Increase In Student Knowledge Research Articles

Understanding Implementation and Effectiveness of Strong Start K-2 on Social-Emotional Behavior

Strong Start K-2 is a social-emotional learning curriculum, designed for use with children in kindergarten through grade 2. The objectives of this study were twofold. First, authors aimed to evaluate the feasibility and quality of Strong Start implementation. Additionally authors examined the effect of Strong Start on first grade students’ perceptions of emotion and teacher ratings of social behavior and affect. Results suggested that Strong Start was implemented with integrity, and that significant increases in student knowledge about emotion situations and significant decreases in student internalizing behaviors were associated with exposure to the program. Limitations of this study as well as directions for future research are discussed.

Sexual behaviour and related knowledge among a representative sample of secondary school students between 1997 and 2008

This paper reports on the sexual health knowledge and risk behaviours of year 10 and 12 students between 1997 and 2008. Data were from nationally representative cross-sectional stratified cluster samples of year 10 and 12 students in the Australian secondary school system collected at three intervals--1997, 2002 and 2008. A number of methods were used to analyse students' sexual health knowledge and behavioural data over time. Student knowledge of HIV/AIDS has stabilised since the 2002 survey and remains high. Between 1997 and 2008 there has been an increase in student knowledge with respect to STIs and hepatitis. Although the proportion of students reporting ever having had sexual intercourse has increased over time, the increases between 2002 and 2008 were not significant. There has been a significant increase in the number of sexual partnerships reported by students over a year, particularly for those in year 12. Student knowledge of HIV/AIDS remains high and there has been some improvement in STI and hepatitis knowledge, although knowledge in these domains is still moderate. Sexually active students were more likely to report having sex with multiple partners compared to previous surveys. Consistency of condom use has not increased since 1997. Although consistent condom use remains moderately high, it is of some concern that condom use has not increased since 1997 despite related increases in sexual activity among adolescents who have experienced sexual intercourse and increased rates of STIs among this group.

A Culturally Appropriate School Wellness Initiative: Results of a 2-Year Pilot Intervention in 2 Jewish Schools

Despite the growing number of school-based interventions designed to reduce childhood obesity or otherwise promote health, no models or materials were found for Jewish schools. The current study describes an effort within a Jewish school system in Chicago to create, implement, and evaluate a school-based intervention tailored to the unique characteristics of Jewish religion, culture, and school structures. Two schools (with approximately 600 students) were selected for the 2-year pilot study. The schools were required to form a wellness council, write a wellness policy, and implement policy changes or activities in 5 target areas (health education, physical education, school environment, family involvement, and staff wellness). Objectives were measured using pre- and postintervention surveys for students, as well as the School Health Index and other tools. Findings showed several significant increases in student knowledge, as well as an increase in the percentage of older students regularly meeting physical activity guidelines. Few changes in attitudes, other behaviors, or environmental factors were seen. Due to a strong partnership between researchers, schools, and community organizations, meaningful changes were made within the pilot schools. These changes were reflected in a limited number of improvements in student knowledge and activity levels. Future work is needed to determine how to bring about behavioral changes, how to increase the sustainability of all of the changes, and how to disseminate the model and products of this intervention to other day schools.

Student-Directed Transition Planning: Increasing Student Knowledge and Self-Efficacy in the Transition Planning Process

This study examined the effectiveness of a new school to adult life transition planning lesson package titled Student-Directed Transition Planning. The Student-Directed Transition Planning lessons teach transition terms and concepts to provide a means to increase self-determination skills and student participation in transition IEP (Individualized Education Program) meeting discussions. An experimental pre—post design utilizing random assignment of secondary-aged students with IEPs determined differences between intervention and control groups in knowledge of transition terms and concepts, and self-efficacy perceptions of the transition planning process. Study results indicated that students receiving Student-Directed Transition Planning instruction experienced a statistically significant knowledge gain, and an increase in perceived self-efficacy in 7 out of 10 transition planning process indicators.

The Use of a Simulated Nursing Practice Lab in a Distance Practical Nursing Program

Background This study was designed to provide simulated clinical scenarios for practical nursing students in a distance education program. Method This mixed methods pre–post test experimental design study used a nonprobability convenience sample of 33 students. Results Participation in simulation scenarios resulted in a statistically significant increase in student knowledge. Students also revealed an increased sense of connectedness and self-confidence. Conclusion The project proved to be an effective strategy for teaching nursing in a distance learning program.

Tackling Science Communication with REU Students: A Formative Evaluation of a Collaborative Approach

AbstractThis paper reports on a multi-faceted evaluation of science communication workshops conducted during the summer of 2009 with Research Experience for Undergraduate (REU) students from the Center for High-rate Nanomanufacturing and the Harvard University School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, in a partnership between the Museum of Science, Boston Strategic Projects department and faculty from the Nanoscale Science and Engineering Centers headquartered at Harvard and at Northeastern Universities. The workshops were shown to (1) increase student interest in exploring and understanding the broader impacts of research, and (2) increase student knowledge, confidence and practice of communication skills for both professional and non-professional audiences.

“International Education” What's in a Name?

Not far from my home is a public elementary school that closed for a thorough remodeling and then re-opened amid fanfare with in its new name and dual language immersion as its focus. Several years later, middle school nearby added to its name, too, with perspective as its focus. Across town, a blighted city high school was divided into small schools, and one of them became a studies academy. Two other city high schools have added Baccalaureate. These are not unusual events. A new movement--actually a new wave of an old movement--is under way in schools across country. This movement consists of newly internationalized public schools along with state coalitions for international education, an annual Education Week co-sponsored by U.S. Departments of State and Education, an array of language initiatives, Goldman Sachs Foundation's awards for exemplary schools, and more. Phrases like the global economy, increasingly interconnected world, and citizens are rolling off many tongues. Audiences hear these words and nod their heads knowingly. International appears to be new common sense. But what does it mean? What forms is it taking, and what work is it doing? I have peered into current wave from three angles: observing a handful of public schools that have transformed themselves into schools, interviewing movement activists who are helping to shape them, and examining government and foundation initiatives. NATIONAL SECURITY National security is justification for new international education movement. To those who assumed that world mindedness, global citizenship, intercultural understanding, or something of that sort was defining and directing movement, this may come as a surprise. Today's wave is dominated by nationalism. education as a national security initiative has two key dimensions: economic and military. The economic way to secure nation is to improve nation's economic competitiveness with other nations--maintaining it or regaining it if it already has been lost. The military way is to strengthen nation's armed forces, including its intelligence communities. ECONOMIC SECURITY U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings makes economic argument for international education. Through No Child Left Behind Act, we are committed to having every child in United States learn and succeed in our global (1) She links school reform directly to success in today's world and defines that success in economic terms; school reform is a technology for accomplishing that goal. The link is also expressed in a burgeoning number of state reports. For example, according to North Carolina in World: Increasing Student Knowledge and Skills About World, Improving international education is about providing students best opportunity for success in emerging workforce. (2) Similarly, Asia Society's annual conference brings together high-level delegates from two dozen states ... to address a significant problem in American education: wide gap between growing economic and strategic importance of Asia and other world regions to United States, and U.S. students' limited knowledge about world outside our borders. (3) In each of these, international education is intended to address key problem posed by globalization: defense of nation's competitive edge in new worldwide economy. (4) Schools are solution. Only schools can produce enterprising individuals who will be successful in this flat new world. (5) This is calculus of neoliberalism (free-market fundamentalism), with its strategies of privatization, entrepreneurs, and free-trade agreements. …

Treating Patients with Herpes Simplex Virus Infections: Dental and Dental Hygiene Students’ Knowledge, Attitudes, and Professional Behavior

Dental and dental hygiene students frequently interact with patients with herpes simplex virus (HSV) infections, often simply referred to as cold sores. The objectives of this study were to assess dental and dental hygiene students' knowledge, attitudes, and professional behavior concerning the treatment of patients with HSV infections and to investigate the relationships among knowledge, attitudes, and professional behavior. Questionnaire data were collected from 337 dental and seventy-three dental hygiene students at regularly scheduled classes. Dental and dental hygiene students did not differ in their overall knowledge concerning HSV infections. Dental hygiene students were more apprehensive about treating patients with these infections, but used more appropriate professional behavior compared to dental students. Dental students' knowledge and appropriateness of professional behavior increased over the course of their education. Overall, it was found that an increase in student knowledge was associated with increased apprehension related to treating these patients. However, the more apprehensive they were, the more they engaged in appropriate professional behavior. Educating future health care providers about the treatment of patients with infectious and communicable diseases can potentially increase the students' apprehension/negative attitudes concerning providing care, while at the same time increasing appropriate professional behavior during their education. Addressing students' apprehensions might be a crucial moderator that will determine whether they will provide the best possible care for these patients in their future professional lives.

Medical education and spirituality

Spirituality is a characteristic of human beings that seeks to develop their spiritual dimension as distinct from the material one.It proposes to search a fundamental sense for existence, in the certainty of the spirit’s immortality and the existence of higher divine entitiesthat play roles as creators, maintainers and helpers in all cosmological processes. The belief in metaphysical truths, both intuitive and revealed,originated religions, that are formed by great doctrinal systems and cultic ritual procedures that propose to make sacred almost all phases ofpeoples’ life. Religions have an important influence in civilization’s cultural evolution process since times immemorial. In medical education,the excessive valuation of the technological and scientific aspects of the profession, which become extraordinarily stronger after the FlexnerReport, at the end made medical students distance themselves from ethical-humanistic education, and this latter, besides being disregardwas not rarely considered superfluous or even ridiculous. But no doubt people beliefs affect radically their worldview and influences thisway all their attitudes and decisions. This influence can facilitate or make difficult their interpersonal relations, including the relationshipdoctor-patient. Taking spirituality into account in the education of Bioethics purposes to increase students knowledge about the differentreligions and to offer cognitive resources for the resolution of possible conflicts that can arise in the relationship doctor-patient-family,besides giving spirituality the statute of a constitutive instance of human beings, developing mechanisms of respect and tolerance in regardto patients, which are seen as whole and autonomous beings.

Knowledge, attitudes, and confidence levels of dental hygiene students regarding teledentistry: A pilot study

Teledentistry provides a viable option for dental professionals to increase care in underserved areas. Dental hygiene students at a state university completed a course in teledentistry that includes performing oral health screenings on children using intraoral cameras and electronic submission of dental images to an off-site dentist for diagnosis. Purpose: The objectives of this study were to examine student knowledge, attitudes, and confidence levels before and after completion of a course on teledentistry. Method: A 5-point Likert scale survey consisting of 10 items was administered to students ages twenty-two to twenty-five (N=24) in a teledentistry course the first and last day of class. The survey included current knowledge of teledentistry, attitudes regarding effectiveness of teledentistry, and confidence in acquiring the necessary technical skills. Results: Survey results were analyzed using a matched-pairs t-test and Wilcoxon signed-rank test. There were significant increase in student knowledge, attitudes, and confidence in 9 of the 10 questions (p<.01). Conclusion: This study indicates that student attitudes were positively changed in their knowledge of the effectiveness of teledentistry in identifying dental needs in underserved areas, the role dental hygienists play in access to care, and confidence in acquiring and submitting dental images. These findings, in conjunction with research by other investigators, support continued implementation of teledentistry in dental hygiene education.

The Impact of an HIV and AIDS Life Skills Program on Secondary School Students in KwaZulu–Natal, South Africa

The evaluation of the Department of Educations' life skills program on HIV and AIDS prevention among Grade 9 students in 22 randomly allocated schools in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, showed only a significant increase in student knowledge about HIV/AIDS in the intervention group compared with the control group. No effects were found on safe sex practices (condom use, sexual intercourse) or on measures of psychosocial determinants of these practices (attitude and self-efficacy). A process evaluation among the teachers showed that some implemented the program fully (seven schools) and some partially (four schools). An exploratory analysis showed that students who received the full intervention were more positive in their perceptions about sexual behavior and social connectedness (at 10-month follow-up) and reported less sex and more condom use (at 6-month follow-up) than students in the partial and control groups. These limited effects therefore call for further analysis of the content and implementation strategies used in the classroom.

Is it worth the RRISK? Evaluation of the RRISK (Reduce Risk Increase Student Knowledge) program for adolescents in rural Australia

Purpose This study evaluates the effectiveness of an intervention targeting adolescent risk-taking associated with drug and alcohol use, driving, and celebrating. Methods Pre- and post written surveys were administered in 21 intervention and 19 comparison schools in Northern New South Wales during March 2003 and 2004. The instrument covered knowledge and attitudes associated with self-reported potentially harmful and protective behaviors. Analysis was by multi-level regression. Results There were 2705 baseline and 1996 follow-up respondents. Adolescents in the intervention area who attended the Reduce Risk Increase Student Knowledge (RRISK) seminar demonstrated some significant improvements in knowledge, attitudes and behavior compared with those who did not attend, and some significant improvements in knowledge compared with students in comparison schools. Conclusions A well-designed one-day seminar that builds on existing curricula, can achieve some significant medium-term benefits in knowledge attitudes and behaviors.

A Healthy Lifestyle Program: Promoting Child Health in Schools

The problem of overweight children is an increasing public health concern in the United States. Many children today consume diets that are high in fat, lack regular physical activity, and receive minimal amounts of nutrition education at school. School-based education about nutrition and healthy lifestyles provides an opportunity for intervention with all children. A program for 4th- and 5th-grade students was designed to increase the student’s knowledge about nutrition and healthy lifestyles. After implementation of the program, there was a significant increase in student knowledge of nutrition and healthy lifestyles as determined by a pretest and posttest evaluation. The results have implications for school nurses because childhood behaviors have such a profound impact on future adult lifestyle choices.

Can computer technology affect teenage attitudes towards AIDS?

<span>Over the past five years the issue of AIDS has been a major concern for health education professionals and an examination of the literature suggests there have been a variety of initiatives undertaken. Gruen et al (1991) have demonstrated significant increases in student knowledge through the involvement of medical and professional personnel in the establishment of a school based AIDS teaching unit. Walker et al (1991) have utilised AIDS data in statistical computing courses as a means of more up to date data to students, while Lipson and Brown (1991) have reported some modest 'success' utilising video tapes.</span>

Teaching human sexuality in junior high school: an interdisciplinary approach.

A pilot educational program in human sexuality designed for junior high age adolescents was conducted jointly by the St. Paul, Minnesota Maternal and Infant Care Project and the St. Paul Public Schools. This program encompassed two courses which presented a comprehensive view of young men and women as sexual beings. The goal was to affect primary prevention of adolescent pregnancy and other problems related to adolescent sexuality. Pre- and posttest scores demonstrated a statistically significant increase in student knowledge, and weekly evaluations revealed consistent interest in subject matter presented.