Reliability and validity of the neurorehabilitation experience questionnaire for inpatients

Background. Patient-centered measures of the inpatient neurorehabilitation experience are needed to assess services. Objective. The objective of this study was to develop a valid and reliable Neurorehabilitation Experience Questionnaire (NREQ) to assess whether neurorehabilitation inpatients experience service elements important to them. Methods. Based on the themes established in prior qualitative research, adopting questions from established inventories and using a literature review, a draft version of the NREQ was generated. Focus groups and interviews were conducted with 9 patients and 26 staff from neurological rehabilitation units to establish face validity. Then, 70 patients were recruited to complete the NREQ to ascertain reliability (internal and test-retest) and concurrent validity. Results. On the basis of the face validity testing, several modifications were made to the draft version of the NREQ. Subsequently, internal reliability (time 1 α =.76, time 2 α =.80), test retest reliability (r = 0.70), and concurrent validity (r = 0.32 and r = 0.56) were established for the revised version. Whereas responses were associated with positive mood (r = 0.30), they appeared not to be influenced by negative mood, age, education, length of stay, sex, functional independence, or whether a participant had been a patient on a unit previously. Conclusions. Preliminary validation of the NREQ suggests promise for use with its target population. © The Author(s) 2012

English Language Teachers’ Attitudes Towards the Incorporation of Gay- and Lesbian-Related Topics in the Classroom: the Case of Greek Cypriot EFL Teachers

The English as a foreign language (EFL) classroom is composed of a mixture of people with various backgrounds and identities. Sexuality is increasingly recognised as a form of identity similar to other categorical forms such as class, gender and ethnicity. Based on the idea that ‘otherness’ related issues should be treated in the foreign language classroom as a means to achieve existential competence, the present study investigates the attitudes of Greek Cypriot EFL teachers towards the inclusion of gay- and lesbian-related topics in the EFL classroom. A 15-item questionnaire was designed and data was collected from 58 English language teachers in Cyprus. The results indicated that EFL teachers tended to have positive attitudes towards the use of gay- and lesbian related topics in the classroom. Positive attitudes seemed to be caused by the belief that students would find such topics interesting and on the condition that they are part of the course-book. Negative attitudes seem to be formed because EFL teachers believe that they were ill-equipped to deal with the use of such topics and homophobia in the classroom. As it is generally teachers who play a large part in determining what constitutes allowable discourses in the classroom, their role becomes even more significant in evoking insights, enriching students’ educational experiences and creating an accepting classroom environment towards the discussion of gay- and lesbian-related topics

Sedimentology of Volcanic Debris Avalanche Deposits

The deposits of volcanic debris avalanches (VDAs) contain diagnostic features that distinguish them from those of other landslides. In this chapter, we summarize the sedimentary characteristics and the different (litho-)facies described over the past four decades, and how findings from individual case studies can be adapted as globally applicable sedimentological tools. A plethora of descriptive terms and partially conflicting definitions emerged in the ever-growing literature on VDA deposits (VDADs). These we summarize and make recommendations for future use. Different facies models that were developed at different volcanoes might point to unique emplacement conditions (e.g. dry versus wet; confined versus unconfined) and, if confirmed, the apparent ‘conflict' of terminology might help identify the paleo-settings of ancient VDAs. General observations of large unsaturated landslides of different origin show that preservation of source stratigraphy, (mega-)clasts, jigsaw-fractured clasts, and incorporation of runout path material are common features. Their unique composition, grain sizes, and abundance of matrix sets VDADs apart from deposits of large rockslides and debris flows. The latter can be associated with VDAs, and whether they formed syn- or post-VDAD emplacement is reflected in forensic evidence within the depositional sequences. Recent case studies illustrate the advances in analytical techniques and in understanding the processes of debris avalanche transport and deposition forty years after the eruption and lateral collapse of Mount St. Helens volcano