Transfer of PREPaRE school crisis training: Moderating effects of trainee characteristics

The National Association of School Psychologists developed the PREPaRE School Crisis Prevention and Intervention Training Curriculum to help schools plan for and prevent school crises and to help mitigate the effects after a crisis occurs. In this study, 279 participants who attended the PREP aRE training between 1 and 24 months before the survey date completed measures assessing work environment, trainee characteristic, and training design variables as well as the transfer of PREP aRE-specific knowledge and skills. Utilizing structural equation modeling, unique effects of Work Environment and Trainee Characteristic variables on knowledge and skill transfer and the extent to which Trainee Characteristics moderate effects of the Work Environment were assessed. Results indicated a significant moderating effect such that trainees who were less motivated compared to those who were more motivated demonstrated greater transfer when they worked in more supportive, open, and rewarding environments. Overall, results from this study provide evidence to support addressing many individual and contextual variables to improve the transfer of PREP aRE-specific knowledge and skills. Implications for practice are discussed.     

A big part of education also: A mixed-methods evaluation of a social and emotional learning (SEL) course for pre-service teachers

A teacher training course entitled Classroom and Individual Emotional and Behavioral Supports (CIEBS) includes four modules: School-wide Positive Behaviour Supports (SWPBS), Trust-based Relational Intervention (TBRI), Non- violent Crisis Intervention (NCI), and practicum experience. The present article describes the rationale for selecting each of these modules, the activities included in each module, and a mixed-methods evaluation of the course’s influence on its participants. Group-wide quantitative measures showed growth in the efficacy for classroom management and preparedness for dealing with students’ stress among the treatment group, with little observable change among control participants. Through pre-/post-course vignette responses, individual interviews, and focus group interviews, participants reported that the course helped them to become better prepared and more confident in their SEL abilities. The participants pointed to the neuroscience of complex trauma, as taught through the TBRI module, and active learning provided through NCI module as critical reasons for the course’s effectiveness.     

Guidelines to practical impact evaluation

This article is about impact evaluation. A case study of a workshop in health education/promotion is described in which an impact evaluation was included in the initial planning stage of the workshop and carried out six months after the work-shop. Workshop directors and sponsors of continuing education programs are keenly interested in how workshop experiences and materials are used to enhance participants' performance back on the job. Workshop directors are frequently too busy to carry out impact evaluations. Guidelines for conducting valid evaluations are needed.The present study was conducted to determine the extent to which the participants followed through on their own plans which were written out on the last day of the workshop. Results indicated that the materials, information and strategies included in the workshop were used and most participants implemented their plans to a moderate or great extent. The survey also yielded information and participant preferences useful in planning future workshops.     

Creating Peace by Confronting Prejudice: Examining the Effects of a Multicultural Communication Skills Group Intervention

This study investigated the effects of a Multicultural Relationship Enhancement Workshop on American education majors' ability to confront prejudice in order to create more peaceful communities in school settings. Due to the diverse group membership, participants were provided an opportunity to practice communication skills in a multicultural context that emphasized a social justice perspective. A repeated measures design with random assignment of participants to experimental (n = 26) and wait-list control (n = 22) groups was employed. Participants were studied at three different points in time, in five-week intervals, with the experimental group participating in the workshop during the first five-week interval and the control group receiving the treatment during the second five-week interval. The repeated measures analysis of variance revealed significant time by treatment interaction effects between Times 1 and 2 on a measure of communication skills in multicultural situations. The intervention is discussed in the context of policies that promote cultures of peace.     

Psychometric defensibility of the Intervention Selection Profile‐Social Skills (ISP‐SS) with students at risk for behavioral concerns

The purpose of the current study was to examine the validity and diagnostic accuracy of the Intervention Selection Profile—Social Skills (ISP‐SS), a brief social skills assessment tool intended for use with students in need of Tier 2 intervention. Participants included 160 elementary and middle school students who had been identified through universal screening as at risk for behavioral concerns. Teacher participants ( n = 71) rated each of these students using both the ISP‐SS and the Social Skills Improvement System—Rating Scales (SSiS‐RS), with the latter measure serving as the criterion within validity and diagnostic accuracy analyses. Confirmatory factor analysis supported ISP‐SS structural validity, indicating ISP‐SS items broadly conformed to a single “Social Skills” factor. Follow‐up analyses suggested ISP‐SS broad scale scores demonstrated adequate internal consistency reliability, with hierarchical omega coefficient equal to 0.86. Correlational analyses supported the concurrent validity of ISP‐SS items, finding each ISP‐SS item to be moderately or highly related to its corresponding SSiS‐RS subscale. Finally, analyses indicated three of the seven ISP‐SS items that demonstrated sufficient diagnostic accuracy; however, findings suggest additional revisions are needed if the ISP‐SS is to be appropriate for use in schools. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.     

Design of an evidence-based diversity workshop to support participation of older people in their community care

Diversity is what makes a person unique, with the intersection of diversity characteristics potentially a strength or a barrier to accessing healthcare, and thereby affecting health and well-being outcomes. Many older people with diverse needs are not accessing appropriate services to meet their needs, leading to suboptimal health and well-being. Community aged care workers are at the frontline, working with diverse older people with complex needs; yet there is a dearth of training available in this sphere. This paper outlines the development and pilot evaluation of a diversity training workshop for managers and frontline community aged care workers. The aim of the workshop was to empower the workforce to support increased participation of older people with diverse needs in their own care, to ultimately lead to their improved health and well-being.

Workshop development was underpinned by sound education principles, a competency framework and research evidence. First iteration of the workshop underwent pilot testing with three groups, two in metropolitan Melbourne (n = 31) and one in regional Victoria (n = 10), Australia. Feedback was gathered via an independent observer (field notes), pre- and post-workshop surveys, and phone interviews with participants 3-month post-workshop. Pilot data and feedback informed changes to workshop content (type of knowledge, application of knowledge and skills), workshop structure and androgogical (adult learning) approach.

An evidence-informed diversity training workshop was developed through an iterative process, with the aim of enhancing knowledge, skills and attitudes of community aged care workers. This approach has developed a workshop that aims to better meet the needs of an aged care workforce, so that they may better support older people with diverse needs to increase engagement and participation in their care, optimizing their health and well-being.     

Improving Biology Performance with Workshop Groups

This 2-year quasi-experiment evaluated the effect of peer-led workshop groups on performance of minority and majority undergraduate biology students. The workshop intervention used was modeled after a program pioneered by Treisman (1992). Majority volunteers randomly assigned to workshops (n = 61) performed significantly better than those assigned to the control group (n = 60, p < 0.05) without spending more time studying. Workshop minority students (n = 25) showed a pattern of increasing exam performance in comparison to historic control minority students (n = 21), who showed a decreasing pattern (p < 0.05). Volunteers (n = 121) initially reported that biology was more interesting and more important to their futures than to nonvolunteers' (n = 435, p < 0.05). Volunteers also reported higher levels of anxiety related to class performance (p < 0.05). The relationship of anxiety to performance was moderated by volunteer status. Performance of volunteers was negatively associated with self-reported anxiety (r = –0.41, p < 0.01). Performance of nonvolunteers was unrelated to self-reported anxiety (r = –0.02). Results suggest elevated anxiety related to class performance may increase willingness to participate in activities such as workshop interventions. In addition, students who volunteer for interventions such as workshops may be at increased risk of performance decrements associated with anxiety. Even so, workshop programs appear to be an effective way to promote excellence among both majority and minority students who volunteer to participate, despite the increased risk of underperformance associated with higher levels of anxiety.     

'Lesson Rainbow': the use of multiple representations in an Internet-based, discipline-integrated science lesson

This paper presents the development and evaluation of a web‐based lesson—Lesson Rainbow. This lesson features multiple representations (MRs), which purposefully deliver concepts in relation to distinctive disciplinary subject areas through story‐based animations that are closely related to learners’ life experiences. The researchers selected 58 2nd‐year junior high school students as the participants (32 males and 26 females). A quasi‐experimental method together with semi‐structured interviews was utilised. This research project was intended to investigate students’ conceptual progress, and to evaluate the use of MRs and of situated learning components in the design of Lesson Rainbow. The statistical results indicated that: (1) students’ science concepts significantly increased (t= 3.84, p < 0.01) through the use of Lesson Rainbow, and (2) students thought that the use of MRs in this web‐based lesson was an effective pedagogical tool inasmuch as it allows for the learning of specific theoretical viewpoints in addition to the necessary background information. Lesson Rainbow employing MRs helps learners to understand the meanings of, and interrelationships between, different kinds of external representations. This kind of design facilitates their understanding of the correspondence between abstract symbolic expressions and real‐world situations.     

GERONTOLOGICAL NURSING EDUCATION: A PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL CHALLENGE FOR FUTURE BACCALAUREATE FACULTY AND STUDENTS

Investigators in this study wanted to know if student nurses were increasing their factual knowledge and changing their attitudes about the elderly, as well as, desire to work with them. Respondents included two groups of undergraduates from a main campus (n = 87) and two from a satellite campus (n = 47) of a Baccalaureate College of Nursing (BSN) in a southern university during 1992‐1995. E. D. Palmore's (1990) quizzes (FAQ1, FAQ2, FAMHQ) were used as pre‐tests (upon entering the junior year) and post‐tests (upon completion of the senior year). E. D. Palmore's (1988) “documentation” and “classification” of items were used to calculate knowledge and attitude scores. Feelings about working with the elderly were part of demographic data, as were “determinants” in E. D. Palmore's (1982) “Theoretical Model.” Mean scores within groups were by dependent t tests. Grand Means for comparison between campuses were by independent t Jests at a ≤ .05 level of significance. Students from the main campus scored significantly less on the FAQ2, significantly more on the FAMHQ for knowledge, with significantly less negative attitudes on post‐tests. Subjects from the satellite campus scored significantly higher on FAQ1 for knowledge, with somewhat less negative attitudes on post‐tests. From 25% to 52% of all students checked “really like” working with the elderly on post‐tests. Recommendations include evaluation and revisions of BSN curricula for gerontological content, assisting faculty to enhance expertise in gerontology, and encouraging students to pursue career tracks in gerontology.     

The Science of a Sundae: Using the Principle of Colligative Properties in Food Science Outreach Activities for Middle and High School Students

The opportunities for outreach activities for professionals and academics in food science are extensive, as too are the range of participants’ experience levels and platforms for delivery. Here, we present a set of activities that are readily adaptable for a range of students (ages 10 to 18) in multiple platforms (demonstration table and hands‐on workshop). Our activity, collectively called “The Science of a Sundae,” has three units, one for each of the three parts of a sundae: the caramel sauce, the cherry, and the ice cream. In each unit we use these familiar food items to illustrate how colligative properties (or, simply, “solutions” for younger students) impact the chemical, microbiological, and sensorial properties of food. We have used these activities to present to over 1000 students and their parents/chaperones. Grade levels of student participants have ranged from 5th grade through high school, and these activities have been presented in the form of a demonstration table at science events as well as a set of three 45‐minute workshops in a classroom setting. Educational impact of these activities was evaluated with 7th grade students (n = 77) who participated in the 3‐phase workshop. On average, students who took the posttest (after participation in the workshop) scored 36% higher than students who took the pretest (prior to participation in the workshop). These results and instructor observations suggest the merit of this lesson and its adaptability among ages and platforms.     

Evaluation of the Somos Fuertes HIV prevention programme in college women

The goal of this study was to examine the impact of a culturally appropriate HIV prevention and sexual empowerment curriculum workshop on female college students at a Hispanic-serving institution in the USA. Female participants in the Somos Fuertes: Strong Women Making Healthy Choices curriculum (n = 175) from a variety of ethnicities completed pre- and post-surveys during the academic years 2007–2008, 2008–2009, and 2009–2010. Paired t-tests were conducted to examine pre- and post-results on five scales: perceived sexually transmitted infection (STI) risk, perceived HIV risk, intended use of barriers during sex, effective communication skills, and behavioural self-efficacy. The analyses showed significant differences with at least medium effect sizes for all variables except perceived STI risk. The evaluation results demonstrate that the workshop offers a viable curriculum to implement on college campuses interested in affecting change related to HIV prevention strategies in a multicultural female population.     

Early Second Language Learning through SparkLing™: Scaling up a Language Intervention in Infant Education Centers

Infancy (0–3 years) represents a unique time for language learning. Previous research shows that infants' second language (L2) learning advances rapidly in early education centers, through a research‐based method and curriculum delivered by native‐speaking language tutors. Here we test the potential of this method for broad application, through an interactive online tool, SparkLing?, which trains and certifies language tutors to implement the program in infant education centers. Intervention infants (n = 168) from families of predominantly low socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds in Madrid, Spain, experienced 18 or 36 weeks of L2 (English) exposure, through daily, 45‐min, group sessions led by SparkLing?‐trained tutors and were compared to a matched Current Practice Comparison (CPC) group of peers (n = 72). Intervention children outperformed the CPC group and showed rapid gains in English comprehension and production. SES was not a significant factor in learning. Infants' L2 skills advance quickly using this research‐to‐practice, scalable program for play‐based infant L2 instruction.     

EFFECTS OF A UNIVERSAL POSITIVE CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR PROGRAM ON STUDENT LEARNING

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of a universal program to promote positive classroom behavior on students’ approaches to learning and early academic skills. Second grade classrooms (N = 39) were randomly assigned to treatment and business‐as‐usual control conditions. Teachers in intervention classrooms implemented the Social Skills Improvement System Classwide Intervention Program (SSIS‐CIP) over a 12‐week period. Participating students’ (N = 494) engagement, motivation, and academic skills were assessed before and after treatment implementation. Results indicated that students with lower levels of engagement and motivation at pretest experienced significant improvement in these areas after exposure to the SSIS‐CIP. Although no significant differences were observed in reading, students receiving supplemental instructional services demonstrated greater gains in mathematics than did their peers in the control condition.     

Doing a Jigsaw Without the Picture

This paper is one teacher's account of an attempt to confront his own professional concerns through a process of critical reflection and classroom‐based self‐evaluation. The writer examines his own motives, as well as the pedagogical issues he faces teaching English to a low‐ability class. The account chronicles the writer's exploration of these issues through an experimental all day workshop on Romeo and Juliet, and concludes with some insights Into the process of curriculum change and the culture of the Institutions within which it takes place.     

Drugs and the Brain: Learning the impact of methamphetamine abuse on the brain through a virtual brain exhibit in the museum

Drugs and the Brain: A Serious Game, a prototype museum exhibit, was designed to employ virtual models of the brain into a video game format. It was done to create a fun and engaging way of conveying knowledge and concepts about neuroscience, as well as the impact of methamphetamine abuse on the brain. The purpose of this study is to evaluate this prototype exhibit that promises to educate participants from various age, ethnicity, and gender backgrounds, and to establish a stronger concept of drug abuse prevention among children. A quantitative methodology using the pre‐ and post‐experimental designs was conducted on 175 museum visitors. A series of two‐sample paired t‐tests and subsequent ANOVAs were performed to examine the difference between pre‐ and post‐tests and to determine if there was a difference in the results in age, gender, ethnicity, and race. Results showed that both the understanding and attitudes of the participants toward the impact of methamphetamine abuse on the brain improved significantly (p < 0.01).     

Individual differences in negative group work experiences in collaborative student learning

This paper reports the development of the Negative Group Work Experiences questionnaire (NGWE), an assessment tool for measuring negative experiences of group work. Study 1 involved two samples of undergraduate psychology students (second‐year sample n = 425; first‐year sample n = 443), who completed research modules incorporating substantial elements of assessed group work. Participants completed a 39‐item inventory designed to measure their negative experiences of group work as part of their general module evaluation. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis of the second‐year sample indicated four interpretable and reliable factors: lack of group commitment, group fractionation, task disorganisation, and storming. Confirmatory factor analysis of the first‐year data set confirmed and cross‐validated the factor structure of the second‐year sample. Study 2 (n > 254) confirmed the criterion validity of the NGWE. The NGWE is proposed as a useful tool for evaluating group processes, especially in large group teaching which involves collaborative group work.     

MULTIPLE‐STAGE SCREENING OF YOUTH DEPRESSION IN SCHOOLS

Schools present a unique environment in which to conduct universal screenings for youth depression. The present study examines the efficiency of a multiple‐stage assessment procedure assessing youth depression in the schools by calculating hit rates and establishing diagnostic accuracy for the measures used. Girls (N = 3318) aged 8 to 13, participated in a three‐stage screening conducted in schools. At Stage 1, participants completed self‐report measures. At Stage 2, participants completed either a second self‐report measure or a brief symptom interview. At Stage 3, diagnostic interviews were conducted. Hit rates were calculated at Stages 1 and 2 to compare the efficiency of the different assessments. The diagnostic accuracy of the screening measures was investigated through the calculation of sensitivity and specificity indices, logistic regression, and receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Bias in identification rates across ethnicities was also examined. Comparison of hit rates indicated that the brief symptom interview had greater efficiency in the identification of depression at Stage 2; moreover, the measures demonstrated accuracy in their prediction of depression. Results also indicated a lack of bias in screening measures, as they did not over‐identify depression in different ethnic or racial groups. Recommendations for implementation of multiple‐stage screenings in schools are discussed.     

The Self‐Reference Effect on Memory in Early Childhood

The self‐reference effect in memory is the advantage for information encoded about self, relative to other people. The early development of this effect was explored here using a concrete encoding paradigm. Trials comprised presentation of a self‐ or other‐image paired with a concrete object. In Study 1, 4‐ to 6‐year‐old children (N = 53) were asked in each trial whether the child pictured would like the object. Recognition memory showed an advantage for self‐paired objects. Study 2 (N = 55) replicated this finding in source memory. In Study 3 (N = 56), participants simply indicated object location. Again, recognition and source memory showed an advantage for self‐paired items. These findings are discussed with reference to mechanisms that ensure information of potential self‐relevance is reliably encoded.