Examining Preservice Teachers’ Reflective Thinking Skills in the context of Web-Based Portfolios: The Role of Metacognitive Awareness

This mixed method study aimed to examine if, and then potentially how, the level of preservice teachers’ metacognitive awareness (MA) influences their reflective thinking on their teaching practicum experiences in the context of web-based portfolio construction. Data sources included two sets of reflection task responses and a Likert-type metacognitive awareness inventory. Data from these sources were coded and analyzed using quantitative and qualitative methods. The total number of high-level reflective thinking indicators produced by the preservice teachers with high MA was notably higher than those generated by the preservice teachers with low MA. A Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test revealed a statistically significant difference between the scores of high-level reflective thinking indicators exhibited by the preservice teachers with high MA and low MA. In addition, a statistically significant moderate relationship was found between the participants’ total MA scores and their high-level reflective thinking scores. Findings suggested that when the participants were good at managing the three metacognitive processing skills, namely monitoring, evaluation, and planning, they more frequently exhibited the high-level reflective thinking indicators

Sialorrhea: A Guide to Etiology, Assessment, and Management

Sialorrhea, also known as hypersalivation or ptyalism, is excessive salivation associated with neurological disorders or localized anatomical abnormalities in the oral cavity. Pathologic sialorrhea may develop due to hypersalivation, together with various neurologic disorders including cerebral palsy, Parkinson’s disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or as an adverse effect of medications. Sialorrhea results in numerous problematic physical and psychosocial complications and has a significant negative impact on quality of life for both the patient and caregiver. The management of sialorrhea is best accomplished with a multidisciplinary team approach. Treatment options range from conservative measures such as observation, positioning, behavioral therapies, and pharmacological therapy to more aggressive methods such as botulinum toxin injections or surgery. The physiology, etiology, assessment, and treatment of sialorrhea are outlined in this review

Students' Learning Strategies With Multiple Representations: Explanations of the Human Breathing Mechanism

The purpose of this study was to understand how students utilized multiple representations to learn and explain science concepts, in this case the human breathing mechanism. The study was conducted with Grade 11 students in a human biology class. Semistructured interviews and a two-tier diagnostic test were administered to evaluate students’ learning strategies of integrating multiple representations. The functions of multiple representations (complementary, constraining, and deeper understanding) suggested by Ainsworth (2008) were adapted as the analytical framework to better describe the participating students’ learning strategies with multiple representations (access complementary information, apply one representation to interpret the other, and evaluate representations). The categorization of students’ learning strategies facilitated interpreting their diverse understanding in relation to the multiple representations. In addition to a summary of students’ learning strategies, three case examples are presented to show how the framework was applied in the analysis and to discuss how the learning strategies interacted with students’

An analysis of 16-17-year-old students' understanding of solution chemistry concepts using a two-tier diagnostic instrument

This study focused on the development of a two-tier multiple-choice diagnostic instrument, which was designed and then progressively modified, and implemented to assess students' understanding of solution chemistry concepts. The results of the study are derived from the responses of 756 Grade 11 students (age 16-17) from 14 different high schools who participated in the study. The final version of the instrument included a total of 13 items that addressed the six aspects of solution chemistry, and students' understandings in the test were challenged in multiple contexts with multiple modes and levels of representation. Cronbach alpha reliability coefficients for the content tier and both tiers of the test were found to be 0.697 and 0.748, respectively. Results indicated that a substantial number of students held an inadequate understanding of solution chemistry concepts. In addition, 21 alternative conceptions observed in more than 10% of the students were reported, along with discussion on possible sources of such conceptions

Salivary Glands - New Approaches in Diagnostics and Treatment

Saliva is a complex fluid that maintains oral health and has many physiological functions. It is a noninvasive diagnostic fluid as well. Lately, salivary diagnostics has proven its potential to reach clinical practice in the near future for the early detection, diagnosis, and monitoring of various diseases. Salivary Glands - New Approaches in Diagnostics and Treatment is a comprehensive reference, which brings together information on salivary secretion and its disorders, the novel salivary diagnostic methods for numerous diseases, and new techniques in the treatment of salivary diseases. This book contains information for a diverse audience, including dentists, oral biologists, experimental biologists, molecular biologists, oncologists, radiologists, oral and maxillofacial surgeons, and otorhinolaryngologists