Mapping MSW Research Training

The surge of interest in evidence-based interventions necessitates MSW graduates who will pursue research activities in the workplace. However, evidence suggests that social workers tend not to use their research skills after graduation. This study examined three constructs that inform students’ relationships to research: (a) confidence in research skills, (b) academic activities that stimulate students’ interest in research, and (c) anticipated outcomes from future involvement in research activities. The findings suggest that MSW programs need to extend research training beyond the classroom by providing holistic research learning environments that clarify the role and purpose of research for the social work profession and provide opportunities for students to transform didactic research training into practical research skills.     

Sexuality and human reproduction: a study of scientific knowledge,behaviours and beliefs of Portuguese future elementary school teachers

Sex education in Portugal has become a right and an obligation starting in the first years of school. However, despite being required by legislation, this is not easy to achieve, partly because of weaknesses in the training of teachers, which need to be identified. In this study, data were collected about the knowledge, behaviours and beliefs of 148 teacher trainees of elementary education (6–10 years old) from two Portuguese public higher education institutions. The topic of sexuality and human reproduction had been covered by almost all of them during their initial training and was considered important by most of them. Nevertheless, about 85% asserted they are not confident enough to teach this topic to small children in a classroom and committed scientific errors about physiological‐anatomical aspects of the human body. All subjects felt that there is a lack of specific didactic materials, which does not help to overcome those obstacles. It was also possible to identify in these future teachers risky sexual practices resulting, in part, from their beliefs, which could have implications about the way the topic will be approached in the classroom. These findings show how essential it is for training institutions to pay greater attention to the education of future elementary school teachers in this area.     

The Internalization of Jewish Values by Children Attending Orthodox Jewish Schools,and its Relationship to Autonomy-Supportive Parenting and Adjustment

The present study examined the way in which children attending Orthodox Jewish schools internalize the value of both their Jewish studies and secular studies, as well as the value of Jewish cultural practices. A distinction was made between identified internalization, where children perceive Jewish studies and Jewish culture to be an important part of their sense of self, and introjected internalization, where children participate in Jewish studies and Jewish culture because they feel like they “ought to” or because of external pressures. Primary identified reasons for their Jewish studies and Jewish cultural practices were significantly associated with positive self and teacher ratings of adjustment; internalization of secular studies was unrelated to adjustment. The study also found that parental support of autonomy, which involves allowing children some latitude in making decisions for themselves regarding religious issues, was associated with greater identification. Together, these results highlight the importance of autonomy-supportive parenting in promoting identification of adolescents' Jewish identity.     

Books received

In this study, children were shown one of three violent TV clips. Each clip showed an identical act of aggression but the perpetrator's motivation and punishment for the violent act were manipulated. Children also filled out a questionnaire that asked about their family communication patterns (FCP). Overall, children who rated higher on the communication dimension were more likely to see motivated violence as more justified, whereas children who rated higher on the control dimension were likely to see punished violence as less justified. In addition, children who were more control‐oriented and who had perceived the violent clip as justified chose aggressive story endings significantly more frequently than other children.     

Laboratory professionals’ attitudes towards ISO 15189:2012 accreditation: an anonymous survey of three Croatian accredited medical laboratories

IntroductionEffective implementation and continual compliance with ISO 15189:2012 require ongoing commitment and active involvement of laboratory staff. Our aim was to assess attitudes regarding accreditation implementation by conducting a survey in three Croatian accredited medical laboratories.Materials and methodsAn anonymous survey consisting of 34 questions was distributed either electronically or in a paper form a week prior to scheduled annual audits. Distributions of answers regarding age, work experience, laboratory workplace, and education level and according to the respective laboratory were compared.ResultsThe overall response rate was 76% (225/297). Preference towards working in an accredited laboratory and a positive attitude were revealed by 70% and 56% participants, respectively, with better process documentation as the main advantage. Only 14% of responders considered themselves completely familiar with ISO 15189:2012. Total of 68% of responders felt that accreditation increases the usual workload, with excessive paperwork as the main contributor. Half of the responders declared partial agreement that accreditation requirements and expectations were clearly explained and claimed that their suggestions were taken into account only occasionally, which was especially emphasized by technical staff. The vast majority (89%) completely follow the prescribed protocols. Only 27% consider turnaround time monitoring useful. Competence assessment is considered efficient by 41% of responders. The majority (73%) prefer an online audit in times of COVID-19.ConclusionsDespite an overall positive attitude towards accreditation, further efforts are needed in providing better education about ISO 15189:2012 for technical staff and modifying formats of competence assessment, in order to achieve better adherence to ISO 15189:2012 requirements.     

A longitudinal developmental analysis of students’ causality beliefs about school performance

This study examined the development of school-related causality beliefs which are children’s generalized perceptions of the utility or power of different categories of specific means in producing school outcomes. Based on the action theory perspective, we analyzed the developmental model of these beliefs as well as the trajectories of the five perceived causes of school success and failure: ability, effort, luck, teacher’s help, and unknown causes. On a 5-year longitudinal study, following a group of 63 students over an 8-year period (from the second to the ninth grades), using hierarchical linear models, intraindividual changes and interindividual differences in these changes were identified; also, factors that might account for this variability were tested. The results showed a decrease of the effectiveness attributed to the various causes, but their differentiated trajectories, and a relative independence of gender and achievement factors (engagement and school grades) in the evolution of these beliefs. School children in the lower grades value most highly ability and effort as causes of school success. Student’s beliefs about the causes of school performance become both more conservative and more differentiated along schooling, which is probably a normative general tendency. Findings from this longitudinal study corroborate, to a large extent, a consistent set of important developmental findings based on previous cross-sectional designs.     

雨水和中水回用对北京供水的潜在贡献(英文)

为寻找新途径以缓解北京市因日趋减少的年降水量和人口快速增长等因素引起的水危机,及地下水位迅速下降的状况,探讨了基于住户的分散式雨水收集和中水回用,作为减少地下水抽取和从其他地区调水的手段.通过案头案例研究,提出了雨水和中水结合式收集再利用的2个理念.基于粗略假设,计算表明采用升级理念可节约生活自来水消费的67.8%,而采用降级理念则节约5.9%.如果2 000万北京市民采用升级理念,将节约相当于0.545×109m3的年供水量.尽管先决条件诸多,如水处理技术、空间需求、能源和成本,以及公众接受能力,主张采用住户雨水收集和中水回用与其他措施相结合,以实现北京可持续的水管理.     

Children's opinions on effective strategies to cope with bullying: the importance of bullying role and perspective

In order to find out what children would suggest as useful interventions to stop bullying, we designed a questionnaire administered to 311 children (155 boys and 156 girls; mean age?=?11 years). Thirty-six items were employed to ask children how effective, in their opinion, retaliation, nonchalance and assertiveness could be in stopping bullying. Items were presented to children from three different perspectives (imagine you are the victim, the bully or a witness). We used peer reports to assess children's role in bullying. Children were grouped into bullies, followers of the bully, defenders of the victims, outsiders, victims and those not involved. The strategy most frequently chosen by all children was to cope with bullying through assertiveness. Bullies considered retaliation effective more often than their classmates, especially when they adopted the perspective of the victim or witness. Bullies did not consider assertive strategies as efficient in stopping the bully. Defenders, outsiders, victims and children not involved, on the other hand, were very much in favour of strategies aimed at solving the conflict through nonchalance or assertiveness, especially when they imagined being the bully. Girls chose assertive strategies more often than boys and younger children preferred nonchalance more often than older children, who tended to choose retaliation more often. Suggestions for intervention are made.