Autopsy-Based Learning is Essential But Underutilized in Medical Education: A Questionnaire Study

To this day, autopsies and dissections have been essential in medical education, but declining autopsy numbers have endangered this long-standing tradition. Students' perceptions of these teaching methods should be constantly updated to help educators understand how to achieve their teaching goals. The purpose of this study was to explore the state of autopsy- and dissection-based teaching in two Finnish universities based on the experiences of the students, survey their perceptions of such teaching, and to compare the Finnish situation with students' perceptions in other countries as it emerges from medical literature. A questionnaire went to 859 second-, fourth-, and sixth-year medical students. The questions concerned dissection and autopsy classes these students had attended, the views of the students in regard to the number of classes, and the benefits of and attitudes towards autopsy teaching. An open question of how to improve autopsy teaching was included. The response rate was 19.4%. Most respondents requested more autopsy and dissection classes, especially practical education. They found autopsies most beneficial in learning anatomy and dealing with one's own emotions related to death. Their experiences proved least beneficial for interaction with the relatives of a deceased patient and for people skills. Integrational methods and focusing on the main learning outcomes were suggested as improvements. Overall, students found dissection and autopsy teaching important, but felt concerned about the diminishing autopsy numbers. Focusing on main learning objectives and better integration of autopsies in the teaching of different specialties could help to utilize autopsies to a greater extent.     

Research on illustrations in text: Issues and perspectives

So many studies have failed to show significant effects for illustrations in texts and teaching materials that, the author remarks, if the research is taken at face value, it is not difficult to begin believing that illustrations really are not very important in assisting learning. However, he concludes, their value has been confirmed by a sufficient number of studies to support intuitive beliefs and researchers now must move on, using new frameworks to study the reasons illustrations can aid learning.     

“Compulsory Schooling” Despite the Law: How Education Policy Underpins the Widespread Ignorance of the Right to Home Educate in France

ABSTRACT

Everyone in France takes for granted the existence of compulsory school attendance (“école obligatoire”) while home education remains very exceptional. Yet school attendance is not, and has never been, legally compulsory in France. How can one explain the fact that the right to home educate is little known and practiced? This article researches how public policies may foster this widespread ignorance. Drawing mainly on archival records of French Parliament debates about compulsory instruction in 1882, 1936, and 1998, it depicts various ways for lawmakers to contribute to this ignorance.     

The influence of ventilatory control on heart rate variability in children

The aim of this study was to determine the influence of breathing frequency and tidal volume on resting heart rate variability in children aged 9 years ( n = 29) and 16 years ( n = 19). Heart rate variability was measured in four conditions: (1) without the control of ventilation followed at random by (2) a fixed breathing frequency of 12 breaths· min -1 , (3) a breathing frequency of 12 breaths· min -1 but with a fixed tidal volume of 30% vital capacity and (4) a fixed breathing frequency of 6 breaths·min -1 and a tidal volume of 30% vital capacity. A total of 128 RR intervals (the time between two spikes in the heart rate) were detected and absolute high- and low-frequency spectral components were calculated using autoregressive modelling. The younger children were unable to control ventilation to achieve conditions 3 and 4; therefore, a 2 2 2 (group 2 condition) analysis of variance was used to analyse conditions 1 and 2. There were significant interactions between group and heart rate variability conditions for the low-frequency component and the ratio of low to high frequencies ( P ? 0.001). The main effect for condition showed that at 12 breaths· min -1 with no fixed tidal volume there was a significantly higher standard deviation of the RR interval, total power and high-frequency ( P ? 0.01) and lowfrequency spectral components ( P ? 0.05) than in the condition with no ventilatory control. Across the four breathing conditions for the older participants, the high-frequency spectral component was significantly higher in the condition at 6 breaths· min -1 with a fixed tidal volume than in that with no ventilatory control ( P ? 0.005); the ratio of high to low frequencies was significantly lower for the spontaneous condition than those performed at 12 breaths· min -1 ( P ? 0.001). The results provide evidence of the need for ventilatory control when assessing short-term resting heart rate variability in children.     

Self-belief does make a difference: a reciprocal effects model of the causal ordering of physical self-concept and gymnastics performance

A large body of research in support of the reciprocal effects model of causal ordering demonstrates that prior academic self-concept predicts subsequent academic achievement beyond what can be explained in terms of prior achievement. Here we evaluate the generalizability of this support for the reciprocal effects model to a physical activity context in which achievement is reflected in gymnastics skills on a standardized gymnastics performance test evaluated by expert judges. Based on the responses of 376 adolescents collected at the start (T1) and end (T2) of a gymnastics training programme, there is support for a reciprocal effects model in which there are significant paths leading from both T1 gymnastics self-concept to T2 gymnastics skills and from T1 gymnastics skills to T2 self-concept. Although there were gender and age effects (girls and older participants had better gymnastics skills, boys had higher self-concepts), multiple group structural equation models indicated that support for the reciprocal effects model generalized over responses by boys and girls. In summary, self-concept and performance are both determinants and consequences of each other.     

Examining Change in Cortisol Patterns During the 10‐Week Transition to a New Child‐Care Setting

The transition to out‐of‐home child care brings a number of challenges for children, including complex peer interactions and extended separations from parents. Children often show a midmorning to afternoon rise in cortisol on child‐care days, compared to the typical diurnal decline seen at home. Changes in cortisol were examined in a wide age range of children (N = 168; 1.2 months to 8 years, M = 3.27 years) during the 10‐week transition to a new child‐care setting. Structural equation modeling using latent change scores showed that children experienced an increase in the cortisol rise at child care across the 10‐week transition. Furthermore, child age moderated the difference between home‐ and child‐care cortisol patterns. Findings are placed in a developmental context, and potential implications and future directions are discussed.     

Analysis of a multifaceted interactive pedagogy program in an upper limb anatomy course: A time series study

Many new methods have contributed to the learning of anatomy, including several interactive methods, increasing the effectiveness of educational programs. The effectiveness of an educational program involving several interactive learning methods such as problem-based learning and reciprocal peer teaching was researched in this study. A quasi-experimental before–after study on three consecutive groups of second-year students at the Grenoble School of Medicine was conducted. The lectures were replaced by an educational program based on the problem-based learning method and reciprocal peer teaching. The first session was dedicated to reading clinical cases illustrating the medical concept, so that the learning objectives for the second session could be set. Then, after viewing digital courses, the second session was dedicated to a synthetic presentation by the students themselves, followed by an interactive summary with the teacher. The analysis of 630 students showed a significant increase in the theory test results for those who took part in the intervention: 9.71 versus 9.19 (β = 0.57, P = 0.036). Moreover, satisfaction was high after the intervention (mean = 4.5/5), and when comparing the two pedagogical approaches the students showed a clear preference for the program implemented with the concepts highlighted such as interactivity, in-depth work, group work, and autonomy. A multifaceted interactive pedagogy program could have a significant impact on the results of the theoretical concepts presented and on satisfaction as well as increased investment by students in learning anatomy.     

Neutrality and impartiality in public education: the French investment in philosophy,teaching about religions,and moral and civic education

In France, there is no religious education in state schools. ‘Convictional education’ appeared by drawing its perimeter around three educational subjects: philosophy, teaching about religions, and moral and civic education. Today, the French school is facing new challenges in a highly secularised society on which religion is laying new claims. As an institution, it is not neutral insofar as it proceeds from a political philosophy that evolved from the French Revolution. It is within the operative framework of this philosophy and with specific teaching practices that it intends to combine unity and plurality within itself.     

The influence of impact location and angle on the dynamic impact response of a Hybrid III headform

To properly assess sports helmet performance, it is important to select impact conditions that yield high peak linear or angular accelerations. This was done by measuring the kinematic response of a Hybrid III headform when impacted with a modified Wayne State University linear impactor with special consideration for impact locations and angles. The 20 impact conditions (five locations and four angles) were then compared to published thresholds to identify the conditions, which were linked to an increased risk of head injury. These conditions were the following: 1A (linear 121.3g; angular 3.84 krad s⁻²), 2A (linear 102.1g; angular 9.28 krad s⁻²), 2C (linear 94.4g; angular 8.67 krad s⁻²), 3A (linear 132.8g; angular 9.38 krad s⁻²), 4A (linear 92.8g; angular 11.49 krad s⁻²), 4D (linear 113.3g; angular 12.86 krad s⁻²), 5A (linear 116.9g; angular 9.01 krad s⁻²) and 5D (linear 87.5g; angular 8.81 krad s⁻²). The results presented in this study were specific to the test rig used as well as the tested conditions; however, it is believed that a test protocol using the above impact conditions could identify the ability of sports helmets to reduce risk of head injuries.     

The Validity of the Interpersonal Behaviors Questionnaire (IBQ) in Sport

According to Self-Determination Theory (SDT), basic psychological needs will be influenced by other individuals’ interpersonal behaviors. The objective of the present research is to extend the validity of the Interpersonal Behaviors Questionnaire (IBQ and IBQ-Self) to the sport context. The measure was designed to assess perceptions of interpersonal behaviors of others (IBQ) or self-reports of interpersonal behaviors (IBQ-Self) in the context of SDT. This measure consists of 24 items and six subscales looking at autonomy-supportive, autonomy-thwarting (controlling), competence-supportive, competence-thwarting, relatedness-supportive, and relatedness-thwarting interpersonal behaviors. In Study 1, athletes were asked to report on their perceptions of their coaches’ interpersonal behaviors (IBQ). In Study 2, coaches were asked to report on their interpersonal behaviors when they coach their athletes (IBQ-Self). The results supported that the scale had a strong factor structure, internal consistency, and validity. Overall, the results supported the IBQ and IBQ-Self are valid measures of interpersonal behaviors in sport.