Developing academic persistence in first year tertiary students: a case study

Teachers and researchers of undergraduate university students agree that the first year experience can have a major impact on later study participation and academic performance. Specifically, the transition to university study from school or other contexts requires that first year students demonstrate the characteristics of self-directed learners, as they enter an environment with minimal constraints and an expectation of self-motivation and individual effort. Art Costa (1991) identified several such characteristics that he terms habits of mind, suggesting that demonstration of these habits will enhance the academic success of learners. The aim of this research project was to identify teaching and learning strategies that have the potential to assist first year university students to persist at a task. Persistence is one of Costa’s habits, and is related to one of the Seven Principles of Good Practice in Undergraduate Education, recently adopted by Central Queensland University in the pursuit of enhanced teaching and learning outcomes for staff and students alike. This paper outlines the data gathered from a tutor of first year undergraduate teacher education students enrolled in a Queensland regional campus. The data presented here were gathered through a participant journal and an individual interview at the end of the term. Analysis of the data revealed that student persistence can be developed and enhanced through the use of teaching and learning strategies with a focus on explicit teacher talk, reflection on learning, shared experiences and positive feedback

Cultural Responses to volcanic hazards on Mt Merapi, Indonesia

EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

The motivation and maintenance of physical activity in women

I examined the psychosocial factors motivating Australian women\u27s physical activity. Generally, a focus on appearance enhancement failed to maintain physical activity over time and was associated with negative psychological indicators such as disordered eating, stress, anxiety and depression. Activity maintenance was best achieved by women with more diverse motivations regardless of their choice of activity type

You and Your Neighbor

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Dying in hospital in Ireland: an assessment of the quality of care in the last week of life: National audit of end-of-life care in hospitals in Ireland, 2008/9

The context of this report is set by the fact that most people die in a hospital or similar setting, outside the home. When you consider that most people are also born in hospital, and may spend some time there over the course of a lifetime, it becomes clear that hospitals are central to our passage into life and out of it, touching people at the most important and intimate moments of their lives. In this sense, the work of hospitals mirrors the cycle of life and the expectations of society about its role at each stage of the life cycle. The report assesses the quality of care provided by Irish hospitals in the last week of life. The word ‘hospital’ shares a common linguistic root with words like hospice and hospitality. Hospitality – understood as being welcomed and cared for with kindness and attentiveness - is still what everyone seeks when they come to hospital, including patients and their families who are going through the journey of dying, death and bereavement. That is why the Hospice Friendly Hospitals Programme (2007-2012) commissioned this first ever national audit of endof-life care in Irish hospitals. This report contributes to the growing practice within the Irish hospital system of auditing performance against standards in order to ensure that every aspect of its work meets, and even exceeds, the highest standards of care and excellence. Given that end-of-life care standards did not exist at the time the audit – but have since been published as Quality Standards for End-of-Life Care in Hospitals1 – it may be more appropriate to regard this report as a ‘pre-audit’ or ‘baseline-audit’. It is Government policy, since February 2009, to introduce a mandatory licensing system whereby each hospital will only be allowed to practice if, on the basis of audited performance, it meets acceptable quality standards of service

Dying in Hospital in Ireland: An Assessment of the Quality of Care in the Last Week of Life, Final Synthesis Report

The context of this report is set by the fact that most people die in a hospital or similar setting, outside the home. When you consider that most people are also born in hospital, and may spend some time there over the course of a lifetime, it becomes clear that hospitals are central to our passage into life and out of it, touching people at the most important and intimate moments of their lives. In this sense, the work of hospitals mirrors the cycle of life and the expectations of society about its role at each stage of the life cycle.The report assesses the quality of care provided by Irish hospitals in the last week of life. The word 'hospital' shares a common linguistic root with words like hospice and hospitality. Hospitality -- understood as being welcomed and cared for with kindness and attentiveness -- is still what everyone seeks when they come to hospital, including patients and their families who are going through the journey of dying, death and bereavement. That is why the Hospice Friendly Hospitals Programme (2007-2012) commissioned this first ever national audit of end-of-life care in Irish hospitals.This report contributes to the growing practice within the Irish hospital system of auditing performance against standards in order to ensure that every aspect of its work meets, and even exceeds, the highest standards of care and excellence. Given that end-of-life care standards did not exist at the time the audit -- but have since been published as Quality Standards for End-of-Life Care in Hospitals1 -- it may be more appropriate to regard this report as a "pre-audit" or "baseline-audit". It is Government policy, since February 2009, to introduce a mandatorylicensing system whereby each hospital will only be allowed to practice if, on the basis of audited performance, it meets acceptable quality standards of service

No End in Sight: Benzodiazepine Use in Older Adults in the United States

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/135540/1/jgs14379_am.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/135540/2/jgs14379.pd

Recognising and responding to suicidal crisis within family and social networks: qualitative study

Objective To shed light on the difficulties faced by relatives, friends, and colleagues in interpreting signs of suicidality and deciding whether and how to intervene

Guidance for research on social isolation, loneliness, and participation among older people: Lessons from a mixed methods study

This article provides methodological guidance to researchers wishing to develop collaborative research projects with local governments and other agencies, by describing the process adopted in a mixed methods study conducted in the City of Wanneroo (the City), a local government area in Perth, Western Australia. The study explored factors related to older people’s (60+ years) participation in community-based activities and links between their participation and levels of social isolation, loneliness, and social connectedness. The research incorporated four interrelated stages: (1) an audit of existing programs in the City and program participant characteristics; (2) focus groups with program participants and interviews with nonparticipants; (3) a cross-sectional survey to assess factors associated with participation and links to social isolation, loneliness, and social connectedness; (4) face-to-face interviews with survey respondents screened at risk for loneliness. Methodological recommendations are provided to guide future collaborative research with local authorities, program developers, and administrators, aimed at minimizing social isolation and loneliness among older people. These include the need for clear communication and documentation of mutually agreed research objectives and responsibilities from project initiation to completion, identifying and working with local agencies to maximize recruitment among “hard to reach” groups, understanding the dimensions of loneliness addressed in the selected instrument used to screen for loneliness, and integrating innovative data collection techniques when working with vulnerable groups such as socially isolated older people