Group Of Fourth-year Students Research Articles

THE COMMUNICATION APPROACH AND ATTITUDES OF STUDENTS REGARDING THE EFFECTS OF SPORTS ACTIVITIES ON HEALTH

The student population is one of the most sensitive populations today, whereby it is necessary to consider the relationship between health and physical activity in order to improve students’ quality of life. In addition to physical inactivity, health status is adversely affected by constant technological innovations and excessive socializing, consumption of alcohol, tobacco and narcotics. The aim of this study was to determine the differences between the communication approach and attitudes of first- and fourth-year students of the Faculty of Sports and Physical Education on the impact of sports on health and improvement of mental hygiene. Using a 60-item questionnaire, the study included 70 healthy respondents of both genders (Mean ± SD: 20.86±1.76 years). The respondents were divided into two subsamples, i.e. a group of first-year students (IG; n=34; F=15, M=19) and a group of fourth-year students (IVG; n=36; F=18, M=18). All obtained data are presented by descriptive parameters. The reliability of the survey in terms of internal compliance was tested by Cronbach's Alpha coefficient. The manifest space of attitudes was processed by the scaling technique. The Mann-Whitney U Test was used to determine differences in attitudes between first- and fourth-year students. For statistical significance of the differences in results between groups, the p<0.05 level of significance was used. The data were processed in the SPSS statistical package. The results of the study unequivocally confirmed the existence of a positive attitude among the student population about the impact of sports on health and improvement of mental hygiene, as well as that there are no statistically significant differences in most of the variables included in the testing (eight out of ten domains), i.e. that there is no great difference in the attitudes of first- and fourth-year students on the importance of sports for their psychophysical health.

The Effectiveness of Programmable Logic Controller Teaching Aids for Control System Module in Vocational College

Teaching aids are important in the process of teaching and learning. The use of teaching aids in teaching and learning process is necessary for teachers to ensure the delivery of information related to the subjects taught is more visible and systematic, so it can be followed by students. This study aims to develop a programmable logic controller learning kit as a teaching aid to enhance the understanding of students in the control system module in a vocational college. This study implemented a quasi-experimental approach, involving two groups of fourth year students in vocational colleges that are enrolled in the control system module. A total of 60 respondents were randomly selected in cluster - 30 respondents from each vocational college. A pre-test and a post-test were conducted to assess the students’ level of understanding on programmable logic controller topic. The pre-test and post-test have three parts which cover objective questions and subjective questions to ensure the similarity on the level of knowledge among respondents. The pre and post-test have the same question, but they were differentiated by the position of the question. A post-test will be given after the treatment and from the results, and the difference between the impact of the effective use of conventional method and the use of developed kit was analysed. Then, the questionnaires were distributed to 30 respondents to assess the effectiveness of the kit. The questionnaire covers three main aspects to be assessed. This learning kit can help teachers at vocational colleges to increase understanding and the knowledge of students on programmable logic controller topic in control system module. At the end of this study, the results have shown a positive effect on students' understanding of programmable logic controller topic. In addition, it can improve students’ achievement in control system module in a vocational college.

A Five-Year Institutional Study of the Effectiveness of Fourth-Year Clinical Anatomy in Promoting Musculoskeletal Education

Despite the increasing prevalence of musculoskeletal disease in the population, studies continue to show deficiencies in the duration and extent of musculoskeletal education. From 2009-2013, senior medical students enrolled in a clinical anatomy elective at our institution’s medical school completed pre- and post-course examinations related to musculoskeletal education with associated radiographic interpretation and physical examination correlates. A control group of fourth-year students who did not participate in a clinical anatomy elective completed a comparable exam. Student pre-course and control group test scores averaged 54%. The control group scored at the same level for the radiographic (pre-course average 65%, control-group average 61%, p = 0.21) and physical exam sections (pre-course average 56%, control-group average 53%, p = 0.28), and lower in the musculoskeletal portion (pre-course average 50%, control-group average 39%, p p < 0.001) and scored higher than their classmates in the control group, with mean test scores of 84% for the combined sections, representing a 28% improvement. Senior medical students demonstrated deficits in knowledge related to musculoskeletal medicine. Following a focused fourth-year anatomy elective providing students with the opportunity to focus their learning of anatomy in a clinical context, students’ knowledge in musculoskeletal medicine increased substantially.

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Course Integrated Library Instruction in an Undergraduate Nursing Program

Introduction: Many faculty in two Schools of Nursing found that students in the fourth year of the Bachelor of Nursing program were not well equipped to perform information literacy activities efficiently and effectively, such as doing research to support their daily work. A course-integrated information literacy program was implemented at both sites, which left some students having very little information literacy training, whereas others who started the program in later years had information literacy training in all or most years of the curriculum. This study sought to evaluate students as they gained more experience with information literacy. Methods: To determine if increased exposure to information literacy training improved students' levels of competency and confidence, the authors compared first-year students with two groups of fourth-year students who had differing exposures to information literacy. Results: Acceptable response rates for data analysis were acquired at only one site. It was found that overall, fourth-year students were more confident and tested better with information literacy competencies than first-year students, but there was not as much improvement as was hypothesized. Discussion: The results of this evaluation have demonstrated a need to improve the information literacy teaching in certain areas. The data have also indicated that students do indeed retain information literacy skills with an increased number of sessions. Further areas for study are outlined as well as the limitations and strengths of the study design.

Effects of Mathematical Games Strategy on the Achievement of Students in High School Geometry

Mathematical games have become an interesting area in educational research. The study was conducted to determine the effects of games on achievement in geometry. It was done in one of the public high schools in the Division of Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines. Quasi-experimental design, specifically the pretest-posttest control group design was adopted using two intact groups of fourth year students with 39 students each as the subjects of the study. The first group was assigned as the experimental group adopting the mathematical games strategy in teaching while the second group as the control group employing the traditional way of teaching. A 60-item multiple choice teacher-made test was the main instrument in the study. The test provided the scores for the pretest and posttest for the two groups of respondents. The test underwent a series of steps of validation and later on the reliability coefficient was determined at 0.91 using the KR20. The study found that the students who were exposed to mathematical games strategy obtained higher achievement scores compared to students taught using the traditional method. As a result, the researcher recommends the use of mathematical games strategy in presenting and discussing lessons for the purpose of achieving higher grades in Geometry.

Feasibility and Outcomes of Paid Undergraduate Student Nurse Positions

Feasibility and Outcomes of Paid Undergraduate Student Nurse Positions

Conflict and coping strategies: a qualitative study of student attitudes to significant event analysis.

To explore the attitudes of students to reflection in the form of significant event analysis (SEA), to categorise the factors influencing these attitudes and to develop a conceptual framework from the data to help ensure future students have a positive experience of this method of learning. In May 1999, SEA, based on the critical incident technique, was introduced as part of coursework within a 3-week general practice clinical rotation for fourth year students at the School of Medicine, Imperial College, London. Four focus groups of fourth year students were conducted. From these, a topic guide for use in in-depth interviews was developed. Eighteen interviews were conducted, which were recorded, transcribed and analysed. Themes grounded in the data were developed. Dominant themes emerged from the analysis. The process of SEA evoked conflicts within the students. The sources of conflict were categorised as internal, relating to phenomena specific to the student in question, or external, such as the medical curriculum and the student's relationships with others. Coping strategies employed by students and teachers also emerged from the data. Significant event analysis has the potential to provoke a number of conflicts within the student, which may reduce students' engagement with and perception of the utility of the task. By employing coping strategies, the negative effect of the conflict can be minimised. Applying this conceptual framework may inform further initiatives to promote reflective practice in undergraduate education.