Meaningful Skills Research Articles

Instructional Content and Self-Determination in Individualized Education Program Annual Goals for Students With Extensive Support Needs.

Under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, individualized education program (IEP) annual goals are required to enable students with disabilities to be involved in and make progress in the general education curriculum and to address other educational needs. This study reports findings from a content analysis of the annual goals in 88 IEPs for K-12 students with extensive support needs. Results reflect a lack of comprehensive academic content goals to promote involvement and progress in the general education curriculum, and limited opportunities for students to develop skills associated with self-determination. Findings also show a focus within goals on student compliance rather than the development of meaningful skills and knowledge. Implications for research and practice are provided.

Supplier relationship management for enterprise development in the cement industry

Background: Local small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) are ready to join the cement mining companies’ supply chains. However, the perceived risks of doing business with SMMEs cause mines to be hesitant to engage in meaningful relationships with SMME suppliers.Aim: The aim of this study was to explore the nature of supplier relationship management (SRM) for enterprise and supplier development in a cement mining industry.Setting: The study is conducted in the cement mining companies and explores insights from SMMEs and cement mines insofar as SRM is concerned.Methods: The study employed a qualitative research approach, employing interviews as a research strategy and data collection method. In all, 16 individuals were purposively selected based on their expertise and experience in the area SRM for enterprise and supplier development in the cement mining industry. Thematic analysis was used as a data analysis method.Results: Following thematic data analysis, the following six themes emerged from the primary data: funding the relationship, skills development, segmenting suppliers, supplier compliance, information sharing, and supplier performance monitoring and evaluation.Conclusion: Enterprise and supplier development (ESD) programmes should be sufficiently formalised and funded. This will enable meaningful skills development for SMMEs with the specific focus on compliance and performance improvement. Enterprise and supplier development programmes should also be designed to facilitate information sharing between the mining company and SMMEs.Contribution: The study proposes the building blocks for SRM for enterprise and supplier development in the cement mining industry. The study further extends literature in the areas of SRM.

Early career employment opportunities and obstacles: recent experiences of four emerging conservators from Australia

This article explores some of the obstacles currently facing Australian-based emerging conservators in securing work opportunities. Based on their recent experiences, the authors consider how such opportunities are critical for professional development, how they can be mutually beneficial for host organisations and how meaningful intergenerational skills transfer is the key to industry sustainability. The authors’ experiences are placed within the broader Australian conservation context through the interrogation of data collected in recent surveys concerning levels of employment and professional engagement for emerging conservators. The decentralisation of employment opportunities, continued strategic advocacy and the establishment of a nationally recognised internship programme are discussed as sustainable solutions for future industry growth.

Internationalisation, teacher education and institutional identities: a comparative analysis

ABSTRACT Teachers are under increasing pressure to promote various and many times conflicting and fluid sets of values—both global/local—cosmopolitan and national. Teachers are expected to possess meaningful skills, theoretical grounding and practical tools to effectively undertake this role. One way in which to prepare teachers for this, is through internationalisation of teacher education (IoTE). Teacher education programmes are situated within a distinctive niche between higher education (HE) and schools and are expected to both compete with other local/global HEIs and to engage with and supply graduates for the local (often, national) education system. This distinctive position requires teacher education programmes to foster multiple constituencies and identities. In this study, we aim to explore these multiple identities, and how they shape IoTE. We investigate how internationalisation is expressed in two teacher education colleges in Israel. Drawing on internationalisation and organisational identity literature, we explore the role of organisational identities and how multiple organisational identities are negotiated and shape IoTE. We reveal two distinctive strategies, aggregation and compartmentalisation, employed to manage multiple organisational identities. We argue that these divergent strategies produce different forms of IoTE and are closely tied to the institution’s conception of the nation.

The Effectiveness of Logotherapy Training on Psychological Well-Being and Life Expectancy in Patients with Diabetes Type 2

Objective: In daily life, logotherapy is one of the skills that can be taught to increase the levels of psychological well-being and hope. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of meaningful psychological skills in promoting psychological well-being and life expectancy in patients with type 2 diabetes in the city of Salas city of Kermanshah province. Materials and Methods: The present study is an experiment with a pre-test-post-test design with a control group. The statistical population of the study was all patients with type 2 diabetes in Salas city of Kermanshah province. Thirty people were randomly divided into two groups of 15 experimental and controlled by sampling. After that, the experimental group was trained in logotherapy skills and meaning for 2 months in a total of 8 sessions of 90 minutes. After completing the training and after one month, the post-test was performed simultaneously and under the same conditions for both experimental and control groups. Data were analyzed by multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) with SPSS 18 software. Results: Results of analysis of covariance on post-test means, there is a significant difference between logotherapy and control groups in psychological well-being and life expectancy variables (P-value< 0.001). The value of squares indicates that about 77% of the variance of the well-being score and about 81% of the variance of the life expectancy score is explained by the difference between the two methods. Conclusion: Logotherapy training is effective on psychological well-being and life expectancy of diabetic patients.

Validation of a Self-Assessment Tool for Identifying Need for Assistance in Military to Civilian Transition

A self-assessment tool was developed to encourage releasing service members to reflect on their preparedness for military to civilian transition and need for assistance. The aim of this paper was to examine its validity among recently released Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members using data from the Canadian Armed Forces Transition and Well-Being Survey (CAFTWS). The survey was administered in 2017 to a total of 1,414 CAF Veterans (former CAF members), representing a response rate of 75%. The validity of the self-assessment tool was confirmed, as shown by the significant correlations between each of its indicators and variables corresponding to six domains of well-being: employment or other meaningful activity, finances, health, life skills and preparedness, social integration, and housing/physical environment. The potential utility of the self-assessment tool for assessing military to civilian transition outcomes was also supported by its significant associations with difficult adjustment to civilian life in the manner expected. The current study provides further evidence for the validity of the self-assessment tool for identifying needs for assistance that Veterans may have during military to civilian transition. The tool holds promise for encouraging transitioning members and families to seek assistance and should be considered as a complement to active screening.

Behaviour in selection situations as an adaptation to external expectations: testing a theory of self-presentation

ABSTRACT Self-presentation in a selection setting has largely been viewed as deviant and detrimental for validity, often simplified by the label “faking behaviour”. Yet, applicants may also express meaningful skills and motivation when presenting themselves. In this paper, we present an empirical test of a theory of self-presentation, which takes this position. By simulating a complete selection process, from choosing a position to final decision-making about job offers, we test several key assumptions the model made. If motivation was operationalized as willingness to deviate from true self-image, findings provide partial support for proposed antecedents of initial motivation, for motivational changes during the selection process, for the hypothesis that greater discrepancy between true self-image and perceived expectations lower the motivation to self-present and for expected effects of analytical self-presentation skills. Hardly any support was found for propositions if motivation was operationalized as willingness to adapt to perceived employer’s ideals and for proposed antecedents of analytical skills.

Language practices of the digital multi-semiotic genre meme by 3rd grade students in elementary school I

This article aims to discuss digital literacy in elementary school 1, considering the proposal of the Common National Curricular Base, particularly the linguistic/semiotic analysis. Specifically, to examine the generative path of meaning in the fundamental, narrative and discursive levels of the production of multisemiotic text, the meme, of 3rd grade students. Therefore, the question was asked whether 3rd grade students are being encouraged by the school to develop meaningful skills in the language practices of multisemiotic texts such as the digital genre meme. In response it is assumed that 3rd grade students, who can already be considered digital natives, comment on the content and even produce memes, because they are already being trained by the school to develop critical and reflective sense regarding the language practices of multisemiotic texts such as the meme. We adopted the axis of linguistic/semiotic analysis of the Common Curricular Base (2018), in the processes of reading and production of texts (oral, written, and multisemiotic), with Fiorin (2017), Soares (1998), and Ribeiro (2018) as theoretical support.

Individualized coaching in health system-wide provider communication training

ObjectivesMost practicing health professionals lack communication skills training (CST). Increasingly health care systems have implemented CST programs, mainly through single workshops which are limited in creating meaningful change in communication behaviors in practice. This paper describes a provider CST program which includes coaching to reinforce skills learned in CST workshops. MethodIn 2017, a pilot CST workshop was implemented in a large Midwestern US health system. In 2018, a modified program was launched for all physicians, physician assistants and advanced practice nurses and included in-person clinical coaching for each provider 30- and 60-days post-workshop. Evaluation measures included pre and post-program aggregate patient satisfaction scores and coaching evaluation surveys. Results248 providers completed the workshop plus coaching program between October 2018 – March 2020. Aggregated patient satisfaction Top Box ratings increased from 73.9% to 75.1% following the pilot and to 79.5% following workshop plus coaching. Participants rated coaching positively and reported more confidence in using the workshop skills in clinical practice. ConclusionOur data show that coaching can help facilitate and reinforce skills learned in CST workshops and can lead to improvements in patient satisfaction scores. Practical implicationsIncorporating coaching as part of CST can help facilitate meaningful skills transfer.

Nursing Students' Perceptions about Effective Pedagogy: Netnographic Analysis.

BackgroundEffective pedagogy that encourages high standards of excellence and commitment to lifelong learning is essential in health professions education to prepare students for real-life challenges such as health disparities and global health issues. Creative learning and innovative teaching strategies empower students with high-quality, practical, real-world knowledge and meaningful skills to reach their potential as future health care providers.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to explore health profession students’ perceptions of whether their learning experiences were associated with good or bad pedagogy during asynchronous discussion forums. The further objective of the study was to identify how perceptions of the best and worst pedagogical practices reflected the students’ values, beliefs, and understanding about factors that made a pedagogy good during their learning history.MethodsA netnographic qualitative design was employed in this study. The data were collected on February 3, 2020 by exporting archived data from multiple sessions of a graduate-level nursing course offered between the fall 2016 and spring 2020 semesters at a large private university in the southeast region of the United States. Each student was a data unit. As an immersive data operation, field notes were taken by all research members. Data management and analysis were performed with NVivo 12.ResultsA total of 634 posts were generated by 153 students identified in the dataset. Most of these students were female (88.9%). From the 97 categories identified, four themes emerged: (T) teacher presence built through relationship and communication, (E) environment conducive to affective and cognitive learning, (A) assessment and feedback processes that yield a growth mindset, and (M) mobilization of pedagogy through learner- and community-centeredness.ConclusionsThe themes that emerged from our analysis confirm findings from previous studies and provide new insights. Our study highlights the value of technology as a tool for effective pedagogy. A resourceful teacher can use various communication techniques to develop meaningful connections between the learner and teacher. Styles of communication will vary according to the unique expectations and needs of learners with different learning preferences; however, the aim is to fully engage each learner, establish a rapport between and among students, and nurture an environment characterized by freedom of expression in which ideas flow freely. We suggest that future research continue to explore the influence of differing course formats and pedagogical modalities on student learning experiences.

Exploring the Influence of Social Media Usage for Academic Purposes Using a Partial Least Squares Approach

Social media applications have been increasingly gaining significant attention from online education and training platforms. Social networking tools provide multiple advantages for communicating, exchanging opinions, and discussing specific issues. Social media also helps to improve the processes of teaching and learning through sharing educational programs. In this study, we used a quantitative research technique based on the partial least-squares (PLS) linear regression method to determine the influence of using social media as an online discussion and communication platform for academic purposes by assessing the relationships among the skills obtained through social media, the usage of social media, and the purpose of social media. A total of 200 students participated in this study (88% female and 12% males), and a purposive sampling technique was used to select a suitable population for the study. The results show that 61.5% of the participants use the web daily for more than five hours, mainly for social communication (meaningful dialog and discussion skills) and entertainment. The students agreed that social media develops their creative thinking, but it has no positive impact on their academic performance.

REVIEWS

How can contact with animals have a positive impact on young children's sense of self and ability to communicate? Authors Helen Lewis and Russell Grigg explain how animals can act as ‘social others’, providing children with opportunities to develop meaningful social skills in a safe space.

Culture of reading in the post-literacy age: Methods and techniques to form meaningful reading skills in schoolchildren

Culture of reading in the post-literacy age: Methods and techniques to form meaningful reading skills in schoolchildren

Defining the need: digital literacy skills for first-year university students

PurposeThis study aims to build context-specific measurement tools to assess first-year students' digital literacy skills. The purpose is to collect data to provide more meaningful skills support for new students and raise their awareness about the digital literacy skills fundamental to academic study.Design/methodology/approachA set of three scales were developed and piloted at the beginning of 2018 and 2019 fall semesters: (1) a self-assessment survey, (2) an online test to collect indirect evidence and (3) a set of performance tasks. In both rounds, the scales were examined for reliability and construct validity and improved accordingly. The third round, conducted with a different scope, enabled a final reliability check for the online test.FindingsThe results indicate that first-year students need support with higher-order digital literacy skills. Low performers tend to overestimate their skills, so self-assessment surveys fall short in providing needs assessment but provide evidence of awareness when combined with the other scales. Performance tasks provide direct evidence but are not practical with larger numbers of participants. An online test to deliver indirect evidence works well but requires careful reliability considerations.Research limitations/implicationsThe conceptual framework for digital literacies offered in this study was narrowed down to the immediate skills to maintain a feasible scope. The sample size was small in both rounds, but the findings gave insights regarding the skills under scrutiny. Similarly, the scales were subject to close examination and were continuously improved, and the imperfections were monitored carefully while drawing conclusions.Practical implicationsAll of the three scales are ready to be used. Depending on the purpose, they can be given to first-year students together or separately to define their needs for support. Both versions of the survey and performance tasks are presented in the paper, and the test can be found at this link: Digital Literacy Test for Preview.Originality/valueThere are three methods to measure digital skills. Although there are studies using individual or paired methods, this study is distinctive as it combines all three. While other scales to measure digital literacy skills exist, they are not appropriate in every context. Therefore, this study will serve as an example for those wishing to devise context-specific scales.

Exploring The Lived Experiences Of Young Arnisadors: The Curricular and Co-Curricular Challenges

Arnis has been identified as a combative, full-contact sport in the context of the school's co-curricular activities, in which students may have acquired meaningful learning, skills, and physical well-being. This qualitative study explores the experiences of arnis players or arnisadors in their curricular and co-curricular pursuits; has utilized non-probability purposive sampling; and employed Colaizzi's seven-step phenomenological method as a reference in interpreting and formulating relevant themes that reflect the curricular and co-curricular experiences of the participants. Data collection was carried out employing interviews and observation methods. Relative themes that emerged from this study were commitment, milestones, physical development, self-discipline, realization, pride and passion, training, competition, camaraderie, support, and aspiration. Curiosity and peer influence were the main factors that led participants to join the arnis team, and the rigors of the training changed their perspective towards the fulfillment of curricular and co-curricular objectives. Significant benefits from joining Arnis have been highlighted, such as sound health, asthma healing, physical and character development, and other positive attributes have been enhanced. Their aspiration as senior practitioners would be to share the kind of discipline, advancement, and expertise they have achieved with the beginners to express gratitude to the team. Furthermore, it was revealed that the ideal peer influence would lead to something beneficial, such as an affiliation to a sport like Arnis. At the same time, the loco parentis is essential for the role modeling to student-athletes who have been successful in managing difficulties due to genuine friendship and love. And the support of teammates, coaches, family, and school.

Narrative Intervention: Principles to Practice.

Purpose Narrative interventions are a class of language interventions that involve the use of telling or retelling stories. Narrative intervention can be an efficient and versatile means of promoting a large array of academically and socially important language targets that improve children's access to general education curriculum and enhance their peer relations. The purpose of this tutorial is to supply foundational information about the importance of narratives and to offer recommendations about how to maximize the potential of narrative interventions in school-based clinical practice. Method Drawing from decades of cognitive and linguistic research, a tutorial on narratives and narrative language is presented first. Ten principles that support the design and implementation of narrative interventions are described. Results Clinicians can use narrative intervention to teach story grammar, complex language, vocabulary, inferencing, and social pragmatics. Storytelling, as an active intervention ingredient, promotes the comprehension and production of complex language. Conclusion When narrative intervention is implemented following a set of principles drawn from research and extensive clinical experience, speech-language pathologists can efficiently and effectively teach a broad set of academically and socially meaningful skills to diverse students.

Criteria for defining the levels of knowledge, skills and forms of harmony science

Theoretical knowledge on the subject of Harmony is a unique element of preparing students to teach music culture on a particular system. This article is about how students ’harmonic concepts should be transformed into meaningful, sustainable, purposeful and practical skills. Keeping track of changes in the levels of future teachers ’training, all the results of their qualitative characteristics, as well as analyzes the dynamics of student readiness allows them to set their level of knowledge on high, medium, and low. Methods and tools for controlling the quality of musical and theoretical knowledge, harmonic cognition, theoretical and practical skills, and creative thinking are used in the learning process. Efforts are to be made to ensure that there is an ongoing counterpart that allows us to select the most appropriate form, method, method and tools to positively assist future teacher training. Future teachers need to make sure that the knowledge and skills of Harmony are the basis for the preparation for practical activities, that the theoretical material, knowledge, skills and abilities that are being mastered are reflected in the creative development of the student.

Up on the hill: the experiences of adaptive snow sports

Introduction Literature supports the benefits of involvement for people with disabilities in adaptive snow sports. However, the literature is lacking in understanding the experiences of those involved in these programs or understanding what facilitates participation in adaptive snow sports. Objectives This project aims to (1) explore the experiences of people with disabilities participating in adaptive snow sports; and (2) to explore the factors which impact participation in adaptive snow sports. Materials and methods We recruited 20 former and current participants from an adaptive snow sports program using a volunteer recruitment strategy. Data were collected through individual or dyadic semi-structured interviews and on-site observations. Data were transcribed verbatim and thematic data analyses were conducted. Results Three main themes emerged from this study: (1) mountain top moments, which described the outcomes of successful participation in adaptive snow sports; (2) finding your line, which refers to the facilitators involved in adaptive snow sports participation; and (3) icy slopes and trailblazing, which includes the social, physical, and institutional environmental factors that impede quality participation. Conclusion Adaptive snow sports provide people with disabilities opportunities to develop community, engage in new and meaningful experiences, and to overcome challenges. The accounts given by people with disabilities of their experiences in adaptive snow sports suggest that key factors for participation are the involvement of student-centered instructors and the provision of adaptive equipment. Implications for rehabilitation Adaptive snow sports provide opportunities for people with disabilities to learn new and meaningful skills, develop meaningful relationships, and enjoy the outdoors. Knowledgeable instructors who are able to meet people with disabilities unique needs is an essential component to adaptive snow sport programs. Additionally, the provision of adaptive equipment is an important aspect of adaptive snow sport programs.

PRETTY GOOD PRACTICES: GERIATRICS WORKFORCE ENHANCEMENT PROGRAMS AND LIFELONG DISABILITIES

Growing old with lifelong disabilities is a recent reality that is catching healthcare providers unprepared. While there’s little extant federal or state public policy on aging with lifelong disabilities, and aging, disability, and healthcare systems lack a history of intersystem collaboration, Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Programs (GWEPs) can lead the way in developing curricula, training, policy, and standards to respond. The GWEPs can intervene to create meaningful intersystem knowledge and skills and better prepare providers. Two GWEPs are filling the best practices void, operationalizing de facto public policy and “pretty good” practices to improve care for individuals with lifelong disabilities. In metro Richmond, VA, the GWEP at the Virginia Geriatric Education Center (VGEC) has built on the successful Area Planning and Services Committee on Lifelong Disabilities (APSC) intersystem partnership to provide this expertise. In Rhode Island, the RI Geriatric Education Center (RIGEC) has aligned its GWEP Alzheimer’s disease supplemental funding with other federally funded programs to build dementia capability into the systems that support adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities (I/DD). RIGEC incorporated expertise previously gained through the University of Rhode Island’s CMS-funded LivingRIte Innovation, which established pilot centers to support individuals with I/DD living with dementia and other chronic conditions, through novel person-centered approaches. This symposium examines how the two GWEPs expanded upon a foundation of previous efforts to serve older adults with lifelong disabilities, the methods by which they built and fostered effective networks, the resulting system improvements, and suggested strategies to move from “pretty good” to best practices.

'It depends': Characterizing speech and language therapy for preschool children with developmental speech and language disorders.

BackgroundSeveral studies have suggested that practitioners hold speech and language therapy (SLT) practice as tacit and consequently it is difficult for the therapist to describe. The current study uses a range of knowledge elicitation (KE) approaches, a technique not used before in SLT, as a way of accessing this tacit knowledge. There is currently no agreed framework that establishes key factors underpinning practice for preschool children with speech and language disorders. This paper attempts to address that gap.AimsTo develop a framework of SLTs’ practice when working with preschool children with developmental speech and language disorders (DS&LD).Methods & ProceduresA mixed‐methods approach was adopted for this study. Data were collected iteratively, from 245 SLTs with experience of working with preschool children with DS&LD across sites in England, by means of focus groups and national events. There were three stages of data collection: local sites, specific‐interest groups and two national events. KE techniques were used to gather data, with initial data being collected in local site focus groups. Findings from groups were taken to subsequent larger groups where a combination of concept mapping, teach‐back and sorting exercises generated a more detailed description of practice, using discussion of consensus and disagreement to stimulate further exploration and definition and provide validatory evidence.Outcomes & ResultsThis paper provides a high‐level framework of therapy for preschool children with DS&LD that makes practice explicit in this area. The framework proposes that therapists’ aims for this group of children fall into three categories: addressing children's areas of impairment and skills; achieving functionally meaningful skills and carryover; and supporting adults to provide a supportive communication environment. The exact configuration is shaped by the child's context and needs.Conclusions & ImplicationsThe framework highlights themes that are well researched in the literature (e.g., speech) and others that have been little studied (e.g., adult understanding), indicating a disconnect between research evidence and practice. The research also highlights the complex nature of interventions for preschool children with DS&LD and the importance therapists attribute to tailoring therapy to individual needs. The framework provides a scaffold upon which SLTs can focus their clinical practice and encourages the profession to understand and explore better the gaps between research evidence and clinical practice for preschool children with DS&LD.