Implementing Experiential Learning Activities in a Large Enrollment Introductory Food Science and Human Nutrition Course

ABSTRACT:  Experiential learning activities are often viewed as impractical, and potentially unfeasible, instructional tools to employ in a large enrollment course. Research has shown, though, that the metacognitive skills that students utilize while participating in experiential learning activities enable them to assess their true level of understanding and mastery of the subject matter. The objectives of this study were to (1) create and implement 2 experiential learning activities in our introductory, large enrollment course and (2) evaluate their cognitive and affective impact on student learning. For the 1st activity, completed in class during the nutrition and health section, the instructional team asked the students to complete a dietary intake assessment. For the 2nd activity, completed via the course website, the instructional team asked the students to complete a food safety survey prior to the commencement of the food microbiology and processing section to assess the students' own personal food safety behaviors. The students were asked to evaluate both the cognitive and affective aspects of the experiential learning activities by completing a reflective questionnaire after participating in each activity. The majority of the students that participated in the experiential learning activities reported that the activities helped them learn the course material (97% for the dietary intake activity and 77% for the food safety activity) and that they liked participating in the activity (85% for the dietary intake activity) or were engaged by the activity (77% for the food safety activity). These results indicate that experiential learning activities can be successfully created for and implemented in large enrollment courses.     

以人为本构建大学生群体膳食营养保障体系

为了进一步提高大学生的身体素质,根据以人为本的理念,提出了构建大学生群体膳食营养保障体系的措施。认为食品安全是构建该体系的基本保障,提出了实施食品安全的基本手段和办法,并在此基础上提出了提高大学生身体素质的具体措施和建议。     

Internet Survey of Nutrition Claim Knowledge

ABSTRACT: Consumer interest in healthy foods has spurred approval of several health claims for foods and dietary supplements. Although undergraduate and graduate food science curricula address food laws and regulations, nutrition claims may not be fully addressed. We posted a survey on the Internet for 2 mo for food industry professionals and others interested in taking the survey to assess their understanding of laws and regulations pertaining to nutrition labeling for foods and dietary supplements. The purpose of this survey was to measure knowledge in this area so that our university and others could reevaluate their curricula to provide student and lifelong learners with appropriate information about this important topic. Respondents were asked to indicate whether displayed claims were health claims, structure-function claims, or not approved for use on food labels. Respondents ( N = 136) indicated that they gained information about nutrition claims from many sources. Although respondents correctly identified approved health claims and claims that are not approved for foods, some confusion about nutrition claims may exist because not all respondents correctly identified claims in the appropriate category. Issues in educating food scientists include keeping food labeling information current and defining complex topics such as structure-function claims. The findings of this pilot study have been used to incorporate lectures about health claims in courses in addition to the food law class at the Univ. of Maine.     

The Promise of Andragogy and Experimental Learning to Improve Teaching of Nutrition Concepts to Culinary Arts Students

This randomized controlled trial compared the effectiveness of traditional lecture (C), face‐to‐face demonstration (DP), on‐line lecture capture (OP), and the combination of the last two (OP+DP) to enhance culinary arts students' application skills related to sodium usage in food preparation. Objectives were to compare relative effectiveness of the four instructional methods with respect to knowledge about dietary sodium, ease of use of sodium reduction techniques, strategies to reduce sodium and attitudes about use of dietary sodium in cooking; and to compare student satisfaction with the instructional methods. A convenience sample of n = 139 students was randomized to receive the C, DP, OP, or OP+DP intervention. To measure effectiveness of each instructional method, a nutrition survey was administered as a pre‐test, post‐test, and an eight‐week follow‐up. There was no statistically significant difference in performance between DP, OP, and OP+DP groups on each subscale. However, each of these methods performed significantly better than the control group (C). DP, OP, and OP+DP methods were superior to the control group (C). In general, OP+DP resulted in the largest effect sizes, suggesting that this intervention was possibly more effective as compared to the OP or DP. Future culinarians can benefit from learning about health‐conscious sodium reduction cooking practices as seen in the nutrition education sector to improve population health.     

Cognitive controls: A test of their modifiability and structural arrangement

This study focused on two concepts basic to the cognitive control approach—the modifiability of cognitive control structures, and their proposed hierarchical, structural arrangement. Eighty children designated as deficient in cognitive functioning beginning at either two levels of deficiency (field articulation or leveling-sharpening) were provided one of four types of intervention. The hypotheses tested were: (a) that intervention provided directly at the level of the first deficiency would be significantly more effective than either intervention provided a level below or a level above the area of first deficiency, or of a control condition; and (b) that cognitive control structures form a hierarchical, structural arrangement. Training effects were indexed by cognitive performance measures at both pretest and pos est. The results were consistent with the initial hypothesis that cognitive control deficiencies can be remediated beer by structure-based types of intervention than by the types of skill training normally provided in the classroom. In contrast, the second hypothesis—that cognitive controls form a hierarchical, structural arrangement—was only partially confirmed. Additional systematic research into the modifiability and structural arrangement of cognitive controls was strongly recommended.     

阅读困难儿童语言认知缺陷的干预研究及发展趋势

语言认知缺陷是影响阅读困难儿童阅读能力发展的重要因素,以训练阅读困难儿童的语言认知技能为主要目标的干预研究也备受研究者们的关注,其中,语音意识缺陷干预、阅读流畅性缺陷干预和基于语音意识缺陷和快速命名缺陷的综合干预是当前具有代表性的干预研究.分析、梳理以上干预研究及成效,并展望其发展趋势对阅读困难儿童的干预研究具有非常重要的价值.     

不同心理干预模式及方法对提高企业员工心理健康水平效果的比较研究

目前心理干预的理论模式有三种:平衡模式、认知模式、心理社会转变模式。对某单位90名心理症状呈阳性的员工分组进行以不同模式为导向的心理干预,即情绪管理训练、认知行为训练、完善社会支持系统训练。实施干预前用90项临床症状评定量表进行测量,筛查出总分大于160分、症状呈阳性的员工共90人,随机平均分为3组,但保证同质。每组接受不同模式的心理干预措施:组1接受情绪管理训练,组2接受认知行为训练,组3以完善社会支持系统为主。每组干预八周,每周一次,每次一小时。然后对三组再次进行测量,并运用SPSS13.0对测量结果进行统计学分析。通过比较,三种心理干预模式和方法对提高个体心理健康水平均有良好效果,但以平衡模式为导向的情绪管理训练效果较优。     

The Impact of Instructional Design on College Students’ Cognitive Load and Learning Outcomes in a Large Food Science and Human Nutrition Course

The effective design of course materials is critical for student learning, especially for large lecture introductory courses. This quantitative study was designed to explore the effect multimedia and content difficulty has on students’ cognitive load and learning outcomes. College students (n = 268) were randomized into 1 of 3 multimedia groups: text + graphics (Group 1–TG); audio + text + graphics (Group 2–ATG); or video + audio + text + graphics (Group 3–VATG). Participants answered a demographic survey and pretests before viewing 2 food science supplemental lecture materials (i.e., water mobility and amino acid structures) and completing the cognitive load instrument and post‐tests within a noncontrolled setting. Cognitive load scores were tabulated and compared using a 3 × 3 ANOVA and Tukey post hoc analysis across multimedia groups and food science supplemental lecture materials. Based on the post hoc, students in Group 1–TG had higher intrinsic cognitive load scores than Group 2–ATG (ANOVA, P < 0.05). Cognitive load and post‐test scores were tabulated and compared using a spearman correlation across groups. In Group 1–TG, students that reported less intrinsic cognitive load had higher post‐test scores. Also, students that reported more germane cognitive load had higher post‐test scores. In Groups 2–ATG and 3–VATG, students that reported less extraneous cognitive load had higher post‐test scores (ANOVA, P < 0.05).     

学龄前儿童营养配餐与食谱设计

根据学龄前儿童的生理和营养特点,以及学龄前儿童对各种营养素的需求特征及不同食物所含营养素情况,结合学龄前儿童饮食特点和营养现状,进行科学合理的营养配餐研究,从而设计出适合学龄前儿童的一日营养食谱,并根据食物交换份法编制一周营养食谱,使学龄前儿童摄入的各种营养素数量充足,比例合理,满足其营养需要。     

Effectiveness of a cognitive strategy intervention in improving arithmetic computation based on the PASS theory

The purpose of this study was to determine if an instruction designed to facilitate planning, given by teachers to their class as a group, would have differential effects depending on the specific Planning, Attention, Simultaneous, Successive (PASS) cognitive characteristics of each child. A cognitive strategy instruction that encouraged planning was provided to the group of 19 students with learning disabilities and mild mental impairments. All students completed math worksheets during 7 baseline and 14 intervention sessions. During the intervention phase, students engaged in self-reflection and verbalization of strategies about how the arithmetic computation worksheets should be completed. The sample was sorted into one experimental and four contrast groups after the experiment was completed. There were four groups with a cognitive weakness in each PASS scale from the Cognitive Assessment System and one group with no cognitive weakness. The results showed that children with a cognitive weakness in Planning improved considerably (large effect size of 1.4), in contrast to those with a cognitive weakness in Attention (small effect size of 0.3), Simultaneous weakness (a slight deterioration and effect size of -0.2), Successive weakness (medium effect size of 0.4), and no cognitive weakness (small effect size of .2). These data showed that children with a Planning weakness benefitted from the instruction designed to help them be more plaful. Those children who received the planning-based instruction who were not low inplanning did not show the same level of improvement.     

Effects of outpatient treatment of dyslexia

The effects of a Dutch intervention program for dyslexia are reported. The program was individually tailored, depending on the style of reading, the phase of the learning process, and the intermediate results of the treatment. Two groups of participants were involved: (a) a group of children with pure dyslexia (n = 109) and (b) a group that had reading problems but also suffered from cognitive deficits or psychiatric symptoms (n = 29). Scores of reading single words and text at intake and after the intervention were analyzed to assess the efficacy of the intervention program. Furthermore, the effects of pre-intervention variables such as intelligence, reported speech, and language problems and of intervention variables such as the initial level of performance and the duration of the treatment were examined. Both groups benefitted from the intervention, but the children with pure dyslexia profited most. Neither of the groups could catch up the reading deficit. Intelligence and reported speech and language problems did not affect the treatment outcomes. Individual differences in treatment outcome were related to the absolute level of word reading and age at intake. In the group with comorbidity, the intervention program was more successful in relatively younger children. Within this group, the cognitive deficits and types of psychiatric problems were not related to the treatment.     

A comprehension intervention for children with reading comprehension difficulties

Abstract

Many students in Australian schools today experience difficulty understanding read text beyond Year 3 despite early intervention and rich learning experiences. Often the first indications that such students may have reading comprehension difficulties is from poor performance on comprehension tests in fourth grade. After Year 3 the written text becomes more complex and there is an increasing emphasis on reading comprehension. Less skilled comprehenders experience difficulties because they often use inefficient memory strategies and do not normally visualise story content. Readers with comprehension difficulties can be taught to construct mental imagery that will enable them to link verbal and imaginal information more efficiently into their working memory by reducing the cognitive load. The indications are that engaging readers in elaborative questioning and discussion of the text improves reader's own language and mental imagery as well as enhancing comprehension of read text. For readers who have struggled for years and have developed a resistance to reading, a literacy tutoring intervention framework that focuses on a personalised responsive relationship‐based approach to reading, combined with interesting text and student choice of appropriate material, can facilitate improved reading. The Comprehension of the Narrative intervention program is an example of a multiple strategy training intervention program that utilises explicit strategy instruction in a framework of measured stages while also increasing the level and complexity of the reading texts used. It has been shown that participating students are enabled to build on previously mastered skills and develop more effective higher order comprehension outcomes through focused dialogue with trained tutors.     

Type of day-care and preschool intellectual development in disadvantaged children

Levels and patterns of intellectual development of 3 groups of socioeconomically disadvantaged children were compared. The groups consisted of (1) children who were randomly assigned to receive extensive university-based intervention group day-care, (2) children whose parents placed them in community day-care centers for varying amounts of time, or (3) children whose parents chose little to no center-based day-care for their children. Two repeated-measures analyses of variance were performed to identify possible day-care effects on IQ level and on patterns of infant and preschool cognitive development. The results suggest that quality community day-care, as well as intervention day-care, may positively change both the level and pattern of preschool intellectual development of socioeconomically disadvantaged children.     

Joint trajectories of behavioral,affective, and cognitive engagement in elementary school

The aim of the present study was to model student trajectories of behavioral, affective, and cognitive engagement from Grade 3 to Grade 6. The authors also examined whether teachers perceptions could predict student trajectory membership. The authors collected data from a sample of 831 students and 152 teachers. Using multiple-process growth mixture modeling, they identified 5 distinct trajectories of student engagement. Although a large majority of children presented a stable and high level of engagement on the three dimensions over time, more than one third of them showed a lower or changing level of engagement as the years progressed. These students were more likely to be boys and to be perceived by teachers as being less engaged. They also present more learning or behavioral problems and share less positive relationships with teachers. The results support the need to consider group-based differences when designing and adapting prevention and intervention strategies to favor student engagement.     

基于认知干预的体育锻炼对大学生心理健康的影响

通过对重庆市六所大学1200名大学生进行调查,从中筛选出40名大学生,在认知干预基础上,进行体育锻炼干预。研究结果表明,综合运用体育锻炼和认知干预能有效提高大学生的心理健康水平。     

An intervention programme for enhancing kindergarteners' cognitive engagement and comprehension skills through reading informational texts

The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether systematic instruction of informational texts can enhance kindergarteners' cognitive involvement in text discussion and comprehension skills. The sample consisted of 15 children aged 5–6 years old in a kindergarten classroom located in a rural area in Rethymno, Crete. A four‐phase intervention programme was implemented within a 2‐month period. During the first phase, activities were carried out in order to familiarise children with the features of informational texts. During the subsequent phases, reciprocal teaching, What I know ‐ What I want to learn ‐ What I learned (KWL) practice and dialogic reading were used to help children comprehend text information, enhance their cognitive involvement in text discussion and train them in asking literal and inferential questions. The teacher's reading‐aloud sessions were recorded and transcribed. Data showed that the intervention programme helped children recognise the features of informational texts, enhanced their cognitive involvement in text discussion and motivated them to demonstrate comprehension skills that are related to information processing.     

A school-based intervention on elementary students’ school engagement

Prior research has reported signs of low engagement in the early stages of schooling. The present study assessed the effectiveness of a school-based intervention that promotes cognitive, emotional, and behavioral engagement in elementary school children through a story tool. The study followed a cluster-randomized design with 259 fourth graders nested in 12 classes; the classes, not the individuals, were randomly assigned to an intervention or control group. Both groups were assessed in four waves in two measures for each engagement dimension. Data were analyzed with a multilevel approach. Findings show that the intervention enhanced students’ cognitive, emotional, and behavioral engagement. Still, there is a delay before the intervention program exhibits a beneficial effect.Moreover, gender discrepancies were found. Before the intervention, girls showed higher cognitive and emotional engagement, but boys exhibited higher emotional engagement after the intervention. In addition, current results indicate that the program benefited the boys more than the girls. Finally, there was no evidence that the engagement outcomes differed depending on the parent’s educational level. Findings provide valuable information for future research and educational practice.     

Cognitive and socioemotional caregiving in developing countries

Enriching caregiving practices foster the course and outcome of child development. This study examined 2 developmentally significant domains of positive caregiving-cognitive and socioemotional-in more than 127,000 families with under-5 year children from 28 developing countries. Mothers varied widely in cognitive and socioemotional caregiving and engaged in more socioemotional than cognitive activities. More than half of mothers played with their children and took them outside, but only a third or fewer read books and told stories to their children. The GDP of countries related to caregiving after controlling for life expectancy and education. The majority of mothers report that they do not leave their under-5s alone. Policy and intervention recommendations are elaborated.     

高原地区女子篮球运动员膳食调查与分析

通过对高原地区部分女篮运动员的膳食营养状况进行调查,结果表明,她们的膳食结构不合理,食物摄入总量不能满足需求,糖和蛋白质摄入量不足,脂肪的摄入量偏多,VE、VB2、钙的摄入量偏少,早餐热能量不足。因此,建议按照高原训练的特点和要求,调整膳食结构,均衡获取各种营养素,同时应加强膳食营养教育。     

自闭症儿童与普通儿童的饮食状况比较研究

本研究通过“儿童饮食问卷调查表”对重庆市37名自闭症儿童及56名普通儿童的饮食情况及习惯进行了问卷调查和比较分析,研究结果表明自闭症儿童与普通儿童的母亲怀孕期营养水平及婴儿期的喂养方式存在显著差异,自闭症儿童较普通儿童存在日常饮食选食范围狭窄和更多具有异食癖现象。