Exploring perceived support of postgraduate medical science research students

There is still much to learn about the support required by postgraduate research students, across academic disciplines, to facilitate successful completion of a research degree. The primary aim of this study was to explore postgraduate medical science research students’ perceptions of academic and mentoring support at different stages during their degree programme. A second aim was to explore the feasibility and acceptability of peer mentoring as a strategy to enhance student support in this population. A mixed method study design was used. Students first completed an online questionnaire, which was then supplemented with focus group discussion to explore emergent findings in greater depth. The main results indicated that the nature and quality of academic supervision support have a significant influence on research student training and development. ‘Functional’ and ‘relationship development’ concepts of supervisory styles were highlighted as important aspects to perceived support in this research population. The main facilitators to enhance academic support were effective communication, project planning and timely feedback. There was a high degree of acceptability for a peer mentoring programme as a complementary approach to enhance student support. Peer mentoring psychosocial functions such as friendship, counselling and career guidance were considered potentially beneficial to enhancing student support. Students also discussed peer coaching as central to their learning and research skill development. This work is a useful starting point to explore perceptions of research student support in the target population. Further work is required to develop strategies to enhance student support in academic practice.     

Evaluating a Train the Trainer programme and the way this empowers educators to bring about systemic change*

This paper explores the experience of educators who participated in a Train the Trainer programme with the aim of supporting teachers in the implementation of the Learning Outcomes Framework (LOF). Empirical data collected through interviews and narratives from a number of LOF Trainers, are analysed through a grounded theory approach. The insights of the participants on the effectiveness of the programme led the authors to identify which factors helped to render this programme a rewarding and meaningful experience, how this programme has equipped and empowered educators with the required skills to support their peers, and how the nature of the programme has led to the development of a professional learning community. The results lead to a consideration of how teacher learning environments can be transformed in order to build educator proficiencies, enhance their leadership capacities and make them more participative in the processes which impact on their professional lives.     

Television and Families: What Do Young Children Watch with Their Parents?

A sample of 271 3- and 5-year-olds and their families participated in a 2-year longitudinal study of television viewing patterns. 5 1-week diaries for all family members were collected at 6-month intervals. Programs were categorized as: (1) child informative, (2) child entertainment, (3) news and informative, (4) sports, (5) comedy, (6) drama, (7) action-adventure, and (8) variety-game. The majority of child programs were viewed without parents, while the majority of adult programs were watched with parents. Coviewing patterns of adult programs were predicted from parents' individual viewing habits, but not from the child's. Coviewing declined with age. Parental encouragement and regulation of viewing were orthogonal. Children whose parents encouraged viewing watched more child informative programming; children of restrictive parents watched less entertainment programming. Encouraging parents coviewed more than nonencouraging parents. Results support the assertion that parental viewing preferences, habits, and orientations toward television influence children's viewing, both with and without parents.     

The PhD viva: a space for academic development

This study examined the viva experiences of 87 social science PhD graduates from three Irish higher education institutions through a questionnaire that assessed outcome, preparation, conduct and post-viva. The majority were awarded their PhD with minor corrections, considered their viva as a summative assessment, and emphasised its purpose as authentication, examination and defence. Most felt well prepared yet few had experienced a ‘mock viva’ or viva workshop. Even those with minor corrections identified aspects of the viva for improvement. The study recommends that academic development programmes should incorporate assessment literacy for PhD students and supervisors and the need for evaluation of graduates’ viva experiences.     

Refining the Map of the Counselor Development Journey: Response to Rønnestad and Skovholt

In this article, we respond to Rønnestad and Skovholt's reformulated counselor development model itself, then to some of its implications. With respect to the model: (a) although this version is more parsimonious than the original, we show that it could be more so; and (b) because the authors do not discuss determinants of psychotherapy as a career choice, we draw from existing literature to suggest some. With respect to the implications of the work, we note that: (a) trainee anxiety may not be as important as its prominence in their model suggests; (b) Rønnestad and Skovholt's finding that older practitioners turn to alternative sources (e.g., cinema; literature) to learn about human nature may be related to the consistent finding that practitioners are not research consumers; and (c) the importance Rønnestad and Skovholt attach that post-licensure supervision should be given more attention.     

The Value of Education and Educación: Nurturing Mexican American Children’s Educational Aspirations to the Doctorate

Guided by the framework of community cultural wealth, this study uncovered how 7 low-income, 1st-generation Mexican American PhDs interpreted their parents’ and families’ educational aspirations, messages imbued with aspects of normative parental/familial involvement as well as cultural forms of support. This study demonstrates the power of narratives that children carry with them as they navigate various educational systems. I discuss strategies for helping Mexican American students make meaning of these messages and negotiate potential conflicts with their goals of degree attainment, and I add a new dimension to research on the formation of educational aspirations and the role of educación.     

Assistant professors of school psychology: A national survey of program directors and job applicants

The purpose of this study was to gain insight into the nature of academic position openings in the field of school psychology and to gather information about the characteristics sought and attributed to those individuals who were hired at the assistant professor rank. Survey methodology was used to gather information from both program directors and new assistant professor hires about the job‐search process. A total of 178 program directors in school psychology from the United States were sent surveys in the fall of 1998. One hundred twenty‐six of the program directors responded (71%). Fifty‐five (44%) program directors reported their program had an assistant professor job opening within the last 2 academic years. Of the 55 program directors that reported having job openings, five of these reported that they had two position openings in the last two academic years. Thus, data were gathered on a total of 60 job openings at 55 schools. Information about the job search process and characteristics sought in applicants, from the program directors perspective, are described. In addition, demographic data, prior teaching and research experiences, and information about the new hires' job‐search process is presented. Recommendations are provided to help graduate students, faculty advisors, and future applicants with the job‐search process. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 40: 691–698, 2003.     

Learning the words AND knowing the concepts: an in‐depth study of one expert teacher's use of language as a cultural tool to support inquiry

This research explored the practices of one science teacher, expert in her field, as she worked to enact science discourse that incorporated language in naturalistic and rigorous ways. Difficulties in mastering the language of science contribute to troubling and persistent achievement gaps across demographic and gender groups. Science learning is based in discourse, with knowledge built by asking questions, exploring, revising views and asking new questions. But all too often students are not able to participate fully in these opportunities for discourse that is engaging and exploration due to the difficulty of science language. Qualitative analysis of this teacher's use of science discourse to establish clear links between essential science language and concepts and pre/post analysis of a science language assessment reveal important ways that teachers and researchers can work together to design and deliver instruction and assessment that supports students' mastery of sophisticated language and concepts. Results have implications for theory regarding science discourse; language learning, and conceptual development; and provide a model for teacher–researcher partnerships exploring important problems of teaching practice.     

Student attitudes toward cadaveric dissection at a UK medical school

A more humanistic approach toward dissection has emerged. However, student attitudes toward this approach are unknown and the influences on such attitudes are little understood. One hundred and fifty-six first-year medical students participated in a study examining firstly, attitudes toward the process of dissection and the personhood of the cadaver and secondly, the extent to which gender, anxiety, exposure to dissection, bereavement and prior experience of a dead body influenced these attitudes. Attitudes toward dissection were assessed by of levels of agreement toward eleven statements and by selection of adjectives describing possible feelings toward dissection. Students were asked about recent bereavement, whether they had seen a dead body prior to starting their course and exposure to dissection when completing the questionnaire. Validated instruments were used to measure disposition toward generalized anxiety (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) and toward death anxiety (Collett-Lester Death Anxiety Scale). Between 60% and 94% of students held positive attitudes toward the process of dissection and over 70% of students selected 2 or fewer negative adjectives. Students' attitudes toward the personhood of the cadaver were more disparate. Disposition toward anxiety (particularly death anxiety), and exposure to dissection, influenced attitudes. Female gender and recent bereavement exerted a negative influence. Students with higher levels of anxiety experienced more negative feelings and those recently bereaved were less enthusiastic about dissection. Anticipation of dissection may be worse than reality. Sensitive preparation of students prior to entering the dissecting room for the first time may be beneficial.