clinicians learn to appreciate the value of patient participation as early as they can in their medical training. Narratives, such as patient testimonials, have been successfully used to support patients' decision-making process. Previous research suggests that narratives may also be used for increasing clinicians' empathy and responsiveness in medical consultations. However, so far, no studies have investigated the benefits of narratives for conveying the relevance of SDM to medical students. In this randomized controlled experiment, N = 167 medical students were put into a scenario where they prepared for medical consultation with a patient having Parkinson disease. After receiving general information, participants read either a narrative testimonial of a Parkinson patient or a fact-based information text. We measured their perceptions of SDM, their control preferences (i.e., their priorities as to who should make the decision), and the time they intended to spend for the consultation. Participants in the narrative patient testimonial condition referred more strongly to the patient as the one who should make decisions than participants who read the information text. Participants who read the patient narrative also considered SDM in situations with several equivalent treatment options to be more important than participants in the information text condition. There were no group differences regarding their control preferences. Participants who read the patient testimonial indicated that they would schedule more time for the consultation. These findings show that narratives can potentially be useful for imparting the relevance of SDM and patient-centered values to medical students. We discuss possible causes of this effect and implications for training and future research. Trial registration: The study was pre-registered on the pre-registration platform AsPredicted (aspredicted.org) before data collection began (registration number: #29,342). Date of registration: 17 October 2019. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current literature of school education, transnationalisation and migration explores actors, structures and social mechanisms, however, tends to focus on these analytical levels separately. This article advocates a more explicit analysis of the interconnections of structures, actors and mechanisms within and across schools and wider national and inter-national levels in the context of transnationalisation of school education. The article adds to the theoretical discussion of transnationalisation and school education by presenting a conceptual tool, which identifies gaps in the current literature and may help to structure future research and policy development. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

That the interplay of random and deterministic processes may result in both the limited predictability of nonlinear systems and the formation of structures seems to be a most valuable general insight into the nature of science. This study investigates the possibility of teaching and learning the interplay of chance and determinism in nonlinear systems in school science instruction. An analysis of the relevant scientific literature and an explorative learning process study with 30 11th-grade students are included. Three experiments displaying the behaviour of nonlinear systems (deterministic chaos, self-organization and fractals) and one experiment demonstrating the behaviour of linear systems were discussed using a teaching experiment design. The findings show that although the majority of students initially considered chance and determinism as contradictory conceptions, they finally developed sound explanations concerning the interplay of chance and determinism in the investigated nonlinear systems. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Context: The Dreyfus model describes how individuals progress through various levels in their acquisition of skills and subsumes ideas with regard to how individuals learn. Such a model is being accepted almost without debate from physicians to explain the 'acquisition' of clinical skills. Objectives: This paper reviews such a model, discusses several controversial points, clarifies what kind of knowledge the model is about, and examines its coherence in terms of problem-solving skills. Dreyfus' main idea that intuition is a major aspect of expertise is also discussed in some detail. Relevant scientific evidence from cognitive science, psychology, and neuroscience is reviewed to accomplish these aims. Conclusions: Although the Dreyfus model may partially explain the 'acquisition' of some skills, it is debatable if it can explain the acquisition of clinical skills. The complex nature of clinical problem-solving skills and the rich interplay between the implicit and explicit forms of knowledge must be taken into consideration when we want to explain 'acquisition' of clinical skills. The idea that experts work from intuition, not from reason, should be evaluated carefully. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three supplementary perspectives are presented arguing that interprofessional collaboration is both necessary and desirable. Nonetheless, there are often too many serious intra-professional barriers and obstacles to interprofessional collaboration to make it successful. Some of these barriers, it is argued and illustrated, are found in the multiple ways in which professional identity is tacitly acquired and embodied in the practitioners' habitual, everyday practice. The paper then explores ways in which reflection, especially Second order reflection, can help to elucidate and overcome these obstacles, as well as increasing professional adaptability and competence.1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poverty of the Stimulus Arguments have convinced many linguists and philosophers of language that a domain specific language acquisition device (LAD) is necessary to account for language learning. Here we review empirical evidence that casts doubt on the necessity of this domain specific device. We suggest that more attention needs to be paid to the early stages of language acquisition. Many seemingly innate language-related abilities have to be learned over the course of several months. Further, the language input contains rich stochastic information that can be accessed by domain-general learning mechanisms. Computer simulation has shown how mechanisms that are not domain specific can exploit the information contained in language. We conclude that (i) Poverty of the Stimulus Arguments need to be conceptually clarified and (ii) more empirical research needs to be carried out before we can rule out that data driven general purpose mechanisms can account for language learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Educators in the computing fields are often familiar with the characterization of computing as a combination of theoretical, scientific, and engineering traditions. That distinction is often used to guide the work and disciplinary self-identity of computing professionals. But the distinction is, by no means, an easy one. The three traditions of computing are based on different principles, they have different aims, they employ different methods, and their products are very different. Educators in the field of computing should be aware of the fundamental differences between the traditions of computing so that they can offer their students a truthful and balanced view about computing branches. In this article the three traditions of computing are presented and some of their underlying assumptions, principles, application areas, restrictions, and weaknesses are portrayed. Also, some of the landmark arguments in the debates about the identity of computing disciplines are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article integrativism is proposed as a framework for e-learning and practitioner research. The philosophical bases of integrativism are outlined. Foundational principles of integrating education, derived from the notions of continual quality improvement and high-quality learning, are explained. The extension of integrating education to embrace e-learning and practitioner research draws on ideas from sociocultural theory. A virtual learning environment is described which has been designed around an integrating approach to education. The practice of integrating education is facilitated in the virtual learning environment through the use of heuristics. Examples of heuristics are given. An online Master's course in information and communication technology in education, developed around the principles of integrativism, is outlined. Finally, examples are given of integrative, practitioner research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A teaching unit on genetics and human inheritance using problem-solving methodology was undertaken with fourth-level Spanish Secondary Education students (15 year olds). The goal was to study certain aspects of the students' learning process (concepts, procedures and attitude) when using this methodology in the school environment. The change experienced by students in the process of problem-solving is discussed: the analysis of the problem, the formulation of hypothesis, the design of a solution, the putting into practice of that strategy and the analysis of results. As genetics is one of the few biology topics best addressed through problem-solving, and problem-solving traditionally has been treated in Spain as that of closed problems, it is important that we have shown that working with genuine problematic situations allows students to successfully solve closed problems without prior training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conception and theory of agency as self-regulation that is contained within Bandura's social cognitive theory is examined and elaborated in the context of the relevant philosophical history of ideas and through consideration of recent work in theoretical development psychology. Implications for self-regulated learning in classrooms are considered. In particular, it is suggested that the understanding of agency contained within social cognitive theory as elaborated herein might be developed as an alternative to conceptions of self-regulation and agency within constructivist and socioculturalist theorizing in educational psychology. However, the classroom application of such an alternative would require a much less dualistic and teacher-directed form of teaching than suggested in much past and current social cognitive work on self-regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]