Student learning dispositions: Multidimensional profiles highlight important differences among undergraduate stem honors thesis writers

Various personal dimensions of students—particularly motivation, self-efficacy beliefs, and epistemic beliefs—can change in response to teaching, affect student learning, and be conceptualized as learning dispositions. We propose that these learning dispositions serve as learning outcomes in their own right; that patterns of interrelationships among these specific learning dispositions are likely; and that differing constellations (or learning disposition profiles) may have meaningful implications for instructional practices. In this observational study, we examine changes in these learning dispositions in the context of six courses at four institutions designed to scaffold undergraduate thesis writing and promote students’ scientific reasoning in writing in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. We explore the utility of cluster analysis for generating meaningful learning disposition profiles and building a more sophisticated understanding of students as complex, multidimensional learners. For example, while students’ self-efficacy beliefs about writing and science increased across capstone writing courses on average, there was considerable variability at the level of individual students. When responses on all of the personal dimensions were analyzed jointly using cluster analysis, several distinct and meaningful learning disposition profiles emerged. We explore these profiles in this work and discuss the implications of this framework for describing developmental trajectories of students’ scientific identities. We thank Mine Çetinkaya-Rundel for her insights regarding our statistical analyses. This research was funded by National Science Foundation award DUE-1525602

Consistent associations between measures of psychological stress and CMV antibody levels in a large occupational sample

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a herpes virus that has been implicated in biological aging and impaired health. Evidence, largely accrued from small-scale studies involving select populations, suggests that stress may promote non-clinical reactivation of this virus. However, absent is evidence from larger studies, which allow better statistical adjustment for confounding and mediating factors, in more representative samples. The present study involved a large occupational cohort (N = 887, mean age = 44, 88% male). Questionnaires assessed psychological (i.e., depression, anxiety, vital exhaustion, SF-12 mental health), demographic, socioeconomic (SES), and lifestyle variables. Plasma samples were analyzed for both the presence and level of CMV-specific IgG antibodies (CMV-IgG), used as markers for infection status and viral reactivation, respectively. Also assessed were potential biological mediators of stress-induced reactivation, such as inflammation (C-reactive protein) and HPA function (awakening and diurnal cortisol). Predictors of CMV infection and CMV-IgG among the infected individuals were analyzed using logistic and linear regression analyses, respectively. Confirming prior reports, lower SES (education and job status) was positively associated with infection status. Among those infected (N = 329), higher CMV-IgG were associated with increased anxiety (β = .14, p < .05), depression (β = .11, p = .06), vital exhaustion (β = .14, p < .05), and decreased SF-12 mental health (β = −.14, p < .05), adjusting for a range of potential confounders. Exploratory analyses showed that these associations were generally stronger in low SES individuals. We found no evidence that elevated inflammation or HPA-function mediated any of the associations. In the largest study to date, we established associations between CMV-IgG levels and multiple indicators of psychological stress. These results demonstrate the robustness of prior findings, and extend these to a general working population. We propose that stress-induced CMV replication warrants further research as a psychobiological mechanism linking stress, aging and health

Geographical patterns of proportionate mortality for the most common causes of death in Brazil Variações geográficas no padrão de mortalidade proporcional por doenças crônico-degenerativas no Brasil

Mortality due to chronic diseases has been increasing in all regions of Brazil with corresponding decreases in mortality from infectious diseases. The geographical variation in proportionate mortality for chronic diseases for 17 Brazilian state capitals for the year 1985 and their association with socio-economic variables and infectious disease was studied. Calculations were made of correlation coefficients of proportionate mortality for adults of 30 years or above due to ischaemic heart disease, stroke and cancer of the lung, the breast and stomach with 3 socio-economic variables, race, and mortality due to infectious disease. Linear regression analysis included as independent variables the % of illiteracy, % of whites, % of houses with piped water, mean income, age group, sex, and % of deaths caused by infectious disease. The dependent variables were the % of deaths due to each one of the chronic diseases studied by age-sex group. Chronic diseases were an important cause of death in all regions of Brazil. Ischaemic heart diseases, stroke and malignant neoplasms accounted for more than 34% of the mortality in each of the 17 capitals studied. Proportionate cause-specific mortality varied markedly among state capitals. Ranges were 6.3-19.5% for ischaemic heart diseases, 8.3-25.4% for stroke, 2.3-10.4% for infections and 12.2-21.5% for malignant neoplasm. Infectious disease mortality had the highest (p < 0.001) correlation with all the four socio-economic variables studied and ischaemic heart disease showed the second highest correlation (p < 0.05). Higher socio-economic level was related to a lower % of infectious diseases and a higher % of ischaemic heart diseases. Mortality due to breast cancer and stroke was not associated with socio-economic variables. Multivariate linear regression models explained 59% of the variance among state capitals for mortality due to ischaemic heart disease, 50% for stroke, 28% for lung cancer, 24% for breast cancer and 40% for stomach cancer. There were major differences in the proportionate mortality due to chronic diseases among the capitals which could not be accounted for by the social and environmental factors and by the mortality due to infectious disease.<br>Em razão de a mortalidade por doenças crônico -degenerativas estar aumentando no Brasil, com correspondente redução das doenças infecciosas, foi realizado estudo comparativo entre 17 capitais brasileiras em relação à mortalidade proporcional para as principais causas de morte em 1985. Foram calculados coeficientes de correlação entre a mortalidade proporcional decorrente de doença isquêmica do coração, doença cerebrovascular, câncer de pulmão, mama e estômago e 3 variáveis socioeconômicas, raça e a mortalidade proporcional por doenças infecciosas. A análise multivariada através de regressão linear incluiu como variáveis independentes os percentuais de: analfabetismo, casas com instalação domiciliar de água, renda média, população da cor branca, faixa etária e sexo. As variáveis dependentes foram as percentagens de óbito devido a cada uma das doenças crônico-degenerativas em estudo, por grupo de idade e sexo. Os resultados mostraram que as doenças crônico-degenerativas são importantes causas de morte em todas as regiões do país. A doença isquêmica do coração, a doença cerebrovascular e as neoplasias malignas foram responsáveis por mais do que 34% da mortalidade em todas as capitais estudadas. A mortalidade proporcional variou de forma marcante entre as capitais estudadas, com amplitudes de variação de 6,3-19,5% para a doença isquêmica do coração, 8,3-25,4% para a doença cerebrovascular, 2,3-10,4% para infecções e 12,2-21,5% para as neoplasias malignas. A mortalidade proporcional por infecções apresentou a maior correlação com os indicadores socioeconômicos (p < 0,001), sendo acompanhada pela doença isquêmica do coração (p < 0,05). O alto nível socioeconômico relacionou-se com menor percentagem de mortalidade por infecções e mais alta percentagem de doença isquêmica do coração, enquanto que a mortalidade por doença cerebrovascular e câncer de mama não se associaram com os indicadores socioeconômicos. Os modelos de análise multivariada explicaram 59% da variação entre as capitais, para a doença isquêmica do coração, 50% para a doença cerebrovascular, 28% para o câncer de pulmão, 24% para o câncer de mama e 40% para o câncer de estômago. As importantes diferenças geográficas encontradas para a mortalidade proporcional devido às doenças crônico-degenerativas não podem ser totalmente explicadas pela variação na mortalidade por doenças infecciosas e pelos fatores socioeconômicos estudados, sugerindo a existência de fatores de risco específicos