Perceptions and predictions of expertise in advanced musical learners

The aim of this article was to compare musicians' views on (a) the importance of musical skills and (b) the nature of expertise. Data were obtained from a specially devised web-based questionnaire completed by advanced musicians representing four musical genres (classical, popular, jazz, Scottish traditional) and varying degrees of professional musical experience (tertiary education music students, portfolio career musicians). Comparisons were made across musical genres (classical vs. other-than-classical), gender, age and professional status (student musicians vs. portfolio career musicians). Musicians' 'ideal' versus 'perceived' levels of musical skills and expertise were also compared and factors predicting musicians' self-reported level of skills and expertise were investigated. Findings suggest that the perception of expertise in advanced musical learners is a complex phenomenon that relates to each of four key variables (gender, age, musical genre and professional experience). The study also shows that discrepancies between advanced musicians' ideal and self-assessed levels of musical skills and expertise are closely related to gender and professional experience. Finally, characteristics that predict and account for variability in musicians' views and attitudes regarding musical expertise and self-assessments of personal expertise levels are highlighted. Results are viewed in the context of music learning and implications for music education are discussed

Motivational interviewing and efficacy in reduction of alcohol use

Health behavior change is a topic that has been heavily researched by professionals in both the mental health and medical fields. Particularly, change related to alcohol behaviors has been extensively researched, likely due to the pervasiveness of alcohol-related deaths in the United States. Nearly 88,000 people die from alcohol-related causes annually, making it the fourth leading preventable cause of death in the United States (CDC, 2014). While there is a lack of a clear definition in the literature, health behavior change can be defined as the shift from risky behaviors to the initiation and maintenance of healthy behaviors and functional activities, and the self-management of chronic health conditions (Epsten, Miner, Nieuwenhujisen,& Zemper, 2006).. There are a large number of factors that affect the outcome of health behavior change, including, but not limited to, patients’ readiness and motivation to change, their environment, their physical and mental capabilities/limitations, and the specific technique taken to attempt to change behaviors. Given the difficulty that comes along with changing instilled behaviors, it is important to consider the different theoretical models of change and the steps people go through in the change process. One such technique used by professionals to facilitate health behavior change is called motivational interviewing. MI is a person-centered counseling style for addressing the common problem of ambivalence about change. MI works by activating patients’ own motivation for change and adherence to treatment and has yielded many positive trials in the areas of management and prevention of diseases ranging from cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, and pathological gambling (Butler, Miller, & Rollnick, 2008). Since 2002, more than 25,000 articles citing MI and 200 randomized clinical trials of MI have appeared in print (Miller & Rollnick, 2013). The clinical method of MI, first described in 1983, was initially developed as a brief intervention for problem drinking, in which patient motivation is a common obstacle to change (Butler, Miller, & Rollnick, 2008). Because of MI’s original purpose to help patients reduce alcohol consumption, the end of this paper will focus on a meta-analysis of the efficacy of MI for that particular health behavior. This paper will first discuss three different theoretical models of change to provide an understanding of the constructs and variables involved in the change process. Following this an analysis of the definition of motivational interviewing, the broad principles, core interviewing skills, and key concepts will be presented. Then, the aforementioned meta-analysis regarding the efficacy of MI in reduction of alcohol consumption, limitations, conclusions, and directions for future research will be discussed.Educational Psycholog

Team Learning: A Theoretical Integration and Review

With the increasing emphasis on work teams as the primary architecture of organizational structure, scholars have begun to focus attention on team learning, the processes that support it, and the important outcomes that depend on it. Although the literature addressing learning in teams is broad, it is also messy and fraught with conceptual confusion. This chapter presents a theoretical integration and review. The goal is to organize theory and research on team learning, identify actionable frameworks and findings, and emphasize promising targets for future research. We emphasize three theoretical foci in our examination of team learning, treating it as multilevel (individual and team, not individual or team), dynamic (iterative and progressive; a process not an outcome), and emergent (outcomes of team learning can manifest in different ways over time). The integrative theoretical heuristic distinguishes team learning process theories, supporting emergent states, team knowledge representations, and respective influences on team performance and effectiveness. Promising directions for theory development and research are discussed

Active Learning: Effects of Core Training Design Elements on Self-Regulatory Processes, Learning, and Adaptability

This research describes a comprehensive examination of the cognitive, motivational, and emotional processes underlying active learning approaches, their effects on learning and transfer, and the core training design elements (exploration, training frame, emotion-control) and individual differences (cognitive ability, trait goal orientation, trait anxiety) that shape these processes. Participants (N = 350) were trained to operate a complex computer-based simulation. Exploratory learning and error-encouragement framing had a positive effect on adaptive transfer performance and interacted with cognitive ability and dispositional goal orientation to influence trainees’ metacognition and state goal orientation. Trainees who received the emotion-control strategy had lower levels of state anxiety. Implications for developing an integrated theory of active learning, learner-centered design, and research extensions are discussed

Toward a Theory of Learner-Centered Training Design: An Integrative Framework of Active Learning

[Excerpt] The goal of this chapter, therefore, is to develop an integrative conceptual framework of active learning, and we do this by focusing on three primary issues. First, we define the active learning approach and contrast it to more traditional, passive instructional approaches. We argue that the active learning approach can be distinguished from not only more passive approaches to instruction but also other forms of experiential learning based on its use of formal training components to systematically influence trainees\u27 cognitive, motivational, and emotion self-regulatory processes. Second, we examine how specific training components can be used to influence each of these process domains. Through a review of prior research, we extract core training components that cut across different active learning interventions, map these components onto specific process domains, and consider the role of individual differences in shaping the effects of these components (aptitude-treatment interactions [ATIs]). A final issue examined in this chapter concerns the outcomes associated with the active learning approach. Despite its considerable versatility, the active learning approach is not the most efficient or effective means of responding to all training needs. Thus, we discuss the impact of the active learning approach on different types of learning outcomes in order to identify the situations under which it is likely to demonstrate the greatest utility. We conclude the chapter by highlighting research and practical implications of our integrated framework, and we outline an agenda for future research on active learning

Naturalism and Moral Expertise in the Zhuangzi

This essay will examine scholarly attempts at distilling a proto-ethical philosophy from the Daoist classic known as the Zhuangzi. In opposition to interpretations of the text which characterize it as amoralistic, I will identify elements of a natural normativity in the Zhuangzi. My examination features passages from the Zhuangzi – commonly known as the “knack” passages – which are often interpreted through some sort of linguistic, skeptical, or relativistic lens. Contra such readings, I believe the Zhuangzi prescribes an art of living – or shù [術] – which incorporates a few motifs familiar to certain threads of philosophical naturalism. Building on existing scholarship which treats of the praxeology of the text, I argue that the naturalist themes present in the Zhuangzi support an unusual, but robust, view of moral expertise

Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of basic versus biofeedback-mediated intensive pelvic floor muscle training for female stress or mixed urinary incontinence: protocol for the OPAL randomised trial

This is the final version. Available on open access from BMJ Publishing Group via the DOI in this recordIntroduction Accidental urine leakage is a distressing problem that affects around one in three women. The main types of urinary incontinence (UI) are stress, urgency and mixed, with stress being most common. Current UK guidelines recommend that women with UI are offered at least 3 months of pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT). There is evidence that PFMT is effective in treating UI, however it is not clear how intensively women have to exercise to give the maximum sustained improvement in symptoms, and how we enable women to achieve this. Biofeedback is an adjunct to PFMT that may help women exercise more intensively for longer, and thus may improve continence outcomes when compared with PFMT alone. A Cochrane review was inconclusive about the benefit of biofeedback, indicating the need for further evidence. Methods and analysis This multicentre randomised controlled trial will compare the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of PFMT versus biofeedback-mediated PFMT for women with stress UI or mixed UI. The primary outcome is UI severity at 24 months after randomisation. The primary economic outcome measure is incremental cost per quality-adjusted life-year at 24 months. Six hundred women from UK community, outpatient and primary care settings will be randomised and followed up via questionnaires, diaries and pelvic floor assessment. All participants are offered six PFMT appointments over 16 weeks. The use of clinic and home biofeedback is added to PFMT for participants in the biofeedback group. Group allocation could not be masked from participants and healthcare staff. An intention-to-treat analysis of the primary outcome will estimate the mean difference between the trial groups at 24 months using a general linear mixed model adjusting for minimisation covariates and other important prognostic covariates, including the baseline score. Ethics and dissemination Approval granted by the West of Scotland Research Ethics Committee 4 (16/LO/0990). Written informed consent will be obtained from participants by the local research team. Serious adverse events will be reported to the data monitoring and ethics committee, the ethics committee and trial centres as required. A Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Interventional Trials checklist and figure are available for this protocol. The results will be published in international journals and included in the relevant Cochrane review. Trial registration number ISRCTN57746448; Pre-results.National Institute for Health Research (NIHR

Musical Motivation: Towards a model synthesising the research

This article explores motivation to participate in music making activities. It examines historical and current theories of motivation and sets out a model describing the way that the characteristics of the individual including, personality, self-concept and personal goals interact with the environment to influence motivation and subsequent behaviour. The environment may include culture and sub-cultures, society, time, place, institutions, family and peers and the rewards and punishments that these offer. The article then explores research relating to motivation to actively participate in music. This supports the notion that musical motivation is determined by complex interactions between the individual and the environment within which they find themselves. The article concludes with a consideration of directions for future research

Staff Nurse Ratings of Implementation Self-Efficacy for EBP (ISE4EBP) and Organizational EBP Readiness

There is limited research about nurses' confidence in implementing evidence into clinical practice. The purpose of this study was to further test, refine and strengthen the Implementation Self-Efficacy for EBP (ISE4EBP) scale and gain knowledge about staff nurses' perspectives of their confidence in EBP implementation in relation to the work environment as measured by the Context Assessment Index (CAI). We proposed, higher nurses confident in implementing evidence into practice would result in higher levels of implementing evidence-based practices (EBP). Bandura's theory of self-efficacy, which postulates that task-specific self-efficacy predicts performance guided the study. In a sample of 75 registered nurses, the overall average score for the ISE4EBP scale was 63%, indicating moderate confidence in implementation strategies. This study furthered the construct validity of the ISE4EBP scale by demonstrating associations between the ISE4EBP scores with the CAI.No embargoAcademic Major: Nursin