Canadian University Research Articles

“Staying in the present moment is important”: Examining the impact of a short-term classroom-based mindfulness intervention among first-year students

Objective: To determine the impact of four classroom-based sessions on mindfulness and symptoms of psychological distress among first-year students. A secondary objective was to explore participants’ involvement experiences. Participants: First-year undergraduate students at a Canadian university were recruited. Methods: A mixed-methods pre-experimental design with repeated measures was used. The mindfulness intervention involved four, 15-minute sessions delivered by a counselor from the university’s Student Health and Wellness center. Results: A significant positive change to participants’ mindfulness scores from pre- to post-intervention was observed. Qualitatively, themes relating to intervention benefits, challenges, and logistics emerged. Conclusions: Collectively, results supported the utility of this brief mindfulness intervention delivered to first-year students. Participants were appreciative of the techniques learned and the “in-class” delivery format. Given the pressures faced by post-secondary students, collaborating with student wellness centers in this way may represent a novel and efficient approach for attenuating health risks while promoting their personal wellness.

Examining the mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on international postsecondary students in Canada: A cross sectional analysis

Globally, the mental health challenges of university and college students are a considerable public health challenge that has been further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Across Canada, international postsecondary students have reported experiencing increase financial stress, lack of social support, racist aggression, and travel restrictions. This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the mental health impacts of COVID-19 on international postsecondary students in Canada. Data from 177 international students attending universities and colleges in Canada was collected over a 2-month period. Results suggest 36.2% of all students reported a high level of perceived stress, with moderate to severe anxiety and depression symptoms reported by 64.4% of the sample. Stress (p = 0.015) along with anxiety and depression (p = 0.019) were significantly higher in female study participants. Coping strategies related to engaging in activities of daily living were identified. Strategies to support international students' mental health and well-being during the pandemic and beyond have been put forward.

Doctoral Dissertations in Economics One-Hundred-Nineteenth Annual List

The list below specifies doctoral degrees conferred by U.S. and Canadian universities during academic year July 2021 to June 2022. Lists of degree recipients and subject classifications are provided by the university. Note: Dissertations without classifications may be found under “Y Miscellaneous Categories.”

Scholarly Networks, Gender Sociology, and Knowledge Production in Aegean Survey and Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology

Scholarly Networks, Gender Sociology, and Knowledge Production in Aegean Survey and Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology

Professors and Internationalization in Canada: Academic Disciplines and Global Activities

This paper examines professors’ perceptions of internationalization activities at Canadian universities using the findings of the Academic Profession in the Knowledge-based Society (APIKS) survey. The findings suggest academic disciplines are the organizing logic for diverse manifestations of internationalization within the same universities. Professors in the hard sciences are more likely to publish internationally while those in the arts and humanities are more likely to internationalize their curriculum. The findings are analysed contextually, pointing to the decentralization of Canadian higher education as well as university governance which has exacerbated, yet rarely recognized, these disciplinary divides. The paper calls for new conceptual understandings of internationalization that take into account disciplinary divides.

Is Anxiety Sensitivity Associated with COVID-19 Related Distress and Adherence among Emerging Adults?

We investigated whether anxiety sensitivity (AS) is associated with increased distress and adherence to public health guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic among undergraduates, and whether increased distress mediates the relationship between AS and increased adherence. An online cross-sectional survey was conducted with 1318 first- and second-year undergraduates (mean age of 19.2 years; 79.5% females) from five Canadian universities. Relevant subscales of the Substance Use Risk Profile Scale (SURPS) and the Big Five Inventory-10 (BFI-10) were used to assess AS and neuroticism. Three measures tapped distress: the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) for depressive symptoms, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) for anxiety symptoms, and the Brief COVID-19 Stress Scales (CSS-B) for COVID-19-specific distress. The COVID-19 Adherence scale (CAD) assessed adherence to COVID-19 containment measures. AS was significantly independently associated with higher general distress (both anxiety and depressive symptoms) and higher COVID-19-specific distress, after controlling age, sex, study site, and neuroticism. Moreover, AS indirectly predicted greater adherence to COVID-19 preventive measures through higher COVID-19-specific distress. Interventions targeting higher AS might be helpful for decreasing both general and COVID-19-specific distress, whereas interventions targeting lower AS might be helpful for increasing adherence to public health containment strategies, in undergraduates.

Anxiety provoking behaviors of nursing clinical instructors and effects on undergraduate nursing students' wellbeing: A mixed methods design

AimThis study aimed to investigate the relationships between anxiety-provoking teaching behaviors in clinical settings and nursing students’ self-reported anxiety levels, perceived quality of life and demographic characteristics. BackgroundAnxiety has been consistently reported in the literature as a major barrier to nursing education. Peplau's Interpersonal Relations Theory (1992, 1997) served as a theoretical framework in the study to explore anxiety-provoking teaching behaviors in clinical settings. DesignA cross-sectional, correlational, mixed methods design was used. MethodsFifty-eight participants were recruited from the undergraduate nursing program at a Canadian university in the spring of 2021. An online survey, including demographic characteristics, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and World Health Organization Quality of Life Instruments (WHOQOL-BREF), was distributed to the participants before a face-to-face interview. The interview was conducted by peer nursing students in the program to reduce the power imbalance relationship, given the sensitivity of the topic. The interview data were thematically analyzed and the subthemes were used to code the qualitative interview into quantitative data. Pearson's correlation was performed to analyze the relationships between the number of experienced anxiety-provoking teaching behaviors, the SATI and WHOQOL-BREF scores. ResultsThe qualitative findings revealed two main themes, interpersonal relations and instructional styles and ten anxiety-provoking teaching behaviors as the subthemes. A significant positive relationship was observed between the number of anxiety-provoking teaching behaviors reported and the SATI score (r = .392, p < .001) and a significant negative relationship was observed between the number of reported anxiety-provoking teaching behaviors and the WHOQOL-BREF score in the domain of psychological health (r = −.343, p = .008), thus indicating that a higher number of reported anxiety-provoking teaching behaviors correlated with greater anxiety and lower psychological health. ConclusionsThe study revealed that students’ perceptions of the clinical instructors' interpersonal relations and instructional styles significantly affected their anxiety levels and psychological health in life.

Imaginaries, Integration, and Resistance: The Case of Initiatives in Internationalization, Interculturalization and Indigenization in a Canadian University

This article reports on an ethnographically-informed case study of a Canadian university that is experiencing growth and systems change through three initiatives: internationalization, intercultural education, and Indigenization. The article describes the goals of internationalization and “interculturalization” (a term coined at the university) at the site of the case study. The study then examines points of convergence and tensions between internationalization and interculturalization and emerging Indigenization initiatives. The work draws upon conceptualizations of “imaginaries” in higher education, and identifies that plural imaginaries exist within a single institution, creating opportunities for convergence but also over–reach by particular actors. We conclude that imaginaries are a useful conceptual tool for understanding the broad-based goals of higher education and identifying their varied rationales and also for understanding intra-institutional dynamics.

Macro‐Political Structures, Change, and Stasis in Undergraduates' Political Identities in Canada and the United States – A Comparative Historical Analysis

AbstractAmerican research has found that change in political identification is a possible outcome of a university education, particularly in the liberal arts. By contrast, Canadian survey data collected in 1963, 1967, 2013, and 2017 point to there being no change in political identification on the part of undergraduates in a Canadian university with a liberal arts curriculum. In contrast to the United States, by means of cluster analyses conducted on the results of surveys of the American federal elections of 1964 and 2016, and the Canadian national elections of 1965 and 2015, I show that the political identification of two cohorts of Canadian undergraduates is more likely an artifact of the national multi‐party system in Canada than it is the result of a university education.

Correlates of Perceived Harmfulness of Regular Cannabis Use among Canadian University Students Before and After Legalization.

Among a prospective sample of Canadian university students, this study aimed to: 1) document changes in cannabis use and perceived harmfulness of use before and after the legalization of recreational cannabis; 2) examine correlates of perceived harmfulness; and 3) explore changes in perceived harmfulness as a function of cannabis use patterns. A random sample of 871 students at one western Canadian university were assessed pre- and post-legalization of recreational cannabis. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to explore changes in cannabis use and perceived harmfulness. A random effects model was developed to assess whether cannabis legalization was associated with perceptions of harmfulness of regular cannabis use. Twenty-six percent of the sample used cannabis during the past three months at both timepoints. The majority of the sample perceived regular cannabis use as a high-risk behaviour at each timepoint (57.3% and 60.9%, respectively). Results from the random effects model showed that after controlling for covariates, cannabis legalization was not associated with changes in perceived harmfulness. Perceptions of harm remained relatively stable regardless of cannabis use pattern. Respondents who endorsed cannabis use at both timepoints reported a significant increase in their frequency of cannabis use post-legalization. Legalization of cannabis for recreational use was not associated with substantive changes in perceptions of harm among post-secondary students, yet it might lead to increases in cannabis use among those who already use the substance. Ongoing monitoring of policies is needed, as are targeted public health initiatives to identify post-secondary students who are at risk for cannabis-related consequences.

Postoperative Inpatient Rehabilitation Does Not Increase Knee Function after Primary Total Knee Arthroplasty.

Inpatient rehabilitation (IR) is a common postoperative protocol after total knee replacement (TKA). Because IR is expensive and should therefore be justified, this study determined the difference in knee function one year after TKA in patients treated with IR or outpatient rehabilitation, fast-track rehabilitation (FTR) in particular, which also entails a reduced hospital length of stay. A total of 205 patients were included in this multi-center prospective cohort study. Of the patients, 104 had primary TKA at a German university hospital and received IR, while 101 had primary TKA at a Canadian university hospital and received FTR. Patients receiving IR or FTR were matched by pre-operative demographics and knee function. Oxford Knee Score (OKS), Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC), and EuroQol visual analogue scale (EQ-VAS) determined knee function one year after surgery. Patients receiving IR had a 2.8-point lower improvement in OKS (p = 0.001), a 6.7-point lower improvement in WOMAC (p = 0.063), and a 12.3-point higher improvement in EQ-VAS (p = 0.281) than patients receiving FTR. IR does not provide long-term benefits to patient recovery after primary uncomplicated TKA under the current rehabilitation regime.

Post-crisis response by Chinese stakeholders to Canadian international education programs: a case study with community-based survey evidence

PurposeThis article examines education diplomacy as a specific application of public diplomacy in stabilizing Canada–China relations, which have worsened over the last few years. It conducts a case study analysing post-crisis responses of Chinese stakeholders in Canadian university international programs. The survey results provide policymaking insight for restoring post-crisis global learning activities.Design/methodology/approachIt applies conceptual analysis, comparative methods and historical reflection to design a community-based survey. It treated Chinese university students and scholars as stakeholders of education diplomacy. Utilizing an established network of Chinese intuitional partners by the host institute, this case study analyses questionnaires on the online survey platform Qualtrics.FindingsThe survey indicates concerns about diplomatic tension by Chinese stakeholders in Canadian university international programs. However, their responses are still favourable for resuming global learning activities with more flexibility, mobility and personal safety facilitation.Originality/valueThe paper assesses the post-crisis response of Chinese stakeholders concerning the Canada–China education collaboration while interpreting Education Diplomacy as a specific form of Public Diplomacy for normalizing China–Canada relations still subject to growing bilateral tension.

Reflections on pedagogical practice and development through multidisciplinary triadic peer mentorship

This article presents a critical reflection on the experiences of three university instructors (two teaching stream and one tenure stream) within a 6-month peer-to-peer mentoring for teaching community of practice (P2P CoP). As part of the P2P CoP, the authors (who were previously unknown to one another) formed a “teaching triad” at a tri-campus, research-intensive Canadian university. They regularly met in person for 1 hour on a weekly basis throughout the Winter 2019 semester to discuss teaching-related matters, undertook classroom visits to observe one another teach, and participated in pedagogical workshops with other P2P CoP members. In this article, the authors specifically reflect on (a) the opportunities presented for reciprocity within their triadic mentorship structure; (b) the value their different scholarly fields offered them in pursuit of professional development and open exchange; and (c) the broadened knowledge base of pedagogical techniques their multidisciplinarity afforded them throughout the P2P CoP. They interpret their experiences of building relationships to offer insights into the unique and transformative advantages of teaching triad mentorship models. These include faculty peer mentoring and professional development opportunities that are not merely formalized but institutionally supported and related benefits for other institutions of higher education.

Dataset of non-pharmaceutical interventions and community support measures across Canadian universities and colleges during COVID-19 in 2020.

Dataset of non-pharmaceutical interventions and community support measures across Canadian universities and colleges during COVID-19 in 2020.

The Interview-Event-Agencement as Creative Movement and Methodological Disruption

In her article “Towards a Politics of Immediation,” Erin Manning (2019a) writes about the process of “immediation, the withness of time, of body in the making” (p. 1) that bodies subjectivity through the interstitial experience of/in the event. Drawing from Manning’s movement-oriented philosophy, and thinking-with her concepts of immediation, agencement, interval, and memory of the future, I invite alternate visualizations of interviewing as a research method through my study with international graduate students in a TESOL program at a Canadian university. By shifting focus from human-centred researcher intentionality and pre-determined research tools of the interviewing method, to the entangled human and non-human affective agencies of the interview-participant-voice-recorder-assemblage, I offer possibilities for experiencing the interview-event as an affective ecological attunement. Manning’s concepts also create interferences with existing institutional and TESOL representations and discourses, where multilingual students are often interpellated into rigid identity constructions and difference is seen as deficiency.

You can’t just bring people here and then not feed them: A case in support of Indigenous-led training environments

By and large, academic research in geography has advanced the colonial project, and been synonymous with extractive and reductionist research practices that subjugate Indigenous people. To counteract these harmful impacts and produce research that supports the needs of communities, advancing Indigenous sovereignty over research is vital. By presenting a case study of an Indigenous research space at a Canadian University, we argue that Indigenous training environments are more than a shared, physical space; they provide essential emotive and relational spaces of collaborative learning, wherein trainees practice relationship-building, reciprocity, and accountability. This article argues that decolonizing academic spaces dedicated to Indigenous geographic research will be essential to meeting the ethical imperative of Indigenous control over knowledge production. There is a current deficit of culturally appropriate spaces that support both the whole person and their learning. We highlight the impact of Indigenous training environments in nurturing respectful, long-standing relationships with peers, community, and research partners; a critical element of Indigenous geographies, yet one of the most challenging aspects of upholding meaningful and decolonizing research. By drawing on our diverse perspectives and research projects, we reflect on how an Indigenous-led training environment, rooted in Indigenous ways of knowing, can contribute to relational accountability both within and outside of these spaces. As more communities assert their authority over these processes, the need for respectful research grows, and it is anticipated that this article will provide a useful guide and support for emerging Indigenous training environments.

Hazardous Drinking Mediates the Relation Between Externalizing Personality and Reduced Adherence to COVID-19 Public Health Guidelines in University Students.

Using a multigroup path analysis, we examined if hazardous alcohol use mediated the relations between elevated externalizing personality traits (i.e., impulsivity or sensation seeking) and reduced adherence to COVID-19 public health guidelines. We hypothesized that those high in externalizing personality traits would demonstrate less adherence to public health guidelines and that hazardous alcohol use would mediate this relationship. First- and second-year undergraduates (N = 1232; ages 18-25) from five Canadian universities participated in a cross-sectional survey between January to April 2021. Individuals with higher levels of impulsive or sensation seeking personality traits demonstrated poorer adherence to COVID-19 public health guidelines and these relations were mediated by hazardous alcohol use. Results suggest that hazardous drinking is an important target for students high in impulsivity and sensation seeking to increase their adherence to public health guidelines and thereby help control viral spread.

Recognition of knowledge translation practice in Canadian health sciences tenure and promotion: A content analysis of institutional policy documents.

There has been growing emphasis on increasing impacts of academic health research by integrating research findings in healthcare. The concept of knowledge translation (KT) has been widely adopted in Canada to guide this work, although lack of recognition in tenure and promotion (T&P) structures have been identified as barrier to researchers undertaking KT. Our objective was to explore how KT is considered in institutional T&P documentation in Canadian academic health sciences. We conducted content analysis of T&P documents acquired from 19 purposively sampled research-intensive or largest regional Canadian institutions in 2020-2021. We coded text for four components of KT (synthesis, dissemination, exchange, application). We identified clusters of related groups of documents interpreted together within the same institution. We summarized manifest KT content with descriptive statistics and identified latent categories related to how KT is considered in T&P documentation. We acquired 89 unique documents from 17 institutions that formed 48 document clusters. Most of the 1057 text segments were categorized as dissemination (n = 851, 81%), which was included in 47 document clusters (98%). 15 document clusters (31%) included all four KT categories, while one (2%) did not have any KT categories identified. We identified two latent categories: primarily implicit recognition of KT; and an overall lack of clarity on KT. Our analysis of T&P documents from primarily research-intensive Canadian universities showed a lack of formal recognition for a comprehensive approach to KT and emphasis on traditional dissemination. We recommend that institutions explicitly and comprehensively consider KT in T&P and align documentation and procedures to reflect these values.

File of Uncertainties: Exploring student experience of applying decolonizing knowledge in practice

It is critical that nursing education programs in Canada respond to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s call to develop a course about the documented impacts of Indigenous-specific racism on the health outcomes of Indigenous people. Initiatives such as San’yas Anti-racism Indigenous Cultural Safety Education, courses on trauma-informed care, and required Indigenous health and history classes in nursing programs are providing a solid beginning. However, the effectiveness of this education requires interrogation. This mixed methods study aimed to identify barriers and supports to incorporating decolonizing and antiracist knowledge into nursing practice with Indigenous patients/clients. Fourth-year nursing students at a Canadian university who had completed a core course on the impacts of colonization and Indigenous-specific racism on Indigenous health and wellness in Canada were surveyed to explore their experience of applying this knowledge during their clinical rotations. Sixteen participants responded to an anonymous online survey consisting of three short-answer open-ended questions and six Likert-style questions about their experiences. The emergent narrative themes and Likert-scale data indicate that although the students valued the information provided in the class, they continued to feel cultural tension and uncertainty when caring for Indigenous clients. Prominent areas of uncertainty included applying knowledge to practice, student confidence in disrupting racist treatment of Indigenous patients by their healthcare colleagues and knowing how to approach sensitive client situations to avoid re-traumatization. This article discusses the study’s implications and identifies areas for future research.

Supportive Care Strategies in Myelodysplastic Syndromes and Acute Myeloid Leukemia in Older Adults: A National Survey of Canadian Hematologists

BACKGROUND: Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) represent a spectrum of severe myeloid disorders characterized by marrow failure, cytopenias, and complications related to bleeding and infection. Due to patient and disease factors, many patients are treated with less-intensive therapy, such as transfusion support, erythropoietin stimulating agents, luspatercept, lenalidomide and hypomethylating agents. However, optimal supportive care strategies to minimize bleeding and infectious complications among older adults receiving less intensive therapy have not been systematically evaluated. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of the survey were to: a) evaluate self-reported use of tranexamic acid (TXA) and antimicrobial prophylaxis; b) identify perceived barriers and facilitators to the use of TXA and antimicrobial prophylaxis; c) characterize the degree of uncertainty regarding the benefits and harms of TXA and prophylactic antimicrobials in this patient population; and d) assess physician interest in future clinical trials of TXA and/or prophylactic antimicrobials. METHODS: We conducted a national cross-sectional survey of Canadian hematologists to explore current practice variation regarding the use of TXA and prophylactic antimicrobials in patients with MDS and AML treated with less intensive therapy, and evaluate equipoise for future trials. Survey items were generated iteratively through a combination of literature review and discussion with content experts until thematic saturation was achieved. The questionnaire was pilot-tested by collaborators prior to dissemination to assess the required completion time and provide feedback on flow, clarity, redundancy and comprehensiveness. The electronic platform REDCap was used to create and disseminate the survey tool. The survey was distributed to all hematologists affiliated with a Canadian university, representing both key knowledge users and potential participants in an investigative network for future clinical trials. RESULTS: The survey response rate was 52% (159/304 invited participants). Of the 159 hematologists, 105 indicated that they treated MDS/AML patients with less intensive therapy and responded to the further questions about this patient population. Most (97/105; 92%) hematologists worked in an academic/tertiary care setting; 8% (n=8/105) worked in a community setting. Prophylactic TXA was used by 57% (n=60/105) of hematologists; the most frequent reason for not using TXA was uncertainty about the benefits or harms. Nearly all (95%; 100/105) hematologists agreed that a trial of TXA is needed (n=78), or potentially needed (n=22). Use of prophylactic antimicrobials varied by the chemotherapy treatment regimen. The most frequently prescribed antibacterials were fluroquinolones (36% of respondents; n=38), trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (9%; n=9), and amoxicillin-clavulanate (5%; n=5). The most commonly used antifungals were fluconazole (35% of respondents; n=37) and voriconazole (19%; n=20). Valacyclovir (29% of respondents; n=30) and acyclovir (15%; n=16) were the antivirals prescribed. The most common reason for not using prophylactic antimicrobials was an insufficient level of evidence (70%; n=73). The majority (78%, n=82) of respondents agreed that a trial is needed to evaluate optimal antimicrobial prophylaxis in this at-risk patient population. CONCLUSIONS: Among survey respondents, there was variation in the use of supportive case strategies to address bleeding and infection risk in older adults with MDS/AML. Most hematologists who treat MDS/AML with less intensive therapy felt that clinical trials are needed to define the use of TXA and prophylactic antimicrobials in this patient population.