Preparedness to teach : the perceptions of Saudi female pre-service mathematics teachers : a thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Education at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

Being well prepared and experiencing a sense of preparedness for teaching is a key learning outcome of any initial teacher education (ITE) program. In order to understand more about the nature, development, and sufficiency of mathematics teacher readiness to teach, this study explores the phenomenon of preparedness. The aim of this study was to investigate how well Saudi pre-service teachers (PSTs) feel prepared to teach mathematics at secondary or middle schools (i.e. to explore their sense of preparedness to teach), delving into the nature and origins of that sense. The participants in the study were a sample of female mathematics PSTs (N=105), who were near the end of their teaching methods course in the final year of their 4-year education degree. The construct of preparedness was operationalized through a survey of PSTs’ efficacy to teach mathematics and an interview-based exploration of the factors influencing these perceptions. The data were collected over 4 months from 2015 to 2016. The quantitative data were analysed in SPSS and thematic analysis was used to analyse the qualitative data. The key findings of this study indicated that for the PSTs, being prepared to teach means having teaching efficacy, good knowledge for teaching, a sense of preparedness, and professionalism. However, PSTs are not fully aware of all the kinds of knowledge needed for being prepared. The study showed that PSTs were generally confident that they were sufficiently prepared to teach. They felt most confident in the areas of content knowledge (CK) and pedagogical knowledge (PK) rather than pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). The findings showed that the PSTs felt inadequately prepared in some aspects of their teaching roles, and needed more support and guidance from their university–school communities. The majority felt that classroom and behaviour management was the aspect in which they felt least prepared. They also expressed only a moderate level of general teaching efficacy (GTE), expressing a lower sense of efficacy relating directly to supporting students as learners. These were related to the disjunction between theory and practice that resulted from the two most influential factors shaping PSTs’ sense of preparedness and feelings of efficacy: the practicum experience and the ITE. Although these factors had positive impacts on their perceptions, they also expressed how the classroom environment, challenges, and school culture encountered during the practicum had lowered the PSTs’ sense of preparedness and teaching efficacy. Indeed, half of the PSTs felt that the school was neither sufficiently prepared nor sufficiently resourced to support PSTs learning the work of teaching. The challenge of closing the gap between theory and practice has led to PSTs’ desire to have more time in the mathematics methods course, as well as extra time in the practicum. It is hoped that the findings from this study concerning PSTs’ current perceptions about preparedness, combined with the suggestions for improving their levels of preparedness, will contribute to improvements in ITE and teaching quality in Saudi Arabia

Perceived Ability to Practice in Disaster Management Among Public Health Nurses in Aceh, Indonesia

Background: The increasing number of disaster events around the world has challenged every country to develop better disaster-management strategies. As a part of healthcare system, public health nurses (PHNs) should be involved in caring for people in disasters. Currently, there is no known study whether PHNs of Aceh, Indonesia, working with community people who are at high risk of confronting natural disasters, are able to perform their roles and functions regarding disaster management. Methods: 252 PHNs from twenty-seven public health centers in Aceh were studied during November to December 2010 to evaluate their perceived ability to practice regarding disaster management at each disaster phase: preparedness, response, and recovery phase. The perceived ability to practice was assessed by using the 30-statement, five-point Likert-scale (0-4) of Public Health Nurses' Perceived Ability to Practice Regarding Disaster Management Questionnaire (PHNPP-DMQ). The composite scores of each phase and the total score were calculated and transformed to percentage for ease of presentation across disaster phases.Results: Overall, the PHNs' perceived ability to practice regarding disaster management in Aceh was at a moderate level (M=74.57%, SD=13.27). The highest mean score was for the recovery phase (M=78%), and the lowest mean score was in the preparedness phase (66.15%).Conclusion: The finding of this study evokes challenges to the local government of Aceh province to further prepare PHNs to increase their ability in disaster management

Preparation for practice: a novel role for general practice in pre-foundation assistantships

BACKGROUND: Hospital-based undergraduate assistantships are now widely established in medical school curricula. They are considered to improve graduates' preparedness for practice in their role as a foundation doctor. Foundation doctors play a key team role in ensuring patient safety during complex transitions across the hospital/primary care interface, and their self-reported preparedness for practice still varies considerably.AIMS: We sought to explore what spending one week of the pre-foundation assistantship in General Practice might add.METHODS: We solicited reflective audio diaries from final year students during a one-week pilot attachment delivered during the post-finals, pre-foundation assistantship period, and performed an iterative thematic analysis on the acquired data.RESULTS: From this attachment in General Practice, students described diverse learning, resulting in improved preparedness for (hospital) foundation practice across several domains, impacting positively on how they might approach patients in the future. Self-confidence improved due to affirming outcomes and tutor mentorship. Students deepened their understanding of community healthcare and General Practice; and seeing the 'Patient Journey' across the interface from the patient's perspective helped them contextualise their forthcoming role as foundation doctors in managing it.DISCUSSION: We believe that this novel intervention distinctively contributed to preparedness for practice. It aligns with published recommendations about extending the current assistantship model. We suggest it should be incorporated more widely into pre-foundation assistantship curricula.</p

Graduates' perceived preparedness for dental practice from PBL and traditional curricula

The objective of this study was to compare dental graduates' perceived preparedness for practice after being educated in a problem-based learning (PBL) curriculum with those who graduated from a traditional undergraduate curriculum, both at the University of Hong Kong. A cohort of graduates from the traditional dental curriculum (1997-2001) and a cohort of graduates from the PBL curriculum (2004-08) rated their self-perceived preparedness for dental practice in fifty-nine aspects of dentistry across nine domains. Perceived preparedness for dental practice was compared at domain and item levels (accounting for multiple comparisons) using chi-square statistics. Both cohorts felt well prepared for the "bread and butter" aspects of dentistry, but less so for specific specialty disciplines. There was no significant difference between PBL and traditional graduates' self-perceived preparedness in eight of the nine domains of dental practice (P>0.05). However, in the area of orthodontics, both cohorts felt ill-prepared for practice and more so among the PBL cohort (P>0.01). For the most part, regardless of curriculum design, these dental graduates perceived themselves to be well prepared for dental practice.published_or_final_versio

Birth preparedness and complication readiness (BPCR) among pregnant women in hard-to-reach areas in Bangladesh

BackgroundBirth preparedness and complication readiness aims to reduce delays in care seeking, promote skilled birth attendance, and facility deliveries. Little is known about birth preparedness practices among populations living in hard-to-reach areas in Bangladesh.ObjectivesTo describe levels of birth preparedness and complication readiness among recently delivered women, identify determinants of being better prepared for birth, and assess the impact of greater birth preparedness on maternal and neonatal health practices.MethodsA cross-sectional survey with 2,897 recently delivered women was undertaken in 2012 as part of an evaluation trial done in five hard-to-reach districts in rural Bangladesh. Mothers were considered well prepared for birth if they adopted two or more of the four birth preparedness components. Descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression were used for analysis.ResultsLess than a quarter (24.5%) of women were considered well prepared for birth. Predictors of being well-prepared included: husband’s education (OR = 1.3; CI: 1.1–1.7), district of residence, exposure to media in the form of reading a newspaper (OR = 2.2; CI: 1.2–3.9), receiving home visit by a health worker during pregnancy (OR = 1.5; CI: 1.2–1.8), and receiving at least 3 antenatal care visits from a qualified provider (OR = 1.4; CI: 1.0–1.9). Well-prepared women were more likely to deliver at a health facility (OR = 2.4; CI: 1.9–3.1), use a skilled birth attendant (OR = 2.4, CI: 1.9–3.1), practice clean cord care (OR = 1.3, CI: 1.0–1.5), receive post-natal care from a trained provider within two days of birth for themselves (OR = 2.6, CI: 2.0–3.2) or their newborn (OR = 2.6, CI: 2.1–3.3), and seek care for delivery complications (OR = 1.8, CI: 1.3–2.6).ConclusionGreater emphasis on BPCR interventions tailored for hard to reach areas is needed to improve skilled birth attendance, care seeking for complications and essential newborn care and facilitate reductions in maternal and neonatal mortality in low performing districts in Bangladesh

Principles of computer simulation design for the needs of improvement of the raw materials combined transport system

This article is focused on computer simulation design for raw materials transportation. The creation of a simulation model of the combined transport system for the raw materials transportation has its own problematic parts. In general, these are parts, which represent transport nodes, i.e. parts of the system in which raw materials are reloaded from one vehicle to another. The given operations are in practice dependent on the preparedness of all transportation means, which participate in it. To locate operations of reloading of the raw materials from one vehicle to another and the check of the preparedness of the vehicles of the reloading in the simulation system is more demanding because it is necessary to take into consideration several aspects, such as an existence of a vehicle with raw materials, an existence of a vehicle to which it is to be reloaded a suitable freeloader, and so on. The article focuses on defining a procedure and correct steps at the creation of the simulation computer model of the combined raw materials transport system in the EXTENDSIM simulation system based on specific data from a real transport system. As is clear from the proposed procedure of the creation of the combined raw material transport system, as a check element of the transport system preparedness, it is suitable to use the "Gate" block and its features in the EXTENDSIM simulation system. As transpires from the results of simulation of the combined raw material transport system, about 322,000 tons of raw materials at 90-96% with the use of all vehicles is transported during the year.Web of Science23217416

Prepared to practice? Perception of career preparation and guidance of recent medical graduates at two campuses of a transnational medical school: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Graduating medical students enter the workforce with substantial medical knowledge and experience, yet little is known about how well they are prepared for the transition to medical practice in diverse settings. We set out to compare perceptions of medical school graduates\u27 career guidance with their perceptions of preparedness to practice as interns. We also set out to compare perceptions of preparedness for hospital practice between graduates from two transnational medical schools. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study. A Preparedness for Hospital Practice (PHPQ) survey and career guidance questionnaire was sent to recent medical graduates, incorporating additional free text responses on career preparation. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and tests of association including Chi-square, Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis H tests. RESULTS: Forty three percent (240/555) of graduates responded to the survey: 39 % of respondents were domestic (Dublin, Ireland or Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain) and interning locally; 15 % were overseas students interning locally; 42 % were overseas students interning internationally and 4 % had not started internship. Two variables explained 13 % of the variation in preparedness for hospital practice score: having planned postgraduate education prior to entering medical school and having helpful career guidance in medical school. Overseas graduates interning internationally were more likely to have planned their postgraduate career path prior to entering medical school. Dublin graduates found their career guidance more helpful than Bahrain counterparts. The most cited shortcomings were lack of structured career advice and lack of advice on the Irish and Bahraini postgraduate systems. CONCLUSIONS: This study has demonstrated that early consideration of postgraduate career preparation and helpful medical school career guidance has a strong association with perceptions of preparedness of medical graduates for hospital practice. In an era of increasing globalization of medical education, these findings can direct ongoing efforts to ensure all medical students receive career guidance and preparation for internship appropriate to their destination

Prepared for Practice? Exploring and Evaluating the First Six Months of Post-qualified Practice in Social Work

This project explores how effective the Social work degree has been in enabling graduates to feel prepared for the practice of social work. Quantitative and qualitative data from online questionnaires and interviews with twelve graduates revealed that graduates perceived they were more confident, despite coming from a background where they were already practicing. They identified ways that this confidence (including in ICT and IL skills) has contributed to their preparedness for practice and their willingness to shape and challenge practices. Areas of practice where graduates felt least prepared included working with hostile service users. In terms of ICT skills development, variations in systems and technologyrelated practices resulted in tensions between the degree providing supportive guidance which fit particular software or social work settings compared with less supportive generic guidance which might be more widely applicable. IL skills were perceived to have more generic applicability

The promise and practice of e-learning within complex tertiary environments

In advance of a change in learning management systems at a tertiary institution in New Zealand, the authors undertook a research study, the purpose of which was to provide a ‘snap-shot’ of existing online instructional practice within their School. They sought to identify existing pedagogical and technical issues and staff attitudes and preparedness for the new software. Although they found considerable staff good will toward e-learning, a number of problems were identified in the study. Findings from research have been organized and are discussed within five categories, including vision, skills, incentives, resources, and action plan. Conclusions describe plans for reorganizing how and in what manner e-learning can be supported within complex social environments, such as universities, when resources are limited