Evaluation of evidence-based medicine search skills in the clinical years

The librarians of the Health Sciences Library worked with the director of the Primary Care Clerkship to reinforce the principles of Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) searching, taught during the first two years of medical school, through an intensive workshop. The purpose of the program was to ensure that students apply EBM principles in a timely and effective manner in clinical situations. Working in teams led by a resident and librarian, students researched real cases and then evaluated the effectiveness of their approach to the problems. This paper outlines the rationale for the team approach, reviews the administration of a computer-based workshop, and discusses the evaluation process. Evaluation focused on both the current workshop and its implications for the informatics program presented to students during years one and two.     

A quiver full of arrows: recommended Web-based tutorials for PubMed,PowerPoint, Ovid MEDLINE,and FrontPage

Librarians often are responsible for instructing their patrons in the use of various databases and popular software packages. When this instruction can't be provided through face-to-face contact, Web-based tutorials can be useful tools to bridge the information gap. This article recommends Web-based tutorials for PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, PowerPoint, and FrontPage.     

The Control and Management of Higher Education in Great Britain,with special reference to the role of the University Grants Committee and the Committee of Vice‐Chancellors and Principals

Abstract

The claim that students should determine their own curricula is examined. If granted, primacy would be given to the autonomy and self‐ascribed interests of the students. The case for student autonomy is discussed in the context of the theory of philosophical anarchism. The anarchist dichotomy of autonomy and authority is criticised. A brief examination of Kant's account of autonomy leads to a rejection of the strong individualism that characterises that dichotomy. It is argued that the curriculum should be the outcome of the shared autonomy of students and teachers; such would serve the interests of students by maximising the autonomy of all. The curriculum would meet the interests of all students, but would not, indeed could not, represent the self‐ascribed interests of each individual.     

Predictors and Outcomes of Early vs. Later English Language Proficiency Among English Language Learners

The development of English language learners (ELLs) was explored from kindergarten through eighth grade within a nationally representative sample of first-time kindergartners (N = 19,890). Growth curve analyses indicated that, compared to native English speakers, ELLs were rated by teachers more favorably on approaches to learning, self control, and externalizing behaviors in kindergarten and generally continued to grow in a positive direction on these social/behavioral outcomes at a steeper rate compared to their native English-speaking peers, holding other factors constant. Differences in reading and math achievement between ELLs and native English speakers varied based on the grade at which English proficiency is attained. Specifically, ELLs who were proficient in English by kindergarten entry kept pace with native English speakers in both reading and math initially and over time; ELLs who were proficient by first grade had modest gaps in reading and math achievement compared to native English speakers that closed narrowly or persisted over time; and ELLs who were not proficient by first grade had the largest initial gaps in reading and math achievement compared to native speakers but the gap narrowed over time in reading and grew over time in math. Among those whose home language is not English, acquiring English proficiency by kindergarten entry was associated with better cognitive and behavioral outcomes through eighth grade compared to taking longer to achieve proficiency. Multinomial regression analyses indicated that child, family, and school characteristics predict achieving English proficiency by kindergarten entry compared to achieving proficiency later. Results are discussed in terms of policies and practices that can support ELL children's growth and development.     

The ‘Hungarian sappho’: some comments and comparisons

A brief and constructive criticism is offered of the recent study (see preceding paper) which successfully adopted and adapted the Sussex SAPPHO ‘pair comparison’ technique to the investigation of twelve success-failure pairs in the Hungarian electronics industry. Despite some differences in methodology and differences in the industrial and political environments in which the two studies were made, the results of the Hungarian SAPPHO and the Sussex SAPPHO are remarkably similar.     

A Student- and Staff-developed Anti-bullying Initiative

This paper on a successful anti-bullying initiative in a Cambridgeshire village college has the added interest that it is written by one of the pupils involved in its development. We learn not only about the scheme but how involvement in it felt from a pupil's point of view. The fact that the pupils directly involved saw the initiative as successful gives an added indication of its value.     

Impact of question-answering tasks on search processes and reading comprehension

This study examined the effect of (a) high- and low-level questions and (b) reading the text before the questions asked on performance, delayed text recall, and deep text comprehension, as well as on specific text-inspection patterns. Participants were 37 undergraduate students who answered either high- or low-level questions using the software Read&Answer to read and answer questions on the computer screen. Additionally, half of the sample read first a text and then answered the questions (reading-first condition), whereas the other half answered the questions without having read the text in advance (no-reading-first condition). All participants had the text available to search for the answer. Results indicated that high-level questions facilitated deep comprehension but not immediate performance or delayed recall of text, independently of the reading condition, and that high- and low-level questions differentially affected text-inspection patterns.