Aspects Of Good Practice Research Articles

Instructional Leadership Best Practices in Coaching toward Bukit Jalil Sports School Excellence

Instructional leadership is a model that is often used in managing and administrating a school to influence, guide, and motivate teachers and students towards school excellence. Diverse family backgrounds, religion, and race are significant challenges for coaches and Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS) administrators to spur student athletes' excellence in sports. Therefore, the purpose of this write-up is to share the best practices in BJSS from the aspects of; i- monitoring and assessment of coaches' and student athletes’ performance ii- producing excellent coaches with calibre in their sports iii- applying of 3R element among coaches iv- consolidation of spiritual component among student-athletes. Implementing best practices is based on a few strategies, including centralised documentation, executing the lead by example concept, empowering sports coaching, concentration in sports development programs, internationalisation with sports excellence centres from overseas, and self-empowerment in student-athletes. This paper produced four aspects of best practices with the implementation of some programs, which are; a standard and organised documentation system, yearly training program presentations, coaching mentoring program, workshops by Master Coaches, specific sports skills clinic, development of training modules, international sports collaboration program and spiritual based program. The impact of these programs will be able to optimise students' outcomes, enhance the coaching profession and produce student-athletes with principles and identities. This achievement is aligned with aspirations stated in Wave 3 of National Education Blueprint 2013-2025, which drives Sekolahku SEJAHTERA.

Searching for a Social Work Language of Human Rights: Perspectives of Social Workers in an Integrated Mental Health Service

Abstract Human rights are described as central to the social work profession. However, whilst principles of human rights are generally accepted as fundamental to social work, their application in specific practice settings is far more complex and the perspectives of social workers themselves are largely absent in the literature. This research explored the perspectives of nine social workers in integrated mental health teams in a National Health Service (NHS) Trust in the north of England. Participants took part in semi-structured face-to-face interviews investigating the role of social workers in enacting rights-based social work in integrated mental health services, the issues they face and aspects of good practice. Participants identified rights-based approaches as inherent in their practice but lacked an adequate language to describe this work and confidence in using specific legislation. All described a lack of available training (post-qualification) and support, and the impact of a lack of both time and resources, in enacting rights-based work. The research suggests a need for further training in human rights, increased support for social workers in enacting rights-based work and for a language of human rights to be more effectively embedded in organisations.

Community, adaptability, and good judgement: Reflections on creating meaningful, sustainable pedagogy in uncertain times

This reflective piece details aspects of pedagogic good practice prompted by our experiences of developing online learning in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Given the exceptional circumstances experienced by universities globally, and given the unprecedented challenges continuing to face educators, new, distinctive methods of delivering a high-quality student experience, to tight time constraints were required. We reflect upon our experiences of engaging in COVID-19 planning, drawing from our substantial knowledge of delivering postgraduate education in the online environment, offering three aspects of good practice (establishing community, adaptability, and good judgement), sometimes taken for granted or overlooked, relevant not only in exceptional circumstances but, as we also suggest in the paper, important to university educators seeking to deliver high-quality, sustainable pedagogy more broadly. The aspects of good practice we outline are mutually reinforcing, unlikely in their own right to deliver the beneficial, sustainable outcomes apparent when embedded in combination.

“As human beings, we cannot not learn”. An interview with Professor George Siemens on connectivism, MOOCs and learning analytics

George Siemens is a globally-known higher-education expert who created the first Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) ever, together with Stephen Downes. He is Professor and Executive Director of the Learning Innovation and Networked Knowledge Research Lab at University of Texas, Arlington. In addition, he co-leads the development of the Centre for Change and Complexity in Learning (C3L) at University of South Australia. He has served as Principal Investigator on grants funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Soros Foundation (to name but a few) and is the founding President of the Society for Learning Analytics Research. In this wide-ranging interview, George Siemens reconstructs his personal history as a lifelong learner and discusses his work, specifically on Connectivism, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), and Learning Analytics. One of the leading thinkers in deepening our understanding on the impacts of technology on higher education and learning, George Siemens shares his personal experience of the utilitarian schooling system in his childhood which inspired him to have different perspectives on the interactions between education and technology, thus leading to his concept of Connectivism as well as his creation of MOOCs. He gives some insights on his seminal book, Knowing Knowledge, and elaborates on his perception of “knowledge” as well as the interactions of the four critical traits (diversity, autonomy, interactivity, and openness) in connective knowledge networks. Learning analytics is another focus for Siemens, and this relatively new, but quickly expanding, field can provide insights on the flow of information such as social activities, engagement patterns and a range of other factors that facilitate the quality of the learning experience for students. Siemens further emphasizes the cultural aspects of best practices of teaching and learning and also assessment in higher education. Siemens gives a preview of his future work which will focus on how human and artificial cognition may influence knowledge processes and their impacts on society

Bewertungen sprachlichen Handelns und good practice in der Angewandten Gesprächsforschung

AbstractThe article focuses on methodological issues of practice-oriented discourse research and suggests several methodological approaches to assess conversational practice. It makes an argument for the relevance of assessing conversational practice and for why aspects of good practice should be included more systematically in the analyses by way of considering objectives in the examined practice domains. We provide examples of different institutional fields (mostly doctor-patient and lawyer-client interaction) and discuss how actual communicative practices can be assessed with methods of discourse analysis. We thus aim to expand the methodological spectrum of conversation research by including matters of immediate social interest and aspects that are relevant for practitioners.

Towards a pro-community-based water resource management system in Northwest Cameroon: practical evidence and lessons of best practices

This paper examines community-based water supply management (CBWSM) in three rural districts of Northwest Cameroon as well as a review of the literature focusing on some successful community-based natural resource management initiatives in sub-Saharan Africa. Using empirical and secondary data collected through participatory research methods, it is argued that CBWSM has failed to achieve sustainable water supplies in Northwest Cameroon. Findings revealed that centralized control, the prevalence of poverty, passive involvement of public, private and grassroots community has continued to thwart water supplies within these districts. It is important to note that in any natural resource management system, power becomes a crucial factor as it determines who has and does not have access to common-pool resources. This paper argues that argues that strong traditional leadership, resolute devolution, and active participation of rural communities will facilitate and invigorate a platform for capturing the views of diverse user groups and this can bring about a people-centered and community-driven development process. Some aspects of best practice arising from successful case studies in Cameroon can contribute significantly to promoting the development of effective CBWSM in other rural communities with similar characteristics in and out of Cameroon. This will be possible only if rural groups are involved and engaged in the management of their resources while integrating some aspects of best practice.

Commentary: What aspects of good practice in early interventions in psychosis can be codified in guidelines? - A commentary on Corsico etal. (2018).

Read the full article at doi:10.1111/camh.12229Read the Response to this Commentary at doi:10.1111/camh.12292

Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable: a narrative account of becoming an academic developer

ABSTRACTThis article uses a narrative retelling of my journey to academic development to offer a new insight into induction initiatives: alongside a critical commitment to student learning, new academic developers need to build an informed and scholarly ‘idea of the university’. As universities renew focus on teaching and learning, student retention, and success, there is a corollary increase in new academic developers. Newcomers need a full picture of the field; induction that focuses on the narrow institutional context and aspects of best practice is unlikely to fully prepare new academic developers for tensions they may encounter.

Indications for the Performance of Intracranial Endovascular Neurointerventional Procedures: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association.

Intracranial endovascular interventions provide effective and minimally invasive treatment of a broad spectrum of diseases. This area of expertise has continued to gain both wider application and greater depth as new and better techniques are developed and as landmark clinical studies are performed to guide their use. Some of the greatest advances since the last American Heart Association scientific statement on this topic have been made in the treatment of ischemic stroke from large intracranial vessel occlusion, with more effective devices and large randomized clinical trials showing striking therapeutic benefit. The treatment of cerebral aneurysms has also seen substantial evolution, increasing the number of aneurysms that can be treated successfully with minimally invasive therapy. Endovascular therapies for such other diseases as arteriovenous malformations, dural arteriovenous fistulas, idiopathic intracranial hypertension, venous thrombosis, and neoplasms continue to improve. The purpose of the present document is to review current information on the efficacy and safety of procedures used for intracranial endovascular interventional treatment of cerebrovascular diseases and to summarize key aspects of best practice.

Pedagogical intersubjectivity, autism and education: can teachers teach so that autistic pupils learn?

ABSTRACTEffective pedagogy and inclusive practice are located within the quality of learning relationships and the context-sensitive, moment-to-moment professional judgements made by teachers within learning interactions. In particular, good teachers are able to align themselves with pupils’ subject positions, though this experience of relatedness within learning interactions is a bodily one that is mundane and mostly overlooked. The aim of this article is to explore whether this account of learning, that crucially involves a shared way of being minded, is adequate to describe the learning of pupils on the autism spectrum. Problems with the idea of ‘pedagogical intersubjectivity’ in relation to autism are noted. Using personal accounts of learning interactions and recent micro-level research findings about the competences of autistic children in favourable interactional ecologies, it is argued however that experiences of relatedness in learning should be considered as important for autistic pupils too. It is concluded that a key aspect of good practice in relation to autism and education is that teachers are able to critically reflect on their bodily experiences of interaction with autistic pupils as a way of deepening their understanding and developing their professional practice.

Belong from the very start

Sal Mckeown kicks off a new series exploring different aspects of best practice when it comes to providing an inclusive setting. Here she focuses on preparing your environment to welcome all children.

An evaluation of key working for families of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities

Key working is a way of supporting children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and their families, and is highly regarded by families and practitioners. However, there is a lack of up‐to‐date research exploring key working in the current context of policy reforms in England. This article reports an evaluation of key working in four sites in England, with a particular focus on the SEND policy reforms. Key working resulted in a number of positive outcomes for children and young people, families and services, including helping services to meet the requirements of the SEND reforms. Challenging aspects included managing transitions and the relationship between key working practitioner and family, but successful strategies were identified. Key working supports the implementation of specific aspects of the English SEND reforms along with more general cultural change in services to align with families' needs and well‐established aspects of good practice.

Industrial relations and the management of whistleblowing after the Francis report: what can be learned from the evidence?

AbstractThis article focuses on the results obtained from the quantitative surveys conducted for the independent review into creating an open and honest report culture in the NHS. It examines the management of whistleblowing and discusses the research findings in the light of the recommendations made by Sir Robert Francis QC in his ‘Freedom to Speak Up’ report published in February 2015. The authors believe that the principles and actions set out in this report and the detailed Annexe describing various aspects of good practice are generally applicable in both the public and private sectors. In so far as it provides evidence that those who follow their employer's procedure when raising a concern have better outcomes than others, the authors conclude that the quantitative research for Francis is consistent with other findings that power resources and institutional arrangements can be critical to the whistleblowing process.

Development of a framework for prospective payment for child mental health services.

There is a need to develop a payment system for services for children with mental health problems that allows more targeted commissioning based on fairness and need. This is currently constrained by lack of clinical consensus on the best way forward, wide variation in practice, and lack of data about activity and outcomes. In the context of a national initiative in England our aim was to develop a basis for an improved payment system. Three inter-related studies: a qualitative consultation with child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) stakeholders on what the key principles for establishing a payment system should be, via online survey (n = 180) and two participatory workshops (n = 91); review of relevant national clinical guidelines (n = 15); and a quantitative study of the relationship between disorders and resource use (n = 1774 children from 23 teams). CAMHS stakeholders stressed the need for a broader definition of need than only diagnosis, including the measurement of indirect service activities and appropriate outcome measurement. National clinical guidance suggested key aspects of best practice for care packages but did not include consideration of contextual factors such as complexity. Modelling data on cases found that problem type and degree of impairment independently predicted resource use, alongside evidence for substantial service variation in the allocation of resources for similar problems. A framework for an episode-based payment system for CAMHS should include consideration of: complexity and indirect service activities; evidence-based care packages; different needs in terms of impairment and symptoms; and outcome measurement as a core component.

Safeguarding vulnerable adults: learning from the reflective assignments of pre-registration students in the adult field of nursing practice

Purpose – The purpose of this paper was to identify safeguarding concerns for vulnerable adults, including exploring the implementation of safeguarding policy and procedures into practice. This was achieved by reviewing the content of reflective assignments written by pre-registration student nurses, identifying areas of concerns and proposing action plans. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative approach was initially utilised to scrutinise a random 10 per cent sample of work, which was thematically analysed. From this, an audit tool was devised and then applied to evaluate a 35 per cent sample of work from the following cohort of students. Approval and consent was gained. Findings – From the initial 10 per cent sample, themes emerged around: practice issues; areas for student's development and marking or assessment issues. The standardised audit tool was devised and applied to a 35 per cent random sample of work. This determined that students identified local safeguarding policies and procedures were being followed in the majority of placement areas, although application of the Mental Capacity Act remained inconsistent. Research limitations/implications – The assessor feedback from the reflective assignments was not available to the reviewers, limiting the reviewers ability to identify if assessors had recognised and corrected any policy or practice issues that the student raised. Only assignments from the adult field of nursing were considered within the scope of this study. The authors recommend further empirical investigation into this area. Practical implications – This paper offers knowledge that can be applied in practice within both academic and health care provider services that deliver and facilitate nursing education. It has generated an audit tool that can be utilised to evaluate the knowledge of pre-registration students and has resulted in the implementation of safeguarding adults policies within an academic institution. Originality/value – Safeguarding adults concerns may be identified through studying pre-registration student assignments and promptly acting upon any concerns raised. Aspects of good practice can be acknowledged within health care provider services.

Developing Internet-based health interventions: a guide for public health researchers and practitioners.

BackgroundResearchers and practitioners interested in developing online health interventions most often rely on Web-based and print resources to guide them through the process of online intervention development. Although useful for understanding many aspects of best practices for website development, missing from these resources are concrete examples of experiences in online intervention development for health apps from the perspective of those conducting online health interventions.ObjectiveThis study aims to serve as a series of case studies in the development of online health interventions to provide insights for researchers and practitioners who are considering technology-based interventional or programmatic approaches.MethodsA convenience sample of six study coordinators and five principal investigators at a large, US-based land grant university were interviewed about the process of developing online interventions in the areas of alcohol policy, adolescent health, medication adherence, and human immunodeficiency virus prevention in transgender persons and in men who have sex with men. Participants were asked questions that broadly addressed each of the four phases of the User-Centered Design Process Map from the US Department of Health and Human Services' Research-Based Web Design & Usability Guidelines. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed. Qualitative codes were developed using line-by-line open coding for all transcripts, and all transcripts were coded independently by at least 2 authors. Differences among coders were resolved with discussion.ResultsWe identified the following seven themes: (1) hire a strong (or at least the right) research team, (2) take time to plan before beginning the design process, (3) recognize that vendors and researchers have differing values, objectives, and language, (4) develop a detailed contract, (5) document all decisions and development activities, (6) use a content management system, and (7) allow extra time for testing and debugging your intervention. Each of these areas is discussed in detail, with supporting quotations from principal investigators and study coordinators.ConclusionsThe values held by members of each participating organization involved in the development of the online intervention or program, as well as the objectives that are trying to be met with the website, must be considered. These defined values and objectives should prompt an open and explicit discussion about the scope of work, budget, and other needs from the perspectives of each organization. Because of the complexity of developing online interventions, researchers and practitioners should become familiar with the process and how it may differ from the development and implementation of in-person interventions or programs. To assist with this, the intervention team should consider expanding the team to include experts in computer science or learning technologies, as well as taking advantage of institutional resources that will be needed for successful completion of the project. Finally, we describe the tradeoff between funds available for online intervention or program development and the complexity of the project.

Sharing Chinese Infrastructure Experience: Selected Best Practices in High-Speed Railway Projects

The rapid development of China’s high-speed railway sector has attracted significant attention from the rest of the world, particularly those countries which are launching their ambitious high speed railway program to stimulate economic growth in the aftermath of the global financial crisis. Experience of Chinese decision makers, engineers and contractors accumulated in the successful planning and implementation of the gigantic high speed rail networks is of great value to be examined to provide best practices to following projects, not just in China. This study identified and discussed four aspects of best practices in high-speed railway construction in China, i.e., workforce management, technological innovation, land acquisition, and environmental protection based on a comparative analysis of several newly built high-speed railway project cases.

Engaging Students in Gerontological Work Through Innovative Caregiving Programming: Introduction to Three Brief Reports

The number of Americans aged 65 and older is projected to increase from 35 million to 88.5 million in the first half of the 21st century. However, there is a serious gap between the number of health care and social service practitioners needed to work with the aging and the number available and trained to do so. The authors review current research on what works in engaging students in geriatric and gerontological work. The authors then present three projects from the Weinberg Caregiver Initiative as illustrations of innovative caregiver programming building on community-based partnerships which successfully incorporate aspects of best practices in gerontological education to increase student interest in work with the aging populations, while serving older adults and their caregivers.

Use and misuse of the concept of culture

Culture is an all-pervading construct of human existence but its conceptualization is contested. As such, it is problematic to define or measure culture as different paradigms adopt radically different approaches. Emic approaches are, essentially, inward-looking and, via a constructivist paradigm, assert that a culture can be investigated validly only from that culture’s own perspective (idiographic). Etic approaches are concerned with an outside view, especially for cross-cultural investigations, and so tend to adopt a positivist perspective using surveys, models and dimensions (nomothetic). With increasing acceptance of varying conceptualizations, multiple methodologies and methods of research, founded on alternative philosophical stances, differing approaches to researching culture are pursued. However, several important issues of debate remain and are addressed, especially surrounding the seminal work of Geert Hofstede. Further concerns relate to levels of analyses (notably, the ecological fallacy and its reverse), scales of measurement for data collection and analysis, and their combination into indices. How people adapt to and accommodate different cultures is addressed, including structuring of organizational relationships (alliances, etc.) and the enduring debate over whether culture can be managed and the likely consequences of cultural management endeavours. Thus, the approach of positive criticism is adopted in this review of theory and literature to address the main issues in both the topic of culture and its philosophical underpinnings, and of how research methodologies and methods have been used in researching culture. Aspects of good practice and of less good practice are identified throughout to assist researchers and to stimulate further rigorous research into culture in construction. Primary findings emphasize the imperative of coherent and consistent uses of models and levels of analysis, care and rigour in use of scales and attention to the impacts of language and culture on data from respondents.

Standards of care in neuromuscular fields

There is general consensus that consensus guidelines for care standards are an important tool to provide both healthcare professionals and the patient community with up to date information about all aspects of best practices in a specific disease area. The specific development of care guidelines for neuromuscular diseases poses a number of challenges. All neuromuscular diseases are rare and many show a broad spectrum of clinical and genetic heterogeneity. A paucity of randomized controlled trials for most conditions means that best-practice care guidelines are often non-existent or poorly developed. Where they exist, healthcare professionals may be unaware of them. In many cases the lack of care guidelines contributes to a lack of clinical trial activity, as the implementation of care guidelines is also a prerequisite for a reliable comparison of outcome measures in clinical trials, especially in the neuromuscular disease field, where trials are normally multi-centric and international. Over the past years there have been various collaborative efforts to achieve trial readiness for a number of neuromuscular diseases by establishing care guidelines, patient registries and networks of care and trial sites. For some of the most common neuromuscular diseases like spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) there are now international care guidelines for healthcare professionals and patients and families. Key factors that have helped to establish these care guidelines were the involvement of patient organizations, translational research networks, and health agencies and combining existing evidence with consensus among a large number of experts in different care areas. Once care guidelines have been established, it is important to disseminate them to the stakeholder community through clinics, meetings, journal and website publications, media interviews, patient registries and professional training courses. It is also crucial to keep care guidelines updated and to take new therapeutic developments and health research outcomes into account. Once care guidelines have been agreed and disseminated, it then becomes important to monitor their implementation and to assess whether they do indeed have a positive impact on health. This is particularly important for guidelines that are based on expert opinions that lack higher levels of evidence. Finally, we need to better understand why, despite agreed upon care guidelines for various neuromuscular diseases, many patients do not receive the treatment they describe.