Impact Of Learning Experience Research Articles

Implementation of a novel learning experience in scientific writing, publishing, and peer review into a first year pharmacy practice residency

BackgroundPharmacists with competency in writing, publishing, and peer review are essential to continue advancing the pharmacy profession, but structured training of these skills may vary. ObjectiveThe authors set out to implement and assess the impact of a structured learning experience into a postgraduate year 1 pharmacy residency training program that provides tangible experience in the processes of scientific writing, publishing, and peer reviewing. MethodsA quarterly pharmacy newsletter process was augmented to include an editorial board that consisted of residency trained pharmacists with varying levels of experience in scientific writing, publishing, and peer reviewing. The process was designed to provide a structured writing learning experience, to reinforce important concepts and terminology, and to simulate the process of submitting a manuscript to a peer-reviewed publication. Impact of the learning experience on quality of article submissions was assessed by comparing first quarter and last quarter writing submission scores for residents between 2017 and 2020. ResultsA statistically significant difference was observed in both raw scores (27 vs. 42.5 points out of 50 points possible, P < 0.05) and the proportion of pass or fail when comparing writing submission scores from the first quarter of the learning experience to submission scores from the last quarter (25% passing rate vs. 83% passing rate, P = 0.007). ConclusionThis novel learning experience was successfully integrated into a quarterly pharmacy newsletter and resulted in improved writing scores. This structured writing learning experience can be readily integrated into pharmacy residency training programs, and it provides hands-on training in scientific writing, publishing, and peer review for both residents and preceptors.

Teachers Beliefs on Professional Learning

There has recently been an increasing interest in teacher learning, opportunities available for professional development of teachers, and teachers’ beliefs regarding professional learning. This study aims to review the literature on what and how language teachers learn through professional learning experiences, what beliefs they hold about the learning experiences they are involved in, and the contribution of professional learning experiences to classroom practice. Following the thematic review of studies on the acquisition of professional knowledge, the scope of professional knowledge, beliefs on professional learning experiences and the impact of learning experiences on classroom practice, the study reveals the results of the exploratory case study carried out with four English language teachers at a public university in Turkey. The results point to the settings for teacher learning, types of learning experiences in the early and recent years in the profession, beliefs on teacher learning and the contribution of that learning to practice.

Motivational Selves of Japanese Heritage Speakers in Australia

Relying upon Dörnyei’s (2005, 2009) L2 Motivational Self System and Ushioda’s (2009) person-in-context relational view of emergent motivation, self, and identity, the present study investigates the nature and construction of Japanese heritage learners’ motivational selves in relation to their HL learning experiences. Based upon questionnaire data and focus group discussions in Australia, the analysis reveals that HL speakers’ motivational selves are not fixed, individual difference characteristics, but are more properly described as a process. This process emerges through the interaction between the self-reflective intentional agent and complex social structures, language expertise, experiences, and contexts in which the HL speaker participates. The impact of learning experiences on the formation of motivational selves is highlighted, as is the importance of the link between these selves and issues relating to personal identity. Globalism, imagined communities, and transnational identities are among the phenomena discussed.

S10-02 - Early learning experience and adolescent anxiety: A cross-cultural comparison between Japan and England

Anxiety disorders are among the most common psychiatric conditions in children and adolescents. One of the most consistent findings across studies is that anxiety disorders tend to run in families. While these high prevalence rates suggest that anxiety may be “transmitted” within the family, the exact mechanism involved in this transmission is still unclear. An area that has been suggested in the transmission of anxiety from parents to children is the role of learning experiences (i.e., through modeling and information transfer). While these studies have enhanced our knowledge on the association between learning experience and anxiety symptoms, it is not known whether these findings which were based on studies conducted in Western culture could be replicated in Eastern culture.The present study compared the frequency of anxiety symptoms among adolescents in Japan and England, and examined the association between early learning experiences and anxiety symptoms. 299 adolescents (147 from England and 152 from Japan) were investigated. Adolescents in England reported significantly higher levels of anxiety symptoms than adolescents in Japan. No significant differences emerged between the two countries for parent punishment/reinforcement of anxious behavior. However, for non-anxiety symptoms, adolescents in England scored significantly higher in parent punishment and the Japanese sample scored higher in parent reinforcement. Parent verbal transmission about the danger of anxiety and cold symptoms was more common in Japan than in England. The impact of learning experience on adolescent's anxiety seemed to differ across cultures, which underscore the importance of cultural factors on adolescent's anxiety.

Early Learning Experience and Adolescent Anxiety: A Cross-Cultural Comparison Between Japan and England

The main aim of this study was to compare the frequency of anxiety symptoms among adolescents in Japan and England, and to examine the association between early learning experiences and anxiety symptoms. A total of 299 adolescents (147 from England and 152 from Japan), aged 12 to 17 years were investigated. Results showed that adolescents in England reported significantly higher levels of anxiety symptoms than adolescents in Japan. For early learning experiences, no significant differences emerged between the two countries for parent punishment and reinforcement of anxious behavior. However, for non-anxiety physical symptoms (i.e. cold), adolescents in England scored significantly higher in parent punishment and the Japanese sample scored higher in parent reinforcement. Parent verbal transmission about the danger of anxiety and cold symptoms was more common in Japan than in England. The impact of learning experience on adolescent’s anxiety seemed to differ across cultures, which underscore the importance of cultural factors on adolescent’s anxiety.

Learning through experience: an emergent connectionist account of letter production behaviour

In handwriting, the drawing or copying of an individual letter involves a process of linearizing, whereby the form of the letter is broken down into a temporal sequence of strokes for production. In experienced writers, letters are produced consistently using the same production methods that are economic in terms of movement. This regularity permits a rule-based description of such production processes, which can be used in the teaching of handwriting skills. In this paper, the outstanding question from rule-based descriptions as to how consistent and stable letter production behaviour emerges as a product of practice and experience is addressed through the implementation of a connectionist model of sequential letter production. This model: (1) examines the emergence of letter production behaviour, namely the linearizing process; (2) explores how letters may be internally represented across both spatial and temporal dimensions; and (3) investigates the impact of learning certain letter production methods when generalizing to produce novel letterforms. In conclusion, the connectionist model offers an emergent account of letter production behaviour, which addresses the co-representation of spatial and temporal dimensions of letters, and the impact of learning experiences upon behaviour.