Record Of Ideas Research Articles

Effective Strategies for the Use o Contraceptive Methods in the Postpartum Period by Adolescent Mothers in Iran Using Nominal Group Technique

Background and Objectives Unplanned pregnancy in the first year after delivery in high-risk and adolescent mothers can have numerous complications. This study aims to investigate the effective strategies for the use of contraceptive methods in the postpartum period by adolescent mothers in Iran. Subjects and Methods This qualitative study, using the nominal group technique (NGT), was conducted in 2019 during a journal club with the presence of professors and students in midwifery and reproductive health. The NGT included five steps: Recording of ideas during 5 minutes of silence, clarifying ideas, prioritizing important ideas, voting, and selecting the first five priorities. Results Five priorities were education, counseling, providing the contraceptive methods, modification of population policies, and correct identification of the vulnerable groups. Accordingly, strategies were categorized as (a) evidence-based education and counseling on appropriate use of contraceptive methods during pregnancy, after delivery, and during postnatal visits, (b) providing contraceptive methods to the high-risk group of women for free in health centers, and (c) modification of population policies. Conclusion There are appropriate strategies for the contraceptive use such as education, counseling, providing the contraceptive methods, and modification of population policies that can temporarily prevent pregnancy in high-risk adolescent women in Iran.

What students with intellectual disabilities know about writing planning.

BackgroundStudies on the writing of students with intellectual disabilities have been scarce and unrepresentative. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to analyse this group of students' abilities to plan their textsMethodA collective case study was carried out, with an eminently qualitative approach, although aided by an initial quantitative analysis. Fifteen students with unspecified intellectual disabilities were interviewed using open‐ended questions. For data interpretation, content analysis and quantification of responses were used.ResultsThe results revealed the abilities and limitations of these students regarding the knowledge and use of one of the key processes of written expression (writing planning).ConclusionThe cognitive operations of planning, in which these students admitted the greatest problems, were the ordering and recording of ideas, and textual structuring.

Views on Sex Using the Nominal Group Technique to Explore Sexuality and Physical Intimacy in Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities

Individuals with an intellectual disability (ID) have sexual feelings, are sexually active and have ideas about sexuality. There is limited information available about the ideas and experiences regarding sexual expression, interests and knowledge of sexual rights in this population. This study aims to identify the ideas, expressions, barriers to sexuality, experienced by people with IDs, using the Nominal Group Technique (NGT). The NGT was used to explore the views of people with mild ID on sexual needs and issues. NGT is a structured and specific form of focus group research. It is a ‘single-question’ technique that combines quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection for relatively small groups. NGT involves four steps: silent generation of ideas, round robin recording of ideas, clarification of ideas, and ranking of ideas. It was an inclusive research project: people with an ID were involved in the design, planning, performance, and analysis of the study. In total 39 people with mild IDs were able to explore their experiences and ideas on sexuality. They were able to answer questions like: What are their needs? What are their problems? They were capable of expressing their views, needs and barriers on sexuality and sexual rights. The most important items were the relationship between two people (47%), sex and sex related subjects as sex education (23%), and feeling safe and comfortable (10%). People with mild IDs are capable of expressing their views on sexuality and sexual rights. The participants stated that they need support in achieving these rights. The nominal group technique appears to be an appropriate methodology on sensitive issues as sexuality and sexual rights.

Introduction to a Dandy, Part I

The first half of this introduction to Qoheleth reads the book as a record of ideas mulled over by a dandy at a series of salons. While scholars have attempted to impose order on the book’s structure and classify it according to genres, I formulate an understanding of the speaker’s lively wisdom from the extraneous voices of John Galsworthy, Beau Brummell and Oscar Wilde. Thomas Carlyle’s Sartor Resartus (The Tailor Retailored) serves as a model of fictional philosophy that allows us to appreciate Qoheleth’s existential concerns as both ironic and serious. I keep references to biblical commentaries at bay and create a typology within which the biblical sage comes to life as a social creature of comfort. Part II will draw a specific parallel between the book’s first chapter and a collage by the conceptual dandy Marcel Duchamp. For the moment Qoheleth’s charms are given a fresh face via creative interdisciplinary comparison.

An observational study of undergraduate students’ adoption of (mobile) note-taking software

Mobile learning is increasing in popularity, but not all university students have mobile devices to support it. Our study investigated cross-platform software that has the potential to allow education practitioners to provide mobile support to their students’ learning, while offering similar functionality to non-mobile users via more traditional computing platforms. Undergraduate students were trained in the use of multi-platform cloud-based note-taking software (Evernote), and used the software in independent study for 8 weeks. Data show adoption for a range of functions, particularly gathering and managing information, organisation and planning, and the recording of ideas. Multimedia functions were also adopted innovatively by some students. Use for reflection was rare. Non-adopters were in a minority, giving low utility appraisals and difficulty in changing habits as reasons. Subjective evaluations and recommendations showed that a majority of students felt positive about the software and found it quick and easy to use. Mobile and non-mobile users only differed on the number of locations in which they used the software, and the proportion of notes classified as ideas, both being higher in mobile users. The data provide decision support for education practitioners who wish to provide mobile learning to their students alongside traditional platforms.

La planificación de la composición escrita por alumnado con discapacidad visual: un estudio de casos

The skill of writing constitutes a complex but essential learning process in school. This article describes a research project planned to discover the process through which visually impaired students approach writing and to identify their difficulties. The sample for the study was made up of six female and five male visually impaired students aged between 11.4 and 20.3 (average age 15.6). The research itself followed a qualitative focus and used the collective case study method. Data were collected in cognitive interviews through a questionnaire/guide offering students clues, in the form of questions, about the operations and processes inherent in planning. The questionnaire was designed and validated beforehand according to the experts� judgement and triangulation procedures. All the interviews were recorded and subsequently transcribed word for word. Research results were obtained via content analysis, by means of the appropriate categorisation system based on the theoretical model (Flower and Hayes 1981; Hayes 1996). The results revealed that in general students of this kind are familiar with the cognitive processes involved in planning written compositions, and they perform the operations planning entails when they face tasks requiring written expression in 77.9% of the cases. The recording of ideas and, to a lesser extent, the organization of ideas are the cognitive operations in which these individuals have the most trouble. The conclusions reveal that these students think about the objectives and ideas they want to write about in their text and also about the reader. No significant differences are found among students by age, sex or schooling level.

PERSPECTIVE: Trends and Drivers of Success in NPD Practices: Results of the 2003 PDMA Best Practices Study*

Since 1990, the Product Development & Management Association (PDMA) has sponsored best practice research projects to identify trends in new product development (NPD) management practices and to discern which practices are associated with higher degrees of success. The objective of this ongoing research is to assist managers in determining how to improve their own product development methods and practices. This paper presents results, recommendations, and implications for NPD practice stemming from PDMA's third best practices study, which was conducted in 2003. In the eight years since the previous best practices study was conducted, firms have become slightly more conservative in the portfolio of projects, with lower percentages of the total number of projects in the new‐to‐the‐world and new‐to‐the‐firm categories. Although success rates and development efficiencies have remained stable, this more conservative approach to NPD seems to have negatively impacted the sales and profits impact of the new products that have been commercialized. As formal processes for NPD are now the norm, attention is moving to managing the multiple projects across the portfolio in a more orchestrated manner. Finally, firms are implementing a wide variety of software support tools for various aspects of NPD. NPD areas still seriously in need of improved management include idea management, project leadership and training, cross‐functional training and team communication support, and innovation support and leadership by management. In terms of aspects of NPD management that differentiate the “best from the rest,” the findings indicate that the best firms emphasize and integrate their innovation strategy across all the levels of the firm, better support their people and team communications, conduct extensive experimentation, and use numerous kinds of new methods and techniques to support NPD. All companies appear to continue to struggle with the recording of ideas and making them readily available to others in the organization, even the best. What remains unclear is whether there is a preferable approach for organizing the NPD endeavor, as no one organizational approach distinguished top NPD performers.

Supporting consensus formation in Group Support Systems using the Qualitative Discriminant Process

Group Support Systems (GSS) are software systems that support group work, providing facilities for idea generation, idea organization, rating and ranking, communication, and recording of ideas. Because preference tasks occur frequently in organizational work, the rating and ranking facility is one of the most popular features of GSS. Nevertheless, this area has not received the attention it deserves in GSS research. Ratings in group decision-making contexts require techniques for synthesizing individual scores into group scores. Because the application of these techniques is only meaningful when there exists a relatively high level of consensus that is obtained through human interaction, there is the need for techniques to assess the level of group consensus, and also for supporting consensus build-ing. In this paper, an integrated method for rating and ranking, consensus assessment and consensus building is presented. This approach permits ambiguity in the ratings and yet provides appropriate interval and point numeric estimates; it offers interpretable similarity measures and consensus indicators.

The role of student journals in facilitating reflection at doctoral level

Journal entries submitted by thirteen Doctor of Education students as a course requirement were analysed in order to explore the nature and content of their reflection and the effectiveness of journal writing in facilitating student learning. The findings confirm that journal writing encourages students to engage cognitively and reflectively with course concepts and content and to make connections between their academic learning and their personal/professional experience. Marked individual differences in response styles were apparent and these impacted on the learning outcomes reported by students. An ‘analytic’ approach to journal writing helps students to clarify, organise, evaluate and personalise ideas, an ‘extracting’ approach provides a useful record of ideas and issues, and an ‘affective’ approach encourages freedom of expression and self‐evaluation. Students who adopt a ‘course‐feedback’ style, however, receive little benefit from the activity. Suggestions are made for improving the effectiveness ...

When Pens Are Passe

AbstractThe theories writers build about writing are shaped, in part, by the tools writers use. This article examines the theories and practices writers develop when they use a personal computer for writing. The data reported on here were gathered during a year-long evaluation of a computer innovation in which 47 students (mean age, 13.5 years) and their teachers received personal computers for use in class and at home. Data were obtained from questionnaires, interviews, observations, and written work. The students’ theories are considered in terms of the preferred medium for writing, writing quality, and writing behaviours. Preference for word processing was related to the ease and speed with which work could be produced. In terms of a theory of writing, speed aided generation and recording of ideas. Preference was also related to the facility with which text could be arranged and altered. These factors were seen to enable the production of better quality written work. Students were able to reflect on wr...

Searching Techniques in the Literature of the Sciences

THERE ARE MANY points to consider in making an effective science literature search. Initially, it is assumed that one must attempt to locate all available in­ formation relevant to a subject at the level required by the requester. ·with patents, all available information is re­ quired in order to establish priority in the recording of ideas and inventions. With the volume of literature now grow­ ing at an accelerating and unprece­ dented rate, retrieval is made more dif­ ficult by the sheer volume of information available. An effort to retrieve specific information concerning a specific sub­ ject or an effort to retrieve general in­ formation concerning a general subject must be carefully planned. Efficiency in literature searching can be gained only by experience, but certain principles which may be modified to suit the con­ ditions of almost any particular situation can be set forth. In order to perform a comprehensive examination of literature, the following steps should be taken: l. Determine the subject scope 2. Determine the temporal scope 3. Determine the depth 4. Determine the literature to be used, e.g . ~