Prior Experience Research Articles

"You go in heavy and you come out light": An interpretative phenomenological analysis of reflective practice experiences in an Irish infant mental health setting.

Reflective practice (RP) is a core component of infant mental health (IMH); however, there is limited published empirical research on IMH practitioner experiences of RP. This two-stage, qualitative, multimodal study explored Irish IMH practitioners' experiences of RP spaces. Visual and verbal data from seven individual interviews and a participatory arts-based focus group with seven participants (eight participants in total, all white Irish females) were analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Five group experiential themes (Just get on with it; What should I be bringing to this space?; Who are my "hands"?; Taking a step back; and You go in heavy and you come out light) were generated by the analysis. These were used to construct a developmental and experiential model of learning in an RP space. The themes portray how a practitioner's RP experience can change over time: influenced by prior experiences and practice development stage, practitioners move from initial uncertainty, anxiety, and perceived pressure in a busy workload to developing the trust and ability to be vulnerable in an RP space. Through relationships (supervisor/facilitator or group members), a shared safe space can be created, which addresses practitioners' needs for containment, allowing for experiential learning through a process of transformational moments.

Survey Study on the Use of Lexical Chunks in High School Students’ English Writing

The study aims to investigate the use of lexical chunks in English compositions among Grade 2 students at a high school in Pan Zhihua, Sichuan Province, involving 100 students. Research instruments encompassed student writing samples, questionnaires, and interviews. The study employed AntConc, EXCEL, and SPSS 26.0 for data analysis. The research questions addressed are: (1) What types of lexical chunks are employed by high school students in their English writing, and what is the frequency of their usage? (2) In comparison to the English Curriculum Standard (2017 Edition, 2020 Revised Edition) for high schools, which lexical chunks are underutilized in students' English writing? Findings reveal that senior high school students predominantly utilize four types of lexical chunks in their English compositions: discourse organizers, stance bundles, topic chunks, and institutionalized expressions. Among these, topic chunks and stance bundles are the most frequently used, while discourse organizers are the least utilized. Furthermore, in comparison to the English Curriculum Standard (2017 Edition, 2020 Revised Edition) for high schools, these lexical chunks are underused, primarily due to high repetition rates, monotony, and misapplication by students. These issues reflect deficiencies in language fluency, accuracy, diversity, and authenticity.The main reasons for students' inadequate use of lexical chunks include lack of motivation, learning strategies, influence of prior learning experiences, and teaching methods. In light of these challenges, this study proposes corresponding teaching strategies with the aim of informing English instruction.

“Should I stay or should I go”: experience does not make the expert in police snap decision-making

PurposeWe analyse the role of subject matter experts' experience in establishing performance benchmarks for ambiguous and unstructured police tasks.Design/methodology/approachParticipants included 156 students in the final week of their training to become commissioned officers of a police force (78.8% male, aged 21 to 54); 55.8% had previous experience as police officers, with 5–39 years of service (expert group). Participants completed an online questionnaire providing demographic data and responded to three written vignettes presenting critical high-ambiguity, time-pressure, and life-threatening situations.FindingsHaving prior police experience or being familiar with the situations presented in the vignettes did not impact the decisions made in two of the three vignettes. In the vignette where differences appeared, there was no clearly preferred option among the experts. Experts provided shorter and less elaborate justifications for their decisions compared to novices.Originality/valueOverall experience and personal familiarity with situations do not appear to be sufficient conditions for identifying someone as an expert in this type of tasks. Results are discussed in relation to the difference between knowing what one should do and what one does due to stress and the moral or “sacred” values prevalent in police forces.

“It’s like I got a new pair of glasses”

Abstract This study focuses on a specific group of sojourners that has thus far remained rather unexplored in the context of study-abroad research, namely, students with extensive prior experiences of living in, traveling to, and/or familial ties with target-language mediated communities. To this end, this study examines data obtained through episodic interviews with three American students, who grew up in close contact with German-speaking communities and studied abroad in Austria for four weeks. By means of thematic analysis, the pre-study abroad sojourn motives and reflections on sense of self, home, and belonging are contrasted with these students’ immediate and delayed post-study abroad accounts. The results shed light on both the challenges young adults grapple with due to their international biographies and the transformative effects students attribute to their short-term sojourns with regard to redefining who they are and what meaning different places of home and heritage have within their individual trajectories.

Citizen scientists: Unveiling motivations and characteristics influencing initial and sustained participation in an agricultural project.

Citizen science, where non-specialists collaborate with scientists, has surged in popularity. While it offers an innovative approach to research involvement, the domain of agri-environmental research participation, particularly in terms of citizen recruitment and retention, remains relatively unexplored. To investigate how what factors influence initial and sustained participation in an agronomic citizen science project, we performed a large survey during the case-study "Soy in 1000 Gardens". We obtained data on citizens motivations, general values, environmental concern, prior citizen science experience, and knowledge regarding sustainable food consumption and garden management and applied a two-step selection model to correct for potential self-selection bias on our participation outcomes. Initially, citizen scientists appear to be mostly motivated by gaining knowledge, having fun social interactions and environmental concern with regards to the effects on others, while the desire for enhancing or protecting their ego is less prominent. They also display higher knowledge and self-transcending values. Sustained participants however, are significantly older and share a stronger sense of moral obligation than their dropped-out counterparts. Moreover, prior experience seems to positively influence the length of their participation, while higher knowledge has a positive impact on the amount of data contributed. These insights offer strategies for tailored engagement that should emphasize collective impact, align with intrinsic values, and foster a sense of moral duty, with potential to enhance agri-environmental citizen science initiatives' effectiveness in addressing environmental challenges.

Do Large Language Models Learn to Human-Like Learn?

Human-like learning refers to the learning done in the lifetime of the individual. However, the architecture of the human brain has been developed over millennia and represents a long process of evolutionary learning which could be viewed as a form of pre-training. Large language models (LLMs), after pre-training on large amounts of data, exhibit a form of learning referred to as in-context learning (ICL). Consistent with human-like learning, LLMs are able to use ICL to perform novel tasks with few examples and to interpret the examples through the lens of their prior experience. I examine the constraints which typify human-like learning and propose that LLMs may learn to exhibit human-like learning simply by training on human generated text.

Antibiotic Resistance Genes and Faecal Sterols in Marine Sediments: An Evidence of Their Presence away from Point Sources–Kuwait’s Example

Coastal areas are vital ecosystems, supporting diverse marine life and providing resources essential to human well-being. However, sewage pollution poses a significant threat to these delicate environments, impacting water quality, biodiversity, and public health. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has gained importance. We believe the presence of faecal sterols in coastal and marine sediments is a reliable indicator of sewage contamination. At most sites, the faecal contamination was observed with ranges from <dl to 18713 ng g−1 dw. The coprostanol/cholesterol ratio was >0.2 at 68% of the sampling sites, suggesting a large spatial distribution of sewage contamination beyond the discharge points. The positive correlation of faecal sterols with AMR provides an insight that antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) can spread to areas away from point sources. We propose that sterol ratios be considered as a screening tool for selecting the sites for AMR assessment. The analyses of sterols will be less time and cost-intensive compared to pharmaceutical analyses and can be a reliable indicator for AMR studies in areas where prior knowledge and experience are lacking.

Investigating the multifaceted role of warm experts in enhancing and hindering older adults’ digital skills in Finland

ABSTRACT Despite widespread digitalization, certain marginal and societal groups can still encounter challenges in the digital world. Promoting digital inclusion and digital support aims to reduce these disparities and enable equal participation. In this article, we examine the quality and dynamics of informal learning and digital support provided by warm experts from the perspective of older adults’ subjective experiences. Specifically, we ask (1) what are the key elements of informal learning in the context of older adults’ acquisition of digital skills? Based on the first question, we further examine (2) how do the identified key elements of informal learning influence older adults’ subjective learning experiences and independent use of digital technologies? Our inductive thematic analysis is based on participant-induced elicitation (PIE) interviews (n = 21), conducted with older adults (aged 65+) in Finland in 2018. Our findings suggest that older adults are a heterogeneous group with different support needs and diverse prior experiences with digital technologies. Even when digital support from friends and family is available, it does not always facilitate independent use or meaningful learning experiences. The results show how informal digital support provided by warm experts can not only enhance, but also hinder digital inclusion and independent aging.

GazeIntent: Adapting Dwell-time Selection in VR Interaction with Real-time Intent Modeling

The use of ML models to predict a user's cognitive state from behavioral data has been studied for various applications which includes predicting the intent to perform selections in VR. We developed a novel technique that uses gaze-based intent models to adapt dwell-time thresholds to aid gaze-only selection. A dataset of users performing selection in arithmetic tasks was used to develop intent prediction models (F1 = 0.94). We developed GazeIntent to adapt selection dwell times based on intent model outputs and conducted an end-user study with returning and new users performing additional tasks with varied selection frequencies. Personalized models for returning users effectively accounted for prior experience and were preferred by 63% of users. Our work provides the field with methods to adapt dwell-based selection to users, account for experience over time, and consider tasks that vary by selection frequency.

Conceptual Models of Franchisee Behaviors in the Dietary Supplements and Cosmetics to Imply the Business Investments

Franchise businesses have demonstrated resilience before, through, and after the circumstances of COVID-19. This can be attributed to the inherent appeal of rapid success and risk mitigation for investors. Therefore, investors are attached to engaging in a franchise business model. Fierce competition exists among franchise businesses, with numerous brands within the same industry, especially the cosmetic and dietary supplement franchise category, which has garnered significant popularity in Southeast Asia, particularly Thailand. The expansion of this franchise category has accelerated, surpassing the growth rates observed in other countries. Investment decisions across various investor levels are influenced by diverse factors, including intense competition, contributing to the rapid expansion. Therefore, a comprehensive study and understanding of the investment behavior of cosmetic and dietary supplement franchise businesses has become imperative. The success of a franchise business hinges on different factors encompassing decisions made before, during, and after investments. This study delves into the decision-making behaviors preceding and following investments across different investor levels in the cosmetics and dietary supplement franchise industry, utilizing fundamental aspects derived from rational choice theory (RCT) and additional variables. The researcher gathered responses through questionnaires from 490 respondents with investment experience in the cosmetics and dietary supplement franchise business. The study revealed that factors postulated in this study significantly influenced investment choices within cosmetics and dietary supplement franchises. When segmented based on investor levels, distinct considerations emerged for each group. Furthermore, there is a compelling need for cosmetic and dietary supplement franchise owners to implement enhancements in services to uphold and expand investor bases, representing an intense challenge in the cosmetics and dietary supplement franchise business nowadays. This study is intended only for individuals with prior investment experience in the cosmetics and dietary supplement franchise industry. It focuses on examining the factors that influence investment decisions both before and after the initial investment, particularly with regard to dietary supplement and cosmetics franchises.

Inclusive Education through Digital Comic Creation in Higher Learning Environments

This research aims to promote diversity and inclusion among higher education students by examining the integration of technology into project-based learning (PBL) for English as a foreign language (EFL) teacher candidates. Based on a mixed-methods approach and convenience sampling (n = 84 participants), this study involved pre-service teachers who collaboratively employed several authoring tools to create 16 digital comic strips for teaching English. The focus of the project was on inclusivity, cultural diversity, and affective education. This study consisted of five stages corresponding to different critical thinking skills: comprehension, negotiation, creation, presentation, and evaluation. The instruments used for quantitative data included a pre/post-survey based on two validated scales. Qualitative data were gathered through class discussions and semi-structured interviews. The results, analyzed through SPSS and QDA Miner Lite, revealed that teacher candidates lacked prior experience using digital tools to create EFL-inclusive materials. However, the study also highlighted increased awareness of inclusive education and strong advocacy for the integration of transformative technology in teacher training programs.

Black, indigenous, and people of color's experiences of discrimination in psychoanalytic professional organizations in the USA: Results of a thematic analysis of interview data

AbstractThis article reviews the results of a qualitative study of Black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC)'s experiences of discrimination in psychoanalytic professional organizations (PPOs) in the USA. The authors used thematic analysis to analyze the transcripts of semi‐structured interviews with n = 10 self‐identified BIPOC with prior experience in PPOs, including psychoanalytically‐oriented graduate programs, psychoanalytic institutes and other training programs, and professional membership organizations across the United States. A key finding is that a significant majority of interviewees (n = 9) reported experiencing discrimination in these organizations, per their own definitions of the term “discrimination,” and described these experiences in considerable detail. The authors attempt to triangulate the findings of the present study in relation to the findings of the Holmes Commission and other existing literature on BIPOC experiences in psychoanalysis.

Identity transitions, experiences, and agency: a collaborative autoethnography of Asian international TESOL doctoral students

ABSTRACT This research explored the identities and agency of Asian international TESOL doctoral students at a large Australian university, employing a sociocultural perspective and collaborative autoethnography with qualitative content analysis. The study revealed that these doctoral students navigated complex, co-evolving identities – including learner, early-career researcher, and academic – shaped by their prior professional and research experiences. It highlighted significant identity tensions influenced by the temporal dimensions of their experiences, where past and current identities, as well as imagined future selves, informed their academic decisions and coping strategies. This temporal interplay was conceptualised through Vygotsky’s concept of perezhivanie, reflecting how personal and situational factors coalesced to impact their academic trajectories. A conceptual model, informed by these findings, illustrated how identity and agency were mediated by personal experiences and situationally catalysed tensions. This study highlighted identities as significant and formative episodes in the doctoral learning experience, offering insights into the challenges and developmental trajectories of international doctoral students. It further substantiates the value of a sociocultural perspective for understanding and supporting the academic and professional growth of this cohort.

Vaping Behavior and Intention to Quit among Undergraduate Students in a Hispanic-Serving University.

The surge in electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) usage, particularly among young adults, poses significant public health concerns. This study aimed to identify predictors of e-cigarette use, quit attempts, and frequency among undergraduate students in a Hispanic-serving university in Texas. A cross-sectional study was conducted between August 1 and October 26, 2023, recruiting undergraduate students through the Sona system, an online experiment management platform. Participants completed an online survey that covered demographics, educational status, vaping status, initiation age, reasons for first and current e-cigarette use, frequency of past usage, intentions to quit, and quit attempt frequency. Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics, multinomial logistic regression, and multivariable linear regression. Among 316 participants, 33.9% reported current e-cigarette use. Junior and senior students, as well as prior tobacco users, were more likely to be current vapers. Prior vaping experience was more prevalent among Hispanic individuals and those with a history of tobacco use. Notably, 74.3% of current users attempted to quit in the past year, with a higher frequency of quit attempts among females, Hispanic students, and those with vaping acquaintances. However, the vaping behavior and quit attempt patterns were similar across other categories. This study highlights how various factors influence e-cigarette use among college students. It suggests that prevention and quitting programs should consider the specific needs of different groups. Future studies will continue to look at different student groups to find the most effective ways to help them quit vaping.

Effects of delay sequence in a delay discounting task

Delay discounting refers to the decrease in subjective value of a reward as the delay until its receipt increases. In the present study we assessed the effects of the sequence of delay blocks (increasing or decreasing) on discounting and the data systematicity using a titrating procedure with human participants. All participants completed the delay discounting task in both an increasing and decreasing sequence of delays. Delays ranged from one day to ten years. We found steeper discounting when the delays were presented in an increasing sequence compared with when they were presented in a decreasing sequence. We also found steeper discounting when participants completed the increasing sequence condition first. Our results agree with other findings reported in the literature and suggest that delay discounting may be affected by prior and subsequent experience.

Public engagement for inclusive and sustainable governance of climate interventions.

The need for public engagement is increasingly evident as discussions intensify around emerging methods for carbon dioxide removal and controversial proposals around solar geoengineering. Based on 44 focus groups in 22 countries across the Global North and Global South (N = 323 participants), this article traces public preferences for a variety of bottom-up and top-down engagement practices ranging from information recipient to broad decision authority. Here, we show that engagement practices need to be responsive to local political cultures and socio-technical environments, while attending to the global dimensions and interconnectedness of the issues at stake. Establishing public engagement as a cornerstone of inclusive and sustainable governance of climate-intervention technologies requires (i) recognizing the diversity of forms and intensities of engaging, (ii) considering national contexts and modes of engagement, (iii) tailoring to technological idiosyncrasies, (iv) adopting power-sensitive practices, (v) accounting for publics' prior experience, (vi) establishing trust and procedural legitimacy and (vii) engaging with tensions and value disagreements.

What keeps you coming back? Health care experience and determinants of consistent follow-up among persons experiencing homelessness in Atlanta, GA

ABSTRACT People experiencing homelessness have difficulties accessing primary care and maintaining follow-up. Little is known about what factors contribute to satisfaction with care and subsequent return visits. In this 2019 qualitative study of 20 individuals experiencing homelessness at an urban non-profit clinic in Atlanta, GA, we conducted a hybrid deductive-inductive thematic analysis to identify factors that impacted satisfaction with care and encouraged consistent follow-up. A comprehensive care model – including psychiatry and dental services, access to medication, and housing – supported ongoing utilization of primary care. However, it was also essential to promote dignity and respect, and foster emotional connection with and trust between patients and clinic staff. Many also reported religion or spirituality as an important factor. In their prior experience, when these same factors were absent, participants were less likely to follow-up consistently. These findings will help to encourage consistent follow-up and create opportunities to treat chronic conditions that require consistent medical care.

Matching Process Concerning Children With Disabilities in Family Foster Care

ABSTRACTChildren with disabilities are over‐represented in foster care and exposed to more disruptions. This is unfortunate because they need long‐term relationships and predictability, as well as access to special schools and health care. Disruption can be the result of a poor match between the child and the foster family. In this article, we focus on the matching process in relation to children with disabilities. Zeijlmans et al. describe matching as the process by which social workers move from principles of good matching to realistic matching, depending on existing premises. Using their model, we analyse the matching process for children with disabilities in Sweden. The study is based on 31 individual interviews and six group interviews with social workers and social work managers. They describe how they take into account the family climate, family composition and prior knowledge and/or experience of disability in the foster home. However, disruptions occur even when these conditions are met. Stable placements seem to be more related to the fostered child's progress when the family's efforts are rewarded. We also address the complex issue of what disability actually means in the context of foster care, given the interrelatedness of trauma, maltreatment and impairment.

No evidence for cross-paradigm transfer of abstract task knowledge in adults and school-aged children.

Cognitive control is a hallmark of human cognition. A large number of studies have focused on the plasticity of cognitive control and examined how repeated task experience leads to the improvement of cognitive control in novel task environments. However, it has been demonstrated that training-induced changes are very selective and that transfer occurs within one task paradigm but not across different task paradigms. The current study tested the possibility that cross-paradigm transfer would occur if a common cognitive control strategy is employed across different task paradigms. Specifically, we examined whether prior experience of using reactive control in one task paradigm (i.e., either the cued task-switching paradigm or the AX-CPT) makes adults (N = 137) and 9- to 10-year-olds (N = 126) respond in a reactive way in a subsequent condition of another task paradigm in which proactive control could have been engaged. Bayesian generalized mixed-effects modelsrevealed clear evidence of an absence of cross-paradigm transfer of reactive control in both adults and school-aged children. Based on these findings, we discuss to what extent learned control could be transferred across different task contexts and the task-specificity of proactive/reactive control strategies.

Third-party intervention in high-risk situations in Africa: exploring factors influencing bystander intervention in sexual violence among college students

ABSTRACT In recent times, bystander intervention has become an integral part of the effort to address the high prevalence rates of sexual violence on college campuses. Bystanders put their lives at risk by preventing high-risk situations from happening. Despite their critical role, bystander intervention has not been adequately examined to understand their decision-making process. The current study examined the behaviour of bystanders from an African perspective using college student data from Ghana and Ivory Coast. Specifically, the study examined the influence of sexual consent attitudes, personality traits, sense of community, and prior experiences of sexual violence on two dimensions of bystander intervention. The results revealed that lack of behavioural control, sexual consent norms, and a sense of community influence bystanders’ decision to intervene. Also, while personality traits failed to explain bystander behaviour, experience with sexual violence did. These findings offer important insights into developing effective sexual assault programmes on campus.