Nursing Care Preferences among Filipino Elderly: A Conjoint Analysis

While nursing care has been investigated in the context of patient satisfaction, health care delivery, nursing skill, and patient centered care, elderly patients’ nursing care preferences have not been fully explored nor identified from the lens of utility analysis. This study is a purposive sample of 300 Filipino geriatric patients from the regions of Calabarzon and National Capital Region (NCR) participated and were asked to rank cards from 1 to 12 relative to the following five attributes: waiting response time, nursing uniform, empathetic capacity through time spent and eye contact, and nursing skill based on their preferences. Results of conjoint analysis via Sawtooth Software 18 indicated that nurse attire was the most important attribute (57.26%) while empathetic capacity through eye contact was least important to Filipino elderly (2.27%). Significant differences were found in the respondents’ profile. Among the given attributes, nursing uniform had the most impact in determining an elderly choice of services. Conversely, eye contact had minimal importance. In the health care setting, utilization of this study would allow nursing care to refocus nursing care delivery to maximize satisfaction and hospital loyalty. Future research may explore the cultural and regional differences in terms of preferences among the elderly.     

Optimizing the Power of Choice: Supporting Student Autonomy to Foster Motivation and Engagement in Learning

Choice plays a critical role in promoting students' intrinsic motivation and deep engagement in learning. Across a range of academic outcomes and student populations, positive impacts have been seen when student autonomy is promoted through meaningful and personally relevant choice. This article presents a theoretical perspective on the motivational role of choice in learning, based on self‐determination theory. Theoretical principles and current research on student motivation and engagement are described. Conditions under which choice promotes students' intrinsic motivation are then presented.     

The Temple of the Deity of Wealth

<正>Louguantai, located at the foot of Mt. Zhongnan in Zhouzhi County in the suburb of Xi’an, is said to be the hometown of Zhao Gongming, the Taoist deity of we...     

Cooperation and Development：2011China Forum for Top 100 Travel Agencies Held in Xi＇an

<正>The 2011 China Forum for Top 100 Travel Agencies was held in the Tang Paradise’s Imperial Banquet Palace in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province from April 14 to 17, 2011...     

Measures of Political Talk Frequency: Assessing Reliability and Meaning

Although many insights about political conversation have been gleaned from survey data, researchers have yet to engage in serious and intense scrutiny of the measures used to assess political discussion habits. Analyzing three types of data (two three-wave panel studies, social network data from 25 intact groups, and a cognitive interview), this paper examines the reliability of (and meaning ascribed to) self-reported political discussion frequency measures. Results of Study 1 and Study 2 suggest that self-report measures of political discussion exhibit strong internal consistency at a given time point, but substandard reliability within individuals over time and between members of a dyad. Study 3 demonstrates substantial variability in survey respondents’ definitions of political discussion, with more expansive definitions of politics related to higher reports of political discussion frequency. Directions for future research to enhance understanding and improve the reliability of political discussion measures are addressed.     

College Students’ Appreciative Attitudes Toward Atheists

Atheists are often marginalized in discussions of religious and spiritual pluralism on college campuses and beyond. As with other minority worldview groups, atheists face challenges with hostile campus climates and misunderstanding of their views. The present study used a large, multi-institutional sample to explore predictors of non-atheist college students’ appreciative attitudes toward atheists. Substantial differences were found across identities; secular and spiritual worldview groups hold the most positive views, whereas Christians and Muslims have the most negative attitudes. Interactions with worldview diversity—but not general religious/spiritual engagement—consistently predict more positive attitudes, and these relationships sometimes vary based on students’ own worldviews. These results suggest that colleges and universities can create more inclusive environments for atheists, who constitute a sizable minority group on today’s college campuses.     

Assessing the Support Needs of Children with a Disability in Regular Classes

This paper reports the development of an instrument to assess the support needs of students with a disability in regular classes. The instrument was developed by a University-based research team on behalf of the New South Wales Department of Education and Training, and was used as the basis for providing funding support for over 12,000 students in the year 2000. The developmental process was robust in that it was based on three types of information: assessment approaches being used in other locations; expert judgement by Departmental officers; and statistical analyses of data obtained using an initial form of the instrument. Statistical analysis was based on a final form of the instrument consisting of 11 focus areas structured into three domains - physical needs, learning needs, and social needs of students. These domains had good construct and face validities and high score reliabilities.     

Utility of kindergarten teacher judgments in identifying early learning problems

Most existing research on early identification of learning difficulties has examined the validity of methods for predicting future academic problems. The present study focused instead on the sensitivity of kindergarten teachers to learning problems in their students and on the continuity of teacher-identified problems over time. To identify early learning problems, kindergarten teachers in a suburban school district rated student progress toward six academic objectives as satisfactory or unsatisfactory. Twenty percent of the district's 303 kindergarten children received unsatisfactory ratings in at least one area. Thirty-eight of these children (identified group) were matched to 34 children with satisfactory ratings in all areas (nonidentified group). Results of testing conducted during kindergarten revealed poorer academic achievement in identified children than in nonidentified children. Children from the identified group also performed more poorly than children from the nonidentified group on tests of phonological processing and working memory/executive function and were rated by teachers as having more behavior and attention problems and lower social competence. Follow-up of the sample to first grade documented continued learning problems in the identified group. These findings support the use of teacher judgements in early detection of learning problems and argue against reliance on discrepancy criteria.