Developing teachers’ subject didactic competence through problem posing

Problem posing (not only in lesson planning but also directly in teaching whenever needed) is one of the attributes of a teacher’s subject didactic competence. In this paper, problem posing in teacher education is understood as an educational and a diagnostic tool. The results of the study were gained in pre-service primary school teacher education. Students were asked to pose problems containing some given data (namely fractions). The subsequent analysis of the problems posed by the students revealed shortcomings in their conceptual understanding of fractions. Classroom-based joint reflection became the means of reeducation.     

A new protocol for screening adults presenting with their own medical problems at the Emergency Department to identify children at high risk for maltreatment

Identifying child abuse and neglect solely on the grounds of child characteristics leaves many children undetected. We developed a new approach (Hague protocol) based on characteristics of parents who attend the Emergency Department (ED) because they have the following problems: (1) intimate partner violence, (2) substance abuse, or (3) suicide attempt or other serious psychiatric problems. The goal of this protocol is to enable the Reporting Center for Child Abuse and Neglect (RCCAN) to rapidly assess family problems and offer voluntary community based support to these parents. The aim of this study is to assess whether this protocol for screening adults presenting for care in the Emergency Department can identify children at high risk for maltreatment. A before and after study was conducted at 9 EDs in 3 regions in the Netherlands (one intervention region and 2 control regions). During the period January 2006 to November 2007, prior to the introduction of the Hague protocol, from a total of 385,626 patients attending the ED in the intervention region 4 parents (1 per 100,000) were referred to the RCCAN. In the period after introduction of the protocol (December 2007 to December 2011), the number rose to 565 parents from a total of 885,301 patients attending the ED (64 per 100,000). In the control region, where the protocol was not implemented, these figures were 2 per 163,628 (1 per 100,000) and 10 per 371,616 (3 per 100,000) respectively (OR = 28.0 (95 CI 4.6–170.7)). At assessment, child abuse was confirmed in 91% of referred cases. The protocol has a high positive predictive value of 91% and can substantially increase the detection rate of child abuse in an ED setting. Parental characteristics are strong predictors of child abuse. Implementing guidelines to detect child abuse based on parental characteristics of parents attending the adult section of the ED can increase the detection rate of child abuse and neglect allowing appropriate aid to be initiated for these families.     

The views of children and parents towards higher level teaching assistants who teach whole classes

By September 2009 there were approximately 30,000 higher level teaching assistants (HLTAs) in English schools. All of these HLTAs are expected to be able to deliver pre-set lessons in place of a teacher. Often, they are determining the pedagogical approach and range of activities used to deliver the lesson's objectives. Consequently, there is a need to question the extent to which they can improve the quality of learning when meeting HLTA standard 31 (advancing learning when working with whole classes without the presence of an assigned teacher).This paper therefore considers the following question: Does the use of HLTAs with whole classes have a positive impact on children's learning? The voices of children and parents have so far been neglected in this field. Their voices deepen our understanding of notions of teacher professionalism and school effectiveness. How do parents and children view hierarchical staffing structures and the subsequent impact on learning disposition and behaviour? Is it possible for HLTAs to acquire the pedagogical skills and subject knowledge needed to ensure continuity in learning when taking responsibility for a class? These are the issues this paper will address.     

Utilizing Conjoint Analysis to Explicate Nurse–Patient Interaction Among Geriatric Incarcerated Individuals

There has been no attempt to explicate elderly patients’ preferences during nurse-patient interaction in the context of a prison setting. A purposive sample of 347 was chosen from a national Philippine prison based on the following inclusion criteria: (a) 55 years old and above, (b) incarcerated, (c) no psychological impairment, and (d) can amply read and write. Via conjoint analysis (CA), 36 from 81 nurse–patient interaction cards were produced according to orthogonal plans, as specified by SPSS. The conjoint analysis model proved to be fit: Pearson R = .993, (p < .05) Kendall's tau = .944 (p < .05), Kendall's tau for holdouts = .799 (p < .05). The use of CA showed the top 3 attributes: language (21.26%), smile (18.49%), and eye contact (14.19%). Overall, the following levels are highly preferred by respondents: “vernacular” language (utility = 1.377, SE = .21.26), “with” smile (utility = 1.198, SE = .082), and “constant” eye-contact/gaze (utility = .919, SE = .082). Significant differences in nurse–patient interaction were noted in age brackets, current health condition, and years of incarceration, except in educational attainment. Overall, geriatric incarcerated individuals preferred nurses who verbally utilize close-ended, nonfrequent, and without follow-up questions, speak vernacular in a low and constant intonation, give encouragement, and praise. When touch is needed, the respondents preferred same gender nurses. Respondents find it more comfortable when nurses utilize ‘friendly’ space during the interaction, smile, and maintain constant eye contact. To achieve more consistent care, nursing actions must be in accordance with these preferences.     

Developmental dyslexia: exploring how much phonological and visual attention span disorders are linked to simultaneous auditory processing deficits

The simultaneous auditory processing skills of 17 dyslexic children and 17 skilled readers were measured using a dichotic listening task. Results showed that the dyslexic children exhibited difficulties reporting syllabic material when presented simultaneously. As a measure of simultaneous visual processing, visual attention span skills were assessed in the dyslexic children. We presented the dyslexic children with a phonological short-term memory task and a phonemic awareness task to quantify their phonological skills. Visual attention spans correlated positively with individual scores obtained on the dichotic listening task while phonological skills did not correlate with either dichotic scores or visual attention span measures. Moreover, all the dyslexic children with a dichotic listening deficit showed a simultaneous visual processing deficit, and a substantial number of dyslexic children exhibited phonological processing deficits whether or not they exhibited low dichotic listening scores. These findings suggest that processing simultaneous auditory stimuli may be impaired in dyslexic children regardless of phonological processing difficulties and be linked to similar problems in the visual modality.     

The genesis of mentors’ professional and personal knowledge about teaching: perspectives from the Republic of Ireland

This study investigates the sources of mentors’ knowledge about teaching. A mixed-method research design combining quantitative and qualitative data collection methods was used to examine this area. The findings of the study suggest that: mentors’ knowledge about teaching is practice orientated and emerges from their professional experiences, their teaching skills, their pre-service teacher education and, to a considerable extent, from their own personal experiences. The authors argue that mentors require support to reflect on their early socialisation experiences and their attachment to practice-based experience as a source of professional knowledge, in this way they can better understand and carry out their role as mentors.     

Implementation of open educational resources in a nursing programme: experiences and reflections

The IMPOER project (implementation of open educational resources, OER) aimed to implement OER in a nursing programme at Dalarna University, Sweden. The university and its nursing programme have long engaged in e-learning, and the nursing programme has recently been awarded the European Association of Distance Teaching Universities E-xcellence Associates Quality Label. The quality award was based on the creation of a roadmap for the continuous development of e-learning and the implementation of OER. The results of the study illustrated that overall, the students and the educators were positive about using OER. They considered that this approach was a new way of learning, and they appreciated the fact that OER were free and easy to access. However, they felt overwhelmed by the amount of material that was available and they were concerned about quality. If the use of OER is to be sustainable, a change in attitudes and practices among students and teachers is likely needed regarding the use of resources on the web.     

Breaking with Tradition: Using Rapid Prototyping In The Software Engineering Course

One approach to the development of software, which has received considerable attention in the software engineering literature, is rapid prototyping. We describe the rapid prototyping methodology and discuss some of its advantages and disadvantages. We then focus on the use of rapid prototyping in the project component of the typical undergraduate software engineering course. Several approaches to prototyping are described, along with various automated tools that support prototyping. Our experiences with prototyping in our undergraduate software engineering course are described, and we draw a number of conclusions vis a vis the use of prototyping.     

Integrated,marginal, and resilient: race,class, and the diverse experiences of white first‐generation college students

While first‐generation college students are ‘at risk’, the majority do persist. Using in‐depth interviews with 28 white college students I ask: How do white, first‐generation, working‐class students understand their college experiences, especially in terms of their academic, social, and cultural adjustment? Moreover, what kinds of factors seem to help or hinder their adjustment to college life? I discovered three patterns of adjustment among these students: (1) about half expressed few feelings of marginality and appeared well integrated into campus life; (2) one quarter experienced persistent and debilitating marginality; and (3) another quarter overcame their feelings of marginality en route to becoming socially and academically engaged on campus, with some transforming their feelings of marginality into motivation for social change. I argue that these variations can be understood by looking at how working‐class students’ economic resources may function as an asset, while their whiteness may function alternately as an asset and a liability.