Talent Theme Dimensions and Academic Success Among Undergraduate Agriculture and Natural Resources Students

Strengths-based education initiatives have been implemented at higher education institutions world-wide as efforts to enhance student retention and degree completion. The Oklahoma State University (OSU) College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (CASNR) joined the institutions utilizing strengths identification and development practices during the fall 2008 semester. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between implementation of strengths initiatives by CASNR and college student success. The study was guided by five research questions: (1) Describe the pre-college and collegiate academic profile of students who matriculated with a major in CASNR and who graduated within the six-year graduation time-frame. (2) Describe the talent profile of students who matriculated with a major in CASNR and who graduated within the six-year graduation time-frame, as based on talents identified by the Clifton StrengthsFinder®. (3)What differences exist in CASNR student' specified college student success factors between dominant talent theme dimension groups? (4) What differences in first-year retention rates and six-year graduation rates exist between the classes of CASNR students preceding implementation of strengths initiatives in the AG 1011 freshmen seminar course and the classes after implementation? (5) Do the college success outcome variables predict student classification into talent theme dimension groups? Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, ANOVA, ANCOVA, independent measures t-tests, and discriminant analysis procedures. It was concluded that academic and talent profiles of CASNR students who experienced the strengths identification and development interventions aligned with profiles of the overall college student population. No significant differences were found in college student success factors between talent theme dimension groups, and no significant difference was found in retention or graduation rates between pre-intervention and post-intervention populations. College student success factors showed no predictive value in distributing theme dimension groups. It was recommended that further study be conducted to evaluate theme dimension group differences and predictive value by CASNR majors and in students' freshmen, sophomore, and junior years and at graduation. It was also recommended that strengths development be integrated into other student experiences and that other assessments be explored to identify student talents.Agricultural Educatio

The Project ENABLE Cornerstone Randomized Controlled Trial: Study Protocol for a Lay Navigator-led, Early Palliative Care Coaching Intervention for African American and Rural-dwelling Advanced Cancer Family Caregivers

Background: Family caregivers play a vital, yet stressful role in managing the healthcare needs and optimizing the quality of life of patients with advanced cancer, from the time they are newly diagnosed until end of life. While early telehealth palliative care has been found to effectively support family caregivers, little work has focused on historically under-resourced populations, particularly African American and rural-dwelling individuals. To address this need, we developed and are currently testing Project ENABLE (Educate, Nurture, Advise, Before Life Ends) Cornerstone, a lay navigator-led, early palliative care coaching intervention for family caregivers of African American and rural-dwelling patients with newly diagnosed advanced cancer.Methods: This is a 2-site, single-blind, hybrid type I implementation-effectiveness trial of the Cornerstone intervention versus usual care. Cornerstone is a multicomponent intervention based on Pearlin’s Stress-Health Process Model where African American and/or rural-dwelling family caregivers of patients with newly diagnosed advanced cancer (target sample size = 294 dyads) are paired with a lay navigator coach and receive a series of six, brief 20–60-min telehealth sessions focused on stress management and coping, caregiving skills, getting help, self-care, and preparing for the future/advance care planning. Subsequent to core sessions, caregivers receive monthly follow-up indefinitely until the patient’s death. Caregiver and patient outcomes are collected at baseline and every 12 weeks until the patient’s death (primary outcome: caregiver distress at 24 weeks; secondary outcomes: caregiver: quality of life and burden; patient: distress, quality of life, and healthcare utilization). Implementation costs and the intervention cost effectiveness are also being evaluated.Discussion: Should this intervention demonstrate efficacy, it would yield an implementation-ready model of early palliative care support for under-resourced family caregivers. A key design principle that has centrally informed the Cornerstone intervention is that every caregiving situation is unique and each caregiver faces distinct challenges that cannot be addressed using a one-size-fits all approach. Hence, Cornerstone employs culturally savvy lay navigator coaches who are trained to establish a strong, therapeutic alliance with participants and tailor their coaching to a diverse range of individual circumstances

An Early Palliative Care Telehealth Coaching Intervention to Enhance Advanced Cancer Family Caregivers’ Decision Support Skills: The CASCADE Pilot Factorial Trial

ContextPatients with advanced cancer often involve family caregivers in health-related decision-making from diagnosis to end-of-life; however, few interventions have been developed to enhance caregiver decision support skills.ObjectivesAssess the feasibility, acceptability, and potential efficacy of individual intervention components of CASCADE (CAre Supporters Coached to be Adept DEcision Partners), an early telehealth, palliative care coach-led decision support training intervention for caregivers.MethodsPilot factorial trial using the multiphase optimization strategy (October 2019-October 2020). Family caregivers and their care recipients with newly-diagnosed advanced cancer (n = 46 dyads) were randomized to1 of 8 experimental conditions that included a combination of one of the following three CASCADE components: 1) effective decision support psychoeducation; 2) decision support communication training; and 3) Ottawa Decision Guide training. Feasibility was assessed by completion of sessions and questionnaires (predefined as ≥80%). Acceptability was determined through postintervention interviews and participants' ratings of their likelihood to recommend. Measures of effective decision support and caregiver and patient distress were collected at Twelve and Twenty four weeks.ResultsCaregiver participants completed 78% of intervention sessions and 81% of questionnaires; patients completed 80% of questionnaires. Across conditions, average caregiver ratings for recommending the program to others was 9.9 on a scale from 1-Not at all likely to 10-Extremely likely. Individual CASCADE components were observed to have potential benefit for effective decision support and caregiver distress.ConclusionWe successfully piloted a factorial trial design to examine components of a novel intervention to enhance the decision support skills of advanced cancer family caregivers. A fully-powered factorial trial is warranted.Key messageWe pilot tested components of CASCADE, an early palliative care decision support training intervention for family caregivers of patients with advanced cancer. CASCADE components were acceptable and the trial design feasible, providing promising future directions for palliative care intervention development and testing. Pilot results will inform a fully-powered trial