The Effect on Special Education Students’ Behaviors Using Whole Language/Literature Based Instruction versus Skill Based Instruction

The purpose of this study was to determine how a particular approach to reading instruction affects students\u27 behavior as measured by the behavior rating scale designed for this study. Seven separate paired two sample t tests were used to investigate the research questions presented in this study: (1) will one of the instructional reading approaches produce more positive/negative behaviors than the other approach? (2) will one area of behavior be affected more than another in regards to the instructional approaches? (3) will one of the instructional reading approaches produce more positive behaviors in either the high or low reading group? The results found no significant statistical differences in any of the tests of the research questions. The literature based approach had a higher mean score when compared to the skill based approach. It produced a higher total mean score in the four goal areas. Each behavioral goal showed a higher mean score in the literature based approach except when comparing the two ability groups. The low ability group did slightly better with the skill based approach. Each approach was equally effective

Assistance at mealtimes in hospital settings and rehabilitation units for patients (>65 years) from the perspective of patients, families and healthcare professionals: a mixed methods systematic review

Background Malnutrition is one of the key issues affecting the health of older people (>65 years). With an aging population the problem is expected to increase further since the prevalence of malnutrition increases with age. Studies worldwide have identified that some older patients with good appetites do not receive sufficient nourishment because of inadequate feeding assistance. Mealtime assistance can enhance nutritional intake, clinical outcomes and patient experience. Objectives/Aim To determine the effectiveness of meal time assistance initiatives for improving nutritional intake and nutritional status for older adult patients (>65 years) in hospital settings and rehabilitation units. The review also sought to identify and explore the perceptions and experiences of older adult patients and those involved with their care. Design Mixed methods systematic review. Data sources A search of electronic databases to identify published studies (CINAHL, MEDLINE, British Nursing Index, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, EMBASE, PsychINFO, Web of Science (1998–2015) was conducted. Relevant journals were hand-searched and reference lists from retrieved studies were reviewed. The search was restricted to English language papers. The key words used were words that described meal time assistance for adult patients in hospital units or rehabilitation settings. Review methods The review considered qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods studies that included interventions for mealtime assistance, observed mealtime assistance or discussed experiences of mealtime assistance with staff, patients, relatives, volunteers or stakeholders. Extraction of data was undertaken independently by two reviewers. A further two reviewers assessed the methodological quality against agreed criteria. Findings Twenty one publications covering 19 studies were included. Three aggregated mixed methods syntheses were developed: 1) Mealtimes should be viewed as high priority. 2a) Nursing staff, employed mealtime assistants, volunteers or relatives/visitors can help with mealtime assistance. 2b) Social interaction at mealtimes should be encouraged. 3) Communication is essential. Conclusions A number of initiatives were identified which can be used to support older patients (>65 years) at mealtimes in hospital settings and rehabilitation units. However, no firm conclusions can be drawn in respect to the most effective initiatives. Initiatives with merit include those that encourage social interaction. Any initiative that involves supporting the older patient (>65 years) at mealtimes is beneficial. A potential way forward would be for nurses to focus on the training and support of volunteers and relatives to deliver mealtime assistance, whilst being available at mealtimes to support patients with complex nutritional needs

Evidence for parallel consolidation of motion direction and orientation into visual short-term memory

Recent findings have indicated the capacity to consolidate multiple items into visual short-term memory in parallel varies as a function of the type of information. That is, while color can be consolidated in parallel, evidence suggests that orientation cannot. Here we investigated the capacity to consolidate multiple motion directions in parallel and reexamined this capacity using orientation. This was achieved by determining the shortest exposure duration necessary to consolidate a single item, then examining whether two items, presented simultaneously, could be consolidated in that time. The results show that parallel consolidation of direction and orientation information is possible, and that parallel consolidation of direction appears to be limited to two. Additionally, we demonstrate the importance of adequate separation between feature intervals used to define items when attempting to consolidate in parallel, suggesting that when multiple items are consolidated in parallel, as opposed to serially, the resolution of representations suffer. Finally, we used facilitation of spatial attention to show that the deterioration of item resolution occurs during parallel consolidation, as opposed to storage.This work was supported by an Australian Postgraduate Award to R. R., an NHMRC Early Career Fellowship (1054726) to D. A., and an Australian research Council Grant (DP110104553) to M. E

Examining phonological awareness in deaf children who are learning to read in a transparent orthography: evidence from Greek*

This paper investigates the development of phonological awareness in Greek deaf children. A battery of phonological awareness tasks that assessed syllable, rhyme and phoneme awareness was administered to one group of deaf preschoolers (n = 13, CA = 5;9), one group of deaf children in primary school (n = 11, CA = 7;8) and two hearing comparison groups. The results showed that deaf preschoolers did not have phonological awareness at any linguistic level. After an average of 21 months of literacy instruction, deaf children had developed syllable awareness

Addressing the needs of vulnerable populations in healthcare. Evidence from mixed methods systematic reviews

Background: Vulnerability in relation to healthcare issues can be considered in terms of both a categorical approach based on certain individual intrinsic characteristics and a situational approach as individuals navigate the healthcare system. Vulnerability is also related to being socially and structurally disadvantaged and the link between healthcare inequalities and systematic differences in health between different groups has been widely acknowledged. Although vulnerable populations have been a focus in healthcare research for over 50 years little research has been conducted that has explored the link between chronic illness and healthcare inequalities. Methods: The aim of this work is to understand the needs, characteristics and situations that perpetuate health inequalities for vulnerable groups and to explore how health inequalities can be ameliorated. The methodology underpinning this work draws on the discipline of evidence synthesis, specifically mixed methods systematic reviews (MMSRs). This offers a deeper understanding of findings from both qualitative and quantitative research. The findings were brought together and framed in an innovative way using the vulnerable populations conceptual model (VPCM) developed by Flaskerud and Winslow (1998). The VPCM model describes the relationships between the concepts of resource availability, relative risk and health status. This approach enabled an exploration of the healthcare inequalities that were encountered on navigating the healthcare system either when accessing healthcare (Edwards et al. 2020, 2021a), including admission and discharge (Edwards et al. 2015) or whilst experiencing care in the acute hospital setting (Edwards et al. 2017, 2021b) while at the same time acknowledging the impact of social or structural disadvantages. Results: The MMSRs (n=5) that were included explored access to cancer services for adults with physical disabilities (Edwards et al. 2020), end-of-life care for adults with severe mental illness (Edwards et al. 2021a), inpatient care for young people with complex mental health needs (Edwards et al. 2015), mealtime assistance for older adults in hospital settings (Edwards et al. 2017) and continence care in acute settings for people living with dementia (Edwards et al. 2021b). It was explored further what it is that makes patients, who are already vulnerable due to the inherent nature of their conditions, more or less vulnerable as they navigate the healthcare system (situational vulnerability), whilst at the same time acknowledging the interplay of environmental and healthcare resources. What is evident across the wider evidence base is that vulnerable populations can encounter substantial challenges navigating healthcare systems. Resource availability was often conceptualised as interactions and/or relationships with healthcare professionals. This is of concern as the VPCM proposes that those who lack available resources are at increased risk of negative health outcomes (delays in diagnosis, higher rates of morbidity and pre-mature mortality). Implications: Using the VPCM model in this way has potential value to inform healthcare practice and policy about the opportunities and resources needed to protect the health status of vulnerable populations. Flaskeurd and Winslow (1998) suggest that the VPCM provides an opportunity to consider clinical practice interventions with vulnerable populations. In considering these resource issues and the interplay between a relative risk and health status we can start to understand the unique challenges to implementing such interventions for vulnerable populations. When caring for potentially vulnerable persons, it is crucial that healthcare professionals understand the unique challenges involved and that they take measures to improve the quality of their interactions so that equitable care and treatment can be provided

Teaching Fractions Procedurally and Conceptually to Pre-Service Elementary Education Teachers

The purpose of this Dissertation in Practice was to inform pre-service elementary education teachers of conceptual and procedural methods for teaching fractions. The problem of practice began when the researcher noticed a deficiency in fraction addition knowledge for a remedial mathematics program at a local private university. Further exposure of fraction knowledge for the 2014 third-grade Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test scores at a local elementary charter school ascertained slightly above 50% of those students making a 70% percentile or higher. Now that Florida State Standards are aligned with the Common Core Standards, pre-service elementary teachers need to know how to teach fractions procedurally and conceptually. This research-based model was used to determine the level of fraction knowledge, math anxiety level, and present NCTM videos aligned with Common Core Standards. A key element of the model was the performance assessment of the participants teaching randomly selected fraction problems they had already encountered confirming the need for more professional development in this essential mathematics domain

GAMBLING WITH OUR TOURISM FUTURE: THE ROLE OF RESEARCH IN DESTINATION AND ENTERPRISE STRATEGIES TO AVOID STRATEGIC DRIFT

The coming decade and a half should see major shifts in the leisure and tourism environment reflecting economic dynamics, changing consumer values, political forces, environmental changes and the explosive growth of information technology. This paper explores the way in which some key drivers could affect the global tourism industry to the year 2020. An exploration of these trends allows important change agents, on both the supply side and the demand side of tourism, to be highlighted and discussed. In response, strategies can be formulated by destination managers and tourism operators to avoid strategic drift for their organisations and to develop tourism in a sustainable way

Supporting Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Research Partnerships

This commentary discusses the framing of the production of a series of online text-based and visual resources aimed at researchers embarking on Indigenous and non-Indigenous research partnerships, and in particular supporting non-Indigenous researchers to think about our/their methods, assumptions and behaviour. We identify the tension in mainstream funding for such partnerships, and discuss the implications of Northern epistemological claims to agendas and universality as against Southern epistemologies acknowledging diversity and challenging oppressions. We note the distinct bases for Indigenous methodologies. Our commentary outlines and illustrates the online downloadable resources produced by our own Indigenous and non-Indigenous research partnership, including a video/audio recording, a comic, and blog posts, addressing decolonized collaborative practice