Evaluating major curriculum changes: Ensuring a psychologically safe learning environment is achieved for graduate students.

Standard II: Professional Integrity of Participant

BackgroundLGBTQ+ adolescents living with mental conditions are affected by stigma based on their health status, sexual orientation, and/or gender identity/expression (SOGIE), especially when navigating their learning environments. Our aim is to gain detailed insights into how LGBTQ+ adolescents living with mental conditions vision their learning environments so that they can feel safe and supported enough to freely disclose their SOGIE and health status, and hence thrive.MethodsAware of the participants’ vulnerabilities, a dialogical narrative-based approach was used to gather thick descriptions and deep insight, while applying the “seven C's”: conversation, curiosity, context, complexity, challenge, caution, and care (Frank, 2019). Recruitment was done through LGBTQ+ Denmark and via networks of networks. Two LGBTQ+ young adults living with chronic conditions held the dialogues. Mode of communication was chosen by the participants (either face-to-face, via internet or via telephone). Data analysis was conducted via the “analysis grid” (Roest et al. 2021).ResultsNine dialogues lasting from 20 to 50 minutes were held with youth from 14 to 24 years old during spring 2022. According to their narratives, supportive and safe learning environments would: respect for change of names and pronouns, update learning materials, allow for flipped classrooms (hybrid teaching tested under COVID lockdowns), have separate neutral change rooms/bathrooms and create safe private spaces to take medications. They would also permit higher absenteeism rates for those living with chronic conditions or getting hormonal treatments, allow for more breaks/slower version of the pensum, and show proactive healthy curiosity and respect for “invisible diseases”, fluid SOGIEs and neurodiversity/neurodivergent profiles.ConclusionsThe differing participants’ narratives provide innovative ways to create safe and supportive inclusive learning environment that embrace and enhance diversity.

Safe and inclusive learning environments represent an option for the attention of children with special needs in education services in accordance with the goals of the 2030 agenda, a proposal ratified by the New Mexican School through participatory and democratic management. Objective: to describe how participatory and democratic school management can influence the achievement of safe and inclusive learning environments in special education services. Methodology: a desk research was conducted as recommended by Uddin (2010), gathered data in bibliographic sources related to participatory and democratic school management, safe and inclusive learning environments and special education services, mainly informative desk research resources were used according to Esmeral (2022); in order to formulate a range of possibilities for the development of safe and inclusive environments in special education services taking into account the objectives of participatory and democratic management. Contribution: a vision of how participatory and democratic school management can favor the development of safe and inclusive learning environments in special education services is presented.

The study aimed to assess the relationship between a safe learning environment in Emirati schools and the development of student's creative thinking. Using a descriptive method with stratified random sampling, the researchers selected a sample of 500 male and female teachers. Two questionnaires were employed: one assessing the safe learning environment (20 items) and another measuring creative thinking (20 items). Results indicated a high teacher perception of a safe learning environment, with statistically significant chi-square values for all items. Similarly, teachers perceived a high level of creative thinking development, with significant chi-square values for all items. Gender and experience did not show statistically significant differences in the perception of a safe learning environment. However, teachers with over 10 years of experience demonstrated higher levels of creative thinking development. Notably, a significant correlation was found between a safe learning environment and the development of students' creative thinking in Emirati schools. This study aligns with the UAE Ministry of Education's mission to create a safe and creative educational system that meets the needs of a globally competitive knowledge society. Doi: 10.28991/ESJ-2023-SIED2-014 Full Text: PDF

The Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership was established in 2010 to support teaching quality and leadership in schools and initial teacher education programs. Early on it produced seven Australian Professional Standards for Teachers affecting professional knowledge, professional practice, and professional engagement. Standard 4 is part of professional practice and requires teachers to create and maintain supportive and safe school learning environments. We propose that Standard 4 has implications geographers have yet to fully consider, and here our aim is to surface and examine its latent spatialities. We conceive of supportive and safe learning environments as crucial infrastructures of care that can be made more legible using established spatial typologies. To support this proposition, we draw on empirical evidence from a study of literacy teaching practice in Tasmanian government schools and of initial teacher education programs. Here, we focus on how participants described the importance of school learning environments for students' educational attainment and social and emotional wellbeing. We conclude that spatial lenses are important in thinking about these environments and could effectively support teachers to demonstrate career-long and increasingly sophisticated capacities to perceive, use, create, and help others make the most of such spaces for diverse learning outcomes.

COVID-19 has presented many challenges to all aspects of the medical environment, including teaching and learning.1 2 Following an almost complete cessation of face-to-face simulation teaching activities in Spring 2020...

Introduction: MyDispense™ is a high-fidelity, low-stakes community pharmacy simulation, allowing students to practice dispensing skills. A systematic review was conducted to identify students’ perceptions regarding barriers and facilitators of MyDispense™ in pharmacy education. Methods: PubMed, CINAHL, and EMBASE databases were searched from 2015-2025 in January 2025 using combined keywords, proximity searching and Boolean operators. Studies investigating MyDispense TM and gathering students’ perceptions were included. Record screening was conducted by two independent reviewers (OC and LS). Any identified records from database searching and hand searching of included study reference lists were imported to Rayyan and subjected to independent review. Conflicts were resolved through a third party (RMcC), and discussions were held until consensus was reached. Results: Fifteen studies were included in this review. Seven studies were conducted in USA, six in Asia, one in UK, and one in Australia. All studies utilized purposive sampling. Sample sizes ranged from 33 to 322 students. All studies were survey based to gather student perceptions. Other data collection methods included semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions for students to further elaborate on survey responses. Identified facilitators were mapped to four overarching themes; “Develops competency”, “User-Friendliness”, “Engaging Learning Experience” and “Safe Learning Environment.” Key barriers were encompassed to three themes; “Learning Curve” , “IT issues” and “Limited Realism and Applications” Conclusion: This review identified the barriers and facilitators to MyDispenseTM use in students. MyDispense™ provides a novel approach by which pharmacy students can develop competency in a safe, engaging and realistic learning environment. However, significant barriers to its use includes the learning curve of the platform, technical issues, and the limited realism and applications of the platform.

Introduction to Education provides pre-service teachers with an overview of the context, craft and practice of teaching in Australian schools as they commence the journey from learner to classroom teacher. Each chapter poses questions about the nature of teaching students, and guides readers though the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. Incorporating recent research and theoretical literature, Introduction to Education presents a critical consideration of the professional, policy and curriculum contexts of teaching in Australia. The book covers theoretical topics in chapters addressing assessment, planning, safe learning environments, and working with colleagues, families, carers and communities. More practical chapters discuss professional experience and building a career after graduation. Rigorous in conception and practical in scope, Introduction to Education welcomes new educators to the theory and practical elements of teaching, learning, and professional practice.

Numerous studies have discussed the ethics of care and safe learning environments in relation to educational experiences. Yet, there is a dearth of literature on such aspects in vocational, non-western higher education contexts. This paper examines how students and teachers view entanglements of the ethics of care and safe learning environments in forming notions of teaching effectiveness in Indonesian vocational higher education settings. Utilising interview data from students and teachers in Indonesian higher education vocational institutions, the study draws upon Hofstede et al. Dimensions of National Cultures and Faranda and Clarke’s framework of effective teaching. The findings illuminate balanced power distance, communicative participation and pedagogy of care as fundamentals of the ethics of care that correspond with notions of safe learning environments to inform effective teaching in the Indonesian higher education vocational space. Illustrating social-educational contestations in the vocational classroom, implications suggest the need to minimise the existing large teacher-student power distance and transform the role of teachers as ‘object-givers’ and students as ‘object-takers’ into caring partnerships that promote vocational knowledge and practice. The study holds promise for educators, teacher educators and policymakers seeking to buttress support for ethical caring initiatives to enhance teaching effectiveness in the vocational non-western space.

A safe learning environment in early childhood education is an important aspect in supporting children's optimal development. This research was conducted to find out and analyze how early childhood education institutions have implemented a safe learning environment. This research used a qualitative approach with a case study method conducted from August to November 2024. The subject of this research is the class teacher, while the informants are the principal, accompanying teachers, and parents of MTA Bulu Kindergarten. The data collection methods used were observation, interview, and documentation. The validity of the research data, researchers used method and source triangulation techniques. The results showed that MTA Bulu Kindergarten has implemented several programs to create a safe learning environment. Some of the strategies that have been carried out include ensuring the safety of child-friendly buildings, compiling SOPs, making class agreements, implementing positive discipline, conducting regular safety talks and emergency drill activities, ensuring the availability of first aid facilities, implementing anti-violence policies, conducting bullying assessments, involving parents and related stakeholders, and forming violence prevention and handling teams.

In a Danish Interprofessional Training Unit (ITU), the clinical tutors have succeeded in developing a safe learning environment combined with challenging the students by giving them responsibility for the patient’s care and rehabilitation. In the ITU, students improved their uniprofessional and interprofessional knowledge and capability while strengthening their professional identity. It was, therefore, decided to make an attempt to transfer these interprofessional learning and teaching methods to another setting. The aims of this study were to evaluate whether the students learned about interprofessional collaboration and strengthened their professional identity and whether the clinical tutors could create a safe and challenging learning environment. Clinical tutors from the professions occupational therapy, physiotherapy, and nursing together planned the pedagogical approach and practical organization of two pilot studies in an orthopedic ward. After the intervention, focus group interviews of students and clinical tutors were performed and analyzed. The findings indicated that a one-week interprofessional clinical placement can contribute to students learning about interprofessional collaboration and to their development of professional identity. The data from the clinical tutors indicated that they needed to create a safe and challenging learning environment but emphasized that a thorough planning and continuous monitoring and adjusting of the clinical placement is necessary for success. The study documents that it is possible to create successful interprofessional learning opportunities in a normal ward environment in a restricted time frame. This knowledge can be applied to other ward settings where interprofessional clinical training is a natural possibility.

The use of simulation-based learning as an educational tool in nursing.

ContextDebriefing is fundamental to effective learning in medical simulation. Whilst efforts to improve the fidelity of simulated scenarios are widespread, there is less research aiming at improving the process of...

Simulation-based education (SBE) is often celebrated as a safe learning environment, but this usually refers to the risk posed to patients, in this literature review the psychological safety for participants and the elements of SBE that generate or reduce stress are sought. Stress and learning have a complex relationship in adult learning; however, negative stress may inhibit memory formation and so the sustainable effect of SBE learning may be jeopardized by participants experiencing unnecessary stress during SBE. It is therefore important to identify the nature and trigger for stress in SBE to optimize this resource.Using the online database PubMed and the search terms (stress and anxiety) AND (Simulation) AND ((clinical education, medical education)) without limits on publication type or date, 20 articles were returned. A non-systematic review was undertaken. Articles that were designed to deliberately introduce stress into SMEs to gauge the effect on performance were excluded. Included studies analysed the type, characteristics and potential triggers of stress evoked through participation in SBE. 17 studies were retained.No studies in the UK were returned, SBE participants were from undergraduate and post-graduate settings and there was a mixture of professional groups included with three studies looking at team-based SMEs. Study design and method varied with an observational study being the most common method. Only one looked at qualitative data from focus groups of SME participants. Nearly all studies recorded a physical marker of stress – heart rate, cortisol level or visible signs of stress such as shaking hands. Two studies looked at techniques to actively reduce stress within the SBE activity; a mindfulness exercise before a task-based simulation and an introduction of a period of relaxation prior to debriefing. Faculty awareness of participant stress was measured objectively in only one study. SME design and equipment stressors were directly considered in two studies.There are limited dedicated studies addressing SBE-induced stress and how this can be modified; furthermore, a lack of research into faculty impact on stress hinders the opportunity to change. This was not a systematic literature review and so the findings are limited, but can help inform practitioners: (1) Repeated exposure and familiarity with SME reduce stress. (2) Designate roles that participants would be expected to undertake in real clinical scenarios. (3) Minimize distracting factors in the environment unless directly contributing to learning outcome. (4) Introducing a purposeful period of calm before debriefing may improve retention of learning outcomes.

Compliance with safety standards and guidelines by schools plays a key role in ensuring a safe learning environment. However, in public secondary schools in Makueni County, the situation is quite different, with cases of accidents to learners and staff as well as destruction of school infrastructure being on the rise. The objective of this study was to assess the influence of compliance with safety standards and guidelines on the provision of a safe learning environment in public secondary schools in Makueni County, Kenya. The study was guided by Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory. The study adopted mixed methodology and applied quantitative and qualitative approaches. A descriptive research design was employed to collect and analyze data using questionnaires and interview guides. The target population comprised 400 principals, 3769 teachers and 5600 members of the school BoM in public secondary schools in Makueni County totaling 9769 respondents, from which a sample of 379 respondents was calculated using Yamane’s Formula. Stratified sampling was used to create nine strata based on the number of sub-counties in Makueni County. From each sub-county, five principals and 20 members of the school BoM were selected using purposive sampling. However, simple random sampling was applied to select 26 teachers. Questionnaires were used to collect quantitative data from teachers, whereas interview guides were used to collect qualitative data from principals and members of the school BoM. There was also a document checklist analysis guide for the researcher. Piloting was conducted among 38 respondents from a sample of public secondary schools in Makueni County to establish validity and reliability. Validity was ascertained with the help of university supervisors and experts in educational administration. Reliability was determined using the split-half technique, and a reliability index, r = 0.725, between the two halves was obtained using the Cronbach Alpha Method, which indicated high internal reliability. Data analysis began by identifying common themes. Qualitative data were analyzed thematically along the study objectives and presented in narrative form. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as frequencies and percentages. Statistical Packages for Social Science (SPSS Version 29) was used to analyse data. Data was presented using tables and percentages. The study revealed that the provision of a safe learning environment poses significant challenges in many public secondary schools. Many of these schools have reported various incidents of accidents and injuries affecting both staff and students, alongside recurrent damage to physical facilities. This is partly attributed to the failure of such public secondary schools to adhere to safety standards and guidelines, the lack of stakeholder participation, as well as irregular in-service training programmes on how to create a safe learning environment in schools. Thus, the study recommends that principals should ensure that schools comply with safety standards and guidelines.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0424/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>