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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chronic cancer pain is a serious complication of malignancy or its treatment. Currently, no comprehensive, universally accepted cancer pain classification system exists. Clarity in classification of common cancer pain syndromes would improve clinical assessment and management. Moreover, an evidence-based taxonomy would enhance cancer pain research efforts by providing consistent diagnostic criteria, ensuring comparability across clinical trials. As part of a collaborative effort between the Analgesic, Anesthetic, and Addiction Clinical Trial Translations, Innovations, Opportunities, and Networks (ACTTION) and the American Pain Society (APS), the ACTTION-APS Pain Taxonomy initiative worked to develop the characteristics of an optimal diagnostic system. After the establishment of these characteristics, a working group consisting of clinicians and clinical and basic scientists with expertise in cancer and cancer-related pain was convened to generate core diagnostic criteria for an illustrative sample of 3 chronic pain syndromes associated with cancer (ie, bone pain and pancreatic cancer pain as models of pain related to a tumor) or its treatment (ie, chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy). A systematic review and synthesis was conducted to provide evidence for the dimensions that comprise this cancer pain taxonomy. Future efforts will subject these diagnostic categories and criteria to systematic empirical evaluation of their feasibility, reliability, and validity and extension to other cancer-related pain syndromes.PerspectiveThe ACTTION-APS chronic cancer pain taxonomy provides an evidence-based classification for 3 prevalent syndromes, namely malignant bone pain, pancreatic cancer pain, and chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. This taxonomy provides consistent diagnostic criteria, common features, comorbidities, consequences, and putative mechanisms for these potentially serious cancer pain conditions that can be extended and applied with other cancer-related pain syndromes.

Objective: To explore whether a change in alcohol-risk level is moderated by generational status, race, or gender following exposure to a computer-delivered intervention (CDI). Method: This study used a retrospective design to examine preand post-survey results from undergraduate students who completed a CDI. Ordinal and binomial logistic regression were used to examine the extent to which generational status, race and gender predicted changes in alcohol-risk level. Results: The secondary data analysis of 1,421 participants revealed generational status and race were not associated with a change in alcohol-risk level. The odds that males would show an increase in drinking following the intervention was 1.40 times larger than females. Conclusion: Findings from the study reveal a difference in alcohol-risk level between male and female students after completing the CDI. Implications for practice include tailoring CDIs towards specific demographic categories of college students to encourage the reduction of alcohol-risk behaviors., Alcohol continues to be the most commonly abused substance among young adults. In 2018, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) reported 54.9 percent of full-time college students [...]

BackgroundEthical challenges are common in end of life care; the uncertainty of prognosis and the ethically permissible boundaries of treatment create confusion and conflict about the balance between benefits and burdens experienced by patients.ObjectiveWe asked physician trainees in internal medicine how they reacted and responded to ethical challenges arising in the context of perceived futile treatments at the end of life and how these challenges contribute to moral distress.DesignSemi-structured in-depth qualitative interviews.ParticipantsTwenty-two internal medicine residents and fellows across three American academic medical centers.ApproachThis study uses systematic qualitative methods of data gathering, analysis and interpretation.Key resultsPhysician trainees experienced significant moral distress when they felt obligated to provide treatments at or near the end of life that they believed to be futile. Some trainees developed detached and dehumanizing attitudes towards patients as a coping mechanism, which may contribute to a loss of empathy. Successful coping strategies included formal and informal conversations with colleagues and superiors about the emotional and ethical challenges of providing care at the end of life.ConclusionsMoral distress amongst physician trainees may occur when they feel obligated to provide treatments at the end of life that they believe to be futile or harmful.

This study examined data from the Special Education Elementary Longitudinal Study (SEELS, 2003) to compare the social skills of children in the U.S. with comorbid learning disabilities and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (LD+AD/HD) to their peers with LD-only and AD/HD-only, and to assess how specific demographic factors moderate the relationship between disability status and social skill. Results showed that the social skills deficits of children with comorbid LD+AD/HD were more marked than those of children with LD-only. Additionally, family involvement significantly moderated the relationship between disability status and social skill, with increased family involvement associated with increased social skills among children with comorbid LD+AD/HD and AD/HD-only. (Contains 2 figures and 5 tables.)

Current educational practices for classifying and serving students with mental health disorders such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) have been associated with specific problems. These include the stigma of labeling, misalignment of school-based categories (e.g., E/BD, OHI) with clinical diagnoses, and concerns regarding the provision of appropriate services to these students. In the present study, Illinois school psychologists completed a survey on current practices for classifying and serving students with a primary diagnosis of OCD. The results indicated that 0.7% of the students served by school psychologists had a primary diagnosis of OCD. The majority of these students (74.5%) were served under IDEA. Of the students receiving services under IDEA, 51.4% were classified under E/BD and 31.8% under OHI. Approximately two-thirds of the students with OCD (67.1%) were educated in less restrictive settings (e.g., regular classroom with or without resource/part-time special class). School psychologists' comments suggested a pattern of ambiguity and uncertainty surrounding the appropriateness of IDEA categories for OCD, concerns regarding the stigma of labeling, and problems related to providing appropriate services to these students. Response-to-Intervention (RtI) as an alternative to current evaluation practices is proposed and recommendations for improving traditional categorical service delivery models when RtI is not implemented are provided. (Contains 3 tables.)

Data from the 2001 National Household Education Survey were examined to estimate the prevalence of comorbid AD/HD and LD among school-aged children in the United States and assess how this comorbidity was associated with selected parent-reported behavioral and academic outcomes. The observed prevalence of comorbidity coincided with estimates in previous studies. Parents of children with comorbid AD/HD + LD were significantly more likely than parents of children with LD-only to be contacted by teachers about behavioral problems at school. Additionally, students with comorbid disorders were more likely than students with AD/HD-only to show impaired academic outcomes. However, when compared to children with AD/HD-only, children with comorbidity did not show significantly impaired behavioral outcomes; and when compared to children with LD-only, they did not show significantly impaired academic outcomes. (Contains 5 tables.)