Early Practitioners Research Articles

Translating the Inner Landscape

The translation of European anatomical treatises is widely considered one of the pivotal processes of early modern Japanese history, introducing new ways of understanding the body and new styles of visual representation, as well as serving to launch the broader intellectual movement of “Dutch Studies” (rangaku 蘭学). In this article, I consider how anatomical knowledge and anatomical translations were integrated into the medical thinking of Japanese doctors whose understandings of the body continued to be informed by older East Asian traditions of medical knowledge. In contrast to the rangaku translators, who developed a novel anatomical lexicon in order to faithfully reproduce the meanings of European source texts, early nineteenth-century practitioners of Sino-Japanese medicine, including Kako Ranshū, Mitani Boku, and Ishizaka Sōtetsu, described the anatomical body using the language of the Chinese medical classics. At the same time, they used new understandings of the body from European anatomy to solve long-standing problems in the interpretation of those classics, identifying specific anatomical structures in the digestive system corresponding to the “triple burner” (C. sanjiao, J. sanshō 三焦) and reimagining the body’s conduits for the circulation of blood and qi and the targets of acupuncture in terms of the veins, arteries, and nerves.

A Sixteenth-Century Clergyman and Physician: Timothy Bright's Dual Approach to Melancholia

This article explores the nexus of healing between clergy and physicians in late sixteenth- and early seventeenth-century medicine by focusing on the disease of melancholia, and in particular on the earliest extant English monograph on that subject, A Treatise of Melancholie (1586), by Timothy Bright. Melancholia was a disease especially apt to be treated by both medical practitioners and the clergy as it was widely defined as both corporal and spiritual in origin. What makes Bright's treatise particularly noteworthy is the vocation of the author: Bright was both doctor and cleric, and his work straddled both occupations as he defined, diagnosed and attempted to cure melancholy in his reader. By examining what Bright wrote about the various aspects of the disease, this article provides further insight into the clashes, conciliations and cooperation between early modern medical practitioners.

Education and training experiences of early childhood care and education practitioners in rural and urban settings of Durban, South Africa

Background: The education and training experiences of Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) practitioners reflect gaps and inequalities in South Africa’s educational system. Most South African ECCE centre practitioners do not have the appropriate qualifications to provide quality education to young learners.Aim: The study aimed to explore how the education and training experiences of ECCE practitioners impact their professional identity in urban and rural settings in KwaZulu-Natal province and to develop a model that would enhance the education and training of ECCE practitioners.Setting: Ten participants were selected for this study: one centre head and four practitioners from a rural setting, and one centre head and four practitioners from an urban area.Methods: Wenger’s social theory of learning was used to obtain an in-depth understanding of ECCE practitioners’ education and training experiences and how they function as professional workers. An interpretative, qualitative case study was adopted. Data was collected through focus group semi-structured interviews and non-participants’ observation and then analysed thematically.Results: The findings revealed that practitioners in rural settings had to contend with unfair working conditions daily, working all day in challenging circumstances whilst earning low incomes. Urban practitioners worked reasonable hours and received living wages, although they also experienced challenges such as a lack of parental involvement, lack of transport for children and high rates of absenteeism.Conclusion: Inequalities between rural and urban practitioners existed concerning resources, salaries, working conditions and further study and professional growth opportunities. Ensuring that practitioners attain proper Early Childhood Care (ECC) qualifications will raise the profession’s esteem amongst wider communities.

Infant Mental Health Training for Early Years Practitioners

Children will be able to truly thrive in school and life if their mental well-being is supported, beginning in their early years.

The effects of the pandemic

The following article discusses the effects the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the mental well-being and development of emotional literacy in children in the early years. It includes data collected from a study asking early years practitioners, working throughout the pandemic, about the effects they saw first-hand and their opinions on whether emotional literacy has been affected.

David S. Festinger (1962-2021).

Memorializes David S. Festinger (1962-2021). He was best known for the impacts of his research contributions in the area of substance abuse treatment-particularly around issues of law and ethics. His interest in researching and promoting ethical principles for research participants was strongly influenced by the experiences of his parents, who were both Holocaust survivors. He served as principal or co-investigator on over 20 National Institutes of Health-funded grants and numerous contracts and grants from other funding agencies. Most of Dr. Festinger's career was spent with the Treatment Research Institute in Philadelphia. His final affiliation was with the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, where he conducted research, taught students, and provided clinical supervision to trainees and early career practitioners. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

The quest for professional self-understanding: Sense making and the interpersonal nature of applied sport psychology practice

Several authors within the sport psychology literature have acknowledged an interpersonal dimension of applied practice, with several publications highlighting the significance of developing and maintaining effective working relationships with a range of key stakeholders (i.e., athletes, managers, coaches, sports physicians, parents). Through the use of a longitudinal series of semi-structured interviews across an eighteen month period, this article explores the experiences of four trainee practitioners and two qualified sport psychologists, and their perceptions of working with multiple stakeholders, examining how such encounters serve to shape and inform their professional self-understanding in a contextual manner. Key themes constructed through Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis accounted for finding one’s place, picking your battles and being seen to do a “good” job. Upon acknowledgement of self-perception and recognition from others as being fundamental factors in shaping a practitioner’s professional self-understanding, the present article encourages early career practitioners, and the professional bodies who train them, to increase their engagement with other fields and professions, with a view to better preparing sport psychologists for the everyday interpersonal demands of successful applied practice. Lay summary: This article explores trainee and qualified practitioners’ experiences and reflections of working with multiple stakeholders to better prepare sport psychologists for everyday interpersonal demands of successful applied practice. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE The current article Furthermore highlights the inherently micropolitical nature of applied sport psychology contexts, illuminating the significant influence that interpersonal relationships with key contextual stakeholders can have upon a practitioner’s professional self-understanding. The current article serves to support practitioners’ efforts in seeking to better manage their interpersonal relationships with key stakeholders, enhancing their ability to “survive and thrive” as applied practitioners. The novel theoretical lens adopted within this study, provides a basis to help scaffold developmental activities relating to professional self-understanding, micropolitical activity, and contextual understanding.

Hofstetter Kurt: Ich Schaue in den Himmel um Mich zu Erden (I Look up to the Sky to Ground Myself)

Hofstetter Kurt: Ich Schaue in den Himmel um Mich zu Erden (I Look up to the Sky to Ground Myself)

Reimagining joy as a performative force in early childhood education

In this conceptual paper, the affective intensity of joy is approached as becoming. Following a relational ontology, joy is attended to both as performed in relation to others (human and more-than-human) and as a performative agent. This paper is based on an empirical exploration of the remarkableness of young children's everyday lives in a Finnish early childhood education context. This study contributes to the emerging field of affective and embodied research practices in early childhood education by disrupting and reimagining the way in which joy is thought about and researched. Exploring joy from a post-qualitative methodological approach and drawing on a relational ontology will afford novel research insights and new knowledge about joy as a phenomenon beyond the individual human. By reading diffractively and drawing on a ‘practical provocation’, the author aims to increase understanding of joy as a performative force, which is important for early years practitioners and researchers. Acknowledging the relational and performative aspects of young children's joy within intra-action reveals the remarkable and transformative possibilities in seemingly unremarkable and mundane events.

Gender and ethnic/racial diversity in clinical neuropsychology: Updates from the AACN, NAN, SCN 2020 practice and “salary survey”

Objective Examination of gender and diversity issues within clinical neuropsychology, using data from the 2020 professional practice and “salary survey.” Methods Clinical neuropsychologists in the U.S. and Canada were invited to participate in an online survey. The final sample consisted of 1677 doctoral-level practitioners. Results Approximately, 60% of responding neuropsychologists are women and 53.8% of those women identify as early career psychologists (ECPs). Conversely, a majority of men in the sample are advanced career psychologists (ACPs). Both genders work predominantly in institutions, but more men than women work in private practice. ACP men produce a greater number of peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations. Across all work settings, women earn significantly less than men, and are less satisfied with their incomes. Establishing and maintaining family life is the biggest obstacle to attaining greater income and job satisfaction for both genders. Ethnic/racial minority status was identified in 12.9% of respondents, with 59.2% being ECPs. Job satisfaction and hostility in the workplace vary across ethnic/racial minority groups. Hispanic/Latino(a) and White neuropsychologists report higher incomes, but there were no statistically significant differences between any of the groups. Conclusions Income and select practice differences persist between female and male neuropsychologists. There is a slow rate of increased ethnic/racial diversity over time, which is much more apparent among early career practitioners. Trajectories and demographics suggest that the gender income gap is unlikely to be improved by the next survey iteration in 2025, whereas it is very likely that ethnic/racial diversity will continue to increase gradually.

Developing A Model of News Literacy in Early Adolescents: A Survey Study

ABSTRACT Early adolescents’ insufficient critical engagement with (online) news demands increased application of news literacy, but it remains unclear which factors increase news literacy application. To provide more insights, this survey study develops and tests a model of news literacy application in early adolescents (12‒15 y/o, N = 492). The more comprehensive model looks at the relationship between the application of news literacy and news consumption, knowledge of news media production, news literacy skills, value for (news) media literacy, news literacy and news consumption motivation, social norms, and demographics. Most importantly, the model shows the interconnectedness of news literacy application and news consumption. Furthermore, it shows the importance of early adolescents’ value for (news) media literacy, skills, and motivation to increase their news literacy application, and the lesser importance of news production knowledge. To stimulate the application of news literacy in early adolescents, researchers and practitioners could take a stepwise approach: (1) stimulate intrinsic news consumption motivation and, with that, news consumption, and then (2) build value for (news) media literacy, skills, and peer social norms to stimulate the application of news literacy. In precisely targeting these factors of news literacy application, interventions can empower early adolescents to become more critical news consumers.

Supporting the Intersections of Life and Work: Retaining and Motivating Academic Librarians Throughout Their Careers

Objective – This study uses the Kaleidoscope Career Model (Mainiero & Sullivan 2006a) to determine key sources of motivation for library professionals during their careers and identifies strategies for how library administrators can better retain and inspire their staff. Methods – The authors adapted the Kaleidoscope Career Model survey tool with permission from Mainiero and Sullivan. The authors used Qualtrics to send out the adapted survey and in October 2019 emailed a call for participation with the survey link to six library electronic mailing lists. A total of 433 participants completed the survey. The authors reviewed the demographic data and charts Qualtrics generated and used an open-coding method to analyze the qualitative responses to open-ended questions included in the survey. First, they read through those responses, identified common words, phrases, and ideas, which became initial codes. Then the authors reviewed the codes and determined themes common in the data. Each author coded and analyzed each question. Those themes then informed the discussion and recommendations shared in this article. Results – Nearly 60% of respondents identified as being in the Authenticity phase, 15% in the Challenge phase, and 18% in the Balance phase. When asked if they felt supported, those in the Authenticity phase reported the highest overall level of satisfaction, with those in the 47–52 years old cohort experiencing peak feelings of support. The study found that all early career practitioners seemed interested in continuing in a supervisory role. Those older participants in the Balance phase were less interested than those in the other two phases in continuing to supervise. Those in the Authenticity phase identified most strongly with being organizational leaders. By contrast, older participants in the Balance phase did not identify strongly as leaders. Those in the Challenge phase showed strong interest in being leaders at an early age and that interest increased among older cohorts. Conclusion – This study is the first to analyze sources of motivation for academic librarians during the stages of their careers. When working with librarians who identify with the Authenticity phase, administrators should work with their employees to develop career goals that are extrinsically based, such as what can be achieved through good work rather than striving for a dream position. Librarians in the Balance phase would benefit from early opportunities to develop leadership roles or serve in supervisory roles. These early opportunities better fit with their efforts to prioritize family later in life. Librarians in the Challenge phase are intrinsically motivated to achieve and strive. They may experience disappointment as newer career librarians continue to advance and as they begin to plateau later in life. Leaders must consider the kinds of changes their organization can withstand as they strive to best support and foster the growth and development of all of their employees.

Exploring early childhood practitioners’ perceptions of empathy with children and families: initial findings

ABSTRACT This paper explores initial results from phase one of a research project examining early childhood practitioners’ (ECP) perceptions of empathy within their practice. Empathy is widely understood as the ability to understand others’ feelings, to see things through other people’s eyes, imagining what it would be like to be that person in that situation. It is widely accepted that anyone working with young children should have excellent empathy skills. However, although there is an abundance of published research on the role of empathy within nursing and social work, and limited research in the education profession, there is scarcely any research of empathy within ECP practice. This paper presents initial findings from Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) research with a sample of nine ECPs working in the UK, research which is derived from ongoing PhD study. Participants were asked to keep reflective diaries of their empathic interactions, and these were followed up with semi-structured interviews to further investigate responses. The study has revealed a range of definitions of empathy and found evidence of high levels of empathy and emotion within the practice. A second phase of research aims to examine types of empathy and the effect of emotional labour on practitioners.

Merging international practices

Making decisions that will change your life significantly can be very challenging and you may postpone these decisions on a regular basis. When you finally take the plunge to do something new it will change your life indefinitely. Sarah Thorpe, an early years practitioner, gives an insight into working overseas and how it has opened her eyes to different ways of teaching and learning.

Development, Construct Validation, and Normalization of a New Early Childhood Self-Regulation Assessment Scale

Although there are many tools for assessing young children’s self-regulation according to varied conceptual definitions and purposes, the purpose of this study was to develop, validate, and norm a Self-Regulation Assessment Scale for Early Childhood (SASEC) for directly evaluating observed behaviors of young children in naturalistic play experiences within the normal preschool environment. An exploratory sequential mixed methods research design was used. The 315 participants included 153 parents and 15 educators for the qualitative component and 147 children ages 3–5 years for the quantitative component. The analytical steps of a qualitative grounded theory research design were applied to adult participant interviews and focus group discussions, which culminated in 12 scale items for measuring a child’s ability to initiate, modulate, and cease behaviors, tasks, or activities of varied complexities, social configurations, and limiting conditions. Children’s SASEC scores were assessed via video recordings of play behaviors in naturalistic settings. Based on factor analysis results, the SASEC items constitute a single construct. According to the results of hierarchical linear modeling and multiple linear regression, preschool children’s SASEC scores can be compared to the SASEC mean and standard deviation regardless of various demographic variables. Implications and recommendations for future work include having early childhood educators, child and youth care practitioners, counselors, parents and families, social workers, behavioral sciences researchers, and policy makers use the SASEC to measure young children’s self-regulation while developing or monitoring the efficacy of generalized enhancement programs and individualized treatment plans.

Taking every opportunity

Sometimes opportunities come up but it is up to us to take them. Poppy Turnock, teaching assistant in a foundation phase and BA (Hons) student (Early Years Education and Care: Early Years Practitioner) shares her journey towards working in the early years and her plans for the future.

Reflecting and journaling

Reflection is a key part of day-to-day practice for early years practitioners, but how can this fit into their busy work and be most effective rather than having them feeling rushed and overwhelmed with thoughts? Charlotte Baker and Maria Szreder discuss the option of journaling and how this can be of value to those working in the sector.

Understanding the rehabilitation psychology specialty career pathway.

Little is known about how psychologists choose their specialty practice area, and rehabilitation psychology is no exception. Specialization and specialty certification in professional psychology have been controversial topics impacting the field during the training sequence and across the span of professional careers (Drum & Blom, 2001; Robiner & Fossum, 2017). The American Board of Rehabilitation Psychology (ABRP) has been providing specialty certification since 1995 and rehabilitation psychology was recognized as a unique specialty in 2015 by the APA's Council for the Recognition of Specialties and Proficiencies in Professional Psychology (CRSPPP). There are limited established training programs and minimal information about the specialty in undergraduate course materials. The current survey is intended to provide information about how people are introduced to the field of rehabilitation psychology, specialty identification, and to identify opportunities for improvement. A survey of members of APA Division 22 and ABRP specialists was conducted to collect information about their exposure to and involvement in rehabilitation psychology. Results from 174 respondents suggest that personal relationships are the current key means of recruitment and confirms that rehabilitation psychology has limited presence in undergraduate training. Most professionals come to identify with rehabilitation psychology after training in clinical neuropsychology and health psychology. These preliminary results suggest that the current generalist training sequence does not provide sufficient exposure to, or preparation for the field of rehabilitation psychology. Recruitment opportunities should emphasize student leadership network activities and the identification of early and midcareer practitioners unaware of the rehabilitation specialty. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Healer or Hag? Female Medical Practitioners and Witch Accusations in 17th-Century New England

In 17th-century New England, many women provided valuable medical services to their communities without formal training as midwives and healers. They were generally well-respected by their patients and trusted to testify as medical experts in cases of paternity, rape, and witchcraft at community forums. Yet this trust was capricious; female medical practitioners could easily be accused of being witches, usually for failing to heal a patient or causing illness through supernatural means. This paper examines two women who practiced medicine and were accused of witchcraft in 17th-century New England. The details and circumstances surrounding the witchcraft accusations against Jane Hawkins of Boston, Massachusetts in 1637 and Ann Burt of Lynn, Massachusetts in 1669 are gathered from court documents, journal articles, and secondary source materials. In analysing the cases of Jane Hawkins and Ann Burt, several themes are explored to explain why early female medical practitioners tread a thin line between trusted healers and witches. In Hawkins’ case, inexplicable medical maladies were often attributed to witchcraft when a woman was involved and she did not fit Puritan ideals of how a woman should behave. In Burt’s case, an accusation of witchcraft was used by male physicians to eliminate competing female healers in a crowded medical marketplace. Both Hawkins and Burt practiced medicine in a manner that threatened the inherent power differential favouring men, leading to witchcraft accusations intending to destroy their credibility as medical practitioners.

Concepts of Pathology from Ancient India-A Review of Sanskrit Literature

Contribution by ancient physicians from the Indian subcontinent towards the field of pathology has been largely unknown globally. This paper aims at providing a glimpse of the knowledge possessed by the Sanskrit scholars of ancient times (derived from Sanskrit texts written originally between 1500 B.C. and 1500 A.D) regarding the basis of disease and correlating their ideas with our present understanding of the concepts in Pathology. Ayurveda (traditional Indian medicine) was developed in India during the Vedic age (approximately 1500-500 BC). The early ayurvedic practitioners gave due importance to etiopathogenesis of diseases as a separate field called Nidana-shastra. (Nidāna means etiology or cause). Charaka emphasized that illness is caused by imbalance of the three principles (doshas) - vata, pitta and kapha, and that genetic defects are transmitted by either the sperm or the ovum. Sushruta depicted various modes of communicable disease transmission - physical contact, exhaled air, close contact, fomites etc, Madhava classified diseases based on pathogenesis (primary or secondary), etiology (endogenous or exogenous) and prognosis (curable, incurable, mild and acute). Chakrapani propounded that epidemics in a community occur due to deterioration of factors that are common to all who inhabit that community- namely air, water, soil, food, etc. Vagabhatta emphasized the importance of personal hygiene and proper nutrition for good health and elaborated the role of contaminated river water in several diseases. Agada tantra is the science of poisons and their antidotes which was founded by Kashyapa.