THE EFFECTS OF PARENTAL USE OF LEARNING-STYLE PREFERENCE STRATEGIES ON PARENT AND STUDENT ATTITUDES TOWARD HOMEWORK ASSISTANCE AND STUDENT ACADEMIC SELF-PERCEPTION

This study examined parent attitudes when assisting with elementary school students’ homework, comparing parents who used learning-style preference strategies with parents who used traditional homework strategies. The study also examined the attitudes toward homework and the academic self-perception of elementary students. Teachers often expect parents to become involved in their child’s homework, but many parents are unsure of the strategies to use when helping. This study used an experimental research design. Participating in the study were 68 parents and 66 students randomly assigned to either the treatment or comparison group. The experimental parent group received data on their own learning style and their child’s learning-style preferences. They also received training on strategies to help with homework based on each child’s learning-style preferences. The comparison group received training on traditional homework strategies without the learning-styles component. All participants implemented the strategies for seven weeks of an eight-week period. Each group monitored and recorded information about parent-assisted homework on a researcher-designed survey. Quantitative analysis was utilized to examine each research question. Parent and student attitudes toward homework assistance were assessed using the Pizzo Semantic Differential Scale. Student academic self-perception was assessed using the Harter Self-Perception Profile for Children. These two instruments were administered as a posttest only. By randomizing assignment to group, the attributes for both the groups were assumed equivalent. Therefore, any effect observed between groups was linked to the treatment and was not a characteristic of the individuals in the group. The parent participants in the treatment group completed the Building Excellence Survey (BE; 2000) learning-styles assessment. The student participants in the treatment group were administered The Elementary Learning Styles Assessment (ELSA; 2007). Both identify the subjects’ learning-style preferences and were only used for understanding of learning-style strengths. Each research question used affective measures, and data were analyzed using a one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) to determine if there was a significant difference in the mean scores between the groups. The potential benefits of this research were determining if understanding and utilizing learning-style preference strategies would promote positive parental attitudes toward homework assistance and enhance students’ attitudes and academic self-perceptions. The results showed that there was no significant difference between treatment and comparison groups regarding parent and student attitudes or student scholastic competence (p \u3e .025)

Dynamic modelling of blood glucose concentration in people with type 1 diabetes

The behaviour of blood glucose concentration (BGC) in free living conditions is not well understood in people with type 1 diabetes; in particular, the effect of different types of activity experienced in everyday life has not been fully investigated. Better understanding of the effect of major disturbances to BGC can improve treatment regimes and delay or prevent complications associated with diabetes. The current research investigates approaches to modelling BGC, based on blood glucose, physical activity, food and insulin data collected from a Diabetes UK study. Exploratory analysis of the study data found that BGC is non-stationary and exhibits strong autocorrelation, which varies among and within individuals. Analysis of BGC in the frequency domain also highlights indistinct low-frequency periodicities. However, BGC measurements alone are not enough to predict BGC over several hours using autoregressive models. Dynamic linear models are used to model BGC empirically using inputs from measured physical activity, and estimates of glucose and insulin absorption after food intake and injections, respectively, derived from physiological models in the literature. Dynamic linear models are used for parameter learning and predicting BGC over several hours: the models show some capability for predicting BGC for up to one hour, in particular highlighting periods of low and high BGC, but parameter estimates do not comply with established physiological knowledge. A new semi-empirical compartmental model is developed to impose a structure that incorporates well established physiology. A set of differential equations are converted into a probabilistic Bayesian framework, suitable for simultaneous, model-wide parameter estimation and prediction. A simulation study is conducted to determine the feasibility of using Markov chain Monte Carlo methods as a means for parameter estimation, and test performance in the predictive space. The methods show an ability to estimate a subset of the parameters simultaneously with good coverage, robustness to parameter misspecification, and insensitivity to specification of prior distributions. The current research represents a new paradigm for analysing mathematical models of BGC, and highlights important practical and theoretical issues not previously addressed in the quest for an artificial pancreas as treatment for type 1 diabetes

Unique challenges facing older Australian women in the early 21st century

Have the rights and improvements women fought for in the 20th century provided better outcomes for them as older women today? This article explores recent literature to uncover unique and significant challenges faced by older women in Australian, and similar ‘Western’, contexts. While sexism and ageism are challenges implied by the question above, contemporary literature also reveals that long-term exposure to domestic violence and abuse, penalties endured for unpaid caring, systemic gendered financial handicaps and intersecting minority vulnerabilities all contribute to poorer life outcomes. Financial and housing insecurity emerge as critically urgent disparities. The article concludes by exploring some ideas addressing the challenges through critical social work practices and further social research

The magnetic exchange parameters and anisotropy of the quasi-two dimensional antiferromagnet NiPS3_3

Neutron inelastic scattering has been used to measure the magnetic excitations in powdered NiPS$_3$, a quasi-two dimensional antiferromagnet with spin $S = 1$ on a honeycomb lattice. The spectra show clear, dispersive magnons with a $\sim 7$ meV gap at the Brillouin zone center. The data were fitted using a Heisenberg Hamiltonian with a single-ion anisotropy assuming no magnetic exchange between the honeycomb planes. Magnetic exchange interactions up to the third intraplanar nearest-neighbour were required. The fits show robustly that NiPS$_3$ has an easy axis anisotropy with $\Delta = 0.3$ meV and that the third nearest-neighbour has a strong antiferromagnetic exchange of $J_3 = -6.90$ meV. The data can be fitted reasonably well with either $J_1 < 0$ or $J_1 > 0$, however the best quantitative agreement with high-resolution data indicate that the nearest-neighbour interaction is ferromagnetic with $J_1 = 1.9$ meV and that the second nearest-neighbour exchange is small and antiferromagnetic with $J_2 = -0.1$ meV. The dispersion has a minimum in the Brillouin zone corner that is slightly larger than that at the Brillouin zone center, indicating that the magnetic structure of NiPS$_3$ is close to being unstable.Comment: 21 pages, 7 figures, 33 reference

Spin excitations used to probe the nature of the exchange coupling in the magnetically ordered ground state of Pr0.5_{0.5}Ca0.5_{0.5}MnO3_{3}

We have used time-of-flight inelastic neutron scattering to measure the spin wave spectrum of the canonical half-doped manganite Pr$_{0.5}$Ca$_{0.5}$MnO$_{3}$, in its magnetic and orbitally ordered phase. The data, which cover multiple Brillouin zones and the entire energy range of the excitations, are compared with several different models that are all consistent with the CE-type magnetic order, but arise through different exchange coupling schemes. The Goodenough model, i.e. an ordered state comprising strong nearest neighbor ferromagnetic interactions along zig-zag chains with antiferromagnetic inter-chain coupling, provides the best description of the data, provided that further neighbor interactions along the chains are included. We are able to rule out a coupling scheme involving formation of strongly bound ferromagnetic dimers, i.e. Zener polarons, on the basis of gross features of the observed spin wave spectrum. A model with weaker dimerization reproduces the observed dispersion but can be ruled out on the basis of discrepancies between the calculated and observed structure factors at certain positions in reciprocal space. Adding further neighbor interactions results in almost no dimerization, i.e. recovery of the Goodenough model. These results are consistent with theoretical analysis of the degenerate double exchange model for half-doping, and provide a recipe for how to interpret future measurements away from half-doping, where degenerate double exchange models predict more complex ground states.Comment: 14 pages, 11 figure

HORACE: software for the analysis of data from single crystal spectroscopy experiments at time-of-flight neutron instruments

The HORACE suite of programs has been developed to work with large multiple-measurement data sets collected from time-of-flight neutron spectrometers equipped with arrays of position-sensitive detectors. The software allows exploratory studies of the four dimensions of reciprocal space and excitation energy to be undertaken, enabling multi-dimensional subsets to be visualized, algebraically manipulated, and models for the scattering to simulated or fitted to the data. The software is designed to be an extensible framework, thus allowing user-customized operations to be performed on the data. Examples of the use of its features are given for measurements exploring the spin waves of the simple antiferromagnet RbMnF$_{3}$ and ferromagnetic iron, and the phonons in URu$_{2}$Si$_{2}$.Comment: 14 pages, 6 figure

Critical appraisal skills training for health care professionals: a randomized controlled trial [ISRCTN46272378].

This is the final version of the article. Available from BioMed Central via the DOI in this record.INTRODUCTION: Critical appraisal skills are believed to play a central role in an evidence-based approach to health practice. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and costs of a critical appraisal skills educational intervention aimed at health care professionals. METHODS: This prospective controlled trial randomized 145 self-selected general practitioners, hospital physicians, professions allied to medicine, and healthcare managers/administrators from the South West of England to a half-day critical appraisal skills training workshop (based on the model of problem-based small group learning) or waiting list control. The following outcomes were assessed at 6-months follow up: knowledge of the principles necessary for appraising evidence; attitudes towards the use of evidence about healthcare; evidence seeking behaviour; perceived confidence in appraising evidence; and ability to critically appraise a systematic review article. RESULTS: At follow up overall knowledge score [mean difference: 2.6 (95% CI: 0.6 to 4.6)] and ability to appraise the results of a systematic review [mean difference: 1.2 (95% CI: 0.01 to 2.4)] were higher in the critical skills training group compared to control. No statistical significant differences in overall attitude towards evidence, evidence seeking behaviour, perceived confidence, and other areas of critical appraisal skills ability (methodology or generalizability) were observed between groups. Taking into account the workshop provision costs and costs of participants time and expenses of participants, the average cost of providing the critical appraisal workshops was approximately pound 250 per person. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study challenge the policy of funding 'one-off' educational interventions aimed at enhancing the evidence-based practice of health care professionals. Future evaluations of evidence-based practice interventions need to take in account this trial's negative findings and methodological difficulties.NHS R&D Executive: Evaluating methods to practice the implementation of R&D [project no. IMP 12-9