Costs and Benefits of the EU Enlargement: The Impact on the EU and SEE Countries

The south-eastern enlargement of the European Union will be the sixth enlargement since the establishment of the European Community in 1957. This research uses the gravity model to analyze the factors that have an influence on trade flows between the EU and South-east European Countries. The Gravity model explains patterns of trade with GDP, geographical distance and several dummy variables. Using the data from 2010, the gravity model analyzes trade flows between 23 countries from both the EU and South-eastern European Countries. Taking into consideration the costs of enlargement, this paper examines the possible effects of enlargement on trade flows, and its impact on the development of SEEC’s. Moreover, it offers a solution for the South-east European Countries which is the possibility to create the Balkan Union.

Perceptions of assessment in Norwegian occupational therapy students

In addition to securing minimum standards of learning among students, assessment is increasingly used as a tool to improve students’ learning. Assessment quality is measured as part of the Course Experience Questionnaire; however, the original ‘appropriate assessment’ scale has demonstrated ambiguous psychometric properties. The current study aimed to gain knowledge about occupational therapy students’ perceptions of assessment, and this was achieved by examining the factor structure and internal consistency of the six items on the ‘appropriate assessment’ scale. Students from six Norwegian universities (n= 187, response rate 61.3 %) completed the scale and reported demographic information. The factor structure of the scale was assessed with Principal Components Analysis and Parallel Analysis, and internal consistency was assessed with Cronbach’sαand mean inter-item correlations. Three factors were extracted from the data: Factor 1 (three items,α= 0.51) is concerned with the content of assessment. Factor 2 (two items,α= 0.62) is concerned with the context of assessment. Finally, Factor 3 (one item) is concerned with the feedback to students following assessment. In view of the item mean scores, feedback in particular appears to be an area of improvement for the occupational therapy programs, as well as a venue for further research.publishedVersio

Predictors of students’ participation in a learning environment survey with annual follow-ups

Background Longitudinal research is one effective way to gauge changes in a student cohort over time, however attrition in these studies is typically high, which can result in study bias. This study explored learning environment factors, approaches to studying, and academic performance as predictors of occupational therapy students’ consistent participation in data collection conducted over three years of their professional program. Method A longitudinal study of Norwegian occupational therapy students (analyzed n = 240) was conducted. Logistic regression analysis was used to explore occupational therapy students’ perceptions of the learning environment, their approaches to studying, and exam grades as they related to the likelihood of consistent participation at three annual surveys. Results Annual response rates varied between 55.1%, and 65.6%, and consistent participation was observed among 49.2%. The fully adjusted regression models showed that higher strategic approach scores increased the odds of consistent participation (adjusted OR: 1.04, p < 0.01), whereas higher surface approach scores decreased the odds of consistent participation (adjusted OR: 0.95, p < 0.05). Neither sociodemographic factors, learning environment factors nor academic performance predicted participation over time. Conclusions Researchers can anticipate relatively high levels of attrition in longitudinal studies of occupational therapy students, but attrition seems to be largely proportional between groups. However, completers in longitudinal studies may be somewhat more well-organized and academically oriented than drop-outs.publishedVersio

Perceptions of the academic learning environment among occupational therapy students – changes across a three-year undergraduate study program

Introduction: Although the learning environment influences students’ motivation, learning outcomes, and satisfaction with the study program, less is known about how these factors change as the students’ progress through the study program. Aim: The aim of this study was to examine changes in occupational therapy students’ perceptions of the academic learning environment during their three-year study program and to examine factors associated with the students’ perceptions of the learning environment. Materials and methods: A longitudinal cohort study was conducted throughout the three-year study program. Data were collected annually using the Course Experience Questionnaire (CEQ). In total, 263 students from six occupational therapy programs participated in at least one data gathering point. The number of participants was 186 in the first year, 168 in the second year and 200 in the third year. Of the 263 students who participated in the study, 87 participated in only one point of data collection, 58 at two points and 118 at all three points of the data collection. Data were analyzed with linear mixed models. Results: The results showed statistically significant temporal changes on the “Emphasis on independence”, “Good teaching” and “Generic skills” scales. There was a significant decrease in scores from the first to the second year of study and the scores remained at this level in the third study year on both the “Emphasis on independence” and “Good teaching” scales. In addition, associations were found between study effort and educational institution related to the “Appropriate workload” scale, as well as between age and the “Generic skills” scale. Conclusion: The temporal changes of the students’ perceptions of the “Emphasis on independence” as well as “Good teaching” scales are noteworthy. Both scales indicated a significant decrease in scores, indicating that the students perceived that they were less independent from first to second and third year, as well as a perceived decline in the quality of teaching from first to second and third year. The results of this study are central when planning to facilitate learning, especially related to independence and perceptions of good teaching for students in occupational therapy programs.publishedVersio

Associations between occupational therapy students’ academic performance and their study approaches and perceptions of the learning environment

Background - Relationships between students’ academic performance and their employed study approaches have been studied extensively. However, research using study approaches and learning environment factors as concurrent predictors of academic performance is sparse. There is a need to disentangle the potentially interrelated influences of individual and contextual factors on students’ academic performance. Objective - This study aimed to increase the understanding of the associations between occupational therapy students’ academic performance, and their approaches to studying, perceptions of the learning environment, and sociodemographic characteristics. Method - A cross-sectional study was designed, and 174 first-year students completed the Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students and the Course Experience Questionnaire, in addition to background information. Data on grades were collected from the data registries of each education institution, and associations were analyzed by multiple linear regression. Results - None of the learning environment scales were associated with grades. Adjusting for all variables, better exam results were associated with being female (β = 0.22, p  Conclusion - The study suggests that students with a desire for obtaining good grades ought to use strategic study behaviors and avoid using surface approach behaviors. While it is important to ensure good quality of the learning environment for a variety of reasons, the learning environment did not contribute significantly to explain the students’ academic performance

Approaches to studying: changes during a three-year undergraduate study program

Whether higher education students’ approaches to studying are amenable to change, is disputed. In this study, Norwegian occupational therapy students’ (n = 263) approaches to studying were assessed annually across the three-year course, with the aim of exploring changes during the undergraduate study program. Sociodemographic information and the Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students were completed. Changes during the follow-up period were analyzed using linear mixed models for repeated measures. A significant increase in deep approach scores and a decrease in surface approach scores during the study program was revealed. The strategic approach remained unchanged, but with a difference between education institutions. Overall, the study suggests that the students’ approaches to studying changed in a positive direction during the study program. Attention should be given to students at risk of adopting a surface approach to studying and to the individual and contextual elements influencing study behaviors.publishedVersio

Occupational therapy students’ preferences for teaching and course design across a three-year undergraduate education program

Purpose Understanding students’ preferences for teaching and course design is important for educators in higher education when planning courses and teaching activities. The purpose of this study was to explore changes in occupational therapy students’ preferences for teaching and courses across the three-year study program. Design/methodology/approach A total of 263 students participated in a longitudinal study, where preferences were measured with the Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students. The data were analyzed with linear mixed effect models for repeated measures. Findings The results indicated no significant changes in preferences for courses and teaching over the three-year period. Also, there were no significant differences between the six involved study programs. Preferences for the courses and teaching type “supporting understanding” were associated with higher age and higher study effort. Preferences for the courses and teaching type “transmitting information” were associated with lower age and female gender. Originality/value In summary, the findings of this study suggest that preferences for teaching and courses are stable and may be challenging to alter during a three-year undergraduate study program.publishedVersio

Student characteristics associated with dominant approaches to studying: Comparing a national and an international sample

Background Productive approaches to studying (deep and strategic learning) are associated with a variety of favourable academic outcomes, and may be of particular importance for students in multifaceted and complex disciplines such as occupational therapy. Aim To explore associations between student characteristics and their dominant approaches to studying in two samples of occupational therapy students: a national sample of Norwegian first-year students, and an international sample of students in different year cohorts (Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore and Norway). Materials and methods A total of 180 (national sample) and 665 (international sample) students were included in the study. Approaches to studying were measured with the Approaches to Study Skills Inventory for Students (ASSIST). Data were analyzed with adjusted multinomial regression analyses. Results Age, gender and prior higher education were not associated with the dominant study approach. More time spent on independent study (international sample: OR = 1.07/1.08, p < 0.01/<0.001) and having current study program as the top priority line of education at enrolment (national sample: OR = 2.89, p < 0.05) predicted productive study approaches. Conclusions and significance Factors such as age, gender and prior higher education seem to be of limited importance for understanding students’ dominant approaches to studying.acceptedVersio

Ten papers for teachers of evidence-based medicine and health care: Sicily workshop 2019

A previous article sought to signpost papers that were considered helpful when starting on the journey of practicing evidence-based medicine (EBM). The lead author was invited to run a workshop at the Eighth Conference of the International Society for Evidence-Based Health Care run in collaboration with the Gruppo Italiano per la Medicina Basata sulle Evidenze from 6 November to 9 November 2019. The aim of the workshop was to challenge a group of teachers and educators to consider useful papers for the teaching of EBM/evidence-based healthcare (EBHC). The second aim was to start a database of such studies. The third aim was to share learning and foster discussion from the workshop through journal publication. EBM and EBHC are used interchangeably throughout this article

Fagprosedyre: Motorisk usikkerhet hos barn - ergoterapi og fysioterapi i kommunehelsetjenesten

Denne fagprosedyren beskriver anbefalinger for kartlegging og tiltak for barn med motorisk usikkerhet utført av ergoterapeuter og fysioterapeuter i kommunehelsetjenesten. Bakgrunn for utviklingen av fagprosedyren er problemstillinger presentert av terapeuter i Habiliterings- og rehabiliteringstjenesten i Bergen kommune, som så et behov for å tilby mer systematiske, kunnskapsbaserte og likeverdige tjenester for barn med motorisk usikkerhet. Det anerkjennes at denne brukergruppen og deres familier har behov for samordnede og koordinerte tjenester, der tidlig innsats er viktig for å forebygge uheldig utvikling av fysiske og psykososiale forhold (1). I Bergen kommune er ergoterapeuter og fysioterapeuter samlokalisert i felles enhet, hvor tett samarbeid rundt brukerne blir praktisert. Prosedyren er utarbeidet for ergoterapeuter og fysioterapeuter og den skisserer både felles og fagspesifikke arbeidsprosesser