Mean Grade Point Average Research Articles

Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) and Cyber Schooling: An Exploratory Study

ABSTRACT Research has established the importance of social-emotional learning (SEL) in traditional public schools, but not cyber schools. In this correlational regression study, we use students (n = 18,206) from a national cyber charter school network to examine whether items in the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) SEL index inter-correlate in cyber schools, and whether CASEL has statistical relationships with club membership, synchronous class attendance, and academic outcomes. Cross sectional analyses find that for cyber charter students, CASEL individual items correlate with each other, and that CASEL from 1st semester (T1) to 2nd semester (T2) correlates at .63; thus, CASEL may have reasonable reliability for cyber students. Yet, in contrast to physical schools, CASEL does not correlate with SEL-related variables like club attendance and synchronous class attendance and has a weak (though positive) relationship with cumulative grade point average (GPA), suggesting important differences from its application in physical schools. Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regressions examining SEL associations with relevant demographic intersectional characteristics reveal that Black students perform similarly to other students, but that Free and Reduced Meal (FARM) and especially Individualized Education Plan (IEP) students have lower measured SEL. Using OLS regression to examine relationships between students’ GPA and demographic characteristics (controlling for CASEL) show that generally, FARM and IEP students have lower GPA, but Black students have the same mean GPA as others, and Black students with IEPs actually have higher than average GPAs. We discuss implications and directions for future research.

Psychosocial determinants of academic achievement in Ethiopian higher education students, 2024. Systematic review and meta-analysis

IntroductionEthiopian students' academic achievement goes beyond just cognitive ability. It is interwoven with psychological and social factors. This analysis examines how these interconnected dimensions, including behaviour, emotions, and mental well-being, influence academic attainment. By revealing the multifaceted factors that shape student well-being and success, this review highlights their critical role in the higher education landscape. MethodsThis systematic review and meta-analysis study aimed to contribute to the academic literature by exploring the psychosocial factors affecting the academic achievement of Ethiopian higher education students. It leveraged a diverse array of scholarly databases, and adherence to recommended reporting guidelines ensured methodological rigor and transparency throughout the investigation. ResultThis systematic review synthesizes findings from 14 high-quality Ethiopian cross-sectional studies assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. The overall pooled mean grade point average of respondents was 3.04, [(95 % CI: 2.75, 3.32), I2 = 0.00 %, P < 0.001)]. The pooled odds ratio psychosocial predictors of academic achievement was 0.47, [(95 % CI: 0.46, 0.48), I2 = 0.00 %, P = 0.001)]. The study explored factors affecting academic achievement, including psychological (sleep, stress, self-esteem) and sociological factors (social media, financial hardship, social support). The review found that these factors emerged as significant influences, highlighting the multifaceted nature of academic success. ConclusionThis synthesized study champions a holistic approach to education, urging the integration of academic progress and student well-being. It emphasizes interventions in mental health, social support, and resource access, and acknowledge their multifaceted impact on learning. In addition, it would be better to build inclusive environments with the involvement of educators and policymakers to optimize the academic success of higher education students.

Teaching Competence and Academic Achievement on Higher Secondary Students in Satkhira District

Teaching competence is the primary indicator for better academic achievement. Without providing quality education, a nation can’t be developed with knowledge. This research tried to assess the effect of teaching competence on academic achievements of higher secondary level students in Satkhira District of Bangladesh. The study was in explanatory in nature in which survey method was followed to collect data. A sample of 246 students of class twelve were randomly selected from four renowned colleges under Satkhira District. Data were collected through a structured interview schedule. The study revealed that the mean Grade Point Average (GPA) of the student was 3.69 in English and they studied 5.78 hours on an average in a day. An index was developed to measure students’ perception with 7 indices (subject knowledge, cooperative teaching method, classroom management, punctuality, students’ evaluation, motivation of the students and teacher-student relationship) and the mean value of all the components were around 4 which indicates students agreed about effective teaching competence of their teacher. Furthermore, the results of ANOVA and Independent Sample t-test depicted that variations in students’ perception about teaching competence were significant with reference to age, religion, place of residence and study time. Moreover, the result of regression analysis revealed that overall teaching competence was not significantly associated with students’ academic achievement. On the contrary, sex, place of residence, area of study and study time per day were significantly related with students’ academic achievement. Teachers should concentrate on enhancing their competence so that the students can achieve a better academic performance respectively.

Impact of Sleep Duration, Quality, and Chronotype on Learning and Academic Performance: A Cross-Sectional Study Among First Year Medical Students of a Tertiary Care Institute.

Introduction The link between sleep and cognitive processes, such as memory and learning, continues to be one of the most intriguing and perplexing theories. Undergraduate medical students in their first year are particularly vulnerable to sleep disturbances. Academic achievement and learning have been linked to sleep patterns, which include not only the quantity and quality of sleep but also the timing of sleep in relation to the natural sleep onsets, or chronotypes. There have been conflicting reports on the outcomes of sleep and relatively fewer researches focused on the impact of chronotypes on learning and academic achievement among medical students. The current study thus sought to determine the chronotypes of medical students, evaluate the quantity and quality of sleep, and determine the impact of these factors on learning and academic performance. Methods The study was conducted in the Department of Physiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Gorakhpur, India. Sleep health was assessed in 167 first-year medical students using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), morningness-eveningness questionnaire (MEQ), and sleep log books. Learning and memory assessment was performed using Raven's progressive matrices test. Grade point average (GPA) was used to assess their academic performance. The relationship of sleep scores with GPA and RPM scores were obtained by linear regression analysis. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and unpaired t-test were used to investigate other comparisons among categories of chronotypes and those of mean GPA. A p-value of <0.05 was considered as significant. Results The mean GPA and RPM scores obtained in the groups with PSQI ≥ 5 (2.67± 1.1, 49.51 ±6.24, respectively) and PSQI < 5 (3.15± 0.59, 54.73± 4.01, respectively) and those in the group with ESS ≥ 10 (2.72± 1.17, 50.97± 5.92, respectively) and ESS < 10 (3.15 ± 0.6, 54.18± 3.91, respectively)varied with statistically significant differences (p < 0.05). Statistically significant R-squared values for the relationship of PSQI and ESS scores with RPM and GPA scores were obtained. No correlation between academic grades and chronotype was found. Poor GPA scores were found to be associated with reduced mean sleep duration for one week before the exams. Conclusion Learning and academic performance are negatively impacted by poor sleep quality and daytime sleep dysfunction. No definite evidence for the association of sleep chronotypes with the learning and memory could be attained. Higher test performance is more closely linked to the average sleep length over a duration of time preceding the exams.

Grade variations across EFL, CLIL, and EMI platforms: A longitudinal case study in an English language teaching department

Fluctuations and distortions in grade point averages (GPAs) can affect its usefulness as a measure of achievement. Against a backdrop of increasing internationalisation in higher education, such instabilities may be exacerbated by heterogeneous student populations and the varying role of language on English as a foreign language (EFL), content and language integrated learning (CLIL), and English as a medium of instruction (EMI) platforms. Accordingly, using descriptive and inferential statistics, we explored the distribution patterns of 58,324 grades awarded over a 10-year period at a major university in Bangkok, Thailand. We found evidence of longitudinal grade increase, grade compression, and grade disparity—all of which suggest the presence of grade inflation. Specifically, across the three teaching platforms, mean GPAs increased significantly as lettered grades compressed upwards, clustering around C and C+ levels. Grade disparity, meanwhile, decreased between courses and levels but increased between student populations (i.e., English majors were awarded significantly higher grades than non-English majors were). Based on our findings, we argue for more standardised assessment practices to tackle grade censorship and saturation, as well as potential elevations/reductions in graduating GPAs of admixed student populations. We also propose a new method to quantify and track mean GPAs through quartile measurements.

Poor Sleep Quality Linked to Lower Academic Performance in Dental Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction: Sleep is essential for both physical and mental health. Studies have shown that sleep problems are prevalent among university students. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between sleep quality and academic performance among dental students at a Malaysian university. Methods: All dental students of the university were invited to participate in this cross-sectional study, which used a self-administered Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scale and the psychological health domain of the Lifestyle and Habits Questionnaire- Brief. The academic performance was determined by their Grade Point Average (GPA). Descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, Pearson’s Chi square test for independence, and ANCOVA tests were used to analyse the data. Results: A total of 341 students (233 females and 108 males) participated in the study, with 36.7% reporting poor sleep quality (PSQI &gt; 5). There was a significant difference in academic performance between students with good and poor sleep quality. Controlling for gender and psychological health, poor sleep quality was associated with lower GPA in both preclinical (adjusted mean GPA: 2.84 for poor sleepers, 3.28 for good sleepers, P &lt; 0.001) and clinical year students (adjusted mean GPA: 2.99 for poor sleepers, 3.13 for good sleepers, P = 0.003). Conclusion: Dental students with poor sleep quality performed worse academically than students with good sleep quality after controlling for gender and psychological health. This finding was consistent in both the preclinical and clinical phase groups.

The Effect of the Deductive Method on Students’ Performance in Grammar in an SHS Classroom

The current study aims at investigating the effect of using deductive and inductive methods on students’ grammar in a Senior High School (SHS) in Ghana. It examines the effect of the deductive method on students’ performance in grammar and to find out the statistically significant difference between students taught using the deductive method and those taught using the inductive method. 100 students were chosen for the purpose of the study. There were two groups consisting of 50 students each. One of the groups is made up of the experimental while the other is the control group. The research instrument used is a pre-test and a post-test. The current study used quantitative approach to analyse data from control and experimental groups. Whereas the experimental group was taught using the deductive approach, the control group was taught through the inductive approach. Firstly, a pre-test was administered to both groups, after which the experimental group had a treatment stage lasting for four weeks. Data was collected and analysed through a t-test. The results of the analysis show significant differences between the means of the two groups of students’ scores in the post-test. The result is in favour of the experimental group (the group taught using the deductive approach of teaching). Findings revealed that there were differences in the mean grade point average of both groups, and statistically significant difference was observed. The questions that guided this study were: what is the effect of the use of the deductive method on students’ performance in grammar? And is there any statistically significant difference between students taught using the deductive method and those taught using the inductive method? There was, therefore, support for the research’s hypothesis. It was hypothesized that there is a good effect of the deductive method of teaching on students’ performance in grammar which resulted in the high performance of students in the experimental group.

Association of birth by cesarean section with academic performance and intelligence in youth: A cohort study.

It is suggested that birth by elective cesarean section (CS) reduces the risk of birth-related infant mortality and injury. Other studies suggest an increased risk of somatic immune-related diseases among children born by CS such as asthma, type 1 diabetes, and inflammatory bowel disease. The WHO Statement on Cesarean Section Rates 2015 described an increase in CS globally. The statement concluded that the effects of CS on social and psychological outcomes remain unclear and that more research is needed to fully understand the effects of CS, including effects on cognition and intelligence in the child. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the association between delivery by CS (elective and acute) and school performance and intelligence in youth. This cohort study included all Danish live-born children in 1978-2000. We retrieved data regarding pregnancies, births, parents, school grades, and intelligence of the children from Danish registers and performed multiple imputations to avoid discarding data. The final cohort after exclusion comprised 1408 230 children. Associations between CS and school graduation, grades, conscription attendance, and conscription intelligence scores were analyzed using univariate and multivariate logistic and linear regressions. Adjusted odds ratio with 95% CI of graduating from lower (LSE) and upper (USE) secondary education and of attending conscription were significantly lower in the CS group: LSE graduation: 0.87 (0.84-0.89), USE graduation: 0.93 (0.92-0.94), attending conscription: 0.95 (0.93-0.98). The CS group had significantly lower grade point averages (GPA) in LSE with adjusted differences in mean total GPA of -0.090 (-0.10 to -0.007), and mean core subject GPA of -0.098 (-0.11 to -0.08), in USE with total GPA difference of -0.091 (-0.11 to -0.075) and lower mean intelligence scores of -0.36 (-0.46 to -0.27) in adjusted linear models. A sub-analysis revealed lower chances of graduating LSE and USE when born by acute rather than elective CS. Chances of LSE and USE graduation and of attending conscription were significantly lower for children born by CS. However, even significant differences in mean GPAs and intelligence scores were very small, so performances when graduating school and attending conscription were comparable regardless of delivery mode.

Investigating the evolution of undergraduate medical students' perception and performance in relation to an innovative curriculum-based research module: A convergent mixed methods study launching the 8A-Model.

Embedding into undergraduate medical programs experiential research curricula, based on holistic theories of education which emphasize participation in the social world, remains uncommon. The purpose of this study was to investigate the journey of undergraduate medical students in relation to an innovative compulsory curriculum-based research module, which has a prominent experiential learning component. A convergent mixed methods study design was adapted to develop a systemic understanding of the experience of the undergraduate medical students throughout the respective research module. As such, the students' perception of the experience was qualitatively explored using thematic analysis (n = 15). In parallel, the students' performance data were quantitatively analyzed using multi-repeated ANOVA (n = 158). The findings from both types of analyses (i.e., qualitative and quantitative study components) were then mapped onto each using joint display analysis. The exploration generated four themes that correspond to sequential steps that the students go through to effectively integrate the scientific research method. These themes include: 1- Attend-Acquire, 2- Accumulate-Assimilate, 3- Apply-Appreciate, and 4-Articulate-Affect. Quantitatively, two distinct clusters of mean Grade Point Average were revealed (p<0.01). Joint display analysis enabled integrating the qualitative and quantitative findings, generating the 8A-Model. The evidence-driven 8A-Model, generated by this study, highlights that medical students' understanding of the true value of research seems to increase as they progress in the module. They begin expressing appreciation of the significance of the experience when they start implementing what they are learning as part of their own research studies. It is recommended for such a research module, with a firm experiential learning component, to be integral to undergraduate medical programs. This is expected to improve the future physicians' research competences, and in turn add value in terms of quality of care and patient outcomes.

Overall and Gender-Specific Effects of Intermittent Preventive Treatment of Malaria with Artemisinin-Based Combination Therapies among Schoolchildren in Mali: A Three-Group Open Label Randomized Controlled Trial.

Intermittent preventive treatment of malaria among schoolchildren (IPTsc) reduces clinical malaria, asymptomatic parasitemia, and anemia. The effects of IPTsc by gender have not been studied longitudinally. We investigated overall IPTsc efficacy and conducted a secondary analysis to explore gender-specific differences. We enrolled schoolchildren aged 6-13 years in an open-label, rolling-cohort randomized controlled trial between September 2007 and February 2013 in Kolle, Mali. Annually, schoolchildren received two full-treatment courses of sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) plus artesunate, or amodiaquine (AQ) plus artesunate, or no malaria treatment as control. We used mixed-effects generalized linear models to estimate differences in treatment outcomes across groups with interaction terms to explore gender-specific differences associated with Plasmodium falciparum infection, hemoglobin, and grade point averages (GPA) based on standardized testing. Overall, 305 students contributed 4,564 observations. Compared with the control, SP plus artesunate and AQ plus artesunate reduced the odds of P. falciparum infection (odds ratio [OR]: 0.33, 95% CI: 0.26-0.43; OR: 0.46, 95% CI: 0.36-0.59). We found strong evidence of increased mean hemoglobin concentrations (g/dL) in the SP plus artesunate group versus control (difference +0.37, 95% CI: 0.13-0.58). Collectively, schoolchildren given AQ plus artesunate had higher mean GPA (difference +0.36, 95% CI: 0.02-0.69) relative to control. Schoolgirls, compared with schoolboys, given SP plus artesunate had greater improvement in GPA (+0.50, 95% CI: -0.02 to 1.02 versus -0.27, 95% CI: -0.71 to 0.16); interaction P = 0.048, respectively. The IPTsc decreases P. falciparum infections in schoolchildren. Treatment regimens that include longer-acting drugs may be more effective at decreasing malaria-related anemia and improving educational outcomes as observed among girls in this setting.

EFFECTS OF PARENTAL GUIDANCE ON ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF SECONDARY STUDENTS IN DUMURIA UPAZILA OF KHULNA DISTRICT, BANGLADESH

Increasing parental guidance in children’s education has become an important issue in national education initiatives. As parental guidance is an important predictor of children’s academic success, the study aimed to explain the effect of parental guidance on students’ academic achievement at secondary level of education in Dumuria Upazila under Khulna district of Bangladesh. The study was carried out following survey research design. Data were collected from 214 randomly selected students of class nine from four secondary schools of the study area. Findings revealed that the mean Grade Point Average of the students was 3.98 and the variations in academic achievement among the students were statistically significant with reference to the type of educational institution, area of study and study time. On the other hand, more than half of the respondents mentioned that their parental overall guidance level as well as parental motivation, support and involvement level was moderate but parental monitoring and supervision level was low in the study area. Results of correlation and regression analyses revealed that parental guidance was positively and significantly correlated with students’ academic achievement. The study recommends that parents should increase their guidance level so that their children can perform better in school and succeed in life.

School performance and later diagnoses of nonaffective psychoses, bipolar disorder, and depression.

It is unclear whether there are differences between specific school subject performance and later psychiatric disorders. We examined whether mean grade point average (MGPA) and specific school subjects associated with diagnoses of nonaffective psychoses, bipolar disorder and depression. In this register-based study, we studied the Finnish population born in 1987 who had available MGPA and six specific school grades (age=15.4-16.4 years; n= 50,508). Grades were analyzed with smoothing splines. Covariates included sex, urbanicity, parental education level and parental diagnosed psychiatric disorders. Outcomes were incident nonaffective psychosis, bipolar disorder and depression diagnosed in specialized services until year 2015 (age=28.0-28.9 years). During the follow-up, 727 individuals were diagnosed with nonaffective psychoses, 489 with bipolar disorder and 3492 with depression. MGPA was inversely associated with all outcomes. In multivariate models including specific school subjects and covariates, the school subject with largest risk ratios (RR) was Physical Education (RR and Bonferroni-corrected confidence interval [CI] at -1.5 SD: nonaffective psychoses 1.63, 1.36-1.95; bipolar disorder 1.64, 1.30-2.05; depression 1.72, 1.53-1.93). Higher grades in Art were associated with nonaffective psychoses and depression (RR and Bonferroni-corrected CI at +1.5 SD: nonaffective psychoses 1.48, 1.11-1.96; depression 1.22, 1.07-1.38). There was a robust association between poorer scores on Physical Education and risk for psychosis, bipolar disorder and depression. Higher grades in Art were also associated with risk for later disorders. Subject specific school performance may be more informative about mental disorder risk than overall school performance.

School performance and psychiatric comorbidity in juvenile absence epilepsy and juvenile myoclonic epilepsy: a Danish population-based cohort study.

We aimed to determine school performance and psychiatric comorbidity in juvenile absence epilepsy (JAE), juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME), and generalized tonic-clonic seizures (GTCS) alone. All children (< 18years) fulfilled International League Against Epilepsy criteria after review of their medical records. Control groups were the pediatric background population or children with non-neurological chronic disease. Outcomes were on school performance and psychiatric comorbidity. We compared mean grade point averages using linear regression and estimated hazard ratios using Cox regression in the remaining analyses. We adjusted for the child's sex, age, and year of birth; and parental highest education, receipt of cash benefits or early retirement. We included 92 JAE, 190 JME, 27 GTCS alone, 15,084 non-neurological chronic disease controls, and population controls. JAE had two times increased hazard for special needs education compared with age-matched population controls (hazard ratio 2.2, 95% CI = 1.1‒4.6, p = 0.03); this was not seen in JME. Compared with population controls, both JAE and JME had lower grade point average in secondary and high school (JME: 9th grade: - 0.5 points, 95% CI = -0.9 to -0.06, p = 0.03; high school: - 0.6 points, 95% CI = -1.3 to -0.1, p = 0.04), and 8% fewer JME and 15% fewer JAE attended high school. Both JME and JAE had higher hazard for redeeming sleep medication compared with non-neurological chronic disease; additionally, JAE had increased hazard for ADHD medicine redemptions. Both JAE and JME had marginally poorer school performance; performance seemed worse in JAE than in JME. Both JAE and JME had increased use of sleep medication.

Perception of Master of Public Health Students regarding E-Learning in Covid-19 Era: A New Normal in Lower- and Middle-Income Countries.

Objectives:To explore the perception of postgraduate public health students regarding e-learning in context to Covid-19 pandemic and its effect on their academic performancesMethods:This cross-sectional study was conducted at Sarhad Institute of Health Science, SUIT Peshawar from 3rd October 2020 to 4th February 2021. The Census method was incorporated for sample selection. Participation in the study was subjected to consent by participants. A self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. Data was analyzed using SPSS Version-26.Results:Out of 95 participants, 72 (75.8%) were males and 23 (24.2%) were females. The mean grade point average (GPA) of previous semester-1 and semester-2, when they were having a conventional education system on campus before the pandemic was 2.741±0.499 and 2.643±.498 respectively. The current mean GPA of semesters 1, 2, and 3 who had online classes during this pandemic was 2.41±0.66, 3.06±0.51, and 2.80±0.47 respectively. Fifty-one (53.7%) students preferred to use mobile for e-learning. Convenience to the use-learning management system (LMS) was 67.4% and 72.6% responded that their academic performance was positively affected by e-learning. Logistic regression revealed that source of learning (p 0.99), uninterrupted internet (p 0.87), convenience with LMS (p 0.17), stress (p 0.505), convenient communication with faculty (p 0.69), and compatibility with professional routine (p 0.21) were not significantly associated with good academic performance, however, students of semester 2 (p 0.001) and those using laptops (p 0.02) were more likely to get a GPA of 3.0 or aboveConclusions:Students in this study had a positive perception regarding e-learning however, there is a definite need to amalgamate both online and on-campus learning modalities for post-graduate students especially during the uncertain situations.

The impact of social media on academic performance and interpersonal relations among health sciences undergraduates.

BACKGROUND:Social media has become a most inseparable part of young adults’ lives with the rapid development of information and communication technology. The study aimed to assess the use of social media and its association with academic performance, well-being, and interpersonal relation of the health sciences undergraduates.MATERIALS AND METHODS:A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among undergraduates in Faculty of Allied Health Sciences (n = 220), University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka. Data were collected using a pretested, self-administered questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.RESULTS:The response rate was 79.5%. All undergraduates (n = 175) had social media accounts, and WhatsApp was the most frequently used social media site (96.0%), followed by Facebook (70.9%), mainly for communicating (85.1%), entertainment (83.4%), and online learning (65.7%). Most undergraduates (72.0%) spent 2–5 h daily on social media sites and followed social media 1–10 times per day (54.9%). The majority of them wished to use social media for academic purposes (94.9%), and the most preferred site for academic work was WhatsApp (65.1%). Most undergraduates’ self-reported Grade Point Average (GPA) (46.3%) was <2.9. There was a statistically significant association between the mean GPA and frequencies of using social media (P = 0.02) (not daily [3.3 ± 0.3], 1–10 times a day [2.9 ± 0.4], and more than 10 times a day [3 ± 0.4]). Perceived social media addiction and duration of sleep (P = 0.02), activities of daily living (P = 0.004), and study time (P = 0.02) were found to be significantly associated.CONCLUSIONS:Despite the undergraduates’ willingness to use social media for academic purposes, the frequency of using social media had a significant influence on their academic performance. This highlights the importance of guidance on effective use of social media and social media addiction to improve undergraduates’ academic performance, well-being, and interpersonal relationships.

Mean Convergence, Combinatorics, and Grade-Point Averages

Mean Convergence, Combinatorics, and Grade-Point Averages

Comparing Middle School Student Learning Outcomes from In-Person, Online, and Hybrid Instructions: A Consideration of Learning Engagement during a Pandemic

Learning engagement varies in different modes of instructions. With such consideration, the authors of this article conducted comparative analyses on student learning outcomes measured by their final mean grade point averages (GPAs) during three timeperiods (before, at the onset of, and during pandemic) when inperson, online, and hybrid instructions were delivered. The records of 600 middle school students in a school district from a western state, across three academic years, were used as the sample (2018-2019 before pandemic when they were in sixth grade with in-person instruction, 2019-2020 at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in seventh grade with online instruction, and 2020-2021 during pandemic in eighth grade with both online and hybrid instructions). Results showed that no difference was found (from paired t-test) in student final GPAs when they transferred from in-person instruction before pandemic to online instruction at the onset of pandemic, but differences were found (a) between in-person instruction and hybrid instruction (from one-way repeated ANOVA), and (b) between online instruction and hybrid instruction (from both one-way repeated ANOVA and an independent samples t-test) at and during pandemic. Recommendations for practice and future research focusing on students’ needs were presented.

Specialty Choice among Final-Year Medical Students at Taif University

Introduction: In Saudi Arabia (SA), the most important issue for senior students during their modules and hospital training is choosing a medical specialty. Because many factors influence this process, the primary goal of this study was to determine participants’ preferred specialty, location, and other influencing factors. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 6th-year students from the medical schools in Taif city, SA, conducted from November 2020 to June 2021. Baseline characteristics, specialties of interest, place, and psychological aspects of their interests were all evaluated via a self-reported questionnaire. Results: One hundred forty of 200 surveyed students responded (70% response rate). About 44.3% were females, and 55.7% were male, with a mean grade point average of 3.5/4.0 and were all from Taif University. Nearly 86.4% were interested in SA’s local training programs, and the most preferred hospital for residency program was the Ministry of Health (37.1%), while the most preferred region inside SA was the western region (61.4%). The preferred medical specialties were family medicine followed by ENT, yet 2% were undecided about their future specialty. The most common factor that influenced the students to choose the location for training was quality of training (41.4%), followed by the cooperation of the hospital staff with new trainees (30%). Conclusion: The majority of medical interns preferred to complete their residency or postgraduate studies in SA, according to the findings of the study. Family medicine and ENT were the most common specialties, regardless of gender. Students’ career decisions are influenced by several factors. Future research that can help create a more accurate career-counseling model and improve successful career-counseling strategies will need to address these factors.

Parental Posttraumatic Stress and School Performance in Refugee Children.

Refugee children in the Nordic countries have been reported to perform poorly in school and carry a high burden of familial posttraumatic stress. The present study aimed to investigate the impact of maternal and paternal posttraumatic stress on the school performance of refugee children. We used national register data on school grades at age 15-16 along with demographic and migration indicators during 2011-2017 in a population of 18,831 children in refugee families in Stockholm County, Sweden. Parental posttraumatic stress was identified in regional data from three levels of care, including a tertiary treatment center for victims of torture and war. Multivariable linear and logistic regression models were fitted to analyze (a) mean grade point averages as Z scores and (b) eligibility for upper secondary school. In fully adjusted models, children exposed to paternal posttraumatic stress had a lower mean grade point average, SD = -0.14, 95% CI [-0.22, -0.07], and higher odds of not being eligible for upper secondary education, OR = 1.37, 95% CI [1.14, 1.65]. Maternal posttraumatic stress had a similar crude effect on school performance, SD = -0.15, 95% CI [-0.22, -0.07], OR = 1.25, 95% CI [1.00, 1.55], which was attenuated after adjusting for single-parent households and the use of child psychiatric services. The effects were similar for boys and girls as well as for different levels of care. Parental posttraumatic stress had a small negative effect on school performance in refugee children, adding to the intergenerational consequences of psychological trauma.

Student and faculty perceptions of integrated therapeutics courses in a doctor of pharmacy program

IntroductionThere has been a movement in clinical education towards integrating foundational and applied course content. It remains unclear what best practices are for integration or how meaningful integration is for improving learning. We assessed the impact and perceptions of different degrees of integration in Integrated Pharmacy Care and Patient Management (IPC) courses. MethodsStudents and faculty of one four-year doctor of pharmacy program were asked to complete surveys upon conclusion of the last of twelve integrated courses. Three degrees of integration (first degree, second degree, complete Integration) were defined for respondents. The student questionnaire included items on perceived value of integrated education as well as used and preferred levels of integration throughout the course series. Perceived estimated integration levels were then correlated with mean grade point averages (GPAs) for the courses. The faculty survey assessed experience with, and perceptions of, integrated teaching. ResultsSixty-five students (100% response) and 10 faculty (50% response) completed the surveys. Students preferred complete integration for all IPC courses and indicated that they were better able to retain and understand information with higher levels of integration. Supporting this, mean course GPAs positively correlated with estimated levels of integration. Faculty remained neutral on whether integration helps students to better understand course material and highlighted barriers to implementing higher levels of integration, including lack of time. ConclusionsOur results suggest that a team approach to complete integration is most beneficial for pharmacy students. Faculty may require additional institutional support to accomplish such integration.