A Post-intentional Phenomenological Study of a Queer Identified Youth in Jamaica

The paper provides an exploration of glimpses into the life of a Jamaican woman who loves women The research question this paper examines is how societal homonegativity shapes the lived experiences of a young woman who loves women in Jamaica Post-intentional phenomenology methodology was used to capture salient moments of the woman s life through written memory song lyrics and artifacts Results suggested that fear hope care and being perceived as diseased are a daily part of a woman who loves women s life There is a need to tell the stories of women who love in Jamaica to validate their lived experiences and to construct a body of knowledge on this topic Implications for this study can be used to mobilize education research community and support for students with female same-sex caregiver

Mentoring Uncertified Teachers in Guyana

In 2022 Guyana s Ministry of Education began a teacher licensing system highlighting the need for continuous development Teacher quality is a challenge in many developing countries The research question that guided this study was how does a customized professional development intensive mentoring program influence the preparation of uncertified teachers in Guyana as it relates to their lack of pedagogical content knowledge and classroom management skills Data were collected and analyzed using the Delphi Technique a group decision-making method to reach a consensus that identified what a customized professional development solution for uncertified teachers in two high schools in Guyana entailed specifically an intensive mentoring intervention Results from this study showed that a customized professional development intensive mentoring training program could be beneficial for uncertified teachers in Guyana The findings implied the presence of collaboration support and collegially sharing ideas and strategies that address evidence-based teaching practice

Can a single-item measure of job stressfulness identify common mental disorder?

There is a need for brief and non-intrusive measures to identify common mental disorder (CMD) in worker populations. The primary aim of this study was to determine whether workers reporting CMD symptoms indicative of minor psychiatric morbidity could be reliably identified by a single-item job stressfulness measure (SIJSM). A secondary aim was to determine the number of response categories required to maximize the sensitivity and specificity of the SIJSM. Data from seven occupational groups were analysed (N = 20,658). We measured CMD using the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) and job stressfulness with a single item involving five response options. We applied tests of discriminatory power to assess whether a report of high job stressfulness (SIJSM score ?4, very stressful or extremely stressful) correctly classified CMD cases (GHQ-12 score ?4) and non-cases. Both sensitivity and specificity of the SIJSM were acceptable (?70%) in samples where at least 50% of respondents reported high job stressfulness (prison officers, public protection unit police officers dealing with domestic violence and child abuse). Discriminatory power was optimal and almost identical at the ?4 cut-off on a 5-point scale and ?6 on a 9-point scale. In occupations with elevated prevalence of high job stressfulness the SIJSM appears to demonstrate acceptable sensitivity and specificity, providing for efficient and non-intrusive identification of likely minor psychiatric morbidity. The measure could be used with such groups to identify workers that would benefit from in-depth psychosocial risk assessment and targeted intervention

Developing reflective practice in teacher candidates through program coherence

In this study, we explored the role of reflection at three stages of preparation across a teacher education program. Reflection has long been considered an essential aspect of professional practice for teaching; however, reflection is often vague and undefined. Through an examination of the opportunities we provided for our students to reflect, and systematic analysis of the levels of reflection our students engaged in, we found that the development of reflective practices could be understood and aligned across a professional preparation program. Furthermore, we considered our own pedagogical practices related to modality, prompting, scaffolding, assignment structure, and feedback in our analysis of a variety of student reflection artifacts, in order to understand the potential impact of our own pedagogical decisions across the program. Findings suggest that the program provided modeling and structures for reflection early on, encouraged the inclusion of multiple perspectives in relation to professional practice, and supported a synthesis of student learning of theory and practice as preservice teachers approached program completion. This article offers reflection as a tool for exploring issues of professional growth across a continuum of development

Developing reflective practice in teacher candidates through program coherence

In this study, we explored the role of reflection at three stages of preparation across a teacher education program. Reflection has long been considered an essential aspect of professional practice for teaching; however, reflection is often vague and undefined. Through an examination of the opportunities we provided for our students to reflect, and systematic analysis of the levels of reflection our students engaged in, we found that the development of reflective practices could be understood and aligned across a professional preparation program. Furthermore, we considered our own pedagogical practices related to modality, prompting, scaffolding, assignment structure, and feedback in our analysis of a variety of student reflection artifacts, in order to understand the potential impact of our own pedagogical decisions across the program. Findings suggest that the program provided modeling and structures for reflection early on, encouraged the inclusion of multiple perspectives in relation to professional practice, and supported a synthesis of student learning of theory and practice as preservice teachers approached program completion. This article offers reflection as a tool for exploring issues of professional growth across a continuum of development

Annotated Bibliography of Research in the Teaching of English

Since 2003, RTE has published the annual “Annotated Bibliography of Research in the Teaching of English,” a list of curated and annotated works reviewed and selected by a large group of dedicated educator-scholars in our field. The goal of the annual bibliography is to offer a synthesis of the research published in the area of English language arts within the past year for RTE readers’ consideration. Abstracted citations and those featured in the “Other Related Research” sections were published, either in print or online, between June 2020 and June 2021. The bibliography is divided into nine sections, with some changes to the categories this year in response to the ever-evolving nature of research in the field. Small teams of scholars with diverse research interests and background experiences in preK–16 educational settings reviewed and selected the manuscripts for each section using library databases and leading scholarly journals. Each team abstracted significant contributions to the body of peer-reviewed studies that addressed the current research questions and concerns in their topic area

Rheumatoid Factor as a Potentiator of Anti–Citrullinated Protein Antibody–Mediated Inflammation in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Objective. The co-occurrence of rheumatoid factor (RF) and anti–citrullinated protein antibody (ACPA) positivity in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is well described. However, the mechanisms underlying the potential interaction between these 2 distinct autoantibodies have not been well defined. The aim of this study was to evaluate the epidemiologic and molecular interaction of ACPAs and RF and its association with both disease activity and measures of RA-associated inflammation. Methods. In a cohort of 1,488 US veterans with RA, measures of disease activity and serum levels of cytokines and multiplex ACPAs were compared between the following groups of patients: double-negative (anti–cyclic citrullinated peptide [anti-CCP]-/RF-), anti-CCP+/RF-, anti-CCP-/RF+, or double-positive (anti-CCP+/RF+). Additional studies were performed using an in vitro immune complex (IC) stimulation assay in which macrophages were incubated with ACPA ICs in the presence or absence of monoclonal IgM-RF, and tumor necrosis factor α production measured as a readout of macrophage activation. Results. Compared with the double-negative subgroup (as well as each single-positive subgroup), the double-positive subgroup exhibited higher disease activity as well as higher levels of C-reactive protein and inflammatory cytokines (all P \u3c 0.001). In vitro stimulation of macrophages by ACPA ICs increased cytokine production, and the addition of monoclonal IgM-RF significantly increased macrophage tumor necrosis factor α production (P = 0.003 versus ACPA ICs alone). Conclusion. The combined presence of ACPAs and IgM-RF mediates increased proinflammatory cytokine production in vitro and is associated with increased systemic inflammation and disease activity in RA. Our data suggest that IgM-RF enhances the capacity of ACPA ICs to stimulate macrophage cytokine production, thereby providing a mechanistic link by which RF enhances the pathogenicity of ACPA ICs in RA

The Milky Way's circular velocity curve between 4 and 14 kpc from APOGEE data

We measure the Milky Way's rotation curve over the Galactocentric range 4 kpc <~ R <~ 14 kpc from the first year of data from the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE). We model the line-of-sight velocities of 3,365 stars in fourteen fields with b = 0 deg between 30 deg < l < 210 deg out to distances of 10 kpc using an axisymmetric kinematical model that includes a correction for the asymmetric drift of the warm tracer population (\sigma_R ~ 35 km/s). We determine the local value of the circular velocity to be V_c(R_0) = 218 +/- 6 km/s and find that the rotation curve is approximately flat with a local derivative between -3.0 km/s/kpc and 0.4 km/s/kpc. We also measure the Sun's position and velocity in the Galactocentric rest frame, finding the distance to the Galactic center to be 8 kpc < R_0 < 9 kpc, radial velocity V_{R,sun} = -10 +/- 1 km/s, and rotational velocity V_{\phi,sun} = 242^{+10}_{-3} km/s, in good agreement with local measurements of the Sun's radial velocity and with the observed proper motion of Sgr A*. We investigate various systematic uncertainties and find that these are limited to offsets at the percent level, ~2 km/s in V_c. Marginalizing over all the systematics that we consider, we find that V_c(R_0) 99% confidence. We find an offset between the Sun's rotational velocity and the local circular velocity of 26 +/- 3 km/s, which is larger than the locally-measured solar motion of 12 km/s. This larger offset reconciles our value for V_c with recent claims that V_c >~ 240 km/s. Combining our results with other data, we find that the Milky Way's dark-halo mass within the virial radius is ~8x10^{11} M_sun.Comment: submitted to Ap