Educating for Good Work: From Research to Practice

Launched in 1995, the GoodWork Project is a long-term, multi-site effort to understand the nature of good work across the professional landscape and to promote its achievement by relevant groups of students and professionals. In this essay, the authors review the goals and methods of the initial research project and its most salient findings. They describe the GoodWork Toolkit, a versatile instrument that consists of actual dilemmas faced by professionals, along with exercises designed to make the issues salient to those who use the Toolkit. Introduced as well is a system of classification of the dilemmas, in terms of their applicability across the professional landscape; and a review of the range of educational settings in which GoodWork materials have been utilized

From research to practice: The case of mathematical reasoning

Mathematical proficiency is a key goal of the Australian Mathematics curriculum. However, international assessments of mathematical literacy suggest that mathematical reasoning and problem solving are areas of difficulty for Australian students. Given the efficacy of teaching informed by quality assessment data, a recent study focused on the development of evidence-based Learning Progressions for Algebraic, Spatial and Statistical Reasoning that can be used to identify where students are in their learning and where they need to go to next. Importantly, they can also be used to generate targeted teaching advice and activities to help teachers progress student learning. This paper explores the processes involved in taking the research to practice

From research to practice: Implementing an experimental home treatment model into routine mental health care

Background In line with previous findings, in a recent randomized controlled trial (RCT), we found that home treatment (HT) for acute mental health care can reduce (substitute) hospital use among severely ill patients in crises. This study examined whether the findings of the RCT generalize to HT services provided under routine care conditions. Methods We compared patients who received HT during the RCT study phase with patients who received the same HT service after it had become part of routine mental health services in the same catchment area. Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics as well as service use (HT and hospital bed days) were compared between the RCT and the subsequent routine care study period. Results Compared to patients who received HT during the RCT, routine care HT patients were more often living with others, less often admitted compulsorily, more often diagnosed with anxiety and stress-related disorders (ICD-10 F4) and less often diagnosed with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (F2). When compared to patients who were exclusively treated on hospital wards, involvement of the HT team in patients’ care was associated with a clear-cut reduction of hospital bed days both during the RCT and under routine care conditions. However, unlike during the RCT study period, involvement of HT was associated with longer overall treatment episodes (inpatient + HT days) under routine care conditions. Conclusions HT seems to reduce the use of hospital bed days even under routine care conditions but is at risk of producing longer overall acute treatment episodes

Effective online interaction: mapping course design to bridge from research to practice

Quantitative and qualitative research of a case study course confirmed that the course achieved a highly interactive learning experience, associated with more effective student support and high student retention. Computer conferencing achieved high participation from the beginning and evidence of dialogue and argumentation within online tutor groups. This was achieved not by active tutor moderation but by a sequence of structured tasks. Compendium mind mapping software has been used to represent the design of this sequence of tasks and this has refined interpretation of the research findings. The positive outcomes identified relate not purely to computer conferencing but to an integration of individual and group tasks feeding forward into a well-designed assignment. The usability of case study data relates to the ability of practitioners to compare their own context with that of the case. The visual representation of the design of the task sequence is providing a better bridge from the research to the practice context than the use of general description of findings alone. This is particularly important in an area which has generated a range of sometimes conflicting findings, with weak links to the challenges of course design

Low-Cost Air Quality Monitoring Tools: From Research to Practice (A Workshop Summary).

In May 2017, a two-day workshop was held in Los Angeles (California, U.S.A.) to gather practitioners who work with low-cost sensors used to make air quality measurements. The community of practice included individuals from academia, industry, non-profit groups, community-based organizations, and regulatory agencies. The group gathered to share knowledge developed from a variety of pilot projects in hopes of advancing the collective knowledge about how best to use low-cost air quality sensors. Panel discussion topics included: (1) best practices for deployment and calibration of low-cost sensor systems, (2) data standardization efforts and database design, (3) advances in sensor calibration, data management, and data analysis and visualization, and (4) lessons learned from research/community partnerships to encourage purposeful use of sensors and create change/action. Panel discussions summarized knowledge advances and project successes while also highlighting the questions, unresolved issues, and technological limitations that still remain within the low-cost air quality sensor arena

When Classics Gets Creative: From Research to Practice

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Project MUSE via the DOI in this record

Healing Environment in Paediatric Wards: From Research to Practice

AbstractBest practices was created to helps designers in the creation of more conducive healing environment in paediatric wards. This is benefited to designers in creating spaces not only base on their assumptions. The evaluation focuses the newer paediatric wards in the Klang Valley area. Case study is the strategy involved 3 paediatric wards. Personal on-site observation and evaluation, questionnaires, and documentations are the selected methods. This paper revealed that best practices suggested were not fully implemented. Therefore, it is best for all bodies related to should be made aware of their obligations for a better quality environment in paediatric wards

Language and Socioeconomic Disadvantage: From Research to Practice

Children from low socioeconomic (SES) backgrounds are at disproportionate risk of language delay. Previous research has suggested that basic language skills affected in language impairment may not be affected by SES. These skills may therefore help to distinguish children with language impairment from those with poor language due to limitations of their language environment. The distinction is important since children with language impairment require different types of intervention from disadvantaged children whose inherent capacity for language is intact. In this Briefing Paper, we report findings from our research, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, which aimed to tease apart external and internal factors involved in language delay in socioeconomically disadvantaged preschoolers, using measures known to be more or less socially biased. Our samples comprised 208 preschoolers from Low SES neighbourhoods and 168 from Mid-high SES neighbourhoods aged 3½-5 years, with English as their first language. The youngest age group (3½-4) were followed up 18 months later. An age-matched Clinic sample of 160 children acted as an additional comparison group for the Low SES sample. Our findings reveal the extent to which very basic, early developing language and speech skills may be affected in preschool children from socio-economically disadvantaged neighbourhoods. The outcomes of our study inform interventions and underscore the need for very early intervention prior to school entry. Furthermore, they highlight a need for continuing support throughout the school years if children are to access education effectively