Attitudinal Scale Research Articles

Rabies-preventive health program for mothers in maternal and child health centers: quasi experimental study

BackgroundRabies spreads to people and animals via saliva, usually through bites, scratches, or direct contact with mucosa (e.g. eyes, mouth, or open wounds). Rabies remains a major public health problem in Egypt, with an estimated 60 people dying annually from the disease.AimThe aim of this study was to assess the effect of preventive program on mothers' awareness for prevention of rabies.Study designQuasi-experimental research design was utilized in this study.SettingThis study was conducted at three major Maternal and child centers (Botors, Embaby and Segar) in Tanta City.SampleA total sample of 150 mothers who attended the child clinic with children aged 6–12 years.ToolsResearchers developed three tools for data collection. The tools underwent content validity assessment, and their internal consistency was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Structured interviewing questionnaire for assessment of mothers’ knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding rabies Tool I, Mothers' knowledge regarding rabies questionnaire. This tool consisted of two parts: demographic characteristics of the studied mothers and mothers’ knowledge about rabies. Tool II, Rabies attitudinal Likert scale. Tool III, Mothers reported practice Questionnaire.ResultsFrom the obtained results, it was found that, a statistically significant correlation was found between mothers' total knowledge scores, attitude and total practice scores, both before and after the implementation of the rabies prevention program.ConclusionIt was concluded that the rabies- preventive health program had a positive impact on mother’s knowledge, attitude and practices regarding rabies. The mean knowledge score improved from 14.08 before preventive program to 20.90 one month posttest. Negative attitude of the studied mothers was 48% before program but it reduced to 1.3% one month after preventive program. Only 13.35% of the participants had satisfactory level of practice before program and increased to 83.30% one month posttest.RecommendationsDissemination of the program through mass media campaigns and community outreach activities to enhance public knowledge, improve attitudes, and promote better practices regarding rabies prevention and control measures.

Laboratory Adequacy and Students’ Attitude: the Determinant of Educational Outcome in Chemistry Practical in Secondary Schools in Ibadan Less City, Nigeria

Chemistry practical helps pupils to understand chemical concepts and create their own learning. Studies have revealed inadequate practical works in chemistry, and identified factors that may be responsible for this fallout with a view to improving the situation but the problem still persists. This study therefore examined if laboratory adequacy and students’ attitude will predict students’ learning outcome in chemistry practical. The population of the study comprised one 150 students and 10 teachers from 5 public senior secondary schools in Ibadan less city, Nigeria. The instruments used are: Chemistry Laboratory Adequacy Inventory (r=0.79), Chemistry Practical Achievement Test (CPAT) (r = 0.81), Students’ Attitudinal Scale (r=0.76). Descriptive and inferential statistics were used. The results revealed: students’ positive attitude in chemistry practical, students’ low achievement, inadequate laboratory facilities. Furthermore, it was revealed that laboratory facilities (β=.022P>.05); students’ attitude in chemistry practical (β=-.102,P >.05); are weak predictors of students’ achievement in chemistry practical. The study therefore recommends that chemistry teachers should improve on teaching chemistry practical, the Government at various levels should endeavor to build science laboratory, employ more chemistry teachers and supply schools with laboratory facilities

Developing a Scale Measuring Comprehensive Sex Education Attitudes in K-12 Schools (CSEA-K12)

ABSTRACT Comprehensive sex education (CSE) is linked to several favorable health outcomes yet is consistently underfunded and under-implemented. This is likely due to the perceived controversy of CSE, but research indicates that CSE in the K-12 system is widely supported in most areas of the U.S. Legislators, school board members, and funding agencies need a more thorough and accurate understanding of their communities’ attitudes toward CSE. An attitudinal scale for the general adult population could help generate research that would give these stakeholders the confidence they need to make decisions about CSE in their local areas. The current study created this needed scale using a structured 6-step process that integrated several methods establishing validity and reliability. Scale structure was tested using both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, in addition to invariance testing and validity checks. The scale performed similarly across several groups and met predictions for known-groups and predictive validity, while showing some evidence for convergent validity as well. However, although findings indicate that the one-factor model of the CSEA-K12 was the best fitting model, the fit was weaker than desired. Suggestions for future work further addressing internal consistency of the scale are noted.

Exploring community attitudes towards people labelled as institutional child sex offenders

The sexual abuse of children perpetrated by persons who gain access to the child through their roles within child serving institutions, referred to here as institutional child sexual abuse, appears underexplored within the research community despite gaining considerable attention in the media. This study is a preliminary exploration of the stigmatization of individuals labelled as institutional child sexual offenders (ICSO). We recruited 347 community-based participants for an online survey regarding their desired social distance from, and attitudes towards, people labelled as ICSO as compared to those labelled as sexual offenders (SO). We utilized the CATSO, an 18-item attitudinal scale that measures attitudes towards people labelled as sex offenders, and the Bogardus social distance scale which measures the desired level of distance from outgroups. ICSO condition scores were higher than SO scores on the CATSO and lower than SO scores on the Bogardus. Scores for both scales indicate more negative attitudes and increased social desistance towards people labelled as ICSO than towards those labelled as SO. These preliminary findings support the identification of people labelled as ICSO as unique SO subgroup.

"We Can Do Better": Developing Attitudinal Scales Relevant to LGBTQ2S+ Issues-A Primer on Best Practice Recommendations for Beginners in Scale Development.

In this primer, following best practice recommendations and drawing upon their own expertise in psychometrics, the authors provide a step-by-step guide for developing measures relevant to sexual- and gender-marginalized persons (SGMPs). To ensure that readers operate from a uniform understanding, definitions for central elements of psychometric testing (e.g., reliability and validity) are provided. Then, detailed information is given about developing and refining scale items. Strategies designed to reduce a pool of items to a manageable number are also highlighted. The authors conclude this primer by discussing various forms of validation (e.g., convergent, discriminant, and known groups). To further readers' understanding, illustrative examples from measures designed for SGMPs are brought into focus throughout.

Use of an application that extracts and consolidates adverse events and concomitant medication data from clinical systems to increase clinical trial data entry efficiency, trust, and satisfaction.

e13651 Background: Manual abstraction of data from a site’s clinical systems to a biopharmaceutical firm’s electronic data capture (EDC) system is inefficient and error prone. In partnership with data managers (DMs), we used a human-centered design thinking methodology to create a web application, CTDataHub, to reduce the effort associated with this process. CTDataHub extracts and consolidates adverse events (AE) and concomitant medications (ConMed) data from clinical systems and displays it in a user-friendly view for easy entry into EDCs. Methods: CTDataHub was launched to DMs in July 2023 at a large, high-volume academic cancer center. To evaluate the App’s impact on DMs, we assessed: 1) App usage, 2) data entry efficiency, 3) trust in data (data is correct to enter in sponsor EDC) assessed via a 5-point Likert attitudinal trust scale, and 4) satisfaction using Net Promoter Score (NPS) by comparing two surveys. Survey 1 (S1) was sent to 313 DMs prior to receiving access to CTDataHub to establish a baseline. Survey 2 (S2) was sent to meaningful users of CTDataHub; those who used the App and viewed data pages at least 10 times between 09/01/23-10/31/23. Behavioral usage on CTDataHub was tracked using Heap Analytics. Results: App Use: S1 had a 72% response rate (n=225), and S2 had a 51% response rate (n=30); with all respondents of S2 completing S1. Meaningful use DMs sent S2 (59) used CTDataHub to view data 3,094 times, with 76% copying data values directly from the App (1,033 times) for abstraction. Data Entry Efficiency: On average, S1 respondents spend 10.2 hours/week abstracting AEs and ConMeds. In S2, the App increased DM efficiency by reducing average data abstraction time 18% (2h). Most respondents (70%, n=21) reported CTDataHub increased efficiency, 20% (n=6) noted no impact, and 10% (n=3) reported decreased efficiency by 18%. Notably, time savings were greater for DMs who used the App who were new to their role (<1 year) versus seasoned DMs (>1 year); 24% vs. 13%. Trust in Data:DMs responded that CTDataHub was more likely to correctly retrieve ConMed and AE data when compared to their manual methods (4.07 mean (n=30) vs. 3.4 mean (n=225) on a 5-point Likert trust scale. App User Satisfaction:NPS for CTDataHub versus DM standard workflows using various clinical systems (on average 2.5 systems) used for data entry was 23 compared to 4, likely due to its ease-of-use. Conclusions: CTDataHub decreased data abstraction times for AEs and ConMeds for 70% of meaningful users by an average of 2h/week relative to other clinical systems. In addition to DM satisfaction, the App increased trust in data being abstracted. The App will be enhanced with additional data sets (site local labs, vitals, tumor response) and automated EHR2EDC capabilities in 2024.

Evaluation of a web-based, interactive guide to enhance patient-clinician electronic communication.

e13659 Background: Secure messaging (SM) enables patients to ask clinicians questions asynchronously. Benefits include enhancing patient engagement, contributing to oral chemotherapy adherence, and lowering symptom distress. However, patients are unsure how to address concerns effectively, and clinicians find it challenging to decipher patients’ needs within messages. Coupled with clinicians not having adequate time to respond to messages, breakdowns in communication are common. We developed an interactive guide to help patients with cancer craft effective secure messages. It featured an oncologist providing strategies to write messages with specificity, expressing concerns, stating needs, being direct, and included a downloadable tip sheet. Methods: Patients 18+ with a current cancer diagnosis who were enrolled in the portal at a large health center were recruited. Between October 2023 and January 2024, participants were sent a link to interact with the guide, followed by a survey. The survey included several measures: 1) Communication and Attitudinal Self-Efficacy scale for cancer (CASE-cancer); 2) Digital Behavior Change Intervention (DBCI) Engagement Scale; 3) Website User Satisfaction questionnaire (WUS); 4) Acceptability of Intervention Measure (AIM); 5) Intervention Appropriateness Measure (IAM). We used R version 4.3.2 for the descriptive analysis. The Wilcoxon rank-sum test compared groups by demographic categories. The local IRB approved this study. Results: One hundred patients participated. Median age was 64 years (range=21-86), 54% male, 83% white, 35% diagnosed with prostate cancer, 35% lung cancer, and 23% hematologic cancer. Respondents reported high levels of self-efficacy based on CASE-cancer (mean 43.3 of 48). Respondents averaged 15 minutes using the guide. 96% thought the guide’s content was presented clearly, 95% found it easy to understand, 90% enjoyed using it, 89% thought the guide was suitable, and 88% could rely on its information. Results by demographic categories found that non-white respondents (M = 43.0) were significantly more engaged than white respondents (M = 28.4), P = 0.038 , and those with a bachelor’s degree+ (M = 96.5) had higher satisfaction than those without (M = 91.6), P = 0.025. Conclusions: Patients with cancer embraced an interactive guide that provided strategies to craft secure messages. They found it engaging, satisfying, acceptable, and appropriate, with racially minoritized patients being most engaged. As SM is a widely used tool for patient-clinician communication, it is crucial to concentrate on the way messages are constructed. We found potential to improve patients’ message-writing techniques, which could result in clinicians writing more complete answers to questions. Additionally, there is the possibility to enhance underserved patients’ communication skills and make them more engaged in their care.

Methods to develop and evaluate attitudinal scales to measure farmer perceptions: Using sheep scab as an example.

There is limited information on the attitudes and opinions of British sheep farmers when preventing and managing sheep scab in their flocks. Attitudes are examples of latent traits, which are not directly observable. They must be measured indirectly which can be achieved using measurement scales. Attitudinal measurement scales are used frequently in research, but are seldom evaluated prior to use, particularly in veterinary research. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify and assess latent traits which influence the control of sheep scab with the use of exploratory factor analysis, and then further evaluate these factors with the use of item response theory to determine how they perform as scales. An online survey was completed by 726 British sheep farmers during October 2021 (725 useable responses), which included a section with 37 belief statements related to the opinions and attitudes of sheep farmers around the management of sheep scab. These belief statements were developed and adapted from previous research. During the analysis, they were subjected to exploratory factor analysis, which suggested that the scales performed reasonably well. The scales were then evaluated further by item response theory. The graded response models for each attitudinal scale were assessed by graphical evaluation. They demonstrated that the scales were able to distinguish those respondents with low perceptions of control, responsibility, and trust, and those who had high perceptions of luck. This study provides insights into some of the factors influencing the management of sheep scab, and how well these scales perform. Additionally, it further highlights the importance of evaluating attitudinal scales for use in research, and that exploratory factor analysis alone does not provide enough information on how well they perform.

The use and perception of question tags in Trinidadian English

Abstract This study presents an analysis of the use and perception of variant question tags and the seven invariant forms eh, ent, nah, OK, not so, right, and you know in Trinidadian English. The analysis of use is based on four dialogue text types from the Trinidad and Tobago component of the International Corpus of English and takes a variationist approach. The analysis of the perception is based on a survey that combines a multiple-choice test, where participants were presented with different dialogue scenarios and had to select the form they found most appropriate, and an indirect language attitude test, in which participants rated the use of the eight question tags on attitudinal scales and added open comments. The usage and perception profiles of the eight forms largely overlap but there are marked differences for individual forms.

Wine Attitude Scale for Consumer Research (WASCR): Scale Development and Validation in Spanish Population

Wine is a fundamental cultural and economic asset for Spain and other European’s countries. Understanding the consumer behavior is of great importance in designing marketing strategies to promote and encourage a product purchase. This research proposes developing and validating an attitudinal scale of the consumer outlook toward wine consumption. A total of 2,189 participants from the Sherry wine region (Andalusia, Spain) participated in the study. A resulting 16-item scale was estimated to meet the reliability criteria and the Principal Component Analysis after exploring the results. Three dimensions were found: one that integrate consumer experiences (Wine Experience), the elements related to the healthy perception of wine consumption (Health Consumption) and those related to factors linked to the social nature of wine consumption (Social Consumption). The Wine Attitude Scale for Consumer Research (WASCR) it has potential use for segmenting different consumer profiles and to be useful tool for wine producers. Therefore, the scale is proposed for use in different research contexts and other populations of interest in future studies.

Code of the Street25 Years Later: Lasting Legacies, Empirical Status, and Future Directions

This review, published on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the publication of Code of the Street (1999), considers the legacies of Elijah Anderson's groundbreaking analysis of the interactional rules for negotiating street violence within the context of racism and structural disadvantage in Philadelphia. Empirical testing has yielded substantial support for Code of the Street’s key arguments. In the process of assessing its generalizability, such scholarship has inadvertently flattened and decontextualized the theory by, for example, reducing it to attitudinal scales. We identify a more politically conscious analysis in the original text than it is generally credited with, which we use to argue that “code of the street” has outgrown its reductive categorization as a subcultural theory. We conclude that the pressing issue of urban gun violence makes now an ideal time to refresh the theory by resituating it within the contemporary structural and cultural landscape of urban violence, analyzing the social-ecological features that shape the normative underpinnings of interpersonal violence, and studying the prosocial and adaptive features of the code.

Patient-reported experiences and satisfaction with head and neck surgery outreach clinics in regional New South Wales, Australia: A cross-sectional survey.

Head and neck surgery services are increasingly being centralised in Australia. Outreach models can overcome burdens of travel that patients in regional and rural areas experience when attending routine appointments, by providing services closer to home. To explore patient-reported experiences and satisfaction with regional outreach services for head and neck surgery in Australia. Patients who attended two regional outreach clinics in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, were surveyed over a 6-month period. Patients completed the Outpatient Cancer Clinics Survey (2020 version) that explored perceptions and experiences of the clinic. Patients with cancer were asked to complete the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System and the Communication and Attitudinal Self-Efficacy scale. Descriptive statistics and analysis of data was performed, and results were compared to the NSW statewide Outpatient Cancer Clinics Survey (2020). Content analysis of free text responses was performed. Some 128 patients responded (56% response rate; mean age 67.2 years, 46.1% female). Compared to the 2020 NSW survey, a higher proportion of patients in our cohort responded positively to 14 of the 26 questions, with the greatest differences observed for questions regarding waiting area comfort (+12.1%, p = 0.008), being informed about different treatment options (+9.5%, p = 0.04), and issues relating to parking (+9.5%, p = 0.03). A lower proportion of our sample responded positively to the question about whether health professionals knew enough about their medical history (-19.3%, p < 0.001). Respondents appreciated having a local clinic that helped them avoid travel to major cities and associated expenses and highlighted benefits of expert consultation and timeliness of investigations. However, cost of appointments and level of reimbursements remain barriers for some patients. Patients had a high level of satisfaction with regional outreach clinics for head and neck surgery across most domains, indicating patients highly value this service.

Role of Demographics in Acculturation Stress Among Inter-caste Married Individuals

Acculturative stress is linked to an increase in mental health concerns, such as depression, anxiety, loneliness, and hopelessness. This study investigates the role of demographics in acculturation stress in inter-caste married people. In India, most of the communities did not openly state that an individual from other castes was not to be married, but that it deliberately encouraged marriages from the same castes to support society. However, due to the urbanization, globalization amongst Indian youth ready to marry other caste. This study investigates the role of demographics in acculturation stress amongst inter-caste married individuals. Seventy-four inter-caste married individuals were selected through purposive sampling, and the data were collected with the help of the Social, Attitudinal, Familial, and Environmental (SAFE) Acculturation stress scale developed by Mena, Padilla, and Maldonado (1987). The results revealed that there is significant difference in acculturation stress amongst inter-caste married individuals based on duration of the marriage and income of the family. There is no significant difference in acculturation stress based on gender, area of living, and types of family. It concluded that acculturation stress has an important role in the inter-caste marriage. The lack of support from family, friends, and society contributes to increased acculturation stress of inter-caste married individuals.

Comparing psychological distress in Australians before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT Objective To determine if psychological distress has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to identify predictors of distress. Method Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) scores from nationally representative Australian samples before (n = 955) and during (n = 1173) the pandemic were compared. The pandemic sample also completed additional COVID-19 attitudinal scales. Results The pandemic sample reported significantly higher distress than the pre-pandemic sample, especially among Melbourne residents, women, and younger and older Australians. Stress attributed to COVID-19, feeling the pandemic management is out of control, and an unwillingness to vaccinate were also predictive of psychological distress. Conclusions Women, youth, and Melbourne residents were most vulnerable to the negative effects of COVID-19 on wellbeing, while feelings related to a loss of control, stress about the virus, and vaccine hesitancy may have also contributed to psychological distress.

The Polarization of Orientation Amongst The Local on Cultural Land Utilization for Ecotourism Development in Ranah Minang Sumatera Barat

The dynamics of problems related to land occupation, ownership of cultural land, and agricultural land in Indonesia, especially in Ranah Minang, West Sumatra, have become so serious they need to be solved first before trying to achieve the ideals of sustainable development. The research methodology used in this study was a phenomenological approach. The data were analyzed through the One Score-One Criterion Scoring System. The mean values obtained for the phenomenon of cultural land-use patterns in the region were very good in many aspects. On the other hand, the dynamics of stakeholder perceptions, motivations, and preferences did not indicate any directional bias or attitudinal scale among actors over the use of cultural land. This would be different if observed in the dynamics of perception and ecotourism motivation by generating inferences of the direction polarization and attitude scale among actors. The strategy for this purpose was to optimize various aspects of land-use patterns for ecotourism development: 1) strengthening the function of cultural lands as precious treasure; 2) creating a communal business field; 3) optimizing the productivity of agricultural commodities as added value for land users; 4) establishing no-building zones in certain strategic areas as well as providing incentives to land users.

Facilitating Independent and Collective Writing Skill Proficiency: The Think-Pair-Share Strategy Involvement

Purpose: This study investigated the effects of Think-Pair-Share (TPS) strategy and the Conventional method on students’ performance and attitude to essay writing in senior secondary schools in Ondo State.&#x0D; Methodology: The study adopted a quasi-experimental pre-test post-test two-group design as well as a descriptive survey-type design. The population for the study comprised all the public Senior Secondary School (SSS) III students of the 2021/2022 Session in Ondo State. The sample for this study was 65 SSS III students that were selected purposively. The two instruments used for this study are Essay Writing Attitudinal Scale and Students’ Socio-economic Background Status (EWASSSBS) and the Essay Writing Performance Test (EWPT). The reliability of EWPT was established through the test re-test method and a reliability coefficient of 0.70 was obtained while a reliability of EWASSSBS was obtained. The scores of the respondents from single administration were subjected to the Cronbach Alpha Reliability Co-efficient test and 0.82 was obtained.&#x0D; Findings: The outcome revealed a substantial difference between the two groups Post-Treatment Performance Scores. The post-treatment performance means score for the TPS group was 15.67, whereas the post-performance mean score for the conventional group was 12.63. The results also showed that students who were taught essay writing utilising the TPS technique had a significantly different attitude.&#x0D; Unique Contribution to Theory, Policy, and Practice: The study concluded that the TPS strategy enables student involvement in the learning process. The teachers encourage learning rather than being the exclusive source of knowledge for the students. Through collaborative learning, students have the chance to exchange ideas, respond, think creatively, discuss, critique, and assist their peers in creating better essays. As a result, we recommend that the government should ensure that English Language teachers are trained on how to use TPS strategies at regular intervals so that they can supplement the conventional method of teaching essay writing in Nigerian schools.

Language intensive exposure in EFL curriculum:Attitudes towards the unlock textbook series at Birzeit University as a case study

Language-intensive exposure and immersion can be regarded as key factors in developing proficient language learners. In the context of teaching English as a foreign language (EFL), the current research was conducted to compare two modes of teaching English using the Unlock Textbook Series published by Cambridge University Press at Birzeit University, Palestine. This research effort aimed at investigating the intensive and non-intensive students’ attitudes towards the Unlock Textbook Series in addition to the effectiveness of the intensive and non-intensive modes of teaching based on EFL instructors’ perspectives. In a descriptive design, two quantitative instruments were utilized to obtain data; a student questionnaire was implemented with students from the two tracks; intensive and non-intensive, whereas an attitudinal scale was used to examine the effectiveness of the two modes of teaching according to EFL instructors’ perspectives. The participating students were (182) non-intensive and (100) intensive students. As for the instructors, fifteen (15) BZU instructors of English participated on the condition of teaching the two tracks. The findings revealed that there were statistically significant differences in the intensive and non-intensive students’ attitudes towards the Unlock Textbook Series based on students’ perspectives in favor of the intensive students. Additionally, it was shown that the intensive mode was more effective than the non-intensive based on instructors’ perspectives. Accordingly, some recommendations were suggested.

Views about neuromodulation interventions for depression by stakeholder group, treatment modality, and depression severity

BackgroundThe past few decades have seen the emergence both of new neuromodulation treatment protocols and novel applications of standard neuromodulation interventions in psychiatry. Yet little is known about different stakeholders' views about these interventions. MethodsWe administered an online survey with an embedded video vignette experiment to four national samples: the general public (N = 1022), caregivers for people with depression (N = 1026), patients living with depression (N = 1050), and board-certified psychiatrists (N = 505). We randomly assigned subjects to one of eight conditions in our full factorial design: four neuromodulation interventions [electroconvulsive therapy, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, deep brain stimulation, or adaptive brain implants] by two depression severity levels [moderate or severe]. In this paper we present results from ANOVA and linear regression models explaining how views about these four neuromodulation interventions—as measured in five attitudinal scales (general affect, perceived influence on self, perceived benefit, perceived risk, and perceived invasiveness)—vary by (1) intervention, (2) depression severity, and/or (3) stakeholder group. ResultsOur results provide evidence that psychiatrists views differ significantly in important ways from other stakeholder groups. Type of intervention also shaped participants' attitudes, including perceptions of invasiveness, effectiveness, and safety. ConclusionsGiven the differing affective valence among stakeholders and the differences found by modality and stakeholder groups across the different scales, future targeted educational initiatives could be developed to help address key misunderstandings and misinformed perceptions.

Surgical safety checklists in UK veterinary practice: Current implementation and attitudes towards their use.

Surgical safety checklist (SSC) use benefits veterinary patients, but endorsement and implementation are essential for these benefits to be observed. A cross-sectional survey assessed UK veterinary professionals' attitudes towards and usage of SSCs and identified factors associated with poorer attitude or failure to use SSCs. Of 513 respondents, 70% used SSCs. Of these, 87.1% used SSCs for every surgical procedure, 19.1% adapted SSCs for different procedures and 61.1% had a standard operating procedure detailing how to use SSCs. Attitudes towards SSC use were favourable, with increased positive attitude associated with employing at least one registered veterinary nurse with a post-qualifying qualification (p < 0.001), current SSC use (p < 0.001), undertaking self-directed reading (p = 0.033) or completing SSC-relevant post-qualification continuing professional development (p = 0.005). Factors associated with veterinary practices not using SSCs included Practice Standards Scheme (PSS) non-membership (odds ratio [OR] 2.0, 1.1-3.4), no RCVS hospital status (OR 1.9, 1.1-3.5) or being a mixed first-opinion veterinary practice (OR 2.4, 1.2-5.0). Study limitations include sampling methodology and non-validated attitudinal scale usage. Most respondents used SSCs. Familiarity, education and the RCVS PSS were associated with improved uptake and attitudes, but mixed practice was associated with reduced usage.

Academic library resources and research support services to English teachers in higher education institutions

This article intends to examine academic library resources and research support services for English teachers at higher education institutions. A sample of 318 English teachers from the public sector universities has been selected through the proportionate random sampling technique. A cross-sectional survey has been conducted to collect data using an attitudinal scale. The study findings of multiple regression confirm the prediction of research support services. It is concluded that academic library resources have favorable effects on research support services for English teachers at the public sector universities of the Punjab province.