Effectiveness of continuous self-assessments and reflections on communication skills using a rubric for pharmacy students.

The story beneath the scores: A mixed methods study of communication skills self-assessment.

Children and young people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) often face significant challenges in emergency departments (ED), where a high-acuity environment can exacerbate distress, leading to behaviours of concern (BOC). Identifying and managing BOC requires specialised skills, yet many healthcare professionals report a lack of confidence and structured training. Traditional educational models may lack real-world applicability by failing to incorporate the lived experiences of patients and families. The Motivated for Change programme was codeveloped with caregivers to enhance healthcare professionals' ability to identify, mitigate, and de-escalate BOC in children with IDD using simulation-based education (SBE). The programme integrated prelearning modules, interactive lectures, and novel immersive simulations. SBE was codesigned with parents, clinicians and educators to reflect real-world ED challenges and guided child and family-centred approaches. Participants engaged in simulation exercises to practice communication strategies and implement reasonable adjustments in a structured, supportive learning environment. Eighty-two ED healthcare professionals participated in 11 simulation sessions. Postsession surveys revealed SBE was effective in consolidating skills in communication and engagement (100%), identifying BOC (99%), preventing escalation (99%) and de-escalation strategies (96%). Ninety-seven percent felt more confident applying reasonable adjustments in clinical practice. Reflexive thematic analysis identified key learnings, including parent partnership, effective communication, early recognition and intervention and environmental modifications.

Burnout among Algerian public healthcare workers: Prevalence, predictors, and the protective roles of self-compassion and communication skills

The mediating and moderating role of social skills in the relationship between frustration tolerance and group cohesion in Physical Education.

Introduction. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) presents challenges in social communication and behavior. It is more common in males (3:1). Girls receive alternative or delayed diagnoses due to better communication skills, atypical but less unusual interests, greater presence of internalizing behaviors, and camouflage strategies. This can lead to underdiagnosis and limit access to adequate support. Objective. To describe the population of girls and female adolescents (GFA) with ASD being monitored at a tertiary hospital, comparing them according to age and clinical characteristics. Population and methods. Descriptive, cross-sectional study with retrospective analysis of medical records of GFAs evaluated between 2002 and 2024. Data on development, physical examination, and sociodemographic variables were collected. The sample was divided into preschoolers and schoolchildren, and by the presence or absence of language at the time of diagnosis. Results. A sample of 415 GFAs was obtained. Sixteen percent (n = 69) received a late diagnosis. In older girls, two profiles were identified: one compatible with the female phenotype of ASD (language present, lower intellectual disability, consultation for social difficulties) and another with characteristics of profound autism (no language, higher intellectual disability, epilepsy, regression, and greater severity). In preschoolers, cognitive impairment or failure to adapt to formal assessments predominated. A family history of ASD or an broader autism phenotype were present in 19.5% (n = 81) of cases. Conclusion. We observed a high clinical variability, which requires greater diagnostic sensitivity and specific tools to facilitate adequate support.

Mapping undergraduate pharmacy curricula in Saudi Arabia against a national competency framework: A case study of two PharmD programmes.

The importance of young surgeons in surgical health policy advocacy engagement.

Operating room communication and teamwork: An observational pilot study comparing objective and perceived collaboration.

Non-technical skills, such as communication, teamwork, empathy, and emotional intelligence are critical for safe and effective nursing practice. While current nursing education tends to emphasize technical skills, the nuanced development of non-technical skills-particularly how they are shaped by personal experiences, low-fidelity simulation, and their interplay with technical skills-remains underexplored. To explore pre-registration nursing students' experiences in developing and applying non-technical skills within clinical and educational contexts. A qualitative descriptive study. A large Australian university offering pre-registration nursing programmes. Eight pre-registration nursing students (Bachelor and Master levels) with clinical placement experience. Data were collected through two focus groups (one face-to-face, one virtual) using a semi-structured interview guide. Reflexive thematic analysis was applied to identify patterns in non-technical skills development. Three key insights emerged: (1) Personal life experiences-including prior healthcare roles, volunteering, and non-clinical work-significantly shape how students understand and apply non-technical skills, suggesting a valuable but underrecognized learning pathway; (2) Low-fidelity simulations, while accessible, provide limited opportunities for developing the emotional and interpersonal dimensions of non-technical skills, raising concerns about their educational efficacy; (3) non-technical skills are not separate from technical skills but actively support their application, with strong communication and emotional regulation skills enhancing the effectiveness and safety of technical procedures. Nursing education should intentionally integrate students' lived experiences into the development of NTS, explicitly teach emotional intelligence as a core component of non-technical competency, and design simulations that foster emotional realism. Recognising the interdependence between NTS and TS will better prepare students for the emotional and relational complexity of real-world nursing practice, ultimately enhancing resilience, adaptability, and humanistic care.

How do nursing students use silence in their clinical practice? A qualitative study.

Genetic counselors (GCs) utilize a variety of skills while counseling patients. However, it remains unclear whether the frequency or types of skills used impact patient outcomes. We explored the use of specific GC communication skills in cardiology and their impact on empowerment and therapeutic alliance. Adults attending an initial cardiovascular GC appointment completed pre-visit and post-visit surveys. Measures included the Genetic Counseling Outcomes Scale (GCOS) and the Working Alliance Inventory (WAI). GC appointments were audio-recorded, transcribed, and coded using the Genetic Counseling Skills Checklist (GCSC). WAI and change in GCOS scores following the GC visit were stratified into high- and low-scoring groups for comparative analyses. Descriptive analyses were used to identify GCSC code patterns across sessions with high and low WAI and GCOS scores. Seventeen participants (65% female, mean age: 61 years) completed the study. Cases from seven GCs were included across four indications: cardiomyopathy, arrhythmia, dyslipidemia, and aortopathy. There was an increase in empowerment after GC appointments (p = 0.0007), with nearly half (8/17) of participants exhibiting a clinically meaningful increase. Sessions showed a diverse set of skills used across eight domains on the GCSC. Skills around mutual agenda setting, focus on patients' emotions, and facilitating decision-making were used more frequently in higher WAI-scoring sessions. However, when comparing participants who exhibited clinically meaningful changes in empowerment to those who did not, there was little difference in the skills used in sessions, though some skills may have been used more frequently with patients who demonstrated smaller changes in empowerment (e.g., eliciting ways to overcome barriers to taking action). This is the first application of the GCSC in nonsimulated patient settings. We observed trends suggesting varying use of GC skills may contribute to differences in therapeutic alliance and that GCs alter the skills they use for different patients.

Family caregivers' experiences and perspectives regarding the implementation of advance care planning among older adults: A systematic review and meta-synthesis.

This research article discussed the impact of learning styles on collaboration, communication, and creativity skills (3Cs) development among university students in Punjab, Pakistan, and the mediating effect of teaching strategies and curriculum and the moderating effect of university type. A mixed-methods design with predominant quantitative design was used to collect data using a structured questionnaire with 600 undergraduate and graduate students. Measurement and structural model evaluation, mediation and moderation analysis and bootstrapping were conducted by use of Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) and selected qualitative responses were analyzed with the aid of thematic analysis. The results showed that the collaboration, communication, and creativity skills are highly predicted by learning styles. These relationships were partly mediated by the teaching strategies and curriculum which implied the significance of instructional alignment. Dissimilarities among the public and the private universities imply the contextual impacts on the process of learning. In general, the article outlines the significance of the flexible, student-oriented instructional strategies to facilitate the impact of different learning styles and improve the 21st-century skills of graduates.

The research investigated the connection that exists between the involvement of students in co-curricular activities and their social development at the level of secondary school level. Quantitative causal-comparative research design was used, and the data were gathered through a sample of 1750 Grade 10 students in government secondary schools located in Pakistan and District Gujrat. The key variables were measured by using two researcher-made instruments, namely Students Participation in Co-Curricular Activities (SPCA) and Students Social Development (SSD), both of which were measured using a 5-point Likert scale. Descriptive statistics indicated that the participation of students in co-curricular activities was high with collaboration and dedication being the best aspects. The social development was also high, and social responsibility received the highest score, then communication skills and confidence. The analysis of correlation showed that there were strong positive associations between involvement in co-curricular activities and every aspect of social development with the general participation having the strongest correlation with social responsibility and the overall social development. The results are implying that active involvement in co-curricular activities largely leads to social development of the students at secondary level. This paper highlights the essence of systematic co-curricular activities in schools to develop interpersonal skills, social responsibility and confidence in students.

ABSTRACT Addressing the tension inherent in educational research between locally based realities and broader trends, this exploratory study draws on semi-structured interviews to identify English-medium education lecturers’ use of languages, resources and tools in the classroom, and their professional development (PD) needs. The dataset comprises ten lecturers from two universities, one each in Austria and Spain. The qualitative content analysis revealed some differences regarding the roles of English and other languages. Reflecting institutional policies, findings underline the site-specific framing of English mainly as a lingua franca in the Austrian setting vs. as a foreign language in the Spanish one. While all lecturers identify translanguaging as key to overcoming communication barriers and ensuring content accessibility, it is specific to the Austrian context that it is also seen as a resource for enhanced knowledge development. Additionally, all lecturers showed awareness of using multimodal resources to facilitate disciplinary content delivery. For the future, lecturers expressed interest in learning about the implementation of artificial intelligence, and in strategies to promote communication skills and the use of English in the classroom. This study calls for further research to identify lecturers’ discipline and context-specific needs, supporting PD initiatives that are relevant and tailored to effectively strengthen teaching practices.

In the post-conflict period, higher education not only performs the task of transferring knowledge, but also takes on the important mission of social reconstruction and reformulation of values. The teaching of philosophy, which plays an important role in the development of critical thinking, moral judgment and social responsibility, is especially important in this period. Through philosophical education, students can reflect on the roots of conflict, understand the differences between cultures and values, and promote tolerance and reconciliation. At the same time, philosophy education helps to increase students' ethical awareness and civic literacy, and lays the ideological foundation for building a peaceful, democratic, and just society. In general, philosophy is an important tool for developing and strengthening students' thinking skills. Because this factor helps students clearly express their ideas and perceptions. Philosophy also plays an important role in shaping students' worldviews. Teaching philosophy to students strengthens their sense of empathy, social and communication skills, and promotes a culture of respect and tolerance. Philosophy affects students' cognitive abilities, critical thinking skills, and emotional and social development.

In the field of ESP (English for specific purposes), needs analysis is considered essential and remains a key component of course design. The purpose of this study is to investigate the needs of engineering students, examine teachers’ perspectives on ESP courses, and identify the most effective approaches to developing courses that meet the specific needs of engineering students. This study employed an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design. Data collection consisted of semi-structured focus group interviews with ten engineering students in the first phase. Then, 68 questionnaire items were established from the qualitative results and distributed to ninety (N=90) engineering students from different majors. Furthermore, one-on-one interviews were conducted with two instructors who taught an ESP course to engineering students. Results revealed that most students strongly agreed that the ESP textbook was highly effective and well-aligned with both their learning needs and the course syllabus. They especially highlighted the vocabulary section as one of the textbook’s main strengths. Most students perceived that the textbook would be valuable for their future career development. Both students and teachers emphasized the importance of enhancing vocabulary and listening skills in ESP courses. While students viewed vocabulary development as vital for academic and professional achievement, teachers highlighted the need for additional practical tasks focusing on grammar, speaking, and listening. The results suggest that ESP course design should place greater emphasis on discipline-specific vocabulary and authentic communication skills to align more closely with learners’ needs and prepare them for future professional contexts

This study analyzes the impact of Project-Based Learning (PBL) on the development of English-speaking skills among 104 students at the A2.1 English level from the Academic Language Institute at Universidad Central del Ecuador. A quantitative pre-test and post-test design was applied over four academic terms in 2024. The assessment covered fluency, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, coherence, and participation. Results showed significant improvement in all categories, particularly in fluency and pronunciation. Although progress tended to stabilize in the final stages, overall scores remained high, indicating sustained learning. However, the findings also highlight the importance of continuous formative feedback and teacher support to maintain students’ performance over time. It is concluded that PBL is an effective pedagogical strategy for enhancing oral communication skills in basic-level learners by fostering interaction, learner autonomy, and meaningful learning experiences.

Development, implementation, and evaluation of the Student Optimized Learning Environment (SOLE): a longitudinal team-based communication skills curriculum for medical students.