Evidence-based Teaching Strategies Research Articles

Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Uptake in Adolescent Boys: An Evidence Review.

Despite evidence-based guidelines recommending routine vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV) for adolescent boys, ages 11-12 years, vaccine uptake among this population remains low. To examine reasons for low HPV quadrivalent vaccine uptake and methods available to increase vaccine uptake among adolescent males, ages 11-12 years. Of 341 identified studies, 30 were included from three databases. The 30 studies were grouped into six categories: population-specific, problem-specific, educational interventions, theory-specific, political implications, and foundational guidelines and Websites. Among eight studies, low vaccine uptake was attributed to lack of parental, adolescent, and physician knowledge of HPV4 vaccine availability and recommendations. HPV4 vaccine educational interventions for parents and adolescents were the most effective for promoting vaccine uptake. Theory applications and gain-framed messages were shown to be effective for assessing HPV vaccine attitudes and perceptions. Political implication studies reveal the need for political and financial measures to encourage HPV vaccine acceptability among the population. To promote HPV vaccine uptake among adolescent males, providers must remain current with HPV vaccine recommendations and offer parental and adolescent HPV education focusing on benefits of vaccine acceptance and risks of vaccine refusal. The results of this review inform our understanding of effective educational strategies to positively impact HPV vaccine uptake in adolescent males. Based on this review, clinicians can employ several evidence-based educational strategies to facilitate HPV vaccine uptake.

An Integrative Review of Flipped Classroom Teaching Models in Nursing Education.

Nursing care is changing dramatically given the need for students to address complex and multiple patient comorbidities. Students experience difficulties applying knowledge gained from didactic instruction to make important clinical decisions for optimal patient care. To optimize nursing education pedagogy, innovative teaching strategies are required to prepare future nurses for practice. This integrative review synthesized the state of the science on flipped classroom models from 13 empirical studies published through May 2016. The purpose of the review was to evaluate studies conducted on flipped classroom models among nursing students using a validated framework by Whittemore and Knafl. Multiple academic databases were searched, ranging in scope including PubMed, Embase (Elsevier), CINAHL (Ebsco), Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, resulting in 95 unique records. After screening and full-text reviews, 82 papers were removed. Thirteen empirical studies were included in the final analysis and results provided (a) design and process information on flipped classroom models in nursing education, (b) a summary of the state of the evidence to inform the implementation of flipped classrooms, and (c) a foundation to build future research in this area of nursing education. To develop sound evidence-based teaching strategies, rigorous scientific methods are needed to inform the implementation of flipped classroom approaches.

Situated instructional coaching: a case study of faculty professional development

Barriers to reforming traditional lecture-based undergraduate STEM classes are numerous and include time constraints, lack of training, and instructor’s beliefs about teaching and learning. This case study documents the use of a situated instructional coaching process as a method of faculty professional development. In this model, a geoscience education graduate student (the coach) assisted a faculty member in reforming and teaching an introductory geoscience course on dinosaurs using evidence-based teaching strategies. The revision process occurred in three phases to progressively transfer responsibility for lesson design from the coach to the instructor over the length of the course. Data on instructional practices were collected using the Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol (RTOP), and belief changes experienced by the instructor were captured using the Teacher Beliefs Interview (TBI) and Beliefs about Reformed Science Teaching and Learning (BARSTL) survey. RTOP data confirm that the instructor was successful in teaching the lessons as designed and also gained skills in designing reformed lessons. TBI and BARSTL were indicative of a shift in the instructor's beliefs toward a more student-centered perspective. Data collected on instructional practice and teaching beliefs indicate that this model served as an effective method of professional development for the instructor.

Why research-informed teaching in engineering education? A review of the evidence

ABSTRACTChallenges of today's engineering education (EE) are emergent, necessitating calls for its reformation to empower future engineers function optimally as innovative leaders, in both local and international contexts. These challenges: keeping pace with technological dynamism; high attrition; and most importantly, quality teaching/learning require multifaceted approaches. But how can EE respond to the growing demand for relevant teaching? What can we do for engineering faculties to leverage on quality teaching? How do we embed quality teaching in EE? Scholarship of teaching and learning is advocated as one viable approach. It uses evidence-based teaching (EBT) strategies, and research-informed evidence to guide educational decisions regarding teaching and learning. We review the theories underpinning EBT, the scientific evidence on which it is based, and innovative instructional strategies that enhance active learning. Some of these issues have been discussed already, largely through developing countries lens. Nevertheless, linkages to equivalent global perspectives are presented here.

Social dynamics in group work

Group work plays an important role in the preparation and role development of nursing students. Benefits of group work include skill building and promotion of positive behaviors. Despite the many benefits of group work, there are challenges that accompany the process for students and nursing educators. This article will highlight concerns related to group work. In addition, evidence-based teaching strategies for nursing educators will be presented.

Patient Storytelling in the Classroom

Storytelling is an evidence-based teaching and learning strategy that engages students and promotes critical thinking. Although most nursing textbooks incorporate spiritual nursing care, the texts lack examples of how to tie evidence-based spiritual interventions to specific medical-suigical content. Stories told from the patient's perspective can communicate insights that nurses and students can use when planning spiritual carefor patients. Stories shared by patients with undergraduate nursing students were effective in promoting learning and offered concrete examples of supportive spiritual resources for patients.

Facilitating Vocabulary Acquisition of Children With Cochlear Implants Using Electronic Storybooks.

The present intervention study explored the word learning of 18 children with cochlear implants in response to E-book instruction. Capitalizing on the multimedia options available in electronic storybooks, the intervention incorporated videos and definitions to provide a vocabulary intervention that includes evidence-based teaching strategies. The extent of the children's word learning was assessed using three assessment tasks: receptive pointing, expressively labeling, and word defining. Children demonstrated greater immediate expressive labeling gains and definition generation gains for words taught in the treatment condition compared to those in the comparison condition. In addition, the children's performance on delayed posttest vocabulary assessments indicated better retention across the expressive vocabulary task for words taught within the treatment condition as compared to the comparison condition. Findings suggest that children with cochlear implants with functional speech perception can benefit from an oral-only multimedia-enhanced intensive vocabulary instruction.

Academic performance and perception of learning following a peer coaching teaching and assessment strategy.

Peer coaching has been associated with positive effects on learning. Specifically, these associations have been explored in complex healthcare professions. A social theory of learning has been proposed as a key component of the utility of peer coaching. Further, within the peer coaching model, assessment has been considered as an important driver. Empirical support for these dimensions of the model is lacking. To quantify assessment achievements and explore emergent attitudes and beliefs about learning related to a specific peer coaching model with integrated assessment. A longitudinal study based in a UK Higher Education Institute recorded assessment achievements and surveyed attitudes and beliefs in consecutive Year 1 undergraduate (physiotherapy) students (n = 560) between 2002 and 2012. A 6% improvement in academic achievement was demonstrated following the introduction of a peer coaching learning model. This was increased by a further 5% following the implementation of an integrated assessment. The improvement related to an overall averaged increase of one marking band. Students valued the strategy, and themes relating to the importance of social learning emerged from survey data. Peer coaching is an evidence-based teaching and learning strategy which can facilitate learning in complex subject areas. The strategy is underpinned by social learning theory which is supported by emergent student-reported attitudes.

Innovative uses of technology in online midwifery education.

Women's health care in the United States is at a critical juncture. There is increased demand for primary care providers, including women's health specialists such as certified nurse-midwives/certified midwives, women's health nurse practitioners, and obstetrician-gynecologists, yet shortages in numbers of these providers are expected. This deficit in the number of women's health care providers could have adverse consequences for women and their newborns when women have to travel long distances to access maternity health care. Online education using innovative technologies and evidence-based teaching and learning strategies have the potential to increase the number of health care providers in several disciplines, including midwifery. This article reviews 3 innovative uses of online platforms for midwifery education: virtual classrooms, unfolding case studies, and online return demonstrations of clinical skills. These examples of innovative teaching strategies can promote critical and creative thinking and enhance competence in skills. Their use in online education can help enhance the student experience. More students, including those who live in rural and underserved regions and who otherwise might be unable to attend a traditional onsite campus, are provided the opportunity to complete quality midwifery education through online programs, which in turn may help expand the women's health care provider workforce. This article is part of a special series of articles that address midwifery innovations in clinical practice, education, interprofessional collaboration, health policy, and global health.

Teaching At-Risk Toddlers New Vocabulary Using Interactive Digital Storybooks

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of extending interactive shared book reading strategies to digital interactive books. Specifically, children's comprehension and production of new vocabulary words was explored by incorporating evidence-based teaching strategies in e-book reading sessions. Method: A single-case repeated-acquisition design across 3 e-books with replication across 5 par- ticipants was used to evaluate the effects of the vocabulary intervention. The participants included 5 children between 25 and 36 months of age who attended an Early Head Start program. The inter- ventionist used a combination of interactive shared book reading strategies and digital interactive fea- tures within e-book reading sessions. Each e-book was shared 3 times before progressing to the next e-book. nomic status (SES) backgrounds have slower rates of vocabulary acquisition compared to children from higher SES backgrounds (e.g., Dollaghan et al., 1999; Gormley & Ruhl, 2005; Hart & Risley, 1995). The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (PL 107-110) and the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (2004), as well as newer initiatives such as Race to the Top, have increased the focus on all children meeting specific educational outcomes. These initiatives highlight the importance of address- ing predictive skills for later academic success early

Demographic characteristics and food choices of participants in the Special Diabetes Program for American Indians Diabetes Prevention Demonstration Project

Objective. American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs) suffer a disproportionate burden of diabetes. Identifying food choices of AI/ANs at risk of type 2 diabetes, living in both rural and urban settings, is critical to the development of culturally relevant, evidence-based education strategies designed to reduce morbidity and mortality in this population.Design. At baseline, 3135 AI/AN adults participating in the Special Diabetes Program for American Indians Diabetes Prevention Demonstration Project (SDPI-DP) completed a socio-demographic survey and a 27-item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). The primary dietary behavior goal of SDPI-DP education sessions and lifestyle coaching is changes in food choices, i.e., increased fruits, vegetables and whole grains, decreased high sugar beverages, red meat, and processed foods. Subsequently, program assessment focuses on changes in food types. Foods were delineated using a ‘healthy’ and ‘unhealthy’ classification as defined by the educators advising participants. Urban and rural differences were examined using χ2 tests and two sample t-tests. Multiple linear regressions and linear mixed models were used to assess the association between socio-demographic factors and food choice.Results. Retired participants, those living in urban areas and with high income and education selected healthy foods most frequently. Young males, those with low income and education consumed unhealthy foods most frequently. Selection of unhealthy foods did not differ by urban and rural setting.Conclusions. The ubiquitous nature of unhealthy food choices makes them hard to avoid. Food choice differences by gender, age, income, and setting suggest that nutrition education should more effectively target and meets the needs of young AI/AN males.

Feedback about Teaching in Higher Ed: Neglected Opportunities to Promote Change.

Despite ongoing dissemination of evidence-based teaching strategies, science teaching at the university level is less than reformed. Most college biology instructors could benefit from more sustained support in implementing these strategies. One-time workshops raise awareness of evidence-based practices, but faculty members are more likely to make significant changes in their teaching practices when supported by coaching and feedback. Currently, most instructional feedback occurs via student evaluations, which typically lack specific feedback for improvement and focus on teacher-centered practices, or via drop-in classroom observations and peer evaluation by other instructors, which raise issues for promotion, tenure, and evaluation. The goals of this essay are to summarize the best practices for providing instructional feedback, recommend specific strategies for providing feedback, and suggest areas for further research. Missed opportunities for feedback in teaching are highlighted, and the sharing of instructional expertise is encouraged.

Nursing Faculty Preparedness for Clinical Teaching

Nursing faculty who teach in clinical settings face complex situations requiring evidence-based educational and evaluative strategies, yet many have had limited preparation for these tasks. A convenience sample of 74 nursing faculty participated in a survey about clinical teaching in prelicensure nursing programs. Most faculty developed teaching skills through conferences (57%), orientation at their educational institution (53%), or exposure in graduate school (38%). Thirty-one percent reported having no preparation for clinical teaching. Faculty felt least prepared to manage students with learning, physical, or emotional disabilities and incivility. Twenty-six percent had no preparation for evaluating students in the clinical setting, and only 17% had worked with a faculty mentor. Few evidence-based teaching strategies were used by the faculty. These findings indicate gaps exist in the preparation of clinical faculty. Graduate education, comprehensive orientation programs, and continuing professional development may help to ensure faculty are effective in managing and evaluating student learning.

Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Evidence-Based Health Education

The number of deaths associated with cardiovascular events remains constant in many countries due to new therapeutic approaches for prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis. This condition is widely attributable to unhealthy outcomes in its association with risk factors such as smoking and sedentary behavior. Risk factors play a significant role in the progression of coronary artery disease. We conducted a review of the literature with the purpose of identifying primary risk factors for coronary disease, lifestyle change interventions, and expectations for a reduction in cardiovascular events on the basis of evidence-based health education strategies. In addition, we sought to contextualize this review so that nurses are trained to use these findings in their practice at different levels of care.

Using a Standardized Patient to Teach Fall Safety

BackgroundPatient falls in acute care settings have become a major public concern. It is important that nurse educators use evidence-based teaching strategies to teach nursing students the necessary measures required to keep patients safe. MethodsUsing a multisite, mixed methods, experimental study, we tested the effect of using a standardized patient in simulation on cognitive gains, student attitudes toward patient safety and important simulation design features. ResultsStudents indicated debriefing followed by fidelity were the most important features of this simulation. Although there was no significant cognitive learning in the experimental group, there was a significant improvement in attitudes toward safety. ConclusionThis study adds to the science of nursing education providing evidence for best teaching practices. Using standardized patients in simulation improves student attitudes toward patient safety.

Identifying Evidence-Based Teaching Strategies that Teachers Use in Inclusive Primary Classrooms in Southern Bangladesh

Evidence-based teaching strategies are clearly specified teaching strategies that have been shown in controlled research to be effective in bringing about desired outcomes in a delineated population of learners. For teaching-learning process in inclusive classrooms, evidence-based teaching strategies can play a vital role for quality learning especially for the students with disabilities. Although implementation of inclusion in primary education was started in 2003 in Bangladesh, the classroom teachers are frequently struggling with the challenges in teaching-learning process in mainstream education. It is believed that teachers are not sufficiently well-prepared and supported to teach students with disabilities in their classroom. But undoubtedly, the hallmark of effective inclusion is well-trained teachers and teaching strategies that teachers use to teach students with disabilities. The present study was conducted to determine teachers’ teaching strategies they practice for students with disabilities in mainstream primary classroom in some selected primary schools of Southern Bangladesh. In this study, a questionnaire focusing on 18 evidence-based teaching strategies was developed for data collection. In the results, differences were observed in the extent to which teachers used teaching-strategies in their classrooms that are evidence-based. While some teachers reported using some of the strategies most often or sometimes, others indicated less frequent use. On the basis of the findings, recommendations were made to encourage teachers in mainstream education to use evidence-based teaching strategies that facilitate the actual inclusion. DOI: 10.5901/jesr.2013.v3n7p639

The Effect of a Cultural Competence Educational Intervention for First-Year Nursing Students in Israel

To evaluate the effectiveness of an educational intervention to increase general cultural competence of first-year nursing students. This was a quasi-experimental study that used a convenience sample with an experimental group and a control group and pre- and posttesting. The sample comprised 146 first-year nursing students enrolled in the Introduction to Nursing course divided into an intervention group (n = 58) of students from one school and a control group (n = 88) including students from two schools. The intervention group received a 2-hour faculty lecture on cultural competence, and students prepared and delivered a student group presentation about a cultural group in Israel, basing the presentation on Campinha-Bacote's five constructs. A demographic data instrument and Campinha-Bacote's Inventory for Assessing the Process of Cultural Competence Among Healthcare Professional-Revised© were used for pre- and posttesting. Students who received the educational intervention increased scores significantly (68 ± 6 to 73 ± 6, p = .000), students who did not receive the educational intervention had no significant increase (67 ± 6 to 66 ± 6). Introducing the topic of cultural competence for nursing students in the first-year Introduction to Nursing course as an integrative learning strategy revealed significant increases in cultural competence scores. Recommendations are to include evidence-based cultural competence teaching strategies into the nursing curriculum.

"Raising the Bar" for Educational Science.

"Raising the Bar" for Educational Science.

Coaching Parents of Young Children with Autism in Rural Areas Using Internet-Based Technologies: A Pilot Program

The purpose of this paper is to describe a pilot program (i.e., Internet-Based Parent-Implemented Communication Strategies [i-PiCS] program) that provides long-distance training and coaching via the Internet to parents of young children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The i-PiCS program is designed to teach parents how to use evidence-based teaching strategies to improve the social communication skills of their children with ASD. We describe components of a parent-training program that capitalizes on evidence-based strategies and highlights the potential for delivering this program via the Internet. Potential barriers, benefits, and implications for practice and research are discussed.

Theoretical beliefs and instructional practices used for teaching spelling in elementary classrooms

The current study aimed to examine teachers’ reported spelling assessment and instruction practices. Analysis of the match between teachers’ theoretical beliefs about spelling and their reported pedagogy was conducted to elucidate factors that may support or impede the use of evidence-based teaching strategies in the classroom. An electronic survey was completed by 405 randomly selected (stratified by region and socioeconomic status) elementary school teachers in New Zealand. The survey examined the following areas: spelling assessment, spelling instruction, beliefs about spelling, preparing teachers to teach spelling, and teachers’ perceived strengths and weaknesses of their spelling program. There was large variability in spelling assessment and instructional practices across teachers. Most respondents reported implementing some aspects of a developmental approach to spelling instruction through analysis of children’s spelling errors (64 %) and/or individualization of the spelling program (60 %). There was a large dissociation between teachers’ beliefs about spelling and their frequency of use of specific instructional practices associated with those beliefs (e.g., phonological awareness, orthographic knowledge). The mismatch between beliefs and reported practice appeared to be due to lack of professional knowledge regarding implementing explicit spelling instruction and finding time to teach spelling within the curriculum. Increasing teachers’ knowledge about language structure, practical implementation of key assessment and instruction activities, and the links between spelling and other areas of the curriculum are important factors in improving spelling pedagogical practices.