Important Content Areas Research Articles

The Genisys Program: Linking Content Area Knowledge to Problem Solving Through Technology-Based Instruction

Genisys is an advanced CAI program that teaches remedial and mildly handicapped students how to solve complex earth science problems. The program builds on a 35-lesson videodisc course Throughout the course, students learn important content area knowledge such as mass and density, the rain cycle, convection, and the rock cycle After every five videodisc lessons, students apply this knowledge to challenging problem-solving exercises in the Genisys program. Genisys uses multiple rules for giving feedback, recycling missed exercises, and diagnosing underlying deficits in content area knowledge The details of Genisys, as well as relevant videodisc research, are presented in this article.

Textbooks Used in Counselor Education Programs

In this article the authors present results of a nationwide survey that identified textbooks most used by counselor preparation programs in 10 important content areas.

Robots: A high-tech tool for the learner

With the rapid developments of technology, robotic literacy is becoming a greater necessity. Alvin Toffler stated in theThird Wave that students ought to be print literate, computer literate, media literate, and robot literate. In addition, Harold Shane predicted that robots may become paraprofessionals in the future classroom. With these developments, teachers should be prepared to include robotic literacy in the school curriculum. To assist in the attainment of that worthy goal, the utilization of a walking, talking, and grabbing robot would be the most effective teaching strategy. As an outstanding motivator, robots can generate maximum enthusiasm, facilitate learning, and provide a stimulating and enjoyable learning experience for students. Today is the time for media specialists and teachers to examine the potential of robotic literacy as an important content area providing necessary knowledge and skills needed by students entering the Information Era. ▪

Roles of social support systems in overseas relocation: Implications for intercultural training

This report reviews the research literature on social support systems, the roles such systems can play in overseas relocation, and the implications for intercultural training. Three key roles are identified: (1) one of the primary sources of stress produced by relocation overseas is the disruption of a person's social support systems; (2) one of the primary strategies for coping with the stress of overseas assignment is the use of available social support systems; and (3) social support systems are frequently hindered in providing adequate support overseas because they, too, are often under stress. Further, three potential roles of social support systems in intercultural training are suggested: (1) such systems can serve as an important content area in training; (2) social support systems themselves can provide a context for training; (3) these systems can be a source of continuing intercultural training. A social skills training approach stressing “culture general” process skills is presented as a way of usefully providing training in the development and use of social support systems overseas. A specific training module with this focus is described.

Pharmacists' perceptions of geriatric pharmacy practice.

Four hundred thirty-two pharmacists from two separate pharmacy organizations associated with geriatric practice were surveyed to determine their perceptions of 51 content areas in terms of their importance for inclusion in pharmacy curricula. The population surveyed was also asked to respond to the question: What do you believe is the most difficult aspect of geriatric pharmacy practice? Demographic and descriptive information was collected for each respondent, for statistical purposes. The most important content areas for inclusion in pharmacy curricula were the pharmacist's responsibility in long-term care, patient compliance, drug interactions, adverse drug reactions, and psychotropic medication use. The most difficult aspects of geriatric pharmacy practice identified included inadequate geriatric knowledge, patient compliance, physician overprescribing, communication with the elderly, and lack of professional and/or financial recognition.

Pharmacists' perceptions of geriatric pharmacy practice

1. Evaluar la continuidad asistencial mediante la informaci ón transmitida entre los dos niveles, primario y especializado, en una Área de Salud, tanto a través del documento de interconsulta, como en otros documentos escritos o transmitida verbalmente por el paciente. 2. Comparar la información existente sobre los mismos procesos en ambos niveles.Diseño del estudio: observacional, retrospectivo, utilizando criterios explícitos. Ámbito: un Área de Salud, con tres Centros de Especialidades y 31 Centros de Atención Primaria. Poblaci ón de estudio: una muestra aleatoria de derivaciones de primer día, estratificada por el número de consultas atendidas en cada especialidad, n= 293 (e= ±5%).Para conseguir los objetivos se revisaron tanto las historias de atención primaria como las de especializada, buscando en ellas la información correspondiente a las interconsultas que se evaluaban, éstas fueron extraídas de los listados de citaciones de los centros de especializada.La existencia de copia del documento de interconsulta en atención primaria se constató en 87 (30,10%) y en atención especializada en 160 (55,36%). Los documentos de interconsulta con las tres copias localizados en las historias de especializada fueron 67 (41,87%).En las historias clínicas de atención primaria consta el diagnóstico del especialista en 107 casos (37,02%) y la pauta de actuación en 115 ocasiones (39,79%), mientras que en las historias del nivel especializado encontramos diagnóstico en 246 casos (85,12%) y pauta de actuación en 244 (84,42%).Hay un elevado número de pacientes en los que el médico de atención primaria carece de información sobre los resultados de la derivación al especialista. Paradójicamente, se aprecian buenos niveles de cumplimentación de las variables estudiadas en dichos pacientes, en las historias de atención especializada, pero esta información no se transmite, lo que pone en evidencia que el déficit está en los mecanismos de comunicación que deben ser prioritariamente mejorados.1. To assess the patient-care continuity on the basis of information transmitted between primary care and specialized levels in a given Health Area either through inter-clinic notes or through other written documents, or else transmitted verbally by the patient. 2. To compare existing information on the same processes at both levels.Design: An observational, retrospective study employing explicit criteria. Setting: A Health Area with 3 specialized out-patient centres and 31 primary-care centres. Subjects: A random sample of referrals, stratified by number of consultations carried out in each specialty, n= 293 (e= ±5%).A copy of inter-clinic notes in primary care was found in 87 cases (30,10%), in specialized care in 160 cases (55,36%). Interclinic notes with all three copies were located in 67 specialized medical records (41,8%).In primary-care medical records a specialist’s diagnosis is existant in 107 cases (37%), and treatment guidelines in 115 cases (39,9%), while in specialized-care records a diagnosis was found in 246 cases (81,1%), and treatment guidelines in 244 (84,4%).In a high number of primary-care patients, the doctor lacks information concerning the results of referral to specialists; on the other hand, the variables studied for specialized medical records for the same patients show a satisfactory degree of compliance with standards - an information which, however, is then not transmitted-. This evinces that the deficit lies in the mechanisms of communication, which therefore demand top-priority improvements.

A method for derivation of areas for assessment in marital relationships

Abstract This study expands upon factor-analytic and rational methods and introduces a third method for determining the important content areas to be assessed in marital relationships. Ninety-five women and 95 men provided definitions of a “good marriage.” These responses were content analyzed and yielded a 16-category outline of content areas. A number of areas were found through this method which add to those already present in the literature. They were verified through ratings of importance by a second sample of 26 married men and 32 married women. Analysis of demographic subgroup differences in the specified content areas showed that marital status, age, education, religion and income were not influential factors. Sex of the respondent was an influence for 25% of the areas.

Trends in the Social Work Literature: 1957-72

One indicator of change within a profession is the journal literature. We examined articles published in three major social work journals in 1957 and from 1967 through 1972 to discover whether changes had occurred in important content areas, in theoretical perspectives, or in methods of intervention. A general decline in the numbers of social treatment articles was found with a corresponding increase in policy, administration, service-delivery, and client-behavior articles. Within the treatment literature, increased theoretical diversity appeared evident. A review of articles discussing intervention subsystems revealed no change in the number of articles focusing upon work with individuals; however, the number of family intervention-oriented articles decreased slightly, while the number of group intervention-oriented articles increased slightly.