Anatomical Sciences in Chiropractic Education: A Survey of Chiropractic Programs in Australia

Human anatomy knowledge is a core requirement for all health care clinicians. There is a paucity of information relating to anatomy content and delivery in Australian chiropractic programs. The aim of this study was to describe anatomy teaching in Australian chiropractic programs, utilizing a survey which was distributed to all four programs, requesting information on: anatomy program structure, delivery methods, assessment, teaching resources, and academic staff profile at their institution. The survey was undertaken in 2016 and documented practices in that academic year. All four institutions responded. There was a reported difference in the teaching hours, content, delivery and assessment of anatomy utilized in Australian chiropractic programs. Anatomy was compulsory at all four institutions with the mean total of 214 (SD ± 100.2) teaching hours. Teaching was undertaken by permanent ongoing (30%) and sessional academic staff, and student to teacher ratio varied from 15:1 to 12:1. A variety of teaching resources were utilized, including human tissue access, either as prosected cadavers or plastinated body parts. The results of this survey confirm that anatomy has an established place in chiropractic education programs in Australia and while curricular variations exist, all programs had similar course design, delivery, and assessment methods. This study confirmed the provision of a strong foundation in topographical anatomy and neuroanatomy, while other anatomical sciences, such as histology and embryology were not consistently delivered. Formalization of a core anatomy curriculum together with competency standards is needed to assist program evaluation and development, and for accreditation purposes.     

Children's Attitudes toward Females in Sports: Their Relationship with Sex,Grade, and Sports Participation

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to measure grade school children's attitudes toward female involvement in sports and their relationship with participation, sex, and grade level. A Likert-type questionnaire (CATFIS) was administered to 106 girls and 264 boys in grades 3–6 at the beginning of their participation (P) in a YMCA-sponsored sports program. Similarly, 344 girls and 287 boys in grades 3–9 who did not participate (NP) in this sports program were administered the questionnaire in their school classrooms. Five months later the P group and the NP group (only grades 3–6) were retested to investigate whether attitude change occurred. The results of the study indicated that females at all grade and participation levels had significantly more favorable attitudes than the males. At grades 3 and 4 male P and NP were quite similar in their attitudes, as were female P and NP, but at grades 5 and 6 the attitudes of each sex group diverged. Male NP were more positive than male P, while female NP were less positive than female P. The significant three-way interaction between participation, sex, and grade was explained in terms of a psychological contrast effect and sex roles. Overall, the groups became more positive toward female involvement in sports from the time of the pretest to the posttest.     

How technology for comprehension training can support conversation towards the joint construction of meaning

Two studies assessed the role of Separate Control of Shared Space (SCoSS) technology in supporting peer collaborative discussion and comprehension. We hypothesised that providing equitable shared input to two literacy tasks (both good predictors of comprehension skill) would support discussion to promote the joint construction of meaning, and hence individual progress. Study 1: 50 7–9‐year‐olds took a reading‐specific multiple classification (RMC) pre‐test, categorising words on two dimensions, before training on the task in pairs using SCoSS, dual‐control or individual technology. Discussion produced more accurate post‐test classification performance and SCoSS was associated with higher frequency of statements during training that combined both RMC dimensions (surface form and meaning of words). Study 2: 12 8–9‐year‐olds were pre‐tested on story recall and worked in pairs on a SCoSS‐supported story construction task, requiring collaborative inference‐making, hypothesis generation and selection. Post‐test story recall was predicted by the frequency of deductive causal statements during training. We discuss how technology can be used to promote collaboration and discussion that supports joint understanding and individual comprehension development.     

Management in the Public and Private Sector

This paper, drawing on a six-country study, summarises the pressures to change on organisations and managers in both public and private sectors. The differences and similarities between the experiences of managers in the two sectors are drawn out and some conclusions about the lessons each can learn from the other are suggested.     

Reconceptualizing perceptual development: The identification of some dimensions of spatial competence in young children

In this examination of young children's acquisition of geometric skills, spatial performances were conceptualized as specific combinations of actions applied within stimulus contexts. Since both actions and context can vary, a number of different combinations can be specified. In this study, the relationships among eight such combinations were examined and predicted patterns compared with observed ones. Fifty-four 3-, 4-, and 5-year-old children were presented with 24 geometric displays depicting a variety of geometric relations. Subjects were required to either match or recall the displays in both a reconstruction and a recognition task format thereby responding across different types of action demands. The geometric displays depicted information organized either around a single axis (horizontal or vertical) or around both axes, the variation in context. The results of a mixed design ANOVA revealed a good fit with the hypothesized predictions. The findings are discussed in terms of the development of spatial skills, information theory, and of skill generalization.     

Physical environment as a 3-D textbook: design and development of a prototype

The use of the physical environment as a three-dimensional (3-D) textbook is not a common practice in educational facilities design. Previous researches documented that little progress has been made to incorporate environmental education (EE) into architecture, especially among the conventional designers who are often constrained by the budget and building area requirements. This article presents an exploratory project to develop a prototype for the 3-D textbook. The author does not formulate ideas and concept based on the pre-determined specs in a design brief. Instead, the design solution evolved through a qualitative case study conducted at the Green School in Bali, Indonesia. Data were collected through a series of interviews and on-site observations. The qualitative findings uncovered four design features for the 3-D textbook. A prototype was subsequently developed using the design features as a blueprint. The prototype serves as a testing ground for new ideas as well as a platform to promote awareness and acceptance of the 3-D textbook among the practitioners. Consequently, this article attempted a significant proposition to bring together architecture and EE, thus potentially contributing to a field of knowledge that embraces design and education.