Early Practicum Experiences: Preservice Early Childhood Students’ Perceptions and Sense of Efficacy

The current study explored early practicum experiences (those occurring before student teaching) in an early childhood birth to kindergarten teacher education program. Undergraduates enrolled in practicum courses completed questionnaires about their overall practicum experience including: socio-emotional components (their perceived fit with their cooperating teacher and intrapersonal feelings while in the classroom), overall practicum satisfaction, and their sense of teacher efficacy. Results revealed that practicum students generally reported feelings of being energized and relaxed, though some practicum students reported feelings of frustration in their practicum classrooms. Feeling energized and relaxed and students’ perception of fit with their cooperating teacher were positively associated with practicum satisfaction and practicum students’ teacher efficacy. Feelings of frustration were negatively associated with students’ fit with their cooperating teacher, practicum satisfaction, and students’ teacher efficacy. Higher levels of practicum satisfaction predicted higher practicum students’ teacher efficacy. Findings highlight the importance of understanding early practicum experiences and what factors of the practicum experience contribute teacher efficacy. Implications for future research and practice for early childhood teacher preparation programs are discussed.     

Localising and tailoring research evidence helps public health decision making

Background

Published research evidence is typically not readily applicable to practice but needs to be actively mobilised.

Objectives

This paper explores the mechanisms used by information professionals with a specific knowledge mobilisation role to make evidence useful for local decision making and planning of public health interventions.

Methods

Data are drawn from a NIHR project that studied how, when, where and by whom published research evidence is used in commissioning and planning across two sites (one in England and one in Scotland). Data included 11 in‐depth interviews with information professionals, observations at meetings and documentary analysis.

Results

Published research evidence is made fit for local commissioning and planning purposes by information professionals through two mechanisms. They localise evidence (relate evidence to local context and needs) and tailor it (present actionable messages).

Discussion

Knowledge mobilisation roles of information professionals are not recognised and researched. Information professionals contribute to the ‘inform’ and ‘relational’ functions of knowledge mobilisation; however, they are less involved in improving the institutional environment for sustainable knowledge sharing.

Conclusion

Information professionals are instrumental in shaping what evidence enters local decision making processes. Identifying and supporting knowledge mobilisation roles within health libraries should be the focus of future research and training.

     

International Trends in Health Science Librarianship Part 18: The Middle East (Iran,Qatar and Turkey)

This is the 18th in a series of articles exploring international trends in health science librarianship in the 21st century. The focus of the present issue is the Middle East (Iran, Qatar and Turkey). The next feature column will investigate trends in the Balkan States JM     

Patronage and an oral tradition: Influences on attributions of distance learners in a traditional society (A qualitative study)

This paper examines sociocultural influences on the attributions for success and failure among distance learners in Turkey. To gather data on influences on student attributions, in‐depth interviews and observations of four first‐year distance learners were conducted. The two influences discussed, patronage and oral tradition, are central aspects of Turkish culture — emanatingfrom Islam and the Ottoman Empire. It was found that, when the distance learners operated outside the traditional patronage system in a society with roots in an oral tradition, they coped with their first year in the system by reconceptualising their roles as both students and employees. Implications of this research relate to problems inherent in applying Western‐based attribution theory to distance learners in traditional cultures.     

Changes in and Stability of Cardiovascular Responses to Behavioral Stress: Results from a Four-Year Longitudinal Study of Children

This study examined the changes in and stability of cardiovascular responses to behavioral stress among 132 children in a 4-year longitudinal study. Children's heart rate and blood pressure were measured at rest and while performing 3 tasks: serial subtraction, mirror image tracing, and isometric exercise. This procedure was followed at study entry when children were in grades 2-12 (ages 6-18 years) and at follow-up when children were in grades 6 through post-high school (ages 11-21 years). Results showed that blood pressure and heart rate responses during the tasks were reliable across time for all measures except heart rate responses during isometric exercise. Systolic blood pressure responses to all tasks increased with age for boys, but not for girls. These results support the notion that cardiovascular responses to behavioral stress are a stable individual difference variable.     

Assessing Girls' Reactions to Science Workshops

Many science education programs have recently been developed to increase girls' participation in science, however, few formal evaluations of these types of programs have been reported. The present research evaluated fifth grade girls' perceptions of a 1-day science education program. Students attended workshops describing different science fields. Study 1 revealed that attending the workshops increased students' interest in the specific field covered in the workshop. However, even after attending the workshops, students did not believe women typically entered those various fields. A second year evaluation revealed that most students agreed they had learned about individual tasks that scientists do in the various fields. However, significantly fewer believed they learned about educational requirements, problems women might face in the field, or how science can be used to help people. Results are discussed in terms of potential factors that workshop presenters might want to consider in future programs.     

A matter of attitude? Developing a profile of boys’ and girls’ responses to primary schooling

Much of the research investigating pupils’ attitudes towards school has been qualitatively‐oriented. This analysis explores the extent to which some of the differences between pupils can be rendered in quantitative terms. Drawing upon a survey of 1310 pupils in 21 primary schools, its main concern is to explore the extent to which there is a ‘gender gap’ in attitudes and responses to school. The question of whether schools participating in the research faced common or distinct challenges in terms of pupils’ attitudes was also of interest. Analysis confirms that, in line with previous research, primary girls were more favourably disposed towards school than primary boys. Factor analysis of pupil responses to an attitude questionnaire showed that girls were more positive in terms of engagement with school and pupil behaviour but that boys had higher academic self‐esteem. There were no differences between the two sexes in terms of relationships with peers. A cluster analysis identified the existence of five groups of pupils, some of whom have been highlighted in previous research using different approaches. These groups were: (1) the enthusiastic and confident; (2) the moderately interested but easily bored; (3) the committed but lacking self‐esteem; (4) the socially engaged but disaffected; and (5) the alienated. The gendered nature of some of these groupings was apparent: the first group was dominated by girls while the fourth and fifth were dominated by boys. However, analysis indicated that such gender‐based differences were, to some extent, matters of degree. Some 14% of primary boys, for example, were judged to be alienated, but so were 9% of primary girls. An analysis of the prevalence of each group within each of the participating schools showed that while many primary schools had similar overall pupil profiles, some faced specific challenges associated with having larger proportions of particular groups of children (for example the alienated, the socially engaged but disaffected or the committed but lacking self‐esteem). The implications of the findings for those concerned with interventions in relation to gender issues are briefly discussed.