Science teacher participation in reviews of syllabi—more than an organizational dilemma

Research in Science Education -     

Lifelong Learning,Equality and Social Cohesion1

This article compares the evidence from the 2009 PISA survey on the distribution of skills amongst 15-year-olds in different regions and country groups and explores how education systems in these regions contribute to different levels of inequality. In the second part, it presents evidence from surveys on adult skills and attitudes on how skills inequality affects social attitudes and social cohesion.     

The effects of the ARC organizational intervention on caseworker turnover, climate, and culture in children's service systems

OBJECTIVE: This study examines the effects of the Availability, Responsiveness, and Continuity (ARC) organizational intervention strategy on caseworker turnover, climate, and culture in a child welfare and juvenile justice system. METHOD: Using a pre-post, randomized blocks, true experimental design, 10 urban and 16 rural case management teams were randomly assigned to either the ARC organizational intervention condition or to a control condition. The culture and climate of each case management team were assessed at baseline and again after the one-year organizational intervention was completed. In addition, caseworker turnover was assessed by identifying caseworkers on the sampled teams who quit their jobs during the year. RESULTS: Hierarchical Linear Models (HLM) analyses indicate that the ARC organizational intervention reduced the probability of caseworker turnover by two-thirds and improved organizational climate by reducing role conflict, role overload, emotional exhaustion, and depersonalization in both urban and rural case management teams. CONCLUSIONS: Organizational intervention strategies can be used to reduce staff turnover and improve organizational climates in urban and rural child welfare and juvenile justice systems. This is important because child welfare and juvenile justice systems in the U.S.A. are plagued by high turnover rates, and there is evidence that high staff turnover and poor organizational climates negatively affect service quality and outcomes in these systems.     

The influence of hydration on anaerobic performance: a review

This review examines the influence of dehydration on muscular strength and endurance and on single and repeated anaerobic sprint bouts. Describing hydration effects on anaerobic performance is difficult because various exercise modes are dominated by anaerobic energy pathways, but still contain inherent physiological differences. The critical level of water deficit (approximately 3-4%; mode dependent) affecting anaerobic performance is larger than the deficit (approximately 2%) impairing endurance performance. A critical performance-duration component (> 30 s) may also exist. Moderate dehydration (approximately 3% body weight; precise threshold depends on work/recovery ratio) impairs repeated anaerobic bouts, which place an increased demand on aerobic metabolism. Interactions between dehydration level, dehydration mode, testing mode, performance duration, and work/recovery ratio during repeated bouts make the dehydration threshold influencing anaerobic performance mode dependent.     

What Are the Barriers to Mobilizing Intensive Care Patients?

Purpose

Recently there has been increased interest in early mobilization of critically ill patients. Proposed benefits include improvements in respiratory function, muscle wasting, intensive care unit (ICU), and hospital length of stay. We studied the frequency of early mobilization in our intensive care unit in order to identify barriers to early mobilization.

Methods

A 4-week prospective audit of 106 patients admitted to a mixed medical-surgical tertiary ICU (mean age 60 ± 20 years, mean APACHE II score 14.7 ± 7.8) was performed. Outcome measures included number of patient days mobilized, type of mobilization, adverse events, and reasons for inability to mobilize.

Results

Patients were mobilized on 176 (54%) of 327 patient days. Adverse events occurred in 2 of 176 mobilization episodes (1.1%). In 71 (47%) of the 151 patient days where mobilization did not occur, potentially avoidable factors were identified, including vascular access devices sited in the femoral region, timing of procedures and agitation or reduced level of consciousness.

Conclusions

Critically ill patients can be safely mobilized for much of their ICU stay. Interventions that may allow more patients to mobilize include: changing the site of vascular catheters, careful scheduling of procedures, and improved sedation management.Key Words: intensive care units, mobility, physical therapy     

An exploration of the lived experiences of Year Six children on a residential trip to Normandy

Over the last decade, a plethora of research has been undertaken into learning outside the classroom and its resultant benefits on pupils [Dillon, J., M. Rickinson, K. Teamey, M. Morris, M. Y. Choi, D. Sanders, and P. Benefield. 2006. “The Value of Outdoor Learning: Evidence from Research in the UK and Elsewhere.” School Science Review 87 (320): 107–111; Peacock, A. 2006. Changing Minds: The Lasting Impact of School Trips. University of Exeter; Malone, K. 2008. Every Experience Matters. Farming and Countryside Education; Waite, S. 2011. Children Learning Outside the Classroom from Birth to Eleven. London: Sage; Beames, S., P. Higgins, and R. Nicol. 2012. Learning Outside the Classroom: Theory Guidelines and Practice. Abingdon: Routledge). Despite this wealth of research very little has been conducted into residential field trips. The research carried out in this study focuses specifically on exploring the residential experience of a group of 10- and 11-year-old children from a junior school in the UK who participated in a one-week residential field trip to Normandy, France, staying in a Chateau and undertaking both cultural and historical activities. The findings reveal what children can gain from participating in such an experience.     

An assessment of international college student adjustment

International students have realistic expectations about their adjustment to college, however, they seem to experience a more difficult transition than U.S. students. Scores on the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire for international and U.S. students are compared. The results indicated that international students scored significantly lower on the social and the institutional attachment and goal commitment subscales. The Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire may have applications in targeting international student needs.