A qualitative evaluation of the S.A.I.F. programme

This thesis describes an evaluation of Sexual Assault in Families Inc., Perth, Western Australia (the SAIF programme) which offers therapy and counselling to families where one or more of the children have been sexually abused by one of the family members. The purpose of the study was to demonstrate the use of a triangulated qualitative research methodology in order to determine whether the programme is achieving its objectives in terms of service delivery. It adopted a phenomenological approach in which participants were acknowledged as expert informants who were capable of identifying valued aspects of the programme. The participants were twelve families who had completed the 12 month SAIF therapy programme and who had reunited or were in the process of reunification. The paper describes the families\u27 perceptions and experiences of having Participated in the programme, what changes had occurred as a result of the process, and whether there was evidence that the abuse bad stopped. Levels of family cohesion and adaptability were also measured using the FACES III (Family Adaptability & Cohesion Evaluation Scale). A content analysis procedure identified emergent themes of safety, communication, trust, victim empathy, group Support and self-awareness for each of the three groups of participants, which were then compared to the findings of the FACES III questionnaire

The Importance and Use of Student Self-Selected Literature to Reading Engagement in an Elementary Reading Curriculum

The purpose of this article is to discuss the importance of student self-selecting literature and reading engagement in an elementary reading curriculum. The article discuses the use of self-selected reading in the context of child development, book difficulty, independent reading time accountability, and a supportive environment. The successful use of self-selected reading by the Children\u27s Choices Project is also discussed

Stormwater runoff - modeling impacts of urbanization and climate change

Development pressure throughout the coastal areas of the United States continues to build, particularly in the southeast (Allen and Lu 2003, Crossett et al. 2004). It is well known that development alters watershed hydrology: as land becomes covered with surfaces impervious to rain, water is redirected from groundwater recharge and evapotranspiration to stormwater runoff, and as the area of impervious cover increases, so does the volume and rate of runoff (Schueler 1994, Corbett et al. 1997). Pollutants accumulate on impervious surfaces, and the increased runoff with urbanization is a leading cause of nonpoint source pollution (USEPA 2002). Sediment, chemicals, bacteria, viruses, and other pollutants are carried into receiving water bodies, resulting in degraded water quality (Holland et al. 2004, Sanger et al. 2008). (PDF contains 5 pages

Using forum theatre to teach communication skills within an undergraduate pharmacy curriculum : a qualitative evaluation of students' feedback

Background and purpose: Pharmacists need to learn communication styles which adopt a more consultative model. The objectives of this paper are to describe the use of forum theatre facilitated by actors to teach communication skills to pharmacy students and to highlight perceptions of the workshops. Educational activity and setting: During the actor-led forum theatre, students redirected scenes depicting pharmacist-patient consultations. Students also learned about their own communication styles and role-played consultations and interview situations with actors. Pharmacy undergraduate students enrolled in years 2, 3, and 4 answered open-ended questions online at the end of workshops. All responses were coded to identify themes. Findings: Five themes emerged from 752 comments: (1) workshops were useful in facilitating communication skills development, (2) workshops encouraged reflection, (3) appreciation of feedback provided, (4) the live, interactive nature of the workshop enhanced learning, and (5) suggestions for improvement. There were requests for more varied scenarios involving different patient groups and more opportunities to participate in the role-plays. Students also requested smaller groups, which would encourage participation from those who were reticent and allow more personal feedback. The use of forum theatre employing role-play, small group coaching on consultation and interview skills, and emphasizing feedback was perceived as an effective and engaging method to teach communication skills

Diversity and equality in honours and awards programs – steps towards a fair representation of membership

Honours and awards bestowed by professional societies recognize and reward members who have advanced the goals and values of that society. All too often, however, awards reflect a small network of people who know about the awards and participate in the process. This network works wonderfully for the people lucky enough to be in it, but typically neglects the full range and breadth of scholarship and service within the society. We represent a combined 15C years’ experience on the honours’ committee for a large professional society (the American Geophysical Union) and here offer strategies to increase the representation of honourees.Women represented less than 20%of awardees when we first became committee members in 2008; women represented 50% of awardees in 2019. There is still much to do to ensure that members from other typically underrepresented groups (non-US members, members from underrepresented races/ethnicities) are truly represented and honoured for outstanding science and service. We recommend forming canvassing committees that will scour the literature, conferences, and membership lists for appropriate and otherwise overlooked nominees; providing implicit bias training to selection committees; and ensuring selection committees focus on the criteria for the award rather than non-pertinent, often personal, information, as well as additional strategies that allow us to recognize our worthy colleagues