Shift In Attitudes Research Articles

Shifts in Students' Attitudes Towards Pain Patients, Pain, and Opioid Management Following a Dedicated Medical School Pain Curriculum.

To examine the immediate effects of a comprehensive pain course on medical students' pre-existing perceptions and attitudes toward pain patients and opioid management. First-year medical students at a major academic medical center enrolled in a required pre-clerkship pain course in June 2020 and completed pre- and post-course online surveys with Likert-scale questions about their attitudes toward pain management and opioid-related issues. Additionally, the surveys included a free-text question where the students listed the first five words that came to mind when hearing the word "opioids". These words were categorized as "professional" or "lay" words and further as having "positive", "negative", or "neutral" connotations. Data analyses included descriptive statistics, as well as non-parametric and parametric tests. Fifty-four of the 119 students responded to pretest and posttest surveys and were included in paired analyses. There was a significant difference between the number of professional words used before (M=1.21, SD=0.97) and after the course (M=2.40 SD=1.33); t(52)=-6.39, P<0.001. Students also used more lay-positive words after the course (M=0.81, SD=0.63) than they used pre-course (M=0.23, SD=0.43); t(51)=-5.98, P<0.001. Students' post-course responses to several key Likert-scale questions showed significant shifts toward more positive attitudes about caring for patients with pain. For example, students acknowledged greater comfort in providing opioids for chronic pain (P<0.001) where appropriate, and enhanced interest in handling complex pain cases (P<0.001). Results showed that a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary pain course could greatly enhance first-year medical students' attitudes toward pain management, chronic pain patients, and the complex issues surrounding opioids.

융합기반 음악교육 프로그램 &lt;사운드스케이프 디자인&gt;의 효과성 및 의미 고찰

This study examines the perceptual changes of learners after implementing the convergence-based music education program, Soundscape Design, which focuses on the integration of music and science. The study also investigates the effectiveness and significance of the program. The purpose of this program is to provide students with meaningful artistic experiences by consciously paying attention to sound as "artists of life," creating music pieces with intention, and reflecting on sound and music. The program is divided into two parts: Part 1, "Understanding Sound," based on M. Schafer's concept of Soundscapes, and Part 2, consisting of "Soundscape Design" and "Reflection" phases. The results of the reflection questions show that through the Soundscape Design activities, students underwent changes in their perception of sound and music. They gained the realization that an artist is not necessarily a great figure, but rather an ordinary person like themselves, capable of becoming an artist, dealing with struggles. Moreover, their perception changed regarding artworks, understanding that art requires considerable time and effort, holds intention and meaning, provides new perspectives, and encompasses everyday life. These changes suggest a potential shift in students' attitudes toward art.

Discrimination malaise: exploring an unorthodox view

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the prejudice and discrimination constructs through the lens of a transcendent knowledge concept. Design/methodology/approach The paper seeks to demonstrate that Spiritism or Spiritist Doctrine (SD) – regarded here as a source of transcendent knowledge – offers compelling arguments and provides suitable explanations (i.e. transcendent ontology) in relation to the issue of discrimination Findings Overall, this paper contributes to a better understanding of diversity and inclusive perspectives by examining the antecedents and consequences of discrimination through the insightful lens of SD tenets. In this sense, the findings suggest that the discriminators and prejudiced people may ironically pass through – as a result of the law of cause and effect – the same hard situations (i.e. ordeals or nightmares) – even though in their future lives – that they impose in their current victims to forcefully open their minds, support universal values, enhance their own feelings and spiritual intelligence. Practical implications Evidence presented here (although conceptually in nature) could be somewhat integrated into training sections of diversity management. At a minimum, it may encourage the shift of attitudes, revision of embedded values and reflections about the spiritual consequences to the perpetrators of discrimination against minorities. Originality/value Taken as a whole, the SD tenets prompt us to understand that the acts of prejudice, stereotyping and discrimination engender suffering for their perpetrators, even in their future lives (i.e. reincarnations). Broadly speaking, the SD principles compel us to consider transcendent knowledge even in the context of organizational life.

The marital and fertility sentiment orientation of Chinese women and its influencing factors - An analysis based on natural language processing.

With the evolution of China's social structure and values, there has been a shift in attitudes towards marriage and fertility, with an increasing number of women holding diverse perspectives on these matters. In order to better comprehend the fundamental reasons behind these attitude changes and to provide a basis for targeted policymaking, this study employs natural language processing techniques to analyze the discourse of Chinese women. The study focused on analyzing 3,200 comments from Weibo, concentrating on six prominent topics linked to women's marriage and fertility. These topics were treated as research cases. The research employed natural language processing techniques, such as sentiment orientation analysis, Word2Vec, and TextRank. Firstly, the overall sentiment orientation of Chinese women toward marriage and fertility was largely pessimistic. Secondly, the factors contributing to this negative sentiment were categorized into four dimensions: social policies and rights protection, concerns related to parenting, values and beliefs associated with marriage and fertility, and family and societal culture. Based on these outcomes, the study proposed a range of mechanisms and pathways to enhance women's sentiment orientation towards marriage and fertility. These mechanisms encompass safeguarding women and children's rights, promoting parenting education, providing positive guidance on social media, and cultivating a diverse and inclusive social and cultural environment. The objective is to offer precise and comprehensive reference points for the formulation of policies that align more effectively with practical needs.

Persisting Shadows: Examining the Legacy of Gender Inequality in Chinese Family Dynamics and Resource Allocation

This study examines the persistent gender inequality in Chinese family dynamics, particularly focusing on the traditional preference for sons over daughters in resource allocation. It highlights the “Fu Di Mo” phenomenon, where women disproportionately support their brothers, reflecting deep-rooted patriarchal norms. The paper explores how these practices, rooted in historical cultural values, are perpetuated by economic and educational disparities. It argues for a multifaceted approach to address this inequality, involving policy reform, educational restructuring, and shifts in societal attitudes. The study emphasizes the need for comprehensive strategies to achieve gender equality in modern Chinese society.

Justice suspended: Rethinking institutions, regimentation, and channels from a human rights law perspective

AbstractThis article analyzes institutions as sites for political and social change by looking beyond regimentation and fixedness as the central discursive features of institutionalization. Drawing on research at the European Court of Human Rights—one of the world's most extensive human rights courts—I analyze how human rights actors redeploy normative institutional logics through creative approaches to institutional categories. I argue that lawyers and advocates working within the Court and Convention system naturalize and fix boundaries of law and politics and use that distinction to activate an excess of potential meanings and intertextual connections in legal judgments. This involves using institutional affordances to keep cases open and structure collaborative waiting. These strategies allow people to mutually inhabit open‐ended relationships to texts in intentional ways. In so doing, lawyers and activists defer resolving legal judgments—until new coalitions take political power, there are generational shifts in attitudes or shifts in geopolitical power arrangements that render state actors subject to diplomatic pressure. Analyzing how people improvise, learn, and teach others to manage institutional channels and excess opens up the black box of institutionality as a site for social transformation.

The Impact of an Undergraduate Community-Based Medical Education Program in a Japanese Urban City.

With an aging global population posing healthcare challenges, especially in community healthcare, training professionals for community healthcare remains a global educational challenge, including in Japan. While previous research shows increased student interest in community healthcare through practical experiences, the focus has primarily been on rural areas, leaving a gap in understanding urban-based community medical education. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of urban community-based medical education on students' understanding and attitudes toward community healthcare. This study was conducted at Kyushu University in Fukuoka City, the sixth-largest city in Japan. For fifth-grade medical students, a community-based medical education program is mandatory, with a one-week schedule that includes orientation, one day in a clinic, and three days in a community hospital. The program aimed to expose students to various healthcare settings, emphasizing outpatient care, inpatient management, home health care, home nursing, and rehabilitation. A self-administered questionnairereferencing the Model Core Curriculum for medical educationwas administered immediately before and after the program, and the differences in students' perceptions were assessed using the Student's t-test. Findings from 188 students completing both pre- and post-program questionnaires revealed significant improvements in perceptions of students' knowledge and skills related to community healthcare. After the training, there was a noteworthy positive shift in attitudes toward community healthcare and increased interest in primary care physicians as a career choice. Although students maintained a preference for urban areas, there was a notable inclination towards rural settings.The study highlights the program's success in enhancing students' understanding and positive attitudes toward community healthcare within an urban context. It challenges prior notions regarding work-life balance and urban-rural preferences in career choices. Urban community-based medical education significantly improved students' perceptions and attitudes toward community healthcare. It offers valuable insights for curriculum planners, emphasizing the need for continued research into sustained effects and broader applicability.

Sustainable Tourism Intentions: Extending the Theory of Planned Behavior

In recent years, there has been a notable shift in people's attitudes towards the environment, with an increasing emphasis on seeking out sustainable and eco-friendly destinations for their travel experiences. This evolving mindset has given rise to the pressing need for destinations to position themselves as a sustainable option. As the demand for services that prioritize sustainability continues to rise, the concept of a sustainable destination image has emerged as a pivotal marketing strategy to attract environmentally conscious tourists. This study employs the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) to delve into tourists' intentions toward sustainable tourism. investigate the sustainable intentions of tourists, a quantitative study has been conducted in Naples (Italy) with a sample size of 503 participants, including both Italian and foreign tourists. The SmartPLS tool was used to evaluate the measurement and structural models using the partial least squares structural equation modelling method (PLS-SEM). After evaluating the model, the research hypotheses are tested to measure the influence of Sustainable Tourism Intentions. This research makes a significant contribution to the Theory of Planned Behavior by introducing and integrating two innovative constructs: Environmental Awareness (EA) and Sustainable Destination Image (SDI). By incorporating these elements, this research sheds light on these factors' critical role in shaping sustainable tourism intentions. The study explores the relationship between sustainable tourism and tourist behaviors, advocating for a collaborative approach between governments and service providers to promote sustainability, with destination image playing a pivotal role in shaping tourist behavior. Governments can drive positive change through regulations and incentives for eco-friendly practices. Prioritizing a sustainable destination image is essential for attracting environmentally conscious tourists, who increasingly seek eco-friendly destinations.

Major League Baseball Labour Conflict and the Popularization of Fantasy Baseball

Fantasy sport constitutes a major force in the international sport industry, attracting 62.5 million participants in North America and millions more throughout the world. Despite the significance of fantasy sport, however, much scholarly work remains to be done on its history, participants, and relationships with the sports that make it possible. To that end, this article endeavors to shed light on the development of fantasy baseball throughout the 1980s and 1990s. While I have argued elsewhere that the advent of free agency in Major League Baseball (MLB) facilitated the invention of Rotisserie League Baseball in 1980, in this article I contend that the most influential factor in the evolution of the game since that time was not primarily the increased prevalence of the internet, as most scholars maintain, but rather a series of labour conflicts in MLB during the first two full decades of the free agency era. I examine three of the most consequential of those conflicts in order to assert that they helped perpetuate a shift in fan attitudes and behaviors that began with free agency and that played a critical role in popularizing not only fantasy baseball but all of fantasy sport.

Community radio in breaking the silence of gender-based violence in Tanzania: An analysis of Sengerema community radio

Gender-based violence (GBV) is a grave violation of human dignity that significantly impacts millions of individuals worldwide, with Sub-Saharan Africa facing severe challenges. This article examined the effectiveness of Sengerema community radio in addressing GBV within Tanzania. The research specifically investigates the level of community engagement in radio-based dialogues regarding GBV. Employing a mixed-methods approach and descriptive research design, data was gathered from a sample of 204 community members surveyed across five wards of the Sengerema District. Additionally, interviews and focus group discussions were conducted with radio programme producers and editors. The findings reveal that only 40 per cent of community members actively participate in radio programmes focused on GBV, with men displaying higher levels of engagement compared to women. While the radio has contributed to positive shifts in attitudes towards GBV, its capacity to expose and effectively address this issue through programming remains limited. The study identifies several challenges faced by the radio station in its endeavours to tackle GBV, including financial constraints, inadequate support from politicians and local government leaders, deeply entrenched cultural practices, and unfavourable programme scheduling. To enhance the radio’s effectiveness in addressing GBV, the study recommends increasing the number of programmes dedicated to this issue, involving local government leaders in broadcasting plans and scheduling programmes at times when they are accessible to a larger portion of the community.

Spiritual Intelligence in Education Exploring the Impact of Teachers' Spiritual Intelligence on Student Satisfaction in Higher Education Using Dyad Analysis

The present study investigates the impact of elements associated with teachers on student satisfaction. The study adopts a quantitative approach with a cross-sectional design. A questionnaire-based survey was conducted among teachers and students at the Higher Education Institutes of Karachi, Pakistan. Both on-site and online. A total of 21 HEC-recognized universities having business schools/management sciences departments were contacted and visited in Karachi. The sample design involves collecting data from 344 teacher-student dyads. Non-probability sampling is used due to the lack of a complete subject list. As a result, studying the effect of teachers' spiritual intelligence on student satisfaction can potentially lead to improved learning outcomes and academic performance. Enhancing spiritual intelligence assists individuals in developing a positive mindset and attaining inner tranquility. This shift in attitude enhances self-motivation and self-control and aids in alleviating the elevated stress levels often caused by the fast-paced nature of contemporary society.

The Perceived Impact of Substance Use Education on Social Work Students' Knowledge, Attitudes, and Skills.

In 2021, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) published a report revealing that over 46 million individuals in the United States had a substance use disorder (SUD). In the same year, a record number of drug-related overdose deaths were reported. Social workers play an important role in connecting with people who use substances and providing adequate care and treatment; yet, negative attitudes and lack of holistic knowledge about individuals who use substances create challenges in providing effective care. Social work curricula that integrates substance use content has been identified as one way to address this. A 14-week course was introduced in one institution's Master of Social Work curriculum with the goal of providing students with a comprehensive education on SUDs. Foundational knowledge and practical skill development were covered. Seventeen trained instructors taught a total of 1204 students between May 2020 and January 2022. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected to explore changes in student's self-perceived knowledge, attitudes, and skills related to substance use. Among those who completed the survey (N = 553), the majority felt that the course would have a positive impact on their future work and professional development. Specifically, 96.4% reported being satisfied or very satisfied with the course overall. Among those who completed a 30-day follow-up survey (n = 69), data revealed an increase in students' self-perceived knowledge, accompanied by a shift in attitudes and positive changes in self-perceived client-centered care skills. Findings from this article support the development, implementation, and evaluation of evidence-based substance use content within social work curricula. This has implications for improving knowledge, attitudes, and skills among social workers who work with people who use substances.

Attitudes toward stuttering of college students in the USA and China: A cross-cultural comparison using the POSHA-S

PurposeThis study compared the attitudes toward stuttering among college students in China and the USA using the POSHA-S survey, which assesses knowledge about stuttering and attitudes toward it. We investigated how cultural and social differences between the two groups influenced these attitudes. MethodsWe collected 199 responses to the POSHA-S survey from various universities in China and the USA. We conducted a statistical analysis of 15 summary scores generated from the POSHA-S to determine if there were significant differences in attitudes toward stuttering between the two groups. Additionally, we retrieved percentile ranks relative to the global POSHA-S database to compare attitudes in both groups with global median scores. ResultsThe study revealed that Chinese college students hold more negative attitudes toward stuttering compared to their American counterparts and the global median scores. We discussed the social and cultural factors that may contribute to these attitudes. Furthermore, our findings emphasized the importance of addressing the lack of accurate information about stuttering in China, which could be a key factor driving these negative attitudes. ConclusionThese results underscore the urgent need to raise awareness about stuttering and promote a shift in public attitudes, especially among college students in China, who play influential roles in society's future.

Change in attitudes and beliefs about implicit bias education: a demonstration among members of a police department

ABSTRACT Law enforcement organizations invest in ongoing education of employees on various topics concerning diversity, equity and accountability. Such education is designed to ensure the highest levels of performance and to earn the trust of the public. Traditional approaches to education, however, have proved challenging. The effectiveness of what passes as “training” is unregulated, and negative attitudes and beliefs about mandatory educational programs themselves may sabotage any possible benefits for policing. Utilizing a 2-wave, pre-/post-education panel design (N = 263), we demonstrate significant, even dramatic attitude and belief change among members of a police department concerning the value and importance of implicit bias education. That the program succeeded in promoting positive attitudes and beliefs offers a possible path forward given that law enforcement desires a rational, science-based approach to improving professional conduct and police-community relations, and given increased demands for implicit bias education as a component of police reform. Self-reported attitude change is most emphatically not an indication of reduction in bias in the trenches of policing. Nevertheless, positive shifts in attitudes and beliefs about bias education is a notable step forward as it likely reduces resistance to procedures and policies for individual and institutional reform that might otherwise remain elusive.

Measuring Veterinarian Professions' Readiness for Interprofessional Learning in a Pre- and Post-Intervention Study.

The integration of interprofessional collaboration is becoming increasingly crucial in veterinary care settings, emphasising the need for interprofessional education (IPE) in veterinary programmes. This study explores the readiness for interprofessional learning among German veterinary students, apprentices and related occupations before and after an interprofessional communication course. It assesses the impact of this course on the participants' attitudes using the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS). The course, offered in two iterations, combined asynchronous online modules, live seminars and practical training elements. The RIPLS was administered before and after the course to gauge attitude shifts towards interprofessional learning. Statistical analyses, including McNemar, Cohen's Kappa and exact Fisher tests, were employed to compare pre- and post-test responses. Despite challenges in participant linking, significant findings emerged between the student and apprentice groups in specific areas of the RIPLS, notably in the "Professional Identity" subscale post-course. However, correlations between face-to-face contact and RIPLS ratings were not observed, suggesting a need for more integrated interprofessional learning experiences. While some limitations in sample size and profession distribution hinder generalisability, this study indicates a high receptiveness to interprofessional learning in veterinary education, emphasising the potential for attitude changes with more interactive participation and programme adjustments.

Attitudes of medical students to electroconvulsive therapy

PurposeThis study aims to explore medical students’ attitudes to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). The authors sought to determine correlates of baseline attitudes to ECT and whether specific forms of ECT teaching improved attitudes to ECT during students’ psychiatry placement.Design/methodology/approachAt the beginning of their placement, fourth-year medical students completed a questionnaire capturing background information and baseline attitudes. A second questionnaire, in the second half of the placement, recorded educational and clinical experience gained on ECT during placement, in addition to attitudes at this timepoint. The authors measured attitude using a five-point Likert scale and defined a positive shift in attitude as an improvement of ≥ 1 point between the two time points.FindingsAt Timepoint 1, 66% reported a positive attitude to ECT. This was associated with having attended a lecture and with having read a professional article on ECT at some time before the psychiatry placement. Attitudes significantly improved during the placement (66% vs 95% positive). Students who attended a lecture on ECT were more likely to have a positive shift in attitude, as were students who experienced three or more teaching modalities.Practical implicationsPersonal, social and medical problems arise from treatment-resistant psychiatric disorders. ECT is a safe and effective treatment for such disorders.Originality/valueIt is hoped that this study will contribute to the development of medical education, so that lectures on ECT, and three or more teaching modalities, are incorporated into the undergraduate medical curriculum.

Developing a strategy to scale up place-based arts initiatives that support mental health and wellbeing: A realist evaluation of 'Arts for the Blues'.

Place-based arts initiatives are regarded as rooted in local need and as having capacity to engage local assets. However, many place-based arts initiatives remain poorly funded and short-lived, receiving little attention on how to scale up and sustain their activities. In this study we make a unique contribution to knowledge about scaling up place-based arts initiatives that support mental health and wellbeing through focusing on the example of 'Arts for the Blues', an arts-based psychological group intervention designed to reduce depression and improve wellbeing amongst primary care mental health service users in deprived communities. Methodologically, we used realist evaluation to refine the study's theoretical assumptions about scaling up, drawing on the lived and professional experiences of 225 diverse stakeholders' and frontline staff through a series of focus groups and evaluation questions at two stakeholders' events and four training days. Based on our findings, we recommend that to scale up place-based arts initiatives which support mental health and wellbeing: (i) the initiative needs to be adaptable, clear, collaborative, evidence-based, personalised and transformative; (ii) the organisation has to have a relevant need, have an understanding of the arts, has to have resources, inspiration and commitment from staff members, relevant skillsets and help from outside the organisation; (iii) at a policy level it is important to pay attention to attitude shifts towards the arts, meet rules, guidelines and standards expected from services, highlight gaps in provision, seek out early intervention and treatment options, and consider service delivery changes. The presence of champions at a local level and buy-in from managers, local leaders and policy makers are also needed alongside actively seeking to implement arts initiatives in different settings across geographical spread. Our theoretically-based and experientially-refined study provides the first ever scaling up framework developed for place-based arts initiatives that support the mental health and wellbeing, offering opportunities for spread and adoption of such projects in different organisational contexts, locally, nationally and internationally.

Private Universities in Nigeria: Their Emergence, Proliferation, Significance and Funding

The Nigerian public university education system has faced challenges in recent years, affecting the timely graduation of many students. The smaller number of universities, their insufficient enrolment spaces and frequent strikes by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have been greatly responsible for the problem. This has led to a shift in attitudes towards public universities, with parents and students increasingly patronizing private universities over them. This, in turn, has led to the proliferation of the said private universities. However, many students and parents cannot afford private universities due to high tuition fees since the institutions have to fund all their programmes and pay staff salaries and other administrative costs, which amount to a lot of expenses. This has led to a question of whether the Federal Government could partner with private universities to fund them, even if partially. This present study, therefore, argues that, given their usefulness, private universities should be encouraged and supported by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), which was established by the Nigerian government to support public tertiary institutions in the country.

Can trusted authorities change minds on anti-LGBTQ norms: Evidence from an experiment in Ghana.

Across numerous African societies, a prevalent resistance to LGBTQ rights is evident. While prominent strides have been made on LGBTQ rights in various parts of the world, the African context has witnessed limited progress. Public opinion polls indicate that influential figures have succeeded in altering public sentiment towards LGBTQ rights in Western countries, yet such progress remains elusive in the African context. Mechanisms effective in shifting public attitudes toward embracing LGBTQ rights remain largely unexplored, especially in the African context. In this paper, we consider whether endorsement messages conveyed by trusted authorities possess the potential to foster a shift in attitudes towards embracing LGBTQ rights among a nationally representative sample of respondents in Ghana. Through a factorial experiment, we find that there are varying impacts of messaging from distinct trusted authorities in shaping attitudes toward embracing LGBTQ rights. Notably, pro-LGBTQ messaging from traditional and co-partisan leaders yields modest effects, while messaging from religious leaders exhibits no discernible impact. These findings hold significance for determining strategic focal points in potential endeavors to advance LGBTQ rights within the African context.

Physical Educators’ Attitudes Toward Teaching Students With Disabilities After a Paralympic School Day Professional Development Program

Purpose: This study aimed to examine physical educators’ attitudes toward teaching students with disabilities in general physical education after participating in a Paralympic School Day professional development program. Methods: Elementary through high school physical education teachers participated in a Paralympic School Day professional development program. Data from focus groups and written reflections were analyzed deductively and inductively using a three-step approach. Results: The analysis revealed five interrelated themes: (a) “you’re trying to accommodate everyone, and so it’s hard”; (b) “putting yourself in other people’s shoes”; (c) “I definitely want to use these ideas”; (d) “It made me think about all of my students”; and (e) “not talking is the hurtful action.” Discussion: Following the Paralympic School Day professional development program, physical educators described a shift in attitudes characterized by a desire to implement inclusive teaching practices and an enhanced focus on promoting conversations with individuals with disabilities.