Cultural Assessment: A Study of Midwives’ Knowledge, Attitude and Self-reported Practice in Uganda

Background: Cultural assessment is critical due to the increased movement and resettlement of people across the globe, and diverse cultural groups in Uganda. This is putting the health care delivery systems serving the communities under pressure to recognize the different attitudes of people towards health and to develop care systems that are effective in meeting diverse needs. However, despite the importance of cultural assessment in nursing literature, little is known about the cultural assessment competence of Ugandan midwives. This study assessed the knowledge, attitude, and practice of midwives in this assessment process. Methods: A descriptive correlational design was used to generate data for the study from a convenience sample of midwives in three hospitals using a structured questionnaire. Data were analysed using SPSS version 20. Results: Forty-nine midwives participated in the study. Over half of the respondents [57%, n = 28], demonstrated a positive attitude, however, their knowledge level was low. Almost all the midwives 90% (n = 44) had not been trained on transcultural or cross-cultural midwifery during their basic midwifery programmes. The majority of the midwives cared for at least 1 – 5 mothers a month from a culture different from their own and occasionally (once a month) [65%, n = 32] experienced difficulties or problems attributed to cultural differences. Despite the diversity of the midwives’ clients and their experiences, over half of the midwives [55%, n = 27] reported that they did not record cultural data during the assessment of mothers in labour. Where the data were recorded, it was limited to biographic information such as name, age, religion, tribe, and next of kin. These data were used to plan a client’s care. The major barrier to cultural assessment practice cited by the respondents was lack of time. Conclusion: Overall, the midwives knowledge level about cultural assessment was low. With a culturally diverse population living in Uganda, providing culturally congruent care to all women will continue to be a challenge and necessity. It is, therefore, recommended that a culture-based curriculum and in-service training on cultural assessment be developed for midwives

A Study of Teacher Growth, Supervision, and Evaluation in Alberta: Policy and Perception in a Collective Case Study

Teacher effectiveness has long been identified as critical to student success and, more recently, supporting students attaining the skills and dispositions required to be successful in the early 21st century. To do so requires that teachers engage in professional learning characterized as a shift away from conventional models of evaluation and judgment. Accordingly, school and system leaders must create “policies and environments designed to actively support teacher professional growth” (Bakkenes, Vermunt, & Webbels, 2010). This paper reports on the Alberta Teacher Growth, Supervision, and Evaluation (TGSE) Policy (Government of Alberta, 1998) through the eyes of teachers, school leaders, and superintendents. The study sought to answer the following two questions: (1) To what extent, and in what ways, do teachers, principals, and superintendents perceive that ongoing supervision by the principal provides teachers with the guidance and support they need to be successful? and, (2) To what degree, and in what ways, does the TGSE policy provide a foundation to inform future effective policy and implementation of teacher growth, supervision, and evaluation? Results affirm international findings that although a majority of principals consider themselves as instructional leaders, only about one third actually act accordingly (OECD, 2016)

dolls/puppets as miniatures - more than small

Weitere Hrsg.: Jana Mikota, Philipp SchmerheimDer Themenschwerpunkt der zweiten Ausgabe von de:do lautet: Puppen als Miniaturen – mehr als klein. Puppen und ihre Kontexte beanspruchen hier, ’mehr’ als nur verkleinerte Varianten oder Repliken menschlicher Lebenswelten zu sein. Nicht von ungefähr gelten sie als ein ’Fundort der Größe’ (Bachelard). Als ’kleine Formate’ generieren sie Bilder und Narrative der eigenen Art, die in Funktion und Wirkung offen sind: so bewegen sie sich zwischen Abbildung, Verdichtung und Transformation von Realität, sind Ausdruck von Sehnsüchten und/oder Kontrollbedürfnissen ihrer ErschafferInnen, lösen Bezauberung, Verwunderung oder Befremden aus und ermöglichen ganzheitliche Weltzugänge und Erkenntnis über innere Zusammenhänge. Einmal mehr erweisen sich Puppen als Miniaturen und im Kontext miniaturisierter Welten als hybride Objekte, aufgeladen mit vielerlei Symbolik und Bedeutungsüberschuss. Die Zusammenschau der höchst unterschiedlichen Beiträge im vorliegenden Heft vermittelt eine Ahnung von möglichen Spannungsverhältnissen – zwischen ’klein’ und ’groß’, ’Sichtbarem’ und ’Verstecktem’, ’Realität’ und ’Fiktion’, ’Mimesis’ und ’Poetik’. Das heterogene Themenspektrum unterstreicht die subtile Bedeutung der Puppe als einem besonderen Markenzeichen der ’kleinen Form’ in vielerlei Disziplinen. Die Beiträge stammen aus so unterschiedlichen Fächern bzw. interdisziplinär offenen Fachkulturen wie Archäologie, Anthropologie, Volkskunde, Kinder- und Jugendliteratur, Kunstgeschichte, Spielzeugkunde, Animationsfilm, Bildende Kunst, Mode-Design, Forensik. Ein Interview mit einer jungen Künstlerin, Miszellen und Rezensionen ergänzen die Themenvielfalt.The focus topic of the second edition of the journal denkste: puppe / just a bit of: doll (de:do), a multidisciplinary, peer reviewed online journal for human-doll discourses is: dolls/puppets as miniatures - more than small. Dolls/puppets and their contexts claim to be ’more’ than just miniaturized variants or replicas of human worlds. Thus, it is not by chance that they are regarded as a ’place to find greatness’ (Bachelard). As ’small formats’, they generate images and narratives of their own kind which are open in function and effect: they oscillate between representation, condensation and transformation of reality, expressing longings and/or control needs of their creators and triggering enchantment, amazement or alienation while enabling a holistic access to the world and insight into inner contexts. Arguing in this line, dolls/puppets prove to be miniatures and – in the context of miniaturized worlds –hybrid objects, charged with all sorts of symbolism and excess of meaning. The synopsis of the highly diverse contributions in this issue gives us an idea of possible tensions – between ’small’ and ’large’, ’visible’ and ’hidden’, ’reality’ and ’fiction’, ’mimesis’ and ’poetics’. The heterogeneous range of topics underlines the subtle significance of the doll/puppet as a special trademark of the ’small form’ in many disciplines. The contributions come from subjects as diverse as diverse as archeology, anthropology, folklore, children’s and youth literature, art history, toy studies, animated film, fine arts, fashion design, forensics. An interview with a young artist, miscellaneous aspects as well as reviews complete the variety of topics

Pitquhivut Ilihaqtavut: Atauttikkuuqhutik Havauhirijumajaat Utuqqaqhiurniq Qaujimajatuqanngillu Inuit Nunanganni

Una titiraq atauttikkuurutigijumajaat ukuak Pitquhirnikkut Ilihautiniq / Kitikmeot Heritage Society (PI/KHS) Iqaluktuuttiami, Nunavut ukualu Iliharvigjuanga Toronto-mi (University of Toronto). Ukuat PI/KHS-tkut hulilukaanginnaqtut, Inirnirit-havaariblutigik unipkaatuqanik, qaujimajatuqanginnik, uqauhikkut, initurliit taihiniinnik, iliharvingmi piliriarutikhainnik, utuqqaqarvingmilu havarvigiblutigik. Uvanngat 1999, havaqatigiblutigik utuqqaliqijitkut uvanngaaqhimajut Iliharvigjuanga Toronto-mi (University of Toronto) pivaallirumadjutigiblugu piliriarutigijamingnik, ilitpalliadjutigiblugit qangaraaluk inuminngit nunamingni aviktuqhimajumi, pivikhaqaqtittilugillu nipiliurlugit qaujimajauhimajut piqatigilugillu Inuit inulrammiit ingilraanittat havauhirilugit. Uvani titirarmi, uqautigiblutigu atauttikkuuqpangniat qanurlu tutqikhaivauhiat, iniqtirutigiblutigulu ihumagiblutigu huurlikiaq huli havauhirimmaaqtaat 20-nik ukiuni.This paper describes a long-term collaboration between the Pitquhirnikkut Ilihautiniq/Kitikmeot Heritage Society (PI/KHS) of Cambridge Bay, Nunavut and the University of Toronto. The PI/KHS is a very active, Elder-run organization with activities ranging across oral history, traditional knowledge, language, place names, school programs, and the running of a museum. They have been collaborating with archaeologists from the University of Toronto since 1999 to expand their programming, learn more about very early time periods in their region, and provide additional opportunities to record traditional knowledge and involve Inuit youth in heritage programming. We discuss the history of this collaboration and its practical organizational aspects, and we conclude with thoughts on why it continues to work after over 20 years.Cet article décrit une collaboration à long terme entre le Pitquhirnikkut Ilihautiniq/Kitikmeot Heritage Society (PI/KHS) de Cambridge Bay, au Nunavut, et l’Université de Toronto. Cette association patrimoniale de Kitikmeot, le PI/KHS, est une organisation très active, régie par des aînés, dont les activités vont de l’histoire orale au savoir traditionnel en passant par la langue, la toponymie, les programmes scolaires et la gestion d’un musée. Ses membres collaborent avec des archéologues de l’Université de Toronto depuis 1999 afin d’élargir leur programmation, d’en savoir davantage sur les périodes les plus anciennes de leur région, et ils procurent en outre des opportunités d’enregistrer le savoir traditionnel et d’impliquer les jeunes Inuit dans les programmes patrimoniaux. Nous discutons de l’histoire de cette collaboration et de ses aspects organisationnels pratiques, en concluant par des réflexions sur les raisons pour lesquelles elle continue de fonctionner au bout de plus de 20 ans

Pitquhivut Ilihaqtavut (« en savoir davantage sur notre culture ») : Une approche collaborative de l’archéologie et du savoir traditionnel dans l’Inuit Nunangat

Cet article décrit une collaboration à long terme entre le Pitquhirnikkut Ilihautiniq/Kitikmeot Heritage Society (PI/KHS) de Cambridge Bay, au Nunavut, et l’Université de Toronto. Cette association patrimoniale de Kitikmeot, le PI/KHS, est une organisation très active, régie par des aînés, dont les activités vont de l’histoire orale au savoir traditionnel en passant par la langue, la toponymie, les programmes scolaires et la gestion d’un musée. Ses membres collaborent avec des archéologues de l’Université de Toronto depuis 1999 afin d’élargir leur programmation, d’en savoir davantage sur les périodes les plus anciennes de leur région, et ils procurent en outre des opportunités d’enregistrer le savoir traditionnel et d’impliquer les jeunes Inuit dans les programmes patrimoniaux. Nous discutons de l’histoire de cette collaboration et de ses aspects organisationnels pratiques, en concluant par des réflexions sur les raisons pour lesquelles elle continue de fonctionner au bout de plus de 20 ans.This paper describes a long-term collaboration between the Pitquhirnikkut Ilihautiniq/Kitikmeot Heritage Society (PI/KHS) of Cambridge Bay, Nunavut and the University of Toronto. The PI/KHS is a very active, Elder-run organization with activities ranging across oral history, traditional knowledge, language, place names, school programs, and the running of a museum. They have been collaborating with archaeologists from the University of Toronto since 1999 to expand their programming, learn more about very early time periods in their region, and provide additional opportunities to record traditional knowledge and involve Inuit youth in heritage programming. We discuss the history of this collaboration and its practical organizational aspects, and we conclude with thoughts on why it continues to work after over 20 years.Una titiraq atauttikkuurutigijumajaat ukuak Pitquhirnikkut Ilihautiniq / Kitikmeot Heritage Society (PI/KHS) Iqaluktuuttiami, Nunavut ukualu Iliharvigjuanga Toronto-mi (University of Toronto). Ukuat PI/KHS-tkut hulilukaanginnaqtut, Inirnirit-havaariblutigik unipkaatuqanik, qaujimajatuqanginnik, uqauhikkut, initurliit taihiniinnik, iliharvingmi piliriarutikhainnik, utuqqaqarvingmilu havarvigiblutigik. Uvanngat 1999, havaqatigiblutigik utuqqaliqijitkut uvanngaaqhimajut Iliharvigjuanga Toronto-mi (University of Toronto) pivaallirumadjutigiblugu piliriarutigijamingnik, ilitpalliadjutigiblugit qangaraaluk inuminngit nunamingni aviktuqhimajumi, pivikhaqaqtittilugillu nipiliurlugit qaujimajauhimajut piqatigilugillu Inuit inulrammiit ingilraanittat havauhirilugit. Uvani titirarmi, uqautigiblutigu atauttikkuuqpangniat qanurlu tutqikhaivauhiat, iniqtirutigiblutigulu ihumagiblutigu huurlikiaq huli havauhirimmaaqtaat 20-nik ukiuni

Pitquhivut Ilihaqtavut (“Learning about Our Culture”): A Collaborative Approach to Archaeology and Traditional Knowledge in Inuit Nunangat

This paper describes a long-term collaboration between the Pitquhirnikkut Ilihautiniq/Kitikmeot Heritage Society (PI/KHS) of Cambridge Bay, Nunavut and the University of Toronto. The PI/KHS is a very active, Elder-run organization with activities ranging across oral history, traditional knowledge, language, place names, school programs, and the running of a museum. They have been collaborating with archaeologists from the University of Toronto since 1999 to expand their programming, learn more about very early time periods in their region, and provide additional opportunities to record traditional knowledge and involve Inuit youth in heritage programming. We discuss the history of this collaboration and its practical organizational aspects, and we conclude with thoughts on why it continues to work after over 20 years.Cet article décrit une collaboration à long terme entre le Pitquhirnikkut Ilihautiniq/Kitikmeot Heritage Society (PI/KHS) de Cambridge Bay, au Nunavut, et l’Université de Toronto. Cette association patrimoniale de Kitikmeot, le PI/KHS, est une organisation très active, régie par des aînés, dont les activités vont de l’histoire orale au savoir traditionnel en passant par la langue, la toponymie, les programmes scolaires et la gestion d’un musée. Ses membres collaborent avec des archéologues de l’Université de Toronto depuis 1999 afin d’élargir leur programmation, d’en savoir davantage sur les périodes les plus anciennes de leur région, et ils procurent en outre des opportunités d’enregistrer le savoir traditionnel et d’impliquer les jeunes Inuit dans les programmes patrimoniaux. Nous discutons de l’histoire de cette collaboration et de ses aspects organisationnels pratiques, en concluant par des réflexions sur les raisons pour lesquelles elle continue de fonctionner au bout de plus de 20 ans.Una titiraq atauttikkuurutigijumajaat ukuak Pitquhirnikkut Ilihautiniq / Kitikmeot Heritage Society (PI/KHS) Iqaluktuuttiami, Nunavut ukualu Iliharvigjuanga Toronto-mi (University of Toronto). Ukuat PI/KHS-tkut hulilukaanginnaqtut, Inirnirit-havaariblutigik unipkaatuqanik, qaujimajatuqanginnik, uqauhikkut, initurliit taihiniinnik, iliharvingmi piliriarutikhainnik, utuqqaqarvingmilu havarvigiblutigik. Uvanngat 1999, havaqatigiblutigik utuqqaliqijitkut uvanngaaqhimajut Iliharvigjuanga Toronto-mi (University of Toronto) pivaallirumadjutigiblugu piliriarutigijamingnik, ilitpalliadjutigiblugit qangaraaluk inuminngit nunamingni aviktuqhimajumi, pivikhaqaqtittilugillu nipiliurlugit qaujimajauhimajut piqatigilugillu Inuit inulrammiit ingilraanittat havauhirilugit. Uvani titirarmi, uqautigiblutigu atauttikkuuqpangniat qanurlu tutqikhaivauhiat, iniqtirutigiblutigulu ihumagiblutigu huurlikiaq huli havauhirimmaaqtaat 20-nik ukiuni

Containing cefoxitin costs through a program to curtail use in surgical prophylaxis

Objective: To reduce drug costs attributable to anti-anaerobic cephalosporins – specifically to reduce cefoxitin use in surgical prophylaxis

Building, Supporting & Assuring Quality Professional Practice: A Research Study of Teacher Growth, Supervision, & Evaluation in Alberta

Alberta is considered among the world’s top performing education systems. Over the past two decades, the provincial education system has invested heavily in building teachers’ professional capital to ensure that the quality of teaching in Alberta is among the best in the world. A wealth of the educational reform research literature, at both international and provincial levels, suggests that continuous professional learning is key to building teachers’ professional capital. Within Alberta, the Teacher Growth, Supervision, and Evaluation Policy (TGSE) (Government of Alberta, 1998) guides that learning. In 2017, Alberta Education requested a comprehensive research study to inform an update to the existing policy, and to identify associated requirements for the growth, supervision, and evaluation of principals and superintendents. This research study provides an independent, objective examination of TGSE in Alberta school authorities and related policies at the school authority level. The purposes of the study were to provide education stakeholders and the Ministry with • an independent, objective review of the provincial TGSE Policy in Alberta and of related policies at the school authority level; • recommendations on how best to support implementation of any proposed changes to the TGSE policy; • recommendations on how the TGSE model should inform related policy on growth, supervision, and evaluation of principals; and • recommendations on how the TGSE model should inform related policy on growth, supervision, and evaluation of superintendents and school authority leaders. Research Design: The eight-member research team from the universities of Calgary, Lethbridge, and Alberta adopted a concurrent mixed methods research design to generate insights into educator experiences with and perspectives on teacher growth, supervision, and evaluation within the TGSE policy context. Our comprehensive analysis and merging of the study’s quantitative and qualitative data generated 14 merged findings and 10 recommendations. Quantitative data were generated from online surveys of 710 teachers, 131 principals, and 33 superintendents. Analysis of the survey data provided province-wide insights from a large population of educators in June and July of 2017. Qualitative data were gathered through multiple case study research during March to June of 2017. Members of the research team conducted individual and/or focus group interviews of teachers (n=64), principals (n=53), superintendents, and other system leaders (n=33) in seven randomly-selected school jurisdictions and selected charter and independent schools. Nine individual cases illustrated and illuminated practices through which teachers and leaders at the school and administrative levels engaged in teacher growth, supervision, and evaluation in their unique contexts. Our cross-case analysis identified 13 larger themes. Evidence was gathered in two additional ways: (a) through analysis of 30 randomly-selected school authority policies, and (b) through interviews of education partner organization leaders. The team also gathered evidence from documentary sources, artifacts, and field notes

Optimum Learning for All Students Implementing Alberta’s 2018 Professional Practice Standards 2021-2022 Year 3 Survey Report

Alberta Education commissioned this 4-year longitudinal, mixed methods research study, which is designed to assess, deepen, and extend the implementation process for Alberta’s three professional practice standards: The Teaching Quality Standard (TQS) the Leadership Quality Standard (LQS), and the Superintendent Leadership Quality Standard (SLQS). This report presents the survey findings from the third year of the study. Findings are presented for each of the three standards. Results overall indicate: 1. educators across the province are in the adapting stage of implementation--– where teachers, school leaders, and superintendents are still adapting in their practice to novel problems– they reported much flexibility. The ongoing public health situation continue to require flexibility and continuing adaptivity. The standards and their implementation do not appear to be rigidifying practice since interquartile ranges and standard deviations remain professionally healthy for fostering discussion and multiple perspectives. 2. leaders must continue to engage the wider community. While small gains have been made in year 2 of the study, year 3 results indicate that leaders are negatively experiencing most of the impact from the ongoing pandemic. 3. forms and formats of professional learning and leadership development to build capacity in teachers, leaders, and superintendent leaders continue to shifted markedly. What that means for changing educator behaviour and enacting standards to support “optimal” learning remains unclear, and 4. Organization drivers indicate the need to create more hospitable administrative, funding, policy, and procedures to ensure that the competency drivers are accessible and effective as well as to ensure continuous quality monitoring and improvement with particular attention needed to student outcomes.Othe