Academic Education and Life Skills Programs

This article highlights the importance of distributed broadband networks as part of the core infrastructure necessary to deliver academic research and education programs. The authors review recent developments in the field and present the University of California, Davis, environment as a case study of a future virtual regional academic medical center. Achieving the potential benefits of distributed broadband networks through regional health information organizations will involve considerable collaboration between different academic groups and the development and implementation of standardized technological and business approaches. Broadband technologies offer a substantial opportunity to improve the way academic education and research programs are delivered.

Although studies reveal substantial mental health treatment needs among youths in the juvenile justice system, far less is known about young offenders transferred to adult criminal court. This statewide study examined the mental health needs of young offenders who committed serious crimes and were transferred to adult court and subsequently incarcerated in a prison for adults. Sixty-four boys aged 16 and 17 years who were incarcerated in the Texas adult correctional system completed the Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument-Version 2 (MAYSI-2), a mental health screening measure widely used in the juvenile justice system. Scores from the youths in adult prison were compared with those of a matched sample of youths in juvenile correctional facilities, drawn from the MAYSI-2 normative data. Youths in adult prison reported substantial symptoms of mental health problems. Most youths surveyed (51%) scored above the highest clinical cutoff (the "warning" range) on at least one MAYSI-2 subscale. For every clinical subscale except suicide ideation, the majority of youths (54% to 70%, depending on the subscale) scored above the "caution" range. Juveniles in adult prison reported higher rates of symptoms than did those in juvenile correctional facilities (effect sizes ranged from d=.18 to d=.65, depending on the subscale). Although the mental health needs of youths in the juvenile justice system are well documented, this study reveals that mental health treatment needs appear to be even more pronounced in the small subgroup of youths transferred to the adult criminal justice system and incarcerated in adult prison.

The purpose of the research was to measure how well an educational program helped ASD children with their basic communication and motor skills. In addition to determining the degree of the program's effectiveness in improving children with ASD's basic communication and motor skills after one month of participation. 40 children with ASD were split evenly between two groups of 20 (experimental) and 20 (control). The post-measurement communicative skills scale and basic motor skills mean scores of the control and experimental groups showed substantial statistical differences, favoring the experimental group. The study also revealed substantial statistical differences in the experimental groups mean scores in communication skills and basic motor skills before and after the program's implementation, favoring the dimensional measurement. Additionally, neither the post-test nor the follow-up assessments of the experimental group's communication skills or basic motor skills revealed any statistically significant changes. Keywords: Educational Program, Communication Skills, Basic Motor Skills, ASD

Summary The effects of participation in group therapy on inmates' perception of a penitentiary academic and vocational education programs were studied. Subjects were 175 inmates of a Canadian penitentiary. It was hypothesized that participation in group therapy would heighten inmates' perception of the utility of vocational training as a rehabilitative device but would have no effect on their perceptions of utility of academic education. Results indicate that group therapy assisted in developing more positive attitudes among inmates towards vocational training, but had no effect on their low evaluation of academic education. Actual participation in programs, through the operation of pressures to reduce cognitive dissonance created by such participation, was more effective in creating positive evaluations in the case of academic education than in the case of vocational education.

Background: Good communication skills are essential components of physician-training. Effective communication between the doctor and the patient leads to better compliance, better health outcomes, decreased litigation, and higher satisfaction both for doctors and patients. The acquisition of communication and interpersonal skills is recognized and documented as a core competency for physician training in many countries. In the absence of proper training, Indian medical graduates often have less than adequate communication skills and the demand for formal training in this area has often been echoed. Aim and objectives were to know the attitude and ascertain the change in attitude, assess basic communication skills, ascertain the change in basic clinical communication skills (before and after training) and to impart training regarding communication skills by using different teaching learning methods to undergraduate medical students (third year).Methods: An interventional study was conducted using convenience sampling method. Assessment of attitude, communication skills and self-competence of communication skills was done using standardized questionnaires. Data analysis was done by using appropriate statistical tests.Results: Total 60 students participated in the study. The change in the mean scores of pre-training and post-training attitude, SEGUE (set the stage, elicit information, give information, understand patient’s perspective, end the encounter) framework score and self-assessment of communication competence scores were statistically significant before and after training.Conclusions: After training undergraduate medical students by using variety of effective training methods; their attitude towards learning communication skills changed positively and their basic clinical communication skills improved significantly.

The study examined the influence of educational programmes on the rehabilitation and management of juvenile delinquents in Lagos State juvenile homes. The study adopted the descriptive survey research design. The population for the study comprised a total of 332 people. Simple random sampling technique was used to select 20 juveniles from each of the juvenile homes. The managers and members of staff of the two selected juvenile homes were selected using total enumeration sampling technique and this made a total of two managers and 33 members of staff. Three research instruments were used to collect data for the study. (i) An interview guide titled “Rehabilitation of Juvenile Delinquents” (RJD) (ii) An interview guide titled “Management of Educational Programmes in Juvenile Homes” (MEPJH) (iii) A questionnaire on the “Influence of Educational Programmes on Rehabilitation of Juvenile Delinquents” Percentage scores and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were used to analyse the data collected. Results showed that majority of the respondents 77.5% alluded that educational programmes were made available at the juvenile homes also, 55% said that academic, counselling and vocational education were the only educational programmes available at the homes. Respondents claimed that the juvenile homes were managed by the Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social Development, the educational programmes and teacher recruitment were handled by the State Ministry of Education. The study concluded that educational programmes had positive and very notable influence on the rehabilitation of juvenile delinquents in Lagos State juvenile correctional homes. Based on the findings of this research, it was recommended among others that: Literacy and life skills training should be included as part of educational programmes in the juvenile homes. Expansion of available accommodation facilities to cater for current population of juveniles and also future increase and that in the Juvenile homes, the children offenders should be separated from those who have not committed offenses, those who are just in need of care and protection.

A case study on the Industrial Risk Management (IRM) post-master academic education program of MINES Paris PSL University

Introduction:Like many other people based professions, communications skills are essential to medical practice also. Traditional medical teaching in India does not address communication skills which are most essential in dealing with patients. Communication skills can be taught to medical students to increase clinical competence.Objective:To teach basic communication and counseling skills to fourth-year undergraduate students to increase their clinical competence.Methodology:A total of 48, fourth-year MBBS students participated in the study. They were given training in basic communication and counseling skills and taught the patient interview technique according to Calgary–Cambridge guide format. Improvement in communication was assessed by change in pre- and post-training multiple choice questions, clinical patient examination, and Standardized Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire (SPSQ) scores.Results and Analysis:About 88% of the students in the sample were convinced of the importance of learning communication skills for effective practice. Almost 90% students were communicating better after training, as tested by improved SPSQ. As judged by Communication Skill Attitude Scale, student's positive attitude toward learning communication skill indicated that there is a necessity of communication skill training during undergraduate years.Conclusion:The ability to communicate effectively is a core competency for medical practitioners. Inculcating habits of good communications skill during formative years will help the medical students and future practitioners. Regular courses on effective communication should be included in the medical school curriculum.

Few studies are available on informed consent (IC) among detained persons, even with ethics being a critical aspect of prison research. In IC research, audiovisual material seems to improve understanding and satisfaction compared with conventional paper-based material, but findings remain unclear. To compare audiovisual and paper-based materials for 1-time general IC for research in prisons. This cross-sectional randomized clinical trial was conducted in 2 corrections facilities in Switzerland (an adult prison and a juvenile detention center). The study was conducted from December 14, 2019, to December 2, 2020, in the adult prison and from January 15, 2020, to September 9, 2021, in the juvenile detention center. In the adult prison, study participation was offered to detained persons visiting the medical unit (response rate, 84.7%). In the juvenile detention center, all newly incarcerated adolescents were invited to participate (response rate, 98.0%). Participants were randomized to receive paper-based conventional material or to watch a 4-minute video. Materials included the same legal information, as required by the Swiss Federal Act on Research Involving Human Beings. The main outcome was acceptance to sign the IC form. Secondary outcomes included understanding, evaluation, and time to read or watch the IC material. The study included 190 adults (mean [SD] age, 35.0 [11.8] years; 190 [100%] male) and 100 adolescents (mean [SD] age, 16.0 [1.1] years; 83 [83.0%] male). In the adult prison, no significant differences were found between groups in acceptance to sign the IC form (77 [81.1%] for paper-based material and 81 [85.3%] for audiovisual material; P = .39) and to evaluate it (mean [SD] correct responses, 5.09 [1.13] for paper-based material and 5.01 [1.07] for audiovisual material; P = .81). Understanding was significantly higher in the audiovisual material group (mean [SD] correct responses, 5.09 [1.84]) compared with the paper-based material group (mean [SD] correct responses, 4.61 [1.70]; P = .04). In the juvenile detention center, individuals in the audiovisual material group were more likely to sign the IC form (44 [89.8%]) than the paper-based material group (35 [68.6%], P = .006). No significant difference was found between groups for understanding and evaluation. Adults took a mean (SD) of 5 (2) minutes to read the paper material, and adolescents took 7 (3) minutes. Given the small benefit of audiovisual material, these findings suggest that giving detained adults and prison health care staff a choice regarding IC material is best. For adolescents, audiovisual material should be provided. Future studies should focus on increasing understanding of the IC process. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05505058.

Risky sexual behaviors are a very serious problem, especially in youth and adolescence. This study aims to compare the effects of and integrated sex education and life skills program on life skills to prevent risky sexual behaviors in primary school students. Design: The study was conducted using a quasi-experimental, pre-posttest 2-group design. Sample: 34 primary students were in the control group, and 34 primary students were in the experiment group. Intervention: The experimental group participated in the integrated sex education and life skill program to promote life skills and prevent risky sexual behaviors, while the control group participated in the usual educational program regarding sexual and reproductive health that already exists in schools. Measurements: The data on both groups were gathered through questionnaires assessing demographic characteristics and life skills for preventive risky sexual behaviors. Results: The results revealed significant differences between the experimental and control groups (t-test = 2.39, p-value < 0.05) 3 months after the life skills programs, while no significant difference was noted in the experimental group (mean difference = -2.53, p-value > 0.05). Conclusions: The integrated sex education and life skill program posed potential utility for primary students and also capable provision for further study for other groups.

Problem Statement: Language and skills oriented activities are one of the important activities in the educational process and they provide the necessary foundations for the development of cognitive abilities. Research Questions: Is there a significant difference between the pretest and corrected posttest scores of experiment and control group children on Cognitive Abilities Test Form-6 Quantitative and Verbal dimensions?Purpose of the Study: This study aims to investigate the effect of Academic and Language Skills Educational Program on 61-66 month old Children’s Cognitive Abilities. Research Methods: This experimental study included 61-66 month old 64 children (34 experiment, 34 control) attending to kinder gardens in Ankara – Turkey during 2012-2013 academic year. To find out children’s level of reasoning abilities, “Cognitive Abilities Test Form-6” developed by Lohman and Hagen (2000) and adapted to Turkish children by İnal (2011) was used. The data was analyzed with statistical techniques. Findings: As a result, it was reported that there is a statistically significant effect with a large effect size between the control and experiment groups’ verbal dimension and quantitative dimension scores on the pretest and verbal dimension and quantitative dimension corrected scores on the posttest. Conclusions: In the light of findings, “Academic and Language Skills Educational Program” can be reported as facilitating children’s cognitive skills. The findings are similar in those of Hager and Hasselhorn (1998), Ünal (2007), Welsh et al. (2010), İnal (2011) all of whom studied preschoolers’ cognitive skills development using experimental designs.

’n Behoefte-analise met die oog op die ontwerp van ’n Taal vir Spesifieke Doeleindes (TSD)-kursus vir leerderonderwysers met Afrikaans as tweede taal

This study aims to determine the effectiveness of using microteaching books based on case method and team based project on basic teaching and communication skills. The type of research is development to produce a product and test the effectiveness of that product. The population is all 5th semester students of the biology education study program, FMIPA Unimed who take the microteaching course, the test sample is 30 students. The research design uses the Plomp development model, namely Analysis, Development, and Evaluation. Data collection is carried out at the analysis stage, then the development stage includes the distribution of assessment sheets to experts and response sheets to lecturers and students in the microteaching course. Meanwhile, the evaluation stage is carried out using observation sheets to assess basic teaching skills and communication skills. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and then categorized following the guidelines for categorizing needs, assessments, responses and communication skills. The results obtained indicate that the microteaching book is declared valid, has a fairly good level of practicality, and is effective in improving basic teaching skills and communication skills

Good communication skills require: (1) an understanding of one's audience and the subtle interactions between writer and reader, (2) organizational skills to methodically progress through the necessary stages of a project (e.g., writing a proposal), and (3) certain basic communication (writing/speaking) skills, i.e., a facility with the basic elements of transmitting information clearly. The task of writing a grant proposal in response to a specific set of instructions is used to illustrate the analysis and responses necessary to complete a major written communication project. The concept of focusing on—and writing for—the reader (in this case, the proposal reviewer) is emphasized. Although good communication skills affect life-styles, productivity, and economics in our society, the communication skills of the American pubic are sorely lacking—even among people with high levels of education—because students receive little training in these skills in the United States educational system. However, such skills can be taught to younger students as well as to adults.

Despite the ongoing debate about how much academic versus vocational upper-secondary education is favorable for a country and large differences across countries of those two types of education exist, the interplay of vocational and academic education on upper-secondary level and its consequences for the entire education system remain under-researched. Although difficult to analyze directly, we first construct a measure to capture companies’ reactions to changes in academic education rates and second analyze whether academic education rates are associated with success rates in vocational education over time and with control variables. To measure companies’ reactions, we use a cantonal average requirements profile consisting of the academic requirements profile of an occupation and the number of apprenticeships started in this occupation per year and canton. Although results of the first part of the analysis are ambiguous, combined with the second part, they suggest a non-reaction of companies (i.e., they keep offering the same occupations but have to fill their positions with lower-ability candidates). Results of the second part show that more opportunities for academic education appear to draw highly-able students away from vocational education, with negative consequences for the success rates in vocational education. Our findings have important implications for countries with vocational and academic tracks in their education systems, but also for those who plan to introduce or strengthen (dual) vocational education.