Revisiting the quality of Health Extension Workers’ training: Case study from Amhara Region, Ethiopia

Background:- Ethiopia has been training community health workers, locally under its program of Health Extension Workers, in Technical and Vocational Education and Training Institutions (TVETI) since 2003.Objective:- To examine conditions that may affect the quality of health extension workers training in Ethiopia.Methods:- We conducted a qualitative case study interviewing 32 informants. This approach helped us get insight into the subject from different perspectives. The staffs of two institutions and the Amhara Region Health Bureau, and health extension workers were involved in the study. Data collected were analyzed through an interpretative approach.Results:- The study showed that the curriculum for the training had not been revised since it was developed. Shortage of teaching facilities and on-the-job training of teachers were also identified as constraints.Conclusion:- The curriculum should be revised and more time allotted for practicum and improved training facilities are needed for this purpose. Teachers need to continue updating themselves and their skills. Better collaboration between the training institutions and the health system is necessary for enhancing the quality of health extension workers training. [Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 2011; 25(3):201-205

‘I actually know that things will get better’:The many pathways to resilience of LGBTQIA+ youth in out-of-home care

Research on the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual and other forms of sexual identities and orientations (LGBTQIA+) youth in care has mainly examined their experiences from a risk-based approach, while few studies have explored their resilience experiences. Using in-depth interviews, the present study aims to illuminate the resilience experiences of 13 LGBTQIA+ young people in out-of-home care in the Netherlands. Four themes emerged from their narratives: relationships that support and empower; construction of a positive identity around their sexual orientation and gender identity and expression (SOGIE); community involvement and self-relying strategies. Our findings support the view of resilience as a complex process that shows at an individual, interpersonal and social level

Exploring Didactic Models for Programming

Models for teaching programming have been suggested in the literature. Interviews of teachers indicate that they normally do not relate to such models. Since referring explicitly to didactic models in teaching may improve learning, using models seems preferable. Models concerning learning and teaching are suggested in the paper. 1. Introduction High failure rates in many introductory programming courses may be symptoms of the limited research having been invested in the area. While pedagogical research has provided theories of learning and teaching that are useful in informatics education, each subject requires specific teaching practices (Stodolsky, 1988), and these have to be based on the subject itself. Concerning learning of programming, Booth (1992), in a qualitative study of how university students, found that students' competence could be described in four advancing stages. Spohrer and Soloway's (1986) studied student-generated programs, and found that learners had more troub..

Parental chronic pain and internalizing symptoms in offspring: the role of adolescents’ social competence – the HUNT study

Jannike Kaasbøll,1,2 Stian Lydersen,2 Ingunn Ranøyen,2,3 Wendy Nilsen,4 Marit S Indredavik2,3 1Department of Health Research, SINTEF, Trondheim, Norway; 2Department of Mental Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Regional Centre for Child and Youth Mental Health and Child Welfare (RKBU Central Norway), Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway; 3Department of Children and Youth, Division of Mental Health Care, St. Olavs Hospital, Trondheim University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway; 4The Work Research Institute, OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University, Oslo, Norway Background: A growing body of research suggests that the children of parents with chronic pain are at risk for internalizing symptoms. The mechanisms of such associations have not been as thoroughly examined. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether adolescents’ social competence mediates the association between parental chronic pain and offspring internalizing symptoms as well as whether these associations are moderated by adolescent gender. Methods: The current study was based on cross-sectional data from the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT 3), a Norwegian population-based health survey conducted in 2006–2008. The present sample comprised adolescents who had both parents participating (n=9,681). Structural equation modeling was used for the data analysis. Results: Our results indicated that the association between concurrent maternal and paternal chronic pain and offspring’s symptoms of anxiety and depression was partly mediated by low social competence for girls (b(SE)=0.060 [0.030], P=0.043) but not for boys (b(SE)=−0.059 [0.040], P=0.146). This suggests that these associations are moderated by offspring gender. Conclusion: The study extends the existing literature on the possible pathways between parental chronic pain and internalizing symptoms in the offspring. Identifying protective factors in the pathways between parental chronic pain and mental distress in children could guide measures that promote the wellbeing of the child and family of chronic pain sufferers. Keywords: chronic pain, adolescents, social competence, anxiety, depression, sex difference