Brain Health Knowledge in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Aging and its effects on a person's quality of life are a growing health concern and burden for many Americans. Recently, studies have shown that adopting certain healthy behaviors may help maintain and or prevent age-related health issues such as cognitive decline. However, many people are unaware of these newfound facts. Furthermore, there is insufficient research evidence to understand how older adults view brain health and the differences between diverse groups of older adults. This study examines brain health knowledge and behaviors among Caucasian and African-American community-dwelling older adults in North Carolina. Findings were significant for level of education and total brain health knowledge scores, though there were no significant differences between races. In addition, there was a significant association between total number of health conditions and total brain health knowledge scores that warrants further study.     

K–12 and University Educators Working Together Toward Change: Initiating a Conversation About Practice

This case study of a joint school/university professional development opportunity explored how 12 practitioners came together to examine change in light of discrepancies between current practice in local schools and promising practices recommended in the literature for students identified as having significant disabilities. The group met monthly over the course of one school year to study action research and to examine aspects of individual practice and their emerging identity as a community of learners. Participants explored perceptions about promising practice relative to actual practice engaged in by K–12 teachers, the impact of ongoing structured conversation on individual practice, and the impact of group membership for both individual participants and school/university partnerships. After one academic year, participants reported that the impact of this structured conversation was highly meaningful with respect to positive change in individual practice, the creation of a new support network for participants, and the development of new understandings between university and K–12 practitioners. Findings are discussed in light of implications for researchers, teacher educators, and K–12 practitioners in their various roles as agents of social change.     

Understanding the experiences of bilingual,Latino/a adolescents: Voices from gifted and general education

Eight gifted and eight general‐education students engaged in discussions regarding their observations of, experiences in, and recommendations for education. Six categories emerged through qualitative analysis of their conversations. These categories include: problem solving, task commitment, self‐perceptions, education, communication, and discrimination. Content within each category provides a glimpse into the students’ perceptions of their schooling experiences. The roles of ethnic identity development, identification with majority culture, adolescence, and gifted‐ness are examined and recommendations for future research are provided.     

No yoga for Eric: lifelong learning from a small firm's perspective

An emphasis on lifelong learning as a route to economic competitive advantage forms the basis for current governmental policies directed at both firms and individuals. Since small firms are seen as vital for economic growth and development, this sector is a major target for lifelong learning based programmes. However, the views of those in this sector on lifelong learning are less well known. This study of 128 small firms explored the views of owner managers and key staff in these firms about lifelong learning. Despite the hype, owner managers still seemed unsure about the concept, showing the same resistance to embracing learning for all staff seen in earlier studies. However, whilst not recognizing its value for their company to achieve business needs, it was described as important in their own lives, particularly to achieve personal rather than business aims. Examples were also given of transfer of ideas and skills from leisure to work environments. Staff designated as ‘key’ by their managers saw learning as a continuous process, vital for their own future development. These staff had been the main participants of formalized firm learning and had also taken part in learning outside work for personal development. Further research would be needed to identity whether non-preferred staff shares this positive view of learning.