Effective peer-to-peer support for young people with end-stage renal disease: a mixed methods evaluation of Camp COOL

__Abstract__ __Background__ The Camp COOL programme aims to help young Dutch people with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) develop self-management skills. Fellow patients already treated in adult care (hereafter referred to as ‘buddies’) organise the day-to-day program, run the camp, counsel the attendees, and also participate in the activities. The attendees are young people who still have to transfer to adult care. This study aimed to explore the effects of this specific form of peer-to-peer support on the self-management of young people (16–25 years) with ESRD who participated in Camp COOL (CC) (hereafter referred to as ‘participants’). __Methods__ A mixed methods research design was employed. Semi-structured interviews (n = 19) with initiators/staff, participants, and healthcare professionals were conducted. These were combined with retrospective and pre-post surveys among participants (n = 62), and observations during two camp weeks. __Results__ Self-reported effects of participants were: increased self-confidence, more disease-related knowledge, feeling capable of being more responsible and open towards others, and daring to stand up for yourself. According to participants, being a buddy or having one positively affected them. Self-efficacy of attendees and independence of buddies increased, while attendees’ sense of social inclusion decreased (measured as domains of health-related quality of life). The buddy role was a pro-active combination of being supervisor, advisor, and leader. __Conclusions__ Camp COOL allowed young people to support each other in adjusting to everyday life with ESRD. Participating in the camp positively influenced self-management in this group. Peerto- peer support through buddies was much appreciated. Support from young adults was not only beneficial for adolescent attendees, but also for young adult buddies. Paediatric nephrologists are encouraged to refer patients to CC and to facilitate such initiatives. Together with nephrologists in adult care, they could take on a role in selecting buddies

Learning environment, attitudes and anxiety across the transition from primary to secondary school mathematics

Past research has revealed that, relative to primary-school students, high-school students have less-positive attitudes to mathematics and perceive their classroom environments and teacher–student relationships less favourably. This study involved the transition experience of 541 students in 47 classes in 15 primary (year 7) and secondary (year 8) government and Catholic schools in metropolitan and regional South Australia. Scales were adapted from three established instruments, namely, the What Is Happening In this Class?, Test of Mathematics Related Attitudes and Revised Mathematics Anxiety Ratings Scale, to identify changes across the transition from primary to secondary school in terms of the classroom learning environment and students’ attitude/anxiety towards mathematics. Relative to year 7 students, year 8 students reported less Involvement, less positive Attitude to Mathematical Inquiry, less Enjoyment of Mathematics and greater Mathematics Anxiety. Differences between students in Years 7 and 8 were very similar for male and female students, although the magnitude of sex differences in attitudes was slightly different in Years 7 and 8

Stories of difference: Metropolitan and rural students' attitudes to university

This chapter draws on a study of 437 secondary students attending school in the Australian state of Victoria: five of the schools were located in different parts of the state capital, Melbourne and were located in the regional centres of Victoria. It is concerned with exploring the sources of their differing views of education, in general, and university education, in particular. The chapter examines why young people want to go to university. The chapter details four very different narratives told by groups of students whose lives and experiences of secondary education are so different that it sometimes is difficult to remember that they are all living in the same country

Stories of difference: Metropolitan and rural students’ attitudes to university

This chapter draws on a study of 437 secondary students attending school in the Australian state of Victoria: five of the schools were located in different parts of the state capital, Melbourne and were located in the regional centres of Victoria. It is concerned with exploring the sources of their differing views of education, in general, and university education, in particular. The chapter examines why young people want to go to university. The chapter details four very different narratives told by groups of students whose lives and experiences of secondary education are so different that it sometimes is difficult to remember that they are all living in the same country

Science laboratory classroom environments in Korean high schools

In order to investigate the learning environment of senior high school science laboratory classrooms in Korea, the Science Laboratory Environment Inventory (SLEI) was translated into Korean and administered to 439 students (99 science-independent stream students, 195 science-oriented stream students and 145 humanities stream students). Data analyses attested to the sound factorial validity and internal consistency reliability of the SLEI, as well as its ability to differentiate between the perceptions of students in different classrooms. Students in the science-independent stream generally perceived their science laboratory classroom environment more favourably than did students in either the humanities or science-oriented stream. Associations were found between various measures of students’ attitudes to science and their perceptions on SLEI scales; in particular, as in past research in other countries, integration between theory and practical classes was a statistically significant predictor of all attitude criteria when the other SLEI scales were mutually controlled

Towards a conceptual profile: rethinking conceptual mediation in the light of recent cognitive and neuroscientific findings

Abstract not availableChris Dawso