Do teachers know more about specific learning difficulties than general practitioners?

In this article, Dr Amanda Kirby, medical director at the Dyscovery Centre in Cardiff, Rhys Davies, a researcher for the School of Education at the University of Wales, and Amy Bryant, a psychology student at Cardiff University, report on their investigations into teachers' and general practitioners' (GPs') knowledge of six specific learning difficulties. It was hypothesised that the knowledge of both groups would be similar. The recent development of a labelling culture has resulted in confusion over the terms and the actual difficulties encountered by the individual. The authors asked 105 teachers and 105 GPs to define six categories of learning difficulties (dyspraxia; developmental co-ordination disorder (DCD); attention deficit disorder (ADD); deficit in attention, motor control and perception (DAMP); Asperger's syndrome; and dyslexia) on a questionnaire.
The teachers gave significantly more correct definitions than the GPs. However, knowledge from both professional groups was limited, with correct responses only demonstrating a cursory awareness. There are implications for both groups of professionals. Teachers will not be able to recognise or accommodate the child with learning difficulties in class if their knowledge is limited. Similarly GPs will find it difficult to detect and appropriately refer children with learning difficulties. Finally, and most importantly, there are implications for the identification and support of the child, in both the short term and the long term, and associated psychological issues such as lowered self-esteem, depression and anxiety. Amanda Kirby, Rhys Davies and Amy Bryant make suggestions for improving the level of knowledge among professionals through training and discuss, in this engaging and frequently amusing article, some of the issues surrounding the current labelling system.     

Knowledge for Healthcare: the future of health librarianship

Many people are still not receiving the right care. It is imperative for health care librarians to come together around a common vision to achieve Knowledge for Healthcare so that the right knowledge and evidence is used at the right time in the right place. The authors describe five workstreams within a modernisation programme: Service Transformation, Workforce Planning and Development, Quality and Impact, Resource Discovery and Optimising Investment. Communications, engagement and partnership working are central to success. The development framework sets out principles on which to base decisions, and design criteria for transforming services.     

Designing SQL Database Modules Using Correlation Coefficients and Linear Regression: A Content‐Centered Approach

Information systems educators are increasingly incorporating business intelligence and analytics topics into information systems training. Educators often create modules independently, which can be difficult to effectively design given most information systems trainers have no formal training in instructional design. This article incorporates a content‐centered design model, pebble‐in‐the‐pond (Merrill, 2002 ), and provides an example of the design process using the topic of predictive analytics that information systems educators can follow to create instructional modules using sound instructional design considerations.     

Practice Libraries: managing printed information and meeting theinformation needs of staff in general practice

Librarians and GPs share an interest in exploring differentapproaches to providing information to general practice and improving information managementwithin it. Describing the aims, policy, collections, enquiries and services of three Practice Librariesin the Aylesbury area, this paper demonstrates that an information professional can make asignificant impact on the management of printed information whilst facilitating access to externalsources. A wealth of opportunities lie ahead for those willing to apply information handling skillsto general practice. Medical librarians will need to strike a careful balance between providingdirect access to sources and the development of information services tailored to meet the needs ofprimary health care workers.     

Deaf children's informal knowledge of multiplicative reasoning

Multiplicative reasoning is required in different contexts in mathematics: it is necessary to understand the concept of multipart units, involved in learning place value and measurement, and also to solve multiplication and division problems. Measures of hearing children's multiplicative reasoning at school entry are reliable and specific predictors of their mathematics achievement in school. An analysis of deaf children's informal multiplicative reasoning showed that deaf children under-perform in comparison to the hearing cohorts in their first two years of school. However, a brief training study, which significantly improved their success on these problems, suggested that this may be a performance, rather than a competence difference. Thus, it is possible and desirable to promote deaf children's multiplicative reasoning when they start school so that they are provided with a more solid basis for learning mathematics.     

The information needs and information seeking behaviour of family doctors

AIMS: To explore the information needs and information seeking behaviour of family doctors, identifying any differences in attitudes and behaviours deriving from membership of a training practice and investigating the impact of a practice librarian. METHODS: A case study of general practitioners (GPs) in Aylesbury Vale incorporated a quantitative study of use of the medical library, and two qualitative techniques, in-depth interviews and group discussions. RESULTS: A total of 58 GPs, almost three quarters of those in the Vale, participated; 19 via individual interviews and a further 39 via two group discussions. Family doctors are prompted to seek information by needs arising from a combination of professional responsibilities and personal characteristics. A need for problem-orientated information, related to the care of individual patients, was the predominant factor that prompted these GPs to seek information. Personal collections remain the preferred information resource; electronic sources rank second. The study demonstrated low use of the medical library. However, both vocational training and the employment of a practice librarian impacted on library use. CONCLUSIONS: The study illuminates the information needs and preferences of GPs and illustrates the contribution that librarians may make at practice level, indicating the importance of outreach work.     

A Cross‐Cultural Study of Spatial Ability in Children

The hypothesis tested was that exposure to English educational experiences will increase the level of performance on spatial tests of children of Indian origin. Groups of 11‐year‐old boys were tested in the UK and in India on three tests of spatial ability. There were no significant differences in performance among boys born in the UK of UK or Indian origin. In general, performance of boys in India was lower but was worst among recent immigrants in the UK. A number of factors may have contributed to this result, but the finding suggests that it is the problems associated with recent immigration rather than any innate deficit that leads to poor test performance.     

The impact of teacher–student relationships and classroom engagement on student growth percentiles of 7th and 8th grade students

The study examined the extent that teacher–student relationships (TSR) influenced basic psychological needs, engagement, and student growth using the self‐systems process model as a framework using structural equation modeling. Based on prior research, it was hypothesized that context (TSR) influenced self (basic psychological needs), which influenced action (engagement), and consequently, influenced outcome (student score and grade point average‐GPA). The findings of the study supported prior research that a TSR positively influenced levels of engagement in the classroom and, consequently, student outcomes as measured by classroom grade point average (GPA) and standardized assessment results. Using an identical methodological setup that substituted student growth percentiles (SGP) for scale scores, it was determined that TSR, basic psychological need satisfaction, and level of engagement do not influence SGP. Implications and potential contributions are discussed.