How school influences future sports teachers’ conceptions on teacher profession: An invisible message

Purpose of the study: The object of this paper is to study the preconceptions first year initial teacher training program students have about their future profession. Based on the literature review, the article assumes that these reconstructions seriously affect the further nature of teacher professional activity. Methodology: To understand how these preconceptions are formed and how they are transformed in the process of obtaining professional pedagogical education, the authors conducted 34 in-depth interviews with pre-service first-year teachers. Based on semantic analysis of interview transcripts results, the main semantic blocks of preconceptions and their basic characteristics were determined. Results: The categories obtained during interviews were matched to certain modules of the teachers training program to make sure pedagogical theories experiences are applied properly, tackling individual cognitive patterns and school experience to avoid theoretical material misperception. Applications of this study: In the study, the authors proposed purposeful transformation of these preconceptions during the initial teacher training program implementation. Novelty/Originality of this study: The authors introduce the “invisible message” category as a body of values and attitudes that characterizes what it means to be a teacher. This invisible message is implicitly transmitted while future teachers were taught at school and it serves as a basis for preconceptions formation

Virtual Reality and Physical Models in Undergraduate Orthopaedic Education: A Modified Randomised Crossover Trial.

Background: Orthopaedic surgery is underrepresented in the United Kingdom medical school curriculum, with an average of less than 3 weeks of exposure over the five-year degree. This study evaluates the effectiveness of high-fidelity virtual reality (VR) and physical model simulation in teaching undergraduate orthopaedic concepts. Methods: A modified randomised crossover trial was used. Forty-nine students were randomly allocated to two groups, with thirty-three finishing the six-week follow-up assessment. All undergraduate medical students were eligible for inclusion. Both groups were given introductory lectures, before completing a pre-test with questions on the principles of fracture fixation and osteotomy. Each group then received a lecture on these topics with the same content, but one was delivered with VR and the other with physical models. Both groups completed the post-course assessments. Knowledge was assessed by way of questionnaire immediately before, immediately after, and six-weeks after. Results: In the VR group, participants improved their post-training score by 192.1% (U=32; p<0.00001). In the physical models group, participants improved their post-training scores by 163.1% (U=8.5; p<0.00001). Overall, there was no statistically significant difference in the total means of post-training test scores between the VR and the physical models study groups (U=260.5; p=0.4354). Conclusion: Both VR and physical models represent valuable educational adjuncts for the undergraduate medical curriculum. Both have demonstrated improvements in immediate and long-term knowledge retention of key orthopaedic concepts

Do's and Don'ts in Primary Aneurysmal Bone Cysts of the Proximal Femur in Children and Adolescents : Retrospective Multicenter EPOS Study of 79 Patients

Background:Aneurysmal bone cysts (ABC) are rare benign cystic bone tumors, generally diagnosed in children and adolescents. Proximal femoral ABCs may require specific treatment strategies because of an increased pathologic fracture risk. As few reports are published on ABCs, specifically for this localization, consensus regarding optimal treatment is lacking. We present a large retrospective study on the treatment of pediatric proximal femoral ABCs. Methods:All eligible pediatric patients with proximal femoral ABC were included, from 11 tertiary referral centers for musculo-skeletal oncology (2000-2021). Patient demographics, diagnostics, treatments, and complications were evaluated. Index procedures were categorized as percutaneous/open procedures and osteosynthesis alone. Primary outcomes were: time until full weight-bearing and failure-free survival. Failure was defined as open procedure after primary surgery, >3 percutaneous procedures, recurrence, and/or fracture. Risk factors for failure were evaluated. Results:Seventy-nine patients with ABC were included [mean age, 10.2 (+/- SD4.0) y, n=56 male]. The median follow-up was 5.1 years (interquartile ranges=2.5 to 8.8).Index procedure was percutaneous procedure (n=22), open procedure (n=35), or osteosynthesis alone (n=22). The median time until full weight-bearing was 13 weeks [95% confidence interval (CI)=7.9-18.1] for open procedures, 9 weeks (95% CI=1.4-16.6) for percutaneous, and 6 weeks (95% CI=4.3-7.7) for osteosynthesis alone (P=0.1). Failure rates were 41%, 43%, and 36%, respectively. Overall, 2 and 5-year failure-free survival was 69.6% (95% CI=59.2-80.0) and 54.5% (95% CI=41.6-67.4), respectively. Risk factors associated with failure were age younger than 10 years [hazard ratios (HR)=2.9, 95% CI=1.4-5.8], cyst volume >55 cm(3) (HR=1.7, 95% CI=0.8-2.5), and fracture at diagnosis (HR=1.4, 95% CI=0.7-3.3). Conclusions:As both open and percutaneous procedures along with osteosynthesis alone seem viable treatment options in this weight-bearing location, optimal treatment for proximal femoral ABCs remains unclear. The aim of the treatment was to achieve local cyst control while minimizing complications and ensuring that children can continue their normal activities as soon as possible. A personalized balance should be maintained between undertreatment, with potentially higher risks of pathologic fractures, prolonged periods of partial weight-bearing, or recurrences, versus overtreatment with large surgical procedures, and associated risks.Peer reviewe

The Research Excellence Framework 2014, journal ratings and the marginalisation of heterodox economics

Abstract The Research Excellence Framework (REF) is the main research assessment for universities in the UK. It informs university league tables and the allocation of government research funding. This paper analyses the evaluations of the REF 2014 for Economics, Business, Politics and History. First, we analyse from which journals articles have been submitted; second, to what extent journal ratings and journal impact factors predict the REF’s evaluations; third, how many articles from heterodox economics journals have been submitted. We find that a small group of journals dominate the outputs submitted. Journal ratings and impact factors explain 80% of the variation in the output evaluations for Economics. These values are lower but still substantial for other disciplines. Few papers from heterodox economics journals were submitted to Economics. Overall, the REF in its present form marginalises heterodox economics, pushes it out of the discipline and endangers pluralism in economics research

How school influences future sports teachers’ conceptions on teacher profession: An invisible message

Purpose of the study: The object of this paper is to study the preconceptions first year initial teacher training program students have about their future profession. Based on the literature review, the article assumes that these reconstructions seriously affect the further nature of teacher professional activity. Methodology: To understand how these preconceptions are formed and how they are transformed in the process of obtaining professional pedagogical education, the authors conducted 34 in-depth interviews with pre-service first-year teachers. Based on semantic analysis of interview transcripts results, the main semantic blocks of preconceptions and their basic characteristics were determined. Results: The categories obtained during interviews were matched to certain modules of the teachers training program to make sure pedagogical theories experiences are applied properly, tackling individual cognitive patterns and school experience to avoid theoretical material misperception. Applications of this study: In the study, the authors proposed purposeful transformation of these preconceptions during the initial teacher training program implementation. Novelty/Originality of this study: The authors introduce the “invisible message” category as a body of values and attitudes that characterizes what it means to be a teacher. This invisible message is implicitly transmitted while future teachers were taught at school and it serves as a basis for preconceptions formation