The Status of Middle Schools in the Southeastern United States: Perceptions and Implementation of the Middle School Model

For more than 100 years, education communities have debated how best to educate the young adolescent. Proponents of both the junior high school model and the current middle school model have advocated for a specialized approach to educating adolescents that emphasizes the developmental needs of students. To accomplish this, various organizational structures and instructional approaches are recommended. This survey study examines the perceptions of these middle school practices and the implementation of those practices in middle schools in the Southeastern region of the United States. We note several key trends in our results and highlight key differences in perception of importance and implementation of middle school components and strategies compared to the most recent large scale survey administered by McEwin and Greene (2011)

Assessment of Pain in adults with cognitive impairment : a review of the tools

The aim of this paper is to discuss the results of a review into the literature related to chronic pain and the older adult. Several themes within the review have been identified and reported elsewhere and the final report has been published by the University of Sheffield in the form of an annotated bibliography. This report focuses upon the findings of the in relation to the assessment of pain in the adult with cognitive impairment. Issues surrounding assessment in the non-cognitively impaired older adult have also been reported elsewhere. For this paper nine studies will be discussed which report the development and testing of pain assessment scales the focus of which is upon behavioural indicators of pain. Some scales have been omitted from the review and the rationale for this decision will be discussed. Each of the selected scales will be discussed and the authors will make recommendations for both clinical practice and for future research based upon the validity, reliability and user friendliness of the scales. From the paper it can be concluded that the Abbey, DOLOPLUS-2 and PACSLAC appear to be the most reliable and valid and in terms of the “user friendliness” would be appropriate to explore further. Recommendations are made for further multi-centre evaluation of these scales.University of Sheffiel

Assessment of pain in older people : where are we now and what needs to be done?

The purpose of this paper is to present the findings of a review of the literature into pain and older people. The funded study was part of the development of an annotated bibliography published in August 2005. The review included all major databases and involved the collection of 214 papers between the dates of 1995 and 2005. The papers were divided into several major themes, which include experiences, management (pharmacological and non-pharmacological), assessment, and attitudes. Within this paper, the results of the review into pain assessment will be discussed, which includes 42 of the collected papers. The other sections will be published later. The paper will discuss issues pertaining to the development of specific tools for older people, a discussion of tools already available, comparisons of staff versus older people’s perceptions of pain scales, and articles with cognitive impairment as a focus. Recommendations for further study are made.University of Sheffiel

The physical activity experiences of men with serious mental illness: Three short stories

Objectives: Although a considerable amount of research has explored the effects of physical activity on mental health, the voices of people with mental illness have been largely excluded from published reports. Through this study we aim to foreground service users' voices in order to shed light on the personal and subjective nature of the relationship between physical activity and serious mental illness (SMI). Methods: An interpretive case study approach was used to explore in depth the physical activity experiences of three men with SMI. Creative analytic practice was used to write three creative non-fictions which, as first-person narratives, foreground the participants' voices. Results: We present three short stories in an effort to communicate participants' personal and subjective experiences of physical activity in an accessible, engaging, and evocative manner. We hope to: (i) provide potentially motivating physical activity success stories for others who live with SMI; (ii) increase awareness among mental health professionals of the possibilities of physical activity; and (iii) provide an empathetic understanding of possibilities and problems of living with SMI which may help challenge the stigma surrounding mental illness. Conclusions: For us, the stories communicate the diversity and difference inherent in the ways men with SMI experience physical activity. We reflect on how the short story form allows these differences to be preserved and respected. We resist making further interpretations of the stories preferring instead to encourage the reader to form her or his own conclusions. © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Tile Drainage Flow Partitioning and Phosphorus Export in Vermont USA

Tile drainage (TD) has been identified as a potential non-point source of phosphorus (P) pollution and subsequent water quality issues. Three fields with TD in Vermont USA were monitored to characterize hydrology and P export. Fields were in corn silage and used minimal tillage and cover cropping practices. Preferential flow path (PFP) activity was explored by separating TD flow into flow pathway and source connectivity components using two hydrograph separation techniques, electrical conductivity end member unmixing, and hydrograph recession analysis. TD was the dominant P export pathway because of higher total discharge. Drought conditions during this study limited surface runoff, and possibly resulted in maximum PFP activity in the active clay soils. The non-growing season dominated annual P loading for two of the three study years. Peak P concentrations in TD occurred during events following manure injection in the fall, as well as in the spring post cover crop termination and post-planting. Intra-event analysis of rainfall pulses showed that TD flow and P concentrations were higher because of higher intensity pulses. This study highlights the impacts of current manure management, as well as the potential for climate change to increase P transport to TD

A Comparison of the Progression of International Students to First Year Undergraduate Studies by Entry Route in an Irish Higher Education Institution: Part One - A Quantitative Study

Increasing international student numbers in higher education institutions has long been an educational priority internationally due to the cultural, educational and economic benefits it brings (Ireland’s International Education Strategy, 2010). Little research however has been conducted in the area of varying entry routes to higher education by international students and the potential benefits/disadvantages if any of pursuing one entry route over another (Terraschke & Wahid, 2011). This research examines the first year undergraduate progression rates of international students in the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) in Ireland to determine if students who complete a one year International Foundation Programme (IFP) in DIT progress differently to direct entry international students to the same institution. Results show that there is no statistically significant difference in the progression rates of international students from both entry routes however international students as a whole were found to progress at a lower rate when compared to domestic students on a national level. This research highlights the effectiveness of the DIT IFP in bringing international students up to the required standard to enter their undergraduate studies and informs practitioners and policy makers of the disparities between international and domestic students in terms of progression rates

Communities of practice as a solution for the implementation gap in internationalisation of the curriculum.

The educational benefits of internationalisation in higher education are of paramount importance for all students. Despite an increasing presence of best practice guides and internationalisation strategies, there appears to be a significant implementation gap in terms of lecturers’ engagement with internationalisation in their teaching practice. Through an Action Research-informed Community of Practice approach, this study aims to provide new insights into lecturers’ engagement with Internationalisation of the Curriculum by examining their own perspectives, an area which has been underdeveloped to date. The Community of Practice provided an effective way of raising lecturers’ awareness of Internationalisation of the Curriculum, while simultaneously effecting change at teaching and institution-wide levels. It facilitated an environment that encouraged lecturers to both incorporate global dimensions into their teaching and collaborate with colleagues to provide integrated learning opportunities for students that reflect the multicultural world. The findings presented focus specifically on lecturers’ perspectives of Internationalisation of the Curriculum and are relevant to a large body of stakeholders, namely those involved in Internationalisation of the Curriculum specifically, as well as practitioners interested in Continuous Professional Learning and best practice teaching in general

Progression of International Students through their Undergraduate Studies in an Irish Higher Education Institution: A Qualitative Study

The focus of this paper is on the progression of international students through their undergraduate studies in an Irish higher education institution. Despite the increasing presence of international students in higher education, their perspectives on progression through their undergraduate studies are not adequately explored. Research into the factors that influence international students’ progression is underdeveloped. The paper aims to provide new insights into international students’ perspectives of their progression through their undergraduate studies in an Irish context. This study addresses this gap by exploring what factors international students deem to be significant in terms of successful student progression through higher education in an Irish context. The research involved conducting semi-structured interviews with international students in TU Dublin in Ireland. Five students volunteered to participate in the study. The findings revealed factors that facilitate student progression such as the student’s motivation to study and learn new skills and partake in the class and college environment. The research also revealed factors found to impede progression such as issues relating to the college experience and environment. The results are considered in terms of implications for international student progression. This paper outlines the necessity for those involved in policy and practice to understand and act upon the challenges that international students encounter during their higher education journey

A situational analysis of the current level of lecturers’ engagement with internationalisation of the curriculum in Ireland’s first Technological University

The educational value of internationalisation in higher education is of critical importance for both domestic and international students. While national and institutional policies globally are increasingly prioritising internationalisation, the resultant consequences for the teaching and learning context are not adequately being explored. Understanding engagement with Internationalisation of the Curriculum from the lecturers’ perspective allows for a greater insight into the inherent implementation gap between the theory and practice of the process. This knowledge may then help inform strategies to address the gap. The present study details the current level of engagement between lecturers and Internationalisation of the Curriculum in Ireland’s first Technological University. A questionnaire was designed and distributed to all lecturers across the university to ascertain statistical evidence in an attempt to quantify the prevailing situation in the Irish higher education context. While there was an awareness and appreciation of the educational value of internationalisation, the findings demonstrate that those surveyed are at the early stages of the internationalisation process in their teaching and learning practice. The questionnaire findings are detailed here along with the implications of the findings for both internationalisation and educational policies and practice, which is of relevance to both national and international audiences