Using checklists in a gross anatomy laboratory improves learning outcomes and dissection quality

Checklists have been widely used in the aviation industry ever since aircraft operations became more complex than any single pilot could reasonably remember. More recently, checklists have found their way into medicine, where cognitive function can be compromised by stress and fatigue. The use of checklists in medical education has rarely been reported, especially in the basic sciences. We explored whether the use of a checklist in the gross anatomy laboratory would improve learning outcomes, dissection quality, and students' satisfaction in the first-year Human Structure didactic block at Mayo Medical School. During the second half of a seven-week anatomy course, dissection teams were each day given a hardcopy checklist of the structures to be identified during that day's dissection. The first half of the course was considered the control, as students did not receive any checklists to utilize during dissection. The measured outcomes were scored on four practice practical examinations and four dissection quality assessments, two each from the first half (control) and second half of the course. A student satisfaction survey was distributed at the end of the course. Examination and dissection scores were analyzed for correlations between practice practical examination score and checklist use. Our data suggest that a daily hardcopy list of anatomical structures for active use in the gross anatomy laboratory increases practice practical examination scores and dissection quality. Students recommend the use of these checklists in future anatomy courses.     

Older adults’ perceived sense of social exclusion from the digital world

ABSTRACT

A great deal of information and many services can now be accessed digitally. In order to make use of such services, however, it is necessary to have some form of Internet access. A lack of involvement in digital society may produce new forms of social exclusion. Older adults are particularly at risk of Internet-related social exclusion, since they tend to use the Internet less than younger adults. Little is known, however, about whether this lower level of Internet use among older people is in fact accompanied by a sense of social exclusion. In order to investigate the subjective sense of digital social exclusion resulting from a lack of Internet usage, we conducted a secondary analysis of a representative, cross-sectional telephone survey of 1,037 adults aged 65 years and over and living in Switzerland. We found that 33% of “onliners” reported that they would feel socially excluded were they to stop using the Internet, compared with 14% of “onliners” who felt socially excluded on account of their lack of Internet use. Our analyses show that onliners’ attitudes toward Internet use and the variety of online applications available were related to their sense of social exclusion. By contrast, offliners’ attitudes toward Internet use and their feelings of loneliness in general were predictors for their sense of social exclusion as a result of not using the Internet. The results of the study as well as its implications for research and practice are discussed.     

Motivational interference in school-leisure conflict and learning outcomes: The differential effects of two value conceptions

It was hypothesized that students' value orientations are connected to their experience of motivational interference in a conflict between a school- and a leisure-related activity as well as to school marks as indicators of learning outcomes. In a self-report study with Italian adolescents (N = 433; M = 14.5 years) using a school-leisure conflict scenario, first, the relations between the 10 values introduced by Schwartz and the Inglehart-based Achievement and Well-being value orientations were investigated. Correlations and multidimensional scaling analysis showed overlaps as well as differences between the two sets of value variables. Regression analyses revealed that the Schwartz values were significantly related to the experience of motivational interference during studying and during leisure as well as to school marks. The inclusion of Achievement and Well-being value orientations explained additional variance of the three dependent variables. The relevance of individual values in explaining students' reactions to motivational conflicts is highlighted.     

The achievement flow motive as an element of the autotelic personality: predicting educational attainment in three cultures

Human behavior is directed by an implicit and an explicit motivational system. The intrinsic form of the implicit achievement motive has been demonstrated to predict the experience of flow. Thus, this achievement flow motive can be considered an integral component of the autotelic personality, posited in Flow Theory as dispositional difference in the propensity to experience flow. As implicit motivation predicts long-term behavioral trends and flow predicts quality of performance, the achievement flow motive should be predictive of a long-term goal pursuit such as educational attainment. This hypothesis is tested cross-culturally to shed some light on the universality of flow: Participants from Cameroon, Costa Rica, and Germany were asked about the level of education they attained. To assess their achievement flow motive, the Operant Motive Test was employed. After measurement equivalence was established, analyses revealed that, across all three cultures, the achievement flow motive explained variance in educational attainment independent of achievement values as measured by a scale of the Schwartz Value Survey. Consequently, as would be expected of an element of the autotelic personality, the achievement flow motive predicts long-term academic success.     

“TPACK Stories”: Schools and School Districts Repurposing a Theoretical Construct for Technology-Related Professional Development

TPACK (Koehler &; Mishra, 2008 Koehler, M., &; Mishra, P. (2008). Introducing TPCK. In AACTE Committee on Innovation and Technology (Ed.), Handbook of technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPCK) for educators (pp. 3–31). New York, NY: Routledge. [Google Scholar]), a theoretical construct that describes the knowledge that teachers use to teach with digital tools and resources, has flourished in university-based teacher education and research. Increasingly, K–12 schools and districts have also appropriated TPACK in their professional development efforts. This study of seven schools and districts explored how the TPACK construct was understood and used in these K–12 organizations. Study results revealed the importance of context and professional culture in appropriating the construct; the use of TPACK as a way to connect disparate professional development initiatives; TPACK conceptualized as applied knowledge; and how educational leaders' beliefs about professional development shape how TPACK is understood and enacted. (Keywords: TPACK, TPCK, professional development, context)     

Value orientations as determinants and outcomes of conflicts between on-task and off-task actions in the classroom

Off-task behavior in the classroom was conceptualized as a manifestation of students pursuing goals they bring into the classroom aside from achievement goals. Regulation during on-task and off-task behavior in action conflict scenarios was elaborated on using the constructs motivational interference and flow. It was argued that achievement and well-being values that students hold can be determinants as well as outcomes of these conflict experiences. Data from 697 students (mean age 13.43) was collected at two time points within one school year. Results supported a reciprocal model in which value orientations (t1) lead to conflict variables (t2) as well as conflict variables (t1) to value orientations (t2).     

Beliefs About Knowledge and Knowing: Integrating Domain Specificity and Domain Generality: A Response to Muis, Bendixen, and Haerle (2006)

In their review of the empirical research, Muis, Bendixen, and Haerle (2006) bring closure to the debate between domain specificity and domain generality of epistemic beliefs and provide a framework for future research. In response to their review, this article comments on issues that remain for those who wish to examine the nature of the interaction between epistemic domain specificity and domain generality and its relation to learning. These issues include methodological concerns, philosophical contributions, terminology, epistemology beyond academic domains, and educational implications.