What Does a Modern Anatomist Look like? Current Trends in the Training of Anatomy Educators

Anatomical sciences are foundational to the health professions, yet little is known about the qualifications of anatomy educators at the graduate and professional level in the United States. Moreover, there is concern that the number of qualified anatomy educators being trained may be insufficient to meet the growing demand posed by new and expanded programs in medicine and allied health specialties. The authors surveyed anatomists from across the country to (i) characterize the educational credentials of current anatomy educators and (ii) assess the perceived need for education-focused postdoctoral positions or formal mentorships to prepare anatomists for teaching-intensive faculty positions. To probe the survey responses more deeply, one-on-one interviews were conducted with eight individuals selected to represent a diverse sample of respondents in terms of institution, gender, and academic rank. Results indicate that 30–40% of educators at the graduate level and approximately 60% of those at the undergraduate level lack graduate coursework in histology, embryology, and neuroanatomy. Forty-five percent of respondents had completed a postdoctoral fellowship. Eighty-six percent replied “yes/maybe” to the question of whether an anatomy education postdoctoral fellowship would benefit doctoral graduates. The top 3 reasons for this recommendation were to (i) establish independent educational research, (ii) improve a publication record, and (iii) gain additional teaching experience. Notable weaknesses of education-focused postdoctoral training were related to finances, fear of exploitation, and undervaluing of teaching. Moving forward, postdoctoral fellowships and other forms of postgraduate training may represent a key strategy for training anatomists in the current educational climate. Anat Sci Educ 00: 000–000. © 2018 American Association of Anatomists.     

The Salience of African Scholars in Education Research

The aim of this article is to investigate the authorship of Education research in Africa, within the framework of global Education research production. The negative effect of a low scholarly output in the global pool is explicated. The 2012 volumes of all Thomsons Reuter (previously called the ISI, or Institute for Scientific Information) indexed journals in the field of Education were taken as data pool. The authorship of the 18 523 articles published in this pool was studied. Africa contributed in total 395 authors, representing only 2.13 per cent of the author pool; but taken as a whole. The distributions of authors as per journal, per nations in Africa, and per sub-field of Education knowledge are analysed and recommendations for raising the profile of African scholars in the global circuit of publishing in the field of Education are made.     

Overcoming Obstacles to the Formulation and Use of Questions in the Science Classroom: Analysis from a Teacher Reflection Workshop

Research in Science Education - Studies have investigated various aspects of the use of questions in science lessons, but there is still a lack of research that demonstrates how, during peer...     

“‘I Was Gonna Go Off,but My Best Friend is White.”: Hispanic Students’ Co-Cultural Reasoning in a Hispanic Serving Institution

The researchers engaged in a qualitative analysis (using journaling and focus group methodology) of the communicative behaviors of Hispanic students with White institutional members at a medium-sized, Southwest HSI. Utilizing Co-Cultural Theory and Elaborative Coding analysis, the authors mapped how Hispanic students narrated their co-cultural communication and reasoning (i.e., why they engage in one strategy rather than another). The findings show that, although Hispanic students used almost all co-cultural strategies, their responses were clustered primarily around assimilationist strategies – indicating that they engage in a high degree of self-monitoring and self-censorship when interacting with White institutional members in an HSI. These results suggest that even when Hispanic students constitute a large or majority part of the institution’s population, they still feel the need to engage in behaviors that navigate White norms. The study concludes by examining the findings for co-cultural theorizing as well as providing insights for instructors who wish to engage in inclusive teaching practices.     

The Effects of State Higher Education Policies and Institutions on Access by Economically Disadvantaged Students

Research in Higher Education - Do state government policies and institutions promote access to postsecondary education by economically disadvantaged students? I analyze the number of state...     

‘I’m older but I can still do this job’: the experiences of mature women in an age-sensitive occupation

This paper explores how mature female flight attendants [FAs] use Selection, Optimization and Compensation [SOC] strategies to cope with age-related diminishing resources at work. The role of FAs is an age-sensitive occupation, and in some organizations, women are under constant pressure to look young and attractive. This Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis study aims to add depth and nuance to our understanding of SOC strategies qualitatively; most published studies are quantitative. A homogenous sample of 5 mature single Filipina FAs, foreign workers employed by Arabian Gulf-based airlines, were interviewed through a semi-structured protocol. Recruitment was through a snowball process. The study found that FAs use SOC strategies to compensate for age-related decline. Off-duty, their focus is directed to activities that help them to meet the organizations’ expectations of youthful appearance and productivity. To achieve this, resources from other life domains are diverted, which leads to negative outcomes from focusing SOC strategies on only one aspect of life. Despite negative personal implications and concerns about the future, the participants still felt attached to their work identities. This shows the importance of understanding the use of SOC strategies within and across life domains, as well as their implications for career sustainability and workability. The use of such strategies at work when detrimental to other life roles is unsustainable. The findings highlight the importance of conducting more qualitative studies on SOC behaviors of specific groups, so the experiences of aging at work can be explored in more depth, allowing areas of concern to be identified.     

The relationship between perceived ageism and depressive symptoms in later life: Understanding the mediating effects of self-perception of aging and purpose in life,using structural equation modeling

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between perceived ageism and depression in later life and to clarify the mechanism underlying this relationship by examining the mediating effects of self-perception of aging and purpose in life. The Health and Retirement Study surveys were used for this secondary analysis of data. The sample included 3,991 older adults, and structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses using structural regression models were conducted. SEM analyses revealed that full mediation effects of self-perception of aging and purpose in life exist. Older adults who perceive ageism are likely to have negative self-perception of aging, and this negative view of their own aging is likely to decrease purpose in life and increase depressive symptoms. The results of this study imply that more efforts and resources are necessary to reduce ageism and its negative effect on depression among older adults. Additionally, the current study suggests the necessity of anti-ageism policies and social services. Increasing positive self-perception of aging, purpose in life, and resilience could be the key to a better quality of life for older adults.     

Predicting University Students’ Academic Success and Major Using Random Forests

Research in Higher Education - In this article, a large data set containing every course taken by every undergraduate student in a major university in Canada over 10 years is analysed. Modern...     

当代高校大学生报社运作模式化探索——基于江西省高校大学生报社

首先论证当代高校大学生报社运作模式化的必要性,其次论述当代高校大学生报社运作模式化的可行性,最后以江西省内的高校大学生报社运营实践为蓝本,较为全面地阐述当代高校大学生报社的模式化运作。