Physician peer group characteristics and timeliness of breast cancer surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Bachand, Jacqueline; Soulos, Pamela R; Herrin, Jeph; Pollack, Craig E; Xu, Xiao; Ma, Xiaomei; Gross, Cary P

2018-04-24

Little is known about how the structure of interdisciplinary groups of physicians affects the timeliness of breast cancer surgery their patients receive. We used social network methods to examine variation in surgical delay across physician peer groups and the association of this delay with group characteristics. We used linked Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare data to construct physician peer groups based on shared breast cancer patients. We used hierarchical generalized linear models to examine the association of three group characteristics, patient racial composition, provider density (the ratio of potential vs. actual connections between physicians), and provider transitivity (clustering of providers within groups), with delayed surgery. The study sample included 8338 women with breast cancer in 157 physician peer groups. Surgical delay varied widely across physician peer groups (interquartile range 28.2-50.0%). For every 10% increase in the percentage of black patients in a peer group, there was a 41% increase in the odds of delayed surgery for women in that peer group regardless of a patient's own race [odds ratio (OR) 1.41, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.15-1.73]. Women in physician peer groups with the highest provider density were less likely to receive delayed surgery than those in physician peer groups with the lowest provider density (OR 0.65, 95% CI 0.44-0.98). We did not find an association between provider transitivity and delayed surgery. The likelihood of surgical delay varied substantially across physician peer groups and was associated with provider density and patient racial composition.

Peer Groups as a Context for School Misconduct: The Moderating Role of Group Interactional Style

Science.gov (United States)

Ellis, Wendy; Zarbatany, Lynne; Chen, Xinyin; Kinal, Megan; Boyko, Lisa

2018-01-01

Peer group interactional style was examined as a moderator of the relation between peer group school misconduct and group members' school misconduct. Participants were 705 students (M[subscript age] = 11.59 years, SD = 1.37) in 148 peer groups. Children reported on their school misconduct in fall and spring. In the winter, group members were…

Group consensus peer review in radiation oncology: commitment to quality.

Science.gov (United States)

Duggar, W Neil; Bhandari, Rahul; Yang, Chunli Claus; Vijayakumar, Srinivasan

2018-03-27

Peer review, especially prospective peer review, has been supported by professional organizations as an important element in optimal Radiation Oncology practice based on its demonstration of efficacy at detecting and preventing errors prior to patient treatment. Implementation of peer review is not without barriers, but solutions do exist to mitigate or eliminate some of those barriers. Peer review practice at our institution involves three key elements: new patient conference, treatment planning conference, and chart rounds. The treatment planning conference is an adaptation of the group consensus peer review model from radiology which utilizes a group of peers reviewing each treatment plan prior to implementation. The peer group in radiation oncology includes Radiation Oncologists, Physician Residents, Medical Physicists, Dosimetrists, and Therapists. Thus, technical and clinical aspects of each plan are evaluated simultaneously. Though peer review is held in high regard in Radiation Oncology, many barriers commonly exist preventing optimal implementation such as time intensiveness, repetition, and distraction from clinic time with patients. Through the use of automated review tools and commitment by individuals and administration in regards to staffing, scheduling, and responsibilities, these barriers have been mitigated to implement this Group Consensus Peer Review model into a Radiation Oncology Clinic. A Group Consensus Peer Review model has been implemented with strategies to address common barriers to effective and efficient peer review.

Economic aspects of peer support groups for psychosis.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Stant, A.D.; Castelein, S.; Bruggeman, R.; Busschbach, J.T.; van der Gaag, M.; Knegtering, H.; Wiersma, D.

2011-01-01

Peer support groups are rarely available for patients with psychosis, despite potential clinical and economic advantages of such groups. In this study, 106 patients with psychosis were randomly allocated to minimally guided peer support in addition to care as usual (CAU), or CAU only. No relevant

Challenging gender stereotypes: Theory of mind and peer group dynamics.

Science.gov (United States)

Mulvey, Kelly Lynn; Rizzo, Michael T; Killen, Melanie

2016-11-01

To investigate the social cognitive skills related to challenging gender stereotypes, children (N = 61, 3-6 years) evaluated a peer who challenged gender stereotypic norms held by the peer's group. Participants with false belief theory of mind (FB ToM) competence were more likely than participants who did not have FB ToM to expect a peer to challenge the group's stereotypes and propose that the group engage in a non-stereotypic activity. Further, participants with FB ToM rated challenging the peer group more positively. Participants without FB ToM did not differentiate between their own and the group's evaluation of challenges to the group's stereotypic norms, but those with ToM competence asserted that they would be more supportive of challenging the group norm than would the peer group. Results reveal the importance of social-cognitive competencies for recognizing the legitimacy of challenging stereotypes, and for understanding one's own and other group perspectives. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Regulatory good practices relating to inspection and enforcement. A compilation of the 1989/90 Peer Group discussion considerations as they relate to operational plants. Working material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-01-01

In 1974 the IAEA established a special Nuclear Safety Standards (NUSS) programme under which 5 Codes and 55 Safety Guides have been produced in the areas of Governmental Organization, Siting, Design, Operation and Quality Assurance. The NUSS Codes and Guides are a collection of basic and derived requirements for the safety of nuclear power plants with thermal neutron reactors. They have been developed in a complex manner which ensured the best possible international consensus. This broad consensus is one of the reasons for a relatively general wording of the main principles and is sometimes a cause of problems in their application to the detailed design of nuclear power plants. The requirements, particularly those of the Codes, often need interpretation when applied to specific cases. In many areas national regulations and technical standards are available, but often even these do not answer all questions and only the practice used in applying certain rules fully reflects the outcome of the detailed consideration given to solving individual cases. In order to present further information on the application and interpretation in the NUSS Codes and Safety Guides, the preparation of a series of Safety Practice publications has been initiated. It is hoped that many Member States will be able to benefit from the experience presented in these documents. It is hoped that this publication will be useful for regulators and will also provide information for operating organizations. The document is a compilation of the reports of all of the 1989/90 Peer Group discussions held to consider regulatory inspection and enforcement of good practices. Therefore names of participated countries or the situation of regulatory practices reflect those at time when discussions took place. It identifies those common regulatory features which require continuous reinforcement and the examples of good regulatory practices which were recommended by the senior regulators attending the Peer Group

Regulatory good practices relating to inspection and enforcement. A compilation of the 1989/90 Peer Group discussion considerations as they relate to operational plants. Working material

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1993-07-01

In 1974 the IAEA established a special Nuclear Safety Standards (NUSS) programme under which 5 Codes and 55 Safety Guides have been produced in the areas of Governmental Organization, Siting, Design, Operation and Quality Assurance. The NUSS Codes and Guides are a collection of basic and derived requirements for the safety of nuclear power plants with thermal neutron reactors. They have been developed in a complex manner which ensured the best possible international consensus. This broad consensus is one of the reasons for a relatively general wording of the main principles and is sometimes a cause of problems in their application to the detailed design of nuclear power plants. The requirements, particularly those of the Codes, often need interpretation when applied to specific cases. In many areas national regulations and technical standards are available, but often even these do not answer all questions and only the practice used in applying certain rules fully reflects the outcome of the detailed consideration given to solving individual cases. In order to present further information on the application and interpretation in the NUSS Codes and Safety Guides, the preparation of a series of Safety Practice publications has been initiated. It is hoped that many Member States will be able to benefit from the experience presented in these documents. It is hoped that this publication will be useful for regulators and will also provide information for operating organizations. The document is a compilation of the reports of all of the 1989/90 Peer Group discussions held to consider regulatory inspection and enforcement of good practices. Therefore names of participated countries or the situation of regulatory practices reflect those at time when discussions took place. It identifies those common regulatory features which require continuous reinforcement and the examples of good regulatory practices which were recommended by the senior regulators attending the Peer Group

Multi-Disciplinary Peer-Mark Moderation of Group Work

Science.gov (United States)

Willmot, Peter; Pond, Keith

2012-01-01

Self and peer assessment offers benefits for enhancing student learning. Peer moderation provides a convenient solution for awarding individual marks in group assignments. This paper provides a significant review of peer-mark moderation, and describes an award winning, web-based tool that was developed in the UK and is now spreading across the…

Perceived Peer and Parent Out-Group Norms, Cultural Identity, and Adolescents' Reasoning About Peer Intergroup Exclusion.

Science.gov (United States)

Brenick, Alaina; Romano, Kelly

2016-09-01

Cultural group identity and group norms are significantly related to social exclusion evaluations (Bennett, ). This study examined 241 Jewish-American mid (M = 14.18 years, SD = 0.42) to late (M = 17.21 years, SD = 0.43; MageTOTAL  = 15.54 years, SD = 1.57) adolescents' cultural identities and contextually salient perceived group norms in relation to their evaluations of Arab-American inclusion and exclusion across two contexts (peers vs. family at home). Results suggest that perceived group norms are related to the context in which they are applied: parents in the home and peers in the peer context. Peers remained a significant source of perceived group norms in the home context. Significant interactions emerged between perceived parent group norms and cultural identity. Findings highlight the need to address group-specific norms by context to ensure maximum effectiveness for intergroup interventions. © 2016 The Authors. Child Development © 2016 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

Young adult smoking in peer groups: an experimental observational study.

Science.gov (United States)

Harakeh, Zeena; Vollebergh, Wilma A M

2013-03-01

The aim of this experimental observational study is to examine whether, in a group setting (same-sex triads), passive peer influence (imitation) in the context of homogeneous and heterogeneous (contradictory) behavior of peer models affects young adults' smoking behavior. An experiment was conducted among 48 daily-smoking college and university students aged 17-25. Participants had to complete a 30-min music task with two same-sex confederates. We tested the following three conditions: (a) neither of the confederates is smoking, (b) one confederate is smoking and the other is not, and (c) both confederates are smoking. The primary outcome tested was the total number of cigarettes smoked during the task. Students in the condition with two smoking peer models and in the condition with one smoking peer model and one nonsmoking peer model smoked significantly more cigarettes than those in the condition with two nonsmoking peer models. However, results for the condition with two smoking peer models did not differ significantly from the condition with one smoking peer model and one nonsmoking peer model. Our findings show that in a group setting, the impact of the homogeneity of smoking peers on young adults' smoking behavior is not greater than the impact of the heterogeneity of smoking and nonsmoking peers. This would suggest that the smoking peer in the group has a greater impact on the daily-smoking young adult, thus reducing or even eliminating the protective effect of the nonsmoking peer model.

Creating a social world: a developmental twin study of peer-group deviance.

Science.gov (United States)

Kendler, Kenneth S; Jacobson, Kristen C; Gardner, Charles O; Gillespie, Nathan; Aggen, Steven A; Prescott, Carol A

2007-08-01

Peer-group deviance is strongly associated with externalizing behaviors. We have limited knowledge of the sources of individual differences in peer-group deviance. To clarify genetic and environmental contributions to peer-group deviance in twins from midchildhood through early adulthood. Retrospective assessments using a life-history calendar. Analysis by biometric growth curves. General community. Members of male-male pairs from the population-based Virginia Twin Registry personally interviewed in 1998-2004 (n = 1802). Self-reported peer-group deviance at ages 8 to 11, 12 to 14, 15 to 17, 18 to 21, and 22 to 25 years. Mean and variance of peer-group deviance increased substantially with age. Genetic effects on peer-group deviance showed a strong and steady increase over time. Family environment generally declined in importance over time. Individual-specific environmental influences on peer-group deviance levels were stable in the first 3 age periods and then increased as most twins left home. When standardized, the heritability of peer-group deviance is approximately 30% at ages 8 to 11 years and rises to approximately 50% across the last 3 time periods. Both genes and shared environment contributed to individual differences in the developmental trajectory of peer-group deviance. However, while the correlation between childhood peer-group deviance levels and the subsequent slope of peer-group deviance over time resulting from genetic factors was positive, the same relationship resulting from shared environmental factors was negative. As male twins mature and create their own social worlds, genetic factors play an increasingly important role in their choice of peers, while shared environment becomes less influential. The individual-specific environment increases in importance when individuals leave home. Individuals who have deviant peers in childhood, as a result of genetic vs shared environmental influences, have distinct developmental trajectories

Workplace learning through peer groups in medical school clerkships.

Science.gov (United States)

Chou, Calvin L; Teherani, Arianne; Masters, Dylan E; Vener, Margo; Wamsley, Maria; Poncelet, Ann

2014-01-01

When medical students move from the classroom into clinical practice environments, their roles and learning challenges shift dramatically from a formal curricular approach to a workplace learning model. Continuity among peers during clinical clerkships may play an important role in this different mode of learning. We explored students' perceptions about how they achieved workplace learning in the context of intentionally formed or ad hoc peer groups. We invited students in clerkship program models with continuity (CMCs) and in traditional block clerkships (BCs) to complete a survey about peer relationships with open-ended questions based on a workplace learning framework, including themes of workplace-based relationships, the nature of work practices, and selection of tasks and activities. We conducted qualitative content analysis to characterize students' experiences. In both BCs and CMCs, peer groups provided rich resources, including anticipatory guidance about clinical expectations of students, best practices in interacting with patients and supervisors, helpful advice in transitioning between rotations, and information about implicit rules of clerkships. Students also used each other as benchmarks for gauging strengths and deficits in their own knowledge and skills. Students achieve many aspects of workplace learning in clerkships through formal or informal workplace-based peer groups. In these groups, peers provide accessible, real-time, and relevant resources to help each other navigate transitions, clarify roles and tasks, manage interpersonal challenges, and decrease isolation. Medical schools can support effective workplace learning for medical students by incorporating continuity with peers in the main clinical clerkship year.

42 CFR 52h.4 - Composition of peer review groups.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 42 Public Health 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Composition of peer review groups. 52h.4 Section... PEER REVIEW OF RESEARCH GRANT APPLICATIONS AND RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CONTRACT PROJECTS § 52h.4 Composition of peer review groups. (a) To the extent applicable, the selection and appointment of members of...

Peer assessment of individual contributions to a group project: Student perceptions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kench, Peter L.; Field, Nikki; Agudera, Maila; Gill, Margo

2009-01-01

Group work has many benefits for a student's professional development but it is difficult to determine the individual contributions to the group assessment tasks. Peer assessment of an individual's contribution to group work can be used to encourage student participation. It is important that the method of peer assessment is fair and that the students' submissions be treated confidentially. A model for peer assessment of individual contributions to the group assessment is described. Students who did not participate adequately in the group were penalised resulting in a reduced individual grade. Perceptions of the peer assessment method are reported for students enrolled (n = 169) in the subject 'Medical Radiations Project'. The questionnaire showed a positive student response towards the peer assessment model.

"Peer Pressure" and the Group Process: Building Cultures of Concern

Science.gov (United States)

Tate, Thomas F.; Copas, Randall L.

2010-01-01

Peer group treatment has been subject to two main lines of criticism. Some suggest any program which aggregates antisocial youth inevitably fosters negative peer influence. Others are concerned that certain peer programs are based on coercive peer confrontation. Positive Peer Culture [PPC] is an antidote to both of these varieties of toxic group…

Expanding Group Peer Review: A Proposal for Medical Education Scholarship.

Science.gov (United States)

Dumenco, Luba; Engle, Deborah L; Goodell, Kristen; Nagler, Alisa; Ovitsh, Robin K; Whicker, Shari A

2017-02-01

After participating in a group peer-review exercise at a workshop presented by Academic Medicine and MedEdPORTAL editors at the 2015 Association of American Medical Colleges Medical Education Meeting, the authors realized that the way their work group reviewed a manuscript was very different from the way by which they each would have reviewed the paper as an individual. Further, the group peer-review process yielded more robust feedback for the manuscript's authors than did the traditional individual peer-review process. This realization motivated the authors to reconvene and collaborate to write this Commentary to share their experience and propose the expanded use of group peer review in medical education scholarship.The authors consider the benefits of a peer-review process for reviewers, including learning how to improve their own manuscripts. They suggest that the benefits of a team review model may be similar to those of teamwork and team-based learning in medicine and medical education. They call for research to investigate this, to provide evidence to support group review, and to determine whether specific paper types would benefit most from team review (e.g., particularly complex manuscripts, those receiving widely disparate initial individual reviews). In addition, the authors propose ways in which a team-based approach to peer review could be expanded by journals and institutions. They believe that exploring the use of group peer review potentially could create a new methodology for skill development in research and scholarly writing and could enhance the quality of medical education scholarship.

Socialization of Physical and Social Aggression in Early Adolescents' Peer Groups: High-Status Peers, Individual Status, and Gender

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Bing; Xie, Hongling

2012-01-01

The influence of high-status peers on a target individual's physical and manipulative social aggression in peer groups was examined in a diverse sample of seventh-grade students. A total of 245 individual members belonging to 65 groups were included in analyses. Aggression was assessed by peer and victim nominations in the fall and spring…

Pressure to drink but not to smoke: disentangling selection and socialization in adolescent peer networks and peer groups.

Science.gov (United States)

Kiuru, Noona; Burk, William J; Laursen, Brett; Salmela-Aro, Katariina; Nurmi, Jari-Erik

2010-12-01

This paper examined the relative influence of selection and socialization on alcohol and tobacco use in adolescent peer networks and peer groups. The sample included 1419 Finnish secondary education students (690 males and 729 females, mean age 16 years at the outset) from nine schools. Participants identified three school friends and described their alcohol and tobacco use on two occasions one year apart. Actor-based models simultaneously examined changes in peer network ties and changes in individual behaviors for all participants within each school. Multi-level analyses examined changes in individual behaviors for adolescents entering new peer groups and adolescents in stable peer groups, both of which were embedded within the school-based peer networks. Similar results emerged from both analytic methods: Selection and socialization contributed to similarity of alcohol use, but only selection was a factor in tobacco use. Copyright © 2010 The Association for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mapping Psychology Students' Perspective on Group Peer-Tutoring in Statistics

Science.gov (United States)

Cantinotti, Michael; Désormeaux-Moreau, Marjorie; Balbinotti, Marcos

2017-01-01

Students in psychology generally have difficulties to successfully accomplish mandatory courses in statistics. Group peer-tutoring is a pedagogical strategy to support them with a peer that has already successfully mastered the content of such a course. In order to specifically tailor group peer-tutoring to the needs of students and to sustain…

A mixed methods study of peer-to-peer support in a group-based lifestyle intervention for adults with serious mental illness.

Science.gov (United States)

Aschbrenner, Kelly A; Naslund, John A; Bartels, Stephen J

2016-12-01

There is potential for peer support to enhance healthy lifestyle interventions targeting changes in body weight and fitness for adults with serious mental illness. The purpose of this study was to explore peer-to-peer support among individuals participating in a group lifestyle intervention that included social media to enhance in-person weight management sessions. A mixed methods study design was used to explore participants' perceptions and experiences of support from other group members during a 6-month group lifestyle intervention. Twenty-five individuals with serious mental illness reported their perceptions of the peer group environment and social support during the intervention. Seventeen of these individuals also participated in focus group interviews further exploring their experiences with group members. More than 80% of participants agreed that other group members were trustworthy and dependable, and 92% reported a high level of shared purpose and active participation in the group. Participants described how shared learning and group problem-solving activities fostered friendships and provided essential support for health behavior change. Sharing information, personal successes and challenges, and "being in the same boat" as other group members were key features of peer-to-peer support. Findings from this exploratory study suggest that participants enrolled in a group-based lifestyle intervention for people with serious mental illness experience peer-to-peer support in various ways that promote health behavior change. These findings highlight opportunities to enhance future lifestyle interventions with collaborative learning and social network technologies that foster peer support among participants. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Peer Group, Educational Distinction and Educational Biographies

Science.gov (United States)

Kruger, Heinz-Hermann; Kohler, Sina-Mareen; Pfaff, Nicolle; Zschach, Maren

2011-01-01

The article presents selected results of a reconstructive study on the significance of the peer group for children's educational biography. Based on the analysis of qualitative interviews and group discussions with c. 11-year-old children from different educational milieus in Germany it is first shown how, in general, groups of friends in…

SALTO Peer Review Guidelines. Guidelines for Peer Review of Safety Aspects of Long Term Operation of Nuclear Power Plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2014-01-01

International peer review is a useful tool for Member States to exchange experiences, learn from each other and apply good practices in the long term operation (LTO) of nuclear power plants (NPPs). The peer review is also an important mechanism through which the IAEA supports Member States in enhancing the safety of NPPs. The IAEA has conducted various types of safety review that indirectly address aspects of LTO, including safety reviews for design, engineering, operation and external hazards. Operational Safety Review Team (OSART) services include review of ageing management programmes. In addition, several Member States have requested Ageing Management Assessment Team (AMAT) missions. Through these experiences, it was recognized that a comprehensive peer review on LTO would be very useful to Member States. The Safety Aspects of Long Term Operation (SALTO) peer review addresses strategy and key elements for the safe LTO of NPPs, which includes AMAT objectives and complements OSART reviews. The SALTO peer review is designed to assist operating organizations in adopting a proper approach to LTP including implementing appropriate activities to ensure that plant safety will be maintained during the LTO period. The SALTO peer review can be tailored to focus on ageing management programmes (AMPs) or on other activities related to LTO to support the Member State in enhancing the safety of its NPPs. The SALTO peer review can also support regulators in establishing or improving regulatory and licensing strategies for the LTO of NPPs. The guidelines in this publication are primarily intended for members of a SALTO review team and provide a basic structure and common reference for peer reviews of LTO. Additionally, the guidelines also provide useful information to the operating organizations of NPPs (or technical support organizations) for carrying out their own self-assessments or comprehensive programme reviews. The guidelines are intended to be generic, as there are

Parents, Peer Groups, and Other Socializing Influences.

Science.gov (United States)

Vandell, Deborah Lowe

2000-01-01

Critically examines three propositions of Harris' group socialization theory (1995, 1998) related to parents' long-term effects on children's psychological characteristics, peer groups' influences, and the nature of dyadic relationships. Maintains that available evidence is more consistent with a model of multiple socialization agents. Proposes a…

Group Projects in Interior Design Studio Classes: Peer Feedback Benefits

Science.gov (United States)

Jurado, Juan A.

2011-01-01

Group projects have been shown to be effective for providing peer feedback in classrooms. While students in regular enrollment classes benefit from peer feedback, low-enrollment classes face many challenges. This study compares peer feedback effectiveness between two interior design studio classes with different design projects. In one class,…

Regulatory good practices relating to monitoring and assessment of ageing nuclear power plants. A compilation of the 1991/92 Peer Group discussion considerations as they relate to operational plants. Working material

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1993-07-01

In 1974 the IAEA established a Nuclear Safety Standards (NUSS) programme within which 5 Codes and 55 Safety Guides have been produced in the areas of Governmental Organization, Siting, Design, Operation and Quality Assurance. The NUSS Codes and Guides are a collection of basic and derived requirements for the safety of nuclear power plants with thermal neutron reactors. They have been developed in such a manner as to ensure the broadest international consensus. This broad consensus is one of the reasons for the relatively general wording of the main principles and sometimes causes problems when these principles are applied in the design of nuclear power plants. The requirements, particularly those of the Codes, often need interpretation in specific cases. In many areas national regulations and technical standards are available, but often these leave some questions unanswered and their practical application on a case-by-case basis is necessary. To assist in the application and interpretation of the NUSS Safety Standards and Safety Guides, the preparation of a number of Safety Practices publications has been commenced. Ibis publication is intended to assist regulators and also operating organizations. It is a compilation of the reports of the 1991/92 Peer Group discussions which considered regulatory good practices relating to monitoring and assessment of the ageing of nuclear power plants. Therefore names of participated countries in this documents are those at time of 1991/92 Peer Group discussions. It identifies those common regulatory features which require continuous reinforcement and examples of good regulatory practices that were recommended by senior regulators in the Peer Group discussions. The purpose of this publication is to provide a compilation of the 1991/92 Peer Group discussions relating to operational plant. This document the covers practices in the 20 countries participating in this round of Peer Group discussions. The document is a synopsis of

Regulatory good practices relating to monitoring and assessment of ageing nuclear power plants. A compilation of the 1991/92 Peer Group discussion considerations as they relate to operational plants. Working material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-01-01

In 1974 the IAEA established a Nuclear Safety Standards (NUSS) programme within which 5 Codes and 55 Safety Guides have been produced in the areas of Governmental Organization, Siting, Design, Operation and Quality Assurance. The NUSS Codes and Guides are a collection of basic and derived requirements for the safety of nuclear power plants with thermal neutron reactors. They have been developed in such a manner as to ensure the broadest international consensus. This broad consensus is one of the reasons for the relatively general wording of the main principles and sometimes causes problems when these principles are applied in the design of nuclear power plants. The requirements, particularly those of the Codes, often need interpretation in specific cases. In many areas national regulations and technical standards are available, but often these leave some questions unanswered and their practical application on a case-by-case basis is necessary. To assist in the application and interpretation of the NUSS Safety Standards and Safety Guides, the preparation of a number of Safety Practices publications has been commenced. Ibis publication is intended to assist regulators and also operating organizations. It is a compilation of the reports of the 1991/92 Peer Group discussions which considered regulatory good practices relating to monitoring and assessment of the ageing of nuclear power plants. Therefore names of participated countries in this documents are those at time of 1991/92 Peer Group discussions. It identifies those common regulatory features which require continuous reinforcement and examples of good regulatory practices that were recommended by senior regulators in the Peer Group discussions. The purpose of this publication is to provide a compilation of the 1991/92 Peer Group discussions relating to operational plant. This document the covers practices in the 20 countries participating in this round of Peer Group discussions. The document is a synopsis of

Focusing on Content: Discourse in L2 Peer Review Groups

Science.gov (United States)

Vorobel, Oksana; Kim, Deoksoon

2014-01-01

Recent studies on peer review groups in second language classes have focused on various topics, including collaboration (Carr, 2008) and the effect of peer review versus teacher feedback on students' writing (Zhang, 1995). One area that has received little attention is the content of students' speech during peer review. This longitudinal case…

Exploiting peer group concept for adaptive and highly available services

CERN Document Server

Jan, M A; Fraz, M M; Ali, A; Ali, Arshad; Fraz, Mohammad Moazam; Jan, Muhammad Asif; Zahid, Fahd Ali

2003-01-01

This paper presents a prototype for redundant, highly available and fault tolerant peer to peer framework for data management. Peer to peer computing is gaining importance due to its flexible organization, lack of central authority, distribution of functionality to participating nodes and ability to utilize unused computational resources. Emergence of GRID computing has provided much needed infrastructure and administrative domain for peer to peer computing. The components of this framework exploit peer group concept to scope service and information search, arrange services and information in a coherent manner, provide selective redundancy and ensure availability in face of failure and high load conditions. A prototype system has been implemented using JXTA peer to peer technology and XML is used for service description and interfaces, allowing peers to communicate with services implemented in various platforms including web services and JINI services. It utilizes code mobility to achieve role interchange amo...

Peer Reviews: a voluntary means of enhancing operating culture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vella, R.

1996-01-01

In the nuclear energy industry, and also in other fields, excellent experience has been gained from the regular accumulation of expert evidence of power station operation through external organizations or teams. In 1991, the World Association of Nuclear Operations (WANO) initiated a pilot programme for voluntary 'Peer Reviews'. The success of this first exercise in gathering expert evidence led to the introduction of the 'Peer Review' programme in 1993 as one of the standard programmes of WANO. The object was to increase the safety and reliability of nuclear power stations throughout the world. WANO Peer Reviews are voluntary and are carried out at the request of a member. They are oriented towards special WANO performance objectives and criteria, which have been established by the management of WANO. (orig.) [de

In Peer Matters, Teachers Matter: Peer Group Influences on Students' Engagement Depend on Teacher Involvement

Science.gov (United States)

Vollet, Justin W.; Kindermann, Thomas A.; Skinner, Ellen A.

2017-01-01

This study focused on the joint effects of teachers and peer groups as predictors of change in students' engagement during the first year of middle school, when the importance of peer relationships normatively increases and the quality of teacher-student relationships typically declines. To explore cumulative and contextualized joint effects, the…

Adolescents' perception of peer groups: Psychological, behavioral, and relational determinants.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Seungyoon; Foote, Jeremy; Wittrock, Zachary; Xu, Siyu; Niu, Li; French, Doran C

2017-07-01

Adolescents' social cognitive understanding of their social world is often inaccurate and biased. Focusing on peer groups, this study examines how adolescents' psychological, behavioral, and relational characteristics influence the extent to which they accurately identify their own and others' peer groups. Analyses were conducted with a sample of 1481 seventh- and tenth-grade Chinese students who are embedded with 346 peer groups. Overall, females and older students had more accurate perceptions. In addition, lower self-esteem, higher indegree centrality, and lower betweenness centrality in the friendship network predicted more accurate perception of one's own groups, whereas higher academic performance and lower betweenness centrality in the friendship network predicted more accurate perception of others' groups. Implications for understanding the connection between adolescents' psychological and behavioral traits, social relationships, and social cognition are discussed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Peer Group Rejection and Children's Outgroup Prejudice

Science.gov (United States)

Nesdale, Drew; Durkin, Kevin; Maass, Anne; Kiesner, Jeff; Griffiths, Judith; Daly, Josh; McKenzie, David

2010-01-01

Two simulation studies examined the effect of peer group rejection on 7 and 9 year old children's outgroup prejudice. In Study 1, children (n = 88) pretended that they were accepted or rejected by their assigned group, prior to competing with a lower status outgroup. Results indicated that rejected versus accepted children showed increased…

Recent Findings on Peer Group Influences on Adolescent Smoking

Science.gov (United States)

Simons-Morton, Bruce G.; Farhat, Tilda

2010-01-01

This review addresses peer group influences on adolescent smoking with a particular focus on recently published longitudinal studies that have investigated the topic. Specifically, we examine the theoretical explanations for how social influence works with respect to adolescent smoking; discuss the association between peer and adolescent smoking;…

Individual Popularity, Peer Group Popularity Composition and Adolescents' Alcohol Consumption.

Science.gov (United States)

Gommans, Rob; Müller, Christoph M; Stevens, Gonneke W J M; Cillessen, Antonius H N; Ter Bogt, Tom F M

2017-08-01

Previous studies have convincingly shown associations between popularity and adolescent drinking. This study examined whether the popularity composition of the peer group and the relative difference in popularity between adolescents and their peers are also associated with adolescent drinking. Participants were 800 adolescents (M age  = 14.73; SD age  = 1.00; 51.6 % girls) from 31 classrooms who completed peer ratings of popularity and self-reports of alcohol consumption. Results showed that drinking was higher among popular than unpopular adolescents, higher among popular adolescents surrounded by less popular classmates, and lower in classrooms with more variability in popularity. Thus, beyond individual popularity, peer group popularity composition also should be taken into account when investigating antisocial and health risk behaviors in adolescence such as drinking.

Opportunities knock: Mediation of peer-relations during meal-time in toddler groups

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ellen Os

2013-11-01

Full Text Available According to socio-cultural perspectives, adults are seen as mediators of cultural believes, values and practices. Qualitative analyses of teachers’ mediation of peer relations based on video-recordings in 9 toddler-groups indicate that meal-time represents opportunities for teachers to facilitate togetherness and peer-relations between toddlers. The teachers might facilitate sharing, passing food, routinized practices such as singing, and conversations. The results indicate variations between child- and group-oriented approaches, and accomplishing meals in an effective way. The child- and group-oriented approaches are marked by encouragement of toddlers’ initiatives and teachers supporting peer-interactions. Raising teachers’ consciousness about their contributions to children’s development of peer-relations and togetherness in group settings might contribute to enhance reflected practices in working with toddlers in groups.

Moderation of Peer Assessment in Group Projects

Science.gov (United States)

Bushell, Graeme

2006-01-01

It is shown here that a grade distribution scheme commonly used to moderate peer assessments where self assessment is excluded is based on a false premise and will give an erroneous ranking in the situation where the best performer in a student group ranks the second best performer much higher than the other group members. An alternative to…

Moderating Effects of Group Status, Cohesion, and Ethnic Composition on Socialization of Aggression in Children's Peer Groups

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Bing; Xie, Hongling

2014-01-01

We explored the effects of 3 group features (i.e., status, cohesion, and ethnic composition) on socialization processes of aggression in early adolescents' natural peer social groups. Gender differences in these effects were also determined. A total of 245 seventh-grade individuals belonging to 65 peer groups were included in the analyses. All 3…

Individual popularity, peer group popularity composition and adolescents' alcohol consumption

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gommans, R.; Müller, C.M.; Stevens, G.W.J.M.; Cillessen, A.H.N.; Bogt, T.F.M. ter

2017-01-01

Previous studies have convincingly shown associations between popularity and adolescent drinking. This study examined whether the popularity composition of the peer group and the relative difference in popularity between adolescents and their peers are also associated with adolescent drinking.

PEER GROUP SUPPORT CHANGE PERCEPTION OF HOMELESS AND BEGGAR

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Purwaningsih Purwaningsih

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Homeless and beggar are social problem in our society. The reason of people who becomes homeless and beggar can be influenced by internal factors such as lazy to work, mental and physical illness. Meanwhile, it also can be influenced by external factors, such as economy, geography, social, education, pshycology, culture and religion. The aimed of this study was to analyze the effect of peer group support to perception about the homeless and beggar. Method: A quasy experimental two group pre-post test purposive sampling design was used in this study. The subjects were homeless and beggar which stay at Lingkungan Pondok Sosial (Liponsos Keputih-Surabaya for at least three day. There were 16 respondent who met to the inclusion criteria which divided into two group (controlled and treatment. Data were analyzed by using Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test and Mann Whitney U Test with significance level α≤0.05. Result: The result showed that controlled group has significance level p=0.109 and treatment group has significance level p=0.017, statistically by using Mann Whitney U Test showed p=0.021. Discussion: It can be concluded that peer group support can change the perception about the homeless and beggar who stayed at Liponsos Surabaya. Peer group support can used continuously as social activity at Liponsos.

The Effects of Group Stereotypes on Adolescents' Reasoning about Peer Retribution.

Science.gov (United States)

Pitner, Ronald O.; Astor, Ron Avi; Benbenishty, Rami; Haj-Yahia, Muhammad M.; Zeira, Anat

2003-01-01

Examined effects of negative group stereotypes on reasoning about peer retribution (child hits another child in response to name calling) among 2,604 Arab and Jewish adolescents in Israel. Found evidence that Arab and Jewish students hold stereotypes about one another and that in-group bias affected approval and reasoning about peer retribution…

Individual Popularity, Peer Group Popularity Composition and Adolescents? Alcohol Consumption

OpenAIRE

Gommans, Rob; M?ller, Christoph M.; Stevens, Gonneke W. J. M.; Cillessen, Antonius H. N.; Ter Bogt, Tom F. M.

2016-01-01

Previous studies have convincingly shown associations between popularity and adolescent drinking. This study examined whether the popularity composition of the peer group and the relative difference in popularity between adolescents and their peers are also associated with adolescent drinking. Participants were 800 adolescents (M age?=?14.73; SDage?=?1.00; 51.6?% girls) from 31 classrooms who completed peer ratings of popularity and self-reports of alcohol consumption. Results showed that dri...

Dynamic online peer evaluations to improve group assignments in nursing e-learning environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Adwan, Jehad

2016-06-01

The purpose of this research was to evaluate the use of online peer evaluation forms for online group activities in improving group project outcomes. The investigator developed and used a web-based Google Forms® self and peer evaluation form of 2 group assignments' rubric for junior and senior nursing students. The form covered elements of the assignments including: research activity, analysis of the literature, writing of report, participation in making of presentation, overall contribution to the project, and participation in the weekly group discussions. Items were rated from 1 (did not contribute) to 5 (outstanding contribution) in addition to NA when one activity did not apply. The self and peer evaluation process was conducted twice: once after group assignment 1 and once after group assignment 2. The group assignments final products were done in the form of VoiceThread online presentations that were shared with the rest of the class reflecting the groups' work on a health informatics topic of interest. Data collected as the students completed self and peer evaluations for group assignments 1 and 2. Also, optional comments regarding member performance were collected to add contextual information in addition to ratings. Students received credit for completing the peer evaluations and the grade for the particular assignment was affected by their performance based on peer evaluations of their contributions. Students' peer evaluations showed in a color-coded spreadsheet which enabled the course faculty to view real time results of students' ratings after each assignment. The faculty provided timely and tailored feedback to groups or individuals as needed, using positive feedback and commending high performance while urging struggling individual students and groups to improve lower ratings in specific areas. Comparing evaluations of both assignments, there were statistically significant improvements among all students. The mean scores of the entire sample were

The Role of Peer Group Aggression in Predicting Adolescent Dating Violence and Relationship Quality

Science.gov (United States)

Ellis, Wendy E.; Chung-Hall, Janet; Dumas, Tara M.

2013-01-01

Past research has shown that adolescent peer groups make a significant contribution to shaping behavior but less is known about the role of peer groups in adolescent dating relationships. This longitudinal study examined the contribution of aggressive peer group norms on relationship quality and dating violence among dating adolescents. At the…

PERILAKU BULLYING DAN KARAKTER REMAJA SERTA KAITANNYA DENGAN KARAKTERISTIK KELUARGA DAN PEER GROUP

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Karina Karina

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship among family characteristic, peer group, character (respectful and empathy, and bullying of youth at Bogor City. This study also aim to analyse the difference of peer group cohesiveness, bullying role, and character based on sex and school group. Fifty female and fifty male students, ages 16-18, from public and private vocational high school were selected by cluster random sampling. Result showed that there was significant difference at peer group cohesiveness between private and public schools, but no difference between male and female students. Female students more respectful than male and it were significantly different. Based on school group, there was no difference on their character. Female students also had higher score of bullying and they dominantly conducted verbal bullying. Ages of parents was significantly related to character of youth (respectful and empathy. Peer group cohesiveness was significantly related to bullying; the more cohessive to their peers, more bullying conducted by youth. It also showed that character were negatively significant related with bullying. 

Promotion of Self-Transcendence in a Multiple Sclerosis Peer Support Groups

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Tahereh Ashktorab

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Background: Self-transcendence can organize the challenges of multiple sclerosis patients to achieve and maintain a constant state of well-being and sense of integrity in the disease process. As a research based on self-transcendence didn't done in Iran, the present study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of peer groups on promoting selftranscendence level in multiple sclerosis (MS patients. Materials and Methods: This study is a before and after quasi-experimental study that was conducted on 33 patients with confirmed MS participated in three peer support groups: 10 men in male group, 11 women in female group and 12 men and women in mixed group. Eight weekly sessions and each session was 2 hours were held. Data collection tool was Self-Transcendence Scale (STS with 15 item and Cronbach's coefficient was 0.68 that after modifying, it increased to 0.81. Patients completed self administered questionnaires pre- and post of sessions. Results: Results showed that peer support groups promote the self-transcendence (p=0.001 with increases in mean self-transcendence scores in all 3 groups (men group: 0.008, women group 0.005 and mixed group: 0.003. Comparing scores before and after intervention demonstrated that self-transcendence increased equally in all groups. Conclusion: The results showed an improving in self-transcendence in peer support group participants at the end of the intervention. The results can be used in areas of nursing education and management. It is proposed that the self-transcendence assessment to be done in other chronic disease in order to evaluate its efficiency.

Benefits of peer support groups in the treatment of addiction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tracy K

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Kathlene Tracy,1,2 Samantha P Wallace3 1Community Research and Recovery Program (CRRP, Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, 2New York Harbor Healthcare System (NYHHS, New York, 3Department of Community Health Sciences, State University of New York Downstate School of Public Health, Brooklyn, NY, USA Objective: Peer support can be defined as the process of giving and receiving nonprofessional, nonclinical assistance from individuals with similar conditions or circumstances to achieve long-term recovery from psychiatric, alcohol, and/or other drug-related problems. Recently, there has been a dramatic rise in the adoption of alternative forms of peer support services to assist recovery from substance use disorders; however, often peer support has not been separated out as a formalized intervention component and rigorously empirically tested, making it difficult to determine its effects. This article reports the results of a literature review that was undertaken to assess the effects of peer support groups, one aspect of peer support services, in the treatment of addiction.Methods: The authors of this article searched electronic databases of relevant peer-reviewed research literature including PubMed and MedLINE.Results: Ten studies met our minimum inclusion criteria, including randomized controlled trials or pre-/post-data studies, adult participants, inclusion of group format, substance use-related, and US-conducted studies published in 1999 or later. Studies demonstrated associated benefits in the following areas: 1 substance use, 2 treatment engagement, 3 human immunodeficiency virus/hepatitis C virus risk behaviors, and 4 secondary substance-related behaviors such as craving and self-efficacy. Limitations were noted on the relative lack of rigorously tested empirical studies within the literature and inability to disentangle the effects of the group treatment that is often included as a component of other services

Small group gender ratios impact biology class performance and peer evaluations.

Science.gov (United States)

Sullivan, Lauren L; Ballen, Cissy J; Cotner, Sehoya

2018-01-01

Women are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. Evidence suggests the microclimate of the classroom is an important factor influencing female course grades and interest, which encourages retention of women in STEM fields. Here, we test whether the gender composition of small (8-9 person) learning groups impacts course performance, sense of social belonging, and intragroup peer evaluations of intellectual contributions. Across two undergraduate active learning courses in introductory biology, we manipulated the classroom microclimate by varying the gender ratios of learning groups, ranging from 0% female to 100% female. We found that as the percent of women in groups increased, so did overall course performance for all students, regardless of gender. Additionally, women assigned higher peer- evaluations in groups with more women than groups with less women. Our work demonstrates an added benefit of the retention of women in STEM: increased performance for all, and positive peer perceptions for women.

Peer Group Mentoring Programmes in Finnish Higher Education--Mentors' Perspectives

Science.gov (United States)

Skaniakos, Terhi; Penttinen, Leena; Lairio, Marjatta

2014-01-01

Peer mentoring is one of the most important guidance practices for first-year students entering higher education and academic life. We are interested in mentors' roles and apply the ideas of group counseling in order to increase the understanding of peer mentoring. Other aspects of guidance--content, methods, and collaboration--are approached on…

"Me, My Classmates and My Buddies": Analysing Peer Group Effects on Student Marijuana Consumption

Science.gov (United States)

Duarte, Rosa; Escario, Jose-Julian; Molina, Jose-Alberto

2011-01-01

The aim of this paper is to explore the influence of peer behaviour on student marijuana consumption. Our hypothesis is that, in contrast to the traditional measures of peer group effects carried out at class or school level, the use of a closer peer group, which we relate to the group of friends, is more relevant in the explanation of marijuana…

The Negative Effects of Prejudice on Interpersonal Relationships within Adolescent Peer Groups

Science.gov (United States)

Poteat, V. Paul; Mereish, Ethan H.; Birkett, Michelle

2015-01-01

Social development theories highlight the centrality of peer groups during adolescence and their role in socializing attitudes and behaviors. In this longitudinal study, we tested the effects of group-level prejudice on ensuing positive and negative interpersonal interactions among peers over a 7-month period. We used social network analysis to…

Pressure to drink but not to smoke: Disentangling selection and socialization in adolescent peer networks and peer groups

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kiuru, N.; Burk, W.J.; Laursen, B.; Salmela-Aro, K.; Nurmi, J.E.

2010-01-01

This paper examined the relative influence of selection and socialization on alcohol and tobacco use in adolescent peer networks and peer groups. The sample included 1419 Finnish secondary education students (690 males and 729 females, mean age 16 years at the outset) from nine schools. Participants

Peer support groups boost use of female condom.

Science.gov (United States)

1997-09-01

Preliminary research findings from Brazil and Kenya indicate that, when women are provided with female condoms and peer group support, traditional obstacles to safe sex practices can be overcome. In these countries, as well as many others, women face cultural barriers to negotiating condom use with male partners. The study, conducted by the Women's Health Initiative of Family Health International's AIDS Control and Prevention Project, involved 106 Kenyan and 103 Brazilian women. A female focus group was held at the beginning of the study, followed by two peer support group meetings, with another focus group at the end of the study. Group support was an essential element in the acceptance process. Women who were afraid or unsuccessful with initial use were encouraged by other group members to try different, non-threatening approaches to the negotiation of female condom use and given suggestions for overcoming difficulties with insertion and lubrication. Some of these strategies included laying the female condom on the bed so the male partner raises the subject of its use and telling the partner the doctor had recommended the method to avoid the negative side effects associated with the pill. When female condom use is presented as a form of pregnancy prevention, the association of condoms with infidelity is overcome.

Diversity in peer groups - the benefits and tensions it may entail

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lauridsen, Karen M.; Madsen, Henning

One of the aspects of English Medium Instruction (EMI) and Internationalisation at Home (IaH) is that students are expected to work together in peer groups across linguistic and cultural barriers, e.g. to complete mandatory assignments in small groups. However, students’ attitude and response...... to this form of cooperation differ widely. This paper discusses the benefits and tensions of work in diverse peer groups exemplified by the findings of a study of student responses to intercultural collaboration in a master of business programme. One conclusion is that the international students are more...

Pressure to Drink but Not to Smoke: Disentangling Selection and Socialization in Adolescent Peer Networks and Peer Groups

Science.gov (United States)

Kiuru, Noona; Burk, William J.; Laursen, Brett; Salmela-Aro, Katariina; Nurmi, Jari-Erik

2010-01-01

This paper examined the relative influence of selection and socialization on alcohol and tobacco use in adolescent peer networks and peer groups. The sample included 1419 Finnish secondary education students (690 males and 729 females, mean age 16 years at the outset) from nine schools. Participants identified three school friends and described…

How operational issues impact science peer review

Science.gov (United States)

Blacker, Brett S.; Golombek, Daniel; Macchetto, Duccio

2006-06-01

In some eyes, the Phase I proposal selection process is the most important activity handled by the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI). Proposing for HST and other missions consists of requesting observing time and/or archival research funding. This step is called Phase I, where the scientific merit of a proposal is considered by a community based peer-review process. Accepted proposals then proceed thru Phase II, where the observations are specified in sufficient detail to enable scheduling on the telescope. Each cycle the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Telescope Allocation Committee (TAC) reviews proposals and awards observing time that is valued at $0.5B, when the total expenditures for HST over its lifetime are figured on an annual basis. This is in fact a very important endeavor that we continue to fine-tune and tweak. This process is open to the science community and we constantly receive comments and praise for this process. In this last year we have had to deal with the loss of the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) and move from 3-gyro operations to 2-gyro operations. This paper will outline how operational issues impact the HST science peer review process. We will discuss the process that was used to recover from the loss of the STIS instrument and how we dealt with the loss of 1/3 of the current science observations. We will also discuss the issues relating to 3-gyro vs. 2-gyro operations and how that changes impacted Proposers, our in-house processing and the TAC.

Individual and peer group normative beliefs about relational aggression.

Science.gov (United States)

Werner, Nicole E; Hill, Laura G

2010-01-01

Studies show that children who use relational aggression process social information in unique ways; however, findings have been inconsistent and limited by methodological weaknesses. This short-term longitudinal study examined developmental changes in 245 (49% female; ages 8-13) 3rd through 8th graders' normative beliefs about relational aggression and tested the hypothesis that individual and classroom-level norms predict relational aggression 1 year later. Results showed that the transition to middle school was marked by increased approval of relational aggression, and individual norms predicted future relational aggression. Importantly, a contextual model showed that students in peer groups highly supportive of relational aggression became increasingly aggressive. Findings extend social information processing theories of relational aggression to focus on the role of peer group cognitions.

Requisite Participant Characteristics for Effective Peer Group Mentoring

Science.gov (United States)

Kroll, Jonathan

2017-01-01

Effective mentorship, due to the developmental nature of the experience, hinges upon the people involved--specifically, the personal characteristics of the mentoring collaborators. In this paper, the author explored requisite participant characteristics for peer group mentoring. One dozen executive-level professional women shared their…

Peer Group Socialization of Homophobic Attitudes and Behavior during Adolescence

Science.gov (United States)

Poteat, V. Paul

2007-01-01

A social developmental framework was applied to test for the socialization of homophobic attitudes and behavior within adolescent peer groups (Grades 7-11; aged 12-17 years). Substantial similarity within and differences across groups were documented. Multilevel models identified a group socializing contextual effect, predicting homophobic…

Peer group self-identification as a predictor of relational and physical aggression among high school students.

Science.gov (United States)

Pokhrel, Pallav; Sussman, Steven; Black, David; Sun, Ping

2010-05-01

Adolescent peer group self-identification refers to adolescents' affiliation with reputation-based peer groups such as "Goths" or "Jocks." These groups tend to vary on normative characteristics, including the group members' attitudes and behaviors. This article examined whether adolescents' baseline peer group self-identification predicted their self-reported relational and physical aggression 1 year later. Self-report data were collected from 1614 students from 9 regular and 9 continuation (alternative) high schools in Southern California, at baseline and 1-year follow-up. Subjects' mean baseline age was 15.21 years (SD = 1.18) and 51.6% of the subjects were female. Findings indicated that compared with self-identified "Regular" or "Normal" students, adolescents who identified with high-risk peer groups (eg, "Druggies,"Goths") tended to report higher relational and physical aggression 1 year later, controlling for baseline aggression and demographic variables. In addition, adolescents' self-identification with high-status peer groups (eg, "Jocks,"Populars") was predictive of higher relational aggression 1 year later. Gender and school type (ie, regular vs continuation) were not found to moderate these effects. It appears that peer group self-identification is a salient predictor of physical and relational aggression across gender and school type. Adolescents who identify with high-risk peer groups tend to report higher levels of physical as well as relational aggression in the future. In addition, adolescents who affiliate with elite groups tend to become more relationally aggressive over time. School-based prevention programs targeting aggression may benefit from addressing the impacts of peer group self-identification on adolescents' aggressive behavior.

The socialization of dominance: peer group contextual effects on homophobic and dominance attitudes.

Science.gov (United States)

Poteat, V Paul; Espelage, Dorothy L; Green, Harold D

2007-06-01

Using the framework of social dominance theory, the current investigation tested for the contextual effects of adolescent peer groups on individuals' homophobic and social dominance attitudes. Results from multilevel models indicated that significant differences existed across peer groups on homophobic attitudes. In addition, these differences were accounted for on the basis of the hierarchy-enhancing or -attenuating climate of the group. A group socialization effect on individuals' social dominance attitudes over time was also observed. Furthermore, the social climate of the peer group moderated the stability of individuals' social dominance attitudes. Findings support the need to examine more proximal and informal group affiliations and earlier developmental periods in efforts to build more comprehensive theoretical models explaining when and how prejudiced and dominance attitudes are formed and the way in which they are perpetuated. (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved.

Group marking and peer assessment during a group poster presentation: the experiences and views of midwifery students.

Science.gov (United States)

Ohaja, Magdalena; Dunlea, Margaret; Muldoon, Kathryn

2013-09-01

Traditionally, written examination and clinical practice assessments are the main ways of deeming midwifery students fit and competent for practice. Contemporary academics in an effort to engage the students in the learning process have employed alternative teaching and assessment strategies. Among the alternative strategies are group projects after which members of the group are awarded the same grade, and peer assessment. With the purpose of informing the midwifery curricular, we utilised a qualitative descriptive approach to explore midwifery students' experiences and views on the use of group poster presentation for learning and assessment. The participants consisted of a purposive sample of 14 higher diploma midwifery students who were registered in a third level institution in Ireland. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted following the completion of the poster presentation assessment. Permission to undertake the study was obtained from the college ethics committee. In this paper, we focus on the participants' views of group marking and peer assessment which are among the key elements that emerged in this study. While awarding a group mark was overall accepted, peer assessment proved a more contentious issue. Most of the participants found it challenging marking their friends. Reactions to group marks were very much influenced by the group dynamics. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The stability and predictors of peer group deviance in university students.

Science.gov (United States)

Kendler, Kenneth S; Myers, John; Dick, Danielle

2015-09-01

Peer group deviance (PGD) is strongly associated with current and future externalizing behaviors. Debate remains about the degree to which this association arises from social selection. The first year of university constitutes a social experiment in which most individuals leave their home environment and recreate for themselves a new peer group. PGD was measured in newly arrived university students and then 6 and 18 months later. Other personality and family traits were also assessed. PGD reported for high school friends at the start of university and university friends 6 months later were substantially correlated (+0.60). This correlation was only slightly diminished if restricted to students whose home was greater than 50 miles from the university. PGD was strongly predicted across three cohorts by male sex (+), extraversion (+), conscientiousness (-), a family history of alcohol use disorders (+) and depression (+), and religiosity (-).These predictors of PGD had a relatively stable impact over 18 months and, aside from sex, differed only modestly in males and females. As individuals change social groups from high school to university, the level of PGD remains relatively stable, suggesting that individuals play a strong role in selecting peer groups with consistent characteristics. PGD is also predicted cross-sectionally and longitudinally by personality, family background and religiosity. Our results suggest that the association between personal and peer deviance is due at least in part to the effects of social selection.

Observations of Adolescent Peer Group Interactions as a Function of Within- and Between-Group Centrality Status

Science.gov (United States)

Ellis, Wendy E.; Dumas, Tara M.; Mahdy, Jasmine C.; Wolfe, David A.

2012-01-01

Observations of adolescent (n = 258; M age = 15.45) peer group triads (n = 86) were analyzed to identify conversation and interaction styles as a function of within-group and between-group centrality status. Group members' discussions about hypothetical dilemmas were coded for agreements, disagreements, commands, and opinions. Interactions during…

Play Chronotopes: Laughter-Talk in Peer Group Conversation

Science.gov (United States)

Liang, Mei-Ya

2015-01-01

Although research has investigated laughter in professional communication settings, fewer studies have explored laughter-talk in second language (L2) classrooms. This study examines L2 university students' use of laughter-talk in peer group conversation to understand the linguistics of affect and its interactional effects. The author draws upon…

Breakout: An Open Measurement and Intervention Tool for Distributed Peer Learning Groups

OpenAIRE

Calacci, Dan; Lederman, Oren; Shrier, David; Pentland, Alex 'Sandy'

2016-01-01

We present Breakout, a group interaction platform for online courses that enables the creation and measurement of face-to-face peer learning groups in online settings. Breakout is designed to help students easily engage in synchronous, video breakout session based peer learning in settings that otherwise force students to rely on asynchronous text-based communication. The platform also offers data collection and intervention tools for studying the communication patterns inherent in online lea...

Self and Peer Assessment and Dominance During Group Work Using Online Visual Tools

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ed Lester

2010-11-01

Full Text Available An experiment undertaken with engineering undergraduate students at the University of Nottingham involved 26 groups of three being filmed during a study using a virtual-reality-based problem-solving exercise. After the exercise, each individual filled in a questionnaire relating to the exercise which allowed them to score themselves and their peers for contribution and overall grade. The comparing of video evidence with perceived contributions made it possible to observe patterns of behaviour based on temperament dominance. This ‘dominance’ was based on two simple parameters extracted from an electronic version of the Myers-Briggs test: first, the time taken to complete the study, called ‘decisiveness’, and secondly, the degree of Extroversion/Introversion. The more decisive subjects received higher marks from their peers, despite the absence of any video evidence that they had actually contributed more than their peers. The most dominant extroverts appear to ‘do more’ with respect to the physical operation of the mouse/keyboard and interaction with the visual simulation during the virtual-reality exercise. However, there was no link with these simple temperament measures with the degree of enjoyment of the tasks, which appeared to be highly consistent. The authors do not argue that visual-media tools, such as the virtual-reality environment described in this article, might offer solutions to problems associated with group work in engineering, but rather that information regarding the character traits of the participants may help to create more effective teams and to help understand the inter-personal dynamics within teams undertaking such tasks.

Peer mentoring of telescope operations and data reduction at Western Kentucky University

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, Joshua; Carini, M. T.

2014-01-01

Peer mentoring plays an important role in the astronomy program at Western Kentucky University. I will describe how undergraduates teach and mentor other undergraduates the basics of operating our 0.6m telescope and data reduction (IRAF) techniques. This peer to peer mentoring creates a community of undergraduate astronomy scholars at WKU. These scholars bond and help each other with research, coursework, social, and personal issues. This community atmosphere helps to draw in and retain other students interested in astronomy and other STEM careers.

Empirically Derived Lessons Learned about What Makes Peer-Led Exercise Groups Flourish.

Science.gov (United States)

Fletcher, Kathlyn E; Ertl, Kristyn; Ruffalo, Leslie; Harris, LaTamba; Whittle, Jeff

2017-01-01

Physical exercise confers many health benefits, but it is difficult to motivate people to exercise. Although community exercise groups may facilitate initiation and persistence in an exercise program, reports regarding factors that allow such groups to flourish are limited. We performed a prospective qualitative evaluation of our experience starting a program of community-based, peer-led exercise groups for military veterans to identify important lessons learned. We synthesized data from structured observations, post-observation debriefings, and focus groups. Our participants were trained peer leaders and exercise group members. Our main outcomes consisted of empirically derived lessons learned during the implementation of a peer-led group exercise program for veterans at multiple community sites. We collected and analyzed data from 40 observation visits (covering 14 sites), 7 transcribed debriefings, and 5 focus groups. We identified five lessons learned. (1) The camaraderie and social aspect of the exercise groups provided motivation for people to stay involved. (2) Shared responsibility and commitment to each other by the group members was instrumental to success. (3) Regular meeting times encouraged participation. (4) Variety, especially getting outdoors, was very popular for some groups. (5) Modest involvement of professionals encouraged ongoing engagement with the program. Both social and programmatic issues influence implementation of group exercise programs for older, predominantly male, veterans. These results should be confirmed in other settings.

Regulatory control of the use of contractors by operating organizations. Peer discussions on regulatory practices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2000-09-01

This report arises from the eighth series of peer discussions on regulatory practices entitled 'Regulatory control of the use of contractors by operating organizations'. Senior regulators from 19 Member States participated in two peer group discussions in March 2000 and May 2000. This report gives an account of the outcomes of these meetings and of practical suggestions put forward by senior regulators. These suggestions do not necessarily reflect the views of the governments of the nominating Member States, the organizations they belong to, or the International Atomic Energy Agency. The objective of this document is to share experience between regulatory bodies and provide practical suggestions for controlling the use of contractors and subcontractors by the operating organizations during all stages, especially operation, of a nuclear power plant, so as to ensure that the quality of work and services delivered is commensurate with the safety importance of the activities and that these are carried out in a manner that will not adversely affect the safe or reliable operation of the facility. These documented practical suggestions and experiences are the result of a series of peer discussions at the IAEA in 2000. It is considered that the manner in which control is exercised, and the various challenges connected to this control, are highly dependent upon the legislative framework, maturity of the nuclear programme, the size of the national nuclear industry and the culture in each country. The report is structured so that it covers the subject matter under the following main headings: Legal Provisions, Regulatory Strategy and Requirements; Regulatory Approaches for Controlling the Use of Contractors; Types of Contracts; Practical Suggestions

Positive Youth Psychology: Lessons from Positive Peer Culture

Science.gov (United States)

Steinebach, Christoph; Steinebach, Ursula; Brendtro, Larry K.

2013-01-01

Positive Peer Culture (PPC) is a strength-oriented approach developed by Vorrath and Brendtro (1985) to prevent or reverse negative peer influence by building a climate of peer concern and respect. PPC operates in a range of settings including residential treatment, alternative schools, juvenile justice, and youth leadership groups. It is an…

Group Peer Assessment for Summative Evaluation in a Graduate-Level Statistics Course for Ecologists

Science.gov (United States)

ArchMiller, Althea; Fieberg, John; Walker, J.D.; Holm, Noah

2017-01-01

Peer assessment is often used for formative learning, but few studies have examined the validity of group-based peer assessment for the summative evaluation of course assignments. The present study contributes to the literature by using online technology (the course management system Moodle™) to implement structured, summative peer review based on…

When Elementary Students Change Peer Groups: Intragroup Centrality, Intergroup Centrality, and Self-Perceptions of Popularity

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Martin H.; Estell, David B.

2010-01-01

The current study follows two cohorts of fourth and fifth graders across 1 school year to better understand why some students change peer groups. The study focuses on popularity and intragroup social status. We examined whether differences between individuals' and group members' self-perceptions of popularity were related to changing peer groups.…

Long term operation of nuclear power plants – IAEA SALTO peer review service and its results

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Krivanek, Robert, E-mail: r.krivanek@iaea.org

2014-12-15

Highlights: • SALTO peer review service is designed for reviewing of ageing management and NPPs’ preparedness LTO. • It has been established as an effective tool to review the compliance with IAEA safety standards. • The important issues for safe LTO are being identified by SALTO missions. • Analysis of those issues is provided in the paper. • This peer review service is strongly recommended for NPPs prior to entering LTO period. - Abstract: This paper presents main IAEA activities for safe long term operation (LTO) which includes establishment of IAEA Safety Standards and other LTO related documents, fostering information exchange and establishing databases and provision of SALTO (Safety Aspects of Long Term Operation) peer review service. This paper provides insights into IAEA SALTO peer review service objectives, scope and methodology. The SALTO peer review service was designed to assist nuclear power plant (NPP) operators in adopting a proper approach to LTO of their plants and in implementing complete and appropriate activities to ensure that plant safety will be maintained during the LTO period. The SALTO peer review service can also support regulators in establishing or improving regulatory and licensing strategies for LTO of NPPs. Issues derived from 19 SALTO missions and 2 LTO modules of OSART (Operational Safety Review Team) missions conducted during the period of 2005 to March 2014 are also analyzed in this paper.

Understanding the association between maltreatment history and adolescent risk behavior by examining popularity motivations and peer group control.

Science.gov (United States)

Ellis, Wendy E; Wolfe, David A

2009-10-01

The purpose of the present study was to examine how peer group processes of pressure and control and individual motivations for popularity would add to, and moderate the relationship between, childhood maltreatment and risky behavior in adolescence. A total of 1558 youth (804 girls) from three high schools in Ontario, Canada (M age = 15.02 years, SD = .86) reported on their alcohol use, delinquent behavior, childhood experiences of physical and emotional maltreatment and neglect, peer group processes involving control and individual popularity motivations. Regression analyses showed that, beyond the significant contributions of childhood maltreatment, peer group control predicted risky alcohol use and delinquent behavior. Peer group control and popularity motivations exacerbated the negative effect of physical maltreatment on delinquent behavior. Boys' experiences of peer group control were more strongly linked to alcohol use and delinquent behavior than girls'. These results suggest that there is a significant window of opportunity during adolescence where the peer group context can exacerbate or buffer childhood experiences.

Retrospective analysis of the quality of reports by author-suggested and non-author-suggested reviewers in journals operating on open or single-blind peer review models.

Science.gov (United States)

Kowalczuk, Maria K; Dudbridge, Frank; Nanda, Shreeya; Harriman, Stephanie L; Patel, Jigisha; Moylan, Elizabeth C

2015-09-29

To assess whether reports from reviewers recommended by authors show a bias in quality and recommendation for editorial decision, compared with reviewers suggested by other parties, and whether reviewer reports for journals operating on open or single-blind peer review models differ with regard to report quality and reviewer recommendations. Retrospective analysis of the quality of reviewer reports using an established Review Quality Instrument, and analysis of reviewer recommendations and author satisfaction surveys. BioMed Central biology and medical journals. BMC Infectious Diseases and BMC Microbiology are similar in size, rejection rates, impact factors and editorial processes, but the former uses open peer review while the latter uses single-blind peer review. The Journal of Inflammation has operated under both peer review models. Two hundred reviewer reports submitted to BMC Infectious Diseases, 200 reviewer reports submitted to BMC Microbiology and 400 reviewer reports submitted to the Journal of Inflammation. For each journal, author-suggested reviewers provided reports of comparable quality to non-author-suggested reviewers, but were significantly more likely to recommend acceptance, irrespective of the peer review model (previewer reports measured by the Review Quality Instrument was 5% higher than for BMC Microbiology (p=0.042). For the Journal of Inflammation, the quality of reports was the same irrespective of the peer review model used. Reviewers suggested by authors provide reports of comparable quality to non-author-suggested reviewers, but are significantly more likely to recommend acceptance. Open peer review reports for BMC Infectious Diseases were of higher quality than single-blind reports for BMC Microbiology. There was no difference in quality of peer review in the Journal of Inflammation under open peer review compared with single blind. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a

The Carteret Story: The Peer Group Deals with Racial Conflict.

Science.gov (United States)

Liss, Moe; Robinson, James C.

1978-01-01

Describes the Human Relations Peer Group Leadership Training Program that has eliminated racial conflict in Carteret High School. The initial step was a four-day intensive training program that took place in a closed setting. (Author/IRT)

Peer Group Affiliation of Children: The Role of Perceived Popularity, Likeability, and Behavioral Similarity in Bullying

Science.gov (United States)

Witvliet, Miranda; Olthof, Tjeert; Hoeksma, Jan B.; Goossens, Frits A.; Smits, Marieke S. I.; Koot, Hans M.

2010-01-01

To understand children's peer group affiliation, this study examined to what extent children in naturally occurring groups resemble each other on bullying, likeability, and perceived popularity. Participants were fourth- to sixth-grade pupils (N = 461). Peer groups were identified using the social cognitive map procedure. Resemblance on bullying,…

Savannah River Site peer evaluator standards: Operator assessment for restart

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1990-01-01

Savannah River Site has implemented a Peer Evaluator program for the assessment of certified Central Control Room Operators, Central Control Room Supervisors and Shift Technical Engineers prior to restart. This program is modeled after the nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC's) Examiner Standard, ES-601, for the requalification of licensed operators in the commercial utility industry. It has been tailored to reflect the unique differences between Savannah River production reactors and commercial power reactors

Parents, peer groups, and other socializing influences.

Science.gov (United States)

Vandell, D L

2000-11-01

Three propositions that are central to J. R. Harris's group socialization theory (1995, 1998) are considered in this review. These propositions are as follows: (a) Parental behaviors have no long-term effects on children's psychological characteristics, (b) peer groups are the primary environmental influence on psychological functioning, and (c) dyadic relationships are situation-specific and do not generalize. The evidence that J. R. Harris has outlined in support of each of these propositions is reviewed, as is additional empirical research not considered by J. R. Harris. Serious limitations to each proposition are identified. The available evidence is more consistent with a model of multiple socialization agents. An expanded research agenda that permits a more definitive test of J. R. Harris's propositions and social relationship theory is proposed.

Children's intergroup helping: The role of empathy and peer group norms

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sierksma, Jellie; Thijs, Jochem; Verkuijten, Maykel

2014-01-01

Two studies examined children's (8- to 13-year-olds) intergroup helping intentions. In Study 1, 856 children indicated their intention to help national in-group or out-group peers in a high need situation and in either a public or private context. Results showed that children's empathic tendencies

The formulation of a peer evaluation measure for special forces: operational forces operator traits and attitude questionnaire (SFO-TAQ)

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Van Heerden, A

2016-11-01

Full Text Available International Military Testing Association (IMTA) Conference, New Delhi, India, 7-11 November 2016 The formulation of a peer evaluation measure for special forces: operational forces operator traits and attitude questionnaire (SFO-TAQ) Van Heerden A...

Exploring Young Children's Response to Three Genres of Literature in Small-Peer Groups

Science.gov (United States)

Griffin, Jennifer Adams

2010-01-01

This teacher research studied second graders' small-group, peer-led discussions about three genres of literature--realistic fiction, biography picture books, and science information books--across one school year (during three units in the fall, winter, and spring). It set out to explore how this peer talk, in general, mediated children's responses…

The Comparative Effects of Adults and Peer Group Influence on Children's Moral Judgments.

Science.gov (United States)

Siegal, M.; Boyes, M. C.

1980-01-01

In this review, little support is found for Piaget's claim that with increasing peer group interaction adult authority becomes less legitimate to the child. It is suggested that the adult exerts increasing influence with age on children's moral judgment and, therefore, emphasis on peer-centered moral education may be misdirected. (Author/SJL)

Peer-Assisted History-Taking Groups: A Subjective Assessment of their Impact Upon Medical Students' Interview Skills

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Keifenheim, Katharina Eva

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Background and Objectives: Among the clinical skills needed by all physicians, history taking is one of the most important. The teaching model for peer-assisted history-taking groups investigated in the present study consists of small-group courses in which students practice conducting medical interviews with real patients. The purpose of this pilot study was to investigate the expectations, experiences, and subjective learning progress of participants in peer-assisted history-taking groups.Methods: The 42 medical student participants completed a 4-month, peer-assisted, elective history-taking course, which both began and ended with a subjective assessment of their interview skills by way of a pseudonymized questionnaire. Measures comprised the students’ self-assessment of their interview skills, their expectations of, and their experiences with the course and especially with the peer tutors. Results: Medical students’ most important motivations in attending peer-assisted history-taking groups were becoming able to complete a structured medical interview, to mitigate difficult interviewing situations, and to address patients’ emotional demands appropriately. By the end of the course, students’ self-assessment of both their interview skills and management of emotional issues improved significantly. Students especially benefitted from individual feedback regarding interview style and relationship formation, as well as generally accepted and had their expectations met by peer tutors. Conclusions: To meet the important learning objectives of history-taking and management of emotional issues, as well as self-reflection and reflection of student–patient interactions, students in the field greatly appreciate practicing medical interviewing in small, peer-assisted groups with real patients. At the same time, peer tutors are experienced to be helpful and supportive and can help students to overcome inhibitions in making contact with patients.

Creating a Supportive Environment : Peer Support Groups for Psychotic Disorders

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Castelein, Stynke; Bruggeman, Richard; Davidson, Larry; van der Gaag, Mark

People with psychotic disorders frequently experience significant mental and social limitations that may result in persisting social isolation. Research has shown that a supportive social environment is crucial for the process of personal recovery. Peer support groups can provide an opportunity to

Creating a Supportive Environment: Peer Support Groups for Psychotic Disorders

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Castelein, S.; Bruggeman, R.; Davidson, L.; van der Gaag, M.

2015-01-01

People with psychotic disorders frequently experience significant mental and social limitations that may result in persisting social isolation. Research has shown that a supportive social environment is crucial for the process of personal recovery. Peer support groups can provide an opportunity to

Sociometric Status and Social Drinking: Observations of Modelling and Persuasion in Young Adult Peer Groups

Science.gov (United States)

Bot, Sander M.; Engels, Rutger C. M. E.; Knibbe, Ronald A.; Meeus, Wim H. J.

2007-01-01

Because young adult drinking occurs primarily in peer groups, this should be taken into account when studying influences on drinking behaviour. This paper aimed to assess influences on drinking by observing existing peer groups in a naturalistic setting. We first analysed the basic levels at which two types of influence take place. The first,…

Student nurses' experience of a system of peer group supervision ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Recommendations were made to change the system in order to eliminate the negative aspects and after careful consideration and programme changes, implemented in 2001. It therefore became necessary to evaluate the revised system of peer group supervision and guidance for effectiveness. A qualitative, descriptive ...

Asymmetrical peer interaction and formal operational development: Dialogue dimensions analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stepanović-Ilić Ivana

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The main goal of the study is to define dialogue dimensions in order to describe the interaction within peer dyads and potentially connect them with formal operations development in the less competent participants. Its significance is related to rare investigations of this subject in the context of formal operations development and to practical implications regarding peer involvement in education process. The sample included 316 students aged 12 and 14. The research had an experimental design: pre-test, intervention and post-test. In the pre-test and the post-test phases students solved the formal operations test BLOT. According to the pre-test results, 47 dyads were formed where less and more competent students jointly solved tasks from BLOT. Their dialogues were coded by 14 dimensions operationalized for this purpose. Correlations between the dialogue dimensions indicate clearly distinguished positive and negative interaction patterns. There are no connections between dialogue dimensions and progress of less competent adolescents on BLOT in the entire sample, but several are found in the subsamples. Arguments exchange seems to be the most encouraging dialogue feature regarding formal operations development, particularly in older students. This confirms relevant research data and the expectations about peers’ constructive role in fostering cognitive development. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 179018: Identification, measurement and development of cognitive and emotional competences important for a society oriented towards European integrations

Transformation of Adolescent Peer Relations in the Social Media Context: Part 2-Application to Peer Group Processes and Future Directions for Research.

Science.gov (United States)

Nesi, Jacqueline; Choukas-Bradley, Sophia; Prinstein, Mitchell J

2018-04-07

As social media use becomes increasingly widespread among adolescents, research in this area has accumulated rapidly. Researchers have shown a growing interest in the impact of social media on adolescents' peer experiences, including the ways that the social media context shapes a variety of peer relations constructs. This paper represents Part 2 of a two-part theoretical review. In this review, we offer a new model for understanding the transformative role of social media in adolescents' peer experiences, with the goal of stimulating future empirical work that is grounded in theory. The transformation framework suggests that the features of the social media context transform adolescents' peer experiences by changing their frequency or immediacy, amplifying demands, altering their qualitative nature, and/or offering new opportunities for compensatory or novel behaviors. In the current paper, we consider the ways that social media may transform peer relations constructs that often occur at the group level. Our review focuses on three key constructs: peer victimization, peer status, and peer influence. We selectively review and highlight existing evidence for the transformation of these domains through social media. In addition, we discuss methodological considerations and key conceptual principles for future work. The current framework offers a new theoretical perspective through which peer relations researchers may consider adolescent social media use.

A contextual approach to social skills assessment in the peer group: who is the best judge?

Science.gov (United States)

Kwon, Kyongboon; Kim, Elizabeth Moorman; Sheridan, Susan M

2012-09-01

Using a contextual approach to social skills assessment in the peer group, this study examined the criterion-related validity of contextually relevant social skills and the incremental validity of peers and teachers as judges of children's social skills. Study participants included 342 (180 male and 162 female) students and their classroom teachers (N = 22) from rural communities. As expected, contextually relevant social skills were significantly related to a variety of social status indicators (i.e., likability, peer- and teacher-assessed popularity, reciprocated friendships, clique centrality) and positive school functioning (i.e., school liking and academic competence). Peer-assessed social skills, not teacher-assessed social skills, demonstrated consistent incremental validity in predicting various indicators of social status outcomes; peer- and teacher-assessed social skills alike showed incremental validity in predicting positive school functioning. The relation between contextually relevant social skills and study outcomes did not vary by child gender. Findings are discussed in terms of the significance of peers in the assessment of children's social skills in the peer group as well as the usefulness of a contextual approach to social skills assessment.

Peer Group Self-Identification in Samples of Russian and U.S. Adolescents

Science.gov (United States)

Sussman, Steve; Sun, Ping; Gunning, Melissa; Moran, Meghan B.; Pokhrel, Pallav; Rohrbach, Louise A.; Kniazev, Vadim; Masagutov, Radik

2010-01-01

Most peer group self-identification research has been conducted in the United States. This article examined the generalizability of self-identified group name research among teens in Ufa, a city in the Russian Federation. A cross-sectional, anonymous collection of data on group self-identification, drug use, addiction concern, sensation seeking,…

Investigating Students’ Viewpointson the Effect of Peer Groups and Sports on Education and Training Process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M AfkhamiAghda

2015-05-01

Conclusion: The students’ points of view showed that peer groups and sports have a very high effect on education and training process thus leading to the improvement of social relationship and increasinglearning in different groups. Therefore, strengthening the peer groups and sport teams in educational environments has a very important influence on socialization of teenagers and youth thereby facilitating the acquisition of life skills and learning process and thus the education and training development in society

Comparative analysis of countries in the peer-group based on economic potential and components of sustainable development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sergii VOITKO

2017-10-01

Full Text Available The authors study levels of sustainable development potential and determine the positions of Ukraine and other countries in the peer-groups [4], based on individual macroeconomic indicators. The research includes a comparative analysis of absolute and relative terms of GDP, industrial production and the index of competitiveness for the countries included to the peer-groups. The authors analyse the position of countries based on the GDP per capita and components of sustainable development (Quality of Life Index and Security of Life Index. In the article, the authors suggest the methodical approach of performing the comparative analysis of peer-group countries based on their indicators values. This approach gives the possibility to investigate the country’s potential in the limits of the chosen peer-group and propose the recommendations for increase of economic potential in purpose of sustainable development achievement.

The Influence of Social Comparison and Peer Group Size on Risky Decision-Making.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Dawei; Zhu, Liping; Maguire, Phil; Liu, Yixin; Pang, Kaiyuan; Li, Zhenying; Hu, Yixin

2016-01-01

This study explores the influence of different social reference points and different comparison group sizes on risky decision-making. Participants were presented with a scenario describing an exam, and presented with the opportunity of making a risky decision in the context of different information provided about the performance of their peers. We found that behavior was influenced, not only by comparison with peers, but also by the size of the comparison group. Specifically, the larger the reference group, the more polarized the behavior it prompted. In situations describing social loss, participants were led to make riskier decisions after comparing themselves against larger groups, while in situations describing social gain, they become more risk averse. These results indicate that decision making is influenced both by social comparison and the number of people making up the social reference group.

Using Synchronous Online Peer Response Groups in EFL Writing: Revision-Related Discourse

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mei-Ya Liang

2010-02-01

Full Text Available In recent years, synchronous online peer response groups have been increasingly used in English as a foreign language (EFL writing. This article describes a study of synchronous online interaction among three small peer groups in a Taiwanese undergraduate EFL writing class. An environmental analysis of students’ online discourse in two writing tasks showed that meaning negotiation, error correction, and technical actions seldom occurred and that social talk, task management, and content discussion predominated the chat. Further analysis indicates that relationships among different types of online interaction and their connections with subsequent writing and revision are complex and depend on group makeup and dynamics. Findings suggest that such complex activity may not guarantee revision. Writing instructors may need to proactively model, scaffold and support revision-related online discourse if it is to be of benefit.

A "safe space" for learning and reflection: one school's design for continuity with a peer group across clinical clerkships.

Science.gov (United States)

Chou, Calvin L; Johnston, C Bree; Singh, Bobby; Garber, Jonathan D; Kaplan, Elizabeth; Lee, Kewchang; Teherani, Arianne

2011-12-01

The value of continuity in medical education, particularly during clerkships, is increasingly recognized. Previous clerkship-based models have described changes that emphasize continuity in patient care, learner supervision, and curriculum. The creation of continuous student peer groups can foster interactions that enhance mutual support through uncomfortable professional transitions during the clerkship years. Here, the authors describe a third-year clerkship model based at the San Francisco Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center called VA Longitudinal Rotations (VALOR), designed explicitly to establish a supportive learning environment for small peer groups.Seven groups of medical students (42 total) completed VALOR across three academic years between 2007 and 2009. On clerkships during VALOR, one hour per week was designated for faculty-facilitated sessions amongst peer groups. Students' perceptions of peer group support and overall program satisfaction were determined with immediate post surveys and focus groups at the end of VALOR, and with follow-up surveys 5 to 27 months after completing VALOR. Students strongly valued several elements of VALOR peer groups, including support through clerkship challenges, meeting for facilitated reflection, and appreciating patient experiences across the continuum of care. Students' appreciation for their peer group experiences persisted well after the conclusion of VALOR. VALOR students performed the same as or better than traditional clerkship students on knowledge and skill-based outcomes. The authors demonstrate that their third-year clerkship program using peer groups has built supportive learning networks and facilitated reflection, allowing students to develop critical professional skills. Student communication around patient care was also feasible and highly valued.

Peer-to-Peer Networking -RE-SONANCE

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

networking, operating systems and embedded systems. Peer-to-Peer (P2P) networking in recent times has been touted as .... Gnutella (General file sharing) P2P service at the same time. 2. .... The data processing does not occur in 'real time' ...

Moderating Effect of Negative Peer Group Climate on the Relation Between Men's Locus of Control and Aggression Toward Intimate Partners.

Science.gov (United States)

Schmidt, Megan R; Lisco, Claire G; Parrott, Dominic J; Tharp, Andra T

2016-03-01

The present study sought to examine the interactive effects of an external locus of control and interaction in a negative peer group climate on men's perpetration of physical aggression and infliction of injury toward their female intimate partners. Participants were 206 heterosexual males recruited from the metro-Atlanta community who completed self-report measures of external locus of control, involvement in a negative peer group climate, and physical aggression and infliction of injury against intimate partners during the past 12 months. Negative peer group climate was conceptualized as a peer group that displays behavior which may instigate aggressive norms, attitudes, and behaviors. Results indicated that men with an external locus of control were more likely to perpetrate physical aggression toward and inflict injury on their intimate partners if they reported high, but not low, involvement in a negative peer group climate. These results extend current research suggesting external locus of control as a risk factor for intimate partner aggression by highlighting the impact of negative peer groups. Implications and future intervention research are discussed. © The Author(s) 2014.

Midterm peer feedback in problem-based learning groups: the effect on individual contributions and achievement.

Science.gov (United States)

Kamp, Rachelle J A; van Berkel, Henk J M; Popeijus, Herman E; Leppink, Jimmie; Schmidt, Henk G; Dolmans, Diana H J M

2014-03-01

Even though peer process feedback is an often used tool to enhance the effectiveness of collaborative learning environments like PBL, the conditions under which it is best facilitated still need to be investigated. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of individual versus shared reflection and goal setting on students' individual contributions to the group and their academic achievement. In addition, the influence of prior knowledge on the effectiveness of peer feedback was studied. In this pretest-intervention-posttest study 242 first year students were divided into three conditions: condition 1 (individual reflection and goal setting), condition 2 (individual and shared reflection and goal setting), and condition 3 (control group). Results indicated that the quality of individual contributions to the tutorial group did not improve after receiving the peer feedback, nor did it differ between the three conditions. With regard to academic achievement, only males in conditions 1 and 2 showed better academic achievement compared with condition 3. However, there was no difference between both ways of reflection and goal setting with regard to achievement, indicating that both ways are equally effective. Nevertheless, it is still too early to conclude that peer feedback combined with reflection and goal setting is not effective in enhancing students' individual contributions. Students only had a limited number of opportunities to improve their contributions. Therefore, future research should investigate whether an increase in number of tutorial group meetings can enhance the effectiveness of peer feedback. In addition, the effect of quality of reflection and goal setting could be taken into consideration in future research.

Individual Development of Professionalism in Educational Peer Group Supervision: A Multiple Case Study of GPs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Holge-Hazelton, B.; Tulinius, Anne-Charlotte

2012-01-01

Background. Research has shown that peer-group supervision can strengthen GPs' professionalism, but little is known about the individual learning processes. To establish professionalism beyond professional behaviour, identity and idealism need to be included. The inner attitudinal values of profe......Background. Research has shown that peer-group supervision can strengthen GPs' professionalism, but little is known about the individual learning processes. To establish professionalism beyond professional behaviour, identity and idealism need to be included. The inner attitudinal values...

Focus groups for developing a peer mentoring program to improve self-management in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Mackner, Laura M; Ruff, Jessica M; Vannatta, Kathryn

2014-10-01

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) presents challenges for self-management in many areas. A peer mentoring program may offer advantages over other forms of self-management interventions because youth may be more receptive to learning self-management skills from a peer than from a parent or professional. The purpose of the present study was to identify themes from focus groups to inform development of a peer mentoring program for improving self-management in pediatric IBD. Focus groups were conducted for youth ages 12 to 17, stratified by age (3 groups; n = 14), young adults ages 18 to 20 (1 group; n = 5), and parents of the youth (3 groups; n = 17). Broad questions covered program goals, general program characteristics, mentor/mentee characteristics, and family involvement, and transcriptions were analyzed via directed content analysis, with the a priori codes specified as the broad questions above. Participants identified the primary goals of a program as support, role model, information/education, and fun. They described a program that would include a year-long, 1-on-1 mentor relationship with a peer who has had IBD for at least a year, educational group activities, fun activities that are not focused on IBD, expectations for in-person contact 1 to 2 times per month, and mentor-to-mentor and parent support. Many of the suggestions from the focus groups correspond with research findings associated with successful mentoring programs. Using participants' suggestions and empirically based best practices for mentoring may result in an effective peer mentoring program for improving self-management in youth with IBD.

Facilitating Group Analysis of Two Case Studies Utilising Peer Tutoring: Comparison of Tasks and Outcomes

Science.gov (United States)

Fong, Lin Siew

2016-01-01

Peer-tutoring sessions of two groups of advanced diploma in financial accounting students with mixed proficiency were analysed thoroughly in this study. Numerous studies in peer tutoring have produced favourable results to both tutors and tutees due to the scaffolding process which promotes effective learning. However, there is a lack of studies…

Moderating Effect of Negative Peer Group Climate on the Relation Between Men’s Locus of Control and Aggression Toward Intimate Partners

Science.gov (United States)

Schmidt, Megan R.; Lisco, Claire G.; Parrott, Dominic J.; Tharp, Andra T.

2018-01-01

The present study sought to examine the interactive effects of an external locus of control and interaction in a negative peer group climate on men’s perpetration of physical aggression and infliction of injury toward their female intimate partners. Participants were 206 heterosexual males recruited from the metro-Atlanta community who completed self-report measures of external locus of control, involvement in a negative peer group climate, and physical aggression and infliction of injury against intimate partners during the past 12 months. Negative peer group climate was conceptualized as a peer group that displays behavior which may instigate aggressive norms, attitudes, and behaviors. Results indicated that men with an external locus of control were more likely to perpetrate physical aggression toward and inflict injury on their intimate partners if they reported high, but not low, involvement in a negative peer group climate. These results extend current research suggesting external locus of control as a risk factor for intimate partner aggression by highlighting the impact of negative peer groups. Implications and future intervention research are discussed. PMID:25389191

DELINQUENCY AND THE STRUCTURE OF ADOLESCENT PEER GROUPS*

Science.gov (United States)

Kreager, Derek A.; Rulison, Kelly; Moody, James

2010-01-01

Gangs and group-level processes were once central phenomena for criminological theory and research. By the mid-1970's, however, gang research was primarily displaced by studies of individual behavior using randomized self-report surveys, a shift that also removed groups from the theoretical foreground. In this project, we return to the group level to test competing theoretical claims about delinquent group structure. We use network-based clustering methods to identify 897 friendship groups in two ninth grade cohorts of 27 Pennsylvania and Iowa schools. We then relate group-level measures of delinquency and drinking to network measures of group size, friendship reciprocity, transitivity, structural cohesion, stability, average popularity, and network centrality. We find significant negative correlations between group delinquency and all of our network measures, suggesting that delinquent groups are less solidary and less central to school networks than non-delinquent groups. Further analyses, however, reveal that these correlations are primarily explained by other group characteristics, such as gender composition and socioeconomic status. Drinking behaviors, on the other hand, show net positive associations with most of the network measures, suggesting that drinking groups have higher status and are more internally cohesive than non-drinking groups. Our findings shed light on a longstanding criminological debate by suggesting that any structural differences between delinquent and non-delinquent groups may be attributable to other attributes coincidental with delinquency. In contrast, drinking groups appear to provide peer contexts of greater social capital and cohesion. PMID:21572969

Impact of peer-led group education on the quality of life in patients with ankylosing spondylitis.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaya, Taciser; Goksel Karatepe, Altinay; Atici Ozturk, Pinar; Gunaydin, Rezzan

2016-02-01

To determine the effect of peer-led group education on the quality of life and depression in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Eighty patients with definite AS were allocated randomly to either the education or control group. The education group (n = 40) was subjected to a peer-led group education program about disease and was given an educational booklet, while the control group (n = 40) was given the educational booklet only. Levels of quality of life and depression were measured at baseline, immediately after education (fourth week) and at 6 months in both groups. The results are based on 56 (n = 27, education group; n = 29, control group) patients. The level of quality of life and depressive symptoms were not changed except for a deterioration in the social functioning subgroup of Short From (SF)-36 in both groups. When the groups were compared, there were no significant differences between changes in social functioning scores. Peer-led education did not alter quality of life levels and depression scores. However, because of the maintainance of quality of life levels, this type of intervention may be considered as a supplementary intervention to the standard medical care for management of AS. © 2013 Asia Pacific League of Associations for Rheumatology and Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Peer Facilitated Writing Groups: A Programmatic Approach to Doctoral Student Writing

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Vijay; Aitchison, Claire

2018-01-01

Very few empirical studies have investigated programmes in which doctoral students act as peer facilitators in faculty writing groups. We report on the development of a centrally delivered doctoral student writing programme in which twenty student participants were mentored and provided with the resources to initiate their own faculty-based…

The Effectiveness of Peer Tutoring in Remedying Misconceptions of Operating System Concepts: A Design-Based Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Çakiroglu, Ünal; Öngöz, Sakine

2017-01-01

This study attempted to examine students' experiences on collaborative work with peer tutoring in projects. The study also focused impact of peer tutoring on remedying misconceptions. The study was conducted in the context of an operating system course in which 30 pre-service ICT teachers are the participants. Data were gathered from pre-tests,…

Technology enhanced peer learning and peer assessment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Henriksen, Christian Bugge; Bregnhøj, Henrik; Rosthøj, Susanne

2016-01-01

This paper explores the application of learning designs featuring formalised and structured technology enhanced peer learning. These include student produced learning elements, peer review discussions and peer assessment in the BSc/MSc level summer course Restoration of European Ecosystems...... and Freshwaters (REEF), the Master thesis preparation seminars for the Master of Public Health (MPH) and the MOOC course Global Environmental Management (GEM). The application of student produced learning elements and peer review discussions is investigated by analyzing quotes from course evaluations...... and performing focus group interviews. The application of peer assessment is investigated by analyzing the agreement of peer assessment between students assessing the same assignment. Our analyses confirm previous research on the value of peer learning and peer assessment and we argue that there could also...

How Cultural Differences Affect Written and Oral Communication: The Case of Peer Response Groups.

Science.gov (United States)

Nelson, Gayle L.

1997-01-01

Peer response groups contribute to students' effectiveness as writers in any field, but cultural differences in communication affect interactions within the group. Culture-based dimensions on which communication may differ include individualism/collectivism, power distance, concept of "face," and communication style. Recommendations are…

Emergence of Yalom's therapeutic factors in a peer-led, asynchronous, online support group for family caregivers.

Science.gov (United States)

Diefenbeck, Cynthia A; Klemm, Paula R; Hayes, Evelyn R

2014-01-01

Support groups fill a critical void in the health care system, harnessing the power of shared experiences to provide support to group members. Likewise, family caregivers fill a void in the health care system, providing billions in unpaid care to the chronically ill. Caregiver support groups offer an opportunity for alleviating the psychological burden of caregiving. The power of any group, including a support group, to foster psychological well-being lies in its ability to cultivate Yalom's therapeutic factors. Gaps in the literature remain regarding the ability of non-prototypical groups to promote therapeutic mechanisms of change. The purpose of this study was to determine if and when Yalom's therapeutic group factors emerged in a peer-led support group delivered in an asynchronous, online format. Qualitative content analysis utilizing deductive category application was employed. Participants' responses were coded and frequency counts were conducted. Results revealed that 9 of 11 therapeutic factors emerged over the course of the group, with Group Cohesiveness, Catharsis, Imparting of Information, and Universality occurring most often. Several factors, including Interpersonal Learning, Corrective Recapitulation of the Primary Family Group, Imitative Behavior, and Development of Socializing Techniques were absent or virtually absent, likely due to the peer-led format of the group. Progression of therapeutic factors over the course of the group is presented. Findings demonstrate the presence of a variety of Yalom's therapeutic factors in an asynchronous, peer-led online support group.

The effectiveness of peer support groups in psychosis : a randomized controlled trial

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Castelein, S.; Bruggeman, R.; van Busschbach, J. T.; van der Gaag, M.; Stant, A. D.; Knegtering, H.; Wiersma, D.

Objective: To investigate the effect of a (minimally) guided peer support group (GPSG) for people with psychosis on social network, social support, self-efficacy, self-esteem, and quality of life, and to evaluate the intervention and its economic consequences. Method: In a multi-center randomized

Children with autism spectrum disorder and social skills groups at school: a randomized trial comparing intervention approach and peer composition.

Science.gov (United States)

Kasari, Connie; Dean, Michelle; Kretzmann, Mark; Shih, Wendy; Orlich, Felice; Whitney, Rondalyn; Landa, Rebecca; Lord, Catherine; King, Bryan

2016-02-01

Peer relationships improve for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in clinic-based social skills groups but rarely generalize to real world contexts. This study compares child outcomes of two social skills interventions conducted in schools with children in Kindergarten through fifth grade. Children with ASD were randomized to one of two interventions that varied on group composition (mixed typical and ASD vs. all ASD or social difficulties) and intervention approach (didactic SKILLS based vs. activity-based ENGAGE groups). Interventions were implemented at school for 8 weeks (16 sessions) with an 8-week follow-up. Innovative measures of peer nomination and playground peer engagement, as well as teacher reports of child behavior problems and teacher-child relationship were analyzed for 137 children with ASD across four sites. On the primary outcome of social network connections from the peer nomination measure, there was no main effect of treatment, but there were moderator effects. Children with low teacher-child closeness or high conflict improved more in their social connections if they received the SKILLS intervention, whereas children with higher teacher-child closeness improved more if they received the ENGAGE intervention. Only two secondary outcome measures yielded significant effects of treatment. Children in the SKILLS groups increased peer engagement and decreased isolation during recess. Child behavior problems and teacher-child closeness moderated peer engagement such that children with higher behavior problems and lower closeness benefitted more from SKILLS groups. These findings suggest that social skills groups conducted at school can affect both peer engagement during recess as well as peer acceptability. Child characteristics and teacher-child relationship prior to intervention yield important information on who might benefit from a specific social skills intervention. © 2015 Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

Family Decision-Making Style, Peer Group Affiliation and Prior Academic Achievement as Predictors of the Academic Achievement of African American Students

Science.gov (United States)

Engerman, Kimarie

2006-01-01

A study analyzed family decision-making style, peer group affiliation, and academic achievement in 10th grade as predictors of academic achievement of African American students in 12th grade. Findings indicated that though peer groups were known to influence academic performance, affiliation with learning oriented peers in 10th grade did not…

How Do Peers Impact Learning? An Experimental Investigation of Peer-To-Peer Teaching and Ability Tracking

OpenAIRE

Kimbrough, Erik O.; McGee, Andrew; Shigeoka, Hitoshi

2017-01-01

Classroom peers are believed to influence learning by teaching each other, and the efficacy of this teaching likely depends on classroom composition in terms of peers' ability. Unfortunately, little is known about peer-to-peer teaching because it is never observed in field studies. Furthermore, identifying how peer-to-peer teaching is affected by ability tracking – grouping students of similar ability – is complicated by the fact that tracking is typically accompanied by changes in curriculum...

Can peers rate reliably as experts in small CSCL groups?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Magnisalis, Ioannis; Demetriadis, Stavros; Papadopoulos, Pantelis M.

2016-01-01

Research on the impact of peer rating (PR) has provided encouraging results, as a method to foster collaborative learning and improve its outcomes. The scope of this paper is to discuss peer rating towards two specific directions that usually are neglected in the CSCL field, namely: (a) coaching...... of objective anonymous peer rating through a rubric, and (b) provision of peer rating summary information during collaboration. The case study utilized an asynchronous CSCL tool with the two aforementioned capabilities. Initial results showed that peer rating, when anonymous, and guided, can be as reliable...

A peer-to-peer platform for decentralized logistics

OpenAIRE

Gallay, Olivier; Korpela, Kari; Tapio, Niemi; Nurminen, Jukka K.; Kersten, Wolfgang; Blecker, Thorsten; Ringle, Christian M.

2017-01-01

We introduce a novel platform for decentralized logistics, the aim of which is to magnify and accelerate the impact offered by the integration of the most recent advances in Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to multi-modal freight operations. The essence of our peer-to-peer (P2P) framework distributes the management of the logistics operations to the multiple actors according to their available computational resources. As a result, this new approach prevents the dominant playe...

SALTO guidelines. Guidelines for peer review of long term operation and ageing management of nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2008-01-01

The average age of nuclear power plants (NPPs) connected to the grid worldwide is increasing. About 20% of all the power reactors operating worldwide have been in operation for more than 30 years, and almost 50% have been in operation for 20 to 30 years, while a rather limited number of new NPPs are being put into operation. In view of this trend, many countries are giving a high priority to continuing the operation of NPPs beyond the time frame originally anticipated (e.g. 30 or 40 years). Long term operation (LTO) for NPPs is operation beyond the established time frame originally set forth by the license term, design limits, standards or regulations. LTO needs to be justified by a safety assessment considering life limiting processes and features for structures, systems and components. Proper and safe LTO is based on the experience and practices of various countries in areas such as plant license renewal, life extension, continued operation and life management. Other activities, including periodic safety review, ageing management and plant modification, are also relevant to LTO. Ageing management of an NPP is an important activity that must be considered before and in conjunction with the decision to enter LTO. Ageing management of NPPs deals with the physical ageing of structures, systems and components (SSCs) that can result in the degradation of their performance characteristics. Thus ageing management helps ensure that SSCs important to safety remain capable of performing their required safety functions. An effective ageing management programme (AMP) is a key element of the safe and reliable operation of NPPs during the originally planned time frame originally planned for their operation, as well as for the period of LTO. In order to assist Member States in managing ageing effectively, the IAEA is developing related safety standards and guidance publications. International peer review is a useful tool for Member States to exchange experience, learn from each

Writing for publication in medical education: the benefits of a faculty development workshop and peer writing group.

Science.gov (United States)

Steinert, Yvonne; McLeod, Peter J; Liben, Stephen; Snell, Linda

2008-01-01

Although educational innovations in medical education are increasing in number, many educators do not submit their ideas for publication. The goal of this initiative was to assist faculty members write about their educational innovations. Twenty-four faculty members participated in this intervention, which consisted of a half-day workshop, three peer writing groups, and independent study. We assessed the impact of this intervention through post-workshop evaluations, a one-year follow-up questionnaire, tracking of manuscript submissions, and an analysis of curriculum vitae. The workshop evaluations and one-year follow-up demonstrated that participants valued the workshop small groups, self-instructional workbook, and peer support and feedback provided by the peer writing groups. One year later, nine participants submitted a total of 14 manuscripts, 11 of which were accepted for publication. In addition, 10 participants presented a total of 38 abstracts at educational meetings. Five years later, we reviewed the curriculum vitae of all participants who had published or presented their educational innovation. Although the total number of publications remained the same, the number of educationally-related publications and presentations at scientific meetings increased considerably. A faculty development workshop and peer writing group can facilitate writing productivity and presentations of scholarly work in medical education.

Atomic Questions Group peer review mission to Bulgaria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vapirev, E.; Georgiev, J.; Sabinov, S.

2004-01-01

The objective of the Atomic Questions Group (AQG) peer review mission (17-19 Nov 2003) was to monitor the status of the recommendations contained in the 2001 Report on Nuclear Safety in the Context of Enlargement focusing specifically those recommendations identified in the 2002 Peer Review Status Report as requiring further attention or monitoring. Most AQG/WPNS 2001 recommendations were found as adequately addressed with the exception of the following to which Bulgaria was expected to devote further attention: 2nd General Recommendation NPP type I regarding Safety Analysis Reports (SARs); 1st Specific Recommendation NPP type I regarding the new nuclear legislation; 1st General Recommendation Other Nuclear Installations type II regarding the storage of radioactive waste. In addition WPNS recommended further monitoring of the following commitments: 1st General Recommendation NPP type I regarding the plant specific safety improvement programmes - to ensure that the programmes are completed in accordance with the plans; 2nd General Recommendation NPP type I regarding Safety Analysis Reports (SARs) - to ensure that the SARs are completed in accordance with the plans; 2nd General Recommendation NPP type I regarding Emergency Operating Procedures (EOPs) - to ensure the completion of work on EOPs in accordance with the plans and so that these provide for the development of appropriate guidance on the management of beyond design basis accidents; 2nd Specific Recommendation NPP type I regarding the resources of the regulator - to ensure that adequate human and financial resources will be provided according to the developed plan; 5th Specific Recommendation NPP type I regarding the implementation of specific upgrading improvements at Kozloduy units 3 and 4- to specifically follow these items during the monitoring associated with 1st General recommendation NPP type I, Upgrading programme; 6th Specific Recommendation NPP type I regarding high-energy pipe breaks at Kozloduy

A Multi-Peer Assessment Platform for Programming Language Learning: Considering Group Non-Consensus and Personal Radicalness

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yanqing; Liang, Yaowen; Liu, Luning; Liu, Ying

2016-01-01

Multi-peer assessment has often been used by teachers to reduce personal bias and make the assessment more reliable. This study reviews the design and development of multi-peer assessment systems that detect and solve two common issues in such systems: non-consensus among group members and personal radicalness in some assessments. A multi-peer…

Leadership and characteristics of nonprofit mental health peer-run organizations nationwide.

Science.gov (United States)

Ostrow, Laysha; Hayes, Stephania L

2015-04-01

Mental health peer-run organizations are nonprofits providing venues for support and advocacy among people diagnosed as having mental disorders. It has been proposed that consumer involvement is essential to their operations. This study reported organizational characteristics of peer-run organizations nationwide and how these organizations differ by degree of consumer control. Data were from the 2012 National Survey of Peer-Run Organizations. The analyses described the characteristics of the organizations (N=380) on five domains of nonprofit research, comparing results for organizations grouped by degree of involvement by consumers in the board of directors. Peer-run organizations provided a range of supports and educational and advocacy activities and varied in their capacity and resources. Some variation was explained by the degree of consumer control. These organizations seemed to be operating consistently with evidence on peer-run models. The reach of peer-run organizations, and the need for in-depth research, continues to grow.

"Remember to Hand out Medals": Peer Rating and Expertise in a Question-and-Answer Study Group

Science.gov (United States)

Ponti, Marisa

2015-01-01

This article reports on an exploratory study of giving medals as part of a peer rating system in a question-and-answer (Q&A) study group on Python, a programming language. There are no professional teachers tutoring learners. The study aimed to understand whether and how medals, awarded to responses in a peer-based learning environment, can…

Moderating effect of peer group environment on consumer predisposition towards premium promotions: A study on young urban consumers in India

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Subhojit Banerjee

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The role of peer-group environment as an influencing factor in purchase decisions is well established. This paper broadens the above premise and studies the influence of peer-group environment on an individual's promotional choice in the context of premium promotions or freebies. Two sets of college students with distinctive peer-group settings in terms of their academic pursuit and residential details have been considered for the study. Discriminant analysis shows that higher interaction and educational orientation of group members influence the customer's promotional preference. Students pursuing professionally oriented courses had a distinctively higher preference for premium-promotions that were hedonic.

Assessing the Reliability of Self- and Peer Rating in Student Group Work

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Bo; Johnston, Lucy; Kilic, Gulsen Bagci

2008-01-01

Peer and self-ratings have been strongly recommended as the means to adjust individual contributions to group work. To evaluate the quality of student ratings, previous research has primarily explored the validity of these ratings, as indicated by the degree of agreement between student and teacher ratings. This research describes a…

The impact of self-transcendence on physical health status promotion in multiple sclerosis patients attending peer support groups.

Science.gov (United States)

JadidMilani, Maryam; Ashktorab, Tahereh; AbedSaeedi, Zhila; AlaviMajd, Hamid

2015-12-01

This study aimed to investigate the effect of self-transcendence on the physical health of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients attending peer support groups. This study was a quasi-experimental before-and-after design including 33 MS patients in three groups: 10 men in the men-only group, 11 women in the women-only group, and 12 men and women in the mixed group. Participants were required to attend eight weekly sessions of 2 h each. Instruments included the physical health section of the Multiple Sclerosis Quality of Life Inventory and Reed's Self-Transcendence Scale. Peer support group attendance was found to have a significant positive effect on the physical health and self-transcendence of MS patients when comparing average scores before and after attendance. Regression analysis showed that improvement in self-transcendence predicted improvement in physical health. Results show the positive effects of peer support groups on self-transcendence and physical health in MS patients, and suggest that improvement in well-being can be gained by promoting self-transcendence and physical health. © 2015 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Social Defense: An Evolutionary-Developmental Model of Children's Strategies for Coping with Threat in the Peer Group

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Meredith J. Martin

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Navigating the ubiquitous conflict, competition, and complex group dynamics of the peer group is a pivotal developmental task of childhood. Difficulty negotiating these challenges represents a substantial source of risk for psychopathology. Evolutionary developmental psychology offers a unique perspective with the potential to reorganize the way we think about the role of peer relationships in shaping how children cope with the everyday challenges of establishing a social niche. To address this gap, we utilize the ethological reformulation of the emotional security theory as a guide to developing an evolutionary framework for advancing an understanding of the defense strategies children use to manage antagonistic peer relationships and protect themselves from interpersonal threat (Davies and Sturge-Apple, 2007. In this way, we hope to illustrate the value of an evolutionary developmental lens in generating unique theoretical insight and novel research directions into the role of peer relationships in the development of psychopathology.

Students' use of Facebook for peer-to-peer learning

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dalsgaard, Christian

are using Facebook groups to help each other with all kinds of school-related matters, including issues relating directly to academic subjects. Based on the findings from the study, the paper concludes that there is an educational potential of Facebook groups in supporting peer-to-peer learning between...

Innovations in scholarly peer review at Nature Publishing Group and Palgrave Macmillan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amy Bourke-Waite

2015-07-01

Full Text Available The peer-review system is one of the cornerstones of quality, integrity and reproducibility in research, and its existence has enabled the scholarly publishing system to function for hundreds of years. Yet, it is beset by challenges ranging from perceived bias to lack of transparency, and the system is groaning beneath the weight of the vastly increasing quantity of research being published every year. This article lays out some of the challenges, reports on a survey of Nature Publishing Group and Palgrave Macmillan authors, and examines a number of pilots. The community feedback gained should ultimately help to improve the experience and service provided in future to the authors, peer reviewers and editorial board members of its journals.

[Peer teaching and peer assessment are appropriate tools in medical education in otorhinolaryngology].

Science.gov (United States)

Kemper, M; Linke, J; Zahnert, T; Neudert, M

2014-06-01

The use of student tutors (peers) is an accepted method in medical education. In 2011, final year students of the otorhinolaryngology (ORL) department of the University Hospital in Dresden were appointed as peers for the clinical ORL examination. They assisted in the instruction of the clinical ORL examination (peer teaching, PT) and served as examiners (peer assessment, PA) in the final objective structured clinical examination (OSCE). The effect on the quality of education and examination was examined. 248 medical students (5(th) year) were divided in 2 groups. They were trained and finally examined in the standardized clinical ORL examination by peers and/or physicians. Group I (n=118) was exclusively trained and examined by physicians and group II (n=130) by peers and physicians. The results of the OSCE were stratified for the 2 groups and in group II for the subgroups according to the instructors' and examiners' qualification (peer or physician). The students evaluated the internship and the instructors' and examiners' quality with a validated questionnaire. In the OSCE, group I scored in the mean 59.9±4.9 points (max. 65). In group II the mean score was 58.3±4.3 points examined by the peers and 59.5±4.8 points for same performance assessed by the physicians. There were no statistical significant differences in the examination results when stratified for the instructors' and examiners' qualification. The evaluation results were consistently positive and identical when compared to the previous year without use of PT and PA and between the 2 groups and subgroups. When using a standardized clinical examination routine peers can be used for PT and PA to appropriate tools in student's medical education without any decrease in the teaching and examination quality. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Reducing the volume of antibiotic prescriptions: a peer group intervention among physicians serving a community with special ethnic characteristics.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilf-Miron, Rachel; Ron, Naama; Ishai, Shlomit; Chory, Hana; Abboud, Louis; Peled, Ronit

2012-05-01

Antibiotics are a front-line weapon against many infectious diseases. However, antibiotic overuse is the key driver of drug resistance. Previously published studies have suggested benefits of using peer-to-peer education, working with group leaders to build trust and maintain confidentiality within a quality initiative. We hypothesized that working with physicians as a peer group might be beneficial in influencing antibiotic prescribing patterns. To describe and evaluate a peer group model for an intervention to reduce the volume of antibiotic prescriptions among physicians with above average prescribing rates serving an Arab community in northern Israel. Primary care physicians in a defined geographic area who served Arab communities and had high antibiotic prescribing rates--defined as above average number of antibiotic prescriptions per office visit compared with regional and organizational averages--were recruited for the intervention. All other physicians from the same region served as a comparison group. The intervention was administered during 2007 and was completed in early 2008. Four structured meetings scheduled 2 months apart, in which the group explored the issues related to antibiotic overuse, included the following topics: adherence to clinical guidelines; the special position physicians serving Arab communities hold and the influence it has on their practices; pressure due to consumer demands; and suggestions for possible strategies to face ethnic sensitivity, mainly because of the special ties the physicians have with their communities. T-tests for independent samples were used to perform between-group comparisons for each quarter and year of observation from 2006 through 2010, and t-tests for paired samples were used to compare pre-intervention with post-intervention antibiotic prescribing rates. In the 2006 pre-intervention period, the antibiotic prescribing rates were 0.17 for the peer group (n = 11 physicians) and 0.15 for the comparison group

Popularity in the Peer Group and Victimization within Friendship Cliques during Early Adolescence

Science.gov (United States)

Closson, Leanna M.; Watanabe, Lori

2018-01-01

Victimization has been primarily studied within the broader peer group, leaving other potentially important contexts, such as friendship cliques, unexplored. This study examined the role of popularity in identifying protective factors that buffer against victimization within early adolescents' (N = 387) friendship cliques. Previously identified…

Weight of the Shortest Path to the First Encountered Peer in a Peer Group of Size m

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van Mieghem, P.; Tang, S.

We model the weight (e.g. delay, distance or cost) from an arbitrary node to the nearest (in weight) peer in a peer-to-peer (P2P) network. The exact probability generating function and an asymptotic analysis is presented for a random graph with i.i.d. exponential link weights. The asymptotic

How Peer Pressure Shapes Consensus, Leadership, and Innovations in Social Groups

Science.gov (United States)

Estrada, Ernesto; Vargas-Estrada, Eusebio

2013-10-01

What is the effect of the combined direct and indirect social influences--peer pressure (PP)--on a social group's collective decisions? We present a model that captures PP as a function of the socio-cultural distance between individuals in a social group. Using this model and empirical data from 15 real-world social networks we found that the PP level determines how fast a social group reaches consensus. More importantly, the levels of PP determine the leaders who can achieve full control of their social groups. PP can overcome barriers imposed upon a consensus by the existence of tightly connected communities with local leaders or the existence of leaders with poor cohesiveness of opinions. A moderate level of PP is also necessary to explain the rate at which innovations diffuse through a variety of social groups.

How peer pressure shapes consensus, leadership, and innovations in social groups.

Science.gov (United States)

Estrada, Ernesto; Vargas-Estrada, Eusebio

2013-10-09

What is the effect of the combined direct and indirect social influences--peer pressure (PP)--on a social group's collective decisions? We present a model that captures PP as a function of the socio-cultural distance between individuals in a social group. Using this model and empirical data from 15 real-world social networks we found that the PP level determines how fast a social group reaches consensus. More importantly, the levels of PP determine the leaders who can achieve full control of their social groups. PP can overcome barriers imposed upon a consensus by the existence of tightly connected communities with local leaders or the existence of leaders with poor cohesiveness of opinions. A moderate level of PP is also necessary to explain the rate at which innovations diffuse through a variety of social groups.

High school students' knowledge and experience with a peer who committed or attempted suicide: a focus group study.

Science.gov (United States)

Shilubane, Hilda N; Ruiter, Robert A C; Bos, Arjan E R; Reddy, Priscilla S; van den Borne, Bart

2014-10-18

Suicide is a major public health problem for adolescents in South Africa, and also affects those associated with them. Peers become more important during adolescence and can be a significant source of social support. Because peers may be the first to notice psychological problems among each other, the present study's objectives were to assess students' knowledge about suicide, perceived risk factors, signs of poor mental health in adolescents who committed suicide, students' awareness of available mental health care and resources, and beliefs about prevention. This qualitative study used focus group discussions to elicit the thoughts and feelings of high school students who had a peer who committed or attempted suicide. Peers and class mates of suicide attempters and suicide completers were identified with the help of a social worker and school management and were invited to participate. All focus group discussions were audio taped and analyzed. A total of 56 adolescents (13-19 years of age) from Limpopo schools in South Africa participated in six focus group discussions. The data were analyzed by NVivo version 8, using an inductive approach. Participants reported to be affected by the suicide attempt or completed suicide. They felt guilty about their failure to identify and prevent the suicide and displayed little knowledge of warning signs for suicidal behaviour. They identified several risk factors for the suicide of their peers, such as poor relationship issues, teenage pregnancy, punishment, and attention seeking behaviour. Resources for students with mental health problems and survivors of suicide attempts were not perceived to be available at schools and elsewhere. School-based suicide prevention programs based on theory and evidence are necessary. Such interventions should also focus on detection of mental health problems by peers. Counseling services for students with mental health problems and suicide survivors should be available and made known to

Retaining and Reclaiming Ourselves: Reflections on a Peer Mentoring Group Experience for New African American Women Professors

Science.gov (United States)

Packer-Williams, Catherine L.; Evans, Kathy M.

2011-01-01

This article reports on the results of a qualitative study of new African American female professors' participation in a peer mentoring group. Three key themes that emerged from the data included peer mentoring as a vehicle to process and cope effectively with microaggressions, increase positive self-identity and self-efficacy as a scholar, and…

A peer mentoring group for junior clinician educators: four years' experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Lord, Julie A; Mourtzanos, Emmanuel; McLaren, Kimberly; Murray, Suzanne B; Kimmel, Ryan J; Cowley, Deborah S

2012-03-01

To study the effect of a peer mentoring group (PMG). Six junior clinician educator faculty and one senior faculty at the University of Washington Medical Center's Department of Psychiatry formed a PMG in 2006. The PMG had 30 meetings during 2006-2010. Group format, goals, and meeting agendas were determined solely by participants. Feedback about positive and negative outcomes of participation in the PMG was determined by open-ended response to three sets of questions; qualitative analysis was performed by an outside research consultant. Program evaluation revealed benefits and undesirable or unintended outcomes. Reported benefits were increased workplace satisfaction; improved social connection; increased professional productivity and personal growth/development through accountability, collaboration, mutual learning, support, and information sharing; synergy, collaboration, and diversity of thought; increased involvement in professional activities; opportunity for peer discussions in a safe environment; and increased accountability and motivation. Undesirable or unintentional outcomes were exclusivity, lack of hierarchy, scheduling of meetings, absence of an intentional curriculum, diverse and competing interests, personal-professional enmeshment, and occasional loss of focus due to overemphasis on personal matters. Every member of the PMG was retained, and scholarly productivity increased, as did collaboration with other group members. Participants in this PMG experienced qualitative benefits and perceived advantages in career advancement and scholarly productivity. Negative consequences did not deter participation in the PMG or outweigh benefits. The self-sufficient and low-cost structure makes it particularly portable.

Adolescent personality factors in self-ratings and peer nominations and their prediction of peer acceptance and peer rejection.

Science.gov (United States)

Scholte, R H; van Aken, M A; van Lieshout, C F

1997-12-01

In this study, the robustness of the Big Five personality factors in adolescents' self-ratings and peer nominations was investigated. Data were obtained on 2,001 adolescents attending secondary school (885 girls; 1,116 boys; M age = 14.5 years). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses on the self-ratings confirmed the Big Five personality factors. In contrast, exploratory analysis on the peer nominations revealed five different factors: Aggression-Inattentiveness, Achievement-Withdrawal, Self-Confidence, Sociability, and Emotionality-Nervousness. It is suggested that peers evaluate group members not in terms of their personality but in terms of their group reputation. Peer evaluations contributed substantially to the prediction of peer acceptance and rejection; the Big Five personality factors based on self-ratings did not.

ALMA Array Operations Group process overview

Science.gov (United States)

Barrios, Emilio; Alarcon, Hector

2016-07-01

ALMA Science operations activities in Chile are responsibility of the Department of Science Operations, which consists of three groups, the Array Operations Group (AOG), the Program Management Group (PMG) and the Data Management Group (DMG). The AOG includes the Array Operators and have the mission to provide support for science observations, operating safely and efficiently the array. The poster describes the AOG process, management and operational tools.

Co-evolution of Friendships and Antipathies: A Longitudinal Study of Preschool Peer Groups

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

João R. Daniel

2016-10-01

Full Text Available We used stochastic actor-based models to test whether the developmental dynamics of friendships and antipathies in preschool peer groups (followed throughout three school years were co-dependent. We combined choices from three sociometric tasks of 142 children to identify friendship and antipathy ties and used SIENA to model network dynamics. Our results show that different social processes drive the development of friendship and antipathy ties, and that they do not develop in association (i.e., friendship ties are not dependent on existing antipathies, and vice-versa. These results differ from those of older children (age range = 10-14 suggesting that the interplay of friendship and antipathy only plays a significant role in the peer group context in older children. We propose these differences to be likely related with preschool age children’s inaccurate perceptions of their classmates’ relationships, particularly of their antipathies, and/or with the absence of shared norms to deal with antipathetic relationships.

Intra-group Stigma: Examining Peer Relationships Among Women in Recovery for Addictions.

Science.gov (United States)

Gunn, Alana J; Canada, Kelli E

This grounded theory study explores how women with histories of addiction perceive stigma while in treatment. In-depth interviews were conducted with 30 women participating in a residential drug treatment center. Previous research has found that support from peers during recovery can be critical to managing illnesses. In fact, researchers have postulated that peers can be a more effective form of support than even family. This study extends existing literature indicating that peer support systems can be supportive, however they can also can be perceived as negative support that impose stigmas. Findings reveal that women perceive stigmas due to how various types of drug use violate societal expectations and conflict with notions of deservingness. Specifically, the "hard users" (i.e., women who use heroin or crack cocaine) perceive stigmas regarding how their drug use violates norms of womanhood. Moreover, the "soft users" (i.e., those who use alcohol or marijuana) perceive stigmas that their drug use is considered undeserving of support. This paper explores the factors that contribute to stigma amongst populations who potentially face marginalization from larger society. Implications for treatment and group work are discussed.

Cross-year peer tutoring on internal medicine wards: results of a qualitative focus group analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Krautter M

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Markus Krautter,1 Sven Andreesen,2 Nadja Köhl-Hackert,2 Katja Hoffmann,3 Wolfgang Herzog,2 Christoph Nikendei2 1Department of Nephrology, University of Heidelberg, 2Department of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatics, University of Heidelberg Medical Hospital, 3Department of General Practice and Health Services Research, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany Background: Peer-assisted learning (PAL has become a well-accepted teaching method within medical education. However, descriptions of on-ward PAL programs are rare. A focus group analysis of a newly established PAL program on an internal medicine ward was conducted to provide insights into PAL teaching from a student perspective.Purpose: To provide insights into students' experiences regarding their on-ward training with and without accompanying PAL tutors.Methods: A total of N=168 medical students in their sixth semester participated in the investigation (intervention group: N=88; control group: N=80. The intervention group took part in the PAL program, while the control group received standard on-ward training. There were seven focus groups with N=43 participants (intervention group: four focus groups, N=28 participants; control group: three focus groups, N=15 participants. The discussions were analyzed using content analysis.Results: The intervention group emphasized the role of the tutors as competent and well-trained teachers, most beneficial in supervising clinical skills. Tutors motivate students, help them to integrate into the ward team, and provide a non-fear-based working relationship whereby students' anxiety regarding working on ward decreases. The control group had to rely on autodidactic learning strategies when neither supervising physicians nor final-year students were available.Conclusion: On-ward PAL programs represent a particularly valuable tool for students' support in training clinical competencies on ward. The tutor–student working alliance

Shaping Understanding of HIV through Negotiation and Conflict Resolution during Peer Group Discussion

Science.gov (United States)

Patel, Vimla L.; Branch, Timothy; Gutnik, Lily; Arocha, Jose F.

2006-01-01

High-risk behavior in youths related to HIV transmission continues to occur despite large-scale efforts to disseminate information about safe sexual practices through education. Our study examined the relationships among knowledge, decision-making strategies, and risk assessment about HIV by youths during peer group focused discussions. Two focus…

"Understanding my ALS". Experiences and reflections of persons with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and relatives on participation in peer group rehabilitation.

Science.gov (United States)

Madsen, Louise Sofia; Jeppesen, Jørgen; Handberg, Charlotte

2018-01-26

The aim of this study was to gain insight into experiences and reflections of persons with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and relatives concerning the peer group rehabilitation programme "More Life - Less Illness". This qualitative study used the Interpretive Description methodology with Symbolic Interactionism as the analytical framework. Eighteen programme participants representing persons with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (n = 8) and relatives (n = 10) were included. Data consisted of individual interviews and participant observation. The analysis revealed two categorical themes, "Sense of Community Building" and "Understanding my ALS", which represented the participants' experiences and reflections on peer group rehabilitation. Through the analysis, it became apparent that "Sense of Community Building" gave rise to an increased and personalised understanding of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis among the participants. As a part of the continuous processing of the knowledge gained, "Facing Facts" and "Retaining Normality" appeared as subthemes regarding the participants' ability to live a less dependent and more meaningful life. This study of peer group rehabilitation for persons with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and relatives indicates that programme participation leads to positive experiences in terms of living a shared meaningful life despite severe disability. The findings may guide practice to develop longitudinal peer group rehabilitation programmes with joint inclusion of persons with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and relatives. Implications for Rehabilitation Peer group rehabilitation may facilitate an increased and personalised understanding of what it means to live with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. A programme design with six months of sequential sessions enables a continuous processing of shared experiences and gained knowledge. Joint participation of persons with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and their relatives supports both their internal

The social world of street children : street children's peer friendship, group life and subculture in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

OpenAIRE

Fikre, Kaleab

2016-01-01

This study attempts to explore the street children’s social world, focusing on their peer friendship, group life, and street subculture in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The study shows how street children’s peer friendship, street group, and subculture are part and parcel of children’s quest for survival in the street in the absence of guardians conventionally considered as responsible for the provision and protection of children. The main perspective of the study is grounded in the p...

Forming identities in residential care for children: Manoeuvring between social work and peer groups

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stokholm, Anja

2009-01-01

in the pedagogical work. This article challenges the implicit understanding that social work is the primary source of identity transformation and that peer group interaction is mainly an obstacle to overcome. On the contrary, this article argues that learning about the social dynamics of the children's group...... is a precondition for understanding how social work influences individual children. © The Author(s), 2009....

Peer mentored teams to support undergraduate group work in higher education

Science.gov (United States)

Cinderey, Lynn Elizabeth

This research starts with a set of practical research questions to investigate a problem which occurs in some computing undergraduate modules that use group work as part of the learning and assessment strategy. In this study final year students with experience in information systems project work and trained in team processes met with small groups of first year computing students with the aim of turning the first year project group into a team. This study seeks to explore the experience of the final year students as they take on the role of peer tutor looking at the problems they perceive within the first year teams and the skills and knowledge they use to help them. The study includes the recruitment and training of final year students (n=9) and allocation to first year teams. The final year students acted as co-researchers and team leaders in L4 Information Systems project work and recorded their thoughts and observations in a diary during the first semester of 2008/9 academic year. Diary data was supplemented by interview data from a sample of final year students (n=4). The sample was selected based on the richness of the data provided in the diaries and the number of meetings held with their teams. Rich data and thick descriptions were essential for a phenomenological examination of the experience of the final year students. A number of findings emerged. A critical approach to analysis revealed ongoing conflicts occurred across cultural divides within the first year teams that final year leaders did not articulate or appear fully aware of. This had important implications for individual team members. Other findings which relate to issues of changing levels of motivation in the teams over the ten weeks, roles adopted by the leaders, ability to systematize the project or team processes and the ability to reflect on unsuccessful strategies also had implications for peer mentoring training and support. The picture that emerged from the data suggested that lack of

Peer-to-peer communication, cancer prevention, and the internet

Science.gov (United States)

Ancker, Jessica S.; Carpenter, Kristen M.; Greene, Paul; Hoffmann, Randi; Kukafka, Rita; Marlow, Laura A.V.; Prigerson, Holly G.; Quillin, John M.

2013-01-01

Online communication among patients and consumers through support groups, discussion boards, and knowledge resources is becoming more common. In this paper, we discuss key methods through which such web-based peer-to-peer communication may affect health promotion and disease prevention behavior (exchanges of information, emotional and instrumental support, and establishment of group norms and models). We also discuss several theoretical models for studying online peer communication, including social theory, health communication models, and health behavior models. Although online peer communication about health and disease is very common, research evaluating effects on health behaviors, mediators, and outcomes is still relatively sparse. We suggest that future research in this field should include formative evaluation and studies of effects on mediators of behavior change, behaviors, and outcomes. It will also be important to examine spontaneously emerging peer communication efforts to see how they can be integrated with theory-based efforts initiated by researchers. PMID:19449267

Effects of Achievement Motivation, Social Identity, and Peer Group Norms on Academic Conformity

Science.gov (United States)

Masland, Lindsay C.; Lease, A. Michele

2013-01-01

This study investigated whether academic achievement motivation and social identity explain variation in children's conformity to positive academic behaviors (n = 455 children in grades three through five). Structural equation modeling suggested that academic value and peer group academic norms were positively related to academic conformity.…

Which peer teaching methods do medical students prefer?

Science.gov (United States)

Jayakumar, Nithish; Srirathan, Danushan; Shah, Rishita; Jakubowska, Agnieszka; Clarke, Andrew; Annan, David; Albasha, Dekan

2016-01-01

The beneficial effects of peer teaching in medical education have been well-described in the literature. However, it is unclear whether students prefer to be taught by peers in small or large group settings. This study's aim was to identify differences in medical students' preferences and perceptions of small-group versus large-group peer teaching. Questionnaires were administered to medical students in Year 3 and Year 4 (first 2 years of clinical training) at one institution in the United Kingdom to identify their experiences and perceptions of small-and large-group peer teaching. For this study, small-group peer teaching was defined as a tutorial, or similar, taught by peer tutor to a group of 5 students or less. Large-group peer teaching was defined as a lecture, or similar, taught by peer tutors to a group of more than 20 students. Seventy-three students (81% response rate) completed the questionnaires (54% males; median age of 23). Nearly 55% of respondents reported prior exposure to small-group peer teaching but a larger proportion of respondents (86%) had previously attended large-group peer teaching. Of all valid responses, 49% did not have a preference of peer teaching method while 47% preferred small-group peer teaching. The majority of Year 3 students preferred small-group peer teaching to no preference (62.5% vs 37.5%, Fisher's exact test; P = 0.035) whereas most Year 4 students did not report a particular preference. Likert-scale responses showed that the majority of students held negative perceptions about large-group peer teaching, in comparison with small-group peer teaching, with respect to (1) interactivity, (2) a comfortable environment to ask questions, and (3) feedback received. Most respondents in this study did not report a preference for small-versus large-group settings when taught by peers. More Year 3 respondents were likely to prefer small-group peer teaching as opposed to Year 4 respondents.

The Effectiveness of Peer Taught Group Sessions of Physiotherapy Students within the Clinical Setting: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Science.gov (United States)

Scott, Dee; Jelsma, Jennifer

2014-01-01

The study aimed to investigate whether learning from peers, learning from a clinical educator, or being the peer teacher during clinical group sessions was more effective at enhancing student learning outcomes for different health conditions. A secondary aim was to determine which method students found more satisfactory. Physiotherapy students at…

Conflict Resolution in the Parent-Child, Marital, and Peer Contexts and Children's Aggression in the Peer Group: A Process-Oriented Cultural Perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Feldman, Ruth; Masalha, Shafiq; Derdikman-Eiron, Ruth

2010-01-01

Theories of socialization propose that children's ability to handle conflicts is learned at home through mechanisms of participation and observation--participating in parent-child conflict and observing the conflicts between parents. We assessed modes of conflict resolution in the parent-child, marriage, and peer-group contexts among 141 Israeli…

Neural sensitivity to social deviance predicts attentive processing of peer-group judgment.

Science.gov (United States)

Schnuerch, Robert; Trautmann-Lengsfeld, Sina Alexa; Bertram, Mario; Gibbons, Henning

2014-01-01

The detection of one's deviance from social norms is an essential mechanism of individual adjustment to group behavior and, thus, for the perpetuation of norms within groups. It has been suggested that error signals in mediofrontal cortex provide the neural basis of such deviance detection, which contributes to later adjustment to the norm. In the present study, we used event-related potentials (ERPs) to demonstrate that, across participants, the strength of mediofrontal brain correlates of the detection of deviance from a peer group's norms was negatively related to attentive processing of the same group's judgments in a later task. We propose that an individual's perception of social deviance might bias basic cognitive processing during further interaction with the group. Strongly perceiving disagreement with a group could cause an individual to avoid or inhibit this group's judgments.

The Alternative Peer Group: A Developmentally Appropriate Recovery Support Model for Adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

Nash, Angela; Collier, Crystal

2016-01-01

Recovery as the goal for substance use disorder treatment has been a key component of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's mission for the past decade. Consistent with their mission, there is a call for research and development of recovery-oriented systems of care to support affected individuals through all stages of the recovery process. Evidence is emerging to support recovery practice and research for adults, but recovery-oriented models for adolescents are scant. The Alternative Peer Group (APG) is a comprehensive adolescent recovery support model that integrates recovering peers and prosocial activities into evidence-based clinical practice. Employing APG participants' own words, this article will describe the essential elements and three theoretical frameworks underlying the APG model to illustrate how the APG serves as a developmentally appropriate recovery support service for adolescents with substance use disorder.

Peer Mentoring Communities of Practice for Early and Mid-Career Faculty: Broad Benefits from a Research-Oriented Female Peer Mentoring Group

Science.gov (United States)

Rees, Amanda; Shaw, Kimberly

2014-01-01

In light of recent interest in the limitations of early and mid-career mentoring (Driscoll et al 2009; Trowers 2011), this case study of a women's scholarly activity and goal setting Community of Practice (CoP) indicates that such groups can offer extensive peer mentoring at one teaching-oriented state university in the United States. Using a…

Conflict Competence of Preschool Children and its Relationship with the Sociometric Status of the Child in the Peer Group

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Denisenkova N.S.,

2015-02-01

Full Text Available The purpose of the study was to investigate the conflict competence of children of preschool age and identification of its relationship with the child's sociometric status in the peer group. The hypothesis of the study was that there is a relationship between the sociometric status of preschoolers in the peer group and the strategy of their behavior in a conflict situation, a conflict of competence. The study involved children (41 children: 22 boys and 19 girls aged 5-7 years, attending preparatory groups in kindergartens in Moscow (in 2011-2013. The study was conducted using an experimental technique "Desk of cooperation" (M. Madsen, aimed at the study of conflict competence, the sociometric technique "Two Houses" (modification by R.I. Govorova, and a survey of educators aimed at identifying the status position in the preschool group peers. According to the survey, we can say that there are qualitative differences in the strategies of behavior in the conflict that children with different sociometric status choose.

Peer-based control in self-managing teams: linking rational and normative influence with individual and group performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Stewart, Greg L; Courtright, Stephen H; Barrick, Murray R

2012-03-01

The authors use a multilevel framework to introduce peer-based control as a motivational state that emerges in self-managing teams. The authors specifically describe how peer-based rational control, which is defined as team members perceiving the distribution of economic rewards as dependent on input from teammates, extends and interacts with the more commonly studied normative control force of group cohesion to explain both individual and collective performance in teams. On the basis of data from 587 factory workers in 45 self-managing teams at 3 organizations, peer-based rational control corresponded with higher performance for both individuals and collective teams. Results further demonstrated that the rational and normative mechanism of peer-based control interacted to explain performance at both the individual and team levels. Increased peer-based rational control corresponded with higher individual and collective performance in teams with low cohesion, but the positive effects on performance were attenuated in cohesive teams.

"Anonymous Meltdown": Content Themes Emerging in a Nonfacilitated, Peer-only, Unstructured, Asynchronous Online Support Group for Family Caregivers.

Science.gov (United States)

Diefenbeck, Cynthia A; Klemm, Paula R; Hayes, Evelyn R

2017-12-01

By providing care for loved ones in the home, family caregivers save millions of dollars for our overtaxed healthcare system. Support groups can lighten the psychological burden of caregiving. Nonprofessionally facilitated (or peer) online caregiver support groups can help meet a critical need in healthcare as a low-cost resource for caregivers. Online caregiver peer support groups can promote the health and well-being of family caregivers and, by extension, the patients themselves, resulting in cost-savings for society. A better understanding of these types of groups is of critical importance, given the unrelenting pace of demographic shift in the United States. The purpose of this study was to examine content themes emerging from an unstructured, asynchronous online peer support group for family caregivers of people with chronic illness. Qualitative content analysis was used, yielding six themes: "experiencing the emotional toll," "need for catharsis/venting," "finding the silver linings," "seeking specific advice/problem solving," "realizing home is no longer a haven," and "adapting to the caregiver role." The themes reflect what emerged organically in an online support group that was not professionally facilitated or structured in any way. Heterogeneity in the relationship between caregivers and care recipients may negatively affect outcomes and requires further study.

Predicting Availability of Mobile Peers in Large Peer-to-Peer Networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sipos, Marton A.; Ekler, Péter

2013-01-01

users and network operators. In these situations, a certain redundancy must be built into the system because the availability of the nodes can vary greatly. The goal of this paper is to present a methodology to minimize the necessary redundancy by predicting the number of available nodes. The prediction......Peer-to-peer (P2P) applications for mobile devices are becoming more and more popular because of increasing bandwidth, computational performance and storage capabilities. Such a mobile based distributed architecture offers significant advantages in several scenarios from the perspective of both...

An educational programme for peer review groups to improve treatment of chronic heart failure and diabetes mellitus type 2 in general practice

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kasje, Willeke N.; Denig, Petra; Stewart, Roy E.; de Graeff, Pieter A.; Haaijer-Ruskamp, Flora M.

2006-01-01

Rationale, aims and objectives Peer review groups are considered helpful for quality improvement in primary care. An interactive educational programme for small peer groups was developed, focusing on the implementation of newly developed treatment guidelines. The aim is to evaluate the effect of the

Moral Disengagement, Normative Beliefs of Peer Group, and Attitudes Regarding Roles in Bullying

Science.gov (United States)

Almeida, Ana; Correia, Isabel; Marinho, Sylvie

2010-01-01

This article examines how moral disengagement, empathy, belief in a just world, and peer group normative beliefs regarding the roles of bully and defender of the victim are associated with attitudes regarding the roles of the bully and the defender of the victim. Two hundred ninety-two students from grades 6-9 participated. Results showed that…

An Example of Large-group Drama and Cross-year Peer Assessment for Teaching Science in Higher Education

Science.gov (United States)

Sloman, Katherine; Thompson, Richard

2010-09-01

Undergraduate students pursuing a three-year marine biology degree programme (n = 86) experienced a large-group drama aimed at allowing them to explore how scientific research is funded and the associated links between science and society. In the drama, Year 1 students played the "general public" who decided which environmental research areas should be prioritised for funding, Year 2 students were the "scientists" who had to prepare research proposals which they hoped to get funded, and Year 3 students were the "research panel" who decided which proposals to fund with input from the priorities set by the "general public". The drama, therefore, included an element of cross-year peer assessment where Year 3 students evaluated the research proposals prepared by the Year 2 students. Questionnaires were distributed at the end of the activity to gather: (1) student perceptions on the cross-year nature of the exercise, (2) the use of peer assessment, and (3) their overall views on the drama. The students valued the opportunity to interact with their peers from other years of the degree programme and most were comfortable with the use of cross-year peer assessment. The majority of students felt that they had increased their knowledge of how research proposals are funded and the perceived benefits of the large-group drama included increased critical thinking ability, confidence in presenting work to others, and enhanced communication skills. Only one student did not strongly advocate the use of this large-group drama in subsequent years.

Peer Support, Self-efficacy, and Combat-related Trauma Symptoms among Returning OIF/OEF Veterans

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ann MacEachron

2012-11-01

Full Text Available The incidence of PTSD and other combat-related trauma symptoms among more than 2 million veterans returning from Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF in Afghanistan suggests that many will experience psychological challenges in adjusting to civilian life. However, the literature is sparse about this new group of veterans. This study examined the relationships between peer support, self-efficacy, and PTSD symptoms among 216 OIF/OEF veterans who had attended 1 of 17 Vets4Vets peer support weekend retreats. Vets4Vets is a national grassroots program whose mission is to improve the psychological well-being of returning OIF/OEF veterans. Analysis of posttest changes indicate the generalizability of previous research findings, based on other groups of trauma-affected groups, to OIF/OEF veterans. As predicted, increased perceived peer support and self-efficacy reduced PTSD symptoms. From a theoretical perspective, we found that both models of self-efficacy, situation-specific (Bandura, 1997; Benight & Bandura, 2004 and general self-efficacy (Schwarzer & Fuchs, 1996, mediated or explained the relationship between peer support and PTSD symptoms. Implications for social work are discussed.

The value of peer reviews to nuclear plant safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Subalusky, W.T. Jr.

1994-01-01

On a global basis, the nuclear utility industry has clearly demonstrated the value of peer reviews for improving nuclear safety and overall plant performance. Peer reviews are conducted by small teams of technical experts who review various aspects of plant operation, recognize strengths and recommend improvements, thereby stimulating a positive response to the recommendations. U.S. nuclear utilities initiated the operator-to-operator peer review process first through the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO). Now, voluntary peer reviews are an important activity of the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO). Formed just five years ago. WANO has made significant progress in its key activities of the operator-to-operator exchanges, operating experience exchange, monitoring of plant performance indicators and sharing of good practices worldwide. A fifth activity, peer review on a strictly voluntary basis, is pertinent to this paper

Using the Solving Problems Together Psychoeducational Group Counseling Model as an Intervention for Negative Peer Pressure

Science.gov (United States)

Hall, Kimberly R.; Rushing, Jeri Lynn; Khurshid, Ayesha

2011-01-01

Problem-focused interventions are considered to be one of the most effective group counseling strategies with adolescents. This article describes a problem-focused group counseling model, Solving Problems Together (SPT), that focuses on working with students who struggle with negative peer pressure. Adapted from the teaching philosophy of…

Music listening in families and peer groups: benefits for young people's social cohesion and emotional well-being across four cultures.

Science.gov (United States)

Boer, Diana; Abubakar, Amina

2014-01-01

Families are central to the social and emotional development of youth, and most families engage in musical activities together, such as listening to music or talking about their favorite songs. However, empirical evidence of the positive effects of musical family rituals on social cohesion and emotional well-being is scarce. Furthermore, the role of culture in the shaping of musical family rituals and their psychological benefits has been neglected entirely. This paper investigates musical rituals in families and in peer groups (as an important secondary socialization context) in two traditional/collectivistic and two secular/individualistic cultures, and across two developmental stages (adolescence vs. young adulthood). Based on cross-sectional data from 760 young people in Kenya, the Philippines, New Zealand, and Germany, our study revealed that across cultures music listening in families and in peer groups contributes to family and peer cohesion, respectively. Furthermore, the direct contribution of music in peer groups on well-being appears across cultural contexts, whereas musical family rituals affect emotional well-being in more traditional/collectivistic contexts. Developmental analyses show that musical family rituals are consistently and strongly related to family cohesion across developmental stages, whereas musical rituals in peer groups appear more dependent on the developmental stage (in interaction with culture). Contributing to developmental as well as cross-cultural psychology, this research elucidated musical rituals and their positive effects on the emotional and social development of young people across cultures. The implications for future research and family interventions are discussed.

Interagency mechanical operations group numerical systems group

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1997-09-01

This report consists of the minutes of the May 20-21, 1971 meeting of the Interagency Mechanical Operations Group (IMOG) Numerical Systems Group. This group looks at issues related to numerical control in the machining industry. Items discussed related to the use of CAD and CAM, EIA standards, data links, and numerical control.

Socialization and Selection Effects in the Association between Weight Conscious Peer Groups and Thin-Ideal Internalization: A Co-Twin Control Study

Science.gov (United States)

Burt, S. Alexandra; O’Connor, Shannon; Thompson, J. Kevin; Klump, Kelly L.

2016-01-01

Affiliation with weight conscious peer groups is theorized to increase thin-ideal internalization through socialization processes. However, selection effects could contribute if genetic and/or environmental predispositions lead to affiliation with weight conscious peers. Co-twin control methodology was used to examine socialization and selection effects in 614 female twins (ages 8–15) from the Michigan State University Twin Registry (MSUTR). Thin-ideal internalization and peer group characteristics were assessed via self-report questionnaires. Results suggested the presence of both socialization and selection effects. In terms of socialization, twins who reported increased exposure to weight conscious peers relative to their co-twins had elevated thin-ideal internalization scores, regardless of zygosity. However, associations between weight conscious peers and thin-ideal internationalization within twin pairs were attenuated, suggesting that genetic and shared environmental selection effects also contribute. Findings significantly extend previous work by confirming the presence of socialization processes and highlighting selection processes to be examined in future longitudinal research. PMID:26859605

Teachers' Promotion or Inhibition of Children's Aggression Depends on Peer-Group Characteristics.

Science.gov (United States)

Peets, Kätlin; Kikas, Eve

2017-01-01

Researchers have increasingly started to pay attention to how contextual factors, such as the classroom peer context and the quality of student-teacher interactions, influence children's aggressive behavior. This longitudinal study was designed to examine the degree to which benefits and costs of different teaching practices (child-centered and child-dominated) would be dependent on the initial peer-group composition (aggregate levels of aggression and victimization at the beginning of first grade). Teachers provided ratings of aggression and victimization (N = 523 first-grade students; M age at the beginning of first grade = 7.49 years, SD = 0.52). Information about different teaching practices was obtained via observations. Our results show that whereas child-centered practices are beneficial in high-victimization classrooms, child-dominated practices inhibit the development of aggression in low-victimization classroom contexts. Our findings highlight the importance of moving beyond main-effect models to studying how different contextual influences interact to promote, or inhibit, the development of aggression.

Gossip in a Smartphone Peer-to-Peer Network

OpenAIRE

Newport, Calvin

2017-01-01

In this paper, we study the fundamental problem of gossip in the mobile telephone model: a recently introduced variation of the classical telephone model modified to better describe the local peer-to-peer communication services implemented in many popular smartphone operating systems. In more detail, the mobile telephone model differs from the classical telephone model in three ways: (1) each device can participate in at most one connection per round; (2) the network topology can undergo a pa...

Music listening in families and peer groups: Benefits for young people's social cohesion and emotional well-being across four cultures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Diana eBoer

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Families are central to the social and emotional development of youth, and most families engage in musical activities together, such as listening to music or talking about their favorite songs. However, empirical evidence of the positive effects of musical family rituals on social cohesion and emotional well-being is scarce. Furthermore, the role of culture in the shaping of musical family rituals and their psychological benefits has been neglected entirely. This paper investigates musical rituals in families and in peer groups (as an important secondary socialization context in two traditional/collectivistic and two secular/individualistic cultures, and across two developmental stages (adolescence vs. young adulthood. Based on cross-sectional data from 760 young people in Kenya, the Philippines, New Zealand and Germany, our study revealed that across cultures music listening in families and in peer groups contributes to family and peer cohesion respectively. Furthermore, the direct contribution of music in peer groups on well-being appears across cultural contexts, whereas musical family rituals affect emotional well-being in more traditional/collectivistic contexts. Developmental analyses show that musical family rituals are consistently and strongly related to family cohesion across developmental stages, whereas musical rituals in peer groups appear more dependent on the developmental stage (in interaction with culture. Contributing to developmental as well as cross-cultural psychology, this research elucidated musical rituals and their positive effects on the emotional and social development of young people across cultures. The implications for future research and family interventions are discussed.

Music listening in families and peer groups: benefits for young people's social cohesion and emotional well-being across four cultures

Science.gov (United States)

Boer, Diana; Abubakar, Amina

2014-01-01

Families are central to the social and emotional development of youth, and most families engage in musical activities together, such as listening to music or talking about their favorite songs. However, empirical evidence of the positive effects of musical family rituals on social cohesion and emotional well-being is scarce. Furthermore, the role of culture in the shaping of musical family rituals and their psychological benefits has been neglected entirely. This paper investigates musical rituals in families and in peer groups (as an important secondary socialization context) in two traditional/collectivistic and two secular/individualistic cultures, and across two developmental stages (adolescence vs. young adulthood). Based on cross-sectional data from 760 young people in Kenya, the Philippines, New Zealand, and Germany, our study revealed that across cultures music listening in families and in peer groups contributes to family and peer cohesion, respectively. Furthermore, the direct contribution of music in peer groups on well-being appears across cultural contexts, whereas musical family rituals affect emotional well-being in more traditional/collectivistic contexts. Developmental analyses show that musical family rituals are consistently and strongly related to family cohesion across developmental stages, whereas musical rituals in peer groups appear more dependent on the developmental stage (in interaction with culture). Contributing to developmental as well as cross-cultural psychology, this research elucidated musical rituals and their positive effects on the emotional and social development of young people across cultures. The implications for future research and family interventions are discussed. PMID:24847296

Development of the Teacher Feedback Observation Scheme: evaluating the quality of feedback in peer groups

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Thurlings, Marieke; Vermeulen, Marjan; Kreijns, Karel; Bastiaens, Theo; Stijnen, Sjef

2018-01-01

Research suggests that feedback is an essential element in learning. This study focuses on feedback that teachers provide in reciprocal peer groups to improve their performance in the classroom. The Teacher Feedback Observation Scheme (TFOS) was developed to identify feedback patterns, which

With a Little Help from my Friends : the role of peer groups in a physics engineering programme

OpenAIRE

Salminen-Karlsson, Minna

2017-01-01

The paper reports on the importance of informal study groups for the academic achievement and social and emotional wellbeing of physics engineering students at one university in Sweden. It is based on interviews with 26 physics engineering students in different phases of their education and 9 staff members - teachers and study advisors. While the programme structure and pedagogy assumes individual study, many students in fact cope with the demanding programme by using peer learning and peer s...

The Effects of Peer-Controlled or Moderated Online Collaboration on Group Problem Solving and Related Attitudes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ke Zhang

2003-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract. This study investigated the relative benefits of peer-controlled and moderated online collaboration during group problem solving. Thirty-five self-selected groups of four or five students were randomly assigned to the two conditions, which used the same online collaborative tool to solve twelve problem scenarios in an undergraduate statistics course. A score for the correctness of the solutions and a reasoning score were analyzed. A survey was administered to reveal differences in students' related attitudes. Three conclusions were reached: 1. Groups assigned to moderated forums displayed significantly higher reasoning scores than those in the peer-controlled condition, but the moderation did not affect correctness of solutions. 2. Students in the moderated forums reported being more likely to choose to use an optional online forum for future collaborations. 3. Students who reported having no difficulty during collaboration reported being more likely to choose to use an optional online forum in the future.

Student Voices: Perspectives on Peer-to-Peer Sexual Health Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Layzer, Carolyn; Rosapep, Lauren; Barr, Sherry

2017-07-01

This process study is a companion to a randomized evaluation of a school-based, peer-led comprehensive sexual health education program, Teen Prevention Education Program (Teen PEP), in which 11th- and 12th-grade students are trained by school health educators to conduct informative workshops with ninth-grade peers in schools in North Carolina. The process study was designed to understand youth participants' perspectives on the program in order to gain insight into program effectiveness. This is a mixed-methods study in 7 schools, with online surveys (N = 88) and 8 focus groups with peer educators (N = 116), end-of-program surveys (N = 1122), 8 focus groups with ninth-grade workshop participants (N = 89), and observations of the Teen PEP class and workshops during the semester of implementation in each school, 2012-2014. Both peer educators and ninth graders perceived benefits of participating in Teen PEP across a range of domains, including intentions, skills, and knowledge and that the peer education modality was important in their valuation of the experience. Our findings suggest that the peer-led comprehensive sexual health education approach embodied in Teen PEP can be an important educational mechanism for teaching students information and skills to promote sexual health. © 2017, American School Health Association.

The effect of peer support groups on family adaptation from the perspective of wives of war veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Vagharseyyedin, Seyyed Abolfazl; Gholami, Mojtaba; Hajihoseini, Morteza; Esmaeili, Aliakbar

2017-11-01

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of peer group support on family adaptation of wives of war veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In this randomized controlled trial, 80 wives of war veterans with PTSD were incorporated, and selected participants were randomly assigned into intervention and control groups (n = 40 per group). The intervention group was divided into four subgroups, with each participating in eight weekly based 1.5-hr peer support group sessions and the control group received no intervention. Demographics form and Family Adaptation Scale (FAS) developed by Antonovsky and Sourani (1988) were applied. The total mean scores of family adaptation increased significantly more in the intervention group than in the control group (p = .033). Furthermore, the time × group interaction effects were significant for internal family fit (p = .013) and a combination of both family fit and family community fit (p = .020) dimensions. Nonetheless family fit dimensions mean scores had no significant increase in the intervention group than the control group over time (p = .948). Peer support group can be a useful tool for health care professionals to enhance family adaptation in spouses of war veterans with PTSD. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Streaming Multimedia via Overlay Networks using Wi-Fi Peer-to-Peer Connections

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Poderys, Justas; Soler, José

2017-01-01

Short range ad-hoc wireless networks can be used to deliver streaming multimedia for information, entertainment and advertisement purposes. To enable short-range communication between various devices, the Wi-Fi Alliance proposed an extension to the IEEE802.11 Wi-Fi standard called Wi-Fi Peer......-to-Peer (P2P). It allows compliant devices to form ad-hoc communication groups without interrupting conventional access point-based Wi-Fi communication. This paper proposes to use Wi-Fi P2P connectivity to distribute streaming multimedia in ah-hoc formed user groups. The exchange of multimedia data...... is performed by forming an overlay network using Peer-to-Peer Streaming Peer Protocol (PPSPP). In order to make PPSPP function over WiFi P2P connections, this paper proposes a number of changes to the protocol. The performance of the proposed system is evaluated using a computer networks emulator...

Peer Led Team Learning in Introductory Biology: Effects on Peer Leader Critical Thinking Skills

Science.gov (United States)

Snyder, Julia J.; Wiles, Jason R.

2015-01-01

This study evaluated hypothesized effects of the Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) instructional model on undergraduate peer leaders’ critical thinking skills. This investigation also explored peer leaders’ perceptions of their critical thinking skills. A quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test with control group design was used to determine critical thinking gains in PLTL/non-PLTL groups. Critical thinking was assessed using the California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST) among participants who had previously completed and been successful in a mixed-majors introductory biology course at a large, private research university in the American Northeast. Qualitative data from open-ended questionnaires confirmed that factors thought to improve critical thinking skills such as interaction with peers, problem solving, and discussion were perceived by participants to have an impact on critical thinking gains. However, no significant quantitative differences in peer leaders’ critical thinking skills were found between pre- and post-experience CCTST measurements or between experimental and control groups. PMID:25629311

Peer led team learning in introductory biology: effects on peer leader critical thinking skills.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Julia J Snyder

Full Text Available This study evaluated hypothesized effects of the Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL instructional model on undergraduate peer leaders' critical thinking skills. This investigation also explored peer leaders' perceptions of their critical thinking skills. A quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test with control group design was used to determine critical thinking gains in PLTL/non-PLTL groups. Critical thinking was assessed using the California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST among participants who had previously completed and been successful in a mixed-majors introductory biology course at a large, private research university in the American Northeast. Qualitative data from open-ended questionnaires confirmed that factors thought to improve critical thinking skills such as interaction with peers, problem solving, and discussion were perceived by participants to have an impact on critical thinking gains. However, no significant quantitative differences in peer leaders' critical thinking skills were found between pre- and post-experience CCTST measurements or between experimental and control groups.

Peer led team learning in introductory biology: effects on peer leader critical thinking skills.

Science.gov (United States)

Snyder, Julia J; Wiles, Jason R

2015-01-01

This study evaluated hypothesized effects of the Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) instructional model on undergraduate peer leaders' critical thinking skills. This investigation also explored peer leaders' perceptions of their critical thinking skills. A quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test with control group design was used to determine critical thinking gains in PLTL/non-PLTL groups. Critical thinking was assessed using the California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST) among participants who had previously completed and been successful in a mixed-majors introductory biology course at a large, private research university in the American Northeast. Qualitative data from open-ended questionnaires confirmed that factors thought to improve critical thinking skills such as interaction with peers, problem solving, and discussion were perceived by participants to have an impact on critical thinking gains. However, no significant quantitative differences in peer leaders' critical thinking skills were found between pre- and post-experience CCTST measurements or between experimental and control groups.

A Peer-Reviewed Research Assignment for Large Classes.

Science.gov (United States)

Henderson, LaRhee; Buising, Charisse

2000-01-01

Introduces a writing exercise students work on in collaborative groups. Aims to enhance students' scientific research paper writing skills and provide experience working in collaborative groups. Presents evaluation criteria for peer-group evaluation of a poster presentation, intra-group evaluation of peer performance, and peer-group evaluation of…

The mental health consumer movement and peer providers in Israel.

Science.gov (United States)

Moran, G S

2018-04-16

Self-help peer-support groups in Israel emerged in the 1980s and, over time, dynamically interacted and co-developed with the statutory mental health (MH) system. In this editorial, I outline historical milestones of how the evolution of the Israeli mental health system was influenced by the consumer movement. A brief depiction of the consumer movement history. At first, consumers operated outside of the mainstream MH system. Gradually, consumer groups and institutional personnel joined efforts towards community integration and enhancement of quality of life, pushing forward a person-centered recovery orientation. In turn, some administrators and key stakeholders in rehabilitation community services grew to value the impact of knowledge-by-experience in contemporary mental health care. In this context, over the past decade, peer roles were developed in the mental health system, including consumer-providers in community services and peer specialists in inpatient psychiatric hospitals. The insertion of peer roles into the mainstream MH system is far-reaching, including the placement of a peer-project coordinator within the ministry of health. I describe the unique contribution of peers, as experts-by-experience, to mainstream professional knowledge and practice. I also highlight the potential challenges involved when peer models of care are added to traditional medical models of care. The Israeli case demonstrates how the consumer movement can play an active role in MH systems and be acknowledged and recognised as a partner for changing policy, practice and reshaping formal institutions. In addition, they play a vital role in the development of peer-support services.

The effect of peer-group size on the delivery of feedback in basic life support refresher training: a cluster randomized controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Cho, Youngsuk; Je, Sangmo; Yoon, Yoo Sang; Roh, Hye Rin; Chang, Chulho; Kang, Hyunggoo; Lim, Taeho

2016-07-04

Students are largely providing feedback to one another when instructor facilitates peer feedback rather than teaching in group training. The number of students in a group affect the learning of students in the group training. We aimed to investigate whether a larger group size increases students' test scores on a post-training test with peer feedback facilitated by instructor after video-guided basic life support (BLS) refresher training. Students' one-rescuer adult BLS skills were assessed by a 2-min checklist-based test 1 year after the initial training. A cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted to evaluate the effect of student number in a group on BLS refresher training. Participants included 115 final-year medical students undergoing their emergency medicine clerkship. The median number of students was 8 in the large groups and 4 in the standard group. The primary outcome was to examine group differences in post-training test scores after video-guided BLS training. Secondary outcomes included the feedback time, number of feedback topics, and results of end-of-training evaluation questionnaires. Scores on the post-training test increased over three consecutive tests with instructor-led peer feedback, but not differ between large and standard groups. The feedback time was longer and number of feedback topics generated by students were higher in standard groups compared to large groups on the first and second tests. The end-of-training questionnaire revealed that the students in large groups preferred the smaller group size compared to their actual group size. In this BLS refresher training, the instructor-led group feedback increased the test score after tutorial video-guided BLS learning, irrespective of the group size. A smaller group size allowed more participations in peer feedback.

Integration of children school age with ADHD in to a peer group

OpenAIRE

Zemanová, Hana

2012-01-01

This work is focussed on the integration of the children with ADHD into the peer group. Its target is to find out, if the integration proceeds and if it satisfies the children, the parents and the teachers. There's the issue of the ADHD, history of this term, the manifestations, the etiology, and the diagnostics by MKN-10 and DSM-IV and terminology explained. The applied part was realized through the use of the questionaries fullfiled bz the children with ADHD, their parents and the teachers ...

Online Peer-to-Peer Support for Young People With Mental Health Problems: A Systematic Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Ali, Kathina; Farrer, Louise; Gulliver, Amelia; Griffiths, Kathleen M

2015-01-01

Adolescence and early adulthood are critical periods for the development of mental disorders. Online peer-to-peer communication is popular among young people and may improve mental health by providing social support. Previous systematic reviews have targeted Internet support groups for adults with mental health problems, including depression. However, there have been no systematic reviews examining the effectiveness of online peer-to-peer support in improving the mental health of adolescents and young adults. The aim of this review was to systematically identify available evidence for the effectiveness of online peer-to peer support for young people with mental health problems. The PubMed, PsycInfo, and Cochrane databases were searched using keywords and Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms. Retrieved abstracts (n=3934) were double screened and coded. Studies were included if they (1) investigated an online peer-to-peer interaction, (2) the interaction discussed topics related to mental health, (3) the age range of the sample was between 12 to 25 years, and (4) the study evaluated the effectiveness of the peer-to-peer interaction. Six studies satisfied the inclusion criteria for the current review. The studies targeted a range of mental health problems including depression and anxiety (n=2), general psychological problems (n=1), eating disorders (n=1), and substance use (tobacco) (n=2). The majority of studies investigated Internet support groups (n=4), and the remaining studies focused on virtual reality chat sessions (n=2). In almost all studies (n=5), the peer support intervention was moderated by health professionals, researchers or consumers. Studies employed a range of study designs including randomized controlled trials (n=3), pre-post studies (n=2) and one randomized trial. Overall, two of the randomized controlled trials were associated with a significant positive outcome in comparison to the control group at post-intervention. In the remaining four

A Peer Review of the RPII Environmental Monitoring Programme

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mitchell, P.; Hunt, J.; Ledgerwood, K.; Nielsen, S.; O'Donnell, C

2009-12-01

The RPII has since the early 1980s carried out an environmental monitoring programme covering radioactivity in air, food and water. The primary focus of this programme has been the assessment of human exposure and the protection of human health. The programme aims to meet Irish and European Union legal requirements, other national and international commitments and to support the RPII's advisory and information provision functions. In 2009 the RPII had the scope and effectiveness of its monitoring programme reviewed by an international peer group. This report provides the background to the review; an overview of the documents provided to the peer group for conduction of the review; and the comments and recommendations by the peer group. The key objectives of the review was to consider whether the RPII environmental monitoring programme is meeting the stated aims and objectives and to provide recommendations for improvement if required. This exercise is part of a continual process of review and improvement of the RPII's monitoring programme. It addresses both continuous monitoring and project based elements of the programme. It was designed to be conducted at a strategic rather than an operational level

Terpaan Pesan Iklan Anti Kekerasan Radio PRAMBORS dan Interaksi Peer Group terhadap Sikap Anti Kekerasan Remaja

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ayang Fitrianti

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Characteristic teen expressive, always curious and receptive to new values in this era of globalization should be directed and escorted on positive things like Prambors Radio which serve Ad Links anti Violence. Therefore, this study aims to determine the extent of Exposure to Violence Ad Links Prambors Radio and Peer Group of the Attitudes of Teen Violence. The method used in this research is quantitative method, explanatory paradigm of positivistic. The theory used in this study is the Social Learning Theory by Bandura and the theory of Hierarchy Effect Model. This study uses survey respondents were 116 respondents who are listeners Prambors Radio. Based on this research, it can be concluded that the inundation Ad Links Anti Violence positively related to Attitude Teen Violence. In addition the results also showed that interaction with the Peer Group also showed a significant positive correlation to the attitude of Teen Violence.

WANO peer review. Organization and benefits as seen by WANO; WANO Peer Review. Durchfuehrung und Nutzen aus Sicht der WANO

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Haferburg, Manfred [WANO-Paris Centre, Neuilly sur Seine (France)

2010-02-15

The World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO) was founded in May 1989. 144 enterprises operating nuclear power plants signed the WANO Charter in Moscow as a response of industry to the Chernobyl disaster. The Association now comprises the operators of more than 430 nuclear power plants in more than 32 countries. WANO performs its activities through regional centers in Atlanta, Moscow, Paris, and Tokyo. The Coordination Center of WANO is located in London. Each regional WANO Center handles the four most important programs: - Peer Reviews, - exchanges of operating experience, - specialized and technical development, - technical service and exchange. The technical support and exchange program comprises proven processes, such as performance indicators, operator networks, technical support missions. WANO peer reviews are conducted on a voluntary basis and upon request by the licensees. By the end of 2008, WANO had run 388 peer reviews in 31 countries. Peer reviews serve to compare the practical operation of a nuclear power plant with the best international standards. This in-depth examination is carried out by an international, independent team of experts on an optimized objective basis. Peer reviews are conducted not only to examine compliance with all pertinent rules and regulations, but also to strive for excellent performance results. (orig.)

Article Commentary: Group Learning Assessments as a Vital Consideration in the Implementation of New Peer Learning Pedagogies in the Basic Science Curriculum of Health Profession Programs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Charlotte L. Briggs

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Inspired by reports of successful outcomes in health profession education literature, peer learning has progressively grown to become a fundamental characteristic of health profession curricula. Many studies, however, are anecdotal or philosophical in nature, particularly when addressing the effectiveness of assessments in the context of peer learning. This commentary provides an overview of the rationale for using group assessments in the basic sciences curriculum of health profession programs and highlights the challenges associated with implementing group assessments in this context. The dearth of appropriate means for measuring group process suggests that professional collaboration competencies need to be more clearly defined. Peer learning educators are advised to enhance their understanding of social psychological research in order to implement best practices in the development of appropriate group assessments for peer learning.

Including everyone: A peer learning program that works for under-represented minorities?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jacques van der Meer

2013-04-01

Full Text Available Peer learning has long been recognised as an effective way to induct first-year students into the academic skills required to succeed at university. One recognised successful model that has been extensively researched is the Supplemental Instruction (SI model; it has operated in the US since the mid-1970s. This model is commonly known in Australasia as the Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS program. Although there is a considerable amount of research into SI and PASS, very little has been published about the impact of peer learning on different student groups, for example indigenous and other ethnic groups. This article reports on the results from one New Zealand university of the effectiveness of PASS for Māori and Pasifika students. The questions this article seeks to address are whether attendance of the PASS program results in better final marks for these two groups of students, and whether the number of sessions attended has an impact on the final marks.

Effects of Script Training on the Peer-to-Peer Communication of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Science.gov (United States)

Ledbetter-Cho, Katherine; Lang, Russell; Davenport, Katy; Moore, Melissa; Lee, Allyson; Howell, Alexandria; Drew, Christine; Dawson, Dana; Charlop, Marjorie H.; Falcomata, Terry; O'Reilly, Mark

2015-01-01

A multiple baseline design across participants was used to demonstrate the effects of a script-training procedure on the peer-to-peer communication of 3 children with autism spectrum disorder during group play with peers. Both scripted and unscripted initiations as well as responses to peers increased for all 3 participants. Stimulus…

Exploring Peer Relationships, Friendships and Group Work Dynamics in Higher Education: Applying Social Network Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Mamas, Christoforos

2018-01-01

This study primarily applied social network analysis (SNA) to explore the relationship between friendships, peer social interactions and group work dynamics within a higher education undergraduate programme in England. A critical case study design was adopted so as to allow for an in-depth exploration of the students' voice. In doing so, the views…

Gender ideology, same-sex peer group affiliation and the relationship between testosterone and dominance in adolescent boys and girls.

Science.gov (United States)

Vermeersch, Hans; T'Sjoen, Guy; Kaufman, J M; Vincke, J; Van Houtte, Mieke

2010-07-01

Although the role of testosterone in the aetiology of social dominance is often suggested, surprisingly few studies have addressed the relationship between sex steroid hormones and dominance as a personality trait. In this paper, the relationship between testosterone and dominance is studied in a sample of adolescent boys and girls, taking into account the moderating role of gender ideology and same-sex peer group orientation. A direct association between free testosterone (FT) and dominance was found in girls but not in boys. In boys, masculine ideology moderated the relationship between FT and dominance, while in girls the relationship between FT and dominance was moderated by same-sex peer group affiliation.

[Psychosocial risk factors in adolescent tobacco use: negative mood-states, peer group and parenting styles].

Science.gov (United States)

Julià Cano, Albert; Escapa Solanas, Sandra; Marí-Klose, Marga; Marí-Klose, Pau

2012-01-01

There are multiple factors that can affect the risk of tobacco use in adolescence. By analyzing these factors together we can disentangle the specific relevance of each of them in shaping teenagers' individual behavior. The goal of this research study is to deepen our understanding of the relationship between tobacco use in adolescence and socio-demographic and socio-emotional variables. We worked with a representative sample of 2,289 Catalan teenagers (aged 15-18) who responded to a questionnaire drawn up by the Families and Children Panel. Regression models were developed to assess the statistical associations of different mood states (sadness, nervousness and loneliness), peer-group characteristics and parenting styles, with tobacco use. The results indicate that addictive behavior is more likely when teenagers show negative mood states, controlling for socio-demographic variables and other risk factors. Among these additional factors, authoritative parenting styles reduce the risk of tobacco use, compared to authoritarian, permissive and neglectful parenting. Extensive tobacco use within the peer group is the risk factor most strongly associated with teenagers' individual behavior.

Surfing Peer-to-Peer IPTV: Distributed Channel Switching

Science.gov (United States)

Kermarrec, A.-M.; Le Merrer, E.; Liu, Y.; Simon, G.

It is now common for IPTV systems attracting millions of users to be based on a peer-to-peer (P2P) architecture. In such systems, each channel is typically associated with one P2P overlay network connecting the users. This significantly enhances the user experience by relieving the source from dealing with all connections. Yet, the joining process resulting in a peer to be integrated in channel overlay usually requires a significant amount of time. As a consequence, switching from one channel to another is far to be as fast as in IPTV solutions provided by telco operators. In this paper, we tackle the issue of efficient channel switching in P2P IPTV system. This is to the best of our knowledge the first study on this topic. First, we conducted and analyzed a set of measurements of one of the most popular P2P systems (PPlive). These measurements reveal that the set of contacts that a joining peer receives from the central server are of the utmost importance in the start-up process. On those neigbors, depends the speed to acquire the first video frames to play. We then formulate the switching problem, and propose a simple distributed algorithm, as an illustration of the concept, which aims at leveraging the presence of peers in the network to fasten the switch process. The principle is that each peer maintains as neighbors peers involved in other channels, providing peers with good contacts upon channel switching. Finally, simulations show that our approach leads to substantial improvements on the channel switching time. As our algorithmic solution does not have any prerequisite on the overlays, it appears to be an appealing add-on for existing P2P IPTV systems.

The Peer Group as a Context: Moderating Effects on Relations between Maternal Parenting and Social and School Adjustment in Chinese Children

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Xinyin; Chang, Lei; He, Yunfeng; Liu, Hongyun

2005-01-01

This 2-year longitudinal study examined, in a sample of Chinese children (initial M age=11 years), the moderating effects of the peer group on relations between maternal supportive parenting and social and school adjustment. Data were collected from multiple sources including peer assessments, teacher ratings, school records, and maternal reports.…

The ethics of peer review in bioethics.

Science.gov (United States)

Wendler, David; Miller, Franklin

2014-10-01

A good deal has been written on the ethics of peer review, especially in the scientific and medical literatures. In contrast, we are unaware of any articles on the ethics of peer review in bioethics. Recognising this gap, we evaluate the extant proposals regarding ethical standards for peer review in general and consider how they apply to bioethics. We argue that scholars have an obligation to perform peer review based on the extent to which they personally benefit from the peer review process. We also argue, contrary to existing proposals and guidelines, that it can be appropriate for peer reviewers to benefit in their own scholarship from the manuscripts they review. With respect to bioethics in particular, we endorse double-blind review and suggest several ways in which the peer review process might be improved. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Building Flexible Manufacturing Systems Based on Peer-Its

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Hechinger

2008-02-01

Full Text Available Peer-to-peer computing principles have started to pervade into mechanical control systems, inducing a paradigm shift from centralized to autonomic control. We have developed a self-contained, miniaturized, universal and scalable peer-to-peer based hardware-software system, the peer-it platform, to serve as a stick-on computer solution to raise real-world artefacts like, for example, machines, tools, or appliances towards technology-rich, autonomous, self-induced, and context-aware peers, operating as spontaneously interacting ensembles. The peer-it platform integrates sensor, actuator, and wireless communication facilities on the hardware level, with an object-oriented, component-based coordination framework at the software level, thus providing a generic platform for sensing, computing, controlling, and communication on a large scale. The physical appearance of a peer-it supports pinning it to real-world artefacts, while at the same time integrating those artefacts into a mobile ad hoc network of peers. Peer-it networks thus represent ensembles of coordinated artefacts, exhibiting features of autonomy like self-management at the node level and self-organization at the network level. We demonstrate how the peer-it system implements the desired flexibility in automated manufacturing systems to react in the case of changes, whether intended or unexpectedly occuring. The peer-it system enables machine flexibility in that it adapts production facilities to produce new types of products, or change the order of operation executed on parts instantaneously. Secondly, it enables routing flexibility, that is, the ability to use multiple machines to spontaneously perform the same operation on one part alternatively (to implement autonomic fault tolerance or to absorb large-scale changes in volume, capacity, or capability (to implement autonomic scalability.

Using benchmarking techniques and the 2011 maternity practices infant nutrition and care (mPINC) survey to improve performance among peer groups across the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Edwards, Roger A; Dee, Deborah; Umer, Amna; Perrine, Cria G; Shealy, Katherine R; Grummer-Strawn, Laurence M

2014-02-01

A substantial proportion of US maternity care facilities engage in practices that are not evidence-based and that interfere with breastfeeding. The CDC Survey of Maternity Practices in Infant Nutrition and Care (mPINC) showed significant variation in maternity practices among US states. The purpose of this article is to use benchmarking techniques to identify states within relevant peer groups that were top performers on mPINC survey indicators related to breastfeeding support. We used 11 indicators of breastfeeding-related maternity care from the 2011 mPINC survey and benchmarking techniques to organize and compare hospital-based maternity practices across the 50 states and Washington, DC. We created peer categories for benchmarking first by region (grouping states by West, Midwest, South, and Northeast) and then by size (grouping states by the number of maternity facilities and dividing each region into approximately equal halves based on the number of facilities). Thirty-four states had scores high enough to serve as benchmarks, and 32 states had scores low enough to reflect the lowest score gap from the benchmark on at least 1 indicator. No state served as the benchmark on more than 5 indicators and no state was furthest from the benchmark on more than 7 indicators. The small peer group benchmarks in the South, West, and Midwest were better than the large peer group benchmarks on 91%, 82%, and 36% of the indicators, respectively. In the West large, the Midwest large, the Midwest small, and the South large peer groups, 4-6 benchmarks showed that less than 50% of hospitals have ideal practice in all states. The evaluation presents benchmarks for peer group state comparisons that provide potential and feasible targets for improvement.

DOE EERE Standard Operating Procedure Peer Review Best Practice and Procedures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2009-01-18

Objective review and advice from peers - peer review - provides managers, staff, and researchers with a powerful and effective tool for enhancing the management, relevance, effectiveness, and productivity of all of the EERE research, development

[Peer harassment in primary school: the role of peers and its relationship with sociometric status].

Science.gov (United States)

Lucas Molina, Beatriz; Pulido Valero, Rosa; Solbes Canales, Irene

2011-04-01

During the last decade, there has been a change in peer harassment research from a focus on the characteristics of the Aggressor-Victim dyad to the recognition of peer harassment as a whole group process, with most of children playing some kind of role. This study uses a shortened adaptation of the Participant-Role Questionnaire approach to identify these roles in 2,050 Spanish children aged 8 to 13 years. These Participant Roles were related to belonging to one of the five sociometric status groups. Factor analysis revealed four different roles, indicating that the adapted scale remains a reliable way of distinguishing the Aggressor, Victim, Defender of the victim, and Outsider roles. Boys played the roles of Aggressor and Victim significantly more frequently. The children's Participant Role was found to be related to their sociometric status. Progress in the measurement of peer harassment as a group process and the success of intervention strategies may depend on finding clearer distinctions among the different peer roles, mobilizing peer pressure, and isolating aggressors from their social support.

PEER GROUP DAN UANG SAKU BULANAN MENINGKATKAN RISIKO PERSEPSI BODY IMAGE NEGATIF PADA REMAJA PUTRI DI BEKASI

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bunga Christitha Rosha

2016-09-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACTAdolescence is a phase of rapid growth experienced in human life. Adolescent girls will experience anincrease in body fat in•order to prepare reproduction. That makes the body more far from the ideal shape.These, sometime make adolescent girlsfeel dissatisfied with their body shape and eager to have an idealbody shape. The desire to have an ideal body shape is also influenced by the surrounding environment suchas peer group and media. This study discusses the determinant factors of body image and efforts to achieveideal body shape among adolescent girls in Bekasi. This is a quantitative research study with crosssectional design. Respondents in this study were 80 girls aged 11-19 years old in Bekasi. Data analysis wasperformed using descriptive, bivariate and multivariate. Chi square analysis was conducted prior to themultiple logistic regression test to determine the determinant variables of body image perceptions amongadolescent girls. The results showed that 73.8 percent of adolescent girlshad a negative body imageperception. The main determinant factors of body image perceptions on adolescent girls were having a peergroup (OR 5.09 ; 95% CI 1.02 -25.42 and monthly allowance (OR 3.61; 95% CI 1.22 -10.73. Effortsmade by respondents to achieve the body image were diet and physical activity, but the results of chisquare test showed that there were no relationship between the diet and physical activity behavior andperceptions of body image.Keywords: Body image, peer group, a monthly allowance ABSTRAKMasa remaja merupakan fase pertumbuhan cepat yang dialami dalam kehidupan manusia. Remaja putrikhususnya akan mengalami peningkatan lemak tubuh sebagai persiapan reproduksi yang membuattubuhnya semakin jauh dari bentuk ideal. Hal ini menyebabkan remaja putri merasa tidak puas akan bentuktubuhnya dan menginginkan bentuk tubuh ideal. Keinginan untuk memiliki tubuh yang ideal ini jugamerupakan pengaruh dari lingkungan sekitar seperti peer group

Building Flexible Manufacturing Systems Based on Peer-Its

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

dos Santos Rocha M

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Peer-to-peer computing principles have started to pervade into mechanical control systems, inducing a paradigm shift from centralized to autonomic control. We have developed a self-contained, miniaturized, universal and scalable peer-to-peer based hardware-software system, the peer-it platform, to serve as a stick-on computer solution to raise real-world artefacts like, for example, machines, tools, or appliances towards technology-rich, autonomous, self-induced, and context-aware peers, operating as spontaneously interacting ensembles. The peer-it platform integrates sensor, actuator, and wireless communication facilities on the hardware level, with an object-oriented, component-based coordination framework at the software level, thus providing a generic platform for sensing, computing, controlling, and communication on a large scale. The physical appearance of a peer-it supports pinning it to real-world artefacts, while at the same time integrating those artefacts into a mobile ad hoc network of peers. Peer-it networks thus represent ensembles of coordinated artefacts, exhibiting features of autonomy like self-management at the node level and self-organization at the network level. We demonstrate how the peer-it system implements the desired flexibility in automated manufacturing systems to react in the case of changes, whether intended or unexpectedly occuring. The peer-it system enables machine flexibility in that it adapts production facilities to produce new types of products, or change the order of operation executed on parts instantaneously. Secondly, it enables routing flexibility, that is, the ability to use multiple machines to spontaneously perform the same operation on one part alternatively (to implement autonomic fault tolerance or to absorb large-scale changes in volume, capacity, or capability (to implement autonomic scalability.

A comparison of well-peer mentored and non-peer mentored athletes' perceptions of satisfaction.

Science.gov (United States)

Hoffmann, Matt D; Loughead, Todd M

2016-01-01

The purpose of the present study was to compare well-peer mentored and non-peer mentored athletes' perceptions of satisfaction. A total of 444 intercollegiate athletes (272 well-peer mentored and 172 non-peer mentored) from a variety of sport teams participated in the study. Athletes from both well-peer mentored and non-peer mentored groups reported their satisfaction levels using the Athlete Satisfaction Questionnaire. The results of a MANOVA and follow-up post hoc ANOVAs showed that well-peer mentored athletes were significantly more satisfied than their non-peer mentored counterparts in terms of individual performance, personal dedication, team task contribution, team social contribution, team integration, ethics, ability utilisation and training and instruction. Overall, the findings suggest that athletes who are well-peer mentored by a teammate perceive higher satisfaction levels with various aspects of their athletic experience than athletes who are not peer mentored by a teammate. Given these positive findings, practitioners (i.e., coaches, sport psychology consultants) should inform athletes on the benefits of peer-to-peer mentoring. The practical implications of the results and strategies to promote peer athlete mentoring relationships in sport are highlighted.

Peer influence on adolescent snacking

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nørgaard, Maria Kümpel; Hansen, Kathrine Nørgaard; Grunert, Klaus G

2013-01-01

Purpose – The purpose of the research presented in this paper is 1) To explore peer influence and the social and symbolic meaning that adolescents (10 to 16 years) attach to snacks; and 2) to investigate the relative influence of peer influence compared to personal factors in explaining perceived...... importance of snack attributes; and 3) To investigate age and gender differences in the peer influence process. Design/methodology/approach – A web-based survey distributed via email was combined with follow-up focus groups including adolescents aged 10 to 16 years in Denmark. Findings – The survey results...... show that the youngest adolescents and the girls perceived the highest influence from peers, and that peer social influence has more effect on what adolescents perceive as important snack attributes as compared to more personal factors. The focus group results show that adolescents purchase and consume...

Online Peer-to-Peer Support for Young People With Mental Health Problems: A Systematic Review

OpenAIRE

Ali, Kathina; Farrer, Louise; Gulliver, Amelia; Griffiths, Kathleen M

2015-01-01

Background Adolescence and early adulthood are critical periods for the development of mental disorders. Online peer-to-peer communication is popular among young people and may improve mental health by providing social support. Previous systematic reviews have targeted Internet support groups for adults with mental health problems, including depression. However, there have been no systematic reviews examining the effectiveness of online peer-to-peer support in improving the mental health of a...

“Remember to Hand Out Medals”: Peer Rating and Expertise in a Question-and-Answer Study Group

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marisa Ponti

2015-04-01

Full Text Available This article reports on an exploratory study of giving medals as part of a peer rating system in a question-and-answer (Q&A study group on Python, a programming language. There are no professional teachers tutoring learners. The study aimed to understand whether and how medals, awarded to responses in a peer-based learning environment, can work as a mechanism to assess the value of those responses when traditional markers of expertise are not always clearly defined and identifiable. Employing a mixed-method approach, the analysis examined (a the content of the answers that were awarded medals and their perceived immediate value and (b the nature of the networked relationships resulting from participants’ interactions. The findings suggest that the peer rating system makes visible what the participants find immediately valuable and allocates a form of recognition that extends the “legitimation code”, which refers to the credentials that make someone competent and worthy of recognition.

Do fourth year pharmacy students use Facebook to form workplace-based learning peer groups during rotations?

Science.gov (United States)

Phillips, Jennifer; Gettig, Jacob; Goliak, Kristen; Allen, Sheila; Fjortoft, Nancy

2017-11-01

The objective of this study was to gain an understanding of whether pharmacy students are using Facebook ® to create formal or informal workplace-based peer groups to learn from each other and share information while completing their advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs). Fourth-year pharmacy students from two colleges of pharmacy in the same geographical area were recruited by email to participate. Inclusion criteria were: completion of two or more APPEs, current assignment to an APPE rotation in the local area, and a Facebook ® profile. Two focus groups, of eight students each were conducted on each of the two colleges' campuses. An incentive to participate was provided. Thematic analysis was used to analyze responses. Students reported using Facebook ® to learn about rotation expectations, roles/responsibilities, and preceptors. However, frequency and depth of interactions varied among the participants. Most participants noted that they prefer more private methods of communication to learn about APPE experiences. Students found Facebook ® to be a good source of motivation and support during experiential learning. The use of social media sites like Facebook ® may help students form "virtual" workplace-based peer groups during APPEs. Pharmacy schools interested in providing support for formal workplace-based learning groups should consider using social media sites as one component of this program. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Male Peer Support to Hostile Sexist Attitudes Influences Rape Proclivity.

Science.gov (United States)

Durán, Mercedes; Megías, Jesús L; Moya, Miguel

2018-07-01

Sexual assault affects a large proportion of women in the world. Although most rapes are committed by one man, the act itself may be influenced by many (e.g., the peer group). Hostile sexism (HS) has repeatedly been associated with men's rape proclivity, but the influence exerted by the HS of the peer group on rape proclivity has not been investigated. In this study, we explored the impact of perceived male peer support to HS on participants' rape proclivity. A sample of Spanish undergraduate students from a university in the south of Spain ( N = 134) completed the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory. Immediately afterwards, they received feedback on the supposed sexist responses of a peer group (high vs. low in HS); we kept the benevolent sexism (BS) of the peer group at medium levels. Next, we assessed participants' rape proclivity using acquaintance rape scenarios. Results showed an interaction between participants' own levels of HS and information about the HS of the peer group. Men high in HS reported higher rape proclivity in the high-HS peer-group condition than in the low-HS peer-group condition. By contrast, information on the peer group did not affect self-reported rape proclivity of men low in HS. Results also corroborated the relationship between participants' levels of HS and rape proclivity, and expanded the literature by revealing an unexpected influence of participants' BS on rape proclivity.

The future of mental health care: peer-to-peer support and social media.

Science.gov (United States)

Naslund, J A; Aschbrenner, K A; Marsch, L A; Bartels, S J

2016-04-01

People with serious mental illness are increasingly turning to popular social media, including Facebook, Twitter or YouTube, to share their illness experiences or seek advice from others with similar health conditions. This emerging form of unsolicited communication among self-forming online communities of patients and individuals with diverse health concerns is referred to as peer-to-peer support. We offer a perspective on how online peer-to-peer connections among people with serious mental illness could advance efforts to promote mental and physical wellbeing in this group. In this commentary, we take the perspective that when an individual with serious mental illness decides to connect with similar others online it represents a critical point in their illness experience. We propose a conceptual model to illustrate how online peer-to-peer connections may afford opportunities for individuals with serious mental illness to challenge stigma, increase consumer activation and access online interventions for mental and physical wellbeing. People with serious mental illness report benefits from interacting with peers online from greater social connectedness, feelings of group belonging and by sharing personal stories and strategies for coping with day-to-day challenges of living with a mental illness. Within online communities, individuals with serious mental illness could challenge stigma through personal empowerment and providing hope. By learning from peers online, these individuals may gain insight about important health care decisions, which could promote mental health care seeking behaviours. These individuals could also access interventions for mental and physical wellbeing delivered through social media that could incorporate mutual support between peers, help promote treatment engagement and reach a wider demographic. Unforeseen risks may include exposure to misleading information, facing hostile or derogatory comments from others, or feeling more uncertain

A Peer-to-Peer Health Education Program for Vulnerable Children in Uganda

Science.gov (United States)

Falk, Diane S.; Pettet, Kristen; Mpagi, Charles

2016-01-01

In this paper, children attending a U.S.-sponsored private primary school serving orphaned and vulnerable children in Uganda were interviewed in focus groups about their participation in a peer-to-peer health education program in which they used music, dance, poetry, art, and drama to convey health information. The children reported enhanced…

"Homeless Networks: Testing Peer and Homed Networks Against Location Choice"

OpenAIRE

Shinichiro Iwata; Koji Karato

2007-01-01

This paper examines the location choices of homeless people in Osaka City, and finds them concentrated because of homeless networks. The paper also shows that different types of homeless networks operate in two different homeless groups: (1) peer networks that provide a social tie inside homeless communities are observed in groups that had not had work experience in the day labor market; (2) homed networks that provide a social tie outside homeless communities affect location choice in the ex...

Developing Peer Mentoring through Evaluation

Science.gov (United States)

Hall, Ralph; Jaugietis, Zarni

2011-01-01

Peer mentoring programs are an important component in the strategy to enhance the first year undergraduate experience. The operation of these programs needs to be informed by evidence as to their effectiveness. In this article we report on a six-year study of the development of a peer mentoring program in which feedback is used to improve program…

Expertise-based peer selection in Peer-to-Peer networks

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Haase, Peter; Siebes, Ronny; Harmelen, van Frank

2007-01-01

Peer-to-Peer systems have proven to be an effective way of sharing data. Modern protocols are able to efficiently route a message to a given peer. However, determining the destination peer in the first place is not always trivial. We propose a model in which peers advertise their expertise in

PowerFolder – Peer-to-Peer powered Sync and Share

CERN Multimedia

CERN. Geneva

2014-01-01

PowerFolder is a peer-to-peer (P2P) sync and share solution which started as spin-off from the University of Cologne and University of Applied Science Niederrhein in 2007. It is available as commercial and open-source solution and in use by hundreds of education and research organization and several thousand businesses. The software enables datacenter providers, NRENs or any education and research organization to operate its own PowerFolder cloud as alternative to public clouds while preserving the same end-user experience: Access to data anywhere on any device (Windows, Linux, Apple, Web, Android and iOS). While approaches to sync and share data from/to a single central location have several drawbacks the PowerFolder solution offers a unique peer-to-peer algorithm to replicate and transfer data between sites, users and devices with the freedom to choose whether to store or not to store files at the central hub. This is archived by intelligent; decentralize meta- and binary-data handling between nodes in a se...

Expertise-based peer selection in Peer-to-Peer networks

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Haase, Peter; Siebes, Ronny; Harmelen, van Frank

2007-01-01

Peer-to-Peer systems have proven to be an effective way of sharing data. Modern protocols are able to efficiently route a message to a given peer. However, determining the destination peer in the first place is not always trivial. We propose a a message to a given peer. However, determining the

Alcohol Use among Italian University Students: The Role of Sensation Seeking, Peer Group Norms and Self-Efficacy

Science.gov (United States)

Cicognani, Elvira; Zani, Bruna

2011-01-01

This study investigated the role of sensation seeking, peer group drinking and self-efficacy in refusing to drink alcohol in influencing alcohol consumption of a sample of 588 Italian university students. Results confirmed that heavy drinkers are typically males living in university residences. Alcohol use is more frequent among students with…

Compact groups of positive operators on Banach lattices

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jeu, de M.F.E.; Wortel, M.R.

2014-01-01

In this paper, we study groups of positive operators on Banach lattices. If a certain factorization property holds for the elements of such a group, the group has a homomorphic image in the isometric positive operators which has the same invariant ideals as the original group. If the group is

Peer Mentoring for Bioinformatics presentation

OpenAIRE

Budd, Aidan

2014-01-01

A handout used in a HUB (Heidelberg Unseminars in Bioinformatics) meeting focused on career development for bioinformaticians. It describes an activity for use to help introduce the idea of peer mentoring, potnetially acting as an opportunity to create peer-mentoring groups.

An Introduction to Models of Online Peer-to-Peer Social Networking

CERN Document Server

Kesidis, George

2010-01-01

This book concerns peer-to-peer applications and mechanisms operating on the Internet, particularly those that are not fully automated and involve significant human interaction. So, the realm of interest is the intersection of distributed systems and online social networking. Generally, simple models are described to clarify the ideas. Beginning with short overviews of caching, graph theory and game theory, we cover the basic ideas of structured and unstructured search. We then describe a simple framework for reputations and for iterated referrals and consensus. This framework is applied to a

Common issues found in operating safety peer review of nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu Meijing; Zhang Fengping

2004-01-01

The 3rd stage of the safety culture promotion in a Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) is characterized by establishing learning organization and continuous self-improvement. Peer Review was used as an effective tool by a lot of NPPs to improve the overall management and performance. This Paper provided the WANO Peer Review Methodology, the common issues found, the recommendation or suggestions to correct the area for improvement. It may be beneficial to other NPP which planning to have Peer Review or Self Evaluation. (authors)

Working group on unbundling of electricity trade operations 2. A group report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2000-09-01

The current unbundling of operations in accounts has proved inadequate. No formula or model that could be made binding by provisions have been defined for unbundled accounts. In addition, unbundling can draw a distinct line between commercial activities and network operations, which have assumed various authoritative functions. Against this background, the need for clearer unbundling has become more marked. The working group suggests that the current provisions on unbundling of trade operations should be tightened and that the unbundling should be made clearer especially in terms of allocation of joint costs. For this, the necessary preparations by the authorities should be initiated urgently. At the same time, the working group proposes that network operations should be unbundled from other operations by incorporation or by unbundling them into a separate public utility. The smallest electric utilities should be exempted from the obligation of incorporating network operations. According to the working group, the lower limit could be fixed e.g. at 70 GWh a year. The working group also suggests that the licensees must own the electricity networks they operate. The licensees could not rent their networks from the mother company nor lease them from a financing company. The model proposed by the working group would redress the major problems connected with the supervision of the electricity market. The monopoly, i.e. the electricity network operations, under the supervision of the Electricity Market Authority could thus be unbundled. This would improve the functioning of the market and facilitate the supervision. However, the model would not abolish the tax concession of municipal public utilities in competitive trade operations, production and sale of electricity. The tax concession may affect the competitive situation on the electricity market. (orig.)

WANO peer review. Organization and benefits as seen by WANO

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haferburg, Manfred

2010-01-01

The World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO) was founded in May 1989. 144 enterprises operating nuclear power plants signed the WANO Charter in Moscow as a response of industry to the Chernobyl disaster. The Association now comprises the operators of more than 430 nuclear power plants in more than 32 countries. WANO performs its activities through regional centers in Atlanta, Moscow, Paris, and Tokyo. The Coordination Center of WANO is located in London. Each regional WANO Center handles the four most important programs: - Peer Reviews, - exchanges of operating experience, - specialized and technical development, - technical service and exchange. The technical support and exchange program comprises proven processes, such as performance indicators, operator networks, technical support missions. WANO peer reviews are conducted on a voluntary basis and upon request by the licensees. By the end of 2008, WANO had run 388 peer reviews in 31 countries. Peer reviews serve to compare the practical operation of a nuclear power plant with the best international standards. This in-depth examination is carried out by an international, independent team of experts on an optimized objective basis. Peer reviews are conducted not only to examine compliance with all pertinent rules and regulations, but also to strive for excellent performance results. (orig.)

Endogenous Peer Effects: Fact or Fiction?

Science.gov (United States)

Yeung, Ryan; Nguyen-Hoang, Phuong

2016-01-01

The authors examine endogenous peer effects, which occur when a student's behavior or outcome is a function of the behavior or outcome of his or her peer group. Endogenous peer effects have important implications for educational policies such as busing, school choice and tracking. In this study, the authors quantitatively review the literature on…

Operational safety improvement in OPR 1000

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jung, Y.-E.

2005-01-01

Nuclear power operating experience management might be an important factor for the operational safety improvement. KHNP's nuclear information management system, called KONIS receives, distributes and manages all nuclear information from domestic and foreign, especially operating experience. Ulchin 3 and 4, the first units of OPR 1000 series operates several organizations regarding management of operating experience e.g. specialist group program, various task forces, equipment specialist system for operator, etc. Peer review is another contribution for nuclear safety. (author)

Sexting, Mobile Porn Use, and Peer Group Dynamics. : Boys' and Girls' Self-Perceived Popularity, Need for Popularity, and Perceived Peer Pressure.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vanden Abeele, M.M.P.

2014-01-01

There is considerable concern about adolescents producing, consuming, and distributing sexual materials via mobile phone communication. The purpose of this study was to examine key aspects of peer influence and the peer context in relation to two such practices: sexting and mobile porn use. The

The Influence of Peer Feedback on the Acquisition of Physical-Examination Skills

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bernard Martineau

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Studies have suggested that having students observe peers while acquiring physical-examination (PE skills fosters the acquisition of the psychomotor skills required to conduct a PE. One difficulty, however, has been to disentangle the effect of peer observation from peer feedback, both of which occur when students learn in groups. This study investigated the influence of peer feedback on learning the neurolocomotor physical exam for low-back pain. 120 second-year medical students were randomly assigned to a peer-feedback group (n=61 or a no-peer-feedback group (n=53, during a regular learning activity with a standardized-patient instructor. Students first practised the NLE in groups of three, with or without peer feedback, depending on the group to which they were assigned. Subsequently, the members of both groups performed the NLE individually. The final NLE was videotaped and assessed later. Peer feedback had a positive effect on the acquisition of PE skills (87.9% vs. 90.8%, p=0.023, despite the fact that students had an initial preference for instructor feedback compared with peer feedback. These results support the use of group activities that give students the opportunity to provide feedback to their peers while learning PE skills.

A peer-led approach to promoting health education in schools: The views of peers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

JM Frantz

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Peer-led health promotion strategies in schools have been found to be effective in promoting healthy behaviours amongst youth. This study aimed to evaluate the views of the peer educators in implementing a health education programme using a qualitative approach. Informal discussions and eight in-depth interviews were used to explore the views of the 10 peer educators. Information from the interviews was transcribed verbatim, analysed, and coded thematically. The themes that emerged from the analysis of the informal discussion and in-depth interviews were grouped into categories, which included peer educators' experience of implementing the intervention, personal growth and experience with interacting with young people, and personal reflection on the presentation of the intervention. The role of peer educators was shown to be crucial to the success of peer-led programmes, but it is clear that equipping and supporting them through the process of implementation is essential.

Brief, cooperative peer-instruction sessions during lectures enhance student recall and comprehension*

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Niu; Henderson, Charles N.R.

2016-01-01

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the academic impact of cooperative peer instruction during lecture pauses in an immunology/endocrinology course. Methods: Third-quarter students participated across iterations of the course. Each class offered 20 lectures of 50 minutes each. Classes were divided into a peer-instruction group incorporating cooperative peer instruction and a control group receiving traditional lectures. Peer-instruction group lectures were divided into 2–3 short presentations followed by a multiple-choice question (MCQ). Students recorded an initial answer and then had 1 minute to discuss answers with group peers. Following this, students could submit a revised answer. The control group received the same lecture material, but without MCQs or peer discussions. Final-exam scores were compared across study groups. A mixed-design analysis of covariance was used to analyze the data. Results: There was a statistically significant main effect for the peer-instruction activity (F(1, 93) = 6.573, p = .012, r = .257), with recall scores higher for MCQs asked after peer-instruction activities than for those asked before peer instruction. Final-exam scores at the end of term were greater in the peer-instruction group than the control group (F(1, 193) = 9.264, p = .003, r = .214; question type, F(1, 193) = 26.671, p = .000, r = .348). Conclusion: Lectures with peer-instruction pauses increase student recall and comprehension compared with traditional lectures. PMID:26967766

The advantage of democratic peer punishment in sustaining cooperation within groups

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pfattheicher, Stefan; Boehm, Robert; Kesberg, Rebekka

2018-01-01

(i.e., antisocial punishment) is possible. In the present work, we propose that a system of democratic peer punishment, that is, direct and equal participation of each individual in the punishment decision‐making process with punishment only executed when a majority has voted for its execution, can......In social dilemma situations, individuals benefit from uncooperative behavior while exploiting resources of the collective. One prominent solution to prevent uncooperative behavior and to increase cooperation is to establish a system of costly peer punishment, that is, the possibility for every...

Gender bias in scholarly peer review.

Science.gov (United States)

Helmer, Markus; Schottdorf, Manuel; Neef, Andreas; Battaglia, Demian

2017-03-21

Peer review is the cornerstone of scholarly publishing and it is essential that peer reviewers are appointed on the basis of their expertise alone. However, it is difficult to check for any bias in the peer-review process because the identity of peer reviewers generally remains confidential. Here, using public information about the identities of 9000 editors and 43000 reviewers from the Frontiers series of journals, we show that women are underrepresented in the peer-review process, that editors of both genders operate with substantial same-gender preference (homophily), and that the mechanisms of this homophily are gender-dependent. We also show that homophily will persist even if numerical parity between genders is reached, highlighting the need for increased efforts to combat subtler forms of gender bias in scholarly publishing.

Rear Operations Group medicine: a pilot study of psychological decompression in a Rear Operations Group during Operation HERRICK 14.

Science.gov (United States)

Nimenko, Wasyl; Simpson, R G

2014-12-01

To investigate group activity psychological decompression (GAPD) in a Rear Operations Group. Provision of military archaeological exercises for a Rear Operations Group's medical centre patients during Op HERRICK 14 with analysis of before and after Patient Health Questionnaires (PHQ), Work and Social Adjustment Scales, generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) 7 Anxiety, Audit Questionnaire and Impact of Events Scale Revised and analysis of interviews with supervisors and soldiers. Soldiers reported a mean of 13%-38% improvement across the self-reported domains. The civilian archaeologists reported improvements in self-esteem, morale and team-working. 10 out of 24 soldiers have expressed an interest to pursue archaeology further; eight soldiers disclosed mental health issues for the first time, four of whom required mental health referral. GAPD can help early-returned soldiers in reducing symptoms of anxiety, depression, isolation and psychological traumatic symptoms. It also helps to increase perception of their ability to work and socialise as a team and help them to an early return to work. It can provide soldiers with the opportunity to approach their supervisors in an informal manner and help in early detection of mental health problems. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Ethnicity, Peer Harassment, and Adjustment in Middle School: An Exploratory Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Graham, Sandra; Juvonen, Jaana

2002-01-01

Examined peer groups and school ethnic composition as risk factors for peer harassment during early adolescence. Peers nominated aggressive and harassed students and reported self-perceived loneliness, social anxiety, and global self-esteem. Found that deviations from normative perceptions of a person's peer group were particularly detrimental to…

Factors Supporting the Employment of Young Adult Peer Providers: Perspectives of Peers and Supervisors.

Science.gov (United States)

Delman, Jonathan; Klodnick, Vanessa V

2017-10-01

Peer providers are a promising practice for transition-age youth community mental health treatment engagement and support, yet little is known about the experience of being a young adult peer provider or what helps to make an individual in this role successful. Utilizing a capital theory lens, this study uses data from focus groups (two with young adult peer providers and two with their supervisors) to examine facilitators of young adult peer provider success in community mental health treatment settings. Eight factors were identified as critical to young adult peer provider on-the-job success: persistence, job confidence, resilience, job training, skilled communications with colleagues, regular and individualized supervision, support from colleagues, and family support. Findings suggest that young adult peer providers may benefit immensely from an agency level focus on fostering social organizational capital as well as more individualized efforts to increase cultural, social, and psychological capital through training and supervision.

Peer Matcher : Decentralized Partnership Formation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bozdog, Nicolae Vladimir; Voulgaris, Spyros; Bal, Henri; van Halteren, Aart

2015-01-01

This paper presents Peer Matcher, a fully decentralized algorithm solving the k-clique matching problem. The aim of k-clique matching is to cluster a set of nodes having pair wise weights into k-size groups of maximal total weight. Since solving the problem requires exponential time, Peer Matcher

PeerMatcher: Decentralized Partnership Formation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bozdog, N.V.; Voulgaris, S.; Bal, H.E.; van Halteren, A.

2015-01-01

This paper presents PeerMatcher, a fully decentralized algorithm solving the k-clique matching problem. The aim of k-clique matching is to cluster a set of nodes having pairwise weights into k-size groups of maximal total weight. Since solving the problem requires exponential time, PeerMatcher

Peer-assisted learning and orthopaedic evaluation psychomotor skills.

Science.gov (United States)

Weidner, Thomas G; Popp, Jennifer K

2007-01-01

Athletic training educators often anecdotally suggest that athletic training students enhance their learning by teaching their peers. However, peer-assisted learning (PAL) has not been examined within athletic training education to provide evidence for PAL's current use or for its use as a pedagogic tool. To assess the effectiveness of intentional, formal PAL on the performance of psychomotor skills and to identify students' perceptions of PAL. Randomized, pretest-posttest experimental design. Athletic Training Research and Education Laboratory. Fifty-one undergraduate students (27 athletic training majors, 24 nonmajors). Review sessions led by either an Approved Clinical Instructor or peer tutor. We assessed pretest and posttest performance scores (number of correct skills) and the amount of time to complete the psychomotor skills in 3 categories of orthopaedic evaluation of the hand and wrist for subjects assigned to either a peer tutor or an Approved Clinical Instructor review group. Using the Athletic Training Peer-Assisted Learning Assessment Survey, we evaluated the perceptions of students assigned to the peer-tutor group regarding the benefits of, and preferences for, PAL. Differences in the pretest-posttest skill scores were noted in both groups (P psychomotor skills with peer tutors than with the laboratory instructor, and many students (n = 12, 44.4%) felt more self-confident when practicing psychomotor skills with a peer tutor. Peer-assisted learning appears to be a valid method for improving athletic training psychomotor skills. Peers can be resources for practicing clinical skills and report benefiting from the collaboration. Peer-assisted learning should be deliberately integrated into athletic training education programs to enhance student learning and collaboration.

Independent peer review of nuclear safety computer codes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boyack, B.E.; Jenks, R.P.

1993-01-01

A structured, independent computer code peer-review process has been developed to assist the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the US Department of Energy in their nuclear safety missions. This paper describes a structured process of independent code peer review, benefits associated with a code-independent peer review, as well as the authors' recent peer-review experience. The NRC adheres to the principle that safety of plant design, construction, and operation are the responsibility of the licensee. Nevertheless, NRC staff must have the ability to independently assess plant designs and safety analyses submitted by license applicants. According to Ref. 1, open-quotes this requires that a sound understanding be obtained of the important physical phenomena that may occur during transients in operating power plants.close quotes The NRC concluded that computer codes are the principal products to open-quotes understand and predict plant response to deviations from normal operating conditionsclose quotes and has developed several codes for that purpose. However, codes cannot be used blindly; they must be assessed and found adequate for the purposes they are intended. A key part of the qualification process can be accomplished through code peer reviews; this approach has been adopted by the NRC

Risk-taking, peer-influence and child maltreatment: a neurocognitive investigation.

Science.gov (United States)

Hoffmann, Ferdinand; Puetz, Vanessa B; Viding, Essi; Sethi, Arjun; Palmer, Amy; McCrory, Eamon J

2018-01-01

Maltreatment is associated with increased risk of a range of psychiatric disorders, many of which are characterized by altered risk-taking propensity. Currently, little is known about the neural correlates of risk-taking in children exposed to maltreatment, nor whether their risk-taking is atypically modulated by peer influence. Seventy-five 10- to 14-year-old children [maltreated (MT) group: N = 41; non-maltreated Group (NMT): N = 34] performed a Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART), under three different peer influence conditions: while alone, while being observed by a peer and while being encouraged by a peer to take risks. The MT group engaged in less risk-taking irrespective of peer influence. There was no differential effect of peer influence on risk-taking behaviour across groups. At the neural level, the right anterior insula (rAI) exhibited altered risk sensitivity across conditions in the MT group. Across groups and conditions, rAI risk sensitivity was negatively associated with risk-taking and within the MT group greater rAI risk sensitivity was related to more anxiety symptoms. These findings suggest that children with a history of maltreatment show reduced risk-taking but typical responses to peer influence. Abnormal rAI functioning contributes to the pattern of reduced risk-taking and may predispose children exposed to maltreatment to develop future psychopathology. © The Author (2017). Published by Oxford University Press.

Risk-taking, peer-influence and child maltreatment: a neurocognitive investigation

Science.gov (United States)

Hoffmann, Ferdinand; Puetz, Vanessa B; Viding, Essi; Sethi, Arjun; Palmer, Amy

2018-01-01

Abstract Maltreatment is associated with increased risk of a range of psychiatric disorders, many of which are characterized by altered risk-taking propensity. Currently, little is known about the neural correlates of risk-taking in children exposed to maltreatment, nor whether their risk-taking is atypically modulated by peer influence. Seventy-five 10- to 14-year-old children [maltreated (MT) group: N = 41; non-maltreated Group (NMT): N = 34] performed a Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART), under three different peer influence conditions: while alone, while being observed by a peer and while being encouraged by a peer to take risks. The MT group engaged in less risk-taking irrespective of peer influence. There was no differential effect of peer influence on risk-taking behaviour across groups. At the neural level, the right anterior insula (rAI) exhibited altered risk sensitivity across conditions in the MT group. Across groups and conditions, rAI risk sensitivity was negatively associated with risk-taking and within the MT group greater rAI risk sensitivity was related to more anxiety symptoms. These findings suggest that children with a history of maltreatment show reduced risk-taking but typical responses to peer influence. Abnormal rAI functioning contributes to the pattern of reduced risk-taking and may predispose children exposed to maltreatment to develop future psychopathology. PMID:29069467

Early development of peer dominance relationships in a captive group of Japanese macaques Macaca fuscata

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

RIZALDI, Kunio WATANABE

2010-04-01

Full Text Available We studied early development of peer dominance relationships in a captive group of Japanese macaques Macaca fuscata fuscata at the Primate Research Institute of Kyoto University. This study aims to give detailed descriptions on characteristic patterns of maternal rank acquisition from infant to juvenile. Focal subjects were 22 young monkeys belonging to three cohorts born in 2002, 2003 and 2005. Data were collected with a total 2130 sessions of 30-minute continuous recording of focal subjects combined with all occurrence-sampling methods. The onset of aggressive behavior varied per cohort and was delayed in cohorts with fewer close-aged associates. More than 60% of dyadic combinations in agonistic interactions between peers were unidirectional throughout the study period. Although some bidirectional interactions could have involved unstable relationships between particular individuals, most of the bidirectional interactions included a few continuous series of alternating one-sided interactions. A linear order could be found among peers from the first appearance of aggressive behavior, and nearly 90% of those dyads were concordant with that of their mother’s rank order. Young males were responsible for most of the dominance relations that would not be predicted based on their mother’s rank. These results suggest that infant monkeys may recognize their own social status relative to their opponent’s before onset of aggressive behavior and adjust themselves into the matrilineal rank system accordingly[Current Zoology 56 (2: 190–197, 2010].

Individual, family, and peer correlates of adolescent gambling.

Science.gov (United States)

Langhinrichsen-Rohling, Jennifer; Rohde, Paul; Seeley, John R; Rohling, Martin L

2004-01-01

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the individual, family, and peer factors that correlate with adolescent gambling. High school students from three states ( N = 1,846) completed an anonymous questionnaire assessing the behavior of themselves, their parents, and their peers. Participants also reported on their gambling behavior via the SOGS-RA, which was used to create five adolescent gambling groups (i.e., Non-Gamblers, Non-Problem Gamblers, At-Risk Gamblers, Problem Gamblers, and Probable Pathological Gamblers). In a discriminant function analysis using demographic, individual, family, and peer factors as potential discriminators, two functions emerged that accounted for 94% of the variance between groups. The first function was linear, with the Probable Pathological Gamblers reporting the highest level of peer and parent gambling, susceptibility to peer pressure, conduct problems, binge drinking, suicide attempts, drug use, and being male. The second function highlighted three unique qualities of individuals in the two outlying groups: Probable Pathological Gamblers and Non-Gamblers. These findings suggest that demographic, individual, family, and peer variables are all important correlates of probable pathological gambling in adolescents. Results also support the utility of a five-group classification scheme based on the SOGS-RA. The clinical implications of these results are discussed.

Peers and adolescent smoking.

Science.gov (United States)

Kobus, Kimberly

2003-05-01

There is a considerable body of empirical research that has identified adolescent peer relationships as a primary factor involved in adolescent cigarette smoking. Despite this large research base, many questions remain unanswered about the mechanisms by which peers affect youths' smoking behavior. Understanding these processes of influence is key to the development of prevention and intervention programs designed to address adolescent smoking as a significant public health concern. In this paper, theoretical frameworks and empirical findings are reviewed critically which inform the current state of knowledge regarding peer influences on teenage smoking. Specifically, social learning theory, primary socialization theory, social identity theory and social network theory are discussed. Empirical findings regarding peer influence and selection, as well as multiple reference points in adolescent friendships, including best friendships, romantic relationships, peer groups and social crowds, are also reviewed. Review of this work reveals the contribution that peers have in adolescents' use of tobacco, in some cases promoting use, and in other cases deterring it. This review also suggests that peer influences on smoking are more subtle than commonly thought and need to be examined more carefully, including consideration of larger social contexts, e.g. the family, neighborhood, and media. Recommendations for future investigations are made, as well as suggestions for specific methodological approaches that offer promise for advancing our knowledge of the contribution of peers on adolescent tobacco use.

A Social Media Peer Group for Mothers To Prevent Obesity from Infancy: The Grow2Gether Randomized Trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Fiks, Alexander G; Gruver, Rachel S; Bishop-Gilyard, Chanelle T; Shults, Justine; Virudachalam, Senbagam; Suh, Andrew W; Gerdes, Marsha; Kalra, Gurpreet K; DeRusso, Patricia A; Lieberman, Alexandra; Weng, Daniel; Elovitz, Michal A; Berkowitz, Robert I; Power, Thomas J

2017-10-01

Few studies have addressed obesity prevention among low-income families whose infants are at increased obesity risk. We tested a Facebook peer-group intervention for low-income mothers to foster behaviors promoting healthy infant growth. In this randomized controlled trial, 87 pregnant women (Medicaid insured, BMI ≥25 kg/m 2 ) were randomized to the Grow2Gether intervention or text message appointment reminders. Grow2Gether participants joined a private Facebook group of 9-13 women from 2 months before delivery until infant age 9 months. A psychologist facilitated groups featuring a curriculum of weekly videos addressing feeding, sleep, parenting, and maternal well-being. Feasibility was assessed using the frequency and content of participation, and acceptability using surveys. Maternal beliefs and behaviors and infant growth were assessed at birth, 2, 4, 6, and 9 months. Differences in infant growth between study arms were explored. We conducted intention-to-treat analyses using quasi-least-squares regression. Eighty-eight percent (75/85) of intervention participants (42% (36/85) food insecure, 88% (75/85) black) reported the group was helpful. Participants posted 30 times/group/week on average. At 9 months, the intervention group had significant improvement in feeding behaviors (Infant Feeding Style Questionnaire) compared to the control group (p = 0.01, effect size = 0.45). Intervention group mothers were significantly less likely to pressure infants to finish food and, at age 6 months, give cereal in the bottle. Differences were not observed for other outcomes, including maternal feeding beliefs or infant weight-for-length. A social media peer-group intervention was engaging and significantly impacted certain feeding behaviors in families with infants at high risk of obesity.

Peer group reflection helps clinical teachers to critically reflect on their teaching.

Science.gov (United States)

Boerboom, Tobias B B; Jaarsma, Debbie; Dolmans, Diana H J M; Scherpbier, Albert J J A; Mastenbroek, Nicole J J M; Van Beukelen, Peter

2011-01-01

Student evaluations can help clinical teachers to reflect on their teaching skills and find ways to improve their teaching. Studies have shown that the mere presentation of student evaluations is not a sufficient incentive for teachers to critically reflect on their teaching. We evaluated and compared the effectiveness of two feedback facilitation strategies that were identical except for a peer reflection meeting. In this study, 54 clinical teachers were randomly assigned to two feedback strategies. In one strategy, a peer reflection was added as an additional step. All teachers completed a questionnaire evaluating the strategy that they had experienced. We analysed the reflection reports and the evaluation questionnaire. Both strategies stimulated teachers to reflect on feedback and formulate alternative actions for their teaching practice. The teachers who had participated in the peer reflection meeting showed deeper critical reflection and more concrete plans to change their teaching. All feedback strategies were considered effective by the majority of the teachers. Strategies with student feedback and self-assessment stimulated reflection on teaching and helped clinical teachers to formulate plans for improvement. A peer reflection meeting seemed to enhance reflection quality. Further research should establish whether it can have lasting effects on teaching quality.

Celebrating 50 years of the CERN Computing Operations group

CERN Multimedia

Katarina Anthony

2013-01-01

Last week, former and current computing operations staff, managers and system engineers were reunited at CERN. They came together to celebrate a milestone not only for the IT Department but also for CERN: the 50th anniversary of the CERN Operations group and the 40th birthday of the Computer Centre.   The reunion was organised by former chief operator, Pierre Bénassi, and took place from 26 to 27 April. Among the 44 attendees were Neil Spoonley and Charles Symons, who together created the Operations group back in 1963. “At that time, working in the Operations group was a very physical job,” recalls former Operations Group Leader, David Underhill. “For that reason, many of the first operators were former firemen.” A few of the participants enjoyed a tour of CERN landmarks during their visit (see photo). The group toured the CERN Computing Centre (accompanied by IT Department Head, Frédéric Hemmer), as well as the ATLAS cav...

Teaching doctors to treat doctors: medical student peer counselling.

Science.gov (United States)

Spiro, J H; Roenneburg, M; Maly, B J

1980-01-01

Physicians' emotional problems need to be recognized and treated. Intervention and prevention in this problem area have been attempted at the Medical College of Wisconsin through a programme of peer counselling designed to teach student physicians how to recognize and treat emotional difficulties faced by their peers. During the 18 months that the programme has been in operation, 20 peer counsellors reported a total 1,185 hours spent in counselling their peers, lending credence to the speculation that doctors will turn to their peers for help if, in medical school, there is acceptance of fallibility and responsiveness on the part of peers.

Peer effects in adolescent bodyweight: evidence from rural China.

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Loh, Chung-Ping A; Li, Qiang

2013-06-01

Peer effect is a potential determinant of individual weight gain that has drawn considerable attention recently. The presence of peer effect implies that policies targeted at changing bodyweight can have enhanced effectiveness through a multiplier effect. This study aims to measure the peer effects on adolescent bodyweight in China. Using the small community nature of the rural sample of the wave 2000 of the China Health and Nutrition Survey, we define plausible peer groups and assess the effect of the average BMI of his/her peer group on the BMI of an adolescent. An instrumental variable (IV) approach is applied to control for potential endogeneity of the peer group's BMI. We find evidence supporting peer effect on BMI in general. The peer effect is around 0.3 with slight variation between two alternative peer definitions. Split sample analysis shows that the peer effect is significant for females (0.32-0.37), and insignificant for male adolescents. Furthermore, we find strong influence of same-gender peers (0.34-0.42) for female adolescents. Conditional quantile regressions show that the peer effect in weight gain is mainly present at or below the median in the conditional BMI distribution for girls, and at the higher end of the BMI distribution for boys. Multiple tests show strong identification, and strong instruments in our IV estimation. Placebo tests suggest that our results are reasonably robust to the correlated effect, due to unobserved community- and province-level factors. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Peer Assessment of Elementary Science Teaching Skills

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Kilic, Gulsen Bagci; Cakan, Mehtap

2007-01-01

In this study, peer assessment was applied in assessing elementary science teaching skills. Preservice teachers taught a science topic as a team to their peers in an elementary science methods course. The peers participating in the science lesson assessed teacher-groups' elementary science teaching skills on an assessment form provided by the…

Shy, but funny? Examining peer-valued characteristics as moderators of the associations between anxious-withdrawal and peer outcomes during early adolescence.

Science.gov (United States)

Markovic, Andrea; Bowker, Julie C

2015-04-01

Research has revealed significant heterogeneity in the group-level peer outcomes associated with anxious-withdrawal, but little is known about possible sources of this heterogeneity during early adolescence. This study of 271 young adolescents (49 % female; M age = 11.54 years) examined whether the concurrent and short-term longitudinal (3 month period) associations between peer-nominated anxious-withdrawn behaviors and three group-level peer outcomes (overt victimization, peer acceptance, popularity) varied as a function of peer-valued characteristics (humor, prosocial behavior, physical attractiveness, athletic ability) and gender, after accounting for the effects of involvement in mutual friendships. Regression analyses revealed that the associations between anxious-withdrawal and peer outcomes were moderated by peer-valued characteristics and, in many cases, gender. For example, anxious-withdrawal was related positively to overt victimization for all adolescents who were high in prosocial behavior. But, anxious-withdrawal was related negatively to popularity for adolescent boys who were high in prosocial behavior and adolescent girls who were low in prosocial behavior. Anxious-withdrawal also predicted increases in acceptance for adolescent girls who were high in humor, but decreases in acceptance for adolescent boys who were high in humor. Several additional moderator effects were found for boys only. The findings highlight the importance of considering the unique constellation of characteristics displayed by anxious-withdrawn young adolescents in studies on peer experiences at the group-level of social complexity.

Identity Development as a Buffer of Adolescent Risk Behaviors in the Context of Peer Group Pressure and Control

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Dumas, Tara M.; Ellis, Wendy E.; Wolfe, David A.

2012-01-01

We examined identity development as a moderator of the relation between peer group pressure and control and adolescents' engagement in risk behaviors. Participants (n = 1070; M[subscript age] = 15.45 years) completed a self-report measure of "identity exploration", the degree to which they have explored a variety of self-relevant values, beliefs…

Online Peer Review: Encouraging Student Response and Development

Science.gov (United States)

Lansiquot, Reneta; Rosalia, Christine

2015-01-01

This study explored the use of a tailored online peer review program for first-year undergraduate students at an urban college of technology. The program facilitated group peer review in meaningful and technologically elegant ways. Students in a composition class were divided into two groups. One group acted as first reviewers, and the other group…

An agent-based peer-to-peer architecture for semantic discovery of manufacturing services across virtual enterprises

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Wenyu; Zhang, Shuai; Cai, Ming; Jian, Wu

2015-04-01

With the development of virtual enterprise (VE) paradigm, the usage of serviceoriented architecture (SOA) is increasingly being considered for facilitating the integration and utilisation of distributed manufacturing resources. However, due to the heterogeneous nature among VEs, the dynamic nature of a VE and the autonomous nature of each VE member, the lack of both sophisticated coordination mechanism in the popular centralised infrastructure and semantic expressivity in the existing SOA standards make the current centralised, syntactic service discovery method undesirable. This motivates the proposed agent-based peer-to-peer (P2P) architecture for semantic discovery of manufacturing services across VEs. Multi-agent technology provides autonomous and flexible problemsolving capabilities in dynamic and adaptive VE environments. Peer-to-peer overlay provides highly scalable coupling across decentralised VEs, each of which exhibiting as a peer composed of multiple agents dealing with manufacturing services. The proposed architecture utilises a novel, efficient, two-stage search strategy - semantic peer discovery and semantic service discovery - to handle the complex searches of manufacturing services across VEs through fast peer filtering. The operation and experimental evaluation of the prototype system are presented to validate the implementation of the proposed approach.

Peer-to-peer and mass communication effect on opinion shifts

Science.gov (United States)

Kindler, A.; Solomon, S.; Stauffer, D.

2013-02-01

Opinion dynamics is studied through a minimal Ising model with three main influences (fields): personal conservatism (power-law distributed), inter-personal and group pressure, and a global field incorporating peer-to-peer and mass communications, which is generated bottom-up from the faction supporting the new opinion. A rich phase diagram appears separating possible terminal stages of the opinion diffusion, characterizing failure phases by the features of the individuals who had changed their opinion. An exhaustive solution of the model is produced, allowing predictions to be made on the opinion’s assimilation in the society.

Peer Influences on Risk-taking in Middle Childhood

OpenAIRE

Bradbury, Kirsten

1999-01-01

Unintentional injury is the leading cause of death and disability in children. Many injuries to school-aged children occur during unsupervised peer activities, but peer influences on risky behavior in preadolescence remain under-investigated. We examined peer context effects on reported risk-taking, identified predictors of peer influence, and compared peer influence in high- and low-social-functioning groups. Forty-one boys aged 8-10 years listened to scenarios in which they encountered oppo...

Individual differences in children's materialism: the role of peer relations.

Science.gov (United States)

Banerjee, Robin; Dittmar, Helga

2008-01-01

Associations between materialism and peer relations are likely to exist in elementary school children but have not been studied previously. The first two studies introduce a new Perceived Peer Group Pressures (PPGP) Scale suitable for this age group, demonstrating that perceived pressure regarding peer culture (norms for behavioral, attitudinal, and material characteristics) can be reliably measured and that it is connected to children's responses to hypothetical peer pressure vignettes. Studies 3 and 4 evaluate the main theoretical model of associations between peer relations and materialism. Study 3 supports the hypothesis that peer rejection is related to higher perceived peer culture pressure, which in turn is associated with greater materialism. Study 4 confirms that the endorsement of social motives for materialism mediates the relationship between perceived peer pressure and materialism.

Personality development of the adolescent: Peer group versus parents

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The aim was firstly to determine if peers and parents had a different impact on the personality development of the adolescent. A second aim was to determine if gender played a role in this regard. An empirical investigation was carried out involving 98 learners from Grades 8 to 11 (53 boys and 55 girls). The respondents ...

Personality Development of the Adolescent: Peer Group "versus" Parents

Science.gov (United States)

Bester, Garfield

2007-01-01

The aim was firstly to determine if peers and parents had a different impact on the personality development of the adolescent. A second aim was to determine if gender played a role in this regard. An empirical investigation was carried out involving 98 learners from Grades 8 to 11 (53 boys and 55 girls). The respondents completed instruments…

A Preliminary Study of Peer-to-Peer Human-Robot Interaction

Science.gov (United States)

Fong, Terrence; Flueckiger, Lorenzo; Kunz, Clayton; Lees, David; Schreiner, John; Siegel, Michael; Hiatt, Laura M.; Nourbakhsh, Illah; Simmons, Reid; Ambrose, Robert

2006-01-01

The Peer-to-Peer Human-Robot Interaction (P2P-HRI) project is developing techniques to improve task coordination and collaboration between human and robot partners. Our work is motivated by the need to develop effective human-robot teams for space mission operations. A central element of our approach is creating dialogue and interaction tools that enable humans and robots to flexibly support one another. In order to understand how this approach can influence task performance, we recently conducted a series of tests simulating a lunar construction task with a human-robot team. In this paper, we describe the tests performed, discuss our initial results, and analyze the effect of intervention on task performance.

The Benefits of Peer-to-Peer Mentoring: Lessons from The Earth Science Women's Network (ESWN)

Science.gov (United States)

Holloway, T.; Steiner, A.; Fiore, A.; Hastings, M.; McKinley, G.; Staudt, A.; Wiedinmyer, C.

2007-12-01

The Earth Science Women's Network (ESWN) is a grassroots organization that began with the meeting of six women graduate students and recent Ph.D.s at the Spring 2002 AGU meeting in Washington, DC. Since then, the group has grown to over 400 members, completely by word of mouth. We provide an informal, peer-to-peer network developed to promote and support careers of women in the Earth sciences. Through the network, women have found jobs, established research collaborations, shared strategies on work/life balance, and built a community stretching around the world. We maintain an email list for members to develop an expanded peer network outside of their own institution, and we have recently launched a co-ed jobs list to benefit the wider geoscience community. We will present a summary of strategies that have been discussed by group members on how to transition to a new faculty position, build a research group, develop new research collaborations, and balance career and family.

Peer support for family carers of people with dementia, alone or in combination with group reminiscence in a factorial design: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wenborn Jennifer

2011-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Peer support interventions can improve carer wellbeing and interventions that engage both the carer and person with dementia can have significant mutual benefits. Existing research has been criticised for inadequate rigour of design or reporting. This paper describes the protocol for a complex trial that evaluates one-to-one peer support and a group reminiscence programme, both separately and together, in a factorial design. Design A 2 × 2 factorial multi-site randomised controlled trial of individual peer support and group reminiscence interventions for family carers and people with dementia in community settings in England, addressing both effectiveness and cost-effectiveness. Discussion The methods described in this protocol have implications for research into psychosocial interventions, particularly complex interventions seeking to test both individual and group approaches. Trial Registration ISRCTN37956201

Conformity to Peer Pressure in Preschool Children

Science.gov (United States)

Haun, Daniel B. M.; Tomasello, Michael

2011-01-01

Both adults and adolescents often conform their behavior and opinions to peer groups, even when they themselves know better. The current study investigated this phenomenon in 24 groups of 4 children between 4;2 and 4;9 years of age. Children often made their judgments conform to those of 3 peers, who had made obviously erroneous but unanimous…

Potential Benefits of Incorporating Peer-to-Peer Interactions Into Digital Interventions for Psychotic Disorders: A Systematic Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Biagianti, Bruno; Quraishi, Sophia H; Schlosser, Danielle A

2018-04-01

Peer-to-peer interactions and support groups mitigate experiences of social isolation and loneliness often reported by individuals with psychotic disorders. Online peer-to-peer communication can promote broader use of this form of social support. Peer-to-peer interactions occur naturally on social media platforms, but they can negatively affect mental health. Recent digital interventions for persons with psychotic disorders have harnessed the principles of social media to incorporate peer-to-peer communication. This review examined the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of recent digital interventions in order to identify strategies to maximize benefits of online peer-to-peer communication for persons with psychotic disorders. An electronic database search of PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Ovid MEDLINE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Health Technology Assessment Database was conducted in February 2017 and yielded a total of 1,015 results. Eight publications that reported data from six independent trials and five interventions were reviewed. The technology supporting peer-to-peer communication varied greatly across studies, from online forums to embedded social networking. When peer-to-peer interactions were moderated by facilitators, retention, engagement, acceptability, and efficacy were higher than for interventions with no facilitators. Individuals with psychotic disorders were actively engaged with moderated peer-to-peer communication and showed improvements in perceived social support. Studies involving service users in intervention design showed higher rates of acceptability. Individuals with psychotic disorders value and benefit from digital interventions that include moderated peer-to-peer interactions. Incorporating peer-to-peer communication into digital interventions for this population may increase compliance with other evidence-based therapies by producing more acceptable and engaging online environments.

Costs and benefits of bullying in the context of the peer group: a three wave longitudinal analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Reijntjes, Albert; Vermande, Marjolijn; Olthof, Tjeert; Goossens, Frits A; van de Schoot, Rens; Aleva, Liesbeth; van der Meulen, Matty

2013-11-01

Whereas previous research has shown that bullying in youth is predictive of a range of negative outcomes later in life, the more proximal consequences of bullying in the context of the peer group at school are not as clear. The present three-wave longitudinal study followed children (N = 394; 53 % girls; M(age) = 10.3 at Time 1) from late childhood into early adolescence. Joint trajectory analyses were used to examine the dynamic prospective relations between bullying on the one hand, and indices tapping perceived popularity, peer-reported social acceptance, self-perceived social competence, and internalizing symptoms on the other. Results show that although young bullies may be on a developmental path that in the long run becomes problematic, from the bullies' perspective in the shorter term personal advantages outweigh disadvantages. High bullying is highly positively related to high social status as indexed by perceived popularity. Although bullies are not very high in peer-rated social acceptance, most are not very low either. Moreover, bullies do not demonstrate elevated internalizing symptoms, or problems in the social domain as indexed by self-perceived social competence. As bullying yields clear personal benefits for the bullies without strong costs, the findings underscore the need for interventions targeting mechanisms that reward bullying (198 words).

Gender-Role Identity and Perceived Peer Group Acceptance among Early Adolescents in Belgian Mixed and Single-Sex Schools

Science.gov (United States)

Brutsaert, Herman

2006-01-01

Drawing on survey data, this paper explores the association between early adolescents' gender-role identity and sense of peer group acceptance, and how this association may vary as a function of the gender context of the school. Two indicators of gender-role identity were included in the analysis: in one measure the items reflect features of…

The Nature of Students' Efferent or Aesthetic Responses to Nonfiction Texts in Small, Peer-Led Literature Discussion Groups

Science.gov (United States)

Khieu, Tema Leah

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to provide an in-depth exploration and describe the nature of fourth graders' responses to nonfiction text in the context of small, peer-led literature discussion groups. This study took place in the teacher researcher's daily, forty-five minute, pull-out intervention time. The participants for this study consisted of…

75 FR 47631 - Swets Information Services, Operations Department, Information Technology Group, Marketing Group...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-08-06

... DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Employment and Training Administration [TA-W-73,668] Swets Information Services, Operations Department, Information Technology Group, Marketing Group, Finance Group, Runnemede..., Information Technology (IT) Group, Marketing Group and the Finance Group into one entity instead of...

Peer assisted learning: teaching dental skills and enhancing graduate attributes.

Science.gov (United States)

Cameron, D A; Binnie, V I; Sherriff, A; Bissell, V

2015-09-25

This study describes a pilot project in which peer assisted learning (PAL) is used to teach dental clinical skills. A cluster randomised controlled trial compared opinions of Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) students from peer-led groups versus staff-led groups in a clinical (impression taking) and a pre-clinical (handpiece skills) task. BDS5 (peer tutors) in their final year delivered teaching to BDS1 (tutees) for each task. Quantitative data from tutees and the peer tutors was gathered from questionnaires, along with open written comments. PAL was well received by both tutees and peer tutors. BDS1 tutees rated BDS5 peer tutors highly for delivery of information, and level of feedback. The tutees considered peer tutors more approachable and less intimidating than staff. Peer tutors reported their own knowledge had increased as a result of teaching. In a summative OSCE (objective structured clinical examination) four months following the teaching, no statistical significant difference between the performance of peer-led and staff-led groups was found at stations related to the subject matter in question. It is argued that PAL, as well as being a useful method of delivering subject-specific teaching, is able to contribute to the development of graduate attributes.

Exploring nursing students’ experience of peer learning in clinical practice

Science.gov (United States)

Ravanipour, Maryam; Bahreini, Masoud; Ravanipour, Masoumeh

2015-01-01

Background: Peer learning is an educational process wherein someone of the same age or level of experience level interacts with other students interested in the same topic. There is limited evidence specifically focusing on the practical use of peer learning in Iran. The aim of this study was to explore nursing students’ experiences of peer learning in clinical practice. Materials and Methods: A qualitative content analysis was conducted. Focus groups were used to find the students’ experiences about peerlearning. Twenty-eight baccalaureate nursing students at Bushehr University of Medical Sciences were selected purposively, and were arranged in four groups of seven students each. The focus group interviews were conducted using a semi-structured interview schedule. All interviews were tape-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using conventional content analysis method. Results: The analysis identified four themes: Paradoxical dualism, peer exploitation, first learning efficacy, and socialization practice. Gained advantages and perceived disadvantages created paradoxical dualism, and peer exploitation resulted from peer selection and peer training. Conclusion: Nursing students reported general satisfaction concerning peer learning due to much more in-depth learning with little stress than conventional learning methods. Peer learning is a useful method for nursing students for practicing educational leadership and learning the clinical skills before they get a job. PMID:26097860

School climate in peer bullying: observers' and active participants' perceptions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sonja Pečjak

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Peer bullying is a phenomenon present in all schools. The school as an institution has a major role in limiting peer bullying. The primary goal of the study was to determine how different groups of students perceived school climate in relation to peer bullying regarding their role in peer bullying (active participants: bullies, victims, bully-victims and non-active participants: observers. 414 students (from 18 primary and secondary schools responded to The School Climate Bullying Survey (SCBS; Cornell, 2012, which measures the incidence of various forms of peer bullying and three dimensions of school climate (prevalence of teasing and bullying, aggressive attitudes, and willingness to seek help. The results showed that the active participants in peer bullying report a frequent presence of verbal and social bullying (54% and 40%, respectively and a significantly lower frequency of physical and cyber bullying (14%. The largest differences between the groups of students were found in their perceptions of the prevalence of aggressive attitudes and willingness to seek help in a school context. In the perceptions of both of these dimensions we found a high degree of similarity between the groups of bullies and victim-bullies, and between the groups of victims and observers. The first two groups, when compared to the victims and observers, perceived to a greater extent that school allows aggression as a way of affirmation among peers and in school in general, and that neither teachers nor peers do not stop the bullying, which discourages the victims from seeking help from them. The results confirmed the existence of the association between students’ perceived school climate by bullying and their behavior (roles in peer bullying.

Clarifying the role of the mental health peer specialist in Massachusetts, USA: insights from peer specialists, supervisors and clients.

Science.gov (United States)

Cabral, Linda; Strother, Heather; Muhr, Kathy; Sefton, Laura; Savageau, Judith

2014-01-01

Mental health peer specialists develop peer-to-peer relationships of trust with clients to improve their health and well-being, functioning in ways similar to community health workers. Although the number of peer specialists in use has been increasing, their role in care teams is less defined than that of the community health worker. This qualitative study explored how the peer specialist role is defined across different stakeholder groups, the expectations for this role and how the peer specialist is utilised and integrated across different types of mental health services. Data were collected through interviews and focus groups conducted in Massachusetts with peer specialists (N = 44), their supervisors (N = 14) and clients (N = 10) between September 2009 and January 2011. A consensus coding approach was used and all data outputs were reviewed by the entire team to identify themes. Peer specialists reported that their most important role is to develop relationships with clients and that having lived mental health experience is a key element in creating that bond. They also indicated that educating staff about the recovery model and peer role is another important function. However, they often felt a lack of clarity about their role within their organisation and care team. Supervisors valued the unique experience that peer specialists bring to an organisation. However, without a defined set of expectations for this role, they struggled with training, guiding and evaluating their peer specialist staff. Clients reported that the shared lived experience is important for the relationship and that working with a peer specialist has improved their mental health. With increasing support for person-centred integrated healthcare delivery models, the demand for mental health peer specialist services will probably increase. Therefore, clearer role definition, as well as workforce development focused on team orientation, is necessary for peer specialists to be fully integrated

Peer pressure and incentive mechanisms in social networks

Science.gov (United States)

Deng, Chuang; Ye, Chao; Wang, Lin; Rong, Zhihai; Wang, Xiaofan

2018-01-01

Cooperation can be viewed as a social norm that is expected in our society. In this work, a framework based on spatial public goods game theory is established to study how peer pressure and incentive mechanisms can influence the evolution of cooperation. A unified model with adjustable parameters is developed to represent the effects of pure Personal Mechanism, Personal Mechanism with peer pressure and Social Mechanism, which demonstrates that when the sum of rewards plus the peer pressure felt by defectors is larger than the effective cost of cooperation, cooperation can prevail. As the peer pressure is caused by other cooperators in a game, group size and network structure play an important role. In particular, larger group size and more heterogeneous structured population can make defectors feel more peer pressure, which will promote the evolution and sustainment of cooperation.

An Expectancy Theory Motivation Approach to Peer Assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Friedman, Barry A.; Cox, Pamela L.; Maher, Larry E.

2008-01-01

Group projects are an important component of higher education, and the use of peer assessment of students' individual contributions to group projects has increased. The researchers employed an expectancy theory approach and an experimental design in a field setting to investigate conditions that influence students' motivation to rate their peers'…

Peer Group Status of Gender Dysphoric Children: A Sociometric Study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wallien, M.S.C.; Veenstra, R.; Kreukels, B.P.C.; Cohen-Kettenis, P.T.

2010-01-01

In this sociometric study, we aimed to investigate the social position of gender-referred children in a naturalistic environment. We used a peer nomination technique to examine their social position in the class and we specifically examined bullying and victimization of gender dysphoric children. A

Peer relationships: Differences considering intellectual abilities and age

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jelić Marija M.

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Problems with peers are more common among children with intellectual disabilities (ID than typical development (TD children. As a lack of research in this field states the heterogeneity of the samples in relation to the level of disability and age, which is important for the ability to plan preventive programs and targeted interventions. The aim of this study was to examine the association between intellectual status and age with peer relationships. The study included 206 students aged 12 to 18 years, of which 76 with mild ID and 130 TD. Peer relationships were measured by Rahim Organizational Conflict Inventory (compromise, problem solving, yielding, avoidance and domination and by The Strenghts and Difficulties Questionnaires, subscale Problems with peers, form for teachers. The main findings showed that students with mild ID have more problems with peers than TD students. Unlike TD students, students with mild IO at secondary school more often yielding and avoidance conflicts. At later age dominance is less frequent in both groups of students, and problem solving and compromise are statistically more frequent in students with mild ID group than in TD peers group. It was concluded that negative social experience of young people with mild ID simultaneously motivate to constructive and destructive ways of resolving conflicts.

Efficient and Effective Use of Peer Teaching for Medical Student Simulation.

Science.gov (United States)

House, Joseph B; Choe, Carol H; Wourman, Heather L; Berg, Kristin M; Fischer, Jonathan P; Santen, Sally A

2017-01-01

Simulation is increasingly used in medical education, promoting active learning and retention; however, increasing use also requires considerable instructor resources. Simulation may provide a safe environment for students to teach each other, which many will need to do when they enter residency. Along with reinforcing learning and increasing retention, peer teaching could decrease instructor demands. Our objective was to determine the effectiveness of peer-taught simulation compared to physician-led simulation. We hypothesized that peer-taught simulation would lead to equivalent knowledge acquisition when compared to physician-taught sessions and would be viewed positively by participants. This was a quasi-experimental study in an emergency medicine clerkship. The control group was faculty taught. In the peer-taught intervention group, students were assigned to teach one of the three simulation-based medical emergency cases. Each student was instructed to master their topic and teach it to their peers using the provided objectives and resource materials. The students were assigned to groups of three, with all three cases represented; students took turns leading their case. Three groups ran simultaneously. During the intervention sessions, one physician was present to monitor the accuracy of learning and to answer questions, while three physicians were required for the control groups. Outcomes compared pre-test and post-test knowledge and student reaction between control and intervention groups. Both methods led to equally improved knowledge; mean score for the post-test was 75% for both groups (p=0.6) and were viewed positively. Students in the intervention group agreed that peer-directed learning was an effective way to learn. However, students in the control group scored their simulation experience more favorably. In general, students' response to peer teaching was positive, students learned equally well, and found peer-taught sessions to be interactive and

Peer-assisted teaching: An interventional study.

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, Brett; Olaussen, Alexander; Peterson, Evan L

2015-07-01

Peer-assisted learning (PAL) as an educational philosophy benefits both the peer-teacher and peer-learner. The changing role of paramedicine towards autonomous and professional practice demands future paramedics to be effective educators. Yet PAL is not formally integrated in undergraduate paramedic programs. We aimed to examine the effects of an educational intervention on students' PAL experiences as peer-teachers. Two one-hour workshops were provided prior to PAL teaching sessions including small group activities, individual reflections, role-plays and material notes. Peer-teachers completed the Teaching Style Survey, which uses a five-point Likert scale to measure participants' perceptions and confidence before and after PAL involvement. Thirty-eight students were involved in an average of 3.7 PAL sessions. The cohort was predominated by males (68.4%) aged ≤ 25 (73.7%). Following PAL, students reported feeling more confident in facilitating tutorial groups (p = 0.02). After the PAL project peer-teachers were also more likely to set high standards for their learners (p = 0.009). This PAL project yielded important information for the continual development of paramedic education. Although PAL increases students' confidence, the full role of PAL in education remains unexplored. The role of the university in this must also be clearly clarified. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Peer Grading in Astronomy Massive Open Online Course

Science.gov (United States)

Formanek, Martin; Wenger, Matthew; Impey, Christopher; Buxner, Sanlyn

In this work we thoroughly investigate the peer grading process as it happened in the University of Arizona session based MOOC ``Astronomy: Exploring Time and Space'' offered during Spring 2015 through Coursera. Overall, 25400 learners from over 100 countries registered for this course. Of those, 14900 accessed at least one part of the course and 1332 users engaged in the peer grading. First of all we provide description of the peer graded assignments and we identify trends in behavior of people who participated in these exercises. E.g. time they spent on grading, number of assignments graded and patterns arising from comparing all three assignments. Furthermore, for the second assignment, we graded random sample of 300 essays by a group of trained undergraduate students and a group consisting of one of the course instructors together with graduate TAs and we compared results with grades from the peer grading. Specifically we look on Intraclass Correlation Coefficients for all three groups of graders to determine reliability of each group and correlations between final grades. Finally we assess factors influencing reliability of the peer graders participating in the MOOC based on the difference from our grades. This research was supported by Howard Hughes Medical Institute Grant No. 415580.

Muscle Dysmorphia and the Perception of Men's Peer Muscularity Preferences.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Linda; DeCusati, Frank

2016-11-01

Research suggests that peer muscularity norms preferences are related to men's body image, but little information is known about how perceptions of specific peer group norms preferences are related to men's body image disturbances and specific health behaviors. This study investigated how men perceived the muscularity preferences of male, female, close, and distant peers and whether the perceptions of specific peer preferences were related to muscle dysmorphia and steroid use. Data on muscle dysmorphia and the perceptions of peer muscularity norms were collected from 117 male college students. Results indicated that men perceived distant and male peers as having the most exaggerated preferences for muscularity and that those perceptions were not an accurate reflection of their distant male peers' reported preferences. Results also indicated that perceptions of close female peer muscularity preferences were predictive of symptoms of muscle dysmorphia, but this relationship did not exist for other peer groups, suggesting that the perceptions of close female peer preferences may play a role in the development of muscle dysmorphia. No relationship was found between perceptions of peer muscularity preferences and steroid use. © The Author(s) 2015.

Operation of the Selected Local Action Group

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lukáš Nevěděl

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The main objective of this article is to compare the current operation of elected local action group with the concept of learning regions. This comparison is built on detailed knowledge and understanding of the operation of local action group Podbrnensko citizens’ association (Podbrnensko CA and learning regions in general. The following is assumed: the understanding of community-based processes from the perspective of residents, the important stakeholders who influence the operation of communities or locations. The operation of local action groups is in line with the current concept led by local community development (community led local development, CLLD, which uses elements of the LEADER method. In this method the solution of development problems comes primarily from the inside, not from the outside of the studied territory. The methods used for the collection of empirical data were mostly observation and interviews with all partners involved in LAG (31 people, all mayors in LAG (29 people and 176 people from region, i.e. methods, which result in so called deep data. Between the primary techniques applied in the research are: participant observation, unstructured or semi-structured interviews and public debates.

Online and offline peer led models against bullying and cyberbullying.

Science.gov (United States)

Palladino, Benedetta Emanuela; Nocentini, Annalaura; Menesini, Ersilia

2012-11-01

The aim of the present study is to describe and evaluate an ongoing peer-led model against bullying and cyberbullying carried out with Italian adolescents. The evaluation of the project was made through an experimental design consisting of a pre-test and a post-test. Participants in the study were 375 adolescents (20.3% males), enrolled in 9th to 13th grades. The experimental group involved 231 students with 42 peer educators, and the control group involved 144 students. Results showed a significant decrease in the experimental group as compared to the control group for all the variables except for cyberbullying. Besides, in the experimental group we found a significant increase in adaptive coping strategies like problem solving and a significant decrease in maladaptive coping strategies like avoidance: these changes mediate the changes in the behavioural variables. In particular, the decrease in avoidance predicts the decrease in victimization and cybervictimization for peer educators and for the other students in the experimental classes whereas the increase in problem solving predicts the decrease in cyberbullying only in the peer educators group. Results are discussed following recent reviews on evidence based efficacy of peer led models.

What do peer support workers do? A job description.

Science.gov (United States)

Jacobson, Nora; Trojanowski, Lucy; Dewa, Carolyn S

2012-07-19

The extant literature suggests that poorly defined job roles make it difficult for peer support workers to be successful, and hinder their integration into multi-disciplinary workplace teams. This article uses data gathered as part of a participatory evaluation of a peer support program at a psychiatric tertiary care facility to specify the work that peers do. Data were gathered through interviews, focus groups, and activity logs and were analyzed using a modified grounded theory approach. Peers engage in direct work with clients and in indirect work that supports their work with clients. The main types of direct work are advocacy, connecting to resources, experiential sharing, building community, relationship building, group facilitation, skill building/mentoring/goal setting, and socialization/self-esteem building. The main types of indirect work are group planning and development, administration, team communication, supervision/training, receiving support, education/awareness building, and information gathering and verification. In addition, peers also do work aimed at building relationships with staff and work aimed at legitimizing the peer role. Experience, approach, presence, role modeling, collaboration, challenge, and compromise can be seen as the tangible enactments of peers' philosophy of work. Candidates for positions as peer support workers require more than experience with mental health and/or addiction problems. The job description provided in this article may not be appropriate for all settings, but it will contribute to a better understanding of the peer support worker position, the skills required, and the types of expectations that could define successful fulfillment of the role.

Peer-to-peer milk donors' and recipients' experiences and perceptions of donor milk banks.

Science.gov (United States)

Gribble, Karleen D

2013-07-01

To explore the intersection of peer-to-peer milk sharing and donor milk banks. A descriptive survey design containing closed and open-ended questions was used to examine women's perceptions of peer-to-peer milk sharing and milk banking. Closed-ended questions were analyzed using descriptive statistics and conventional qualitative content analysis was used to analyze open-ended responses. Participants were recruited via the Facebook sites of two online milk-sharing networks (Human Milk 4 Human Babies and Eats on Feet). Ninety-eight milk donors and 41 milk recipients who had donated or received breast milk in an arrangement that was facilitated via the Internet. One half of donor recipients could not donate to a milk bank because there were no banks local to them or they did not qualify as donors. Other respondents did not donate to a milk bank because they viewed the process as difficult, had philosophical objections to milk banking, or had a philosophical attraction to peer sharing. Most donor respondents felt it was important to know the circumstances of their milk recipients. No recipient respondents had obtained milk from a milk bank; it was recognized that they would not qualify for banked milk or that banked milk was cost prohibitive. Peer-to-peer milk donors and recipients may differ from milk bank donors and recipients in significant ways. Cooperation between milk banks and peer sharing networks could benefit both groups. © 2013 AWHONN, the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses.

Does the Peer Group matter? The Effect of Relative Rank on Educational Choice

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Skov, Peter Rohde

as a point of comparison. I investigate this theory using a school-by-grade fixed effects model and comprehensive administrative data. I examine the non-linear relationships between peers educational achievement on choice of secondary education. I show that the relative rank in the classroom have......In this paper I investigate whether a social contrast mechanism affects the choice of secondary schooling. Based on a theory of relative deprivation, a strand of research in social inequality of educational attainment shows that, controlling for the students ability, students who attends schools...... with more privileged peers have lower educational attainment and less prestigious labor market careers. This theory shows that students with similar ability may be regarded differently depending on context, which may affect the students' academic self-image. This also means that the students use their peers...

Peer Mentors Can Improve Academic Performance

Science.gov (United States)

Asgari, Shaki; Carter, Frederick, Jr.

2016-01-01

The present study examined the relationship between peer mentoring and academic performance. Students from two introductory psychology classes either received (n = 37) or did not receive (n = 36) peer mentoring. The data indicated a consistent improvement in the performance (i.e., grades on scheduled exams) of the mentored group. A similar pattern…

Peer Helpers: Encouraging Kids to Confide.

Science.gov (United States)

Tanaka, Gail; Reid, Kelley

1997-01-01

In peer-helping programs, a professional counselor or teacher trains a group of students who then help other students by listening, providing information, and referring them to others with the necessary expertise. Peer helpers can help improve the school climate by contributing to its health and security. Since 1979, Seattle's Natural Helpers…

The Computer as Means of Communication for Peer-Review Groups

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Geest, Thea; Remmers, Tim

1994-01-01

In a scientific-writing course, 15 of 54 students used a review-supporting computer program, PREP-EDITOR (PREP), to communicate with their peers about drafts. In an exploratory study, 10 students were interviewed regularly: 5 used PREP and 5 met face-to-face to exchange comments on drafts. The study

Peer relationships and academic achievement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Krnjajić Stevan B.

2002-01-01

Full Text Available After their childhood, when children begin to establish more intensive social contacts outside family, first of all, in school setting, their behavior i.e. their social, intellectual, moral and emotional development is more strongly affected by their peers. Consequently, the quality of peer relationships considerably affects the process of adaptation and academic achievement and their motivational and emotional attitude towards school respectively. Empirical findings showed that there is bi-directional influence between peer relationships and academic achievement. In other words, the quality of peer relationships affects academic achievement, and conversely, academic achievement affects the quality of peer relationships. For example, socially accepted children exhibiting prosocial, cooperative and responsible forms of behavior in school most frequently have high academic achievement. On the other hand, children rejected by their peers often have lower academic achievement and are a risk group tending to delinquency, absenteeism and drop out of school. Those behavioral and interpersonal forms of competence are frequently more reliable predictors of academic achievement than intellectual abilities are. Considering the fact that various patterns of peer interaction differently exert influence on students' academic behavior, the paper analyzed effects of (a social competence, (b social acceptance/rejection, (c child's friendships and (d prosocial behavior on academic achievement.

CAUSAL PEER EFFECTS IN FINANCIAL DECISION MAKING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana Njegovanović

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The research paper connects three key elements from the study (conducted using neural database of experimental asset market that have tested the fundamental mechanisms that generate peer effect, the neural database was measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI; Cary Frydman, 2015- University of Southern California-Marshall School of Business relating to: experimental control in the laboratory of random peer assignment,; neural activity in testing new prediction explaining peer effect and neural activity in the conduct of trade. The methodology used in the research of peer effect relies on the theory of predicting error, the signal which measures changes in anticipation of the net present value which generates new information. Cognitive neuroscience shows that the prediction error is measured in a certain part of the brain known as the ventral striatum. Measuring the potential value gives insights to economists on which factors affecting the subjective utility. Testing is constructed with 48 patients who were given $ 100 of experimental money and they were given the opportunity to invest in two separate assets in over two hundred experiments. The experiment showed that subjects converted their final portfolio from experimental currency to real dollars using the exchange rate of 5: 1. In addition to profits from the experiment, subjects were paid a fixed "show-up" fee of $ 20. There are two difficulties in identifying causal peer effect in economic behavior (Minsk, 1993. Correlated behavior between two representatives may potentially be the engine by common shocks of the peer group or endogenous election in the peer group. In addition to the prediction that deals with causal peer effect, there have been further developed predictions that generate different mechanisms of peer effects using neural database. Focus on neural prediction is the neural activity that generates the moment when peers allocation investment is published

Technology enhanced peer learning and peer assessment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Henriksen, Christian Bugge; Bregnhøj, Henrik; Rosthøj, Susanne

2016-01-01

This paper explores the application of learning designs featuring formalised and structured technology enhanced peer learning. These include student produced learning elements, peer review discussions and peer assessment in the BSc/MSc level summer course Restoration of European Ecosystems and Fr...... be a huge benefit from developing learning design patterns that facilitate informal peer learning and reinforce knowledge sharing practices.......This paper explores the application of learning designs featuring formalised and structured technology enhanced peer learning. These include student produced learning elements, peer review discussions and peer assessment in the BSc/MSc level summer course Restoration of European Ecosystems...... and Freshwaters (REEF), the Master thesis preparation seminars for the Master of Public Health (MPH) and the MOOC course Global Environmental Management (GEM). The application of student produced learning elements and peer review discussions is investigated by analyzing quotes from course evaluations...

Peer-to-peer computing for secure high performance data copying

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hanushevsky, A.; Trunov, A.; Cottrell, L.

2001-01-01

The BaBar Copy Program (bbcp) is an excellent representative of peer-to-peer (P2P) computing. It is also a pioneering application of its type in the P2P arena. Built upon the foundation of its predecessor, Secure Fast Copy (sfcp), bbcp incorporates significant improvements performance and usability. As with sfcp, bbcp uses ssh for authentication; providing an elegant and simple working model--if you can ssh to a location, you can copy files to or from that location. To fully support this notion, bbcp transparently supports 3rd party copy operations. The program also incorporates several mechanism to deal with firewall security; the bane of P2P computing. To achieve high performance in a wide area network, bbcp allows a user to independently specify, the number of parallel network streams, tcp window size, and the file I/O blocking factor. Using these parameters, data is pipelined from source to target to provide a uniform traffic pattern that maximizes router efficiency. For improved recoverability, bbcp also keeps track of copy operations so that an operation can be restarted from the point of failure at a later time; minimizing the amount of network traffic in the event of a copy failure. Here, the authors present the bbcp architecture, it's various features, and the reasons for their inclusion

Peer-to-Peer Computing for Secure High Performance Data Copying

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2002-01-01

The BaBar Copy Program (bbcp) is an excellent representative of peer-to-peer (P2P) computing. It is also a pioneering application of its type in the P2P arena. Built upon the foundation of its predecessor, Secure Fast Copy (sfcp), bbcp incorporates significant improvements performance and usability. As with sfcp, bbcp uses ssh for authentication; providing an elegant and simple working model -- if you can ssh to a location, you can copy files to or from that location. To fully support this notion, bbcp transparently supports 3rd party copy operations. The program also incorporates several mechanism to deal with firewall security; the bane of P2P computing. To achieve high performance in a wide area network, bbcp allows a user to independently specify, the number of parallel network streams, tcp window size, and the file I/O blocking factor. Using these parameters, data is pipelined from source to target to provide a uniform traffic pattern that maximizes router efficiency. For improved recoverability, bbcp also keeps track of copy operations so that an operation can be restarted from the point of failure at a later time; minimizing the amount of network traffic in the event of a copy failure. Here, we preset the bbcp architecture, it's various features, and the reasons for their inclusion

Undergraduate Medical Students Using Facebook as a Peer-Mentoring Platform: A Mixed-Methods Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Pinilla, Severin; Nicolai, Leo; Gradel, Maximilian; Pander, Tanja; Fischer, Martin R; von der Borch, Philip; Dimitriadis, Konstantinos

2015-10-27

Peer mentoring is a powerful pedagogical approach for supporting undergraduate medical students in their learning environment. However, it remains unclear what exactly peer mentoring is and whether and how undergraduate medical students use social media for peer-mentoring activities. We aimed at describing and exploring the Facebook use of undergraduate medical students during their first 2 years at a German medical school. The data should help medical educators to effectively integrate social media in formal mentoring programs for medical students. We developed a coding scheme for peer mentoring and conducted a mixed-methods study in order to explore Facebook groups of undergraduate medical students from a peer-mentoring perspective. All major peer-mentoring categories were identified in Facebook groups of medical students. The relevance of these Facebook groups was confirmed through triangulation with focus groups and descriptive statistics. Medical students made extensive use of Facebook and wrote a total of 11,853 posts and comments in the respective Facebook groups (n=2362 total group members). Posting peaks were identified at the beginning of semesters and before exam periods, reflecting the formal curriculum milestones. Peer mentoring is present in Facebook groups formed by undergraduate medical students who extensively use these groups to seek advice from peers on study-related issues and, in particular, exam preparation. These groups also seem to be effective in supporting responsive and large-scale peer-mentoring structures; formal mentoring programs might benefit from integrating social media into their activity portfolio.

MO-E-18C-01: Open Access Web-Based Peer-To-Peer Training and Education in Radiotherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pawlicki, T; Brown, D; Dunscombe, P; Mutic, S

2014-01-01

Purpose: Current training and education delivery models have limitations which result in gaps in clinical proficiency with equipment, procedures, and techniques. Educational and training opportunities offered by vendors and professional societies are by their nature not available at point of need or for the life of clinical systems. The objective of this work is to leverage modern communications technology to provide peer-to-peer training and education for radiotherapy professionals, in the clinic and on demand, as they undertake their clinical duties. Methods: We have developed a free of charge web site ( https://i.treatsafely.org ) using the Google App Engine and datastore (NDB, GQL), Python with AJAX-RPC, and Javascript. The site is a radiotherapy-specific hosting service to which user-created videos illustrating clinical or physics processes and other relevant educational material can be uploaded. Efficient navigation to the material of interest is provided through several RT specific search tools and videos can be scored by users, thus providing comprehensive peer review of the site content. The site also supports multilingual narration\\translation of videos, a quiz function for competence assessment and a library function allowing groups or institutions to define their standard operating procedures based on the video content. Results: The website went live in August 2013 and currently has over 680 registered users from 55 countries; 27.2% from the United States, 9.8% from India, 8.3% from the United Kingdom, 7.3% from Brazil, and 47.5% from other countries. The users include physicists (57.4%), Oncologists (12.5%), therapists (8.2%) and dosimetrists (4.8%). There are 75 videos to date including English, Portuguese, Mandarin, and Thai. Conclusion: Based on the initial acceptance of the site, we conclude that this open access web-based peer-to-peer tool is fulfilling an important need in radiotherapy training and education. Site functionality should expand in

MO-E-18C-01: Open Access Web-Based Peer-To-Peer Training and Education in Radiotherapy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pawlicki, T [UC San Diego Medical Center, La Jolla, CA (United States); Brown, D; Dunscombe, P [Tom Baker Cancer Centre, Calgary, AB (Canada); Mutic, S [Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO (United States)

2014-06-15

Purpose: Current training and education delivery models have limitations which result in gaps in clinical proficiency with equipment, procedures, and techniques. Educational and training opportunities offered by vendors and professional societies are by their nature not available at point of need or for the life of clinical systems. The objective of this work is to leverage modern communications technology to provide peer-to-peer training and education for radiotherapy professionals, in the clinic and on demand, as they undertake their clinical duties. Methods: We have developed a free of charge web site ( https://i.treatsafely.org ) using the Google App Engine and datastore (NDB, GQL), Python with AJAX-RPC, and Javascript. The site is a radiotherapy-specific hosting service to which user-created videos illustrating clinical or physics processes and other relevant educational material can be uploaded. Efficient navigation to the material of interest is provided through several RT specific search tools and videos can be scored by users, thus providing comprehensive peer review of the site content. The site also supports multilingual narration\\translation of videos, a quiz function for competence assessment and a library function allowing groups or institutions to define their standard operating procedures based on the video content. Results: The website went live in August 2013 and currently has over 680 registered users from 55 countries; 27.2% from the United States, 9.8% from India, 8.3% from the United Kingdom, 7.3% from Brazil, and 47.5% from other countries. The users include physicists (57.4%), Oncologists (12.5%), therapists (8.2%) and dosimetrists (4.8%). There are 75 videos to date including English, Portuguese, Mandarin, and Thai. Conclusion: Based on the initial acceptance of the site, we conclude that this open access web-based peer-to-peer tool is fulfilling an important need in radiotherapy training and education. Site functionality should expand in

Children with obesity: peer influence as a predictor of body dissatisfaction.

Science.gov (United States)

Amaya-Hernández, Adriana; Ortega-Luyando, Mayaro; Bautista-Díaz, María Leticia; Alvarez-Rayón, Georgina L; Mancilla-Díaz, Juan Manuel

2017-03-07

To analyze self-esteem, as well as the different peer influence components (messages, interactions and likability) as predictors of body dissatisfaction in children with obesity. A total of 123 children aged between 10 and 12 years were divided into two groups according to their body mass index. The group with obesity was comprised of 36 boys and 21 girls and the group with normal weight of 32 boys and 34 girls. All of the participants answered the Body Shape Questionnaire-16, the Inventory of Peer Influence on Eating Concerns, and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. The hierarchical multiple regression analysis for each group showed that likability and peer messages explain 67% of the body dissatisfaction variance in children with obesity and 54% in children with normal weight. Peer influence predicted body dissatisfaction in children; however, children with obesity assimilate messages from their peers differently compared with children with normal weight.

Effects of Peer-Facilitated, Video-Based and Combined Peer-and-Video Education on Anxiety Among Patients Undergoing Coronary Angiography: Randomised controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Habibzadeh, Hosein; Milan, Zahra D; Radfar, Moloud; Alilu, Leyla; Cund, Audrey

2018-02-01

Coronary angiography can be stressful for patients and anxiety-caused physiological responses during the procedure increase the risk of dysrhythmia, coronary artery spasms and rupture. This study therefore aimed to investigate the effects of peer, video and combined peer-and-video training on anxiety among patients undergoing coronary angiography. This single-blinded randomised controlled clinical trial was conducted at two large educational hospitals in Iran between April and July 2016. A total of 120 adult patients undergoing coronary angiography were recruited. Using a block randomisation method, participants were assigned to one of four groups, with those in the control group receiving no training and those in the three intervention groups receiving either peer-facilitated training, video-based training or a combination of both. A Persian-language validated version of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory was used to measure pre- and post-intervention anxiety. There were no statistically significant differences in mean pre-intervention anxiety scores between the four groups (F = 0.31; P = 0.81). In contrast, there was a significant reduction in post-intervention anxiety among all three intervention groups compared to the control group (F = 27.71; P <0.01); however, there was no significant difference in anxiety level in terms of the type of intervention used. Peer, video and combined peer-and-video education were equally effective in reducing angiography-related patient anxiety. Such techniques are recommended to reduce anxiety amongst patients undergoing coronary angiography in hospitals in Iran.

The Impact of Peer Mentoring on Pupils' Emotional Literacy Competencies

Science.gov (United States)

O'Hara, Donna

2011-01-01

Research suggests that peer mentoring can positively impact on emotional literacy competencies. This study explored the effects of peer mentoring on the emotional literacy competencies of Year 7 peer mentees using a quasi-experimental pre-test and post-test control group design. Results supported the hypothesis that peer mentoring has a positive…

Factors impacting the quality of peer relationships of youth with Tourette's syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Hare, Deirdre; Eapen, Valsamma; Helmes, Edward; McBain, Kerry; Reece, John; Grove, Rachel

2015-09-30

Tourette's syndrome (TS) is a poorly understood neurodevelopmental disorder consistently associated with impaired peer relationships. This research aimed to investigate the relationship between TS and the ability of diagnosed youth to form secure attachment relationships with peers. A quantitative study examined differences between youth with TS and typically developing peers in social functioning, relationship problems and attachment security. Qualitative studies sought to identify factors that enhanced or impeded the ability to form secure peer relationships, including the impact of tic severity, comorbidity and personality traits. All research was conducted from the parental perspective. The research consisted of a controlled, survey-based qualitative and quantitative study (Study One) of parents of youth with TS (n = 86) and control group peers (n = 108), and a qualitative telephone interview-based study of TS group parents (Study Two, n = 22). Quantitative assessment of social functioning, peer problems and peer attachment security was conducted using the Paediatric Quality of Life inventory, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and the Attachment Questionnaire for Children. Qualitative data relating to personality was classified using the Five Factor Model. Results revealed significantly higher rates of insecure peer attachment, problems in peer relationships, difficulty making friends, stigmatisation and lower levels of social functioning for the TS group. Significant between-group differences in number and type of factors impacting peer relationships were also determined with 'personality' emerging as the most prevalent factor. Whilst Extraversion and Agreeableness facilitated friendships for both groups, higher rates of Neuroticism were barriers to friendship for individuals with TS. The TS group also identified multiple 'non-personality' factors impacting peer relationships, including TS and comorbid symptom severity, the child

The Impact of Peer Review on Writing in a Psychology Course: Lessons Learned

Science.gov (United States)

Bhullar, Naureen; Rose, Karen C.; Utell, Janine M.; Healey, Kathryn N.

2014-01-01

The authors assessed the impact of peer review on student writing in four sections of an undergraduate Developmental Psychology course. They hypothesized that peer review would result in better writing in the peer review group compared to the group with no peer review. Writing was rated independently by two instructors who were blind to the…

Peer to Peer Information Retrieval: An Overview

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tigelaar, A.S.; Hiemstra, D.; Trieschnigg, D.

2012-01-01

Peer-to-peer technology is widely used for file sharing. In the past decade a number of prototype peer-to-peer information retrieval systems have been developed. Unfortunately, none of these have seen widespread real- world adoption and thus, in contrast with file sharing, information retrieval is

Peer to Peer Information Retrieval: An Overview

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tigelaar, A.S.; Hiemstra, Djoerd; Trieschnigg, Rudolf Berend

Peer-to-peer technology is widely used for file sharing. In the past decade a number of prototype peer-to-peer information retrieval systems have been developed. Unfortunately, none of these have seen widespread real- world adoption and thus, in contrast with file sharing, information retrieval is

Effects of cooperative learning groups during social studies for students with autism and fourth-grade peers.

Science.gov (United States)

Dugan, E; Kamps, D; Leonard, B

1995-01-01

We investigated the use of cooperative learning groups as an instructional strategy for integrating 2 students with autism into a fourth-grade social studies class. Baseline consisted of 40 min of teacher-led sessions including lecture, questions and discussion with students, and the use of maps. The intervention condition consisted of 10 min of teacher introduction of new material, followed by cooperative learning groups that included tutoring on key words and facts, a team activity, and a whole class wrap-up and review. An ABAB design showed increases for target students and peers for the number of items gained on weekly pretests and posttests, the percentage of academic engagement during sessions, and durations of student interaction during the intervention. PMID:7601803

Peer-review: An IOP Publishing Perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Timothy

2015-03-01

Online publishing is challenging, and potentially changing, the role of publishers in both managing the peer-review process and disseminating the work that they publish in meeting contrasting needs from diverse groups of research communities. Recognizing the value of peer-review as a fundamental service to authors and the research community, the underlying principles of managing the process for journals published by IOP Publishing remain unchanged and yet the potential and demand for alternative models exists. This talk will discuss the traditional approach to peer-review placed in the context of this changing demand.

Resurrecting the chimera: Progressions in parenting and peer processes.

Science.gov (United States)

Forgatch, Marion S; Snyder, James J; Patterson, Gerald R; Pauldine, Michael R; Chaw, Yvonne; Elish, Katie; Harris, Jasmine B; Richardson, Eric B

2016-08-01

This report uses 6-year outcomes of the Oregon Divorce Study to examine the processes by which parenting practices affect deviant peer association during two developmental stages: early to middle childhood and late childhood to early adolescence. The participants were 238 newly divorced mothers and their 5- to 8-year-old sons who were randomly assigned to Parent Management Training-Oregon Model (PMTO®) or to a no-treatment control group. Parenting practices, child delinquent behavior, and deviant peer association were repeatedly assessed from baseline to 6 years after baseline using multiple methods and informants. PMTO had a beneficial effect on parenting practices relative to the control group. Two stage models linking changes in parenting generated by PMTO to children's growth in deviant peer association were supported. During the early to middle childhood stage, the relationship of improved parenting practices on deviant peer association was moderated by family socioeconomic status (SES); effective parenting was particularly important in mitigating deviant peer association for lower SES families whose children experience higher densities of deviant peers in schools and neighborhoods. During late childhood and early adolescence, the relationship of improved parenting to youths' growth in deviant peer association was mediated by reductions in the growth of delinquency during childhood; higher levels of early delinquency are likely to promote deviant peer association through processes of selective affiliation and reciprocal deviancy training. The results are discussed in terms of multilevel developmental progressions of diminished parenting, child involvement in deviancy producing processes in peer groups, and increased variety and severity of antisocial behavior, all exacerbated by ecological risks associated with low family SES.

Cross-year peer tutoring on internal medicine wards: results of a qualitative focus group analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Krautter, Markus; Andreesen, Sven; Köhl-Hackert, Nadja; Hoffmann, Katja; Herzog, Wolfgang; Nikendei, Christoph

2014-01-01

Peer-assisted learning (PAL) has become a well-accepted teaching method within medical education. However, descriptions of on-ward PAL programs are rare. A focus group analysis of a newly established PAL program on an internal medicine ward was conducted to provide insights into PAL teaching from a student perspective. To provide insights into students' experiences regarding their on-ward training with and without accompanying PAL tutors. A total of N=168 medical students in their sixth semester participated in the investigation (intervention group: N=88; control group: N=80). The intervention group took part in the PAL program, while the control group received standard on-ward training. There were seven focus groups with N=43 participants (intervention group: four focus groups, N=28 participants; control group: three focus groups, N=15 participants). The discussions were analyzed using content analysis. The intervention group emphasized the role of the tutors as competent and well-trained teachers, most beneficial in supervising clinical skills. Tutors motivate students, help them to integrate into the ward team, and provide a non-fear-based working relationship whereby students' anxiety regarding working on ward decreases. The control group had to rely on autodidactic learning strategies when neither supervising physicians nor final-year students were available. On-ward PAL programs represent a particularly valuable tool for students' support in training clinical competencies on ward. The tutor-student working alliance acts through its flat hierarchy. Nevertheless, tutors cannot represent an adequate substitute for experienced physicians.

Peer-to-Peer Service Sharing Platforms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersson, Magnus; Hjalmarsson, Anders; Avital, Michel

2013-01-01

The sharing economy has been growing continuously in the last decade thanks to the proliferation of internet-based platforms that allow people to disintermediate the traditional commercial channels and to share excess resources and trade with one another effectively at a reasonably low transaction...... cost. Whereas early peer-to-peer platforms were designed to enable file sharing and goods trading, we recently witness the emergence of a new breed of peer-to-peer platforms that are designed for ordinary service sharing. Ordinary services entail intangible provisions and are defined as an economic...... activity that generates immaterial benefits and does not result in ownership of material goods. Based on a structured analysis of 41 internet-based rideshare platforms, we explore and layout the unique characteristics of peer-to-peer service sharing platforms based on three distinct temporal patterns...

Inducing Peer Pressure to Promote Cooperation

Science.gov (United States)

Mani, Ankur; Rahwan, Iyad; Pentland, Alex

2013-04-01

Cooperation in a large society of self-interested individuals is notoriously difficult to achieve when the externality of one individual's action is spread thin and wide on the whole society. This leads to the `tragedy of the commons' in which rational action will ultimately make everyone worse-off. Traditional policies to promote cooperation involve Pigouvian taxation or subsidies that make individuals internalize the externality they incur. We introduce a new approach to achieving global cooperation by localizing externalities to one's peers in a social network, thus leveraging the power of peer-pressure to regulate behavior. The mechanism relies on a joint model of externalities and peer-pressure. Surprisingly, this mechanism can require a lower budget to operate than the Pigouvian mechanism, even when accounting for the social cost of peer pressure. Even when the available budget is very low, the social mechanisms achieve greater improvement in the outcome.

Inducing peer pressure to promote cooperation.

Science.gov (United States)

Mani, Ankur; Rahwan, Iyad; Pentland, Alex

2013-01-01

Cooperation in a large society of self-interested individuals is notoriously difficult to achieve when the externality of one individual's action is spread thin and wide on the whole society. This leads to the 'tragedy of the commons' in which rational action will ultimately make everyone worse-off. Traditional policies to promote cooperation involve Pigouvian taxation or subsidies that make individuals internalize the externality they incur. We introduce a new approach to achieving global cooperation by localizing externalities to one's peers in a social network, thus leveraging the power of peer-pressure to regulate behavior. The mechanism relies on a joint model of externalities and peer-pressure. Surprisingly, this mechanism can require a lower budget to operate than the Pigouvian mechanism, even when accounting for the social cost of peer pressure. Even when the available budget is very low, the social mechanisms achieve greater improvement in the outcome.

Breastfeeding peer support: are there additional benefits?

Science.gov (United States)

Wade, Deborah; Haining, Shona; Day, Ann

2009-12-01

Anecdotal discussion among breastfeeding peer supporters and the infant-feeding co-ordinator suggested that breastfeeding peer support provided by breastfeeding peer supporters may offer benefits to breastfeeding women and their families other than increasing breastfeeding initiation and sustainability. The aim of this research was to determine whether there was evidence to support this. The research team used focus groups to obtain information from 16 local women who had received breastfeeding peer support from breastfeeding peer supporters. The key themes that emerged were--improved mental health, increased self-esteem or confidence, parenting skills, improved family diet, breastfeeding sustainability and poor hospital experience.The findings suggest that breastfeeding peer supporters supporting mothers to breastfeed, with the intention of increasing both breastfeeding rates and sustainability, may have additional benefits in several aspects of families' lives. Breastfeeding peer support may play an important role in helping to attain targets such as reducing obesity and postnatal depression.

Young Children's Trust Beliefs in Peers: Relations to Social Competence and Interactive Behaviors in a Peer Group

Science.gov (United States)

Chin, Jui-Chih

2014-01-01

Research Findings: The aim of this study was to explore the relations between children's trust beliefs and social competence as well as social preference. In addition, this study examined how children with different trust belief profiles may differ in their peer interactive behaviors. A total of 47 children ages 5 to 6 participated in this study.…

What’s about Peer Tutoring Learning Model?

Science.gov (United States)

Muthma'innah, M.

2017-09-01

Mathematics learning outcomes in Indonesia in general is still far from satisfactory. One effort that could be expected to solve the problem is to apply the model of peer tutoring learning in mathematics. This study aims to determine whether the results of students’ mathematics learning can be enhanced through peer tutoring learning models. This type of research is the study of literature, so that the method used is to summarize and analyze the results of relevant research that has been done. Peer tutoring learning model is a model of learning in which students learn in small groups that are grouped with different ability levels, all group members to work together and help each other to understand the material. By paying attention to the syntax of the learning, then learning will be invaluable peer tutoring for students who served as teachers and students are taught. In mathematics, the implementation of this learning model can make students understand each other mathematical concepts and help students in solving mathematical problems that are poorly understood, due to the interaction between students in learning. Then it will be able to improve learning outcomes in mathematics. The impact, it can be applied in mathematics learning.

Learning global health: a pilot study of an online collaborative intercultural peer group activity involving medical students in Australia and Indonesia.

Science.gov (United States)

Ambrose, Mark; Murray, Linda; Handoyo, Nicholas E; Tunggal, Deif; Cooling, Nick

2017-01-13

There is limited research to inform effective pedagogies for teaching global health to undergraduate medical students. Theoretically, using a combination of teaching pedagogies typically used in 'international classrooms' may prove to be an effective way of learning global health. This pilot study aimed to explore the experiences of medical students in Australia and Indonesia who participated in a reciprocal intercultural participatory peer e-learning activity (RIPPLE) in global health. Seventy-one third year medical students (49 from Australia and 22 from Indonesia) from the University of Tasmania (Australia) and the University of Nusa Cendana (Indonesia) participated in the RIPPLE activity. Participants were randomly distributed into 11 intercultural 'virtual' groups. The groups collaborated online over two weeks to study a global health topic of their choice, and each group produced a structured research abstract. Pre- and post-RIPPLE questionnaires were used to capture students' experiences of the activity. Descriptive quantitative data were analysed with Microsoft Excel and qualitative data were thematically analysed. Students' motivation to volunteer for this activity included: curiosity about the innovative approach to learning; wanting to expand knowledge of global health; hoping to build personal and professional relationships; and a desire to be part of an intercultural experience. Afer completing the RIPPLE program, participants reported on global health knowledge acquisition, the development of peer relationships, and insight into another culture. Barriers to achieving the learning outcomes associated with RIPPLE included problems with establishing consistent online communication, and effectively managing time to simultaneously complete RIPPLE and other curricula activities. Medical students from both countries found benefits in working together in small virtual groups to complement existing teaching in global health. However, our pilot study

Peer coaching to teach faculty surgeons an advanced laparoscopic skill: A randomized controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Palter, Vanessa N; Beyfuss, Kaitlyn A; Jokhio, Adam R; Ryzynski, Agnes; Ashamalla, Shady

2016-11-01

Preliminary evidence suggests that coaching is an effective adjunct in resident training. The learning needs of faculty, however, are different from those of trainees. Assessing the effectiveness of peer coaching at improving the technical proficiency of practicing surgeons is an area that remains largely unexplored. The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of a peer coaching program that teaches laparoscopic suturing to faculty surgeons. Surgeons inexperienced in laparoscopic suturing were randomized to either conventional training or peer coaching. Both groups performed a pretest on a box trainer. The conventional training group then received a web link to a tutorial for teaching laparoscopic suturing and a box trainer for independent practice. In addition to the web link and the box trainer, the peer coaching group received 2 half hour peer coaching sessions. Both groups then performed a stitch on the box trainer that was video recorded. The primary outcome measure was technical performance, which was assessed by a global rating scale. Eighteen faculty were randomized (conventional training n = 9; peer coaching n = 9). Initially, there was no difference in technical skills between the groups (conventional training median score 10 [interquartile range 8.5-15]; peer coaching 13 [10.5-14]; P = .64). After the intervention, the peer coaching group had improved technical performance (conventional training 11 [8.5-12.5]; peer coaching 18 [17-19]; P coaching group, yet none in the conventional training group (before conventional training 10 [8.5-15], after conventional training 11 [8.5-12.5]; P = .56; before peer coaching 13 [10.5-14], after peer coaching 18 [17-19]; P coaching program can facilitate faculty surgeons learning a novel procedure. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Jupiter: Peer-to-Peer Networking Platform over Heterogeneous Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Norihiro Ishikawa

2006-10-01

Full Text Available Peer-to-peer has entered the public limelight over the last few years. Several research projects are underway on peer-to-peer technologies, but no definitive conclusion is currently available. Compared with traditional Internet technologies, peer-to-peer has the potential to realize highly scalable, extensible, and efficient distributed applications. This is because its basic functions realize resource discovery, resource sharing, and load balancing in a highly distributed manner. An easy prediction is the emergence of an environment in which many sensors, people, and many different kinds of objects exist, move, and communicate with one another. Peer-to-peer is one of the most important and suitable technologies for such networking since it supports discovery mechanisms, simple one-to-one communication between devices, free and extensible distribution of resources, and distributed search to handle the enormous number of resources. The purpose of this study is to explore a universal peer-to-peer network architecture that will allow various devices to communicate with one another across various networks. We have been designing architecture and protocols for realizing peer-to-peer networking among various devices. We are currently designing APIs that are available for various peer-to-peer applications and are implementing a prototype called "Jupiter" as a peer-to-peer networking platform over heterogeneous networks.

What do peer support workers do? A job description

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jacobson Nora

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The extant literature suggests that poorly defined job roles make it difficult for peer support workers to be successful, and hinder their integration into multi-disciplinary workplace teams. This article uses data gathered as part of a participatory evaluation of a peer support program at a psychiatric tertiary care facility to specify the work that peers do. Methods Data were gathered through interviews, focus groups, and activity logs and were analyzed using a modified grounded theory approach. Results Peers engage in direct work with clients and in indirect work that supports their work with clients. The main types of direct work are advocacy, connecting to resources, experiential sharing, building community, relationship building, group facilitation, skill building/mentoring/goal setting, and socialization/self-esteem building. The main types of indirect work are group planning and development, administration, team communication, supervision/training, receiving support, education/awareness building, and information gathering and verification. In addition, peers also do work aimed at building relationships with staff and work aimed at legitimizing the peer role. Experience, approach, presence, role modeling, collaboration, challenge, and compromise can be seen as the tangible enactments of peers’ philosophy of work. Conclusions Candidates for positions as peer support workers require more than experience with mental health and/or addiction problems. The job description provided in this article may not be appropriate for all settings, but it will contribute to a better understanding of the peer support worker position, the skills required, and the types of expectations that could define successful fulfillment of the role.

Adapting Peer Review to an Online Course: An Exploratory Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

Knight, Linda V.; Steinbach, Theresa A.

2011-01-01

With demonstrated benefits to higher level learning, peer review in the classroom has been well researched and popular since at least the 1990s. However, little or no prior studies exist into the peer review process for online courses. Further, we found no prior research specifically addressing the operational aspects of online peer review. This…

Small Group Discussion as a Key Component in Online Assessment Training for Enhanced Student Learning in Web-Based Peer Assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Xiongyi; Li, Lan; Zhang, Zhihong

2018-01-01

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of online assessment training, with synchronous group discussion as a key component, on subsequent web-based peer assessment results. Participants included 81 college students, mostly women, taking a business writing class. After initial submission of a draft counter-offer letter, they completed…

Supporting CANDU operators-CANDU owners group

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Collingwood, B.R.

1997-01-01

The CANDU Owners Group (COG) was formed in 1984 by the Canadian CANDU owning utilities and Atomic Energy of Canada limited (AECL). Participation was subsequently extended to all CANDU owners world-wide. The mandate of the COG organization is to provide a framework for co-operation, mutual assistance and exchange of information for the successful support, development, operation, maintenance and economics of CANDU nuclear electric generating stations. To meet these objectives COG established co-operative programs in two areas: 1. Station Support. 2. Research and Development. In addition, joint projects are administered by COG on a case by case basis where CANDU owners can benefit from sharing of costs

Willingness to Drink as a Function of Peer Offers and Peer Norms in Early Adolescence

Science.gov (United States)

Jackson, Kristina M; Roberts, Megan E; Colby, Suzanne M; Barnett, Nancy P; Abar, Caitlin C; Merrill, Jennifer E

2014-01-01

Objective: The goal of this study was to explore the effect of subjective peer norms on adolescents’ willingness to drink and whether this association was moderated by sensitivity to peer approval, prior alcohol use, and gender. Method: The sample was 1,023 middle-school students (52% female; 76% White; 12% Hispanic; Mage = 12.22 years) enrolled in a prospective study of drinking initiation and progression. Using web-based surveys, participants reported on their willingness to drink alcohol if offered by (a) a best friend or (b) a classmate, peer norms for two referent groups (close friends and classmates), history of sipping or consuming a full drink of alcohol, and sensitivity to peer approval (extreme peer orientation). Items were re-assessed at two follow-ups (administered 6 months apart). Results: Multilevel models revealed that measures of peer norms were significantly associated with both willingness outcomes, with the greatest prediction by descriptive norms. The association between norms and willingness was magnified for girls, those with limited prior experience with alcohol, and youths with low sensitivity to peer approval. Conclusions: Social norms appear to play a key role in substance use decisions and are relevant when considering more reactive behaviors that reflect willingness to drink under conducive circumstances. Prevention programs might target individuals with higher willingness, particularly girls who perceive others to be drinking and youths who have not yet sipped alcohol but report a higher perceived prevalence of alcohol consumption among both friends and peers. PMID:24766752

Pre-university Chemistry Students in a Mimicked Scholarly Peer Review

Science.gov (United States)

van Rens, Lisette; Hermarij, Philip; Pilot, Albert; Beishuizen, Jos; Hofman, Herman; Wal, Marjolein

2014-10-01

Peer review is a significant component in scientific research. Introducing peer review into inquiry processes may be regarded as an aim to develop student understanding regarding quality in inquiries. This study examines student understanding in inquiry peer reviews among pre-university chemistry students, aged 16-17, when they enact a design of a mimicked scholarly peer review. This design is based on a model of a human activity system. Twenty-five different schools in Brazil, Germany, Poland and The Netherlands participated. The students (n = 880) conducted in small groups (n = 428) open inquiries on fermentation. All groups prepared an inquiry report for peer review. These reports were published on a website. Groups were randomly paired in an internet symposium, where they posted review comments to their peers. These responses were qualitatively analyzed on small groups' level of understanding regarding seven categories: inquiry question, hypothesis, management of control variables, accurate measurement, presenting results, reliability of results, discussion and conclusion. The mimicked scholarly review prompted a collective practice. Student understanding was significantly well on presenting results, discussion and conclusion, and significantly less on inquiry question and reliability of results. An enacted design, based on a model of a human activity system, created student understanding of quality in inquiries as well as an insight in a peer-reviewing practice. To what extent this model can be applied in a broader context of design research in science education needs further study.

Simple Peer-to-Peer SIP Privacy

Science.gov (United States)

Koskela, Joakim; Tarkoma, Sasu

In this paper, we introduce a model for enhancing privacy in peer-to-peer communication systems. The model is based on data obfuscation, preventing intermediate nodes from tracking calls, while still utilizing the shared resources of the peer network. This increases security when moving between untrusted, limited and ad-hoc networks, when the user is forced to rely on peer-to-peer schemes. The model is evaluated using a Host Identity Protocol-based prototype on mobile devices, and is found to provide good privacy, especially when combined with a source address hiding scheme. The contribution of this paper is to present the model and results obtained from its use, including usability considerations.

Research on Group Operation Mode of Once-through Steam Generator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hao, Cheng Ming; Liu, Xinkai; Peng, Min Jun; Xia, Genglei

2011-01-01

Integrated Pressurized Water Reactor (IPWR) owns more than one once-through steam generators (OTSGs). Flow instability may occur in secondary side of OTSG under certain conditions. Trying to avoid the occurrence of flow instability is of great important for the safe and stable operation of OTSG. Because of the fact that flow instability often occurs in certain regions, so when OTSGs operate with low load, OTSGs can be separated into several groups, which can avoid flow instability. In this paper, operational characteristics of IPWR are analyzed by RELAP5/MOD3.4 code and during the discussion of group operation, a rapid change load operation scheme using OTSG group operation mode which can be used in IPWR is proposed

Research on Group Operation Mode of Once-through Steam Generator

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hao, Cheng Ming; Liu, Xinkai; Peng, Min Jun; Xia, Genglei [Harbin Engineering University, Harbin (China)

2011-08-15

Integrated Pressurized Water Reactor (IPWR) owns more than one once-through steam generators (OTSGs). Flow instability may occur in secondary side of OTSG under certain conditions. Trying to avoid the occurrence of flow instability is of great important for the safe and stable operation of OTSG. Because of the fact that flow instability often occurs in certain regions, so when OTSGs operate with low load, OTSGs can be separated into several groups, which can avoid flow instability. In this paper, operational characteristics of IPWR are analyzed by RELAP5/MOD3.4 code and during the discussion of group operation, a rapid change load operation scheme using OTSG group operation mode which can be used in IPWR is proposed.

Peer Effects on Obesity in a Sample of European Children

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gwozdz, Wencke; Sousa-Poza, Alfonso; Reisch, Lucia A.

2015-01-01

This study analyzes peer effects on childhood obesity using data from the first two waves of the IDEFICS study, which applies several anthropometric and other measures of fatness to approximately 14,000 children aged two to nine participating in both waves in 16 regions of eight European countries....... Peers are defined as same-sex children in the same school and age group. The results show that peer effects do exist in this European sample but that they differ among both regions and different fatness measures. Peer effects are larger in Spain, Italy, and Cyprus – the more collectivist regions in our...... sample – while waist circumference generally gives rise to larger peer effects than BMI. We also provide evidence that parental misperceptions of their own children's weight goes hand in hand with fatter peer groups, supporting the notion that in making such assessments, parents compare their children...

Personalised Peer-Supported Learning: The Peer-to-Peer Learning Environment (P2PLE)

Science.gov (United States)

Corneli, Joseph; Mikroyannidis, Alexander

2011-01-01

The Peer-to-Peer Learning Environment (P2PLE) is a proposed approach to helping learners co-construct their learning environment using recommendations about people, content, and tools. The work draws on current research on PLEs, and participant observation at the Peer-to-Peer University (P2PU). We are particularly interested in ways of eliciting…

The Simalelo Peer Education Programme for HIV prevention: a ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The aim of the project was to evaluate a peer education programme in Zambia run by local people in relation to changes in behaviours, the effects of the programme on the community and the dynamics of peer health promotion. A qualitative process evaluation using focus groups consisting of both participants in the peer ...

Dimensions and psychology of peer teaching in medical education.

Science.gov (United States)

Ten Cate, Olle; Durning, Steven

2007-09-01

Peer teaching, an educational arrangement in which one student teaches one or more fellow students, is applied in several forms in medical education. A number of authors have linked peer teaching to theories of education and psychology. Yet no comprehensive overview of what theory can offer to understand dynamics of peer teaching has been previously provided. A framework is designed to categorize forms of peer teaching, distinguishing three dimensions: distance in stage of education, formality of the educational setting and size of the group taught. Theories are categorized in two dimensions: theories that explain benefits of peer teaching from a cognitive versus a social-psychological perspective, and theories that explain benefits for peer learners versus peer teachers. Both dimensional frameworks help to clarify why and in what conditions peer teaching may help students to learn.

Child Pornography in Peer-to-Peer Networks

Science.gov (United States)

Steel, Chad M. S.

2009-01-01

Objective: The presence of child pornography in peer-to-peer networks is not disputed, but there has been little effort done to quantify and analyze the distribution and nature of that content to-date. By performing an analysis of queries and query hits on the largest peer-to-peer network, we are able to both quantify and describe the nature of…

Peer Tutoring and Gorgias: Acknowledging Aggression in the Writing Center.

Science.gov (United States)

Bokser, Julie A.

2001-01-01

Continues a discussion of critiquing peer tutoring groups by underscoring a typically unacknowledged component: the way in which an emphasis on "peerness" disguises the inherent aggression in tutoring relationships. Defines "peerness" as a complicated relation that involves power and aggression as well as equality. (SG)

Report of the peer review mission of national operational safety experience feedback process to the Ukraine 11-15 November 1996 Kiev

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-01-01

At the invitation of the Nuclear Regulatory Administration of Ukraine (NRA), the IAEA carried out a Peer review mission of national operational safety experience feedback process at Kiev from 11 to 15 November 1996. The objective of this mission was to provide the host country, represented by the regulatory body, with independent and comprehensive review of current status of operational safety experience feedback (OSEF) process with respect to the IAEA's recommendations and international practices. The mission concluded that principal arrangements of operational feedback process in Ukraine are, at present, in force and brought positive results since their introduction. The mission also noted several good practices in these activities. 1 tab

HyperPeer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, R.D.; Bouvin, N.O.

2004-01-01

This paper presents HyperPeer, a framework for developing peer-to-peer based hypermedia. The distribution of hypermedia structures is handled through a peer-to-peer (P2P) network, allowing for highly scalable sharing between users. A central challenge of all decentralized systems is to locate...

A peer-to-peer traffic safety campaign program.

Science.gov (United States)

2014-06-01

The purpose of this project was to implement a peer-to-peer drivers safety program designed for high school students. : This project builds upon an effective peer-to-peer outreach effort in Texas entitled Teens in the Driver Seat (TDS), the : nati...

Precursors of Running Away during Adolescence: Do Peers Matter?

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Xiaojin; Thrane, Lisa; Adams, Michele

2012-01-01

Although peer influence is a salient predictor of delinquency, how it operates in the etiology of runaway behavior is not fully understood. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, this study demonstrates the importance of taking peers into account in understanding the etiology of running away. The findings suggest…

Specificity of peer conflicts in adolescence

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Petrović Danijela

2009-01-01

Full Text Available The results of the survey conducted on the sample of 530 adolescents are presented in this paper. The sample included two age groups (13 and 16 years. The research was realized in 11 town and 26 schools. The method of the retrospection of the conflict contents, with one week retrospection interval, was used to research the perception of the conflict characteristics. The distinctive characteristics and the effects of the peer conflicts in adolescence have been identified by comparing them to the conflicts with friends, romantic partners, siblings and teachers. According to the results peer conflicts have certain specificity. Although less frequent than conflicts with parents and siblings, the peer conflicts in adolescence are widen phenomenon - on average, the adolescents get in conflict with their peers more than 13 times in a week, almost twice in a day. The most frequent causes are teasing and inappropriate jokes, deliberate provoking, gossips, insults and not respecting the differences in opinion. Peers follow the teachers as the least important persons in the conflict. Compared to the conflicts in other types of the social relations, the conflicts with peers are the least uncomfortable. Yielding is the least, competition the most present resolution strategy in peer conflicts. As well as the most conflicts in this age conflicts with peers are short time episode.

Development of the Sri Lankan early teenagers' violence inventory: an instrument to measure peer violence in schools.

Science.gov (United States)

Wijeratne, Monika; Seneviratne, Rohini; Gunawardena, Nalika; Østbye, Truls; Lynch, Catherine; Sandøy, Ingvild Fossgard

2014-01-01

This study was designed to develop an inventory to measure peer violence among early teens (13-15 years of age) in schools in Sri Lanka. Development of SLETVI was carried out in two phases. In phase I, development of an operational definition for peer violence, identification, and finalizing violent acts for inventory was done by a combination of qualitative methods: a comprehensive literature review, focus group discussions among 13-15-year-old adolescents, their teachers and parents, and consultative meetings with experts in the field. Inventory was then pretested. In phase II, elaboration of SLETVI was carried out by administering it to a sample of 1700 adolescents (13-15 years old). Exploratory factor analysis using principal component analysis was performed separately for experiences of victimization and perpetration. Test-retest reliability of SLETVI was assessed. SLETVI included 37 items in three factors: "less severe violence," "severe physical," and "severe relational" violence. Combined use of qualitative and quantitative methods enabled development of a culturally valid and reliable operational inventory to assess early teenagers' peer violence in Sri Lankan and other South Asian schools.

If you're high status and you know it: Teasing apart the within- and between-person effects of peer- and self-reported status in the drinking group on alcohol-related outcomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Dumas, Tara M; Davis, Jordan P; Merrin, Gabriel J; Puccia, Maria; Blustein, Dayna

2018-05-01

In this longitudinal study, we disentangled within- and between-persons effects in the relationship between university students' status in their drinking group and alcohol-related behavior. We further examined the role of self-perceived and peer-reported status, with the hypothesis that only when students' peers reported them as of a higher status, and they were aware of their high status (via self-report), would they experience increased heavy episodic drinking (HED). University students (N = 118; Mage = 19.40, SD = 1.49; 60.2% women) were recruited in their natural drinking groups (N = 27). All group members completed surveys at 3 time points during the school year, each 2 months apart. We fitted a taxonomy of multilevel growth curve models predicting students' self-reported HED and the extent to which they encouraged other group members to consume alcohol (peer-reported). Between-persons results demonstrated that students who reported higher status compared to their group members experienced more HED on average and students who were peer-reported as of a higher status relative to their group members played a more salient role in encouraging others to drink. Notably, and consistent with hypotheses, a within-person interaction revealed that at time points when students were higher in peer-reported status relative to their average, and they were aware of their increase in status (via self-reports), they also engaged in more HED. Results emphasize the importance of considering within-person effects and highlight the need for university alcohol-prevention programming to focus on students' status-related motives and concerns. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Interactive performance and focus groups with adolescents: the power of play.

Science.gov (United States)

Norris, Anne E; Aroian, Karen J; Warren, Stefanie; Wirth, Jeff

2012-12-01

Conducting focus groups with adolescents can be challenging given their developmental needs, particularly with sensitive topics. These challenges include intense need for peer approval, declining social trust, short attention span, and reliance on concrete operations thinking. In this article, we describe an adaptation of interactive performance as an alternative to traditional focus group method. We used this method in a study of discrimination experienced by Muslims (ages 13-17) and of peer pressure to engage in sexual behavior experienced by Hispanic girls (ages 10-14). Recommendations for use of this method include using an interdisciplinary team, planning for large amounts of disclosure towards the end of the focus group, and considering the fit of this method to the study topic. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Peer Effects, Social Networks, and Intergroup Competition in the Workplace

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kato, Takao; Shu, Pian

novel evidence on the interplay between social networks (urban resident group and rural migrant group) and peer effects. Specifically, we find that a worker puts in more effort when she is working with more able outgroup teammates but not when working with more able ingroup teammates, pointing...... to intergroup competition as a powerful source of the peer effects. Such peer effects across the social network, combined with the presence of incentive to outperform teammates at this firm, are largely consistent with recent experimental evidence on the important role that group identities play in facilitating......Using weekly data for defect rates (proportion of defective output) for all weavers in a Chinese textile firm during a 12 months (April 2003 - March 2004) period, we provide some of the first rigorous evidence on the presence and nature of peer effects in the manufacturing workplace. First...

Peer-to-peer computing (Introduction to Topic 7)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Montresor, A.; Epema, D.H.J.; Jelasity, M.; Jorba, J.; Luque, E.; Margalef, T.; Benítez, D.

2008-01-01

After a decade of intensive investigation, peer-to-peer computing has established itself as an accepted research field in the general area of distributed systems. peer-to-peer computing can be seen as the democratization of computing-overthrowing the old regime of hierarchies as in client-server

Neural correlates of prosocial peer influence on public goods game donations during adolescence.

Science.gov (United States)

Van Hoorn, Jorien; Van Dijk, Eric; Güroğlu, Berna; Crone, Eveline A

2016-06-01

A unique feature of adolescent social re-orientation is heightened sensitivity to peer influence when taking risks. However, positive peer influence effects are not yet well understood. The present fMRI study tested a novel hypothesis, by examining neural correlates of prosocial peer influence on donation decisions in adolescence. Participants (age 12-16 years; N = 61) made decisions in anonymous groups about the allocation of tokens between themselves and the group in a public goods game. Two spectator groups of same-age peers-in fact youth actors-were allegedly online during some of the decisions. The task had a within-subjects design with three conditions: (1) EVALUATION: spectators evaluated decisions with likes for large donations to the group, (2) Spectator: spectators were present but no evaluative feedback was displayed and (3) Alone: no spectators nor feedback. Results showed that prosocial behavior increased in the presence of peers, and even more when participants received evaluative feedback from peers. Peer presence resulted in enhanced activity in several social brain regions including medial prefrontal cortex, temporal parietal junction (TPJ), precuneus and superior temporal sulcus. TPJ activity correlated with donations, which suggests similar networks for prosocial behavior and sensitivity to peers. These findings highlight the importance of peers in fostering prosocial development throughout adolescence. © The Author (2016). Published by Oxford University Press. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Peer relationships and adolescents' academic and non-academic outcomes: same-sex and opposite-sex peer effects and the mediating role of school engagement.

Science.gov (United States)

Liem, Gregory Arief D; Martin, Andrew J

2011-06-01

The literature has documented theoretical/conceptual models delineating the facilitating role of peer relationships in academic and non-academic outcomes. However, the mechanisms through which peer relationships link to those outcomes is an area requiring further research. The study examined the role of adolescents' perceptions of their relationships with same-sex and opposite-sex peers in predicting their academic performance and general self-esteem and the potentially mediating role of school engagement in linking these perceived peer relationships with academic and non-academic outcomes. The sample comprised 1,436 high-school students (670 boys, 756 girls; 711 early adolescents, 723 later adolescents). Self-report measures and objective achievement tests were used. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was performed to test the hypothesized model and its invariance across gender and age groups. Perceived same-sex peer relationships yielded positive direct and indirect links with academic performance and general self-esteem. Perceived opposite-sex peer relationships yielded positive direct and indirect links with general self-esteem and an indirect positive link with academic performance, but mediation via school engagement was not as strong as that of perceived same-sex peer relationships. These findings generalized across gender and age groups. Adolescents' same-sex and opposite-sex peer relationships seem to positively impact their academic performance and general self-esteem in distinct ways. It appears that school engagement plays an important role in mediating these peer relationship effects, particularly those of same-sex peer relationships, on academic and non-academic functioning. Implications for psycho-educational theory, measurement, and practice are discussed. ©2011 The British Psychological Society.

Peer-assisted learning model enhances clinical clerk's procedural skills.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Chia-Chang; Hsu, Hui-Chi; Yang, Ling-Yu; Chen, Chen-Huan; Yang, Ying-Ying; Chang, Ching-Chih; Chuang, Chiao-Lin; Lee, Wei-Shin; Lee, Fa-Yauh; Hwang, Shinn-Jang

2018-05-17

Failure to transfer procedural skills learned in a laboratory to the bedside is commonly due to a lack of peer support/stimulation. A digital platform (Facebook) allows new clinical clerks to share experiences and tips that help augment their procedural skills in a peer-assisted learning/teaching method. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of the innovation of using the digital platform to support the transfer of laboratory-trained procedural skills in the clinical units. Volunteer clinical clerks (n = 44) were enrolled into the peer-assisted learning (PAL) group, which was characterized by the peer-assisted learning of procedural skills during their final 3-month clinical clerkship block. Other clerks (n = 51) did not join the procedural skills-specific Facebook group and served as the self-directed learning regular group. The participants in both the PAL and regular groups completed pre- and post-intervention self-assessments for general self-assessed efficiency ratings (GSER) and skills specific self-assessed efficiency ratings (SSSER) for performing vein puncture, intravenous (IV) catheter and nasogastric (NG) tube insertion. Finally, all clerks received the post-intervention 3-station Objective Structured Clinical Skills Examination (OSCE) to test their proficiency for the abovementioned three procedural skills. Higher cumulative numbers of vein punctures, IV catheter insertions and NG tube insertions at the bedside were carried out by the PAL group than the regular group. A greater improvement in GSERs and SSSERs for medical procedures was found in the PAL group than in the regular group. The PAL group obtained higher procedural skills scores in the post-intervention OSCEs than the regular group. Our study suggested that the implementation of a procedural skill-specific digital platform effectively helps clerks to transfer laboratory-trained procedural skills into the clinical units. In comparison with the regular self-directed learning

AntBot: Anti-pollution peer-to-peer botnets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yan, Guanhua [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Eidenbenz, Stephan [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Ha, Duc T [UNIV. AT BUFFALO

2009-01-01

Botnets, which are responsible for many email sparnming and DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks in the current Internet, have emerged as one of most severe cyber-threats in recent years. To evade detection and improve resistance against countermeasures, botnets have evolved from the first generation that relies on IRC chat channels to deliver commands to the current generation that uses highly resilient P2P (Peer-to-Peer) protocols to spread their C&C (Command and Control) information. It is, however, revealed that P2P botnets, although relieved from the single point of failure that IRC botnets suffer, can be easily disrupted using pollution-based mitigation schemes [15]. In this paper, we play the devil's advocate and propose a new type of hypothetical botnets called AntBot, which aim to propagate their C&C information to individual bots even though there exists an adversary that persistently pollutes keys used by seized bots to search the command information. The key idea of AntBot is a tree-like structure that bots use to deliver the command so that captured bots reveal only limited information. To evaluate effectiveness of AntBot against pollution-based mitigation in a virtual environment, we develop a distributed P2P botnet simulator. Using extensive experiments, we demonstrate that AntBot operates resiliently against pollution-based mitigation. We further present a few potential defense schemes that could effectively disrupt AntBot operations.

Homeless Veterans' Use of Peer Mentors and Effects on Costs and Utilization in VA Clinics.

Science.gov (United States)

Yoon, Jean; Lo, Jeanie; Gehlert, Elizabeth; Johnson, Erin E; O'Toole, Thomas P

2017-06-01

The study compared health care utilization and costs among homeless veterans randomly assigned to peer mentors or usual care and described contacts with peer mentors. Homeless patients at four Department of Veterans Affairs clinics were randomly assigned to a peer mentor (N=195) or to usual care (N=180). Administrative data on utilization and costs over a six-month follow-up were combined with peer mentors' reports of patient contacts. Most patients (87%) in the peer mentor group had at least one peer contact. Patients in this group spent the largest proportions of time discussing housing and health issues with peer mentors and had more outpatient encounters than those in usual care, although differences were not significant. No other between-group differences were found in utilization or costs. Although significant impacts of peer mentors on health care patterns or costs were not detected, some patients had frequent contact with peer mentors.

Peer Learning for Change in Higher Education

Science.gov (United States)

Hilsdon, John

2014-01-01

This paper draws upon small scale, qualitative research at a UK university to present a Learning Development (LD) perspective on peer learning. This approach is offered as a lens for exploring social aspects of learning, cultural change in higher education and implications for pedagogy and policy. Views of a small group of peer learning leaders…

Peer effects in risk aversion.

Science.gov (United States)

Balsa, Ana I; Gandelman, Néstor; González, Nicolás

2015-01-01

We estimate peer effects in risk attitudes in a sample of high school students. Relative risk aversion is elicited from surveys administered at school. Identification of peer effects is based on parents not being able to choose the class within the school of their choice, and on the use of instrumental variables conditional on school-grade fixed effects. We find a significant and quantitatively large impact of peers' risk attitudes on a male individual's coefficient of risk aversion. Specifically, a one standard deviation increase in the group's coefficient of risk aversion increases an individual's risk aversion by 43%. Our findings shed light on the origin and stability of risk attitudes and, more generally, on the determinants of economic preferences. © 2014 Society for Risk Analysis.

Peer Advising in Agricultural Education: A Supplement to Faculty Advising.

Science.gov (United States)

Flores, Bob; Weeks, William

Peer Advising in Agricultural Education has been operating since the Fall Semester, 1987, at Texas A & M University. The program involves several undergraduate students nominated by faculty, who are supervised by two doctoral students. Responsibilities of the peer advisors include informing students of campus procedures, assisting in…

Process Analysis of the CV Group's Operation

CERN Document Server

Wilhelmsson, M

2000-01-01

This report will give an explanation of the internal reorganization that has been done because of the necessity to optimize operation in the cooling and ventilation group. The basic structure for the group was defined at the end of 1998. We understood then that change was needed to accommodate the increased workload due to the LHC project. In addition, we face a relatively large turnover of personnel (retirements and some recruitment) with related integration issues to consider. We would also like to implement new approaches in the management of both operations and maintenance. After some running-in problems during the first half of 1999, we realized that much more could be gained with the analysis and the definition and documenting of each single function and generic activity within the group. The authors will explain how this analysis was carried out and give some feedback of the outcome, so far.

The growth of peer support: an international charter.

Science.gov (United States)

Stratford, Anthony C; Halpin, Matt; Phillips, Keely; Skerritt, Frances; Beales, Anne; Cheng, Vincent; Hammond, Magdel; O'Hagan, Mary; Loreto, Catherine; Tiengtom, Kim; Kobe, Benon; Harrington, Steve; Fisher, Dan; Davidson, Larry

2017-07-06

While mental health peer support originated in its contemporary form in English-speaking countries, it is now spreading rapidly across the globe. This rapid growth presents two major challenges. The first pertains to "role integrity" and the second to the possible culture-bound nature of peer support; a concern which has attended the emergence of peer support in countries that have significantly different worldviews. Recognizing the growth of peer support and the resulting challenges, this report results from the convening of an international consortium of peer leaders from six continents (all but Antarctica). Following an environmental scan of the state of peer support globally, this group moved to develop consensus on a common, core set of guiding principles and values to ensure a robust future for the development of effective, culturally responsive forms of peer support. Key principles, values and practices considered essential to peer support are presented. Assuming that sufficient political and community support are generated, there can be considerable enthusiasm for the expansion of peer support around the globe. Peer leaders are encouraged, however, to develop and deliver peer support both with integrity to its founding values in a civil rights and social justice framework and with responsiveness to local cultural worldviews.

Development of the Operational Events Groups Ranking Tool

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simic, Zdenko; Banov, Reni

2014-01-01

Both because of complexity and ageing, facilities like nuclear power plants require feedback from the operating experience in order to further improve safety and operation performance. That is the reason why significant effort is dedicated to operating experience feedback. This paper contains description of the specification and development of the application for the operating events ranking software tool. Robust and consistent way of selecting most important events for detail investigation is important because it is not feasible or even useful to investigate all of them. Development of the tool is based on the comprehensive events characterisation and methodical prioritization. This includes rich set of events parameters which allow their top level preliminary analysis, different ways of groupings and even to evaluate uncertainty propagation to the ranking results. One distinct feature of the implemented method is that user (i.e., expert) could determine how important is particular ranking parameter based on their pairwise comparison. For tools demonstration and usability it is crucial that sample database is also created. For useful analysis the whole set of events for 5 years is selected and characterised. Based on the preliminary results this tool seems valuable for new preliminary prospective on data as whole, and especially for the identification of events groups which should have priority in the more detailed assessment. The results are consisting of different informative views on the events groups importance and related sensitivity and uncertainty results. This presents valuable tool for improving overall picture about specific operating experience and also for helping identify the most important events groups for further assessment. It is clear that completeness and consistency of the input data characterisation is very important to get full and valuable importance ranking. Method and tool development described in this paper is part of continuous effort of

Practice Report / Bericht aus der Praxis : Peer teaching: From method to philosophy

NARCIS (Netherlands)

ten Cate, Olle

2017-01-01

Peer teaching or peer-assisted learning is a popular topic in the medical education literature. While not one method of education, a categorization is possible according to (a) the developmental distance between learner and peer teacher, (b) the scale or group size of learners in peer teaching

Academic Primer Series: Key Papers About Peer Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Yarris, Lalena M; Gottlieb, Michael; Scott, Kevin; Sampson, Christopher; Rose, Emily; Chan, Teresa M; Ilgen, Jonathan

2017-06-01

Peer review, a cornerstone of academia, promotes rigor and relevance in scientific publishing. As educators are encouraged to adopt a more scholarly approach to medical education, peer review is becoming increasingly important. Junior educators both receive the reviews of their peers, and are also asked to participate as reviewers themselves. As such, it is imperative for junior clinician educators to be well-versed in the art of peer reviewing their colleagues' work. In this article, our goal was to identify and summarize key papers that may be helpful for faculty members interested in learning more about the peer-review process and how to improve their reviewing skills. The online discussions of the 2016-17 Academic Life in Emergency Medicine (ALiEM) Faculty Incubator program included a robust discussion about peer review, which highlighted a number of papers on that topic. We sought to augment this list with further suggestions by guest experts and by an open call on Twitter for other important papers. Via this process, we created a list of 24 total papers on the topic of peer review. After gathering these papers, our authorship group engaged in a consensus-building process incorporating Delphi methods to identify the papers that best described peer review, and also highlighted important tips for new reviewers. We found and reviewed 24 papers. In our results section, we present our authorship group's top five most highly rated papers on the topic of peer review. We also summarize these papers with respect to their relevance to junior faculty members and to faculty developers. We present five key papers on peer review that can be used for faculty development for novice writers and reviewers. These papers represent a mix of foundational and explanatory papers that may provide some basis from which junior faculty members might build upon as they both undergo the peer-review process and act as reviewers in turn.

Can peer education make a difference? Evaluation of a South African adolescent peer education program to promote sexual and reproductive health.

Science.gov (United States)

Mason-Jones, Amanda J; Mathews, Catherine; Flisher, Alan J

2011-11-01

Peer education is popular both with governments and with young people. The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a government-led peer education program on the self-reported sexual health behavior and related psychosocial outcomes of adolescent students in public high schools in the Western Cape of South Africa. Grade 10 students (n = 3934), at 30 public high schools (15 intervention, 15 comparison) were recruited to the study. In the intervention schools, peer educators were recruited and trained to provide information and support to their fellow students. Sexual health behaviors and related psychosocial outcomes of students were measured at baseline and at follow up 18 months later. Comparisons were made between those in the intervention and comparison group schools. We were unable to detect a significant difference in the age of sexual debut, use of condoms at last sex, goal orientation, decision-making or future orientation for students in the intervention group as compared to students in the comparison group. The findings suggest that the peer education program was not effective in reducing the age of sexual debut or condom use. Issues around the implementation of the program suggested that this was sub-optimal. Governments who advocate widespread use of peer education as an approach need to recognise barriers to implementation and ensure ongoing monitoring and evaluation of effectiveness and cost effectiveness.

The Influence of Peers During Adolescence: Does Homophobic Name Calling by Peers Change Gender Identity?

Science.gov (United States)

DeLay, Dawn; Lynn Martin, Carol; Cook, Rachel E; Hanish, Laura D

2018-03-01

Adolescents actively evaluate their identities during adolescence, and one of the most salient and central identities for youth concerns their gender identity. Experiences with peers may inform gender identity. Unfortunately, many youth experience homophobic name calling, a form of peer victimization, and it is unknown whether youth internalize these peer messages and how these messages might influence gender identity. The goal of the present study was to assess the role of homophobic name calling on changes over the course of an academic year in adolescents' gender identity. Specifically, this study extends the literature using a new conceptualization and measure of gender identity that involves assessing how similar adolescents feel to both their own- and other-gender peers and, by employing longitudinal social network analyses, provides a rigorous analytic assessment of the impact of homophobic name calling on changes in these two dimensions of gender identity. Symbolic interaction perspectives-the "looking glass self"-suggest that peer feedback is incorporated into the self-concept. The current study tests this hypothesis by determining if adolescents respond to homophobic name calling by revising their self-view, specifically, how the self is viewed in relation to both gender groups. Participants were 299 6th grade students (53% female). Participants reported peer relationships, experiences of homophobic name calling, and gender identity (i.e., similarity to own- and other-gender peers). Longitudinal social network analyses revealed that homophobic name calling early in the school year predicted changes in gender identity over time. The results support the "looking glass self" hypothesis: experiencing homophobic name calling predicted identifying significantly less with own-gender peers and marginally more with other-gender peers over the course of an academic year. The effects held after controlling for participant characteristics (e.g., gender), social

Gendered-peer relationships in educational contexts.

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, Carol Lynn; Fabes, Richard A; Hanish, Laura D

2014-01-01

The goals of this chapter are to discuss the theories and evidence concerning the roles of gendered-peer interactions and relationships in children's lives at school. We begin by discussing the tendency of boys and girls to separate into same-sex peer groups and consider the theories and evidence concerning how gender segregation occurs and how peers influence children's learning and development. We then turn to the important and understudied question of why some children have more exposure to same-sex peers than others. We consider factors that contribute to variability in children's experiences with gender segregation such as the types of schools children attend and the kinds of classroom experiences they have with teachers. Finally, we review new evidence concerning the cognitive and affective factors that illustrate that children are actively involved in constructing the social world that surrounds them.

Collaborations That Promote Growth: Music Student Teachers as Peer Mentors

Science.gov (United States)

Draves, Tami J.

2017-01-01

The purpose of this research was to explore the experiences of four music student teachers engaged in peer mentoring. This was an intrinsic case study with a focus on the peer-mentoring programme. Data included reflections on peer-mentoring activities and individual and focus group interviews. Five themes resulted from data analysis: expanding…

Near-peer education: a novel teaching program.

Science.gov (United States)

de Menezes, Sara; Premnath, Daphne

2016-05-30

This study aims to: 1) Evaluate whether a near-peer program improves perceived OSCE performance; 2) Identify factors motivating students to teach; 3) Evaluate role of near-peer teaching in medical education. A near-peer OSCE teaching program was implemented at Monash University's Peninsula Clinical School over the 2013 academic year. Forty 3rd-year and thirty final-year medical students were recruited as near-peer learners and educators, respectively. A post-program questionnaire was completed by learners prior to summative OSCEs (n=31), followed by post-OSCE focus groups (n=10). Near-peer teachers were interviewed at the program's conclusion (n=10). Qualitative data was analysed for emerging themes to assess the perceived value of the program. Learners felt peer-led teaching was more relevant to assessment, at an appropriate level of difficulty and delivered in a less threatening environment than other methods of teaching. They valued consistent practice and felt confident approaching their summative OSCEs. Educators enjoyed the opportunity to develop their teaching skills, citing mutual benefit and gratitude to past peer-educators as strong motivators to teach others. Near-peer education, valued by near-peer learners and teachers alike, was a useful method to improve preparation and perceived performance in summative examinations. In particular, a novel year-long, student-run initiative was regarded as a valuable and feasible adjunct to faculty teaching.

Pseudo-differential operators groups, geometry and applications

CERN Document Server

Zhu, Hongmei

2017-01-01

This volume consists of papers inspired by the special session on pseudo-differential operators at the 10th ISAAC Congress held at the University of Macau, August 3-8, 2015 and the mini-symposium on pseudo-differential operators in industries and technologies at the 8th ICIAM held at the National Convention Center in Beijing, August 10-14, 2015. The twelve papers included present cutting-edge trends in pseudo-differential operators and applications from the perspectives of Lie groups (Chapters 1-2), geometry (Chapters 3-5) and applications (Chapters 6-12). Many contributions cover applications in probability, differential equations and time-frequency analysis. A focus on the synergies of pseudo-differential operators with applications, especially real-life applications, enhances understanding of the analysis and the usefulness of these operators.

I am not "umqwayito'': a qualitative study of peer pressure and sexual risk behaviour among young adolescents in Cape Town, South Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Selikow, Terry-Ann; Ahmed, Nazeema; Flisher, Alan J; Mathews, Catherine; Mukoma, Wanjiru

2009-06-01

Young people in South Africa are susceptible to HIV infection. They are vulnerable to peer pressure to have sex, but little is known about how peer pressure operates. The aim of the study was to understand how negative peer pressure increases high risk sexual behaviour among young adolescents in Cape Town, South Africa. Qualitative research methods were used. Eight focus groups were conducted with young people between the ages of 13 and 14 years. Peer pressure among both boys and girls undermines healthy social norms and HIV prevention messages to abstain, be faithful, use a condom and delay sexual debut. HIV prevention projects need to engage with peer pressure with the aim of changing harmful social norms into healthy norms. Increased communication with adults about sex is one way to decrease the impact of negative peer pressure. Peer education is a further mechanism by which trained peers can role model healthy social norms and challenge a peer culture that promotes high risk sexual behaviour. Successful HIV prevention interventions need to engage with the disconnect between educational messages and social messages and to exploit the gaps between awareness, decision making, norms, intentions and actions as spaces for positive interventions.

The mediatization of peer-to-peer health care

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dindler, Camilla; Ahlmark, Nanna

2018-01-01

observations and qualitative interviews from a peer-to-peer programme for men in Copenhagen. The article analyses the tensions that occurred in the media coverage of the programme as well as in the municipal facilitation and management of the peer-to-peer health care programme defined partly...... by a democratization of health expertise and by a broader culture characterized by individualized, risk aware health promotion. We will argue that tensions between media logics and logics of care and of risk created a mediatized conception of health and of the peer programme that highlighted health care...

E-learning and near-peer teaching in electrocardiogram education: a randomised trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Davies, Andrew; Macleod, Rachael; Bennett-Britton, Ian; McElnay, Philip; Bakhbakhi, Danya; Sansom, Jane

2016-06-01

Near-peer teaching and electronic learning (e-learning) are two effective modern teaching styles. Near-peer sessions provide a supportive learning environment that benefits both the students and the tutor. E-learning resources are flexible and easily distributed. Careful construction and regular editing can ensure that students receive all of the essential material. The aim of this study is to compare the efficacy of e-learning and near-peer teaching during the pre-clinical medical curriculum. Thirty-nine second-year medical students were consented and randomised into two groups. Each group received teaching on electrocardiogram (ECG) interpretation from a predefined syllabus. Eighteen students completed an e-learning module and 21 students attended a near-peer tutorial. Students were asked to complete a multiple-choice exam, scored out of 50. Each student rated their confidence in ECG interpretation before and after their allocated teaching session. The near-peer group (84%) demonstrated a significantly higher performance than the e-learning group (74.5%) on the final assessment (p = 0.002). Prior to the teaching, the students' mean confidence scores were 3/10 in both the near-peer and e-learning groups (0, poor; 10, excellent). These increased to 6/10 in both cases following the teaching session. Both teaching styles were well received by students and improved their confidence in ECG interpretation. Near-peer teaching led to superior scores in our final assessment. Given the congested nature of the modern medical curriculum, direct comparison of the efficacy of these methods may aid course design. The aim of this study is to compare the efficacy of e-learning and near-peer teaching. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Give-and-take based peer-to-peer content distribution networks

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Compared to traditional content distribution schemes, peer- to-peer networks ... are shared among users who desire to download files. In a peer-to-peer ..... randomly generated data points, with 300 segments and 200 peers. From the figure ...

Peer-to-peer shadowing as a technique for the development of nurse middle managers clinical leadership.

Science.gov (United States)

Lalleman, Pieterbas; Bouma, Joanne; Smid, Gerhard; Rasiah, Jananee; Schuurmans, Marieke

2017-10-02

Purpose The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences and impact of peer-to-peer shadowing as a technique to develop nurse middle managers' clinical leadership practices. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative descriptive study was conducted to gain insight into the experiences of nurse middle managers using semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed into codes using constant comparison and similar codes were grouped under sub-themes and then into four broader themes. Findings Peer-to-peer shadowing facilitates collective reflection-in-action and enhances an "investigate stance" while acting. Nurse middle managers begin to curb the caring disposition that unreflectively urges them to act, to answer the call for help in the here and now, focus on ad hoc "doings", and make quick judgements. Seeing a shadowee act produces, via a process of social comparison, a behavioural repertoire of postponing reactions and refraining from judging. Balancing the act of stepping in and doing something or just observing as well as giving or withholding feedback are important practices that are difficult to develop. Originality/value Peer-to-peer shadowing facilitates curbing the caring disposition, which is essential for clinical leadership development through unlocking a behavioural repertoire that is not easy to reveal because it is, unreflectively, closely knit to the professional background of the nurse managers. Unlike most leadership development programmes, that are quite introspective and detached from context, peer-to-peer shadowing does have the potential to promote collective learning while acting, which is an important process.

Perceived peer influence and peer selection on adolescent smoking.

Science.gov (United States)

Hoffman, Beth R; Monge, Peter R; Chou, Chih-Ping; Valente, Thomas W

2007-08-01

Despite advances in tobacco control, adolescent smoking remains a problem. The smoking status of friends is one of the highest correlates with adolescent smoking. This homophily (commonality of friends based on a given attribute) may be due to either peer pressure, where adolescents adopt the smoking behaviors of their friends, or peer selection, where adolescents choose friends based on their smoking status. This study used structural equation modeling to test a model of peer influence and peer selection on ever smoking by adolescents. The primary analysis of the model did not reach significance, but post hoc analyses did result in a model with good fit. Results indicated that both peer influence and peer selection were occurring, and that peer influence was more salient in the population than was peer selection. Implications of these results for tobacco prevention programs are discussed.

Efficient Skyline Computation in Structured Peer-to-Peer Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cui, Bin; Chen, Lijiang; Xu, Linhao

2009-01-01

An increasing number of large-scale applications exploit peer-to-peer network architecture to provide highly scalable and flexible services. Among these applications, data management in peer-to-peer systems is one of the interesting domains. In this paper, we investigate the multidimensional...... skyline computation problem on a structured peer-to-peer network. In order to achieve low communication cost and quick response time, we utilize the iMinMax(\\theta ) method to transform high-dimensional data to one-dimensional value and distribute the data in a structured peer-to-peer network called BATON....... Thereafter, we propose a progressive algorithm with adaptive filter technique for efficient skyline computation in this environment. We further discuss some optimization techniques for the algorithm, and summarize the key principles of our algorithm into a query routing protocol with detailed analysis...

Preventing DoS attacks in peer-to-peer media streaming systems

Science.gov (United States)

Conner, William; Nahrstedt, Klara; Gupta, Indranil

2006-01-01

This paper presents a framework for preventing both selfishness and denial-of-service attacks in peer-to-peer media streaming systems. Our framework, called Oversight, achieves prevention of these undesirable activities by running a separate peer-to-peer download rate enforcement protocol along with the underlying peer-to-peer media streaming protocol. This separate Oversight protocol enforces download rate limitations on each participating peer. These limitations prevent selfish or malicious nodes from downloading an overwhelming amount of media stream data that could potentially exhaust the entire system. Since Oversight is based on a peer-to-peer architecture, it can accomplish this enforcement functionality in a scalable, efficient, and decentralized way that fits better with peer-to-peer media streaming systems compared to other solutions based on central server architectures. As peer-to-peer media streaming systems continue to grow in popularity, the threat of selfish and malicious peers participating in such large peer-to-peer networks will continue to grow as well. For example, since peer-to-peer media streaming systems allow users to send small request messages that result in the streaming of large media objects, these systems provide an opportunity for malicious users to exhaust resources in the system with little effort expended on their part. However, Oversight addresses these threats associated with selfish or malicious peers who cause such disruptions with excessive download requests. We evaluated our Oversight solution through simulations and our results show that applying Oversight to peer-to-peer media streaming systems can prevent both selfishness and denial-of-service attacks by effectively limiting the download rates of all nodes in the system.

Identity and Belonging in Social Learning Groups: The Importance of Distinguishing Social, Operational and Knowledge-Related Identity Congruence

Science.gov (United States)

Hughes, Gwyneth

2010-01-01

Collaborative learning has much to offer but not all learners participate fully and peer groups can be exclusive. The article examines how belonging or "congruence" in learning groups is related to identities of gender, age, ethnicity and socio-economic status. A study of student experiences of collaborative learning on three different…

Peer Teaching Experiences of Final Year Paramedic Students: 2011-2012

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, Brett; Fellows, Holly; Eastwood, Kathryn; Wallis, Jamie

2014-01-01

Peer assisted learning (PAL) is one method of teaching which involves peers, or people from similar social groups, in reciprocal learning where one peer educates another and in return learns through the teaching experience. There have been many reported benefits of PAL programs. PAL has a long history of use in healthcare education; however, for…

Inadvertent Exposure to Pornography on the Internet: Implications of Peer-to-Peer File-Sharing Networks for Child Development and Families

Science.gov (United States)

Greenfield, P.M.

2004-01-01

This essay comprises testimony to the Congressional Committee on Government Reform. The Committee's concern was the possibility of exposure to pornography when children and teens participate in peer-to-peer file-sharing networks, which are extremely popular in these age groups. A review of the relevant literature led to three major conclusions:…

Peer victimization and peer rejection during early childhood

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Godleski, Stephanie A.; Kamper, Kimberly E.; Ostrov, Jamie M.; Hart, Emily J.; Blakely-McClure, Sarah J.

2014-01-01

Objective The development and course of the subtypes of peer victimization is a relatively understudied topic despite the association of victimization with important developmental and clinical outcomes. Moreover, understanding potential predictors, such as peer rejection and emotion regulation, in early childhood may be especially important to elucidate possible bi-directional pathways between relational and physical victimization and rejection. The current study (N = 97) was designed to explore several gaps and limitations in the peer victimization and peer rejection literature. In particular, the prospective associations between relational and physical victimization and peer rejection over the course of 3.5 months during early childhood (i.e., 3- to 5- years-old) were investigated in an integrated model. Method The study consisted of 97 (42 girls) preschool children recruited from four early childhood schools in the northeast of the US. Using observations, research assistant report and teacher report, relational and physical aggression, relational and physical victimization, peer rejection, and emotion regulation were measured in a short-term longitudinal study. Path analyses were conducted to test the overall hypothesized model. Results Peer rejection was found to predict increases in relational victimization. In addition, emotion regulation was found to predict decreases in peer rejection and physical victimization. Conclusions Implications for research and practice are discussed, including teaching coping strategies for peer rejection and emotional distress. PMID:25133659

The 60 Days of PVE Campaign: Lessons on Organizing an Online, Peer-to-Peer, Counter-radicalization Program

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Alex Wilner

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Combatting violent extremism can involve organizing Peer-to-Peer (P2P preventing violent extremism (PVE programs and social media campaigns. While hundreds of PVE campaigns have been launched around the world in recent months and years, very few of these campaigns have actually been reviewed, analyzed, or assessed in any systematic way. Metrics of success and failure have yet to be fully developed, and very little is publically known as to what might differentiate a great and successful P2P campaign from a mediocre one. This article will provide first-hand insight on orchestrating a publically funded, university-based, online, peer-to-peer PVE campaign – 60 Days of PVE – based on the experience of a group of Canadian graduate students. The article provides an account of the group’s approach to PVE. It highlights the entirety of the group’s campaign, from theory and conceptualization to branding, media strategy, and evaluation, and describes the campaign’s core objectives and implementation. The article also analyzes the campaign’s digital footprint and reach using data gleamed from social media. Finally, the article discusses the challenges and difficulties the group faced in running their campaign, lessons that are pertinent for others contemplating a similar endeavour.

Sexual and reproductive health in Greenland: evaluation of implementing sexual peer-to-peer education in Greenland (the SexInuk project).

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Homøe, Anne-Sophie; Knudsen, Ane-Kersti Skaarup; Nielsen, Sigrid Brisson; Grynnerup, Anna Garcia-Alix

2015-01-01

For decades, the rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), such as gonorrhoea, chlamydia and syphilis, have increased in Greenland, especially within the young age groups (15-29 years). From 2006 to 2013, the number of abortions has been consistent with approximately 800-900 abortions per year in Greenland, which is nearly as high as the total number of births during the same period. Previous studies in Greenland have reported that knowledge about sexual health is important, both as prevention and as facilitator to stop the increasing rates of STIs. A peer-to-peer education programme about sexual health requires adaption to cultural values and acceptance among the population and government in order to be sustainable. Formative evaluation of a voluntary project (SexInuk), in relation to peer-to-peer education with focus on sexual health. Two workshops were conducted in Nuuk, Greenland, to recruit Greenlandic students. Qualitative design with focus group interviews (FGIs) to collect qualitative feedback on feasibility and implementation of the project. Supplemented with a brief questionnaire regarding personal information (gender, age, education) and questions about the educational elements in the SexInuk project. Eight Greenlandic students, who had completed one or two workshops, were enrolled. The FGIs showed an overall consensus regarding the need for improving sexual health education in Greenland. The participants requested more voluntary educators, to secure sustainability. The articulation of taboo topics in the Greenlandic society appeared very important. The participants suggested more awareness by promoting the project. Cultural values and language directions were important elements in the FGIs. To our knowledge, voluntary work regarding peer-to-peer education and sexual health has not been structurally evaluated in Greenland before. To achieve sustainability, the project needs educators and financial support. Further research is needed to investigate

Peer Evaluation in CMC Learning Environment and Writing Skill

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Morteza Mellati

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Peer evaluation and technology-based instruction as the various domains of language teaching perspectives might affect language development. Group work in a technology-based environment might be more successful when learners are involved in developing the assessment process particularly peer assessment. This study investigated the effectiveness of peer evaluation in technology-based language environment and its effects on English writing ability. To reach this goal, 70 Iranian learners were participated in English language writing context. They were divided into two groups, one group assigned to CMC (Computer-Mediated Communication language learning context and the other assigned to a traditional learning environment. Both groups were encouraged to evaluate their classmates’ writing tasks. In addition, interviews were conducted with two learners. Comparing these two groups provides comprehensive guidelines for teachers as well as curriculum designers to set adjusted writing language environment for more effective and creative language teaching and learning. E-collaboration classroom tasks have high intrinsic motivation as well as significant effects on learners’ outcomes. Cooperative tasks specifically in technology-based environment lead learners to group working and consequently group learning. Computer-Mediated Communication is meaningful, especially in contexts in which teachers stimulate group work activities.

Effects of Peers and Social Environment on Adolescent Psychological Well-Being

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Andrew J. Hussey

2013-07-01

Full Text Available We use data from Add Health to estimate models of peer effects and effects of social environment on adolescent psychological well-being. Past literature has focused mostly on the role of peers on adolescents, notably on schooling (GPA, high school graduation, etc. and risk behavioral (smoking, drinking, drug use, etc. outcomes. Our study’s core innovation lies in the conceptual testing of the hypothesis that an enlarged adolescent social environment encompasses support from peers, school, parents, and the neighborhood. In this paper, we isolate the effects of each of these groups on adolescent psychological well-being and find significant effects of support from schools and parents. However, peer effects are insignificant except for the baseline Ordinary Least Squares (OLS model. Separate models for males and females and different age groups are also estimated and similar results are found, although the effects are greatest during late adolescence. Given the likely endogeneity of peer group formation, we also use an instrumental variables (IV approach. The IV results indicate that peer effects are not statistically significant, but otherwise mimic OLS estimates, supporting the presence of a multi-faceted social network influencing adolescent health. These results, reinforced by further statistical testing, suggest that past work limiting influence on adolescent behavior or outcome to only the peers tends to be incomplete.

PLATON: Peer-to-Peer load adjusting tree overlay networks

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Lymberopoulos, L.; Pittaras, C.; Grammatikou, M.; Papavassiliou, S.; Maglaris, V.

2011-01-01

Peer-to-Peer systems supporting multi attribute and range queries use a number of techniques to partition the multi dimensional data space among participating peers. Load-balancing of data accross peer partitions is necessary in order to avoid the presence of network hotspots which may cause

Promoting Residential Renewable Energy via Peer-to-Peer Learning

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Heiskanen, Eva; Nissilä, Heli; Tainio, Pasi

2017-01-01

Peer-to-peer learning is gaining increasing attention in nonformal community-based environmental education. This article evaluates a novel modification of a concept for peer-to-peer learning about residential energy solutions (Open Homes). We organized collective "Energy Walks" visiting several homes with novel energy solutions and…

Analysis of peer-to-peer locking of magnetrons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pengvanich, P.; Lau, Y. Y.; Cruz, E.; Gilgenbach, R. M.; Hoff, B.; Luginsland, J. W.

2008-01-01

The condition for mutual, or peer-to-peer, locking of two magnetrons is derived. This condition reduces to Adler's classical phase-locking condition in the limit where one magnetron becomes the ''master'' and the other becomes the ''slave.'' The formulation is extended to the peer-to-peer locking of N magnetrons, under the assumption that the electromagnetic coupling among the N magnetrons is modeled by an N-port network.

The Relationship of Peer Relations of University Students with Several Factors

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Erdoğan TOZOĞLU

2015-12-01

Full Text Available It is only possible through positive relationships between communicating individuals in social and education life to experience a high level information sharing and cooperation. It is known that the level of such an interaction among peer groups will be higher than that seen among other individual groups. Objective of the present study was to determine the variables which can affect the level of peer relations among university students and the effect levels of peer relations in education process and social life. It was found from the results that there is a significant difference between mean scores of the subscales of peer relations when considered the variables of gender, individual monthly income, family structure, performing sportive activities, time spent on sport weekly and the reason for performing sportive activities. No significant difference was found between the groups for the types of sportive activities. The level of peer relation among the students performing sportive activities was found to be higher than those who are not engaged in any kinds of sport activities.

Peer video review and feedback improve performance in basic surgical skills.

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Vaughn, Carolyn J; Kim, Edward; O'Sullivan, Patricia; Huang, Emily; Lin, Matthew Y C; Wyles, Susannah; Palmer, Barnard J A; Pierce, Jonathan L; Chern, Hueylan

2016-02-01

Incorporation of home-video assessments allows flexibility in feedback but requires faculty time. Peer feedback (PF) may provide additional benefits while avoiding these constraints. Twenty-four surgical interns completed a 12-week skills curriculum with home-video assignments focused on knot tying and suturing. Interns were randomized into 2 groups: PF or faculty feedback (FF). Peers and faculty provided feedback on home videos with checklists, global rating, and comments. Learners' skills were assessed at baseline, during, and at the conclusion of the curriculum. Performance of the 2 groups as rated by experts was compared. FF and PF were compared. Both groups improved from baseline, and the highest rated scores were seen on their home-video assessments. The PF group performed better at the final assessment than the FF group (effect size, .84). When using a checklist, there was no significant difference between scores given by peers and faculty. The PF group performed better at the final assessment, suggesting reviewing and analyzing another's performance may improve one's own performance. With checklists as guidance, peers can serve as raters comparable to faculty. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Peer-assisted learning: time for nomenclature clarification

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Alexander Olaussen

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Background: Peer-assisted learning (PAL is used throughout all levels of healthcare education. Lack of formalised agreement on different PAL programmes may confuse the literature. Given the increasing interest in PAL as an education philosophy, the terms need clarification. The aim of this review is to 1 describe different PAL programmes, 2 clarify the terminology surrounding PAL, and 3 propose a simple pragmatic way of defining PAL programmes based on their design. Methods: A review of current PAL programmes within the healthcare setting was conducted. Each programme was scrutinised based on two aspects: the relationship between student and teacher, and the student to teacher ratio. The studies were then shown to fit exclusively into the novel proposed classification. Results: The 34 programmes found, demonstrate a wide variety in terms used. We established six terms, which exclusively applied to the programmes. The relationship between student and teacher was categorised as peer-to-peer or near-peer. The student to teacher ratio suited three groupings, named intuitively ‘Mentoring’ (1:1 or 1:2, ‘Tutoring’ (1:3–10, and ‘Didactic’ (1:>10. From this, six novel terms – all under the heading of PAL – are suggested: ‘Peer Mentoring’, ‘Peer Tutoring’, ‘Peer Didactic’, ‘Near-Peer Mentoring’, ‘Near-Peer Tutoring’, and ‘Near-Peer Didactic’. Conclusions: We suggest herein a simple pragmatic terminology to overcome ambiguous terminology. Academically, clear terms will allow effective and efficient research, ensuring furthering of the educational philosophy.

Peer-assisted learning: time for nomenclature clarification

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Olaussen, Alexander; Reddy, Priya; Irvine, Susan; Williams, Brett

2016-01-01

Background Peer-assisted learning (PAL) is used throughout all levels of healthcare education. Lack of formalised agreement on different PAL programmes may confuse the literature. Given the increasing interest in PAL as an education philosophy, the terms need clarification. The aim of this review is to 1) describe different PAL programmes, 2) clarify the terminology surrounding PAL, and 3) propose a simple pragmatic way of defining PAL programmes based on their design. Methods A review of current PAL programmes within the healthcare setting was conducted. Each programme was scrutinised based on two aspects: the relationship between student and teacher, and the student to teacher ratio. The studies were then shown to fit exclusively into the novel proposed classification. Results The 34 programmes found, demonstrate a wide variety in terms used. We established six terms, which exclusively applied to the programmes. The relationship between student and teacher was categorised as peer-to-peer or near-peer. The student to teacher ratio suited three groupings, named intuitively ‘Mentoring’ (1:1 or 1:2), ‘Tutoring’ (1:3–10), and ‘Didactic’ (1:>10). From this, six novel terms – all under the heading of PAL – are suggested: ‘Peer Mentoring’, ‘Peer Tutoring’, ‘Peer Didactic’, ‘Near-Peer Mentoring’, ‘Near-Peer Tutoring’, and ‘Near-Peer Didactic’. Conclusions We suggest herein a simple pragmatic terminology to overcome ambiguous terminology. Academically, clear terms will allow effective and efficient research, ensuring furthering of the educational philosophy. PMID:27415590

MATIN: a random network coding based framework for high quality peer-to-peer live video streaming.

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Barekatain, Behrang; Khezrimotlagh, Dariush; Aizaini Maarof, Mohd; Ghaeini, Hamid Reza; Salleh, Shaharuddin; Quintana, Alfonso Ariza; Akbari, Behzad; Cabrera, Alicia Triviño

2013-01-01

In recent years, Random Network Coding (RNC) has emerged as a promising solution for efficient Peer-to-Peer (P2P) video multicasting over the Internet. This probably refers to this fact that RNC noticeably increases the error resiliency and throughput of the network. However, high transmission overhead arising from sending large coefficients vector as header has been the most important challenge of the RNC. Moreover, due to employing the Gauss-Jordan elimination method, considerable computational complexity can be imposed on peers in decoding the encoded blocks and checking linear dependency among the coefficients vectors. In order to address these challenges, this study introduces MATIN which is a random network coding based framework for efficient P2P video streaming. The MATIN includes a novel coefficients matrix generation method so that there is no linear dependency in the generated coefficients matrix. Using the proposed framework, each peer encapsulates one instead of n coefficients entries into the generated encoded packet which results in very low transmission overhead. It is also possible to obtain the inverted coefficients matrix using a bit number of simple arithmetic operations. In this regard, peers sustain very low computational complexities. As a result, the MATIN permits random network coding to be more efficient in P2P video streaming systems. The results obtained from simulation using OMNET++ show that it substantially outperforms the RNC which uses the Gauss-Jordan elimination method by providing better video quality on peers in terms of the four important performance metrics including video distortion, dependency distortion, End-to-End delay and Initial Startup delay.

Peer Effects in Welfare Dependence: Quasi-Experimental Evidence

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Aslund, Olof; Fredriksson, Peter

2009-01-01

This paper examines peer effects in welfare use among refugees. We exploit a Swedish refugee placement policy, which generated exogenous variation in peer group composition. Our analysis distinguishes between the quantity of contacts--the number of individuals of the same ethnicity--and the quality of contacts--welfare use among members of the…

Impact of peer teaching on nursing students: perceptions of learning environment, self-efficacy, and knowledge.

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Brannagan, Kim B; Dellinger, Amy; Thomas, Jan; Mitchell, Denise; Lewis-Trabeaux, Shirleen; Dupre, Susan

2013-11-01

Peer teaching has been shown to enhance student learning and levels of self efficacy. The purpose of the current study was to examine the impact of peer-teaching learning experiences on nursing students in roles of tutee and tutor in a clinical lab environment. This study was conducted over a three-semester period at a South Central University that provides baccalaureate nursing education. Over three semesters, 179 first year nursing students and 51 third year nursing students participated in the study. This mixed methods study, through concurrent use of a quantitative intervention design and qualitative survey data, examined differences during three semesters in perceptions of a clinical lab experience, self-efficacy beliefs, and clinical knowledge for two groups: those who received peer teaching-learning in addition to faculty instruction (intervention group) and those who received faculty instruction only (control group). Additionally, peer teachers' perceptions of the peer teaching learning experience were examined. Results indicated positive response from the peer tutors with no statistically significant differences for knowledge acquisition and self-efficacy beliefs between the tutee intervention and control groups. In contrast to previous research, students receiving peer tutoring in conjunction with faculty instruction were statistically more anxious about performing lab skills with their peer tutor than with their instructors. Additionally, some students found instructors' feedback moderately more helpful than their peers and increased gains in knowledge and responsibility for preparation and practice with instructors than with peer tutors. The findings in this study differ from previous research in that the use of peer tutors did not decrease anxiety in first year students, and no differences were found between the intervention and control groups related to self efficacy or cognitive improvement. These findings may indicate the need to better prepare peer