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The identification of effects of vocational education and training conditions on competence development in nursing education requires longitudinal studies. An important precondition is the availability of a test of nursing competence which is economical in use, measures a homogeneous construct throughout years of nursing education and across nursing specializations, and can detect increases in the required competence, hence allowing for sensitive testing. This article describes a cross-sectional study that aimed to optimize a computer-based test measuring nursing competence in care for the elderly—the TEMA test—through the selection of items on the basis of measurement error, differential item functioning, and item difficulty. Evidence of the test sensitivity of the optimized TEMA-L instrument is presented for the second and third year of nursing education. The total sample consisted of n = 133 German nursing students from clinical and geriatric nursing. The resulting instrument includes two test booklets consisting of 36 (WLE = 0.72) and 35 items (WLE = 0.70) respectively for the second and third year of training. The cross-sectional data indicate that the test likely has good properties for sensitive testing of nursing competence in a future longitudinal study. Hence, it might be used to study factors contributing to increases in nursing competence in German VET and serve as an example for similar studies in other countries. Limitations of the current study and related subjects of future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background & Purpose: A requirement for the success of knowledge workers’ competence development plans is to take their thinking preferences into account. This research proposed a nature-based model of strategies of developing skills building and competencies of knowledge workers according to their preferred thinking style. Methodology: This was an applied, inductive, interpretative, and qualitative research conducted through the grounded theory. The participants of the research included 21 experts of Human Resource Management, selected by theoretical sampling. Data were analyzed using Corbin and Strauss’ Grounded Theory, through three stages of open, axial, and selective coding. Findings: Aprocess modelhas introduced in which Skill building and competence development of knowledge workers is the central phenomena of this model. The causal factors includ the three categories of individual, social-environmental, and organizational-legal. The strategies consist of three categories of competence development, skill building, and personal development based on A, B, C, and D’s preferences. The intervening factors are three categories of cultural-organizational, personal attitude, and senior managers’ attitude. Moreover, considerations of development facilitating factors comprise the contextual factors of the model. Finally, the outcomes of the model include the three categories of personal, organizational, and social development. Conclusion: Preparing and implementing plans for the development of competencies and skills of Knowledge workers based on their fourfold thinking preferences enhance the success and efficiency of these plans. For this purpose, competencies and skills related to each of these thinking preferences are identified and the actions necessary for their development are determined in this research.

Abstract Aim To explore and describe changes in self‐assessed clinical competence and the need for further training among newly graduated Registered Nurses during their first 15 months of professional work in acute care hospital settings. Design Quantitative longitudinal design. Methods The 50‐item Professional Nurse Self‐Assessment Scale of clinical core competencies II was used. A total of 45 newly graduated Registered Nurses answered the questionnaire at four different occasions. Data were collected after 2, 5, 9 and 15 months of working experience. Result The components “ethical decision‐making,” “cooperation and consultation” and “clinical leadership” were rated highest in clinical competence and lowest in need for further training. The components “professional development” and “critical thinking” were rated lowest in clinical competence and “direct clinical practice” rated highest in need for further training. The clinical competence increased significant between 9–15 months, with the exception of “critical thinking” and need for further training decreased significantly between 9–15 months, with the exception of “critical thinking.”

Copyright of Perspectivas em Ciência da Informaçao is the property of Nova Economia 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.)

This research examines the connection between higher education curricula for sustainable development and student development of key competencies for sustainability. The authors conducted a comparative case study that followed ten students from three graduate sustainability programs. Through a combination of student-generated and contextual data, we created a set of learning journeys. These journeys showed that activities which foster reflection, interaction, and real-world connections are especially critical for competence development as part of the whole curriculum. What and how students found most useful depended on individual disposition and we identified four general categories based on prior experience, attitude to learning, and individual goals. Barriers to competency development were frustration, feelings of helplessness, and being unable to link competence to concrete activities or concepts. These barriers could be mitigated through peer interaction and mentorship, environmental support such as spaces for collaboration, and instructor scaffolding. Because no single course can fit the needs of each student, we recommend that beneficial components in the form of courses that support the above-mentioned activities be part of purposeful curriculum design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate operating theatre nurses (OTNs) with managerial responsibility, and their self‐rated clinical competence and need for competence development in perioperative nursing. Design: A cross‐sectional study was applied using a modified version of Professional Nurse Self‐Assessment Scale of Clinical Core Competence I. Method: Data were collected from 303 OTNs in Sweden, 80 of whom indicated that they had managerial responsibility. Statistics analysis was used to identify the relationships between background variables to compare OTNs with and without managerial responsibility and their need for competence development. Results: OTNs with an academic degree and managerial responsibility self‐rated their clinical competence higher compared with OTNs without an academic degree. It also turned out that OTNs with RN education and 1‐year advanced nursing in theatre care, and master's 60 credits had a lower need for competence development in cooperation and consultation, professional development and critical thinking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Hochschullehre is the property of wbv Media GmbH & Co. KG 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.)

Copyright of Hochschullehre is the property of wbv Media GmbH & Co. KG 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.)

Recent research has found substantial gaps in knowledge surrounding concussion assessment and management in various groups of Canadian healthcare professionals, including medical students, physiotherapists, chiropractic students, and family medicine physicians. The purpose of this project was to explore concussion knowledge in a sample of athletic therapy students and to use these findings to make practical pedagogical recommendations to improve concussion education. A sequential explanatory mixed-methods approach (initial questionnaire, student interviews, clinical educator interviews) was used to investigate the research question. The findings showed a large gap between theoretical knowledge and practical abilities to assess and manage concussions. Additionally, students felt less prepared to assist throughout the entire continuum of concussion care (from initial recognition to return-to-play). Based on these findings, educators should consider innovative pedagogical strategies that focus on true competence development in concussion assessment and management while bridging the gap between foundational theory and practical application/skill development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent research has found substantial gaps in knowledge surrounding concussion assessment and management in various groups of Canadian healthcare professionals, including medical students, physiotherapists, chiropractic students, and family medicine physicians. The purpose of this project was to explore concussion knowledge in a sample of athletic therapy students and to use these findings to make practical pedagogical recommendations to improve concussion education. A sequential explanatory mixed-methods approach (initial questionnaire, student interviews, clinical educator interviews) was used to investigate the research question. The findings showed a large gap between theoretical knowledge and practical abilities to assess and manage concussions. Additionally, students felt less prepared to assist throughout the entire continuum of concussion care (from initial recognition to return-to-play). Based on these findings, educators should consider innovative pedagogical strategies that focus on true competence development in concussion assessment and management while bridging the gap between foundational theory and practical application/skill development.

Physicians could arguably play a role in efforts to mitigate and adapt to the health effects of global environmental change. This paper presents an initial qualitative exploration of United States physicians’ perspectives with regard to whether, why and how physicians might discuss the health effects of global environmental change, climate change in particular, with their patients and what would need to change in healthcare systems to facilitate this. Interviews were conducted with eighteen physicians working across the US and representing different medical specialties. Data were analyzed using conventional content analysis. We found that most physicians felt such conversations should become part of clinical encounters, primarily to help patients protect their health. However, it was also highlighted that physicians might have objections, referring to the risk of creating feelings of fear or powerlessness and of undermining the physician-patient relationship. This study highlighted that such conversations therefore need to be relevant and actionable, for which timing and communication style are essential. Major barriers for such conversations include a lack of knowledge, conversation skills and guidance, lack of time, and physicians’ perspectives on their role in realizing good quality care. Building on these explorative findings, our tentative conclusion is that discussing the health effects of global environmental change during clinical encounters can become part of physicians’ roles, but that this requires competence development and fundamental changes in the operation of healthcare systems. Future (quantitative) studies are necessary to further understand how such discussions could take place and be facilitated in different settings.

Background: After elementary school, students in Germany are separated into different school tracks (i.e., school types) with the aim of creating homogeneous student groups in secondary school. Consequently, the development of students' reading achievement diverges across school types. Findings on this achievement gap have been criticized as depending on the quality of the administered measure. Therefore, the present study examined to what degree differential item functioning affects estimates of the achievement gap in reading competence. Methods: Using data from the German National Educational Panel Study, reading competence was investigated across three timepoints during secondary school: in grades 5, 7, and 9 (N = 7276). First, using the invariance alignment method, measurement invariance across school types was tested. Then, multilevel structural equation models were used to examine whether a lack of measurement invariance between school types affected the results regarding reading development. Results: Our analyses revealed some measurement non-invariant items that did not alter the patterns of competence development found among school types in the longitudinal modeling approach. However, misleading conclusions about the development of reading competence in different school types emerged when the hierarchical data structure (i.e., students being nested in schools) was not taken into account. Conclusions: We assessed the relevance of measurement invariance and accounting for clustering in the context of longitudinal competence measurement. Even though differential item functioning between school types was found for each measurement occasion, taking these differences in item estimates into account did not alter the parallel pattern of reading competence development across German secondary school types. However, ignoring the clustered data structure of students being nested within schools led to an overestimation of the statistical significance of school type effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Learning Factories 4.0 are thought to prepare vocational students for the challenges of Industry 4.0. The implementation of those interconnected Learning Factories 4.0 at technical vocational schools may promote the development of subject-related technical competencies as well as multidisciplinary digital competencies. Still, research is scarce with regard to the development of competencies supported through Learning Factories 4.0 in technical vocational schools. Hence this research focusses on subject-related technical and multidisciplinary digital competencies of technical vocational students change due to different levels of Learning Factory 4.0 interaction over time. Three subsequent competence tests with N = 63 technical vocational students were conducted. Findings indicate the benefits of integrating Learning Factories 4.0 for developing subject-related competencies in technical vocational schools. However, the study could not identify a positive development of multidisciplinary digital competencies. The findings of this study can help educators to further develop learning environments with support from Learning Factories 4.0 as well as preparing their learners for the demanding competencies of Industry 4.0. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on the effectiveness of case studies in teaching engineering ethics in higher education is underdeveloped. To add to our knowledge, we have systematically compared the outcomes of two case approaches to an undergraduate course on the ethics of technology: a detached approach using real-life cases and a challenge-based learning (CBL) approach with students and stakeholders acting as co-creators (CC). We first developed a practical typology of case-study approaches and subsequently tested an evaluation method to assess the students’ learning experiences (basic needs and motivation) and outcomes (competence development) and staff interpretations and operationalizations, seeking to answer three questions: (1) Do students in the CBL approach report higher basic needs, motivation and competence development compared to their peers in the detached approach? (2) What is the relationship between student-perceived co-creation and their basic needs, motivation and competence development? And (3) what are the implications of CBL/CC for engineering-ethics teaching and learning? Our mixed methods analysis favored CBL as it best supported teaching and research goals while satisfying the students’ basic needs and promoting intrinsic motivation and communication competences. Competence progress in other areas did not differ between approaches, and motivation in terms of identified regulation was lower for CBL, with staff perceiving a higher workload. We propose that our case typology model is useful and that as a method to engage students as co-creators, CBL certainly merits further development and evaluation, as does our effectiveness analysis for engineering ethics instruction in general and for case-study approaches in particular. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The purpose of the article is to consider the use of the project approach in the strategic management of the development of Russian regions. The problem of identification of features of use of project management in activity of public authorities is solved. The key idea of the study was the need to improve the competencies of state managers to ensure sustainable and balanced socio-economic development of territories.

To meet the changing competence requirements for employees in engineering professions, education and training need to adapt accordingly. Learning factories offer various possibilities to design or integrate practice-oriented learning into training measures. Whether this approach in fact facilitates learning and competence development is rarely investigated. For this reason, the objective of this scoping review is to analyze and summarize the existing empirical findings on learning success and competence development in learning factories regarding their evaluation methods and results. Following standardized guidelines (PRISMA, JBI) for scoping reviews, 12 databases were researched. The literature screening led to the identification of 24 publications included in the final analysis. The results indicate that a variety of evaluation methods are used to assess learning and competences at learning factories and that criteria of all four competence facets (professional, methodological, social, and self-competence) can be enhanced at learning factories in general. As many of the identified studies show potential for improvement regarding the quality of the used methods and analysis of results, further studies on these topics are needed. Evaluations should be integrated into all training measures at learning factories to ensure learning success and competence development and to be able to readjust design, structure, and didactics where necessary.

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The social capital of an organization is one of the key success factors of enterprises that build their competitive position in the market. This resource, obtained from social structures, can also be used to achieve goals set for public sector organizations, such as universities. Universities operate in conditions of high uncertainty, changing roles, and expectations of stakeholders, which requires adaptability and flexibility of operation. In addition to improving the quality of research and teaching, one of the important evaluation criteria is also the ability to transfer knowledge to the economy and commercialization of research. One of the activities undertaken by universities to support employees in ongoing changes is the implementation of academic scouting, introducing departmental innovation brokers who play the role of coaches/mentors, supporting research and teaching staff by commercializing their research results. The aim of the article is to show how the social capital of departmental innovation brokers supports the development of competences of scientific and research scholars. Based on the conducted qualitative research, it was presented how brokers use their social capital to achieve multidimensional goals in relation to other people, as well as organizational goals resulting from the entrusted function. Factors hindering the cooperation of departmental innovation brokers with academics, which are manifested in various areas of social capital - structural, cognitive, and relational - were analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taiwan's various ethnic groups, including 16 indigenous groups, represent disparate distinct cultures and backgrounds. In long-term care, culturally safe services that reflect cultural expectations and practices must be provided to older-adult recipients of care. As frontline healthcare workers face practical challenges in providing these services appropriately, "cultural safety instructors" may be used to help facilitate indigenous cultural care. Therefore, it is vital to develop the role function and cultural competence of these instructors. In this article, related instructor qualifications, course contents, and expected results of an indigenous cultural safety instruction program are presented based on the theory of cultural competence and cultural safety. In addition, relevant perspectives on cultural safety instructors and their cross-cultural competence specific to indigenous peoples, including Dimitrov and Haque (2016) and Leininiger (1996), are integrated. It is hoped that this study promotes reflection and provides a reference on practice and policies related to long-term care for indigenous people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The long-term success of organizations is mainly attributable to employees’ psychological health. Organizations focusing on promoting and managing the flow (an optimal experience and optimal functioning state) may enhance employees’ well-being and performance to an optimum level. Surprisingly, the literature representing the role of HRM practices for their effect on work-related flow (i.e., intrinsic motivation, absorption, and work enjoyment) is very sparse. Accordingly, by drawing primarily on the job demands-resources model and HRM specific attribution theory, this paper develops a theoretical framework that unravels the effectiveness of specific organizational level High Involvement HRM (HIHRM) practices (i.e., recognition, empowerment, information sharing, fair rewards, and competence development) in activating the individual level work-related flow with beneficial effect and mediating role of affective commitment. In addition to highlighting the underlying mechanisms that may cause HIHRM practices to be regarded as resources and sometimes as demands, this paper especially proposes that these practices implemented with a focus to promote employee well-being are perceived as job resources and may positively influence affective commitment and flow, whereas these practices used as a demand to increase performance are perceived as job demands and may hinder affective commitment and flow. It is further significant to understand the possible moderating effects of emotional intelligence on the relationships among HIHRM practices, affective commitment, and flow. The paper augments the knowledge and understanding of the impact process of HIHRM practices, in particular how the HIHRM effect is sensed by the workers and thus, influences their succeeding job attitude and work experience. Finally, this work, as the first paper to link HIHRM practices with work-related flow, promotes the concept of positive psychology in the workplace.

The spread of antimicrobial resistance and vaccine escape in the human pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae can be largely attributed to competence-induced transformation. Here, we studied this process at the single-cell level. We show that within isogenic populations, all cells become naturally competent and bind exogenous DNA. We find that transformation is highly efficient and that the chromosomal location of the integration site or whether the transformed gene is encoded on the leading or lagging strand has limited influence on recombination efficiency. Indeed, we have observed multiple recombination events in single recipients in real-time. However, because of saturation and because a single-stranded donor DNA replaces the original allele, transformation efficiency has an upper threshold of approximately 50% of the population. The fixed mechanism of transformation results in a fail-safe strategy for the population as half of the population generally keeps an intact copy of the original genome.