Practical Experience Research Articles

Mindfulness Practice and Expressions of Wellness: Experiences of Doctoral Counselor Education and Supervision Students

ABSTRACT Researchers advocate for wellness as part of counseling practices to minimize stress, improve quality of life, and promote well-being. Furthermore, mindfulness may play a critical role in the cultivation of wellness, particularly among counselor education and supervision (CES) students. This study aimed to capture the lived experiences of wellness practices among CES doctoral students who received formal mindfulness training. The following four themes emerged: (a) self-discovery through awareness, (b) practices of presence, (c) wellness as a whole person, and (d) resistance and challenges. Participants identified awareness as central to the intersection of mindfulness and wellness. Implications include using mindfulness as a vehicle to identify and engage in wellness practices that best serve students’ needs and ways to skillfully integrate mindfulness into CES curricula. Examining the in-depth stories of wellness cultivation and the influence of mindfulness could lead to new insights and practical steps to enhance counselor training and whole-person development.

Exertional Heatstroke Survivors' Knowledge and Beliefs about Exertional Heatstroke Diagnosis, Treatment, and Return to Play.

Little information exists regarding what exertional heatstroke (EHS) survivors know and believe about EHS best practices. Understanding this would help clinicians focus educational efforts to ensure survival and safe return-to-play following EHS. We sought to better understand what EHS survivors knew about EHS seriousness (e.g., lethality, short- and long-term effects), diagnosis and treatment procedures, and recovery. Design: Multi-year, cross-sectional, descriptive design. An 11.3-km road race located in the Northeastern United States in August 2022 and 2023. Forty-two of 62 runners with EHS (15 women, 27 men; age: 33±15 y; pre-treatment rectal temperature [TREC]: 41.5±0.9°C). Medical professionals evaluated runners requiring medical attention at the finish line. If they observed TREC ≥40°C with concomitant central nervous system dysfunction (CNS) EHS was diagnosed and patients were immersed in a 189.3-L tub filled with ice-water. Before medical discharge, we asked EHS survivors 15 questions about their experience and knowledge of select EHS best practices. Survey items were piloted and validated by experts and laypersons a priori (content validity index ≥0.88 for items and scale). Survey responses. Sixty-seven percent (28/42) of patients identified EHS as potentially fatal and 76% (32/42) indicated it negatively affected health. Seventy-nine percent (33/42) correctly identified TREC as the best temperature site to diagnose EHS. Most patients (74%, 31/42) anticipated returning to normal exercise within 1 week post-EHS; 69% (29/42) stated EHS would not impact future race participation. Patients (69%, 29/42) indicated it was important to tell their primary care physician about their EHS. Our patients were knowledgeable on the potential seriousness and adverse health effects of EHS and the necessity of TREC for diagnosis. However, educational efforts should be directed towards helping patients understand safe recovery and return-to-play timelines following EHS.

External and internal food fraud prevention in Finnish food businesses

This two-part survey study focused on external and internal food fraud vulnerability in Finnish food businesses. The aim of Study 1 was to investigate food businesses' experience of food fraud and their views on food fraud vulnerability and prevention. Study 2 focused on food production businesses’ organizational culture from an internal food fraud prevention perspective. The first survey was targeted at representatives of Finnish food businesses operating in food production, wholesalers, and central firms (N = 98). While many food business operators (FBOs) had experience of fraudulent practices, they often thought that their businesses were well prepared to prevent food fraud. The businesses used different methods in assessing the reliability of their suppliers, such as buying from familiar businesses and using networks to gain information, but public registers, such as the Tax debt register, were rarely used. The second survey targeting the employees of ten Finnish food production businesses (N = 691) underwent logistic regression analysis. Differences in perceived possibility of internal fraud in the business, organizational integrity, and wrongness of certain fraudulent practices were found based on respondent and business characteristics. Specialists and directors less often fully agreed on the possibility of internal fraud than workers. In addition, specialists, directors and experienced employees reported high organizational integrity more often than workers and less experienced employees. The results highlight that food businesses should take notice of both external and internal food fraud prevention by thoroughly assessing the food fraud risks in their operations and enforcing good organizational culture.

Mathematics teachers’ beliefs about mathematics, its teaching, and learning: The case of five teachers

This study explores the views of mathematics teachers at Assosa University regarding effective mathematics teaching. The study used a case study method as a mode of inquiry through semi-structured interviews with five mathematics teachers at Assosa University. The data were analyzed thematically. The results showed that mathematics teachers view memorization, practice, and concrete experiences as ways to enhance their students’ understanding of mathematics. Teachers expressed different views on the nature of mathematics. Some teachers have an instrumental view, while others have a problem-solving view, and others have a Platonist view of the nature of mathematics. The study showed important arguments about the belief systems of mathematics teachers, showing that teachers’ beliefs about the nature of mathematics provide the basis for their mental models of mathematics teaching and learning. The study revealed those mathematics teachers’ beliefs about effective mathematics teaching influence their educational practices. The study suggests that developing the expertise of teachers in higher education institutions by changing their entrenched beliefs about mathematics needs particular attention, which ultimately affects their practice.

Examination of Psychological Counselor Candidates’ Views of Using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) in Individual Psychological Counseling: A Q Methodology Approach

Individual Psychological Counseling Practicum is an applied course in which Guidance and Psychological Counseling undergraduate senior students have an opportunity to have a practical experience with an actual client in Turkey. In the course, the theoretical approaches chosen by the counselors and their views on this approach may affect their attitudes towards the practicum process and their experiences. Therefore, the current study aims to determine the opinions of guidance and psychological counseling senior students who took the course Individual Psychological Counseling Practicum about using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in individual psychological counseling with the Q-methodology approach. For this purpose, 33 senior undergraduate students participated in the current study, taking the Individual Psychological Counseling Practicum-2 course in Atatürk University. The research utilized Q-statements crafted by the researcher along with a Q-sort comprising 18 sentences ranging from -3 to +3, facilitating forced placement, as the data collection instrument. Results showed that the opinions of the counselor candidates about the use of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy were gathered in a single dimension, which indicates a positive attitude.

Breaking the dilemma of hands-off and hands-on: the multi-order meta-governance in China

In governance theory, there is a crucial theoretical conundrum of meta-governance: how can meta-governors simultaneously stay outside of the governed network while also being embedded within it, and appropriately apply hands-off and hands-on strategies? The heterogeneous experiences of governance practices in non-Western contexts may help to explore this issue. The paper examines the ‘Starfish Project’(haixing jihua), a volunteer action aimed at improving the incomes of rural residents in mountainous areas of H District in N City, China, against the backdrop of promoting common prosperity. This initiative involves non-profit organizations, market actors, and government agencies, forming a multi-order meta-governance system. In this system, the government acts as a second-order meta-governor. It provides shared values, norms, and objectives, for the social network, thereby conferring institutional legitimacy upon the social network and its activities. Meanwhile, a non-profit organization operates as a first-order meta-governor within the network, and leverages market-based mechanisms to continuously incentivize network members, foster network interaction, and facilitate conflict resolution. The multi-order meta-governance model provides a potential solution to the dilemma. However, it is important to note that this may not yet be a definitive solution to the conundrum.

Development of Human Rights-Based Practices in Psychiatry FromPeople Living With Mental Health Problems Lived Experiences DuringInvoluntary Hospitalization or Treatment

This article presents the research protocol of an interpretative phenomenological study that aims to understand the lived experiences of coercion and human rights-based practices in psychiatry from the perspectives of people living with mental health problems during involuntary hospitalization or treatment. This qualitative study used an interpretative phenomenological analysis design. In-depth, one-on-one interviews along with a socio-demographic questionnaire were conducted with approximately 10 participants. Data analysis was followed by an iterative and hermeneutic emergence coding process. By centering human rights-based practices on the lived experiences of people living with mental health problems who encountered coercion, this study highlighted the contributing and limiting factors to the recognition of human rights in nursing practices. This study also promoted the development of nursing knowledge and practices that can significantly contribute to an individual’s recovery process.

Social contact as a strategy to reduce stigma in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review and expert perspectives.

Social contact (SC) has been identified as a promising strategy for stigma reduction. Different types of SC exist. Various scholars defined positive factors to strengthen SC. This study aims to investigate the application and effectiveness of SC as a strategy to reduce stigmatisation across stigmas, settings and populations in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We specifically examine the use of positive factors. A systematic review was conducted in twelve electronic databases using key terms related to stigma AND social contact AND intervention AND LMICs. Data were synthesised narratively. Study quality was assessed with the Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal checklists. Additionally, semi-structured interviews were used with first/corresponding authors of included publications to investigate their practical experiences with SC. Forty-four studies (55 publications) were identified. Various stigmas (n = 16) were targeted, including mental health (43%). Indirect (n = 18) and direct contact (n = 16) were used most frequently, followed by collaboration, imagined and vicarious contact, or a combination. The most applied additional strategy was education. Almost half of the studies, explicitly or implicitly, described positive factors for SC, such as PWLE training or disconfirming stereotypes. The majority suggested that SC is effective in reducing stigma, although inconsistent reporting overshadows conclusions. Perspectives of people with lived experience (PWLE) were infrequently included. Expert perspectives stressed the importance of contextualisation, PWLE participation, and evaluation of SC. This study provides an overview of SC as a stigma reduction strategy within LMICs. Conclusions about which type of SC is more effective or whether SC is more effective for a specific stigma category cannot be drawn. We recommend future research to strengthen reporting on effectiveness as well as PWLE perspective and SC processes, and to further critically examine the potential of SC. An overview of positive factors applied to strengthen SC is provided, which can stimulate reflection and guide future SC.

Health behavior of young people: formation of typological attributes using the sentence completion method

The article actualizes the problems of typological analysis of young people according to character of health behavior, among them the issues of the formation of typological attributes are particularly highlighted. These are the theoretical constructs; characteristics on the basis of which the respondent is assigned to one or another typological group – the carrier of a certain social type. Various indicators of health behavior claim to be typological attributes. Their choice depends on many factors: on the specifics of the population being studied, on the basis of the typology, on the purpose for which the typological analysis is carried out, on the accumulated experience of research practices in using indicators, etc. The article presents the results of an exploratory research devoted to the study of young people’s representations about health behavior. The initial methodological premise was that the heuristic potential of indicators of health behavior as typological attributes in different groups of young people is different. The plausibility of this premise was confirmed in the process of analyzing text data obtained by the sentence completion method. Based on the construction of pyramids of generalizations (according to a survey of three age groups of young people), the structural elements of the image of “health behavior” (elementary justifications, elements, components) were identified, and the dominant elements and components were identified. As a result, assumptions have been made about the adequacy of certain methodical solutions in the formation of typological attributes.

Speed-power training of highly qualified hammer throwers

Long-term training of highly qualified track and field athletes is impossible without paying attention to one of its constituent parts - training and training methods. The level of training of throwers in track and field is becoming very high, it is becoming more and more difficult to achieve victory. This caused certain efforts of trainers, scientists, and methodologists in preparing the educational and training process of track and field athletes-throwers. The study of the robots of specialists, as well as the analysis of existing programs for improving the speed and strength training of throwers in track and field, indicates that the training method lags behind modern requirements. We consider the reason for this to be the low level of methodical development. Unfortunately, most track and field coaches are not interested in the new guidelines, and the result is the training of inferior reserves.
 The purpose of the work is the development of speed and strength training of highly qualified hammer throwers.
 Research results. We recommend hammer throwers to perform exercises with a barbell during training (jerking, taking the barbell to the chest, pull-ups). Exercises with a barbell (jerk, chest pull-ups, pull-ups and push-ups) are recommended to be performed from the position "from above". The position of the barbell "from above" means that the barbell is raised from the platform with straight lowered arms, the athlete's torso and legs are straightened, and then basic exercises are performed from this position. Moreover, the exercises should be performed in the overcoming and advancing mode, which corresponds to the main technical movement - hammer throwing.
 Conclusions. The results of our research and thirty years of practical experience working with athletes of the highest level of sportsmanship show that in speed-power sports, the connection between the external form and the content of movements is most clearly manifested when interacting with the support and the projectile. This is a causal relationship. Only that athlete who has a sufficient level of development of speed and strength qualities across the entire range of their manifestations, from the fastest and most coordinated rotational movements to the instant manifestation of maximum muscle tension in projectile throwing, can count on serious success in the main exercise.

Correction of manifestations of psychoemotional stress in students: meditative techniques in combination with pharmacological support in the martial art of ju-jutsu

The goal is to substantiate and experimentally verify the effectiveness of the combined meditative-pharmacological methodology of relieving emotional stress in students of higher education institutions during Ju-jutsu martial arts classes. Methodology: analysis and generalization of educational and methodological literature, systematization of scientific data, generalization of practical experience, comparison of different views on the investigated problem; pedagogical survey for the purpose of studying the level of stress resistance. Scientific novelty. An analysis of modern scientific and scientific-methodological literature was carried out and factors influencing the mental health of students were investigated, in particular, the severity of manifestations of psycho-emotional stress during studies in institutions of higher education, and the negative impact of this phenomenon on the functional state of organs and systems of the body was proven. deterioration of health and quality of life. The expediency of using meditative techniques to reduce the severity of stressful manifestations is shown. For the first time in the practice of martial arts, a combination of meditation was used during the training process of students engaged in the martial art of ju-jutsu to reduce the severity of manifestations of stress, and the use of a special nutritional supplement with a neuroprotective focus "Acetyl-L-carnitine" to correct the manifestations of emotional stress that occurs in students of higher education institutions during their studies. Conclusions. To reduce the manifestations of stress, students use means that not only do not correspond to the prevention of mental health, but also often have a negative effect on it (nicotine, alcohol, drugs, physical and mental overload, etc.). For this purpose, the use of meditative techniques in combination with special neuroprotective agents significantly helps to reduce the severity of manifestations of psychoemotional stress of university students.

Participation practices in mother-child interactions: longitudinal case studies

AbstractIn recent years, Conversational Analysis (CA) has seen an increasing interest in longitudinal studies (Deppermann & Pekarek Doehler, 2021). The recurrent experience of interactional practices leads interactants to develop routines that may sediment into entrenched patterns over time (Dreyer, 2022). Longitudinal CA thus aims to track the emergence and sedimentation of interactional practices over time. In this contribution, we analyse interactional practices of participation in play-situations. Participation in joint activities is a universal form of human sociality (Goodwin & Goodwin, 2005). Here, we focus on how children perform their own agentive participant’s work and how mothers support their children in doing so. Investigating a longitudinal data set of mother-child play-interactions at ages 1 and 5, we ask whether participation patterns emerge as early as in the first year and are sedimented in the fifth year, as well as whether the synchronisation of embodied action provides crucial resources for the achievement of active participation in joint activities.

Academic Librarian Search Committee Members Identify Inclusivity Concerns with On-Campus Interview Practices

A Review of: Houk, K. & Neilson, J. (2023). Inclusive hiring in academic libraries: A qualitative analysis of attitudes and reflections of search committee members. College and Research Libraries, 84(4), 568-588. https://doi.org/10.5860/crl.84.4.568 Objective – To understand how academic librarian search committee members’ perceptions and attitudes affect the equitability and inclusiveness of the on-campus interview process. Design – Thematic text analysis of open-ended responses to short-answer questions from an online survey. Setting – Online survey conducted between February and March of 2021. Subjects – 166 academic librarians who had served on hiring committees for academic librarians in North America between 2016 and 2020. Methods – Participants for the 33-question survey were recruited through several academic library listservs and social media postings on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. The researchers first individually reviewed and coded all responses for short answer survey questions, then reviewed the codes together. Finally, a thematic map was developed after the researchers reached a consensus on their shared approach to coding and generating clusters of meanings. Main Results – Six major clusters were identified through thematic coding of participants’ text responses concerning their experiences of on-campus interview practices as hiring committee members. These themes represented challenges to the inclusiveness of academic librarian searches, and included search committees’ treatment of the interview process as either intentional or situational tests (1), reliance on the ambiguously defined selection criteria of fit (2), experience with varying levels of commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, antiracism, and accessibility (DEIAA) values (3), frustration with prevalence of institutional bureaucracy throughout the hiring process (4), and uneven adoptions of inclusive hiring (5) or reflective practices (6). The researchers also noted a common respondent mistake of misinterpreting equal (i.e., identical) treatment of candidates as evidence of equitable interview practices. Conclusion – Findings from this study highlighted the importance of academic institutions and hiring committees adopting reflective practices to critically and intentionally incorporate DEIAA-informed practices in planning and conducting academic librarian searches. The authors also stressed the need to reduce possible biases in hiring practices favoring candidates who conforms to White, ableist, and heteronormative culture and values. Examples of these efforts included considering the necessity of each interview element for assessing candidate performances, proactively ensuring full accessibility of the interview itinerary, and operationalizing the definition of “fit” in assessing candidates’ abilities. 

Collaboration between national statistical offices and academia: Benefits, conditions, areas of collaboration and practical level experience in countries

National statistical offices (NSOs) and academia benefit from establishing partnerships and collaborating in different ways by bringing together their respective expertise. Collaborative alliances of this nature appear to offer numerous advantages for both the partners and the public and seem to be essential for unlocking opportunities within the evolving data ecosystem. Establishing good and fruitful collaboration between academia and NSOs requires a collaborative environment where each partner can see the benefits of the collaboration and how they could contribute. Different areas of collaboration are presented within four categories: education and learning, research, promotion of data use in society and providing services to each other. The article further discusses the benefits and conditions of a successful partnership. Examples from Brazil, Colombia, Ghana, and Norway showcase practical-level experiences and some lessons learned at the country level.

"Sandpaper. Yeah.”: Educators’ embodied insights into comprehensive sexual health education pedagogy

In this arts-informed inquiry, I examine Canadian sex educators’ embodied sense-making of comprehensive sexual health education (CSHE). I seek to understand how educators use their bodies to negotiate contested pedagogical terrain in order to gain insights into conflicting patterns observed in the literature, as well as to challenge how educators’ personal pedagogies may be implicated in uneven enactments of CSHE. Using sensory ethnographic principles, I focus inquiry on educators’ embodied experiences of contentious pedagogical practices, including the over-reliance on institutionalized forms of knowledge. I conceptualize their experiences as “interchange”— the sense of simultaneous bodily gaining and giving in response to the social-political demands of teaching CSHE. I analyze two focal experiences of interchange—namely, Feeling Right(s) and Be/ing Schooled—to highlight paradoxical frictions of educators’ personal and pedagogical anti-oppressive aims. Last, I utilize Maclaren’s concept of “unfreedom” to discuss addressing problematic CSHE practices as an intersubjective project.

Healthcare: Public Policies, Social Practices, and Individual Experiences. An Introduction

Abstract This thematic section focuses on health as a multilayered political, economic, and cultural phenomenon. Based on case studies from Southeastern Europe, the four articles in the section pose research questions that are important for understanding the interplay between personal experiences of using healthcare services, trust in the healthcare system, and the governance of healthcare service provision in the region. The articles build on complementary perspectives on individual experiences of interacting with healthcare providers, social issues, and public health strategies, drawing a multidimensional “health map” with interrelated but sometimes diverging arguments. This allows a better understanding of the issues of health and illness in turbulent times of social crises and provides a conceptual basis for healthcare policies in Southeastern Europe.

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice (KAP) Status toward Clinical Reasoning and Evidence-Based Medicine among the Medical Interns and Gynecology Residents of Iran University of Medical Sciences.

Clinical reasoning and evidence-based medicine (EBM) are important concepts in modern medicine. We performed this study to investigate the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) status toward clinical reasoning and EBM among the medical interns and gynecology resident physicians of Iran University of Medical Sciences and related factors. A cross-sectional study (Tehran, Iran, first half of 2022) was conducted based on two researcher-made questionnaires consisting of three components for each including clinical reasoning attitude (CR-A), clinical reasoning knowledge (CR-K), clinical reasoning practice (CR-P), EBM attitude (EBM-A), EBM knowledge (EBM-K), and EBM practice (EBM-P). The related factors were age, gender, educational level, score of general practice education, having research experience, and general practice experience. A total of 60 individuals participated. The mean score was good for CR-A, moderate for CR-K, moderate for CR-P, good for EBM-A, moderate for EBM-K, and moderate for EBM-P. The total score was moderate in both clinical reasoning and EBM. Among the related factors, CR-P was associated with higher educational levels and having experience in general practice (P  < 0.05). Research experience was associated with better CR-K and all KAP components for EBM (P  < 0.05). The total score and many of the KAP components had moderate status for clinical reasoning and EBM. Planning on the associated factors should be regarded in the future. Such questionnaires are suggested to be validated for use in quasi-experimental studies.

Five pathways into one profession: Fifty years of debate on differentiated nursing practice.

The persistence of multiple educational pathways into the nursing profession continues to occupy scholars internationally. In the Netherlands, various groups within the Dutch healthcare sector have tried to differentiate nursing practice on the basis of educational backgrounds for over 50 years. Proponents argue that such reforms are needed to retain bachelor-trained nurses, improve quality of care and strengthen nurses' position in the sector. Opponents have actively resisted reforms because they would mainly benefit bachelor-trained nurses and neglect practical experience and technical skills. This historical case study aims to provide insight in this apparent stalemate. Our analysis of this debate is informed by literature on institutional work and current debates within the historiography of nursing. This study contributes to a better understanding of this contemporary debate by examining a broader timeframe than is usually studied, and by highlighting nurses' roles in complex processes of change. We argue that, rather than being stuck in their professional development, different groups of nurses have forged their own path forward in their professional development, albeit via different strategies.

An investigation on the compliance of perioperative practices using ERAS protocols and barriers to the implementation of the ERAS protocols in colorectal surgery

Background Although ERAS protocols have many benefits, there are some deficiencies in their understanding and implementation by healthcare professionals. The present study was conducted to investigate the compliance of the current perioperative practices of healthcare professional with the ERAS protocols and to assess barriers to the implementation of ERAS protocols in colorectal surgery. Methods This cross-sectional descriptive study conducted in the surgical clinics and operating rooms of a training and research hospital between January 2020 and September 2020 included 110 physician and nurse members of surgical teams. Data were collected using the Questionnaire for Evaluating the Use of the ERAS Protocol and Identifying Barriers to Implementation in Colorectal Surgery. Results The compliance of the current perioperative practices by healthcare professionals with the ERAS protocols ranged between 15.5% (routinely leaving nasogastric tubes in situ following colorectal resection) and 61.8% (being aware of the concept of balanced analgesia). Variables such as the healthcare professional’s profession, title, years in practice and colorectal surgery experience led to a difference between them in terms of their compliance of the practices with the ERAS protocols (p < 0.05). Based on the healthcare professionals’ comments about barriers to the implementation of the ERAS protocol, themes such as education, teamwork, communication and lack of resources were created. Conclusion Healthcare professionals’ compliance level of the current perioperative practices with the ERAS protocols was mostly low. Barriers to the implementation of the ERAS protocols had a multi-factor structure that concerns the multidisciplinary team.

Possibilities of using the virtual simulator "Vimedix 3.2" in the process of training in the specialty "ultrasound and diagnostics"

Background. In recent years, it is important to change the methods and programs of teaching many disciplines, including ultrasound diagnostics, with the inclusion of various virtual and simula-tion devices. The practical experience of using such technologies in the teaching process is rather short, therefore, there are few original works devoted to this topic in Russian and foreign literature.Aims. To determine the possibilities and algorithm of using virtual simulator of ultrasound re-search in the process of teaching the discipline of "ultrasound diagnostics" on the basis of the results of work with it. To evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of using simulator in comparison with traditional teaching methods.Material and methods. The results of using the virtual simulator "Vimedix 3.2" in the educa-tional process were analyzed. Simulations of transabdominal ultrasound examination of abdominal cavity organs, transthoracic echocardiography, triplex scanning of main vessels were performed on it. The study involved 26 residents in the specialty "ultrasound diagnostics", as well as 47 physicians who were trained at professional retraining courses.Results. The use of a virtual simulator at the initial stage in the training process can eliminate many of the problems that residents and trainees encounter in clinical sites. The use of a simulator in the testing process seems to be less favorable than a practical examination using ultrasound scanners and real patients.Conclusions. It is advisable to use the simulator at the initial stage to practice the research methodology. It is recommended to develop and use additional teaching materials and programs in training. The advantages of the virtual simulator are comfort of work at the initial stage of training, short time of its mastering, availability of an extensive database of pathological cases. The identified non-critical deficiencies require correction during further training in the clinic.