How psychologists view and engage with competence in their practice : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand

The purpose of this study was to gain insight into how psychologists view and engage with competence and identify the factors that they determine as supporting or inhibiting competent practice. To date, few studies have examined the elements psychologists identify as shaping the development of their professional competence. It is hoped by doing so, strategies can be implemented that develop, maintain, and enhance competence and encourage active participation in the Continuing Competence Programme (CCP). Having an agreed definition of the qualities required to be competent is essential to evaluate, improve, and ensure quality assurance in psychological practice. Ten psychologists from the clinical and industrial organisational scopes participated. Semi-structured interviews were used; questions were designed to act as prompts and to ensure no relevant themes were overlooked. The interviews were recorded then transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis. Results indicated that while the participants understood the meaning of competent practice, how they relate that to their practice and how this influences their participation in the CCP varies. The participants discussed the value of, and the challenges associated with, achieving, demonstrating, and measuring competence and the consequences this has on their practice, their clients and themselves. They also identified factors that encourage, develop, and maintain competence and those factors that are threats to competence. It is essential to understand how an individual perceives competence as this will determine how they view and engage with competence in their practice. Understanding this will assist with competency development, maintenance, measurement and demonstration across the professional lifespan

Systemic fates of non-classically restricted, commensal specific T cells

Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD), encompassing both Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, are characterized by destruction of the gut epithelial barrier, dysbiosis and aberrant immune reactivity to the microbiota. Although multiple studies have revealed CD8+ T cell signatures in the tissues and circulating PBMC of patients with IBD, the role of CD8+ T cells in the initiation or perpetuation of disease has remained understudied. Work investigating the contribution of immunity to the commensal microbiota in the skin identified a population of innate like CD8+ T cells restricted by the MHC-Ib molecule H2-M3, that play critical roles in wound healing and barrier repair. However, these commensal reactive CD8+ T cells have not yet been described in the gut. Thus, the aim of this DPhil project was to describe commensal specific, innate-like CD8+ T cells in this tissue. To achieve this, we leveraged established H2-M3 tetramer tools to track commensal specific CD8+ T cell responses during homeostasis and a model of colitis wherein colonization with the pathobiont Helicobacter hepaticus and treatment with αIL-10R antibody mimics genetic susceptibility and aberrant reactivity to the microbiota found in some patients with IBD. Using a range of histological and flowcytometry measurements, we describe the architecture of the colon with and without H2-M3 restricted and MHC-Ia restricted CD8+ T cells in homeostasis and colitis, illustrating that MHC-Ib restricted CD8+ T cells can dominantly contribute to the CD8+ T cell response during inflammation. Further, we confirm the residence of H2-M3 restricted commensal reactive CD8+ T cells in the large intestine where they adopt a primarily Tc1 phenotype, differing from their Tc17 signature in the skin. During inflammation, we also report an upregulation of H2M3 gene expression in whole colon tissue and colon organoids as well as an expansion of commensal reactive CD8+ T cells secreting pro-inflammatory cytokines. We also observed expansion of commensal reactive CD8+ T cells to the colon during colitis after skin association, where they again exhibit a pro-inflammatory Tc1 phenotype. Finally, subsequent computational identification of predicted H2-M3 binding peptides produced by Helicobacter hepaticus, we developed novel tetramer tools which illustrate the high relative frequency of H2-M3 restricted CD8+ T cells in naïve animals. Taken together, these findings lay the groundwork for further investigation into the impact of commensal reactive CD8+ T cells on the etiology or perpetuation of IBD

How to Get Home From Here

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Languages and Literature of Bard College

Online Resources for Identifying Evidence-Based, Out-of-School Time Programs: A User's Guide

Summarizes general information, select program outcomes, and evidence levels of searchable databases, interactive summaries, and documents online on evidence-based intervention programs. Outlines considerations and assessments for selecting programs

Visual art communities of practice: cultivating support for beginning visual art teachers

Visual art teachers, from beginning to veteran, often report experiencing feelings of professional isolation and a desire for content-specific support and collaborative professional learning experiences. Mentoring and Induction Programs (IPs) offered by schools and districts continue to fall short of meeting the needs of beginning visual art teachers in particular. There are a large number of visual art teachers in the state of California, especially in Los Angeles County, yet there are no visual art specific support networks for beginning visual art teachers to help them navigate their first years teaching. Collaborative learning groups, such as communities of practice (CoP), may offer visual art teachers opportunities to learn together and support one another in shared learning, yet none have been formally documented in Los Angeles County as a means of supporting novice art educators. The Exploratorium in San Francisco, CA has established a community practice called the Teacher Induction Program (TIP) to support beginning science teachers with content-specific pedagogy during their first two years of teaching. Using the TIP as a framework, a visual art professional growth support community was outlined for this study based on the needs and concerns of visual art teachers reported throughout the literature. Beginning visual art teachers in Los Angeles county were interviewed to help the researcher better understand their existing and desired supports, as well as their individual needs and concerns as new teachers. The visual art CoP was proposed to them to elicit feedback about its anticipated values (immediate, potential, applied) based on their lived experiences as first or second year PK-12 public school visual art teachers in Los Angeles County

Consumer-Centered Extension Education Website Increases Usage

Concern about young families\u27 ability to cope with rising food prices resulted in creating Spend Smart. Eat Smart (SSES), a website focused on budgetfriendly nutrition information for limited resource audiences (LRA). SSES was redesigned using LRAs needs and preferences to increase use by LRAs. SSES usage increased after it was revised to incorporate interactivity and more consumerfriendly design elements

Revising an Extension Education Website for Limited Resource Audiences Using Social Marketing Theory

Spend Smart Eat Smart (SSES), a unique website combining nutrition and food buying education for limited resource audiences (LRAs), was revised using social marketing theory to make it more appealing and relevant to LRAs (25-40 years). Focus groups and surveys identified the needs and preferences of LRAs. Needs were cooking, basic health, and budget-friendly nutrition ideas. Preferences were limited text, more videos, graphics, and color. Usability testing of the revised site indicated users perceived the information valuable and the design appealing. By incorporating the needs and preferences of LRAs, SSES is now perceived as appealing as well as relevant