Collaborating, Animating, Improvising: Young Children in Mixed-gender Dyads Participating in Digital Pretend Play with a Story-making App

Children in preschool classrooms generally do not select playmates of the opposite gender during traditional play activities; boys play with boys and girls play with girls most of the time. When boys and girls do play together in mixed-gender groupings, play practices at times are unequal. There is limited information, however, on how children play together across gender lines during digital play situations. The present study, informed by Vygotsky’s sociocultural perspectives of children and their environments, addresses this limitation by providing close examination of young children’s interactions as they played in mixed-gender dyads with an open-content iPad app. Data from children’s peer interactions, their video productions, and teacher interviews analyzed using constructivist grounded theory techniques suggest that digital play provided children of both genders opportunities to use their imaginations and creativity as they created pretend scenarios. Findings also point to the ways enduring play themes, embedded gendered scripts, and play objects influenced the different play opportunities girls and boys experienced

ANIMAL WELFARE AND ECONOMIC OPTIMISATION OF FARROWING SYSTEMS

Livestock Production/Industries, alternative housing systems, animal welfare, economic optimisation, farrowing systems, pig,

Preservice teachers’ experiences with classroom management in the virtual class: a case study approach

The present study explores the experiences of Emirati female preservice teachers who are completing their internship teaching practice virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This qualitative study focuses on virtual classroom management. Participants were preservice teachers (n = 18) completing their undergraduate degrees in Early Childhood Education at a federal university in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Data collected from interviews resulted in four themes related to classroom management: challenges, opportunities, performance factors, and suggestions for improvement. The findings revealed that the preservice teachers considered virtual learning an opportunity. However, the main challenge was that the preservice teachers had no prior training in online classroom management and had to create their own strategies. Training on the technology used for virtual learning is important for both teachers and students to achieve satisfactory learning experiences

Faculty Perceptions of Virtual Field Experience Placement in a Teacher Preparation Program in the UAE

Aim/Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine faculty perceptions of virtual field placement of preservice teachers at a university in the United Arab Emirates and to explore the factors that promote or hinder the success of this experience. Vygotsky’s concept of scaffolding was used as the theoretical framework of this study and to explain the faculty’s engagement with the field placement experience. Background: The global pandemic of COVID-19 has affected the provision of teacher education programs around the world. It forced many universities to implement emergency remote teaching strategies including virtual field experiences. Methodology: Considering the novelty of this phenomenon, an exploratory qualitative research design was followed to arrive at an in-depth description of the faculty’s perceptions. A convenience sampling, which is characterized by the deliberate targeting of information-rich participants, was used to select five faculty members who supervised 40 Emirati preservice teachers during their virtual field experience. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis. Contribution: The framework put forth in this study could serve as a guideline for teacher education programs, especially field experience preparation. Findings: It was found that faculty had different perceptions of virtual field experiences. Although preservice teachers were faced with unprecedented virtual field experiences, collaboration with different stakeholders helped them achieve the learning outcomes. A main drawback of the virtual field experience, however, impacted preservice Emirati teachers’ motivation about online teaching. Recommendations for Practitioners: Preservice teachers’ technological skills should be reinforced and built to enable purposeful and practical technological integration in the teaching and learning process. Therefore, a holistic inclusion of all stakeholders’ approach is needed to upskill and develop the competencies of all parties involved in the process taking into consideration a more enriching collaborative manner. Such a redesign should be examined to assess its validity and efficiency on a wider and more diverse sample to ensure its reliability and success. Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers are recommended to explore the impact of virtual field experience on young children learning and engagement by including all stakeholders involved in the teaching and learning process, especially young students’ parents since findings showed that children under the age of eight are at a disadvantage in online learning. Impact on Society: Implications of the findings of this study show that sustainable virtual field experiences can be attained through a collaborative approach. Collaboration is essential as it enables preservice teachers to succeed in implementing inclusive pedagogical approaches. Future Research: Further studies can enrich the findings of this paper by expanding the collected data to provide deeper and more generalizable results. For example, virtual student teachers’ and school students’ scores should be collected and compared to face-to-face scores in order to assess and evaluate the learning itself

Australian nurses' knowledge of pressure injury prevention and management: A cross-sectional survey

Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess nurses' knowledge of pressure injuries in order to gather benchmark data, identify knowledge gaps, and based on results, implement educational strategies to improve practice. Design: Cross-sectional survey. Subjects and setting: The study setting was a large Australian tertiary general hospital employing approximately 2500 nurses in both full-time and part-time roles. A proportional sample (25%) stratified by experience, preparation, and facility-generated categories (nursing grade) was generated. The sample included nursing students and nursing assistants. Three hundred six participants completing the survey. Instrument: The Pieper-Zulkowski Pressure Ulcer Knowledge Test (PZPUKT) version 2, comprising 72 statements, with 3 subscales (prevention/risk, staging, and wound description) was used to measure pressure injury knowledge. Item responses are "True," "False," and "Don't know." For the purpose of analyses, correct responses were scored 1, and incorrect or "don't know" responses were scored 0. Generally accepted ranges of scoring for the original PZPUKT specify less than 70% as unsatisfactory, 70% to 79.9% as satisfactory, 80% to 89.9% as good, and 90% and greater as very good knowledge of pressure injury prevention. Methods: The survey was advertised throughout the hospital by strategically placed posters, computer screen savers within the hospital, and e-mails. Respondents completed paper-based questionnaires and data were manually entered online. Data were collected between September 2015 and October 2016. Descriptive and nonparametric inferential statistical tests (Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis H) were used to analyze within sample differences in scores. Results: The overall mean knowledge score was 65%; approximately two-thirds of the sample (68%) scored 60% and greater, reflecting an unsatisfactory knowledge level of pressure injury prevention according to the original PZPUKT scores. The lowest mean scores were found in the "wound description" subscale. Participants who sought pressure injury information via the Internet or had read pressure injury guidelines scored significantly higher than those who did not (P = .001 and P =70%) should be used to indicate an overall satisfactory score. Our results identified deficits in pressure injury knowledge related to seating support and seated individuals and wound dressings as areas where nurses would benefit from focused education strategies

Examining elementary preservice teachers’ self-efficacy and satisfaction in online teaching during virtual field experience

The global pandemic of COVID-19 has forced many learning institutions to close or switch to remote learning as a preventative measure to reduce the spread of the virus. The greatest challenge was with practical courses where preservice teachers had to promptly acquire technological skills and online teaching pedagogies as part of their virtual field experience. This need for learning and applying online pedagogies and technological competencies to increase student performance can lead to different perceptions of self-efficacy in online teaching. The purpose of this study is to examine the predictors for enhancing preservice teachers’ self-efficacy and satisfaction in online teaching and to investigate the association of their self-efficacy beliefs and their satisfaction with online teaching. Elementary preservice teachers (n = 257) from two teacher preparation programs in two universities in the United Arab Emirates completed a 5-point Likert scale survey. Results revealed that participants reported a high level of self-efficacy and satisfaction in online teaching mainly regarding their abilities to engage students in online classrooms and use of computers/educational technology. Students’ technological knowledge was strongly correlated with participants self-efficacy beliefs. Interestingly, results showed that preservice teachers who have beginner experience in teaching scored significantly higher on their self-efficacy than those with moderate and advanced experience

Performance and Implementation Evaluation of the Abbott BinaxNOW Rapid Antigen Test in a High-throughput Drive-through Community Testing Site in Massachusetts

Background: Rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) for SARS-CoV-2 antigens (Ag) that can be performed at point-of-care (POC) can supplement molecular testing and help mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic. Deployment of an Ag RDT requires an understanding of its operational and performance characteristics under real-world conditions and in relevant subpopulations. We evaluated the Abbott BinaxNOW COVID-19 Ag Card in a high-throughput, drive-through, free community testing site in Massachusetts (MA) using anterior nasal (AN) swab RT-PCR for clinical testing. Methods: Individuals presenting for molecular testing in two of seven lanes were offered the opportunity to also receive BinaxNOW testing. Dual AN swabs were collected from symptomatic and asymptomatic children ( \u3c /= 18 years) and adults. BinaxNOW testing was performed in a testing pod with temperature/humidity monitoring. One individual performed testing and official result reporting for each test, but most tests had a second independent reading to assess inter-operator agreement. Positive BinaxNOW results were scored as faint, medium, or strong. Positive BinaxNOW results were reported to patients by phone and they were instructed to isolate pending RT-PCR results. The paired RT-PCR result was the reference for sensitivity and specificity calculations. Results: Of 2482 participants, 1380 adults and 928 children had paired RT-PCR/BinaxNOW results and complete symptom data. 974/1380 (71%) adults and 829/928 (89%) children were asymptomatic. BinaxNOW had 96.5% (95% confidence interval [CI] 90.0- 99.3) sensitivity and 100% (98.6-100.0) specificity in adults within 7 days of symptoms, and 84.6% (65.1-95.6) sensitivity and 100% (94.5-100.0) specificity in children within 7 days of symptoms. Sensitivity and specificity in asymptomatic adults were 70.2% (56.6-81.6) and 99.6% (98.9-99.9), respectively, and in asymptomatic children were 65.4% (55.6-74.4) and 99.0% (98.0-99.6), respectively. By cycle threshold (Ct) value cutoff, sensitivity in all subgroups combined (n=292 RT-PCR-positive individuals) was 99.3% with Ct \u3c /=25, 95.8% with \u3c /=30, and 81.2% with \u3c /=35. Twelve false positive BinaxNOW results (out of 2308 tests) were observed; in all twelve, the test bands were faint but otherwise normal, and were noted by both readers. One invalid BinaxNOW result was identified. Inter-operator agreement (positive versus negative BinaxNOW result) was 100% (n = 2230/2230 double reads). Each operator was able to process 20 RDTs per hour. In a separate set of 30 specimens (from individuals with symptoms \u3c /=7 days) run at temperatures below the manufacturer\u27s recommended range (46-58.5 degrees F), sensitivity was 66.7% and specificity 95.2%. Conclusions: BinaxNOW had very high specificity in both adults and children and very high sensitivity in newly symptomatic adults. Overall, 95.8% sensitivity was observed with Ct \u3c /= 30. These data support public health recommendations for use of the BinaxNOW test in adults with symptoms for \u3c /=7 days without RT-PCR confirmation. Excellent inter-operator agreement indicates that an individual can perform and read the BinaxNOW test alone. A skilled laboratorian can perform and read 20 tests per hour. Careful attention to temperature is critical