Baccalaureate Program Research Articles

The Challenges of Social Work for Practical Major Students at Times of Crises from the Perspective of Mentors

This paper examines the challenges, as reported from the professors’ perspective, faced by students in their field course of a baccalaureate social work program during the coronavirus pandemic. The paper also proposes improvements in the field training course for use in any future crisis. Furthermore, it aims to highlight the importance of field training for the students. Using a qualitative approach, researchers interviewed a sample of eight faculty mentors (3 men and 5 women) who taught and supervised students in the baccalaureate programs from the University of Jordan, Al-Balqa' Applied University, and Dhofar University. Study results show that students face numerous challenges, such as lack of communication between them and the supervisors in the field institutions, student dissatisfaction with the concept and implementation of online-training training, struggle in learning basic skills to handle certain intervention situations, and the difficulty of applying these skills remotely. Recommendation: Increased use of smart devices and digital platforms during field practice. The creation of new education materials that include visual elements that can be used more interactively in an online environment.

Advocacy Skill Development in Public Health Education Curriculum: A Pilot Study.

The National Commission for Health Education Credentialing (NCHEC) released updated Responsibilities and Competencies for Health Education Specialists based on the 2020 HESPA II. For the first time, advocacy is a standalone area of responsibility (Area V: Advocacy) for health education specialists. Although this is exciting for the field of health education, there is limited consensus on how to effectively teach advocacy or what content and skills to include. Furthermore, while the HESPA II was updated, the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) criteria for advocacy have not been. This pilot study examined how CEPH-accredited programs in the United States are addressing the profession-wide advocacy competency in their health education curricula. A cross-sectional research design with single-point data collection was used to assess how CEPH-accredited university programs (including Standalone Baccalaureate Programs, Public Health Programs, and Schools of Public Health) are preparing health education students to meet the national advocacy responsibility. The survey included items from the Advocacy Area of Responsibility and potential barriers for faculty teaching advocacy. Results indicate that most programs are teaching something about advocacy, but there is no program teaching all listed sub-competencies. Barriers to including all components of the advocacy responsibility were largely related to faculty motivation, knowledge, and time. With a full responsibility area devoted to advocacy, it is reasonable to expect that programs will adjust with the profession. However, program administrators must be catalysts for these changes in their individual programs.

Exploring Economic & Workforce Development Alignment: A Content Analysis of California’s Community College Baccalaureate Program Applications

Objective: Community college baccalaureate (CCB) programs are expanding across the nation, particularly in California—home of the largest and most ethnically/racially diverse community college system in the nation. CCB programs provide many benefits, two of which include providing an accessible and affordable pathway towards baccalaureate attainment, and also meeting economic and workforce development (EWD) goals, particularly for students from historically minoritized communities. While the community colleges of the United States have historically provided accessible education that aligns with EWD, more can be learned about the strategies these institutions use to do so. Methods: Using a content analysis methodology, we examined the application proposals of the first 15 approved CCB programs in California to understand how these community colleges as aligned with EWD. Results: The findings we generated suggest that the first 15 approved California CCB colleges (1) utilized varied information and sources to understand their labor market conditions, (2) rarely acknowledged how their CCB programs would address student inequities in the labor market, and (3) were limited in articulating the specific practices, structures, and systems they would implement to be EWD-aligned. Conclusion: Policymakers, practitioners, and researchers can help ensure successful EWD alignment and equity by improving data systems to better understand labor market conditions, conducting more quantitative and qualitative research to capture students’ labor market experiences and outcomes, and comprehensively aligning college- and career-related practices, programs, structures, and systems.

Identifying the Role of Self-Compassion in Nursing Students' Perceptions of Readiness for Practice: A Mixed Methods Study.

Purpose of Study: Nursing students must be able to provide holistic, patient-centered, compassionate care upon entering professional practice despite the stress and psychological challenges of the healthcare environment. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between self-compassion, as a promoter, predictor and protector of psychological health, and perceived readiness for practice. Design of Study: This study used a convergent mixed-method design with correlational and directed content analyses. A convenience sample of undergraduate senior nursing students from baccalaureate programs in the Northeastern Region of the United States participated. Methods: Participants completed a 37-item online survey consisting of a demographic questionnaire, the Self-Compassion Scale Short Form (SCS-SF), and the Casey Fink Readiness for Practice Survey ©2008 (n = 82) followed by semi-structured online interviews (n = 18). Findings: Results indicated that self-compassion and support systems positively influence perceived readiness for professional nursing practice. Conclusions: The findings promote psychological health as a component of readiness for professional nursing practice and the incorporation of self-compassion development into nursing curriculum.

Pengaruh penggunaan learning management system dan motivasi berprestasi terhadap hasil belajar siswa program international baccalaureate di Sekolah Pelita Harapan Lippo Cikarang

This study aimed 1) to determine the effect of using Learning Management System (LMS) on student learning outcomes, 2) to determine the effect of achievement motivation on student learning outcomes, 3) to determine the effect of using LMS and achievement motivation simultaneously on student learning outcomes in the International Baccalaureate (IB) program at Sekolah Pelita Harapan Lippo Cikarang. The research method used is quantitative research method. The research sample amounted to 32 people who were the entire population of students in the IB program (saturation sampling). The results showed that 1) The use of LMS (X1) has a positive and significant effect on student learning outcomes (Y) at Sekolah Pelita Harapan (SPH) Lippo Cikarang. This is evidenced by the results of statistical tests where the use of LMS has a significance value of 0.000 <0.05 and the value of t count> t table (4.771> 2.045); 2) Achievement motivation (X2) does not have a positive and significant effect on student learning outcomes at Sekolah Pelita Harapan Lippo. Statistical tests show that the achievement motivation variable has a significance value of 0.309> 0.05 and the t value < t table (-1.037> 2.045); 3) The use of LMS (X1) and Achievement motivation (X2) simultaneously has a positive and significant effect on student learning outcomes (Y) at Sekolah Pelita Harapan Lippo Cikarang. This is evidenced by the statistical test results where the value of Sig. 0.000 <0.05 and the calculated F value is 12.687> 3.32. The test results of the Coefficient of Determination resulted in 0.467 or 46.7%. This means that the variables of LMS usage (X1) and Achievement motivation (X2) have an influence of 46.7% on student learning outcomes (Y), the remaining 53.3% is influenced by other factors.

Fountainhead School: The Training Dilemma

The teaching case ‘Fountainhead School: The Training Dilemma’ is a primary data case about a reputed school called Fountainhead based out of Surat offering the International Baccalaureate programme for all students from kindergarten to grade 12. The case is based on the problem of teacher turnover and goes on to touch upon various issues pertaining to human resource management. The case has a strategic focus on outcome-based human resource models. It will be useful for teaching undergraduate and graduate students of management, human resource and other social science disciplines.

„CAS to jest najtrudniejszy i najłatwiejszy przedmiot w szkole” – doświadczenia nauczycieli w programie matury międzynarodowej IB. Perspektywa interakcyjna

In the article, the focus is on the International Baccalaureate Program (IB DP), which places great emphasis on the comprehensive development of students by providing the necessary knowledge and practical skills while taking into account the student’s interests. Special attention is paid to the subject of CAS (i.e. creativity, activity, service) because when analysing the selected literature on the subject, we noticed that the topic of CAS, implemented as part of the international IB curriculum, is overlooked and not explored in pedagogical research. The issues discussed in the article are part of broader considerations devoted to the reconstruction of the social world of schools implementing the international baccalaureate program. The empirical material comes from 19 unstructured interviews with teachers of international schools in Poland and participant observations carried out in these institutions. Reaching for a qualitative research strategy and grounded methodology procedures, we reconstructed the methods of defining CAS by the surveyed teachers, as well as strategies for managing this subject. It turns out that CAS is perceived by the respondents as a distinguishing feature (showcase) of the international program, and the strategies (mentor and administrative) for managing this subject implemented by the coordinators are not permanent and absolute.

Civic Education and Lebanon

The purpose of Civic Education in Lebanon includes the structure of the government and the way it functions. Isn’t it civic desert? One should consider then, the meaning of civics. Civics does not focus on a course or a book, but rather on fundamental social learning. It is the need to lay the foundation for communication and critical thinking when encountering traditions in conflict with what one’s own. Yet schools have their role to play, by revealing secular values, for conflict affected areas can easily regress to violence. A menu of civics implement classroom discussion of current critical events. Yet, Lebanese schools are overtaken by the baccalaureate program which hardly gives any time to controversial issues. Teachers are important elements in teaching civics. They have to believe in what they teach, display it verbally, nonverbally and add ‘mindful learning’. Yet, one can visualize an array of socio-personal factors when issues are controversial, knowing that humans are resistant to change. To conclude, teaching quality in civics is to be ranked highly on the scholarly agenda and research is needed to better understand the improvement of civic education.

Valuation of the cultural adaptation and psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the hidden curriculum evaluation scale in nursing education

BackgroundThe hidden curriculum in baccalaureate nursing programs is a means of moral education. Evaluation of the curriculum by students and faculty can increase awareness of its characteristics, which could be useful for planning and further development. ObjectivesThis study’s aim was to translate the Hidden Curriculum Evaluation Scale in Nursing Education (HCES-N) to Chinese, adapt the scale to the Chinese culture and evaluate its validity and reliability in a sample of undergraduate nursing students. DesignPsychometric assessment of a tool using two cross-sectional surveys. SettingsUniversity-based schools of nursing in seven provinces and cities of China. ParticipantsUndergraduate nursing students in a baccalaureate program. MethodsThe English version of the HCES-N was translated to Chinese using the Brislin translation model. The test-retest, internal consistency and split-half reliabilities of the HCES-N were examined in a sample of 1016 undergraduate nursing students. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were conducted to examine the scale’s content validity. ResultsThe exploratory factor analysis of the final 44-item HCES-N revealed three common factors and a cumulative variance contribution rate of 73.535%. The results of the confirmatory factor analysis showed that the final 44-item, 3-factor model was adequate for the s cale’s structure (Chi-square/df = 6.59, RMSEA = 0.074, SRMR = 0.040, CFI = 0.911 and TLI = 0.905). The results confirmed that the Chinese version of HCES-N had good internal consistency (Cronbach α = 0.945); the scale’s split-half-reliability was 0.794 and its test-retest reliability after two weeks was 0.894. ConclusionThe Chinese version of the HCES-N has good reliability and validity and it can be used to assess the hidden curriculum in baccalaureate nursing programs.

STUDENT PERCEPTIONS AND EXPERIENCES IN THE INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF JAPAN AND CHINA

This study presents a comparative analysis of student perceptions and experiences within the International Baccalaureate (IB) programs in Japan and China. Through qualitative interviews with 25 Chinese and 21 Japanese students, the research explores motivations for pursuing the IB, challenges faced during the Diploma Programme, and the impact of IB education on university admissions and career choices. Findings reveal that while parental influence and the desire for international mobility are common motivations across both countries, distinct differences exist in the students' educational experiences, with Chinese students encountering more language barriers and greater reliance on private tutoring. Japanese students, many of whom are returnees, often use the IB as a route to bypass traditional entrance exams for local universities. The results highlight both the strengths and limitations of the IB program in preparing students for higher education and international opportunities, particularly in how it is perceived and integrated within national education systems.

Barriers and facilitators to the formation of professional identity among nursing students: A four-year longitudinal qualitative study

BackgroundNursing professional identity (NPI) is essential for nurses to develop their nursing profession. It reflects the competencies consistent with the professional practices of nurses and contributes to them providing better healthcare and public health. The formation process of NPI started with undergraduate nursing education and continued throughout the nursing career. ObjectiveTo explore nursing students' perceptions of facilitators and barriers to the formation of NPI during their study. MethodsA 4-year longitudinal, qualitative research design with yearly semi-structured interviews undertaken from 2019 to 2022. The reflexive thematic analysis methodology was applied for the data analysis. ResultsNinety-three nursing students were recruited, joining a group or individual interview. The four-year nursing baccalaureate program revealed a dynamic formation process of NPI: “Outsider of nursing”, “Entering the nursing courses”, “Building nursing competence”, and “Thinking and acting like a nurse”. A total of 12 themes were identified to present the barriers and facilitators to the NPI formation at different stages. Specifically, the six barriers include conflict between their ideals and reality, sociocultural stereotypes about nursing, the negative impact of COVID-19, the pre-internship concerns, struggling to meet expectations, and potential danger and discrimination in the healthcare settings. The enablers were: self-motivation and inner belief towards the nursing profession, the power of role models, the improvement of nursing capacity, well integration into the healthcare professional teams, understanding of the clinical environment, and recognition and encouragement from others. ConclusionsThe formation of nursing students' NPI is an ever-changing process, with various intrinsic and extrinsic influences during their four-year study. Nursing educators are suggested to prepare and develop students' professional comportment in their theoretical and clinical practice to develop their professional identity as a nurse.

Palliative and end-of-life care curricula in prelicensure nursing education

BackgroundHospice and palliative care are generally not taught in medical or nursing schools. AimThe study aimed to discover the palliative care self-competence of pre-licensure nursing faculty and to establish if the palliative care competencies from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing are utilized within nursing programs in the United States (U.S.). MethodsSurveys (1710) were emailed to accredited programs using a systematic sampling plan, yielding a 4.3% response rate. ResultsParticipants (N = 73), with 42% from associate degree (ADN) programs and 58% from baccalaureate (BSN) programs, reported they possessed the ability to meet the 17 palliative care competencies. Still, only ten of the 17 competencies were included in at least 75% of the programs. There were no statistically significant differences in perceived competence between faculty that taught in ADN compared to BSN programs (p = 0.138). A weak to moderate relationship was found between the faculty participants' reported palliative care self-competency and the presence of palliative care competencies in pre-licensure nursing programs in the U.S. ConclusionsThe results suggest that faculty need staff development and display an urgency to re-invigorate the promotion of palliative care nursing education for faculty and students.

Comparative Analysis of NCLEX-RN Questions: A Duel Between ChatGPT and Human Expertise.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to revolutionize nursing education. This study compared NCLEX-RN questions generated by AI and those created by nurse educators. Faculty of accredited baccalaureate programs were invited to participate. Likert-scale items for grammar and clarity of the item stem and distractors were compared using Mann-Whitney U, and yes/no questions about clinical relevance and complex terminology were analyzed using chi-square. A one-sample binomial test with confidence intervals evaluated participants' question preference (AI-generated or educator-written). Qualitative responses identified themes across faculty. Item clarity, grammar, and difficulty were similar for AI and educator-created questions. Clinical relevance and use of complex terminology was similar for all question pairs. Of the four sets with preference for one item, three were generated by AI. AI can assist faculty with item generation to prepare nursing students for the NCLEX-RN examination. Faculty expertise is necessary to refine questions written using both methods. [J Nurs Educ. 2023;62(12):679-687.].

Ib in Middle School (Ib Myp): A Case Study of Teachers’ Needs

This article presents the results of an empirical study of learners’ needs analysis to design a potential training course to adapt teachers to work in a middle school with International Baccalaureate (IB MYP) programs. The purpose of the study was to identify learning needs as well as gaps and expectations, preferred formats, amount of time that teachers in Russian schools have available for professional development courses in IB MYP programs. Using a survey method, the study identifies learning preferences of teachers as participants in a potential course: practice orientation, attention to documentation, preferred topics and formats of work. The learning needs analysis also revealed barriers that may prevent teachers from effectively engaging in professional development, including lack of time, conceptual complexity of the material, lack of institutional support and lack of professional guidance. The Learning Needs Analysis has proven to be a convenient, relatively simple, flexible, and effective tool for subsequent course design. The authors conclude that it is versatile for courses of varying focus and duration and suggest a number of ways to make the method more useful for understanding the learning context of specific groups by adding sociometric questions.

Facilitating Veteran Student Success: Experiences from an Accelerated BS Program

Background: Military Veterans (MVs) face unique challenges that are important to recognize when building supportive academic environments. There is a need to broaden our understanding of the diverse student population within academia, requiring us to hear their voices and deduce facilitators and barriers to their academic transition and success. Aim: The aim of this study was to explore the unique needs of MV students and understand obstacles and facilitators for successful transition and completion for MV students entering a civilian baccalaureate program. Method: This study was guided by a phenomenological approach; we conducted three focus group interviews with Veteran students (n = 17) and conducted verbatim transcription thematic analysis. Results: Three themes were identified that impacted student success: (1) military experience prepared me for academic challenges, (2) defining my new role, and (3) no one left behind. Specific exemplars for thematic components to support transitioning into a civilian academic program included incorporating a military liaison for academic guidance and mentoring, acknowledging baseline skills using competency-based cohorts, and facilitating opportunities for connecting with other Veterans. Conclusion: Preparation of faculty and staff to better understand MV’s specific needs in civilian academic environments is needed.

Third Culture Kids in Denmark: exploring code-switching patterns according to interlocutors and topic emotionality

ABSTRACT This mixed-methods study is among the first to explore code-switching (CS) patterns within the broader context of translanguaging in a unique multilingual population, namely Third Culture Kids (TCKs), who are extensively socialised in English through schooling and the expatriate community. Data were collected from 188 TCKs enrolled in the International Baccalaureate Programme at the same international school in Denmark. Participants spoke 60 different languages, with 42 first languages (L1s). English represented the largest language group, with 30% first language (L1) users, and 70% acquired later in life (LX). Results showed that TCKs diverged from previous studies regarding the frequency and direction of CS, reporting a decrease in use as the topic became emotionally charged, with a reverse direction in the switch from L1 to LX (English). Additionally, bivariate analysis and multiple regression models were conducted to explore the role of sociobiographical, language profile, and family language policy (FLP) factors in CS frequency according to interlocutors (family and friends, schoolmates, and strangers) and topic emotionality (non-emotional, emotional). This study not only enhances our understanding of TCKs’ underexplored linguistic abilities, but also contributes to both micro- (TCK’s household) and macro-level (expatriate community and international school) CS studies recognising TCKs as unique multilingual individuals.

Undue Burden the Medical School Application Process Places on Low-Income Latinos

Undue Burden the Medical School Application Process Places on Low-Income Latinos

Strategies for Diversity and Inclusion in Postsecondary Dance: How Five Baccalaureate Programs are Recalibrating

ABSTRACT The call for substantive curricular change in US postsecondary dance programs has taken on greater urgency since the racial and cultural divides of 2020, erupting within a landscape that included a global pandemic. In response, critical discussions are informing policies to counter academia’s embedded inequities as expressed through White, Western-centered curricula. Baccalaureate dance programs must determine how to actualize values encompassing diversity, equity, and inclusion, from course offerings and faculty hirings to entrance policies and performance opportunities. The authors examine how five dance major programs are meeting today’s societal and disciplinary shifts and the ways interdisciplinarity can support such efforts. The study reveals there is not one “best” path to decolonizing curricula. Yet, the authors found recurring strategies amongst this cohort of dance programs that successfully embrace the challenges put forward by today’s ever-changing world.

Student evaluation of a health history assessment with standardized patients

Background: Students previously reported they did not feel well prepared for health history assessment in the clinical setting. Students felt that more experience prior to beginning clinical would better prepare them to adequately complete a health history assessment.Methods: First semester nursing students in a pre-licensure baccalaureate program participated in a simulation where they collected health history data on a standardized patient prior to beginning hospital clinicals. Six weeks later, students evaluated the simulation’s effectiveness in preparing them for clinical.Results: Out of a 14-item survey, where agreement indicated effectiveness, two items had a mode of 0 (do not agree), five items had a mode of 1 (somewhat agree) and seven items had a mode of 2 (strongly agree). The mean of all questions was 1.31.Conclusions: Overall, students found the simulation beneficial and effective in preparing them to complete a health history assessment in the clinical setting.

Assessing the educational environment of baccalaureate nursing program as perceived by nursing students

This study aims at assessing the Educational Environment (EE) of the baccalaureate nursing programs as perceived by nursing students in public and private Iraqi Universities. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted to examine the level of nursing students' perception of EE in baccalaureate program. The findings show that the general perception for nursing programs was more positive than negative with a total score of (135.42/200), while students’ perception of learning and teaching was very high with a mean score of (M=37+ 6.39); secondly, students’ perception of teachers moving in the right direction showed a mean score (M=28+5.3). The third domain was students’ academic self-perception, wherein students felt more on the positive side with a mean score of (M=20.4+4.52). The fourth domain was students’ perception of the atmosphere, where the students felt that there had a more positive atmosphere, with a mean score of (M=30.8+7.25). The fifth domain was students’ social self-perception, where also students had not too bad scores. The quality of an EE is considered an indicator of the effectiveness of an educational program on students’ learning. A positive perception of nursing students about the educational environment was concluded. This study will develop practical aspects in the nursing work environment and help nurses to be able to challenge work difficulties and refine their psychology.