Motivational factors in discussing sexual health with young people with chronic conditions or disabilities

The objective of this study was to identify determinants of professionals’ intention to use the new board game SeCZ TaLK to facilitate sexual health discussions with young people with chronic health conditions and disabilities, and to gauge whether intention led to actual use. A cross-sectional web-based survey of 336 professionals before they received the game sought to measure their intention to use SeCZ TaLK, their attitudes towards discussing sexuality, social professional environment, self-efficacy, opinion on the feasibility of using the game and experience discussing sexuality. Actual use of SeCZ TaLK was assessed at follow-up (N = 105). Professionals with higher self-efficacy and more experience in discussing sexual health were more likely to intend to use the game. At follow-up, intention to use explained 21% of the variance in actual use. SeCZ TaLK fits easily into the daily practice of professionals working in assisted-living and day-care facilities; other professionals experienced greater difficulty integrating the game into their practice. Despite this, SeCZ TaLk was also used across a wide range of settings including in psycho-educational groups, group consultations in hospitals and group therapy in rehabilitation centres. Professionals appreciated the board game SeCZ TaLK, but actual use depended on their own motivation and skills and compatibility with work routines.     

Conservation of stained glass windows with protective glazing: Main results from the European VIDRIO research programme

The methodology of protecting the European stained glass windows against environmental risk (e.g. meteorological factors, air pollution, microorganisms) by means of an external glazing is not new. In spite of many scientific studies carried out in the last 20 years, some questions were still up for discussion. The European VIDRIO (2002–2005) project gave an answer to these questions. The research carried out by the different project partners established a new multidisciplinary approach aimed at evaluating the efficiency of the protective glazing systems and their effects on stained glass windows conservation, and finally at assessing the most appropriate strategy to preserve stained glass windows. Scientific results showed that the so-called isothermal glazing (i.e. ventilation by the air coming from the inside of the building) protected efficiently the ancient stained glass window from environmental attack (i.e. rain, pollutants, condensation, thermal shocks) with very limited secondary effects. The scientific research highlighted that its efficiency was strongly related to the technical design of the protective system. In particular, the ventilation and the size of the interspace had to be carefully considered. The research developed within the VIDRIO project was turned into general recommendations to the owners and practitioners on the best practice for the stained glass windows future conservation.     

Cognitive Load Theory as a Tool for Expertise Development

This special issue is dedicated to recentdevelopments within cognitive load theory (CLT)and identifies some instructional implicationsof the interaction between informationstructures and cognitive architecture. Thepresent article discusses the different studiesin this special issue. An important conclusionis that recent CLT research recognizes thelearners' level of expertise as an importantfactor mediating the relation between cognitivearchitecture, information structures, andlearning outcomes. In this context, we discussthe role of expertise in CLT research and therole of CLT in expertise research. Based onthis discussion, the use of CLT as a tool todevelop expertise is identified as a verypromising approach.     

Does evaluating peer assessment accuracy and taking it into account in calculating assessor’s final score enhance online peer assessment quality?

Education and Information Technologies - Peer assessment has an important role in teaching and learning nowadays. However, the existing techniques tend to be limited due to a lack of a suitable...     

Reprints from the Research Quarterly

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of intensified physical education sessions on adolescents ages 11–16 years. They were divided into two experimental groups—high-intensity running group (HIRG) and high-intensity jumping group (HIJG)—and a control group (C). During the sessions, heart rate (HR) was monitored. There was no significant difference between mean HR for HIRG and HIJG, while the mean HR was significantly lower for C (p < .001). For both HIRG and HIJG, the mean HR was significantly higher for girls than for boys (p < .001). Our results suggested that these intensified physical education lessons require a high percentage of maximal HR in adolescents and can be used to improve aerobic fitness.     

THROUGH OUR EYES: HELPING EMERGING TEACHERS SEE THEMSELVES

Preservice teachers benefit from opportunities to intentionally and systematically evaluate their practice. Teachers Observational Tools (TOTs) described in this article are useful instruments that effectively guide teaching interns’ and their coaching teachers’ observations. They give education students opportunities to draw conclusions and evaluate their own work rather then relying on coaching teachers’ opinions. These tools are appealing to constructivist teacher educators. These observational techniques have been used effectively by students preparing to teach young children, but could be used effectively by those working with students of all ages. They are popular with preservice teachers and their supervisors and have, additionally, made an important contribution to our University's professional development school partnerships.     

A treatment program for failure to thrive: A cost/effectiveness analysis

Failure to thrive (FTT) is a frequent cause for the admission of infants to the hospital. Such hospitalizations are often lengthy and expensive, and usually do not contribute to an understanding of the etiology of FTT. Generally, organic causes of FTT can be ruled out by a thorough history and physical examination. In this study two groups were examined: 17 infants who were admitted to foster medical placement homes (MPH), private homes with specially trained parents; and a comparison group of 18 infants who were treated in a more traditional way with diagnostic hospitalization. The groups were similar in all regards prior to admission. All infants were less than a year of age. Family disruption was a prominent feature in both groups, but socio-demographic analysis showed them to be similar in all areas studied. The comparison group gained an average of 276 grams in the hospital over 8.6 days. The MPH group gained 362 grams in the hospital over 8.7 days, with an additional 1270 grams in the medical placement home over 31.1 days. Five children were admitted to the medical placement home without hospitalization. After correcting for an expected weight gain of 15 grams per day (normal growth), the comparison group showed a catch-up growth of 16 gms/day, while the MPH group gained 29 gms/day in excess of expectation, almost twice the comparison group. A 100-gram weight gain cost +308 in the MPH program and +1,635 in the traditional approach. This five-fold difference was felt to be a significant deterrent to the continuing approach of admitting children to the hospital for for the workup of FTT.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Somatotype and longevity of former university athletes and nonathletes

A longitudinal study was conducted on 398 athletes and 369 nonathletes who were born before 1920 and attended Michigan State University. The subjects were compared to determine if intercollegiate athletic competition accounts for significant variation in longevity when considered with somatotype. Because some of the subjects were still alive at the time of the study, the BMDP Statistical Software was used to do a survival analysis with covariates. Preliminary comparisons considered the differences in somatotype between athletes and nonathletes. Two sample t-tests indicated that athletes were more mesomorphic and less ectomorphic (p less than .05) than nonathletes. When comparing the relationship between somatotype and longevity, the pooled data of athletes and nonathletes indicated that endomorphs were shorter lived than the other three comparison groups. When only the athletes were considered, similar results were found. However, the nonathlete group exhibited differences only between the mesomorphic and endomorphic groups. The endomorphs were shorter lived. Longevity was examined by using the Cox proportional hazards regression method with somatotype and athlete/nonathlete status as covariates. Somatotype, by itself, was found to be significantly related to longevity, (p less than .001). Athletic status was not significantly related to longevity, either by itself or when entered into the model with somatotype.