The Traits, Characteristics, and Qualities of International Christian School Teachers Valued by Third Culture Kids

The Problem. In this qualitative study, 24 participants, ages 18-30, who had previously attended international Christian schools for at least 2 years at the secondary level, or a combination of 4 years at the primary and middle school levels, were interviewed to determine the traits, characteristics, and qualities they valued in their teachers. Methodology. Incorporating principles of Grounded Theory, a series of rigorous steps associated with the validity process of Grounded Theory construction was employed. These steps included the simultaneous involvement of the researcher in the data collection and analysis process. Twenty-four participants were interviewed, and written notes were taken during each interview. An initial coding construction was applied to such notes. All interviews were recorded and transcribed before being uploading to NVivo 9 Software, where 200 categories and subcategories for analysis were created and the development of multiple tree maps was incorporated to explore data connections. Additional coding processes further reduced the number of categories and subcategories for analysis to 51. Combining the practices of continual data comparison, repeated coding processes were employed. From this practice, along with the creation of additional tree maps, graphic representations, and vigorous memo writing, several theoretical categories and a common theme emerged from the data. This resulted in the construction of three primary findings identifying the traits, characteristics, and qualities TCKs valued in international Christian school teachers. These findings were then situated within an extensive literature review. Results. This study provides insight into the traits, characteristics, and qualities of the ideal international Christian school teacher desired and valued by Third Culture Kids (TCKs). For the first time, the voice of the TCK has been codified in respect to their preferences and dislikes of teachers they interact with on a daily basis. The findings of this study point to the multi-dimensional significance an effective teacher has on the lives of TCKs. Such teachers should be qualified and experienced, well versed in the subject matter they teach, and possess a vast array of effective pedagogical practices. They also need to possess a dual-focused desire to not only teach TCKs well, but to interact with them on deeper relational levels than is often experienced or expected by teachers in a mono-cultural setting. TCKs in international Christian schools also desire their teachers to demonstrate levels of care toward them (academically, personally, and spiritually) and model adult Christian living. Finally, TCKs value teachers who value what they hold as dearly important: culture. They desire teachers who respect and embrace cultural differences and can learn and teach from cultural perspectives. This study identifies that an international Christian school teacher need not be perfect, but they do need to be adept teachers possessing proven pedagogical knowledge and associated skill sets that enable them to genuinely relate to students and engage them in meaningful learning experiences. TCKs value educational excellence, but just as importantly, they value quality investment in their lives by Christian teachers who respect them, model adult Christian living, and value their cultural experiences and differences

Profile 2007 Final Report: Perceptions of North American Seventh-day Adventist Education Websites

This report shares the findings of the Profile survey of Adventist teachers in the North American Division during the 2007 academic year. Results of the Profile Studies help administrators, teachers, and teacher educators develop better understanding of each other\u27s perceptions of curriculum and instruction issues and concerns in this region of the global Seventh-day Adventist education system

Beneficial effects of a 3-week course of intramuscular glucocorticoid injections in patients with very early inflammatory polyarthritis: Results of the STIVEA trial

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether treating patients with very early inflammatory polyarthritis (IP) with a 3-week course of intramuscular (IM) methylprednisolone acetate may postpone the need for disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and prevent IP from evolving into rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: Patients with very early IP (4-10 weeks' duration) were randomised to receive three injections of either 80 mg IM methylprednisolone acetate or placebo, given at weekly intervals. Assessments were monthly until 6 months after the first injection, and then concluded at 12 months. The primary outcome was the need to start DMARDs by the 6-month assessment. Secondary outcomes included disease activity and final clinical diagnosis by the rheumatologist at 12 months. RESULTS: Patients in the placebo group (76%) were more likely to need DMARDs during the first 6 months of the trial than patients in the glucocorticoid group (61%) (adjusted OR = 2.11, 95% CI 1.16 to 3.85, p = 0.015). Disease activity did not differ between the two groups at 12 months, probably because many patients in the placebo group started DMARDs early in the study. After 12 months, the arthritis had resolved without the need for DMARDs in 9.9% (11/111) of the patients in the placebo group and in 19.8% (22/111) in the glucocorticoid-treated group (adjusted OR = 0.42, 95% CI 0.18 to 0.99, p = 0.048). CONCLUSION: Treatment of patients with very early IP with IM methylprednisolone acetate appears to postpone the prescription of DMARDs and prevent one in 10 patients from progressing into RA

Disease activity, smoking, and reproductive-related predictors of poor prognosis in patients with very early inflammatory polyarthritis

OBJECTIVE: To identify disease activity, smoking, and reproductive-related predictors of a poor prognosis in patients with very early inflammatory polyarthritis (IP). METHODS: Patients with very early IP (symptom duration 4-11 weeks) included in our study were participants in the STIVEA (Steroids In Very Early Arthritis) randomized placebo-controlled trial. At baseline, disease-related variables were measured and patients were asked to complete a questionnaire covering smoking status and reproductive questions. Baseline predictors of poor prognosis [i.e., the need to start disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) therapy by 6 months or the clinical diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) at 12 months] were identified, applying logistic regression analyses adjusted for treatment group. RESULTS: Rheumatoid factor (RF) positivity was one of the strongest clinical predictors of a poor prognosis: OR for DMARD therapy at 6 months, 4.00 (95% CI 2.00-8.00) and OR for a diagnosis of RA at 12 months, 9.48 (95% CI 4.48-20.07). There was a significant association between current smoking at baseline compared to never smoking and a diagnosis of RA at 12 months (OR 3.15, 95% CI 1.16-8.56). CONCLUSION: About 6 in 7 patients with very early RF-positive IP were diagnosed with RA 1 year later. In addition, 1 in 4 IP patients who smoke will develop RA later. It is recommended to treat RF-positive patients who have IP with DMARD at presentation and to advise patients to stop smoking