Class Rank Research Articles

Cognitive Enhancement Drug Use Among Future Physicians: Findings from a Multi-Institutional Census of Medical Students

Nonmedical use of prescription psychostimulants such as methylphenidate and amphetamine salts for the purpose of cognitive enhancement is a growing trend, particularly in educational environments. To our knowledge, no recent studies have evaluated the use of these psychostimulants in a medical academic setting. To conduct an online census of psychostimulant use among medical students. In 2011, we conducted a multi-institutional census using a 31-48 item online survey regarding use of prescription psychostimulants. 2,732 actively enrolled medical students at four private and public medical schools in the greater Chicago area. Prevalence and correlates of psychostimulant use 1,115 (41 %) of students responded to the web-based questionnaire (range 26-47 % among schools). On average, students were 25.1 years of age (SD = 2.7, range 20-49), and single (70 %). Overall, 18 % (198/1,115) of this medical student sample had used prescription psychostimulants at least once in their lifetime, with first use most often in college. Of these, 11 % (117/1,115) of students reported use during medical school (range 7-16 % among schools). Psychostimulant use was significantly correlated with use of barbiturates, ecstasy, and tranquilizers (Pearson's correlation r > 0.5, Student's t-test p < 0.01); male gender (21 % male versus 15 % female, Chi squared p = 0.007); and training at a medical school which by student self-report determined class rank (68 % versus 51 %, Chi-squared p = 0.018). Non-users were more likely to be first year students (Chi-squared p = 0.048) or to have grown up outside of the United States (Chi-squared p = 0.013). Use of psychostimulants, including use without a prescription, is common among medical students. Further study of the side effects, medical implications, and use during post-graduate medical training and medical practice is needed to inform evidence-based policy.

Student Perceptions of a Role-Playing Simulation in an Introductory International Relations Course

An emerging assumption in undergraduate political science education is that role-playing simulations are an effective teaching tool. While previous studies have addressed the pedagogical advantages of simulations as compared to more traditional teaching techniques, less attention has been paid to student perceptions of these simulations. This study uses data collected from an introductory International Relations course that includes a 2-day Model United Nations Crisis Simulation. Students are given a presimulation and postsimulation survey in order to gauge the perceived educational value of classroom simulations. Do undergraduates perceive simulations to be a valuable learning tool? Do these perceptions change after they participate in a simulation? Gender, class rank, and previous interest in world politics are considered. Finally, the authors consider whether students’ perceptions of the simulation experience correlate with the assumptions in the existing literature.

The Social Ladder: A Rank-Based Perspective on Social Class

Scholars across the social sciences have studied social class for centuries. In this review, we suggest that social class is a fundamental means by which individuals are ranked on the social ladder of society. A rank-based perspective on social class shines light on several future areas of research: Specifically, understanding how social class ranks individuals vis-à-vis others leads to predictions about how class is signaled in interactions, influences social cognition and health, is shaped by global economic inequality trends, and changes across the life course. Importantly, our theory highlights the potential of experimental manipulations of social class rank for testing the causal role of social class in shaping basic patterns of cognition, emotion, and behavior. Future predictions regarding the channels of social class rank signals, along with how position on the social ladder shapes political attitudes and interacts with cultural values, are considered.

Analysis of approaches to learning preferences and perceptions of learning of students in faculty of education

Purpose of this study is to determine preference levels of approaches to learning and whether there is a significant difference as regards department, gender and class rank of preference levels of students in faculty of education. The research is a survey model. Universe of this research is comprised of students studying in Kazım Karabekir Education Faculty of Atatürk University in fall term 2011-2012 education year. Sample of the research is comprised of 393 candidate teachers that were selected randomly. Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students ' ASSIT has been employed to obtain research data. According to research results each of three approaches to learning is preferred with a percentage of over fifty nine out of a hundred. No significant difference was found between approach to learning preferences of candidate teachers in faculty of education according to field of the study, gender and class rank variables. Students stated to the term "learning" as to " Being able to use the information you've acquired".

John Galt and the Colonization of Canada

Previous articleNext article No AccessThe International Conference on Romanticism 2012: Selected PapersJohn Galt and the Colonization of CanadaJeffrey CassJeffrey Cass Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by The Wordsworth Circle Volume 44, Number 2-3Spring-Summer 2013 Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/TWC24044237 Views: 69Total views on this site © 2013 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved.PDF download Crossref reports no articles citing this article.

An outcome-based evaluation of nursing competency of baccalaureate senior nursing students in Taiwan

Limited literature is available for demographic and learning factors related to performance of baccalaureate nursing students. The study aimed at examining mean differences in nursing competency between the first week and the sixth week of a nursing clinical practicum as well as evaluating mean differences in nursing competency by demographic and learning factors at the sixth week of a nursing clinical practicum controlling for baseline scores of nursing competency. A comparative study design was conducted using the competency inventory for baccalaureate senior nursing students based on learning outcomes. Participants were surveyed at the first week and the sixth week of a nursing practicum with 95% mean response rate. Paired t test was used to compare within-subjects differences in mean nursing competency. ANCOVA and Kruskal-Wallis test, and Mann-Whitney U test were conducted to compare between-subjects differences in mean nursing competency. There are significant mean differences in nursing competency in general clinical skills, lifelong learning, clinical biomedical science, caring, and critical thinking and reasoning between the 1st week and the 6th week of nursing practicum. Likewise, type of nursing program, prior schooling, type of nursing license, interest in nursing, and extracurricular activity experience were significantly related to mean total nursing competency. Similarly, demographic attributes (location of school, type of nursing program, prior schooling, type of nursing license, a family member working as a medical practitioner or a nurse, interest in nursing, attributes of preferred workplace after college) and learning factors (extracurricular activity experience, played an active role in classroom discussions and asked questions, academic class rank, and English grade, clinical biomedical science, nursing science, and nursing practicum) were significantly related to six-subscale scores of nursing competency. There are mean differences in nursing competency across several demographic and learning factors. These factors should be given greater emphasis by nurse educators in planning the academic and clinical phases of professional education.

Do Rural Students Really Perform Worse than Urban Students Do? Empirical Evidence from a University Entrance Program in Taiwan

AbstractDespite a major expansion in the number of students in higher education, students from rural areas continue to be underrepresented at selective universities. To reduce the urban‐rural imbalance of entry to selective universities, institutions in many countries of the world have implemented admission policies favoring rural students. Previous evidence has shown that rural students have lower academic performance than their urban peers, which leads to concern that rural students will reduce the academic excellence of selective universities. Using the introduction of a university admission policy favoring rural students in Taiwan and a unique administrative data set of students' academic records, we compare the academic performance of students from rural areas with that of their urban counterparts during their college years. The results show that rural students have consistently outperformed urban students in semester grade point averages and class rank percentile across time; however, the differences in academic performance are mainly attributed to the rural students' initial outperformance in the first semester of the freshman year.

Ulcerogenic risk assessment of diets for pigs in relation to gastric lesion prevalence

BackgroundGastric ulcers in fattening pigs from intensive pork production can cause sudden deaths on farm and the grinding intensity of the diet appears to be among the risk factors. The objective of this work is to adopt the latest laboratory tests and thresholds for the ulcerogenic risk assessment of diets from experimental reports and verify the class of risk in relation to gastric lesion prevalence in reared finishers.ResultsSpecificity and accuracy of feed safety tests based on the ulcerogenic risk of feed associated with the particle size distribution of diets were calculated on the occurrence of gastric lesions observed at a slaughterhouse: 41 lard-type hogs, fed with two diets [pelleted (n = 21 pigs) vs. mixed meal (n = 20 pigs)], analyzed at the laboratory of our Institute, were involved. Gross inspection at the abattoir allowed the identification of the development of macroscopic gastric lesions in the pigs (13/21) fed with a pelleted complete diet, ranked in Class 1 (high ulcerogenic risk) on laboratory assessment. Breakdown of gastric lesion severity: hyperkeratosis (13/13), mucosal erosions (11/13) and bleeding ulcers (2/13). This occurrence was compared to the morphology of stomach mucosa from 20 finishers fed with a mixed meal diet, ranked in Class 3 (low ulcerogenic risk), in which no gastric lesions were observed. Very fine particle (VFP) mass (<0.4 mm) according to cut off thresholds (>36%) for the safety ranking of diets, showed: 100% positive predictive value (PPV); 100% specificity; 88.1% accuracy; 72.2% sensitivity.ConclusionsThree factors emerged: the elevated mass (42.6%) of <0.4 mm particles in the pelleted complete diet confirmed the associated risk rank in Class 1 assessed by laboratory procedures, as gastric lesions were selectively observed in 61.9% of finishers fed with the high risk diet; in these animals, macroscopic gastric lesions occurred within four weeks and showed a sub-clinical course, independently of severity; proper sieving analysis is necessary to define the VFP proportion in feedstuffs with certainty, as an adequate measure to assess the ulcerogenic risk class of the diet.

Standard Cognitive Psychological Tests Predict Military Pilot Training Outcomes

The predictive validity of scores from two cognitive functioning tests, the Multidimensional Aptitude Battery (MAB) and the MicroCog, was examined for initial pilot training performance. In addition to training completion, several training performance criteria were available for graduates: academic grades, daily flying grades, check ride grades, and class rank. Mean score comparisons and correlations in samples of between 5,582 and 12,924 trainees across the two tests showed small but statistically significant relationships with training performance. For example, after correction for range restriction and dichotomization of the criterion, the MAB full-scale IQ score and the MicroCog General Cognitive Functioning score were correlated .29 and .26 respectively with initial pilot training completion. The results pointed to general cognitive ability as the main predictor of training performance. Comparisons with results from studies involving US Air Force pilot aptitude tests showed lower validities for these cognitive functioning tests. This finding likely occurred because the pilot aptitude tests measure additional factors (e.g., aviation knowledge/experience and psychomotor skills) that are predictive of training success and that are not covered by the cognitive functioning tests.

Correlation of Purdue Pegboard Dexterity Test Scores with Class Rank of Turkish Nursing Students

AIM: This study is performed to determine the correlation between manual skill of the Turkish nursing students and their class rank. METHODS: The Purdue Pegboard test is utilized to determine the manual skills of the students. This test is based on the applicability principle of the manual skills at standard time intervals. The study was conducted between February to March 2010 among first and fourth year nursing students of Gulhane Military Medical Academy. RESULTS: Study included 171 Nursing students. The pin placement average of the students was 15.7±1.7 with the right hand, 14.6±1.5 with the left hand and 12.1±1.6 with both hands and their assembly generation average is determined as 8.7±1.6. At a comparison regarding the manual skills of the students, it is determined that the both hand average of the fourth class students was statistically higher than that of the first class students (p = 0.0009). CONCLUSION: There is a need of assessing Turkish normative data on manual dexterity

Skeletal features in patient affected by maxillary canine impaction

Objective: To analyze the skeletal features of patients with maxillary canine impaction. Material and Methods: The complete pre-treatment records of 1674 orthodontic patients were examined. From the subjects with maxillary impacted canine 12 patients were excluded , remaining 108. The subjects with maxillary impacted canine were divided into two study groups: a palatally displaced canine group (PDCG) (77 patients) and a buccally displaced canine group (BDCG) (31 patients). The values of the skeletal features measured on the lateral cephalometric radiograph were compared with a control group (CG) of 121 subjects randomly selected from the initial sample without maxillary canine impaction. The statistical analysis of the difference between the study groups and the CG was tested using ?2 test and Fisher’s exact test. The level of significance was set at P ?0.05. Results: The CG was characterized by increased values of A point-Nasion-B point angle (ANB) and by a retro-positioned or smaller lower jaw. PDCG patients showed normal skeletal features compared to the CG, presenting mainly I class and lower rank of II and III sagittal skeletal features. PDCG subjects presented also normal values of the Steiner vertical skeletal relationship angles with normal facial divergence compared to the CG. PDCG cases were also characterized by horizontal and prognathic growth. BDCG did not present significant differences in skeletal features compared to the CG, except for an increased ANB. Conclusions: Palatally displaced canine (PDC) was frequently the only orthodontic problem of patients and was not associated whit altered skeletal features. The frequent absence of malocclusion in PDC patients explains the delayed identification of this problem. BDCG patients did not present significant differences in skeletal features with respect to the orthodontic population. The presence of both buccally displaced canine (BDC) and malocclusion makes the patient with BDC both aware of the need for, and motivated to undergo, orthodontic treatment. Key words:Canine impaction, palatal displacement, buccal displacement, skeletal features.

Social class rank, essentialism, and punitive judgment.

Recent evidence suggests that perceptions of social class rank influence a variety of social cognitive tendencies, from patterns of causal attribution to moral judgment. In the present studies we tested the hypotheses that upper-class rank individuals would be more likely to endorse essentialist lay theories of social class categories (i.e., that social class is founded in genetically based, biological differences) than would lower-class rank individuals and that these beliefs would decrease support for restorative justice--which seeks to rehabilitate offenders, rather than punish unlawful action. Across studies, higher social class rank was associated with increased essentialism of social class categories (Studies 1, 2, and 4) and decreased support for restorative justice (Study 4). Moreover, manipulated essentialist beliefs decreased preferences for restorative justice (Study 3), and the association between social class rank and class-based essentialist theories was explained by the tendency to endorse beliefs in a just world (Study 2). Implications for how class-based essentialist beliefs potentially constrain social opportunity and mobility are discussed.

Outcomes Assessment of Case-Based Writing Exercises in a Veterinary Clinical Pathology Course

Our second-year core clinical pathology course uses free-response case-based learning exercises in an otherwise traditional lecture or laboratory course format to augment the development of skills in application of knowledge and critical thinking and clinical reasoning. We previously reported increased learner confidence accompanied by perceived improvements in understanding and ability to apply information, along with enhanced feelings of preparedness for examinations that students attributed to the case-based exercises. The current study prospectively follows a cohort of students to determine the ability of traditional multiple-choice versus free-response case-based assessments to predict future academic performance and to determine if the perceived value of the case-based exercises persists through the curriculum. Our data show that after holding multiple-choice scores constant, better performance on case-based free-response exercises led to higher GPA and better class rank in the second and third years and better class rank in the fourth year. Students in clinical rotations reported that the case-based approach was superior to traditional lecture or multiple-choice exam format for learning clinical reasoning, retaining factual information, organizing information, communicating medical information clearly to colleagues in clinical situations, and preparing high quality medical records. In summary, this longitudinal study shows that case-based free-response writing assignments are efficacious above and beyond standard measures in determining students' GPAs and class rank and in students' acquisition of knowledge, skills, and clinical reasoning. Students value these assignments and overwhelmingly find them an efficient use of their time, and these opinions are maintained even two years following the course.

Development and Analysis of a Probabilistic Forecasting Game for Meteorology Students

Calls for moving from a deterministic to a probabilistic view of weather forecasting have become increasingly urgent over recent decades, yet the primary national forecasting competition and many in-class forecasting games are wholly deterministic in nature. To counter these conflicting trends, a long-running forecasting game at Rutgers University has recently been modified to become probabilistic in nature. Students forecast high- and low-temperature intervals and probabilities of precipitation for two locations: one fixed at the Rutgers cooperative observing station, the other chosen for each forecast window to maximize difficulty. Precipitation errors are tabulated with a Brier score, while temperature errors contain a sharpness component dependent on the width of the forecast interval and an interval miss component dependent on the degree to which the verification falls within the interval.The inclusion of a probabilistic forecasting game allows for the creation of a substantial database of forecasts that can be analyzed using standard probabilistic approaches, such as reliability diagrams, relative operating characteristic curves, and histograms. Discussions of probabilistic forecast quality can be quite abstract for undergraduate students, but the use of a forecast database that students themselves help construct motivates these discussions and helps students make connections between their forecast process, their standing in class rankings, and the verification diagrams they use. Student feedback on the probabilistic game is also discussed.

Use of a Simulation of the Ventilator-Patient Interaction as an Active Learning Exercise: Comparison with Traditional Lecture

Research suggests that simulation technology has potential to enhance student achievement, particularly for students having a preference for hands-on learning. The aim of this study was to compare ventilation learning outcomes in students attending traditional lecture versus students using an active learning ventilation simulation. A computer simulation was developed to advance students' learning of mechanical ventilation. Forty-one students were divided into upper and lower strata based on performance rankings and were then randomly assigned to first complete a simulation scenario or view a lecture. Two distinct ventilation topics, controls and clinical, were developed for each instructional method. Students completed examinations three weeks following each respective instructional intervention (lecture or simulation scenarios) as well as one long-term examination and survey six weeks following the second examination. Upper-ranking students who learned the clinical topic through the simulation scenarios outperformed students who learned by traditional lecture. In addition, upper-ranking students scored higher than lower-ranking students in both the clinical and long-term composite examinations. No differences in student scores attributed to instructional method or class rank were identified for the controls topic. Survey results indicated that students were more engaged as learners when using the simulation and wished to have the simulation available during their clinical intensive care unit (ICU) rotations. Use of the simulation was associated with improved performance of upper-ranking students on the clinical-topic exam and was equivalent to lecture as an instructional intervention on the controls-topic exam. The simulation was perceived as an engaging, desirable tool providing immediate feedback.

Our Troubled Colleagues

How is it possible that students enter the veterinary curriculum full of excitement, anticipation, and promise, only to end with cynicism, exhaustion, and foreboding? Students are subjected to a grueling intellectual marathon; self-imposed competition for class rank; issues surrounding mortality, death, and suffering; and continuous evaluation and disappointment if they are not consistently at the top of their game. Add to this the challenges that all students face, including relocation, financial strain, sleep deprivation, and transition from a carefree life of adolescence to the sometimes crushing responsibilities of adulthood. Is there any wonder why anxiety, depression, and attempts to escape twist their views of life?

Rural placements are effective for teaching medicine in Australia: evaluation of a cohort of students studying in rural placements

Medical education in Australia is increasingly delivered through longitudinal placements in general practice and other community settings. Early meaningful exposure to patients has been shown to improve the transition from medical student to junior doctor. This study examines the experience of the first year cohort of the University of Western Sydney (UWS) Medical School long-term rural placement students. Results have been placed in the context of other published results for rural training schemes, comparing and contrasting the present results to those of others. Students undertaking a rural placement in their final year of the UWS medical program (n = 21) participated in a mixed methods evaluation. Students filled out a quantitative survey, modified from a validated instrument, and also participated in a focus group. Class ranking of students, and changes over the time of their placement, were also examined. Overall, students were very pleased with their rural experience, both clinically and socially. Students found the rural experience more comprehensive than they had expected. They considered that they had a stronger learning experience in most aspects than they expect they would have received in a metropolitan area. The smaller realm of the medical world in a rural area was considered an advantage in providing more hands-on experience and more interprofessional team approaches to healthcare provision. It was also considered a drawback by some that more advanced cases of all kinds were sent out of the area to metropolitan hospitals. Between their ranking in the end of Year 3 examination and the examination in the middle of Year 5, during which period students undertook their year-long placement, 14 of 22 students increased their class rank while two experienced no change and six decreased their class rank. Overall, the rural cohort advanced 4.2 places compared to their urban-placed peers. The present results confirm that rural placements have come into their own in Australia. Curriculum content regarding Aboriginal health issues should emphasise the complexity of culture and range of living conditions that makes up Aboriginal Australia and avoid a 'deficit-based perspective' that emphasises extreme cases over routine presentations. Taken together, the results reported by Australian medical schools now offering long-term rural placements suggest that rural long-term placements are at least as effective, and may even be more effective, than metropolitan hospital placements as an effective means of providing clinical education to medical students in their senior years.

El caso del programa Propedéutico en la Universidad de Santiago de Chile (USACH)

This paper aims to provide relevant evidence on the experience and results of Propedeutico programs. It suggests that, while performing well on the PSU is highly correlated with a high socioeconomic status, being at the top of the class rank is likelyto reflect the presence of the personal character and academic potential necessary to access and succeed in higher education regardless of social background. To make this argument, the paper relies on different sources. First, based on data about theperformance of students enrolled in two top universities (PUC and USACH), it shows that students who were in the top 10% of their high school class rank tend to perform significantly better and graduate in a more timely manner than their counterparts who, coming from similar socioeconomic backgrounds, were not among the top 10%. Second, the paper describes how the Propedeutico programs operate and presents the results of its latest evaluation. These results suggest that, even though Propedeutico students have lower performance and experience greater challenges than their counterparts admitted through regular admission during the first year, most of them end up overcoming the academic gaps throughout the second year and graduating within a one-year lag (Koljatic & Silva, 2012). The paper concludes and summarizes what Chile can learn from the experience of Propedeutico programs. It also highlights what still needs to be done if the country wants to move towards a more efficient and equitable system of university admissions.

What happens after enrollment? An analysis of the time path of racial differences in GPA and major choice

Abstract Abstract At the private university we analyze, the gap between white and black grade point averages falls by half between the students' freshmen and senior year. This outcome could suggest that affirmative action policies are playing a key role to reduce racial differences. However, this convergence masks two effects. First, the variance of grades given falls across time. Hence, shrinkage in the level of the gap may not imply shrinkage in the class rank gap. Second, grading standards differ across courses in different majors. We show that controlling for these two features virtually eliminates any convergence of black/white grades. In fact, black/white gpa convergence is symptomatic of dramatic shifts by blacks from initial interest in the natural sciences, engineering, and economics to majors in the humanities and social sciences. We show that natural science, engineering, and economics courses are more difficult, associated with higher study times, and have harsher grading standards; all of which translate into students with weaker academic backgrounds being less likely to choose these majors. Indeed, we show that accounting for academic background can fully account for average differences in switching behavior between blacks and whites.

Rich, Smart, Honest?: Does Success Lead to Unethical Lawyering?

The causes of unethical behavior in society, and among lawyers specifically, are the subject of significant interest in legal and psychological academia. Among the hypothesized causes of unethical behavior is class distinction. This research offers a preliminary inquiry into whether the structure of law school education leads to greater unethical behavior because it imposes an additional level of class distinction among lawyers through class rankings and coveted spots on law review and other “elite” organizations. Empirical results suggest possible correlation between ethical standards and various indications of law school “class” status. While the results are not statistically significant to a high confidence level, the small number of observations may have led to the lack of statistical significance, indicating a need for further research to verify the results.