University Support Research Articles

Contribution of collegial support meetings (CSM) in the management of complex situations of patients with advanced cancer.

Collegial support meetings (CSM) have been set up in the Gustave Roussy Cancer Center for inpatients whose complex care requires a multi-professional approach involving many participants: oncologists but also health-caregivers, a member of the palliative care team, an intensivist, and a psychologist. This study is aimed at describing the role of this newly multidisciplinary meeting implemented in a French Comprehensive Cancer Center. Each week, the health-caregivers decide which situations should be examined, depending on the difficulty of a case. The discussion goes on to include the goal of treatment, the intensity of care, ethical and psychosocial issues, and the patient's life plan. Finally, to obtain feedback from the teams, a survey has been distributed to assess the interest in the CSM. In 2020, 114 inpatients were involved, and 91% were in an advanced palliative situation. During the CSMs, 55% of the discussions focused on whether to continue specific cancer treatment-29% about whether to continue invasive medical care-50% about optimizing supportive care. We estimate that between 65 and 75% of CSMs influenced further decisions. Death occurred during the hospitalization for 35% of the patients that were discussed. The lapse of time between last chemotherapy and death was 24days (IQR, 28.5). CSMs were well received, since 80% of the teams find these meetings useful. CSMs reach conclusions for medical and nursing staff involved, in order to improve the management of inpatients with cancer in advanced palliative situation and to define the better goals of care.

A Visual Exchange of Everyday History, a Creative Exploration to Build Contextual Awareness within Parallel Learning Communities

This practitioner interview captures and analyses dialogue between two academic staff at different higher education institutions in the United Kingdom (UK), as a trial project to identify contemporary relationships with textile design history and contemporary culture. The project was established with the ambition to identify new strategies for student community learning in relation to contextual studies. The separate, but similar, lecture series the two academics present at their respective institutions aim to introduce design styles from 1900 to 2000, evolved from one programme devised when the two academics previously worked together. The project was developed through discussions concerning post-pandemic hybrid teaching and addressed concerns about the often-passive response to theoretical content and the challenge of developing a narrative that reflects the plurality of textile design histories as multiple cultural histories rather than one linear trajectory. By identifying topics arising in the lectures in their own everyday lives and locations, the two academics considered ways in which the students could be encouraged to make stronger connections for themselves with political and cultural discussions, to build greater critical skills and awareness. Inspired by Berger and Christie’s (1999), “I Send You This Cadmium Red: A Correspondence,” but with digital correspondence replacing letters in the post, the task was to seek out contemporary images that would narrate an element from each design history lecture, connecting heritage with the modern day. Building a shared digital image and narrative as the lecture series progressed, the exchanges inspired each academic to see the link to history from the correspondent’s viewpoint, while suggesting alternative ways of addressing the task in future weeks. The challenge proved to be invigorating and stimulating, establishing new pedagogy to integrating the past and present. The project and insights articulated through this article provide a model for shared academic practice that could be conducted over a longer timeframe or expanded to a larger collaborative group context. Both options provide collegiate support for individual curricular transformation and contribute towards enhancement surrounding decolonising the curriculum.

Patient Bias in Sweden

Increasing diversity in the healthcare workforce has brought to the foreground the importance of addressing phenomena of racism, discrimination, and bias against healthcare workers of diverse backgrounds. This paper aims to contribute to the growing literature on patient bias by exploring the experiences of migrant physicians practicing in Sweden using thematic content analysis of 17 semi-structured interviews and applying microaggressions theory. Four themes pertaining to different forms of patient bias experienced by the respondents emerged from the transcripts such as refusal of care, questioning language competence, questioning medical competence, and ethnic jokes/stereotypes. Four additional themes dealing with strategies implemented by the respondents to cope with patient bias were also identified, namely confrontation avoidance, collaboration with Swedish healthcare staff, self-disclosure, and active listening. The findings elucidate the need to encourage inclusion in the workplace by providing opportunities for continuous language training and collegial support.

Teacher retention in challenging schools: please don’t say goodbye!

ABSTRACT This research study investigated the factors that encourage teachers to remain working in challenging schools. It focuses on nine school case studies: one secondary and two primaries in three different areas of deprivation: an inner city; ‘pockets of poverty’ within a shire county and a coastal town in England. Drawing on one-to-one interviews with the headteacher, and focus groups with long-serving staff, the data revealed the interplay between intrinsic and extrinsic motivations for staff. School leadership—an extrinsic factor—provided recognition of teachers’ efforts (intrinsic). Relationships with pupils (intrinsic) had an impact on pupil behaviour (extrinsic). Collegial relationships (extrinsic) supported teachers’ resilience (intrinsic). Accountability in terms of inspection and external tests (extrinsic) had an adverse effect on teachers’ autonomy (intrinsic). The factors which were particularly salient in encouraging teacher retention in high-need schools were: making a difference to pupils, the wider community and society; creating positive relationships with pupils; supportive colleagues and feeling valued by school leaders. The article concludes by recommending that the leaders of challenging schools create a nurturing environment which values teachers, recognises the gruelling nature of high-need schools, fosters relationships between pupils and teachers and encourages staff friendships leading to collegial support.

Nurses' Experiences With Anal Dilatations in Babies With Anorectal Malformations – A Focus Group Interview Study

Aims and objectivesTo explore nurses' experiences with anal dilatations in babies with anorectal malformations. BackgroundMost babies with anorectal malformations require repeated anal dilatations, either before and/or after reconstructive surgery. Anal dilatation is usually performed without sedation or pain medication. Nurses participate in anal dilatations by assisting doctors doing anal dilatation, doing anal dilatation themselves, and instructing parents how to do anal dilatations. No previous studies have explored how nurses experience being involved in anal dilatations. DesignQualitative study design utilizing focus group interviews. The COREQ guidelines were applied. MethodsNurses with either ≤2 or ≥10 years' working experience participated in two different focus group interviews. The focus group interviews were transcribed and analyzed with content analysis. ResultsTwelve nurses, two males, participated. Three main themes emerged from the focus group interviews. The first main theme, “Anal dilatation causes distress”, describes the nurses' worries about causing physical and/or psychological harm when doing anal dilatations. The second main theme, “Need for guidelines and training”, contains nurses' recommendations for more theoretical training in addition to written guidelines on anal dilatations. The third main theme, “Collegial support is vital”, describes nurses' needs and strategies for coping with difficult situations related to anal dilatations. ConclusionsAnal dilatation causes distress in nurses, and collegial support is essential for coping. Guidelines and systematic training are recommended to improve current practice. Level of EvidenceVI.

Aotearoa New Zealand emergency ambulance services and the provision of end-of-life care: a short survey.

To characterise emergency ambulance service (EAS) clinical roles and experiences (including cultural competency and pastoral care) in the delivery of end-of-life (EOL) and palliative care in Aotearoa New Zealand. A nine question online survey was distributed to St John and Wellington Free Ambulance clinicians. Four questions enabled voluntary free-text comments to be submitted for thematic analysis. A further opportunity for free-text comments was available at the end of the survey. There were 444 participants, which is 14% of the paid ambulance workforce. 63% reported that they frequently transported EOL care patients to hospital when they could be better managed at home. EAS clinicians depend heavily on informal collegial support for pastoral care as formal debriefs are rarely offered. There were 671 free-text comments. Dominant themes included the importance of seniority, the need for further education, the importance of documented care plans and the need for better integration with community services, including hospice. More can and should be done to ensure EAS clinicians are supported to deliver quality EOL care for patients alongside other community providers.

Collaborative Reflection-on-Action as a Catalyst for Change in Middle-Level General Music

Lack of relevancy, administrative support, collegial support, and time are just a few of the many barriers that prevent practicing music teachers from accessing relevant professional development (PD) and taking steps to improve their practice. Quality music education PD should help teachers transform practice to improve student learning. Some characteristics of impactful PD include long-term engagement, teacher-to-teacher collaboration, and context-specific classroom implementation and documentation. In this intrinsic case study, we examined the role of a collaborative PD group designed to guide music teachers in using the reflection-on-action cycle to make improvements in their middle-level general music practice. Results from this project suggest that the reflection-on-action cycle is useful for PD projects that focus on improving classroom practice and empowering teachers with autonomy and choice. Teacher-to-teacher collaboration may also support teacher resilience during project difficulties.

Development, predictors, and effects of trainees' organizational identification during their first year of vocational education and training.

The vocational identity of trainees is one component of their professional competence and is considered to be a central goal of vocational education and training (VET) programs. From the numerous identity constructs and conceptualizations, this study focuses on the organizational identification of trainees, that is, the extent to which trainees internalize the values and goals of their training company and perceive themselves as part of this company. We are specifically interested in the development, predictors, and effects of trainees' organizational identification, as well as the interrelations between organizational identification and social integration. We use longitudinal data of n = 250 trainees in dual VET programs in Germany at the very beginning of their VET program (t1), after 3 months (t2), and after 9 months (t3). A structural equation model was used to analyze the development, predictors, and effects of organizational identification for the first 9 months of training and the cross-lagged effects between organizational identification and social integration. The results showed a high stability of trainees' organizational identification over the first 9 months. Regarding the predictors, the results indicated positive direct and indirect effects of the formal socialization tactics implemented by the training company, as well as of support by the trainer at the beginning of the training. However, collegial support at the beginning of the training did not seem to play a significant role in organizational identification. Moreover, organizational identification positively affected trainees' emotional engagement and self-perceived competence while negatively predicting dropout intentions after 9 months of training. Finally, the cross-lagged effects between organizational identification and social integration were not significant, and only at t3 were these constructs positively correlated. However, regarding the development, predictors, and effects, very similar results were found for organizational identification and social integration. The results underline the positive significance of organizational identification for the individual, the company, and society, even at this early stage of training. The results are discussed regarding both their scientific and practical implications.

An analysis of sustainability-driven entrepreneurial intentions among university students: the role of university support and SDG knowledge

PurposeThe study aims to shed light on the role of university support (US), environmental concern (EC) and Sustainable Development Goal knowledge (SDGK) in forming students' intention (SI) to engage in sustainability-driven entrepreneurship. The authors attempted to blend the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) and social cognitive career theory (SCCT) as a potentially useful theoretical base for sustainability-driven entrepreneurial intention (SDEI) development.Design/methodology/approachThe responses were collected from university students in India using a self-administered questionnaire. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and partial least squares structured equation modelling (PLS-SEM) are used to examine the data.FindingsThe university support strongly influences students' attitudes towards sustainable entrepreneurship (ATT) and outcome expectations (OEs). Also, the degree of understanding about SDGs among students was alarmingly low, which has crucial negative consequences for future SDG achievement.Practical implicationsThe findings of this study may assist academicians and environmental strategists in deciding the crucial factors influencing SI to start a sustainable business. The study highlights the importance of universities in promoting entrepreneurial sustainability decisions.Originality/valueThis research will add value to the prevailing literature in the area of sustainable entrepreneurship as it explores the effects of environmental concern, SDGK and the role of US on sustainable entrepreneurial intention (EI) among Indian engineering students.

Women Working From Home: Higher Performance and Satisfaction or More Stress?

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies and organisations have introduced or expanded remote work options, thus creating new opportunities for employees to organise their day-to-day work independently. However, several studies suggest that women tend to suffer more from the double burden, as working from home often leads to a revival of traditional gender roles. Special strategies and instruments are needed to optimise the work-life balance when working from home. The aim of this study was to identify gender-specific stress and success factors for remote work design in order to derive practical recommendations for companies, women and politics to optimise work performance, work-life balance and satisfaction in remote work. To reach this objective, an online survey in Germany (n = 247) examined the perceived work design competencies, individual agreements with managers, corporate culture, perceived collegial support and the relationship with colleagues. The respective influence of these variables on the perceived satisfaction, stress as well as work performance when working from home was examined. Using a multiple regression analysis, it was shown that the three factors workplace design competencies, individual agreements with managers and the relationship with colleagues have a significant influence on all of the examined dependent variables. This means that a strong manifestation of factors has an effect on higher satisfaction, better performance and lower level of perceived stress. Work design competence has the most significant influence on study participants here. Significant gender differences were also identified: on average, women report a higher level of satisfaction and a lower level of perceived stress. Based on the identified factors, the paper discusses specific recommendations for companies, women and politicians to help employees working from home cope better with the associated burdens.

The Relationship among Attitudes toward ICT, Collegial Support and TPACK of EFL Teachers

TPACK promotes real-world context, cultural awareness, a wide range of tools, teamwork and cooperation, and independent learning. It was crucial to understand the connection between TPACK, attitudes toward ICT, and collegial support. The purpose of this study was to determine teachers' levels of TPACK, attitudes toward ICT, and collegial support. Additionally, this study sought to determine whether attitudes toward ICT and collegial support were significantly related to TPACK. The questionnaire for this study was completed by 49 EFL instructors in East Borneo. To examine the data from the survey, T and F tests were run. According to this study, TPACK level and attitudes toward ICT and peer support were significantly correlated. The study showed that the participants had a high category for TPACK level. Secondly, this study found positive results regarding ICT use for teaching and learning. Thirdly, this study showed participants had a high level of collegial support. ICT attitudes and TPACK levels were positively and significantly correlated. Support from peers was positively and significantly correlated with TPACK level. ICT attitudes and peer support were significantly correlated with TPACK level. To raise teachers' TPACK level, educators should have internal teacher development sessions more frequently and encourage teacher associations to share ideas.

Assessing the use of clinical guidelines against domestic violence in southern Sweden: A mixed-methods study.

Domestic violence is a prevalent public health issue. While clinical guidelines and care programs for its identification and handling have been formulated in all administrative regions of Sweden, their degree of implementation is largely unknown. This study aims to assess the implementation of one administrative region's care program, including how it is seen to align with and function in clinical practice, and any perceived barriers to or facilitators of its use. A survey was distributed to first-line managers for healthcare units with patient contact in the region (n = 807). The responses were analysed using descriptive statistics. Open responses were analysed thematically. Group interviews (n = 5) were held with caregivers (n = 15) working primarily with young patients and analysed thematically. 73% of the survey respondents reported previous awareness of the care program, and 27% reported knowledge of its content. The extent to which their staff knew about and followed the care program was assessed to be relatively low. The survey response rate was 19%. Among interview participants, knowledge of the care program was generally quite low. Survey responses and interview discussions pointed to the importance of developing routines, of collegial and managerial support and of training on domestic violence and the care program. This study indicates that the knowledge and use of the regional care program is limited among healthcare staff, including among those working with young patients. This underscores the importance of information and training for furthering the implementation of clinical guidelines on domestic violence.

Diagnostic procedures of paediatric speech and language therapists in the UK: Enabling and obstructive factors.

Extensive variation in the terminology used for paediatric diagnoses across the speech and language therapy research literature is an internationally recognized problem. Little is known, however, about how and how often diagnoses are given in a clinical context. In the UK, speech and language therapists (SLTs) identify and support children who have speech and language needs. To understand and address clinically rooted terminological issues that may directly impact clients and families, there is a need for exploration of how the diagnostic process is operationalized in practice. To identify, from the perspective of SLTs, areas that present as enabling and obstructive factors to conducting diagnosis in clinical practice. Taking a phenomenological approach, 22 paediatric SLTs were interviewed using a semi-structured format. Thematic analysis revealed a number of factors that were either classified as 'enabling' or 'obstructive' to their diagnostic processes. Participants were often hesitant to provide a diagnosis to families and universally reported the need for targeted guidance, which accounts for the demands of current clinical practice, to guide their diagnostic process. Four enabling factors were identified from participant data: (1) working to a medical model, (2)the availability of collegiate support, (3) recognizing the benefits of diagnosis,, and (4) relating to the needs of the family. Seven themes portrayed obstructive factors in practice: (1) the complex presentation of clients, (2) the risk of giving a 'wrong' diagnosis, (3) participants' uncertainty about diagnostic criteria, (4) insufficient training, (5) service models, (6) concerns about stigma and (7) not having enough clinical time. The obstructive factors created dilemmas for participants and resulted in hesitancy to give a diagnosis, potentially contributing to delays in diagnosis experienced by families as reported in previous literature. Of paramountcy to SLTs were the individual needs and preferences of their clients. Practical barriers and areas of uncertainty increased hesitance to diagnose, which may inadvertently preclude families from accessing resources. Recommendations include more widely accessibletraining in diagnostic practice, guidelines to support clinical decision-making, and a greater understanding of client preferences with regard to terminology and its potential relationship with social stigma. What is already known on the subject Inconsistency in terminology for paediatric language diagnoses has been broadly discussed, mostly in reference to variation within research literature. The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists' (RCSLT) position statement on developmental language disorder (DLD) and language disorder made recommendations for SLTs to use these terms in clinical practice. There is some evidence that SLTs face challenges in operationalizing diagnostic criteria in practice, particularly given financial and resource constraints. What this paper adds to existing knowledge SLTs disclosed several issues that either supported or were obstructive to the practice of diagnosing paediatric clients and delivering this information to families. Whilst most SLTs faced constraints related to the practicalities and demands of clinical practice, a number also held reservations about the impact of a lifelong diagnosis for young clients. These issues resulted in considerable avoidance of formal diagnostic terminology, in favour of description or informal terminology. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? If diagnoses are not given, or if SLTs are using informal diagnostic terms as an alternative strategy, clients and families may experience reduced opportunities to yield benefits associated with a diagnosis. Clinical guidance that specifically addresses the prioritization of time and provides directives for clinical action in instances of uncertainty may support SLTs to feel confident in giving diagnoses.

Maximising Professional Growth: A Case Study Exploring Reflective Practices of Teacher Educators

This qualitative case study aimed to explore the reflective teaching practices used by teacher educators in their classrooms for professional learning and development in Pakistan. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with two experienced teacher educators from a public university. Using within-case and cross-case analysis, data analysis uncovered themes related to interactive teaching methods, student feedback, self-reflection, collegial support, evaluation techniques, and contextual constraints. The results of the study revealed that teacher educators used reflection-on-action and reflection-for-action techniques for the improvement of their teaching. However, they faced some barriers while implementing these practices in classrooms due to contextual settings. The study’s findings emphasise the need for institutional support and the provision of professional development opportunities to teacher educators for facilitating reflective teaching practices. The study contributes meaningful insights into teacher educators’ experiences employing reflective practices in their unique contexts.

A survey research study of music education faculty: Demographics as related to indicators of job satisfaction and stress

This study examined demographic information for current music education faculty ( N = 136), the factors that seem to influence music education faculty members’ levels of job satisfaction and primary stressors, also by institution type. Simultaneous multiple regression revealed that academic autonomy, collegial support, sleep, parental responsibilities, and certainties of the tenure process affect music education faculty members’ reported levels of job satisfaction and stress. Mean job satisfaction and stress scores for each group by Carnegie institution types were compared using a one-way ANOVA. Significant differences in stress scores between groups suggested that the larger institution group (R1) did not report feeling more stressed about professional responsibilities than the smaller institution group (M1). Analyses of open-ended questions also reinforced the notion that the COVID-19 pandemic increased flexibilities in work and parental responsibilities leading to lower stress levels.

Experiences of the COVID-19 Lockdown and Telehealth in Aotearoa New Zealand: Lessons and Insights from Mental Health Clinicians

The COVID-19 pandemic rapidly changed health service delivery and daily life. There is limited research exploring health professional experiences with these changes. This research explores mental health clinicians' experiences over the first COVID-19 lockdown in New Zealand to inform future pandemic responses and improve usual business practices. Thirty-three outpatient mental health clinicians in three Aotearoa New Zealand regions took part in semi-structured interviews. Interviews were analysed thematically applying an interpretive description methodology. Three key themes emerged: (1) life in lockdown, (2) collegial support, and (3) maintaining well-being. Clinicians, fearful of contracting COVID-19, struggled to adapt to working from home while maintaining their well-being, due to a lack of resources, inadequate pandemic planning, and poor communication between management and clinicians. They were uncomfortable bringing clients notionally into their own homes, and found it difficult to separate home and work spheres. Māori clinicians reported feeling displaced from their clients and community. Rapid changes in service delivery negatively impacted clinician well-being. This impact is not lessened by a return to normal work conditions. Additional support is required to improve clinician work conditions and ensure adequate resourcing and supervision to enable clinicians to work effectively within a pandemic context.

PhD Students’ Perceptions of Research Seminars in Doctoral Education: A Case Study

There is no doubt that supervision plays a significant role in doctoral education. Supervisors have a fiduciary responsibility for guiding their supervisees throughout their doctoral research and theses writing journeys. In recent times however, many doctoral education programmes have adopted a collegial support system for doctoral students by introducing students’ research seminars to supplement traditional supervision. Research seminars offer both students and faculty the opportunity to engage in scholarly dialogue aimed at improving the former’s research and thesis. Although such seminars have become commonplace in many doctoral education programmes worldwide, little research exist on students’ perceptions of research seminars in doctoral learning. In this paper, we contribute to the literature by exploring the perceptions of 12 PhD students from a University in Ghana about research seminars and their usefulness in doctoral education. The findings indicate that the students perceived research seminars in doctoral education as spaces evoking manifold purposes—constructive advice; discrediting students’ work; varied views; and “muffling” students’ voices. Furthermore, the students’ perceptions of the usefulness of research seminars in their learning were trifocal in scope—research and thesis writing, presentation skills, and confidence-building. The paper makes some recommendations for improving research seminars in doctoral education for the purpose of enhancing collegial learning.

Swedish prison officers’ perceptions of management and support: key predictors and subgroups

ABSTRACT With increasing numbers of prisoners, research on Swedish prison officers’ perceptions of management and support at work is warranted. Previous studies have mainly used a variable-centered approach, identifying several individual and organizational factors that influence prison staff's evaluation of their job. The present study adopted a person-centered approach, exploring the heterogeneity in a Swedish national sample of prison officers. Based on an extensive survey of the quality of prison job, 10 key predictors for overall prison regime evaluation were identified. Following latent class analysis, three distinct subgroups were discerned from the entire sample. Remarkably, a sizable subgroup with a relatively negative evaluation of the prison regime was observed. While most background covariates did not associate with the subgroup membership, prison officers who experienced violent or threatening incidents tended to report a negative evaluation of the prison regime. Intra-organizational social support, communication and loyalty are highlighted as key components of overall regime evaluation. Our findings suggest that enhancing collegial, management, and supervision support and communicative skills may increase prison officers’ job satisfaction. Beyond the organizational level of prisons, we also discussed the challenges that the Swedish prison system faces, along with the portrayal by social media of a violence-dominated environment.

Connected early‐career experiences of equality in academia during the pandemic and beyond: Our liminal journey

AbstractIn this paper, we draw on our subjective experiences as two female early‐career academics during the global COVID‐19 pandemic. While we acknowledge that the pandemic had negative implications for many female scholars due to compulsory telework or increased family responsibilities, we also want to shed light on the empowering experiences shaped by collegial support that became an important part of our pandemic story. We build on the theory of liminality to explain how the events triggered by the pandemic allowed us to break out of our uncomfortable occupational limbo (i.e., feeling “locked‐in” to the identity of a foreign‐born PhD graduate) and, through creating a kind of equality, resulted in some unique opportunities and challenges. During these difficult times, shaped by an increasing fear of us or our family catching COVID‐19, we embarked on a betwixt‐and‐between state that allowed us to grow as academics as a part of a collective.

Women and maternity care providers experiences of planned home birth in Northern Ireland: A descriptive survey

BackgroundWhere a woman gives birth impacts both her postnatal outcomes and experiences. However, for women who plan home birth in Northern Ireland, their experiences and that of their maternity care providers are rarely sought. AimThis study examined women’s and maternity care providers’ experiences and perceptions of home birth service provision in Northern Ireland. MethodsOnline surveys were used to investigate the experiences of women (n = 62) who had experienced a home birth or had a view on planned home birth and maternity care providers (n = 77) who offered home birth services in Northern Ireland between November 2018 and November 2020. The surveys were analysed using descriptive statistics. FindingsThe women were all multigravida, with 39 experiencing a planned home birth and three having an intrapartum transfer. Most of the women (61.3 %; n = 38/62) knew about home birth services through social media or friends and 91% (n = 57/62) discussed their plans for home birth with their maternity care providers antenatally. Maternity care providers were mostly supportive (64.9 %; n = 50/77) of women having a choice about place of birth. Midwives were mostly confident (52 %; n = 13/25) or very confident (28 %; n = 7) about caring for women having a planned home birth but did not always feel supported by colleagues. DiscussionMost women rated their care as excellent or very good. Midwives reported limited support from colleagues for home birth provision. ConclusionThere is a need to support women in their birthplace choice and empower maternity care providers to facilitate this through a fully resourced home birth service infrastructure and collegial support.