Examinar indicadores para un estudio efectivo: interacción entre la integración de los estudiantes, la flexibilidad psicológica y la autorregulación en el aprendizaje

Prolonged study times and dropouts from university studies have created a need to examine more ways to support students’ studying. This study aims to examine the relationship between the self-regulated learning, psychological flexibility and student integration comprising teacher and student interaction, students’ commitment to studying as well as the relationship of these aspects to study progression. The participants of this study were 117 theology students. Items measuring student integration were first analysed with factor analysis. The relationship between student integration, psychological flexibility, self-regulated learning and study progression was analysed with correlation analyses and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The results show that psychological flexibility is related to study progression, self-regulated learning and student integration. The effect of self-regulated learning and student integration to study progression was not significant. This study suggests that students’ way of coping with negative thoughts and emotions should be taken into account when considering learning and teaching. El prolongado tiempo de estudio y el abandono de los estudios universitarios han generado la necesidad de estudiar otras maneras de apoyar el estudio de los estudiantes. El presente estudio tiene como objetivo examinar la relación entre el aprendizaje autorregulado, la flexibilidad psicológica y la integración estudiantil, que comprende la interacción docente-estudiante, su compromiso para estudiar así como su relación con el progreso de estudio. En este estudio participaron 117 estudiantes de Teología. Los ítems que miden la integración estudiantil se analizaron mediante análisis factorial. Se analizó la relación entre integración estudiantil, flexibilidad psicológica, aprendizaje autorregulado y progreso de estudio mediante análisis de correlación y Modelación de Ecuación Estructural (SEM). Los resultados muestran que la flexibilidad psicológica está relacionada con el progreso de estudio, el aprendizaje autorregulado y la integración de los estudiantes. El efecto del aprendizaje autorregulado y la integración de los estudiantes para estudiar el progreso de estudio no fue significativo. Este estudio sugiere que la forma de los estudiantes de hacer frente a los pensamientos negativos y las emociones deben tenerse en cuenta al considerar el aprendizaje y la enseñanza

Reaaliaikaisen PCR-menetelmän pystyttäminen EHEC serotyyppien O26, O55, O91, O103, O145 ja O157:H7 sekä virulenssigeenien stx1, stx2 ja hlyA havaitsemiseksi

Työn tarkoituksena oli pystyttää reaaliaikainen PCR-menetelmä enterohemorraagisten Escherichia coli (EHEC) seroryhmien O26, O55, O91, O111, O113, O145 ja O157 sekä H7-antigeenin ja virulenssigeenien stx1, stx2 ja hlyA nopeampaa havaitsemista varten. Työssä testattiin menetelmän soveltuvuutta EHEC-bakteerien havaitsemiseen 45 puhdasviljelmäkannan lisäksi myös seitsemästä sekaviljelmästä, joista yksi oli Nokian vesiepidemian vesinäyte. Puhdasviljelmäkannat ja kuusi muuta sekaviljelmää olivat peräisin sairaaloista vuosien 1996-2007 välisenä aikana lähetetyiltä sekaviljelmämaljoilta. EHEC-bakteerit kuuluvat suolistotulehduksia aiheuttaviin E. coli-bakteereihin. Ne ovat suolistotulehduksia aiheuttavista E. coli-ryhmistä tärkein elintarvikevälitteisten ripulien aiheuttaja Suomessa ja muissa länsimaissa. EHEC-bakteerit leviävät pääasiallisesti elintarvikkeiden ja juomaveden kautta, vaikkakin alkuperäinen kontaminaatio on aina saanut alkunsa ihmisen tai eläimen ulosteesta. EHEC-infektion voi saada jo 10–100 bakteerista ja sen onkin todettu tarttuneen ihmisestä toiseen. Bakteerin tärkein reservuaari on nautakarjan ja muiden märehtijöiden suolistossa. EHEC-infektioita tavataan yleensä n. 10–20 tapausta vuosittain Suomessa. Suomessa, kuin myös maailmanlaajuisesti, yleisin epidemioita aiheuttanut EHEC-kanta on tähän mennessä kuulunut O157:H7-serotyyppiin. Muita tärkeitä epidemioita aiheuttaneita O-seroryhmiä Suomessa ja muualla maailmalla ovat olleet seroryhmät O26, O103, O111 ja O145. EHEC-bakteeri aiheuttaa vesiripulia, mutta potilaat voivat kärsiä myös vatsakivuista ja oksentelusta. Osalla ihmisistä vesiripuli voi muuttua myös veriripuliksi (Hemorragic Colitis, HC). Jotkut voivat olla myös oireettomia kantajia. EHEC-bakteerin aiheuttama ripuli voi kehittyä hemolyyttis ureeminen oireyhtymä (haemoltyic uremic syndrome, HUS- jälkitaudiksi, jonka oireina ovat akuutit munuaisvaurioit, mikroangiopaattinen hemolyyttinen anemia ja trombosytopenia. Aikuisilla voi esiintyä myös HUS:n tromboottiseksi trombosytopeeniseksi purppuraksi (trombotic trombocytopenic purpura, TTP) kutsuttua muotoa. HUS:n riskiryhmään kuuluvat alle viisivuotiaat lapset ja vanhukset. EHEC-bakteerin aiheuttama tauti luokitellaan Suomessa yleisvaarallisiin tartuntatauteihin. EHEC-bakteerin virulenssitekijöihin lukeutuu shigatoksiinin tuottogeenien (stx1- ja stx2-geenit) lisäksi myös Enterohemolysiinin tuottogeeni (hly-geeni) ja LEE (Locus of Enterocyte Effacement)-patogeenisuus saareke, joka sisältää mm. tir- ja eae-geenit, jotka määräävät proteiineja, joiden välityksellä EHEC-bakteeri kiinnittyy suolen epiteeliin. Shigatoksiineja pidetään oireiden pääasiallisena aiheuttajana. Tässä työssä testattu reaaliaikainen PCR-menetelmä (Real-Time PCR) on uusimpia EHEC-bakteerin tunnistamiseen käytetyistä menetelmistä. Menetelmä hyödyntää fluoresoivia koettimia, jotka toimivat fluoresenssi resonanssilla eli energian siirtymisellä (Fluorescense Resonance Energy Transfer, FRET) kahden fluoresoivan leiman kesken. Menetelmä mahdollistaa PCR-tuotteen analysoimisen monistamisen yhteydessä ja vähentää analysoimisen aikana syntyvän kontaminaatioriskin lisäksi myös turvallisuusriskiä, kun tulosten visualisoinnissa ei tarvitse käyttää karsinogeenista Etidiumbromidia (EtBr). Tässä työssä menetelmällä saadut tulokset olivat toistettavia ja vastasivat aiemmin monialukkeisella PCRmenetelmällä ja agglutinaatiotekniikalla saatuja tuloksia. Sekaviljelmiä testatessa reaaliaikaisen PCR-menetelmän kanssa samanaikaisesti rinnakkain tehty monialukkeinen PCR-menetelmä antoi myös yhtenevät tulokset. Reaaliaikainen PCR-menetelmä osoittautui monialukkeista PCR-menetelmää ja agglutinaatiotekniikkaa huomattavasti nopeammaksi menetelmäksi, joka mahdollistaa nopeamman diagnoosin, joka on tärkeää HUS-jälkitautia sairastavien potilaiden hoidon kannalta

Examining indicators for effective studying : The interplay between student integration, psychological flexibility and self-regulation in learning

Prolonged study times and dropouts from university studies have created a need to examine more ways to support students’ studying. This study aims to examine the relationship between the self-regulated learning, psychological flexibility and student integration comprising teacher and student interaction, students’ commitment to studying as well as the relationship of these aspects to study progression. The participants of this study were 117 theology students. Items measuring student integration were first analysed with factor analysis. The relationship between student integration, psychological flexibility, self-regulated learning and study progression was analysed with correlation analyses and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The results show that psychological flexibility is related to study progression, self-regulated learning and student integration. The effect of self-regulated learning and student integration to study progression was not significant. This study suggests that students’ way of coping with negative thoughts and emotions should be taken into account when considering learning and teaching.Peer reviewe

First-Year Experience in the COVID-19 Situation and the Association between Students’ Approaches to Learning, Study-Related Burnout and Experiences of Online Studying

The aim of this study was to explore the association between students’ approaches to learning and their experiences of study-related burnout in their first year of higher education. The objective was also to explore these association with a person-oriented approach by examining various learning profiles and their relation to experiences of study-related burnout and experiences of studying during the COVID 19-situation. The participants in this study were 384 first-year life sciences students who answered a questionnaire at the end of first year with Likert-type and open-ended questions. K-means clustering and ANOVA analyses were used to examine the profiles and differences in their perceptions of burnout. Students’ experiences of studying were analysed qualitatively and differences between profiles were examined with Chi Square analysis. The results of this study show that an unreflective approach to learning is most strongly related to experiences of burnout and that experiences of online studying differed between profiles

Understanding procrastination: A case of a study skills course

Procrastination is consistently viewed as problematic to academic success and students' general well-being. There are prevailing questions regarding the underlying and maintaining mechanisms of procrastination which are yet to be learnt. The aim of the present study was to combine different ways to explain procrastination and explore how students' time and effort management skills, psychological flexibility and academic self-efficacy are connected to procrastination as they have been commonly addressed separately in previous studies. The data were collected from 135 students who participated in a voluntary time management and well-being course in autumn 2019. The results showed that students' ability to organize their time and effort has the strongest association with procrastination out of the variables included in the study. Psychological flexibility also has a strong individual role in explaining procrastination along with time and effort management skills. Surprisingly, academic self-efficacy did not have a direct association with procrastination. Interestingly, our findings further suggest that time and effort management and psychological flexibility are closely related and appear to go hand in hand and, thus, both need to be considered when the aim is to reduce procrastination. The implications of the findings are further discussed.Peer reviewe

Students’ perceptions of self-assessment and their approaches to learning in university mathematics

Peer reviewe

Explaining the changes in procrastination in an ACT-based course – psychological flexibility and time and effort management as mediators

IntroductionThe aim of our study is to explore the relationship between procrastination, time management skills and psychological flexibility and the changes in them during an Acceptance and Commitment therapy (ACT)-based course that included time management training. We also explored the effects of time management skills and psychological flexibility on procrastination. The study used an experimental design in an ACT-based well-being course that included time management training.MethodsThe participants were 109 students taking the course and 27 waiting list students. Analyses were conducted with Pearson correlation, mixed ANOVA and causal mediation analysis.Results and discussionOur results show that time management skills, psychological flexibility and procrastination were related to each other, and all changed during the course. In addition, change in both time management and psychological flexibility had an impact on the change in procrastination during the course. The results show that both time management and psychological flexibility influence the change in procrastination during an ACT-based course

University students’ interest and burnout profiles and their relation to approaches to learning and achievement

School burnout has been studied extensively in schools but its relation to learning and studying processes at the university level is still an under-researched topic. The purpose of this study is to explore burnout and study interest profiles among university students and how these profiles differ according to approaches to learning, academic achievement and gender. The data were gathered from 538 first-year life science students. Five profiles combining students' interest and relevance and school burnout components were found. The results showed that students representing the Exhausted and inefficacious and Burned-out not interested profiles scored higher on surface approaches to learning than students who experienced less burnout. In addition, burnout profiles differed according to the credits earned and study success. There were also differences in the gender distribution of the profiles, as women were overrepresented in the burnout and exhausted profile.Peer reviewe