Factors associated with labor support behaviors of nurses

Labor support is known to support progress of normal labor. Nurses are encouraged to provide labor support yet may encounter barriers to the practice of labor support. The purpose of this secondary data analysis was to examine individual and institutional factors associated with labor support behaviors. Age and experience were individual factors related to labor support. Older and more experienced nurses reported providing more labor support. Institutional factors associated with labor support were lower rates of epidural analgesia use and cesarean surgery. These findings indicate birthing families should understand that the birth environment may influence the care that nurses give during labor. Choosing an environment that supports normal birth may be the best place for receiving labor supportive nursing care.     

Effects of reflection prompts on learning outcomes and learning behaviour in statistics education

Starting from difficulties that students display when they deal with correlation analysis, an e-learning environment (‘Koralle’) was developed. The design was inspired by principles of situated and example-based learning. In order to facilitate reflective processes and thus enhance learning outcomes, reflection prompts were integrated into the learning environment. A total of 57 university students were randomly assigned to two experimental conditions: 28 students were prompted to give reasons for their decisions while working within the learning environment (EG 1); and 29 students dealt with Koralle without being prompted (EG 2). The control group consisted of 67 students who had already attended regular statistics lectures but had no access to the e-learning environment. EG 1 scored significantly higher in the posttest than EG 2, and the effect was practically relevant and sustainable. Reflection prompts did not influence time on task, task choices and motivational outcomes. Both experimental groups clearly outperformed the control group.     

Development of Information Functions and Indices for the GGUM‐RANK Multidimensional Forced Choice IRT Model

This research derived information functions and proposed new scalar information indices to examine the quality of multidimensional forced choice (MFC) items based on the RANK model. We also explored how GGUM‐RANK information, latent trait recovery, and reliability varied across three MFC formats: pairs (two response alternatives), triplets (three alternatives), and tetrads (four alternatives). As expected, tetrad and triplet measures provided substantially more information than pairs, and MFC items composed of statements with high discrimination parameters were most informative. The methods and findings of this study will help practitioners to construct better MFC items, make informed projections about reliability with different MFC formats, and facilitate the development of MFC triplet‐ and tetrad‐based computerized adaptive tests.     

Case-based learning with worked examples in complex domains: Two experimental studies in undergraduate medical education

To investigate the effects of example format (erroneous examples vs. correct examples) and feedback format (elaborated feedback vs. knowledge of results feedback) on medical students' diagnostic competence in the context of a web-based learning environment containing case-based worked examples, two studies with a 2 × 2 design were conducted in the laboratory. In the first study (domain: arterial hypertension; N = 153) erroneous examples were effective in combination with elaborated feedback with respect to strategic and conditional knowledge. In the second study (domain: hyperthyroidism, N = 124), elaborated feedback supported all aspects of diagnostic competence, especially conditional knowledge.     

Indeed,sometimes knowledge does not help: A replication study

In an earlier study we found that intermediate experts in the domain of economics did not surpass novices in complex learning and knowledge application with a computer-based business simulation. In the present study, it was investigated whether these contra-intuitive findings can be replicated. In order to scrutinize the reasons which led to these findings, some parameters of the learning environment were changed. The duration of the exploration phase and of the problem-solving phase as well as the complexity of the situations were increased, motivation and acquired declarative knowledge were assessed. In view of mastering recurring demands and the functionality of mental models, no differences were found between a group of novices (15 students of humanities with a supplementary training in economics) and a group of intermediate experts (13 advanced students of economics). The findings of the original study were replicated, motivation had no effect on the result. In terms of declarative knowledge, the novices turned out to be even better.     

School Experience and Reflection: An On-Going Study of Teachers' Views and Students' Experience

Most teacher-education programmes aim to develop students into reflective practitioners who are independent learners with skills of critical analysis and evaluation. This article outlines preliminary evidence from a longitudinal study of teacher training at the University of Strathclyde where it is attempted to identify effective strategies, both within in-faculty and school experience components, for the development of those skills. Differences in support needed at different phases of placement are discussed and the variation in teachers' perceptions of their role, and the appropriate timing of skill development are explored. Résumé La plupart des programmes de formation d'enseignants visent à faire de leurs étudiants des praticiens réfléchis, "apprenants" indépendants dotés de la capacité critique d'analyse et d'évaluation. L'article trace les grands traits de cette évidence à partir d'une étude longitudinale de la formation des enseignants à l'Université de Strathclyde o[ugrave] nous tentons d'analyser des stratégies efficaces pour développer cette capacité, à la fois dans le cadre universitaire et dans la pratique pédagogique. Les différences dans le soutien nécessaire aux différentes phases de la mise en place sont étudiées et les variations de représentations de leur rôle par les enseignants ainsi que le rythme adéquat du développement de cette capacité sont analysées. (Traduction: Claude Carpentier, Sciences humaines et sociales, Université de Picardie Jules Verne, Amiens)     

Testing a Model of Program Curriculum Leadership

This study tests the curriculum leadership framework that Stark and Lattuca adapted from Quinn's model of management styles. Chairpersons of departments nominated as effective in curriculum planning answered a survey about their leadership activities and styles. Factor analysis partially supported the model. Activities that chairs reported did not correspond well, however, with leadership styles they chose as most effective.     

The emotional context of information privacy

Why are ongoing legal, design, and policy debates around information privacy often divorced from the lived experience of everyday digital media use? This article argues that human emotion is a critical but undertheorized element in users' subjective sense of information privacy. The piece advocates for a greater attention to the phenomenology of feeling and to the concept of “visceral” design in information privacy scholarship, policy, and design practice.