Current and future health care professionals attitudes toward and knowledge of statistics: How confidence influences learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Baghi, Heibatollah; Kornides, Melanie L

2013-01-01

Health care professionals require some understanding of statistics to successfully implement evidence based practice. Developing competency in statistical reasoning is necessary for students training in health care administration, research, and clinical care. Recently, the interest in healthcare professional's attitudes toward statistics has increased substantially due to evidence that these attitudes can hinder professionalism developing an understanding of statistical concepts. In this study, we analyzed pre- and post-instruction attitudes towards and knowledge of statistics obtained from health science graduate students, including nurses and nurse practitioners, enrolled in an introductory graduate course in statistics (n = 165). Results show that the students already held generally positive attitudes toward statistics at the beginning of course. However, these attitudes-along with the students' statistical proficiency-improved after 10 weeks of instruction. The results have implications for curriculum design and delivery methods as well as for health professionals' effective use of statistics in critically evaluating and utilizing research in their practices.

Developing a Professional Learning Community among Preservice Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Bond, Nathan

2013-01-01

This action research study examined the development of a professional learning community (PLC) among 20 preservice secondary teachers as they met regularly during a semester-long, field-based education course to share artifacts of learning from their professional portfolios. The PLC model described by Hord and Tobia (2012) served as a framework…

Sustainable school development: professional learning communities

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Prof.Dr. E. Verbiest

2008-01-01

In this contribution we report about a project about Professional Learning Communities.This project combines development and research. In this contribution we pay attention to the effect of the organisational capacity of a school on the personal and interpersonal capacity and to the impact of a

Values conflicts in professional-community collaborations.

Science.gov (United States)

Sabin, James E

2010-01-01

GAP/I and INP+ represent markedly divergent cultures and therefore highlight the opportunities and strains associated with professional-community collaborations. I believe, however, that the factors that emerge from studying GAP/I-INP+ are not idiosyncratic and are relevant for other professional-community dyads. Every such partnership is likely to require some form of bridging mechanism to serve the same purposes as Mr Varghese's role did. The task of creating a zone of optimal tension may be less familiar than the need to build bridges but it is no less important. Tension between partners with significantly different cultural backgrounds has tremendous potential for generating misunderstanding and distrust. Avoiding tension-laden issues is likely to entail significant cost, whether in the form of resentment, distrust, withdrawal, or settling for a lesser outcome than could be achieved. Finally, creating and sustaining the potential for constructive tension typically requires the humble virtues associated with servant-leadership: patience, persistence and understanding.

Closer to Learning: Social Networks, Trust, and Professional Communities

Science.gov (United States)

Liou, Yi-Hwa; Daly, Alan J.

2014-01-01

Researchers, educators, and policymakers suggest the use of professional learning communities as one important approach to the improvement of teaching and learning. However, relatively little research examines the interplay of professional interactions (structural social capital) around instructional practices and key elements of professional…

A Conversation about Professionalism and Community.

Science.gov (United States)

Bauch, Patricia A.; Crowson, Robert L.; Goldring, Ellen B.; Mawhinney, Hanne B.; Ogawa, Rodney T.; Driscoll, Mary Erina

1998-01-01

Presents an interactive electronic conversation among a group of scholars. Participants examined the nature of relationships between professionals and school communities and debated the degree to which conflict was either inevitable or useful in sustaining this connection. They tried to imagine the organizational structures and policies needed to…

Nurturing Medical Professionalism in the Surgical Community

African Journals Online (AJOL)

teaching community in a Kenyan context on how ... buttressed by the Mezirow's theory of transformative learning, especially .... programs with the other institutions, or like other medical ... “A career day where they bring different professionals:.

Working atmosphere, job satisfaction and individual characteristics of community mental health professionals in integrated care.

Science.gov (United States)

Goetz, Katja; Kleine-Budde, Katja; Bramesfeld, Anke; Stegbauer, Constance

2018-03-01

Working requirements of community mental healthcare professionals in integrated care are complex. There is a lack of research concerning the relation of job satisfaction, working atmosphere and individual characteristics. For the current study, a survey evaluating job satisfaction and working atmosphere of mental healthcare professionals in integrated care was performed. About 321 community mental healthcare professionals were included in the survey; the response rate was 59.5%. The professional background of community mental healthcare professionals included nursing, social work and psychology. Community mental healthcare professionals reported the highest satisfaction with colleagues and the lowest satisfaction with income. Moreover, it could be shown that more responsibility, more recognition and more variety in job tasks lead to an increase of overall job satisfaction. Healthcare for mentally ill patients in the community setting is complex and requires well-structured care with appropriate responsibilities within the team. A co-operative relationship among colleagues as well as clearly defined responsibilities seem to be the key for the job satisfaction of community mental healthcare professionals in integrated care. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Detrending career statistics in professional baseball: Accounting for the steroids era and beyond

OpenAIRE

Petersen, Alexander M.; Penner, Orion; Stanley, H. Eugene

2010-01-01

There is a long standing debate over how to objectively compare the career achievements of professional athletes from different historical eras. Developing an objective approach will be of particular importance over the next decade as Major League Baseball (MLB) players from the "steroids era" become eligible for Hall of Fame induction. Here we address this issue, as well as the general problem of comparing statistics from distinct eras, by detrending the seasonal statistics of professional b...

Collaborative Professional Development for Statistics Teaching: A Case Study of Two Middle-School Mathematics Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

de Oliveira Souza, Leandro; Lopes, Celi Espasandin; Pfannkuch, Maxine

2015-01-01

The recent introduction of statistics into the Brazilian curriculum has presented a multi-problematic situation for teacher professional development. Drawing on research in the areas of teacher development and statistical inquiry, we propose a Teacher Professional Development Cycle (TPDC) model. This paper focuses on two teachers who planned a…

Effective Strategies for Sustaining Professional Learning Communities

Science.gov (United States)

Bennett, Patricia R.

2010-01-01

Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), in which educators work collaboratively to improve learning for students, need effective strategies to sustain them. PLCs promote continuous improvement in student learning and build academic success with increased teacher expertise. Grounded in organizational systems theory, participative leadership…

Examining Sense of Community among Medical Professionals in an Online Graduate Program

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kadriye O. Lewis

2015-01-01

Full Text Available As the number of online degree programs continues to grow, one of the greatest challenges is developing a sense of community among learners who do not convene at the same time and place. This study examined the sense of community among medical professionals in an online graduate program for healthcare professionals. We took the sample from a fully online program delivered jointly by a state university and a local children's hospital in the Midwest. We administered Rovai's Classroom Community Survey with 11 additional demographic questions. We also utilized online interviews to further explore students’ understanding of sense of community. A bi-factor model was fitted to the online sense of community survey data. Using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA and univariate analysis of variance (ANOVA we identified potential group differences. The qualitative data were analyzed thematically in a recursive and iterative process. Study results suggested that a dominant factor existed: sense of community with two sub-domain factors including sense of learning and sense of connectedness. No significant differences in sense of community with regard to gender, native language, or area of medical practice were detected. However, results showed a difference in sense of community between the three courses examined. This study is the first to examine the sense of community among online medical professionals. Since our findings are in contrast to those of previous studies, this opens the door to additional studies around the possible differences between the community characteristics and needs of medical professionals as online students.

Professional Learning Communities: Teachers' Perceptions and Student Achievement

Science.gov (United States)

Peters, Erica

2013-01-01

Professional Learning Communities (PLC's) are designed to help schools improve student achievement; all decisions are based on the needs of students. PLC's are an effective way to receive professional development (PD), allow for collaboration with fellow teachers, and offer timely intervention to all students. In a district known for PLC…

Violent Extremism, Community-Based Violence Prevention, and Mental Health Professionals.

Science.gov (United States)

Weine, Stevan M; Stone, Andrew; Saeed, Aliya; Shanfield, Stephen; Beahrs, John; Gutman, Alisa; Mihajlovic, Aida

2017-01-01

New community-based initiatives being developed to address violent extremism in the United States are utilizing mental health services and leadership. This article reviews current approaches to preventing violent extremism, the contribution that mental illness and psychosocial problems can make to violent extremism, and the rationale for integrating mental health strategies into preventing violent extremism. The authors describe a community-based targeted violence prevention model and the potential roles of mental health professionals. This model consists of a multidisciplinary team that assesses at-risk individuals with comprehensive threat and behavioral evaluations, arranges for ongoing support and treatment, conducts follow-up evaluations, and offers outreach, education, and resources for communities. This model would enable mental health professionals in local communities to play key roles in preventing violent extremism through their practice and leadership.

Perceptions of School Principals on Participation in Professional Learning Communities as Job-Embedded Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Gaudioso, Jennifer A.

2017-01-01

Perceptions of School Principals on Participation in Professional Learning Communities as Job-Embedded Learning Jennifer Gaudioso Principal Professional Learning Communities (PPLCs) have emerged as a vehicle for professional development of principals, but there is little research on how principals experience PPLCs or how districts can support…

Giving “Best Advice”: Proposing a Framework of Community Pharmacist Professional Judgement Formation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cicely Roche

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Community pharmacy is often portrayed as a marriage of professional and business roles in a commercial domain, thereby creating a need for, and value in, pursuing the development of professional competencies for use in the community pharmacy business. In context, professional judgement is the application of knowledge, skills and attitudes (competencies which, when applied to situations where there is no one or obvious right or wrong way to proceed, gives a patient a better likelihood of a favourable outcome than if a lay-person had made the decision. The challenge for community pharmacists is that professional judgement formation is influenced by professional, commercial and personal criteria with inherent interconnected challenges. In community pharmacy practice in the Republic of Ireland (ROI, this challenge is compounded by the fact that advice is normally provided in an environment where the pharmacist provides professional advice “for free” and then may offer to sell the patient a product or service based on that advice, an activity which amounts to a commercial transaction. While there is currently no evidence to confirm whether or not these professional judgement influences are resolved successfully, their very existence poses a risk that their resolution “in the wrong way” could compromise patient outcomes or professional standing following the delivery of pharmacy services. It is therefore apparent that a community pharmacist requires skills in identifying and analysing professional/commercial/personal influences in order to appreciate the criteria which may affect both parties’ (patient and pharmacist decision making. By contemplating the interaction between the pharmacist’s professional competencies and the individual influences on that pharmacist, we can consider the enhancement of professional competencies that underpin the “best” advice being offered to the patient, regardless of whether that advice is offered in

METHODS OF STATISTICAL MONITORING OF PROFESSIONAL ORIENTATION WORK OF SOCIAL EDUCATORS IN PERSONAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oleksandr M. Korniiets

2012-12-01

Full Text Available The article deals with the application of social services WEB 2.0 for personal learning environment creation that is used for professional orientation work of social educator. The feedback is must be in personal learning environment for the effective professional orientation work. This feedback can be organized through statistical monitoring. The typical solution for organizing personal learning environment with built-in statistical surveys and statistical data processing is considered in the article. The possibilities of the statistical data collection and processing services on the example of Google Analytics are investigated.

From Professional Practice to Practical Leader: Teacher Leadership in Professional Learning Communities

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, Adrianne

2016-01-01

The primary purpose of this research is to illuminate perceptions and lived experiences of secondary teachers through their involvement in a Professional Learning Community (PLC). Teachers' experiences within a PLC were examined for patterns of cultivated leadership. The second purpose of the study was to identify variables that either promote or…

Pedagogical innovation from the perspective of professional learning communities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sánchez-Cortés, Ana María

2016-12-01

Full Text Available This study aimed to verify the relationship between the participation of teachers in professional learning communities and the teaching practices related to the socio-constructivist model. For this purpose, a quantitative non-experimental model with a cross-sectional design was implemented, using the results of the survey entitled "Teaching and learning international survey", which was applied by the OECD in 2008 in 24 countries. The results of the conducted study determined that the dimensions of professional learning communities have a weak positive relationship with the categories of teaching practices. Additionally, the investigation addressed the differences in the responses of teachers according to variables, such as age, gender, teaching experience, and level of education.

The community health worker cultural mentoring project: preparing professional students for team work with health workers from urban communities.

Science.gov (United States)

Sherwen, Laurie N; Schwolsky-Fitch, Elena; Rodriquez, Romelia; Horta, Greg; Lopez, Ivanna

2007-01-01

Community Health Workers or CHWs (also known by a variety of alternative titles) are health workers drawn from communities to provide access to care for members of their communities. CHWs have been documented as effective in delivering a variety of services in a culturally-sensitive manner, and in providing a bridge between health professionals and underserved or minority communities. Yet, CHWs have not been well incorporated into interdisciplinary health care teams. The majority of health professionals are not even aware of the possible role and skills of CHWs. Believing that the best time to educate professionals about this valuable health worker and ensure that CHWs become part of interdisciplinary health care teams is during the student years, the Hunter College Schools of the Health Professions, and the Community Health Worker Network of New York City developed a pilot project, the Community Health Worker Cultural Mentoring Project. Community Health Workers, who were members of the Network, served as "community mentors" for health professions students drawn from the programs of community health education, nursing, and nutrition. CHWs worked with faculty of selected courses in each of the professional programs, and served as panelists in these courses, presenting information about health beliefs and alternative health practices of diverse cultural groups in communities of New York City. Class sessions were first held in the fall of 2004; subsequent sessions were held in following semesters. Approximately 40 students participated in 7 classes, with 6 CHWs serving as mentors - two per class. At the end of the classroom presentations, students wrote reflections relating to their understanding of the CHW role and relevance for their future interdisciplinary practice. The majority of reflections met the goal of increasing professional students' understanding of the CHW role and skills. At this point, quantitative and qualitative data will need to be collected to

Making the Most of Professional Learning Communities

Science.gov (United States)

Hughes-Hassell, Sandra; Brasfield, Amanda; Dupree, Debbie

2012-01-01

As more and more schools implement professional learning communities (PLCs), school librarians often ask: What is the role of school librarians in PLCs? What should they be doing to contribute? What are their colleagues in other schools doing? In this article the authors explore these questions by first describing eight potential roles for school…

Psychiatrists, Psychologists, or Counselors? Community College Students' Perceptions of Professional Groups.

Science.gov (United States)

Schneider, Lawrence J.; And Others

1979-01-01

Investigates community college students' perceptions of help-givers' characteristics and services. Student perceptions of professional helpers' characteristics and of professionals whom students were likely to consult concerning educational-vocational choices, intrapersonal concerns, and interpersonal problems varied in several ways. (Author)

Science Professional Learning Communities: Beyond a singular view of teacher professional development

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, M. Gail; Gardner, Grant E.; Robertson, Laura; Robert, Sarah

2013-07-01

Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) are frequently being used as a vehicle to transform science education. This study explored elementary teachers' perceptions about the impact of participating in a science PLC on their own professional development. With the use of The Science Professional Learning Communities Survey and a semi-structured interview protocol, elementary teachers' perceptions of the goals of science PLCs, the constraints and benefits of participation in PLCs, and reported differences in the impact of PLC participation on novice and experienced teachers were examined. Sixty-five elementary teachers who participated in a science PLC were surveyed about their experiences, and a subsample of 16 teachers was interviewed. Results showed that most of the teachers reported their science PLC emphasized sharing ideas with other teachers as well as working to improve students' science standardized test scores. Teachers noted that the PLCs had impacted their science assessment practices as well as their lesson planning. However, a majority of the participants reported a differential impact of PLCs depending on a teacher's level of experience. PLCs were reported as being more beneficial to new teachers than experienced teachers. The interview results demonstrated that there were often competing goals and in some cases a loss of autonomy in planning science lessons. A significant concern was the impact of problematic interpersonal relationships and communication styles on the group functioning. The role of the PLC in addressing issues related to obtaining science resources and enhancing science content knowledge for elementary science teachers is discussed.

The I-Tribe Community Pharmacy Practice Model: professional pharmacy unshackled.

Science.gov (United States)

Alston, Greg L; Waitzman, Jennifer A

2013-01-01

To describe a mechanism by which pharmacists could create a disruptive innovation to provide professional primary care services via a Web-based delivery model. Several obstacles have prevented pharmacists from using available technology to develop business models that capitalize on their clinical skills in primary care. Community practice has experienced multiple sustaining innovations that have improved dispensing productivity but have not stimulated sufficient demand for pharmacy services to disrupt the marketplace and provide new opportunities for pharmacists. Pharmacists are in a unique position to bridge the gap between demand for basic primary medical care and access to a competent medical professional. Building on the historic strengths of community pharmacy practice, modern pharmacists could provide a disruptive innovation in the marketplace for primary care by taking advantage of new technology and implementing the I-Tribe Community Pharmacy Practice Model (I-Tribe). This model would directly connect pharmacists to patients through an interactive, secure Web presence that would liberate the relationship from geographic restrictions. The I-Tribe is a disruptive innovation that could become the foundation for a vibrant market in pharmacist professional service offerings. The I-Tribe model could benefit society by expanding access to primary medical care while simultaneously providing a new source of revenue for community practice pharmacists. Entrepreneurial innovation through I-Tribe pharmacy would free pharmacists to become the care providers envisioned by the profession's thought leaders.

Combining forces. Distributed Leadership and a professional learning community in primary and secondary education

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hulsbos, Frank; Van Langevelde, Stefan; Evers, Arnoud

2018-01-01

This report describes an in depth case study of two good practice schools where a professional learning community and distributed leadership are highly developed. The goal of this study was to learn what conditions in the school support a professional learning community and distributed leadership.

Supporting Professional Development in Special Education with Web-Based Professional Learning Communities: New Possibilities with Web 2.0

Science.gov (United States)

Hardman, Elizabeth L.

2012-01-01

This article describes the challenges in organizing professional learning communities (PLCs) in special education, identifies the teacher and student benefits of using a PLC approach to professional development, and discusses the promise and pitfalls of organizing web-based PLCs to engage distributed stakeholders in the practice of special…

Electronic Communities: a Forum for Supporting Women Professionals and Students in Technical and Scientific Fields

Science.gov (United States)

Single, Peg Boyle; Muller, Carol B.; Cunningham, Christine M.; Single, Richard M.

In this article, we report on electronic discussion lists (e-lists) sponsored by MentorNet, the National Electronic Industrial Mentoring Network for Women in Engineering and Science. Using the Internet, the MentorNet program connects students in engineering and science with mentors working in industry. These e-lists are a feature of MentorNet's larger electronic mentoring program and were sponsored to foster the establishment of community among women engineering and science students and men and women professionals in those fields. This research supports the hypothesis that electronic communications can be used to develop community among engineering and science students and professionals and identifies factors influencing the emergence of electronic communities (e-communities). The e-lists that emerged into self-sustaining e-communities were focused on topic-based themes, such as balancing personal and work life, issues pertaining to women in engineering and science, and job searching. These e-communities were perceived to be safe places, embraced a diversity of opinions and experiences, and sanctioned personal and meaningful postings on the part of the participants. The e-communities maintained three to four simultaneous threaded discussions and were sustained by professionals who served as facilitators by seeding the e-lists with discussion topics. The e-lists were sponsored to provide women students participating in MentorNet with access to groups of technical and scientific professionals. In addition to providing benefits to the students, the e-lists also provided the professionals with opportunities to engage in peer mentoring with other, mostly female, technical and scientific professionals. We discuss the implications of our findings for developing e-communities and for serving the needs of women in technical and scientific fields.

Implementing Action Research and Professional Learning Communities in a Professional Development School Setting to Support Teacher Candidate Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Shanks, Joyce

2016-01-01

The paper reviews teacher candidates' use of action research and the Professional Learning Community (PLC) concept to support their work in their pre-student teaching field experience. In this research study, teacher candidates are involved in a professional development school relationship that uses action research and PLCs to support candidate…

Knowledge-Sharing Intention among Information Professionals in Nigeria: A Statistical Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Tella, Adeyinka

2016-01-01

In this study, the researcher administered a survey and developed and tested a statistical model to examine the factors that determine the intention of information professionals in Nigeria to share knowledge with their colleagues. The result revealed correlations between the overall score for intending to share knowledge and other…

Linking University and Teacher Communities: A "Think Tank" Model of Professional Development.

Science.gov (United States)

Henry, Sarah K.; Scott, Judith A.; Wells, Jan; Skobel, Bonnie; Jones, Alan; Cross, Susie; Butler, Cynthia; Blackstone, Teresa

1999-01-01

Rather than informing the teaching community about good research, five experienced teachers and three university researchers developed a discourse community around vocabulary learning to reflect on practice, engage in shared critiques, and support professional choices. In doing so, they were able to inform the research community about good…

Leading for Change: Creating a Professional Learning Community for Collaborative Relationships and Shared Leadership

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, Linda

2013-01-01

This action research study examines school reform through the development of a professional learning community for teacher-leaders. Through action research, this study organized a select group of teacher-leaders into a professional learning community to engage in a series of readings through a book club. The purpose of the book club was to develop…

Designing Multidimensional Policing Strategy And Organization: Towards A Synthesis Of Professional And Community Police Models

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Suve Priit

2015-06-01

Full Text Available In this article we analyse professional police and community policing in view of professionalism, strategy and structures. We aim to find ways for synthesizing these models that are usually seen as incompatible. Unlike many earlier studies of police organizations or strategies, we view strategies in the organization at the corporate, functional and operational levels, and argue that by combining them with functional and divisional principles of structuring, it is possible to place professional strategy at the core of policing, while using the community policing strategy mainly as a component part of the strategy in the framework of divisional organization. This way it is possible to avoid the risk of alienating police from the community and to ensure the successful implementation of corporate strategy through providing professional police units that perform the narrow functions, with quick and adequate information from the community.

Preparing FCS Professionals for a Multilingual Society: Building Community through the Experiences of Multilingual Families

Science.gov (United States)

Duncan, Janine; Duncan, Daniel

2014-01-01

As demographics in the United States shift, family and consumer sciences (FCS) professionals must be prepared to foster healthy communities that embrace multilingual families. Because hegemonic language ideologies challenge multilingual families, FCS professionals need to know how to inclusively reframe communities to honor multilingual families.…

How Health Care Professionals Use Social Media to Create Virtual Communities: An Integrative Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Rolls, Kaye; Hansen, Margaret; Jackson, Debra; Elliott, Doug

2016-06-16

Prevailing health care structures and cultures restrict intraprofessional communication, inhibiting knowledge dissemination and impacting the translation of research into practice. Virtual communities may facilitate professional networking and knowledge sharing in and between health care disciplines. This study aimed to review the literature on the use of social media by health care professionals in developing virtual communities that facilitate professional networking, knowledge sharing, and evidence-informed practice. An integrative literature review was conducted to identify research published between 1990 and 2015. Search strategies sourced electronic databases (PubMed, CINAHL), snowball references, and tables of contents of 3 journals. Papers that evaluated social media use by health care professionals (unless within an education framework) using any research design (except for research protocols or narrative reviews) were included. Standardized data extraction and quality assessment tools were used. Overall, 72 studies were included: 44 qualitative (including 2 ethnographies, 26 qualitative descriptive, and 1 Q-sort) and 20 mixed-methods studies, and 8 literature reviews. The most common methods of data collection were Web-based observation (n=39), surveys (n=23), interviews (n=11), focus groups (n=2), and diaries (n=1). Study quality was mixed. Social media studied included Listservs (n=22), Twitter (n=18), general social media (n=17), discussion forums (n=7), Web 2.0 (n=3), virtual community of practice (n=3), wiki (n=1), and Facebook (n=1). A range of health care professionals were sampled in the studies, including physicians (n=24), nurses (n=15), allied health professionals (n=14), followed by health care professionals in general (n=8), a multidisciplinary clinical specialty area (n=9), and midwives (n=2). Of 36 virtual communities, 31 were monodiscipline for a discrete clinical specialty. Population uptake by the target group ranged from 1.6% to 29% (n

Blended-Format Professional Development and the Emergence of Communities of Practice

Science.gov (United States)

Hodges, Thomas E.; Cady, JoAnn

2013-01-01

In this paper, we draw on Wenger's (1998) conception of communities of practice to observe the emergence of a community of practice among middle grades mathematics teachers who participated in a two-year blended-format (online synchronous, online asynchronous, and face to face) professional development program designed to increase middle-grades…

Professional Development For Community College Faculty: Lessons Learned From Intentional Mentoring Workshops

Science.gov (United States)

Morris, A. R.; Charlevoix, D. J.

2016-12-01

The Geoscience Workforce Development Initiative at UNAVCO supports attracting, training, and professionally developing students, educators, and professionals in the geosciences. For the past 12 years, UNAVCO has managed the highly successful Research Experiences in Solid Earth Science for Students (RESESS) program, with the goal of increasing the diversity of students entering the geosciences. Beginning in 2015, UNAVCO added Geo-Launchpad (GLP), a summer research preparation internship for Colorado community college students to prepare them for independent research opportunities, facilitate career exploration in the geosciences, and provide community college faculty with professional development to facilitate effective mentoring of students. One core element of the Geo-Launchpad program is UNAVCO support for GLP faculty mentors. Each intern applies to the program with a faculty representative (mentor) from his or her home institution. This faculty mentor is engaged with the student throughout the summer via telephone, video chat, text message, or email. At the end of each of the past two summers, UNAVCO has hosted four GLP faculty mentors in Boulder for two days of professional development focused on intentional mentoring of students. Discussions focused on the distinction between mentoring and advising, and the array of career and professional opportunities available to students. Faculty mentors also met with the external evaluator during the mentor training and provided feedback on both their observations of their intern as well as the impact on their own professional experience. Initial outcomes include re-energizing the faculty mentors' commitment to teaching, as well as the opportunity for valuable networking activities. This presentation will focus on the ongoing efforts and outcomes of the novel faculty mentor professional development activities, and the impact these activities have on community college student engagement in the geosciences.

Ontology-Based Empirical Knowledge Verification for Professional Virtual Community

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Yuh-Jen

2011-01-01

A professional virtual community provides an interactive platform for enterprise experts to create and share their empirical knowledge cooperatively, and the platform contains a tremendous amount of hidden empirical knowledge that knowledge experts have preserved in the discussion process. Therefore, enterprise knowledge management highly…

It takes a village: supporting inquiry- and equity-oriented computer science pedagogy through a professional learning community

Science.gov (United States)

Ryoo, Jean; Goode, Joanna; Margolis, Jane

2015-10-01

This article describes the importance that high school computer science teachers place on a teachers' professional learning community designed around an inquiry- and equity-oriented approach for broadening participation in computing. Using grounded theory to analyze four years of teacher surveys and interviews from the Exploring Computer Science (ECS) program in the Los Angeles Unified School District, this article describes how participating in professional development activities purposefully aimed at fostering a teachers' professional learning community helps ECS teachers make the transition to an inquiry-based classroom culture and break professional isolation. This professional learning community also provides experiences that challenge prevalent deficit notions and stereotypes about which students can or cannot excel in computer science.

Professional Learning Communities' Impact on Science Teacher Classroom Practice in a Midwestern Urban School District

Science.gov (United States)

Carpenter, Dan

2012-01-01

The purpose of this reputation-based, multiple-site case study was to explore professional learning communities' impact on teacher classroom practice. The goal of this research was to describe the administrator and teachers' perceptions with respect to professional learning communities as it related to teacher practice in their school. Educators…

Analysis of the social network development of a virtual community for Australian intensive care professionals.

Science.gov (United States)

Rolls, Kaye Denise; Hansen, Margaret; Jackson, Debra; Elliott, Doug

2014-11-01

Social media platforms can create virtual communities, enabling healthcare professionals to network with a broad range of colleagues and facilitate knowledge exchange. In 2003, an Australian state health department established an intensive care mailing list to address the professional isolation experienced by senior intensive care nurses. This article describes the social network created within this virtual community by examining how the membership profile evolved from 2003 to 2009. A retrospective descriptive design was used. The data source was a deidentified member database. Since 2003, 1340 healthcare professionals subscribed to the virtual community with 78% of these (n = 1042) still members at the end of 2009. The membership profile has evolved from a single-state nurse-specific network to an Australia-wide multidisciplinary and multiorganizational intensive care network. The uptake and retention of membership by intensive care clinicians indicated that they appeared to value involvement in this virtual community. For healthcare organizations, a virtual community may be a communications option for minimizing professional and organizational barriers and promoting knowledge flow. Further research is, however, required to demonstrate a link between these broader social networks, enabling the exchange of knowledge and improved patient outcomes.

Analyzing Learning in Professional Learning Communities: A Conceptual Framework

Science.gov (United States)

Van Lare, Michelle D.; Brazer, S. David

2013-01-01

The purpose of this article is to build a conceptual framework that informs current understanding of how professional learning communities (PLCs) function in conjunction with organizational learning. The combination of sociocultural learning theories and organizational learning theories presents a more complete picture of PLC processes that has…

Factors That Develop Effective Professional Learning Communities in Taiwan

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Peiying; Lee, Che-Di; Lin, Hongda; Zhang, Chun-Xi

2016-01-01

This research aimed to investigate the key factors of developing effective professional learning communities (PLCs) within the Taiwanese context. Four constructs--supportive and shared leadership, shared visions, collegial trust, and shared practices--were adopted and developed into an instrument for measuring PLC function. A stratified random…

An evaluation of a community dietetics intervention on the management of malnutrition for healthcare professionals.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Kennelly, S

2010-12-01

Healthcare professionals working in the community setting have limited knowledge of the evidence-based management of malnutrition. The present study aimed to evaluate a community dietetics intervention, which included an education programme for healthcare professionals in conjunction with the introduction of a community dietetics service for patients \\'at risk\\' of malnutrition. Changes in nutritional knowledge and the reported management of malnourished patients were investigated and the acceptability of the intervention was explored.

How Health Care Professionals Use Social Media to Create Virtual Communities: An Integrative Review

Science.gov (United States)

2016-01-01

Background Prevailing health care structures and cultures restrict intraprofessional communication, inhibiting knowledge dissemination and impacting the translation of research into practice. Virtual communities may facilitate professional networking and knowledge sharing in and between health care disciplines. Objectives This study aimed to review the literature on the use of social media by health care professionals in developing virtual communities that facilitate professional networking, knowledge sharing, and evidence-informed practice. Methods An integrative literature review was conducted to identify research published between 1990 and 2015. Search strategies sourced electronic databases (PubMed, CINAHL), snowball references, and tables of contents of 3 journals. Papers that evaluated social media use by health care professionals (unless within an education framework) using any research design (except for research protocols or narrative reviews) were included. Standardized data extraction and quality assessment tools were used. Results Overall, 72 studies were included: 44 qualitative (including 2 ethnographies, 26 qualitative descriptive, and 1 Q-sort) and 20 mixed-methods studies, and 8 literature reviews. The most common methods of data collection were Web-based observation (n=39), surveys (n=23), interviews (n=11), focus groups (n=2), and diaries (n=1). Study quality was mixed. Social media studied included Listservs (n=22), Twitter (n=18), general social media (n=17), discussion forums (n=7), Web 2.0 (n=3), virtual community of practice (n=3), wiki (n=1), and Facebook (n=1). A range of health care professionals were sampled in the studies, including physicians (n=24), nurses (n=15), allied health professionals (n=14), followed by health care professionals in general (n=8), a multidisciplinary clinical specialty area (n=9), and midwives (n=2). Of 36 virtual communities, 31 were monodiscipline for a discrete clinical specialty. Population uptake by the

The Role of Departmental Leadership for Professional Learning Communities

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Vanblaere, Bénédicte; Devos, Geert

2018-01-01

Purpose: Department heads play a pivotal role in the functioning of departments in secondary schools. However, quantitative research about the role of departmental leadership for the development of professional learning communities (PLCs) in subject departments in secondary schools remains scarce. As PLCs are seen as promising contexts for…

Online Knowledge Communities: Meeting places for continuing professional development.

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de Vries, Sjoerd A.; van Weert, Tom J.; Munro, Robert K.

2003-01-01

This paper describes the concept of Online Knowledge Communities (okc) as meeting places for continuing professional development (cpd). An okc is defined as a social network of members, who are online and are organized by making use of an online knowledge center. The okc has a particular group

Elementary Teachers' Perception of Professional Capital within Their Community of Practice

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Walker, Allison Edwards

2017-01-01

Many teachers, after having worked in isolation for so long and a business capital model of education reform, do not understand the concept of professional capital and its impact for transforming education. The purpose of this study was to examine elementary teachers' perception of professional capital within their community of practice. The data…

On-line Professional Learning Communities: Increasing Teacher Learning and Productivity in Isolated Rural Communities

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Dora Salazar

2010-08-01

Full Text Available On-line and distance professional learning communities provides teachers with increased access and flexibility as well as the combination of work and education. It also provides a more learner-centered approach, enrichment and new ways of interacting with teachers in isolated rural areas. For educational administrators, on-line learning offers high quality and usually cost-effective professional development for teachers. It allows upgrading of skills, increased productivity and development of a new learning culture. At the same time, it means sharing of costs, of training time, increased portability of training, and the exchange of creativity, information, and dialogue.

A new inter-professional course preparing learners for life in rural communities.

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Medves, Jennifer; Paterson, Margo; Chapman, Christine Y; Young, John H; Tata, Elizabeth; Bowes, Denise; Hobbs, Neil; McAndrews, Brian; O'Riordan, Anne

2008-01-01

The 'Professionals in Rural Practice' course was developed with the aim of preparing students enrolled in professional programs in Canada to become better equipped for the possible eventuality of professional work in a rural setting. To match the reality of living and working in a rural community, which by nature is interprofessional, the course designers were an interprofessional teaching team. In order to promote group cohesiveness the course included the participation of an interprofessional group of students and instructors from the disciplines of medicine, nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, teacher education, and theology. The format of the course included three-hour classes over an eight-week period and a two-day field experience in a rural community. The course utilized various experiential and interactive teaching and learning methods, along with a variety of assessment methods. Data were collected from student participants over two iterations of the course using a mixed methods approach. Results demonstrate that students value the interprofessional and experiential approach to learning and viewed this course as indispensable for gaining knowledge of other professions and preparation for rural practice. The data reveal important organizational and pedagogical considerations specific to interprofessional education, community based action research, and the unique interprofessional nature of training for life and work in a rural community. This study also indicates the potential value of further longitudinal study of participants in this course. Key words: Canada, community based action research, education, interdisciplinary, interprofessional.

Forging Professional Learning Communities: The Role of External Agency

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Sperandio, Jill; Kong, Peggy A.

2018-01-01

This article explored the effects of external agency on the establishment of professional learning communities (PLCs). The research was undertaken in the context of schools that have chosen to adopt the Primary Years Programme (PYP) of the International Baccalaureate (IB) worldwide. The study employed a two-stage qualitative sequential design…

Professional Learning Communities: Teachers Working Collaboratively for Continuous Improvement

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Griffith, Louise Ann

2009-01-01

Current research indicates that a professional learning community (PLC) is an effective means for helping teachers to bridge the gap between research and practice. A PLC is a team of educators systematically working together to improve teaching practice and student learning. This study evaluated the PLC formed by teachers at a public elementary…

A Qualitative Analysis of Pesantren Educational Management: School Culture and Leadership of a Professional Learning Community

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Nyimas Mu'azzomi

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is to explore supportive and shared leadership structures at one Indonesian Islamic boarding school (Pesantren as a function of school culture policies and procedures in a professional learning community in the disctrict. A qualitative study was conducted at one Pesantren located in Jambi, an Indonesian province in west part of Sumatra island. We interviewed three administrators and five teachers to get in-depth information about the purpose of this paper. The interview transcriptions were translated, coded, divided into themes, and elaborated in the findings of the paper. The findings of study conclude that Pesantren leaders in the perspective of the participants must provide supportive and shared leadership structures for teachers in order to create positive cultures and effective a professional learning community for the development of the Pesantren. Leaders of the Pesantren must directly cooperate with teaching staff to provide policies and procedures for teachers in the leadership structure to directly impact school improvement through professional learning community collaborative attempts. This study was conducted based on the school culture and professional learning communities literature by exploring existent policies and practices in schools as unique cases. This study is significant to the community as specific cases informing educational leaders especially in Islamic education on mechanisms that may be leveraged to ensure successful implementation of policies and procedures on the leadership and school culture of a professional learning community literature.

[Evaluation of a Two-day Hospital On-site Training Program for Community Pharmacists: Approach to Facilitate Collaboration among Community Healthcare Professionals].

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Sumi, Masaki; Hasegawa, Chiaki; Morii, Hiroaki; Hoshino, Nobuo; Okunuki, Yumi; Kanemoto, Kashie; Horie, Miya; Okamoto, Haruka; Yabuta, Naoki; Matsuda, Masashi; Kamiya, Takaki; Sudo, Masatomo; Masuda, Kyouko; Iwashita, Yuri; Matsuda, Kaori; Motooka, Yoshiko; Hira, Daiki; Morita, Shin-Ya; Terada, Tomohiro

2018-01-01

　The importance of community-based care systems has increased due to the highly aging population and diversity of disease. To enhance the cooperation among healthcare professionals in community-based care systems, a two-day on-site training program for community pharmacists based on a multidisciplinary team approach was conducted at the Medical Science Hospital of Shiga University from April 2015 to March 2017. There were two professional courses in this training program: the palliative care course and nutrition support course. Both courses consisted of common pharmaceutical care training as follows: regional cooperation among healthcare professionals, pharmacist's clinical activities in the ward, pressure ulcer care, infection control, and aseptic technique for parenteral solutions. Each course was limited to 2 participants. A questionnaire was given to participants in the training program. Seventy-five pharmacists participated in the training and all of them answered the questionnaire. According to the questionnaire, 86% of participants felt that 2 days was an appropriate term for the training program. Positive answers regarding the content of each program and overall satisfaction were given by 100% and 99% of the participants, respectively. In the categorical classification of free comments regarding the expected change in pharmacy practice after the training, both "support for patients under nutritional treatment" and "cooperation with other medical staff" were answered by 24 participants. These results suggested that the 2-day on-site training for community pharmacists facilitated cooperation among healthcare professionals in the community.

Beyond Hammers versus Hugs: Leveraging Educator Evaluation and Professional Learning Communities into Job-Embedded Professional Development

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Woodland, Rebecca H.; Mazur, Rebecca

2015-01-01

Educational evaluation (Ed Eval) and professional learning communities (PLCs) are two of the nation's most predominant approaches to widespread instructional improvement. Yet key attributes of these reform initiatives are too often experienced by teachers as burdensome, or even detrimental, rather than helpful. The authors of this article contend…

An outline of the need for psychology knowledge in health professionals: implications for community development and breast cancer prevention.

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Ahmadian, Maryam; Samah, Asnarulkhadi Abu; Saidu, Mohammed Bashir

2014-01-01

Knowledge of health and community psychology in health professionals influences psychosocial and community determinants of health and promoting participation in disease prevention at the community level. This paper appraises the potential of knowledge on psychology in health care professionals and its contribution to community empowerment through individual behavior change and health practice. The authors proposed a schematic model for the use of psychological knowledge in health professionals to promote participation in health interventions/disease prevention programs in developing countries. By implication, the paper provides a vision on policies towards supporting breast cancer secondary prevention efforts for community health development in Asian countries.

The Professional Culture of Community Pharmacy and the Provision of MTM Services

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Meagen M. Rosenthal

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The integration of advanced pharmacy services into community pharmacy practice is not complete. According to implementation research understanding professional culture, as a part of context, may provide insights for accelerating this process. There are three objectives in this study. The first objective of this study was to validate an adapted version of an organizational culture measure in a sample of United States’ (US community pharmacists. The second objective was to examine potential relationships between the cultural factors identified using the validated instrument and a number of socialization and education variables. The third objective was to examine any relationships between the scores on the identified cultural factors and the provision of MTM services. This study was a cross-sectional online survey for community pharmacists in the southeastern US. The survey contained questions on socialization/education, respondents’ self-reported provision of medication therapy management (MTM services, and the organizational culture profile (OCP. Analyses included descriptive statistics, a principle components analysis (PCA, independent samples t-test, and multivariate ordinal regression. A total of 303 surveys were completed. The PCA revealed a six-factor structure: social responsibility, innovation, people orientation, competitiveness, attention to detail, and reward orientation. Further analysis revealed significant relationships between social responsibility and years in practice, and people orientation and attention to detail and pharmacists’ training and practice setting. Significant positive relationships were observed between social responsibility, innovation, and competitiveness and the increased provision of MTM services. The significant relationships identified between the OCP factors and community pharmacist respondents’ provision of MTM services provides an important starting point for developing interventions to improve the

The Professional Culture of Community Pharmacy and the Provision of MTM Services.

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Rosenthal, Meagen M; Holmes, Erin R

2018-03-21

The integration of advanced pharmacy services into community pharmacy practice is not complete. According to implementation research understanding professional culture, as a part of context, may provide insights for accelerating this process. There are three objectives in this study. The first objective of this study was to validate an adapted version of an organizational culture measure in a sample of United States' (US) community pharmacists. The second objective was to examine potential relationships between the cultural factors identified using the validated instrument and a number of socialization and education variables. The third objective was to examine any relationships between the scores on the identified cultural factors and the provision of MTM services. This study was a cross-sectional online survey for community pharmacists in the southeastern US. The survey contained questions on socialization/education, respondents' self-reported provision of medication therapy management (MTM) services, and the organizational culture profile (OCP). Analyses included descriptive statistics, a principle components analysis (PCA), independent samples t-test, and multivariate ordinal regression. A total of 303 surveys were completed. The PCA revealed a six-factor structure: social responsibility, innovation, people orientation, competitiveness, attention to detail, and reward orientation. Further analysis revealed significant relationships between social responsibility and years in practice, and people orientation and attention to detail and pharmacists' training and practice setting. Significant positive relationships were observed between social responsibility, innovation, and competitiveness and the increased provision of MTM services. The significant relationships identified between the OCP factors and community pharmacist respondents' provision of MTM services provides an important starting point for developing interventions to improve the uptake of practice

Designing Professional Learning Communities through Understanding the Beliefs of Learning

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Ke, Jie; Kang, Rui; Liu, Di

2016-01-01

This study was designed to initiate the process of building professional development learning communities for pre-service math teachers through revealing those teachers' conceptions/beliefs of students' learning and their own learning in China. It examines Chinese pre-service math teachers' conceptions of student learning and their related…

Stigmatising attitudes towards people with mental disorders: a comparison of Australian health professionals with the general community.

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Reavley, Nicola J; Mackinnon, Andrew J; Morgan, Amy J; Jorm, Anthony F

2014-05-01

The aim of this paper was to explore attitudes towards people with mental disorders among Australian health professionals (psychiatrists, psychologists and general practitioners (GPs)) and to compare their attitudes with members of the general community. The study involved a postal survey of 518 GPs, 506 psychiatrists and 498 clinical psychologists and a telephone survey of 6019 members of the general community. Participants were given a case vignette describing a person with either depression, depression with suicidal thoughts, early schizophrenia, chronic schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or social phobia and two questionnaires to assess stigmatising attitudes (the Depression Stigma Scale and the Social Distance Scale). Exploratory structural equation modelling was used to elucidate the structure of stigma as measured by the two scales, to establish dimensions of stigma and to compare patterns of association according to gender, age, vignette and professional grouping. The measurement characteristics of stigmatising attitudes in health professionals were found to be comparable to those in members of the general community in social distance and also in personal and perceived attitude stigma, with each forming distinct dimensions and each comprising 'Weak-not-sick' and 'Dangerous/unpredictable' components. Among health professionals, female gender, age and being a GP were associated with higher scores on the personal stigma scales. Mental health professionals had lower scores on the personal 'Weak-not-sick' and 'Dangerous/unpredictable' scales than members of the general community, while there were no significant differences in the desire for social distance between health professionals and the general community. While mental health professionals have less stigmatising attitudes than the general public, the greater beliefs in dangerousness and personal weakness by GPs should be addressed.

Teachers' professional development in a community: A study of the central actors, their networks and web-based learning

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Jiri Lallimo

2008-07-01

Full Text Available The goal of this article was to study teachers' professional development related to web-based learning in the context of the teacher community. The object was to learn in what kind of networks teachers share the knowledge of web-based learning and what are the factors in the community that support or challenge teachers professional development of web-based learning. The findings of the study revealed that there are teachers who are especially active, called the central actors in this study, in the teacher community who collaborate and share knowledge of web-based learning. These central actors share both technical and pedagogical knowledge of web-based learning in networks that include both internal and external relations in the community and involve people, artefacts and a variety of media. Furthermore, the central actors appear to bridge different fields of teaching expertise in their community.According to the central actors' experiences the important factors that support teachers' professional development of web-based learning in the community are; the possibility to learn from colleagues and from everyday working practices, an emotionally safe atmosphere, the leader's personal support and community-level commitment. Also, the flexibility in work planning, challenging pupils, shared lessons with colleagues, training events in an authentic work environment and colleagues' professionalism are considered meaningful for professional development. As challenges, the knowledge sharing of web-based learning in the community needs mutual interests, transactive memory, time and facilities, peer support, a safe atmosphere and meaningful pedagogical practices.On the basis of the findings of the study it is suggested that by intensive collaboration related to web-based learning it may be possible to break the boundaries of individual teachership and create such sociocultural activities which support collaborative professional development in the teacher

Teacher Collaboration and Student Learning in a Professional Learning Community

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Vaughan, Mary Elaine

2013-01-01

Researchers have endorsed teacher collaboration within a professional learning community (PLC) that is focused on student learning. Despite these research-based endorsements, several Algebra 1 teachers in a southeastern high school implemented components of a PLC with little or no results in student achievement. The purpose of this study was to…

Professional Learning Community Process in the United States: Conceptualization of the Process and District Support for Schools

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Olivier, Dianne F.; Huffman, Jane B.

2016-01-01

As the Professional Learning Community (PLC) process becomes embedded within schools, the level of district support has a direct impact on whether schools have the ability to re-culture and sustain highly effective collaborative practices. The purpose of this article is to share a professional learning community conceptual framework from the US,…

Opening the Classroom Door: Professional Learning Communities in the Math and Science Partnership Program

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Hamos, James E.; Bergin, Kathleen B.; Maki, Daniel P.; Perez, Lance C.; Prival, Joan T.; Rainey, Daphne Y.; Rowell, Ginger H.; VanderPutten, Elizabeth

2009-01-01

This article looks at how professional learning communities (PLCs) have become an operational approach for professional development with potential to de-isolate the teaching experience in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The authors offer a short synopsis of the intellectual origins of PLCs, provide multiple…

[Awareness and attitude toward suicide in community mental health professionals and hospital workers].

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Kim, Soung Nam; Lee, Kang Sook; Lee, Seon Young; Yu, Jae Hee; Hong, A Rum

2009-05-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate community mental health professionals and hospital workers attitude and awareness towards suicide. This study investigated 264 community mental health professionals and 228 hospital workers. SOQs (Suicidal Opinion Questionnaires) were used from July 2007 to September 2007. After a factor analysis for the attitude towards suicide, the items on ethics, mental illness, religion, risk, and motivation were included in the subsequent analysis. There were significant differences in the attitude towards suicide according to religion, age, educational background, the marriage status, the economic position, and different professional licenses. Hospital workers' view was different from the community workers'. The hospital workers judged that suicide was due to mental illness, and suicide was high for the people in a special environment and who lacked motivation, which caused them to fall in a dangerous situation. For the lower educational group, they thought that suicide was attributable to mental illness. The awareness for suicide was significantly higher in the group with a postgraduate education, unmarried people, mental health professionals and the persons who had concern and experience with suicide. The factors that had an influence on the awareness of suicide were the items of mental illness, religion, risk and motivational factors. This study suggested that the factors to increase the awareness and attitude for suicide were the experience of increased education and case management of suicide. Therefore, education dealing with suicide and reinforcement of crisis management programs should be developed.

Community mental health nurses speak out: the critical relationship between emotional wellbeing and satisfying professional practice.

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Rose, Jayln; Glass, Nel

2006-10-01

The article reports on selected findings of a research study concerning emotional wellbeing and professional nursing practice (Rose 2002). It highlights the relationship between community mental health nurses' and emotional wellbeing, and their capacity to provide satisfying professional nursing practice (Rose 2002). The notion of emotional wellbeing, factors that impacted upon the participants' emotional wellbeing, and the relationship of emotional wellbeing to professional practice were revealed in the study. These findings were based on a qualitative critical feminist research inquiry and specifically, interviews with five women community mental health nurses in Australia. Whilst complex, emotional wellbeing was found to be both implicitly and explicitly linked to the participants intertwined personal and professional experiences. Four key components were identified: the nebulous notion; the stress relationship; the mind, body, spirit connection; and, inner sense of balance. In terms of emotional wellbeing and professional practice, three themes were revealed. These were: being able to speak out (or not); being autonomous (or not) and being satisfied (or not). The authors argue that the emotional wellbeing of nurses working in community mental health settings is critical to satisfying professional practice. Furthermore nursing work involves emotional work which impacts on one's emotional wellbeing and emotional wellbeing is integrally linked to professional practice. It is recommended that health organisations must be pro-active in addressing the emotional needs of nurses to ensure the delivery of health care that is aligned to professional practice. This approach will ensure nurses will feel more recognised and validated in terms of their nursing practice.

Communities of practice and the construction of the professional identities of nurse educators: A review of the literature.

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Woods, Andrew; Cashin, Andrew; Stockhausen, Lynette

2016-02-01

To comprehensively review the Community of Practice literature from nursing contexts to explore whether and how these communities contribute to the social construction of nurse educator professional identity. Due to the wide scope of predominately qualitative literature on the topic, papers were analysed and themed inductively. CINAHL, MEDLINE, COCHRANE, EBSCO databases, Emerald, Proquest & Google Scholar. These online databases were searched for relevant peer-reviewed journal papers in the English language with no date range specified. The search terms 'nurs* educator' and 'nurs* teacher' were combined with each of the terms 'communit* of practice', 'identity' and 'role' resulting in 293 peer-reviewed journal papers. Where abstracts were missing, introductory and background sections were skimmed for related content. Papers that made incidental reference to either professional identity or a Community of Practice were excluded. In total, 63 primary study or discussion papers were found to have a focus on nurse educator identity and/or communities of practice in healthcare contexts. Papers specifically focused on communities of practice in nursing (n=33) could only be found from the last 10 years (2005-2015). Only five of these focused on nurse educators. Community of Practice theory and the professional teaching literature offers collaborative and active ways for nurse educators to further develop their professional identities. Despite the emergence of communities of practice in the nursing literature, further studies are required to explore how such a construct can facilitate the social construction of nurse educator professional identity. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Socialization for New and Mid-Level Community College Student Affairs Professionals

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Hornak, Anne M.; Ozaki, C. Carolyn; Lunceford, Christina

2016-01-01

This study was designed to explore the socialization of student affairs professionals in community colleges. The authors used the theory of organizational socialization (Van Maanen & Schein, 1979) and explored these nuances through a qualitative research design. Findings include differences in socialization in institutions versus the…

Exploring an increased role for Australian community pharmacy in mental health professional service delivery: evaluation of the literature.

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Hattingh, H Laetitia; Scahill, Shane; Fowler, Jane L; Wheeler, Amanda J

2016-12-01

Australian general practitioners primarily treat mental health problems by prescribing medication dispensed by community pharmacists. Pharmacists therefore have regular interactions with mental health consumers and carers. This narrative review explored the potential role of community pharmacy in mental health services. Medline, CINAHL, ProQuest, Emerald, PsycINFO, Science Direct, PubMed, Web of Knowledge and IPA were utilised. The Cochrane Library as well as grey literature and "lay" search engines such as GoogleScholar were also searched. Four systematic reviews and ten community pharmacy randomised controlled trials were identified. Various relevant reviews outlining the impact of community pharmacy based disease state or medicines management services were also identified. International studies involving professional service interventions for mental health consumers could be contextualised for the Australian setting. Australian studies of pharmacy professional services for chronic physical health conditions provided further guidance for the expansion of community pharmacy mental health professional services.

Placement, support, and retention of health professionals: national, cross-sectional findings from medical and dental community service officers in South Africa.

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Hatcher, Abigail M; Onah, Michael; Kornik, Saul; Peacocke, Julia; Reid, Stephen

2014-02-26

In South Africa, community service following medical training serves as a mechanism for equitable distribution of health professionals and their professional development. Community service officers are required to contribute a year towards serving in a public health facility while receiving supervision and remuneration. Although the South African community service programme has been in effect since 1998, little is known about how placement and practical support occur, or how community service may impact future retention of health professionals. National, cross-sectional data were collected from community service officers who served during 2009 using a structured self-report questionnaire. A Supervision Satisfaction Scale (SSS) was created by summing scores of five questions rated on a three-point Likert scale (orientation, clinical advising, ongoing mentorship, accessibility of clinic leadership, and handling of community service officers' concerns). Research endpoints were guided by community service programmatic goals and analysed as dichotomous outcomes. Bivariate and multivariate logistical regressions were conducted using Stata 12. The sample population comprised 685 doctors and dentists (response rate 44%). Rural placement was more likely among unmarried, male, and black practitioners. Rates of self-reported professional development were high (470 out of 539 responses; 87%). Participants with higher scores on the SSS were more likely to report professional development. Although few participants planned to continue work in rural, underserved communities (n = 171 out of 657 responses, 25%), those serving in a rural facility during the community service year had higher intentions of continuing rural work. Those reporting professional development during the community service year were twice as likely to report intentions to remain in rural, underserved communities. Despite challenges in equitable distribution of practitioners, participant satisfaction with the

Continuous Inquiry Meets Continued Critique: The Professional Learning Community in Practice and the Resistance of (Un)Willing Participants

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Elbousty, Youness; Bratt, Kirstin

2010-01-01

The term Professional Learning Community is commonplace, and it holds many meanings and suggestions. For the purpose of this essay, however, we discuss a specific Professional Learning Community (PLC) that was established in a high school, fifteen months prior to the application of a survey instrument to evaluate participants' perceptions on the…

CORSSA: The Community Online Resource for Statistical Seismicity Analysis

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Michael, Andrew J.; Wiemer, Stefan

2010-01-01

Statistical seismology is the application of rigorous statistical methods to earthquake science with the goal of improving our knowledge of how the earth works. Within statistical seismology there is a strong emphasis on the analysis of seismicity data in order to improve our scientific understanding of earthquakes and to improve the evaluation and testing of earthquake forecasts, earthquake early warning, and seismic hazards assessments. Given the societal importance of these applications, statistical seismology must be done well. Unfortunately, a lack of educational resources and available software tools make it difficult for students and new practitioners to learn about this discipline. The goal of the Community Online Resource for Statistical Seismicity Analysis (CORSSA) is to promote excellence in statistical seismology by providing the knowledge and resources necessary to understand and implement the best practices, so that the reader can apply these methods to their own research. This introduction describes the motivation for and vision of CORRSA. It also describes its structure and contents.

Creating Professional Learning Communities in a Traditional Educational Leadership Preparation Program

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Doolittle, Gini; Stanwood, H. Mark; Simmerman, Herb

2006-01-01

In this article, the authors examine the prerequisites for leadership preparation programs with regard to implementing and institutionalizing professional learning communities as an instructional strategy. First, the authors posit that as faculty they must examine and reflect on their own teaching practices and how they influence their reciprocal…

Enhancing Self-Efficacy in Elementary Science Teaching with Professional Learning Communities

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Mintzes, Joel J.; Marcum, Bev; Messerschmidt-Yates, Christl; Mark, Andrew

2013-01-01

Emerging from Bandura's Social Learning Theory, this study of in-service elementary school teachers examined the effects of sustained Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) on self-efficacy in science teaching. Based on mixed research methods, and a non-equivalent control group experimental design, the investigation explored changes in…

Tweeting Educational Technology: A Tale of Professional Community of Practice

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Ina Blau

2012-06-01

Full Text Available This paper explores an Israeli professional community on Twitter practicing educational technology. Networking analysis of 42 users and 296 structural connections among them revealed that the adoption of Twitter was normally distributed and active participation was asymmetrical - 14.3% of users produced 80% of the tweets. Investment in participation was highly gratified by influence on the audience.

Some aspects of school seen as a Professional Learning Community

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Bradea Adela

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Each school is part of the community and at the same time, a provider of education services. This makes school a Learning Community for both teachers and students. While in the case of students this is a mission accomplished, in that of teachers’ things seem to be a bit more difficult. The latter ones should see themselves as members of a Professional Learning Community (PLC, where each teacher should cooperate with the other to achieve common goals, engage in common research activities for the progress of their school, take part in evaluating school results and propose plans to improve them etc. This research aimed to identify teachers’ perception of the role of school as a Professional Learning Community, to identify how school boards support and encourage this idea through participative management and to identify lines of joint research in which teachers are involved. The instrument used was a questionnaire having 30 close-ended items, administered to pre-university teachers from Bihor county, Romania. The implementation period was January to June 2016. The results show that there is collaboration between the same subject area teachers, who form committees to discuss, analyse and propose solutions. The research has also showed that more effort is required to improve collaboration between more experienced teachers and those who are at the beginning of their career, to improve collaboration between different subject area teachers by getting them to engage in joint projects, but above all, there is a need for a greater involvement of teachers, of school boards in managing schools so that participative management is achieved.

Communities of Practice in the Conservatory: Learning with a Professional Musician

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Virkkula, Esa

2016-01-01

This article examines the sociocultural learning of popular and jazz music in communities of practice as part of secondary vocational music education in a Finnish conservatory. The research is based on performance workshops which were implemented as a joint effort between professional musicians and music students. These workshops are suggested as…

A Case Study Examination of Best Practices of Professional Learning Communities

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Akopoff, Tanya M.

2010-01-01

A current trend in education is that small teacher groups, called professional learning communities (PLC), are being advocated as a tool to help teachers reach struggling students. Educators planning to use PLC as an intervention strategy can benefit from research-based information about PLC best practices. This multiple case study addressed the…

Community and school mental health professionals' knowledge and use of evidence based substance use prevention programs.

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Evans, Steven W; Randy Koch, J; Brady, Christine; Meszaros, Peggy; Sadler, Joanna

2013-07-01

Youth with learning and behavioral problems are at elevated risk for substance use during adolescence. Although evidence-based substance use prevention and screening practices are described in the literature, the extent with which these are provided to these youth is unclear. Mental health professionals in schools and community mental health centers are in an ideal position to conduct substance use screening and prevention practices since they have frequent contact with this high risk group. In order to determine whether these mental health professionals were using evidence based substance use screening and prevention programs with these youth, we analyzed 345 completed surveys from mental health professionals in schools and community clinics throughout a mid-Atlantic state. Results indicated that a large portion of the respondents were unfamiliar with evidence based practices and they were infrequently used. Implications for the division of labor at schools and community mental health centers are discussed in relation to time allotment and priority for these procedures.

The effect of perceived organisational support on burnout among community health nurses in China: the mediating role of professional self-concept.

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Cao, Xiaoyi; Chen, Lin; Tian, Lang; Diao, Yongshu

2016-01-01

To examine the mediating effect of professional self-concept on the association between perceived organisational support and burnout among community health nurses in Chengdu, China. Burnout is a common phenomenon among nurses and previous studies have focused on work environmental factors contributing to burnout. Limited studies have examined the effects of perceived organisational support and professional self-concept on burnout among community health nurses. This was a cross-sectional study with 551 community health nurses in Chengdu, China, which included a two-stage sampling method. Structural equation modelling was used to examine the relationships among perceived organisational support, professional self-concept and burnout. The final sample included 456 nurses (82.7%). Perceived organisational support was a significant positive direct predictor for professional self-concept and a significant negative direct predictor for burnout. Professional self-concept was a significant negative direct contributor to burnout. Professional self-concept had a mediating effect on the relationship between perceived organisational support and burnout. Perceived organisational support may result in reduced burnout by facilitating the development of positive professional self-concept. Strategies such as establishing a supportive work environment and professional competence training may be effective methods for burnout prevention and management among community health nurses. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

[Rank distributions in community ecology from the statistical viewpoint].

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Maksimov, V N

2004-01-01

Traditional statistical methods for definition of empirical functions of abundance distribution (population, biomass, production, etc.) of species in a community are applicable for processing of multivariate data contained in the above quantitative indices of the communities. In particular, evaluation of moments of distribution suffices for convolution of the data contained in a list of species and their abundance. At the same time, the species should be ranked in the list in ascending rather than descending population and the distribution models should be analyzed on the basis of the data on abundant species only.

The Impact of Professional Learning Communities on Student Achievement at an Underperforming School: Teachers' and Administrators' Perceptions

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Kincaide-Cunningham, Cora E.

2017-01-01

This three-article dissertation contains three approaches to the topic of professional learning communities and their impact on student achievement. Article I is a synthesis of the literature related to the purpose of professional learning communities. Implications in educational settings are also presented in this article. The context of the…

Communities of Practice. Niches voor de samenwerking tussen ervaringswerkers en professionals bij gebiedsgericht werken

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gerda Scholtens

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Communities of Practice. Niches for cooperation between experts-by-experience and professionals in community developmentSince 2000, problems in the care of people with multiple complex problems have been on the increase. These people can often have problems in multiple domains of life which may reinforce each other in a negative way. Unfortunately, these people, who need care more than others, often do not receive appropriate care. This is due to the compartmentalized way in which care is organized. Caregiving is supply-oriented and not tailored to the needs and abilities of these people. Two studies, “Bridge building” by Kal (2001 and “A theory of presence” by Baart (2001 have helped to put this topic onto the social agenda.However, a method has been developed in mental health care to support people with psychiatric problems in everyday life. Beginning on a small scale in the 1990s, the use of a social support system involves a network of individuals and organizations that supports those with a history of psychiatric issues in their daily lives. The bridge builders (professionals who work towards an inclusive society and the “experts-by-experience” are at the centre of this social support system. They try to eliminate any mismatches and to align the support needed with the support provided. To prevent the compartmentalization of the care, they seek to cooperate with the organizations involved in the household. Based on the principle of joint responsibility, they manage the care given in consultation with the people concerned.Since 2010, care in the Netherlands has increasingly become community-based. Professionals who were previously based in different institutions for people with mental illness, addiction or a mental disability, now organize themselves regionally. Their work has changed in two ways: firstly, they must now cooperate with professionals from different sectors working in a particular area, and secondly, their work

Barriers and facilitators to diabetes self-management: perspectives of older community dwellers and health professionals in China.

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Shen, Huixia; Edwards, Helen; Courtney, Mary; McDowell, Jan; Wei, Juan

2013-12-01

Little is known about self-management among people with Type 2 diabetes living in mainland China. Understanding the experiences of this target population is needed to provide socioculturally relevant education to effectively promote self-management. The aim of this study was to explore perceived barriers and facilitators to diabetes self-management for both older community dwellers and health professionals in China. Four focus groups, two for older people with diabetes and two for health professionals, were conducted. All participants were purposively sampled from two communities in Shanghai, China. Six barriers were identified: overdependence on but dislike of western medicine, family role expectations, cuisine culture, lack of trustworthy information sources, deficits in communication between clients and health professionals, and restriction of reimbursement regulations. Facilitators included family and peer support, good relationships with health professionals, simple and practical instruction and a favourable community environment. The findings provide valuable information for diabetes self-management intervention development in China, and have implications for programmes tailored to populations in similar sociocultural circumstances. © 2013 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

The competent community: toward a vital reformulation of professional ethics.

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Johnson, W Brad; Barnett, Jeffrey E; Elman, Nancy S; Forrest, Linda; Kaslow, Nadine J

2012-10-01

Psychologists are ethically obligated to ensure their own competence. When problems of professional competence occur, psychologists must take appropriate steps to regain competence while protecting those they serve. Yet conceptualizations of the competence obligation are thoroughly intertwined with Western ideals of individualism and a model of the person as self-contained, self-controlled, and perpetually rational. Research in health care, education, and multicultural and social psychology raise serious doubts about psychologists' capacity for consistently accurate self-assessments of competence. To address this problem, the authors advocate that education, training, professional ethics standards, and credentialing criteria be infused with a robust communitarian ethos and a culturally pervasive ethic of care. The authors propose a shift in discourse about competence to incorporate both competent individuals and competent communities.

Technology Professional Development and Instructional Technology Integration among Part-Time Faculty at Illinois Community Colleges

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Roohani, Behnam

2014-01-01

This study focused on exploring Illinois community college faculty development coordinators' perceptions about how they are implementing faculty technology professional development programs and providing technical support for part-time faculty in the Illinois community college systems. Also examined were part-time faculty perceptions of the degree…

The relationship between departments as professional communities and student achievement in secondary schools

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lomos, C.; Hofman, R.H.; Bosker, R.J.

Secondary school teaching is organized in departments and effective departments functioning as collaborative teams have been associated with effective schools. Therefore, this study investigates the relationship of mathematics departments perceived as professional communities and student achievement

Healthcare professionals' self-reported experiences and preferences related to direct healthcare professional communications: a survey conducted in the Netherlands.

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Piening, Sigrid; Haaijer-Ruskamp, Flora M; de Graeff, Pieter A; Straus, Sabine M J M; Mol, Peter G M

2012-11-01

In Europe, Direct Healthcare Professional Communications (DHPCs) are important tools to inform healthcare professionals of serious, new drug safety issues. However, this tool has not always been successful in effectively communicating the desired actions to healthcare professionals. The aim of this study was to explore healthcare providers' experiences and their preferences for improvement of risk communication, comparing views of general practitioners (GPs), internists, community pharmacists and hospital pharmacists. A questionnaire was developed and pilot tested to assess experiences and preferences of Dutch healthcare professionals with DHPCs. The questionnaire and two reminders were sent to a random sample of 3488 GPs, internists and community and hospital pharmacists in the Netherlands. Descriptive statistics were used to describe demographic characteristics of the respondents. Chi squares, ANOVAs and the Wilcoxon signed rank test were used, when appropriate, to compare healthcare professional groups. The overall response rate was 34% (N = 1141, ranging from 24% for internists to 46% for community pharmacists). Healthcare providers trusted safety information more when provided by the Dutch Medicines Evaluation Board (MEB) than by the pharmaceutical industry. This was more the case for GPs than for the other healthcare professionals. Respondents preferred safety information to be issued by the MEB, the Dutch Pharmacovigilance Center or their own professional associations. The preferred alternative channels of drug safety information were e-mail, medical journals and electronic prescribing systems. Safety information of drugs does not always reach healthcare professionals through DHPCs. To improve current risk communication of drug safety issues, alternative and/or additional methods of risk communication should be developed using electronic methods and medical journals. Moreover, (additional) risk communication coming from an independent source such as the

Competence in metered dose inhaler technique among community pharmacy professionals in Gondar town, Northwest Ethiopia: Knowledge and skill gap analysis.

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Belachew, Sewunet Admasu; Tilahun, Fasil; Ketsela, Tirsit; Achaw Ayele, Asnakew; Kassie Netere, Adeladlew; Getnet Mersha, Amanual; Befekadu Abebe, Tamrat; Melaku Gebresillassie, Begashaw; Getachew Tegegn, Henok; Asfaw Erku, Daniel

2017-01-01

When compared to systemic administration, if used correctly inhalers deliver a smaller enough percent of the drug right to the site of action in the lungs, with a faster onset of effect and with reduced systemic availability that minimizes adverse effects. However, the health professionals' and patients' use of metered dose inhaler is poor. This study was aimed to explore community pharmacy professionals' (pharmacists' and druggists') competency on metered dose inhaler (MDI) technique. A cross sectional study was employed on pharmacy professionals working in community drug retail outlets in Gondar town, northwest Ethiopia from March to May 2017. Evaluation tool was originally taken and adapted from the National Asthma Education and Prevention Programmes of America (NAEPP) step criteria for the demonstration of a metered dose inhaler to score the knowledge/proficiency of using the inhaler. Among 70 community pharmacy professionals approached, 62 (32 pharmacists and 30 druggists/Pharmacy technicians) completed the survey with a response rate of 85.6%. Only three (4.8%) respondents were competent by demonstrating the vital steps correctly. Overall, only 13 participants got score seven or above, but most of them had missed the essential steps which included steps 1, 2, 5, 6, 7 or 8. There was a significant difference (P = 0.015) in competency of demonstrating adequate inhalational technique among respondents who took training on basic inhalational techniques and who did not. This study shown that, community pharmacy professionals' competency of MDI technique was very poor. So as to better incorporate community pharmacies into future asthma illness management and optimize the contribution of pharmacists, interventions would emphasis to improve the total competence of community pharmacy professionals through establishing and providing regular educational programs.

Assessing the Change Process in Comprehensive High Schools Implementing Professional Learning Communities

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Shaner, Robert G.

2009-01-01

Professional learning communities (PLC) have been identified as scaffolds that can facilitate, support, and sustain systemic change focused on improving student achievement. PLCs represent the application of the theoretical constructs of the learning organization within the framework of schools and school systems. Little is known about the change…

Teacher Professional Development for Technology Integration in a Primary School Learning Community

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Liu, Shih-Hsiung

2013-01-01

Teacher professional development (TPD) can benefit teachers in classrooms. This study contributes to an understanding of TPD processes where there is sufficient technology integration through teacher participation in a school-based community. It assesses the effectiveness of TPD and its potential problems. Qualitative research methods are used to…

Teaching HR Professionals: The Classroom as a Community of Practice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alex Avramenko

2013-05-01

Full Text Available This paper introduces an innovative course design incorporating both communities of practice and reflective practice as a learning strategy for part-time learners in higher education. The new design has been applied to teaching HR practitioners in a UK-based business school. Findings indicate that the suggested way of organizing teaching and learning for part-time professionals is very informative and facilitates a richer engagement with theory whilst addressing issues of practice.

Developing professional identity in nursing academics: the role of communities of practice.

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Andrew, Nicola; Ferguson, Dorothy; Wilkie, George; Corcoran, Terry; Simpson, Liz

2009-08-01

This paper analyses the current standing of nursing within the wider United Kingdom (UK) higher education (HE) environment and considers the development of academic identity within the sector, introducing a technology mediated approach to professional learning and development. A community of practice (CoP) is a way of learning based on collaboration among peers. Individuals come together virtually or physically, with a common purpose, defined by knowledge rather than task [Wenger, E., 1998. Communities of Practice: Learning, Meaning and Identity, sixth ed. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge]. In 2008, a small team of academics at Glasgow Caledonian University, School of Nursing, Midwifery and Community Health created and implemented iCoP, a project undertaken to pilot an international CoP, where novices and expert academics collaborated to debate and discuss the complex transition from clinician to academic. Although not intended as a conventional research project, the developmental journey and emerging online discussion provide an insight into the collective thoughts and opinions of a multi-national group of novice academics. The article also highlights the key challenges, problems and limitations of working in an international online arena with professionals who traditionally work and thrive in a face to face, real time environment.

A Study of Strengthening Secondary Mathematics Teachers' Knowledge of Statistics and Probability via Professional Development

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DeVaul, Lina

2017-01-01

A professional development program (PSPD) was implemented to improve in-service secondary mathematics teachers' content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, and self-efficacy in teaching secondary school statistics and probability. Participants generated a teaching resource website at the conclusion of the PSPD program. Participants' content…

Community medicine in the medical curriculum: a statistical analysis of a professional examination.

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Craddock, M J; Murdoch, R M; Stewart, G T

1984-01-01

This paper analyses the examination results of two cohorts of medical students at the University of Glasgow. It discusses the usefulness of Scottish higher grades as predictors of ability to pass examinations in medicine. Further correlations are made between the results from community medicine and other fourth- and fifth-year medical school examinations.

Impact of educational intervention on implementation of tobacco counselling among oral health professionals: a cluster-randomized community trial.

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Amemori, Masamitsu; Virtanen, Jorma; Korhonen, Tellervo; Kinnunen, Taru H; Murtomaa, Heikki

2013-04-01

Tobacco use adversely affects oral health. Clinical guidelines recommend that oral health professionals promote tobacco abstinence and provide patients who use tobacco with brief tobacco use cessation counselling. Research shows that these guidelines are seldom implemented successfully. This study aimed to evaluate two interventions to enhance tobacco use prevention and cessation (TUPAC) counselling among oral health professionals in Finland. We used a cluster-randomized community trial to test educational and fee-for-service interventions in enhancing TUPAC counselling among a sample of dentists (n=73) and dental hygienists (n=22) in Finland. Educational intervention consisted of 1 day of training, including lectures, interactive sessions, multimedia demonstrations and a role play session with standard patient cases. Fee-for-service intervention consisted of monetary compensation for providing tobacco use prevention or cessation counselling. TUPAC counselling procedures provided were reported and measured using an electronic dental records system. In data analysis, intent-to-treat principles were followed at both individual and cluster levels. Descriptive analysis included chi-square and t-tests. A general linear model for repeated measures was used to compare the outcome measures by intervention group. Of 95 providers, 73 participated (76.8%). In preventive counselling, there was no statistically significant time effect or group-by-time interaction. In cessation counselling, statistically significant group-by-time interaction was found after a 6-month follow-up (F=2.31; P=0.007), indicating that counselling activity increased significantly in intervention groups. On average, dental hygienists showed greater activity in tobacco prevention (F=12.13; P=0.001) and cessation counselling (F=30.19; PTUPAC counselling performance. Other approaches than monetary incentives may be needed to enhance the effectiveness of educational intervention. Further studies with focus

Unpacking the Roles of the Facilitator in Higher Education Professional Learning Communities

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Margalef, Leonor; Pareja Roblin, Natalie

2016-01-01

Facilitators are central for the success of professional learning communities (PLCs). Yet, their specific roles in supporting teacher learning remain still largely underexplored. To address this gap, the current multiple case study examines the roles of 4 university PLC facilitators, the strategies they used to support teacher learning, and the…

Communities of practice: Participation patterns and professional impact for high school mathematics and science teachers

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Printy, Susan M.

Improving the quality of teachers in schools is a keystone to educational improvement. New and veteran teachers alike need to enhance their content knowledge and pedagogical skills, but they must also examine, and often change, their underlying attitudes, beliefs, and values about the nature of knowledge and the abilities of students. Best accomplished collectively rather than individually, the interactions between teachers as they undertake the process of collaborative inquiry create "communities of practice." This dissertation investigates the importance of science and mathematics teachers' participation in communities of practice to their professional capabilities. The study tests the hypothesis that the social learning inherent in community of practice participation encourages teachers to learn from others with expertise, enhances teachers' sense of competence, and increases the likelihood that teachers' will use student-centered, problem-based instructional techniques aligned with national disciplinary standards. The researcher conceptualizes communities of practice along two dimensions that affect social learning: legitimate participation in activities and span of engagement with school members. Differences in teachers' subject area and the curricular track of their teaching assignment contribute to variation in teachers' participation in communities of practice along those dimensions. Using data from the National Educational Longitudinal Study, first and second follow-up, the study has two stages of multi-level analysis. The first stage examines factors that contribute to teachers' participation in communities of practice, including teachers' social and professional characteristics and school demographic and organizational characteristics. The second stage investigates the professional impact of such participation on the three outcome variables: teacher learning, teacher competence, and use of standards-based pedagogy. Hierarchical linear models provide

Rural outreach in Maine: A research-driven professional development teacher community

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Wittmann, Michael

2016-03-01

In the Maine Physical Sciences Partnership (MainePSP), researchers at the University of Maine have joined together with the state's Department of Education, non-profits, and teachers in multiple school districts to create a dynamic and growing community dedicated to improving K12 education of the physical sciences. Through ongoing efforts to introduce and adapt instructional materials, guided by education research and research-guided professional development, we have built a community responsive to student and teacher needs. This work has fed back into the university setting, where teachers are playing a role in graduate courses taken by our Master of Science in Teaching students. In this talk, I will focus on the role of education research in the partnership, showing how we use research in professional development, the development of assessments, and the analysis of the resulting data. I will describe two projects, one to understand how teachers' content knowledge affects the development of items assessing knowledge of acceleration, the other to see how teachers use their content knowledge of systems and energy to make pedagogical choices based on students' incorrect ideas about conservation of energy. Sponsored in part by NSF Grants MSP-0962805, DRL-1222580, and DUE-1340033.

Reframing cooperation: Challenges in overcoming tensions between professional services and volunteer organizations providing parenting support in immigrant communities

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Ponzoni, E.

2015-01-01

Volunteer organizations can potentially partner with mainstream professional services to provide better parenting support to immigrant parents. This qualitative study of cooperation between professional agencies and volunteer organizations known as migrant volunteer and community organizations

Examining the Professional Status of Full-Time Sociology Faculty in Community Colleges

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Kapitulik, Brian P.; Rowell, Katherine R.; Smith, Michelle A.; Amaya, Nicole V.

2016-01-01

In this article, we utilize national survey data to assess the professional status of full-time sociology faculty in community colleges. Traditionally, sociologists have argued that for a particular type of work to be conceptualized as a profession, it must meet certain criteria, such as: esoteric knowledge and skills, high levels of workplace…

Building up STEM education professional learning community in school setting: Case of Khon Kaen Wittayayon School

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Thana, Aduldej; Siripun, Kulpatsorn; Yuenyong, Chokchai

2018-01-01

The STEM education is new issue of teaching and learning in school setting. Building up STEM education professional learning community may provide some suggestions for further collaborative work of STEM Education from grounded up. This paper aimed to clarify the building up STEM education learning community in Khon Kaen Wittayayon (KKW) School setting. Participants included Khon Kaen University researchers, Khon Kaen Wittayayon School administrators and teachers. Methodology regarded interpretative paradigm. The tools of interpretation included participant observation, interview and document analysis. Data was analyzed to categories of condition for building up STEM education professional learning community. The findings revealed that the actions of developing STEM learning activities and research showed some issues of KKW STEM community of inquiry and improvement. The paper will discuss what and how the community learns about sharing vision of STEM Education, supportive physical and social conditions of KKW, sharing activities of STEM, and good things from some key STEM teachers' ambition. The paper may has implication of supporting STEM education in Thailand school setting.

An assessment of community pharmacists’ attitudes towards professional practice in the Republic of Moldova.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cordina M

2008-03-01

Full Text Available Pharmacy in Moldova is undergoing a period of transition. The professional practice is adjusting to a market-oriented economy from the previous Soviet system. The pharmaceutical sector has been liberalised giving rise to a significant increase in the number of community pharmacies. This has led to some adverse effects on the profession of pharmacy with pharmacists having considerable difficulties fulfilling their professional aspirations and possibly losing confidence in further developing their professional role. Objective: To assess community pharmacists’ attitudes towards their professional practice and to determine their perceived competence in various pharmaceutical activities.Methods: A questionnaire which addressed managerial activities, dispensing activities, pharmaceutical care activities, inter-professional relationships, public health and competence was mailed to 600 community pharmacists who were asked to score the importance and perceived competence for each activity on a scale ranging from 0-5. In the case of pharmaceutical care activities, pharmacists were asked to score their degree of agreement or disagreement as to whether it is the responsibility of the pharmacist to engage in specific pharmaceutical care activities.Results: A total of 370 valid questionnaires were returned giving a response rate of 61.7%. Managerial and dispensing activities were scored the highest both in terms of perceived importance and competence. The more innovative pharmaceutical care activities scored relatively low. Overall scores relating to the importance of pharmacists engaging in public health activities appear to be the lowest of the entire questionnaire. Younger pharmacists between the ages of 22-30 obtained significantly higher scores with regards to the perceived pharmacist’s responsibility in engaging in various pharmaceutical care activities. Respondents who practiced in an accredited pharmacy scored higher in the majority of questions

Network Connectedness, Sense of Community, and Risk Perception of Climate Change Professionals in the Pacific Islands Region

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Corlew, L. K.; Keener, V. W.; Finucane, M.

2013-12-01

The Pacific Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments (Pacific RISA) Program conducted social network analysis research of climate change professionals (broadly defined) who are from or work in Hawaii and the U.S.-Affiliated Pacific Islands (USAPI) region. This study is supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Pacific Islands Climate Science Center (PICSC) to address an identified need for a resource that quantifies the region's collaborative network of climate change professionals, and that supports the further development of cross-regional and inter-sectoral collaborations for future research and adaptation activities. A survey was distributed to nearly 1,200 people who are from and/or work in climate change related fields in the region. The Part One Survey questions (not confidential) created a preferential attachment network by listing major players in Hawaii and the USAPI, with additional open fields to identify important contacts in the greater professional network. Participants (n=340) identified 975 network contacts and frequency of communications (weekly, monthly, seasonally, yearly, at least once ever). Part Two Survey questions (confidential, n=302) explored climate change risk perceptions, Psychological Sense of Community (PSOC), sense of control over climate change impacts, sense of responsibility to act, policy beliefs and preferences regarding climate change actions, concern and optimism scales about specific impacts, and demographic information. Graphical representations of the professional network are being developed for release in September 2013 as a free online tool to promote and assist collaboration building among climate professionals in the region. The graphs are partitioned according to network 'hubs' (high centrality), participant location, and profession to clearly identify network strengths and opportunities for future collaborations across spatial and professional boundaries. For additional

CORSSA: Community Online Resource for Statistical Seismicity Analysis

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Zechar, J. D.; Hardebeck, J. L.; Michael, A. J.; Naylor, M.; Steacy, S.; Wiemer, S.; Zhuang, J.

2011-12-01

Statistical seismology is critical to the understanding of seismicity, the evaluation of proposed earthquake prediction and forecasting methods, and the assessment of seismic hazard. Unfortunately, despite its importance to seismology-especially to those aspects with great impact on public policy-statistical seismology is mostly ignored in the education of seismologists, and there is no central repository for the existing open-source software tools. To remedy these deficiencies, and with the broader goal to enhance the quality of statistical seismology research, we have begun building the Community Online Resource for Statistical Seismicity Analysis (CORSSA, www.corssa.org). We anticipate that the users of CORSSA will range from beginning graduate students to experienced researchers. More than 20 scientists from around the world met for a week in Zurich in May 2010 to kick-start the creation of CORSSA: the format and initial table of contents were defined; a governing structure was organized; and workshop participants began drafting articles. CORSSA materials are organized with respect to six themes, each will contain between four and eight articles. CORSSA now includes seven articles with an additional six in draft form along with forums for discussion, a glossary, and news about upcoming meetings, special issues, and recent papers. Each article is peer-reviewed and presents a balanced discussion, including illustrative examples and code snippets. Topics in the initial set of articles include: introductions to both CORSSA and statistical seismology, basic statistical tests and their role in seismology; understanding seismicity catalogs and their problems; basic techniques for modeling seismicity; and methods for testing earthquake predictability hypotheses. We have also begun curating a collection of statistical seismology software packages.

Statistical methods used in the public health literature and implications for training of public health professionals.

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Hayat, Matthew J; Powell, Amanda; Johnson, Tessa; Cadwell, Betsy L

2017-01-01

Statistical literacy and knowledge is needed to read and understand the public health literature. The purpose of this study was to quantify basic and advanced statistical methods used in public health research. We randomly sampled 216 published articles from seven top tier general public health journals. Studies were reviewed by two readers and a standardized data collection form completed for each article. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics and frequency distributions. Results were summarized for statistical methods used in the literature, including descriptive and inferential statistics, modeling, advanced statistical techniques, and statistical software used. Approximately 81.9% of articles reported an observational study design and 93.1% of articles were substantively focused. Descriptive statistics in table or graphical form were reported in more than 95% of the articles, and statistical inference reported in more than 76% of the studies reviewed. These results reveal the types of statistical methods currently used in the public health literature. Although this study did not obtain information on what should be taught, information on statistical methods being used is useful for curriculum development in graduate health sciences education, as well as making informed decisions about continuing education for public health professionals.

[Batas Nómadas in Madrid Salud: art and artists in professional community health teams].

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Castillejo, Mar; Fernández-Cedena, Jorge; Siles, Silvia; Claver, María Dolores; Ávila, Noemí

2018-06-14

This article describes the strategy of incorporating artists into the teams of community health in the city of Madrid, specifically in the Madrid Salud Centers. The artistic colletive, Batas Nómadas, formed by three artists expertized in visual arts, has developed performances and participatory aproach to explain the incorporation of art and artists in these teams of professionals of Madrid Salud. Batas Nómadas has carried out sessions in 14 work teams of the Madrid Salud Centers and has collected data in a creative way from the 179 professionals that have participated in these sessions. These actions have shown some needs in community health, and have noticed a meaningful reflection on the usefulness of the art to develop participative strategies into the Madrid Salud teams. Copyright © 2018. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U.

Effect of professional self-concept on burnout among community health nurses in Chengdu, China: the mediator role of organisational commitment.

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Cao, Xiaoyi; Chen, Lin; Tian, Lang; Diao, Yongshu; Hu, Xiuying

2015-10-01

To examine the associations among professional self-concept, organisational commitment and burnout, and to analyse the mediating role of organisational commitment on the relationship between professional self-concept and burnout among community health nurses in Chengdu, China. Previous studies have focused on work environmental variables that contributed to burnout in nurses. However, no study has explored the mediating effect of organisational commitment on the correlation between professional self-concept and burnout in community health nurses. A cross-sectional descriptive study. This study was conducted at 36 community health centres in Chengdu, China with 485 nurses sampled using a two-stage sampling method. The measures used in our study included Nurses' Self-concept Questionnaire, Organisational Commitment Scale and Maslach Burnout Inventory. The results of structural equation model techniques indicated that, in the direct approach, positive professional self-concept resulted in increased organisational commitment and reduced burnout. Higher organisational commitment resulted in less burnout. In the indirect approach, organisational commitment performed as a partial mediator on the correlation between professional self-concept and burnout. Positive perception of professional self-concept can result in reduced burnout via enhancing organisational commitment. It is crucial for nursing administrators to develop effective intervention strategies such as skills escalator training and assertive training, and establishing a supportive working environment to enhance nurses' professional self-concept and organisational commitment, and decrease burnout. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Relationships between Teacher Value Orientations, Collegiality, and Collaboration in School Professional Learning Communities

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Ning, Hoi Kwan; Lee, Daphnee; Lee, Wing On

2015-01-01

Unlike past research which has mainly examined whole school or whole department professional learning communities, this study focused on factors related to effective collaborative practices within teacher learning teams. Our main objective was to ascertain the roles of team value orientations (collectivism and power distance) and team collegiality…

The impact of professional development on classroom teaching for science educators participating in a long term community of practice

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Jensen, Aaron C.

Efforts to modify and improve science education in the United States have seen minimal success (Crawford, 2000; Borko & Putman, 1996; Puntambekar, Stylianou & Goldstein, 2007; Lustick, 2011). One important reason for this is the professional development that teachers go through in order to learn about and apply these new ideas is generally of poor quality and structured incorrectly for long-term changes in the classroom (Little, 1993; Fullen, 1996; Porter, 2000; Jeanpierre, Oberhauser, & Freeman, 2005). This grounded theory study explores a science community of practice and how the professional development achieved through participation in that community has effected the instruction of the teachers involved, specifically the incorporation of researched based effective science teaching instructional strategies. This study uses personal reflection papers written by the participants, interviews, and classroom observations to understand the influence that the science community of practice has had on the participants. Results indicate that participation in this science community of practice has significant impact on the teachers involved. Participants gained greater understanding of science content knowledge, incorporated effective science instructional strategies into their classroom, and were able to practice both content knowledge and strategies in a non-threatening environment thus gaining a greater understanding of how to apply them in the classrooms. These findings motivate continued research in the role that communities of practice may play in teacher professional develop and the effectiveness of quality professional development in attaining long-term, sustained improvement in science education.

Conceptualization and Support of the Role of Teachers Serving as Team Leaders in a Professional Learning Community

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Gordin, Lanelle

2010-01-01

This study presents the results of a phenomenological qualitative investigation into the new role of teachers serving as team leaders in a professional learning community, as well as the support team leaders need from members and principals to be effective. Collaborative teacher teams in 6 schools that have been developing as professional learning…

Enabling School Structures, Collegial Trust and Academic Emphasis: Antecedents of professional learning communities

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Gray, Julie; Kruse, Sharon; Tarter, C. John

2016-01-01

This study tested the role of enabling school structures, collegial trust and academic emphasis in the development of professional learning communities (PLCs) in a low-income school district. The empirical study was based upon the perceptions of teachers and principals as provided by survey responses (N = 67 schools). While enabling school…

A View of Professional Learning Communities through Three Frames: Leadership, Organization, and Culture

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Mullen, Carol A.; Schunk, Dale H.

2010-01-01

In this discussion of professional learning communities (PLCs) in North American public schools, we examine three theoretical frames--leadership, organization, and culture. Issues related to learning are infused throughout our presentation of the frames. Based on our analysis of the current literature on this topic, PLCs offer a promising tool for…

Exploring Differences in Online Professional Development Seminars with the Community of Inquiry Framework

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Fusco, Judi; Haavind, Sarah; Remold, Julie; Schank, Patricia

2011-01-01

Four sessions of two professional development seminars were offered to members of an organization. The seminars were voluntary, free of charge, and participants did not receive credit for their attendance. Participation rates and exit survey ratings for the four sessions varied. After the seminars, an analysis using the community of inquiry…

Teachers' Perceptions of Professional Learning Communities and Their Impact on School Culture

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Kociuruba, Jerry P., Jr.

2017-01-01

Professional learning communities (PLCs) are a group of educators working collaboratively to improve student achievement and expand the pedagogy of the individual as well as the group. Studies on PLCs, grounded by the social constructivism theory of Vygotsky, Bandura, and Wenger, have found that collaboration and collegiality foster a positive…

Professional learning communities (PLCs) for early childhood science education

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Eum, Jungwon

This study explored the content, processes, and dynamics of Professional Learning Community (PLC) sessions. This study also investigated changes in preschool teachers' attitudes and beliefs toward science teaching after they participated in two different forms of PLCs including workshop and face-to-face PLC as well as workshop and online PLC. Multiple sources of data were collected for this study including participant artifacts and facilitator field notes during the PLC sessions. The participants in this study were eight teachers from NAEYC-accredited child care centers serving 3- to 5-year-old children in an urban Midwest city. All teachers participated in a workshop entitled, "Ramps and Pathways." Following the workshop, the first group engaged in face-to-face PLC sessions and the other group engaged in online PLC sessions. Qualitative data were collected through audio recordings, online archives, and open-ended surveys. The teachers' dialogue during the face-to-face PLC sessions was audiotaped, transcribed, and analyzed for emerging themes. Online archives during the online PLC sessions were collected and analyzed for emerging themes. Four main themes and 13 subthemes emanated from the face-to-face sessions, and 3 main themes and 7 subthemes emanated from the online sessions. During the face-to-face sessions, the teachers worked collaboratively by sharing their practices, supporting each other, and planning a lesson together. They also engaged in inquiry and reflection about their science teaching and child learning in a positive climate. During the online sessions, the teachers shared their thoughts and documentation and revisited their science teaching and child learning. Five themes and 15 subthemes emanated from the open-ended survey responses of face-to-face group teachers, and 3 themes and 7 subthemes emanated from the open-ended survey responses of online group teachers. Quantitative data collected in this study showed changes in teachers' attitudes and

Are rural health professionals also social entrepreneurs?

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Farmer, Jane; Kilpatrick, Sue

2009-12-01

Social entrepreneurs formally or informally generate community associations and networking that produces social outcomes. Social entrepreneurship is a relatively new and poorly understood concept. Policy promotes generating community activity, particularly in rural areas, for health and social benefits and 'community resilience'. Rural health professionals might be well placed to generate community activity due to their status and networks. This exploratory study, conducted in rural Tasmania and the Highlands and Islands of Scotland considered whether rural health professionals act as social entrepreneurs. We investigated activities generated and processes of production. Thirty-eight interviews were conducted with general practitioners, community nurses, primary healthcare managers and allied health professionals living and working rurally. Interviewees were self-selecting responders to an invitation for rural health professionals who were 'formally or informally generating community associations or networking that produced social outcomes'. We found that rural health professionals initiated many community activities with social outcomes, most related to health. Their identification of opportunities related to knowledge of health needs and examples of initiatives seen elsewhere. Health professionals described ready access to useful people and financial resources. In building activities, health professionals could simultaneously utilise skills and knowledge from professional, community member and personal dimensions. Outcomes included social and health benefits, personal 'buzz' and community capacity. Health professionals' actions could be described as social entrepreneurship: identifying opportunities, utilising resources and making 'deals'. They also align with community development. Health professionals use contextual knowledge to envisage and grow activities, indicating that, as social entrepreneurs, they do not explicitly choose a social mission, rather they

Bridging Communities: Culturing a Professional Learning Community that Supports Novice Teachers and Transfers Authentic Science and Mathematics to the Classroom

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Herbert, B. E.; Miller, H. R.; Loving, C. L.; Pedersen, S.

2006-12-01

Professional Learning Community Model for Alternative Pathways (PLC-MAP) is a partnership of North Harris Montgomery Community Colleges, Texas A&M University, and 11 urban, suburban, and rural school districts in the Greater Houston area focused on developing a professional learning community that increases the retention and quality of middle and high school mathematics and science teachers who are being certified through the NHMCCD Alternative Certification Program. Improved quality in teaching refers to increased use of effective inquiry teaching strategies, including information technology where appropriate, that engage students to ask worthy scientific questions and to reason, judge, explain, defend, argue, reflect, revise, and/or disseminate findings. Novice teachers learning to adapt or designing authentic inquiry in their classrooms face two enormous problems. First, there are important issues surrounding the required knowledgebase, habit of mind, and pedagogical content knowledge of the teachers that impact the quality of their lesson plans and instructional sequences. Second, many ACP intern teachers teach under challenging conditions with limited resources, which impacts their ability to implement authentic inquiry in the classroom. Members of our professional learning community, including scientists, mathematicians and master teachers, supports novice teachers as they design lesson plans that engage their students in authentic inquiry. The purpose of this research was to determine factors that contribute to success or barriers that prevent ACP secondary science intern and induction year teachers from gaining knowledge and engaging in classroom inquiry as a result of an innovative professional development experience. A multi-case study design was used for this research. We adopted a two-tail design where cases from both extremes (good and poor gains) were deliberately chosen. Six science teachers were selected from a total of 40+ mathematics and science

Evaluation of a community transition to professional practice program for graduate registered nurses in Australia.

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Aggar, Christina; Gordon, Christopher J; Thomas, Tamsin H T; Wadsworth, Linda; Bloomfield, Jacqueline

2018-03-26

Australia has an increasing demand for a sustainable primary health care registered nursing workforce. Targeting graduate registered nurses who typically begin their nursing career in acute-care hospital settings is a potential workforce development strategy. We evaluated a graduate registered nurse Community Transition to Professional Practice Program which was designed specifically to develop and foster skills required for primary health care. The aims of this study were to evaluate graduates' intention to remain in the primary health care nursing workforce, and graduate competency, confidence and experiences of program support; these were compared with graduates undertaking the conventional acute-care transition program. Preceptor ratings of graduate competence were also measured. All of the 25 graduates (n = 12 community, n = 13 acute-care) who completed the questionnaire at 6 and 12 months intended to remain in nursing, and 55% (n = 6) of graduates in the Community Transition Program intended to remain in the primary health care nursing workforce. There were no differences in graduate experiences, including level of competence, or preceptors' perceptions of graduate competence, between acute-care and Community Transition Programs. The Community Transition to Professional Practice program represents a substantial step towards developing the primary health care health workforce by facilitating graduate nurse employment in this area. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of the Implementation of Professional Learning Communities and the Impact on Student Achievement

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Bostic, Cristi M.

2013-01-01

This dissertation evaluated the implementation of professional learning communities in a large suburban school district in North Carolina. The presence of shared and supportive leadership, shared values and vision, collective learning and application, shared personal practice, supportive conditions for relationships, and supportive conditions for…

A social network approach to understanding science communication among fire professionals

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Vita Wright

2012-01-01

Studies of science communication and use in the fire management community suggest manager's access research via informal information networks and that these networks vary by both agency and position. We used a phone survey followed by traditional statistical analyses to understand the informal social networks of fire professionals in two western regions of the...

Investigating the Development of Professional Learning Communities: Compare Schools in Shanghai and Southwest China

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Zhang, Jia; Pang, Nicholas Sun-Keung

2016-01-01

This quantitative study investigated and compared the development of professional learning communities in schools located in two Chinese cities, namely, Shanghai and Mianyang. The two cities have significant differences in terms of educational, economic, social, and cultural development. While Shanghai is a directly controlled municipality in East…

Organizing to Use Facebook Advertisements: A Planning Tool for Extension Professionals, Businesses, and Communities

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Barnes, James

2016-01-01

The purpose of this article is to explain how Extension professionals, businesses, and communities can use Facebook advertisements effectively. The article is a planning tool that introduces Facebook's Advertiser Help Center, explains some applicable key concepts, and suggests best practices to apply before launching a Facebook advertising…

Lessons learnt from comprehensive evaluation of community-based education in Uganda: a proposal for an ideal model community-based education for health professional training institutions

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Atuyambe Lynn

2011-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Community-based education (CBE can provide contextual learning that addresses manpower scarcity by enabling trainees acquire requisite experiences, competence, confidence and values. In Uganda, many health professional training institutions conduct some form of community-based education (CBE. However, there is scanty information on the nature of the training: whether a curriculum exists (objectives, intended outcomes, content, implementation strategy, administration and constraints faced. The objective was to make a comprehensive assessment of CBE as implemented by Ugandan health professional training institutions to document the nature of CBE conducted and propose an ideal model with minimum requirements for health professional training institutions in Uganda. Methods We employed several methods: documentary review of curricula of 22 institutions, so as to assess the nature, purpose, outcomes, and methods of instruction and assessment; site visits to these institutions and their CBE sites, to assess the learning environment (infrastructure and resources; in-depth interviews with key people involved in running CBE at the institutions and community, to evaluate CBE implementation, challenges experienced and perceived solutions. Results CBE was perceived differently ranging from a subject, a course, a program or a project. Despite having similar curricula, institutions differ in the administration, implementation and assessment of CBE. Objectives of CBE, the curricula content and implementation strategies differ in similar institutions. On collaborative and social learning, most trainees do not reside in the community, though they work on group projects and write group reports. Lectures and skills demonstrations were the main instruction methods. Assessment involved mainly continuous assessment, oral or written reports and summative examination. Conclusion This assessment identified deficiencies in the design and implementation

Communities of practice: A means to support occupational therapists’ continuing professional development. A literature review

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Barry, Margot; Kuijer-Siebelink, Wietske; Nieuwenhuis, Loek; Scherpbier-de Haan, Nynke

2018-01-01

Background: This literature review investigates what research reports about the contribution that communities of practice (CoPs) can make in the continuing professional development (CPD) of qualified occupational therapists. Methods: Academic databases (CINAHL, MEDLINE and ERIC) were searched

Relationship between physical fitness and game-related statistics in elite professional basketball players: Regular season vs. playoffs

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João Henrique Gomes

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract AIMS This study aimed to verify th erelation ship between of anthropometric and physical performance variables with game-related statistics in professional elite basketball players during a competition. METHODS Eleven male basketball players were evaluated during 10 weeks in two distinct moments (regular season and playoffs. Overall, 11 variables of physical fitness and 13 variables of game-related statistics were analysed. RESULTS The following significant Pearson’scorrelations were found in regular season: percentage of fat mass with assists (r = -0.62 and steals (r = -0.63; height (r = 0.68, lean mass (r = 0.64, and maximum strength (r = 0.67 with blocks; squat jump with steals (r = 0.63; and time in the T-test with success ful two-point field-goals (r = -0.65, success ful free-throws (r = -0.61, and steals (r = -0.62. However, in playoffs, only stature and lean mass maintained these correlations (p ≤ 0.05. CONCLUSIONS The anthropometric and physical characteristics of the players showed few correlations with the game-related statistics in regular season, and these correlations are even lower in the playoff games of a professional elite Champion ship, wherefore, not being good predictors of technical performance.

Finding the Root Causes of Statistical Inconsistency in Community Earth System Model Output

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Milroy, D.; Hammerling, D.; Baker, A. H.

2017-12-01

Baker et al (2015) developed the Community Earth System Model Ensemble Consistency Test (CESM-ECT) to provide a metric for software quality assurance by determining statistical consistency between an ensemble of CESM outputs and new test runs. The test has proved useful for detecting statistical difference caused by compiler bugs and errors in physical modules. However, detection is only the necessary first step in finding the causes of statistical difference. The CESM is a vastly complex model comprised of millions of lines of code which is developed and maintained by a large community of software engineers and scientists. Any root cause analysis is correspondingly challenging. We propose a new capability for CESM-ECT: identifying the sections of code that cause statistical distinguishability. The first step is to discover CESM variables that cause CESM-ECT to classify new runs as statistically distinct, which we achieve via Randomized Logistic Regression. Next we use a tool developed to identify CESM components that define or compute the variables found in the first step. Finally, we employ the application Kernel GENerator (KGEN) created in Kim et al (2016) to detect fine-grained floating point differences. We demonstrate an example of the procedure and advance a plan to automate this process in our future work.

The Relationship between School Leadership and Professional Learning Communities in Thai Basic Education Schools

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Somprach, Kanokorn; Tang, Keow Ngang; Popoonsak, Pongtorn

2017-01-01

This study aimed to explore the role of essential leadership styles of school principals in encouraging teachers' participation in professional learning communities (PLCs) in basic education schools in northeastern Thailand. It aimed to identify the nine leadership styles practiced by school principals and teachers' participation in PLCs, and to…

Relationship between Professional Learning Community, Bureaucratic Structure and Organisational Trust in Primary Education Schools

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Kalkan, Fatma

2016-01-01

This research uses relational survey method to determine the relationship between professional learning community, bureaucratic structure and organisational trust according to the perceptions of teachers who work in primary education schools. Data were collected from 805 teachers who work in primary education schools in the districts (Altindag,…

Researching the Professional-Development Needs of Community-Engaged Scholars in a New Zealand University

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Kerry Shephard

2017-07-01

Full Text Available We explored the processes adopted by university teachers who engage with communities with a focus on asking how and why they became community-engaged, and an interest in what promotes and limits their engagement and how limitations may be addressed. As part of year-long research project we interviewed 25 community-engaged colleagues and used a general inductive approach to identify recurring themes within interview transcripts. We found three coexisting and re-occurring themes within our interviews. Community-engaged scholars in our institution tended to emphasise the importance of building enduring relationships between our institution and the wider community; have personal ambitions to change aspects of our institution, our communities, or the interactions between them and identified community engagement as a fruitful process to achieve these changes; and identified the powerful nature of the learning that comes from community engagement in comparison with other more traditional means of teaching. Underlying these themes was a sense that community engagement requires those involved to take risks. Our three themes and this underlying sense of risk-taking suggest potential support processes for the professional development of community-engaged colleagues institutionally.

A social network approach to understanding science communication among fire professionals (Abstract)

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Vita Wright; Andrea Thode; Anne Mottek-Lucas; Jacklynn Fallon; Megan Matonis

2012-01-01

Studies of science communication and use in the fire management community suggest manager's access research via informal information networks and that these networks vary by both agency and position. We used a phone survey followed by traditional statistical analyses to understand the informal social networks of fire professionals in two western regions of the...

Building Sustainable Futures: Emerging Understandings of the Significant Contribution of the Professional Learning Community

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Andrews, Dorothy; Lewis, Marian

2004-01-01

This article draws on the experiences of a range of Australian schools engaging with a teacher-centred process of whole-school renewal known as IDEAS (Innovative Designs for Enhancing Achievement in Schools). IDEAS enhances the professional capacity of teachers to improve school outcomes such as student learning, relationships with the community,…

Professional Development in Remote Sensing for Community College Instructors

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Allen, J. E.; Cruz, C.

2014-11-01

The ingredients for the highly successful, ongoing educator professional development program, "Integrated Geospatial Education and Technology Training-Remote Sensing (iGETT-RS)" came into place in 2006 when representatives of public and private organizations convened a two-day workshop at the National Science Foundation (NSF) to explore issues around integrating remote sensing with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) instruction at two-year (community and Tribal) colleges. The results of that 2006 workshop informed the shape of a grant proposal, and two phases of iGETT-RS were funded by NSF's Advanced Technological Education Program (NSF DUE #0703185, 2007-2011, and NSF DUE #1205069, 2012-2015). 76 GIS instructors from all over the country have been served. Each of them has spent 18 months on the project, participating in monthly webinars and two Summer Institutes, and creating their own integrated geospatial exercises for the classroom. The project will be completed in June 2015. As the external evaluator for iGETT expressed it, the impact on participating instructors "can only be described as transformative." This paper describes how iGETT came about, how it was designed and implemented, how it affected participants and their programs, and what has been learned by the project staff about delivering professional development in geospatial technologies for workforce preparedness.

Professional Learning Communities Assessment: Adaptation, Internal Validity, and Multidimensional Model Testing in Turkish Context

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Dogan, Selçuk; Tatik, R. Samil; Yurtseven, Nihal

2017-01-01

The main purpose of this study is to adapt and validate the Professional Learning Communities Assessment Revised (PLCA-R) by Olivier, Hipp, and Huffman within the context of Turkish schools. The instrument was translated and adapted to administer to teachers in Turkey. Internal structure of the Turkish version of PLCA-R was investigated by using…

Revisiting Professional Learning Communities to Increase College Readiness: The Importance of Pedagogical Content Knowledge

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Bausmith, Jennifer Merriman; Barry, Carol

2011-01-01

For over a decade, professional learning communities (PLCs) have been touted as an effective way to build upon the knowledge and skills of experienced teachers, yet much of the evidence base is derived from self-reports by practitioners. Although several generations of school reform (the standards movement, No Child Left Behind, and now the Common…

School Teacher Professional Development in Online Communities of Practice:A Systematic Literature Review

OpenAIRE

Khalid, Md. Saifuddin; Strange, Majbrit Højland

2016-01-01

This study informs researchers of educational technology, teachers, teacher associations and moderators or admins of online platforms who are interested in knowledge sharing among teachers within online communities of practice (CoPs). The continuous professional development of teachers is primarily about improving their teaching practice. It includes both formal and informal learning activities to transform attitudes, behaviour, skills and knowledge. Formal knowledge sharing methods like trai...

[Statistics for statistics?--Thoughts about psychological tools].

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Berger, Uwe; Stöbel-Richter, Yve

2007-12-01

Statistical methods take a prominent place among psychologists' educational programs. Being known as difficult to understand and heavy to learn, students fear of these contents. Those, who do not aspire after a research carrier at the university, will forget the drilled contents fast. Furthermore, because it does not apply for the work with patients and other target groups at a first glance, the methodological education as a whole was often questioned. For many psychological practitioners the statistical education makes only sense by enforcing respect against other professions, namely physicians. For the own business, statistics is rarely taken seriously as a professional tool. The reason seems to be clear: Statistics treats numbers, while psychotherapy treats subjects. So, does statistics ends in itself? With this article, we try to answer the question, if and how statistical methods were represented within the psychotherapeutical and psychological research. Therefore, we analyzed 46 Originals of a complete volume of the journal Psychotherapy, Psychosomatics, Psychological Medicine (PPmP). Within the volume, 28 different analyse methods were applied, from which 89 per cent were directly based upon statistics. To be able to write and critically read Originals as a backbone of research, presumes a high degree of statistical education. To ignore statistics means to ignore research and at least to reveal the own professional work to arbitrariness.

Becoming Music Teacher Educators: Learning from and with Each Other in a Professional Development Community

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Pellegrino, Kristen; Sweet, Bridget; Derges Kastner, Julie; Russell, Heather A.; Reese, Jill

2014-01-01

During this heuristic phenomenological inquiry, we examined our lived experiences as five women (three doctoral students, two early career faculty) in the process of becoming music teacher educators participating in a year-long, online, group-facilitated professional development community (PDC). Data included recorded meetings via Skype, journal…

[Nephrology as seen by nephrologists. An introspective investigation into the history and future of the professional community].

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Susi, Alessandra

2010-01-01

The professional community of nephrologists is going through a phase of ''rethinking'' the discipline that sees the role of nephrologists in an uncertain position between inpatient and outpatient care. A comparison of opinions within the community is necessary to understand what could be the future position of nephrology in the Italian healthcare system. In June 2009 a questionnaire was distributed among the members of the Italian Nephrology Society (SIN) to collect (i) their professional biographies and (ii) their opinion on the state of the art of nephrology, (iii) the working context in which they operate, (iv) the likely sources of change, and (v) the prospects for the development of the field. In October 2009 the respondents were 506, a sufficiently representative sample of the national population of nephrologists. One of the main findings was a lack of consensus about the clinical practice for the treatment of CKD. In particular, there was no general agreement about the stage of CKD at which the patient should enter the exclusive care of the nephrologist. Opinions were less divergent on (i) departmentalization phenomena, (ii) the outsourcing of dialysis services, and (iii) the future prospects of the specialty. In order to pursue common goals for the development of the discipline, the internal relations of the professional community should be strengthened both in terms of sharing clinical experience and defining the roles of clinicians within the community. The involvement of young nephrologists in the definition of strategies for the positioning of nephrology in the Italian healthcare system might also be considered a priority.

Perceptions and attitudes of community pharmacists toward professional ethics and ethical dilemmas in the workplace.

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Vuković Rodríguez, Jadranka; Juričić, Živka

2018-05-01

Formal training in pharmacy ethics is relatively new in Croatia, and the professional code of ethics is more than 20 years old. Very little is known about how practicing pharmacists implement ethical considerations and relevant professional guidelines in their work. This study aimed to provide the first description of the perceptions and attitudes of Croatian community pharmacists toward ethics in pharmacy practice, how often they face certain ethical dilemmas and how they resolve them. A cross-sectional survey of 252 community pharmacists, including community pharmacists and pre-licensing trainees, was conducted in Zagreb, Croatia. This group accounts for 18% of licensed pharmacists in Croatia. The survey questions included four sections: general sociodemographic information, multiple-choice questions, pre-defined ethical scenarios, and ethical scenarios filled in by respondents. More than half of pharmacists (62.7%) face ethical dilemmas in everyday work. Nearly all (94.4%) are familiar with the current professional code of ethics in Croatia, but only 47.6% think that the code reflects the changes that the pharmacy profession faces today. Most pharmacists (83.3%) solve ethical dilemmas on their own, while nearly the same proportion (75.4%) think that they are not adequately trained to deal with ethical dilemmas. The pre-defined ethical scenarios experienced by the largest proportion of pharmacists are being asked to dispense a drug to someone other than the patient (93.3%), an unnecessary over-the-counter medicine (84.3%), a generic medicine clinically equivalent to the prescribed one (79.4%), or hormonal contraception over the counter (70.4%). The results demonstrate a need to improve formal pharmacy ethics education and training in how to assess ethical issues and make appropriate decisions, which implies the need for stronger collaboration between pharmacists and their professional association. Our results also highlight an urgent need to revise and update the

Increasing tsunami preparedness through educator professional development in coastal Cascadia communities

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Pratt-Sitaula, B. A.; Butler, R. F.; Hunter, N.; Lillie, R. J.; Magura, B.; Groom, R.; Johnson, J. A.; Coe, M.

2016-12-01

Increasing society's ability to mitigate risks is one of the major goals of geohazard research. Therefore part of tsunami science research must be finding effective ways to communicate scientific findings to the public to be used in community preparedness plans. The "Cascadia EarthScope Earthquake and Tsunami Education Program" (CEETEP; ceetep.oregonstate.edu) has worked to bridge the gap between scientific researchers and the public by providing professional development workshops for educators from coastal communities in Oregon, Washington, and northern California. CEETEP translates cutting edge EarthScope and other geoscience research into educational resources appropriate for K-12 teachers, park and museum interpreters, and emergency management outreach educators and their learners. Local educators have the potential to reach a wide segment of coastal residents. The tsunami generated by the next Great Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake will arrive only 10-30 minutes after shaking, making mitigation and community-wide education an imperative. An essential component of CEETEP is collaboration with experts in science, pedagogy, and emergency preparedness. CEETEP provided two 4-day workshops and a follow-up Share-a-thon each year for three years (2013-2015). 151 educators participated in the program. Results from CEETEP are very encouraging. Participant content knowledge improved from 49% to 82% over the course of the workshop. Similarly, confidence in teaching about workshop topics increased from an average of 3.0 to 5.3 on a 6-point scale. Participant optimism about the efficacy and tractability of community-level planning also increased from 6.1 to 7.8 on a 9-point scale. Nearly 90% of participants continued to be active with the program through their March Share-a-thon and presented on a wide range of activities that they and their learners undertook related to earthquake and tsunami science and preparedness. Participants were also quite favorable about the

Exploration of over the counter sales of antibiotics in community pharmacies of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: pharmacy professionals' perspective.

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Gebretekle, Gebremedhin Beedemariam; Serbessa, Mirgissa Kaba

2016-01-01

Over the counter sale of antibiotics is a global problem and it is increasingly recognized as a source of antibiotic misuse and is believed to increase treatment costs, adverse effects of treatment and emergence of resistance. The increasing trend of over the counter sale of antibiotics in Ethiopia calls for exploration of why such dispensing is practiced. This study aims to explore reasons for over the counter sale of antibiotics in the community pharmacies of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A phenomenological qualitative study was conducted in five randomly selected community pharmacies of Addis Ababa. One pharmacy professional from each pharmacy were interviewed at the spot using semi-structured, open-ended interview checklist. Besides, observation of professionals' dispensing practice was made for at least one hour in the same community pharmacies using an observation checklist. Findings were categorized into specific themes that were developed following the objectives. This was facilitated by use of OpenCode 3.6 software. All participants pointed out that antibiotics were frequently dispensed without prescription and contend that the trend of such dispensing has been increasing. The findings indicated that the nonprescription sales of antibiotics were common for Amoxicillin, Ciprofloxacin and Cotrimoxazole. The poor, less educated and younger groups of the population were reported to frequently request antibiotics without prescription. The main reasons for nonprescription sale of antibiotics by pharmacy professionals were found to be related to pharmacy owner's influence to maximize revenue, customer's pressure, weak regulatory mechanism and professional conflicts of interest. The study shows that nonprescription sale of antibiotics was common practice at least in Addis Ababa. The main reasons for this malpractice were the need to maximize revenue and weak regulatory mechanism. Hence, strong regulatory enforcement and community awareness campaign is called for to limit

Professional/Peer-Learning Community: Impacts on Workplace Training at Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) Schools

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Phusavat, Kongkiti Peter; Delahunty, David; Kess, Pekka; Kropsu-Vehkapera, Hanna

2017-01-01

Purpose: The study aims to examine the issues relating to workplace learning at the upper secondary school level. This study is based on the two questions. How should the professional/peer-learning community or PLC be developed and deployed to help strengthen in-service teacher training? The second question is what are the success factors which…

Secondary students in professional laboratories: Discoveries about science learning in a community of practitioners

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Song, Mary Elizabeth

This study explores what educators may learn from the experiences of secondary students working in professional scientific laboratories. My investigation is guided by the methodology of phenomenological; I depend primarily on interviews conducted with students and professional researchers. This material is supported primarily by on-site observations, and by informal conversations between me and the study participants. My dissertation has three goals: (one) to use the work of secondary students in scientific research laboratories to consider how they know the discipline; (two) to distinguish the students' professional accomplishments from science learning at school; and, (three) to engage readers in a reflection about authority within the scientific community, and the possibility that by accomplishing research, students take their legitimate place among those who construct scientific knowledge. My methods and focus have allowed me to capture qualities of the student narratives that support the emergence of three major themes: the importance of doing "real work" in learning situations; the inapplicability of "school learning" to professional research arenas; and the inclusive nature of the scientific community. At the same time, the study is confined by the narrow pool of participants I interviewed over a short period of time. These talented students were all academically successful, articulate, "well-rounded" and in this sense, mature. They typically had strong family support, and they talked about ideas with their parents. Indeed, the students were all capable story-tellers who were anxious to share their experiences publicly. Yet they themselves remind the reader of their struggles to overcome naivete in the lab. By doing so they suggested to me that their experiences might be accessible to a broad range of young men and women; thus this study is a good beginning for further research.

Data to inform a social media component for professional development and practices: A design-based research study.

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Novakovich, Jeanette; Shaw, Steven; Miah, Sophia

2017-02-01

This DIB article includes the course artefacts, instruments, survey data, and descriptive statistics, along with in-depth correlational analysis for the first iteration of a design-based research study on designing curriculum for developing online professional identity and social media practices for a multi-major advanced professional writing course. Raw data was entered into SPSS software. For interpretation and discussion, please see the original article entitled, "Designing curriculum to shape professional social media skills and identity in virtual communities of practice" (J. Novakovich, S. Miah, S. Shaw, 2017) [1].

BTS statistical standards manual

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2005-10-01

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), like other federal statistical agencies, establishes professional standards to guide the methods and procedures for the collection, processing, storage, and presentation of statistical data. Standards an...

Structural analysis of factors that influence professional learning communities in Korean elementary schools

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Kyoung-Oh Song

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Professional Learning Communities(PLCs arean important strategy for innovation in schools, and they arereceiving considerable attention from scholars and educators alike. The present study aimed to examine the effect of PLCson schools’ effectiveness and to investigate the social, organizational, and structural factors that can promote these learning communities. The survey for this study was completed by 375 teachers from 40 elementary schools in the Seoul Metropolitan Area of South Korea, and their responses were analyzed to test the hypothesized model. The results of the structural equationmodeling indicated that PLCswere strongly and directly related to elementary schools’ effectivenessand that principals’ leadership and supportive relationshipsamong teachers were the important factors that influenced PLCs. Based on the results of this study, several implications are discussed.

Queer(y)ing Culture through Professional Learning Communities: A Reimagining of Culturally Relevant and Responsive Pedagogy

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Guerrero, Cristina; Shahnazarian, Armen; Brown, Michelle F.

2017-01-01

In this article we document our experiences as facilitators for the "Engaging All Students" professional learning community (PLC), which was implemented to help Toronto public school teachers re-engage underachieving students. These students, who are known as "marker students," are members of the school system's most…

The right place? Users and professionals' constructions of the place's influence on personal recovery in community mental health services.

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Femdal, Ingrid

2018-01-01

Current mental health policy emphasizes the importance of community-based service delivery for people with mental health problems to encompass personal recovery. The aim of this study is to explore how users and professionals construct the place's influence on personal recovery in community mental health services. This is a qualitative, interpretive study based on ten individual, semi-structured interviews with users and professionals, respectively. A discourse analysis inspired by the work of Foucault was used to analyze the interviews. The findings show how place can be constructed as a potential for and as a barrier against recovery. Constructions of the aim of the services matter when choosing a place for the services. Further, constructions of user-professional relationships and flexibility are important in the constructions of an appropriate place for the services. The aim of the service, the user-professional relationship, and flexibility in choosing place were essential in the participants' constructions. To find "the right place" for mental health services was constructed as context-sensitive and complex processes of assessment and co-determination. Trial registration The study is approved by the Regional Committee for Medical Research Ethics, Norway (REK-Midt 2011/2057).

Building the Community Online Resource for Statistical Seismicity Analysis (CORSSA)

Science.gov (United States)

Michael, A. J.; Wiemer, S.; Zechar, J. D.; Hardebeck, J. L.; Naylor, M.; Zhuang, J.; Steacy, S.; Corssa Executive Committee

2010-12-01

Statistical seismology is critical to the understanding of seismicity, the testing of proposed earthquake prediction and forecasting methods, and the assessment of seismic hazard. Unfortunately, despite its importance to seismology - especially to those aspects with great impact on public policy - statistical seismology is mostly ignored in the education of seismologists, and there is no central repository for the existing open-source software tools. To remedy these deficiencies, and with the broader goal to enhance the quality of statistical seismology research, we have begun building the Community Online Resource for Statistical Seismicity Analysis (CORSSA). CORSSA is a web-based educational platform that is authoritative, up-to-date, prominent, and user-friendly. We anticipate that the users of CORSSA will range from beginning graduate students to experienced researchers. More than 20 scientists from around the world met for a week in Zurich in May 2010 to kick-start the creation of CORSSA: the format and initial table of contents were defined; a governing structure was organized; and workshop participants began drafting articles. CORSSA materials are organized with respect to six themes, each containing between four and eight articles. The CORSSA web page, www.corssa.org, officially unveiled on September 6, 2010, debuts with an initial set of approximately 10 to 15 articles available online for viewing and commenting with additional articles to be added over the coming months. Each article will be peer-reviewed and will present a balanced discussion, including illustrative examples and code snippets. Topics in the initial set of articles will include: introductions to both CORSSA and statistical seismology, basic statistical tests and their role in seismology; understanding seismicity catalogs and their problems; basic techniques for modeling seismicity; and methods for testing earthquake predictability hypotheses. A special article will compare and review

Change Management in Dental Education: A Professional Learning Community.

Science.gov (United States)

Palatta, Anthony M

2018-06-01

Professional learning communities (PLCs) are defined as "a group of people sharing and critically interrogating their practice in an ongoing, reflective, collaborative, inclusive, learning-oriented, growth-promoting way." PLCs have been found to be an effective change management strategy in business and education when confronted by rapid change. The American Dental Education Association's Commission on Change and Innovation in Dental Education new national program-ADEA CCI 2.0-includes the development of a PLC. By employing an "engage and learn" model PLC centered on continuous quality improvement and systems thinking, dental faculty can identify internal and external barriers to change that could lead to innovative solutions to complex issues. This article argues that a PLC is a viable change management strategy to counteract the effect of multiple external forces impacting dental education and thus to develop future-ready faculty.

Undergraduate and Teaching Assistants' Perceptions of Classroom Community in Freshman Biological Sciences Laboratories and Implications for Persistence and Professional Development

Science.gov (United States)

Kardohely, Andrew

The American economy hinges on the health and production of science, technology engineering and mathematics workforce (STEM). Although this sector of the American workforce represents a substantially fewer jobs the STEM workforce fuels job growth and sustainability in the other sectors of the American workforce. Unfortunately, over the next decade the U.S. will face an additional deficit of over a million STEM professionals, thus the need is here now to fill this deficit. STEM education should, therefore, dedicated to producing graduates. One strategy to produce more STEM graduates is through retention of student in STEM majors. Retention or persistence is highly related to student sense of belonging in academic environments. This study investigates graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) perceptions of their classrooms and the implications of those perceptions on professional development. Furthermore, correlations between classroom community and student desire to persist, as measured by Rovai's Classroom Community Index (CCI) were established (P=0.0311). The interactions are described and results are discussed. Using a framework of teaching for community, and a qualitative analytic case study with memo writing about codes and themes methodology supported several themes including passion to teach and dedication to student learning, innovation in teaching practices based on evidence, an intrinsic desire to seek a diverse set of feedback, and instructors can foster community in the classroom. Using the same methodology one emergent theme, a tacit rather than explicit understanding of reading the classroom, was also present in the current study. Based on the results and using a lens for professional development, strategies and suggestions are made regarding strategies to enhance instructors' use of feedback and professional development.

EFL teacher professional change in India

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Toraskar Helen B.

2016-09-01

Full Text Available This article examines teacher professional change and compares two 10th standard English as a Foreign Language teachers employed in a Marathi-medium secondary school in Pune (India at different stages in their careers. Wenger’s (1998 three interconnected Community of Practice dimensions (i.e. mutual engagement, joint enterprise and shared repertoire highlight pertinent facets of the teachers’ professional lives as viewed from the sociocultural perspective (Vygotsky, 1978. Case study methodology was utilized within a qualitative, ethnographic research paradigm. The aim is to uncover how the two EFL teachers engage in their professional community of practice and their career trajectories. Firstly, the data analysis indicates that periphery member status is established through active engagement in the professional community which creates trajectories along which novices may travel. Secondly, the accessing and sharing of information, ideas and experiences is beneficial for all members as it strengthens professional relationships and reconfirms already existing members’ central position. Lastly, active engagement in a professional community of practice offers a means of potential growth for novice teachers and central members. Access to communal resources such as new knowledge, stories and artifacts is acquired and aids in establishing novices’ competency.

Talk in Blended-Space Speech Communities: An Exploration of Discursive Practices of a Professional Development Group

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Garvin, Tabitha Ann

2011-01-01

This study is an exploration of alternative teacher professional development. While using symbolic interactionism for a research lens, it characterizes the discursive practices commonly found in formal, informal, and blended-space speech communities based on the talk within a leadership-development program comprised of five female, church-based…

Enhancing Self-Efficacy in Elementary Science Teaching With Professional Learning Communities

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Mintzes, Joel J.; Marcum, Bev; Messerschmidt-Yates, Christl; Mark, Andrew

2013-11-01

Emerging from Bandura's Social Learning Theory, this study of in-service elementary school teachers examined the effects of sustained Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) on self-efficacy in science teaching. Based on mixed research methods, and a non-equivalent control group experimental design, the investigation explored changes in personal self-efficacy and outcome expectancy among teachers engaged in PLCs that featured Demonstration Laboratories, Lesson Study, and annual Summer Institutes. Significant changes favoring the experimental group were found on all quantitative measures of self-efficacy. Structured clinical interviews revealed that observed changes were largely attributable to a wide range of direct (mastery) and vicarious experiences, as well as emotional reinforcement and social persuasion.

Understanding Information Sharing Among Scientists Through a Professional Online Community: Analyses on Interaction Patterns and Contents

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shin, Eun-Ja

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Even through many professional organizations increasingly use Q&A sites in their online communities for information sharing, there are few studies which examine what is really going on in the Q&A activities in professional online communities (POC. This study aims to examine the interaction patterns and contents posted in the Q&A site of a POC, KOSEN, a science and technology online community in South Korea, focusing on how actively scientific information and knowledge are shared. The interaction patterns among the participants were identified through social network analysis (SNA and the contents in the Q&As were examined by content analysis. The results show that the overall network indicated a moderate level of participation and connection and answerers especially tended to be active. Also, there are different interaction patterns depending on academic fields. Relatively few participants were posting leaders who seemed to steer the overall interactions. Furthermore, some content related to manipulation and explanation for experiments, which are in urgent need, seem to be posted in the sites more frequently with more amounts. Combining both SNA and content analysis, this study demonstrated how actively information and knowledge is shared and what types of contents are exchanged. The findings have practical implications for POC managers and practitioners.

Managing boundaries between professional and lay nursing following the influenza pandemic, 1918-1919: insights for professional resilience today?

Science.gov (United States)

Wood, Pamela J

2017-03-01

To examine lay-professional nursing boundaries, using challenges to the New Zealand nursing profession following the 1918-1919 influenza pandemic as the example. The influenza pandemic of 1918-1919 had an overwhelming international impact on communities and the nursing profession. After the pandemic, the expectation for communities to be able to nurse the sick reflects today's increasing reliance on families to care for people at home. It similarly raised questions about the profession's role and professional boundaries in relation to volunteer or lay nursing. In New Zealand, the postpandemic challenge to build community lay nursing capacity tested these boundaries. Historical research. Analysis of historical primary sources of official reports, newspaper accounts, articles in New Zealand's professional nursing journal Kai Tiaki and the memoir of Hester Maclean, the country's chief nurse. Interpretation of findings in relation to secondary sources examining similar historical tensions between professional and lay nursing, and to the more recent notion of professional resilience. Maclean guarded nursing's professional boundaries by maintaining considerable control over community instruction in nursing and by strenuously resisting the suggestion that this should be done in hospitals where professional nurses trained. This historical example shows how the nursing profession faced the perceived threat to its professional boundaries. It also shows how competing goals of building community lay nursing capacity and protecting professional boundaries can be effectively managed. In the context of a global nursing shortage, limited healthcare budgets and a consequently increasing reliance on households to provide care for family members, this historical research shows nurses today that similar issues have been faced and effectively managed in the past. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The Art and Science of Leadership in Learning Environments: Facilitating a Professional Learning Community across Districts

Science.gov (United States)

Hands, Catherine; Guzar, Katlyn; Rodrigue, Anne

2015-01-01

A professional learning community (PLC) is one of the most promising strategies for effecting change in educational practices to improve academic achievement and wellbeing for all students. The PLC facilitator's role in developing and leading blended (online and face-to-face) PLCs with members from Ontario's school districts was examined through a…

The Role of a Professional Learning Community in Teacher Change: A Perspective from Beliefs and Practices

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Tam, Angela Choi Fung

2015-01-01

This longitudinal study aimed to examine the role of a professional learning community (PLC) in changing teachers' beliefs and practices. Teachers of a Chinese department in a Hong Kong secondary school were interviewed and observed. The findings indicate that the features of a PLC-facilitating teacher change are development of a coherent…

Tobacco and alcohol sales in community pharmacies: policy statements from U.S. professional pharmacy associations.

Science.gov (United States)

Corelli, Robin L; Chai, Tiffany; Karic, Alda; Fairman, Melinda; Baez, Karina; Hudmon, Karen Suchanek

2014-01-01

To characterize the extent to which state and national professional pharmacy associations have implemented formal policies addressing the sale of tobacco and alcohol products in community pharmacies. To determine existence of tobacco and alcohol policies, national professional pharmacy associations (n = 10) and state-level pharmacy associations (n = 86) affiliated with the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) and/or the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) were contacted via telephone and/or e-mail, and a search of the association websites was conducted. Of 95 responding associations (99%), 14% have a formal policy opposing the sale of tobacco products in pharmacies and 5% have a formal policy opposing the sale of alcohol in pharmacies. Of the associations representing major tobacco-producing states, 40% have a formal policy against tobacco sales in pharmacies, significantly more than the 8% of non-tobacco state associations with such policies. Among national professional pharmacy associations, only APhA and ASHP have formal policy statements opposing the sale of both tobacco and alcohol in pharmacies. Most state-level professional pharmacy associations affiliated with these two national organizations have no formal policy statement or position.

Statistics for Finance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lindström, Erik; Madsen, Henrik; Nielsen, Jan Nygaard

Statistics for Finance develops students’ professional skills in statistics with applications in finance. Developed from the authors’ courses at the Technical University of Denmark and Lund University, the text bridges the gap between classical, rigorous treatments of financial mathematics...

Faith communities and their assets for health promotion: the views from health professionals and faith leaders in Dundee, in Scotland.

Science.gov (United States)

Fagan, Donna M; Kiger, Alice; van Teijlingen, Edwin

2012-06-01

Within the European Union, as well as in Canada and the United States (US), health promoters employ a number of strategies to encourage community-based health improvements. This involves the creation of innovative health promotion partnerships to support and enable people to choose and engage in healthy living practices. Compared to the US, in other Western countries, such as the United Kingdom, faith communities have largely been ignored in health promotion partnerships. This study established existing evidence about health promotion in faith communities in Scotland by examining the perceptions and attitudes concerning health promotion among faith leaders and health promotion professionals. We conducted 33 semi-structured interviews with health promotion professionals (n = 9) and representatives of Christian and non-Christian faith communities (n = 24). The majority of participants expressed an interest in the concept of health promotion in a faith community and could readily envision its application in their area of work. Both groups identified multiple physical assets, as well as social supports within faith communities that could be directed towards healthy living activities. Faith groups and church organisations may constitute potential partners and new settings to increase community capacity for health promotion. Further research and funding for demonstration projects may be particularly helpful to provide evidence of the strengths and limitations of faith-based health promotion in Scotland, which in turn could inform health promotion practice and policy.

The Relationship between Elementary Teachers' Perceived Self-Efficacy and Principals' Facilitation of Professional Learning Communities

Science.gov (United States)

Mathews, Tracy A.

2017-01-01

This quantitative correlation survey study investigated the relationship between teachers' perceptions of the effectiveness of school principals as instructional leaders in professional learning communities (PLCs) and self-efficacy beliefs of teachers. Social Cognitive Theory, self-efficacy concept, and Adult Learning Theory were at the core of…

Building Community: A 2005 Conference for Education and Public Outreach Professionals

Science.gov (United States)

Slater, T. F.; Bennett, M.; Garmany, K.

2004-12-01

In support of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific's (ASP) mission to increase the understanding and appreciation of astronomy, the ASP will host an international meeting in September 14-16, 2005 in Tucson focused on building and supporting a vibrant and connected community of individuals and groups engaged in educational and public outreach (EPO) in the disciplines of astronomy, astrobiology, space, and earth science. This conference is specially designed for individuals who are bringing the excitement of astronomy to non-astronomers. This community of science communicators includes: NASA and NSF-funded EPO program managers, developers, evaluators, PIOs, and others who support outreach efforts by government agencies and commercial industries; Scientists working with or assigned to EPO programs or efforts; Individuals working in formal science education: K-14 schools/colleges and minority-serving institutions as faculty or curriculum developers; Informal educators working in widely diverse settings including science centers, planetariums, museums, parks, and youth programs; Amateur astronomers involved in or interested in engaging children and adults in the excitement of astronomy; Public outreach specialists working in observatories, visitor centers, public information offices, and in multimedia broadcasting and journalism. The conference goals are to improve the quality and increase the effective dissemination of EPO materials, products, and programs through a multi-tiered professional development conference utilizing: Visionary plenary talks; Highly interactive panel discussions; Small group workshops and clinics focused on a wide range of EPO topics including evaluation and dissemination, with separate sessions for varying experience levels; Poster and project exhibition segments; Opportunities to increase program leveraging through structured and unstructured networking sessions; and Individual program action planning sessions. There will both separate and

Identifying professionals' needs in integrating electronic pain monitoring in community palliative care services: An interview study.

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Taylor, Sally; Allsop, Matthew J; Bekker, Hilary L; Bennett, Michael I; Bewick, Bridgette M

2017-07-01

Poor pain assessment is a barrier to effective pain control. There is growing interest internationally in the development and implementation of remote monitoring technologies to enhance assessment in cancer and chronic disease contexts. Findings describe the development and testing of pain monitoring systems, but research identifying the needs of health professionals to implement routine monitoring systems within clinical practice is limited. To inform the development and implementation strategy of an electronic pain monitoring system, PainCheck, by understanding palliative care professionals' needs when integrating PainCheck into routine clinical practice. Qualitative study using face-to-face interviews. Data were analysed using framework analysis Setting/participants: Purposive sample of health professionals managing the palliative care of patients living in the community Results: A total of 15 interviews with health professionals took place. Three meta-themes emerged from the data: (1) uncertainties about integration of PainCheck and changes to current practice, (2) appraisal of current practice and (3) pain management is everybody's responsibility Conclusion: Even the most sceptical of health professionals could see the potential benefits of implementing an electronic patient-reported pain monitoring system. Health professionals have reservations about how PainCheck would work in practice. For optimal use, PainCheck needs embedding within existing electronic health records. Electronic pain monitoring systems have the potential to enable professionals to support patients' pain management more effectively but only when barriers to implementation are appropriately identified and addressed.

Drawing on healthcare professionals' ethnicity: lessons learned from a Danish community pharmacy intervention for ethnic minorities.

Science.gov (United States)

Mygind, Anna; Nørgaard, Lotte Stig; Traulsen, Janine M; El-Souri, Mira; Kristiansen, Maria

2017-05-01

To present and discuss implementation experiences regarding the involvement of community pharmacists with ethnic minority backgrounds in a medication review intervention for ethnic minority poly-pharmacy patients in Denmark. Data sources include 1) reflection notes from an introductory seminar with pharmacists and the cross-disciplinary research team and 2) five individual interviews and one focus group interview with pharmacists. Data were thematically coded and synthesised to identify underlying rationales and challenges encountered when involving professionals with ethnic minority backgrounds in interventions for ethnic minorities. Informants perceived the need for interventions targeted at ethnic minority poly-pharmacy patients, and highlighted the potential of involving professionals with diverse ethnic backgrounds in such interventions. However, implementation created challenges, because the professional identity of the pharmacists reduced their options for serving as peers with the same ethnic background. Furthermore, issues related to organisational difficulties and overcoming language barriers in the intervention impacted on the potential of involving professionals with ethnic minority backgrounds. Involving healthcare professionals with ethnic minority backgrounds in encounters with ethnic minorities holds potential for the adaptation of services to ethnically diverse populations, thus improving access to and quality of care. However, it is important to ensure sufficient personal and organisational support and to acknowledge the delicate balance between simultaneously serving as a peer and as a professional.

Professionalism, professional certification and the achievement of excellence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Michelsen, S.J.

1991-01-01

Since at least 1985, it seems that many of the articles and speeches directed to the contract management community have moved from a predominantly technical focus to one that is increasing philosophical. Philosophical in that the authors of such pieces attempt to define 'professionalism' and 'professional certification,' and, on occasion even attempt to loosely tie the traits and attributes of both to the achievement of 'excellence.' There is a profound but often misunderstood difference between the development of a professional worker and the establishment of professional qualification standards. In addition, the attainment of 'excellence' is not automatically the result of either. In this presentation these issues are addressed in the context of what contract managers should face and overcome

Teacher Professional Development Strategies in Australian Government and Professional Associations Documents

Science.gov (United States)

Kostina, Ludmyla

2015-01-01

Teacher in Australia is determined as an active participant of professional community with high level of collaboration, professional development coherent activities and collaborative learning practice. Thus, teacher quality is one of critical factors affecting student outcomes. The article touches upon the issue of the potential to improve…

Better arthritis care: Patients' expectations and priorities, the competencies that community-based health professionals need to improve their care of people with arthritis?

Science.gov (United States)

Erwin, J; Edwards, K; Woolf, A; Whitcombe, S; Kilty, S

2018-03-01

The aim of the present study was to identify the competencies that patients think non-specialist community-based nurses and allied health professionals (AHPs) need to enable them to assess, care for and manage arthritis appropriately. Four face-to-face focus groups were held with a total of 16 women and nine men with arthritis, to discuss the care they received from community-based health professionals, the skills and knowledge they expected from community-based health professionals and what they prioritized. People with arthritis wanted health providers to have an understanding of the difference between inflammatory arthritis (IA) and osteoarthritis (OA), of how serious OA can be, and of the unpredictability of IA and flares. They emphasized the need for nurses and AHPs to understand the psychosocial impact of arthritis on individuals, family and friends, and the psychological adjustment needed when diagnosed with IA. They wanted community-based health professionals to have some knowledge of the types of drug treatments that people with IA receive and the implications of taking immunosuppressive drugs. They also wanted them to understand the pain associated with arthritis, particularly OA, which participants felt was not taken seriously enough. They wanted nurses and AHPs in the community to be able to give basic advice on pacing and pain management, to make multidisciplinary referrals, to communicate effectively between referral points and to be able to signpost people to sources of help and good, reliable sources of education and information (especially for OA). They also wanted them to understand that patients who have had a diagnosis for a long time are the experts in their own disease. Other areas which were emphasized as being important were good communication skills and taking a holistic approach to caring for people with arthritis. OA and IA differ significantly, both in their nature and their management. However, patients with arthritis want health

Histoplasmosis Statistics

Science.gov (United States)

... Testing Treatment & Outcomes Health Professionals Statistics More Resources Candidiasis Candida infections of the mouth, throat, and esophagus Vaginal candidiasis Invasive candidiasis Definition Symptoms Risk & Prevention Sources Diagnosis ...

It Takes a Village: Supporting Inquiry- and Equity-Oriented Computer Science Pedagogy through a Professional Learning Community

Science.gov (United States)

Ryoo, Jean; Goode, Joanna; Margolis, Jane

2015-01-01

This article describes the importance that high school computer science teachers place on a teachers' professional learning community designed around an inquiry- and equity-oriented approach for broadening participation in computing. Using grounded theory to analyze four years of teacher surveys and interviews from the Exploring Computer Science…

A Journal of Critical Inquiry and Professional Learning: Telling Tales of Community Art, Aesthetics, and Cultures

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Krug, Don H.; Parker, Ann

2009-01-01

In this article, the authors share some of their learning about art, aesthetics, and people's ways of living. They discuss why the renewal of professional learning is important and demonstrate how K-12 teachers can engage in this process by creating a journal of critical inquiry about their own local communities' art, aesthetics, and cultures.…

Interconnecting Networks of Practice for Professional Learning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Julie Mackey

2011-03-01

Full Text Available The article explores the complementary connections between communities of practice and the ways in which individuals orchestrate their engagement with others to further their professional learning. It does so by reporting on part of a research project conducted in New Zealand on teachers’ online professional learning in a university graduate diploma program on ICT education. Evolving from social constructivist pedagogy for online professional development, the research describes how teachers create their own networks of practice as they blend online and offline interactions with fellow learners and workplace colleagues. Teachers’ perspectives of their professional learning activities challenge the way universities design formal online learning communities and highlight the potential for networked learning in the zones and intersections between professional practice and study.The article extends the concepts of Lave and Wenger’s (1991 communities of practice social theory of learning by considering the role participants play in determining their engagement and connections in and across boundaries between online learning communities and professional practice. It provides insights into the applicability of connectivist concepts for developing online pedagogies to promote socially networked learning and for emphasising the role of the learner in defining their learning pathways.

PROFESSIONAL COMMUNITIES AND HIGH SCHOOL: TO FIND INTERACTION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. V. Artamonova

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Discusses the issue of development of professionally-oriented educational programs on the basis of requirements for the competence of graduates of higher educational institutions as a way to improve the quality of education and higher education model adaptation to modern conditions. Analyzes the experience of interaction between higher education institutions and professional associations in the formation of professional standards.

Using Electronic Portfolio to Promote Professional Learning Community for Pre-Service Early Childhood Teachers at Alquds University

Science.gov (United States)

Khales, Buad

2016-01-01

The present study aims to explore whether the electronic portfolio can influence pre-service teachers' education and to examine how professional learning communities develop through electronic portfolios. To achieve this, twenty-four student-teachers taking a course in early childhood education at Al-Quds University participated in a study to…

Services in the Community for Adults with Psychosis and Intellectual Disabilities: A Delphi Consultation of Professionals' Views

Science.gov (United States)

Hemmings, C. P.; Underwood, L. A.; Bouras, N.

2009-01-01

Background: There remains a severe lack of evidence on the effectiveness of community services for adults with psychosis and intellectual disabilities (ID). There has been little consensus even of what services should provide for this service user group. Method: A consultation of multidisciplinary professionals was carried out by using a…

Caring for clients with dual diagnosis in rural communities in Australia: the experience of mental health professionals.

Science.gov (United States)

Deans, C; Soar, R

2005-06-01

This paper identifies and describes the experiences of 13 rural mental health professionals who care for clients diagnosed with a mental illness and a coexisting alcohol and other drug disorder (dual diagnosis). Dual diagnosis is a common problem which is often poorly understood and managed by mental health professionals. The effect of excessive substance use on a person's mental well-being can present as a diagnostic challenge as each condition may mask symptoms of the other. The authors utilized a phenomenological approach to discover the experiences of a group of mental health professionals working in rural communities in Victoria, Australia. Caring for clients diagnosed with dual diagnosis was found to be a complex and stressful role that involved high levels of skill and knowledge. Despite the fact that health professionals in rural areas are expected to deliver the most appropriate care to individuals with a dual diagnosis, a number of these rural health professionals have limited preparation and experience in dealing with arising clinical diagnosis issues. Clinicians experience frustration, resentment and powerlessness in their attempt to understand their clients' drug misuse whilst simultaneously endeavouring to provide a quality mental health service.

Building an online community to promote communication and collaborative learning between health professionals and young people who self-harm: an exploratory study.

Science.gov (United States)

Owens, Christabel; Sharkey, Siobhan; Smithson, Janet; Hewis, Elaine; Emmens, Tobit; Ford, Tamsin; Jones, Ray

2015-02-01

Online communities are known to break down barriers between supposed experts and non-experts and to promote collaborative learning and 'radical trust' among members. Young people who self-harm report difficulties in communicating with health professionals, and vice versa. We sought to bring these two groups together online to see how well they could communicate with each other about self-harm and its management, and whether they could agree on what constituted safe and relevant advice. We allocated 77 young people aged 16-25 with experience of self-harm and 18 recently/nearly qualified professionals in relevant health-care disciplines to three separate Internet discussion forums. The forums contained different proportions of professionals to young people (none; 25%; 50% respectively) to allow us to observe the effect of the professionals on online interaction. The young people were keen to share their lived experience of self-harm and its management with health professionals. They engaged in lively discussion and supported one another during emotional crises. Despite registering to take part, health professionals did not actively participate in the forums. Reported barriers included lack of confidence and concerns relating to workload, private-professional boundaries, role clarity, duty of care and accountability. In their absence, the young people built a vibrant lay community, supported by site moderators. Health professionals may not yet be ready to engage with young people who self-harm and to exchange knowledge and experience in an anonymous online setting. Further work is needed to understand and overcome their insecurities. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

PROFESSIONAL AMBITION: AMBITION AS A MOTIVE OF PROFESSIONAL AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT OF PERSON

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oksana V. Barsukova

2014-04-01

Full Text Available The article reveals the content of ambition as a motive, guiding the professional growth and career advancement of the person. Ambition in this case fulfils the function of achieving the social recognition, which is specified in getting the deserved recognition due to the professional achievements of the person. Professional ambition - is the human desire to get deserved recognition of the professional community as a professional for real progress and achievements in the chosen field. Professional ambition is discussed in more detail on the example of pedagogical ambition and moral aspect –on the example of ambitions of scientists and criminals.

Mapping vegetation communities using statistical data fusion in the Ozark National Scenic Riverways, Missouri, USA

Science.gov (United States)

Chastain, R.A.; Struckhoff, M.A.; He, H.S.; Larsen, D.R.

2008-01-01

A vegetation community map was produced for the Ozark National Scenic Riverways consistent with the association level of the National Vegetation Classification System. Vegetation communities were differentiated using a large array of variables derived from remote sensing and topographic data, which were fused into independent mathematical functions using a discriminant analysis classification approach. Remote sensing data provided variables that discriminated vegetation communities based on differences in color, spectral reflectance, greenness, brightness, and texture. Topographic data facilitated differentiation of vegetation communities based on indirect gradients (e.g., landform position, slope, aspect), which relate to variations in resource and disturbance gradients. Variables derived from these data sources represent both actual and potential vegetation community patterns on the landscape. A hybrid combination of statistical and photointerpretation methods was used to obtain an overall accuracy of 63 percent for a map with 49 vegetation community and land-cover classes, and 78 percent for a 33-class map of the study area. ?? 2008 American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing.

Launching a new training and professional organization to serve GHG management professionals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baumann, T.

2009-01-01

This paper discusses the program to train and develop a community of experts with the highest standards of professional practice in measuring, accounting, auditing and managing greenhouse gas emissions. Experts should operate with a common code of conduct and ethics, and provide the high levels of professional competency.

Head First Statistics

CERN Document Server

Griffiths, Dawn

2009-01-01

Wouldn't it be great if there were a statistics book that made histograms, probability distributions, and chi square analysis more enjoyable than going to the dentist? Head First Statistics brings this typically dry subject to life, teaching you everything you want and need to know about statistics through engaging, interactive, and thought-provoking material, full of puzzles, stories, quizzes, visual aids, and real-world examples. Whether you're a student, a professional, or just curious about statistical analysis, Head First's brain-friendly formula helps you get a firm grasp of statistics

Investigating the Building of a WeChat-Based Community of Practice for Language Teachers' Professional Development

Science.gov (United States)

Qi, Grace Yue; Wang, Yuping

2018-01-01

This study explores the process of Community of Practice (CoP) building for language teachers' professional development through the support of a WeChat group. WeChat is an instant messenger app that provides a multimodal platform for one-on-one and group interactions through text, audio and video. In order to support the implementation of flipped…

Evaluation of a co-delivered training package for community mental health professionals on service user- and carer-involved care planning.

Science.gov (United States)

Grundy, A C; Walker, L; Meade, O; Fraser, C; Cree, L; Bee, P; Lovell, K; Callaghan, P

2017-08-01

WHAT IS KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT?: There is consistent evidence that service users and carers feel marginalized in the process of mental health care planning. Mental health professionals have identified ongoing training needs in relation to involving service users and carers in care planning. There is limited research on the acceptability of training packages for mental health professionals which involve service users and carers as co-facilitators. WHAT DOES THIS PAPER ADD TO EXISTING KNOWLEDGE?: A co-produced and co-delivered training package on service user- and carer-involved care planning was acceptable to mental health professionals. Aspects of the training that were particularly valued were the co-production model, small group discussion and the opportunity for reflective practice. The organizational context of care planning may need more consideration in future training models. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE?: Mental health nurses using co-production models of delivering training to other mental health professionals can be confident that such initiatives will be warmly welcomed, acceptable and engaging. On the basis of the results reported here, we encourage mental health nurses to use co-production approaches more often. Further research will show how clinically effective this training is in improving outcomes for service users and carers. Background There is limited evidence for the acceptability of training for mental health professionals on service user- and carer-involved care planning. Aim To investigate the acceptability of a co-delivered, two-day training intervention on service user- and carer-involved care planning. Methods Community mental health professionals were invited to complete the Training Acceptability Rating Scale post-training. Responses to the quantitative items were summarized using descriptive statistics (Miles, ), and qualitative responses were coded using content analysis (Weber, ). Results Of 350 trainees, 310 completed the

Distance learning: the future of continuing professional development.

Science.gov (United States)

Southernwood, Julie

2008-10-01

The recent development of a market economy in higher education has resulted in the need to tailor the product to the customers, namely students, employers and commissioning bodies. Distance learning is an opportunity for nurse educators and institutions to address marketing initiatives and develop a learning environment in order to enhance continuing professional development. It provides options for lifelong learning for healthcare professionals--including those working in community settings--that is effective and cost efficient. Development of continuing professional development programmes can contribute to widening the participation of community practitioners in lifelong learning, practice and role development. This paper considers the opportunities that web-based and online education programmes can provide community practitioners to promote professional skills while maintaining a work-life balance, and the role of the lecturer in successfully supporting professionals on web-based learning programmes.

Lessons from the field: Transforming health professionals' education ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Health professionals' education is undergoing enormous transformation internationally and also in Rwanda. We present the contribution of a Social and Community Medicine program at the University of Rwanda to this new era of community oriented, people centred and socially accountable health professionals' education.

TEACHERS’ PROFESSIONAL COMMITMENT AS AN INDICATOR OF PSYCHOLOGICAL READINESS TO THE PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS IMPLEMENTATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. A. Minyurova

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction. Nowadays, the problems of motivation of modern teachers and their valuable relation to the profession are actively being discussed in the scientific and pedagogical community. The changes in the relations between an employer and a teacher have been caused by the introduction of professional standards of the teacher and the extending practice of the conclusion of the socalled "effective contracts" between educational institutions and teachers. The aim of the present publication is to consider a phenomenon of professional commitment of teachers as a criterion of their psychological readiness for acceptance of new realities caused by the changed qualification competences having been imposed by the professional standard. Methodology and research methods. Comparative analysis and synthesis of the approaches to studying of a phenomenon of professional commitment existing in foreign psychology have been used. The empirical research of commitment of the Russian teachers to the profession was conducted on the basis of the authors’ method “The Questionnaire of Professional Commitment”. Statistical processing of the data obtained during the survey was carried out on the basis of the Statistica 7.0 program. The method of the factor analysis was applied. Results and scientific novelty. Yet, most studies in the field of the problematics of professional commitment have predominantly been carried out by foreign scholars. The attempt to describe the research experience on studying of professional commitment of the Russian teachers has been made for the first time ever. The proposed models of professional commitment are compared. It is proved that the structure of each model depends on professional and cultural diversity of a target group of a specific study. The specific features of psychological content of professional commitment of the Russian teachers are designated. Based on the systematized results of survey, the key structural

Multiple Relationships : Maintaining Professional Identity in Rural Social Work Practice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Keith Brownlee

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Working in a rural community locates the professional in a wider social network as community members often expect more from their professionals; not only as service providers, but also as engaged members of the community. This can result in the rural social worker being highly visible both personally and professionally and it can also lead to overlapping relationships. These higher expectations can place stress on the worker in terms of maintaining accepted professional roles and a sense of professional identity. This qualitative study explores the first-hand experiences of a cross-section of service providers in more than a dozen communities within northwestern Ontario and northern Manitoba, Canada. The responses of the participants provide some insight into how rural practitioners maintain their professional identity when working within the unique demands of the rural and remote context. Recurring themes from the interviews suggest that these professionals craft their own informal decision-making processes to address intersecting roles, community gossip, and personal isolation, even while, in some cases, practicing in their home community. The findings provide greater understanding of the pressures and realities of working in small remote towns and the challenges of responding to the expectations and realities of relationships including the expectation of working with friends and family members of friends or colleagues: issues that have not been adequately studied in the literature to date.

Rebel with a Cause: A Pioneer in the Field Reflects on the Evolution of Professional Learning Communities

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Murphy, Carlene U.

2012-01-01

A revolution took place in staff development in the late 1980s and into the 1990s. It was not reported on the evening news. Very few knew it was happening. The author was a rebel, along with others she had not yet met, in the rebellion that resulted in learning communities, the dominant form of professional development today. In 1978, the…

Spatial and multidimensional visualization of Indonesia's village health statistics.

Science.gov (United States)

Parmanto, Bambang; Paramita, Maria V; Sugiantara, Wayan; Pramana, Gede; Scotch, Matthew; Burke, Donald S

2008-06-11

A community health assessment (CHA) is used to identify and address health issues in a given population. Effective CHA requires timely and comprehensive information from a wide variety of sources, such as: socio-economic data, disease surveillance, healthcare utilization, environmental data, and health resource allocation. Indonesia is a developing country with 235 million inhabitants over 13,000 islands. There are significant barriers to conducting CHA in developing countries like Indonesia, such as the high cost of computing resources and the lack of computing skills necessary to support such an assessment. At the University of Pittsburgh, we have developed the Spatial OLAP (On-Line Analytical Processing) Visualization and Analysis Tool (SOVAT) for performing CHA. SOVAT combines Geographic Information System (GIS) technology along with an advanced multidimensional data warehouse structure to facilitate analysis of large, disparate health, environmental, population, and spatial data. The objective of this paper is to demonstrate the potential of SOVAT for facilitating CHA among developing countries by using health, population, healthcare resources, and spatial data from Indonesia for use in two CHA cases studies. Bureau of Statistics administered data sets from the Indonesian Census, and the Indonesian village statistics, were used in the case studies. The data consisted of: healthcare resources (number of healthcare professionals and facilities), population (census), morbidity and mortality, and spatial (GIS-formatted) information. The data was formatted, combined, and populated into SOVAT for CHA use. Case study 1 involves the distribution of healthcare professionals in Indonesia, while case study 2 involves malaria mortality. Screen shots are shown for both cases. The results for the CHA were retrieved in seconds and presented through the geospatial and numerical SOVAT interface. The case studies show the potential of spatial and multidimensional analysis using

Comparing Lay Community and Academic Survey Center Interviewers in Conducting Household Interviews in Latino Communities.

Science.gov (United States)

Chan-Golston, Alec M; Friedlander, Scott; Glik, Deborah C; Prelip, Michael L; Belin, Thomas R; Brookmeyer, Ron; Santos, Robert; Chen, Jie; Ortega, Alexander N

2016-01-01

The employment of professional interviewers from academic survey centers to conduct surveys has been standard practice. Because one goal of community-engaged research is to provide professional skills to community residents, this paper considers whether employing locally trained lay interviewers from within the community may be as effective as employing interviewers from an academic survey center with regard to unit and item nonresponse rates and cost. To study a nutrition-focused intervention, 1035 in-person household interviews were conducted in East Los Angeles and Boyle Heights, 503 of which were completed by lay community interviewers. A chi-square test was used to assess differences in unit nonresponse rates between professional and community interviewers and Welch's t tests were used to assess differences in item nonresponse rates. A cost comparison analysis between the two interviewer groups was also conducted. Interviewers from the academic survey center had lower unit nonresponse rates than the lay community interviewers (16.2% vs. 23.3%; p < 0.01). However, the item nonresponse rates were lower for the community interviewers than the professional interviewers (1.4% vs. 3.3%; p < 0.01). Community interviewers cost approximately $415.38 per survey whereas professional interviewers cost approximately $537.29 per survey. With a lower cost per completed survey and lower item nonresponse rates, lay community interviewers are a viable alternative to professional interviewers for fieldwork in community-based research. Additional research is needed to assess other important aspects of data quality interviewer such as interviewer effects and response error.

MS PHD'S Professional Development Program: A Scientific Renaissance in Cyberspace

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Powell, J. M.; Williamson, V. A.; Griess, C. A.; Pyrtle, A. J.

2004-12-01

This study is a component of a four-year investigation of MS PHD'S Professional Development Program's virtual community through the lenses of underrepresented minority students in Earth system science and engineering fields. In this presentation, the development, assessment and projected utilization of the ongoing study will be discussed. The overall goal of this study is to examine the effectiveness of virtual team building methods and understand how the development of a communal cyberinfrastructure acts as an integral part of the emergence of a Scientific Renaissance. The exemplar, Minorities Striving and Pursuing Higher Degrees of Success in Earth System Science (MS PHD'S), provides professional development experiences to facilitate the advancement of students of color achieving outstanding Earth system careers. Undergraduate and graduate students are supported through access to scientific conferences, mentorship and virtual community building. Framed by critical theory, this ethnographic exploration uses a mixed methods research design to record, observe, and analyze both the processes and products of the website, listserv and synchronous web-based dialogue. First, key findings of the formative evaluation and annual reports of the successfully implemented 2003 MS PHD'S Pilot Project are presented. These findings inform future evaluations of the use of technological resources and illustrate how this public space provides peer support and enriched research opportunities. Quantitative methods such as statistical analysis, academic and professional tracking and evaluative tools for scientific content and competency are complimented by qualitative methods that include observations, heuristic case studies and focus group interviews. The findings of this ongoing investigation will provide insight on how national organizations, higher education practitioners, community-based support systems and underrepresented minorities in the sciences promote diversity by developing

Graduate Professional Education from a Community of Practice Perspective: The Role of Social and Technical Networking

Science.gov (United States)

Polin, Linda G.

This chapter describes academic life at the intersection of three related topics: community of practice (CoP), a pedagogical model; digital culture, as embodied in the current and future student population; and post-secondary education, in particular graduate professional education. The aim is to illustrate ways in which social computing applications enable the use of a CoP model in graduate professional education. The illustrations are drawn from two hybrid, or blended, degree programs (a mix of face-to-face and online interactions) at the graduate school of education and psychology at Pepperdine University. These fully accredited programs have each been in operation for more than a decade. One is the MA degree in educational technology, begun in 1998; the other is the EdD degree in educational technology leadership, begun in 1995.

The IUGS Task Group on Global Geoscience Professionalism - promoting professional skills professionalism in the teaching, research and application of geoscience for the protection and education of the public

Science.gov (United States)

Allington, Ruth; Fernandez-Fuentes, Isabel

2013-04-01

A new IUGS Task Group entitled the Task Group on Global Geoscience Professionalism was formed in 2012 and launched at a symposium at the 341GC in Brisbane on strengthening communication between fundamental and applied geosciences and between geoscientists and public. The Task Group aims to ensure that the international geoscience community is engaged in a transformation of its profession so as to embed the need for a professional skills base alongside technical and scientific skills and expertise, within a sound ethical framework in all arenas of geoscience practice. This needs to be established during training and education and reinforced as CPD throughout a career in geoscience as part of ensuring public safety and effective communication of geoscience concepts to the public. The specific objective of the Task Group on Global Geoscience Professionalism that is relevant to this poster session is: • To facilitate a more 'joined up' geoscience community fostering better appreciation by academics and teachers of the professional skills that geoscientists need in the workplace, and facilitate better communication between academic and applied communities leading to more effective application of research findings and technology to applied practitioners and development of research programmes that truly address urgent issues. Other Task Group objectives are: • To provide a specific international forum for discussion of matters of common concern and interest among geoscientists and geoscientific organizations involved in professional affairs, at the local, national and international level; • To act as a resource to IUGS on professional affairs in the geosciences as they may influence and impact "Earth Science for the Global Community" in general - both now and in the future; • To offer and provide leadership and knowledge transfer services to countries and geoscientist communities around the world seeking to introduce systems of professional governance and self

Practice in a dispersed professional community : a case study of associate lecturers at the Open University

OpenAIRE

Cox, Graham; Saunders, Murray

2006-01-01

This thesis examines in depth the work of four associate lecturers at the Open University. Given that they see colleagues infrequently, it explores how they resource their practice, in what has been termed a dispersed community that lacks the social interaction associated with more traditional lecturing. This research identifies what knowledge resources and professional practices are used, and what the relationships are between these and the process of occupational identity-building. It also ...

Cultural stereotypes of women from South Asian communities: mental health care professionals' explanations for patterns of suicide and depression.

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Burr, J

2002-09-01

Low rates of treated depression and high rates of suicide in women from some South Asian communities are evident in epidemiological studies in the UK. It is argued here that explanations for these apparent differences are likely to be located in stereotypes of repressive South Asian cultures. This small scale study, utilising focus groups and individual interviews, sought to explore the construction of cultural stereotypes within mental health discourse with specific reference to stereotypes of women from South Asian communities. Mental health carers from a UK inner city area of relatively high social deprivation were targeted. Focus groups were conducted with a range of mental health care professionals who worked in both inpatient and outpatient mental health care services. In addition, individual interviews were conducted with consultant psychiatrists and General Practitioners. Extensive reference is made in this paper to the content of focus groups and interviews and how health carer's knowledge about and experience of South Asian cultures and caring for women from these communities was contextualised. Mental health care professionals constructed cultural difference in terms of fixed and immutable categories which operated to inferiorise Britain's South Asian communities. It is argued that their knowledge is constructed upon stereotypes of western culture as superior to a construction of eastern cultures as repressive, patriarchal and inferior to a western cultural ideal. Ultimately, it is argued that these stereotypes become incorporated as 'fact' and have the potential to misdirect diagnosis and therefore, also misdirect treatment pathways.

Perspective: Organizational professionalism: relevant competencies and behaviors.

Science.gov (United States)

Egener, Barry; McDonald, Walter; Rosof, Bernard; Gullen, David

2012-05-01

The professionalism behaviors of physicians have been extensively discussed and defined; however, the professionalism behaviors of health care organizations have not been systemically categorized or described. Defining organizational professionalism is important because the behaviors of a health care organization may substantially impact the behaviors of physicians and others within the organization as well as other institutions and the larger community. In this article, the authors discuss the following competencies of organizational professionalism, derived from ethical values: service, respect, fairness, integrity, accountability, mindfulness, and self-motivation. How nonprofit health care organizations can translate these competencies into behaviors is described. For example, incorporating metrics of population health into assessments of corporate success may increase collaboration among regional health care organizations while also benefiting the community. The unique responsibilities of leadership to model these competencies, promote them in the community, and develop relevant organizational strategies are clarified. These obligations elevate the importance of the executive leadership's capacity for self-reflection and the governing boards' responsibility for mapping operational activities to organizational mission. Lastly, the authors consider how medical organizations are currently addressing professionalism challenges. In an environment made turbulent by regulatory change and financial constraints, achieving proficiency in professionalism competencies can assist nonprofit health care organizations to promote population health and the well-being of their workforces.

Social Networking Strategies for Professionals

Science.gov (United States)

Breeding, Marshall

2009-01-01

Library professionals have always engaged with associations and communities to share experiences and information. Going back through the earliest times of the profession, librarians have interacted through conference meetings, professional publications, and a variety of other venues. These in-person and print-based interactions continue as…

New Zealand archaeology professional development cell

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Phillips, C.; Low, M.

2015-01-01

In March 2006, the NZAA Council hosted a workshop in Wellington for consulting archaeologists to debate issues relating to professionalism and accreditation within the professional consulting archaeological community. Topics covered included radiocarbon dating, calibration and interpretation of dates.

Perception of community pharmacists toward their current professional role in the healthcare system of Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Science.gov (United States)

Rayes, Ibrahim Khalid; Hassali, Mohamed Azmi; Abduelkarem, Abduelmula R

2015-07-01

The new paradigm to pharmacy profession has changed the focus of pharmacists from product-centered to patient-oriented. This change has brought new set of beliefs and assumptions on the way services should be delivered to pharmacy clients. The main aim of this study was to explore the perception of community pharmacists on their current professional role in Dubai. Key findings show that community pharmacists are more directed toward business than patients. They almost dispense all categories of medicines over-the-counter without the need of prescriptions. However, a new trend of pharmacists in Dubai is to provide enhanced pharmacy services such as consultation to patients upon request.

The dimensionality of professional commitment

OpenAIRE

Jeffrey J. Bagraim

2003-01-01

This paper examines the dimensionality of professional commitment amongst a sample of 240 South African actuaries. Data were obtained, via a mailed questionnaire, from members of the South African Actuarial Society employed in the financial services industry. Statistical analysis conducted on the data showed that the 3-component model first proposed by Meyer, Allen and Smith (1993) is appropriate for understanding professional commitment amongst South African professionals. The analysis also ...

The Perceptions of Administrators in the Implementation of Professional Learning Communities: A Case Study in an Oklahoma School District

Science.gov (United States)

Jaques, Shelley

2010-01-01

In January of 2002, President George Bush implemented the No Child left behind act that required all students to be proficient on state standards by the year 2014. One way a school district in Oklahoma met these new requirements was through the implementation of the principles of a Professional Learning Community. This case study was designed…

Developing Professional Identity in an Online Learning Environment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Horn, Line Helverskov

2015-01-01

identity as the outcome for the intern. This paper describes the interactions in an online learning environment. The online platform sought to enable peer interaction between younger and older students in a discussion of the professional identity of Natural and Cultural Heritage Management (NCHM......From a socio-cultural perspective, the development of a professional identity is an on-going process that is social in nature and negotiated in communities of practice (Wenger, 1998). Internships in higher education function as such communities of practice, with an improved sense of professional...

Professional Development for Teachers of English Language Learners: Discursive Norms, Learning Processes, and Professional Communities

Science.gov (United States)

Molle, Daniella

2010-01-01

The lack of empirical scholarship on professional development initiatives for teachers of English language learners (ELLs) in US schools has been repeatedly documented in educational research. The present dissertation project examines a professional development course specifically designed for K-12 teachers of ELLs. The course aims to foster the…

Organizations as professional communities in the post/modern era.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

drs. ing. Adriaan Oosterloo

2011-01-01

What is the meaning of social context for the connection between Psychologists and Social Workers with the organization they work for? Many professionals are searching for both professional space, and a fitting connectedness to the organization. This connection seems to be greatly influenced by

Accelerated Schools as Professional Learning Communities.

Science.gov (United States)

Biddle, Julie K.

The goal of the Accelerated Schools Project (ASP) is to develop schools in which all children achieve at high levels and all members of the school community engage in developing and fulfilling the school's vision. But to fully implement the ASP model, a school must become a learning community that stresses relationships, shared values, and a…

Professionalism and professional quality of life for oncology nurses.

Science.gov (United States)

Jang, Insil; Kim, Yuna; Kim, Kyunghee

2016-10-01

continuing ethical and moral education programme for clinical nurses to force professional dedication and encouraging nurses to affiliate themselves with the professional communities. Nurses are connected to professionalism affect the quality of nursing service for patients and professional quality of life for themselves. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Infrastructure requirement of knowledge management system model of statistical learning tool (SLT) for education community

Science.gov (United States)

Abdullah, Rusli; Samah, Bahaman Abu; Bolong, Jusang; D'Silva, Jeffrey Lawrence; Shaffril, Hayrol Azril Mohamed

2014-09-01

Today, teaching and learning (T&L) using technology as tool is becoming more important especially in the field of statistics as a part of the subject matter in higher education system environment. Eventhough, there are many types of technology of statistical learnig tool (SLT) which can be used to support and enhance T&L environment, however, there is lack of a common standard knowledge management as a knowledge portal for guidance especially in relation to infrastructure requirement of SLT in servicing the community of user (CoU) such as educators, students and other parties who are interested in performing this technology as a tool for their T&L. Therefore, there is a need of a common standard infrastructure requirement of knowledge portal in helping CoU for managing of statistical knowledge in acquiring, storing, desseminating and applying of the statistical knowedge for their specific purposes. Futhermore, by having this infrastructure requirement of knowledge portal model of SLT as a guidance in promoting knowledge of best practise among the CoU, it can also enhance the quality and productivity of their work towards excellence of statistical knowledge application in education system environment.

Union Contracts and Teacher Professional Development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paul V. Bredeson

2001-07-01

Full Text Available In this article, I report the results of an investigation that examined the impact of teacher union contracts on the development of professional learning communities in schools. There are three primary sources of data used in the study: 1 100 written teacher union contract documents; 2 structured interview data from 21 educators (school superintendents, principals, directors of staff development, and teacher union representatives; and 3 focus group interview data from educational leaders in schools. The analysis and discussion focus on five areas related to teacher professional development with implications for policy and practice: explicit language covering opportunities for teaching learning in their work; governance and decision making structures, that is, specific provisions covering wages, hours, and conditions of employment; the description of legitimate and sponsored activities for the professional development of teachers; and the resources supporting the on-going professional growth of teachers. The findings indicate that rethinking, restructuring, and organizational re-culturing in schools are initial expressions of a new unionism that has the potential to lead to the development of more powerful professional learning communities in schools.

CONTEMPORARY CONDITION OF THE PROBLEM OF PROFESSIONAL-METHODICAL FORMATION COMPETENCE OF FUTURE TEACHERS OF PRE-SCHOOL EDUCATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS BY ONLINE COMMUNITIES TOOLS

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Natalia Smirnova

2016-04-01

Full Text Available In the article the questions of the present stage of development of professional education in the Russian Federation during the consideration of which, it is evident that one of the most important component of professional competence of future teachers of pre-school education is the extent of his readiness to use modern information technologies in their professional activities. One of the main means of formation of the psychological basis of the study competence should be allocated to a network community. Today it is impossible to imagine educational space without modern information technologies and means of telecommunication. They open up entirely new possibilities of education and communication, and, therefore, have considerable educational potential.

Elementary statistics for effective library and information service management

CERN Document Server

Egghe, Leo

2001-01-01

This title describes how best to use statistical data to produce professional reports on library activities. The authors cover data gathering, sampling, graphical representation of data and summary statistics from data, and also include a section on trend analysis. A full bibliography and a subject index make this a key title for any information professional..

Professional communications of Russian technical and engineering specialists: empirical analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R N Abramov

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Sociology of professions focus on the role of interpersonal and intergroup communications in the professional communities as an element of professional culture. The article considers forms and features of professional communications of Russian engineers and technicians in the context of their professional culture defined as the constellation of ideology, values, beliefs, language, and forms of activity typical for the community, which rarely becomes an object of Russian sociologists’ studies. The author shows that interpersonal professional communications on the various aspects of professional activity is an important element of professional culture. The article is based on the results of online survey of Russian engineers and expert interviews with Russian technical specialists - they were questioned on the ways of updating their professional knowledge and on the role of various channels of communication in this process. At the beginning of the article, the author provides an overview of approaches to the study of professional culture in Russia and abroad, and underlines the significant role of the Internet and the declining role of literature as a source of new knowledge for the engineering and technical staff. The results of the study also revealed an important role of informal and direct communications in the transfer of professional knowledge within the engineering community, while organizational environment has a relatively low impact on the updating of professional knowledge, which can be explained by the lack of management attention to the professional development of specialists.

Faculty Library and Its Users (Interactively and Statistically

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rozalija Marinković

2011-12-01

Full Text Available According to popular opinion, statistics is the sum of incorrect data. However, much can be learned and concluded from statistical reports. In our example of recording statistics in the library of the Faculty of Economics in Osijek the following records are kept: user categories, the frequency of borrowing, the structure of borrowing, use of the reading room, use of the database, etc. Based on these data and statistical processing, the following can be analysed: the total number of users, the number of users by the year of study, by the content of used professional and scientific literature, by the use of serial publications in the reading room, or by the work on computers and database usage. All these data are precious for determining the procurement policy of the library, observing frequency of use of particular categories of professional and scientific literature (textbooks, handbooks, professional and scientific monographs, databases and determining operation guidelines for library staff.

Mental health professionals' attitudes towards mental illness: professional and cultural factors in the INTER NOS study.

Science.gov (United States)

Del Olmo-Romero, Francisco; González-Blanco, María; Sarró, Salvador; Grácio, Jaime; Martín-Carrasco, Manuel; Martinez-Cabezón, Ana C; Perna, Giampaolo; Pomarol-Clotet, Edith; Varandas, Pedro; Ballesteros-Rodríguez, Javier; Rebolleda-Gil, Carlos; Vanni, Giovanna; González-Fraile, Eduardo

2018-01-20

Research shows that personnel working in mental health facilities may share some of the societal prejudices towards mental illness. This might result in stigmatizing behaviours towards people suffering from mental disorders, undermining the quality of their care. To describe and compare attitudes towards mental illness across a sample of professionals working in a wide range of mental health facilities in Spain, Portugal and Italy. We administered a survey to personnel including two questionnaires related to stigmatizing attitudes: The Community Attitudes toward the Mentally Ill (CAMI) and the Attribution Questionnaire (AQ-27). Data were compared according to professional category, work setting and country. 34.06% (1525) professionals of the surveyed population responded adequately. Psychologists and social therapists had the most positive attitudes, and nursing assistants the most negative, on most factors of CAMI and AQ-27. Community staff had more positive attitudes than hospital-based professionals in most factors on CAMI and in discriminatory responses on AQ-27. Globally, mental health professionals showed a positive attitude towards mental illness, but also a relative support to coercive treatments. There are differences in attitudes modulated by professional category and setting. Results can guide preventive strategies, particularly for the hospital-based and nursing staff.

Violence Against Children in Afghanistan: Community Perspectives.

Science.gov (United States)

Cameron, Cate M; O'Leary, Patrick J; Lakhani, Ali; Osborne, Jodie M; de Souza, Luana; Hope, Kristen; Naimi, Mohammad S; Khan, Hassan; Jawad, Qazi S; Majidi, Sabir

2018-03-01

Violence against children (VAC) is a significant international problem and, in Afghanistan, is particularly complex given the country has suffered armed conflict and extreme poverty for more than 30 years. The aim of this study was to examine the level of knowledge and observation of VAC by community leaders, professional groups, and business owners in three Afghan districts. A survey of community and religious leaders; health, socio-legal, and education professionals; and business owners from Kabul, Jalalabad, and Torkham ( n = 182) was conducted. Structured interviews included qualitative and quantitative components. Questions related to knowledge and experience of VAC, and to perceptions of consequences, causes, and strategies for preventing VAC. The statistical significance of differences between participant groups and measures of association were assessed by Pearson's chi-square test, the Mann-Whitney test, and the Kruskall-Wallis one-way ANOVA. Qualitative responses were analyzed thematically. VAC was reported to occur mostly in the home, community, and workplace. The scale of the problem varied, with religious and community leaders underreporting VAC by 30% to 40% compared with other participant groups ( p contact. There were some regional differences, with lower reporting of violence in Jalalabad compared with the two other locations ( p lack of education, and the effects of war. The findings of this study indicate that VAC is a serious and complex problem in Afghanistan. Decades of armed conflict and entrenched poverty influence how violence is perceived and recognized. Consideration should be given to initiatives that build on the existing strengths within the community while raising awareness and recognition of the nature, extent, and burden of VAC in the community.

Employer`s contributions to the training of professional statisticians

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rustagi, J.S. [Ohio State Univ., Columbus, OH (United States). Statistics Dept.; Wright, T. [Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States). Mathematical Sciences Section]|[Bureau of the Census, Washington, DC (United States)

1995-07-01

Statistical science provides important techniques for decision making in a large variety of fields of human endeavor mainly through statistical practice. According to Deming (1965), ``Statistical practice is mostly a collaborative venture between (professional) statisticians and experts in subject-matter (area).`` The professional statistician must be properly trained in areas of statistical science most suited to the discipline in which the applications are made. Due to a large variety of applications. The education of a professional statistician by universities can only be very general. Higher education provides the theoretical basis of statistical science whereas the specific expertise needed by the professional statistician is given by the application areas. In this paper, the authors review the approach of academic programs which are geared towards applications and discuss some of the innovative strategies for preparing statisticians as consultants in industry and business. A survey (census) of statisticians at the national laboratories of the US Department of Energy was made to assess their training by universities and to get a broad view of additional training which has brought them to their present professional status. A particular interest is the extent to which employers have contributed to the training of statisticians. A few recommendations are made which may serve to improve the future training of statisticians for applied collaborative work by universities and employers.

Pinning Design: The Curatorial Labor of Creative Professionals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leah Scolere

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Pinterest is a site primarily used for sharing online content particularly images; as such, it is a unique platform through which to explore curatorial practices. Professional designers are a unique community of interest because their expertise in the offline curation of visual images is central to their professional work. Drawing on digital curation, convergence culture, and creative professionals, this study examined the curatorial labor practices of design professionals on Pinterest. Through a series of in-depth qualitative interviews and online observation of design professionals, we identify three aspects of curatorial labor on Pinterest: (1 performance, (2 process, and (3 product. The strategic and creative selection and arrangement of digital images by these designers becomes an ongoing authorial act of creative labor. This community demonstrates how the public digital curation of visual images is an important part of the ongoing venture labor of design professionals. The study concludes with implications for our collective understandings of online curation, creative professional labor, and the role of social media within commercial and organizational contexts.

Translating Policy into Practice for Community-Based Management of Rheumatoid Arthritis: Targeting Professional Development Needs among Physiotherapists.

Science.gov (United States)

Fary, Robyn E; Slater, Helen; Chua, Jason; Briggs, Andrew M

2012-01-01

Introduction. Contemporary health policy promotes delivery of community-based health services to people with musculoskeletal conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This emphasis requires a skilled workforce to deliver safe, effective care. We aimed to explore physiotherapy workforce readiness to co-manage consumers with RA by determining the RA-specific professional development (PD) needs in relation to work and educational characteristics of physiotherapists in Western Australia (WA). Methods. An e-survey was sent to physiotherapists regarding their confidence in co-managing people with RA and their PD needs. Data including years of clinical experience, current RA clinical caseload, professional qualifications, and primary clinical area of practice were collected. Results. 273 physiotherapists completed the survey. Overall confidence in managing people with RA was low (22.7-58.2%) and need for PD was high (45.1-95.2%). Physiotherapists with greater years of clinical experience, a caseload of consumers with RA, postgraduate qualifications in musculoskeletal physiotherapy, or who worked in the musculoskeletal area were more confident in managing people with RA and less likely to need PD. Online and face-to-face formats were preferred modes of PD delivery. Discussion. To enable community-based RA service delivery to be effectively established, subgroups within the current physiotherapy workforce require upskilling in the evidence-based management of consumers with RA.

Translating Policy into Practice for Community-Based Management of Rheumatoid Arthritis: Targeting Professional Development Needs among Physiotherapists

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robyn E. Fary

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction. Contemporary health policy promotes delivery of community-based health services to people with musculoskeletal conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA. This emphasis requires a skilled workforce to deliver safe, effective care. We aimed to explore physiotherapy workforce readiness to co-manage consumers with RA by determining the RA-specific professional development (PD needs in relation to work and educational characteristics of physiotherapists in Western Australia (WA. Methods. An e-survey was sent to physiotherapists regarding their confidence in co-managing people with RA and their PD needs. Data including years of clinical experience, current RA clinical caseload, professional qualifications, and primary clinical area of practice were collected. Results. 273 physiotherapists completed the survey. Overall confidence in managing people with RA was low (22.7–58.2% and need for PD was high (45.1–95.2%. Physiotherapists with greater years of clinical experience, a caseload of consumers with RA, postgraduate qualifications in musculoskeletal physiotherapy, or who worked in the musculoskeletal area were more confident in managing people with RA and less likely to need PD. Online and face-to-face formats were preferred modes of PD delivery. Discussion. To enable community-based RA service delivery to be effectively established, subgroups within the current physiotherapy workforce require upskilling in the evidence-based management of consumers with RA.

Community managers: a picture of the present and the future of an emerging professional figure of the Web 2.0. His influence on the online reputational profitability

OpenAIRE

Treviño Carrero, Pilar; Barranquero, Alejandro; Zusberro, Nerea

2013-01-01

Due to the expansion of social software, companies need to develop strategies to facilitate communication between users and organizations. The professional who makes it possible is the community manager. In Spain, the competences for this new job of online communication are not defined yet. The target of this research is focused on dealing in depth with his formative and professional profile and searching on whether it is an incidental popularization or if this professional figure will be nor...

Professional Emergence on Transnational Issues

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Seabrooke, Leonard; Tsingou, Eleni

2015-01-01

Addressing complex transnational problems requires coordination from different professionals. The emergence of new actors and issues has been addressed by those interested in studies of organizations through concepts and methods that highlight the importance of communities, fields, and networks...... they are conceptually linked by actors and organizations. A linked ecologies approach asks us to displace locating known actors within structures and instead pays attention to professional interactions on how ‘issue distinctions’ are made, the relationship between issue distinctions and professional tasks, and who...

The Impact of Enabling School Structures on the Degree of Internal School Change as Measured by the Implementation of Professional Learning Communities

Science.gov (United States)

Tylus, Joseph D.

2009-01-01

This non-experimental, correlational study looked at the relationship between bureaucratic structures in middle and high schools in bringing about change in individual teacher classroom instructional practices through the centralized directive of membership in a professional learning community. Using a continuum of bureaucratic structure, from…

Statistical Challenges in Military Research

Science.gov (United States)

2016-07-30

SGVU SUBJECT: Professional Presentation Approval 8 APR2016 1. Your paper, entitled Statistical Challenges in Military Research presented at Joint...Statistical Meetings, Chicago, IL 30 July - 4 Aug 2016 and Proceedings of the Joint Statistical Meetings with MDWI 41-108, and has been assigned ...charges (to include costs for tables and black and white photos). We cannot pay for reprints. If you are 59 MDW staff member, we can forward your request

The occupational safety of health professionals working at community and family health centers.

Science.gov (United States)

Ozturk, Havva; Babacan, Elif

2014-10-01

Healthcare professionals encounter many medical risks while providing healthcare services to individuals and the community. Thus, occupational safety studies are very important in health care organizations. They involve studies performed to establish legal, technical, and medical measures that must be taken to prevent employees from sustaining physical or mental damage because of work hazards. This study was conducted to determine if the occupational safety of health personnel at community and family health centers (CHC and FHC) has been achieved. The population of this cross-sectional study comprised 507 nurses, 199 physicians, and 237 other medical personnel working at a total of 18 family health centers (FHC) and community health centers (CHC) in Trabzon, Turkey. The sample consisted of a total of 418 nurses, 156 physicians, and 123 other medical personnel. Sampling method was not used, and the researchers tried to reach the whole population. Data were gathered with the Occupational Safety Scale (OSS) and a questionnaire regarding demographic characteristics and occupational safety. According to the evaluations of all the medical personnel, the mean ± SD of total score of the OSS was 3.57 ± 0.98; of the OSS's subscales, the mean ± SD of the health screening and registry systems was 2.76 ± 1.44, of occupational diseases and problems was 3.04 ± 1.3 and critical fields control was 3.12 ± 1.62. In addition, occupational safety was found more insufficient by nurses (F = 14.18; P occupational safety to be insufficient as related to protective and supportive activities.

Identifying What Student Affairs Professionals Value: A Mixed Methods Analysis of Professional Competencies Listed in Job Descriptions

Science.gov (United States)

Hoffman, John L.; Bresciani, Marilee J.

2012-01-01

This mixed method study explored the professional competencies that administrators expect from entry-, mid-, and senior-level professionals as reflected in 1,759 job openings posted in 2008. Knowledge, skill, and dispositional competencies were identified during the qualitative phase of the study. Statistical analysis of the prevalence of…

Statistics II essentials

CERN Document Server

Milewski, Emil G

2012-01-01

REA's Essentials provide quick and easy access to critical information in a variety of different fields, ranging from the most basic to the most advanced. As its name implies, these concise, comprehensive study guides summarize the essentials of the field covered. Essentials are helpful when preparing for exams, doing homework and will remain a lasting reference source for students, teachers, and professionals. Statistics II discusses sampling theory, statistical inference, independent and dependent variables, correlation theory, experimental design, count data, chi-square test, and time se

Targeted Food Marketing to Youth: Engaging Professionals in an Online Environment

Science.gov (United States)

Katras, Mary Jo; Kunkel, Kelly; Croymans, Sara R.; Routh, Brianna; Schroeder, Mary; Olson, Carrie Ann

2014-01-01

The use of technology provides unique ways to create an engaged online community of learning for professionals that can be integrated into existing and future Extension programming. The Targeted Food Marketing to Youth online professional development course uses strategies and tools to create and support an engaged online community.

#Digitalfaith: Using Social Media for Professional Development

Science.gov (United States)

Manson, Sable A.; Cordovés, Janett I.

2018-01-01

There is a need to identify and create spaces for professionals in higher education to engage religion, secularism, and spirituality in meaningful ways. #DigitalFaith resources are the digital platforms and communities supporting religious, secular, and spiritual development, and they offer potential avenues for professional development. This…

Community Garden Information Systems: Analyzing and Strengthening Community-Based Resource Sharing Networks

Science.gov (United States)

Loria, Kristen

2013-01-01

Extension professionals play an increasingly central role in supporting community garden and other community-based agriculture projects. With growing interest in community gardens as tools to improve community health and vitality, the best strategies for supporting these projects should be explored. Due to the importance of inter-personal networks…

An Examination of Counseling Professionals/Paraprofessionals Attitudes Toward Adolescent Sexual Offenders

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Edward C. Jones

2013-08-01

Full Text Available One hundred thirty-three counseling professionals/paraprofessionals were recruited from adolescent residential treatment programs located in Michigan. Participants were assessed using the Community Attitudes Toward Sex Offender Scale (CATSO. Of the participants, 32.3% (n = 43 of the participants were female and 67.7% (n = 90 were male. Years of experience working directly with adolescent sexual offenders of participants ranged from 0 to 18 years (M = 2.48 years, SD = 3.48. The number of months participants received sexual offender training ranged from 0 to 60 (M = 3.44, SD = 9.48. No statistical differences in attitudes were found between females and males toward adolescent sexual offenders. No statistically significant relationship was found between years of experience and the four factors on the CATSO survey (Social Isolation, Capacity to Change, Severity/Dangerousness, and Deviancy. A significant relationship was found between experience and the Deviancy factor. No statistically significant relationship was found between months of training and attitudes. Overall, attitudes toward adolescent sexual offenders were positive.

A guide to statistical analysis in microbial ecology: a community-focused, living review of multivariate data analyses.

Science.gov (United States)

Buttigieg, Pier Luigi; Ramette, Alban

2014-12-01

The application of multivariate statistical analyses has become a consistent feature in microbial ecology. However, many microbial ecologists are still in the process of developing a deep understanding of these methods and appreciating their limitations. As a consequence, staying abreast of progress and debate in this arena poses an additional challenge to many microbial ecologists. To address these issues, we present the GUide to STatistical Analysis in Microbial Ecology (GUSTA ME): a dynamic, web-based resource providing accessible descriptions of numerous multivariate techniques relevant to microbial ecologists. A combination of interactive elements allows users to discover and navigate between methods relevant to their needs and examine how they have been used by others in the field. We have designed GUSTA ME to become a community-led and -curated service, which we hope will provide a common reference and forum to discuss and disseminate analytical techniques relevant to the microbial ecology community. © 2014 The Authors. FEMS Microbiology Ecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Federation of European Microbiological Societies.

Material matters for learning in virtual networks: a case study of a professional learning programme hosted in a Google+ online community

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aileen Ackland

2015-08-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we draw on Actor–Network Theories (ANT to explore how material components functioned to create gateways and barriers to a virtual learning network in the context of a professional development module in higher education. Students were practitioners engaged in family learning in different professional roles and contexts. The data comprised postings in the Google+ community, email correspondence, meeting notes, feedback submitted at the final workshop and post-module evaluation forms. Our analysis revealed a complex set of interactions, and suggests multiple ways human actors story their encounters with non-human components and the effects these have on the learning experience. The aim of this paper is to contribute to a more holistic understanding of the components and dynamics of social learning networks in the virtual world and consider the implications for the design of online learning for continuous professional development (CPD.

Basic statistics an introduction with R

CERN Document Server

Raykov, Tenko

2012-01-01

Basic Statistics provides an accessible and comprehensive introduction to statistics using the free, state-of-the-art, powerful software program R. This book is designed to both introduce students to key concepts in statistics and to provide simple instructions for using R.Teaches essential concepts in statistics, assuming little background knowledge on the part of the readerIntroduces students to R with as few sub-commands as possible for ease of useProvides practical examples from the educational, behavioral, and social sciencesBasic Statistics will appeal to students and professionals acros

A qualitative study of advanced nurse practitioners' use of physical assessment skills in the community: shifting skills across professional boundaries.

Science.gov (United States)

Raleigh, Mary; Allan, Helen

2017-07-01

To explore multiple perspectives on the use of physical assessment skills by advanced nurse practitioners in the UK. Physical assessment skills practices are embedded in advanced nursing practice roles in the UK. There is little evidence on how these skills are used by advanced nurse practitioners in the community. Case study. A qualitative interpretative single-embedded case study of 22 participants from South of England. A framework method analysed interview data collected by the researcher between March-August 2013. Participants included nurses, doctors, nurse educators and managers. Physical assessment skills education at universities is part of a policy shift to develop a flexible workforce in the UK. Shared physical assessment practices are less to do with role substitution and more about preparing practitioners with skills that are fit for purpose. Competence, capability and performance with physical assessment skills are an expectation of advanced nursing practice. These skills are used successfully by community advanced nurse practitioners to deliver a wide range of services in response to changing patient need. The introduction of physical assessment skills education to undergraduate professional preparation would create a firm foundation to develop these skills in postgraduate education. Physical assessment education prepares nurses with the clinical competencies to carry out healthcare reforms in the UK. Shared sets of clinical assessment competencies between disciplines have better outcomes for patients. Levels of assessment competence can depend on the professional attributes of individual practitioners. Unsupportive learning cultures can hinder professional development of advanced nursing practice. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The development, design, testing, refinement, simulation and application of an evaluation framework for communities of practice and social-professional networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ball Dianne

2009-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Communities of practice and social-professional networks are generally considered to enhance workplace experience and enable organizational success. However, despite the remarkable growth in interest in the role of collaborating structures in a range of industries, there is a paucity of empirical research to support this view. Nor is there a convincing model for their systematic evaluation, despite the significant potential benefits in answering the core question: how well do groups of professionals work together and how could they be organised to work together more effectively? This research project will produce a rigorous evaluation methodology and deliver supporting tools for the benefit of researchers, policymakers, practitioners and consumers within the health system and other sectors. Given the prevalence and importance of communities of practice and social networks, and the extent of investments in them, this project represents a scientific innovation of national and international significance. Methods and design Working in four conceptual phases the project will employ a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods to develop, design, field-test, refine and finalise an evaluation framework. Once available the framework will be used to evaluate simulated, and then later existing, health care communities of practice and social-professional networks to assess their effectiveness in achieving desired outcomes. Peak stakeholder groups have agreed to involve a wide range of members and participant organisations, and will facilitate access to various policy, managerial and clinical networks. Discussion Given its scope and size, the project represents a valuable opportunity to achieve breakthroughs at two levels; firstly, by introducing novel and innovative aims and methods into the social research process and, secondly, through the resulting evaluation framework and tools. We anticipate valuable outcomes in the

Principles of Statistics: What the Sports Medicine Professional Needs to Know.

Science.gov (United States)

Riemann, Bryan L; Lininger, Monica R

2018-07-01

Understanding the results and statistics reported in original research remains a large challenge for many sports medicine practitioners and, in turn, may be among one of the biggest barriers to integrating research into sports medicine practice. The purpose of this article is to provide minimal essentials a sports medicine practitioner needs to know about interpreting statistics and research results to facilitate the incorporation of the latest evidence into practice. Topics covered include the difference between statistical significance and clinical meaningfulness; effect sizes and confidence intervals; reliability statistics, including the minimal detectable difference and minimal important difference; and statistical power. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Establishing a professional profile of community health workers: results from a national study of roles, activities and training.

Science.gov (United States)

Ingram, Maia; Reinschmidt, Kerstin M; Schachter, Ken A; Davidson, Chris L; Sabo, Samantha J; De Zapien, Jill Guernsey; Carvajal, Scott C

2012-04-01

Community Health Workers (CHWs) have gained national recognition for their role in addressing health disparities and are increasingly integrated into the health care delivery system. There is a lack of consensus, however, regarding empirical evidence on the impact of CHW interventions on health outcomes. In this paper, we present results from the 2010 National Community Health Worker Advocacy Survey (NCHWAS) in an effort to strengthen a generalized understanding of the CHW profession that can be integrated into ongoing efforts to improve the health care delivery system. Results indicate that regardless of geographical location, work setting, and demographic characteristics, CHWs generally share similar professional characteristics, training preparation, and job activities. CHWs are likely to be female, representative of the community they serve, and to work in community health centers, clinics, community-based organizations, and health departments. The most common type of training is on-the-job and conference training. Most CHWs work with clients, groups, other CHWs and less frequently community leaders to address health issues, the most common of which are chronic disease, prevention and health care access. Descriptions of CHW activities documented in the survey demonstrate that CHWs apply core competencies in a synergistic manner in an effort to assure that their clients get the services they need. NCHWAS findings suggest that over the past 50 years, the CHW field has become standardized in response to the unmet needs of their communities. In research and practice, the field would benefit from being considered a health profession rather than an intervention.

Emergency Medical Services Professionals’ Attitudes About Community Paramedic Programs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robert J. Steeps

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Introduction: The number of community paramedic (CP programs has expanded to mitigate the impact of increased patient usage on emergency services. However, it has not been determined to what extent emergency medical services (EMS professionals would be willing to participate in this model of care. With this project, we sought to evaluate the perceptions of EMS professionals toward the concept of a CP program. Methods: We used a cross-sectional study method to evaluate the perceptions of participating EMS professionals with regard to their understanding of and willingness to participate in a CP program. Approximately 350 licensed EMS professionals currently working for an EMS service that provides coverage to four states (Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas, and Oklahoma were invited to participate in an electronic survey regarding their perceptions toward a CP program. We analyzed interval data using the Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis one-way analysis of variance, and Pearson correlation as appropriate. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to examine the impact of participant characteristics on their willingness to perform CP duties. Statistical significance was established at p ≤ 0.05. Results: Of the 350 EMS professionals receiving an invitation, 283 (81% participated. Of those participants, 165 (70% indicated that they understood what a CP program entails. One hundred thirty-five (58% stated they were likely to attend additional education in order to become a CP, 152 (66% were willing to perform CP duties, and 175 (75% felt that their respective communities would be in favor of a local CP program. Using logistic regression with regard to willingness to perform CP duties, we found that females were more willing than males (OR = 4.65; p = 0.03 and that those participants without any perceived time on shift to commit to CP duties were less willing than those who believed their work shifts could accommodate additional duties (OR = 0.20; p

Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) as a Means for School-Based Science Curriculum Change

Science.gov (United States)

Browne, Christi L.

The challenge of school-based science curriculum change and educational reform is often presented to science teachers and departments who are not necessarily prepared for the complexity of considerations that change movements require. The development of a Professional Learning Community (PLC) focused on a science department's curriculum change efforts, may provide the necessary tools to foster sustainable school-based curriculum science changes. This research presents a case study of an evolving science department PLC consisting of 10 middle school science teachers from the same middle school and their efforts of school-based science curriculum change. A transformative mixed model case study with qualitative data and deepened by quantitative analysis, was chosen to guide the investigation. Collected data worked to document the essential developmental steps, the occurrence and frequency of the five essential dimensions of successful PLCs, and the influences the science department PLC had on the middle school science department's progression through school-based science curriculum change, and the barriers, struggles and inhibiting actions of the science department PLC. Findings indicated that a science department PLC was unique in that it allowed for a focal science departmental lens of science curriculum change to be applied to the structure and function of the PLC and therefore the process, proceedings, and results were directly aligned to and driven by the science department. The science PLC, while logically difficult to set-up and maintain, became a professional science forum where the middle school science teachers were exposed to new science teaching and learning knowledge, explored new science standards, discussed effects on student science learning, designed and critically analyzed science curriculum change application. Conclusions resulted in the science department PLC as an identified tool providing the ability for science departmental actions to lead to

Professional Learning Communities: Concepts in Action in a Principal Preparation Program, an Elementary School Team, a Leadership Team, and a Business Partnership

Science.gov (United States)

Servais, Kristine; Derrington, Mary Lynne; Sanders, Kellie

2009-01-01

The Professional Learning Community (PLC) model has moved to the forefront in the field of education as one of the most effective frameworks to improve student achievement and overall school success. The research conducted for this paper provides evidence for systemic and action based improvement using the PLC model in four diverse venues:…

Drivers of professional mobility in the Northern Territory: dental professionals.

Science.gov (United States)

Hall, D J; Garnett, S T; Barnes, T; Stevens, M

2007-01-01

Attracting and retaining an efficient allied health workforce is a challenge faced by communities in Australia and overseas. High rates of staff turnover in the professional workforce diverts resources away from core business and results in the loss of valuable skills and knowledge. Understanding what attracts professionals to a particular place, and why they leave, is important for developing effective strategies to manage turnover and maximise workforce productivity. The Northern Territory (NT) faces particular workforce challenges, in part because of its geographic location and unusual demography. Do these factors require the development of a tailored approach to recruitment and retention? This article reports on a study undertaken to examine the motivations for coming to, staying in and leaving the NT for dental professionals, and the implications of results on workforce management practices. In 2006, dentists, dental specialists, dental therapists and dental hygienists who were working or had worked in the NT, Australia, in the recent past were surveyed to collect demographic and workforce data and to establish the relative importance of social and work-related factors influencing their migration decisions. Multivariate logistic regression models were generated to describe the demographic characteristics of dental professionals who stayed in the NT for more than 5 years and to analyse why dental professionals left. The analyses, based on a 42% response rate, explained 60-80% of the variation in responses. Generally dental professionals who had stayed for more than 5 years were older, had invested in the purchase of homes and were more involved in social and cultural activities. Those who moved to the NT as a result of financial incentives or who had strong expectations that working in the NT would be an exciting, novel experience tended to stay for no more than 5 years, often leaving because they found the work environment too stressful. In contrast, those who

United States Army Officer Professional Development: Black Officers' Perspectives

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Johnson, Craig

1997-01-01

.... Even so, they have not fared statistically as well as their majority contemporaries. These statistics pose interesting questions about black officer professional development and career progress...

Improving Teacher Professionalism.

Science.gov (United States)

Schultheis, Robert A.

1979-01-01

A teacher who feels secure, wanted, and recognized by the administration and the community, who is provided with adequate working conditions, including small classes and effective work space, and who is supported and encouraged to travel, study, and experiment is likely to behave in a highly professional manner and be very productive. (LRA)

Physical Education Teachers' Professionalization: A Review of Occupational Power and Professional Control

Science.gov (United States)

Kougioumtzis, Konstantin; Patriksson, Goran; Strahlman, Owe

2011-01-01

This article reviews research on physical education (PE) teachers' professionalization considering their relative position at schools and in the community as well as their control over the lesson formation. The position considers issues of prestige, status and esteem while lesson formation regards constitutional, organizational and physical…

Value Creation in Online Communities for Educators

Science.gov (United States)

Booth, Sharon E.; Kellogg, Shaun B.

2015-01-01

The popularity and pervasiveness of online communities have led researchers and practitioners alike to closely examine the utility of online communities for supporting and facilitating professional learning. As economic constraints leave fewer resources available for professional development, educators in particular are examining the potential of…

Resilience and professional quality of life in staff working with people with intellectual disabilities and offending behavior in community based and institutional settings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Erik Søndenaa

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Staff in forensic services for people with intellectual disabilities (ID are expected to deal with a wide range of emotional challenges when providing care. The potential impact of this demanding work has not been systematically explored previously. This article explores the professional quality of life (QoL and the resilience (hardiness of the staff in this setting. The Professional QoL questionnaire and the Disposional Resilience Scale were completed by staff (n=85, 80% response rate in the Norwegian forensic service for ID offenders. Responses from staff working in institutional settings were compared to those from staff in local community services. Staff in the local community services had higher resilience scores compared to the staff in the institutional setting, (t=2.19; P<0.05. However in the other QoL and resilience domains there were no differences between the staff in the two settings. The greater sense of resilient control among community staff may be a function of both the number of service users they work with and the institutional demands they face. Even though these participants worked with relatively high risk clients, they did not report significantly impaired quality of life compared to other occupations.

Statistics for Finance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lindström, Erik; Madsen, Henrik; Nielsen, Jan Nygaard

Statistics for Finance develops students’ professional skills in statistics with applications in finance. Developed from the authors’ courses at the Technical University of Denmark and Lund University, the text bridges the gap between classical, rigorous treatments of financial mathematics...... that rarely connect concepts to data and books on econometrics and time series analysis that do not cover specific problems related to option valuation. The book discusses applications of financial derivatives pertaining to risk assessment and elimination. The authors cover various statistical...... and mathematical techniques, including linear and nonlinear time series analysis, stochastic calculus models, stochastic differential equations, Itō’s formula, the Black–Scholes model, the generalized method-of-moments, and the Kalman filter. They explain how these tools are used to price financial derivatives...

Business statistics I essentials

CERN Document Server

Clark, Louise

2014-01-01

REA's Essentials provide quick and easy access to critical information in a variety of different fields, ranging from the most basic to the most advanced. As its name implies, these concise, comprehensive study guides summarize the essentials of the field covered. Essentials are helpful when preparing for exams, doing homework and will remain a lasting reference source for students, teachers, and professionals. Business Statistics I includes descriptive statistics, introduction to probability, probability distributions, sampling and sampling distributions, interval estimation, and hypothesis t

A cultural critique of community psychiatry in India.

Science.gov (United States)

Jain, Sumeet; Jadhav, Sushrut

2008-01-01

This article is the first comprehensive cultural critique of India's official community mental health policy and program. Data are based on a literature review of published papers, conference proceedings, analyses of official policy and popular media, interviews with key Indian mental health professionals, and fieldwork in Kanpur district, Uttar Pradesh (2004-2006). The authors demonstrate how three influences have shaped community psychiatry in India: a cultural asymmetry between health professionals and the wider society, psychiatry's search for both professional and social legitimacy, and WHO policies that have provided the overall direction to the development of services. Taken together, the consequences are that rural community voices have been edited out. The authors hypothesize that community psychiatry in India is a bureaucratic and culturally incongruent endeavor that increases the divide between psychiatry and local rural communities. Such a claim requires sustained ethnographic fieldwork to reveal the dynamics of the gap between community and professional experiences. The development of culturally sensitive psychiatric theory and clinical services is essential to improve the mental health of rural citizens who place their trust in India's biomedical network.

Codes of Ethics and Teachers' Professional Autonomy

Science.gov (United States)

Schwimmer, Marina; Maxwell, Bruce

2017-01-01

This article considers the value of adopting a code of professional ethics for teachers. After having underlined how a code of ethics stands to benefits a community of educators--namely, by providing a mechanism for regulating autonomy and promoting a shared professional ethic--the article examines the principal arguments against codes of ethics.…

Spaces of care in the third sector: understanding the effects of professionalization.

Science.gov (United States)

Carey, Gemma; Braunack-Mayer, Annette; Barraket, Jo

2009-11-01

Increasingly the health and welfare needs of individuals and communities are being met by third sector, or not-for-profit, organizations. Since the 1980s third sector organizations have been subject to significant, sector-wide changes, such as the development of contractual funding and an increasing need to collaborate with governments and other sectors. In particular, the processes of 'professionalization' and 'bureaucratization' have received significant attention and are now well documented in third sector literature. These processes are often understood to create barriers between organizations and their community groups and neutralize alternative forms of service provision. In this article we provide a case study of an Australian third sector organization undergoing professionalization. The case study draws on ethnographic and qualitative interviews with staff and volunteers at a health-based third sector organization involved in service provision to marginalized community groups. We examine how professionalization alters organizational spaces and dynamics and conclude that professionalized third sector spaces may still be 'community' spaces where individuals may give and receive care and services. Moreover, we suggest that these community spaces hold potential for resisting the neutralizing effects of contracting.

Navigating the Complex Practices of Specialized Literacy Professionals in Formalized Teacher Leadership Positions

Science.gov (United States)

Yurkewecz, Thea A.

2017-01-01

This dissertation reports on how one school community engaged in a professional development grant initiative that incorporated teacher leadership. Teacher leaders may have numerous roles and responsibilities that support the professional learning and instructional practices of school communities. This study examined the experiences of three…

Professionalizing Intelligence Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

James B. Bruce

2015-09-01

Full Text Available This article examines the current state of professionalism in national security intelligence analysis in the U.S. Government. Since the introduction of major intelligence reforms directed by the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act (IRTPA in December, 2004, we have seen notable strides in many aspects of intelligence professionalization, including in analysis. But progress is halting, uneven, and by no means permanent. To consolidate its gains, and if it is to continue improving, the U.S. intelligence community (IC should commit itself to accomplishing a new program of further professionalization of analysis to ensure that it will develop an analytic cadre that is fully prepared to deal with the complexities of an emerging multipolar and highly dynamic world that the IC itself is forecasting. Some recent reforms in intelligence analysis can be assessed against established standards of more fully developed professions; these may well fall short of moving the IC closer to the more fully professionalized analytical capability required for producing the kind of analysis needed now by the United States.

Professional self-concept and professional values of senior students of the nursing department.

Science.gov (United States)

Çöplü, Mehtap; Tekinsoy Kartın, Pınar

2018-01-01

This study was carried out in order to determine professional self-concept and professional values in the students, who were studying in the final year of the nursing department in schools providing undergraduate education in the Inner Anatolia Region. This cross-sectional study was conducted on a total of 619 senior students of nursing departments in the Inner Anatolia Region. Data were collected using a Student Information Form, Professional Self-Concept Scale for the Student Nurses, and The Nurses' Professional Values Scale. Descriptive statistics, the Shapiro-Wilk test, the t-test, analysis of variance, and the Bonferroni tests were used for data analysis. Ethical Considerations: A written consent was obtained from Ethics Board of Erciyes University Faculty of Medicine and from nursing schools participating in the study. Prior to data collection, students were informed about the purpose of the study and gave written and verbal consents. Participation in the study was on voluntary basis. In the study, students' total and sub-dimension scores from the Professional Self-Concept Scale for the Student Nurses and total scores from the Nurses' Professional Values Scale were moderately high. It was detected that women received higher scores than men from the sub-dimension of professional attributes; the students who had positive perception of the nursing image and voluntarily selected their department received high scores from professional satisfaction, professional competence, and professional attributes sub-dimensions of the Professional Self-Concept Scale for the Student Nurses ( p concept and professional values, it is thought that students' awareness should be increased on these topics.

An evaluation of experiences and views of Scottish leadership training opportunities amongst primary care professionals.

Science.gov (United States)

Power, Ailsa; Allbutt, Helen; Munro, Lucy; MacLeod, Marion; Kennedy, Susan; Cameron, Donald; Scoular, Ken; Orr, Graham; Gillies, John

2017-05-01

To determine experiences of leadership training of six primary care professions in Scotland and consider future development. A questionnaire on previous leadership course attendance and future intentions was distributed to community pharmacists, general dental practitioners, general practitioners, practice nurses, practice managers and optometrists. Analysis comprised descriptive statistics for closed questions and management of textual data. Formal leadership training participation was fairly low except for practice managers. Leadership was perceived to facilitate development of staff, problem-solving and team working. Preference for future delivery was similar across the six professions with e-modules and small group learning being preferred. Time and financial pressures to undertake courses were common barriers for professionals. Leadership is key to improve quality, safety and efficiency of care and help deliver innovative services and transformative change. To date, leadership provision for primary care professionals has typically been patchy, uni-disciplinary in focus and undertaken outwith work environments. Future development must reflect needs of busy primary care professionals and the reality of team working to deliver integrated services at local level.

INVECTIVE IN PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION: PRAGMATIC AND LINGUISTIC ASPECTS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Garaeva Leyla Mirzanurovna

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The article presents the results of the research conducted by the author on the main parameters and functions of invectives used in professional communication (discourse of professional aviation, Navy, fire-fighters, sport, oilpumping, transport, etc.. The data represented by 1500 professional texts in Russian and English demonstrate both explicit and implicit invectives in all types of communities. The quantitative analyses pursued by the author proved that obscene and abusive vocabulary, cursing and jargon words are used only in 11% of all the texts studied. Standard national and professional vocabulary acquires invective senses due to special communicative circumstances and situation. The invectiveness in professional communication is universally relative as it is evaluated differently by professionals and laymen. In case the cursive language and abusive vocabulary function as discursive conventions in a professional community the degree of their invectiveness is gradually blurring and decreasing in comparison with the same words used in the national discourse where taboos and restrictions are much more severe. Pejoratively connotated words, collocations, idioms are fulfilling mainly emphatic and esoteric functions. The spectrum of functions of both implicit and explicit invectives ranges from intensifying verbal aggression (devaluation, violence, plummeting the level of the addressee, manipulation to marking "insiders" and "outsiders", reducing the psychological tension, compensate invective contextual senses, lessen or exclude physical violence.

Statistical physics of community ecology: a cavity solution to MacArthur’s consumer resource model

Science.gov (United States)

Advani, Madhu; Bunin, Guy; Mehta, Pankaj

2018-03-01

A central question in ecology is to understand the ecological processes that shape community structure. Niche-based theories have emphasized the important role played by competition for maintaining species diversity. Many of these insights have been derived using MacArthur’s consumer resource model (MCRM) or its generalizations. Most theoretical work on the MCRM has focused on small ecosystems with a few species and resources. However theoretical insights derived from small ecosystems many not scale up to large ecosystems with many resources and species because large systems with many interacting components often display new emergent behaviors that cannot be understood or deduced from analyzing smaller systems. To address these shortcomings, we develop a statistical physics inspired cavity method to analyze MCRM when both the number of species and the number of resources is large. Unlike previous work in this limit, our theory addresses resource dynamics and resource depletion and demonstrates that species generically and consistently perturb their environments and significantly modify available ecological niches. We show how our cavity approach naturally generalizes niche theory to large ecosystems by accounting for the effect of collective phenomena on species invasion and ecological stability. Our theory suggests that such phenomena are a generic feature of large, natural ecosystems and must be taken into account when analyzing and interpreting community structure. It also highlights the important role that statistical-physics inspired approaches can play in furthering our understanding of ecology.

Special Education Professionals' Perceptions toward Accessible Playgrounds

Science.gov (United States)

Stanton-Chapman, Tina L.; Schmidt, Eric L.

2016-01-01

The perceptions and beliefs of 303 special education professionals toward currently available playgrounds in their school or community were examined. Survey respondents (a) indicated that their students with a disability could not fully participate in their school or community's playground offerings, (b) discussed the need for a peer buddy program…

Tempering the Normative Demands of Professional Learning Communities with the Organizational Realities of Life in Schools: Exploring the Cognitive Dilemmas Faced by Educational Leaders

Science.gov (United States)

Kruse, Sharon D.; Johnson, Bob L.

2017-01-01

This work explores how mindful leadership practice can inform school and district leadership specifically as it occurs in professional learning communities (PLC). When school and district leaders create PLC cultures that encourage rich thinking and intentional practice, individual and organizational mindfulness is present. As leaders work to craft…

In the Round: Supporting Teachers' Authentic Professional Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Strand, Matt

2013-01-01

This is a study of teachers' authentic professional learning at a public school in Poudre School District in northern Colorado. At Polaris Expeditionary Learning School, teachers and administrators have developed a form of school-based instructional rounds referred to herein as PLC rounds (professional learning community rounds). In PLC rounds,…

Professional aspects of nuclear safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1987-01-01

Design and operation of nuclear facilities in Ontario are performed by professionals who have more at stake in the nuclear scene than the average resident of the province. Their technical expertise is constantly under scrutiny by their employers, the Atomic Energy Control Board, and the dissenting factions in the community. They and their families live close to nuclear facilities. It is highly unlikely that these professionals would assume a less than cautious approach to their work. The professional staff at both AECL-CANDU Operations and at Ontario Hydro have employee associations that date back many years. The presence of these associations has helped professional employees to divorce their labour-related concerns from their technical responsibilities to the advantage of the public. With the backing of their associations, the professional employees have encouraged the employers to sponsor career development programs to help them maintain state-of-the-art expertise. Employers have sponsored attendance and participation at technical seminars, many of them international. These benefits and privileges have contributed to improved standards in design, but most importantly the protection afforded by collective agreements to professional integrity has permitted engineers and other professionals to insist on the highest possible design standards

Leadership: professional communities of leadership practice in post-compulsory education

OpenAIRE

Jameson, Jill

2008-01-01

Summary: This is a paper that reviews and outlines the academic basis behind leadership in the post-compulsory setting.\\ud Description: Leadership has been for some years a key area of strategic and operational importance in the UK post-compulsory sector - this publication aims to addresss some of the issues surrounding this topic. It discusses theories and definitions of leadership, leader professionalism and post-compulsory education. A collaborative model of professional leadership is reco...

Educating for Professional Identity Development

NARCIS (Netherlands)

C.P. Tan (Chin Peil)

2014-01-01

markdownabstract__Abstract__ In preparing students for their role in their respective communities, vocational and professional education should provide for learning experiences that acculturate them to become the new and bona fide practitioners. In addition to acquiring pre-requisite knowledge

Community response grids: using information technology to help communities respond to bioterror emergencies.

Science.gov (United States)

Jaeger, Paul T; Fleischmann, Kenneth R; Preece, Jennifer; Shneiderman, Ben; Wu, Philip Fei; Qu, Yan

2007-12-01

Access to accurate and trusted information is vital in preparing for, responding to, and recovering from an emergency. To facilitate response in large-scale emergency situations, Community Response Grids (CRGs) integrate Internet and mobile technologies to enable residents to report information, professional emergency responders to disseminate instructions, and residents to assist one another. CRGs use technology to help residents and professional emergency responders to work together in community response to emergencies, including bioterrorism events. In a time of increased danger from bioterrorist threats, the application of advanced information and communication technologies to community response is vital in confronting such threats. This article describes CRGs, their underlying concepts, development efforts, their relevance to biosecurity and bioterrorism, and future research issues in the use of technology to facilitate community response.

The raison d'etre for the community pharmacy and the community pharmacist in Sweden

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wisell, Kristin; Kälvemark Sporrong, Sofia

2016-01-01

Community pharmacies are balancing between business (selling medicines and other products) and healthcare (using the pharmacists’ knowledge in order to improve drug utilization). This balance could be affected by regulations decided upon by politicians, but also influenced by others. The aim...... of this study was to explore important stakeholders’ views on community pharmacy and community pharmacists in Sweden. The method used was that of semi-structured qualitative interviews. Political, professional, and patient organization representatives were interviewed. The results show that informants who...... are pharmacists or representatives of a professional pharmacist organization generally have a healthcare-centered view on community pharmacy/pharmacists. However, different views on how this orientation should be performed were revealed, ranging from being specialists to dealing with uncomplicated tasks...

A Guide for Health Professionals Working with Aboriginal Peoples: Executive Summary

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

Objective to provide Canadian health professionals with a network of information and recommendations regarding Aboriginal health. Options health professionals working with Aboriginal individuals and communities in the area of women’s health care. Outcomes improved health status of Aboriginal peoples in Canada. Appropriateness and accessibility of women’s health services for Aboriginal peoples. Improved communication and clinical skills of health professionals in the area of Aboriginal health. Improved quality of relationship between health professionals and Aboriginal individuals and communities. Improved quality of relationship between health care professionals and Aboriginal individuals and communities. Evidence recommendations are based on expert opinion and a review of the literature. Published references were identified by a Medline search of all review articles, randomized clinical control trials, meta-analyses, and practice guidelines from 1966 to February 1999, using the MeSH headings “Indians, North American or Eskimos” and “Health.”* Subsequently published articles were brought to the attention of the authors in the process of writing and reviewing the document. Ancillary and unpublished references were recommended by members of the SOGC Aboriginal Health Issues Committee and the panel of expert reviewers. Values information collected was reviewed by the principal author. The social, cultural, political, and historic context of Aboriginal peoples in Canada, systemic barriers regarding the publication of information by Aboriginal authors, the diversity of Aboriginal peoples in Canada, and the need for a culturally appropriate and balanced presentation were carefully considered in addition to more traditional scientific evaluation. The majority of information collected consisted of descriptive health and social information and such evaluation tools as the evidence guidelines of the Canadian Task Force on the Periodic Health exam were not

Professionals' views on mental health service users' education: challenges and support.

Science.gov (United States)

Nieminen, I; Kaunonen, M

2017-02-01

WHAT IS KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT?: Mental health service users (MHSUs) may experience disruptions in their education. However, education has been shown to have a positive influence on their recovery, potentially offering them broader employment opportunities. The literature suggests that providing support for MHSUs in their educational efforts may be beneficial and is wished for by the service users themselves. However, there is a lack of mental health professionals' views on the topic in the setting of a community mental health centre. WHAT DOES THIS PAPER ADD TO THE EXISTING KNOWLEDGE?: In the perception of mental health professionals, the predominance of disease in the life of MHSUs and their marginalization may form barriers to their success in education. Professionals can support MHSUs in their educational efforts by strengthening the MHSUs' internal resources and creating a supportive environment with professional expertise available. A service user-centred education might further help MHSUs to achieve their educational goals. Our findings confirm previous knowledge of a recovery-oriented approach to supporting MHSUs' education. This study explored the topic from the professionals' perspective in the context of community mental health centres, which is a fresh view in the research literature. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE?: The findings suggest which types of support professionals perceive to be required for MHSUs to advance their studies. Knowledge of adequate forms of support can be applied in the mental health nursing practice to develop support measures for service users to advance in their studies. All levels of the community mental health centres should be aware of and adopt a recovery-oriented approach. MHSUs and professionals need to have a shared opinion on the definition of recovery orientation. This requires mutual discussion and the more active involvement of MHSUs in the design of their own rehabilitation process. Introduction Studies show

Experimental statistics

CERN Document Server

Natrella, Mary Gibbons

1963-01-01

Formulated to assist scientists and engineers engaged in army ordnance research and development programs, this well-known and highly regarded handbook is a ready reference for advanced undergraduate and graduate students as well as for professionals seeking engineering information and quantitative data for designing, developing, constructing, and testing equipment. Topics include characterizing and comparing the measured performance of a material, product, or process; general considerations in planning experiments; statistical techniques for analyzing extreme-value data; use of transformations

Overcoming institutional challenges through continuous professionalism improvement: the University of Washington experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Fryer-Edwards, Kelly; Van Eaton, Erik; Goldstein, Erika A; Kimball, Harry R; Veith, Richard C; Pellegrini, Carlos A; Ramsey, Paul G

2007-11-01

The University of Washington (UW) School of Medicine is in the midst of an emerging ecology of professionalism. This initiative builds on prior work focusing on professionalism at the student level and moves toward the complete integration of a culture of professionalism within the UW medical community of including staff, faculty, residents, and students. The platform for initiating professionalism as institutional culture is the Committee on Continuous Professionalism Improvement, established in November 2006. This article reviews three approaches to organizational development used within and outside medicine and highlights features that are useful for enhancing an institutional culture of professionalism: organizational culture, safety culture, and appreciative inquiry. UW Medicine has defined professional development as a continuous process, built on concrete expectations, using mechanisms to facilitate learning from missteps and highlighting strengths. To this end, the school of medicine is working toward improvements in feedback, evaluation, and reward structures at all levels (student, resident, faculty, and staff) as well as creating opportunities for community dialogues on professionalism issues within the institution. Throughout all the Continuous Professionalism Improvement activities, a two-pronged approach to cultivating a culture of professionalism is taken: celebration of excellence and attention to accountability.

Community-based post-stroke service provision and challenges: a national survey of managers and inter-disciplinary healthcare staff in Ireland

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hickey Anne

2012-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The extent of stroke-related disability typically becomes most apparent after patient discharge to the community. As part of the Irish National Audit of Stroke Care (INASC, a national survey of community-based allied health professionals and public health nurses was conducted. The aim was to document the challenges to service availability for patients with stroke in the community and to identify priorities for service improvement. Methods The study was a cross-sectional tailored interview survey with key managerial and service delivery staff. As comprehensive listings of community-based health professionals involved in stroke care were not available, a cascade approach to information gathering was adopted. Representative regional managers for services incorporating stroke care (N = 7 and disciplinary allied health professional and public health nurse managers (N = 25 were interviewed (94% response rate. Results Results indicated a lack of formal, structured community-based services for stroke, with no designated clinical posts for stroke care across disciplines nationally. There was significant regional variation in availability of allied health professionals. Considerable inequity was identified in patient access to stroke services, with greater access, where available, for older patients (≥ 65 years. The absence of a stroke strategy and stroke prevalence statistics were identified as significant impediments to service planning, alongside organisational barriers limiting the recruitment of additional allied health professional staff, and lack of sharing of discipline-specific information on patients. Conclusions This study highlighted major gaps in the provision of inter-disciplinary team community-based services for people with stroke in one country. Where services existed, they were generic in nature, rarely inter-disciplinary in function and deficient in input from salient disciplines. Challenges to optimal care

Community-based post-stroke service provision and challenges: a national survey of managers and inter-disciplinary healthcare staff in Ireland

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-01

Background The extent of stroke-related disability typically becomes most apparent after patient discharge to the community. As part of the Irish National Audit of Stroke Care (INASC), a national survey of community-based allied health professionals and public health nurses was conducted. The aim was to document the challenges to service availability for patients with stroke in the community and to identify priorities for service improvement. Methods The study was a cross-sectional tailored interview survey with key managerial and service delivery staff. As comprehensive listings of community-based health professionals involved in stroke care were not available, a cascade approach to information gathering was adopted. Representative regional managers for services incorporating stroke care (N = 7) and disciplinary allied health professional and public health nurse managers (N = 25) were interviewed (94% response rate). Results Results indicated a lack of formal, structured community-based services for stroke, with no designated clinical posts for stroke care across disciplines nationally. There was significant regional variation in availability of allied health professionals. Considerable inequity was identified in patient access to stroke services, with greater access, where available, for older patients (≥ 65 years). The absence of a stroke strategy and stroke prevalence statistics were identified as significant impediments to service planning, alongside organisational barriers limiting the recruitment of additional allied health professional staff, and lack of sharing of discipline-specific information on patients. Conclusions This study highlighted major gaps in the provision of inter-disciplinary team community-based services for people with stroke in one country. Where services existed, they were generic in nature, rarely inter-disciplinary in function and deficient in input from salient disciplines. Challenges to optimal care included the need for

Validation of mentorship model for newly qualified professional ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Newly qualified professional nurses (NQPNs) allocated to community health care services require the use of validated model to practice independently. Validation was done to adapt and assess if the model is understood and could be implemented by NQPNs and mentors employed in community health care services.

School Culture and Leadership of Professional Learning Communities

Science.gov (United States)

Carpenter, Daniel

2015-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore supportive and shared leadership structures at schools as a function of school culture policies and procedures. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative study was conducted at three secondary schools in the Midwestern USA. Administrators and teachers were interviewed, professional learning…

Technology Integration through Professional Learning Community

Science.gov (United States)

Cifuentes, Lauren; Maxwell, Gerri; Bulu, Sanser

2011-01-01

We describe efforts to build a learning community to support technology integration in three rural school districts and the contributions of various program strategies toward teacher growth. The Stages of Adoption Inventory, classroom observations, the Questionnaire for Technology Integration, interviews, STAR evaluation surveys, a survey of…

Design, Implementation and Impact of the MS PHD’S Professional Development Program

Science.gov (United States)

Williamson Whitney, V.

2009-12-01

The Minorities Striving and Pursuing Higher Degrees of Success (MS PHD'S)® in Earth System Science initiative facilitates the involvement of underrepresented minority undergraduate and graduate Earth system science students in a series of activities designed to: (1) increase exposure to and engagement in the Earth system science community, via participation in scientific conferences, mentoring relationships, virtual activities, and field trips; (2) enhance professional skills, grantsmanship, oral and written communication; (3) provide funding, education and career opportunity resources; (4) facilitate networking opportunities with established researchers and educators; (5) and sustain on-going interaction, communication and support via membership within a virtual community comprised of peers, junior/senior-level researchers, and educators actively involved in facilitating full participation of minorities in the Earth system sciences. These activities, conducted in three phases, occur during professional society meetings, field trips, visits to several federal agencies, and a 'capstone' event at the National Academies. Nearly 150 Earth system science undergraduate, graduate and recent minority graduates have participated in MS PHD’S activities and are better prepared to successfully achieve their academic and professional goals. It is also expected that because of mentor-mentee partnerships, science exposure, and networking activities, MS PHD'S participants will remain actively engaged in their fields of specialization and respective professional societies. Evaluation data for MS PHD’S activities indicate that virtual and face-to-face mentoring, on-site professional development and community-building activities resulted in increased participant exposure to and engagement in the Earth system science professional community and served to better equip student participants to make informed post-baccalaureate academic and professional career decisions.

An evolving perspective on physical activity counselling by medical professionals.

Science.gov (United States)

McPhail, Steven; Schippers, Mandy

2012-04-23

Physical inactivity is a modifiable risk factor for many chronic conditions and a leading cause of premature mortality. An increasing proportion of adults worldwide are not engaging in a level of physical activity sufficient to prevent or alleviate these adverse effects. Medical professionals have been identified as potentially powerful sources of influence for those who do not meet minimum physical activity guidelines. Health professionals are respected and expected sources of advice and they reach a large and relevant proportion of the population. Despite this potential, health professionals are not routinely practicing physical activity promotion. Medical professionals experience several known barriers to physical activity promotion including lack of time and lack of perceived efficacy in changing physical activity behaviour in patients. Furthermore, evidence for effective physical activity promotion by medical professionals is inconclusive. To address these problems, new approaches to physical activity promotion are being proposed. These include collaborating with community based physical activity behaviour change interventions, preparing patients for effective brief counselling during a consultation with the medical professional, and use of interactive behaviour change technology. It is important that we recognise the latent risk of physical inactivity among patients presenting in clinical settings. Preparation for improving patient physical activity behaviours should commence before the consultation and may include physical activity screening. Medical professionals should also identify suitable community interventions to which they can refer physically inactive patients. Outsourcing the majority of a comprehensive physical activity intervention to community based interventions will reduce the required clinical consultation time for addressing the issue with each patient. Priorities for future research include investigating ways to promote successful referrals

An evolving perspective on physical activity counselling by medical professionals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

McPhail Steven

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Physical inactivity is a modifiable risk factor for many chronic conditions and a leading cause of premature mortality. An increasing proportion of adults worldwide are not engaging in a level of physical activity sufficient to prevent or alleviate these adverse effects. Medical professionals have been identified as potentially powerful sources of influence for those who do not meet minimum physical activity guidelines. Health professionals are respected and expected sources of advice and they reach a large and relevant proportion of the population. Despite this potential, health professionals are not routinely practicing physical activity promotion. Discussion Medical professionals experience several known barriers to physical activity promotion including lack of time and lack of perceived efficacy in changing physical activity behaviour in patients. Furthermore, evidence for effective physical activity promotion by medical professionals is inconclusive. To address these problems, new approaches to physical activity promotion are being proposed. These include collaborating with community based physical activity behaviour change interventions, preparing patients for effective brief counselling during a consultation with the medical professional, and use of interactive behaviour change technology. Summary It is important that we recognise the latent risk of physical inactivity among patients presenting in clinical settings. Preparation for improving patient physical activity behaviours should commence before the consultation and may include physical activity screening. Medical professionals should also identify suitable community interventions to which they can refer physically inactive patients. Outsourcing the majority of a comprehensive physical activity intervention to community based interventions will reduce the required clinical consultation time for addressing the issue with each patient. Priorities for future research

Pharmacy ownership in Canada: implications for the authority and autonomy of community pharmacy managers.

Science.gov (United States)

Dobson, Roy Thomas; Perepelkin, Jason

2011-12-01

In recent years, the number of independently owned pharmacies has declined even as the total number of pharmacies in Canada has increased. With increasing corporate ownership, there is concern that this trend will adversely affect the profession's ability to influence pharmacy practice and practice change. To examine the relationship between ownership type and community pharmacy managers in terms of professional and employer authority, managerial autonomy, decision making, and amount of control. This study consisted of a cross-sectional survey of community pharmacy managers in Canada by means of a self-administered postal questionnaire sent to a stratified sample of community pharmacies. Statistical analysis consisted of exploratory factor analysis with reliability testing on identified constructs. Frequencies, 1-way analyses of variance, Scheffe post hoc tests, and general linear modeling were used to determine significant differences among groups based on ownership type. In total, 646 of 1961 questionnaires from pharmacy managers were completed and returned (response rate 32.9%). Respondents rated their authority similarly across ownership types. Autonomy, decision-making capabilities, and control needed to carry out the professional role appear most limited among corporate respondents and, to a lesser extent, franchise managers. Pharmacy managers currently perceive a high level of authority; but with limited autonomy among corporate managers, it is unclear whether this authority is sufficient to prevent the subordination of both patient and professional interests to financial interests. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Factors influencing the detection rate of drug-related problems in community pharmacy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Westerlund, T; Almarsdóttir, Anna Birna; Melander, A

1999-01-01

This study analyzes relationships between the number of drug-related problems detected in community pharmacy practice and the educational level and other characteristics of pharmacy personnel and their work sites. Random samples of pharmacists, prescriptionists and pharmacy technicians were drawn...... by each professional. The regression analysis showed the educational level of the professional to have a statistically significant effect on the detection rate, with pharmacists finding on average 2.5 more drug-related problems per 100 patients than prescriptionists and about 3.6 more than technicians....... The results of this study indicate the importance of education and training of pharmacy personnel in detection of drug-related problems. This findings speaks in favor of increasing the pharmacist to other personnel ratio, provided the higher costs will be offset by societal benefits....

The Use of Twitter in the Creation of Educational Professional Learning Opportunities

Science.gov (United States)

Ross, Carrie R.; Maninger, Robert M.; LaPrairie, Kimberly N.; Sullivan, Sam

2015-01-01

This study sought to examine how educators are using Twitter to increase their professional learning opportunities beyond the boundaries of traditional professional development offers, and whether educators feel a greater sense of fulfillment receiving professional development through networking and community learning than they do through…

A Management Strategy for the Improvement of Private Universities Lecturers' Professional Competences

Science.gov (United States)

Suhaemi, Mimin Emi; Aedi, Nur

2015-01-01

Lecturers are professional educators and scientists whose main job is to transform, develop, and disseminate knowledge, technology, and art through education, research and community services. As professionals, in Indonesia, lecturers are expected to possess pedagogic, personal, social, and professional competences. However, in reality, the…

Conflicting Views of School Community: The Dichotomy Between Administrators and Teachers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John Barnett

2007-01-01

Full Text Available This project was the second phase of a two-phase study of teachers’ knowledge of community in an urban, private boys’ day school in Canada. The first phase examined a teacher’s perception of her classroom community, and this phase asked teachers and administrators in the same school about their perceptions of school community. We found that the school created and implemented an organizational structure designed to foster and sustain a professional community. However, administrators and teachers conceptualized, understood, and experienced community in different ways. Administrators saw community as a management tool to generate support for the school’s objectives. Teachers experienced community as social support that served as a remedy for professional isolation. Neither group based its view on community as a capacity-building, reflective process leading to a generative professional community.

Perceptions of community participation and health gain in a community project for the South Asian population: a qualitative study.

Science.gov (United States)

Bandesha, G; Litva, A

2005-09-01

The new public health rejects old individualist attempts at improving health and embraces community-based approaches in reducing health inequalities. Primary Care Trusts in England face the challenge of converting community participation in health into reality. This study explores differences in perception of participation between lay and professional stakeholders of a community health project for a South Asian population in Greater Manchester. In-depth interviews and focus groups were used to explore the views of professional and lay stakeholders. All data were audio-taped, transcribed and analysed for emerging themes using a qualitative framework. Professionals talked of working in partnership with the community but lay stakeholders did not feel that they had control over the project. There were problems in engaging the community and local health professionals in the project. Lack of cultural awareness hampered participation in the project. There was agreement that the project improved the self-confidence of participants and created a more informed population. However, there was little support for claims of improvements in social cohesion and changes in lifestyle directly as a result of the project. Converting the rhetoric of community participation in health into reality is a greater challenge than was envisaged by policy makers. Marginalized communities may not be willing participants and issues of language and cultural sensitivity are important. Project outcomes need to be agreed to ensure projects are evaluated appropriately. Projects with South Asian communities should not be seen to be dealing with all 'ethnic health' issues without addressing changes in statutory organizations and other wider social determinants of health.

Statistical methods in radiation physics

CERN Document Server

Turner, James E; Bogard, James S

2012-01-01

This statistics textbook, with particular emphasis on radiation protection and dosimetry, deals with statistical solutions to problems inherent in health physics measurements and decision making. The authors begin with a description of our current understanding of the statistical nature of physical processes at the atomic level, including radioactive decay and interactions of radiation with matter. Examples are taken from problems encountered in health physics, and the material is presented such that health physicists and most other nuclear professionals will more readily understand the application of statistical principles in the familiar context of the examples. Problems are presented at the end of each chapter, with solutions to selected problems provided online. In addition, numerous worked examples are included throughout the text.

Descriptive and inferential statistical methods used in burns research.

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Benna, Sammy; Al-Ajam, Yazan; Way, Benjamin; Steinstraesser, Lars

2010-05-01

Burns research articles utilise a variety of descriptive and inferential methods to present and analyse data. The aim of this study was to determine the descriptive methods (e.g. mean, median, SD, range, etc.) and survey the use of inferential methods (statistical tests) used in articles in the journal Burns. This study defined its population as all original articles published in the journal Burns in 2007. Letters to the editor, brief reports, reviews, and case reports were excluded. Study characteristics, use of descriptive statistics and the number and types of statistical methods employed were evaluated. Of the 51 articles analysed, 11(22%) were randomised controlled trials, 18(35%) were cohort studies, 11(22%) were case control studies and 11(22%) were case series. The study design and objectives were defined in all articles. All articles made use of continuous and descriptive data. Inferential statistics were used in 49(96%) articles. Data dispersion was calculated by standard deviation in 30(59%). Standard error of the mean was quoted in 19(37%). The statistical software product was named in 33(65%). Of the 49 articles that used inferential statistics, the tests were named in 47(96%). The 6 most common tests used (Student's t-test (53%), analysis of variance/co-variance (33%), chi(2) test (27%), Wilcoxon & Mann-Whitney tests (22%), Fisher's exact test (12%)) accounted for the majority (72%) of statistical methods employed. A specified significance level was named in 43(88%) and the exact significance levels were reported in 28(57%). Descriptive analysis and basic statistical techniques account for most of the statistical tests reported. This information should prove useful in deciding which tests should be emphasised in educating burn care professionals. These results highlight the need for burn care professionals to have a sound understanding of basic statistics, which is crucial in interpreting and reporting data. Advice should be sought from professionals

Professional Communities in the Context of Teachers' Professional lives: A Case of Mathematics Specialists

Science.gov (United States)

Nickerson, Susan D.; Moriarty, Gail

2005-01-01

We describe an urban school initiative aimed at teachers' professional development with the goal of increasing their mathematics content knowledge and helping them improve their practice. In the lowest performing schools, mathematics specialists were employed to teach only mathematics in upper-elementary grades (ages 9-12). One aspect of this…

Mutual Recogniton of Professional Qualifications

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Enemark, Stig; Plimmer, Francis

The publication aims to review the concept of mutual recognition of qualifications within the world wide surveying community, and to develop a framework for the introduction of standards of global professional competence in this area. The publication also includes a number of case studies from...

Statistical inference for financial engineering

CERN Document Server

Taniguchi, Masanobu; Ogata, Hiroaki; Taniai, Hiroyuki

2014-01-01

This monograph provides the fundamentals of statistical inference for financial engineering and covers some selected methods suitable for analyzing financial time series data. In order to describe the actual financial data, various stochastic processes, e.g. non-Gaussian linear processes, non-linear processes, long-memory processes, locally stationary processes etc. are introduced and their optimal estimation is considered as well. This book also includes several statistical approaches, e.g., discriminant analysis, the empirical likelihood method, control variate method, quantile regression, realized volatility etc., which have been recently developed and are considered to be powerful tools for analyzing the financial data, establishing a new bridge between time series and financial engineering. This book is well suited as a professional reference book on finance, statistics and statistical financial engineering. Readers are expected to have an undergraduate-level knowledge of statistics.

The Concise Encyclopedia of Statistics

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Dodge, Yadolah

2008-01-01

The Concise Encyclopedia of Statistics presents the essential information about statistical tests, concepts, and analytical methods in language that is accessible to practitioners and students of the vast community using statistics in medicine, engineering, physical science, life science, social science, and business/economics. The reference is alphabetically arranged to provide quick access to the fundamental tools of statistical methodology and biographies of famous statisticians. The more than 500 entries include definitions, history, mathematical details, limitations, examples, references,

Viewpoint: the elephant in medical professionalism's kitchen.

Science.gov (United States)

Hafferty, Fred

2006-10-01

The rise of the corporation within health care during the 1980s and early 1990s was met by organized medicine with a deluge of editorials, articles, and books that identified a singular enemy--commercialism--and depicted it as corrosive of, and antithetical to, medical professionalism. Medicine's ire proved prognostic as scores of highly publicized corporate-medical scandals began to crater the landscape of a rapidly emerging "medical marketplace." Medicine's main weapon in this counteroffensive was a renewed call to medical professionalism. Numerous organizations hosted conferences and underwrote initiatives to define, measure, and ultimately inculcate professionalism as a core medical competency. Nonetheless, an examination of medicine's overall response to the threat of commercialism reveals inconsistencies and schisms between these praiseworthy efforts and a parallel absence of action at the community practitioner and peer-review levels. The most recent salvo in this war on commercialism is a policy proposal by influential medical leaders who call for an end to the market incentives linking academic health centers and medical schools with industry. These forthright proposals nevertheless appear once again not to address the heartbeat of professional social control: community-based peer review, including a vigorous and proactive role by state medical boards. The author concludes by examining the implications of a professionalism bereft of peer review and explores the societal-level responsibilities of organized medicine to protect, nurture, and expand the role of the physician to maintain the values and ideals of professionalism against the countervailing social forces of the free market and bureaucracy.

Cooking up an Online Community

Science.gov (United States)

Valone, Lauren

2011-01-01

As museum professionals conceptualize community building, they must now consider the virtual realm. Websites in and of themselves will not generate a community, as it takes sustained communication and interaction by staff to encourage growth. Online communities are complex forces that bring about systematic dualities that in turn stimulate…

Designing Dialogic E-Learning in Pharmacy Professionalism Using Calibrated Feedback Loops (CFLs

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Sue Roff

2013-09-01

Full Text Available The feedback analytics of online software including Articulate and Bristol Online Surveys can be used to facilitate dialogic learning in a community of practice such as Pharmacy and, thereby, promote reflective learning by the creation of formative calibrated feedback loops. Based on work with medical, dental, nursing, osteopathic, and social work students, trainees, and registrants, the paper shows how an online learning community can be created along the continuum from undergraduate to registrant to develop authentic dialogic e-learning around standards of Professionalism. The Dundee PolyProfessionalism inventories and Situational Judgement Scenarios (SJSs can be customised for Pharmacy Professionalism learning to support evidence-based curriculum design along benchmarked learning curves and to profile Professionalism learning in individuals and cohorts.

Teachers’ professional development needs in data handling and probability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Helena Wessels

2011-07-01

Full Text Available Poor Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMMS results and widespread disappointing mathematics results in South Africa necessitate research-based and more efficient professional development for in-service mathematics teachers. This article reports on the profiling of mathematics teachers’ statistical knowledge, beliefs and confidence in order to inform the development of in-service teacher education programmes in statistics for Grade 8 and Grade 9 teachers. Ninety mathematics teachers from schools with culturally diverse learner populations in an urban region in South Africa were profiled using an adapted profiling instrument (Watson, 2001. Although statistics formed part of quite a number of these teachers’ initial teacher education and about half of them were involved in professional development in statistics education, they still teach traditionally, rather than using a more data driven approach. Teachers indicated high levels of confidence in teaching most statistics topics but showed low levels of statistical thinking when they had to apply their knowledge of concepts, such as sample and average in social contexts including newspaper articles and research reports.

Challenges to UK community pharmacy: a bio-photographic study of workspace in relation to professional pharmacy practice.

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Rapport, F L; Doel, M A; Jerzembek, G S

2009-12-01

This paper presents a novel, qualitative, bio-photographic study with intertextual analysis highlighting the relationship between community pharmacy workspace and practice. Sixteen pharmacists working across pharmacy types such as independent shops, large and small pharmacy chains and multiple pharmacies such as those in supermarkets participated in data capture and feedback consultation. Findings disclosed workspaces unfit for purpose and a workforce ill at ease with their new professional identity, involving increasingly complex tasks in health provision and retail. There was conflict between delegating to others and taking personal responsibility, and there were pressures from a demanding public within the context of a target-driven, litigious society. The study highlights that innovative, mixed methods in this context reveal nuanced, rich data.

Communities as co-producers in integrated care

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Henk Nies

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Integrated care has become too much a professionals' concept, in research and theory development, as well as in practice, especially in high-income countries. The current debate on integrated care is dominated by norms and values of professionals, while most of the care is provided by non-professionals. The paradigms of integrated care for people with complex needs need to be reconsidered. It is argued that non-professional care and care by local communities need to be incorporated as a resource and a co-producer of care. It seems fair to assume that the community as such can take a more prominent role in organising and delivering health and long-term care. This implies redefining professional and non-professional responsibilities and boundaries. The boundary between public and private space is losing its significance, as is the distinction between formal and non-formal care. It also requires renegotiating and transforming organisational boundaries. This has consequences for legislation, funding and professional qualifications, as well as for management and governance. It challenges current professional identities as well as identities of service users, their informal carers and citizens. It may also require new types of funding, including non-monetary currencies, time-sharing and social impact bonds. The challenge is that big, that it needs to be addressed at its smallest scale: the citizen in his social network and local community, being co-producer of really integrated care. 

Professional Development of the Teachers from the Angle of School Managers

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Mirascieva, Snezana

2012-01-01

The paper focuses on the problem of teachers' professional development and its relation to school management. The professional development of teachers is a common phrase that has actuality among educational experts. The role of the teacher in the development and progress of the community is determined by the teacher’s development. The teacher will monitor changes in the community, will apply new scientific knowledge, develop practice applying new teaching strategies and media depends on its d...

Engaging indigenous Maori and inward migrating Asian professionals into a Pakeha (White European)-dominated Balint community in New Zealand.

Science.gov (United States)

McMichael, Timothy

2018-01-01

This inquiry began with two questions: How can the established predominately Pakeha/Caucasian (White European) Balint community in New Zealand more successfully engage both indigenous populations of both Maori and Pacifica origin into Balint work? And what is the existing Balint community doing to address the lack of Asian members of the Balint community in New Zealand, at a time when Asian health professionals are being recruited into the health sector at an increasingly high rate in comparison to White European entrants to the profession? These questions, and their preliminary answers presented here, invite the reader to reflect on both the challenges and opportunities in reaching out to groups different from our own. The author hopes readers may begin to see what can be done to allow new entrants to benefit from all that participation in Balint work offers while not losing sight of the uniqueness which each person can bring. It is hoped that sharing such questions and their subsequent explorations will help Balint leaders feel more confident in reaching out to a wider ethic and cultural mix within their local populations and encouraging them to enter the exciting world of the Balint group.

Evaluation of the effectiveness of professionally guided self-care for people with multiple sclerosis living in the community: a randomized controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Hara, Louise; Cadbury, Heather; De, Souza Lorraine; Ide, Lorely

2002-03-01

The aim of the study was to assess the efficacy of a patient-focused professionally guided self-care programme for the management of multiple sclerosis (MS) in the community. This was a single-blind randomized controlled trial. The study was conducted with people with MS living in the community. Two hundred and seventy-eight people with MS were invited to take part in the study. One hundred and eighty-nine people consented to take part (68%). Of these 183 began the study and 169 (92.3%) completed it. Seventy-three individuals were in the intervention group and 96 were in the control group. The intervention comprised discussion of self-care based on client priorities, using an information booklet about self-care. These included the Barthel Index, a measure of mobility, the SF-36, and the Standard Day Dependency Record (SDDR) which measures the need for assistance with daily activities. Assessments were conducted at baseline and again six months later. Changes in health status were small. However, at follow-up the intervention group had better SF-36 health scores, in mental health (p = 0.04), and vitality (p = 0.05) and considered help with daily activities to be less essential, as measured by the SDDR (p = 0.04), than the control group. Participants in the intervention group had maintained levels of independence at follow-up (p = 0.62) while the control group showed a significant decrease in independence (p= 0.001). This intervention could be a useful aid for health professionals who are supporting people with MS living in the community.

A Study of Community Guides: Lessons for Professionals Practicing with and in Communities

Science.gov (United States)

Ungar, Michael; Manuel, Susan; Mealey, Stephanie; Thomas, Golda; Campbell, Carolyn

2004-01-01

A study of 35 nonprofessional helpers, identified as community "guides," focused on the contribution each made to helping marginalized individuals and families become a part of their communities. The lessons learned through these lay helpers can inform a postmodern social work practice that promotes the use of indigenous practice principles…

A Logical Approach to Supporting Professional Learning Communities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ralph Seward

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Collaborative knowledge sharing requires that dialogues successfully cross organizational barriers and information silos. Successful communication in person or in a virtual community involves a willingness to share ideas and consider diverse viewpoints. This research examines a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM content management system called NASATalk, which offers public and private blog posts, file sharing, asynchronous discussion, and live chat services. The service is designed to provide a virtual environment where educators can share ideas, suggestions, successes, and innovations in STEM teaching and learning activities. This study features qualitative data from STEM education groups that helped extend the design of the NASATalk Web 2.0 collaborative tools and features. The analysis shows that the context, e-collaborative tools, integration strategies, and outcomes varied, but also contributed additional space, time, tools, integration strategies, and outcomes through the virtual collaborative learning environment. This study is designed to inform the STEM education community as well as those offering virtual community resources and tools of the added value of using virtual communities to help STEM educators work together in collaborative, virtual environments to discuss ways they can improve their instruction and student performance.

Job satisfaction among community pharmacy professionals in Mekelle city, Northern Ethiopia

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Belay YB

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Yared Belete Belay Pharmacoepidemiology and Social Pharmacy Course and Research Team, Department of Pharmacy, Mekelle University, Mekelle, Ethiopia Introduction: Job satisfaction is a multidimensional, enduring, important, and much-researched concept in the field of organizational behavior and has been identified as recognition in one’s field of work, level of salary, opportunities for promotion, and achievement of personal goals. Job satisfaction directly affects the labor market behavior and economic efficiency by means of the impact on productivity and turnover of staff. The aim of this study was to assess the satisfaction level of pharmacy professionals in Mekelle city. Methods: This institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted as a survey and only included voluntary participants. Those participants who did not volunteer to participate were excluded from the study. A structured questionnaire was used as a data collection tool; it was developed from different literature in the English language, and then the original tool was translated to the local language for the purpose of understanding. Results: In Mekelle, ~100 pharmacy professionals work in private medicine retail outlets. From those, only 60 volunteered to participate in this study. Significant difference in job satisfaction and job stress were observed between those working full-time and part-time, with P-values of 0.031 and 0.021, respectively. Conclusion: From the findings of the current study, it can be concluded that around two-thirds of pharmacy professionals in Mekelle city were satisfied with their professional practice. Keywords: job satisfaction, pharmacy professionals and retail outlets 

Influence of ownership type on role orientation, role affinity, and role conflict among community pharmacy managers and owners in Canada.

Science.gov (United States)

Perepelkin, Jason; Dobson, Roy Thomas

2010-12-01

Ownership of community pharmacies is increasingly being controlled by a relatively small number of corporate entities. The influence of this ownership type should not be ignored, because ownership has the ability to impact pharmacy practice. To examine the relationship between ownership type and community pharmacy managers with regard to role orientation, role affinity, and role conflict. This study consisted of a cross-sectional survey of community pharmacy managers in Canada by means of a self-administered postal questionnaire sent to a stratified sample of community pharmacies. Statistical analysis consisted of exploratory factor analysis with reliability testing on identified constructs. Frequencies, 1-way analyses of variance, and Scheffe post hoc tests were used to determine significant differences among groups, including ownership structure, on each of the constructs. A total of 646 completed questionnaires were received (32.9% response rate). Most of the respondents were males (60.8%), with slightly less than half of the respondents identifying their practice type as an independent pharmacy (44.6%). There were 5 multi-item scale constructs (professional orientation, business orientation, professional affinity, business affinity, and role conflict) arising from the data, which were analyzed against the pharmacy ownership structure (independent, franchise, corporate) independent variable. Analysis revealed significant differences for 3 of the 5 constructs; however, no differences were seen regarding the 2 professionally focused constructs. Community pharmacy managers/owners are generally oriented to their professional role; however, those working in a corporate pharmacy environment are less oriented to their business role when compared with those working in an independent or franchise pharmacy environment. Further research is needed to identify different practice cultures that may exist in various practice settings and the extent to which these cultures

Level of Soft Skill in the Implementation of Work-Based Learning among Community College Students

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Ali Azita Binti

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The issue of graduate unemployment often crops up in the mass media; and more often than not, the discussions have centred on the failure of tertiary educational institutions to churn out quality graduates. Thus, the method of work-based learning (WBL is seen as a way to improve the soft skills of the graduates. The study was conducted using quantitative research survey; the design of the study used an adapted questionnaire as an instrument. Data were analysed using Statistical Package of Social Science (SPSS version 20. The respondents consisted of 97 students who attended WBL programmes at a community college. Descriptive statistics was used to extract data from the questionnaires for the calculation of mean. The findings reveal that the level of soft skills among community college students was high, and they include these abilities: communication skills, problem-solving skills, learning and information management, professional ethics skills and leadership skills.

The provision of neuropsychological services in rural/regional settings: professional and ethical issues.

Science.gov (United States)

Allott, Kelly; Lloyd, Susan

2009-07-01

Despite rapid growth of the discipline of clinical neuropsychology during recent times, there is limited information regarding the identification and management of professional and ethical issues associated with the practice of neuropsychology within rural settings. The aim of this article is to outline the characteristics unique to practicing neuropsychology in rural communities and to describe the potential professional and ethical dilemmas that might arise. Issues are illustrated using examples from neuropsychological practice in a rural/regional setting in Victoria, Australia. Relative to urban regions, there is an inequality in the distribution of psychologists, including neuropsychologists, in rural areas. The unique characteristics of rural and regional communities that impact on neuropsychological practice are: 1) limited resources in expertise, technology, and community services, 2) greater travel distances and costs, 3) professional isolation, and 4) beliefs about psychological services. These characteristics lower the threshold for particular ethical issues. The ethical issues that require anticipation and careful management include: 1) professional competence, 2) multiple relationships, and 3) confidentiality. Through increased awareness and management of rural-specific professional and ethical issues, rural neuropsychologists can experience their work as rewarding and enjoyable. Specific guidelines for identifying, managing, and resolving ethically and professionally challenging situations that may arise during rural practice are provided.

Development of professional expertise in optometry.

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Faucher, Caroline

2011-04-01

Development of professional expertise is the gradual transition from novice to expert within a profession. Studies on expertise in the profession of optometry have never been published. However, many studies have been performed in other health professions (e.g., nursing, medicine, physical therapy, occupational therapy). This report is an overview of the development of professional expertise that will highlight some applications for optometry. A 5-level scale of professional expertise development, divided into 2 parts, is described. The first part is the progression of students during their professional studies (novice, intermediate, competent). The second part is the professional development occurring during the practice years (advanced, expert). Personal and collective efforts are required to foster the progression toward expertise. Great interest for the profession, motivation, and deliberate practice are individual attitudes that help this progression. The "optometric community of practice," by means of university (professional) training, continuing education, and collaboration between colleagues, also contributes to this process. Professional development is an integral part of the Optometric Oath. Each clinical case is a potential learning experience contributing to one's professional development. Optometrists' attitudes are predominant factors in the progression from one level to another. Copyright © 2011 American Optometric Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Perception of professional identity in nursing amongst undergraduate students].

Science.gov (United States)

Albar, María-Jesús; Sivianes-Fernández, María

2016-01-01

To identify the perception of the nursing professional identity between first and fourth grade students. A descriptive study using a questionnaire. A random sample of 50 and 51 students were selected from the first and fourth grade, respectively. The questionnaire was prepared by expert consensus, and it included a sociodemographic data register, 14 items, and two open questions. Descriptive and bivariate analyses were performed on the data, using the Chi-squared test to determine the possible differences between both grades. SPSS 22.0 statistics software was employed. The open questions were submitted to a content analysis. Statistically significant differences were found between the items related to the diversity of roles that the nursing professionals can develop within the health care system (professional and academic), and between the autonomous nature of their practices. These data were confirmed by the information obtained with the open questions. Academic training is of great importance in the process of acquiring the professional identity of future professionals in nursing, but changing the public image of the profession is the responsibility of all the social agents involved in its development. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Evidence-based recommendations to facilitate professional ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

As both health practitioners are working within the same communities, their respective practices could complement or undermine the health of consumers using both health services. Professional collaboration between traditional and allopathic health practitioners is therefore desirable and requires collaboration between ...

Marketing Realities in Continuing Professional Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Craven, Ruth F.; DuHamel, Martha B.

2000-01-01

Describes tenets of continuing professional education marketing: identify target audience, define mission, assess community needs, identify competition, establish credibility, develop marketing plans, provide options, evaluate, and develop high-quality programs. Offers advice for pricing, cancellations, new courses, promotion expenses, direct…

Mind the gap! A comparison of oral health knowledge between dental, healthcare professionals and the public.

Science.gov (United States)

Richards, W; Filipponi, T; Roberts-Burt, V

2014-02-01

The importance of consistent, accurate and unambiguous messages are well documented in oral health promotion literature. Whether the reality of delivering messages in the field fulfils these principle is questionable. This paper explores the perceptions of dental professionals, healthcare professionals and lay community members with regard to key oral health messages in order to highlight any inconsistencies and knowledge gaps between and within groups for disease risk factors. A questionnaire was administered to individuals who belonged to three groups: dental professionals, healthcare professionals and lay community members. The questionnaire established knowledge regarding risk factors for caries, periodontal disease and erosion. Thirty-five (57.4%) of the dental group answered the whole questionnaire correctly, with 22 (27.8%) and 9 (5.1%) of the healthcare and lay community group answering the whole questionnaire correctly, respectively. The question of fluoride levels in children's toothpaste was the main reason for incorrect answers in the dental group. The results of this survey demonstrate a knowledge gradient from dental professionals through to healthcare professionals and then to lay members of the community. The knowledge base observed in the dental group is reflected in the other two groups as would be expected albeit with a significant gap between each group. As expected the dental professionals are generally well informed, but not as well informed as could be expected.

Probability, statistics, and queueing theory

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Allen, Arnold O

1990-01-01

This is a textbook on applied probability and statistics with computer science applications for students at the upper undergraduate level. It may also be used as a self study book for the practicing computer science professional. The successful first edition of this book proved extremely useful to students who need to use probability, statistics and queueing theory to solve problems in other fields, such as engineering, physics, operations research, and management science. The book has also been successfully used for courses in queueing theory for operations research students. This second edit

International Conference on Trends and Perspectives in Linear Statistical Inference

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Rosen, Dietrich

2018-01-01

This volume features selected contributions on a variety of topics related to linear statistical inference. The peer-reviewed papers from the International Conference on Trends and Perspectives in Linear Statistical Inference (LinStat 2016) held in Istanbul, Turkey, 22-25 August 2016, cover topics in both theoretical and applied statistics, such as linear models, high-dimensional statistics, computational statistics, the design of experiments, and multivariate analysis. The book is intended for statisticians, Ph.D. students, and professionals who are interested in statistical inference. .

Communities of practice; facilitating teacher professionalization in higher education

NARCIS (Netherlands)

dr. Donald Ropes

2005-01-01

The field of higher professional educational in the Netherlands is undergoing drastic structural changes. Organizational-wide mergers are commonplace and are often followed by development of new curricula. Furthermore, this is often accompanied by the implementation of a completely new educational

Your professionalism is not my professionalism: congruence and variance in the views of medical students and faculty about professionalism.

Science.gov (United States)

Sattar, Kamran; Roff, Sue; Meo, Sultan Ayoub

2016-11-08

Medical professionalism is an essential aspect of medical education and practice worldwide and it must be adopted according to different social and cultural contexts. We examined the current congruence and variance in the perception of professionalism in undergraduate medical students and faculty members in one medical school in Saudi Arabia. The target population was first year to final year medical students of College of Medicine, King Saud University. Out of a total of 1431 students at College of Medicine 750 students (52 %) participated in the study. Fifty faculty members from clinical and non-clinical departments of the College of Medicine were randomly selected for this study and all participated in the study. The respondents recorded their responses through the Bristol online survey system, using a bilingual (English and Arabic) version of the Dundee Polyprofessionalism Inventory I: Academic integrity, which has 34 items. There are 17 lapses (50 % of the total) in professional behaviour where none of the faculty recommend the ignore sanction while students recommended a variable ignore sanction in a range of 6-29 % for different behaviours. Students and faculty recommended similar sanctions for 5 lapses (14.7 % of the total) in professional behaviours. Furthermore, there is statistically significant two level difference between the sanctions approved by faculty and students in the recommended sanctions for 12 lapses (35 % of the total (p < 0.050). These results raised concerns in relation to the students' understanding of professionalism. It is therefore, important to enhance their learning around the attributes of medical professionalism.

Integrating the perspectives of individuals with spinal cord injuries, their family caregivers and healthcare professionals from the time of rehabilitation admission to community reintegration: protocol for a scoping study on SCI needs

Science.gov (United States)

Moreno, Alexander; Zidarov, Diana; Raju, Chandhana; Boruff, Jill; Ahmed, Sara

2017-01-01

Introduction There is fragmented information about the different needs following a spinal cord injury (SCI). Expressed SCI needs can be met or unmet, they change along the rehabilitation continuum (eg, acute, rehabilitation and reintegration into the community) and can be different for traumatic and non traumatic SCI. The general objective of this scoping study is to evaluate and integrate the needs of individuals with traumatic and non-traumatic SCI, their family caregivers and those reported by rehabilitation professionals from the time of rehabilitation admission to community reintegration. The specific objectives are to: (A) synthesise the needs of individuals with SCI as perceived by themselves, their family caregivers and rehabilitation professionals using two theoretical models, (B) classify needs as met and unmet, (C) explore the evolution of met/unmet needs from the time of rehabilitation admission to community reintegration and (D) provide recommendations to improve SCI care. Methods and analysis (A) identifying the most frequent met and unmet needs reported by adults with traumatic and non-traumatic SCI, their family caregivers and their rehabilitation professionals from the time of rehabilitation admission to community reintegration; (B) identifying relevant studies with a search in electronic databases; (C) charting the data based on categories refined and adjusted with a stakeholder group; (D) collating, summarising and reporting the results using two analytical frameworks (Maslow’s hierarchical model of human needs and the Ferrans et al’s model of health-related quality of life) and (E) a stakeholder consultation phase. Ethics and dissemination The results of this scoping study will allow understanding SCI needs from the time of rehabilitation admission to community reintegration from the perspective of different stakeholders. An integrated master report combining the needs of individuals with SCI from the perspectives of different stakeholders

Knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding rabies risk in community members and healthcare professionals: Pétionville, Haiti, 2013.

Science.gov (United States)

Fenelon, N; Dely, P; Katz, M A; Schaad, N D; Dismer, A; Moran, D; Laraque, F; Wallace, R M

2017-06-01

Haiti has the highest human rabies burden in the Western Hemisphere. There is no published literature describing the public's perceptions of rabies in Haiti, information that is critical to developing effective interventions and government policies. We conducted a knowledge, attitudes and practices survey of 550 community members and 116 health professionals in Pétionville, Haiti in 2013 to understand the perception of rabies in these populations. The majority of respondents (85%) knew that dogs were the primary reservoir for rabies, yet only 1% were aware that bats and mongooses could transmit rabies. Animal bites were recognized as a mechanism of rabies transmission by 77% of the population and 76% were aware that the disease could be prevented by vaccination. Of 172 persons reporting a bite, only 37% sought medical treatment. The annual bite incidence rate in respondents was 0·9%. Only 31% of bite victims reported that they started the rabies vaccination series. Only 38% of respondents reported that their dog had been vaccinated against rabies. The majority of medical professionals recognized that dogs were the main reservoir for rabies (98%), but only 28% reported bats and 14% reported mongooses as posing a risk for rabies infection. Bites were reported as a mechanism of rabies transmission by 73% of respondents; exposure to saliva was reported by 20%. Thirty-four percent of medical professionals reported they would wash a bite wound with soap and water and 2·8% specifically mentioned rabies vaccination as a component of post-bite treatment. The majority of healthcare professionals recommended some form of rabies assessment for biting animals; 68·9% recommended a 14-day observation period, 60·4% recommended a veterinary consultation, and 13·2% recommended checking the vaccination status of the animal. Fewer than 15% of healthcare professionals had ever received training on rabies prevention and 77% did not know where to go to procure rabies vaccine for

Professional Learning as a Predictor for Instructional Quality: A Secondary Analysis of TALIS

Science.gov (United States)

Dogan, Selçuk; Yurtseven, Nihal

2018-01-01

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of teachers' professional learning opportunities on instructional quality, which represents a combined approach of behaviorist, cognitivist, and constructivist principles in teaching. We incorporated professional learning communities (PLCs), professional development (PD) days, as well as 3 PD…

Community health workers leading the charge on workforce development: lessons from New Orleans.

Science.gov (United States)

Wennerstrom, Ashley; Johnson, Liljana; Gibson, Kristina; Batta, Sarah E; Springgate, Benjamin F

2014-12-01

Academic institutions and community organizations engaged community health workers (CHWs) in creating a community-appropriate CHW workforce capacity-building program in an area without a previously established CHW professional group. From 2009 to 2010, we solicited New Orleans-based CHWs' opinions about CHW professional development through a survey, a community conference, and workgroup meetings. Throughout 2011 and 2012, we created and implemented a responsive 80-h workforce development program that used popular education techniques. We interviewed CHWs 6 months post-training to assess impressions of the course and application of skills and knowledge to practice. CHWs requested training to develop nationally-recognized core competencies including community advocacy, addresses issues unique to New Orleans, and mitigate common professional challenges. Thirty-five people completed the course. Among 25 interviewees, common themes included positive impressions of the course, application of skills and community-specific information to practice, understanding of CHWs' historical roles as community advocates, and ongoing professional challenges. Engaging CHW participation in workforce development programs is possible in areas lacking organized CHW groups. CHW insight supports development of training that addresses unique local concerns. Trained CHWs require ongoing professional support.

Motivation for and Benefits from Attending the AP Statistics Reading

Science.gov (United States)

Jacobbe, Tim; Hartlaub, Bradley A.; Whitaker, Douglas

2013-01-01

This study explores the Advanced Placement® Statistics reading as a source of professional development for teachers. The study was conducted to capture the motivation for and benefits from attending the collective grading. Research has shown that examining student work during professional development has implications for teaching. The premise of…

Conceptualising the Research-Practice-Professional Development Nexus: Mobilising Schools as "Research-Engaged" Professional Learning Communities

Science.gov (United States)

Dimmock, Clive

2016-01-01

This paper argues the need for coherent, holistic frameworks offering insightful understandings as well as viable, connected and synergistic solutions to schools in addressing pressing problems arising from the acknowledged gaps between research, practice and professional development. There is a need to conceptualise a comprehensive conceptual…

Using Maslow's hierarchy to highlight power imbalances between visiting health professional student volunteers and the host community: An applied qualitative study.

Science.gov (United States)

Evans, Tracey; Akporuno, Orezioghene; Owens, Katrina M; Lickers, Brittany; Marlinga, Jazmin; Lin, Henry C; Loh, Lawrence C

2017-01-01

Health professional students from high-income countries increasingly participate in short-term experiences in global health (STEGH) conducted abroad. One common criticism of STEGH is the inherent power differential that exists between visiting learners and the local community. To highlight this power differential, this paper explores perceived benefits as described by volunteer and community respondents and applies Maslow's hierarchy of needs to commonly identified themes in each respondent group. A semistructured survey was used to collect qualitative responses from both volunteers and community members located in a Dominican Republic community, that is, a hotspot for traditionally conducted STEGH. Thematic analysis identified themes of perceived benefits from both respondent groups; each group's common themes were then classified and compared within Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Each respondent group identified resource provision as a perceived benefit of STEGH, but volunteer respondents primarily focused on the provision of highly-skilled, complex resources while community respondents focused on basic necessities (food, water, etc.) Volunteer respondents were also the only group to also mention spiritual/religious/life experiences, personal skills development, and relationships as perceived benefits. Applying Maslow's hierarchy thus demonstrates a difference in needs: community respondents focused on benefits that address deficiency needs at the bottom of the hierarchy while volunteers focused on benefits addressing self-transcendence/actualization needs at the top of the hierarchy. The perceived difference in needs met by STEGH between volunteers and the host community within Maslow's hierarchy may drive an inherent power differential. Refocusing STEGH on the relationship level of the hierarchy (i.e., focusing on partnerships) might help mitigate this imbalance and empower host communities.

Examining the Satisfaction Levels of Continual Professional Development Provided by a Rural Accounting Professional Body

Science.gov (United States)

Halabi, Abdel K.

2014-01-01

The Society for the Provision of Education in Rural Australia (SPERA) recognises education as a lifelong process, and there is a need for continuing education and training to be available to rural communities. This paper examines the satisfaction levels of accounting continual professional development (CPD) when provided by a rural accounting…

Professional nurses' perception of their clinical teaching role at a ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Background. Nursing education institutions in Lesotho face an increasing number of enrolments owing to a high demand for professional nurses to work in the community. Enrolments have doubled during the last 3 years, without an increase in teaching resources or staff. Professional nurses in the wards are expected to ...

The meaning of community involvement in health: the perspective of primary health care communities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

GG Mchunu

2005-09-01

Full Text Available The goal of this study was to establish the understanding and appreciation of the essence of PHC principles in the two Primary Health Care (PHC communities. The PHC communities in this study referred to the people who were involved in the operation of the phenomenon, that is health professionals working in the health care centers and the communities served by these health care centers. It was hoped that the study would enhance the understanding of the importance of community involvement in health (CIH in health care delivery, for both community members and health professionals. A case study method was used to conduct the study. Two community health centers in the Ethekwini health district, in Kwa Zulu Natal, were studied. One health center was urban based, the other was rural based. A sample of 31 participants participated in the study. The sample comprised of 8 registered nurses, 2 enrolled nurses, 13 community members and 8 community health workers. Data was collected using individual interviews and focus groups, and was guided by the case study protocol. The findings of the study revealed that in both communities, participants had different, albeit complementary, understanding of the term ‘Community Involvement in Health’ (CIH. Essentially, for these participants, CIH meant collaboration, co-operation and involvement in decision-making.

Online professional networks for physicians: risk management.

Science.gov (United States)

Hyman, Jon L; Luks, Howard J; Sechrest, Randale

2012-05-01

The rapidly developing array of online physician-only communities represents a potential extraordinary advance in the availability of educational and informational resources to physicians. These online communities provide physicians with a new range of controls over the information they process, but use of this social media technology carries some risk. The purpose of this review was to help physicians manage the risks of online professional networking and discuss the potential benefits that may come with such networks. This article explores the risks and benefits of physicians engaging in online professional networking with peers and provides suggestions on risk management. Through an Internet search and literature review, we scrutinized available case law, federal regulatory code, and guidelines of conduct from professional organizations and consultants. We reviewed the OrthoMind.com site as a case example because it is currently the only online social network exclusively for orthopaedic surgeons. Existing case law suggests potential liability for orthopaedic surgeons who engage with patients on openly accessible social network platforms. Current society guidelines in both the United States and Britain provide sensible rules that may mitigate such risks. However, the overall lack of a strong body of legal opinions, government regulations as well as practical experience for most surgeons limit the suitability of such platforms. Closed platforms that are restricted to validated orthopaedic surgeons may limit these downside risks and hence allow surgeons to collaborate with one another both as clinicians and practice owners. Educating surgeons about the pros and cons of participating in these networking platforms is helping them more astutely manage risks and optimize benefits. This evolving online environment of professional interaction is one of few precedents, but the application of risk management strategies that physicians use in daily practice carries over

Job satisfaction among community pharmacy professionals in Mekelle city, Northern Ethiopia.

Science.gov (United States)

Belay, Yared Belete

2016-01-01

Job satisfaction is a multidimensional, enduring, important, and much-researched concept in the field of organizational behavior and has been identified as recognition in one's field of work, level of salary, opportunities for promotion, and achievement of personal goals. Job satisfaction directly affects the labor market behavior and economic efficiency by means of the impact on productivity and turnover of staff. The aim of this study was to assess the satisfaction level of pharmacy professionals in Mekelle city. This institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted as a survey and only included voluntary participants. Those participants who did not volunteer to participate were excluded from the study. A structured questionnaire was used as a data collection tool; it was developed from different literature in the English language, and then the original tool was translated to the local language for the purpose of understanding. In Mekelle, ~100 pharmacy professionals work in private medicine retail outlets. From those, only 60 volunteered to participate in this study. Significant difference in job satisfaction and job stress were observed between those working full-time and part-time, with P -values of 0.031 and 0.021, respectively. From the findings of the current study, it can be concluded that around two-thirds of pharmacy professionals in Mekelle city were satisfied with their professional practice.

Global Education and Professional Development of Minority Youth

OpenAIRE

Sdunzik, Jennifer; Leon, Rocio; Yaryyeva, Annagul

2018-01-01

“Global Education and Professional Development of Minority Youth" was developed to establish connections between the Purdue student body and the Frankfort community. By engaging high school students in workshops that focus on identities, students are encouraged to identify and market the talents they contribute to an increasingly globalized world. Students participate in workshops to develop their professional skills and articulate their transnational social location. The workshops were desig...

Canonical correlation analysis of professional stress,social support,and professional burnout among low-rank army officers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chuan-yun LI

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Objective The present study investigates the influence of professional stress and social support on professional burnout among low-rank army officers.Methods The professional stress,social support,and professional burnout scales among low-rank army officers were used as test tools.Moreover,the officers of established units(battalion,company,and platoon were chosen as test subjects.Out of the 260 scales sent,226 effective scales were received.The descriptive statistic and canonical correlation analysis models were used to analyze the influence of each variable.Results The scores of low-rank army officers in the professional stress,social support,and professional burnout scales were more than average,except on two factors,namely,interpersonal support and de-individualization.The canonical analysis identified three groups of canonical correlation factors,of which two were up to a significant level(P < 0.001.After further eliminating the social support variable,the canonical correlation analysis of professional stress and burnout showed that the canonical correlation coefficients P corresponding to 1 and 2 were 0.62 and 0.36,respectively,and were up to a very significant level(P < 0.001.Conclusion The low-rank army officers experience higher professional stress and burnout levels,showing a lower sense of accomplishment,emotional exhaustion,and more serious depersonalization.However,social support can reduce the onset and seriousness of professional burnout among these officers by lessening pressure factors,such as career development,work features,salary conditions,and other personal factors.

Strengthening community resilience: a toolkit

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Davis, Scott; Duijnhoven, Hanneke; Dinesen, Cecilie; Kerstholt, Johanna Helena

2016-01-01

While community resilience is said to have gained a lot of traction politically and given credence by disaster management professionals, this perception is not always shared by the individual members of communities. One solution to addressing the difficulty of individuals ‘conceptualising’ the

G+ COMMUNITY: MEASURING TEACHERS’ READINESS AND ACCEPTANCE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohd Faisal Farish Ishak

2017-08-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is to explore teachers’ acceptance and readiness in using the cloud-based community as a platform for professional collaboration related to their teaching and learning. Familiarity with certain social networking platforms has made the preferable collaboration among teachers only limited to using Facebook, WhatsApp or Telegram. However, with time and space constraints in schools, some of the sharing sessions could not be done effectively most of the time. The study focuses on teachers’ acceptance and readiness of having their community in the cloud when they were introduced to the platform during a Continuous Professional Development (CPD course. A total number of 61 teachers used Google Community named as ‘Contemporary Children’s Literature (CCL 2016’ as a platform for their Professional Learning Community (PLC during the course. Descriptive analysis was done using Google Sheets and the findings show that these teachers are receptive towards Google Community in terms of its engagement level, usefulness as well as ease of use. The introduction to Google Community has created a new pathway for their collaboration especially for teaching and learning purposes. In a nutshell, their acceptance towards the cloud-based community indicates that, given the right training channel, teachers are positive and opened to utilising and integrating the cloud-based technology in their current teaching practice.

Professional Development on a Budget: Facilitating Learning Opportunities for Information Literacy Instructors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lisa Shamchuk

2015-06-01

Full Text Available How do you stay on top of evolving trends and changes to information literacy delivery, especially while coping with shrinking professional development allocations? This article details various in-house, professional development opportunities created for MacEwan University’s library staff. Low-cost, practical ideas are given to help jump-start a library's information literacy professional development offerings. Included are details about organizing an Information Literacy Community, internal Library Professional Development Days and an information literacy event open to local library professionals.

The Occupational Well-Being of School Staff and Maintenance of Their Ability to Work in Finland and Estonia--Focus on the School Community and Professional Competence

Science.gov (United States)

Saaranen, Terhi; Sormunen, Marjorita; Pertel, Tiia; Streimann, Karin; Hansen, Siivi; Varava, Liana; Lepp, Kadi; Turunen, Hannele; Tossavainen, Kerttu

2012-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to present the baseline results of a research and development project targeted to improve the occupational well-being of school staff and maintain their ability to work, in Finland and Estonia. It reveals the most problematic factors in the various aspects of the school community and professional competence and outlines…

Virtual school teacher's science efficacy beliefs: The effects of community of practice on science-teaching efficacy beliefs

Science.gov (United States)

Uzoff, Phuong Pham

The purpose of this study was to examine how much K-12 science teachers working in a virtual school experience a community of practice and how that experience affects personal science-teaching efficacy and science-teaching outcome expectancy. The study was rooted in theoretical frameworks from Lave and Wenger's (1991) community of practice and Bandura's (1977) self-efficacy beliefs. The researcher used three surveys to examine schoolteachers' experiences of a community of practice and science-teaching efficacy beliefs. The instrument combined Mangieri's (2008) virtual teacher demographic survey, Riggs and Enochs (1990) Science-teaching efficacy Beliefs Instrument-A (STEBI-A), and Cadiz, Sawyer, and Griffith's (2009) Experienced Community of Practice (eCoP) instrument. The results showed a significant linear statistical relationship between the science teachers' experiences of community of practice and personal science-teaching efficacy. In addition, the study found that there was also a significant linear statistical relationship between teachers' community of practice experiences and science-teaching outcome expectancy. The results from this study were in line with numerous studies that have found teachers who are involved in a community of practice report higher science-teaching efficacy beliefs (Akerson, Cullen, & Hanson, 2009; Fazio, 2009; Lakshmanan, Heath, Perlmutter, & Elder, 2011; Liu, Lee, & Lin, 2010; Sinclair, Naizer, & Ledbetter, 2010). The researcher concluded that school leaders, policymakers, and researchers should increase professional learning opportunities that are grounded in social constructivist theoretical frameworks in order to increase teachers' science efficacy.

Community pharmacists, Internet and social media: an empirical investigation.

Science.gov (United States)

Shcherbakova, Natalia; Shepherd, Marv

2014-01-01

Use of social media and Internet for health information sharing is expanding among patients, physicians, and other health care professionals. Research on professional use of social media by community pharmacists is limited. 1) To determine the extent to which Texas (U.S. state) independent community pharmacists use text messaging, email, Facebook, Twitter, and/or other information technology for professional communication with patients and health care professionals and identify the perceptions of Texas independent community pharmacists toward such usage; 2) to determine the extent to which Texas independent community pharmacists develop and employ their pharmacy websites to provide drug information and patient care services. A 25-item survey with questions addressing the objectives of the study as well as basic demographic questions (gender, age, and type of pharmacy degree) was mailed to a random sample of 1196 independent community pharmacists in Texas in January 2012. The study response rate was 23.7%, with 284 usable questionnaires returned. The majority of respondents reported that Internet access is available at their pharmacies (98% (278)), and 91% (258) are familiar with the term 'social media'. To communicate with health care professionals, 56% (n = 160) of respondents use email, 34% (n = 97) use text messages and 5% (n = 14) use Facebook. To communicate with patients, 36% (n = 102) of respondents use email, 30% (n = 86) use text messages and 7% (n = 19) use Facebook. The perceptions of pharmacists who communicate with patients using electronic tools about information related to drug therapy once a month or more frequently were more positive than those of pharmacists who never or hardly ever communicate with patients via electronic tools about drug therapy (P social media for professional pharmacist's communications and perceptions toward the use of social media in patient-pharmacist communications among independent community pharmacists in

Exploring the Influence of Student Focus Groups in Their Professional and Personal Development

Science.gov (United States)

Hosseini, S.; Hut, R.

2014-12-01

A scientific career is often more than a 9-to-5 commitment, both in terms of time and passion. An important factor that fuels this passion is engaging with the community on many levels. In the history of education and professional development, there are numerous studies that emphasis the importance of surrounding groups and like-minded peers in one's professional and personal development in a less constrained environment. In our experience, in modern days where students are surrounded with too much information and yet too little clear signal, the idea of mentor and advisor can no longer limit to one or two people. We strongly feel it is imperative to have the opportunity to share expertise on scientific issues, career options, develop presenting and writing skills, participate in professional volunteer activities with alike and advanced colleagues, share future opportunities, and successfully navigating life both inside and outside of graduate school in a relaxed environment. Most of the professional scientific and engineering communities put a lot of effort to create and maintain professional groups in masters and Ph.D. levels but the dynamics within these groups prove it to be very different and it is challenging to maintain both momentum and productivity. Authors of this report would present their experience in creating, running and maintaining various student groups in the discipline of physics, astronomy, planetary science, hydrology, and optical engineering in US, Europe and Middle East. The common factors and differences based on the supportive community, location, and the educational level would be discussed. An outline of potential helpful factors within the academic institutes and professional communities would be presented based on the examination on various successful and unsuccessful experiences.

Energy statistics yearbook 2002

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2005-01-01

The Energy Statistics Yearbook 2002 is a comprehensive collection of international energy statistics prepared by the United Nations Statistics Division. It is the forty-sixth in a series of annual compilations which commenced under the title World Energy Supplies in Selected Years, 1929-1950. It updates the statistical series shown in the previous issue. Supplementary series of monthly and quarterly data on production of energy may be found in the Monthly Bulletin of Statistics. The principal objective of the Yearbook is to provide a global framework of comparable data on long-term trends in the supply of mainly commercial primary and secondary forms of energy. Data for each type of fuel and aggregate data for the total mix of commercial fuels are shown for individual countries and areas and are summarized into regional and world totals. The data are compiled primarily from the annual energy questionnaire distributed by the United Nations Statistics Division and supplemented by official national statistical publications. Where official data are not available or are inconsistent, estimates are made by the Statistics Division based on governmental, professional or commercial materials. Estimates include, but are not limited to, extrapolated data based on partial year information, use of annual trends, trade data based on partner country reports, breakdowns of aggregated data as well as analysis of current energy events and activities

Energy statistics yearbook 2001

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2004-01-01

The Energy Statistics Yearbook 2001 is a comprehensive collection of international energy statistics prepared by the United Nations Statistics Division. It is the forty-fifth in a series of annual compilations which commenced under the title World Energy Supplies in Selected Years, 1929-1950. It updates the statistical series shown in the previous issue. Supplementary series of monthly and quarterly data on production of energy may be found in the Monthly Bulletin of Statistics. The principal objective of the Yearbook is to provide a global framework of comparable data on long-term trends in the supply of mainly commercial primary and secondary forms of energy. Data for each type of fuel and aggregate data for the total mix of commercial fuels are shown for individual countries and areas and are summarized into regional and world totals. The data are compiled primarily from the annual energy questionnaire distributed by the United Nations Statistics Division and supplemented by official national statistical publications. Where official data are not available or are inconsistent, estimates are made by the Statistics Division based on governmental, professional or commercial materials. Estimates include, but are not limited to, extrapolated data based on partial year information, use of annual trends, trade data based on partner country reports, breakdowns of aggregated data as well as analysis of current energy events and activities

Energy statistics yearbook 2000

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2002-01-01

The Energy Statistics Yearbook 2000 is a comprehensive collection of international energy statistics prepared by the United Nations Statistics Division. It is the forty-third in a series of annual compilations which commenced under the title World Energy Supplies in Selected Years, 1929-1950. It updates the statistical series shown in the previous issue. Supplementary series of monthly and quarterly data on production of energy may be found in the Monthly Bulletin of Statistics. The principal objective of the Yearbook is to provide a global framework of comparable data on long-term trends in the supply of mainly commercial primary and secondary forms of energy. Data for each type of fuel and aggregate data for the total mix of commercial fuels are shown for individual countries and areas and are summarized into regional and world totals. The data are compiled primarily from the annual energy questionnaire distributed by the United Nations Statistics Division and supplemented by official national statistical publications. Where official data are not available or are inconsistent, estimates are made by the Statistics Division based on governmental, professional or commercial materials. Estimates include, but are not limited to, extrapolated data based on partial year information, use of annual trends, trade data based on partner country reports, breakdowns of aggregated data as well as analysis of current energy events and activities

Professional Learning and Collaboration

OpenAIRE

Greer, Janet Agnes

2012-01-01

The American education system must utilize collaboration to meet the challenges and demands our culture poses for schools. Deeply rooted processes and structures favor teaching and learning in isolation and hinder the shift to a more collaborative paradigm. Professional learning communities (PLCs) support continuous teacher learning, improved efficacy, and program implementation. The PLC provides the framework for the development and enhancement of teacher collaboration and teacher collaborat...

Discourses of healthcare professionals about health surveillance actions for Tuberculosis control

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fernando Mitano

Full Text Available Abstract OBJECTIVE To analyze the meanings produced in the Health Surveillance actions for tuberculosis control, carried out by healthcare professionals in Mozambique. METHOD Qualitative study using the theoretical and methodological framework of the French Discourse Analysis. RESULTS A total of 15 healthcare professionals with more than one year of experience in disease control actions participated in the study. Four discursive blocks have emerged from the analysis: tuberculosis diagnosis process; meeting, communication and discussion of treatment; local strategies for tuberculosis control; involvement of family and community leaders in the tuberculosis control. CONCLUSION The statements of the healthcare professionals suggest, as Health Surveillance actions, practices that include collecting sputum in the patient's home and sending it to the laboratory; deployment of the medical team with a microscope for tuberculosis testing; and testing for diseases that may be associated with tuberculosis. In this context, the actions of Health Surveillance for tuberculosis control involve valuing all actors: family, community leaders, patients and health professionals.

[Community health agents: profile and education].

Science.gov (United States)

Marzari, Carla Kowalski; Junges, José Roque; Selli, Lucilda

2011-01-01

This research discusses the profile and education of the community health agents. There is no clarity about the kind of professional needed and the appropriate training to the fulfillment of the function. The research is a case study with exploratory methodology and qualitative approach. The data was collected with a focused group, formed by ten agents, intentional selected from those with more time in service in Family Health Strategy teams from the municipality of Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul State. The discussions were recorded and transcribed by the researcher. The data was interpreted by content analysis. The results pointed to some important questions concerning the identity of the community health agents: integration on the health team, insertion in the community, profile and education. The profile which emerges from the research, is not different from the one proposed by the Ministry of Health. However, the difference is the professionalization, an initiative assumed by the agent, guided by reality, which he faces in his activity. The gaps, perceived in his formation, cause the agent to construct his professional identity, determined more by the technical aspect of the scientific knowledge than by his social competence as a community agent.

Training Master's Thesis Supervisors within a Professional Learning Community

Science.gov (United States)

Fossøy, Ingrid; Haara, Frode Olav

2016-01-01

Completion of a master's degree has changed significantly from being the specific responsibility of the candidate and his/her supervisor to being the responsibility of the whole educational institution. As a consequence, we have initiated an internal training course for professional development related to the supervision of master's theses. In…

Professional Learning Communities Facilitator's Guide for the What Works Clearinghouse Practice Guide: Foundational Skills to Support Reading for Understanding in Kindergarten through 3rd Grade. REL 2016-277

Science.gov (United States)

Kosanovich, Marcia; Foorman, Barbara

2016-01-01

The Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Southeast developed a Professional Learning Community (PLC) Facilitators Guide to support educators in the implementation of recommendations from the What Works Clearinghouse's. The practice guide focuses on the foundational reading skills that enable students to read words, relate those words to their…

Statistics I essentials

CERN Document Server

Milewski, Emil G

2012-01-01

REA's Essentials provide quick and easy access to critical information in a variety of different fields, ranging from the most basic to the most advanced. As its name implies, these concise, comprehensive study guides summarize the essentials of the field covered. Essentials are helpful when preparing for exams, doing homework and will remain a lasting reference source for students, teachers, and professionals. Statistics I covers include frequency distributions, numerical methods of describing data, measures of variability, parameters of distributions, probability theory, and distributions.

Do systematic reviews address community healthcare professionals' wound care uncertainties? Results from evidence mapping in wound care.

Science.gov (United States)

Christie, Janice; Gray, Trish A; Dumville, Jo C; Cullum, Nicky A

2018-01-01

Complex wounds such as leg and foot ulcers are common, resource intensive and have negative impacts on patients' wellbeing. Evidence-based decision-making, substantiated by high quality evidence such as from systematic reviews, is widely advocated for improving patient care and healthcare efficiency. Consequently, we set out to classify and map the extent to which up-to-date systematic reviews containing robust evidence exist for wound care uncertainties prioritised by community-based healthcare professionals. We asked healthcare professionals to prioritise uncertainties based on complex wound care decisions, and then classified 28 uncertainties according to the type and level of decision. For each uncertainty, we searched for relevant systematic reviews. Two independent reviewers screened abstracts and full texts of reviews against the following criteria: meeting an a priori definition of a systematic review, sufficiently addressing the uncertainty, published during or after 2012, and identifying high quality research evidence. The most common uncertainty type was 'interventions' 24/28 (85%); the majority concerned wound level decisions 15/28 (53%) however, service delivery level decisions (10/28) were given highest priority. Overall, we found 162 potentially relevant reviews of which 57 (35%) were not systematic reviews. Of 106 systematic reviews, only 28 were relevant to an uncertainty and 18 of these were published within the preceding five years; none identified high quality research evidence. Despite the growing volume of published primary research, healthcare professionals delivering wound care have important clinical uncertainties which are not addressed by up-to-date systematic reviews containing high certainty evidence. These are high priority topics requiring new research and systematic reviews which are regularly updated. To reduce clinical and research waste, we recommend systematic reviewers and researchers make greater efforts to ensure that research

The Undergraduate Statistics Major--A Prelude to Actuarial Science Training.

Science.gov (United States)

Ratliff, Michael I.; Williams, Raymond E.

Recently there has been increased interest related to the Actuarial Science field. An actuary is a business professional who uses mathematical skills to define, analyze, and solve financial and social problems. This paper examines: (1) the interface between Statistical and Actuarial Science training; (2) statistical courses corresponding to…

Community as Teacher Model: Health Profession Students Learn Cultural Safety from an Aboriginal Community

Science.gov (United States)

Kline, Cathy C.; Godolphin, William J.; Chhina, Gagun S.; Towle, Angela

2013-01-01

Communication between health care professionals and Aboriginal patients is complicated by cultural differences and the enduring effects of colonization. Health care providers need better training to meet the needs of Aboriginal patients and communities. We describe the development and outcomes of a community-driven service-learning program in…

Statistical literacy for clinical practitioners

CERN Document Server

Holmes, William H

2014-01-01

This textbook on statistics is written for students in medicine, epidemiology, and public health. It builds on the important role evidence-based medicine now plays in the clinical practice of physicians, physician assistants and allied health practitioners. By bringing research design and statistics to the fore, this book can integrate these skills into the curricula of professional programs. Students, particularly practitioners-in-training, will learn statistical skills that are required of today’s clinicians. Practice problems at the end of each chapter and downloadable data sets provided by the authors ensure readers get practical experience that they can then apply to their own work.  Topics covered include:   Functions of Statistics in Clinical Research Common Study Designs Describing Distributions of Categorical and Quantitative Variables Confidence Intervals and Hypothesis Testing Documenting Relationships in Categorical and Quantitative Data Assessing Screening and Diagnostic Tests Comparing Mean...

Democracy, Community, and Psychologically-based professional practice

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chaiklin, Seth

The purpose of this presentation is to offer some personal reflections in relation to the Congress theme about “democratizing education,” (e.g., universal access to quality schooling). Several points are discussed: (a) the importance of the public sphere and community engagement in relation...

Developing nurse leaders: a program enhancing staff nurse leadership skills and professionalism.

Science.gov (United States)

Abraham, Pauline J

2011-01-01

This study aims to determine whether participation in the Nursing Leadership Perspectives Program (NLPP) at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, produced a change in leadership skills, increased professional activities, leadership promotion, and retention rates of participants. The NLPP is an educational program designed to enhance leadership skills and promote professionalism of registered nurses. The 6-month program provides participants with theoretical knowledge, core competencies, and opportunities to practice application of leadership skills. Outcome metrics were collected from registered nurses who completed the program (n = 15). Data analysis included descriptive and nonparametric methods. Participants reported statistically significant changes in their leadership skills after participation in the program (P = .007) on the Leadership Practices Inventory. Changes in professional behavior were also statistically significant as rated by the Nursing Activity Scale (P = .001). Participants demonstrated a change in leadership skills and professional behavior following the program.

A quantitative analysis of factors influencing the professional longevity of high school science teachers in Florida

Science.gov (United States)

Ridgley, James Alexander, Jr.

This dissertation is an exploratory quantitative analysis of various independent variables to determine their effect on the professional longevity (years of service) of high school science teachers in the state of Florida for the academic years 2011-2012 to 2013-2014. Data are collected from the Florida Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, and the National Assessment of Educational Progress databases. The following research hypotheses are examined: H1 - There are statistically significant differences in Level 1 (teacher variables) that influence the professional longevity of a high school science teacher in Florida. H2 - There are statistically significant differences in Level 2 (school variables) that influence the professional longevity of a high school science teacher in Florida. H3 - There are statistically significant differences in Level 3 (district variables) that influence the professional longevity of a high school science teacher in Florida. H4 - When tested in a hierarchical multiple regression, there are statistically significant differences in Level 1, Level 2, or Level 3 that influence the professional longevity of a high school science teacher in Florida. The professional longevity of a Floridian high school science teacher is the dependent variable. The independent variables are: (Level 1) a teacher's sex, age, ethnicity, earned degree, salary, number of schools taught in, migration count, and various years of service in different areas of education; (Level 2) a school's geographic location, residential population density, average class size, charter status, and SES; and (Level 3) a school district's average SES and average spending per pupil. Statistical analyses of exploratory MLRs and a HMR are used to support the research hypotheses. The final results of the HMR analysis show a teacher's age, salary, earned degree (unknown, associate, and doctorate), and ethnicity (Hispanic and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander); a

Statistically significant relational data mining :

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Berry, Jonathan W.; Leung, Vitus Joseph; Phillips, Cynthia Ann; Pinar, Ali; Robinson, David Gerald; Berger-Wolf, Tanya; Bhowmick, Sanjukta; Casleton, Emily; Kaiser, Mark; Nordman, Daniel J.; Wilson, Alyson G.

2014-02-01

This report summarizes the work performed under the project (3z(BStatitically significant relational data mining.(3y (BThe goal of the project was to add more statistical rigor to the fairly ad hoc area of data mining on graphs. Our goal was to develop better algorithms and better ways to evaluate algorithm quality. We concetrated on algorithms for community detection, approximate pattern matching, and graph similarity measures. Approximate pattern matching involves finding an instance of a relatively small pattern, expressed with tolerance, in a large graph of data observed with uncertainty. This report gathers the abstracts and references for the eight refereed publications that have appeared as part of this work. We then archive three pieces of research that have not yet been published. The first is theoretical and experimental evidence that a popular statistical measure for comparison of community assignments favors over-resolved communities over approximations to a ground truth. The second are statistically motivated methods for measuring the quality of an approximate match of a small pattern in a large graph. The third is a new probabilistic random graph model. Statisticians favor these models for graph analysis. The new local structure graph model overcomes some of the issues with popular models such as exponential random graph models and latent variable models.

Statistical and Computational Techniques in Manufacturing

CERN Document Server

2012-01-01

In recent years, interest in developing statistical and computational techniques for applied manufacturing engineering has been increased. Today, due to the great complexity of manufacturing engineering and the high number of parameters used, conventional approaches are no longer sufficient. Therefore, in manufacturing, statistical and computational techniques have achieved several applications, namely, modelling and simulation manufacturing processes, optimization manufacturing parameters, monitoring and control, computer-aided process planning, etc. The present book aims to provide recent information on statistical and computational techniques applied in manufacturing engineering. The content is suitable for final undergraduate engineering courses or as a subject on manufacturing at the postgraduate level. This book serves as a useful reference for academics, statistical and computational science researchers, mechanical, manufacturing and industrial engineers, and professionals in industries related to manu...

1992 Energy statistics Yearbook

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-01-01

The principal objective of the Yearbook is to provide a global framework of comparable data on long-term trends in the supply of mainly commercial primary and secondary forms of energy. Data for each type of fuel and aggregate data for the total mix of commercial fuels are shown for individual countries and areas and are summarized into regional and world totals. The data are compiled primarily from annual questionnaires distributed by the United Nations Statistical Division and supplemented by official national statistical publications. Where official data are not available or are inconsistent, estimates are made by the Statistical Division based on governmental, professional or commercial materials. Estimates include, but are not limited to, extrapolated data based on partial year information, use of annual trends, trade data based on partner country reports, breakdowns of aggregated data as well as analysis of current energy events and activities

Tanzanian midwives' perception of their professional role and implications for continuing professional development education.

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Brooke; Michael, Rene; Butt, Janice; Hauck, Yvonne

2016-03-01

This study explored Tanzanian midwives' perceptions of their professional role within their local context. Findings were to inform recommendations for continuing professional development education programs by Western midwifery educators. Using focus group interviews with sixteen Tanzanian midwives, the findings revealed that the midwives' overwhelming focus was on saving lives of women and newborns. The fundamental elements of saving lives involved prioritising care through receiving handover and undertaking physical assessment. Midwives were challenged by the poor working conditions, perceived lack of knowledge and associated low status within the local community. Based upon these findings, recommendations for continuing professional development education for Tanzanian midwives must ensure that saving lives is a major focus and that strategies taught must be relevant to the low-resource context of this developing country. In recognition of the high-risk women being cared for, there needs to be a focus on the prevention and management of maternity emergencies, in collaboration with medical practitioners. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Statistics for library and information services a primer for using open source R software for accessibility and visualization

CERN Document Server

Friedman, Alon

2016-01-01

Statistics for Library and Information Services, written for non-statisticians, provides logical, user-friendly, and step-by-step instructions to make statistics more accessible for students and professionals in the field of Information Science. It emphasizes concepts of statistical theory and data collection methodologies, but also extends to the topics of visualization creation and display, so that the reader will be able to better conduct statistical analysis and communicate his/her findings. The book is tailored for information science students and professionals. It has specific examples of dataset sets, scripts, design modules, data repositories, homework assignments, and a glossary lexicon that matches the field of Information Science. The textbook provides a visual road map that is customized specifically for Information Science instructors, students, and professionals regarding statistics and visualization. Each chapter in the book includes full-color illustrations on how to use R for the statistical ...

Summary of: Mind the gap! A comparison of oral health knowledge between dental, healthcare professionals and the public.

Science.gov (United States)

Levine, R S

2014-02-01

The importance of consistent, accurate and unambiguous messages are well documented in oral health promotion literature. Whether the reality of delivering messages in the field fulfils these principle is questionable. This paper explores the perceptions of dental professionals, healthcare professionals and lay community members with regard to key oral health messages in order to highlight any inconsistencies and knowledge gaps between and within groups for disease risk factors. A questionnaire was administered to individuals who belonged to three groups: dental professionals, healthcare professionals and lay community members. The questionnaire established knowledge regarding risk factors for caries, periodontal disease and erosion. Thirty-five (57.4%) of the dental group answered the whole questionnaire correctly, with 22 (27.8%) and 9 (5.1%) of the healthcare and lay community group answering the whole questionnaire correctly, respectively. The question of fluoride levels in children's toothpaste was the main reason for incorrect answers in the dental group. The results of this survey demonstrate a knowledge gradient from dental professionals through to healthcare professionals and then to lay members of the community. The knowledge base observed in the dental group is reflected in the other two groups as would be expected albeit with a significant gap between each group. As expected the dental professionals are generally well informed, but not as well informed as could be expected.

Interpreting Statistical Findings A Guide For Health Professionals And Students

CERN Document Server

Walker, Jan

2010-01-01

This book is aimed at those studying and working in the field of health care, including nurses and the professions allied to medicine, who have little prior knowledge of statistics but for whom critical review of research is an essential skill.

Using Learning Trajectories for Teacher Learning to Structure Professional Development

Science.gov (United States)

Bargagliotti, Anna E.; Anderson, Celia Rousseau

2017-01-01

As a result of the increased focus on data literacy and data science across the world, there has been a large demand for professional development in statistics. However, exactly how these professional development opportunities should be structured remains an open question. The purpose of this paper is to describe the first iteration of a design…

Human capital identification process: linkage for family medicine and community medicine to mobilize the community.

Science.gov (United States)

Tanasugarn, Chanuantong; Thongbunjob, Krid

2012-06-01

Community diagnosis and approach has shifted from a professional focus to a community focus. The information system has also been developed to reflect socio-cultural information. This new system has been established throughout the country and is being recorded in the computer system. However these data still lack human capital information to promote community mobilization. The present study aims to develop a process which reflects human capital from the insider and outsider points of view and which builds on the existing work system of primary care service, family medicine, and community medicine. The present study applies the participatory action research design with mixed methods including community grand-tour, household survey socio-metric questionnaire and focus group discussion in order to gather insider view of human capital. A key instrument developed in the present study is the socio-metric questionnaire which was designed according to the community grand tour and household survey results. The findings indicate that the process is feasible and the insider point of view given a longer evidence based list of the human capital. The model enhanced a closer relationship between professional and community people and suggested the realistic community mobilizer name list. Human capital identification process is feasible and should be recommended to integrate in the existing work process of the health staff in family and community practice.

Preferred prenatal counselling at the limits of viability: a survey among Dutch perinatal professionals.

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Geurtzen, R; Van Heijst, Arno; Hermens, Rosella; Scheepers, Hubertina; Woiski, Mallory; Draaisma, Jos; Hogeveen, Marije

2018-01-03

Since 2010, intensive care can be offered in the Netherlands at 24 +0  weeks gestation (with parental consent) but the Dutch guideline lacks recommendations on organization, content and preferred decision-making of the counselling. Our aim is to explore preferred prenatal counselling at the limits of viability by Dutch perinatal professionals and compare this to current care. Online nationwide survey as part of the PreCo study (2013) amongst obstetricians and neonatologists in all Dutch level III perinatal care centers (n = 205).The survey regarded prenatal counselling at the limits of viability and focused on the domains of organization, content and decision-making in both current and preferred practice. One hundred twenty-two surveys were returned out of 205 eligible professionals (response rate 60%). Organization-wise: more than 80% of all professionals preferred (but currently missed) having protocols for several aspects of counselling, joint counselling by both neonatologist and obstetrician, and the use of supportive materials. Most professionals preferred using national or local data (70%) on outcome statistics for the counselling content, in contrast to the international statistics currently used (74%). Current decisions on initiation care were mostly made together (in 99% parents and doctor). This shared decision model was preferred by 95% of the professionals. Dutch perinatal professionals would prefer more protocolized counselling, joint counselling, supportive material and local outcome statistics. Further studies on both barriers to perform adequate counselling, as well as on Dutch outcome statistics and parents' opinions are needed in order to develop a national framework. Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT02782650 , retrospectively registered May 2016.

Adapting to large-scale changes in Advanced Placement Biology, Chemistry, and Physics: the impact of online teacher communities

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Frumin, Kim; Dede, Chris; Fischer, Christian; Foster, Brandon; Lawrenz, Frances; Eisenkraft, Arthur; Fishman, Barry; Jurist Levy, Abigail; McCoy, Ayana

2018-03-01

Over the past decade, the field of teacher professional learning has coalesced around core characteristics of high quality professional development experiences (e.g. Borko, Jacobs, & Koellner, 2010. Contemporary approaches to teacher professional development. In P. L. Peterson, E. Baker, & B. McGaw (Eds.), International encyclopedia of education (Vol. 7, pp. 548-556). Oxford: Elsevier.; Darling-Hammond, Hyler, & Gardner, 2017. Effective teacher professional development. Palo Alto, CA: Learning Policy Institute). Many countries have found these advances of great interest because of a desire to build teacher capacity in science education and across the full curriculum. This paper continues this progress by examining the role and impact of an online professional development community within the top-down, large-scale curriculum and assessment revision of Advanced Placement (AP) Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. This paper is part of a five-year, longitudinal, U.S. National Science Foundation-funded project to study the relative effectiveness of various types of professional development in enabling teachers to adapt to the revised AP course goals and exams. Of the many forms of professional development our research has examined, preliminary analyses indicated that participation in the College Board's online AP Teacher Community (APTC) - where teachers can discuss teaching strategies, share resources, and connect with each other - had positive, direct, and statistically significant association with teacher self-reported shifts in practice and with gains in student AP scores (Fishman et al., 2014). This study explored how usage of the online APTC might be useful to teachers and examined a more robust estimate of these effects. Findings from the experience of AP teachers may be valuable in supporting other large-scale curriculum changes, such as the U.S. Next Generation Science Standards or Common Core Standards, as well as parallel curricular shifts in other countries.

Transforming Social Regularities in a Multicomponent Community-Based Intervention: A Case Study of Professionals' Adaptability to Better Support Parents to Meet Their Children's Needs.

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Quiroz Saavedra, Rodrigo; Brunson, Liesette; Bigras, Nathalie

2017-06-01

This paper presents an in-depth case study of the dynamic processes of mutual adjustment that occurred between two professional teams participating in a multicomponent community-based intervention (CBI). Drawing on the concept of social regularities, we focus on patterns of social interaction within and across the two microsystems involved in delivering the intervention. Two research strategies, narrative analysis and structural network analysis, were used to reveal the social regularities linking the two microsystems. Results document strategies and actions undertaken by the professionals responsible for the intervention to modify intersetting social regularities to deal with a problem situation that arose during the course of one intervention cycle. The results illustrate how key social regularities were modified in order to resolve the problem situation and allow the intervention to continue to function smoothly. We propose that these changes represent a transition to a new state of the ecological intervention system. This transformation appeared to be the result of certain key intervening mechanisms: changing key role relationships, boundary spanning, and synergy. The transformation also appeared to be linked to positive setting-level and individual-level outcomes: confidence of key team members, joint planning, decision-making and intervention activities, and the achievement of desired intervention objectives. © Society for Community Research and Action 2017.

Integrating the perspectives of individuals with spinal cord injuries, their family caregivers and healthcare professionals from the time of rehabilitation admission to community reintegration: protocol for a scoping study on SCI needs.

Science.gov (United States)

Moreno, Alexander; Zidarov, Diana; Raju, Chandhana; Boruff, Jill; Ahmed, Sara

2017-08-04

There is fragmented information about the different needs following a spinal cord injury (SCI). Expressed SCI needs can be met or unmet, they change along the rehabilitation continuum (eg, acute, rehabilitation and reintegration into the community) and can be different for traumatic and non traumatic SCI. The general objective of this scoping study is to evaluate and integrate the needs of individuals with traumatic and non-traumatic SCI, their family caregivers and those reported by rehabilitation professionals from the time of rehabilitation admission to community reintegration. The specific objectives are to: (A) synthesise the needs of individuals with SCI as perceived by themselves, their family caregivers and rehabilitation professionals using two theoretical models, (B) classify needs as met and unmet, (C) explore the evolution of met/unmet needs from the time of rehabilitation admission to community reintegration and (D) provide recommendations to improve SCI care. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: (A) identifying the most frequent met and unmet needs reported by adults with traumatic and non-traumatic SCI, their family caregivers and their rehabilitation professionals from the time of rehabilitation admission to community reintegration; (B) identifying relevant studies with a search in electronic databases; (C) charting the data based on categories refined and adjusted with a stakeholder group; (D) collating, summarising and reporting the results using two analytical frameworks (Maslow's hierarchical model of human needs and the Ferrans et al 's model of health-related quality of life) and (E) a stakeholder consultation phase. The results of this scoping study will allow understanding SCI needs from the time of rehabilitation admission to community reintegration from the perspective of different stakeholders. An integrated master report combining the needs of individuals with SCI from the perspectives of different stakeholders from the time of rehabilitation admission

Otitis Media, Learning and Community.

Science.gov (United States)

McSwan, David; Clinch, Emma; Store, Ron

2001-01-01

A 3-year research project in Queensland (Australia) implemented educational and health strategies to ameliorate effects of otitis media at three schools in remote Aboriginal communities. The interdisciplinary model brought together health and education professionals, teacher aides, and the community, with the school being the lead agency. However,…

Analyzing quality of colorectal cancer care through registry statistics: a small community hospital example.

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Hopewood, Ian

2011-01-01

As the quantity of elderly Americans requiring oncologic care grows, and as cancer treatment and medicine become more advanced, assessing quality of cancer care becomes a necessary and advantageous practice for any facility.' Such analysis is especially practical in small community hospitals, which may not have the resources of their larger academic counterparts to ensure that the care being provided is current and competitive in terms of both technique and outcome. This study is a comparison of the colorectal cancer care at one such center, Falmouth Community Hospital (FCH)--located in Falmouth, Massachusetts, about an hour and a half away from the nearest metropolitan center--to the care provided at a major nearby Boston Tertiary Center (BTC) and at teaching and research facilities across New England and the United States. The metrics used to measure performance encompass both outcome (survival rate data) as well as technique, including quality of surgery (number of lymph nodes removed) and the administration of adjuvant treatments, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy, as per national guidelines. All data for comparison between FCH and BTC were culled from those hospitals' tumor registries. Data for the comparison between FCH and national tertiary/referral centers were taken from the American College of Surgeons' Commission on Cancer, namely National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) statistics, Hospital Benchmark Reports and Practice Profile Reports. The results showed that, while patients at FCH were diagnosed at both a higher age and at a more advanced stage of colorectal cancer than their BTC counterparts, FCH stands up favorably to BTC and other large centers in terms of the metrics referenced above. Quality assessment such as the analysis conducted here can be used at other community facilities to spotlight, and ultimately eliminate, deficiencies in cancer programs.

THEORY OF O.M. MEDUSHEVSKAYA’S COGNITIVE HISTORY: PRECISE KNOWLEDGE IN HUMANITIES AND PROFESSIONAL CHOICE OF ACADEMIC COMMUNITY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Инна Николаевна Сабенникова

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The theory of cognitive history elaborated by Olga M. Medushevskaia (1922-2007 has obviously been the most important and influential paradigm in Russian philosophy of history and historiography since the collapse of the official Soviet version of Marxist-Leninist methodology at the end of the 20 th century. In this regard the author analyzes the main intellectual roots of the paradigm, its structure and influence on inter-disciplinary debates on the possibility of the precise and verifiable reconstruction of historical past. The author emphasizes the fundamental role of the cognitive theory in the current process of paradigm-change in Russian historiography, in the creation of new research areas, pedagogical practices and the establishment of new professional ethics of academic community.

Small Community Training & Education

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Operators Small Systems Small Community Training & Education education, training and professional implement the 1996 Amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). • EPA Environmental Education Center

Working together in community care.

Science.gov (United States)

Statham, D

1994-01-01

Health and social services professionals face major challenges in making the community care reforms work. Not least is the need to improve inter-agency collaboration. Many of the problems facing them are common to both professions, writes Daphne Statham. Instead of accusing the professions of inflexibility and tribalism, employers should support and invest in their professional staff.

Development and Factor Structure of the Helping Professional Wellness Discrepancy Scale

Science.gov (United States)

Blount, Ashley J.; Lambie, Glenn W.

2018-01-01

The authors present the development of the Helping Professional Wellness Discrepancy Scale (HPWDS). The purpose of this article is threefold: (a) present a rationale for the HPWDS; (b) review statistical analyses procedures used to develop the HPWDS; and (c) offer implications for counselors, other helping professionals, and future research.

Business Entity Selection: Why It Matters to Healthcare Practitioners. Part II--Corporations, Limited Liability Companies, and Professional Entities.

Science.gov (United States)

Nithman, Robert W

2015-01-01

The Bureau of Labor statistics indicates only a 50% four-year survivability rate among businesses classified as "education and health services." Gaining knowledge of IRS business entities can result in cost savings, operational efficiency, reduced liability, and enhanced sustainability. Each entity has unique disadvantages, depending on size, diversity of ownership, desire to expand, and profitability. Business structures should be compatible with organizational mission or vision statements, services and products, and professional codes of ethics. Healthcare reform will require greater business acumen. We have an ethical duty to disseminate and acquire the knowledge to properly establish and manage healthcare practices to ensure sustainable services that protect and serve the community.

Using R-Project for Free Statistical Analysis in Extension Research

Science.gov (United States)

Mangiafico, Salvatore S.

2013-01-01

One option for Extension professionals wishing to use free statistical software is to use online calculators, which are useful for common, simple analyses. A second option is to use a free computing environment capable of performing statistical analyses, like R-project. R-project is free, cross-platform, powerful, and respected, but may be…

Effect of Professional Development on Classroom Practices in Some Selected Saudi Universities

Science.gov (United States)

Alghamdi, AbdulKhaliq Hajjad; Bin Sihes, Ahmad Johari

2016-01-01

"Scientific studies found the impact of professional development on effective classroom practices in Higher Education." This paper hypothesizes no statistically significant effect of lecturers' professional development on classroom practices in some selected Saudi Universities not as highlighted in the model. Hierarchical multiple…

Drawing on healthcare professionals' ethnicity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mygind, Anna; Nørgaard, Lotte Stig; Traulsen, Janine M.

2017-01-01

created challenges, because the professional identity of the pharmacists reduced their options for serving as peers with the same ethnic background. Furthermore, issues related to organisational difficulties and overcoming language barriers in the intervention impacted on the potential of involving......Aims: To present and discuss implementation experiences regarding the involvement of community pharmacists with ethnic minority backgrounds in a medication review intervention for ethnic minority poly-pharmacy patients in Denmark. Methods: Data sources include 1) reflection notes from...... an introductory seminar with pharmacists and the cross-disciplinary research team and 2) five individual interviews and one focus group interview with pharmacists. Data were thematically coded and synthesised to identify underlying rationales and challenges encountered when involving professionals with ethnic...

Professional Learning Communities Participant's Activities for the What Works Clearinghouse Practice Guide: Foundational Skills to Support Reading for Understanding in Kindergarten through 3rd Grade. REL 2016-277a

Science.gov (United States)

Kosanovich, Marcia; Foorman, Barbara

2016-01-01

The Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Southeast developed a Professional Learning Community (PLC) Facilitators Guide to support educators in the implementation of recommendations from the What Works Clearinghouse's. The practice guide focuses on the foundational reading skills that enable students to read words, relate those words to their…

Building professional competence in dental hygiene students through a community-based practicum.

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Yoon, M N; Compton, S M

2017-11-01

As Canadians age, there is an increased need for oral health professionals specializing in services for this unique population. Dental hygiene students require exposure to this population to develop professional competencies. This study investigated the dimensions of professional competence that were developed through a practicum for dental hygiene students in long-term care settings while working with older adults. Nine dental hygiene students were recruited across two cohorts. All students completed reflective journals describing their practicum experiences. Five students also participated in an audio-recorded focus group and completed a pre-focus group questionnaire. Additionally, the practicum course coordinator completed an audio-recorded interview. Transcripts and journals were coded using a constant comparative approach and themes were identified. Students described developing client-focused skills, such as effective verbal and non-verbal communication with older adults with dementia. Context-based learning was also a large part of the competency development for the practicum students. Understanding the care environment within which these residents lived helped students to understand and empathize why oral health may not be prioritized. Students also developed an understanding of the work of other health professionals in the settings and improved their abilities to communicate with other healthcare providers. However, students recognized that the utility of those interprofessional skills in private practice may be limited. Dental hygiene students developed personal and ethical competencies during practicum that are highly transferrable across professional settings. Exposure of students to older adult populations in long-term care may increase the likelihood of dental hygienists working in this area. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Statistical Indicators of Ethno-Cultural Community Integration in Canadian Society = Indicateurs statistiques de l'integration des communautes ethnoculturelles dans la societe canadienne.

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de Vries, John

This paper addresses the issue of measuring the integration of various ethnocultural communities into Canadian society by means of statistical or social indicators. The overall philosophy of the study is based on the following principles: (1) indicators should have a clear meaning with respect to the underlying concept of integration; (2)…

The construction of professional identity: symbolic power in rural partnerships in The Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Derkzen, P.H.M.; Bock, B.B.

2007-01-01

This article addresses the construction of professionalism in rural partnerships in Achterhoek, a region in the east of The Netherlands, where public, private and community representatives are involved in the spatial reorganisation of agriculture. In contrast to the dichotomy between `professional'

Wider Professional Experiences: The Value of Pre-Service Teachers Learning in Wider Contexts

Science.gov (United States)

Salter, Peta; Hill, Angela; Navin, Fiona; Knight, Cecily

2013-01-01

Within teacher education, professional standards across Australian jurisdictions consistently note the importance of developing the ability to "engage professionally" with a community (QCT, 2009; AITSL, 2012). Paralleling this however, are calls for more "classroom" time (Australian Government, 2012). This paper explores…

Applications of Statistics and Probability in Civil Engineering

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Faber, Michael Havbro

contains the proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Applications of Statistics and Probability in Civil Engineering (ICASP11, Zürich, Switzerland, 1-4 August 2011). The book focuses not only on the more traditional technical issues, but also emphasizes the societal context...... and reliability in engineering; to professionals and engineers, including insurance and consulting companies working with natural hazards, design, operation and maintenance of civil engineering and industrial facilities; and to decision makers and professionals in the public sector, including nongovernmental...

Assessing the Interactivity and Prescriptiveness of Faculty Professional Development Workshops: The Real-Time Professional Development Observation Tool

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Olmstead, Alice; Turpen, Chandra

2016-01-01

Professional development workshops are one of the primary mechanisms used to help faculty improve their teaching, and draw in many STEM instructors every year. Although workshops serve a critical role in changing instructional practices within our community, we rarely assess workshops through careful consideration of how they engage faculty.…

Approaches and Activities of Professional Development During Graduate/Postdoctoral Summer Workshops

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Gross, N. A.; Wiltberger, M. J.; Hughes, W. J.; Bhattacharjee, A.; Schrijver, K.; Bagenal, F.; Sojka, J. J.; Munoz-Jaramillo, A.

2017-12-01

NSF and NASA each fund a space physics summer school - the Space Weather Summer School (https://www2.hao.ucar.edu/CISM-Summer-School) and the Heliophysics Summer School (https://cpaess.ucar.edu/heliophysics/summer-school) - each of which provide a comprehensive introduction to their fields at the conceptual and quantitative level for graduate and postdoctoral researchers. Along with specific content goals, each summer school also recognizes professional development goals for the students. Each school intentionally develops community among the summer school students to promote professional networking between the students and between students and instructors. Community is promoted both as part of the formal program and through informal gatherings and outings. Social media is intentionally used for this purpose as well. The summer schools also promote practice with discussing science concepts in small groups through peer instruction, practice presenting in small groups, and discussing results with minimal preparation. Short formal student presentations and poster sessions are organized as part of the formal schedule of one of the summer schools. Much of the professional development work is informed by improvisational theater approaches. Group improv training focuses on the development of the group or the community rather than the individual. Group improv activities are used to build the group and encourage full participation. This talk will outline the professional development activities in each school and how they are informed by improv.

Professional identity in medical students: pedagogical challenges to medical education.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, Ian; Cowin, Leanne S; Johnson, Maree; Young, Helen

2013-01-01

Professional identity, or how a doctor thinks of himself or herself as a doctor, is considered to be as critical to medical education as the acquisition of skills and knowledge relevant to patient care. This article examines contemporary literature on the development of professional identity within medicine. Relevant theories of identity construction are explored and their application to medical education and pedagogical approaches to enhancing students' professional identity are proposed. The influence of communities of practice, role models, and narrative reflection within curricula are examined. Medical education needs to be responsive to changes in professional identity being generated from factors within medical student experiences and within contemporary society.

Welcome to professional courtesy discounts: the medical community's pandora's box.

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Winkler, A D

1998-01-01

Recent government regulations on fraud and abuse have transformed the tradition of professional courtesy discounts into a legal minefield threatening to explode on the uninformed medical provider. This paper offers an understanding of the issues involved and provider options.

Vocal handicap index in popular and erudite professional singers.

Science.gov (United States)

Loiola-Barreiro, Camila Miranda; Silva, Marta Assumpção de Andrada E

To compare the voice handicap index of popular and erudite professional singers according to gender, age, professional experience time, and presence or absence of self-reported vocal complaints. One hundred thirty-two professional singers, 74 popular and 58 erudite, who responded to a questionnaire with regards to identification, age, gender, professional experience time in singing, musical genres (for popular singers), vocal classification (for erudite singers), presence of self-reported vocal complaints, and the specific protocols for popular (Modern Singing Handicap Index - MSHI) and erudite (Classical Singing Handicap Index - CSHI) singing. Higher proportion of women and higher incidence of vocal complaints were observed in the popular singers compared with the erudite singers. Most of the popular singers belonged to the genre of Brazilian Popular Music. Regarding the classification of erudite singers, there was greater participation of sopranos and tenors. No statistical differences were observed with respect to age and professional experience time between the groups. Comparison of the MSHI and CSHI scores showed no statistically significant difference between these scores and genre or age in both groups of singers. Professional experience time was related to the total score and the subscales disability and impairment in the MSHI, only for popular singers with vocal complaints. There was no correlation between these variables and the CSHI for erudite singers. The impact of vocal difficulty/problem interferes differently in these two musical genres when related to vocal complaint and professional experience time. The MSHI and CSHI protocols proved to be important tools not only for the identification of problems, but also for the understanding of how these individuals relate their voices with this occupational activity.

Beliefs and implementation of evidence-based practice among community health nurses: A cross-sectional descriptive study.

Science.gov (United States)

Pereira, Filipa; Pellaux, Victoria; Verloo, Henk

2018-03-08

To describe beliefs about evidence-based practice and record levels of implementation among community health nurses working independently and in community healthcare centres in the canton of Valais, Switzerland. In many settings, evidence-based practice is considered a key means of delivering better and secure health care. However, there is a paucity of published studies on the implementation of evidence-based practice in community health care. Cross-sectional descriptive study (n = 100). Beliefs about evidence-based practice and levels of implementation were measured using validated scales developed by Melnyk et al. (Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing, 5, 2008, 208). Information on respondents' sociodemographic and professional characteristics was collected. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The final response rate was 32.3% (n = 100). More than half of respondents had previously heard about evidence-based practice; most believed in the value of using evidence to guide their practice and were prepared to improve their skills to be able to do so. However, the rate of implementation of evidence-based practice in daily practice in the 8 weeks before the survey was poor. Statistically significant positive associations were found between beliefs about evidence-based practice and how respondents had heard about it and between implementation rates and whether they had heard about evidence-based practice and how they had done so. Evidence-based practices requiring scientific knowledge and skills were implemented less frequently. Greater professional community healthcare experience and management roles did not increase implementation of evidence-based practice. The systematic implementation of evidence-based practice by community health nurses working independently and in healthcare centres in Valais was rare, despite their positive beliefs about it. These results revealed the level of implementation of evidence-based practice by

Teacher training, capacity building and professional capital

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, Jens

well it is performed. High performing countries do not only praise the quality of the individual teacher, which is important, they also focus on support on the job, the importance of strong professional learning communities, and teachers possibility of taking part in successful school development...

Factors relating to professional self-concept among nurse managers.

Science.gov (United States)

Kantek, Filiz; Şimşek, Belkıs

2017-12-01

To investigate the self-concept in nurse managers in Turkey and the effects of certain variables on professional self-concept. Professional self-concept plays a significant role in improving certain professional behaviours. Nursing managers have the potential to influence other members of the profession with their attitudes and behaviours. The study was designed as a cross-sectional descriptive study. This study was conducted with 159 nurse managers in nine different hospitals. The study data were collected with a Personal Information Form and Professional Self-concept Nursing Inventory, and the data analysis was accomplished with descriptive statistics, Cronbach's alpha coefficients and Chi-squared Automatic Interaction Detector analyses. The professional self-concept score of nurse managers was 3·33 (SD = 0·308). Professional competence subdimension had the highest scores, while professional satisfaction subdimension had the lowest. The types of hospital were found to be influential on professional self-concept. The types of hospital were reported to influence the professional self-concept of nurses. Nursing managers are visionaries who can potentially influence nursing practices and decisions. Nursing leaders must monitor and administer strategies to improve their professional self-concept. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Health Care Professionals ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

... of Health Care Professionals towards Voluntary Counseling and Testing for HIV/AIDS ... the chi square test; p value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Multiple logistic regressions were performed to identify predictive variables ...

Transforming physics educator identities: TAs help TAs become teaching professionals

Science.gov (United States)

Gretton, Anneke L.; Bridges, Terry; Fraser, James M.

2017-05-01

Research-based instructional strategies have been shown to dramatically improve student learning, but widespread adoption of these pedagogies remains limited. Post-secondary teaching assistants (TAs), with their current positions in course delivery and future roles as academic leaders, are an essential target group for teacher training. However, the literature suggests that successful TA professional development must address not only pedagogical practices but also the cultivation of physics educator identity. The primary goal of this study is to build a framework for TA professional development that strengthens the TA's identity as a physics educator. We base this framework on Etienne Wenger's model for communities of practice and Côté and Levine's personality and social structure identity perspective. We explore this framework in the context of a 12-week, low-cost, TA-led and TA-centered professional development intervention. Our qualitative and quantitative data suggest that this efficient community-based intervention strengthened TAs' identification as physics educators.

Building a Learning Community: A Tale of Two Schools

Science.gov (United States)

Mindich, Dan; Lieberman, Ann

2012-01-01

Teacher professional development is one of the most powerful influences on student achievement, and professional learning communities can be an excellent vehicle for high-quality PD. Mindich and Lieberman examine ways to implement effective PLCs. Education research has found that collegial work is connected to teachers' professional growth and…

Community, Epistemology and Mass Media Ethics.

Science.gov (United States)

Christians, Clifford G.; And Others

1978-01-01

Traces the historical background of such areas as journalism education, debate about ethics in journalism and advertising, and the development of professional standards for journalists; calls on the academic community to focus on problems of community and to develop new value-centered communication theories. (GT)

How important is Autonomy to Professional Workers?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arne Mastekaasa

2011-11-01

Full Text Available A common assumption is that autonomy is crucial to professional workers. I examine this using survey data on a sample of public sector welfare professionals, viz. medical doctors, nurses, teachers, social workers. Comparisons are made with general population data from the International Social Survey Programme. Two methods of assessing the importance of work autonomy are employed; respondents’ direct ratings and statistical associations between work autonomy (and other job characteristics on the one hand and job satisfaction and organizational commitment on the other. Findings: Autonomy is not rated as more important among the professionals than in the general population, and neither is it more strongly related to job satisfaction. Interesting work and workplace social support appear to be more central.

Operationalization Of The Professional Risks Assessment Activity

Science.gov (United States)

Ivascu, Victoria Larisa; Cirjaliu, Bianca; Draghici, Anca

2015-07-01

Professional risks assessment approach (integration of analysis and evaluation processes) is linked with the general concerns of nowadays companies for their employees' health and safety assurances, in the context of organizations sustainable development. The paper presents an approach for the operationalization of the professional risk assessment activity in companies through the implementation and use of the OnRisk platform (this have been tested in some industrial companies). The short presentation of the relevant technical reports and statistics on OSH management at the European Union level underlines the need for the development of a professional risks assessment. Finally, there have been described the designed and developed OnRisk platform as a web platform together with some case studies that have validate the created tool.

Improving professional IT doctorate completion rates

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oliver Kisalay Burmeister

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Professional doctorates in Information Technology (IT have been a relatively recent phenomenon, giving IT professionals career management choices not previously available to them. However, successful completion rates are the lowest of all disciplines. Completed doctorates rate in quality equivalent to PhDs, and retention has been identified as a major obstacle to completion. This qualitative study, involving 44 semi-structured interviews with students, supervisors and institutional support personnel, investigated the obstacles. Amongst the strategies discovered to improve completion rates were retention, student engagement with supervisors, feedback on progress, student engagement in the course, and student involvement in institutional communities of practice.

Statistics in the pharmacy literature.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Charlene M; Soin, Herpreet K; Einarson, Thomas R

2004-09-01

Research in statistical methods is essential for maintenance of high quality of the published literature. To update previous reports of the types and frequencies of statistical terms and procedures in research studies of selected professional pharmacy journals. We obtained all research articles published in 2001 in 6 journals: American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy, The Annals of Pharmacotherapy, Canadian Journal of Hospital Pharmacy, Formulary, Hospital Pharmacy, and Journal of the American Pharmaceutical Association. Two independent reviewers identified and recorded descriptive and inferential statistical terms/procedures found in the methods, results, and discussion sections of each article. Results were determined by tallying the total number of times, as well as the percentage, that each statistical term or procedure appeared in the articles. One hundred forty-four articles were included. Ninety-eight percent employed descriptive statistics; of these, 28% used only descriptive statistics. The most common descriptive statistical terms were percentage (90%), mean (74%), standard deviation (58%), and range (46%). Sixty-nine percent of the articles used inferential statistics, the most frequent being chi(2) (33%), Student's t-test (26%), Pearson's correlation coefficient r (18%), ANOVA (14%), and logistic regression (11%). Statistical terms and procedures were found in nearly all of the research articles published in pharmacy journals. Thus, pharmacy education should aim to provide current and future pharmacists with an understanding of the common statistical terms and procedures identified to facilitate the appropriate appraisal and consequential utilization of the information available in research articles.

Developing Professional “Game Teacher” Repertoires

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lieberoth, Andreas; Hanghøj, Thorkild

2017-01-01

for in their professional careers. We expand and explain these findings using embedded mixed methods analysis, and conclude that games are a good practical case for training various teaching competences, but that building flexible professional repertoires requires more varied experiences than a single course can muster.......The first Danish Game-Based Learning course offered by a teachers college enrolled 42 students with a variety of backgrounds and interests in games. We characterize the students who enrolled in the course in terms of gaming literacies and preferences, and gauge the impact of the course in terms...... of building actionable skill sets. Following Schön (1986) we use these data to frame students’ transition from gamers or game curious teachers to developing professional repertoires.Interviews and statistical comparison to other students indicate that while student’s existing preferences for the “heavier...

Views of Community Managers on Knowledge Co-creation in Online Communities for People With Disabilities: Qualitative Study.

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Amann, Julia; Rubinelli, Sara

2017-10-10

The use of online communities to promote end user involvement and co-creation in the product and service innovation process is well documented in the marketing and management literature. Whereas online communities are widely used for health care service provision and peer-to-peer support, only little is known about how they could be integrated into the health care innovation process. The overall objective of this qualitative study was to explore community managers' views on and experiences with knowledge co-creation in online communities for people with disabilities. A descriptive qualitative research design was used. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with nine community managers. To complement the interview data, additional information was retrieved from the communities in the form of structural information (number of registered users, number and names of topic areas covered by the forum) and administrative information (terms and conditions and privacy statements, forum rules). Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Our results highlight two main aspects: peer-to-peer knowledge co-creation and types of collaboration with external actors. Although community managers strongly encouraged peer-to-peer knowledge co-creation, our findings indicated that these activities were not common practice in the communities under investigation. In fact, much of what related to co-creation, prototyping, and product development was still perceived to be directed by professionals and experts. Community managers described the role of their respective communities as informing this process rather than a driving force. The role of community members as advisors to researchers, health care professionals, and businesses was discussed in the context of types of collaboration with external actors. According to the community managers, most of the external inquiries related to research projects of students or health care professionals in training, who often joined a

Targeting change: Assessing a faculty learning community focused on increasing statistics content in life science curricula.

Science.gov (United States)

Parker, Loran Carleton; Gleichsner, Alyssa M; Adedokun, Omolola A; Forney, James

2016-11-12

Transformation of research in all biological fields necessitates the design, analysis and, interpretation of large data sets. Preparing students with the requisite skills in experimental design, statistical analysis, and interpretation, and mathematical reasoning will require both curricular reform and faculty who are willing and able to integrate mathematical and statistical concepts into their life science courses. A new Faculty Learning Community (FLC) was constituted each year for four years to assist in the transformation of the life sciences curriculum and faculty at a large, Midwestern research university. Participants were interviewed after participation and surveyed before and after participation to assess the impact of the FLC on their attitudes toward teaching, perceived pedagogical skills, and planned teaching practice. Overall, the FLC had a meaningful positive impact on participants' attitudes toward teaching, knowledge about teaching, and perceived pedagogical skills. Interestingly, confidence for viewing the classroom as a site for research about teaching declined. Implications for the creation and development of FLCs for science faculty are discussed. © 2016 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 44(6):517-525, 2016. © 2016 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

From youth worker professional development to organizational change.

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Rana, Sheetal; Baumgardner, Briana; Germanic, Ofir; Graff, Randy; Korum, Kathy; Mueller, Megan; Randall, Steve; Simmons, Tim; Stokes, Gina; Xiong, Will; Peterson, Karen Kolb

2013-01-01

An ongoing, innovative youth worker professional development is described in this article. This initiative began as youth worker professional development and then transcended to personal and organizational development. It grew from a moral response of Saint Paul Parks and Recreation staff and two faculty members of Youth Studies, University of Minnesota to offer higher-quality services to youth for their healthy development. Its underlying philosophies and ethos included building and sustaining meaningful relationships, cocreating a space for learning and change, becoming a reflecting practitioner, and community organizing. This professional development responded to the participants' interests and needs or to local situations in that moment, that space, and the discussions, and took on different shapes at different times. There were many accomplishments of, challenges and barriers to, and lessons learned from this professional development. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., A Wiley Company.

Prescription Opioid Misuse Among Rural Community Pharmacy Patients: Pilot Study for Screening and Implications for Future Practice and Research.

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Cochran, Gerald T; Engel, Rafael J; Hruschak, Valerie J; Tarter, Ralph E

2017-10-01

Opioid misuse imposes a disproportionately heavy burden on individuals living in rural areas. Community pharmacy has the potential to expand and coordinate with health professionals to identify and intervene with those who misuse opioids. Rural and urban community pharmacy patients were recruited in this pilot project to describe and compare patterns of opioid misuse. We administered a health screening survey in 4 community pharmacies among patients filling opioid medications. Univariate statistics were used to assess differences in health characteristics and opioid medication misuse behaviors between rural and urban respondents. Multivariable statistics were used to identify risk factors associated with rural and urban opioid misuse. A total of 333 participants completed the survey. Participants in rural settings had poorer overall health, higher pain levels, lower education, and a higher rate of unemployment compared to patients in urban pharmacies. Rural respondents with illicit drug use (adjustable odds ratio [aOR]: 14.34, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.16-95.38), posttraumatic stress disorder (aOR: 5.44, 95% CI = 1.52-19.50), and ≤high school education (aOR: 6.68, 95% CI = 1.06-42.21) had increased risk for opioid misuse. Community pharmacy represents a promising resource for potential identification of opioid misuse, particularly in rural communities. Continued research must extend these findings and work to establish collaborative services in rural settings.

Commentary: a sociologist's view on community genetics

OpenAIRE

Raz, Aviad E.

2010-01-01

This commentary illustrates and discusses potential research directions for sociologists and anthropologists interested in the field of community genetics and its emerging networks of individuals genetically at risk. Community genetics—the application of medical genetics in community settings for the benefit of individuals—also involves social issues of lay-professional misunderstandings (and more recently also the different perspectives of various expert communities), stigmatization, discrim...

Implementing the WHO/UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative in the community: a 'hearts and minds' approach.

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Thomson, Gill; Bilson, Andy; Dykes, Fiona

2012-04-01

to describe a 'hearts and minds' approach to community Baby Friendly Initiative implementation developed from the views of multidisciplinary professionals. a qualitative descriptive study utilising focus groups and interviews, with thematic networks analysis conducted. forty-seven professionals were consulted from two primary health-care facilities located in the North-West of England. thematic networks analysis generated a global theme of a 'hearts and minds approach' to BFI implementation, which embodies emotional and rational engagement. The three underpinning organising themes (and their associated basic themes): 'credible leadership', 'engagement of key partners' and 'changing attitudes and practice' reflect the context, processes and outcomes of a 'hearts and minds' approach. a 'hearts and minds' approach transcends the prescriptive aspects of a macro-level intervention with its emphasis upon audits, training, statistics and 'hard' evidence through valuing other professionals and engaging staff at all levels. It offers insights into how organisational change may move beyond traditional top-down mechanisms for driving change to incorporate ways that value others and promote cooperation and reflection. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Relationships between medical student burnout, empathy, and professionalism climate.

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Brazeau, Chantal M L R; Schroeder, Robin; Rovi, Sue; Boyd, Linda

2010-10-01

Medical student burnout is prevalent, and there has been much discussion about burnout and professionalism in medical education and the clinical learning environment. Yet, few studies have attempted to explore relationships between those issues using validated instruments. Medical students were surveyed at the beginning of their fourth year using the Maslach Burnout Inventory, the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy-Student Version, and the Professionalism Climate Instrument. The data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, and Spearman correlation analysis was performed. Scores indicative of higher medical student burnout were associated with lower medical student empathy scores and with lower professionalism climate scores observed in medical students, residents, and faculty. Investigators observed relationships between medical student burnout, empathy, and professionalism climate. These findings may have implications for the design of curriculum interventions to promote student well-being and professionalism.

Involvement in the professional environment and its significance for lifelong learning

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Litvinova E.Yu.

2017-07-01

Full Text Available The analysis of the existing definitions of a phenomenon of the professional environment and various approaches to understanding of her components is presented in article. The attention is paid to consideration of such social and psychological components of the professional environment as professional culture, professional groups and communities. On the basis of the theoretical analysis the author's understanding of functions of the professional environment is offered, also the model of dynamics of an involvement developed by authors on professional environment is provided, its stages are described. The involvement on professional environment is considered as the steady condition of active interaction of the subject with the professional environment which is shown in behavioral activity both in the environment and beyond its limits as the representative of this professional environment. The multidimensionality and relevance of studying of interference of the professional environment and professional education is accented. Arguments for benefit of rapprochement of the educational and professional environment are adduced. In the article the need of studying of interrelation of the involvement in professional environment and the involvement in lifelong education as conditions of successful adaptation and development of the modern professional is proved for the first time.

The relationships between sense of belonging to the gay community, body image dissatisfaction, and self-esteem among Australian gay men.

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Kousari-Rad, Pantea; McLaren, Suzanne

2013-01-01

Body image dissatisfaction has been linked to belonging to the gay community and poor self-esteem among gay men. This study was designed to explore the applicability of a moderation model and a mediation model in explaining the relations between sense of belonging to the gay community, body image dissatisfaction and self-esteem among 90 self-identified Australian gay men. Participants completed the psychological subscale of the Sense of Belonging Instrument, the Body Satisfaction Scale, and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. Results supported the moderation model; the relation between body image dissatisfaction and self-esteem was found to be statistically significant only at average and high levels of belonging to the gay community. The mediation model was also supported; body image dissatisfaction partially mediated the sense of belonging-self-esteem relation. Educating gay men and health professionals about the possible negative outcomes of "belonging" to an appearance-oriented community is important.

Professional values of Turkish nurses: A descriptive study.

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Cetinkaya-Uslusoy, Esin; Paslı-Gürdogan, Eylem; Aydınlı, Ayse

2017-06-01

Professional values improve the quality of nurses' professional lives, reduce emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, increase personal success, and help to make collaborations with the members of the healthcare team more frequent. The purpose of this study was to describe the professional values of Turkish nurses and to explore the relationships between nurses' characteristics. This was a descriptive study of a convenience sample consisting of 269 clinical nurses. A questionnaire was used to identify socio-demographic characteristics, and the Nurses' Professional Values Scale was applied. Ethical considerations: Permission to conduct the study was received from the hospital and the Institutional Review Boards of the Süleyman Demirel University ethic committee. The mean scale score of the participant nurses was 165.41 ± 20.79. The results of this study revealed that human dignity was the most important professional value for nurses, and the importance attached to these values showed statistically significant differences by age, length of service, educational level, marital status, position at work, and receiving relevant in-service training. Nurses' Professional Values Scale scores showed that nurses give above average and attached importance to professional values.

The pedagogical professional development of the English teacher in the Professional and Technical Education

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Rosa María Padrón Otaño

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The teacher of English in Informatics studies in the Professional and Technical Education shows an insufficient preparation to plan the teaching learning process of reading comprehension in professional contexts, a fact that affects the communicative development of their students. The limitations in the development of these teachers of English were confirmed as one of the key causes. This research follows a dialectical materialist philosophy. In the diagnosis and the evaluation empirical methods such as the interview to teachers of English and document analysis, specialist criterion and a preexperimental design were used. The main research outcome is a contextualized pedagogical professional development strategy. The strategy comprises scientific foundations, diagnosis, general objective, specific actions and the evaluation. The main action of the strategy is postgraduate course to develop the pedagogical professional skills in the use of a methodology which promotes the development of knowledge and skills in both the technical sphere and a specialized didactics (Content and Language Integrated Learning. The practical implementation of the strategy elaborated seemed to allow the teachers of English to be able to plan their lessons using this methodology, and to show a new attitude which meant their active involvement in the creation of a community of learning with higher levels of interdisciplinary collaboration between the teachers of English and those of the technical sphere, as well as an effective management of their own continuing professional development.

Antimicrobial Stewardship: A Cross-Sectional Survey Assessing the Perceptions and Practices of Community Pharmacists in Ethiopia

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Daniel Asfaw Erku

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Background. Community pharmacists are key healthcare professionals for antimicrobial stewardship programs owing to their role in dispensing of antimicrobials. The aim of the present study was to assess the perception and practices of community pharmacists towards antimicrobial stewardship (AMS in Ethiopia. Methods. A cross-sectional survey was conducted by selecting pharmacy sites through stratified simple random sampling technique. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. Results. Majority of respondents strongly agreed or agreed that AMS program is vital for the improvement of patient care. Almost all of respondents agreed that pharmacists can play a prominent role in AMS and infection prevention (93.2%, median = 5; IQR = 2–5. However, only 26.5% of respondents strongly agreed or agreed that AMS should be practiced at community pharmacy level (median = 4, IQR = 1–3 and more than half of community pharmacists (59.9% often/always dispense antimicrobial without a prescription. Conclusion. The present study revealed positive perceptions and practices of community pharmacists towards antimicrobial stewardship. Yet, some weak areas like integration of AMS program in community pharmacies, the significance of interprofessional involvement, and dispensing of antimicrobials without a valid prescription still need improvement.

Constructivist and Behaviorist Approaches: Development and Initial Evaluation of a Teaching Practice Scale for Introductory Statistics at the College Level

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Rossi A. Hassad

2011-07-01

Full Text Available This study examined the teaching practices of 227 college instructors of introductory statistics from the health and behavioral sciences. Using primarily multidimensional scaling (MDS techniques, a two-dimensional, 10-item teaching-practice scale, TISS (Teaching of Introductory Statistics Scale, was developed. The two dimensions (subscales are characterized as constructivist and behaviorist; they are orthogonal. Criterion validity of the TISS was established in relation to instructors’ attitude toward teaching, and acceptable levels of reliability were obtained. A significantly higher level of behaviorist practice (less reform-oriented was reported by instructors from the U.S., as well as instructors with academic degrees in mathematics and engineering, whereas those with membership in professional organizations, tended to be more reform-oriented (or constructivist. The TISS, thought to be the first of its kind, will allow the statistics education community to empirically assess and describe the pedagogical approach (teaching practice of instructors of introductory statistics in the health and behavioral sciences, at the college level, and determine what learning outcomes result from the different teaching-practice orientations. Further research is required in order to be conclusive about the structural and psychometric properties of this scale, including its stability over time.

Implementing Domestic Violence Gun Confiscation Policy in Rural and Urban Communities: Assessing the Perceived Risk, Benefits, and Barriers.

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Lynch, Kellie R; Logan, T K

2017-07-01

The purpose of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of why communities differing in culture and resources are willing and able to implement gun confiscation as part of a protective order in the absence of a uniform statewide gun law. Specifically, the perceived risk of intimate partner homicide and gun violence, effectiveness of implementing gun confiscation, and the barriers to implementing gun confiscation were assessed. Interviews were conducted with key community professionals ( N = 133) who worked in victim services and the justice system in one urban community and four rural, under-resourced communities. Analyses revealed that professionals in the rural communities viewed the risk of intimate partner homicide and gun violence as lower, and the process of implementing gun confiscation as less effective than professionals in the urban community. In addition, urban justice system professionals, in comparison with all other professionals, reported fewer barriers to enforcing the gun confiscation police and were more likely to downplay law enforcement limitations in the community. The results have implications for developing more effective regional strategies in states that lack domestic violence gun laws as a means to increase a community's ability to enforce gun policies and initiatives.

Design professional units on maternity home of teens sheltered

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Lúcia Helena Garcia Penna

2012-04-01

Full Text Available This exploratory descriptive study describes the view of government shelters’ professionals regarding pregnancy in institutionalized adolescents and discusses the acting of such professionals to support the construction of a healthy motherhood in this population group. In an investigation performed between December 2009 and January 2010, contents of the reports of six professionals that took care of them in the circles of Community Therapy sheltered adolescents were analyzed. According to the view of such professionals, motherhood in institutionalized adolescents is something precocious and harmful, resultant of the immaturity of those young mothers, and because of that, their schooling process has to be interrupted. The actions of these professionals alternates between social reintegration and care with the motherhood of the adolescents. The dialogical action, the "problematization" concerning motherhood, as well as reproductive, sexual health and family planning are strategies proposed to reach health promotion among sheltered adolescents.

New models to support the professional education of health visitors: A qualitative study of the role of space and place in creating 'community of learning hubs'.

Science.gov (United States)

Donetto, Sara; Malone, Mary; Sayer, Lynn; Robert, Glenn

2017-07-01

In response to a policy-driven workforce expansion in England new models of preparing health visitors for practice have been implemented. 'Community of Learning hubs' (COLHs) are one such model, involving different possible approaches to student support in clinical practice placements (for example, 'long arm mentoring' or 'action learning set' sessions). Such models present opportunities for studying the possible effects of spatiality on the learning experiences of students and newly qualified health visitors, and on team relationships more broadly. To explore a 'community of learning hub' model in health visitor education and reflect on the role of space and place in the learning experience and professional identity development of student health visitors. Qualitative research conducted during first year of implementation. Three 'community of learning hub' projects based in two NHS community Trusts in London during the period 2013-2015. Managers and leads (n=7), practice teachers and mentors (n=6) and newly qualified and student health visitors (n=16). Semi-structured, audio-recorded interviews analysed thematically. Participants had differing views as to what constituted a 'hub' in their projects. Two themes emerged around the spaces that shape the learning experience of student and newly qualified health visitors. Firstly, a generalised need for a 'quiet place' which allows pause for reflection but also for sharing experiences and relieving common anxieties. Secondly, the role of physical arrangements in open-plan spaces to promote access to support from more experienced practitioners. Attention to spatiality can shed light on important aspects of teaching and learning practices, and on the professional identities these practices shape and support. New configurations of time and space as part of educational initiatives can surface new insights into existing practices and learning models. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Effect of Faculty Member's Use of Twitter as Informal Professional Development during a Preservice Teacher Internship

Science.gov (United States)

Mills, Michael

2014-01-01

Educators have increasingly turned to Twitter as a means for receiving professional development and building and sustaining professional learning communities. This paper reports the results of a study of 82 undergraduate preservice teachers and their attitudes regarding Twitter as a medium for informal professional development support during their…

Educational games for health professionals.

Science.gov (United States)

Akl, Elie A; Kairouz, Victor F; Sackett, Kay M; Erdley, William S; Mustafa, Reem A; Fiander, Michelle; Gabriel, Carolynne; Schünemann, Holger

2013-03-28

group that was randomized to the game had statistically higher scores on the knowledge test (P = 0.02). The second study compared game-based learning ("Snakes and Ladders" board game) with traditional case-based learning of stroke prevention and management. The effect on knowledge was not statistically different between the two groups immediately and 3 months after the intervention. The level of reported enjoyment was higher in the game-based group. The findings of this systematic review neither confirm nor refute the utility of games as a teaching strategy for health professionals. There is a need for additional high-quality research to explore the impact of educational games on patient and performance outcomes.

Expectations of youth victims of violence regarding health care professionals leading them to wellness in South Africa

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Ezihe L. Ahanonu

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Background: Many youth victims of violence report for treatment at the health care facilities in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. It was unclear what the youth expected regarding how they could be led towards wellness by health care professionals following an incident of violence (R1.1. Objectives: This study sought to explore and describe the expectations of the youth victims of violence with regards to health care professionals (R1.2 leading them to wellness in a selected rural community. Method: A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual design was used. Nine focus group discussions were conducted with 58 (23 males, 35 females purposefully selected youth victims of violence between the ages of 15 and 19. Data analysis was done through open coding. Ethics clearance was received from the University Ethics Committee prior to the study being conducted. Results: Findings indicated that the youth victims of violence expect the health care professionals (professional nurses, doctors and social workers working in their community to act as role models, demonstrate a professional attitude, provide health education, provide confidential counselling services, and establish school and community outreach programmes. Conclusion: This study provides evidence that youth victims of violence have important expectations from health care professionals concerning their wellness. Hence, health care professionals should focus on designing and implementing interventions targeting these expectations.

Sexuality education in Malaysia: perceived issues and barriers by professionals.

Science.gov (United States)

Khalaf, Zahra Fazli; Low, Wah Yun; Merghati-Khoei, Effat; Ghorbani, Behzad

2014-07-01

This research explored the perspectives of Malaysian professionals on the issues and barriers affecting the implementation of sexuality education in Malaysia. This qualitative study involved in-depth interviews with 15 key professionals working in the field of sexuality and reproductive health in Malaysia. Thematic analysis was selected to analyze data. Barriers to sexuality education were perceived from 5 aspects: feasibility, acceptability, accountability, strategies, and community unawareness. Respondents believed that implementing national sexuality education is a time-consuming project. They regarded Malaysian multicultural society as a barrier to national sexuality education, and they believed that school-based sexuality education is not easily accomplished in Malaysia; also abstinence-only policy restricts the access of young people to accurate information. Lack of community involvement was perceived as a key concern to sexuality education. Campaigning to promote awareness of families, teachers, community leaders, and policy makers are recommended to help establishing national sexuality education in Malaysia. © 2014 APJPH.

Race-Conscious Professionalism and African American Representation in Academic Medicine.

Science.gov (United States)

Powers, Brian W; White, Augustus A; Oriol, Nancy E; Jain, Sachin H

2016-07-01

African Americans remain substantially less likely than other physicians to hold academic appointments. The roots of these disparities stem from different extrinsic and intrinsic forces that guide career development. Efforts to ameliorate African American underrepresentation in academic medicine have traditionally focused on modifying structural and extrinsic barriers through undergraduate and graduate outreach, diversity and inclusion initiatives at medical schools, and faculty development programs. Although essential, these initiatives fail to confront the unique intrinsic forces that shape career development. America's ignoble history of violence, racism, and exclusion exposes African American physicians to distinct personal pressures and motivations that shape professional development and career goals. This article explores these intrinsic pressures with a focus on their historical roots; reviews evidence of their effect on physician development; and considers the implications of these trends for improving African American representation in academic medicine. The paradigm of "race-conscious professionalism" is used to understand the dual obligation encountered by many minority physicians not only to pursue excellence in their field but also to leverage their professional stature to improve the well-being of their communities. Intrinsic motivations introduced by race-conscious professionalism complicate efforts to increase the representation of minorities in academic medicine. For many African American physicians, a desire to have their work focused on the community will be at odds with traditional paths to professional advancement. Specific policy options are discussed that would leverage race-conscious professionalism as a draw to a career in academic medicine, rather than a force that diverts commitment elsewhere.

Boundary Crossing during Pre-service Teacher Training: empowering or hampering professional growth?

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Harrison, Christine

2017-10-01

Yuli Rahmawati's paper presents an auto-ethnographic inquiry into her lived experiences as a science teacher in different countries. Through her reflections and analysis of events, Yuli captures and builds a model of her identity and explores the influence of inter- and intra-cultural perspectives in shaping how she recognizes herself and brings meaning to her professional life. Yuli's insights and explanations of teaching within different cultural contexts highlight the importance of personally relevant and meaningful knowledge, where expectations and accepted norms, that might fit well within one community, may be seen quite differently in another. While for Yuli, this led to professional growth as she inquired and made sense of her new context, my concern is that the social and cultural change could, in some instances, lead to disengagement rather than professional growth. My concern is that the conflict that arises from boundary crossing may be experienced even stronger by inexperienced professionals, such as pre-service teachers. The learning trajectory of pre-service teachers is steep; they need to gain stronger knowledge of curriculum and pedagogy and an awareness of how their students learn. They also need to build confidence in their professional self and what they can do to support and trigger student learning. For this to happen, in the tight time frames available on teacher education courses, pre-service teachers need to understand and engage with the new community that they are placed in very quickly, to make sense of both their role and that of others within the community. This paper suggests that pre-service providers should carefully consider the learning opportunities offered by school contexts, that may vary dramatically from the social and cultural contexts experienced by their teachers as part of their own education, to prevent disengagement or misunderstanding hampering professional growth.

"Once when i was on call...," theory versus reality in training for professionalism.

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Eggly, Susan; Brennan, Simone; Wiese-Rometsch, Wilhelmine

2005-04-01

To identify the degree to which interns' reported experiences with professional and unprofessional behavior converge and/or diverge with ideal professional behavior proposed by the physician community. Interns at Wayne State University's residency programs in internal medicine, family medicine, and transitional medicine responded to essay questions about their experience with professional and unprofessional behavior as part of a curriculum on professionalism. Responses were coded for whether they reflected each of the principles and responsibilities outlined in a major publication on physician professionalism. Content analysis included the frequencies with which the interns' essays reflected each principle or responsibility. Additionally, a thematic analysis revealed themes of professional behavior that emerged from the essays. Interns' experiences with professional and unprofessional behavior most frequently converged with ideal behavior proposed by the physician community in categories involving interpersonal interactions with patients. Interns infrequently reported experiences involving behavior related to systems or sociopolitical issues. Interns' essays reflect their concern with interpersonal interactions with patients, but they are either less exposed to or less interested in describing behavior regarding systems or sociopolitical issues. This may be due to their stage of training or to the emphasis placed on interpersonal rather than systems or sociopolitical issues during training. The authors recommend future proposals of ideal professional behavior be revised periodically to reflect current experiences of practicing physicians, trainees, other health care providers and patients. Greater educational emphasis should be placed on the systems and sociopolitical environment in which trainees practice.

Professional determination problems of modern senior pupils

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G.N. Danylenko

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Background. Today, young people are more focused on getting education as such, without taking into account the profession. The relevance of this study is the identification of the level of professional self-determination of senior pupils, the mechanisms of formation of professional preferences. The article contains the concept and content of professional self-determination in adolescence; the results of the study on the formation of professional self-determination in senior pupils are presented. The study conducted among 9th grade pupils of secondary schools has revealed that the further gradual self-determination of the future specialty depends not only on psychological readiness for conscious choice. Materials and methods. The study involved 982 pupils of secondary schools in Ukraine. To study the level of formation of professional readiness, there was conducted a survey on the developed questionnaire. Statistical analysis was carried out using MS Excel and SPSS 17. Results. The results showed that professional intents of 9-graders are a key feature for solving the problem of high school selection and future careers. But for most students, these intentions are contradictory due to objective reasons. Radio, television, books don’t have a significant impact on the choice of professional self-determination. Conclusions. The conducted survey is self-sufficient for the analysis of professional orientation. But the choice of profession by the students is influenced by many factors. Therefore, carrying out the studies on vocational guidance requires an integrated approach.

Pharmacy in transition: A work sampling study of community pharmacists using smartphone technology.

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van de Pol, Jeroen M; Geljon, Jurjen G; Belitser, Svetlana V; Frederix, Geert W J; Hövels, Anke M; Bouvy, Marcel L

2018-03-09

The nature of community pharmacy is changing, shifting from the preparation and distribution of medicines to the provision of cognitive pharmaceutical services (CPS); however, often the provision of traditional services leaves little time for innovative services. This study investigated the time community pharmacists spend on the tasks and activities of daily practice and to what extent they are able to implement CPS-related services in daily practice. Self-reporting work sampling was used to register the activities of community pharmacists. A smartphone application, designed specifically for this purpose, alerted participants to register their current activity five times per working day for 6 weeks. Participants also completed an online survey about baseline characteristics. Ninety-one Dutch community pharmacists provided work-sampling data (7848 registered activities). Overall, 51.5% of their time was spent on professional activities, 35.4% on semi-professional activities, and 13.1% on non-professional activities. The proportion of time devoted to CPS decreased during the workweek, whereas the time spent on traditional task increased. This study shows it is feasible to collect work-sampling data using smartphone technology. Community pharmacists spent almost half of their time on semi-professional and non-professional activities, activities that could be delegated to other staff members. In practice, the transition to CPS is hampered by competing traditional tasks, which prevents community pharmacists from profiling themselves as pharmaceutical experts in daily practice. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.