Evidence-based Practices For Students Research Articles

Effect of consanguinity on congenital defects

Evidence-based practice is vital for the provision of high-quality and safe healthcare. However, a rigorous, standardised, and unified evidence-based practice measure that could be applied to Arabic-speaking undergraduate students did not exist prior to this study. Moreover, translating questionnaires requires considerable time and money.Thus, this study aimed to investigate the psychometric properties of the Student Evidence-Based Practice Questionnaire (English version) among Arabic-speaking undergraduate students at health sciences colleges in Saudi Arabia.A cross-sectional survey was adopted.The survey was conducted online over a six-month period.A convenience sample of 395 undergraduate nursing students was recruited from health sciences colleges at seven universities in Saudi Arabia.The students were requested to complete the survey, including the Student Evidence-Based Practice Questionnaire, as well as a background and academic data sheet. Construct validity, discriminant sensitivity, and internal reliability were evaluated.An exploratory factor analysis was performed. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin test value was 0.901, which was higher than the acceptable value of 0.70, indicating the adequacy of the sample size. Bartlett's test of sphericity was significant (chi-square (df: 210) = 4768.818, p < .001), indicating significant correlations within the variables and matrix. Based on Kaiser's criterion with eigenvalues > 1, four factors were detected that explained 62.03 % of the variance. The exploratory factor analysis of the 21 items generated factor loadings from 0.64 to 0.87. The Student Evidence-Based Practice Questionnaire has discriminant validity. The Cronbach's alpha and split-half reliability were over 0.7, indicating that the questionnaire had good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.922). No evidence for floor or ceiling effects was observed.The English version of the Student Evidence-Based Practice Questionnaire has a satisfactory validity and reliability level and can be used among Arabic-speaking undergraduate students without the need to translate it into Arabic.

A Systematic Review of the Empirical Support for Check-In Check-Out

Tier 2 interventions play an important role within the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports framework, bridging the gap between schoolwide Tier 1 interventions and individualized Tier 3 supports. Check-in Check-out (CICO) is a promising Tier 2 intervention for addressing mild problem behavior and potentially preventing the need for more intensive supports. In this systematic review, we synthesize the characteristics, methodological quality, and outcomes of 15 single-subject studies and one group design study examining CICO. The results suggest that CICO can be considered an evidence-based practice for students with problem behavior maintained by adult attention. Versions of CICO that were modified to address other functions (e.g., obtain peer attention, escape from tasks) demonstrated strong effects, but there were not a sufficient number of studies for modified CICO to qualify as an evidence-based practice. We discuss the implications of this review for practitioners as well as future research on CICO.

Incorporating English Language Learner Instruction Within Special Education Teacher Preparation

The number of students who are English language learners (ELL) is increasing significantly across the United States. As this number increases, so does the number of students who are ELL and being identified as having disabilities. The intersection of English language instruction and special education is an emerging field of scholarship, and it is important that special education teacher preparation programs incorporate theoretical frameworks and evidence-based practice for students who are ELL into their teacher preparation programs. Indeed, there are several topics and techniques that can be incorporated into special education teacher preparation coursework that have natural connections to topics typically addressed. This article provides a framework to support the inclusion of these strategies as well as specific examples of activities that could be incorporated in coursework to strengthen the preparation of special educators to meet the needs of students who are ELL.

Tier 2 Interventions in Positive Behavior Support: A Survey of School Implementation

As increasing numbers of schools implement Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), schools are looking for and implementing evidence-based practices for students whose needs are not fully met by Tier 1 supports. Although there is relative consistency and clarity in what constitutes Tier 1 behavior support within MTSS, Tier 2 supports may be more varied and less well researched. The current study sought to better understand Tier 2 intervention implementation by surveying school personnel on their Tier 2 data, systems, and practices. Results from 180 school-level respondents are presented that describe differences according to their number of years spent implementing schoolwide positive behavior supports and their school level. Additionally, responses of perceived strengths and limitations of current social skills instructional programs, one type of Tier 2 intervention, are shared. Implications, limitations, and future directions for research and practice are provided.

Using Evidence-Based Practices to Teach Writing to Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders

Writing is a powerful tool that can be used for multiple purposes. Students demonstrate their knowledge through writing, and it is the primary means by which teachers evaluate their students’ performance. Despite its importance, many students, including those with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), struggle with writing. Teachers, often unaware of what writing practices are considered evidence based, do not always know the best way to teach struggling writers, specifically those with ASD. In this article, the author reviews the characteristics of students with ASD that may affect their writing. The author also examines evidence-based practices for students with ASD and how these practices can be implemented in writing instruction.

Teaching Students With ASD Using Evidence-Based Practices

Given the growing numbers of students identified with autism, educators need an understanding of evidence-based practices (EBPs) to meet these student’s individual educational goals. EBPs are defined often as instructional strategies, interventions, or teaching programs that result in consistent positive student outcomes. Educator’s use of EBPs has been shown to improve the learning outcomes of students with disabilities. It is imperative that educators understand how to select and implement such practices with students in their classrooms and continuously monitor the progress of their students. Recently, two major resources that classify EBPs for students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are available for review. This introduction to the special issue provides a review of EBPs specific to the education of students identified with autism as well as discusses the current resources available to educators who are in classrooms supporting students with autism. Recommendations for how best to prepare educators to use EBPs are provided.

Training Teachers to use Evidence-Based Practices for Autism: Examining Procedural Implementation fidelity.

The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which public school teachers implemented evidence-based interventions for students with autism in the way these practices were designed. Evidence-based practices for students with autism are rarely incorporated into community settings, and little is known about the quality of implementation. An indicator of intervention quality is procedural implementation fidelity (the degree to which a treatment is implemented as prescribed). Procedural fidelity likely affects student outcomes. This project examined procedural implementation fidelity of three evidence-based practices used in a randomized trial of a comprehensive program for students with autism in partnership with a large, urban school district. Results indicate that teachers in public school special education classrooms can learn to implement evidence-based strategies; however they require extensive training, coaching, and time to reach and maintain moderate procedural implementation fidelity. Procedural fidelity over time, and across intervention strategies is examined.

A Review of Self-Regulated Strategy Development for Writing for Students with EBD

In this systematic review, we evaluated the evidence base of self-regulated strategy development (SRSD; Harris &amp; Graham, 1992) for writing with students with and at risk for emotional or behavioral disorders (EBD). First, we evaluated the quality of studies identified (n = 13) by applying the quality indicators for single case (Horner et al., 2005) and for group (Gersten et al., 2005) design research. Second, we assessed whether SRSD for writing met the standards as an evidence-based practice for students with or at risk for EBD. All articles met 80% or more of the quality indicators (weighted coding range: 6.17–7.00 for single case design; 3.5–4.0 for group design). Results suggested SRSD for writing met standards as an evidence-based practice for this population. The need for future research and implications for practitioners are posed. Limitations and directions for future inquiry are addressed.

Making meaningful connections: evaluating an embedded librarian pilot project to improve nursing scholarly writing

The Health Sciences Library, University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), serves 6 colleges (medicine, nursing, dentistry, pharmacy, allied health, and graduate health sciences) consisting of approximately 2,000 students and 800 faculty and researchers. The library liaison program has been in place for years, whereby each librarian is assigned as the key contact between the library and campus colleges and is readily available to answer questions in various ways (e.g., telephone, email, text message, and online chat). However, the use of traditional library service is declining, which signifies changing needs that lead to new ways to provide library services 1. Embedding librarians in academic courses might be one of the approaches to meet the changing needs 1. The term “embedded librarian” describes librarians' involvement at macro (college, department, or program) and micro (course) levels 2. Key characteristics of embedded librarians include going out of the library and into library user groups, building strong relationship, providing customized and value added services, working as team members and collaborators, and contributing to the success of ongoing projects 3. Kesselman and Watstein described “embedded” as intensive integration into the user group, where patrons have multiple opportunities to interact with the librarian 4. They summarized embedded librarianship with two important factors: “integration and collaboration” 4. A search of the literature found numerous publications reporting the integration of librarians into nursing courses and their collaboration with nursing faculty to assist with student learning and information literacy. Librarians at the Welch Medical Library integrated information resources and library instruction throughout the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing curricula 5. Dorner, Taylor, and Hodson-Carlton described their collaboration with nursing faculty to design a tiered approach to building nursing student research skills 6. Librarians at Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library, George Washington University, have been embedded in online classes in its School of Nursing and School of Medicine and Health Sciences and are providing library services to their distant students 7. At Auburn University Montgomery, a librarian and the School of Nursing faculty collaborated to create a library database search module and integrated it into a course, “Computers in Nursing,” to enhance students' database searching skills via their course management system 8. Carlock and Anderson reported their instructional program whereby a librarian worked with nursing faculty to teach students evidence-based practice searching skills 9. However, only a few articles used the term “embedded” to describe the librarian's involvement and participation in nursing courses 7, 10, 11. Few articles were found in the literature specifically reporting librarians integrated into a graduate nursing online course to provide in-depth research and writing assistance at the point of need. Few high-quality research studies reported the outcomes of embedded programs 12. This paper describes an embedded librarian pilot project and seeks to evaluate the project's benefits and value from multiple outlets. It provides a model that can be used by others to develop and provide much needed evaluation of the embedded librarian program. Lessons learned and challenges are also discussed.

Evidence‐Based Practice Process Quality Assessment: EPQA Guidelines

Nurses are increasingly engaged in evidence-based practice (EBP) processes to answer significant questions and guide nursing practice. However, there are no criteria to evaluate the rigor and quality of EBP projects, making the decision about whether to implement a recommended practice change questionable. The purpose of this study was to achieve consensus among nationally recognized EBP nurse experts on criteria that could be used to appraise the methodological quality of an EBP project as well as to serve as a guideline to plan for an EBP project. A modified two-round Delphi method was used. Twenty-three nationally known EBP experts were invited by e-mail to participate in completing a web-based questionnaire. Items converged after two rounds (response rate [52% (n=12/23) for Round 1 and 35% (n=8/23) for Round 2]) and resulted in the development of the EBP Process Quality Assessment (EPQA) guidelines that include 34 items. The EPQA guidelines can be used to guide and evaluate the methodological quality of EBP projects. They can be used in practice settings to critically appraise an EBP project prior to translating recommendations into practice. Educators can use the EPQA guidelines as a rubric to evaluate student EBP projects. EPQA guidelines can be utilized in research to assess interventions and to build or improve EBP capacity.

Accelerating the Use of Study Findings for Community Benefit: the Six Nations Sexual Health Study

The use of Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) is increasingly emphasized within healthcare. However, little research has focused on nurses' pre-registration training; particularly regarding the impact of curriculum-design on learning EBP.This study compared the impact of embedding EBP throughout the curriculum, with modular-based teaching, on pre-registration nursing students' EBP profiles.A longitudinal panel study.A convenience sample of fifty-six pre-registration nursing students (55.4% studying an embedded EBP-curriculum and 44.6% studying a modular EBP-curriculum), were recruited from a UK University between 2011 and 2014.Participants completed the Student Evidence-Based Practice Questionnaire (S-EBPQ) in the first, second and third year of their course. This questionnaire measures four EBP domains: frequency of use, attitude, knowledge and skills in retrieving and reviewing evidence, and knowledge and skills in applying and sharing evidence.Two-way mixed between-within Analyses of Variance revealed significant improvements across all domains, except attitude (which remained broadly positive across all years), for both curriculum-groups.No significant differences in this improvement were identified between the two curricula overall. However, the direction and rate of change of scores on the retrieving and applying subscales (but not frequency of use) for the two groups differed across time; specifically those on the embedded curriculum showed a dip in scores on these subscales in year 2. This appeared to be related to associated features of the course such as the timing of placements and delivery of theory.Taking a modular or embedded approach to EBP may have little impact on students' final EBP profiles. However, careful consideration should be given to the timing of related course features which may play a key role in students' perceptions of their knowledge and skills in its application. Further research should explore how curriculum-design might build on students' initial positive attitudes towards EBP and its use in their practice.

Using a Pedagogical Approach to Integrate Evidence‐Based Teaching in an Undergraduate Women's Health Course

Evidence-based practice (EBP) is promoted as a foundation for nursing practice. However, the 2005 U.S. survey of nurses revealed that they do not have requisite skills for EBP. PURPOSE AND GOALS: To evaluate a pedagogical approach aimed at (1) fostering undergraduate nursing students EBP competencies, and (2) identifying gaps in the literature to direct future women's health research. A secondary analysis of data abstracted from required EBP clinical journals for an undergraduate women's health course in which students (n = 198) were asked to find evidence to answer their clinical questions. Content analysis was used to identify main themes of the topics of inquiry. Students identified 1,808 clinical questions and 30.3% (n = 547) of these could not be answered or supported by evidence in the literature. This assignment was an important teaching and assessment tool for EBP. Questions reflected critical thinking and quest for in-depth knowledge to support nursing practice. Some students lacked skills in searching databases and a significant number of knowledge gaps were identified that can direct women's health research.

Evidence-Based Practices for Students With Visual Disabilities

Forty years of peer-reviewed research in literacy and 50 years of research in mathematics were systematically analyzed to determine the evidence supporting instructional pedagogy for students with visual disabilities. Review teams identified 30 intervention studies that utilized an appropriate comparison group. Although some studies had large effect sizes, none of the qualifying studies had been replicated. The analysis failed to establish the highest standard of evidence recommended by the What Works Consortium, but does suggest several promising practices that should be subjected to further study.

Evidence-Based Practices for Students with Severe Disabilities and the Requirement for Accountability in “No Child Left Behind”

To define what is special about the education of students with severe disabilities, this article provides a snapshot of research-based practices that are relevant to the “No Child Left Behind” (NCLB) focus on accountability. The NCLB requirement to assess all students in reading, math, and science is contrasted to the functional approach typical of skill acquisition research for this population. The concept of adequate yearly progress is addressed by reviewing the types of instructional strategies that would most likely yield progress. Information is also provided on the extent to which teachers use research-based strategies. We conclude that prior research provides guidance for how to select and teach skills even though new applications for academics are needed.